This is the first real Fanfic I've actually bothered to do (I've been in a slump over summer, worrying about college, and I started writing this at the beginning of September).
Anyway, as the summary goes, everyone's favourite Merb Stork is hiding something from his friends and, as the story goes on and the secret is revealed, it will turn Stork into an enemy of the Storm Hawks and test his friendship and loyalty of his team.
This fic is rated for violence, blood, gore, language and StorkPiper references. I also included quotes and parodies from the animated film Felidae.
Friends and Enemies
Chapter 1: Like Father, Like Son
Sparrowhawk switched the Condor's gears into autopilot mode. Retreating to the bridge, he sat at the main table, facing a monitor fixed to the wall. He put a headset on over his messy oil-black hair and input an address into a keyboard. In no time at all, an image of a female Merb appeared on the screen of the monitor. She wore a pink apron and her black hair was tied into a bun.
"Fulmar," Sparrowhawk spoke into the mouth-piece of the headset. The female Merb jumped in surprise, "calm down Fulmar, it's just me." he reassured her.
"Oh Sparrowhawk, you almost gave me a heart attack! Hey Stork, look who it is!" Fulmar ducked out of view and, a moment later, Sparrowhawk's two-year old son appeared at the screen, held by Fulmar. He put his tiny hands on the screen. Sparrowhawk smiled proudly.
Like his wife and son, Sparrowhawk was a Merb, but one of the very few Merbs who had been brave enough to venture outside of his home Terra, Atmosia. Unlike many other Merbs, he possessed great strength and was talented in many martial arts.
"We miss you." Fulmar spoke to the screen.
"I miss you both too," Sparrowhawk replied, "but I'll be home soon, I promise."
The Condor's alarm system suddenly started blaring, the lights flashing red, the alarm horn at full blast. The ship lurched forward and began to fall, cutting off the transmission. Sparrowhawk immediately leapt to the Condor's controls and tried to steer her back on track. But it was no use; one of the pontoon's engines had blown.
He managed to get the ship onto a temporary hover before shouting into the headset, "Jay! Guillemot! Kite! This is a code red emergency! I repeat, code red! Report to the bridge immediately!"
The ship began to fall out of it's position and Sparrowhawk struggled with the controls, "Guys! This is not a drill! Report to the bridge now! Jay! Guill! Kite!"
"They're not here, Sparrowhawk." came a voice from behind the Merb.
He looked back, hands still on the controls, and gasped at the dark haired teenager, clad in Cyclonian armour.
"Ace?" Sparrowhawk asked in disbelief.
"Sorry if I'm interupting you, Sparrowhawk, but this ship's going down..."
Thirteen years later
Aerrow flew over the clouds on his skimmer, Radarr at his side, Finn and Junko in pursuit. The unmistakable blast of the Condor's horn broke the silence just as the carrier ship flew out from under the cloud cover.
"Let's ditch the wastelands and fly over this time, eh Radarr?" Aerrow steered his skimmer over the ship.
From inside the Condor, Stork grinned evilly, "Just as I suspected..." and pulled one of the levers at the Condor's controls.
From behind the ship, a large net, supported by two thin masts, came flying up towards Aerrow, catching him, Radarr and the skimmer and slamming them down onto the Condor's window. Stork smiled triumphantly at a very dazed Aerrow. His latest trap had worked perfectly.
"Gotcha', Sky Knight!" he hissed.
Stork then switched the ship into hover mode and ran to the runway. Standing there, waiting for him, was the Sonic Scrambler, the air skimmer he had constructed in Terra Rex.
"OK, you can do this..." he reassured himself, sitting on the skimmer, "you will not lose again," he then sniggered, "let's see how Aerrow enjoys doing the dishes..."
Finn and Junko steered their skimmers towards the Condor where Aerrow was trapped.
"You'll have to do better than that if you want to win!" Finn laughed, then steered out of the way as a skimmer flew past them at high speed.
"Was that Stork?" Junko asked.
Aerrow drew his twin blades and cut his way out of the net. Jumping back on the skimmer, he turned to Radarr, searching his pockets, "Don't worry Radarr, we can still beat them with this..." he trailed off into silence. The Turbo Crystal he had prepared was missing.
Meanwhile, flying above the clouds, Stork looked at the orange crystal in his hand, grinning, "Thanks Aerrow." He slipped the crystal into the converter and held on for dear life as the turbo kicked in.
Piper made it to the tree in Terra Atmosia first, having decided not to go after Aerrow this time. It came as a surprise to see Stork pull up at the tree in a skimmer.
"Stork? You, riding a skimmer?" she asked.
"I can ride them, I'd just prefer not to," he explained, stepping off the skimmer, and suddenly collapsing to the ground, "that, and I have to get used to the vertigo." he added, smiling up at Piper.
Piper giggled and helped him back onto his feet. The two waited until Finn and Junko reached the tree and, finally, Aerrow. Radarr jumped off his shoulder and ran to the tree before him.
"I guess this means you'll be doing the dishes for the next month." Stork said, smiling broadly.
"Alright, fair enough," Aerrow panted, "don't rub it in."
They all waited until Aerrow got his breath back, "OK, let's get back to the Condor. In case you all forgot, they're waiting for us at Terra Rex."
The violence and blood really gets started in the next chapter.