THE MAGIX: CHAPTER 16: Finish It

Rain's eyes were squinted shut against the cold rush of air as she shot up from the ground and hovered in midair. She felt the strange car speed by just inches away. The grating crunch of metal tore through the air. Her eyes flew open and her head whipped around to look down. The car was tilted on an angle, half submerged in the shadows of the alleyway, its front bumper fused to a dull, sparking pile of twisted metal and broken glass. It was all that was left of the phone booth.
Rain dropped to the ground and landed on all fours behind the car, her muscles tense. She peered through the darkened rear windshield, trying to get a good look at the driver. She couldn't see anything. Her legs froze in place, unsure of whether to run or see if the passengers were okay.
The driver's side door twitched. Gradually, the pony inside forced the ruined piece of metal from its frame. A familiar brown foreleg extended from the opening, coated in the silky black sleeve of a suit. Agent Steel climbed out of the battered car, the cuts and bruises covering his skin already stitching themselves up and disappearing. The other door of the car wrenched free, and two agents climbed out. Three supernatural, superhuman programs against one mortal pony. Not good.
Rain's eyes widened. She felt her pulse start to speed. Without even thinking, she whirled around and ran.

(jack out)

Neon galloped down the dimly lit main corridor back toward the holodeck. Pinkie Pie was safe in the Firestar sickbay with Cherrybomb and Saph. She would make it out okay. But he wasn't thinking about her. Rain filled his every thought as he raced down the corridor.
He rushed through the doorway into the silvery, multicolored light of the holodeck. He saw Horus at the controls, Amber standing by Rain as she lay unconscious, her jack still plugged into its socket, and Spiro he knew was still in the pilot chamber, driving the ship to safety.
He walked over to Amber and stood across from her, looking down at Rain's dreaming, motionless form. His heart thudded wildly. He looked up at his friend across from him. "Is she going to be okay?"
Amber shrugged. "Nopony knows. She's in there all by herself, we can't jack anypony in, and the last I saw of her, she was about to get hit by a car."
The dark pegasus shuddered. "Do you think she'll make it?"
"She's a strong mare," the unicorn murmured. "She won't go down without a fight, but if-"
Horus's voice cut into their conversation. "They found her."
Neon's head whipped up. He turned around and faced Horus. "What?"
Horus was sitting at the control panel, focused intensely on the POV. "The agents have reoriented. They've gone after Rain. She's on the run, but it won't be long until they catch up."
Neon stared at the flashing green symbols falling across the screen. "We have to get her out of there. She'll be dead in minutes."
"I know," Horus answered, flustered. "I'm trying to find the closest place for a jackout site, but she keeps moving. I can't stop her. If she stays in place for too long, they'll take her down in seconds. I'm going to have to direct her."
Neon focused harder on the feed. "They're getting closer."
"I hear you. I already know. You're not the only one watching the feed." Horus tapped a few commands into the keyboard. "Alright, I found a site. I'll try to get to her communicator. If she answers, they we can get her out safely."
Neon nodded, his bright, messy hair scattering over his eyes. He pushed it out of his face, turned away from the control panel and crossed through the doorway to the pilot chamber. Spiro was still at the controls, his attention flickering back and forth between the tunnels outside the windshield and the sonar screen at the controls in front of him. The pegasus placed himself beside the unicorn driving the ship, gazing through the thick plexiglass at the dark world illuminated by the ship's blazing headlights outside.
It was a while before Spiro realized he was being watched. He quickly glanced over his shoulder. "Oh. Hey. What's going on?"
"Pinkie's in the sickbay. Saph and Cherry are cleaning her off. I think she'll make it out okay."
The unicorn shifted one of the controls, easing the ship to the left into a gentle downward slope. "That's good. I thought there was a good reason for Horus telling us to go back up here."
The pegasus nodded his dark head. "Yeah," he mumbled. His gaze shifted to the floor for a second. "Spiro, I should probably tell you... The agents have found Rain."
"What? How?" Spiro's head jerked around. He stared at Neon, his eyes wide. "I thought the database was destroyed. They'd have to reprogram back into the Magix and get reoriented and then there's the travel into Ponyville..." He turned forward again, gripping the controls tightly.
"I- I don't know. But there's no time to worry about that. Rain's still jacked in. She's running, but she'll only last so long. It's too late to jack in, and-" Neon cut himself off and sighed. He turned back to stare blankly out at the tunnels ahead.
Blip! A loud chime sounded, cutting through the thick silence. Spiro looked down. Blip! The chime rang out again, louder this time. He murmured something under his breath. "Crap."
Neon looked down at the greenish sonar screen. A bright white shape lit up against the dull background, slowly approaching a neon blue object in the middle. "What is it?"
Spiro looked frantically from the sonar to the windshield. "The sonar's detected something out there," he said. "It looks like Rain isn't the only one who's been found."
Neon's breath caught in his throat. They hadn't escaped. The predators had arrived.

