The second crash

Here's chapter seven. Sorry it's so short. The next chapter will be longer.


The Condor vaulted over Terra Snowgra's edge and out into midair. Far below, the wastelands waited for the ship to fall into its depths. Aerrow faintly remembered the Condor begin to rattle violently, pipes blowing from every side and the alarm flashing red. Piper's hand kept him from flying forward as the ship lurched, sputtered, and continued to descend. The sky knight reached out and grasped the pole, pulling himself to his feet and shrugging off Piper's restraining hand.

Aerrow ventured out a step with no support toward the controls. His feet treated the floor as if it were made of glass and his arms outspread for balance. Junko did the same and together they slowly made their way to where Stork slumped over the ship's control. The merb was doing the best he could to steer his beloved ship, but both he and the ship's failing strength was taking its toll.

A faint terra appeared in the distance. It was so clouded and hazy, Aerrow wondered if what he was seeing was a mirage. Stork shifted his weight to lean on the control, turning the groaning ship left toward the land. Aerrow almost made it to his friend when the left back engine failed. The ship tilted back. Aerrow and Junko fell back and Piper wrapped her arms around Finn. Stork, drifting in and out of reality, struggled to keep the Condor level. Aerrow landed on top of Junko on the bridge's back wall. Stork finally managed to tip the Condor back to normal, but the remaining back engine was under too much strain. The ship began to tip back again.

"Aerrow!" The sky knight looked up and saw Piper lying on top of the pole, her cheek pressed against the metal and both arms hanging on either side of it, her hands slipping from Finn's arm. The semiconscious sharpshooter was like deadweight. Her fingers slid from his wrist and Finn fell like a broken doll.

Junko, plastered against the back wall as the Condor tipped even farther back, forced his arms out against gravity and caught Finn as he fell. The wallop reached out and grasped Aerrow too, gripping his friends fearfully, staring up at Stork.

The merb had his long legs wrapped around the control and appeared to be trying to get on the other side of it. He succeeded and slipped onto the opposite side of the control as if he were going to drive the Condor backwards. He then reached out behind him, took a firm hold on the shattered window frame and pulled with all his might.

The Condor felt the request to go down and obeyed. The airship's nose lowered until it was level. Stork, with the support of the levers around him, came back around and resumed his position sagged against the control. The terra was not a mirage. The clouds parted and the sight of a green surface greeted them.

Junko tottered across the bridge and held on to the frame as he peered out against the wind. The wallop looked over his shoulder nervously. "We're coming in too low!"

Aerrow raced toward Stork to help him, but just then a front engine blew. Black smoke pored through the smashed windows and filled the bridge with unbreathable, acid air.

The Condor wobbled, the terra coming closer each second. The ship was still falling and it was obvious that it wasn't going to clear the terra's edge. The rocky cliffs loomed before the ship, prepared to crush the Condor and the Storm Hawks along with it.

"Pull into a hover!" Piper screamed, unable to move with the ship's lurches and shudders.

"I… can't…" Stork's body relaxed and he passed out on the floor.

Aerrow ignited his blue blades and stabbed one into the floor. Blinded by the smoke and pain, he pulled himself forward, then stabbed the other and bit by bit made his way to Stork's side.

The ship was on a direct collision course into the side of the terra. Aerrow let go of his blades in exchange for the control.

"Stork! I can't do this alone!" Aerrow shook the merb with is toe, not wanting to be rough but he desperately needed to wake him up. Stork's eyes fluttered.

The control suddenly flopped left, dragging Aerrow with it. The Condor turned in a half circle and headed away from the terra, still falling. Aerrow clenched the control with both hands and pulled as hard as his injured body could. The ship seemed as if it were going to rise, but decided to ignore Aerrow's orders and continued its plunge toward the wastelands.

"Stork!" Aerrow yelled in panic.

The sky knight was bumped to the side as Stork took the control and lifted. The Condor felt the request and obeyed. Slowly, but surely, the ship rose, its two remaining engines working furiously to lift the ship's weight. Stork turned the Condor around to face the Terra just as the alarms went nuts.

