"Norton, why did you really bring me out here?" Scootaloo asked as they stood outside the entrance to the armory. "I know you're not trying to stop Danik as much as you say you do."

"Look, Scootaloo," Norton said pressing the holographic icon. "I do want to stop Danik, but he's smart. We can't just go in guns blazing like you or your friends. We need a plan, a way to get him while his guard is down. Come on, I'll explain on the way."

Inside, a gate was blocking the way ahead, a few dingy lights gave their usual brown glow or flicker. Beyond that, heads were strewn about on the floor. To the left where they were at was a door locked from the other side, in front of them was a suit-kiosk on the same wall and to the right of that there was another door.

Norton nudged Scootaloo with his boot and put a finger to where his lips would be. She rolled her eyes under her helmet before she vanished. He stepped to the side before he felt her tapping his shoulder. Shaking his head, he leveled his gun with his shoulder and started walking forward.

Scootaloo opened the gate and Norton continued on, his gun trained o the door ahead. While they crept closer, Scootaloo picked up a head and looked at the base. Lighting her horn for a second, she zapped Norton while he wasn't looking.

'Norton,' she thought making the man jump. 'Look at the heads. How they've been cut... I don't think they were cut at all.'

"I thought I told you to be quiet?" He whispered. 'Damn whatever you are, you can't even follow a simple order.'

'I can follow orders just fine, you on the other hoof can't. These heads, like I was thinking, look like they were torn off. There's too much flesh around the neck, including strips of it with holes.'

'What the hell... Are you reading my thoughts? Get out of my head.' He thought back.

'It's the only way for us to communicate without my suit giving off any light outside of my spell. It's either this, or you could end up dying.'

'Right. Lets just go and hopefully we can catch a few of Danik's soldiers by surprise.'

'You still haven't started to explain your ingenious plan to me.'

'Later. Alright?'

She snorted and shook her head as they passed the second door. Inside there was a line of controls broken long ago, a body to the right, and looking out over through the ice encrusted glass, a small hole with machinery could be seen with a few Necromorphs milling around.

'So, what are we going to to once we find Daniks soldiers? Kill them? Possess them? Hypnotize them?' Scootaloo asked. 'Hold that thought, there's one of those weird head crab things.'

He watched as the body closest to the door began to convulse with the head gone but instead a head with four legs was putting itself into the neck. Raising his gun, he was about to shoot it when it was pulled away and a red light was sucked out.

'Like I said,' Scootaloo thought. 'I got it.'

He raised his gun again and saw the glow of her horn as she charged a spell. He fired and shot above her to kill the Necromorph coming up from behind. He could see the glow fade slightly, but it was still there.

'I got that one.' He thought back. 'Be careful, there's no telling how many of these things there are.'

'There's two more on the catwalk outside.' She said. 'Look to the left.'

Looking out the small window, he could see two of the corpses standing on their own, both of them with guns and a Necromorph planted firmly in their necks. Shouldering his gun he kept his eyes on where the two were, got to the edge of the doorway, turned and fired off three bursts on each target.

'Alright, come on, I got them.' He thought watching as the bodies hit the floor. 'We should be good until we get to the floor.'

She thought nothing back but instead let her new minion simply lay on her head. Keeping her own Rippers at the ready, she followed Norton to the ladder and watched as he climbed down. Looking over the rail, she stepped over and landed on the floor. Norton, having gotten down was staring up at the ladder for a moment before getting a tap on the shoulder.

'I'm already down.' She thought to him. 'Watch the vents, they love to-'

'I know, you told me already.' He thought. 'They love to jump out at you.'

'I never told you-nevermind.' She shook her head jostling the Necromorph head sitting comfortably on it. 'You go first, I need to know what to aim for when you get attacked.'

'The Necromorphs or me?'

'It'll depend.'

Shaking is head, he looked down the small passageway ahead. On the left, the wall was covered with torn, molding, or scraps of posters and notes that had once been there. On the right, there was a narrow piston that kept a plate of metal outfitted with a few spikes thrusting froward and back.

