A/N: Reviews! Oh this makes me so happy! Thank you reviewers! (Eight reviews and 3 favs for chapter 1! Holy moley!) I'm really excited to see that there is also such a numerable following to this fan base too! It's an older series so I didn't know who might have been around. Knowing that I'm not alone in my love for this series kinda makes my day! Go you guys for being fans of the Storm Hawks!

Updates of this are slower than my other story. I'm really taking my time on this one so I can attempt to get into the character's head (even though it is quite dangerous to think like Finn). You can be the judge on how well I do. I will simply fear the results regardless to if I'm convincing or not; each are equally terrifying in their own right! ;D

And now onto the second chapter..."chika-cha."


RESTORATION CYCLONIA

Chapter 2

"Finn's Dilemma"


Thick linings of cloud-covering blocked the sizable airship, the Blood Crow, from intruders. Uncharted, at least to outsiders, the landscape hidden from clear view was just as wild and mysterious as the pirates that ran through the dense fog. Their ship's heavy armor was constantly scraped by wisps of white, as floodlights draped onto the unfortunate ships that had been bold enough to test fate.

One of such airships, daring enough to commence fate, was just out of sight. The outline was slightly visible, for the awaiting crew and the captain, all too pleased to see such a marvel. Smiling widely and showing a healthy set of fangs, the captain of the Murk Raider pirates, Scabulous, found himself delighted by the sight of their newest victims. Their sizable ship was a pleasure to witness when they might be forced to scrap on left overs for months. If anyone understood scraps, thought Finn as he watched his captain's smile widen viciously, it was Stork and himself. They were the two captives that Master Cyclonis had handed off to the Murk Raiders when she was eager to disband the Storm Hawks. It was just by pure, unadulterated luck that Finn had befriended the crew right before the Sky Knight defeat to Cyclonia. Master Cyclonis was none the wiser about this partnership and Finn expected that she did not care in any case, even if she was.

If Finn could remember correctly, her attention wasn't directed on anyone but Piper really. Why? Finn had no clue. It might have been something to do with Piper's inane crystal knowledge. It could have even have been the fact that she had unwittingly uncovered that strange, bind-thing she did with the crystals…Finn couldn't remember the details. Though he had remembered begging her if she would try out her new powers on him. Something to make his energy arrows go five times the speed and knock out ten talons in a single hit, if he recalled correctly. If not, it was a cool thought.

She might have too, just because Finn was so gifted at being annoying. But then, Aerrow had stepped in the way and created a cloud of anti-fun. Actually, they both had that anti-happy-anything presence that seemed to loom over them since their revisit to the Forbidden City. In fact, Aerrow had somewhere between the lines, transformed from goofy teenager to hardened warrior during that time, constantly on alert and eagerly watching for Talons in the skies. If it wasn't for Junko, Finn would have had to pull prank after prank on his own, labeling them all in the name of the Storm Hawks. It didn't help that Piper had berated him for his antics, nor did it help that Aerrow had just grown quiet in general.

Aerrow did laugh every now and again when something was particularly amusing or when Cyclonis had grown upset at the pranking. However, Finn's redheaded friend had quickly sobered, trying to keep himself locked into adult-mode. To a fourteen, going on fifteen year old, that was no simple task.

Then again, Finn realized that the situation had been dire, the fates of the Sky Knight and navigator much worse than his own. At least here, Finn and Stork were just captive crew hands that ate and danced and sometimes, though rarely, flew out on skimmers, the same as the rest of the crew. Finn had already made a name, being the magnificent shot he was, and employed as part of the team that boarded new ships. It explained why he had been called up by Eyeball, first mate of the Murk Raiders, with the rest of plundering squad.

This unfortunate ship in front of the Blood Crow bore the symbol of Terra Bogaton, home to a group of rebel raptors under the leader, Repton. The Raptors had faded from the favor of Empress of the converted Atmos. At least, that was what Finn had been told. And Finn could definitely recall a few times in which his skimmer had been blown apart from their interference.

Finn didn't have as strong of an allegiance to right and wrong as Aerrow or Piper might have. So it didn't bother him as much as it probably should have to wrestle with innocent crew hands and take their stuff. As long as no one was hurt, Finn was just fine with being considered a pirate to the outside world. He did what he had to, nothing more, nothing less. All of it for survival, plain and simple.

But sometimes the wandering ships, bearing a name that resembled Cyclonia, weren't just exciting to attack for his captain. Finn grinned at a chance to really cut loose and have some fun. When Stork heard about this, after having so many encounters with the raptors, Finn was positive that the Merb might turn greener than he already was. Stork might have won his battle with the raptors last time, but he was always nauseated afterwards, believing to have been overcome by some strange ailment. When Finn regaled this battle, it was certain to make his rash act up or his stomach queasy.

