A/n: Real quick: I would like to address why Cyclonis might seem to be a bit out of character in this story. Please bare in mind, she is WAAAY out of her element. Not to mention that the only person she's with is the same person she...well, you'll find out. Anyway, once they get off Amazonia, she'll probably start acting like her normal self again... kinda.
On with the show!
Chapter 7: Dreams
I woke up slowly. My skin felt numb against the cold metal ground.
Wait... metal?
My eyes shot open. My breath caught as I looked around in shock and amazement.
I was back on the bridge of the Condor.
For a moment, elation consumed me. I was so happy, I actually ran up and hugged the Stork's control panel. Then, I actually took a good look at it.
All the different gauges were dead. Speed, energy levels, everything; all were at zero. To top it off, the Time Pulse wasn't spinning. Seeing that, I quickly looked out the window.
It was nighttime, the sky a endless sea of stars. I could clearly see clouds drifting past underneath the Condor. Despite what controls told me, the ship was moving.
Now I was getting freaked out. "Aerrow?" I called into the dark passageways of the ship. My only answer was the echo of my own voice. "Stork?" I ran to the crews quarters, poking my head through each door. "Junko?" In desperation, I ran down to the hanger. "Finn? Radarr?" I looked around wildly, my eyes starting to tear up. "Anybody?" I asked in a small voice.
Nothing. No lights. No Skimmers. No people. The ship was empty.
And I was alone.
"No." I sunk to my knees, wrapping my arms around myself. "No," I said again. I could feel tears start to slide down my face. The Condor suddenly didn't feel like home. I couldn't hear Finn mumbling under his breath as he worked on his Air Skimmer. I couldn't hear Stork humming to himself as he worked on the bridge. I couldn't hear Aerrow's battle cries as he trained. Junko's laughter. Radarr's chattering.
All of it, gone. In their place, silence. Without them, the ship felt cold, lifeless.
I don't know how long I stayed there, hunched over in the middle of the empty hanger, tears flowing freely. Suddenly, I felt a light shine across my face.
I opened my eyes in surprise. Moonlight shown through the open hanger doors. My heart skipped a beat when I realized that, framed against the full moon, there was a figure on the deck, leaning on the railing.
I stood up, my arms still wrapped around me, tears still falling. My eyesight blurry, I couldn't make out who it was. I started walking slowly forward. For the life of me, no matter how much closer I got to the figure, it stayed blurry. Then, when I was just a few feet away, she turned to me. My vision became crystal clear. My breath hitched.
Rather then her usual royal attire, she wore a deep violet dress, a single strap going over her right shoulder. Her skin seemed to glow in the moonlight. Her eyes...
Her eyes.
They weren't their usual violet color, cunning and intimidating. They weren't the cold and threatening black that they'd turned before. They were pink, like the early morning sky. In them I saw things I never would have imagined from her: Compassion. Kindness. Happiness. Even...
She gave me a small smile. "Piper..." Her voice was soft, kind.
I stared at her in awe. "Why...? How...? Where are my friends?" I finally stuttered out.
She chuckled, then took a step forward. "Away."
Cautiously, I took a step back. "Away where?"
She took another step, and I stepped back in turn. "Just... away."
As she continued forward, I continued back. "But... how are you...?... how did we...?... why would they...?" My mind was moving just as fast as I was speaking, though having just as much success at making sense of this.
Suddenly, when I tried to take another step, I felt my back press up against the Condor's hull, stopping me. As I looked around wildly in surprise, she closed the distance between us.
"Piper?" She cupped my chin in her hand and made me look at her, her touch feather light. We were nose to nose.
This close, her eyes took up most of my vision. Looking in them, I felt something well up in my chest.
"Piper... for once in your life... could you stop thinking... and just go with it?"
She closed her eyes. She leaned in and...
My eyes shot open, a sharp gasp escaping me. Sunlight bombarded me as I looked around the cave.
The cave.
I was still in the cave.
I'd been dreaming. I struggled to recall the quickly fading memory of what I'd experienced in my sleep.
I...I...the Condor! That's right, I was on the Condor. But... something wasn't right. I was alone. I was scared. And then I saw...
My eyes widened in shock.
Oh God. I dreamed that I... that she... why would I do that?
A small movement against my neck reminded me that said girl was still wrapped in my arms. Cyclonis shifted in her sleep, tightening her grip on me ever so slightly. Feeling that, I did my best to try and relax, and just wait for her to wake up.