'I don't have a stasis module on my suit. Think you can help?' He asked.

'You don't have a stasis module? What kind of cheap suit did EarthGov give you? Just move, and stand over by the ladder.'

He did a instructed and watched as four black tentacles appeared out of thin air, they grabbed onto the metal plate and the machine was sparking. He took another step back as he watched smoke pour out from it, and then the metal plate come flying out, smashing into the walls and floor until it got wedged with a spike pointing at his visor. As he was ducking to go around it, the tentacles returned and crumpled it into a single ball.

'You almost killed me!' He mentally yelled.

'But I didn't, so stop complaining. Otherwise I may just let my pet here try and tear your head off.'

'I'll shoot the damn thing before it gets close.'

'It's on your back.'

'Bullshit.'

'Look or don't look, I don't care. Just watch your aim.'

As she trotted off into where the piston was, he quickly turned around and swatted at his back. Looking himself over, he balled his hands into fists when he heard snickering from in the darkness.

Stepping over the metal plate, he nearly tripped when he heard screeching and the sounds of more Necromorphs wailing before being cut off. Running past the piston, he turned and came into a larger area in the room. Scootaloo was still invisible, there were two bodies laying on the ground and a head crawling over two more.

'What happened?' He asked looking at the carnage. 'And what was that screeching I heard?'

'I had to put a few Ripper blades into these two when they tried to get me around the corner. By the way, duck. Duck now!"

He ducked and watched as a Ripper blade hovered over him, cutting into a Slasher that was unfortunate enough to have been standing there. The blades tore away the rotting flesh and cut through the bones until she angled it up where it cut into the shoulder, severing the arm he grabbed the blade when the Ripper blade stopped and sunk it into the Slasher in an uppercut.

Stomping the legs off, he put a few shots into the other arm until it came off. Letting his breathing slow, he gave it one good kick before turning to the other hole. Glancing back, he stepped inside and crept forward. Coming to the end, he checked once more behind him before ascending up the ladder.

Hearing a set of small thumps next to him, he climbed up and looked ahead. Seeing a door ahead, he taking a step when he looked up. Rolling out of the way, he fired a three round burst at one of the Slashers as they dropped down the vent.

When the second one came down, he had already shot off the first one's left leg and was in the process of shooting off the blade when Scootaloo smashed them into the wall. The metal dented as she struck, imbedding a small portion of the Slashers while the rest had been turned to mush.

'Nice job.' He thought as they went through the door. 'I can see the dent from in here.'

'I'm surprised I didn't take the wall out.' She thought back passing him. 'The door is straight ahead.'

He didn't reply, instead he simply followed as the door slid open ahead of him. Stopping to glance at the Slasher nailed to a wall, he snapped back into attention when more screeching was heard.

As he entered the barracks, he saw a corpse cut into pieces, two more heads on the ground and a third limping with only two legs. Looking around, he saw the state of the bunk-beds; mold and dust provided a green blanket for them, molding magazines and food dotted the floor and some beds, and the walls were so rusted they had already began to lose chips of the metal.

Going right, he watched the head move to the center of the other side before getting crushed. Looking away, he focused on the vent ahead.

He made it halfway to the door before the vent exploded and a Slasher leapt out. He fired making it fall to the floor, fired again and took off and arm. Grabbing it with his kinesis, he was about to send it into the Slasher when another dropped down. He changed his aim and sent the blade into the new Slasher. It was sent back into the duct and pinned there, desperately trying to reach him. Aiming back at the other one as it rose, he quickly blew off the legs before his rifle clicked empty.

Pulling out a clip from his inventory, he let the old one fall to the ground. As he was placing the new one in, he heard a growl from behind and the whoosh of a blade as it went through the air. Swinging with his elbow, it connected with a Slasher. Turning around, he shoved the barrel of the gun against the Slasher and held the trigger down.

He held the trigger down until it stopped moving, the bullets came out the other side, and it went limp against him. Pushing it off, he looked around and saw Scootaloo sitting on one of the bunks reading one of the magazines.