(jack in)

Rain's heart was pounding. Her hooves thudded heavily against the pavement, forcing her onward. The rain fell steadily all around her, a silvery mist forming over the shining streets. Rain's muscles were strained and burning. Her lungs were weak and desperate for air. But she couldn't stop now. There was nowhere to turn. All she could do was run.
It wasn't long before she heard hoofbeats behind her. Rain twitched. She held her head stiffly in place, straining not to turn around and look behind her. She already knew who it was. The lights slowly grew brighter as she raced through the darkened, misty streets. Before she knew it, she was back in the Ponyville square.
The square was busy as always, even in the dark twilight. Ponies trotted about in the warm, white-and-gold light of stores, cheerful and excited, as if the heavy rain were nothing more than a drizzle. Rain crashed and stumbled through the crowd, forcing her way through the thick maze of ponies, desperate for an escape. A gunshot rang out somewhere behind her. Somepony screamed. Rain whirled around. A mare was on the ground a few feet behind her, clutching her elbow and crying out in pain. Rain's eyes widened. She turned forward again and sped off through the square. More gunfire sounded behind her. More frightened screams from the crowd. She heard a stifled shriek escape her. The noise grew louder. Rain forced her legs to move faster. The crowd seemed to grow thicker and thicker as she pressed onward. Ponies crowded around her, closer, closing mercilessly in on her. Rain felt like there was nowhere to run, no room even to breathe...
That was when her phone rang.

(jack out)

