Login

Flying With Damaged Feathers

by hornethead

Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Winds Change

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Chapter 18: Winds Change

Tiran sat in a chair, keeping nervously still. He felt as if his arms were bound to the arm rests as hard as he was clutching them, knuckles on his right hand going white. Draped around his torso from his neck was a stiff sheet, to catch whatever mess should occur from his predicament. Tiran fought the urge to tremble as the sharp crossed blades hovered by his head, searching for the next spot in which to strike.

As still as he was, Tiran surprised himself by stiffening even more as the blades descended towards his scalp. He heard a snip, felt a tug and a watched through wide eyes as yet another strand of hair fell to the ground, viscously separated from its brethren.

"Dere. Ah fink ith gud." Ruwa spat the scissors onto the table and clenched a mirror by the handle with her teeth, holding it up for Tiran to see. "Howth i' loog," she struggled to say around the handle.

Tiran reached up and ran his hand through his shortened hair. He twisted his head from side to side, trying to see it from all angles. His hair was a little patchy and ragged after going through its latest ordeal, but overall it wasn't that bad. Though, he realized, cutting hair wasn't really Ruwa's strong suit and he really should have gone looking for a proper barber.

"It's good, thanks."

Ruwa put the mirror back down and clapped her hooves together, "Aw, thanks," she grinned, "I really put my best into it."

"It shows!" Tiran replied, putting on the most sincere smile he could.

Tiran had found Ruwa in her room the night before and had a chat while dinner was brought to them. He had expected a raucous argument, but instead Ruwa had said not to worry about anything, she wasn't mad any more, and they had a civil dinner. Tiran didn't exactly believe her, but didn't want to spoil the peace and didn't push the subject.

Afterwards, she had bade him good night as he went back to his own room, professing her own weariness from exploring their home of the moment. Tiran had gladly obliged, going back to his own bunk, tying one off and passing out into a nice dreamless sleep. he'd actually slept in to nearly noon.

It was during lunch when Tiran had mentioned wanting to get a haircut. Ruwa had immediately offered to do the task and, not wanting to disappoint her, Tiran had—reluctantly—agreed. Looking in the mirror again now, he decided it wasn't all that bad.

"So, what do you think we should do today?" Ruwa asked as Tiran got to sweeping his hair from the floor.

Tiran paused, thinking, when he remembered, "Hey, Quick Fix is here. Maybe you should go visit her."

Ruwa's eyes went wide at this new information, "Really? She's here?"

"Yeah," Tiran nodded, continuing his task, "she's down in one of the labs they got-" he looked up again, only to see Ruwa already heading out the door at an excited pace. The door slammed shut even before he could finish his sentence. "Well, shit."

Tiran finished up with a few quick sweeps and deposited his former head coverings into one of the bins. After putting the broom and pan away, he stuck his hands in his pockets and wandered out onto the balcony, wondering what he was going to do with his time for that day.

He watched as one of the sleek looking airships from the hangar lazily wafted across the sky in the distance and had the sudden urge to go check on his own aircraft again. However, he didn't feel like running into Flicker again and getting into another argument over any new modifications the stubborn stallion felt like he had to add.

His mind drifted back to his sidearms. He still wanted them back, felt naked without them in such a foreign land. It was a feeling he thought he'd never experience before. He shrugged. Things change.

Tiran eventually settled on another walk, get his bearings about the place. He still had no idea where he was and it left him feeling uncomfortable, insecure, trapped. He really hoped they'd let him go soon, see if there was any way for him to return home.

He wandered around the corridors for a bit, passing the cafeteria. He wondered if he should pop in and get something to eat just to bide the time, but after catching a whiff of something that smelled like fried hay and pulped grass, he decided against it. Curiously enough, he soon found himself at the doors that led outside, the same ones that would take him to the field that ended in the sharp cliff that concealed the hidden ramp.

