A World with No Mercy- A Town Without Pity [Closed]

[Tisis Antony]

Nov 1, Year 4

(((On an unofficial note, this is the unofficial themesong to the arc involving the Praetor and his eventual death: Town Without Pity )))

The interrogation cell was a ten by ten concrete cube painted gray. A lonely ventilation duct hugged the high wall, wheezing out chill air and whispers of insanity. Overhead, a single omnipresent fluorescent bulb hung, dangling with a slightly periodic lilt, that made the shadows flicker slowly in the corners. In the center of the room was a steely table, which reflected the light of the lamp above.

The mare was stowed on a cot, in the corner. A light woolen blanket had been drawn over her figure, and though she was a prisoner she didn't bear any shackles.

Praetor August entered the room.

(((Background: You have been brought here from the water purifier. You are semi-conscious, though I suspect that your post will have you coming into consciousness.)))

[Mercy Heart]

Mercy slowly opened her eyes. Only more blackness. Her head throbbed, too much had happened before and her body could not take it. Now she could only sense one being in the room. His heart was as cold as stone. This frightened her more than anything. Quickly she processed what happened:

Alright, I was about to test the purifier, two griffons came in, assistant left, more griffons show up, String shows up, griffons argue and string almost gets caught, they ask about the purifier, I pass out.

THE PURIFIER. If they dismantle it or take it, then all my work will be for nothing. All my fathers work. He won't let that happen. The Assistant is good, he knows what to do.

She was breathing heavily now. She was not strapped down, but she did not move. She was afraid to. The creature in the room was not normal. It would not care about harming, or even killing her.

[Tisis Antony]

The Praetor tapped his talons across the metallic tabletop. "Miss Mercy, we know your awake," he said to the mare in the cot. "We chemically induced your rise to consciousness."

August tried to keep his voice as smooth as possible. He didn't wish to panic the mare, who had been dragged here against her will. If the Praetor could calm her, and talk to her like rational people, then maybe they both could survive this ordeal.

Zweihander was NOT supposed to be there, he thought to himself. And now I have a guillotine at my neck because I didn't watch him as I was supposed to. The ordeal wasn't entirely bad. The OGI had known nothing of this water "purifier"- but now, not only did they know of it, they also had its schematics and creator. This could be played well, if he made himself to be hospitable.

"I'm afraid that this has been part of a huge misunderstanding, and I'd just like to talk us out of it."

[Mercy Heart]

Mercy slowly sat up and uncovered her face. The room scared her further. Only thoughts of "the end" went through the poor mares mind. "Wha-what do you want? Why did you take me?" Her voice trembled as she looked around frantically.

Her horn glowed a little, as she does not always control her magic. She could sense that he truly did not mean her harm. In fact he was a little fearful himself. She tilted head in confusion. That doesn't make sense.

"Why AM I here?" Her voice was not like before, there was no fear, only confidence. Hmm, maybe this isn't the end.

[Tisis Antony]

The mare's question was simple enough, so the Praetor gave her a simple answer. "You are here because a griffin associate of ours thought you'd be better off here for now. We emphatically disagree with that conclusion- we think you'd be better off... out there."

"But please, do come to the table. I imagine you are thirsty? You've been unconscious for some time now, and I can hear the raspiness in your voice."

[Mercy Heart]

Mercy was no longer cautious. She approached the table, no ounce of fear or uncertainty on her face. This was a meeting, nothing more. They wanted her for something. Correction, they wanted her MACHINE for something. She would rather die then let it fall into the wrong hands, but death was not something she was so eager to jump into. For now hearing him out would be best.

With a Stern look on her face, she stopped at the other end of the table. "Now, what is it you want to discus?" Her tone was flat, and she kept her eyes on the griffons. Maybe if she was good enough, she could swing this in her favor.

