Mechanon and the Space Mares 5 - Spooky Halloween

>Routine patrol, it was supposed to be a routine patrol
>The city was moving and bustling with little... whatever those were, antigravity, or, something, civilian transports and freight carriers zoomed along the roadways and skylines of a lively alien city,
>The aliens, judging by your few glimpses of them as they moved about, were like overgrown shrimp, walking about on land on skyways and walkways all around you.
>Some of them paid you particular attention as your infantry squad tromped through the city in single file.
>Your sizeable squadmates, roughly equal in height to your own mech, were very careful about where they stepped, sticking to their usual doctrine of avoiding any unnecessary destruction.
>You yawn and before Squad Leader Wave Runner can chastise you for needing to sleep more than a few hours each day, the lights on the surrounding buildings go dark.
>This was not scheduled.
>You take the safety off of your weapons console and grip the trigger, sweeping the crosshair across your view.
>The cry went out just as some big cargo container dropped out from underneath a bridge above you.
>It lands with a thump in the middle of the road way.
>Daisy takes one look at the bizzare alien scrawling and becomes terrified.
A sudden smokescreen poured out from the buildings around the squadmate unlucky enough to be right next to the container.
>She looks back up at you, fear etched across her visage.
>"Human, please-"
>The container explodes in a burst of light, cutting off whatever she was going to say.
"Daisy!"
>You scrambled backwards, mech's metal feet pounding the street over the distinct voice of your squadmate screaming as light from the container washes over her like a laser in a rave party, cutting through the fog to almost blind you before your cockpit windshield auto-adjusts, tinting to prevent blindness.
>Something explodes against the equine and her silhouette slumps to the ground.
>You reel, and at the same time the communications link translator goes into overdrive.
>"It's an ambush!"
>"They got Daisy!"
"Cover me!"
>The smoke starts to clear and your rush your machine forward, kneeling down to her form.
>"Right behind you!"
>"Hoofprint, get my back!"
>Daisy is breathing heavily, blood spattered across her suit and face.
>Her chest plate, whereis her chest plate?!
>The armor's just gone, and in its place, a chest spattered with blood.
"Holy shit! Daisy! Daisy!"
>One of your squadmates comes running up besides you, looking over the body, in the panic of the moment the nickname you gave her fails to come to mind.
>She suddenly starts to backpedal.
>"Human, she's down! Get away, she's infected!"
"Infected with what?! What the hell kind of disease hits monsterhorses?! I thought you said your species cured all your diseases!"
>The squad leader's voice interrupts.
>"Big Bounty, report!"
>The squadmate besides you speaks up again.
>"We got an outbreak of agent five two! Daisy's infected!"
"What, what?! Five, two? Huh?!"
>"Squad get back, that's an order!"
"What's going on?! Is she dead?"
>Bounty turns around, staring into your cockpit window like as if she could actually look you right in the eyes.
>"Worse."
"What's worse than that?"
>In a flash, your squadmate is on the ground, screaming as Daisy tackles her.
>Drooling, the previously downed pony starts to dig into her former comrade's armored suit, the metal giving way with terrifying ease.
>Plates are dislodged, clanging useless to the ground around the two.
>You put the crosshair across your crazed comrade, but hesitate to pull the trigger.
"Daisy! Daisy! Stop!"
>Another squadmate suddenly comes from behind and shoves your mech back from the fight.
>"It's too late, run!"
"But, Daisy!"
>"Run, human! I'll take care of them! Get back to the squad!"
>More screams and cries of "agent five two" spill from your translator.
>"Go!"
>Your squadmate shoves your mech again and instinct takes over, spurring you to action.
>As you start to turn around to run, your would-be rescuer falls under attack from the other two. Laser fire rings out, the light display of energy weapons discharging lights up the dark street.
>You don't dare turn around. Not for the screaming, not for the panicked yells, and not for the crying followed by a deep explosion that rumbles through your pilot's chamber.
>Holy shit this was supposed to be away from any fighting.
>A show of resolve for some allies in the war.