There was almost a hint of mischievousness to Finn's smile now, as he whispered an, "excellent!"

If he couldn't annoy Piper, Stork would work as a perfect replacement for Finn's entertainment. Besides, he and Stork had bonded over and over repeatedly from their trips with the Murk Raiders, both as Storm Hawks and as captives. Although, Stork wasn't like Junko, Finn's choice partner in crime, but he was just strange enough to occasionally join Finn on a mission; whenever the merb felt compelled to. The mystery that was Stork was just another thing that Finn chalked up as 'eh.'

Finn hadn't given much thought about what made the merb tick. He could only guessed what made Stork want to join the party and what truly got on his nerves. If Finn wasn't accomplishing either of those two things through the process of trial and error, then he wasn't doing his job.

"Excellent is right," Captain Scabulous replied. He peered down at Finn once more, eyes reflecting a bit of weariness. "You had better come through this time. No messing around after we've captured them. I won't have another captured ship falling out of the sky because you had to show off."

Finn grinned as his voice brimmed with bravoed egotism. He didn't even bother to listen through all of Captain Scabulous' speech, throwing up a hand and waving the doubt away in a careless manner. "I'm the best sharpshooter around. Nothing bad will happen on my watch."

The cocky, over-confident attitude made the captain sigh. Finn didn't bother to question it in the least, eyes now going back to the raptor ship in eagerness. This was probably the first time that he was excited to actually pick a ship clean and rub it in his victims' faces. If there was something he didn't care for more than the talons, it was the rogue raptors. Luckily, with the Murk Raiders on his side, he would get to teach them manners if things became too carried away. After all, he was Finn, Domo of Terra Vapos, and Sky Knight of the Ultra Dudes on Terra West. With Aerrow's disappearance, who else but the blonde could uphold the task of bringing a little justice?

Finn nodded to himself as if the question was rhetorical.

He felt someone's shoulder nudging him and turned to see that the team had been assembled. A grin was thrown his direction from one of the lesser ranked pirates, along with his energy crossbow. The sarcastic amusement was something that Finn conveniently ignored in favor of hugging his weapon, reacquainting himself with the crossbow.

Yeah, these guys were growing on him. They weren't as terrifying as they use to be either, though there were times...

It made Finn a bit more relaxed around the crew. He could play his music, skimp on chores, tease the team, and all he got were these warnings. Just meaningless warnings about improving his behavior. This and his crossbow being put away for everyone's safety. Sure, he might quiet down or run away screaming when he really irritated them, but it was the captain that had his back and delivered his blows through words.

Chuckling inwardly, Finn couldn't help but roll his eyes. Warnings, really? They didn't even mean anything. It was like Piper's scoldings to keep his things out of her magic crystal lab. Meaningless. They all knew he wasn't going to listen to them anyways. Aerrow had come to that acceptance, trying to rationalize things and be all Sky Knight with his fairness and justice. That stuff didn't really matter to anyone who was elevated to Domo status.

"You coming?"

Jolted out of his self-induced revere, Finn snapped his head to the team now ready and waiting on him.

Grin broadening all the more, Finn slipped in, following the other Murk Raiders to the smaller ship in the hanger bay. Gentlemen, Finn inwardly announced. It's time to blast these guys out of the sky. Raptor payback style and all that.

"Don't mess up," warned the mission leader peering down at Finn with disapproving eyes. Finn released a 'pshhh...' as he swiveled his eyes away and towards the snickering crew.

"The Finn never messes up," replied the blonde with the same sort of equanimity he'd given Captain Scabulous. Putting himself back in third person only embellished Finn's self-absorbance, and aided in making the crew snigger all the more. Then as if to clarify any of the supposed 'mess-ups,' Finn continued with, "It's all apart of my personal style. Popular amongst the Ultra Dudes squadron, trained by the best..."

The larger, bulkier Murk Raider sneered down at him, completely not impressed with Finn's resume. "Keep quiet and get aboard."

There was no hesitation as Finn eagerly joined the party, door zipping shut behind him as they pulled away from the Murk Raider's flag-ship. He couldn't wait to slam a few energy arrows into his opponents and send them howling, back to their desert terra. There were a few air skimmers he wanted some pay back for, especially the ones that Junko installed all the so-called 'bells and whistles.'

He checked his load once more, recounting the number of arrows he'd set in his contraption. There was enough to cause damage.

Finn eyed the approaching ship, knowing that he was going to get a chance to cause that damage very soon.

