Author's Note: I'm alive. I promise! Starting school and whatnot. Its all crazy times. Anyways, this chapter was really hard to write. I don't know why, but it really was a challenge. But now that its out of the way, its gonna open a tone of doors and questions. Enjoy!


Chapter Four
Town Of The Storm

"Aerrow! Time to come in honey!" a voice called out, causing the duo to turn away from their view.

A young woman stood at the front steps of a large house. She was a very attractive person, not much older than thirty. Her long red hair was braided, which hung over her shoulder gracefully. A simple yellow sundress could be seen in the dull lamplight of the house as she waved to him. There was a large smile on her face as she made eye contact with Aerrow.

Looking up once more, the boy let a sigh escape him. Coming to his feet, he dusted off his pants, trying to get rid of any of the dirt that might have been lingering. He stretched out his back and legs a bit, feeling various parts of his stiffened body crack and loosen once more. Looking down at the little creature, he met his gaze with a grin. "Come on Radarr," he said, extending out his arm.

Accepting the help, Radarr quickly scurried up to Aerrow's shoulder, clinging to him as he turned to move back inside. The two hurried to where the woman stood, climbing the stairs two at a time to reach the porch. They came to a halt to look up at her, a small look of disappointment hiding behind his smile.

The woman took notice of the look instantly, "What's the matter sweetheart?" she questioned, kneeling down so that she could be eye level with her son.

Sighing a bit, Aerrow looked at her with a small frown, "Dad said he would be back tonight. And I haven't seen a single sign of him." He told, casting his eyes downward to his dirt covered shoes. Radarr leapt from his shoulder and to the floorboards, looking up at his friend as well. "No skimmers or the carrier. Just…nothing."

Aerrow sniffled a bit, trying to keep himself from tearing up. If the kids in their town made fun of him for one thing, it was being a bit of a cry baby. A lot of the older boys would torment him, making him try and defend himself by fighting back. And yet, he would always be the one at the short end of the fight. Once every week, he would come home in tears with cuts and bruises all over him from the other boys. Radarr was always a help in the fights, but even the little creature would be beaten up as well.

"Oh Aerrow," she muttered quietly, taking him into a tight hug. "You know that a sky knight has to uphold his duties. It's for the sake of all of Atmos." She told him softly, letting her hand run though his hair a bit. Her hug seemed to be the greatest feeling Aerrow had ever known. No matter what the mood he was in, she always knew how to make him feel better.


"Aerrow? Aerrow. Can you hear me?"

"He's out cold. And we can't stay here."

"We need to move him or else we're all sitting ducks."

The voices were loud, ringing in his ears as if being spoken through a megaphone. He didn't understand what they were talking about. All he knew was that he in a great deal of pain. Aerrow could feel his head pulsating in a violent fashion, making him not want to open his eyes. There was a slight slap to his face, trying to get him to focus; to get him to wake up. Moaning slightly, Aerrow tried to move. Every inch of his body ached as he let his head roll a bit, forcing him to open his eyes.

For a moment, everything seemed to be in a haze. Three blurs stood towering above him, a mix of blue, yellow, and orange staring down upon him. Shaking his head slightly, Aerrow closed his eyes tightly, letting himself find his focus once more. Then, he let them re-open and look up once more.

"Hey, he's coming around," Finn's voice cut through the blurred images as sound came back to his ears.

"Aerrow. Are you alright?" he could hear Piper question. There was a small touch to the side of his face, as if trying to help his vision straighten. It was gentle and soft to him, knowing that it was indeed the girl. She let her hand move some of the hair from his eyes, trying to help him see a bit clearer. Her touch was calming, almost as if the pain he felt was beginning to subside.

Blinking a few more times, the red head could finally find his bearings. He was upon the ground, stretched out with his head resting on Piper's lap. Finn was standing looking down upon him while Radarr sat beside him, his little face wrinkled up with worry.

"What…what happened?" he asked, his voice sounding very disoriented.

Finn was the one to answer him first. He knelt down beside his friend, his crossbow poised in one of his hands. In the other, one of the flashlights from the Condor . "Dude, you got walloped from behind. Dark Ace landed an energy blast to your head before you landed." Smirking a bit, the blond tried to stay happy. "You were out cold by the time you crashed."

Blinking in confusion, Aerrow let his thoughts order themselves. He remembered the duel against the Dark Ace ending with him loosing. Piper had managed to catch him before he had fallen. Then, before her heliscooter was destroyed, the two had jumped. And then, a strange voice called for him and everything became a blank.

