The machine is broke down

by RainbowAdmin

Chapter 4

“You're not a cleaner, am I right?”

This question knocked me out of a rut and I almost flew into a pole.

Oh shi… Has she guessed about everything?

“You’re right.”

“Who are you then? They didn't go home, did they? You...” She paused and I saw that in her huge expressive scarlet eyes appeared tears.

“Killed them…” I said by subdued voice.

Hell, Patrick. You're an idiot. A real idiot! Why the hell did you blurt?

“Dash, let's talk when we’ll get to the place?” She silently turned her head and began to look out the window, ignoring me.

Alright. How did they found her in my apartment? It seems the biggest of them talking about some kind of signal…

“Hey, how could they find you? Have they done something to you?”

“They delved in my mane. And it was hot.” Her voice has become drier.

I stopped the car, got out of the glove my PDA, connected to it plain device and went out of the car. I sat on the back seat, next to pegasus. She tried to pull away from me, but it prevented the door and she did not know how to open it. I carried the palm near the head of a pony.

I thought so. They stucked a GPS-beacon. How I did not see it when I washed her?

My hand reached for the pegasus mane, but her hoof darted me somewhere. I did not get such a strong blow in the stomach with the times of army trainings. This was unexpected. My eyes nearly flew out of their sockets and I was trying to remember how to breathe correctly. I raised my hand, leaning on which, to take up my chest and noticed by the corner of my eye that Dash jerked away from me and hit her head on the door. I looked up and saw that she looked at me with eyes full of horror. What have I done…

“No, wait. I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help. Trust me.” I gasped when I remembered how to breathe. “I have not even thought to hurt you.”

“Why have you reached for me?” Now she looked at me with disdain.

“They hitched a beacon to you. And now they can find you anywhere. I want to get rid of it. Let me, please?”

“Alright. But then do not even think of touching me. Or I’ll hit you again! Killer.” After the last word my heart sank to the size of a pea. I became colder than the mortuary freezer inside.

Now she does not trust me. Yes, so that you, Patrick. You will need to talk to her. You stupid freak!

I touched to her and started looking for a beacon. Trying to make it as accurate and tender as I could, I sounded out every inch of her strained neck, each strand of her rainbow mane by my fingers. After a few tens of seconds her muscles began to relax and she closed her eyes. It seems she liked it. Just a moment her head bent down and put in the front seat. If I had not reined in her bottom, she could crash to the floor. Fell asleep. I carefully put her on the back seat; there was a good place - the three of us can sit in comfort, and continued searching. My fingers felt something small and hard. I shone the flashlight. I have not seen such beacons yet. Stop. Is it glue planted? My eyes nearly fell out the second time in the evening from what did I see. The beacon was glued to her fur, so it was not visible. I took out a knife and began carefully cut this gadget by hair by hair.

Removed this unfortunate device, I got out and was about to throw it away. I saw a coyote in the headlights of my car, watching me. The idea flashed in my mind. I slowly walked to the trunk, opened it and pulled out a loaf of bread. I broke off a small piece, stuck the beacon in it and then took out a knife. Slowly cutting my left arm by a knife I saw it started to bleed. I looked up at the coyote: he sniffed. Even the wind blows in his direction. I’m lucky today. I threw a piece of bread soaked in blood to that animal by snap of my fingers. Just as I thought he caught it in the air and swallowed it. Coyotes mind does not differ from a shoe. I closed the trunk and headed for the driver's seat. Coyote came closer, looking at me like a huge piece of ham which he will eat for dinner. But no, I just got in the car, closed the door and went slowly, shifting the level of damping from the sport in the softest mode. I didn’t want to shake the sleeping little pegasus. Let them think that my guest is worn in the desert. And then find a pile of dog’s shit. It gives me a lot of time when no one will bother. From time to time I glanced at the PDA screen, but it was not showing the GPS signal as well as other radio signals.

After about an hour of slow driving we reached to my house in the woods. It was once a hunting lodge of one of my neighbor, from whom I bought it. No one knew about it. It was unattractive one-story wooden building, which, if you do not know where it is and how to look, you can search until you'll blue. I liked to spend some time between jobs in here. I got out and went into the house. There weren’t much dust, not surprisingly, people also were not here, and the windows were closed. The first thing I made was removing the oilcloth from the couch. I returned to the car, gently took my guest, took her to the house and put on bed. She didn’t wake up. Yeah, I can imagine how she tired. Then I took the bag from the trunk and brought it into the house. Taking a bottle I left house and went into the woods. Hundred meters away was a creek, where it was possible to gain pure water. I could turn the water pump on, but it needs diesel generator to be working and I didn’t want to use it in cause of its loud rattling. In the silence of the night it sounded louder and can wake my guest up. When I returned, Dash was still nozzles on the couch. I poured the water into the charcoal filter and sat down on a squeaky chair, propped my head by hands and followed Dash’s example.

I opened my eyes when the sun began to shine through the window right in my face. I looked at my watch: half of the ninth in the morning. Climbed up, I went to the bottle with filter and manual pump, got out of it in a mug of water and went outside to wash my face. Then went to an annex next to the house where there was a generator. I check fuel level in the tank, switched the switch and started the diesel. It sneezed and started. It sounds not so nice like his older brother, under the hood of my car, but it's okay. I went into the house and down to the basement. I took a few potatoes from the bag and returned to the room. While I was cleaning the potatoes, a small stove with a frying pan on it warmed up and I started fix breakfast. I gained a little more water from the bottle in a pan to make tea and put it on the second burner. I turned around and saw that Dash had already awakened and now sat on the bed drilling me with her look.

