Enemy Territory
Summery: The Storm Hawks are all set to enjoy a festival when they receive word that Starling's gone missing during a mission, investigating rumours of rebellion in Cyclonia. So they set out to Cyclonia and into trouble
Disclaimer: All Publicly Recognizable Characters, Settings, Ideas, etc. are the Property of Nerd Corp. The Original Characters and Plot are the Property of the Author. The Author is in no way Associated with the Owners, Creators, or Producers of Nerd Corp. No Copyright Infringement is intended.
Chapter Three: Hi Ho Hi Ho, It's Off to Wallow in Slavery We Go
Saturday 3:00pm, somewhere in the air in Terra Cyclonia east of Crimson Point
"This cannot end well," Stork drawled.
The Storm Hawks sat freezing their butts on the cold metal floor, chained to the wall of the cell in the carrier they were been transported in.
"Oh c'mon Strider, getting caught by the Cyclonians was a blast! Well, maybe not the getting caught part but the dropping a stink bomb into one of their favourite hangouts part was!" Finn said gleefully, still affected by the adrenaline rushing through his veins.
"Yeah, those guys will never get the smell of swamp skunk out of their clothes," added Junko, grinning at the memory of seeing all the Cyclonians running out of their hideout as fast as they could.
"Or their pores!" laughed Finn.
"I'm just surprised Strider had a can of the stuff on him," said Aerrow, eyeing the carrier pilot. Or should he say, had many cans of the stuff?
Stork shrugged. "It's great mind worm repellent."
"Dude, it's a great everything repellent," quipped Finn.
"Hey, Serin, what's wrong?" asked Aerrow, noticing Piper was biting her lip and glancing to the side. She hadn't said a word since they'd been placed on the carrier.
"Just wondering, do you think they'll separate us?"
"It's possible, but we can handle it," he assured her, trying to sound confident about leading his team into slavery.
It wasn't long before the carrier came to a halt and the door opened to reveal a blond Cyclonian. He was a well built man, and had a jagged scar running along his right cheek. From his stance Aerrow could tell he was accustomed to being in charge.
"C'mon, kids it's time to pay your due to society," he said gruffly. He yanked at the chain that connected them altogether.
"Since when does the Cyclonian Empire count as a society?" Finn muttered.
The guard thrust his crystal staff into the upstart's gut, earning a moan from Finn as all the air left him in one huff.
"You'll learn manners soon enough, kid. Now follow me."
The guard turned his back to the group, secure in the knowledge that they were in chains, and flanked by four more guards. He guided the group though a series of natural tunnels ill-lit with flickering lights. Eventually, they came to an enormous cavern which Piper asserted in surprise – the place should have caved in already. There were several large crystals at the base of the wall, emanating a strange flickering yellow light. They stretched to the top of the cavern and converged into a point that illuminated most of the cavern.
"What is that thing?" asked Piper with awe, staring up at it.
"Growing crystals - they're used to stabilize the cavern," answered one of the Talons on her right.
"Where did you find them?"
"The old Cyclonis created them years ago."
The scarred Talon stopped at a ledge; below him was what could only be described as a pit. People wallowed in dirt and filth, lifting heavy rocks into trolleys or breaking stones with pick axes. The pit was circular with rails and a trolley car going from a tunnel on one side of the pit to another on the other side. Several feet from the bottom was a stone wall, perforated with tunnels.
Aerrow's eyes widened when he saw what looked like a seven-year-old dragging a large stone to a trolley for a red-haired women to pick up and place into it. She smiled at the child before picking up her pickaxe and returning to the central wall.
The scarred man turned to the group, practically baring his teeth.
"Watch that first step, it's a doozy," he told them in a cheerless deadpan tone.
"You expect us to jump?" Finn gulped. It was at least a thirty feet drop to the bottom; the wall was slanted but still pretty steep.
Scar smiled humourlessly. "You either jump or you're pushed. Your call."
Aerrow glared but stepped forward, turning so that his right shoulder faced the direction of the pit below. He effortlessly slid down the slope without losing his balance.
"Agile bugger," murmured the Talon. "Next?"
