The wonderfully fun world of Storm Hawks belongs to the writers, animators, voice actors, and any other crew members of Nerd Corps I may have forgotten. You guys will most likely never read this, but thank you for giving me a wide-open sandbox to play with.

Also, thank you to AmethystAngel and YugiMoto for beta-reading and critiquing this chapter. According to YugiMoto it's "Night Crawler" instead of "Nightcrawler" (probably because the latter is most likely copyrighted by Marvel comics), but feel free to flame me if I got that wrong.

The Squadron's Bond

Chapter One: The Wind on the Far Side

Master Cyclonis gritted her teeth, her face twisted with frustration. Even with her hood up, the cold air of the sunless Far Side of Atmos tore through her and made her skin prickle and crawl. She needed to concentrate and locate her benefactors if she was to make her way out of this mess.

For over a month, she had the entire Atmos under the iron grip of Cyclonian rule, a wondrous triumph that finally showed her to be capable of following in the footsteps of her ancestors. Yet in less than an hour she had lost all of it. She was safer in the Far Side now, floating alone and skyride-less about a quarter of a league above the surface, but it would only be a matter of time before she found those Storm Hawks throwing yet another wrench in her crystal matrix.

"Number Nine," she said to her staff in a tone laced with ice.

"Yes, Master?" Hissed the distorted voice of one of her Night Crawler captains.

"There's been a change in plans," she said, "I need your squad to fly to these coordinates." She mentally relayed a point several leagues behind her. "I may have Sky Knights pursuing me, which you may engage if necessary."

"Understood."

She appreciated that her Night Crawlers weren't ones to ask questions and only simply followed orders while occasionally going the extra league or two. Anyone else would be pestering her about what she was doing back in the Far Side of Atmos alone.

Unfortunately, Master Cyclonis realized the benefactors she was returning to may have questions and misgivings. They had supplied Cyclonia with the Far Side technology that gave it the edge against the rest of Atmos, and while they did seem loyal and calm, Cyclonis wasn't sure how far she could push them before they stopped helping her all together. They only had so much supplies to lend, as after all they were busy with their own conquests. But that was a concern for another time. She needed defense now, even if it meant she would be in greater debt later.

While Atmos was a world of mountain-top kingdoms separated by the wastelands beneath the clouds, Far Side was simply a craggy plane under a deep green sky of eternal twilight. It was as expansive as Atmos and possibly larger. Anyone first setting foot in this land would be hard-pressed to find a lone figure or even an army, but fortunately for Master Cyclonis, her benefactors were easy to locate. All she had to do was follow the noise and chaos their drones were making.

Near a silvery river below, a moldy-green blanket of movement caught Master Cyclonis's eye. Her eyebrows furrowed in suspicion. She floated closer and saw the individual heads of numerous cloaked figures. They were screaming in terror down a canyon-like corridor, escaping from a rumble around the bend.

Just then, behind the bend, a pair of massive pink floodlights followed by a terra-shattering roar. A massive metal vehicle, about the width of four skyrides across, had a brief moment of airtime before all of its four heavy tires hit the ground. Its blinding searchlights scanned by the sides of the river, bathing the mob of cloaked figures in magenta. The vehicle began to accelerate in their direction. The mob became more frantic, not even daring to look back at the metal monstrosity chasing them.

Master Cyclonis rolled her eyes and floated down. She looked to her right, where a giant-stalked orange-glowing mushroom grew on the side of the canyon and in the direction the mob was heading towards. She casually blasted the mushroom with her staff, and the stalk was set aflame and crashed on the riverbank, instantly blocking the path of the retreating mob.

The hooded figures jumped away from the burning stalk and looked at Cyclonis fearfully. Cyclonis couldn't help but to notice that her Night Crawlers, who were also from the Far Side of Atmos, and shared a few features in common with these ordinary unwashed Far-Side peasants. They were both ashen-faced with eyes that glowed like embers, but where their appearance gave the Night Crawlers menace, the appearance of these creatures simply made them more pathetic. They were dirty, tired and poor, trapped between a burning mushroom stalk and a loud mechanical drone.