As I lay there, the memory of my dream continued to replay itself in my mind. But the more I thought about it, the less sense it made. Why would I dream of an empty Condor? Why would I have Cyclonis be there. Why would she...? A deep blush came over me as that last thought hit me. Then another part registered with me. When she'd leaned in, I'd felt something in my chest. Though I tried, I couldn't deny what I'd felt. Which left one major question:
Why did I like it?
What was wrong with me? A normal girl wouldn't put up with all this. A normal girl wouldn't sleep with her greatest enemy in her arms. And a normal girl definitely would not get pleasure from the thought of... of kissing another girl.
Oh God. I actually thought that.
My thoughts were silenced (thankfully) when I heard Cyclonis let out a sleepy groan. She attempted to lift her head, only to be stopped by mine being in the way. Just like yesterday, I felt her stiffen as she realized her position. When she looked up, I could see the bit off embarrassment as our eyes locked, a fresh tint of red in her cheeks.
She gave me a tiny smile. "I guess I had another nightmare?" I was surprised by how lighthearted her voice was, given all that had happened yesterday.
I just smiled back and nodded. "Yeah. Sorry."
Though her face reddened more, her grin widened a bit. "It's okay. I'm just... not use to waking up next to someone."
I gave a small smile back. " Yeah. Me neither."
Before the inevitable awkward silence could settle in, I unwrapped my arms from her and gave her a tiny push on the shoulder. Her smile lessened a bit, but she released her arms all the same. As she pulled away, I instantly missed the lost warmth. Ignoring that, I sat up, stretching my arms. Though I'll admit it felt nice sleeping next to Cyclonis, the rock floor of the cave was killing my back. Judging from the way Cyclonis arched her back when she sat up, she felt the same.
"So," she yawned. "What do we do today?"
I let out a tired sigh. "Try to get that Switchblade moving."
She cocked an eyebrow, giving me an odd look. "That thing was spitting out a lot of smoke. You really think we can fix it?"
For some reason, that question hit me the same way I felt when one of the guys questioned a plan of mine. So, I reacted like I would then: I gave her a smirk and said, "I know we can fix it.
"I can't fix it."
Let me say this right off the bat: I hate Cyclonian engineering. Whether it's a Skimmer, a battleship, or just a weapon, they all are built with only one thing in mind: power. How much damage can it take? How much can it dish out? How hard can you push the engine? That's all the thinking that goes into the design. Speed, maneuverability, accuracy, heck, even safety; none of it seems to even be considered by Cyclonian designers when building their war machines. If I had to guess, I'd bet that Talon Switchblades were only built to last one battle.
Ravess' ride was no exception. Apparently, the "Elite" in Switchblade Elite means that it can survive two battles instead of one. Though, from the looks of it, Ravess tried to make the bike last as long as possible. All over the Switchblade were marks of repairs, like welding marks on the chassis, and points on the chipped paint showing she had repainted it.
That same care, however, did not translate to the engine. Once I'd fully opened the thing up and saw all the grease and grime on it, not helped by the vast amount of spider eggs and wasp nests hanging off of it, I felt my hopes take a nose dive.
After working on it for about four hours straight, all the while spitting out language that a young lady, let alone a Skyknight, should never use, I slammed the side of the bike down. I walked over to the lakeside, letting out a loud groan as sat down. I dipped my hands into the water, scrubbing at them furiously to get the grim off.
Hearing me groan, Cyclonis got up from the tree she'd been dozing under and walked over to me.
"Not good?" She assumed aloud.
"Nope." I sighed defeatedly. "For the life of me, I just can't figure out how to make it work with those broken parts."
Cyclonis was silent for a moment. Then, she had a thought. "Hey, maybe we can salvage some parts off that sunken Switchblade, like you did with the crystal.
I gave a sad chuckle. "Two problems with your plan. One: That water is twenty feet deep, and some of the parts I need are pretty heavy. Not a good combo." Cyclonis let out a groan and hung her head, like she was thinking, Why didn't I realize that? I let out another small laugh before continuing. "And, Two: Water, air, and metal don't mix well. Even if we managed to get the parts to the surface, once they hit air, they'd turn into a solid hunk of rust in minutes."
After a while, Cyclonis let out a sad sigh. "I'm not helping much, am I?"
Hearing the dejected sadness in her voice, I let out I sigh of my own. "At least you're coming up with ideas. I got nothing."
We sat in silence for a few minutes. Then Cyclonis looked over at me. "Your arm still hurting?"
