My laptop crashed for less than 24 hours and I was so bored for the day, shows how dependent Gen Y is on technology, so I decided to write this story idea in a notebook. Pretty old school, huh? It has taken weeks of thorough planning on this story so it may be more updated than all others. Not sure why all my stories are starting out with a fight scene but I guess it makes it interesting. Of course it is AXP people but it will be much stronger in later chapters.
Please don't forget to vote on my poll. I need mixed results and remember you can vote for up to 5 choices!
Anyway, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks but this story does belong to me.
Now you see me...
Chapter 1 – Eye have a problem
"Good to see you again, Aerrow." The Dark Ace spat at the youth's face as he flung his red sword towards the Sky Knight. Aerrow strategically blocked the attack using his twin blades, alive with a blue aura.
"Could've waited Ace," Aerrow grunted. "I'm a very patient person." One swift movement removed the red blade from above Aerrow's head, and the Dark Ace took a minute to steady himself on the flying vehicle.
"Watch your tongue, because it won't be in your mouth much longer." Ace sneered as he swiped the blade in front of Aerrow's face, easily dodged from any injury.
"That the best you got?" The teenager cockily replied as he straightened himself. Before the fight could continue, Aerrow heard a yell come from one of his team mates.
"Retreat Aerrow, we got what we came here for." shouted Junko from his nearby skimmer.
Aerrow smiled before he turned back to continue his fight. He never left anything unfinished. Upon returning to his opponent, the Dark Ace appeared closer than before, and his outline appeared blurry. Aerrow attempted to fix this problem by blinking and shaking his head, but that only made matters worse. The Dark Ace's evil cackle warned Aerrow that he was coming closer, and the bright glow of his blade was more hazy than normal as it was held in the air in preparation for its attack. As though in slow motion, the blade came hurtling towards the teen, although it wasn't blurry enough to dodge. Aerrow pushed his head to the side, and the blade caught a small spike of hair. This deathly action did not go unnoticed from his team members as Aerrow heard a womanly scream echo from behind him.
"This is ridiculous" Aerrow thought as he attempted to blink again. Finally, he decided to knock the Dark Ace of the ride. Crouching low, Aerrow swiped his leg out in front of him, hitting the Dark Ace's legs, resulting in the menacing man to lose his balance and fall over. A final blue shot of light from an unknown source hit the Dark Ace off the skimmer and startled Aerrow as he turned around and found the source of the shot. Finn, with the largest grin on his face lowered his crossbow and gave his leader a thumbs up. The blonde drove close enough for the Sky Knight to strategically jump on to Finn's ride and both boys rode back to where Radarr was flying Aerrow's skimmer.
"Is Piper ok?" Aerrow eagerly questioned.
"Yeah why?" Finn questioned back, confused.
"I heard a girl scream." Worry was evident though the leader's voice.
"Dude...that was me." Both boys shared a hearty laugh as they approached Aerrow's beloved ride. Faithful Radarr saluted his leader before giving him a concerned stare.
"I'm ok Radarr. I guess I'm a little tired." Aerrow jumped to his ride and took his seat next to his co-pilot. Aerrow reached for the throttle but instead felt only air as his hand missed the handle. Finn only gave him a raised eyebrow.
"You ok, buddy?" His questioned his team leader.
"Like I said," Aerrow shrugged. "I must be tired." The red head dragged his hand from the seat, following the bike's structure until it rested comfortably on the grip of the handlebar. Revving the engine, Aerrow sped off towards the Condor, Finn following closely behind.
The team met up just outside the Condor, except for Stork who never left the safety and comfort of the helm.
"You got it, Junko?" Piper questioned the strongman.
"Sure did." Reaching into a compartment built into the bike, Junko pulled out a medium sized crystal, its glow a soft pink as though it was running low on energy. The wallop tossed Piper the rock, but before it could land in her hands, the blonde sharpshooter sped past and caught the crystal himself.
"Finn!" Piper screeched at the boy. "Be careful." But of course her warnings would not cease the curiosity that the blonde held for the gem.
