Steady Hoof trotted through the hallways of the hospital trying to remember what she needed to do in the patient fluids storage cabinet, 'What was it?' she pondered, 'I know it was important, but I couldn't leave until I knew my patients were tended to... what was it?' she shrugged, 'Oh well, I'm sure I'll remember when I get there.'

She made her way to the stairwell and ascended to the fifth floor. Exiting the stairwell she turned left and continued on to the patient fluid storage cabinet. The fifth floor was for the patients who required intensive care and fortunately there were none. Every one of the cases that had been brought in were either already treated or in surgery recovery. The floor was vacant, but kept in a perpetual state of readiness.

Steady Hoof approached the metal grate that held the fluids and fished the key out of the small storage pouch she carried on the back of her neck, inside her mane. She pressed the key into the lock and turned it, unlocking the gate. She slid the key back into her pouch then turned her attention back to the cabinet, 'What was it that I needed?'

She opened the door and pulled it open, revealing the contents therein. Enchanted glass flasks held blood samples of everybody who lived in New Humansville. Bobby kept strict records of blood in case a transfusion was ever needed. Everybody in New Humansville was required to donate two pints of blood in case of emergencies and each type of blood was stored according to type and cross-referenced by species. As Steady Hoof looked at the blood flasks an idea came to her, 'Perhaps Bobby needed me to double check the inventory to make sure nothing was missing.'

The racks were set up from bottom to top with every rack at an angle to allow somebody to slip in a flask sideways to preserve horizontal space from left to right. Each rack could be pulled out on a metal rail and slid smoothly to the side for ease of access to the second, third, and fourth racks.

She turned to the back of the door and pulled down the clipboard which held the entire list of samples, donor names, type, and species. She slowly and carefully began taking in inventory of the cache of blood, not realizing that her left wing had extended and was brushing against the flasks of blood labeled 'Tina Pho'. She was so absorbed in her work that she didn't even feel her wing push the flask out of its cubby-hole. She had not yet reached the rack which held Tina's blood and so had no idea that the single, 1-pint flask was the only one left. There were supposed to be two.

Steady Hoof jerked when she heard the glass flask clink against the side of its rack. Her eyes followed the sound and she gasped when she saw the flask falling toward the floor, certainly to shatter against the tiles. She tried to move herself to catch the flask, but her body refused to respond. Her mind kept trying to distract her with useless thoughts. Had she locked the door to her house? 'The flask.' How many appointments did she have the next day? 'The flask!' How long had it been since she had spoken with her sisters? 'THE FLASK!' Despite how much she wanted to catch the flask, her mind kept fighting her. Her subconscious was rebelling against her. She tried to push against the distractions, 'No! It's going to break! I have to reach it! I have to reach it!' It was all for nothing, her mind refused to send the signals to her body. She could do nothing except watch as the flask seemed to descend toward the floor in slow motion, 'What's wrong with me?!'

Half an inch before the flask hit the ground it switched directions and flew out and away from the storage closet. Steady Hoof landed on all fours and followed the trajectory of the flask. The enchanted glass container landed in the open hand of the Emissary. Full Spectrum, Cessily Richardson, Oriana, and Razor Wit were all standing with him. Every face was grim if not bordering on enraged. Officer Hord leaped out from behind Artex and tackled Steady Hoof onto the ground. The Pegasus doctor yelped loudly and flailed in surprise as the former Marine grappled all four of her legs into a solid pin. Steady Hoof struggled against the hold but found she could do nothing to escape, 'How is he holding me? Humans aren't as strong as we are!'

Her struggles lessened and eventually died off completely as Darryl kept his grip on her. He was not unnecessarily rough or violent, but his hold was firm and unyielding, "Steady Hoof you are under arrest for aiding and abetting in assault, kidnapping, and murder. You have the right to remain silent. If you decide to waive that right, everything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the local Magistrate. Do you understand these rights as I have relayed them to you?"

Steady Hoof was confused, but decided that cooperation was in her best interest, "I-I do officer Hord."

Darryl nodded, "Very good. I'm going to hold you here until somebody comes to escort you to the Holding Cells." Darryl looked up to Cessily, who had stepped out from behind Artex, "I need four officers to transport a suspect to the Holding Cells. Have Eduardo ward a new cell for an incoming suspect."

Cessily nodded and dashed back down the stairs. Darryl turned to Artex, "Sorcerer, Mr. Emissary, I need you and your staff to remain here to observe my actions and treatment of the suspect so that my conduct cannot be called into question at a later time."

Oriana was the first to respond, "I'll stay."

"We got this. You're not doing anything wrong yet." Full Spectrum answered.

Razor Wit nodded, obviously unsure, "I will stay too."

Artex nodded firmly, "Fine by me. Do I need to be a sworn officer to question the suspect?"

Darryl sighed, "You do. Even the Sorcerers only act in a deputized capacity. We'll have to wait to question her."

* * *

"What a mess." Captain Joyner groused as he pushed himself painfully off the hospital bed, "So Steady Hoof was the thrall?" he crossed his arms and shook his head, "I take it she's in custody now?" He was speaking to Hord, Artex, Oriana, Razor Wit, and Full Spectrum.

Hord nodded unhappily, "Yeah, she's being held in the cells."

"We have to go after the Bloodmages as soon as possible. We're not leaving our people in their hands... hooves... what the fuck ever." he looked to the young African American woman, "You said there's a way to track them?"