Tiran pushed through the doors and stepped out onto the lush grass, enjoying the sun as it beat down on his face and bare arms. It was a beautiful day with exceptional weather, especially for being up on the side of a mountain some where. He strolled near to the edge of the cliff and let himself fall on the lush and well manicured grass.

Tiran wondered how they kept the lawn so nice when he hadn't seen any landscaping equipment and felt a short chuckle escape as he imagined all the hardened looking ponies here grazing on the field. A laugh that soon died away as he remembered his whole situation. the whole thing was absurd, but there was nothing he could do about it for now.

He put his arms behind his head, enjoying the returned sensation of soft skin on his left arm, even if it was fake. A warm breeze whipped up from some where, threatening to carry Tiran off into a light doze, comfortable as he was. But something wasn't right.

There was a slight scent on the breeze, something that shouldn't, by all accounts, be there. Tiran wasn't terribly familiar with the installation, but he was sure that they didn't cook with wood fires. He hadn't seen any place that was built for burning wood either; no fireplaces, no fire pits, no nothing.

Tiran sat up, sniffing at the air again, the scent getting stronger. Burning, definitely something burning now. He wondered if something had caught fire some where and felt a sharp spike of concern pierce his gut as he remembered Ruwa was visiting Quick Fix in the labs.

What if something bad had happened down there? What if Flicker had finally tinkered with something he shouldn't have with the Cloudburst, causing an inferno? But no, that couldn't be right. Surely, if that came to pass, they would have some sort of fire suppression system or a damage control team already on scene.

Then again, Tiran still didn't know much about this place. It was entirely possible that they didn't have any of those things. Curiosity and concern for his aircraft got the better of him. Tiran pushed himself up and made his way down the ramp.

Ambling through the side cavern of stalagmites and stalactites, Tiran soon came to the hidden mouth of the hangar. He found the doors cracked open just enough for one person to slide through at a time. He entered, sniffing the air and looking for any signs of fire or smoke, perplexed as he didn't see any.

He saw one of the airships was missing, probably the one he had spotted earlier out on patrol. The Cloudburst was still in its own spot, more or less put back together, canopy raised high. Tiran wandered over, hoping that Flicker wasn't around.

Tiran gratefully saw that he wasn't. Probably off on some other errand. Tiran grinned and dropped the side ladder, climbing up into his cockpit.

Settling in the front seat, Tiran ran his hands over the controls, wondering to himself if he should try to power them up. Giving in to temptation, he did.

A warm hum began to grow as Tiran flipped switches and applied power from the back-up batteries. Here and there, lights began to blink, and statuses popped up on the myriad of screens and displays.

"Li," Tiran said, "connect with Cloudburst's computer and run diagnostics." He wanted to know exactly what condition his bird was in now.

'Wait one, working...'

The damage control and threat displays sprung to life on their secondary displays. The threat board was empty, pretty much what Tiran expected. The damage control display showed significant improvement. There were no longer any alarms showing a reactor leak. The landing gear was green all across. Even all the control surfaces and thrust nozzles seemed to be in working order, barring a few yellow marks spread around showing a few that still had minor problems.

Tiran's hands clenched around the stick and the thrust, begging him to start up the reactor. The temptation was great, he itched to get back in the air. But Tiran remembered that his suit was still in the shop, broken down into its components. Even if he did get airborne, out of the hangar, he would soon pass out from the forces the Cloudburst would exert on his body.

Reluctantly, Tiran began to power down his aircraft, killing his bird with every flip and switch. He let out a discontented sigh as the Cloudburst's happy hum died away like some great beast letting out its last breath. giving the dashboard a loving pat, Tiran pulled himself up and swung a leg out onto the narrow runner just below the canopy before the climb down the rickety ladder.

Before he was even half way down, the hangar echoed with the clatter of galloping hooves, "Lieutenant Tiran, there you are!"

Tiran cringed at the sound of his rank being used and hopped the rest of the way down the ladder, turning to confront whoever it was. A young stallion in the same dark patterned uniforms he had seen others wearing around the complex galloped up, stopping to quickly catch his breath.

