Note: Chapter 10 of A Dreamer's Final Wish is coming, guys. I've just been swamped with school work out my nose, so it's been difficult to write. I'm writing this fic as sort of an escape at the moment, as it's currently the third essay I was supposed to write and I've only written one. I am so lazy...
I recently got back into this fandom after a long time of being out of it, and I decided to test my new waters with a new, updated-style chapter to a very old fanfic. I've been getting requests to update this fic for a long, long time, and eventually I'm going to revamp the entire thing chapter-by-chapter. This is chapter one of Lost and Found, the updated, new-style version. My old version was written back when I was still fifteen and in high school, without a clue as to proper story-telling. This is newer, better, and I'm taking a college English course for this specific reason now.
I've changed some names around to suit my new style. See if you can spot a pattern.
Are you ready to rock? 'Cause I'm ready to roll.
I don't own Storm Hawks. I don't. I wish I did. I'd be rich! Rich enough to buy a new laptop! But I don't. So I write fanfics to fill the dark and empty void left in my heart.
Lost and Found MKII
Faethe was ill. Desperately, mortally ill. She knew she was going to die, like so many had before her. She'd seen Death and was not afraid of Him. But to die here on this wretched rock like so many before her, without even an attempt at the blue skies and desperate freedom so many of her people had died for? Unacceptable.
Especially not when she didn't even have a clue as to where she even was. She wanted to die on familiar ground. That's a noble death, she thought weakly.
She tripped and stumbled, her feet weak from walking and sickness. She fell on hard ground, her left knee splitting open and spilling her blood on the ground. Faethe ignored the pain and kept walking, or rather, kept staggering along.
Suddenly, the wind picked up and she was blown backwards, into a rock which knocked the wind right out of her. She fell to the ground, unconscious, her last conscious thought ripping through her mind.
I'm doomed.
The cruiser that had landed, causing the wind, opened its hatch, and a bright-eyed teen with bright red hair clapped his pilot on the back, congratulating him on a safe and fair landing.
"Good work, Stork! You really brought her down easy; I think that was your best landing yet!" Aerrow said, much to the green helmsman's delight.
"Why thank you." Stork replied, a small smile gracing his long, worry-lined features.
"Uhh, dudes?" Piped in Finn, looking out the window. "There's a chick out there."
"What?" Aerrow asked, going to the window as well.
"See, look? She looks kinda dead or something. Think we should help her?" Finn asked.
"Of course! Don't just stand there, let's bring her aboard!" Aerrow said.
Within minutes Faethe was on board the Condor, with a cold compress on her forehead and a bandage on her injured leg. She slowly and foggily came to, her yellow eyes scanning the room. "I... I've died..." she said matter-of-factly, as if it were assured.
"No, you're alive, don't worry. We brought you onboard just in time and gave you medicine and medical aid. What were you doing out there all by yourself?" Aerrow asked her.
"I... I don't know. I can't remember. It's been so long since I've seen a friendly face... oh!" She seemed to notice Stork. "Another Merbian like me?" She mumbled, eyes trained on the green pilot. He stepped forward.
"I'm Stork, the carrier pilot." He said simply.
"You're... just like me."
"If you're referring to me being a Merbian, then yes, you're correct. That is what I am. And you are as well, I see now."
Faethe nodded. "My name is Faethe. It's been so long... I never thought I'd see another Merbian again. Everyone else is dead or in chains..."
"What do you mean?"
"It was Cyclonia! They took every last one of us. You weren't there, you didn't see... Put us to work, murdered entire families... My own two baby boys were ripped right from my arms and carried away by the Dark Ace himself, presumably to be killed or trained as soldiers... Gods only know where they are now, or even if they're still alive."
Stork's eyes had widened and he'd dropped to his knees. "I... I knew Terra Merb was under Cyclonian control but I... had no idea..." Stork seemed at a loss for words for a moment. "I'm... I'm so sorry."
"Consider yourself lucky, Stork. You weren't there, you escaped the horror! You weren't forced to watch as your family perished, you didn't have to see the Angel of Mercy come for your friends... You didn't have your crying children torn from your arms and carried away by the same man who put them on Atmos in the first place, eight years previous."
Aerrow snapped, "What?"
"You heard me." Faethe said simply.
"I-I heard you, yeah, but did I hear you correctly?" He asked.
"I said what I meant. Dark Ace is my children's father, but not by my choice." Faethe's eyes grew steely. "Never by my choice. He found me cowering in a barrel as my home burned to the ground eight years ago. I could not resist him. I was too weak. Just recently, the Cyclonians came back for another sweeping assault. They burned my home down again, murdered my parents, and took my children."
Stork blanched. "Oh Gods." he said from behind his hand. He couldn't say any more. It was like the words stuck in his throat. He knew things on Terra Merb weren't great, but he had no idea they'd gotten this bad.
Angry tears of pain and hate gathered at the corners of Faethe's eyes. "I hate him, and have always hated him, and will always hate him, but I loved my children with all my heart, and now they're gone." She began to cry. "My baby boys! My poor babies... Oh Krad and Eca! I'll never see them again..."
Stork stood, turned back to the controls of the Condor, and wrenched the wheel hard to starboard as he fired up the engines. The entire ship lurched in that direction, turning the Condor around completely and taking off.