Sitting up slowly, the sky knight placed a hand to his brow, trying to brace in case there was any lingering dizziness within his head. Taking in a deep breath, he let himself calm down. He knew that the others were staring at him, wondering if he was alright. He shook his head out once more, letting his hand drop.

Looking up at his friends, Aerrow let a weak smile escape him. "I'll be fine," Rising to his feet slowly, the young man let his balance return to him quickly. He straightened up, trying to gain back some kind of authoritative stance. Glancing about, he took a few seconds to take in his surroundings. The small group was in the middle of a cluster of trees. The leaves were different shades of yellow, brown, orange, and red. The ground was covered in a thick layer, making the surrounding a brilliant array of colors. Hidden within the brush were the remaining skimmers, making sure that they were out of sight. "Where are we anyways?" he asked, feeling Radarr scurry up to his shoulder.

"We're not entirely sure," Piper told, coming up to her feet as well. "Junko and Stork at out scouting the area. They said they would radio in to us once they found something."

Nodding, Aerrow looked up towards the barely visible sky. He was hoping to see signs that the Cyclonians had left the area. Though, from what he could tell, the fleet was still circling around the Terra. A few skimmers flew above in the sky, though because of the trees, they were more than safe for the moment. From the looks of it, they seemed to be in a very tight spot. Tighter than usual.

And yet, letting his eyes avert down to the forest around them, Aerrow felt a strange feeling coursing through him. It could have been the blow to his head, but it was something different; something that had not crossed his thoughts for years. The place where he stood seemed somewhat familiar, though he couldn't put his finger on. He could tell that Radarr was feeling the same way. He sat upon his shoulder, glancing about franticly at the area, sniffing the air around him.

"Um…?" the familiar voice of the Merb called into the clearing. The young man glanced over his shoulder towards a small break in the trees. As Finn and Piper joined him, the two remaining members of the team appeared from the forest. Stork was out in front with Junko close behind him. The Merb did not look too thrilled about coming from the woods. Aerrow knew that if the green pilot had any choice, he wouldn't have been in the woods and back on the Condor. "You might wanna come and see this…um…ASAP. We found some crystal readings that look like an abandoned town."

"Where is it?" Finn asked, lowering his crossbow to his side.

Looking around at the small group, the Wallop motioned with his head, "A few miles north of here. We can probably hide out from the Cyclonians there." He told. Turning, he started to head back towards the woods, though seemingly very hesitant of doing so without the others to follow behind him.

But Piper crossed her arms in disapproval. "Can it wait for a few more minutes? Aerrow just woke up and needs to—"

"I'm alright Piper," Aerrow cut her off, glancing over his shoulder at her. He let his green eyes pierce her orange ones, trying to get her to not to worry. There was no time for them to take it easy and wait on him. If Stork and Junko found something that might help them out of their predicament, then there was no choice but to flee their current position. "Lead the way Stork."

Without too much hesitation, the group headed off into the surrounding area. The woods were a lot more dense then they had originally thought. Large trees and underbrush covered the forest floor, making walking somewhat more difficult. Junko used his knuckle busters to clear away some of the brush, creating a narrow path for him to walk. The sounds of wildlife could be heard echoing on the light breeze that came through every few minutes, birds and other creatures letting themselves be known. They trudged behind the Merb and Wallop, wanting to question where they were going. And yet, everyone remained silent, in case there was someone around that they didn't want to let know they were there.

Night had fully settled upon the Terra as Aerrow stopped where he was. He panted a bit, feeling exhaustion wanting to take over. For the past hour, he had allowed himself to fall behind the others, letting them take the lead. With every step he took, he began to experience a sense of Deju'vu. With every tree he passed and every breath he took in, the sweet clean air seemed to bring back faint and blurred memories. As if it was something that he hadn't thought about in years.

Radarr seemed to have the same reaction. Every so often, he would scurry back and forth from shoulder to shoulder, sniffing at the air around him. A small squeak escaped him, keeping himself close to Aerrow's head.

"You feel it too Radarr?" he asked, keeping his voice low. The little creature nodded to him, continuing to smell the cool night air around him. Aerrow kept his eyes to the sky, hoping not to see any Cyclonians soar close by. His squadron had left themselves open to attack in the middle of the woods at night. And yet, there was no real safe place at the very moment. All they could do was push forward to wherever Stork and Junko were taking them.

