01: The Fight
Finn hurtled into the room, his blue eyes huge. He opened his mouth to speak when Junko careened into him, bowling him over. "What's happening?!" the Wallop cried.
"Talons," Aerrow responded, strapping on his armor. "And a lot of them."
"What?!" Finn stood back up, rubbing the lump appearing on his forehead. "Out here in the middle of nowhere?!"
"Mindworms," said Stork quietly.
"Head straight for them, Stork." Aerrow darted toward the hangar and stopped to look over his shoulder. "I wanna break up this flock."
Cringing in horror, the Merb pulled back the giant clutches and the carrier launched forward. The dozens of tiny specks morphed into tan and dusky red switchblades as Junko, Finn and Aerrow sprinted to their skimmers. They launched out of the ship. Finn loaded his crossbow and Junko cracked his knuckle busters together, activating them with an electric screech. Aerrow climbed onto the wing of his ride as Radarr took over the controls, and his energy blades streaked the air with icy-hued sparks.
The door from the hallway swished open again, barely audible beneath the sounds of a million alarms blaring frantically. Piper raced into the room, cringing as a talon smacked the front window and the glass cracked from the impact. "What's going on?!"
"Nice of you to join in!" Stork glared at her, his huge eyes panicked.
"Cyclonians? Why are they here?!"
"Speculation isn't going to make them GO AWAY!" He steered the Condor into a cluster of the goggled men, sending two entangled bikes into a nosedive. "You're gonna have to get out there. Aerrow's got his hands full already."
Nodding, the navigator pelted back to her room, grabbing her energy staff off of the floor.
The sky was littered with talons, and Piper's heliscooter buzzed gracelessly toward them as the wind blasted her face. Aerrow dragged his blade through the engine of a switchblade and the Cyclonian wailed as he flew off of it, tumbling through the sky toward Piper. She screamed as he smacked into the blade of her bike and was tossed upward. "This was not a good idea," she muttered to herself.
The second she regained control, a blast hit the side of her engine, nearly knocking her off. She yelped and looked around. A lanky, pale Cyclonian with a moustache and a snide smirk was approaching her, weapon drawn.
"Hey, ugly!"
Scowling, he whipped around in his seat. A familiar blonde face was just behind him, and Finn fired off several shots as Piper grinned in spite of herself. Finn looked up at her and cupped a hand to shout at her.
"Piper, get out of here! I'll take care of this chump!"
"Hey! Who are you calling a chump, chump?"
The talon was obviously offended.
Junko dove past in pursuit of several other talons and Piper accelerated toward an outcropping surrounded by cumulus clouds in the distance.
The cacophony faded as the navigator fled, letting her speed drop as she coasted onto the ground. Climbing off her sky-ride, she sighed.
Piper didn't realize how far away the Condor had gotten until she turned around. The swarm of Cyclonians had gotten smaller and was buzzing around it, a mass of tiny dots converging on one another and terminating in fiery pops that somewhat resembled angry fireworks.
The girl looked back at her heliscooter and gasped. "Oh no," she whispered to herself. She tapped a slender finger to the fuel gauge and the needle remained on empty. The wind ruffled her hair as she glanced back at the ship.
"Stork? Come in. Stork?"
For a minute, her only answer was static.
"Fine," she muttered. "I'll leave a message. Storm Hawks, this is Piper. I'm scouting for more crystals. I'll be back as soon as I refuel. Over and out."
Her fingertip rested on the button as she debated whether to send the transmission before or after she'd replenished her supply. The girl glanced tensely back at the receding battle and sighed. "I hope this doesn't take too long."
Starting onto the foggy terrain, the girl slung her bag of gear over her shoulder. The air was far colder where it skirted over the tops of the approaching clouds and she shielded her face as she trotted alongside a vertical face of stone.
A sudden flash of crimson made Piper stagger backward in surprise. For a moment she stood still, bewildered.
"Did something…"
She reached up to touch her head where an odd feeling was beginning. It felt … thick. Dark.
Did something hit me?
Before her hand made contact with the growing bruise, the world began to churn before her eyes. Silvery gray enveloped the edges of her vision and the prickle of cold air vanished from her skin. Gravity evaporated from under her and the world was fading, fading, fading into dark.
The figure appeared from the shadows and caught her with its slender arms, unaffected by her weight. The bright hue of his irises flittered on her vision before her eyes closed.
The wind roared over the edge of the terra and several more talons dropped from the sky.
Finally. I'm back, baby! I've been through quite a bit in the past year, so I apologize for leaving you guys hanging. I'm committing to my stories now, though, and I promise, with the practice I've gotten, I won't disappoint you.
Also, I want to repeat that this story is rated M for good reasons. Please think twice if there's a chance that dark subject matter or an honorable character's judgment being questioned will bother you or taint your view of Storm Hawks as a whole. I would feel horrible if I ruined it for somebody younger.
Thank you SO MUCH for sticking around. Please leave me feedback and advice. See you again soon!