Spiro gunned the engine. The Firestar shuddered and lurched forward, picking up speed as it hovered through the underground. The white blip on the sonar didn't disappear. It began to move faster, crawling across the screen, keeping pace with the bluish shape of the Firestar's signal. Then another appeared. And another...
"What's the status on the predators?" Spiro asked, his attention locked on the tunnel walls speeding by outside. He jerked the controls to the right, barely avoiding a sharp collision with a wall.
Neon stared intensely at the sonar screen. "They're getting faster. More of them are showing up."
Spiro carefully maneuvered the ship through a tight complex of turns. "How many are there?"
"Hold on. More keep showing up." More white, flashing shapes appeared on the screen, crawling faster and faster to keep pace with the ship. "Four, maybe- no, wait. Five."
"Five of them?"
"Yeah."
"Damn it!" The unicorn slammed the controls, the speed skyrocketing as the tunnels smoothed out. He looked over his shoulder. "Tell Horus. We need to get Rain out. The ship can't run at this speed forever."
The dark pegasus nodded. He turned and rushed through the doorway into the holodeck. Horus was still at the controls, eyes locked on Rain's POV, his hooves positioned over the controls to call her communicator. Neon ran to his side. "Horus, we need to talk."
"Hm?" He turned to face him, briefly distracted from the POV. "What's going on?"
"It's the predators," Neon said, his pulse pounding at the speed of light. "They've found us. We're under attack."
Horus froze. "What? No."
"We picked them up on the sonar. They can't be far behind."
The captain turned back to the Pov, the falling streams of code seeming to hold him in a trance. "We can't go into lockdown with Rain still jacked in. How much longer will the ship hold out?"
Neon stared at the floor, unsure of how to answer. "I don't know."
Horus looked over his shoulder at him. "Open the sonar."
The dark pegasus nodded. He opened another window on the touch screen. The greenish image of the sonar appeared, the blue shape of the Firestar at the center, five white objects drawing slowly closer. "It's even worse than before," Neon murmured. He looked to his captain. "How much longer before they catch up?"
"Five minutes," Horus answered, watching the white blips crawl across the screen, closer and closer to the ship. "Six, if we're lucky."
"What now? We can't go into lockdown. If we set off the EMP with Rain still jacked in, it'll kill her."
Horus closed out of the sonar and turned back to the POV. He stared at the streams of code, searching for an answer. "Neon, charge the EMP."
Neon looked to his captain, fear flickering in his widened eyes. "W-what?"
Horus turned away from the POV to face him. "We don't have a choice. The entire crew is in danger. The engine won't hold out much longer under this pressure. If they attack, we'll have to set it off. I'll do my best to get Rain jacked out before we set it off, but if I can't, then..." He trailed off and looked back to the POV.
Neon bit back a scream of protest. His heart felt as it were burning, pulsing so hard it would shatter any second. "I- we can't just... There has to be another way out of this."
Horus sighed and closed his eyes. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Neon. We have no choice."
Neon turned away and walked back toward the pilot chamber. Spiro was staring fixedly at the world through the windshield, gripping the controls tightly as he carefully drove the speeding ship through the underground labyrinth. He turned around for just a second at the sound of hoofsteps to see Neon entering. "What did he say?"
Neon bit his lip, hesitating. He couldn't give up on Rain so easily. But the entire crew was at risk. He took a deep breath, forcing out the words as if it pained him. "Horus said that the ship's engine won't hold out much longer if we keep it floored. We have to charge the EMP. He'll do his best to get Rain jacked out before they catch up, but- The thing is, we can't get out of this any other way."
Spiro nodded. "Then charge it. We can't keep going at this speed or we'll crash. I'm going to have to slow down." He hung his head and sighed. He turned back to Neon. "Tell Horus to hurry."
Neon nodded. He turned to the ship controls and reached for the EMP switch. He turned it to the right until he felt the circuits inside click into place. The LED inside glowed brighter, the currents feeding its charge, ready to be let loose at any moment. The EMP charging and set to release, Neon turned away and returned to the holodeck.
He heard Horus's voice as soon as he entered. He stood at the controls, focused intently on Rain's POV, speaking into the microphone of a headset slipped over his ears. "It's on your left- Other left, Rain- You see those stairs? It's that way. Keep going, they're right behind you."
Neon approached the control panel. He tapped Horus on the shoulder. His captain looked over his shoulder and nodded. He was listening.