[Tisis Antony]

August frowned when the mare didn't respond to his offer of water. He had prepared a delightful tray of refreshments just out the door, and to have it go to waste would be a true crime against hospitality. He raised a single claw, as if to shush the mare, and slipped from the room. He retrieved his tray of refreshments and brought it in, setting it on the steely tabletop.

After setting the tray down, he settled at his place. "We are going to discuss that 'Purifier' of yours; in addition, we will be describing the circumstances that will see you free to go. So, we have alot to cover, and little time with which to cover it in." The Praetor gestured to the refreshments, and took one up himself. "Care for a drink, before we begin? I'd prefer to talk to a well hydrated mare..."

He continued to speak regardless of her taking a drink. "First order of business- that water purifier of yours. It's quite a complicated piece of machinery. Care to describe it for me?"

[Mercy Heart]

Mercy eyed the drink and the griffon. A soft glow from her horn signaled acceptance of the offer and she sipped the glass. Damn that was good water. She could only hope her machine would make water this good. She set it down on the table and looked at the griffon. "My purifier? How-" she realized she was not exactly being stealthy about it, "never mind."

"Well if you want to know it is a reverse osmosis water purifier. It runs off of a combination of Hydraulics, high and low pressure air and electricity." She straightened herself up in preparation for what could only be assumed a detailed description.

"You see a pipe runs from the lake. I fashioned it out of an old sewer pipe from the warehouse. This is kept at pressure. Two hydraulic valves set up in parallel are used to isolate the system from the environment. This pipe leads into a tank which is also kept at pressure. When the tank reaches a certain level, a float actuated solenoid valve opens as well as a float actuated pump will begin running. This pumps water from the tank to the actual purifier. Once there another float actuated solenoid valve will activate at a certain level, opening valves to allow hydraulic fluid to flow on top of a piston in the tank. The piston will apply pressure to the water, forcing the tiny water molecules through the semi permeable membrane while stopping the larger solvents. This water is then pumped to holding tanks while the brine is pumped through more sewer pipes and back to the lake.

The Hydraulic system is run off of the high and low pressure air systems and electricity. The High and Low pressure air systems is run off of electricity. They are charged off of a High PAC and a Low PAC. The purifier can run for about three hours before needing to be re charged. During this charging process the purifier must be paused."

During this whole description she waved her hooves through the air as if drawing a schematic.

"And that is a brief description of my purifier. If you want a more detailed one you will have to allow me to access my notes." She relaxed herself. That was more talking at one time than she had done in the past week. Her clinic had been closed while she made the machine, and her assistant and her don't need to speak half the time.

She looked for his reaction. Maybe the description was a little more detailed than it had to be.

[Tisis Antony]

The Praetor felt a little shiver run down his spine as the mare told him everything. Ev-ery-thing. This was all he could ask for from the world- a little refreshments, a well circulating air flow, and nice pony telling him everything he needed to know. He could tell by the time the mare was finished that she was concerned. Had she given too much all at once? But Augustus grinned and leaned back, letting the rush of a job well done take over.

"That's... exactly what I wanted to hear Miss... Mercy? I'm afraid your pony names confuse me a bit sometimes. Is your name just the one word, 'Mercy', or is there a... second part?"

[Mercy Heart]

Mercy glared at the griffon, his sense of accomplishment angered her a little. "Heart. My name is Mercy Heart." A smile crept up on her face, "You feel like a job well accomplished. Well let me tell you. That machine will never work for you griffons." She now looked sternly at the griffon. This whole event was confusing to her. Why was this griffon being so civil? Why was she not chained? These questions needed answers, but for now, it was his move.

[Tisis Antony]

The griffin bolted up, all business again. "Whether the machine works for us is irrelevant. We possess fresh water in great abundance- your machine is of no value to us directly, at least in the foreseeable future," the Praetor took a light sip from a glass, and swilled it about in front of his face for a moment. The gesture was intended to show her this- that the Griffins did possess water.

