-One: Oblivion-

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His roar split the air like thunder, his eyes blazing as his blade crashed to the younger boy's. Electricity snapped; the wind blasted into their faces from below. Growls rose from either throat as they strained against each other, their muscles tight, their features drawn into snarls of hatred.

"Get 'im, Aerrow!" Finn shouted, whipping around to shoot a paralyzer stone at another approaching Talon. Radarr cheeped in agreement from between the blonde's ankles.

"Finn!"

At the wallop's voice, the sharpshooter whirled on his heels, shooting two more Cyclonians. Suddenly stiff, they tipped backward and lurched off the jutting rock toward the sky below.

"I'm on it, Big J," the blonde replied, aiming and hitting the three men on switchblades behind his best friend. He ducked as Junko's skimmer shot overhead, screeching to a stop on the black precipice. The wallop was leaping off only a moment later, and as Finn backed away from the Talons too numerous to shoot, Junko rammed into them with a fierce roar and knocked them off the edge. Finn hurried over to his friend and peered over down to watch five tiny parachutes pop open far below.

"Hurry, Stork!"

This was Piper's screech. The bodies rolled closer to the merb, letting out grunts and shouts as the two girls clawed at each other.

"I'm tryin', Piper, but this isn't as easy as it looks!"

"How dare you intrude into my fortress and ruin my plan," Cyclonis hissed, her purple eyes narrowing as she kneed the navigator in the stomach. Piper jolted backward, making a strangled sound, and the pale girl lunged, knocking her enemy flat on her back.

"How dare you destroy our home," Piper spit back. Stork glanced at the pair nervously before turning back to the huge machine, wrenching the screwdriver furiously as the small panel before him stubbornly held tight.

"You're nothing but a pathetic weakling," Cyclonis sneered, bearing down on the dark-skinned Storm Hawk.

"Your talk doesn't scare me!" Piper retorted, and they slammed into the floor on their sides as they tussled. "You're just-" she gasped for breath. "-insecure!"

"I hardly think I'm in a position to doubt who I am," the black-haired girl retorted. Stork glanced in their direction before giving up the screwdriver and banging frantically on the panel with a wrench.

"What's in that machine, anyway?" Aerrow leapt back, landing nimbly on the switchblade's wing.

The Dark Ace rose from the seat and edged toward the redhead. "It's not my job to question the Master. I merely take care of petty distractions like you!" Their blades screeched together again as he completed his words.

Stork jumped when a scream ripped the air behind him. Making a sound of horror, he stopped hitting the machine and peeked over his shoulder.

Piper was curled into a ball against the wall, and Master Cyclonis was trudging toward him, cringing and gripping her side. Her eyes blazed and she bared her teeth.

"Come on, COME ON!" The pilot turned his attention back to his duty, frantically bashing the wrench into the dented plate of steel before him. It cracked.

A small noise escaped Stork's throat.

The crack grew larger. Larger still.

"Yes!" the merb whispered.

"You fool!"

Wheeling around, Stork stared at the smirking girl. "Excuse me?"

"You're all fools. You've fallen right into my trap."

The pilot's eyes widened. "Trap?"

Piper cracked an eye open, stretching her arm toward the carrier pilot and the machine. "Stork, NO!"

With an ear-splitting screech, the control panel of the machine disappeared. Stork leapt back, falling to the floor as his eye twitched. Nothing remained but a gaping hole, deepest of black. With another creak more of the machine vanished.

"Piper," moaned the merb in horror, "what's inside that thing?!"

The navigator looked up at him through half-lidded eyes.

"An Oblivion Crystal," she rasped.

Footsteps sounded and Finn turned around. "Hey! Where are you going?!" he demanded.

"Ace!" Cyclonis shouted, stopping at the very edge of the cliff.

"Sorry, Aerrow," murmured the red-eyed warrior as the boy stared at Cyclonis over Ace's shoulder. "But this is where you get off."

Shoving the young knight backward, the Talon leapt into his seat and wrenched his bike toward the cliff. He halted just as he reached the terra and Aerrow flew off with a cry, smacking into the ground and tumbling back.