Finn stepped forward. He attempted to mimic Aerrow, but he slipped and fell forwards halfway down. "Ow! Oof! Waa—Ow!" he landed face first on the ground his feet up in the air.
"I meant to do that," he mumbled as he got up to his knees, just as Piper joined them.
"Sure you did Tern," chuckled Aerrow, extending a hand, which Finn took with a grateful smile.
He turned to see how the others were doing and saw Junko slide down carrying Stork in his arms. It seemed that Junko had realized that either he carried his friend down or watched the merb get pushed face first as soon as Stork had seen the pit he had had started babbling about all the contagious diseases that arose from such work conditions. Aerrow didn't blame the carrier pilot – about half the populace here seemed ill. Radarr was last to join them, and with his sharp claws, had no trouble running down.
"Cute critter," said a female voice from behind the group.
They turned to see the red-head Aerrow had spotted earlier. On closer inspection, Aerrow would put her age to be early thirties or late twenties. She, like everyone else, wore ragged clothing. Her pants were torn, and her shirt sleeveless, which enabled him to make out the various scars on her arms.
"My name's Albatross - Alba for short. You can find pick-axes over there," she told them, matter-of-factly pointing to their right. "Work hard or we'll all suffer. We've got a daily quota to make. You'll notice the guards all have whips. They aren't shy about using them either."
You'll all be assigned 'mentors', people who will explain how things work around here, and they'll look out for you but only for today," she warned. "In the meantime, I suggest you all get to work," she ordered before turning back to her task. "You're with me Gold-eyes!" she shouted at Aerrow over her shoulder.
Aerrow looked at his team and shrugged before walking over to the pick axes.
***
"Let me help you with that kid," said Aerrow as the seven-year-old he had spotted earlier struggled to push another rock into the cart.
The boy got his breath back before saying, "Thanks, and my name is Jay."
"No problem. My name's Cardinal." Jay nodded and looked at Radarr, who was perched on the Sky Knight's shoulder. "This is Trigger," introduced Aerrow.
"Is he a pet?" he asked with wide eyes, having never before seen anything like the weasel-dog like creature
"No, he's a friend." Radarr jumped from Aerrow's shoulder to Jay's, chirping a greeting.
"Friendly critter."
"Get back to work! The guards are looking your way!" hissed Alba from behind them.
"Sorry Alba," murmured Jay as Radarr jumped to the ground.
As Aerrow and Alba returned to the wall, he asked, "Why is Jay here? He can't be more than seven."
"Punishment for his parents. They created a radio show and broadcasted lies about the evil of Cyclonia and the good of the Storm Hawks, but now their news is more congenial to our master. He works, but the guards go easy on him. If they see him slacking, they warn him before giving him a little shove and only use the whips when he gets uppity. If his parents keep up the good work he'll be out in a month."
"And you?"
"I'm a lifer."
"What did you do?"
"Killed two Cyclonian guards," she chuckled at the memory before continuing. "They were hassling a shop keeper."
"Sorry," said Aerrow not knowing what else to say.
He knew those guards had in all probability killed innocent civilians on other terras, but still, even he wasn't in the habit of killing the Talons he fought, just tossing them in the wasteland where he knew they were eventually retrieved; at least the ones that hadn't been killed in the meantime. Come to think of it, considering the Dark Ace's habit of knocking his own men from their Switchblades when he needed a ride, what guarantee did he have that they were picked up? How many had he, Aerrow the Sky Knight, killed?
"How lon— ergh," Alba grunted mid-sentence dragging as she struck the rocks, causing fragments to break loose. "How long you in for?"
"They said three years," he replied trying to make himself heard over the breaking rock and the occasional cry that accompanied the crack of a whip.
"What did you do?"
"Very powerful stink bomb," he chuckled
She paused in what she was doing to stare suspiciously at Aerrow. "You weren't born here. No-one here would risk their freedom for a mere prank."
"We're looking for someone."
"That explains it," she replied, picking up the chunks that had fallen to the ground. She smiled when she saw a bright red crystal about the size of her fist. "Who?"
