Author's Note: Here's the next chapter - I hope you're enjoying the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of "Storm Hawks", nor am I making any type of profit from this story. It is a work of fan fiction, for enjoyment only.

Chapter 10 - Recovery

The Storm Hawks gathered anxiously in the small hospital waiting room, hoping for news of their pilot's condition. The speed at which Stork had been unloaded and whisked away for treatment was frankly frightening, and there had been no subsequent updates. Aerrow had long since given up on sitting, and paced agitatedly back and forth in front of the small row of hard, plastic chairs. Finn sat slumped in the farthest chair against the wall, chin cupped in his hand, staring unseeingly out the grimy window. Junko had managed to squeeze into the chair next to him, but stared at his own shoes instead, lost in thought. Piper had an arm draped reassuringly around the cowering Radarr as they worriedly watched Aerrow become more and more worked up.

"Aerrow, you won't help Stork by wearing a hole in the carpet," she gently admonished.

Aerrow stopped pacing momentarily and stared blankly at his specialist. "Why won't they tell us anything?" he complained.

"It's only been an hour and a half…"

The Sky Knight looked confused, then chagrinned. "That all? Seems like forever…" he muttered.

Further conversation ceased as a white-coated man entered the room. Looking at the five pairs of eyes fixed on him, he cleared his throat nervously and asked, "are you the Storm Hawks?"

"Yes, we are!" exclaimed Aerrow, leaping to his side. "How's Stork?"

The medic smiled. "Your friend is going to be fine; he does indeed have a concussion and several lacerations that are getting stitched as we speak, and he'll need to stay overnight for observation. Otherwise, he's an extremely lucky Merb."

The cheering that erupted from all sides drowned out his further comment on the thickness of Stork's skull. Once the outburst calmed, Finn asked excitedly, "So, when can we see him?"

The physician smiled reassuringly, "Oh, not for a while yet. Let us get him cleaned up and in a room first. I'll send a nurse to get you when he's ready for visitors." With that, he turned and walked back towards the treatment area.

Aerrow sat down with a whoosh and wiped a hand across his forehead. Closing his eyes, he offered a small prayer of thanks before opening them and taking in the rest of his team with a smile. Finn and Junko grinned back, while Piper gave him a 'thumbs up' sign and a wink. Radarr just looked relieved.

Their quiet jubilation was interrupted by the arrival of Trob, Thrush, and Chukar, who appeared anything but cheerful. The three approached the Storm Hawks as Aerrow rose to meet them.

Trob shook his head sorrowfully. "This is a disaster…a complete disaster! When news of the theft of the Eye gets out…"

Piper's eyes widened and flew to Junko's face. "With the Condor's crash, I almost forgot! Uh, Junko, did you manage to….?" She asked, hoping he would catch the hint.

For a moment the Wallop looked confused, but then a slow smile spread across his face. "Yeah, Piper! Here it is!" He reached inside his tunic and produced a worn, leather bag that he held out to the Councilor. "Here you go."

Trob took the bag with a confused expression, then undid the drawstring and peered inside. He gasped in shock and upended the bag into his other hand, producing a shimmering, red crystal. "Is this…?" he barely dared hope.

"Yup. The Eye of Siam." Junko nodded enthusiastically.

"Junko?" asked Aerrow, clearly confused.

Junko blushed. "It was Piper's idea. She wanted a backup plan in case the other measures failed, so I switched it with a fake, just in case."

Piper grinned triumphantly. "Good thing, too. The thieves got clean away with their hunk of shiny, red glass."

Aerrow laughed aloud in relief as Trob examined the crystal incredulously. "Boy, I'd like to see the expression on Dark Ace's face when he realizes what he stole!"

Trob, Thrush, and Chukar jerked up to stare at him in alarm. "Dark Ace?!?" exclaimed the Councilor. "The Cyclonians are involved in this?"

Aerrow sobered quickly. "Yes, sir. Turns out, they were your bandits all along. I suspect the goal was to steal the Eye of Siam all along, but they needed to establish the presence of 'bandits' on Gnossus first."

"But, why? Why not just steal it to begin with?"

"Well, I have a theory about that…if we could speak privately?" Piper volunteered.

"Why, certainly, young lady, I know just the place." Trob gestured towards the hallway before addressing his security officers. "Thrush, Chukar, why don't you wait here with these young men while the lady and I take a stroll?"

Chukar looked like he could chew nails, but Thrush merely nodded once in agreement. Once Trob and Piper had gone, the other Storm Hawks resumed their seats, waiting to visit Stork. After an uncomfortable moment, Thrush and Chukar joined them.

"Nice job," commented Thrush finally. "You saved my security forces a significant…embarrassment."

"No problem," responded Aerrow. "It's what we do."

"Still, I am grateful. But how do you know that Cyclonians are involved?"

A cloud passed over Aerrow's face. "I just fought Dark Ace personally, and he didn't try to hide his identity at all. That's why I think that the Eye was their ultimate goal; he'd been in disguise up to the point he'd stolen the 'stone', after which he just didn't seem to care any more."