"What do you think it does?" He questioned the crystal mage as he repeatedly flicked the rock with his fingers. No sooner had he flicked the rock the third time that a small wave of pink energy shot out from the crystal, and straight towards the Condor. The team watched wide eyed and mouths open as the pink light shook their home and disappeared into thin air. When the ship steadied itself again, the tiny image of Stork could be seen through the large front windows. He was grasping the steering wheel of the vehicle and his eye was twitching uncontrollably. Finn only gave a small sympathy look of apology as Piper rode up and snatched the rock out of his hands.
"You are so lucky the outer layer of the ship is made of titanium." She scolded to the boy.
"How was I supposed to know it would do that?" Finn whined, but Piper was no longer listening. She was examining the crystal. After Finn's little 'accident', the colour of the rock had changed from light pink to transparent and clear. It looked as though it had been completely polished.
"Now look what you've done." The girl held the stone in front of Finn's face, and he crossed his eyes to look at the gem.
"What?" Piper only rolled her eyes at his stupidity.
"That energy could've been used for something else instead of attacking our own ship." Finn was about to shout a comeback, had Junko not interrupted their screaming match.
"Guys, what's done is done. Plus there doesn't seem to be any damage done to the ship. If there is I can fix it." The strongman chirped. Piper turned around to face the wallop.
"Thanks Junko." Piper smiled sweetly and began to turn around, but doubled back when she saw Aerrow rubbing his eyes, which had now become slightly red and irritated.
"You alright Aerrow?" Piper questioned the Sky Knight.
"He's tired." The blonde rolled his eyes at the weakness his leader was showing. Piper only turned around in her seat and headed straight for the Condor. She wanted to know what Finn had done to this crystal and she wanted to know now.
The team all landed in the inlet, with Aerrow landing in last. Although Aerrow saw the wall of the hanger bay, he didn't realise how close it was until Junko shouted.
"Aerrow stop!"
The leader closed his eyes and pulled hard on the brakes, stopping just in time. He cautiously peeled his eyes open and pointing straight at his nose was the end of a sharp sword hanging at an odd angle on the wall. Aerrow gasped at his near accident and began walking his bike backwards to escape the proximity of the weapon. Finn leapt off his ride and helped Aerrow off of his.
"Dude are you sure you're ok?" Finn questioned worriedly.
"You didn't hit him with the crystal, did you?" Piper mumbled as she strolled over towards the boys.
"How much of an idiot do you think I am?" Finn turned his nose up at the girl.
"How much time do you have?" Piper spoke casually while crossing her arms. Both looked about ready to kill the other but they were startled by the groan from their leader.
"Guys please. Cut it out for a minute." Aerrow continued to rub his eyes.
"Don't rub them." Piper advised as she pulled his hands away from his face and examined his sore eyes. Instead of his usual bright green, playful iris' resting on a white background, the iris had been replaced with a dull green colour and the white had been stained red with small veins.
"Do you want to come get your eyes checked?" The crystal mage questioned Aerrow as she jerked her thumb out to her left. The leader only nodded and began heading out the door with the girl towards the first aid room.
"I think you better go apologise to Stork." Junko broke the uncomfortable silence in the hanger bay.
"Why...oh yeah." Finn mumbled as he remembered his previous incident, and the three final members, including Radarr, strolled out of the inlet towards the helm, ready to receive a lecture on why crystals are dangerous.
Meanwhile Aerrow was seated on the hard mattress of the bed in the first aid room and staring straight at the wall as instructed to him, while Piper held a light towards his eye, looking inside. To steady his head, Piper rested her free hand on the back of Aerrow's neck, which he didn't mind. The goose bumps that grew on his neck however had a different opinion. Piper left his face as she turned off the torch and Aerrow sighed heavily in exasperation and boredom.
"Um..." Piper fiddled with the torch awkwardly in her hands. "Can you read the chart on the wall?"
Aerrow shifted his gaze to a poster that contained a few rows of random letters, the rows becoming smaller in size as they continued down the page. Aerrow had never noticed this poster before, so he assumed Piper had put it up recently.
"Uh...A...R...F...L...N...D...Is that right?" Aerrow eagerly questioned his acting doctor. Piper only continued to fiddle with the torch as she dropped her head down.
"No it's not." She lifted her head up to meet his gaze and noticed that his whole face had drooped in failure. He pulled his hand to his head and rubbed his red hair in frustration as he attempted to absorb all the new information.