He was itching to use his precious baby again, especially now that he had the crossbow in his hands. Lifting up the crossbow, Finn rubbed the surface against his cheek in a welcome back. Finally, reunited. Take that Stork, for doubting Finn was ever getting this back and that he was doomed for eternity without his darling weapon.

As the ship neared, someone bopped Finn over the head, pushing his chin directly into the groove of the handle. "Do ya mind?" Finn snapped, rubbing the sore chin, eyes glittering in irritation. But it was soon forgotten when the ship moved directly above its victims.

Finn sprang into action, running in the direction the other pirates were traveling and sailing down a rope to the moving ship below. Pouncing on the metallic surface, Finn found himself running towards the interior alongside the other Murk Raiders. With a smirk glued to his face, Finn swung the crossbow over his shoulder and back into his arms. Unfortunately, he accidentally smacked a fellow pirate running next to him and earned a growl.

"Watch where you swing that thing!"

Finn flinched backwards and waited until the other pirate passed by him before calling out, "Oh yeah, well, maybe you should watch where you're running!"

The fellow pirate turned enough to flash his canines, a growl emitting from his lips. A squeak popped out of Finn as he gave a fearful glance at the Murk Raider pointing directly at him and then at his neckline. It was enough to wizen Finn up a bit, make him more aware of exactly who he was beginning to irritate too much. Gulping, Finn got back in line, choosing to keep his comments to himself for the time being. This wasn't like back with the Storm Hawks when he could prance around with all the freedom in the world. The worst he'd ever received from his old crew was Piper's long drawn out whines that were suppose to resemble disciplinary speeches or something of the sort. She was the queen at trying to rectify things by words and crying on Aerrow's shoulder about her lack of appreciation towards Finn's awesomeness. It was absolute torture, but not enough to discourage Finn from going back for more. Sometimes, having an irate Piper storming after him was too good to pass up.

The Murk Raiders, however, they weren't guys that anyone merely trifled with without wanting to lose fingers or eyes, not that they would attack Finn with his favoritism with the Captain. They were serious about everything and anything could be taken as an insult and didn't mind making threats in addition to the mere warnings. Despite the fact that Finn knew this, he still hadn't learned his lesson enough to close his mouth. Captain Scabulous would back him up when he got back.

Keeping his head down, Finn carried on behind the group. His sulking came to a halt when they reached the back entrance that served as their hanger bay. A quick jab to the ribs of the door and the metal sheet sprang upwards.

They were in.

Finn temporarily forgot his situation as his attention snapped to any signs of life in the raptor airship. The hangar bay looked relatively vacated for the moment, leaving only the skimmers to fill in the emptied space. Outside of that, the interior was bleak, as the hanger bay tended to be on every ship, with the exception of the few Cyclonian carriers that hauled around crystals. They were just a hair less boring than the others. Mostly because it was always entertaining to watch Piper flip out of her mind when she got her hands on the loads of crystals, gawking and pointing to each and every one of them in fascination. Leave it to good-old, stick-in-the-mud Piper to put on a spectacle in the middle of a battle for something shiny.

A large object from over in the corner of the room, gleamed rays light that bounced off of Finn's eyes as they snapped towards one of the skimmers, completely deserting his thoughts. Suddenly, all his attention was captured by the amazing, recognizable machinery in front of him. His hands grappled for a good hold on one of the nearby Murk Raiders, clinging to him as his finger jutted out, pointing. "Dude, that's Ravess' skimmer, the Switchblade Elite! They must have swiped that little joyride right out from under her!"

He was immediately shushed by the surrounding team, before the order was given to begin their invasion. They were quick to get started on the attack part of their mission. All the while, Finn was growing more intrigued with the plundering part.

Finn was left standing alone, just staring at his prize with glee. He was definitely coming back for that. Ravess was just going to have to make do without her souped-up skimmer. Besides, it was going to be donated to a better cause.

"Come on," growled the leader, when Finn hadn't moved.

That was enough encouragement for Finn to slowly waltz forwards as if they were on a luxury cruise line than an enemy airship. As far as Finn was concerned, he'd gotten his grand prize from the raptors. All debts were pardoned the moment he rode off in Ravess's skimmer.

Whistling a little as he trotted forwards, Finn completely missed the mission leader's pair of eyes watching him, narrowing dangerously. He might not have been all the wiser either, if he didn't receive a slap to the back of the head when he was ushered into the connecting hallway.

He whined a bit, but was completely ignored.

Finn spent the next precious couple of seconds sliding his energy arrows into his crossbow, before he stepped through the room onto the overpacked helm.

Chaos ensued instantly, weapons twirling in the air, spinning left, feigning right. A few of the men were thrown back by a blast, only to shake off the crystal dust and then collapse back down. A large and particularly vicious looking raptor laughed jovially at the display before lashing out at the Murk Raiders that dared to get back up.

