Ace

Once a hero… I had the girl of my dreams, all the fame and friends I could ask for… I had the perfect life.

But someone said they could make it better… She promised me fame and a higher rank, more respect—she wouldn't treat me like a kid. She said she was beginning the era of the new world, that Sky Knights were quickly fading out and Talons were replacing them. I wanted that power… I craved what I didn't have.

Cyclonia had the power to begin with, quickly defeated by the Sky Knights. I thought I wanted to have that fame… but I was nothing more than a kid to them.

The way she put the offer on the table made it seem so much more appetizing than the life of a Sky Knight. I was willing to risk everything, put everything on the line, for this. I would change their minds, I thought. I would show them, I would tell them how much better it was.

I lost everything, but I gained so much more.

ooo

Terra Neon—a place of excitement, entertainment, and spoiled, overpriced corndogs. It can be quite overwhelming if you didn't have an agenda there. I knew where I was going… but I could've easily gotten lost. I was allowed a break, so I left.

At Neon from dawn until dusk, I crawled through the crowds and escaped, finding the perfect place to rest while I waited for the terra to clear up. I sat down comfortably on the grimy bench, overlooking a star- and city lights-lit skyline. I sighed, closing my eyes. Though I had been fresh out of the Sky Knight academy, my life as a Storm Hawk was already incredibly hectic.

I scratched at my scalp, quickly sensing I wasn't alone. Upon opening my eyes, I was surprised to find a young girl sitting next to me. What's even worse is that I hadn't heard her sooner. "Who the hell are you?"

She sniffed in. "Shut up."

"Whoa… rejection…," I laughed.

She folded her arms across her chest, rubbing an eye. "Just leave me alone, will you?"

"Hey, you sat on my bench, I was here first!" Trying to catch a glimpse of the girl's face in the moonlight, I caught more than a sad face. "Whoa… are you crying?"

"It's none of your business!" she growled, standing up.

I rolled my eyes. "Listen, princess!" I stood up as well. "You sat down next to me! You could've sat at any of the other empty benches!"

She turned around to face me directly. Next thing I knew my face was screaming, turning red from the force of her hand. "Don't you dare call me princess!"

I rubbed my cheek. "God, hurt me when I'm only trying to help…" I rolled my eyes. "You're crying… and it's kind of my duty to help!"

"What?" She sniffed in. "Are… are you some kind of Sky Knight, 'er something?"

I nodded. "Would be nice to get some damn respect! I could arrest you for assault, you know!"

Her hands curled into her chest and the girl looked to her feet. "I'm… I'm so sorry… I'm not usually like this…" Slowly, the girl clutched her sides, sitting back down. "You… don't have to help me, I'm fine."

"You're not fine," I stated with a slight laugh, taking a seat next to her.

"No, I'm not, but you shouldn't be bothered with my problems."

"If that isn't the first time I've heard that… You know, this place gets pretty creepy after dark. Don't you wanna go home?"

She laughed wryly. "If I could go home, I wouldn't be here."

"What do you mean?"

She pulled a leg up onto the bench, hugging it close to her chest. "My supposed 'friends' ditched me. They were my ride…"

"You can't fly yet, eh?"

She shook her head.

Grinding my teeth behind a concerned expression, I knew what I would have to do. I would have to be the charming Sky Knight that I was and fly her home… wherever home was. "Look…," I sighed, standing up. "You're stuck here, right? I…" I rubbed my neck, examining the girl in the dim light. "I can fly you home. I don't have to be back until later."

She rubbed her nose. "No, just leave me here. I'll get home some other way, I don't want to bother you."

I reached forward and grabbed her arm, pulling her up. "Hey, I'm trying to be nice."

"So, what? If I deny your offer, you'll be mean?"

Caught in a loophole, I changed my direction. "No, I'll just have to convince you," I smiled, letting her go.

She crossed her arms, reaching up only to wipe off her face. "All right, Sky Knight, fine. If you really want to, you can take me home."

I smiled. "So, uh… what terra… exactly… do you live on?"

Smugly, the girl responded, "Mesa."

"Mesa?!" I sighed. Mesa was not only a long flight from here, but also a rough and partially blind flight.

"So… you still want to fly me home?"

Honestly, I had no choice. When someone was stranded, in trouble, or potentially in danger, I was required to do something about it. My feelings about the matter didn't have any merit. I was supposed to be selfless…

If I thought twice about doing something, it meant I wasn't truly good at heart. I see now what exactly was wrong with that statement.

"I have no choice."

She smiled.

I scratched at my scalp and ushered her forward, walking her in the direction of my Skimmer. I noted the walkways had cleared up quite a bit, lights were turned off one-by-one around the terra, straggling couples slowly making their way off the terra. I ignored the implications other might get from looking at me and the girl.

Quietly, once we were on our way through the terra, the girl spoke up. "My… my name is Lora."

I looked down toward her feet, looking back up toward her face. The crystal-lit streetlights dimmed, some unmaintained lights flickering, others were off entirely; they lit the walkway for us. I was able to get a better look at her, seeing a very distraught face finally take on a smile. Her eyes were dark without sunlight, but took on a blue hue. I smiled. They were innocent, unlike the burning red I had been cursed with.

Very fitting, I would later find out. Innocence and Evil.

"Ace," I returned, looking away from her.

"You're not a typical Sky Knight, are you?" she whispered.

"I'm just young," I denied the accusation.

She yawned. "Thank you… Ace…"

"For?" I looked up.

"For making me feel better."