"Alright, listen," he said out loud. "I've had enough of your bullshit. I asked for you to come because I need you, and if you're just going to treat me like I'm not even here, then just go back. I may not be Isaac, I get it, you're still ticked that I betrayed you all, but I had good intentions."

"Good intentions?" She sneered. "You were willing to let them kill Isaac just so you could make sure he didn't take Ellie back. You nearly killed an innocent man out of your own greed. You may be able to lie your way out of that, but I've lived long enough to see through the smoke and mirrors and see how much of a fake you are."

"That was-"

"I wasn't finished, Robert." She said using his first name. "You may be a scumbag, but you're right, I shouldn't be taking favorites right now. Lead the way, number two."

"Number two?" He said. "So I'm second to Isaac?"

"You're my second club if I see any more Swarmers."

"What happened to the mind reading? I thought we were only talking like that?" He asked breaking the subject. "I take it it's better this way?"

"Just go through the door."

Shaking his head in slight irritation, he opened the door and blinked when he saw the lasers in front of him. Looking back, he leaned his head to the side when he visor clinked against hers.

She grabbed him and set him to the side, reaching back with a tentacle she picked up a trashcan and threw it. It hit the first set of lasers and was flung to the ceiling, it hit the ceiling and landed on the second set. Dusting herself off, she let go of Norton and ushered him forward.

As they went past what could be described as a sink with a head in it, a set of rusted cabinets above it, a light that was barely staying on, and a mess of molded bones and packets of food on the ground. Stepping on the trash, they made their way to the door ahead, the short way to it they could hear a voice coming from inside.

Opening the door, they both had their weapons aimed directly in front of them. Seeing nothing but destroyed machinery, a film playing, lockers that had long since fallen apart, chairs with moth ridden holes in them, and another door in the back of the room by a small fridge filled with fresh and dry blood.

"Well, we know someone was here." Norton stated as he looked at the film playing. "These things just don't turn on by themselves."

"Maybe the Necromrophs did it?" Scootaloo said. "They already know how to use guns and axes."

"I doubt they'd want to sit around watching a two-hundred year old film about killing others and yourself if given the order. Even if they were mostly soldiers here." He said turning it off.

"Yeah, but at least we got the ammo. Check it out, I think it's behind you." She said trotting over.

He turned around and saw a large crate with a set of holographic seals on it. Putting his hand on one, Scootaloo put a hoof on the other. It didn't opened so they wiped their gloves on the legs. When it still didn't open, Scootaloo tore the top off and let imbed itself into the opposite wall.

"A bit overkill, but it's effective." Norton said as he took the ammunition and weapons components. "Now we can go find Daniks soldiers."

"You still haven't told me the plan. Or at least all of it, right?"

"Not all of it, yet." He said going to the other door. "I'll explain once we-get out of the way!" He yelled as a Necromorph began firing into the room. "Fucker." He cursed before turning the corner and putting a three round bust into the head.

As Slashers began coming out from the vents, Norton ran back to Scootaloo where she had her Flamethrower out and firing. He took out his used clip and put in another before taking out a Slasher's legs. As it crawled towards him, he ran up to it and stomped its head in. It crumpled to the floor and he took the blades off, firing each into a burning Slasher.

"You know," Norton said taking another blade off a corpse. "We make quite a team. Do you think your friend will let me join your little organization?"

"More fighting and less joking!" Scootaloo yelled back.

More and more Slashers came until Scootaloo ran out of fuel, after that the last one simply dropped, its limbs splitting from the heat while it continued to burn. Norton stepped away from her and stomped a few more intact ones. Once they both made sure they were dead, they went back to the door. Only this time, Scootaloo blew it in with a well placed spell.

On the other side, a shelf that was lined with grimy pots and pans was now a smoldering pile of metal and ash, the microwave was now a part of the wall, and the door was even further in. As they entered, the vent behind them was torn down and a Slasher dropped behind them. They turned and let forth a barrage of bullets and fire. As it's corpse lay lying there, Norton let his helmet unfold and put his hand back, signaling her to stay back. She did and watched as he put his ear to the other door.

