"Kidnapped by Cyclonians?!... She's doomed."

"For once I agree with Stork; who knows what kind of torture they have put or are putting her through!" Finn panicked.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad; the Dark Ace knows he needs her alive and well if she is going to be a hostage." Charlotte said off-handedly.

"Never mind that, Hannah could have gone crazy by now!", I argued.

"Why would she have gone crazy?"

"Don't you understand how she must be feeling?"

At the blank look on Charlotte's face, I turned to singing to get the message across. "All by myseeeeeelf, don't wanna be all by myseeelf anymore!"

By this point I was in full ballad mode complete with the 'reach and grab' hand movement and pained expression. I took a deep breath, ready to carry on but Charlotte stopped me.

"We get the point but considering who kidnapped her, I'm pretty sure that Hannah is enjoying just a little bit of it", she suggested.

"Fine…" I paused to think of a new song. Charlotte rolled her eyes but once I had started she couldn't help but join in:

"I want to break free. I want to break free. I want to break free from your lies, you're so self-satisfied, I don't need you. I've got to break free. God knows, God knows I want to break free."

The Storm Hawks watched in amusement as Charlotte and I danced as we sang. There were quite a few puzzled looks when we sang the second verse though.

"I've fallen in love. I've fallen in love for the first time and this time I know it's for real. I've fallen in love, yeah. God knows, God knows I've fallen in love."

"Wait, what?!", I heard Aerrow in the background, voice laced with confusion. But we wanted to finish the song, so we ignored him for the time being and carried on.

"It's strange but it's true. I can't get over the way you love me like you do. But I have to be sure when I walk out that door oh how I want to be free, baby, oh how I want to break free. Oh how I want to break free."

At this point Charlotte dragged Aerrow and I dragged Finn (being the person closest) over to join in the dance.

"But life still goes on. I can't get used to living without, living without, living without you by my side. I don't want to live alone, hey. God knows, got to make it on my own. So baby can't you see I've got to break free. I've got to break free. I want to break free, yeah. I want, I want, I want, I want to break free!"

We finished with jazz hands whilst Piper, Junko and Radarr clapped.

It was clear that Stork thought we had mind worms.

"Well, uh, that was fun. Now what was that you said earlier?" Aerrow asked

"I forgot you guys didn't know! Well Hannah-", I started, but Charlotte, wanting to be the one who told them, cut me off.

"Han has a crush on the Dark Ace!", she shouted, grinning excitedly

"What?!", Piper, Aerrow and Junko yelled in unison.

"So that's why she wouldn't go out with me", Finn said, eyes wide as if he had just had an epiphany. Of course Charlotte had to be the one to burst his bubble.

"Oh this has nothing to do with that. It was more the fact that you're-"

"ANYWAY!", I butted in, "Moving on,"

"Why?", Aerrow looked seriously confused

"It's the hair", Stork said simply causing everyone to look at him with confusion. "What?"

"Dude, what happened to mind worms?", asked Finn.

"There are few things that are worse than mind worms and one of them is…T. G. I."

"What's that?", Piper asked, with Junko joining in with, "Is it serious?"

"Yes. It stands for - Teenage Girl Infatuation." The look of horror on Stork's face was hilarious and I couldn't help but burst into laughter. Soon everyone else joined in whilst Stork stormed off back to the helm, muttering under his breath.

"Right, back to the matter at hand", gasped Piper, coughing to clear up the rest of the giggles. "We should head for Cyclonia. We'll figure out a battle plan on the way there. But for now, get yourselves ready: we'll be breaking into Cyclonia and more likely than not fighting our way out again."

"Ravess, Snipe, the Dark Ace, and Master Cyclonis in one spot", listed Junko. "This isn't gonna be fun."

"Yup, it'll be tough", agreed Aerrow. "But we're the Storm Hawks. We've saved Atmos so many times. This should be a piece of cake at least! Especially with our back-up." With this he gestured to Sam, who frowned, muttered, "What back-up? Oh, us!" and did a thumbs-up; and looped an arm around my shoulders.

"Aw hell yeah!", I said with a wry grin. "You can count us in. They nicked our Han, and have a butt-wupping headed their way anyhow."

"Set a course for Cyclonia, Stork", Aerrow called over to the helm. "We have a rescue mission to carry out."

On three okay?

Yep.

One.

Two.

HANNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

...

S'up?

HANNAH

Ow. Owowowow that made my ears ring.

Where the fuck-

You just covered this in the narrative!

Care to explain what actually happened then?

You know what, yeah. Might as well.

I was not the best at reading Atmosian co-ordinates, but after pulling out a map from a slot within my skimmer, I managed to figure out my way to a small and uninhabited terra. It was mostly covered in forest, nothing like what we'd seen on our arrival and more like ol' Horsell Common.

Pulling up in a grassy clearing, I leaned forward on my skimmer handlebars.

"If you're not here I'm leaving!", I yelled into the shadowy trees surrounding me. "I'm giving you twenty minutes."

Five minutes passed. I think. I had no watch. It felt like ages though, during which boredom, annoyance and a hot flush of nerves mixed in my stomach. He was totally doing this for effect.

I'd decided to laze back on the skimmer with feet on the handlebars and look up at the canopy of branches when a head blocked out my view. Squealing, I fell off my bike. Well done Han. Well done.

