Chapter 6: Fallen Sky Knight
The Raptors were still tailing the Condor as the ship sped through the pipelines, banging and scraping herself up against the side of the walls. Piper gasped as they hit the wall again and saw Stork try to steady the ship, but she couldn't keep perfectly straight at such speeds. Piper decided she should sit down in on of the two seats in the back of the bridge.
They banged into the wall again as they turned the corner. The pipeline opened up to a large cave chamber inside the terra. Repton grunted when he saw the Condor's flying improve over an area of more room. So more airspace is what they want? Repton can handle airspace. He drove off the edge of the pipe and deployed his ride's wings, his brothers following his lead.
The Condor was making her getaway through another pipe. The Raptors followed, not bothering to return to bike mode. They gained on them when the Condor turned the corner. Repton's eye calculated their distance and speed. Now! He signaled for the Raptors to draw forth their short, saw-toothed, double-edged Raptor swords, and Repton pulled out his energy boomerang. All of their weapons were powered by yellow scalus crystals, a crystal that was as, if not more, harmful than a striker crystal. Repton aimed and threw his boomerang. The boomerang became a fiery energy ring, ready to destroy anything in its path.
Piper and Stork were thrown forward as the boomerang struck the Condor's stern before returning to Repton. Piper's heart thudded against her chest. Did they ever quit?
Stork was actually pretty calm. He narrowed his eyes irritably and said, "I hate tailgaters," before pulling a lever.
The Condor immediately backed. The Raptors stared as the ship's stern headed for them. They were still going at full speed. There was no avoiding it.
Stork grinned evilly as he heard a cloud CLANK.
The Raptors had all run into the Condor's tailpipe. They slid to the ground, and landed in a heap, with Repton on the bottom. The lead Raptor let out a sigh as the Condor flew away without trouble.
Piper sighed in relief, trying to calm her heartbeat. "Good flying, Stork," she told her pilot.
Stork smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, well . . ." He didn't know what else to say. Flying was what he did.
Aerrow was still hadn't reached the Cyclonian palace when he heard . . . Was that violin music? Aerrow tensed and peered ahead of him. A fleet of Talons was heading his way, and the lead Talon was playing a violin. Theme music? What's up with that?
Aerrow didn't have time to puzzle it over before his ride was struck by something. He and Radarr turned to see who it was. Radarr's eyes widened, and he squawked fearfully. Aerrow suddenly understood why there was theme music.
Ravess. She was flying toward him from behind, laughing evilly as she fitted another arrow on her bow. Aerrow glanced fearfully from her to the Talon fleet, who must be the Bluster Chapter, and back to Ravess. They were surrounded on both sides.
Aerrow needed an idea. He glanced at Ravess and then at the violin-playing Talon. Nothing. No spark of inspiration. He turned back to Ravess just in time to see her shoot. Aerrow shouted in surprise and spun out of the way.
The Talons were almost upon him. Up seemed the best way out. So up he went. Unfortunately, the Talons followed, circling around and below him. Ravess flew up in the middle of the column they made, right toward him.
But already Aerrow was remembering something from his early childhood. "It's okay, Radarr," he told his copilot. "I saw this in a cartoon once." His ride was completely vertical by now. Drawing his blades, Aerrow fleetingly remembered how so many television programs tell him not to "try this at home," but he decided not to listen. He flipped over backward off his Skimmer, spreading his arms outward. He let loose a battle cry as he began to spin.
Ravess pulled her Switchblade out of his way but wasn't able to avoid his blade. Radarr took that as a signal to turn the Vulcan around and try to outrun Aerrow so that he could catch him later. Aerrow continued falling, his blades striking each Switchblade as he descended. All this was in a matter of seconds, just long enough for Ravess to notice her Switchblade's smoking bow. "No!" she cried.
Radarr brought the Skimmer underneath Aerrow, and he landed on his feet in the driver's seat. Aerrow was beside himself in his success. "Did you see that?" he exclaimed to Radarr, who nodded. "It worked!"
As the Talons parachuted toward the Wastelands, the one Talon was still playing Ravess' theme music. Ravess snarled in irritation as she watched the Sky Knight drive away, and the music now only added to her annoyance. She threw her bow behind her, and it struck the Talon, knocking the violin out of his hands. The music stopped abruptly.