"The only conceivable reason your machine has for existing, now, in the future, ever, lies in its ability to provide the water it purifies to two groups. One, the underprivileged, poor, destitute vagrants who infest this city like a bug-ridden sweater. The other group- those in rebellion. You know the types- can't come out to the topside because the authorities are always on their backs- they seem to be the group who would benefit most from a water purifier."

"Tell me, Miss... Heart, which one of those do you really serve?"

[Mercy Heart]

Mercy laughed as he said he had fresh water. She had read her dad's journals of the Griffon Kingdoms before the war. Maybe these types of griffons had water, but not the multitudes of poor. After he mentioned her purifier working and who she served, she starred at him for a few moments trying to rationalize this. "Wait, so what do you want with it?"

She didn't even register his question not till after her's. "Oh, whom do I serve? I serve Equestria and it's citizens. Everything I do is to provide a better life for them. I would give my life for them." This was spoken almost like she had been repeating it from another. It was direct, and without any thought.

[Tisis Antony]

The Griffin raised an eyebrow. Her answer was incredibly... vague, but seemed sincere. This mare had the technical knowledge to build an operational purifier of no joking complexity, yet she was so... wishy washy. She had these generally odd plans of serving everyone selflessly, but didn't seem to be aware how suspicious that made her seem.

"You do realize that the answer you just provided is a tad... odd. Where did you get those thoughts? Good upbringing? Maybe you were raised around the right types of people?" The Praetor leaned back again, awaiting her answer.

[Mercy Heart]

Mercy glanced down at the table the back to the griffon, "My father. He was a selfless man who gave everything for Equestria AND the Griffon Kingdoms. He just wanted to help. I want the same." She kept the same stern look on her face. Talking about her father to a stranger, especially a griffon was not something she wished to do. "Why all these questions about me? Lets be honest here, you kidnapped me then act all civil once you have me? What do you want? I am not here to be your guest, so get to it." Being as much a loner as her bred an inability to connect socially with others, quite ironic given her talent.

[Tisis Antony]

The Praetor grinned. So it'd be all business with this one. Augustus was pleased, since it meant that he wouldn't need to dance around with the accusations much more. The dancing got tiresome by all accounts, and even he, who was so accustom to it grew weary of trying to pry into peoples lives so often. Maybe he'd practice a new approach, he'd heard talk of something called 'positive reinforcement', and that it didn't involve threats of torture. The Praetor snapped his attention back to Mercy's request, and decided to give her the most upfront answer he could.

"Well ma'am, if you insist on dispensing with pleasantries, then here is what I offer you. You get your machine. You can repair it, do as you wish. Move it somewhere new, somewhere secret, make it look like you've been spooked, but otherwise conduct business as normal. If you are truly the philanthropist like you say, then this should be natural to you."

"All we ask in return is one concession- you allow us to monitor all the rebels coming and going from your clinic, and you don't withhold any information from us. Those are your terms."

[Mercy Heart]

"You want me to be a spy?" She said this very matter of factly. "I am no traitor, I will do no such thing if harm will come of it." She straightened herself with this statement. Fear gripped her every nerve, but she masked it. She needed to look tough and in control, otherwise bad things will follow. "I will never put my patients in harms way."

[Tisis Antony]

"Miss Heart- don't be so crass. You are a doctor, sworn by oath to help those in need, and I can assure you that trying to make a point about privacy wont do any of that. What about your many hundreds of ponies you will be healing- unhassled, untouched by griffins. You won't need to hide, you won't need to worry about some goons swooping in at any moment, and snatching everything away. You may resent it now, but think, THINK! All those ponies who are dying, stricken with disease, dehydration, their foals succumbing to death before infancy. It'd be atrociously inethical for you not to consider this, due to some fondness for your integrity."

[Mercy Heart]

Mercy thought for a moment, a medium sized moment.


"I will not put anypony in harms way."


She stoically starred at him.