Full Spectrum planted her fists on her hips, "You bet. The Arch Magister told me about it. It takes the blood of the person you want to find, but I don't know how to do the spell. Only the Arch Magister knows how to do that and I don't think she or the Princesses would appreciate me trying to figure it out on my own."

Mike scowled and looked down at the floor, "We can't afford to wait." He looked back up, "Cessily, go get Bobby and have him come here. Hord..." he drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, "My head is still a little fuzzy from the painkillers. I need six people of your choice for an assault and extraction team. They don't HAVE to be C.W.G. but I would prefer it..."

"Right here Mike." said a voice from the doorway of the room.

All eyes turned toward the doorway. Chris Vacca stood there, still in his unusual armor, leaning against the door frame. His visor was up, his arms were crossed, and his face was a thunderhead, "I've been training for this kind of thing with Luna and a couple of special instructors. I don't need a weapon and if you need to get non-combatants out of a hot zone, I can do it in a split second. I was the one decapitating the wolves before they reached you and I matched that one asshole who bled Luna." he pushed off the door frame and stood up straight, throwing a stiff salute, "Chris Vacca reporting for duty Captain."

Mike stared evenly at Chris for several long moments before he finally asked, "At ease. You remember how to follow orders?"

Chris dropped the salute, "Yes sir. I won't screw around if the situation is serious."

Mike pursed his lips, "Alright, stay here and fill me in on what you've mastered." he turned back to Hord, "Make that five..."

"Four sir." Artex broke in. Razor Wit and Oriana both stared up at their boyfriend in fear, but said nothing.

Mike shook his head, "No, no way. We need you here."

"With all due respect Mike, it wouldn't be too difficult to train somebody else to do what I do. I'm as strong and tough as an Earth Pony and as flexible as a Human, plus I've been training on long distance running and here recently I've been brushing up on my Kung Fu. I have my own weapons and you already know that I follow orders." Artex chewed his cheek before adding, "Please Mike, I've been away from you all for too long. Let me do something to make up for it."

Mike still shook his head, "Tell you what, if you're still in your right mind by tomorrow, I'll consider it." he turned back to Hord, "Until then, five more. Get them set up with gyrojet guns, armor, and packs for long distance travel. If they have military training, all the better. They need to be able to take down hostile targets quickly and silently, they need to be physically capable, and they need to have the mental fortitude to do this job. Am I clear?"

Darryl smirked, "Crystal sir. Number one is Full Spectrum. She has a full range of magic, she thinks on her feet, she thinks outside the box, she can come up with and put into motion a course of action that is effective, and she's a team player. She knew she couldn't handle one wolf solo so she gave up her extra magic to Kolo. It's in the report she already filed. As long as she can follow orders, you want her."

Mike shifted his gaze to the only Sorcerer in the room, "In any other circumstance I might say 'no', but you did good out there tonight. Do you want in?"

Tamika, also known more commonly by Full Spectrum, shifted her weight nervously, "I do, as long as you're willing to trust me."

Mike smirked, "One of the Bloodmages offered for you to join them but instead you went and told Catalyst, the Pony you used to hate the most. I'm willing to trust you. Don't let us down." Mike turned back to Darryl, "Who else?"

"Hard Stone. He's been with us for a good while. He was one of the few Civil Guard survivors of The Battle For New Humansville. He knows combat, he's strong as hell, and he knows how to do what needs to be done." Darryl looked sideways at Full Spectrum, "You gonna be alright working with the Pony who aided in your arrest?"

The Sorcerer scoffed at the question, "He was doing his job. I was out of control right then and he kept on me even after I collapsed his windpipe. If he can work with me, I've got no problems with him. He talks down to me though... I'll kick his ass again."

"My next pick would be Brinsin. We need air superiority and he might as well be a Pegasus. He can hurl lightning like a super hero and he's spent enough time flying he can stay airborne for a full day. We know the Bloodmages have at least one Pegasus so we need a good counter for that. After him I want Andrew and Kaneesha. They work well together as a team and they know how to play off each others' strengths. The last one on my list is a bit of an oddball: I think we should include Rifin. He's huge, he's essentially a living weapon, he's immune to Blood Magic, and he can air lift us there and back, besides I want somebody other than Brinsin in the air. Rifin can hide like a boss and if he doesn't want to be seen, he won't be. I've watched him a bunch of times and I think he'd be ideal."

Mike gazed steadily at Darryl, "I'm noticing a pattern here. Almost everybody can work without weapons and travel light."

Darryl nodded, "Yep, lighter load equals faster assault and faster retreat. You wanted to do this quietly right? We can drop Hard Stone if you let Artex come."

"What are your thoughts on that?" Mike asked.

Artex held up his right hand, "Before you go into that, I'm going back to the hotel to sleep. I'll see you guys tomorrow." He left and Razor and Oriana went with him.

Darryl closed the door behind the retreating form of the Emissary and his two girlfriends, "I'd pick him in a heartbeat... IF he's solid tomorrow. We'll both know if he is or not. I don't like admitting it, but he could be a deal-breaker. I want him with us, but we can't let him go if he's going to be a liability. Rescuing our people is our objective and nothing is going to compromise that. If he's fine tomorrow, good. If not, we'll make due."

*knock knock*

Bobby Jewel opened the door and poked his head into the room, "Cessily said you need something Mike?"

The Captain nodded his head with surety, "Yeah, wake up Catalyst. We need to talk to her... now."

Time to go after the typos.