"A woman named Weaver."
"What does she look like?"
"Green hair, dark skin."
Alba thought for a couple of seconds.
"I haven't seen her but this is a really big mine divided into three sectors. It's likely she's in another sector. Don't worry, three years from now you'll be able to check out a different one," she told him gravely.
Aerrow's heart sank. "No. We don't have time for that."
"Best of luck." She smirked as she picked up a few crystals and walked towards another cart. Aerrow walked close behind with a few of his own.
"Is it possible to contact the other sectors?"
Alba brought her hand to her chin, leaning on it. "Possible, but unlikely. You sure she ended up on this mine?"
"She was caught just west of here and this place has been understaffed for awhile."
"Then she's in one of the other two," she replied, placing her crystals in the cart.
"Oh." thought Aerrow mentally cursing their luck. "Any ideas?" he asked hopefully.
"Not really. You need a guard on your side to communicate with the other sectors. I know a few you can convince, but it involves your female friend being really familiar with them."
"Not an option."
"Glad to hear it. Fourteen year olds shouldn't be pimping themselves out."
"Is it possible to sneak out at night?"
"Yes, but the punishment for getting caught is harsh. As in, you won't be the one to pay. The guards will take someone else at random and punish them. It encourages prisoners to police themselves.
"Look, a person's life is worth more than some innocent getting a thrashing," she told him firmly when she saw his downcast expression. "It's simple math. One person suffers in the mines for a few days, another lives free for years, it's not like anyone here isn't used to pain. They take volunteers. I'll volunteer so you can give it a try, but try not to get caught; I'd like to avoid a thrashing if possible."
"I can't—"
"You can," Alba interrupted him. "And you will, because you don't have a choice. It's your only shot of finding your friend."
"I said no," Aerrow said stubbornly. "My friends can go. I'll volunteer if they get caught. Why are you offering to help?" Aerrow's tone had a hint of distrust in it he couldn't see how someone living in this place could be willing to help them out.
Alba, said nothing, and returned to her work Aerrow though the conversation was over until she spoke a few minutes later, "A man I greatly admired once underwent a really hard time, what happened to him would have broken most, I asked him how he managed to stay so cheerful. 'Laugh or die,' was his answer.
You came here risking everything for a friend, I've always admired loyalty. She must be important."
"She is." 'And if there really is a resistance here, the Sky Knights will have all the spies they'll need, if we could just contact them.'
Aerrow decided to change the topic. "What's going on up there?" He asked pointing up to the ceiling. There appeared to be some kind of construction being built along the upper walls.
"Oh, they're building housing for when the mine shuts down. When mines are tapped, they're used as housing areas or sometimes indoor farms. The light from a Solaris crystal can be used to grow plants."
"Seriously?"
"Cyclonis may be a tyrant, but she's an economical tyrant. The dirt we need to get rid of is sorted into rock suitable for building houses and dirt suitable for farming. Anyway, I'll tell you more about how this place works later. The guards are giving us dirty looks."
The next few hours passed in silence. Having drawn attention to themselves, they were anxious to be rid of it. They had been working for about some time, Aerrow estimated two hours. He was just about to resume his conversation with Alba when he heard the crack of a whip.
He turned to see a man in his early twenties lying in the dirt. He had been carrying a heavy load of rocks and had collapsed from the strain; small wonder. He was skinny, with little to no muscle. Before he could get up, the whip came down again. The man cried out as he crumpled.
"Stop!" yelled Aerrow as he ran towards the two.
The whip came crashing towards him instead. He held up his arm to block it. The leather rope wrapped around his arm and its crystal tip sliced through his clothing and skin.
"Ahh—!" Aerrow managed to swallow the rest of his cry.
Whatever the whip was tipped with, it stung. Actually, stung was not a strong enough word. It felt was if someone had lit his pain receptors on fire. Still, he had the whip now. Grabbing the leather, he was about to give it a tug when another struck his leg and he fell to his knees, half screaming. The owner of the first whip walked towards him.
"You're gonna have to learn some manners brat." He chuckled as he brought his foot back before slamming it into the youth's face.