There was no hesitation in Finn's shot as he drove the raptor back with a blast of his own. If he was going to mess with Finn's pals, then let him taste a bit of his own medicine.

"Storm Hawk," growled the familiar voice of one raptor in particular. There was a sinister ring in his tone.

Finn swiveled around, only to come face to face with Repton.

For a second, Finn could feel trepidation. Aerrow was usually the one to handle the big bosses. Finn would get the second-handed, left-overs to deal with. Repton sort of counted as one of the big bosses. He wasn't as scary as Master Cyclonis, but those sharp teeth and deep-set eyes that swelled with malice were enough to put him on the top of the list of 'Do Not Mess With.'

Sending a smile that might as well be apologetic, Finn found himself taking a step back. "Repton, it's been a while."

"Trust me," hissed Repton, smirk broadening. "I would have volunteered sooner if I knew that a couple of you snuck outside of Master Cyclonis' rule. I didn't use to take her as the sloppy sort, but she's been making too many mistakes as of late."

Finn forewent the correction that he had been sold off, sort of, along with Stork, and instead focused on the last of what Repton said. The fear let up from his baby blues and the contempt in Repton's voice struck a cord of amusement in the blonde. "Not doing so hot under Cyclonis' rule?"

That was the last straw before Repton shouted loudly and angrily. He charged without any preamble.

Finn dodged the initial attack, eyes widening as he rolled from another swing. Apparently, he'd hit the nail on the head, or so to speak. Despite the already lack of restrained temper, Repton had completely overreacted to the comment. It seemed that the rumor of the raptors having a falling out with Master Cyclonis was true after all.

Finn pulled back as Repton swung his boomerang like a sword, whipping it around his torso, wildly.

Pulling the crossbow up, Finn flew back clumsily, though his faulty footing did not once hinder his aim.

The arrow struck true.

Repton was flying backwards, feet plucked right from off the ground in a comical manner. His skull slammed into the crates behind him, so hard that even Finn winced at the sound.

Head lulling, Repton slowly picked himself up. He hadn't been expecting the shot, guessed Finn, congratulating himself for being such an amazing sharpshooter. He couldn't hold back a victorious "take that" as he watched Repton struggle with picking himself back up. "Ouch, that's gotta hurt."

"When I….get up…" Repton gurgled, his movements a bit more sluggish and elongated. He shook the pain from his head before his eyes narrowed to slits. "No more lucky shots."

Scoffing, Finn couldn't help but show his offense. "That was called skill."

Repton charged forwards once more. A hideous growl trailed after him, making him twice as fierce as he already was.

That was all it took for Finn to turn tail and zip off in the complete opposite direction. There was no way he was going to mess with an angry raptor, now bent on taking his life. He'd save this enemy for one of his fellow Murk Raiders to take care of. After all, this wasn't really his fight to begin with. He didn't necessarily consider himself a Murk Raider, more like an employee, a worker. There was a distinction between himself and Stork to that of the other Murk Raiders. Of course, there was also a very big distinction between himself and Stork as well. That can't be let go of without being addressed first.

The more Finn rationalized, the slower his running became. In Finn's periphery, he noticed Repton gaining on him. Fumbling to keep his bow in hand, Finn let out a high-pitched wail, stumbling right into the center of a raptor and another Murk Raider. He maneuvered his way through the fight, screaming in tune with how near the weapons came to pounding him in the face. It was too close for comfort.

Unfortunately, Repton had managed to sneak his way through the same mess, throwing everyone aside in order to pursue Finn.

Finn took enough time to glance back at Repton, eyes widening as he followed the raptor's every movement. The boomerang in Repton's hand lit up in flames, before it was released, directly in Finn's direction. With one final shrill yell, Finn was pushed head first, over one of the crates. His body flailed as he crash landed on the opposite side, and rolled. His backside slammed directly into another stack of crates.

The wood rattled heavily, sending shivers upwards, carrying from one crate to another. The top crate, stacked precariously on the edge, gave way and slipped. Finn threw his arms up over his head, knowing that it wasn't going to do much good, but instinctively protecting himself as much as he could from the blow.

A hand caught Finn by the arm and tugged him from under the collapsing crate just in time.

Finn was breathing heavily as he stared at the mess the crate made, lid having popped off, flinging in Repton's general direction. A load of light blue crystals poured around the bruised reptile form as Repton stumbled back in a mighty yelp from the lid hitting him. Then Finn peered upwards to catch a glimpse of his rescuer.

The mission leader snorted down at him. "Stop fooling around."