Piper turned to glance over her shoulder. She paused for a moment, letting her eyes focus in the low light. Aerrow stood about ten feet behind her, glazing skyward through a small break in the trees. His red hair blew slightly in the low breeze as he stared off into space, green eyes locked above.

For the few years that she had known him, Piper had noticed the inner workings of their sky knight were more complicated than normally thought. When he was in her cabin earlier, Aerrow had let a side of him slip out that was never shown. Despite the confident and enthusiastic young man he always came off being, there was a lot within him that he would never lead on to. Granted, every once in a while, she would find herself staring at him. There was something about him that seemed to make her heart race of late and her mind almost want to go a total blank. The red hair and green eyes could make any woman, sky knight or not, want to be closer than just friends with him. And now, with every passing day, she was becoming more and more fascinated with her leader.

"We're here," The Merb's voice echoed, causing the red head and strategist's attention back to the group. Stork and Junko moved aside some of the loose branches that hung in the way of their line of sight. Shining the flashlights into the opening, the squad almost seemed to let their jaws open in awe. Just as Stork had predicted, the teens were met with a small town. The road leading in was dirt, though grass was beginning to grow upon it. All of the buildings encircled a large town center where a flagpole stood. There was no light coming from the any houses or stores. Every inch of the area seemed to be devoid of all life.

"Little bit creepy," Finn muttered to the others, trying to lighten the mood.

Pushing out of the safety of the brush, the team moved out into the abandoned town. They walked slowly, shining their lights about. The quiet was almost eerie, for the group did not utter a single word to each other as they moved towards the center of the town. Piper glanced about a bit, taking in the scene. Letting her flashlight shine on one of the buildings, her brow furrowed slightly. "All of the buildings are in ruin." She muttered finally, causing the others to shine their lights upon some of the buildings as well.

Stork let himself shutter a bit at the sight, "Seems like they were attacked without warning." He told, examining some of the rubble of what was once a storefront. "Definitely Cyclonian. Though, I wouldn't want to rule out the Verganian Rhinoasurs. They tend to stampede and can flatten things for miles."

"But, how couldn't they see the Cyclonians coming?" Junko thought aloud, coming up beside Stork. "Wouldn't there have been an alarm or something?"

Piper nodded at the Wallop's words, shining her light around the square once more. "That's the really confusing part, isn't it? I don't know this area too well, so I'm not entirely sure what squadron would have it to protect." She explained, placing her hand to her chin in thought.

Aerrow kept a slow pace towards the flagpole. Radarr was still upon his shoulder, though the small creature was clinging to him tighter than usual. He let his eyes move about the ruble of the buildings, taking in the scene slowly. Within, the sky knight was screaming in anger at what the Cyclonians had sunk to doing. The thought of harming the innocent made Aerrow's blood boil to the point where he was willing to take on the whole fleet on his own.

And yet, there was something nagging within the back of his thoughts. With every breath he took in, he became more and more uneasy. The cool night breeze would rustle his hair, making him almost want to shiver. Coming to a halt before the town center, the young sky knight let his eyes close for a moment, almost trying to calm his jittering nerves.

"Aerrow! Run Away!" the same voice from earlier called out to him. He could feel his entire body freeze on him. His feet became planted in their spot, though it felt as if the earth was moving under his feet. The darkness of his closed eyes suddenly became a deep shade of crimson, dripping down as if trying to drown him. Deep within the corners of his mind, he could hear something faint; a high pitch scream coming closer with every second.

Forcing his eyes opened, Aerrow let a small gasp escape him. He looked down to the ground, trying to focus his breath from causing himself to panic. There, upon the ground at the foot of the flagpole, sat a small bronze plaque. The writing emblazoned upon it was covered in a thin layer of dirt while small weeds had popped up about it, helping in showing the age of the area.

"What?" he muttered quietly, staring with a questioning gaze at the ground.

He took a knee slowly, trying to conceal the fact he had begun to tremble. He placed his flashlight to the ground, letting it roll slightly from where he knelt. Radarr leapt from his friend's shoulder, sniffing at the small spot with curiosity. Aerrow let his hand rest upon the plague and with one swift motion, brushed some of the dust away.

