Author's Note: I do not own Storm Hawks, etc.
Chapter Eleven – Lost Family
The momentary panic turned into rage as Aerrow saw nothing but red.
The Dark Ace laughed, "Good riddance to that rodent. He has caused me enough trouble."
"He has a name…" Aerrow said, visibly shaking with anger, "His name is Radarr!"
"What are you going to do, Aerrow? I told you that you haven't the heart or the stomach to kill me? If you did, then you would have done so by now."
"Watch me!" He said furiously calm.
The Dark Ace charged feeling confident that Aerrow was not going to do anything. Aerrow drew his blades and deflected the stab with one blade, then with the other brought it down through the Dark Ace's shoulder into his chest. The Dark Ace was shocked to say the least, his blade fell from his fingers as he lost feeling in that arm. Aerrow stabbed him with the now free dagger.
"You…didn't…have…" The Dark Ace struggled to speak. Removing the daggers caused him to reel in pain. This wasn't enough, not for him, not now…this was not enough suffering to pay for the death of Radarr. He kicked the Dark Ace on his back as he knelt over him pressing his boot into his opponent's chest. Then he lost himself completely, stabbing the Dark Ace again and again in the face trying to erase the man that laughed at his friend's death. Blood spattered across him in short bursts as he stabbed faster and faster until the tension built inside where he roared to the heavens above.
The rage passed and as he took deep breaths, the horror started to set in. He killed someone for the first time…he murdered someone out of pure rage. His daggers fell out of his quivering hands as he collapsed to his knees looking upon the sin he had just committed.
"But…I…I…didn't…I mean…no…no…" He stammered, not being able to form a complete sentence. Then he received a sympathetic shoulder from a person he had not ever expected to help. Master Cyclonis hugged him and shushed into his ear feeling his tears dry on her shoulder.
"There, there, Aerrow. It's all right, it's all right. You did well." He stopped crying as he took in those words.
"You've proven yourself today. This, if nothing else, proves that you are worthy to be my mate."
"You…"
"Yes, my new champion?"
"How can you be so heartless?" He pushed her off him.
"What? He was useful while he lasted. But you…you are the new champion."
"Then what? This, if nothing else, proves how you don't care for other people. What happens when you find another person you desire? You kick me to the side like Dark Ace? He kills me and takes my place? What then for me, what then?"
She grimaced, "I am trying to give you a new life. One at my side, one where you have me as your lover, don't be a fool."
"Fine then, I am a fool. A fool who has one last person to take care of." He clenched his daggers and charged forward.
Master Cyclonis fired a bolt from her staff, he leaned with his shoulder and it hit his pauldron sending it wildly through the air and clattering onto the floor. Using the momentum of the spin, he regained his balance and struck the crystal pointed at him. Its unleashed energy started to the course through the staff. She let go of it in time as it disintegrated into nothing. She glowered at him, but he rushed passed and sliced a dagger through her right side before continuing toward the Maelstrom controls.
"Well, it worked last time." He said eyeing the machine that housed the hundred striker crystals. With a slash of his daggers, he sent a few of them to overload. This chain reaction of released energy caused the throne room to collapse just as it did the first time he was in Cyclonia.
Calmly he walked toward the exit passing by Master Cyclonis who sat down. Aerrow turned to her looking angry.
The palace collapsed around them and he stood over her.
Gripping the wound at her side, she stared at him, "So, are you going to leave me to die?"
Without saying a single word, he put away his weapons and walked away.
Steela held fast onto the book gripping on every word. Then she turned the page and it was blank. There was nothing there, then she turned to the next page where a small paragraph was written explicitly on the top of the left page.
She read it aloud, "I am sorry to inform you, dear reader, that there was nothing more I could write as all my sources have been exhausted. No one knows what happened after that, what choice did Aerrow make? Only the realm of imagination can decide. However if any new accurate information were to arise, then I will write a second edition. Until then, my dear reader, I wish you a good day and my apologies once again."
Steela closed the book and began to shake it, "No! I was so close to knowing what happened to my father. Damn it!"
Then she covered her mouth realizing she swore. The secretary stepped into the waiting room where she was, "Mr. Gershwin will see you now."
"Oh yes, thank you." She put the book into her backpack and hoisted it over her shoulder as she stepped in through the doors into Herald Gershwin's office.
Tarek twisted the blade aggravating the wound. Stork shouted once again before he asked, "What do you want with Steela?"
"Nothing. It is Piper I am looking for."