"Interesting. So, our troubles are over?"

"Hardly. Remember, we've still got the Eye. I suspect he might try again."

Thrush sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately, you're probably right." His eyes widened in alarm. "The Councilor has the crystal right now; I need to post guards!"

Aerrow shook his head. "No, not yet. The Cyclonians probably haven't even discovered the forgery yet." He settled back in his seat with a sigh. "I really would like to be a fly on the wall when they do…"

Just then the door opened to reveal a pleasant-faced woman in her forties wearing a short white uniform. "Stormhawks?" she asked. At the eager expressions that greeted her, she smiled. "Mr. Stork is in room 338. You can see him two at a time, but try and keep the visits short. He's going to need his rest to recover, so you'll find that he sleeps a great deal over the next few days. Please don't wake him if you can help it."

Aerrow nodded. "Don't worry, we'll be quiet. May we see him now?"

"Certainly. Who's first?"

The group exchanged glances, coming to the unspoken agreement that Aerrow and Finn should go. The two meekly followed the nurse down the hall, stopping at the room she indicated. The Sky Knight took a deep breath, then slowly eased open the door and peeked around it.

If not for the earlier reassurance that he would be fine, the pair would have feared for Stork's life. He lay alone in the room, deathly still, surrounded by tubes and drips and monitors. Very little green skin could be seen through the multitude of white bandages covering his body, but what could be seen was bruised and scraped. Only the rise and fall of his chest, like back on the wrecked Condor, proved that he was alive.

The nurse, sensing their misgivings, smiled and spoke softly, "Go ahead. The equipment won't bite."

Finn actually stepped forward first, and addressed the sleeping Merb. "Hey, Stork. You had us pretty worried. The doc says you're gonna be all right, though, so you just rest. I'll be back to check on you a little later."

Turning, he grinned at Aerrow and jerked his head towards the bed. "Your turn," he announced, then swaggered out the door to let someone else visit.

Aerrow crept towards the pilot, and stared at him for a long minute before clearing his throat. "Stork, I know you probably can't hear me but…I've been really worried. Once everyone has had a chance to visit, we'll take turns sitting with you until you wake up. I want to make sure you don't wake up alone."

Turning, he saw the nurse nodding her approval and smiling.

------Stmhwks-------

Stork was unsure how long he had slept, but he gradually became aware of low voices murmuring at his bedside. For a few moments he struggled to return to the warm, dark, secure haven of sleep, but found his curiosity piqued by the tones of concern. His eyelids seemed cemented closed for the time being, so he concentrated his efforts on listening instead. After a bit, the sounds began to coalesce into actual words.

"So the medic is sure he'll be all right?" Stork searched his foggy memory and finally put a name to the voice: Aerrow.

"Yes, he'll be fine. He has a concussion, but a little rest and he'll recover completely." That was…Piper. That's right, Piper. Angel of mercy, that one. Her voice continued, "What about you, Aerrow? You seemed pretty shaken up."

The Sky Knight's voice dropped until it was almost inaudible. "Honestly? I was." He paused, but when Piper said nothing, took a deep breath and continued, "I guess this is the first time it's really hit me, and it threw me for a loop."

Piper was confused but supportive. "What hit you?"

"Mortality. Not mine, but yours." Aerrow gave a deprecating laugh. "I mean, I've faced my own death a hundred times, especially whenever I duel the Dark Ace. I'm not afraid of dying myself. " He took another deep breath, so that his next words sounded almost like a sigh. "But I don't think I've ever before really considered surviving the death of one of you." He snorted derisively. "That takes a whole 'nother level of courage, one I'm not sure I have. There for a few minutes after the Condor crashed, I was sure Stork was dead…and it…shook me."

"He'll be fine," Piper repeated emphatically. "Now you know what we go through every time you take reckless chances with your life. But we can't stop being the Storm Hawks any more than we can stop breathing…we'll just have to take care of each other, and try to keep the risks to a minimum. After all, we're all we've got."

Stork strained his ears in the silence that followed, finally to be broken by the soft acknowledgement, "Yeah, I know. Atmos needs us."

In an effort to lighten the conversation, Piper changed the subject. "So how are the repairs to the Condor coming?"

Aerrow snorted. "It was sabotage, all right. A remote-controlled bomb was apparently planted on that left engine while it was being guarded by the Gnossians. Trob feels personally responsible, and has every airship mechanic available working round the clock to make her airworthy again, no charge, especially since we saved the Eye." The voice darkened. "After what happened, though, we're going to inspect the whole ship from stem to stern before we let Stork take her up. As it is, Radarr, Finn, and Junko are taking shifts at the repair hangar keeping an eye on things."

"I'd feel better if I knew who the traitor was for sure, though." Piper murmured.

"Don't worry. We'll figure it out. I have a plan…" Stork drifted away from the conversation at this point, too weary to continue the effort of concentrating. After all, he knew the important information; both he and the Condor were going to be fine.

TBC…

AN: So, anybody out there? How's the story so far? Who do you think the traitor is?