Back in Master Cyclonis' throne room, a Talon messenger had just brought the news to the Master. Finn and Junko pressed up against the glass to see what was going on. The messenger finished his report quickly and left with an anxious bow. Master Cyclonis placed her hand on her chin as he left hastily. "Both Ravess and Snipe?" she thought aloud. She slammed her fist into her palm. "We must be dealing with a Sky Knight!"
Finn and Junko smiled. "That's our boy!" Finn cheered, throwing his hand in the air.
Finn's celebration was short-lived. The Dark Ace had stepped forth from the shadows and addressed the Master. "Leave this one to me." Finn's heart sank as he watched him leave, determined to destroy his friend.
Master Cyclonis turned to the Storm Engine and addressed the Storm Hawks. "If you're hoping for a rescue," she said, "prepare to be disappointed. In just a few moments, all of my Talons will be home to roost, and your atoms will be scattered across the Atmos."
Finn exchanged a terrified glance with Junko. "Uh, take your time," Junko told her.
Finn ran a hand over his hair and crossed his arms in agreement. "We're cool." Oh please, Aerrow, he thought. Avoid the Dark Ace, and get here as soon as you can!
The Condor was still making her way through the pipeline. Piper kept studying her charts and looking out the window, watching for their destination. There! "That's it!" she said at last, pointing. "Fly up that shaft! Hatch 35! We're at the rendezvous." Stork followed her orders, slowing the Condor has they made their way into the hatch.
The hatch was considerably smaller than the pipe. The Condor was too big for it. Even so, she tried to push her way on sheer force, her sides scraping against the sides of the hatch with a loud screech, sending sparks flying. But she lost her momentum and could not force her way in any further. She halted, and her abrupt stop made Piper and Stork lose their balance. Stork landed on top of Piper.
Stork's ears were still ringing from the screeching. "Oh," he said to Piper, "that's going to leave a mark."
Piper rolled her eyes. They were stuck in a hatchway in Cyclonia with Raptors on their tail, and the first thing Stork worries about is the fact that the Condor now has scratch marks. Typical.
The Raptors were headed their way, riding their recovered Bone Wings in bike mode. Fortunately, they kept their eyes straight ahead and didn't see the Condor stuck in a hatch just above them. They drove right on past. But Piper knew it was only a matter of time before the Condor was found.
Aerrow and Radarr where now headed toward one of the main Cyclonian outposts. Aerrow scanned the skies. Someone was coming toward him. He squinted, and then he stared, anxiety rising in his stomach. Oh no. Please don't let it happen again. Please, someone give him the strength to live through this.
The Dark Ace headed for the one lone Sky Knight who was becoming such a problem. His eyes widened in surprise. "This one again?" he asked, studying the redheaded boy. "Obviously he didn't learn his lesson the first time."
The tower of the Cyclonian base separated them. Now they both flew toward it, circling around its pointy top, studying each other. Aerrow refused to let on just how scared he was. After all, the whole Atmos was counting on him not to panic, to face this evil.
"You're determined, I'll give you that," he heard the Dark Ace taunt, "but it takes much more to be a Sky Knight. I should know. I've defeated more of them than anyone!" Aerrow could feel his fear slowly being replaced by anger. He clenched his teeth, the desire to fight stronger than ever. But he wouldn't let himself lose focus. "So tell me, Sky Knight," the Dark Ace continued his taunting. "Are you just pretending?"
Aerrow narrowed his eyes. "Let's find out," he suggested.
He hit the accelerator and sharpened his turn around the point, charging the Dark Ace with blades drawn. The Dark Ace met his attack. Their weapons connected as they fought, skyrides pulled up side-by-side as each swung at his opponent. They spiraled and spun, twisting and turning, and neither gave an inch. The whole world had fallen away from Aerrow; all that mattered was the success of the mission and his own will to live, as well as his strong desire to be the first to beat the Dark Ace.
A strike from the Talon commander unbalanced Aerrow, and he pulled away, dangling off his Vulcan and hanging on by the handles. He wasted no time in heaving himself back into the seat and turning around, nervous about having his back to the enemy.
His caution was justified. He turned to see the Dark Ace rising up in a red aurora, performing his special move. Aerrow stared, horrified, as the red pulse headed his way. This was the very same thing that almost ended his life in the battle over Terra Atmosia. But then he had been on his battle glider, defenseless. Now he had tools.
Opening a lid on the Skimmer's left control handle, he pressed the button it revealed. The Storm Hawks' symbol on his port wing twisted as it unhinged itself from the wing. Aerrow wasted no time in grabbing it and held it out in front of him as the pulse came. The pulse deflected off of this shield, the same shield his ancestor had once used in combat.