"Aerrow!" Junko, Finn and Radarr raced toward the boy, grunting as he hauled himself to his knees.

"Aerrow!" Stork screeched. The sky knight looked back to see the merb stumbling toward him, holding onto Piper as they came out of the hole they'd blown in the castle wall. "It's an Oblivion Stone! We have to get away!" The anguish on Piper's face told him that wasn't going to happen.

Looking ahead, the redhead watched as the thin girl scrambled onto the switchblade behind Dark Ace.

"Not so fast," he shouted, dragging himself to his feet. As he leaned forward and pitched into a sprint, he cried, "If we're not getting away, you're not either!"

The Dark Ace made a sound of disgust as the boy hurtled toward them. Cyclonis gripped his shoulders as the bricks in the walls began to cave in, the thundering roar of the stone growing louder. "Ace, do something!"

The warrior sped away from the cliff, the engine bellowing below them. The girl screamed again, and when he opened his eyes he realized that Aerrow had sunk a blade into the lower wing on his right side and was hanging from it. The boy leapt at him, and when he hit the bike swerved downward.

"Get off, you stupid little wretch!" Cyclonis twisted around and gripped the back of the seat as the sky knight steered the switchblade toward the deafening roar of the gaping hole. The rumbling pillar of earth gave a thunderous crash as it crumbled, swallowed rapidly by the swirling black vortex.

Aerrow had the chance to stare loathingly at Dark Ace before he was enveloped.

…

"Ungh…"

The sharpshooter opened his eyes. Tiny lights swam at the edges of the black in his vision.

Piper? He tried to ask. But nothing seemed to come out. Junko?

Suddenly the lights seemed to have shape. They swirled a final time, then all locked into place. There were rows and columns of little square lights, and a faint, urgent sound appeared somewhere off on the left before it fizzled out.

"Finn!" A hand crashed onto him.

"AAAH!" He sat up. Aerrow was kneeling before him. "Aerrow! You scared me!"

"Are you okay, Finn?"

"Uh…" the blonde stopped to check. "I think so. Everything's where it should be."

Suddenly it dawned on him. His eyes widened and he fixed his leader in a stupefied gaze. "Dude, what happened?"

"I don't know, Finn. Are Junko and Stork okay?"

Finn swiveled his head around to look where Aerrow was looking. Piper was there, and a huge mass of wallop was directly in front of her.

"They'll be fine," the navigator chimed.

"Good," breathed Aerrow. Radarr chirped in agreement from the redhead's shoulder. The knight smiled in relief. Piper smiled back.

Junko stirred beside Finn, and all eyes went to his. Piper gasped and Finn gave a short, strangled scream.

"Whoa … where am I?"

The wallop sat up slowly. "Hey, Piper," he greeted cheerily. "Wha- OH!" He gaped, staring down at his hands. They were smooth and his fingers were long and slim. "Is- is this me?!"

"Junko, you're-" Piper's orange eyes were huge as she met his stare. "-you're human."

"AAAAH!!" Everyone jumped and all eyes went to Stork. "What- what is this? What AM I? I must have contracted Bantathian Slime Disease and-"

"Stork!"

He blinked at Piper, shaking minutely. His left eye twitched.

"You're not sick! You're … human."

His jaw dropping, Stork looked down at himself. Long strips of black hair still hung down before his face. He turned his hand over, looking at his five pale fingers. He flexed them slowly, his breathing shallow.

"Dude, Radarr!"

At Finn's sudden shout, the group turned their eyes in his direction. He blinked at the little copilot in disbelief. "Radarr's a-"

"A cat," Aerrow finished.

Making a sound of indignation, Radarr looked down at himself. He squeaked in shock.

He was a slender gray tabby.

"What's happening?" exclaimed Junko. "Where are we?!"

"Where else do ya think?!" came a booming voice. Piper and Aerrow jumped, and the six stared up at the man in a suit standing behind them. He spread his arms, eyes twinkling in the light.

"You're in New York!"