Finn gave a small chuckle before brushing himself off, pulling his crossbow up, and reloading it. Then scampering off, Finn reeled back his arms, readying his weapon. His finger found the trigger.

Silvery blue light exploded on the already worn reptilian form. It sent Repton back a few more paces, until he was stumbling to get up once more.

By the time that Repton seemed to pull himself from his attack, he was staring down the barrel of Finn's crossbow, leading to another readied arrow. He hissed at being caught as he was.

Finn's smirk broadened, catching the raptor leader in his cross hairs. His eyes were glued on Repton, who seemed perturbed by being stuck in such a delicate situation. It probably wasn't helping the reptile's boiling attitude that he was caught by none other than a member of the disassembled Storm Hawks. The thought gave Finn a bit more confidence.

"So what's it feel like, being out of Master Cyclonis' favor?" teased Finn, bow still steady, unshakable. It was a complete contrast to the twinkling of amusement in his eyes.

Repton snarled once, as to be expected. But, when he took measure to pick himself back up, Finn latched his finger onto the trigger in a showy manner. Half way to releasing the arrow, Repton caught on and stopped before he was thrown back once again. Instead, he pivoted on his tail as if trying to become comfortable where he sat. His eyes hardened and burned in fury, remaining dead center at the end of Finn's crossbow.

"You should be the one to talk," Repton hissed. "At least I still have my team with me. Master Cyclonis won't touch us as long as we keep delivering her messages. And here your team is spread all over Atmos without even a hope in the world to pull you back together. No more sky knight, no more helm's man...even your specialist has decided to join the talon ranks, about to devote her allegiance to Cyclonis in front of all Atmos. Master Cyclonis has the whole kingdom coming to that event. Proof that the Cyclonians can win against anyone, even a Storm Hawk."

That seemed to break Finn's concentration.

Taking advantage of the gaping look that crossed Finn's face, Repton lept at the blonde, arms swinging. Finn didn't even think about the seriousness of Repton's attack as his mind shut off thought process altogether.

The idea of Piper walking out on them like that...No way, she was far too loyal than to turn on her heels and parade herself as a talon. Finn absolutely wouldn't believe it. How could he?

Finn peered up, noticing that Repton was no longer in front of him, but dealing with a Murk Raider somewhere off to the right. Unable to guess how that happened, Finn found himself not really minding that the raptor leader was being dealt with elsewhere. It gave him time to process, sit back, and relax. Besides that outlandish claim could, in no form, be accurate. Repton was messing with him, tapping into his brain and hijacking it for a spin around the block to get him distracted. Unfortunately, it didn't work for as long as Repton probably hoped it would.

The raptor leader was already running back at the blonde, snarling.

Grinning, Finn washed away what Repton had said and moved forward, weapon drawn once more. He found his target and aligned the barrel. "Chicka-cha," came out in a half-whisper as Finn reeled his finger back, arrow plunging forward.

The mark made a blast of energy, splashing all over the lead raptor in a familiar bright blue. It caused Repton to fling backwards, arms fluttering in the air before a thud against the wall made the Bogaton resident slump to the ground in defeat. This time he was not going to be brawling as soon as he got back on his two feet. Finn was quite positive of it.

Blowing off the invisible cloud of dust from the top of his bow, the blonde twirled the weapon awkwardly about his hand.

"You're not causing trouble, are you?"

Finn backed up enough to let the mission leader through. Both of their eyes turned from Repton down to the mass of crystals that had been exposed. They glistened, undisturbed now that gravity had settled them out. Then Finn peered up at the crates, zooming in on each and every one of them. These all couldn't be the same shipment of crystals...could they?

The Murk Raider inspected one of the crystals slowly. His face contorted in frustration as he flopped the crystal around, before it levitated without aid, the blue becoming brighter, more brilliant.

"Oh man, floater crystals!" Finn exclaimed.

"You'll be sorry for even laying hands on our crystals," hissed Repton, now being tied up tight, not so far away.

His growl captured Finn's attention momentarily.

That in turn seemed to encourage Repton to continue pursuing a conversation. He bit out one threat after another in a long monotonous string. Somewhere after the first so many, Finn rolled his eyes, hoping that soon the other would quiet down.

"You'll all pay for this! You'll rue the day you touched Cyclonis' messenger."

"Cyclonis' stupid messenger," chuckled Finn. "Shouldn't the talons be a little more careful about entering Terra Deep since the Murk Raiders probably trashed their entire fleet once? Last time you guys make a short cut."

Repton snarled back, "This wasn't a short cut. It was our destination."

That had everyone within hearing range, minus the raptor crew, confused.

"What?"

"There's a message for the captain of the Murk Raiders from Master Cyclonis. But I'm not dealing with any of you. I get to speak to your captain."

