The next few months ran smoothly, Dashie was happy and so was I. Another normal patrol was today as a cool breeze swept through the camp. A scare had occurred around a week ago, when one of my soldiers had made the claim of seeing something fly overhead. Since then, others had called it Ghost Company’s angel. Only a trusted few knew the truth of the matter, and I intended to keep it that way however necessary.

Our patrol started late, giving some much needed rest to the company after the previous day’s activities in the compound. Dashie was at my side as I stared at the ceiling. I felt the small life giving breaths of air against my shirt as she snored, somewhat loudly. I grinned and suppressed the laughter that boiled up in my chest as her snoring could compete with even the heaviest of sleepers in the troop. Thirty minutes had come and gone, for the time approached of what seemed just like another normal patrol.

“Dashie,” I spoke as I stroked her back and wings, “We need to get ready” Her eyes fluttered open in a magnificent fashion revealing those carefree magenta eyes. She had become accustomed to humans now, and finally just accepted where she was and who she was with.

“Alrighty…” she said with a yawn, “Hand me my gear.”

I smirked and shook my head, “Oh no you don’t, you aren’t getting away with falling asleep while I try to find your gear somewhere around here. C’mon, get up and get ready.”

She rolled her eyes playfully and nodded, “Fine…” She kicked the covers away then flapped her wings and hovered down to the floor before slipping on her gear needing no help from me, and even finishing before I could. We always got ready earlier than the rest so she could fly up to the clouds (or high building if the weather did not cooperate) and wait for the actual patrol to begin. Her attitude had become more accustomed to military ways, although I never force her to do anything, she rarely ever argued with me anymore. Even though she hated waking up earlier than she needed to, complied and carried on with what was asked of her. Needless to say, I was so happy to have her around.

We both stepped out of cabin into the chilly brisk morning, as nature’s dew-fall touched any of my exposed skin with its icy kiss. I looked around the area, and immediately noticed a few new trucks that had apparently rolled in the night before. I failed to recognize the markings on the doors and questioned what they were doing here, but didn’t inquire if they had anything to do with my unit, as my authority was still only limited.

After making sure that the area was clear of prying eyes, Dash soared into the sky, leaving a slight cloud of dust in her wake before she landed on a cloud and waved down at me. I nodded and went to inspect my troops, after which we began boarding our vehicles. Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention as I spotted the unidentified trucks being boarded as well.

“Does anyone know what those trucks are for…?” I asked over the radio.

Every response came back as a simple: “No Sir”

I stared a few moments longer, before switching my secondary headset to my private channel that Rainbow was on, “Be careful… I don’t really know what those trucks are for, so keep your guard up.”

No sound but cold static came back through my ear piece.

I checked my radio as I looked up at the sky, “Rainbow…? Can you hear me…?”

At that moment my heart began to sink, as I checked my radio frantically, “Dashie! Answer me!” Silence was my only reply. I jumped out of the vehicle and stared into the sky and saw no silhouette of her body against the cloud. My attention was caught by a few men loading something into the back of a transport truck. It looked much like a cage covered by a black tarp. I gave it no heed at first, but then when I saw the rainbow colored tail hanging out the side, I was paralyzed with shock.

“No… stop…” I meant to yell, but it came in barely a whisper. Finally, my voice caught and a shriek of my pure anger and terror filled the air, “STOP! PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!” My voice caught the attention of all my comrades, as they all turned their attention to me and to the men in front of me. I shouldered my weapon, turning the safety off I shouted once more, “PUT DOWN THAT CAGE AND STEP AWAY!”

My faithful gunner Abel had swung the fifty-caliber in their direction with a shout, “Weapons armed!”

Before I knew it, Ghost Company was at my side, weapons drawn and armed to the teeth with guns poised at the un-identified group. Sadly, we were easily matched in firepower, as man after man in complete black battle gear exited the vehicles with their weapons drawn. In merely seconds the compound was turned into a standoff over a brightly colored Pegasus that shouldn’t even exist. No one dared to move in the face of the opposition, in fear that one wrong move would spark a firefight in a seemingly civil war amongst the Americans in the heart of insurgent territory.

My eyes caught a familiar face as blonde hair flowed down the black battle gear of one soldier on the opposite side. “F-Fire…?”

She put her fingers to her lips as she grabbed the cage that had been set behind the makeshift frontline, and then silently make a quick pace to the medical center. Apparently she had stolen then suited up in one of the unidentified unit’s uniforms. I sighed in relief as I kept a cool aim on the men in front of me.

“I want to see your commanding officer immediately!” I yelled across the compound.

At that moment a bullet struck my shoulder, fired from an unknown shooter. As I fell to the dusty earth below, I could feel the blood oozing from the wound I had sustained onto my desert uniform. The compound was on the brink of a bloody firefight. My mind fell into shock as the screams of my men ordered the surrender of the smaller group while I was retrieved by my friends. My eyes were in a blur, as I heard shouts of the “unidentified creature” going missing. It made me smile, to think that my beloved Fireblitz had indeed once again saved the day. As I was drug back from my casualty site, I could see the blood trailing from my shoulder onto the ground, leaving a long red streak in the dust.

My commanding officer, who had turned up madder than hell, ordered that their team, whoever they were, to leave the compound immediately for obvious reasons.

I sighed once again, laying my head back down onto the stretcher I was placed on as the numbness of my medication took its effect.

The eviction of the unknown company from our compound was short and to the point. We didn’t know where they came from, or why they had come, and the only word we received was that they would “be back for the creature once sufficient clearance was authorized.” This was a threat that I did not intend to let happen.

I woke up from the surgery, having had the bullet removed from my shoulder and some muscle it had damaged repaired, I obviously was in dire need of pain medication. I looked down the bed; the crisp white sheets that covered me were pristine while machines around me monitored all my vital signs. Upon feeling a familiar body cuddle up against me, I was instantly brought to smile. I pulled back the covers slightly, were a sleeping blue Pegasus laid. Two pool shaped tear stains were on the bed below her were it was obvious she was crying.

“Hey Dashie,” I spoke in a muffled voice, more hoarse from the tubes put down my throat from the surgery than I had realized.

Her bloodshot eyes opened immediately, as she jumped onto my chest in a constrictingly tight embrace around me. I felt her tears again begin to flow, as she sobbed onto my chest, making it wet with her salty tears, “They caught me… and you got hurt for it… I’m so sorry,” she wept.

I caressed her mane, putting my arms around her and tried to caress her, “Shhh… Dashie, none of this was your fault. Don’t ever think it was you that caused this.”

Fire entered the room, and for the first time her badge was visible to me. Rachael… that’s what her name is… I snapped out of my thoughts once again, as she cleared her throat and spoke to me words I thought I may have never heard:

“Congratulations Jason. You’re going home.”

Author's Note

And no, this isn't the end. Hopefully going to squeeze two more chapters out of the story before I am finished. Sorry for the long wait with this one. It was due to being sick, school, my birthday, and some friends visiting that caused the extremely long delay. Hopefully the next ones will be done far more frequently.