Chapter 3: Gift Horse
When Stork took Aerrow and his friends inside, he started leading them to the bridge. The Condor had many rooms. Stork told them about the blacksmith shop, the kitchen, the hangar bay and repair area lining the lower decks, and the living quarters in the upper decks. And while he told them about the ship, Stork also spoke of his home on Terra Merbia and how he got to the Condor.
As Aerrow looked around, even with the new repairs, the place didn't look like much. Over a hundred years old with engines older than Aerrow and his friends combined, there was no telling how many quirks this thing would have if it even worked. Oh, well. You don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
At last, they reached the bridge. Aerrow took a good look around. It was well lit due its large frontal window design that, along with the two sixty-foot periscopes on the bridge, gave this room the best visibility inside the ship.
In front and behind the helm was a railing, and behind the back railing was a round table. The table was halfway surrounded by curved booths, and the Storm Hawks' symbol decorated the tabletop. Aerrow thought it a little odd that the table was round. Traditionally, Sky Knight squadrons' meeting tables were rectangular, and the Sky Knight sat at the head of the table. Maybe Lightning Strike thought that a rectangular table portrayed smugness, making it look as if the Sky Knight was better than the rest of his squadron. Maybe he thought a round table had more fairness to it. Whatever his reasons, Aerrow liked it for every reason he had attributed to Lightning Strike. He smiled to himself as he thought that maybe the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree.
Stork was still telling his story when they entered. "So," he said, "I escaped to the Wastelands when my home Terra Merbia was attacked by the Cyclonians." He gasped fearfully even as he said it. "Luckily I found this ship," he said gesturing around the bridge. "It's deadly out there."
Piper looked impressed. "You did all these repairs yourself?" she asked him.
Stork whipped around and faced her with a smug smile. "Well," he said, looking excited, "I made a few upgrades." He counted on his fingers as he listed them. "Tripled the power of the blaster ray, added an unidirectional tiller, improved the autopilot," he held up a finger, "and installed cup holders." He gestured toward the cup holders.
Finn got a closer look at the cup holders. "Sweet!" he exclaimed, giving Stork a thumbs up.
"Yeah, sweet," Stork agreed without enthusiasm, "except I can't find the blasted key to the ship!" He clenched his fists as he shouted this, and jabbed a finger at the ground angrily. "I've looked everywhere for years!"
Aerrow and Radarr exchanged a weird glance with Piper when Stork started to chuckle nervously. Was he having a nervous breakdown?
"I'm telling you," Stork insisted, pointing to them, "that thing mocks me!" He whipped around and pointed to the ignition.
Aerrow couldn't help smiling. "I think we may be able to help each other out," he said. He pulled out the crystal key the Guardians had given him and held it out toward Stork.
Stork stared wide-eyed at the key as if he couldn't believe it. He reached out to take it from Aerrow but hesitated when his fingers almost closed on it, as if waiting for Aerrow to take it back. When he didn't, the Merb snatched the key and held it in front of his smiling face, squealing with delight. Then, without further delay, he stuck the key into the ignition and turned. The key fit and turned the ignition. Letting out a shaky sigh of awe, Stork reached over to the three levers beside the helm, and pulled down on the nearest one. Aerrow held his breath. Now they would see whether his new ship would work.
And it seemed it did! Gauge needles went up. The needle on the system moved from red to yellow and then to green, indicating the Condor was ready for flight. All the humanoids cheered and threw their fists in the air, and Radarr smiled gleefully from where he hung on Aerrow's back.
Then . . . the system's gauge fell back to red, and the engines' whirling stopped. "Ah," everyone said in unison in their disappointment. So close!
But Stork wasn't going to put up with that. Muttering frustrated, inarticulate curses, he started kicking angrily at the helm's stand.
Amazingly, that worked! The system's gauge's needle turned back to green. Stork pulled down on the lever once more. And this time, the mighty ship groaned to life and slowly rose from the bed she had been resting on for ten long years. Stork spun her around and started off.
But Aerrow didn't have long to celebrate being airborne. His eyes were on something looming in front of them. "Uh, Stork," he said nervously. The pilot turned to look at him. Aerrow pointed out the window. "I think that's a volcano."