The Murk Raider stepped back, folding his arms across his chest in a most intimidating manner. Finn's eyes drifted from the Murk Raider back to an unintimidated Repton. Deciding that his friend here, had the right move, Finn copied, placing his arms over his chest as well. It didn't seem to work, but it certainly was making him feel a little better about himself.

"Fine. We'll take you to see Captain Scabulous."

Finn watched as Repton was slowly being led out. But before the raptor left the helm, he spun back, eyes honing in on the blonde once more as a cruel smirk crossed his face.

"It's a shame about that girl of yours...what was her name again? Piper?"

That earned him a hardened glare from Finn. The blonde was none too appreciative of hearing about Piper in Talon context.

"Rumor has it that Cyclonis is giving her away. Something about making her permanent. I hear that she's marrying by the end of the week to some Talon commander." Then as if to rub in the story, Repton let out a laugh. "Oh I forgot...That's only a couple of days from now...Another Storm Hawk will get its wings clipped."

The statement threw Finn completely off. "What do you mean marrying?"

Finn might not have accredited Cyclonis for turning Piper against her original team, but that didn't mean that Cyclonis would not force Piper into submitting to her evil schemes. Piper had been sickly, weak and defenseless the last time Finn had seen her. Her skin was pale and almost as green as Stork's. She could barely walk on her own two feet without the aid of Aerrow waiting on her hand and foot. Cyclonis was not above taking someone helpless and placing them into a position where one of her commanders could finish the job she started.

Repton continued as if he hadn't heard the question. Finn was quite positive he did, but didn't bother to point it out as long as he was getting more information on this turn of events.

"I also hear that the commander is quite famous. Maybe even someone you know." The glint in Repton's eyes was enough to state that Finn would definitely know who he was talking about. "Does the Dark Ace ring a bell?"

"No way," Finn managed just as Repton began roaring in laughter. A hand shot out from behind the framework and pulled Repton out of view and down the hallway.

"Just wait and see, the news is all over Atmos!" Repton yelled.

His laughing still echoed, bouncing off the wall, filling Finn's head with the most dreadful thoughts. Finn tried persuading himself that it was just a bad joke. But the very thought of Dark Ace and Piper disturbed him more than he ever wanted to let on.

Finn turned to the other raptors searching for reassurance that Repton was lying, but found that they were gurgling in vicious, triumphant laughter themselves. If this was a story, then it had been planned, specifically for him. That seemed less likely than it being the truth. Marriage seemed a little far fetched, but hand-delivering Piper to Dark Ace in any form that might amuse her was certainly Master Cyclonis' style, especially if she had grown bored.

Regardless, if Cyclonis really was giving Piper off to the Dark Ace, then they were going to be down one navigator. Piper would surely be killed off in a week's time if that happened. There was no way that the favorite talon of Master Cyclonis was going to have mercy on a Storm Hawk. He'd rip the sickly Piper to shreds before any of them had a chance to save her.

This could be solved though, thought Finn as he stood there, watching the group of onlookers dissipate into the background. But, first Stork needed to know. They couldn't just sit around and hope things were going to work out for them. They needed to get on the ball if there was going to be anything left for them to redeem from the Cyclonian invasion at all.

The other Murk Raiders were too busy looting the place and tying up the remaining raptors to really care for his help anyways.

Finn hurried over and swiped a few floater crystals, before making his way out of the room, rushing down the hall as fast as he possibly could. The crystals bobbed in his arms as he pushed forward until he made it to the hanger bay. Surely, these would aid in propelling the skimmer forwards.

Finn raced on, until he was standing in front of the Switchblade Elite, saliva wanting to dribble down his chin at the sight of it. He wasn't Junko, but that didn't mean he didn't know anything about machinery. It just meant that he was too lazy to be the team's mechanic. Besides, he always had his own skimmer to worry about.

After loading up Ravess' skimmer, Finn hopped on the seat. His fingers tingled with the pure joy of being able to use this machine once in his life. It was nowhere near as good as his own, but it was a definite second place. With a few tweaks, the engine happily purred to life.

"Sweet," Finn replied, before revving up the engine with a few flicks of the wrist. He began his trek down the hanger bay, right into the foggy sky below with an, "oh yeah!" falling from his lips as the wings unlocked. The air brushed through his hair, against his clothing, washed over his face in such a familiar and friendly manner that Finn wondered why he hadn't attempted to sneak out again for another run on one of the Murk Raider's skimmers. Of course, there was no point with the Murk Raiders banning him from the hanger bay... Everything in Terra Deep was still, a mess of debris that Atmos deposited right over this area, a dead zone to the wind current. That made riding a bit more taxing concerning just what sort of energy was needed to stay up in the air. Crystals had alway been a valuable commodity in Terra Deep. That meant no more free joy rides for Finn.