Shortly after opening up the bike, I managed to brush my hand against a wasp nest. A bright red welt near my wrist told what happened. What that didn't show, however, was the vast swarm of angry insects that came billowing out of the Switchblade shortly after. Before I could get engulfed in them, Cyclonis let lose a web of purple lightning, frying the wasps. I was a bit more careful after that.
I gave her a smile, meeting her eyes. "Yeah, but it's getting better. Thanks for that by the way."
At my thanks, I note a small bit of red enter her cheeks as she quickly broke her gaze, looking out over the water. "No problem."
There it is again. That blush. The memory of my thoughts last night came back to me. I let out a mental sigh. Okay. I need to know... if only to whether or not I should be worried about this. But I have to be careful how I go about this. Maybe... yeah, that should work.
"Hey, Cyclonis?" I ask, my eyes still focused on my still dirty hands. Darn grease didn't want to give up.
"Hmm?" She said, looking back at me.
"You mind if I ask you a question?"
Her eyes turned a bit wary, though not untrusting. More... uncertain. She shrugged. "I guess not."
I nodded, turning back to my hands. After a moment, I said, "You and Dark Ace are pretty close."
Her brow raised, surprised by my statement. "Yes. He's my best general, and would put his life on the line for me if need be."
I nodded slowly. Okay, let's go a little deeper. "So... are you two... you know... together?"
Cyclonis' eyes squinted in confusion, then widened in shock. "You mean... oh, no! Nonono! We're not... we... no."
I struggled not to laugh at her flustered outburst. I had to try harder when her face turned crimson, mortified.
"So... I take it your not a couple?"
"No," Cyclonis stated, trying to regain her composure. She was failing. "No, we are not. I do trust him above the rest of my forces, and I trust him with my life, but we've never been... intimate." Her features then turned sad as she stared at the ground. "In fact... as a person, he's quite... cold."
While that didn't surprise me, I felt a small pang of sympathy for her; the person she trusted most was as cold to her as, well, I'd assumed she was to everyone else.
Now I was entering dangerous territory. At least... dangerous to me. "Well, is there someone your intimate with?"
Now she was staring at me like I was crazy. "What do you...?"
Though my heart was hammering away in my chest, I looked at her with a calm face. "You know, someone you have special feelings for." I looked back down to my hands. The grease was gone, but I kept washing anyway. "Like a close friend, or maybe..." I glanced at her out the corner of my eye, gauging her reaction. "...a crush?"
Cyclonis very suddenly turned away from me. Though I pretended not to notice, from the corner of my eye I could see a vast array of emotions pass over her. Shock, worry, fear, yet at the same time, I could see a small glimmer in her eye. It almost looked like hope.
At this point, I could feel my suspicions start to cement themselves, but I need to hear it. I needed to her her say it. As my heart hammered away, I waited.
Finally, she let out a sigh. "There is... someone." Her voice was very soft, almost reluctant.
I kept scrubbing. My hands were staring to hurt, but I didn't care. Actually, I just don't think I noticed. "Really? Anyone I know?"
Violet eyes flicked at me nervously before she spoke again. "I'm... fairly certain you do."
I nodded. "Anything particular reason you like this person?"
Her eyes flicked toward me again, but this time, she kept a steady gaze out the corner of her eye. "We share some of the same interests."
"Like?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, just... little stuff." Apparently, she decided to get brave, because she gave me a long sidelong stare as she said, "Like crystals."
I glanced back at her, and her gaze fell back to the ground. Her face was a deep shade of pink. Not red, but getting there. "Anything else?"
Cyclonis started fiddling with her hands, her fingers twisting together. "Well... this person... is nice... caring... very strong... especially considering... what I've put her through..."
My heart went from hammering away to a dead stop. Her? Did she just say... her?
Cyclonis seemed to realize her slip up too, because she suddenly took in a sharp breath of air. Her eyes widened; the color drained from her face. She looked over at me, and the emotion in her eyes was clear as day: fear.
I couldn't keep it up. Though I didn't want to, seeing the fear in her eyes, I just couldn't keep beating around the bush. I stopped wring my hands, instantly feeling how sore they were. I ignored the pain as I looked Cyclonis right in the eyes. By some miracle, my voice stayed calm. "Cyclonis... do you have... feelings... for me?"
Her eyes seemed to grow wider, Her breath hitched; by all accounts, she looked terrified. And yet, as I stared into those deep violet eyes, waiting for an answer. I watched as her fear slowly dripped away. In a voice so quiet it was a wonder that I heard her, she spoke.
"Yes."
A/n: A bit of a short chapter, but I'm proud of it!
And be honest; how many of you were waiting to hear her say that?
R&R, please!