[Tisis Antony]

The Prudentate wondered how gullible the mare was. She had taken the water without a suspicion lingering in her mind, but he feared losing her trust at this integral point in the process. If she was going to be doing this, it meant that this had to be of her own volition in part. She seemed adamant on that one feature, that 'no ponies would be harmed', but he couldn't conceive of a means of guaranteeing that without in part being a bold-faced liar. He tried to analyze her syntax- she would 'not put anypony in harms way,' she said. What did that mean she felt about the other races?

"You insist that you do not wish to put ponies in harms way, yet you aid known fugitives who put your legitimate operations at risk. I know you have a real desire to aid everyone, but be reasonable Miss. Heart, I'm sure you can find a way to compromise somehow. What would it take for me to make this arrangement workable?"

[Mercy Heart]

"Arrangement? What arrangement?. You take me from me clinic, where I was performing my normal duties, then you say I can continue doing what I WAS doing if I also do what you want. That is not an arrangement, that is extortion, and I do not take kindly to it." She mirrored how the griffon sat now. "I do not judge who walks into my clinic, nor do I care what they do or whom they work for. I do my best to help them. I will not put harm upon ANYTHING that comes to me for aid." She starred at the griffon. Even she didn't know where this bit of courage came from. under the table she could not stop one of her legs from twitching out of fear.

[Tisis Antony]

The mare was becoming belligerent, and quite hostile in her accusations. Of course this was extortion- but where did she think she was? The Praetor stood up at the table, and coolly made his way to the door.

"I'll give you a few minutes alone, to really think over exactly where you are sitting right now."

[Mercy Heart]

Mercy kept her composure right up until the door closed. Then the panic set in. She began to pace around the room, thinking over her choices.


Oh hay seeds! Oh hay seeds OH HAY SEEDS! What am I going to do? What am I going to do!?

Alright get a hold of yourself, this should be fine.

I'm going to die. I'm going to die.

No you're not. Just think over what he said.

Alright, he said that he would let me continue doing what I was doing. And that the griffons would never bother me again.

Okay.

And all I had to do was give the names of rebels that used my clinic.

Not okay.

I don't even know most of my patients names, let alone if they are rebels. I mean I only know of the one I made the agreement with and a couple other regulars, but other than that it is not like I keep a roster. Even if I say yes, I may not be able to get him the amount he wants.

CALM DOWN. Now think over options.

Okay, I can say yes. Then I become a spy against those I have sworn to help.

Bad.

I can say no, then be tortured and possible killed

Bad.

I can try and run. Not make it three feet, be either killed or captured, tortured, and then killed.

Double Bad.

Ugh, there is nothing. No way can I accept, but there is literally nothing else I can do.

You could lie.

Lie?

Yes, he said that if you agreed, you would be let out, then he said you could move the purifier to a safe hidden place. What if you just made it super hidden?

I am not that good at lying.

You can connect and feel other creatures emotions, you can lie well enough.

Okay, so lie. Tell him that I accept, play along, then at the first chance I get move everything I can to the undermarket. GAW, that would mean having to rebuild the purifier.

Rebuild the purifier or die?

Good point.

[Tisis Antony]

The Praetor passed by the Prudentate's office as he made his stroll back to the interrogation room. The Prudentate had been having... issues lately, very very... bad issues, with requisitioning the supplies he required from the people who wanted them. Feliks was becoming belligerent, and unlike this mare, you could not just walk out from Feliks when you got into a heated discussion. The griffin was liable to kill you where you stood if you tried to belittle him like that, whether he was deserving of it or no. These things jutted into Augustus's mind intermittently, but he tried to suppress the thoughts in favor of the ones more pertinent to his duties.

He peeked into the room through the small window on the door, and noted that the mare was pacing vigorously. Good, good, that meant she was thinking about things, shaking up her thoughts and mayhaps letting new ones settle. She had seemed so adamant before, but now she just seemed like a mare who had biten off more than she could chew. The Praetor chuckled a bit at this, and leaned back against the adjoining wall. Poor mare, shaken half to death, not a friend in the world to help her. It was no wondering thing that her shaking leg had almost given him a nervous fit.