And it was a volcano. One look at was enough to make Finn, Piper, and Stork scream in terror. Finn grabbed Piper and moved her in front of him so he could hide behind her.
After the initial scream, everyone was too scared to say anything else. But their pilot screamed a second time as he turned the ship sharply to starboard and pulled her up. The Condor cleared the volcano, only scraping her bottom portside hull on its top.
Aerrow couldn't believe it. That was some of the best flying he had ever seen! He, Piper, and Finn all let out a cheer for Stork.
Piper went to stand beside Stork opposite of Aerrow. Finn and Radarr went to the sixty-foot front window, leaning on the glass and looking down. "I can't believe this thing actually flies," Finn commented.
"Yeah," Stork agreed. "There's a good chance we'll fall out of the sky at any minute." He said it so calmly, so casually, that Aerrow began to get the idea that Stork was used to making dire predictions. But then again, he was a Merb, and Merbs were always waiting for horrible things to happen. Terra Merbia, you see, is constantly struck by natural disasters, making its inhabitants fit for the worst.
Stork turned to Aerrow. "So . . . Storm Hawks?" he asked, sounding skeptical.
"Hard to believe, I know," Aerrow answered. In fact, if Piper wasn't so sure of it, Aerrow wasn't sure that even he himself would believe.
But Stork just shrugged as he turned back to the helm. "Eh, I believe in pretty much everything," he said. Then the Merb gasped and smiled at Aerrow. "You'll wanna see this!"
The Merb led Aerrow and his friends down toward the hangar bay. When he brought them there, the door opened and the lights went on, all automatically. Aerrow blinked a couple times to be sure of what he was seeing. "Whoa," he, Piper, and Finn said in unison.
Radarr's ears shot up. Finn gasped, and Piper giggled in awe. "Wow," was all Aerrow could manage.
"Yeah," Stork agreed, smiling at their enthusiasm.
There in the hangar bay were the spare skyrides and weapons! They weren't just any skyrides, either. Most of them were model III Air Skimmers, motorcycle-like rides that transform into biplanes! These were classic combustions powered by crystal engines (Nimbus 7 series jet engines, to be exact) rather than pedals. They were similar to motorcycles and were equipped with crystal energy triggered folding bi-wings (much better than the Air Skimmer II and Classic, which had to be manually transformed from bike to flight mode). These rides were known for being unbelievably maneuverable and quick, and were quite quiet and stealthy when one holds off the throttle. The light and soft Thrombus tin is what makes these rides so light and fast, but it's not great for withstanding energy blasts.
The other skyride was a Heliscooter, a ride that was a helicopter rather than a biplane and more scooter-like than motorcycle-like. It was a very cheap, fuel efficient, and child-safe skyride. It had only one booster, making it slower then the Air Skimmer. It was also smaller than a Skimmer and had no armor, but this made it more maneuverable. The main rotor extended from a compartment behind the seat, while the rear wheel provided the tail rotor. The available options and add-ons for this popular ride were mind-boggling, giving the Heliscooter owner endless possibilities for customization. The skyride was invented on Terra Greemus, the last terra to take to the skies, concerned with sustainable crystal fuel sources and environmental impacts. Aerrow wondered briefly whether or not Piper would enjoy the ride. She was always concerned for the environment. But maybe that was just the scientist in her.
One of the Skimmers was a silver and orange one, and this was a standard Air Skimmer III. The others, however, were of different types. The bulky silver and blue-green Skimmer was an Air Skimmer III EL. This version was slightly heavier than the standard and less maneuverable, but it's able to hold more weapons and take more blows.
But the Skimmer that caught Aerrow's eye was the red, blue, and silver Skimmer with the Storm Hawks emblem on the sides that popped out into wings. It was an Air Skimmer III Ultra, also called a Mark-5 Vulcan. It was the same basic design as the standard with upgrades. Not to mention it had an afterburner that provided short, powerful bursts of incredible speed when deployed (as long as it doesn't explode, which happens in about one out of 17.5 deployments). The Ultra is very maneuverable, but the armor plating meant that it wasn't as fast as the standard. However, this practical model had a special light-weight frame that canceled out the extra weight. It also had a secondary cockpit on the starboard side and three cup holders (Aerrow wasn't sure who was supposed to use the third one).