And I thought they were loud before. Aerrow's heart beat wildly. He found the railing and leaned against it. It's all up to you Stork.

Stork stared at the terra ahead of them like it was a venomous snake. The Condor felt him tense and its flight grew bumpier.

The terra was just a few meters ahead. Everyone held his/her breath. Time seemed to slow and all Aerrow was aware of was his heartbeat.

Thump… thump… the terra was right ahead of them.

Thump… thump… Stork was sacrificing his body to keep the Condor's nose up.

Thump… thump… they were over the edge.

Thump… the remaining engines died.

Time quickened and the Condor bowled into the forest under its belly. Trees crumbled under the airship's hull and dirt flew on either side of the bow like a giant wave. Dirt, branches, roots and nettles came poring through the windows and Aerrow was lost in a tangle of loam and snarled pine branches. He was so tangled and buried that he didn't know if he was still inside and or he had been hurled out into the forest. The rear end of the ship slid onto the ground with an earsplitting boom and Aerrow's feet left the ground from the force. His fingers briefly felt a bent window frame and then he was falling. The sky knight landed hard on the hard packed earth, bounced, and then was on his hands and knees, staring in horrified awe as the crashing Condor's gigantic shadow fell over him. It was sliding.

Aerrow scrambled to get out of its way, but stopped when he saw Stork. He looked from the moaning mass of metal heading generally his way to his pilot lying like a mound of dirt directly in its path. He swallowed his terror and made a mad dash. He wrapped his arm around the merb's middle and scuttled like a frightened ant. The crashing sent a shock wave through the ground under his feet so powerful it sent trees toppling and birds flying. And still the Condor wasn't done crashing. It swerved onto its side, tipped forward, and fell onto its side. Aerrow was hit from behind by the gusts and was lost in the dust storm. Stork slipped from his grasp.

Dust settled. Aerrow raised his filthy head and peered out from over the dirt mound his tumbling body had made. With an exhausted grunt, the sky knight rolled over and pushed himself up with his elbows.

Almost hidden in the dirt and debris, the Condor issued one last, long moan.

Just like the first crash. Aerrow rolled onto his side and tried to get up. His eyes went wide and his back went rigid with a crack. The ground rushed up and before he knew it, Aerrow was right back where he started.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Running footsteps came from the trees.

Dumbest question ever. Aerrow didn't move to greet whoever it was. He couldn't.

Hands felt along his back and someone eased a folded shirt under his chin. Whoever was feeling his spine hit the sore spot and Aerrow cried out.

"This doesn't look good." It was a women's voice. "Don't move him. I'll be right back."

"Right." The man stayed behind while the women ran back into the forest.

Well, this is familiar. I can just hope that theses guys aren't the Fawngos themselves. They could be anyone with that morphing crystal. Aerrow's suspicion prevented him from relaxing completely as the man cut the linen still wrapped around Aerrow's chest. He brushed away the scraps and inspected the sky knight's ribs.

"This ain't good. You need professional medical help." The man got up and Aerrow could hear him cutting up wood to make a stretcher. Aerrow's frustration flared up. This guy shouldn't be fussing over him, he should be aboard the Condor to look for his squadron.

Aerrow formed the words on his tongue. It all came out in a long moan. The man rushed to his side. "What? Are you trying to say something?"

Aerrow coughed and decided not to confuse the man with a bunch of garbled words. Instead, he inched his arm around and pointed as best he could. The man followed his pointing finger to the wreckage of the Condor.

Just then the women came back. "I radioed for help. Let's get this one on the skimmers and take him back to Atmosia."

No! Aerrow pushed himself up, tears of agony squeezing from the corners of his eyes. "I… have… teammates!"

"No one could have survived that crash. It's a miracle you did. Anyway, that ship isn't safe at all to go aboard. One gust of wind and it could flip over. Now stay still and we'll get you out of here."

"No!" Aerrow slapped away her hand and stood bolt upright. Tears streamed down his cheeks, leaving clean streaks on his brown dirty face. Then everything went foggy and the ground rushed up.


I promise I'll update soon. This is get'n good. Thanks to Sandy Toes.