Finn was the first to notice that their leader had drifted from the group. The blond watched as Aerrow fell to his knees, his eyes focused on the ground. Radarr was beside him, the blue animal sniffing at something below. The red head brushed away at something on the ground, letting his hands rest upon what looked like a large rock. He could see the eyes suddenly grow wide as Radarr's ears stood up in surprise.

"Hey Aerrow! Whatcha find?" he called over, causing the rest of the team to reassemble. They moved towards where the sky knight knelt, barely moving from his shocked position.

Though he knew the others were at his side, Aerrow could not find it in himself to speak. It felt as if a fist had been thrown into his stomach, letting his breath escape him and all sense leave his very being. The flashlights the others held came upon the area before him, making a harsh truth even more unbelievable before than ever.

Kneeling beside him, Piper let her light come upon the small plaque. "Let's see," she muttered quietly:

"On this spot on the eve of the seventeenth of March,

The Storm Hawks, one of the finest Squads in all Atmos,

Was lost to the world at the hands of Cyclonia.

May their bravery and honor live on forever.

'Take love and land. But they can never take the skies from us.'"

"No way," Finn began, letting his eyes widen and jaw drop. "This place is the base of the original Storm Hawks!"

Piper's eyes lit up as if she had just received a brand new crystal. Jumping to her feet, she let herself smile broadly. "No one knew where the original Terra was for years though! Since they were taken down by the Dark Ace," Walking away from the group, she shined the light around the area once more, looking at the crumbled ruins of the town. "This must be where the Cyclonians attacked the squadron. That's why there mustn't be any records of the team chronicled for a week before their deaths. They weren't sent out in time for them to reach Atmos."

The words struck the young knight frozen in his place on the ground. As much as he couldn't believe that the feeling was real, there was no denying what was there in his mind. The familiar smell on the wind and the feeling of walking those woods before; it was the same as all those years ago. Aerrow let his fingers trace the letters of the last line of the memorial slowly. The words were something that were familiar to him, haunting him every time he would let the wings open on his bike and the breeze run through his hair. It was what his father would always tell him and the words in a song his mother would sing to him before falling asleep.

"So it must be why there are also no maps of this area either," Stork commented, moving out towards where Piper had moved. "By the looks of it, everything that had anything to do with the original Storm Hawks were destroyed in the attack."

Glancing up, he looked about the town at a glance. He could feel his heart in his throat as he scanned around, seeing the home he once knew in ruin. He knew Radarr was looking up at him, worry gracing his little features. Coming to his feet slowly, Aerrow's mind began to race as he stumbled forward a bit, moving towards some of the buildings. Blinking, he could almost see the people walking the streets and the shops alive with activity. The dirt roads were cobble once more and he could feel the joy that was once there. And within a blink once more, it had gone. Back to the ruins of a scorched and dead town his thoughts faded, making his heart sink. His squadron could be heard in the background, jabbering on about how wonderful of a find this was.

"Aerrow!" Piper's voice called through his thoughts, making him glance over his shoulder at her. She was coming up to his side quickly, a large and sparkling smile gracing her features. "This is fantastic! We can learn so much from this! Don't you think it's great?" she finished, grabbing hold of his arm.

'Was this what the Dark Ace wanted me to see?' he thought, completely ignoring Piper's hold and question. The words that the man had told him echoed in his ears, the taunting making him want to cringe. '…maybe you just don't remember what happened that night?' it spoke, the mocking tone making his skin crawl.

Closing his eyes, Aerrow felt a sharp pain shoot the side of his head. It was like a knife had been slammed into his skull and was being twisted slowly. He felt his stomach lurch slightly as he grabbed his head, staggering to keep himself upright. He grunted as he felt the earth shift under him, making him take a knee to the ground.

"Aerrow?" He could hear Piper's voice ask, though he didn't dare to open his eyes. A hand came to his back as he felt himself almost lurch to vomit. "Aerrow, what's wrong?"

But he could answer. The pain was too intense for him to try and force the words out. Letting himself fall forward, he felt the ground collide with his body. He continued to clutch his head, feeling as if it were about to burst opened. A flood of images came rushing to his mind, flashing before his thoughts as if someone had hit the fast forward button on a tape deck. Faces and things he could recall from when he was a kid began to show themselves in front of him. Seeing his father taking him up into a tight hug after coming home to the night he found Radarr hiding under the front porch. It was all there. His mother's smile and his father's squadron. They were all there and in one brilliant flash, grew black once more.


Author's Notes: I promise the next chapter won't be ask weird. Don't forget to read and review!