Aerrow glanced at Radarr, who nodded approvingly. The young Sky Knight smiled proudly and continued on, flying neck and neck with the Dark Ace. Now. The two turned in on each other in a charge. Both leapt to the front of their skyrides, weapons in hand. Aerrow could see the Dark Ace's snarl and returned it. He knew this was it. The final charge. "This time," he heard the Dark Ace say, "no mercy."
Aerrow didn't wait for the Talon to carry that out. With a yell meant to add power, he leapt into the air, the power of his weapons surrounding him. Wings unfolded on either side and collapsed into a pulse as Aerrow performed his Lightning Claw.
The Dark Ace's eyes widened as the pulse headed toward him. There was no time to react. The pulse struck the front of the Switchblade. The ride fell, dumping the Dark Ace overboard.
The Dark Ace cried out in surprise and was jolted when his fall was broken by his own battle glider, this one having a pair of boosters for additional thrust. He couldn't believe it. He own ride was shot out from under him.
Aerrow landed feet first on the seat of his Vulcan. He turned and watched Atmos' most feared warrior glide away without a skyride. And it was done by Aerrow's own hand. He couldn't have been prouder.
The Dark Ace couldn't have been angrier. He roared in rage. For the first time since he became a Talon, he had lost—to a kid.
Piper was looking over her charts again when she heard something crash into the bottom of the Condor. She cringed and gasped. Stork grabbed one of the periscopes and used it to see what was going on. He focused on four reptilian figures standing beside four Bone Wings. "Uh, yeah," he told Piper. "They found us."
"What about the shields?" Piper asked, thinking quickly.
Stork turned to her. "Knocked out by the Cyclonians in our last battle," he answered, then let go of the periscope and added, "permanently."
Piper put a hand on her forehead, desperately trying to think. "Okay," she said. "This is bad." The floor of the Condor shook again as another shot crashed into her. Both Storm Hawks jumped, and Stork gasped.
Down below, Repton was holding his boomerang, using it to shoot energy pulses at the Condor's bottom hull. In was making very little damage. "We need more fire power," Repton snarled to his brothers. He turned and gestured for the rest of them to follow. "Move!"
Aerrow and Radarr had finally reached the main terra of Cyclonia and steered the Skimmer toward the hangar bay. Upon landing, Aerrow slid sideways, drawing the Vulcan to an abrupt halt. As soon as he did, he leaped out of his ride and landed in a warrior's stance, his right blade drawn out in front of him.
Three Talon guards were present. "Intruder!" one yelled, pointing at him. "Halt!" All three Talons pointed their staffs at Aerrow.
Confidently Aerrow turned to Radarr, who now stood on top of his cockpit. "We just took down the Dark Ace," Aerrow reminded him. Radarr nodded. Aerrow smiled. "These guys should be a piece of cake!" Aerrow could sense their success and knew Radarr could feel it, too. They were ready to fight.
Then the doors behind the guards opened to reveal a whole army of Talons shouting at him in defiance. Aerrow's jaw dropped, and he drew back. "Or," he amended, "maybe not." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Radarr cower behind his cockpit and heard him whimper in fear.
Click, clickity-click. A small studded ball rolled in among the Talons. One Talon looked down at it in surprise. "Huh?"
The ball just sat there a moment. Then it released yellow crystal energy in an explosion that zapped every Talon in the squadron. Aerrow covered his eyes to the blinding light but could still hear the Talons' painful cries as they were knocked unconscious.
As the last of them fell, Aerrow opened his eyes and drew his hand away from his face. One lone Talon was left standing, a woman with purple hair and a mask over her nose and mouth. Aerrow exchanged a confused glance with Radarr, who still cowered behind the cockpit but decided that they would defend themselves from the Talon and then worry about what happened. Aerrow held out his blade with both hands.
The Talon did a surprising thing. Instead of attacking, she slipped off her goggles and mask and breathed heavily, revealing eyes the color of green olive. "Take it easy," she told him with a slight British accent. "I'm a Sky Knight. The name's Starling."
Aerrow's delight was about as great as his shock. He deactivated his blade and slipped it into the sheath on his back. "You mean Starling of the Interceptors?" he asked with a smile. He heard Radarr chirp gleefully behind him at the mention of the name. Aerrow walked forward toward Starling, Radarr at his heels. "I-I've read about you," he told her.