"Spiro has to slow down. The engine can't take much more, and at this speed we're bound to crash. The EMP is charging.'' Horus nodded again. Neon stared, entranced, at the POV. "Is she close?"
"Down that hallway. You're on the right track. It's straight ahead." Horus turned around and covered the microphone with his hoof. "Good. I've gotten a hold of her. She's getting closer. It shouldn't be long now." He removed his hoof from the headset's microphone. "Okay, I'm still here. There's a stairwell at the end of the hallway. Take it. The jackout site is straight ahead."
Neon felt a cool rush of relief. Rain was almost out. It wouldn't be long now. She would be jacked out, then the EMP could be released and destroy every predator within range. It would all be okay now...
A loud, heavy thud exploded from out of nowhere. The Firestar rocked sideways, its hoverstruts struggling to keep the ship level. Another impact and a loud, earsplitting crash erupted from somewhere above, even closer than the last. The holodeck lights flickered. Neon slipped on the smooth tiled floor as the ship rocked again. He let out a sharp cry as he hit the floor. He looked up to see Horus tightly gripping the control panel, struggling to keep his feet grounded. Neon peeled himself off the floor, trying to regain his balance. His eyes widened. "What was that?"
Horus looked up from the control panel screen. His head turned toward the ceiling, his eyes searching the smooth metal surface, almost as if he were waiting...
Another sharp, metallic crash tore through the air. The ship shuddered to a stop and landed heavily on the ground. Neon and Horus stood deathly still, eyes glued to the ceiling. "Spiro landed the ship," Neon said, his voice barely even a whisper.
Horus shrank back against the control panel. "That can only mean-"
His words were cut short by another deafening crash, then another. Shrill, metallic sounds echoed through the ship's thick metal shell. Neon stayed frozen beside his captain, daring not even to breathe. The grating scratch of metal against metal cut through the still, silent air.
Everything went silent. The scratching was gone. Then a low, steady hum replaced it from somewhere outside the ship. Suddenly a tiny red dot of light flashed on the dark metal. It shone through, burning bright, casting an eerie red reflection on the cables and wires crisscrossing the ceiling. Then it moved. In its path it left a dark streak, molten metal gathered around the edges. The light ran down a few feet, cutting a long gash into the thick sheet of metal. Then it was gone.
Silence returned. Neon stared up at the ceiling, unwilling to even blink. He heard a sound of shuffling against the floor next to him. He quickly glanced at Horus, his eyes locked on the gash burned into the ceiling. He was crouching down, his foreleg sliding slowly under the control panel, reaching for something...
A loud, grating shriek ripped through the silence. The dark pegasus's eyes flickered back to the melted gash in the ceiling. Dark metal claws had forced themselves through. They gripped the edges of the gash and tore away at it, ripping away the metal, forcing the gash wider and wider. A blinding red glare spilled through the jagged hole in the ceiling. Neon squinted against the bright light. Something huge was outside. A massive metal creature stared down at him through the gash. Four glowing red orbs glared at him, silvery metal fangs glinted in the unnatural light. The thing pulled away. A long, spidery limb came crashing through the jagged opening, its three claws tearing into the tiled floor. Another forced itself through, then another. The predators had breached their only defense.
A blinding white flash burst through the red glow. Neon whirled around to see Horus, reared up on his hind legs, holding up a pulse gun and firing madly at the attacking predators. The long extensions spasmed, sparking and fizzling. A loud, grating shriek sounded and they twitched and pulled themselves back through the opening. Horus turned to Neon. He nodded toward the circle of jack chairs, were Rain was still lying unconscious. "Go!" he shouted over the earsplitting noise. "Get her out!"
Neon jumped to his hooves and raced toward Rain's still-active chair. Another spidery arm shot through the ceiling gash. Neon snapped his wings open and dashed out of the way. He pumped his wings and swooped into the circle, crash-landing next to Rain's dreaming body.
He rose up from the ground and looked down at her. He took in every detail. Her carelessly scattered rainbow mane, her dark blue eyelashes relaxed and closed over her blazing magenta eyes, everything. The world around him faded. He ran a hoof through her soft multicolor hair. "Come on, Rain," he said. "You're almost there. You can do this."
Another deafening crash. Another light burned a jagged incision into the ship's shell. The predators tore away at the metal, relentlessly forcing their way through. But even in all the noise, one sound rose above the rest. A flat, endless tone. One Neon knew all too well.
Blip. Blip. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeee-
Neon screamed.