I smiled. "I guess if you can say hitting me, yelling at me, me yelling back… if you can say that makes you feel better… then you're welcome."

She was quick to apologize for the assault. "I have a bit of a problem with 'princess'…"

I smiled. "Don't worry about it. I… I think I can feel my face again."

Lora leaned against me, yawning again.

Instinctively, I reached over and put my arm around her. As my hand hit her skin, I could feel just how cold she was. I regretted not bringing my jacket with me, though it was stuffed into my Skimmer. Once at the vehicle, I pulled up the seat and grabbed my jacket, handing it to Lora.

"I'm not cold…"

"Liar," I laughed. "Don't be modest."

She pulled on the oversized jacket, laughing. "Just by looking, you wouldn't know how different in size we are…"

Though it wasn't intended to be an insult, it could've been taken that way. "I'm a guy… I don't even know if the jacket fits me."

She laughed. "Men should pay more attention to what they wear."

I climbed onto my Skimmer and shoved he keys into the ignition, turning over the engine. Once Lora was safely on the bike, I flew off land's edge and headed toward Mesa as fast as I possibly could.

ooo

Even if I was only Lightning Strike's co-pilot, I wasn't entirely incompetent as a pilot alone. I managed to fly through low-visibility caused by clouds at night, and make it to Mesa safely. Getting to her house wasn't that difficult either, but we were both tired so communication was rough.

I leaned on the bike, my feet on the ground. Lora clung to me lazily, too dazed to realize I had stopped and even turned off the bike. "Lora…"

She growled in protest, "What?"

"Come on, we're here."

She looked up slowly, letting go of me. "Good…"

I pulled the keys from my Skimmer and climbed off the bike after her. Lora fumbled with her own keys, trying to unlock the door. "Thanks for taking me home…" Though, the second the door was open, a beast charged through and escaped from her house. "Dammit," she sighed. "Blue!"

I glanced toward the creature before looking at the girl. "Do you want me to…"

She smiled. "If you could."

I sighed, trying to follow the creature's path in the darkness. Lora stood in the doorway, watching my every move. Suddenly, the creature ran toward my legs and I caught him by his collar. It was Lora's dog. From both the size of the dog and the texture of the fur, I could tell he was a bit of an elderly dog. "Blue, eh?" I smiled, scratching at the dog's head before struggling to get him back into the house.

Once he was back in the house, Lora quickly shut the door. She shoved the keys back into her pocket and looked at me. The girl then wrapped her arms around me. "Thanks… Not the first time you've saved my ass today."

Unsure if I should accept the hug or back away from it, I slowly brought my arms around her as well, though I was rigid while she was welcoming. I smiled. "You're… welcome? It… it really was nothing."

"Ace," she glanced over her shoulder, "—it's midnight. You were flying for two hours, at least! You didn't have to do that… I mean, I hit you. I yelled at you. I insulted you!"

"I've been through worse…," I laughed. I couldn't entirely tell her that I had no choice, that it was what I was trained to do. It would make me seem obligated and put the guilt on her shoulders when in the end… I didn't feel forced. I felt proud and quite glad I'd helped.

She sluggishly pulled away, sniffing in. Her composure was quite tired and I knew she needed rest—hell, I needed to get back before Striker got worried.

"Lora?" called an older, tired voice from inside the house. When her old man opened the door, I stepped backward, away from the door. "Who's that?" he asked.

"This is Ace. Calleigh… ditched me on Neon. He flew me home."

Like an over-protective father, he barked for me to step forward, into the light. "Hm."

"Sir…," I greeted him quietly.

"Dad, he's a Sky Knight. He's fine."

I sent the man a nervous grin.

Still distrusting of me, he demanded Lora to get inside. "It's past curfew."

"Just give me a minute to thank him. Please?"

"But, you—" I tried to correct her, knowing she'd already thanked me, but the moment she sent me a glare, I shut up. For some reason, I was actually afraid of the girl. To this day, she still scares me.

"…You have two minutes. If you're not inside, I won't hesitate to kill him."

I laughed nervously, taking another step back.

"Dad!" she chided.

Muttering a few profanities, the man trudged back into the house.

Lora followed after me, disappearing into the darkness with me. "Forget about him. He's not usually like this." I would later find out that was an outright lie, though I was unsure if she'd lied for her own benefit, or because she didn't want to believe it. "So… a military man…," she stated, stalling.

"You need to go sleep. I have to get back before Striker gets worried," I stated my thoughts exactly.

"Striker? Like… Lightning Strike?" Lora smiled. "You're… So, you're a Storm Hawk, then?"

I nodded. "Looks like you've done your homework."

"Your team is always so busy… You're headed toward a mission point currently, aren't you?"

I nodded once more.

"That means you'll be gone for a while…"

Honestly, did it matter to her? "Six months before we return to Atmosia."

Lora sighed. "You have to promise me something. I need to make this up to you or it'll bug me for the rest of my life." I didn't believe it at the time, but knowing Lora more now than I did then… I should've never doubted something she said. "You have to promise that you'll come back and see me."

Hesitant and unsure of her true motive, I nodded. Though I hoped she would forget in six months' time, I would still hold true to my promise. "You… you need sleep," I repeated.

Lora laughed. "Uncomfortable, eh? All right, I'll let you off the hook." Lora yawned. As she stood in the momentary silence, she smiled. Lora stood up on her toes and kissed my cheek. "Thanks, Ace…" And with that said, Lora returned to her house and I was left standing in the dark.

I held my hand to my face, smiling. "Goodnight, Lora…," I spoke quietly.