Yes, he'd read of her. She was one of Atmos' greatest Sky Knights. Only in her early twenties, this Sky Knight already had a history. She had been the Sky Knight of the Interceptor squadron, protectors of Terra Mesa, before the Raptors had destroyed the squadron. Only Starling had survived. Despite her loss and shortage of numbers, she was a force to be reckoned with. A master of disguises, she was capable of infiltrating the most powerful and heavily guarded communities, and was great with distractions. She also was quite a fighter.
Starling picked up her studded ball. "I've been here under cover," she told him. "Cyclonis is preparing to release a storm that will end Atmos."
"How?" Aerrow asked.
"She's built a machine from the Aurora Stone."
Aerrow shifted uncomfortably. That can't be good. His mind was already planning. They had to get to the machine before it was activated, take back the crystal, and . . .
"Also has a Wallop and a squirrelly kid stuck inside it," Starling added, interrupting his thoughts. "They belong to you?"
Of course. How typical for the pair to get into trouble. Aerrow heard Radarr churr, much a like a person would groan, and saw him slam his head into his paw, illustrating the way Aerrow felt. Finn and Junko just couldn't stay out of trouble.
The crystal-powered level meter clanked again as it moved another level up.
Finn and Junko sat in the machine. Neither of them was sure they would make it out of this. All they could do is wait and hope that Aerrow would come to get them out. Finn, for some strange reason, was plagued with guilt that he felt he should relieve of before he died.
Junko turned to Finn. "Finn, I just want you to know," he said, putting his arm around Finn's shoulder, "you're my best friend."
"Thanks buddy," Finn answered, turning away ashamedly. "And I want you to know that it was me who broke your favorite bunny lamp."
Junko's eyes widened, and he drew away, pointing an accusing finger at Finn. "You said it was the wind!"
"Well," Finn said in his own defense, playing with his fingers and smiling sheepishly, "it was kinda windy when I tripped over it."
Junko grunted angrily and refused to look at him.
Below them, Master Cyclonis was working her machine again, talking to herself. "Storms made us," she said. "Storms torn us apart. And now, storms will help us rebuild—" A yellow crystal-studded ball rolled unnoticed out in between the two Talons guards at the door. "—my way," Master Cyclonis finished.
The ball set off an explosion, zapping the two Talons unconscious. Aerrow shoved open the two large doors and entered, Radarr hanging off his shoulders. "Or we can do it my way!" he challenged.
Him again! Master Cyclonis turned around. "This is getting annoying," she grumbled.
Aerrow pointed a finger at her and demanded, "Shut down the machine and give me back what you stole!" He paused in surprise, sizing up the person in front of him. He raised an eyebrow, and Radarr's eyes widened in surprise to see a girl no older than Aerrow. "Master Cyclonis?"
"Let me guess," Cyclonis began, leaning casually on her machine. "You're that pesky Sky Knight. Aren't you a little young?"
"I was gonna say the same thing about you," Aerrow answered.
Master Cyclonis smirked confidently. Beside her, a duel-ended crystal staff, much like Piper's energy staff, vibrated before flying into her hand. She held it above her head, showing it off. Aerrow's eyes widened in anxiousness as a purple aurora surrounded her. Cyclonis levitated through the air toward Aerrow. Aerrow heard Radarr whimper frightfully and cower behind his shoulder. The young Sky Knight didn't blame him. He was starting to think this was much more than he bargained for.
Cyclonis landed in front of them, throwing her cloak off onto the floor. Aerrow could see she was preparing for battle, and he did the same, drawing forth his right blade. Cyclonis smirked and aimed the point of her staff toward him. A red, electrifying energy began to collect on the point.
Before she could fire, however, Cyclonis heard a whirling noise. She turned just in time to see energy nunchucks powered by hanzo crystals striking the end of her staff, breaking it apart. The crystal fell and clattered across the floor.
Starling leaped forward and landed in a crouch, revealing herself in her old Interceptor uniform and giving Cyclonis a cocky smile, nunchucks in hand. How did she like that move?
Cyclonis simply returned the smile. The two Sky Knights watched in surprise and disappointment as the staff repaired itself, evening attracting the crystal and piecing it back on the end. "Ooh," Cyclonis taunted Starling, spinning her staff. "You're good."
Starling stood up and held her nunchucks at the ready. "I'll hold off the witch!" she told Aerrow. "Go help your friends."