They started for the river, but another shot from Cyclonis stopped them in their tracks.

"Stay put, or I blast all of you."

She kept her staff trained on the peasants while she floated towards the four-wheel heavy vehicle, which had decelerated to a stop. There was no cockpit, but instead, a pronged, star-like, metal shape that served as the command center for this vehicle.

"Quartzen, Herald of the Mobind!" Master Cyclonis shouted at the metal star-like shape, raising her staff almost threateningly. "Wherever you are, I, Master Cyclonis, demand an audience with you!"

The metal shape opened to reveal a purplish-pinkish crystal, and a projection of the same color appeared. He was an older, heavyset humanoid figure with stiff hair and glowing eyes.

"Master Cyclonis." Rumbled the apparition, bowing before her. "You return in the flesh. And so soon too."

If one of her Night Crawlers made a sudden decision to bulk up on muscle and fat and forego their hood, they might have looked similar to the projection of Quartzen. He was a sleepy-eyed hairy-faced figure who didn't seem to have any emotion other than mild indifference. His stoicism aggravated Master Cyclonis. She took it as an act of superiority and had made it her goal to see him falter from that countenance.

"Yes," Cyclonis started slowly. She attempted to keep equally calm, even examining her nails to avoid appearing too urgent. "I've had a minor setback. A few unexpected developments sent me to you once more."

"And we suppose you would like more of our tools to correct these 'developments,' correct? Another crystal prison here, or perhaps another hundred binded skyvipers." His voice took on a dark undertone. "We expected payment from you, Cyclonis. We will not forgive debts."

"You don't need to remind me! Besides, you can keep your tech for now. The Spiderose Crystal you gave me has been destroyed." She looked away, grimaced and finally decided to come clean. "Cyclonia has crumbled into the Wastelands."

Master Cyclonis could feel her temper rising as Quartzen appeared unsurprised. "We… see," he said. "This does not sound like much of a 'minor setback.' We thought you had brought the entire Atmos under your control." Quartzen narrowed his eyes. "To hear you have lost is most unsatisfactory."

"We haven't lost yet," Master Cyclonis snarled. "I'm still here. And as long as there's a Master Cyclonis, there will always be a Cyclonian Empire!"

One of the Far-Siders attempted to creep towards the water's edge while Cyclonis was caught up in her rant, but a low-power blast of energy flipped her head over heels and back into the mob. To add insult to her injury, Master Cyclonis didn't even bother to turn around to hit her.

"But for now, Quartzen," Cyclonis continued, as if nothing had happened, "if you would be so kind as to allow me asylum in your domain with your… kind."

"Of course. The Mobind will always aid you, Daughter of Cyclonia. The Cyclonian cause is something we've fully aligned ourselves with. However, we cannot support you indefinitely. We expect some of your service as a crystal mage in return."

Master Cyclonis was certain it would come to this, but since her arrival in the Far Side of Atmos, she had been formulating a plan to solve this debt while ridding her of her persistent adversaries. "I might be able to repay you to some extent right away."

She raised her staff at eye-level and projected flickering translucent images of the six figures she least wanted to see again. She heard splashes in the water as several the peasants attempted to flee, but she didn't care anymore. She reasoned that surely the Mobind could afford if a few doomed Far-Siders escaped capture for the time being.

"My enemies, a band of Sky Knights known as the Storm Hawks, have foolishly pursued me from Atmos into your world." Master Cyclonis grimaced as she admitted this. "They are a bunch of children, but don't underestimate them. They were the 'minor setback' that cost me Cyclonia and the Spiderose Crystal." "Worse, they may grow into a greater threat as time goes on.