"You have to come with me, sir," the young stallion said with a conviction that made Tiran nervous.

"Why, what's up?"

"There's been an incident. We're pulling all non-essential personnel back into the complex for their protection."

"Protection?" Tiran folded his arms against his chest. "What the hell we need protection from? Is it the fire?"

The stallion looked at Tiran, briefly perplexed, "Fire? No, sir. I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to explain, please follow me."

The stallion turned and started for the aft end of the hangar where Tiran figured there was another way up to the complex above. He shrugged and went to follow, noticing for the first time that his new escort was armed with a pistol and wearing what looked like sleek body armor the same pattern as his uniform. These new details practically shouted a warning to Tiran and he worried something terrible had gone awry.

They climbed up a steep ladder well Tiran hadn't noticed before, taking them back to the interior of the complex above. Tiran peppered his escort with questions the whole way, but he only got vague and noncommittal answers. Tiran gave up on it for a while, but only found his curiosity reawakened when they emerged into the complex to find an unprecedented bustle of activity, stallions and mares alike zipping through the corridors with stamped papers and various armaments.

Tiran was taken to a small room somewhere in the guts of the building, completely devoid of windows and only housing a large table with a map of the country spread out on it. There, the guide left him and Tiran walked over to the table to study the map. It occurred to him that this Equestria was a lot bigger than he thought.

As he studied the swirling lines and scales, he searched for the dot on the map that would tell him where he was, but came up disappointed. He found the capital city, Canterlot, and the town, Unicorn Junction. He traced his path from the town. Damn, he was really close to making it to the capitol. Tiran swore, if he ever found the guy that set him up for the ambush, he might wring his neck.

A moment later, Ruwa was pushed into the room. She was closely followed by Sparks, the military station's commander. Ruwa walked over to Tiran, intent on asking questions he had no answers for when Sparks spoke up instead.

"I'm sorry for the rush getting you two here, but we need to talk," he said, clearing his throat. A serious expression descended to his face, telling Tiran that he wasn't going to like this. "We've gotten reports of a major armed presence making its way here, would you know anything about that?" He directed this question towards Tiran.

"Me?" Tiran replied. "Why would I know anything about it?"

"Because," Sparks stomped a hoof on the table, "our eyes and ears are telling us that leaders within this group are using news of your existence in the country as a call to arms."

"Wha-?" Tiran was flabbergasted. "What the hell do I have to do with any of this? Hell, I was trying to keep as low a profile as possible!"

"No? You didn't talk to anypony strange on your way here?" he said with an accusatory glare.

Tiran gripped the edge of the table with his left hand, feeling his temper heat up, "On my way here!? I was trying to get to Canterlot, I don't even know where here is! You guys were the ones that put a sack over my head and kidnapped me!"

"Tiran..." he heard Ruwa whisper beside him.

Tiran looked at her, but she wasn't looking at him. He followed her eyes and saw his hand was slowly crushing the edge of the table, splintering the wood and sending cracks snaking outwards. He realized he had let his temper get the best of him and looked around the room.

Sparks had backed up, eyes locked on Tiran and horn glowing. There were also two new stallions in the room Tiran hadn't noticed before, weapons drawn and floating ready at their sides. Tiran took a deep breath and backed away, the table letting out a tortured squeak as he released his grasp.

The armed stallions relaxed a little, but not by much. "Look," Tiran said, "Whatever is happening, I got nothing to do with it. I heard about the problem you had in the past with another human, that ain't me. I just wanna go home."

A mare burst into the room without warning and darted over to Sparks. He dipped his head as she whispered something in his ear, then took off again like some one was dying.

Sparks turned to his two subordinates, "Alright, they're at the perimeter. One of you go find Sylver and get an update, then find my son and get him out of here. The other take these two back to their rooms, confined to quarters."

Ruwa looked surprised, "What?"

"Hey," Tiran started, "You can't just toss us back in a cell!"