"What do you want with her?"
"Didn't your precious Steela tell you? My mother wanted this Piper dead before she went away and as her son, I am to carry out her dying wish."
"Well, you're fifteen years too late. Piper's dead."
He pushed his blade in further, "You lie!"
"No…" He grimaced, clenching his teeth to withhold the pain, "…she died giving birth to Steela."
"No! She has to still be alive. This was Mother's final wish."
"Trust me if Piper were alive, she'd be here with us. Let me show you…Piper, come out here and meet our friend, Tarek."
They both looked to the back of the room, but there was no one, "You see…Piper would have come out by now even if she knew it was a trap because she would do anything to help a friend."
"Shut up! She has to be alive."
"Why can't you see? Even if you killed me, searched the Sanctuary, and then the entire Atmos, you will never find her."
"Prove it."
"I don't have to…"
"Prove it!"
"I can't…her grave is unmarked on Terra De…De…what was the name of that Terra?"
"Deros."
"Yes, Deros. It has been a while since I've been there."
"The unmarked grave…yes I've heard about that. The villagers there told a story about how a girl died giving birth and there was a Merb with her. Am I to assume that you re the Merb from that story?"
"Yes…Piper died giving birth to Steela. It was the worst day I can remember and yet the greatest."
Three months passed since Stork and Piper made quite a scene by crashing their heli-scooter through the main street of the small village. Due to the deal, Stork worked himself hard dealing with the village's mechanical problems. In fact, he improved the village completely. He created and installed solar panels to generate the electricity that powered the village. Now everyone enjoyed modern comforts such as refrigeration, telephones, and short-wave radio broadcasts.
Piper, however, was enjoying her part of the deal. She was given various foods depending on her cravings. Today, in fact, she enjoyed ice cream for breakfast, chicken for lunch, and had drunk nothing but sweet orange juice. So basically she was draining the village of all its imports.
The day was like any other in the past three months. Stork was running late because he was fixing the shoddily designed skimmers of the sky knights of Deros with much difficulty. He was fixing the underside of the skimmer when he felt someone tap his foot, the surprise made him bang his head. When he rolled out from underneath it, he saw one of the young girls of the village.
"My mommy sent me to tell you that your girlfriend is having the baby." She said and then did a small nod as if proud of remembering the whole message.
"Okay, hey guys, sorry but I've gotta…"
The sky knight raised his hand, "Don't worry about it, man, see to your girl."
"Well, she is not my…oh nevermind." He stood up and rubbed what motor oil he could off himself with a clean rag as he proceeded to the inn.
He came in on Piper crushing the hands of two of the strongest men in town as she breathed deeply. Bed sheets laid beneath her and another sheet crossed her stomach covering her legs as best it could.
"Come on, darling. Push, push, you are almost there." Said the mid-wife who was on her knees near where the baby will soon be.
"It hurts!" Piper shouted as her grip tightened making the two men cry in pain.
"It will get better soon. This is the forty-second baby I've helped deliver in my thirty-five years as a midwife, so I know what I'm doing."
"I didn't think it would hurt this much!" Piper screamed.
"That's what they all say."
"Something must be wrong…the pain it's too…great!" She screamed letting another wail escape the lips of the two men holding her hands.
"The lass has a strong hand. It's nearly ripping mine off."
The midwife nodded, "She is almost there, now one last push."
Sweat beaded down her face as she strained to bring this baby out into the world. Then she relaxed against the floor with one final push, the baby started to cry and the two strongmen massaged their hands as they left the room. The midwife wrapped the newborn in a blanket and handed her to Stork.
"It's a beautiful baby girl."
He cradled her in his arms and looked down at her, she cried like a little baby does when first brought into the world. Then she opened her eyes and saw the Merb smiling at her, she giggled and laughed as she outstretched her arms trying to grab his pointed chin. For the first time, he felt the nervous twitch in his eyes leave as they relaxed looking upon this innocent child.
"Piper, this is amazing. Your gender detection crystal works and she looks just..." He turned to her, "...like you. Piper?"
He expected Piper to be smiling with her eye lids nearly closed wanting to hold her baby in her arms. But he looked onto a Piper who looked as if she was sleeping.
"Piper…Piper!" Then he noticed the baby was not just covered in uterine fluid and placenta, but blood and more blood than a baby should have when born. He stepped forward and felt his foot splash in something. He looked down see blood flowing out of her, but it didn't stop. He jumped over to her side and knelt close to her ear.