Something else caught Aerrow's eye along the walls as well, and it had nothing to do with skyrides. He started walking toward the far wall.
Finn had eyes only for the rides. He ran toward the standard III Skimmer and hugged its bow. "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen!" he exclaimed, smiling back at them. The next minute, he was kissing the Skimmer's sleek metal hood and rubbing it lovingly.
Piper put a finger to her lip. "Uh, except these are for the Storm Hawks, Finn," she reminded the boy, pointing to the Skimmers, "not you and me." She gestured back and forth between herself and Finn.
Aerrow was surprised by her comment. "What are you talking about?" he asked as he walked toward the far wall. He clenched his fist. "Growing up, we've always played Sky Knight." He stopped in front of the wall, beaming at his new revelation. "Now we get to do it for real!"
Hanging before him on the wall were four weapons and a shield. The shield was large and circular, and it looked as if it hitched onto the wing of the Ultra. Aerrow would have to remind himself to get someone to put that on . . . and also reminded himself that he should probably claim that Skimmer for his own.
One of the weapons caught his eye: a crystal-powered crossbow. Gently he picked up and felt it. He knew just who should take this: their own expert at mud blasters, the best at aim. He turned around. "Finn, sharpshooter!" he cried, tossing Finn the crossbow.
Finn caught the crossbow in his hands, smiling down at. "Ooh, sweet!" he exclaimed. He spun it around and pretended to aim.
The second weapon Aerrow saw also went along with someone he knew well. It was a crystal energy staff that could take the effects of multiple crystals. He happened to know someone good with sticks and excellent with crystals. He tossed Piper the staff. "Piper, crystal mage." He thought a moment. "Plus all the smart stuff." Yeah, all the smart stuff Aerrow knew he couldn't do and, as a Sky Knight, would need to do. And she expected him to do this without her! The thought!
Piper caught the staff easily with one hand. She lengthened it, and then with a cry, she swung it right, then down and around, leaping into the air and bringing it down on the ground with a bang as she tested out her new weapon. It seemed to suit her well.
Aerrow turned to the last two weapons left hanging on the wall. "I'm thinking these are mine," he said aloud. They were twin energy blades, small yet lethal. Having two meant Aerrow was would be hard-pressed to hold a shield and fight at the same time, but that was okay with him; the shield looked somewhat cumbersome for someone so young and scrawny. Maybe a grown warrior could hold it easily, but not a fourteen-year-old boy living off the land. Besides, two blades meant Aerrow could fight more than one enemy at the same time, and with two weapons, he was less likely to ever be found completely weaponless. Even better was the fact that he was ambidextrous.
Aerrow took the blades down and held them out, experimenting their weight in his hands. They felt right and natural. Just to see if they still had any crystals in their hilts, he tried to ignite them. The blades lit with blue glowing energy from rare blue striker crystals. The energy made Aerrow's fingers tingle, and thrills went up and down his spine. He could feel their power, their danger, and the best part was that power was his!
Aerrow knew he just had to try them out! With a battle cry, he swung the blades around, attacking one way, then another, always with a precision Aerrow hadn't known he possessed. With a final grunt, he slipped the blades in two clip-on sheaths on his back and flipped through the air. He was sitting in the seat of the Ultra by the time he realized how carried away he was, and by that time, he decided just to go with it.
He turned to his ever-faithful companion. "Radarr, you're my copilot," he told the furry creature. He hadn't even stopped to consider whether or not Radarr wanted to be a Storm Hawk. The little guy always went along with his boy.
And now was no different. As soon as Aerrow said that, Radarr's ears and tail shot up and he squawked with excitement. In a flying leap, he was in the little cockpit, which was the perfect size. With a chirp, he saluted his future Sky Knight.
There was only one last member Aerrow wanted to address for now. He needed someone who could drive his great ship, and he knew just the one. "What'd you say, Stork?" he asked the Merb in the doorway. He nodded at the wall of the Condor. "Wanna be our carrier pilot?"
