//------------------------------// // 5 - Thunder Cliffs // Story: Pegasus: Eos Typhoon // by Jatheus //------------------------------// As her heart leapt to her throat, Eos Typhoon pulled her pistol from holster and dove to one side of the door. The shots were echoing deafeningly such that it was impossible to tell where they were coming from. Slamming hoofsteps thundered up the hall. Eos moved around the corner, pistol first, and saw one of her comrades, a stallion named Cirrus just as he spun to a halt, raised his rifle back in the direction from which he’d come and opened fire. Not waiting to see what he’d hit, he turned and bolted into the generator room. To prevent getting knocked over, Eos Typhoon leapt out of his way to the other side of the entrance where Flitt had taken up position. Hardly acknowledging them, Cirrus slammed the door shut. Unable to find a lock, he satisfied himself by propping his body against it. “What happened?” Eos asked. “Changelings!” he gasped. “Pack of changelings was in here.” The shooting slowed, but could still be heard through the door. That was when the mare noticed that the stallion newcomer was bleeding. “Frack me, you’re hit!” “Oh my gods that looks bad,” Flitt seconded. Lowering her pistol, she moved toward Cirrus. His eyes suddenly went wide and he raised his rifle. “Back up!” Eos and Flitt froze in place. They couldn’t have been more still if they had been statues. “Wait!” Flitt begged. “How do I know you’re not changelings?” “We just got here and powered up the generator like we were ordered.” His eyes darted around the room quickly before settling on the pair again. The acrid scent of spent gunpowder combined with the escalation of the circumstances made Eos’s mouth dry. “Yeah? Were either of you alone at all?” “Of course not!” Eos scoffed at him. It was then that Cirrus noticed the pistol that Eos was holding, “Drop your weapons!” Flitt began to comply. “Frack that!” she spat back, causing Flitt to hesitate. “Do it now or I’ll punch a couple of holes through your head.” Careful not to move, Eos said, “Don’t do it, Flitt. What if he is a changeling?” “He…” “Don’t be ridiculous!” He spat back, blood now beginning to pool on the floor. “He’s not,” Flitt got out. “Changelings have green blood, and his is still red on the floor.” The three of them glanced down at the pooling blood for an instant, and Eos sprang into action. She vaulted forward, dropping her pistol and pushing the muzzle of the rifle away from herself and Flitt. A shot exploded from the weapon, which she now had firmly in her grasp. The pair wrestled for control, and Eos found herself slammed against the wall. Cirrus was strong. He was pressing the rifle up toward her throat to cut off her air, and would have probably succeeded, but the color drained from his face, and he staggered back. Eos took the rifle as he lost his grip, cycled the action and leveled it on him. Cirrus was up to no tricks, but stumbled awkwardly and collapsed. Eos Typhoon was panting from the effort and her head was pounding from her previous wound, but she was pleased that she had managed to not get herself killed. Flitt was still motionless against the wall, a bullet hole mere inches from her head. “Flitt.” She didn’t answer. “Flitt!” The frightened pegasus jumped. “We have to stop the bleeding.” Flitt nodded and she pulled his medical kit, beginning to stanch the flow. A few sporadic shots were still heard through the door, punctuating the tense silence as Cirrus regained consciousness. No doubt being prone and not under strain allowed blood to return to his head. He shuddered, trying to sit up. “Take it easy,” Flitt said. He pushed her away, “Get off of me!” “Cool it!” Eos shouted, “You just passed out. We’ve got to get the bleeding stopped or you’re dead.” Whether he believed her, or he simply noticed that she had the rifle and he was now disarmed, she wasn’t sure. However, he did comply and stopped struggling. “Don’t you owe us an apology?” Eos asked smugly. He scoffed but said nothing. Hoofsteps outside were heard too late for anyone to block the door. It opened and several more of their comrades entered, the business ends of their weapons leading the way. They said nothing, nor did they directly point their weapons at anyone, but stood at the ready as Captain Squall entered the room and assessed the situation. “Good job. Cirrus, we thought you were dead.” “Not quite.” She nodded, “Lieutenant Typhoon and Corporal Flitt, I’m going to need a bit of your blood. It seems we had a bit of a changeling infestation here.” One of the soldiers used a needle to prick each of their ears in turn. The minuscule amount of blood remained red, as Eos knew it would. Someone came running up the hall, their heavy steps loudly echoing throughout the facility. “Captain Squall! Captain Squall!” “Yes?” “We’ve got the radio working ma’am,” he panted for breath. “And?” “Captain…” his face was ghostly pale. “There is a massive attack underway by The Storm.” Eos Typhoon felt her stomach knot up into a ball. She’d known this was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier to take.