(jack in)

Rain slowed down and skidded to a stop. The crowd was too thick to keep running. Struggling to catch her breath, she slowed her pace to a crawl as she pushed past the other ponies, ignoring the gunshots that rang out frighteningly close behind. Her communicator continued its loud, distracting ringing. Rain snatched it from her pocket and answered. A deep voice spoke up on the other end. "Rain. Thank Celestia you answered."
"Yeah. Perfect timing!" Rain hissed. "Get me the hay out of here!"
"Calm down," Horus said. "You're only making this worse. I can tell you're in a tight spot."
Rain forced herself to breathe slowly. "Yeah. No kidding."
"I've found you an exit. It's not too far from where you are right now."
"Okay, good. Would be helpful if I could move." Rain ducked down as more gunshots sounded out behind her, forcing herself another few feet forward.
"Alright. First you have to get out of the square. See that mare ahead of you to the right, the one with the shopping bags?"
Rain looked at the mare with bleached hair and designer earrings. She was screaming madly, clutching her merchandise close. "Yeah?"
"Go towards her. The crowd isn't so thick there."
Rain made her way through the swarm toward the panicking shopper. Sure enough, the crowd began to thin out. A path appeared in the thick of everything. Rain made a break for the opening. Soon enough, she was racing down another street, the sounds of the square fading into the distance. "Thanks. You're a lifesaver."
"You can thank me later. Now there should be a row of lamp posts. One of them is blown out. Turn left there."
Rain sprinted toward the busted streetlight. Another misty, soaking street stretched out before her. A gunshot rang out from the edge of the square. Rain squealed. "Horus!"
"I know. They've caught up. I can see them too. Just listen to me and do exactly as I say. Now run!"
Rain's hooves pounded against the pavement as she made a break down the misty street, her shadow casting in the golden light of the lamp posts. She heard hoofbeats close behind her. A gunshot tore through the air. Rain felt a hot, stinging slash on her flank. She kick-started her wings and sped forward. "Please tell me I have to fly next!"
"Good timing. There's a fire escape. It's on your left- no, your other left, Rain." She swerved in the air and swooped down toward the metal staircase on the side of a building. "Land on the third platform. The window should be open."
Rain crashed onto the metal grate of the fire escape and jammed her hooves under the window frame. Another gunshot fired, then the loud ring of metal on metal. Rain glanced over her shoulder. Agent Steel was on the ground just below. He held a pistol aimed at her as two other agents dashed to the ladder and began the climb up the fire escape. Steel fired again. Another bullet struck the metal frame of the fire escape. Rain whirled back around and forced the window open, climbing in and slamming it shut again seconds before another bullet from Steel's gun smashed against the glass, cracks spreading in a spiderweb from the point of impact. Rain spun around and dashed down the hallway. She held her communicator to her ear again.
"Horus? You still there?"
"Yes. It's just past this hallway. You're on the right track. Keep going, it's straight ahead."
Rain continued on down the hallway. The shrill splintering sound of shattering glass broke through the air. She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see the window where she'd been standing only seconds ago fall from its frame in tiny shards. The pegasus let out a small gasp and turned back, running for her life to the exit, her only escape.
The hallway turned on a sharp angle to the left. Suddenly a gunshot sounded out from nowhere, shattering the unstable quiet. Rain looked back to see a nameless agent clone less than twenty feet away. He held a handgun trained on her, the hammer already pulled back and set to fire again. Unwilling to give up so easily, Rain flicked her hoof and jumped into the air, spreading her wings. If she couldn't run ahead, she could definitely fly. With a twist of her wings she turned back, ready to bolt.
Bam! A sharp pain fired through her wing. Rain let out a shriek and bolted forward, crashing into the dark blue carpeting and sliding across the floor before skidding painfully to a stop. She looked down at the carpet to her left. Blood was soaking into the tightly woven fibers. Rain heard the agent's gun go off again. Swiping a her remaining pistol from her belt, she forced herself to stand up. The agent stared threateningly at her, his gun still aimed in her direction. She clicked the hammer of her own weapon, hoping she still had enough bullets left to take him out. The agent fired first.
Rain leaped out of the way. The bullet sailed past her, narrowly missing her shoulder. Another fired, then another. Rain slipped and twisted in the small space of the hallway, dodging each shot so closely she could feel the hot rush of air as it sailed past. Then the shots stopped firing. Her eyes flickered back to the agent. His gun was empty. He threw it to the ground and pounced.
Rain's eyes went wide. She gripped her pistol tightly, her forelegs still locked and aiming at the agent soaring towards her. She heard the familiar earth-shaking explosion of a gun firing off. She realized it was hers.
The agent froze. A look of disbelief flashed in his eyes. He crashed to the floor, his spotless white shirt stained with blood. A few seconds passed. His chest shuddered once and he went still. The agent shattered into a million pixels and disappeared.
Rain ejected the magazine from her pistol and shook it out. Empty. She cast the gun aside and picked up her phone. "Horus?" she said, galloping onward down the hallway. "Are you still on?"
"Yes, I'm still here," Horus said, an awestruck tone in his voice. "Did you plan to do that?"
"Um... no. And now I'm out of weapons."
"Genius move, all the same. Now run. There might be more nearby."
Rain kick-started her sprint. "Where to now?"
"There's a stairwell at the end of the hallway. Take it. The jackout site is straight ahead from there."
The mare found herself standing at the edge of a painted metal staircase. "Up or down?"
"One story up. You'll be able to hear it from there."
"Okay." Rain hung up her communicator and started up the stairs. The warm golden light of the next floor spilled into the stairwell. Then the familiar, digital ring of a cordless phone echoed into the hallway. Rain let out a soft sigh of relief. She was almost there.
Rain bolted the rest of the way up the stairs. The digitized ringing of the hacked exit phone filled her ears. She ran down the hallway, past door after door, the sound growing louder with every step. Then it began to fade. Rain skidded to a stop and turned around. The ringing was loudest where she stood, in front of a painted gray door, the number 42 hanging in plastic numbers across the top. The ring sang out again. This was the place. Rain reached forward and threw the door open.
Bam.
The sound was like an explosion. Everything went silent. Painful ringing filled her ears. She stared blankly forward as she took in the sight before her, the painful truth slowly sinking in.
Agent Steel was standing in the doorway. He held the same gun as before, holding it stiffly aimed at Rain. His sunglasses gone, he stared back at her, straight into her widened, shocked eyes, as if he'd been waiting. A hot, empty bullet shell lay useless on the floor.
Rain looked down. She saw her black halter top, a small, smoldering hole torn into the fabric sitting right over her heart. A dark red stain blossomed on the fabric. She looked back up at Steel, her eyes huge and glassy.
He fired again. Pain ripped through Rain's shoulder. She staggered backwards and hit the wall. Blood splattered onto the wallpaper. Another bullet fired. Pain blossomed on Rain's neck, her chest, her stomach. She leaned back against the wall, gasping for air. Blood was everywhere. Rain's vision blurred. Everything was fading. She sank to her knees and fell to the floor. She didn't get up. Rain lay there on her side, weak, bleeding, watching helpless as her vision slowly went dark. The last thing she saw was the bullet shells on the floor, her blood seeping into the carpet, the light of the apartment with the ringing phone, her last hope of escape, all fading away. Her eyes fluttered shut. She took one last, painful breath and everything was gone.
Steel dropped his gun, letting the useless weapon fall to the floor. He stepped toward the motionless pegasus on the floor. Her eyes were closed. She lay perfectly still, blood pooling around her on the floor. Two more agents emerged from the apartment behind him.
He glanced over his shoulder. "Check her."
One agent kneeled down next to Rain's lifeless body. He placed a hoof on her neck. The seconds passed as they waited. Rain remained still, lifeless, not even a flutter of a pulse for the agent's hoof to find. The agent nodded his head. "She's gone."
The agents turned away and walked calmly down the empty hallway. There was nothing more to be done. They knew the truth about Rain. They always had. But the fight was finished, and they had won.
It was over. Rain was dead.