Aerrow managed to hold his tongue, but bits of dirt from the guard's boot still managed to get into his mouth. He was spitting it out when he heard a screech. He and the guard turned to see Alba restraining Radarr, who was currently clawing her arms as she tried to whisper in his ear. The guard turned back to Aerrow.
"Since it's your first day, I'll let you off easy. Don't let it happen again." Laughing to himself, the guard turned and walked back to his post. Radarr was instantly at Aerrow's side, growling angrily at the Talon guard.
"Need a hand, Cardinal?" asked Alba.
"I'm fine," Aerrow assured her waving her hand away as he got to his feet. "Where's the man I saw?"
"I helped him to his feet as soon as they started hassling you," she explained. "Thanks for distracting them. Usually that's my job."
"Is that why you have those scars on your arms?" Aerrow asked quietly, noting the distinct patterns that adorned her sleeveless arms.
"Yeah," Alba said, nodding. "You're gonna have a couple of similar ones yourself now."
"Thanks for your help."
"Don't worry about it. The guards don't mind heroes stepping in, but you shouldn't talk back."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Alba rolled her eyes, as if she didn't believe him.
"Card!" called Piper as she ran towards the pair she had witnessed the event but had been too far to actually do anything; she would have arrived sooner if her mentor hadn't tried to stop her. "Are you all right?" she questioned hurriedly as she slowed to a stop.
Alba grabbed Aerrow's shoulder and guided him back to work, Piper walking at his other side.
"We can't stop working or it will get worse," she hissed. "Your friend is fine. The whips are tipped with citrus crystals."
"Citrus crystals are used to flavour food," said Piper, frowning at the guard's whips.
"Citrus really stings if it comes in contact with an open wound, but doesn't cause permanent damage. Sometimes they use heat crystals; they hurt like hell, and cauterize the wound at the same time. I gotta get back to work. You two should stop talking or you'll attract more attention."
Aerrow was about to thank Alba when he noticed her arms, which were covered in scratches and were bleeding. "Are you okay?"
"Been through worse. You got a loyal friend there," Alba snorted. "Stupid as all hell, but loyal."
Radarr chirped angrily. If it weren't for the redheaded woman, he would have bitten the guard's ankle before his foot came close to his friend's face. Aerrow quieted him with a pat on the head.
"She's right Trigger. If you had attacked them then, it would have made matters worse."
Piper handed Aerrow his pick axe and the three started pounding away at the rock. "You sure you're okay?" she asked quietly, in between swings.
"I'm fine, Piper, it hurts, but not for very long. It's just a couple of shallow cuts. Nothing to worry about," he assured her, smiling a little at her. It hurt to do that, and Piper didn't look that convinced. "What have you found out?"
"It's a big mine, divided into three sections. A guy named Osprey's been showing me the ropes," she gestured to a broad shouldered man about fifty feet away, he kept glancing at them "Weaver isn't in this section of the mine and we'll be locked up in barracks during the night."
"Alba's mentioned that communicating with the other sections is difficult."
"You two get to work!" shouted a nearby guard, noticing that they weren't pulling their weight.
"We'll talk later," murmured Aerrow.
***
Stork chewed his food gingerly, after poking and prodding it for a few minutes. It tasted pretty bad, but it wasn't horrible; better than he had been expecting. He turned to the others, Junko was licking his plate (no surprise there), Finn was grimacing slightly, Piper was chewing quietly and Aerrow was pushing his food around his plate while inserting the occasional forkful in his mouth, Radarr sitting beside him, was doing the same.
"The food's better than I expected," he muttered, attempting to start the conversation.
"At least it's edible," replied Piper sullenly.
"Yeah, but there's not enough of it," moaned Junko.
"Here Jaeger," said Aerrow offering half his meal. He was hungry, but wallops needed to eat a lot more than humans. If they weren't careful, Junko could starve.
"Have some of mine too," offered Piper.
"Aww. Thanks guys."
"Any ideas on where to find Weaver?" asked Finn, shoving some of his food onto Junko's plate as well.