Jumping to my feet, I summoned my chakrams and brought them up defensively.

"What do you want, Dark Ace?", I snapped.

"God, you've been around that boy for what, two hours? And you already sound like him", the Dark Ace muttered, sauntering around the side of my skimmer. His sword was sheathed, and I couldn't see his skimmer anywhere. I couldn't hear any skimmers either. So he really did come alone. Didn't mean I wasn't going to put away the chakrams any time soon.

"You look like I'm about to attack you", the Dark Ace commented, raising an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't put it past your nature", I responded. "You aren't a fan of traitors as far as I know. Oh, but that would be hypocritical."

Bad, bad, baaaaaaaaad move. In a clean sweep, he lashed out, hooking his grappling claw around one chakram and using it to knock the other from my grip by slashing my knuckles. Hissing, I cradled my hands as he threw the weapons to the side.

"Now we are both weaponless", he said, looming over me and so goddamn close. Yeah, you're not exactly Captain Obvious when you stil have your-

My mind blanked when I felt two arms wrap around my shoulders.

He. Was. Hugging me? Wait, what, I just, what?

Hugging.

I think I let out a high-pitched whine.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiaaaand handcuffs?" What.

"That was easier than I expected", the Dark Ace commented with a smirk, stepping back. He'd slipped the cuffs on..somehow?! Oh god how blanked out had I been? Holding them up, I scowled.

"Oh that's not-" A fist slammed into my forehead and I rocked back. Shit this was going bad very quickly. Struggling to get my balance back, I turned to kick him in the place where the sun-don't-shine and instead he pressed an electric yellow crystal to my forehead.

CRACK

Blackness.

...

I regained conscious in one nasty looking Cyclonian cell. My thoughts were blurred still, brain aching, but they went along the lines of: 'What just…fucking Ace…hugged me…tasered…hugged me?...FUCKING TASERED'.

Going for the door (since the fruit loop that dumped me in here didn't deem it necessary to include shackles) I knocked it open with a blast of high-pressure wind. I didn't care if it drained me, I was fucking pissed off and getting out of here.

I also got three steps before running into the Dark Ace.

"Oh for fuck's-"

CRACK.

...

Six. Fucking. Days. Every day had one or two escape routines. What can I say, when I want to be, I'm a stubborn little shit. I was also swearing ten times more because the underlying line to the whole escaping was getting back at the fucker who fucking tasered me.

It was official. We were over.

Well that escalated quickly.

Hey, hey Sam: 'Cause we, are never ever ever, getting back together!

We-E are never

ever ever

I hate you both. Also, Charlotte, I hear Aerrow.

Oh, oh shit! Han, you keep narrating.

And yonder she goes after lover boy

I HEARD THAT.

YOU WERE MEANT TO.

Ehem.

Alright Umbridge calm down.

Do not. Refer to me. As that devil in pink EVER AGAIN.

On the last day of that week, I was at the door. Again. This time I was going for a more low-key attempt of breaking out. Or, Lo-ki: I'd iced-over the door hinges and was chipping away at them with a chunk of metal. I'd finished the upper hinge and had just started on the second when there was a loud clunk and the door fell down and off it's hinges.

I froze, startled. That had been fast. However, the door had in fact been opened from the other side. By, that's right, you-know-who.

The Dark Lord of Aceness stared at the door in a mixture of bafflement and frustration, before turning to me with a glower.

"Oh come on I haven't even gotten out of the room!", I snapped. "Can we skip the goddamn tasering for one day?"

"That's not why I'm here", the Dark Ace explained. "The Storm Hawks have been sighted. It seems they have finally noticed your absence."

"About bloody time", I muttered to myself.

We weren't that bad YES YOU WERE. …Fine, next time you get kidnapped- SAVE ME YOU BUTTS.

"Even so, a hostage would be useful, especially when dealing with Aerrow's 'sense of honour'-"

"Except Charlotte and Sam are gonna be there and, especially with Charlotte, they don't have much of a sense of honour", I explained. "Because seriously, they will punch you. In the face. Twelve times. With a katana. And then save me."

"Do you intend for me to be intimidated-"

"Yes."

"And what's a katana?"

I paused, frowned, then face-palmed. "Goddamn Earth and Atmos reference differences argh. Don't you guys have ninjas?!"

"…I've had enough of this mindless babble."

"You don't know what a ninja is that's kinda hilarious. And sad."

"STOP MOCKING ME!"

"Stop giving me ammo!"

"I've given you no ammunition."

"Oh my GOD!", I yelled. "Let's just…stop talking for a minute!"

You sound like a couple.

I will wound you.

No you won't.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHhey I sound like a snake.

My bit. Shh.

"I, for one, agree." And then he whacked me in the face.

"Oh, you f-" A warning hand shut me up. So I settled for pure angry glaring.

"You are to come with me. And stay. Silent. For the love of Atmos."

"Nope." I grinned cheekily, but that faded into utter dismay and partial disgust when he pulled out the cuffs.

"Oh fuck no."

He

What?

Yep.

Oh GOD that is WRONG in SO many ways

Handcuffs? Really?

How do you think I felt?!

Somehow I think you enjoyed it.

ARE YOU INSANE?

Just a little.

SORCEROR'S-

WE KNOW.

Should I-

YES

Although technically it's your turn again.

Fuck yes.