"Piper! Piper, no! You can't die, we've lost too much to lose each other…not now. Out of all the times I said we were doomed, I never thought of you like that. So you can't leave! Piper…I…I love you. At first, I didn't see anything attractive in you until these past few months on our own. You made me fall for you with your laugh and your strength. Your smile lit the darkest of my days and you always had this aura about you that made everyone feel better."
"Stork…" Her eyes fluttered barely open. Her voice was cracking, "…I am not going to be with you much longer."
"Don't say that. Come on…we are so doomed. Huh? Remember how many times I said that and it never…"
"Stork…let me finish. I heard what you said and in a way, I am glad you find me like that, but I am happy I will be with Aerrow soon."
"What about your child?"
She strained to raise her arm and pointed her finger at him, "You must take care of her now. You must become the father you need to be for her."
"I can't…I don't have your strength."
"You will find the strength, Stork. In time, it will come to you and you will be a great father, I can see it."
"But I can't go on, I've lost everyone I considered dear to me. I…"
She pressed a finger to his lips, "Your strength will come to you and with it, the child will grow up right, I can see it."
"But…"
"Stork, I can see it. Don't worry, you'll be fine." She closed her eyes forever as her head rested on its side. He looked down to see her smiling, even at death's door, she still smiled.
"Piper…Piper!" He nudged her with his free hand, "Please wake up. How will I live? How will I know what to do? How will I keep going on? How…" He stopped when the baby grabbed his chin and laughed feeling it for the first time.
The midwife placed a hand on his shoulder, "You already have the answers to those questions you so desperately seek. They glitter within the eyes of the child whose mother sacrificed everything to bring her safely into this world. Now, you must choose a name for the child of such love."
He stood up feeling different, he was still sad and yet warmth burned deep within him. It was nothing like he ever felt before as if he could stand firmly on his two feet.
"Thanks, Piper." He whispered, feeling like he inherited some of her strength. He handed the baby to the midwife, "It is still too soon to decide a name for the child. I am too grief-stricken to think clearly and besides, I need time to bury my friend. She comes first, then the child will be my priority."
The midwife nodded, "I will care for the child until your return."
"I won't be long. Here…" She removed the necklace from Piper and handed it to the midwife along with the child. "…I know she would want her to have this."
He lifted her in both arms and heaved her outside toward the cemetery on the outskirts of town. Taking hold of a discarded shovel, he rested the body on the ground and dug a hole for her. It would be deep and he didn't care how long it took him, the others if they died were lying in the ruins of Cyclonia. That was not befitting of anyone to be left on the field of battle to die.
Stork finished after an hour, the pain from his ribs slowed him somewhat. He placed the body as carefully as he could inside the hole and filled the grave. Now he planted the shovel into the ground and looked at the grave.
"I am sorry, I never said goodbye. I thought about everything you've said and I thank you for all your kind and truthful words. It's not easy to bury a friend especially one that has always kept a strong front and smiled in times where others couldn't smile for themselves. Anyway your daughter is waiting for me to be the father she needs me to be, so I guess this is goodbye until we see each other on the other side."
He heaved the shovel out of the ground and put it back where he found it. His mind rattled with ideas for a name, but none were coming to him. He didn't want to give her a Merb name for it wouldn't be the same for she is a human child, but he didn't want to give her just any human name. It would have to be something unique, strong, meant more to him than anything.
The midwife stepped outside having the baby in hand, "She is sleeping off her first helping of milk. So have you thought of a name for her?"
The midwife passed the child into his arms, "Um…how about the name, Pied?"
The midwife scowled him, "Like Pied Piper?"
"Sorry, needed a joke to break the ice so to speak. Wait, I got it…Irona!"
"Do you want me to hate you? Think harder, what do you want this child's name to mean? Think of it deeply and you will see…"
"Steela." He said abruptly.
"What?"
"Yes, that has a nice ring to it. Here is Steela named after my favorite metal. Oh don't give me that scowl, it's unique, strong, and means something precious to me."
She groaned, "Very well, this child is from this moment on will be known as Steela."
The baby girl smiled and clapped her hands together, "Well, it seems that she likes the name. It also seems someone owes me an apology."
The midwife raised a balled fist, then he backed down, "Sorry, just a joke."
"So now do you see? Piper died, so Steela could be born."
"Very well, my course of action is clear. Seeing as Steela is the daughter of Piper, she will be my new target."
"But why?"
"It is what my mother wished for. But first, do you know where she was headed? A place or direction, perhaps?"