(jack out)

The world around Neon had disappeared. Everything was blurred, silent, fading away into the darkness. All he could see was Rain. She was still there, lying unconscious in the jack chair, motionless. A trickle of blood had escaped her lips, staining her bright blue coat with dark red. Neon gently wiped it away. Tears blurred his vision. He let out a choked sob. Rain. She couldn't be gone...
Neon's head fell and rested on the headrest next to Rain's. He buried his face in her soft rainbow mane. He took another shaking breath. It couldn't be over. It couldn't.
Neon lifted his head and leaned in towards Rain's face. "Rain," he whispered. "You can't be dead. You can't just leave like this. You can't just let them take you away. Listen to me, Rain. You are the One. I know you are. I believe in you. It can't end like this. You can't just give up. Please, Rain. We need you here with us. I need you. I... my soul... it resonates with yours. We can't be torn apart. You can't be dead. You are the One, Rain. You are because I- I love you."
Neon drew closer to her. His lips touched hers. Everything that he had felt from the beginning poured out in a blazing storm. He kissed her. A tear fell and landed on Rain's cool, lifeless cheek. "Do you hear me?" Neon whispered against her lips. "I love you."
Blip.
Neon's eyes went wide at the sound. No. I must be hallucinating. She's dead. There's no way-
Blip. The noise sounded again. Slowly Neon turned his head to look up. It was the monitor. It had found something. The steady, flat line that was Rain's pulse twitched. The machine chirped again. A small point broke out from the straight green stream. Her heart was beating.
Neon whirled back to Rain. He heard a small, choking gasp. Rain's chest shuddered. She was breathing.
Neon's heart was racing. He leaned down next to her. "You are the One, Rain," he whispered to her.
"Now get up and finish it."