As one of the stallions galloped out of the room, Sparks turned back to Tiran and Ruwa, "It's not a cell and it's for your protection, we don't know how this is gonna go down." Sparks nodded to the remaining stallion and he moved to take Tiran and Ruwa away.

Tiran was about to argue, to tell this guy where he could stick it, but something on the grizzled stallions face told him it wouldn't be the best idea at the moment. So he and Ruwa begrudgingly followed their escort back to their rooms. Tiran found that there was a new set of guards outside his door now, four instead of two and all heavily armed. They tossed him and Ruwa into their respective rooms, heavy locks slamming into place as the doors shut.

The first thing Tiran did was rush to the side door and try to pry it open. It wouldn't budge. He jiggled the handle and found it locked.

"Hey Ruwa, open up!" he said, pounding on the door.

A second later, he heard the lock click and the door swing open wide. Tiran made to talk with her, figure out what was going on, if she heard anything, but she ran to the balcony before he could.

"Tiran, look!"

Tiran chased her out and stood at the rail, "Ruwa, whats-?"

"Down there!"

Tiran followed her pointed hoof and gazed down into the forest below. There were lights moving about in the dying light of day. Blinking and flickering as they moved among the trees. Tiran squinted and tried to judge their distance. To him, they seemed to be just a few miles out.

"What do you think they are?" Ruwa asked with a tremble in her voice.

Tiran didn't have an answer for her. He still didn't know anything about this crazy world. But past experiences told him it wasn't good.

Out in the distance, a glaring point of light flew up above the trees, trailing a billowing column of smoke. Cracks and pops briefly rang out, echoing off the stone walls of the mountain fortress. Ruwa looked at Tiran questioningly. He had an answer for that.

"Move away from the windows." Tiran said, grabbing her foreleg and pulling her inside.

Tiran pushed her towards the center of the room, then went and closed the balcony doors. Their glass wouldn't be enough to shield them, so he wrapped his arms around a thick wooden armoire and dragged it across the floor to block them.

"Tiran," Ruwa said with a more demanding tone, "What is going on?"

Tiran grunted as he moved the armoire into its final place, "Not sure, but it looks a lot like an attack of some kind."

"An attack?"

"Yes Ruwa," Tiran deadpanned as he flopped down in a chair. "An attack."

"But who would-?"

"No clue. This is your country, not mine. But who ever it is, they must be good. According to Quick Fix, this place is supposed to be 'hush-hush.' By the way, you meet up with her?"

"Yeah... I hope she's ok." Ruwa replied, uncertainty creeping into her voice. "What do we do?"

Tiran kicked his legs up on the table and leaned back, closing his eyes, "What do you mean, what do we do?"

Ruwa shakily walked over to her bed and sat down on it, the mattress letting out a whoosh of air with her weight. "Like, do we help, do we find shelter?"

"Ruwa, I admire your drive, but you're not trained for these sorts of things and I'm pretty much useless outside of a cockpit. The only thing we can do is wait."

Tiran cracked an eye and took a peek. Ruwa was looking away from him, absently focused on some fascinating part of the usually bland wall. Truth was, there actually is something he could do. Assuming they could break out of the room, make it down to the hangar, re-assemble his suit, jack the Cloudburst and it still had ammunition in the cannons drums. He expected they would have removed it though. And by locking them in their rooms, Tiran suspected Commander Sparks didn't want him to have access to all that any way.

So they would have to wait. Wait and hope that these RSTG guys were as good as every one here made them out to be. And, given Sparks' comments and accusations about Tiran at their little impromptu meeting, that this didn't have to do with him at all some how.

Tiran would've liked to have Li hijack her way into a network and get him some Intel, but they didn't have wireless here. He doubted they even had any kind of computers. If they did, he hadn't seen any.

So they waited.

Next Chapter: Chapter 19: A Daring Plan Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 59 Minutes
Return to Story Description

Login

Facebook
Login with
Facebook:
FiMFetch