"Stork, what are you doing?" Aerrow asked.
"The Merb race is endangered enough without the Cyclonians helping out. If there's even a small chance Faethe's children might still be alive... we have to take that chance."
Aerrow shrugged. "The Dark Ace is merciless. Do you really think the kids will still be alive?"
"They are his children too, Aerrow, and although the Dark Ace has no heart or soul, maybe something inside him won't allow him to kill them. Maybe he's raising them as Talons instead. Like I said, we need to take that chance." Stork said.
"You're not usually one to take chances." Aerrow retorted.
"You're right. I'm a cowardly fool. But when it comes to my people, the race I come from, the people who gave to me my very life, I'm even more foolish than usual. I'll do whatever it takes." Stork said darkly, staring straight out the window without looking back at Aerrow as he spoke.
"We Merb are a cowardly lot, but we're loyal to the end, sir Sky Knight. We never turn our backs on one of our own. A fact I am most grateful for. Without your crew showing up when it did, I would surely be dead." Faethe said gratefully, bowing her orange head slightly, letting her deep teal hair fall into her eyes.
"It's no trouble at all, Faethe. We're the Storm Hawks and we're glad to help anyone in need." Aerrow said. "If your kids are alive -which of course I'm sure they are- we will find them and rescue them. We leave no man, or Merb, or combination thereof, behind."
Faethe let a small smile grace her lips. "I will assist you in any way I can." She said, attempting to stand, only to be gently pushed back down again by Finn.
"Dudette, don't try to get up just yet. We found you near-dead, yeah? Give yourself a little time to recuperate."
Faethe nodded in defeat, her ears slicking back against her head. A thought struck her. She reached down into her boot and pulled up an anklet with a shimmering pink crystal hanging off it. "This is a Master Locator Crystal, designed to track the Lesser ones I had attached to my sons when they were very young. Doubtless they've been removed from the boys, but maybe we can still track the crystals themselves and give us a lead as to where my babies might have been at some point."
"Excellent. This will go a long way towards finding them, Faethe." Piper said, taking the crystal from her. "I'll construct a rig to keep the crystal pointing in the right direction. Like a locator compass." She said, already with a pencil in her hand to draw up plans.
Aerrow formulated a plan in his head and called everyone around the table, then actually moved the table a bit so Faethe could get in on the action.
"Once we make it to Terra Merb, we'll pilot the Condor into one of the many natural caves and spread out for recon." Aerrow explained. "I'm thinking we kill three birds with one stone here. We can find the kids and drive Cyclonia out of Terra Merb for good. Stork will disguise himself as one of the slave workers and get access to the deeper crystal mines. Piper and I will disguise ourselves as guards. Finn, you disguise yourself as a soldier and stake out an outpost near the main fortress. Junko, buddy I hate to leave you out of this, but..."
"Naw, I understand. A big guy like me would stick out like a sore thumb! I'll stay here on the Condor in case you need anything." Junko said, grinning and giving a thumbs-up. "Plus, I'm the backup plan, right? In case things go hairy, you need me outta sight."
"Right. Come to think of it, your job is one of the most important." Aerrow said, smiling and boosting the Wallop's self-esteem. Junko made a small sound of happiness in the back of his throat and smiled. "Now, Faethe, I would love for you to accompany Stork into the mines, but you're still sick and I'm wary of-"
"Don't worry about me, Sky Knight, I wouldn't miss this for all the crystals in Atmos." Faethe struggled, but she eventually managed to stand on her own two feet. "Plus, I'm sick and injured; a sad, but common sight among the slave workers. I'll blend right in."
"Alright, but be careful. If things get out of hand I'm trusting you to return to the Condor at once." Aerrow said with concern in his voice, holding Faethe up with one arm as she stumbled to the side.
"Us Merbians are unparalleled in the art of retreat, sir Sky Knight." Faethe said cheekily.
"Alright, I guess I won't stop you. But stay near Stork at all times. I don't want the two of you getting separated, okay?" Aerrow said, passing the trembling Faethe over to Stork, who held her up.
"No problem. I'm not going anywhere alone... not with the Cyclonians around." Stork agreed.
Finn tilted his head. There was a period of long silence. ". . . . .Who's actually piloting the Condor right now?"
"I have Radarr taking care of it. Little guy's not a bad pilot... for being two feet tall." Stork said, pointing over his shoulder to where the blue animal had taken the helm, flying the ship happily, chirping his approval. "We should be arriving at Terra Merb in about three hours."
"Which gives us plenty of time to change and get into character. Alright, everyone let's go. And let's try not to screw it up and get caught this time, okay?" Aerrow requested pleadingly.
"Do you... make a habit of this?" Faethe asked nervously.
"Yes." Stork said bluntly. "But hopefully, this plan will go better. After all, it's not like Master Cyclonis herself is overseeing Terra Merb, right?"
"You're right. Though I have never personally met Master Cyclonis, I've heard she's a right little witch." Faethe said.
"We've met her, many times. Your assumption is more than correct. 'Right little witch' is being kind." Aerrow said darkly. "Anyway, it's Terra Merb. The strongest Cyclonian there will probably either be Snipe or Ravess, or possibly both, but we can handle them easily, so don't worry, Faethe. This mission will go off without a hitch, I can almost taste it."
Faethe sighed. "Krad... Era... I'm coming for you."