"What makes you think that I would betray my own daughter?"
"Fine, then you are of no use."
"Is this the first time you've ever killed someone?"
"No. I've killed many before you."
"Have you seen anyone die before? To look into their eyes as their life fades away?"
"Once…"
Master Cyclonis coughed into her already bloody rag. She laid down across the couch wrapped in a warm blanket. Though Tarek knew she was his mother, he could barely recognize her. In a few short hours since she collapsed in front of his bedroom door, her skin had become pale and withered, her hair turned white, she aged fifty years in half a day.
"Would you like another water bottle, Mother?"
"No, thank you, my son…" She paused to cough, "…I am fine."
"No, you're not, Mother. What is happening to you?"
"You see…I told you how sky knights get the power to perform their fancy moves?"
He nodded before she continued, "You see they undergo a crystal effusion treatment, so their natural energy flow is added with the power of a crystal. This way they can generate the energy to perform their fancy moves. Your mommy, however, underwent a more powerful and dangerous treatment, which allowed me to manipulate crystals with a wave of my hand. I have to be treated every twenty or so years because this would happen if I don't."
"Then we can find a way, I can go back into town and steal the equipment we need."
She shook her head, "No, it is too late. I can feel the end coming and I am at peace with it."
"Mother, you don't know what you're saying."
"Tarek, be strong. My death will lead you into a new chapter of your life. And for it, you will need these."
She removed the necklace she had and gave it to him, "This is a shielding crystal, wear it around your neck and it will protect you from harm and this is a paralysis crystal use it on those who wish you harm." He accepted the necklace that housed a small pink crystal within the vial and the amber crystal.
"And this…" She coughed, "…you must never use unless you absolutely have to, we are talking about life-and-death here. You must swear this before I give you this gift."
He nodded, "Okay, Mother. I swear to never use this gift unless it means life-and-death."
"Good boy, here…" He was handed a dark purple crystal, "…this is an oblivion crystal. Whoever it hits will send them to another place where they will know suffering for all eternity. But only use it as we just discussed."
"I swore to your vow, Mother. That promise is bound by word and blood."
"That's my boy. Could you promise mommy something else before I go?"
"Anything, Mother…"
She pulled out an old picture from her pocket and handed it to Tarek, "Who are these people, Mother?"
"The one on the right is me in disguise, the one on the left is Piper. She was an enemy long ago. If it is possible that you see her, greet her warmly and tell her I am so…sor…sorr…" Her cough gotten worse before she laid back on the couch.
"Mother, are you sure you wouldn't want some water?"
She shook her head, "No, it won't do me any good." She smiled at him, "I was always envious of you, Tarek."
"Excuse me?" He couldn't believe what he just heard.
"I always envied you for you had his love. He didn't love me, there were days that he couldn't even be in the room with me, but he loved you for you are his son. You had his love, I had his tolerance."
"Don't say that, he loved you, why would he stay otherwise?"
She looked straight into his eyes and stroked his cheek, "You were the reason he stayed, I was the reason he wanted to leave."
"You're delirious, it must be the sickness. I'll fetch some medicine."
He started to raise, but she pulled him back down, "No, don't go. It is nearly time." She held back a scream as she writhed in pain. She held onto Tarek's hand with a firm grip as he watched her suffer and he turned away hating himself for there was nothing he could do to alleviate her suffering.
"Tarek, it is time for me to go."
Tears fell from his eyes, "Don't say that."
She stared at the ceiling with a smile, "All I wish for is to have kissed him…one last time." She closed her eyes.
"Mother…Mother!"
Still standing over Stork, he pulled out his blade and held it over the Merb as a tear drifted down his cheek, "Mother said Piper was an enemy, so as her son, I am bound to end the life of an enemy. The daughter will pay for the sins of the mother."
"Listen to yourself. What will any of this accomplish?"
"What else is there for me?"
Stork looked around trying to find an answer, but none came to him. Tarek raised his sword above his head looking down at the Merb.
"Are you really going to kill me?"
"What have you done with Uncle Stork?" He remembered Steela saying in his dream.
"I killed him…I killed him…I killed him…" The same thought echoed in his mind. He remembered the Tarek in the dream, seeing himself as insane cast his own future into doubt. But was there truly anything for him?
"Are you going to kill me or not?"
"I killed him."
With a battle shout, He brought his blade down.
There is Chapter Eleven. Now Next Chapter, Steela gets her interview with Herald. Plus another character returns from earlier in the story.