"Alright," he whispered. "Turn invisible again and keep close. Don't do anything until I tell you, alright?" He asked.

"Listen, I'm trusting you this time." Scootaloo said as she vanished. "But not enough not to get back in your head." She charged her horn and zapped him again, this time he rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. 'Sorry, I forgot how bright it is. Carry on.'

He nodded and opened the door, on the other side four Unitologists and, to even Nortons shock, Danik, waiting in the back with the same smile as before.

"I must thank you for doing all the dirty work, yet again, Norton." Danik said. "You see, we've been monitoring your comms. Now, if you could hand over the ammunition, killing you may be easier."

"Killing?" Norton said looking at his gun. "No. I don't think you want to do that." He said 'Scootaloo, see their grenades?'

'Yeah? Want me to set them off?'

'Put them on me, don't ask questions, just do it.' He ordered.

"Why is that?" Danik asked. "You are no use to me, nor are you-"

In a white flash, the soldiers were on their knees, Danik pulled out his gun before his eyes widened and his mouth made an 'O'.

"Tada." Norton said as he brandished a chest covered in grenades and one in each hand. "If you don't start listening, for my next trick I'll make us all disappear. Now put the gun down and shut up, please." He sneered. 'Now is the time to trust me.' He thought to Scootaloo.

"You're mad," Danik said putting his gun away. "You won't do it."

"I'm no more mad than you." Norton said. "As to what I was saying, you've been monitoring our comms, right? Well, I can lead you to everyone, the ponies, the idiot guards, Carver, and... Isaac Clarke."

Danik narrowed his eyes before pushing up his sunglasses, crossing his arms he nodded towards Norton, obviously intrigued.

"Go on," he said. "I believe I'm starting to admire you more and more each time we meet."

"As I was saying," Norton said. "If I can lead you to them, let you catch them with their pants down, then you can kill them. And before you ask, I want no part in their bullshit," he sneered. "Their fools. Just a bunch of damn puppets with their strings cut. Me and you, we still have ours."

"My, My, you sound almost like-"

"A Unitologist?" Norton grinned. "I'm not, but lately the others have been keeping away from me. They don't say it, I know they're looking at me when they think I'm not looking. They think I don't know what it's like, well I do!" He yelled causing Danik to raise an eyebrow. "Isaac can't hear it anymore, and Carver is just too stupid to hear it." He said. "They say it's noise, but I see patterns, numbers, sentences, instructions! I can even hear voices."

"Instructions? Voices?" Danik said folding his hands behind his back. "I see we have more than one thing in common, Norton. If what you say is true," he looked at the man and smiled. "I believe you are just what we need to stop Clarke and bring convergence to the rest of humanity."

"To purge the filth, the heretics, the animals?" Norton said clenching his jaw. "Like them?"

"Exactly," Danik smiled showing all of his teeth. "To cleanse our race of all sin and-"

"Be made whole? Into one glorious form so we may be eternally untied without any hatred, sadness, or any other emotion that could separate us? We would all be one, be able to spread our form across countless worlds. To spread the Markers even further than any other?"

"Exactly; now then, come along," Danik said going to the next door. "We have much to do."

Norton smiled, his entire face red and a slight trail of foam coming from the corner of his mouth.

'Figures,' he thought. 'Butter them up about spreading the Markers and they're eating out of the palm of your hand. What do you think?'

'I think you're going to get shot in the face.'

'That's encouraging.'

'I'm going to laugh too.'

'That's too far.'

'Don't talk to me about going to far. You just made a deal with Danik!'

'To kill him later.'

As he followed Danik, Scootaloo followed behind the other soldiers, walking along the floor on her tentacles.

'This is going to end horribly, I just know it.' She thought to herself.

Author's Notes:

I hate writing Norton chapters.

Norton will get his... Thrice!

Merry Christmas!