"As you can tell, I would be better off without them," Cyclonis continued. "However, they might be some use to the Mobind. Especially the girl, Piper. It might interest you to know that..." she paused theatrically with a smirk, "she can Bind."

Even Quartzen's stoic countenance couldn't hide his newfound interest. "Intriguing. We understand. They may prove to be quite useful indeed. Anything else?"

"That is all. You may resume your game of cat and mouse with these peasants."

"Very well, Master Cyclonis. We trust your recommendations." The metal hatch of the vehicle began to close, and Quartzen's image returned to the crystal. "After all," his voice continued, "you gave us our finest soldier yet."

The massive vehicle rolled off back towards the Far-Siders, who had quickly fled screaming in all directions through the river and up the steep walls as soon as Master Cyclonis lowered her staff.

Then Cyclonis hesitated. "Wait!" She shouted at the back of the vehicle. "What's that supposed to mean? 'Your finest soldier?' I don't remember giving you or your Mobind permission to use any member of my army!"

But the vehicle had already roared off after one cluster of Far-Siders, taking no heed of the girl. "Answer me!" She shouted again. "Who is this 'soldier?'"

Suddenly she felt a surge of energy gathering nearby, its hum rattling her teeth. She quickly whirled around to defend herself, and only managed to shield herself from the blast just in time as it pushed her to the ground.

She readied her staff, pointing in the direction of the explosion through the cloud of dust. But as the cloud slowly dissipated, her expression turned to shock. This was an unforeseen development.

A tall, glowing orange figure had materialized above her. His skin dimmed in brightness as he settled into a familiar form: a dark haired, tall young man, pale with glowing-red irises and crowned with a metal headpiece. He smiled, descended and kneeled before Cyclonis.

"Hello, Master." Said the Dark Ace, his voice reverberating with alien energy. "I believe that's just enough power for now."

The hatch for the Condor's left cannon platform opened, and Junko felt the cool air of the Far Side rush past him. It tasted electric and metallic to him, but it did nothing to whet his appetite for adventure in this exotic land.

A few hours ago the Storm Hawks flew the Condor through Master Cyclonis's mystical doorway to the fabled Far Side of Atmos. While there was no sign of Cyclonis, there was still never a dull moment. Helmsman Stork stayed at the steering for the Condor, ready to provide evasive maneuvers at the first sound of the proximity alarm. When Finn was done celebrating their victory by having his first full nap in a month, he acted as an extra pair of eyes, and kept the weapons ready. Or at least when he wasn't busy being Finn.

There was no Time Pulse in these lands, so finding alternative navigation was a priority. Piper, the team's finest mind, set out to work at once plotting angles of elevation, landmarks, constellations and digging up whatever lore she knew on the Far Side so the team wouldn't find themselves lost in this strange land.

Over the last several weeks before, Piper was in a constantly degrading state of health. This had followed after she discovered her ability to empower others with crystals, like Master Cyclonis herself. She learned the skill was called the Binding, and after using it on a few occasions, became weaker and frailer. However, after the Storm Hawks last victory, she seemed to suddenly be in much better health. Junko and the others had asked her what exactly happened back there with her and Aerrow, but since she didn't seem too sure of it herself, they didn't press her much.

Junko, the team's muscle, fixed up the Talon Switchblades they stole during their last battle. While the Switchblades weren't bad skyrides, they still were cheaply made, heavy-nosed and were real crystal guzzlers; ideal for the countless legions of Cyclonia but not so much for a squadron of Sky Knights. The Storm Hawk's "team specialist," a short sensible critter named Radarr, helped with removing the heavy ramming bows and adjusting the engines, as well as searching the Condor for any spare parts. The result was something that wasn't quite up to par with the Skimmers and Heliscooters the team was much more used to, but would do in a pinch.

Meanwhile, the Storm Hawk's leader Aerrow, communicated with his team what he knew. He and Piper saw Master Cyclonis attempt to bind the Dark Ace to the strange pink Far Side crystal that provided Cyclonia with its ability to fly. She powered him up too much and Dark Ace, well, exploded. With Cyclonis's personal knight gone, the Storm Hawks only had Master Cyclonis herself to worry about.

