Author's Note: Hey everyone! I am back! Yay! Actually, I didn't go anywhere, so I'm not really sure how I can come back. But I do have another chapter for you! Hey, guess what—it's chapter 10! (no duh). This means we have made it into double digits! Double Yay! Review corner/Shout outs:

Helliexx: Thanks so much! Again, thanks for reviewing. Hope you like this chapter, too!

Pascy: wow-super-long-review-it-makes-me-super-happy! (gasps for breath). Well, first thing, I'm glad you're happy; I wasn't sure how well that news would go over with everyone. After all, this one has just started, and to already be planning a sequel…oh well. I'm happy too! Secondly, you really liked it? I wasn't that sure about it. Thanks! I thought Stork and Cyclonis were really cute together…they're both all depressed together. As for Stork's story, I had been freaking out about our real-life mindworms, and it just clicked in my head. Thanks! I'm really glad you liked it. I will try to update everything as soon as possible! (Whew, that was a long reply. Well, thanks for writing such a long review. It really makes me happy to read!)

Hawk-Masters: Thanks again so much, and thanks for letting me use the Oktober Guard. Um, I think nose-plugs are better protection; the amoeba enter your brain through your nasal passages. Or just don't go in warm freshwater.

Love Shall Never Die: Thanks for reviewing. Sorry about your parents—that's really mean of them. Surely they can't keep it up that long? And I'm really glad you liked the chapter and the story overall. I feel bad for Stork, though!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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The Dark Ace felt absolutely horrible. His chest and shoulder hurt, he was dizzy, and he felt a sharp pain every time he tried to breathe. He had no idea where he was; he was in a bare room, almost like a cell, lying on a lone cot. There was no one near him. He had certainly never been here before, and he felt strangely disoriented.

Something beeped, and he looked up to see that there was a bag dripping fluids into his arm. A red light was flashing, and the bag started releasing its contents. He suddenly felt a lot more dizzy, and everything started going black.

He had no idea what was in the bag, but he did know that it was making him sleepy. With a fighter's instincts, he ripped it from his arm. The red light began beeping even more, and he heard footsteps.

He tried to sit up, but he collapsed back down as the room started spinning. Quickly, he changed strategies, closing his eyes pretending to be asleep.

He heard the door opening, and quick footsteps to the cot. He tried to keep his breathing even, giving no indication that he was awake. Soft hands ran lightly over his arm, and he repressed the urge to shiver. "It looks like it fell out," came a soft female voice. "Nothing to worry about."

He felt the cool metal of the needle on his skin again, and he jerked away, opening his eyes and trying to grab the neck of his attacker. The girl jumped out of the way, dropping the needle. She didn't seem upset at all at the fact that he had just attacker her. "And that goes to prove that things are not always as they seem." She took a step forward, and Dark Ace, now sitting up, clenched his fists and gave her a glare of death. The message was clear.

She smiled winningly, flipping her long, fine blonde hair over her shoulder. "I'm your medic. Now, there are three reasons you don't want to do that. One, I'm the person keeping you alive. Two, there are two rather angry guards right outside the door ready to…subdue you. Three, I never get any battle action, because medics can't get hurt or we're all screwed, and I've been dying to practice my training. I'd almost feel bad for you."

The Dark Ace narrowed his eyes, considering his options. The wound on his chest throbbed, and after all, he was in a hostile environment. Perhaps it would be better just to bide his time.

"You know, you were extremely lucky," the girl was saying. "The bullet went straight through. You didn't get any debris in the wound nor was it infected. I mean, besides blood loss and the hole in your chest, you're basically fine! Now, will you let me check the dressing?"

Not taking his eyes off of her, he slowly nodded.

Quickly, before he could change his mind, she skipped over to his side, She unwound the bandage going around his chest with a feather-light touch, than gasped. "Is that a good sign or a bad sign?" he wondered out loud. She just gaped, like a fish out of water. He glanced down at his own chest, extremely worried about what he was going to see.

There was no wound. A bit of the tissue was slightly pink, and sore, but otherwise he had healed completely.

"Shadow…faster, stronger, heal more quickly…"

He had never really been in the situation in which he'd been wounded badly enough to need to heal. He'd never needed to test it out. A good thing that this weird power didn't fail him now. As sore as he felt, he was willing to bet that it would have been a lot worse if he wasn't part Shadow.

Suddenly, he remembered all of them. The Storm Hawks, Starling, and Lark, darling Lark. He had to get back to them! Especially her, he knew what a hard time coping with the fact that she was a Shadow that she was having. Unlike his love, he didn't particularly mind his strange powers. He thought they came in handy in a fight, and they weren't really hurting anyone. However, he knew how much they disturbed her, and made her doubt her own morality. He needed to be there with her!

"Come on, Cyclonis," the medic said. "If you're all better, you're wanted out on the bridge."

Something clicked in his mind. These people were obviously foreign. Their ship was strange, their weapons were strange, they spoke with strange accents, and somehow they had mixed him and his Master up. They thought that he was Master Cyclonis.

Should he play along with this? Or should he tell them?

They probably wouldn't believe him if he denied being Cyclonis, as they seemed convinced enough to attack the Storm Hawks just to get him. Also, as long as they thought they had him, the real Cyclonis was safe.

