Well, this has been in the works for awhile, but I had a break from homework and my job tonight, so I figured I may as well finish one of my stories, so, here it is! The third and last chapter of "Standing on Hope". Hope you all enjoy it and it isn't too confusing, like I mentioned last time, my writing style is always under construction it seems.
I do not own the Storm Hawks, they are the property of Nerd Corps. I also do not own any rights to the song "Stand in the Rain" by Superchic[k].
So stand in the rain
The Dark Ace stared at us with wide eyes before he muttered, "I left you for dead boy. You can't possibly be Aerrow…." As he trailed off in thought, his face suddenly hardened before he took a step back and took up a battle stance as he spat, "You're merely an imposter who picked up a child's energy blade."
As he reached down, the redhead picked up the blue, forgotten weapon at his feet with a grunt of pain before he stood tall beside me once more. He was covered in mud and his face and neck were streaked with blood from a large gash down his cheek. Still, as the rain poured down around us, I could see the determination that flashed through his eyes, mirroring the lightning above us as he muttered, "You also picked up one of these blades. Do you claim to be Aerrow as well, or merely a power hungry imposter?"
Stand your ground
Growling with rage, the Dark Ace lunged forward, tackling my ally to the ground while Aerrow's blades slipped out of reach of the two struggling figures rolling in the wet dirt, trying to gain the upper hand. I took a step towards them and then paused for a moment, unsure whether to help him or to deal with the threat of the arc of Talons around us. However, my decision was made for me as several Cyclonians began to close in leaving no escape.
Glaring at them, I lifted their leader's weapon in one hand and wielded my staff with the other, shooting several bursts of crystal energy at them. Some faced an icy blast, and others felt the fury of fire from the firebolt crystal in the Dark Ace's sword. As two Talons darted forward to tackle me, I ducked just as they jumped. After all that had happened within the past hour or so, I couldn't help but smirk as the pair collided in midair and fell behind me in a clump after crashing into the stone cliff.
As the Cyclonains continued to advance, their numbers slowly shrank with the Dark Ace too distracted to command them. Looking around me, I knew there was much to be done before the battle was won or the opportunity to escape presented itself, but I couldn't help but smile – just a little – upon realizing that just a little bit of hope can change the tide of a battle in an instant.
Stand up when it's all crashing down
We fought long and hard through the torrential downpour, but no one won any ground for either side. I was able to stand firm with a friend fighting alongside me once more, and it helped that he was keeping the Dark Ace occupied, but I had a feeling in my gut that it wouldn't last.
After a Talon fell to the ground from a blow from my staff, I saw that the Cyclonian ranks were dwindling. But through the gap that I had created, I also saw Snipe and Ravess approaching slowly with Junko, Finn, Stork, and Radarr in tow. "No, not now!" I muttered as I turned to search for the Dark Ace and the Sky Knight, but had to knock down several more Talons before I could see them.
Looking over my shoulder, I saw that the remaining Cyclonian Commanders and my glowing, mind controlled friends were still heading towards the fight. I turned forwards again and concentrated on reaching my only remaining friend in time for us to make an escape. I swiftly dispatched any Talons that got in my way with a fierce blow from my staff, or if need be, a blast of fire from the sword I was learning to wield although it was my enemy's.
No matter what, I wasn't about to let anything else stand in my way today. If anything or anyone else dared defy me again or tried to take away the last person I cared about, I would make their world crash down around them just as mine had crumbled. At the very least, I would make them crumple in physical pain for the emotional storm that they had unleashed within me today.
You stand through the pain
I had almost reached the struggling pair of men rolling around in the mud when I noticed Aerrow's blades on the ground just in front of me. I quickly dispatched the Talons who were foolish enough to get in the way before sheathing the Dark Ace's sword and attaching my staff to my belt. I slid through the muck and grabbed Aerrow's blades before I spun my arms and body as I slowly came to a stop with the glowing blades in my hands.
As I came towards the two enemies in the mud, I kicked the Cyclonian Commander off of the young Sky Knight he had pinned. As my foot connected with his stomach I muttered, "How do you like it?"
"You'll regret that, girl." I couldn't understand how the Dark Ace could be smiling when I had just kicked him and sent him face first into more liquid filth. That's when the reality of the situation dawned on me – his sword was no longer on my back.
I took a step backwards while hauling my confused friend up off of the ground. He didn't know that the Dark Ace's sword was back in play. However, I think he knew what was coming when I handed him the two blue, crackling blades as I extended my tried and true staff once more.