The Praetor began surmising his options. If she disagreed to help, she'd still be valuable for the execution. If she agreed, she'd be valuable twofold, and if she tried to pull a fast one, the spy Shady would be able to get the information where it was supposed to go. The Praetor would know of it. All things looked good, and all that mattered would be a measurement of increment- HOW good would things be?

He looked back into the room, this time knocking on the door to let her know he was entering. He waited a few moments, to give her time to compose herself, and opened the door. He carried in a second tray of refreshments, small cookies and little milk glasses this time. He knew that it was always best to have some focal point to distract the interrogated from the very real threat of them being summarily executed at any moment. The Praetor preferred cookies for these things, since it matched his 'polite' demeanor, and generally opened the the pony up to the idea that he wasn't there to hurt them.

"I'm sorry if I seemed a bit intense earlier, I get antsy when confined to a room for too long. We have refreshments here- cookies, milk, some little cracker things with cheeses; I'm sure you'd like some. I hear the side of town you live near has been going through a food shortage lately, and it totally slipped my mind that you could be hungry."

[Mercy Heart]

Mercy immediately stopped her panic pacing once The Preator entered the room. The stern look marked her return to the way she was before the break. She slowly trotted up to the table, looking to the ground. With a reluctant sigh she responded, "I guess I have no choice." Ignoring the food, she looked into The Preator's eyes, "My demands are that you give me ample time to move my purifier and get it operational again. You do not demand a quota from me. When you come to get names, I will give you what I know and nothing more. I warn you, I don't know as much as you think I do." She looked a the food on the table, her stomach turning at the very thought of consuming it. "Also, I request that those whom you capture from me are given a fair trial with decent arrangements." She knew that was not going to happen. It was more to help calm her soul. After all she may have planned on betraying them, but as of right now, she was accepting their offer. This made her light headed and a little nauseous.

[Tisis Antony]

The Praetor laughed a little. "Names? We don't need names. I agree to all those terms, under the condition- that you settle down a bit; your nerves are killing me." The Praetor took a small cracker, and slathered a bunch of the cheese spread unto it using the tiny little knife that was included. He took it up, and nibbled into it, savoring the exotic smoky tastes of the cheese.

After swallowing, he pushed a small jar of jam her way, and motioned for her to try some. "I'm sorry if this has felt like an interrogation to you, and that these terms were forced. The truth of the matter is, I have no animosity towards you, your work, nor none of your sympathies. If I were in charge, there would have been no invasion, none of this messiness about occupying your cities, we'd find some other way to work things out." The Praetor lifted a cookie and began dunking it in milk.

"I know that we haven't exactly been gracious to you or your kin-folk during these years, but I do not wish for the atrocities of my brethren to reflect poorly upon us here at the OGI. We need to stop rebels, and honestly, work like yours will go a long way to keeping ponies from rebelling out of poor conditions. If you'd bare with us, I'm sure you'd find us more than capable of hospitality."

[Mercy Heart]

"Fine then." Mercy nodded in acceptance. Looking to the jam, she spasmed to stop from throwing up. "If there is nothing else then. I would like to be left alone now." She turned away from the food. The thought of those dirty griffons making it, or worse it being foreign, shipped from some far away land on a rotting rat and flea infested ship. She had to breath heavily a couple times to calm herself.

[Tisis Antony]

The Praetor winced slightly, and stuffed the cookie in his mouth. He lifted the tray, and left the room quietly. He closed the door behind himself, but not before turning to look back at the mare one last time. He nibbled on another cookie, and then left. He placed the tray on the cart that had been provided. The food would no doubt find its way to some hungry auxiliaries, and not go to waste, but it was a shame about the mare. She seemed so simple, but it was clear she was some form of psychopath. Those types had no place in the new order, and after everything was said and done, she'd likely find herself drifting down the storm drains.

The Praetor stopped by the Prudentate's office, and nodded to him through the window. It was done.

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