"So uh...does that-"
"Have you ever thought about wearing glasses?" Piper's question hit Aerrow suddenly and he threw his head up in shock. He softened his face once he noticed her concerned expression.
"No," he spoke softly, dropping his head down again, yet he still noticed that she moved away from him and towards the cabinet. She rummaged through one of the boxes before she found what she was looking for. Piper walked back to him and he lifted his head up.
"These are eye drops," she spoke as she handed him the small bottle. "They'll stop the irritation. We don't have contacts on board so I am going to have to find you a pair of glasses." She looked down and the Sky Knight and curled her lips inwards in sympathy as he squinted to read the bottle.
"Glasses can help you know." She perked up suddenly, causing Aerrow to raise an eyebrow at her.
"Your eyesight it not...that bad." She used her hands to emphasis her explanation. "I mean, you confused "E" for "F" and "M" for "N" which are really close so it's not terrible. But studies have shown that your eyesight can restore to normal if you wear glasses." Aerrow only nodded his head and continued to stare at the bottle, letting a small sigh escape his lips.
"I'm going to find...what you need." And with that, Piper left the uncomfortable atmosphere that stayed stagnant in the first aid room. The leader pulled the cap off with a gentle force and flung his head back. Pulling down his lower eyelid, Aerrow positioned the nozzle above his eyes and squeezed the small bottle. The drop stung his eye a small bit and he tipped his head forward and blinked, allowing the excess of the liquid to fall down his cheek as a tear. He repeated with the other eye and returned the lid on the top of the bottle. With a final sigh Aerrow removed himself from the bed and decided to check on his team mates. He could worry about his problem later and by himself.
"So anyway, what I'm trying to say is...I'm really sorry." Finn rubbed the back of his neck and rolled his eyes around the room to avoid the deadpanned glare that Stork was giving him.
"I had no idea the crystal was going to hit the ship, and with that much strength." Finn continued to try and argue his case, but Stork was sick of his mumbling.
"I don't care anymore Finn," The merb mumbled as he continued to steer the ship. "I just want to let you know that I hold vendettas."
"Is that what you called the steering wheel?" Finn questioned as he inspected what Stork was holding. Stork looked down at the controls, snapped his head up and gave Finn a quizzical look.
"So are we good?" Finn held out his hand gingerly, as though once Stork's hand left his, he would sprint out of the room.
"Sure." Stork only looked at Finn's hand and nodded his head, knowing full well that if he even touched that hand, he would be sick for a week. "We're good." He smiled evilly as he planned his revenge.
Finn turned on his heel, ready to run out of the helm when he ran straight into Aerrow.
"Sorry man." Finn apologised as he rubbed his head. It seemed that all he was doing today was saying sorry.
"It's ok." Aerrow mumbled as he shook his head.
"So what did Piper say?" questioned the blonde, causing Aerrow to downcast his eyes.
"She...she said I need glasses." The whole room fell silent as they stared at their team leader. Aerrow felt very uncomfortable being on the receiving end of their glares.
"Oh...cool." Finn finally managed to spit out some words. "So I take it you're still tired?
"No I don't think so anymore." Aerrow shrugged sadly. The whole team could see that this news hurt the Sky Knight, but of course, emotions are oblivious to Stork, and so he stepped forward and decided to examine the patient himself.
"Did Piper check for any internal viruses or unusual conditions?" The paranoid merb questioned as he pulled Aerrow's eye open and looked inside.
"Uh...no?" The leader started, mouth open in shock as Stork moved from his eye to his ear.
"You know, blurred vision is a known side effect of being bitten by a Vampire paralyser. Do you have any bite marks on your neck? Those beetles can be crafty and their poison can kill in 24 hours." Aerrow retracted from the helmsman's grip and held his hands up in defence.
"No Stork, I haven't been bitten. Piper is the expert and she said I need glasses. I'm going to see if she's found any." The redhead slumped away from all the concerned stares he received from his team mates.
Aerrow followed the corridor down to Piper's lab, his hand sticking out and grazing the wall every now and again to get a feel of how far away he was from it. The darkness of the hall didn't help his sight problem, but the sparks that emitted from the lab once every 5 seconds did guide him to the correct door. The Sky Knight tapped on the door with his knuckle and entered.