As the Dark Ace stood, he muttered, "You felt powerful, didn't you? A firebolt – it's a powerful crystal, especially a highly refined one, but you knew that, didn't you?" I backed up further, only hoping that the Dark Ace's sadistic smile and unnerving tone of voice was a figment of my imagination.
It seemed like the Dark Ace wasn't about to pass up one final chance to inflict pain upon me as he stated, "You know, I've even heard that firebolts can affect your emotions. Their sheer power, their fiery heat, it causes your anger to flame, your blood to boil." He sneered, and I couldn't help but notice his red eyes begin glow as he hissed, "Your bloodlust erupts like a volcano, its fire unstoppable, unquenchable!"
My eyes widened and I instinctively reached out to grasp the tensed arm of the teenager beside me as the Dark Ace cried, "Today, the Storm Hawks will be finished, never again to rise from the ashes!"
As we were propelled backwards by the fiery blast of crystal energy, I felt the pain and heat surround me, and black soon bit at the corners of my sight. I felt defeated and lost.
You won't drown
That was it. I was beaten and down for the count. My courage and resolve had gone up in smoke. All I felt was pain and heat thanks to one fell swoop from my enemy's sword.
Had I held onto hope for too long?
Should I have just given into my fears?
I could have avoided all this pain if I had just succumbed to the enemy.
It would have been less painful, it would've been the easy way to do things, but since when did I ever make things easy? When did I decide that I'd give up at the first sign of trouble? When did I ever go down without a fight?
As I felt the heat of the fire being replaced by the wind whipping around me as I fell towards the Wastelands, I couldn't help but murmur, "When has Aerrow ever given up hope or let the enemy get the better of him? When has he ever just surrendered because it's too hard?"
Just when I thought I'd drown in my thoughts and my own tears of guilt, anger, and frustration, I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me and a reassuring voice whisper in my ear, "Never."
And one day, what's lost can be found
"I never gave up hope, I never surrendered. I had a squadron, my family to protect. Even if I can only save one of them, that's enough for today." I twisted my neck around to look into the green eyes of my Sky Knight, my friend, and my reason to hope.
He grinned at me, trying to convince me he was sincere as his battle glider unfurled and our descent to the Wastelands below fell short of the Dark Ace's goal. As Aerrow directed us to who knows where, I couldn't help but tighten my grip around him as I saw four pairs of glowing green eyes staring down at us through the mist and the rain.
I buried my head between his neck and shoulder, unwilling to admit to myself that I had lost four good friends today. I hadn't even lost them to death or disease, or even because of some freak accident. I had lost them to Cyclonia – a fate I wished on no one except for those foolish enough to serve the Cyclonian Empire willingly.
As we swooped down into the cloud cover below the terra towards the treacherous Wastelands to conceal ourselves, I whispered into the storm surrounding us, "No matter what, I won't ever give up hope. I know there's a way to get you back – all of you – and I won't rest until I figure it out."
"We'll get them back one day Piper, I promise." Aerrow murmured as we soared above the lava below. "There's only hope now, and so long as there's hope, one day, what's lost can be found."
You stand in the rain
So, there it is! I hope it lived up to your expectations, or at least, most of them. ;) Oh, and question, for anyone who has time to answer, or even remembers the rest of the story, but at the end of chapter 1, what were your thoughts about Aerrow (And his defeat by the Dark Ace) compared to his suggested entrance at the end of chapter 2? I tried to make it as convincing as possible. Some of you who know me well know that I can't bring myself to kill Aerrow (This is already at least my second or third attempt that failed), but I was just curious as to what any of your thoughts surrounding that particular plot twist were? Oh, and whether you noticed or not, the reason why I didn't have Piper use Aerrow's actual name in reference to his actual character (compared to using it for his blades) until the end of the story when he rescued her is because I sort of wanted to get across that she was still doubting herself and that even though Aerrow's presence brought her hope, she was still afraid her hope would be dashed once if anything happened to him for real. Does that make sense, or did no such thought ever cross your mind? :P
Ah well, just food for thought - I'm trying to add depth to my stories lately, just wondering if it's been working/recognizeable.
Anywho, that's all for tonight, and final projects, exams, and other such commitments are looming, so... so long for now! Chances are though, this isn't the last you'll be hearing of
~Crimson Fox4