Stork put his hand to his chin. "And spend the rest of my life cooped up in a tiny ship flying from terra to terra in a constant onslaught of deadly adventures?" he exclaimed, cringing a little. He drew a breath, and then a slow smirk spread across his face. "Oh, yeah! I'm in!"
Suddenly there was a crashing and rattling sound from somewhere else on the ancient ship. Stork pointed a thumb behind him. "I should probably go check on that," he said, turning around and heading to the door.
Aerrow smiled and looked around the hangar bay again. Perhaps this ship wasn't the best gift horse, but he had looked it in the mouth . . . and he liked what he saw!
Back on Terra Neverlandis, Grimsley and his squadron were standing outside the fort. Junko, trying to act as if he was still a loyal member of the gang, stood staring straight at Grimsley with his arms crossed. They were preparing for Snipe's arrival.
"Snipe takes orders directly from Master Cyclonis," Grimsley said, leaning toward his boys. "He's a big shot." He stood up straight and put his hands on his hips. "We gotta make a good impression."
Suddenly there was the sound of a loud horn. They all turned to the skies, and Junko could see something glittering. An airship was coming. Junko squinted toward it. Snipe?
Grimsley seemed to think so. "Here he comes," he said. "In just a few minutes, we'll be full-fledged Talons!"
Junko's face twisted in confusion as the ship headed closer, lacking the beak-like shape of a Cyclonian Destroyer. "Hmm, that doesn't look like a Cyclonian ship," he told Grimsley.
Grimsley's face fell as the ship came into full view. Junko's heart leaped in rejoicing. The pontoon-like engines, the symbol of the hawk . . . "It's the Condor!" he exclaimed.
Right as he said it, the hangar bay opened, and the first of the Skimmers drove out onto the landing strip. It was the standard III, the one Finn had claimed for his own. The newly-made sharpshooter screamed in fright as he sped out of control off the landing strip, deployed his wings, and barrel rolled . . . on accident.
Behind him, Aerrow and Radarr and Piper had each mounted their rides. Aerrow and Radarr were in their places on the Vulcan, and Piper had claimed the Heliscooter. Sitting on their rides side by side, Aerrow and Piper exchanged glances as they saw Finn's unplanned stunt, and Radarr looked back and forth between the two. Sometimes, it seemed Finn was just hopeless. Oh well. Hopefully he wouldn't kill himself while he was flying.
Aerrow and Radarr and Piper took off into the sky smoothly (having actually looked at their flight manuals, unlike Finn). They didn't really have a plan; all they had worked out was that they were going to win back their terra.
Piper flew up alongside Aerrow and Radarr. Aerrow could feel his chest swelling. They were really doing it! They were being a real Sky Knight squadron! He turned to Piper with a cocky smile. "Remember," he told her, "we're the Storm Hawks now, so just be cool!"
Piper only had time to smile in response before they had to break away from each other to avoid being hit by screaming, upside-down Finn. As he zipped between them, he managed to right himself, only turning upside-down again and screaming some more.
Junko couldn't believe his eyes when he saw who was flying. "The Storm Hawks!" he exclaimed, forgetting to hide his enthusiasm. He clenched his fists. "Cool!"
"No!" Grimsley corrected him, hitting him in the shoulder to get the Wallop to look at him. He got up right in his face. "It's not cool!" He turned to the other four Cyclonian Youths. "Get to your rides!" he commanded them.
Without a moment's hesitation, the boys obeyed. They were off on their bike-like rides at once to intercept the new Storm Hawks.
Grimsley mounted up as well, hitting his bell as he did. But just as he started pedaling to get his helicopter blades moving, a hand reached out a stopped the blades. Grimsley looked up in surprise. It was Junko, his own man, and he was glaring at him. "What're ya doing?" Grimsley asked in disbelief.
Junko drew back his fist. "Being a good guy!" he answered. And with that, he punched Grimsley clear of his ride.
Grimsley groaned as he hit the ground on his stomach. "Ha!" Junko laughed at him as he hopped onto Grimsley's bicycle and began pedaling. The punk had gotten what he deserved.