"She's in one of the other two sections. We'll have to get out and look. Trigger's got a few lock picks. Alba mentioned knowing the layout, and once we get that from her we'll split up and search," said Aerrow.
The others nodded and quickly finished their meal since they only had a few minutes left to eat.
***
Saturday, 9:00pm, Barracks
"Man, I am not built for hard labour," moaned Finn as he sank into his cot three hours later. They were in the barracks now, a large room, carved out of the cavern wall. There were twenty five bunk beds, almost all of which were occupied.
"I know what you mean. I don't want to think about all the horrible diseases in the air," murmured Stork as he looked around furtively.
"We'll be okay Strider," assured Piper. "Anyway, so we know Weaver's in one of the other two sectors, we need to get out of here and look."
That second part came out much quieter than the first so as to not attract attention.
"Right," Aerrow nodded. "Alba seems pretty willing to share information. We'll ask her about the layout. Then, Jaeger, you'll go with Serin to one mine. Strider, you, Tern and Trigger will cover the other," ordered Aerrow in hushed tones.
They were surrounded by other miners who thankfully weren't paying them any attention as their filthy cots held far more allure then six strangers.
"What about you?" asked Stork.
"I have to stay here, I'll explain later," he said when his team mates looked at him in disbelief.
Finn looked like he was about to say something but seemed to think better of it. He knew Aerrow; if their Sky Knight wasn't coming he had a reason.
"C'mon, we need to track down Alba."
"I'm right behind you Card."
"Oh, hey, Alba," greeted Aerrow, turning. "You said you knew how to get out of here?"
"Yeah. Your little…" Alba trailed off, cocking her head as she stared at Radarr quizzically. "Just what are you anyway, Trigger?"
Radarr started chirping and waving his arms in a game of charades, but everyone just looked at him blankly. He sighed and crossed his arms, shaking his head dejectedly.
"We've been trying to figure that out for a while," said Arrow with a shrug.
"Uh, well, anyway, he can fit through the bars and pick the lock or swipe keys from a guard. As for directions, this is sector two. If you want to go to sector one, you'll have to head east. Once you are out, go left and then straight 'till you reach a fork. Turn right and you'll get to section one. The barracks are on the second level, I think. There are three of them so you'll have to guess which one Weaver is in. Sector two is south west of here. Go right and once you're out the door, and look for a long suspension bridge; it'll take you where you need to go. Eventually you'll come to a stair case. Go up to reach the barracks."
"Thanks Alba," whispered Aerrow. "We'll wait 'till everyone's asleep. It shouldn't be long now."
Indeed, over half of the barrack's populace was asleep; the other half was on the verge of sleep.
"Oh by the way Card, here," Alba handed Aerrow a roll of bandages, "for your leg I got them from the sector's medic Nadia."
Aerrow took the offering, "Thanks Alba."
Alba smiled and returned to her own cot while Piper helped Aerrow apply the bandages.
Half an hour later, Aerrow figured it was time to move. He nudged the others who were pretending to be asleep with the exception of Finn who really had fallen asleep and was currently snoring rather loudly. Piper held his nose and covered his mouth with her other hand.
"Hmm…um." Finn woke up waving his arms. "Time to go?"
"Yeah, Tern, it's time to go." Piper chortled quietly.
The group tiptoed to the door and Radarr squeezed through the bars at the top of the door, landing gracefully on the other side. Lock-picks in hand, he began his work. It took only a few moments to pick the lock and the other four stepped out.
"Be careful, guys, and don't lose your Chroma crystals."
"Don't worry, Card. We'll be fine," assured Finn. "C'mon Strider, Trigger," called Finn as he started down the hallway.
"We'll see you when we get back Card," said Piper.
Aerrow nodded, and closed the door once they were out of sight. "Good luck." he whispered.
He smiled, grateful they hadn't pressed him about why he hadn't gone with them. They were willing to blindly follow him into Cyclonia, into slavery and now they were heading out on what they thought was a dangerous mission while he stayed safe in the barracks. No questions, no hesitation. They did what he asked because they trusted him. He only hoped he lived up to their expectations.
Next update on the 21 of Febuary please comment.