However, he seemed uneasy. Cyclonis had practically challenged the Storm Hawks to chase her through the doorway to the Far Side, and while it could have been a bluff instead of some greater machinations, Aerrow didn't want to take chances. Also, while this was the Storm Hawks first foray into the Far Side of Atmos, Master Cyclonis had obviously been here before to obtain the technology she used to dominate Atmos for those long weeks.

And then, as if on cue, Finn warned them of approaching Night Crawlers scant tics before the proximity alarm blared off. A squad of mooks that large with Far Side technology would have been a nightmare before, but recently the Storm Hawks had learned of a chink in their otherwise unbeatable armor.

Junko flipped up the magnifying scope for the cannon and saw the Night Crawler at the head of the pack. His eyes glowed underneath his hood while he spread his arms wide to control the unique glider skimmers that all Night Crawlers used. He seemed well aware that he was the most obvious target for the Storm Hawks and almost seemed to challenge the Storm Hawks to hit him.

"Finn, remember Aerrow's plan," Junko said, putting his finger to his ear to activate the communicator. "We don't have much of those missiles."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I got it," Finn's voice came through. "Just remember your side of the plan. And keep the Condor steady for me, Stork."

"Oh, believe me," Stork said through the intercom. "I've got her so steady you wouldn't even need those cup holders. These Far Side skies have nothing on her!"

"Oh yeeeah! They're in range!" Finn said. "Count of three, Junko."

Junko aimed the cannon on the Night Crawler to the left of the leader of the pack and flipped open the trigger.

"Three... two... one... fire!"

Two missiles from either cannon on the Condor whizzed through the air, past the head Night Crawler and towards his soldiers on either side. The snake-like creatures binded to the armor of both of those Night Crawlers extended and chomped down both of those missiles simultaneously and belched. The squad cackled with distorted laughter.

Suddenly, an explosion went off in both snake-like creatures, spreading a gray cloud around the Night Crawlers. The rest of the snake-like creatures binded to their armor fell into violent sneezing fits and retracted back.

The crystals powering the Night Crawlers' armor faded to black and they immediately stopped laughing. Their expressions turned to pure panic when they were hit by a series of blasts from below. Aerrow, Piper and Radarr had used the Night Crawler squad's over focus on the Condor to ride in low and ambush them.

"Chicka-cha!" Finn said, as usual.

"And you all thought I was crazy for holding on to Radarr's sheddings," Stork said through the intercom.

"Dude," Finn said deadpan. "You totally are."

"Well, I intended to use the fur for a ward against phantoms, but it probably wouldn't have worked anyways," Stork said. "They are only very particular about smerp fur, and we don't have a clue what the fuzzball is or where he's been."

Radarr growled through the intercom before a blast made him yelp in pain.

"Finn, Junko, we're gonna need you in the air," Aerrow said. "We rather not take these Night Crawlers alone, even with their tech disabled."

"Aw yeah," Finn said, "Junko, let's show them how it gets done."

Yeah, I know. If they make another season or a brand new movie after "Cyclonia Rising," this fic is absolutely pointless. Well, maybe not absolutely pointless. It could just be an alternate continuity and stuff, but still, I'd be messing with canon and I don't like messing with canon! It makes me feel all dirty inside. Plus, the finale already screwed up most of my ideas for continuation stories. To have another one trashed would be rather upsetting.

Anyways, I'm trying to capture the fun style of the Storm Hawks series in this fic. Therefore, I'm gonna try to keep things from getting too dark. Yeah, the stakes are higher this time, but still, expect the typical themes of Storm Hawks to be front and center. You know, friendship, teamwork, flying motorcycles, the works. If I start straying away from that, feel free to yell at me.

Thanks for reading! A review would be great too.