Piper was busying herself with the newly discovered crystal that they had risked their lives to retrieve, carefully refining its shiny surface. Upon hearing the knock, Piper removed her goggles and looked at her guest.
"Hey, have you found any glasses yet?" The nervous boy asked
"Over there." Piper pointed her finger over to a small bench that held a pair of closed, thin black frames.
"These have no glass in them?" Aerrow questioned, confused. He grabbed the frames and opened them up examining the arms and poking his finger through the glassless eye part.
"You're looking at it." Aerrow turned around and realised what Piper was talking about. In her hand she held the crystal she had just finished refining, turning it at different angles and catching the light. "I think Finn used the rest of the energy in this crystal, so after many, many tests, I have come to the conclusion that this crystal is nothing but transparent, magnifying glass. I can cut thin oval shaped pieces that will magnify to your eyes needs and fit them to the frames. You like them?"
Aerrow didn't know what to say. He wasn't exactly warming up to the idea of wearing glasses all the time. I mean, he didn't care much about his appearance like Finn did, but he knew that wearing glasses would change some things. He looked at Piper, then realised she had been staring at him, waiting for him to reply since she had asked the question. He pulled the corners of his mouth up, without showing his teeth in a struggling smile.
"You can say no, if you want." Piper started, trying to be realistic. "But you don't really have a choice."
Very realistic.
Piper had finished cutting out the lenses after an hour or so. The leader just stayed and watched, considering Piper has asked him to so she could test his exact magnification required for each eye. After polishing the thin glass, Aerrow gave her the frames and the lenses snapped easily into place. The redhead assumed that she must've measured the frames before she started cutting.
"Here." Piper handed Aerrow the final product. "You can try them on and see how you like them. Just so you know," Piper leaned closer and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You have faced far worse enemies than glasses." Aerrow slightly chuckled as she left the room. He knew she was right. He was making such a fuss over these things, and all they were going to do was help him see. The leader left the lab to try on his glasses in his own bedroom.
Standing in front of the mirror, Aerrow made no sudden movements. Dressed in his pyjama attire of grey track pants and a black shirt, the reflection stared back at him. Aerrow leaned forward and pulled open his eyes. They looked less bloodshot thanks to the eye drops and slowly, he stepped back and placed the arms of the glasses on his ears. He wasn't fighting against them, throwing them to the wall in anger, and he wasn't supporting them, admiring the thin shine of the glossy black rim. No, all he could do was stare straight. After a moment, Aerrow left his room in pursuit of his team member's opinions.
The leader walked to the end of the hall and stopped at the door, casually leaning his body lifelessly against the frame. From the corner of his eye, he was glad he could see Piper. Not just because he wanted to show her how they looked, but it meant the glasses were working. Aerrow cleared his throat to make his presence known and fixed up his hair with his free hand, the other hiding in his pocket.
Piper turned around and found the source of the noise. Aerrow slumped carelessly against the doorframe, showing off his glasses in his sleepwear. As Piper's smile began to rise on her face, so did Aerrow's classic lop-sided grin return to his features, and Piper had to turn back to the window and stare into the night sky to hide her blush. It's not that she didn't think Aerrow was attractive before, but Piper was a really smart girl, and she desired a smart boyfriend who could hold an intellectual conversation with her. The glasses on Aerrow just made him look that little bit smarter, and hotter too. Piper ceased her thinking when she realised Aerrow had walked up to join her.
"They look good." She complimented, smiling up at him.
"Thanks. I mean thank you really for what you said before. You're right, they're just glasses." His boyish smile was contagious as Piper smiled back.
"You're welcome. Well, I'm going to bed." Piper suppressed a yawn as she finished her sentence. Aerrow nodded in understanding.
"Sure. Goodnight" And with that, the final members of the team retired to their bedrooms.
Aerrow fell onto his bed, exhausted by the day's events. As the stars twinkled outside and the moon illuminated his bedroom floor, Aerrow allowed his eyes to close and drift off into a peaceful sleep behind black frames, his eyes closing the most comfortably they had since the day had started.
Hope you enjoyed the start of my new story. Aerrow's sleepwear, hmmm...anyone watch Modern Family? If not, google Mitchell Pritchett glasses and hopefully the you'll see what he wears to bed and that is what Aerrow is wearing, glasses and all. Tell me what you think! R&R