Storm Hawks belongs to its respective owners: Asaph Fipke and Nerd Corps.

WARNING SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE LAST EPISODE . . . CLICK THAT "GO BACK" BUTTON NOW BEFORE YOU READ ANY FURTHER . . . WHY ARE YOU STILL READING . . . GET OUT ALREADY!!!!!!!

Now those of you who have seen the last episode and can't believe that it is really over, here's a treat for you: a story depicting the events that occur on the far side of the Atmos. As long as we keep writing about the Storm Hawks, they will never die out.

P.S. – Those of you who are fans of the Dark Ace and unacknowledged the fact that they killed him off, well in this story let's just say he didn't die quite yet.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, enough useless writing and on with the story.

Episode 53 – What Lies Beyond –

As the Storm Hawks emerged from the portal into the glorious skies of the far side, they were so entranced by the splendours of the new world that they didn't realize the portal dissipate behind them. It was probably for the best anyways so no dangerous creatures can escape from here back to their safe Atmos.

"Wow, I can't believe we're actually here. Someone pinch me 'cause I think I'm dream- OW!" the sharpshooter was cut short when his friend Junko pinched him.

"Oops, sorry . . . did I pinch you too hard?" apologized the innocent wallop while looking at Finn with a guilty expression. The blonde Storm Hawk reassured his buddy it was all good.

"We're really here in -", the enthralled Aerrow began.

"- the far side of the Atmos", his crystal mage and friend, Piper, finished for him.

The team was still mesmerized by the scenery unfolded in front of their eyes, until they heard their carrier pilot addressing them through the intercom. The paranoid merb inquired, "Uh guys, do you know where we are flying to in this place by any chance?"

"Just set a course to the nearest civilization for now. Stork, you have to come out here and see this first hand", responded the navigator as she gestured for the merb to come out from the bridge.

"I can see it quite well from inside the Condor and if you guys know what's best for you, I suggest you come back in before you attract any new diseases from here", uttered Stork as he opened the hangar bay doors for them. The squadron knew that they would have a lot of time to explore this world later on while they searched for Cyclonis, so they listened to their pessimistic friend and returned to the bridge.

As the sliding doors opened to the bridge, they were attacked by a cloud of disinfectant spray that the carrier pilot unleashed on them (you know, just in case they were already infected). When the cloud slowly cleared, everyone gave Stork a did-you-really-have-to-spray-us look.

"I think your disinfectant spray would've killed us before those so-called new diseases", coughed the blonde sharpshooter as he tried to fan away the cloudy air in front of him.

"Oh you will thank me later when your skin doesn't peel off and your hair is still intact", stated Stork as he put the Condor on hover so they could figure out where the nearest town was.

Everyone gathered around the discussion table to decide on their next course of action. They gathered that they have no knowledge of if anyone was in allegiance with Cyclonis here. The team agreed on doing a little recon around the surrounding area before they proceeded further. Piper was happy because she would soon have a new collection of maps to show everyone back in Atmos, if they could find a way back that is.

"Hey guys, I know I'm straying from the main objective here but I was wondering of how we can return to Atmos?" the crystal specialist interrupted the discussion.

"Well, this is where Master Cyclonis found all those advanced technology so maybe you can use it to get us back once we're finished here. No pressure, Piper, we still have a long way to go here before we're done", Aerrow assured the girl while putting a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Besides, as long as we are all together, it'll be just like home", added the kind-hearted wallop as he came up behind them and embraced them in a warm hug.

Once they were out of Junko's grasp, they returned to the matter of scouting the area and locating any form of civilization. They spilt up in pairs of two while Stork would stay behind on the ship to "protect her". Finn and Junko sped off the launching strip and took off to the west while Aerrow and Piper rode off to the east.

* * *

As the wallop and sharpshooter scanned the landscape below them, so many questions came flooding into their heads. Junko pulled up his ride to level it with Finn's and asked, "Hey, do you think there are wallops here too?"

"Don't know unless we come across some. I sure hope there are hot chicks here", squealed an excited Finn.

"Even if there aren't any, they can still be in your mind", laughed the muscular wallop as he pulled up to avoid the nearing cliff side.

The blonde Storm Hawk did likewise and changed the subject, "Hey, what do you think Cyclonis is up to here? Like she doesn't have her Nightcrawlers or Talons or even the Dark Ace anymore to defend her."

"We still don't know if she has allies here already. Besides, Master Cyclonis is a pretty powerful crystal mage so I think she can survive well enough on her own till she builds a new army", suggested Junko as he dived closer to just above the tree line.

"Yeah, but if we get to her before she rebuilds an empire here, then we might have a chance to take her down", retorted the confident Finn while they continued searching for any sign of civilization.

* * *

Meanwhile, the leader of the squadron and the navigator flew alongside a river, hoping it would led them to a small city or something of the sort. Countless questions were also streaming through their minds.

"Aerrow, do you think there'll be someone here to teach me how to control this binding", inquired the crystal specialist, curious to learn more of this new ability of hers.

"I'm sure there will be people who know something about it, once we find an inhabited area. In the meantime, I can help you practice it but only if you let me know if it's draining your energy. I hate to see you so helpless", said the redhead as he steered around a sharp outcrop of rock.

"I wasn't helpless, just exhausted. Plus, I think I'm starting to get the hang of it", Piper shot back at her Sky Knight.

"Still, just don't take it too far past your limit", pleaded a worried Aerrow as he looked her straight in the eyes.

"Alright, fine. Do you think the Dark Ace is really gone?" the dark-skinned girl eagerly changed the topic, avoiding the penetrating stare of his emerald eyes.

"For some reason, I feel as if he is still alive. I don't know if it's even possible to survive that crystal surge, but it seems like he is lingering in our shadows", confessed Aerrow before a radio transmission interrupted their conversation.

"Uh guys, you might want to get back here - like NOW!" shouted a terrified Stork over the radio.

"Stork, what's going on there?" Aerrow tried to find out while heading back to the Condor, but only got static for a response. This made them speed up their skimmers and heliscooter even faster.

Any suggestions on their future adventures?