Aerrow nodded and ran forward toward the Storm Engine with Radarr clinging to his shoulder, confident in his new ally.
Cyclonis watched him but decided not to worry about him and pointed her staff at Starling. Starling saw that as a signal, and she fired. Cyclonis blocked her shot and then another before firing back. Starling was quick to move out of the way.
Aerrow made himself pay no attention to the fight as he heard shots fire back and forth and explosions of light lit the back wall. Instead he concentrated on his part of the mission. He reached the machine and climbed up using its arm-like structures to where Finn was frantically tapping at the glass. Aerrow had lifted Radarr up to the Aurora Stone and then heaved himself up to the glass case where his friends were held. He tried to figure out how to break them free while Radarr tried to pull the crystal out of the machine.
Cyclonis fired again and again, but each time Starling leaped clear and returned the fire. With some quick thinking, she somersaulted and hid behind a one of the statues lining the wall, just missing a shot over her head. Cyclonis turned this way and that, expecting an attack from any direction at any moment. Starling watched, waiting for her opportunity.
There. Cyclonis had her back to her. Starling leaped into the air and prepared to come on the Cyclonian ruler. But then to her dismay, Cyclonis turned around smirking, prepared for her attack.
Starling's cry of pain echoed throughout the room. Radarr stopped what he was doing and squawked. Aerrow turned around quickly. "Starling!"
Cyclonis was standing over the older Sky Knight's limp body, smirking. Now she turned to Aerrow. The young Sky Knight held his blades out threateningly, knowing he was the last line of defense. Cyclonis' crystal staff point began to change from red to blue. Aerrow heard Radarr screech and saw him cower behind the Storm Engine, and he tensed, ready to take his copilot's warning.
The shot was fired at last from Cyclonis' staff. Aerrow leaped out of the way, and the shot struck the side of the glass case, freezing it and blocking Finn's and Junko's vision of the action at the same time. However, Finn saw the promise in this. "Here's our chance," he said. "Junko," he told his friend, putting a hand on his shoulder, "start smashing!"
Junko punched his palm and then slammed his shoulder against the frozen part of the glass. Finn felt like dancing with glee when he saw the glass crack. Junko pulled away and rubbed his shoulder. "Oh," he said. "That's cold."
Meanwhile, Aerrow tried to attack Cyclonis. He rose into the air and performed his Lightning Claw. Cyclonis just smiled, held up her staff, and deflected the pulse. Aerrow landed on his feet, filled with despair. It seemed that as long as she had her crystals, it was impossible to fight her.
Cyclonis was smirking at him again. Aerrow narrowed his eyes. He was determined she didn't win! He held his blades out again, this time waiting for her to make the next move.
But she didn't make move. Instead she said, "You can't win, Sky Knight." She was encouraged to see a dark shadow glide in behind Aerrow. She continued by saying, "You'll do your moves and jump around, but the end result will be the same." She watched the shadowy figure of the Dark Ace land with his battle glider behind the unsuspecting Sky Knight. She continued to distract him with one of her best speeches. "I unleash the full fury of nature," she said, stretching her arms out to the Storm Engine. She turned back to him. "And you . . . Well, actually, I don't really care what happens to you," she finished, pointing to him.
Aerrow was so focused on her that he hadn't realized what was behind him until he heard a weapon being activated. He gasped and turned in time to see the Dark Ace fire a red pulse at him. There was no time to dodge.
Aerrow cried out as the pulse struck him, sending him flying across the room and making his head spin. With the painful thud, he hit the ground, his blades sliding away from him, and everything went black . . .
Author's Notes: Oh no! The Dark Ace killed Aerrow! Aerrow's dead! Oh, we're doomed! Doomed! – Stork moment.
We all know that's not true. Even if you haven't seen the show. I mean, come on. If you kill off the key character of the show in the first episode, what are you going to do during the rest of the series? Yes, I know, Aerrow's not always the key character in an episode, but you know he is sort of the key character in the series. (I'm sorry Stork, Finn, Piper, and Junko fans, but it's true, and I'm not saying that just because I'm an Aerrow fan. Actually, my favorite character is Radarr, and sometimes he's not even acknowledged. Poor Radarr.)
Oh, yes, I almost forgot—review and vote! I order you! If you disobey, I'll come and find you, and I'll . . . I'll . . . oh, I'll do something! And it'll be bad!