Before he knew it, he was zipping around, eyes spinning upwards to The Blood Crow, where Repton had been taken to.

Determination filled those blue eyes like steel as Finn raced for the ship, ready to flip the lever back for the wheels to pop up.

Finn allowed the Skimmer to skid into one of the back corners of his home hanger bay before shutting her down. He lifted himself up and patted the seat once in a thank you before running to where he knew Stork would be.


Finn entered the winding hallway to Stork's room just in enough time to see the merb tapping on the cage of his newest collection of poisonous creatures. Like Finn, Stork had actually flourished in this Cyclonian and Murk Raider arrangement. The Murk Raiders found both Finn's expertise in the crossbow and Stork's obsession with how to handle poisonous creatures, very useful.

"Stork!" Finn shouted as loudly as he could.

The merb went instinctively still, paralyzed by the abrupt entrance before he flipped around, suddenly jumpy as ever and glared daggers at Finn.

"What?" he snapped acutely.

Finn hadn't exactly practiced an explanation before he got there. He more or less expected Stork to just understand that there was trouble and jump into action. So the next words tumbled out of his mouth in the only jumbled mess that made sense to him. "Piper is marrying the Dark Ace!"

The reaction he got wasn't exactly a speedy one. In fact, Stork just stood there shocked and confused. Then a glimmer of skepticism crossed his face. "Piper? As in...our Piper?"

"Yes, our Piper! We've gotta stop the wedding or whatever is going on!" hurried Finn becoming exasperated. They needed movement.

Stork only rose a brow before turning back to the glass frame that separated them from the crawling, dotted insect inside. Then in a low voice, Stork muttered, "I knew one day this would happen..."

"I know, right?"

Then Finn blinked. Somehow that wasn't exactly what he was expecting. His mind began to slowly churning with what Stork had said. "You knew about this?"

"Oh yeah, from the very first moment I saw you guys, I knew. It was bound to happen at some point what with us running all over Atmos, knocking over my cages..." Then with an earnest glimmer in his eyes, Stork turned Finn's direction in an almost pleading manner. "Just...Just tell me one last thing...Is there any pain associated with it? Will...Will it hurt before we go?"

Finn blinked a couple more times, processing...processing. "Stork, this isn't about your mind worms again, is it?"

"No, no...It's worse than that. Didn't think that hallucinations would get that bad. A sure sign of how far along you are..."

That was when Finn had enough. He might normally joke around with Stork, pretending to be ill if the circumstances weren't so dire. Right now he needed one of the most logical people, albeit the strangest one, on the old team to listen to him. "I'm telling you, Repton is on the ship right now. He's the one going on about Master Cyclonis forcing Piper to marry Dark Ace."

That seemed to quiet Stork a bit, one ear flickering slightly as if ticking in thought.

"So you're telling me...you don't have puncture marks that might or might not be from a venomous and mysterious eight legged creature that escaped from 'Aquarium 3' last week?"

The thought of something from one of Stork's collection roaming free had Finn unconsciously stepping back. "Um, no..."

"Oh good," Stork seemed eerily pleased by the news before actually getting back on track. There was no explanations of any more hypothetical situations. Quite honestly, Finn was all too grateful not to hear more. There were times, such as this, where Stork sort of frightened him. "Now you said something about Cyclonis?"

"She's handing Piper over to the Dark Ace. Repton said something about a marriage. He's meeting with Scabulous now about...umm...something...Oh, man. We need to find out what that something is. Repton said it was a message from Master Cyclonis." Then without thinking any further, Finn grabbed Stork's wrist and pulled him along. Stork squeaked, but was for the most part, willingly dragged behind.

Finn stopped at one of the ducts on The Blood Crow.

Popping open the lid he encouraged Stork to hop inside.

"Come on," whispered Finn as he slid through the opening.

Stork followed suit, nervously. "Um…there isn't enough room-"

"Do you wanna come or not?" Finn asked, his voice bordering irritation. They needed to get down to the captain's room. Most assuredly, there would be plans being made to go after Cyclonis now that they had a location for all the Cyclonian puppet governors to be present.

"….I'd rather not."

Finn released a sigh. He didn't actually want to go alone. His peer pressuring was working against him. "How about for the old Storm Hawk's team? You can't let us down now."

Stork looked as queasy as ever, but with a dramatic sigh, eyes rolling in a high arch, he groaned, "Fine."