>Just a patrol, that's all.
>Not this nightmare.
>You plod on for a time before spotting a very distinctive shape against a bunch of buildings.
"Wave Runner! Squad Leader Wave Runner! Are you still... you?"
>The figure turns abruptly towards your mech.
>"Auxiliary, you're still alive?"
"Yes, what the hell is going on?!"
>"Agent five two."
"It's turned them into zombies horses! Giant zombie horses! Monsterhorsezombies!"
>"Monster, horse, zombies?"
>In the dim light you can still see the sarcastic look on her face.
"Yeah zombies, they, they go ballistic and they're like, dead, but, not dead! They eat brains!"
>"Brains... really?"
"Yes, commander."
>You twist your mech around, the squad leader looking past you to see the very squad member who had pushed you away from the scuffle in the first place.
>'Hoofprint,' that's her name, right?
>Good ol' Hoofprint.
>As you get your mech lights trained on her she looks worse for wear.
>Plating almost entirely removed, many cannons simply gone, her helmet looks like it was kicked around by her colleagues and then jumped on for good measure.
>She limps her way closer to you, intelligence twinkling in her eye as she stops and salutes.
>Wave runner looks her over.
>"Did you take care of them?"
>'Y... yes Squad Leader."
>"Good."
>Wait, that clank, that humming sound... laser cannon!
>You make the realization just in time to see a flash of light blow past you towards Hoofprint.
>Hoofprints drops to the ground like a pile of scrap, no longer stirring.
>You stare, gaping at the image coming through your windshield.
"That's cold!"
>"Trooper."
>You snap back to the moment.
"Yes?"
>"Follow."
>You do so, beating a hasty retreat from the area.
>You are led down a ramp and through a huge vault-like door.
>Inside is something even worse than zombie horses.
>Row upon row of test tube chambers, each one with you in it.
>That's right, there's apparently many, many you's.
>Please just be a bunch of rubber dummies!
>One of them twitches in their capsule.
"Okay, okay, what, the, fuck."
>Wave Runner halts, turning around to look at you disapprovingly.
>"You have been using very foul language tonight."
"Does it matter? What are these things?"
>"You haven't figured it out?"
"No, there's clones and, and zombies! Shrimp people! And I still haven't gotten over you being a huge horse! Like really, of all the kinds of aliens possible, huge, freakin horses! This is so stupid it's like, like... why is that one tube empty?"
>"That was your chamber."
>PANIC
"WHAT?!"
>"Yes, just one among many. Truth is, we conquered and wiped out humans long ago. You are the result of our genetic technology."
>She steps closer to you.
>"A clone, just one of many."
>You are simply left stuttering.
>You grip the controls, panic and betrayal fueling your next move.
"Oh yeah? Well let me show you the real thing!"
>Your mech raises its weapons high, targeting crosshair right on her smug, horsey face.
>"I don't think so."
>A chime dings in your pilot chamber and the targeting reticle disappears from the display.
>Your mech suddenly powers down; the screens go blank, the control lights darken, and the spotlights go out.
>You are left staring at your former squad leader as she saunters her way closer, the test tubes and their green, glowing liquid illuminating her in a very disconcerting way.
>For some reason the translator is still functional as she talks and the speakers dutifully relay what she is saying to your pilot's chamber.
>"What did you think those markings on your suit and mech meant, human? Those were numbers. Your number. Clone number 400."
>She smiles confidently.
>"You did well, though I'm afraid you were never meant to see any of this."
>"I'll admit, Daisy was right, you are cute. I wonder if you humans are also as sweet as she said you were. We have plenty of clones to go around; I suppose I could find out for myself."
>She stops and leans in until her breath fogs the windshield, and you distinctly recall the others tearing away each others' armor plates with just their mouths.
>"Before I finish you off, I have one last thing to say."
>As close as she is, you barely make out the translation over the sheer volume of her voice.
>It's like a whale speaking French to you while you're trying to listen to a fly buzzing around your ear.
>"Happy Halloween."