Grimsley growled as he sat up, watching the Wallop take to the sky on his ride. "Junko, you traitor!" he shouted after him, shaking his fist at him. But Junko paid him no mind.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Cyclonian Youth Brigade 059 was headed toward the Storm Hawks. Aerrow led his new team closer, ready to meet them in the middle. The Cyclonian Youths were prepared. One of them threw back his shaggy purple hair out his face and fired from a gun-like blaster, sending a red crystal energy pulse toward Aerrow, their main offender. Luckily, Aerrow saw it, and with a grunt, he barrel rolled, letting the shot fly past him. The roll sent Radarr high into the air. Squawking, the little guy landed in a belly flop on his cockpit, looking dazed. Aerrow set his jaw. He wasn't going to get caught off guard with another stunt like that!
But Piper beat him to the punch. She flew right up to the Cyclonian Youths, and three of them surrounded her. The one with the blaster fired again, and Piper grunted and leaned back, the blast nearly hitting her face. Aerrow held his breath. He knew Piper could take care of herself, but he did not want to see one of his friends hurt.
But Piper had an idea. She pulled out a crystal she had found on the Condor and stuck it on the end of her energy staff. She pointed it at the Cyclonian Youths and declared, "Here goes nothin'!"
Piper fired . . . then she grunted in frustration. The crystal had only produced pretty, little, white flowers.
But although the crystal didn't work the way it was expected, one of the Cyclonian Youths was so busy laughing that a flower flew into his mouth. He grabbed his throat and began cough, and while he choked, he lost control of his ride. The bicycle sidled off to port and rammed into the Condor's rudder on the back of the great ship.
Stork cried out as he felt the controls jolt to port. He tried to pull them back and right the rudder, but nothing worked.
At first, Piper seemed oblivious to what had happened to their ship. She cheered at her success, holding her staff high. Only then did she remember Stork and the Condor. "Stork," she asked over their radio, "are you okay?"
The Condor was listing badly, first to port, then to starboard. Stork pulled at the levels desperately, trying to loose up the rudder, but the Condor began to plummet. "Oh, yeah," Stork answered Piper back, "nothing to worry about. Just crashing to my doom!" He started screaming, straining at the lever. He peered over the helm frantically and saw he was headed straight for the tip of Terra Neverlandis.
Aerrow began following the Condor. He had to saved Stork, the ship, and the terra! He wasn't sure how he was going to that, but he had to do something fast.
Stork still strained on the lever, but nothing would budge. "Whoa!" he said as he strained to pull the Condor up. "What is wrong with you?" After all the time he'd put in the Condor, she was going to betray him by not responding? He screamed again. He and this precious ship were doomed!
Suddenly, there was a miracle. Junko flew up behind the Condor, and with a mighty Wallop roar, he swung back his fist and bashed it against the rudder, loosening it from its rust-stuck state. Stork gasped in relief as the Condor tilted upward once more, at last obeying his command. In relief, the Merb fell over backward and rested, smiling and panting. "Oh," he sighed, never having been so happy to be alive.
Aerrow let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and he smiled at the hero, Junko. He had the sudden thought that maybe the Wallop might be a good addition to the team. "I think we just found our muscle," he told Radarr.
He flew up beside Junko and waved to him. Junko saluted back to him, knowing the leader of the Storm Hawks was acknowledging that Junko was on their side. "Cool!" the Wallop exclaimed again. With a laugh from him, he and the future Sky Knight split up once more, looking for more Cyclonians.
Finn, meanwhile, had found some, and he fired his new crossbow at them. It took four shots, but finally one of the bicycles shattered, sending its biker parachuting down to the terra. Finn was ecstatic. "I got one!" he exclaimed, throwing his fists in the air. "I got one!"
But the one with the blaster was still flying, and while Finn was celebrating, the violet-haired boy fired a shot that cut Finn's new Skimmer in half and sent it down toward the terra in a cloud of smoke. Finn only had time to say, "Oh man," before he fell, screaming.
Luckily, Piper was there to catch him. And poor Finn landed crotch-first on the hood of her Heliscooter. "That'll never happen again," he vowed through a voice filled with pain.
The Storm Hawks were winning. But the fight was far from over.