That was all it took for Finn to grin happily at his friend before leading the way through the duct system. They'd be able to get some idea of where to go based on Scabulous' plans soon enough. They'd make it out, all of them. Finn just had to make sure they knew where to go after this.

As they crawled along the system, the echoing of voices slowly became clearer. Finn shushed Stork's mewls of doom and destruction. Stork sent him a look of offense, not that Finn minded. The blonde was far too busy making sure that they could catch every single word being spoken.

Repton's distinctive hiss could be made out, angry and sharp. "You have to obey by the rules, or the heads of your crew will roll."

"That little girl doesn't scare me," Captain Scabulous bellowed back. "Tell your master that we spared her quite a few ships. But if she keeps thinking that she can send her government through our sky, we'll count that as profit. There are no such things as safe passage where Terra Deep is concerned."

"Ignoring her letter is not wise-"

"Ignoring our bargain is also not wise," interrupted Scabulous. The tone he was taking, made Finn crawl all the faster to get over and see what was happening. He wasn't going to miss a battle between Repton and Scabulous if it came down to it.

Inside, Finn mentally cheered, 'fight! fight! fight!" as he rounded the vent and peered down. Repton was not looking all that pleased by the turn of events. He appeared a tad more shifty than he usually was, tail restless, shoulders tight. "Have it your way...Master Cyclonis will not be pleased with this information, especially during the Dark Ace's wedding."

Scabulous only grinned back. "I won't be the one carrying the message."

Snarling animalistically, Repton made a move to pull out his boomerang, but was immediately intercepted by a fellow Murk Raider to the left of him. By Scabulous' side, Eyeball cheered on the attack. Unfortunately, Finn had audibly joined him.

"Will you be quiet," Stork growled, confused between looking nervous and upset.

Finn rolled his eyes, but obediently went back to listening to Eyeballs' taunting. He caught Scabulous glancing upwards and peered towards Stork. Stork must have caught it too, because he was glaring back at Finn. "And now...we're doomed."

Scabulous turned back to Repton. "Now if you wouldn't mind getting back to your ship. I've got some crew members that need to be spoken to."

Two large pairs of arms held Repton back as he tried to rush forwards and begin to battle. Unfortunately, when the arms intercepted him, they easily wrapped around his middle and tugged him backwards and out of the Captain's chambers.

It wasn't until the door was completely shut did Scabulous turn back towards the vent and glare upwards. "I know you two are up there. There's no use hiding, so you might as well come down now."

Finn watched as Stork sighed before slamming his fist onto the metal latch and flipping the sheet open. Then Stork indicated that Finn should drop out first.

"I don't think so..." Finn replied, looking at the extended arms towards the opening. He wasn't really looking forward to being smacked around by the captain at the moment. Maybe if he could manage to throw Stork down first...

The shaft suddenly rattled and a few 'dings' lead way to 'creaks.' Finn shot a look behind him, seeing that Scabulous' arrows tore through the metal, and then at Stork before his section of the duct work came falling through.

Screaming loudly, Finn fell with the metal sheets.

A mighty crash filled his ears, as his vision swirled upon impact with the ground. His body was splayed half out of the duct work in a heap of bruised muscle and bone. Groaning, Finn picked himself back up, only to come face to face with Scabulous and his own crossbow. The fierce look on his face Scabulous' quite alarming, more so than Finn could remember it being. Then Scabulous no longer had his eyes on the blonde, but instead had them on Stork. "You get down here or else."

Finn could hear a pattering from above before Stork dropped down, none too gracefully, near Finn. The two sent each other a silent look of askance. The question on their mind simple; what was the captain going to do?

However, Scabulous pulled back his weapon as a grin formed where the scowl had been. He held out a hand towards Finn, ready to assist him up if need be. Finn hesitated momentarily, but chose to accept the help. Grabbing each other's wrists, Finn was promptly hauled onto his feet.

"Well, I guess I don't need to tell you two about the good news," Scabulous replied with a smirk. His eyes gleamed over with a new bloodthirsty luster. They sparkled with the promise of a fight, and a guarantee of victory. "There's a wedding taking place on Terra Cyclonia, and since Master Cyclonis cannot keep her promises, I've decided that we should all be attending. After all, why shouldn't we with every ship in Atmos hovering out in the sky present. Without Sky Knights to protect them, half of the work is already done for us. We just need to get on board. The talons can't protect them all."

Finn and Stork peered once more at each other. Finn hadn't expected things to settle themselves out as easily as they had. And apparently, Stork was just in as much shock as the blonde. But, to be on the safe side and truly understand, Finn couldn't help ask, "So...does that mean we're going to crash the wedding?"

The glimmer in Captain Scabulous' eyes twinkled all the brighter. "Oh, we'll be crashing the wedding alright."