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Disclaimer - I do not own Storm Hawks. They are property of Nerd Corps and CEO Asaph Fipke.

Stork's Log:

Good News: Radarr can live.

Bad News: Delilah is still out there... and it's already night...


The team decided to search the spider at the most probable sections of the ship; Aerrow patrolling at the corridors, Junko in the engine room, Piper in the kitchen, Finn at the hangar bay and Stork at the bridge. The pilot had told them that the arachnoids hated bright light and would often hide at the mere sight of it, so he recommended the lights to be on. It was better to corner it under a bed instead of being mauled in the dark- which Stork pointed out could be a fitting demise.

As Stork peered under the aerial instruments with caution, it was clear that Delilah couldn't be on the bridge. Maybe she was in the kitchen like Piper suggested, although the arachnoid would only feed upon blood. As far as he was concerned the only digestible food in the pantry were Piper's sandcakes.

He began pondering about Delilah's escape again. If nobody had opened the crate then that could only mean Delilah had busted her way out herself.

But how? Scarlet-maw-vampire-fanged arachnoids don't just muster up that kind strength unless they've drank a huge amount of blood…

This led Stork to ponder even more. Where could've that blood come from? He had been feeding her at least six mountain-hopping crickets a day, enough to sustain her appetite, but not enough to suddenly turn her into a heavy-duty monster.

He dismissed the idea to the corners of his mind, figuring that the present was much more important right now.

...

Piper opened the fridge. An awful scream erupted from inside, giving Piper a colossal fright. She shielded herself with her hands as she fell down onto the floor. Fearing the worst, she snatched a slimer crystal from her pocket and readied herself for the impending spider. But nothing came out, which made Piper wonder if it- I mean, she- was frozen due to the cold temperature inside the refrigerator.

It turned out to be last night's leftovers, specially cooked by Junko. It wasn't actually classified as leftovers, mainly because everybody except Junko had a terrible excuse not to eat it, and so the whole potful of food was still there- and alive. Whatever it was, it had a really bad cold.

"Well, I searched everywhere, even in the sandcake tin." Piper sounded disappointed. "I guess I have to keep a lookout from now on."

A pot rattled to Piper's left. The crystal mage briskly turned to her side, clutching the green crystal with determination. "Huh. So you were here. Go figure."

The 'pot' was now scuttling towards the stove, the spider inside it seemingly unaware of its surroundings. Piper tiptoed with discreet footsteps, her arm aiming for it. After it stopped moving, she threw the crystal at it. But somehow she missed, the spider dodging in time with a speedy leap after hearing the air whistle from the crystal's momentum. It landed on the stove, now aware of the danger threatening it.

Piper knew that things would have to be taken drastically and, praying that Stork wouldn't notice any burn marks on his dear Delilah, she reached for the stove dial and turn it to the highest degree. The stove ferociously lit with blue flames which scorched the spider's underbelly, causing it to screech in pain. The arachnoid eagerly hopped out of the burning stove as the pot lay stranded on the counter-top, leaving Delilah fully exposed to light.

More screeching. The spider hid again as Piper took a minute to crank the stove dial off. Precaution was her biggest principle when handling dangerous items, much like her UPCHUC routine with crystals. She turned to the table and took another slimer crystal from her bag of holding. "I've got you now!"

An electrical fizz crackled above her as the lights flickered, finally shutting off. Piper looked up to the ceiling with concern. "Uh oh."

The dark inclined the spider to crawl from its shady shelter, inviting it to the open. Piper heard the voracious hiss to her right as she cautiously inched towards the sliding doors. She had a plan, as usual. With her other hand she grabbed her flash crystal from her bag and looked around for the sneaky arachnoid. She heard another hiss, this time to her left. Pots and pans clanked on the floor.

The hiss turned into a growl. Piper gritted her teeth as she thrust the flash crystal forwards, a sudden flare of orange light blinding the arachnoid for a second. The crystal mage heard the sliding doors behind her open and, after briskly throwing the flash crystal behind her, she grabbed an eruption crystal with her available hand. She knew what the outcome would be if she used a slimer with an eruption, but in that split second she threw both at Delilah.