He glared at the girl. "It's Master Cyclonis," he growled, but he did stand up, and he did follow her.

The ship that he went through was strange. Everything was made of dark metal, and unlike the Condor, which was spacious and light, the corridors all seemed cramped and ever door was bolted with a twistable hatch. He repressed the urge to shiver again, in this strange, ominous place.

Finally, he came to the "bridge" of the ship. The actual steering controls were not in view. It appeared more like a living room than anything else, filled with scruffy stained armchairs, and empty beer cans. There was a dartboard with some darts. One girl, pale, with long, dark hair and huge glasses, sat in an armchair reading a book, while another woman was standing in the corner, surveying the scene. "Put Cyclonis in handcuffs, then make him sit in a chair," she ordered.

The Dark Ace briefly considered resisting, then looked at the harsh, merciless faces of the two girls, the woman, and the two men who had escorted him. He also had no idea where his energy blade was. He decided to cooperate, for the time being. As of now, these people were doing nothing but holding him captive. Better for them to underestimate him, and let their guard down, then for him to fail to escape and be considered a real threat.

The men cuffed him, sat him in a chair, then entered one of the many doors off of the side of the room. The sound of conversation came from behind that room, so he assumed that there was a sort of a group meeting going on. All of the women, however, remained behind outside with him.

The girl with the book was completely and utterly concentrating on reading, and the woman was staring at him with a scary look in her eyes. The young medic who had saved his life kept stealing glances when she thought he wasn't looking, but whenever he looked at her, she blushed.

Strange. Why would the women be left out? And why would they assume that he was Master Cyclonis?

Men and women were pretty much considered equals in Atmos. Yes, men were stronger, but women were usually faster, sometimes smarter, and always given the chance to shine. These strange Shadowmen…they couldn't be…sexist, could they?

He decided to try to get as much information as he could from them. "Hello," he said. The medic jumped, turning bright red. "I never got to introduce myself. I'm Master Cyclonis. Thank you for saving my life."

"I'm Diana," she muttered.

"So, you're Shadowmen?"

She shot him a confused glance. The one reading the book looked up. "Vorona," she said. "Technology specialist, tactics, and navigation. The group you're talking about is a rebellion faction, small, well-organized, all fanatics. We're the Oktober Guard. We're more like…mercenaries, you could say. No offense kidnapping you or anything, but we don't care about your politics. We just want your crystals."

"Enough, Vorona," scolded the woman in the corner. "I don't care how cute you think he is, you're not giving away any more important information."

Great. The strict woman was smarter than the girls. She saw straight through his act.

A man came through the door. "You can enter, and bring Master Cyclonis." The three females stood, and he did too, then they followed him through the door. Inside, he saw about ten or twelve men, all looking quite ruthless. There was also a hologram of a cloaked figure.

"Plagiarism!" he burst out. "That Cyclonis's—um, Cyclonian technology."

The figure laughed. "Dark Ace. Don't worry, I know who you are. I just finished telling the Oktober Guard what idiots they were, kidnapping the wrong Cyclonian. As for your Master's precious technology, it's not that hard to steal ideas. Just like it's not that hard to steal crystals."

"Minerva," he hissed. "You leave our friend alone! She's done nothing."

The figure laughed. "As long as she is useful to us, we can continue to raid her shop and do nothing to her. But she—and everyone on Yorkia—actually make that everyone in Atmos—is far more tied into our cause than they realize. We will stop your brainwashing tyranny from spreading."

"Who are you again?" Dark Ace asked. "The leader of the Shadowmen?"

"Not the leader," the figure hissed. "The Servant. Ironic, isn't it? It will the Servant who takes down the Master."

"You have a seriously twisted sense of humor."

"No matter," the Servant said. "Bring him to Yorkia. He's not Cyclonis, but he will draw her there, and we can always him as bait."

"What 'bout our crystals?" asked one of the Guard.

"I don't pay for failure," the Servant hissed.

The room burst into protest. "Quiet!" Misha called. Instantly, they all were silenced. "Look, Servant," she reasoned, "we don't really care about your cause. We're mercenaries. We were asked to kidnap, and we did kidnap. Maybe there was a mix-up, but the way things work, we don't give you him unless you give us more crystals than we could get selling him back to the Storm Hawks."

"Girl," the Servant replied, "I'm not killing you. That should be payment enough."

"This has gone to far," Brekov hissed. Even the Servant flinched at his tone of voice. "You do not threaten me or my team. We will continue to be allies with you, but remember carefully, try to cross us and we will just as soon be your enemies."

The Servant shrugged. "I may even be able to pay you a bit for his delivery, as long as it's fast. The Storm Hawks are headed for this Terra, too."

"Fine," Brekov said. "Vorona, set us the course. We're off to Terra Yokia."

The Dark Ace smiled. The Storm Hawks were coming to rescue him. These Shadowmen and their Guard didn't stand a chance, not with Cyclonis awake and fighting.

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And that is the end! (of the chapter). Now, I was just hit by a great idea for the next chapter and I'm really excited. I'm giving nothing away, but please review if you want to see it soon. Trust me, it's awesome, in an evil way. And with that to ponder while you're trying to fall asleep, I'm leaving you! Mwahaahahahahah.

Review and you'll get it quicker!