“Good morning.” She just muttered something in reply and turned to the wall. “I wanted to talk to you…”

“Aw yeah. Me to! Why did you lie to me?” Pegasus looked at me again.

“I did not lie. I just kept back some facts. After your stories about your world I did not want to scare you.”

“Why did you kill?” It was a hit below the belt.

“I'm not doing this for fun, Rainbow. I'm sorry.”

“If you want me to forgive you — tell me everything about yourself. And only the truth!” She gets out from bed, spread her wings and looked into my eyes with her narrowed eyes.

“I do not think you want to know.” I turned to the stove, turned off the boiling water and the potatoes.

“Leave this for me to decide!” She was pressing me.

Patrick, you'll sorry about that.

“Alright. But eat something.” With these words I spread the potatoes on the plates, put the rest of vegetables and poured boiling water into a cup, where I had already put the tea bag.

“I’m listening.” She began dig potatoes in a bowl and stared at me.

“Are you sure?” I looked into her eyes.

“Yeah, come on!”

“Okay. It started twenty years ago. September 17, 1992. My tenth birthday. I came home from school. My parents are going to celebrate my holiday. No hype, just in the family circle. We have some problems with money, and the rent is not paid the full amount. My mother asked me to set the table while my dad and she go to the store to buy a cake and my favorite soda. They kissed me and went for a celebratory feast. Before they closed the door, I saw them last time. Only a week later, being at the shelter, I learned what actually happened. A few thugs from the local gang decided to make money and just beaten my parents to death, to take away money from them. Ten bucks.” I tried not to be rough.

“It’s… horribly…” Her eyes became bigger and wet. “Really?.. I mean… I’m sorry, I did not want to… Oh… I’m sorry, Patrick…”

“It’s okay, Rainbow. It was a long time ago. And I'm used to be alone.”

“So… Twenty years ago. Now you’re thirty?”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I tried to smile, but nothing came of.

“I’m just nineteen.” Dash scratched her head and brushed away a tear. “Okay, let’s continue.” She stared at me.

“So… Then were nothing significant. I got to orphanage, finished school. After that I went to college.” Blue pegasus listened very carefully. “After finishing college I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t have home. So I went in the army. And housing will be, and the food is free, and you can earn a flat. No sooner said than done. Private Jacks. Marine Corps. Please love and favor.” She smiled a little. “I was a sniper, later - the commander of "Dragon Shield” special forces. Call sign - "Pegasus".

“Like me?” Dash looks surprised.

“Maybe. I don’t know why. I did not invent it.”

“Go on.”

“Okay… During the service I have traveled half the world, visited many hot spots. I saw the war from all sides. And you know what? I wish I had not been born. Death, tears, blood, loss of... The list is endless. Through the riflescope the war is much worse than the books and newspapers shows.” I noticed that in her eyes tears start to welling and stopped.

“Continue!” Her hoof stroked the table.

“Maybe it’s enough?” I touched her feet lying on the table.

“No, go on. It’s okay.”

“At a regular job as commander of the "Dragon Shield" group, with the elimination of one of the extremist factions all of my guys were cut. Everyone, except me and another guy. As cattle. And for what? Due to the fact that some of my chain of command had sold us the same group. After returning home, of course, I have found that rat and he got court-martialed for treason. But I was not going to stay. I retired from the army. I've seen enough of war and seen enough of the funeral. Enough. It's time to retire. I bought a flat in the outskirts of Los Angeles, away from my hometown, for 6 years earned money. A few months later a one general from the top of the NSA called me and offered some work...”

“May I ask?” She interrupted my story.

“Sure.”

“What is Los Angeles and NSA?”

“LA is a big city. Well, we were there and you were in my flat which I told. And NSA is a National Security Agensy. It’s like your Royal Guard in Equestria.”

“Oh… I see. And what is the extremist faction?”

“It’s a group of… bad humans which want to kill or hurt in any other way other people. My work is to get rid of these people, because this problem cannot be solving in another way. I was just returning from job when I heard your scream. I don’t know why I decided to look what happened there. Maybe it was my fate, I don’t know. So, here I am.”

“Why did not you tell me this yesterday?” She said after a pause, when I finished.

“I was afraid to scare you.” I could hardly keep the stone face.

“Do you think that if I’m an athlete, I'm stupid, like a mannequin in a Rarity’s shop?”

“No. But I'm a monster. And I could hurt you by telling the truth.”

“You're not a monster, Patrick. You did not kill for fun. You did this in order to help those who have nothing to blame. In your world, someone has to bear this burden as far as I understand. And you’re that pony... sorry, person who is not afraid to shoulder this burden. You are very brave. And it's so awesome!”

“So… You’re…”

“Aha. That's it. I started to trust you for a reason. I felt something…” She smiled and this smile throws me into a fever. “You’re nice, really. May I ask one question?”

“Sure!”

“That big guy said "this blue freak". Am I really so ugly?”

Did you see his mug? See him at night you’ll become a stutterer. No, actually, Dashie, you're very cute, especially when you’re spreading your wings.

“Thanks…” The fur around her nose was a little pinkish.

What? Did I say it out loud?

“Aha. And this you said out loud too.” Now I'm blushing.

Do I know how it is?

“Sorry for hitting you.” She looked down.

“Come on, you did everything right. It’s me should apologize to you.”

“Peace?” Dash smiled again and handed me a hoof. I shook it.

“Yup. Peace.” I smiled back to her.

How did you annoy them so? And to whom? Why do they hunt for you?