It was too late. Delilah had heard the air whistle from the crystals' momentum and dodged it, making way to an unsuspecting Piper.

...

"Hmm?" Stork looked above him. The lights were flickering, finally fading off with a crackle. The whole bridge turned still and dim. He whimpered as he hopped on the safety railing with fear. "This is bad, this is really bad. We now have a 100% chance of an eight-legged ambush!"

There was the sound of crashing coming from outside the bridge. Stork sharply turned to the door, his expectations proving to be expected. After reluctantly stepping down from the railing, he cautiously went into the corridors. It turned out that the entire ship had been robbed of illumination as the corridors appeared menacingly dark. Stork was relieved that he had his night-vision goggles at his disposal.

Now that he could see, Stork wondered where the crashing came from. He figured it was Junko, who had probably tripped over and collided with the engine pipes and was now sending the whole ship into the Wastelands. "Come on, my little beaut, I'm ready for ya." He snickered in a dark, pseudo-evil fashion.

Something suddenly clattered on the floor with a 'clink', which resonated throughout the hallway. Stork blinked. That 'clink' was a crystal, and only Piper would have a crystal.

"Yep. Heinous doom."

He found himself standing before the kitchen doors, where Piper's orange flash crystal was humming faintly on the floor. "This is not good..." Readying his critter net bombs, he stepped in front the doors as they automatically opened.

But it turned out that he didn't have to go inside to find Piper, because waiting for him on the other side was a paralyzed crystal mage driven backwards on one leg. She had her back to him, her skin covered with the spider's hard, purple web. Stork noticed a large, green goop of slime splattered on the floor, which he guessed to be Piper's attempt in ensnaring Delilah with her slimer + eruption crystal combo. The crystal expert failed though, since there was no spider trapped in the jelly-like substance.

"Um, guys?" The helmsman called to his team, poking Piper's cheek. It was solid as ice. "You better come here...!"

"What's wrong?" Aerrow appeared behind Stork upon seeing him in the hallway. As he shifted his gaze to Piper's petrified body, he gasped in horror. "Doom chose her." Stork sighed in a melancholic tone. Aerrow flashed a remorseful expression at the pilot. She has the same scared look on her face... "I shouldn't have sent her alone."

"Well, seeing as how she's able to stand on one leg I'd say there's a hefty amount of venom in her." Stork observed, trying his best to reassure his leader. "She'll be in action again in six hours, more or less. Right now I suggest we take her to my room."

A scream bellowed throughout the corridor, sounding as though it came from the lower section of the ship. Aerrow's ears perked, realizing that it was probably Junko. "Stork, get Piper to safety!" As he drew out his twin energy blades he dashed away, determined not to lose another one of his squad.

"Um, okay, shouldn't be too hard." As he turned to the crystal mage he realized that he spoke too soon. With Piper bending rearward on one leg, Stork couldn't push her. Dragging her would cause imbalance, so the only option was to carry her.

While carrying Piper on and off, Stork wished she had chosen a better position to express her fear and utter horror. As for the carrier's lights, Stork wondered if Delilah had found her way to the circuit boards. Junko must've encountered her since the circuit boards were situated near the engine room. He had already tried the usual light switches. Nothing.

"At this rate we're all going to be dinner." Stork deadpanned, finally arriving at his quarters. He found two wires at the outer rim of the sliding doors and, after placing Piper to one side, connected the wires together for a brief moment. The wires fizzed and sparked, opening the sliding doors. Impressed with his own work he walked inside before realizing that he forgot Piper. He grabbed her inside before the doors shut with a clank.

He was disgusted with the mess Finn and Junko left. Various items were scattered on the floor in a haphazard fashion, and the crate was empty. With a grunt, Stork heaved Piper near Radarr. The Merb quite liked the sight of them since they resembled statues that depicted their untimely demise. Sadistic as he is, Stork couldn't help but reach for his camera.

"Oh, now this is priceless."


Side-note: This kind of reminds me of Blair Witch in which they are attacked one by one, not with the whole camera-first-person-POV-thing. But don't worry, nothing that horrific will happen here... I think.

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