Chapter 2: Lark

At last the storm cleared. The Condor, finally relieved of her enemy, limped along in the sky while her crew recovered.

Aerrow opened his eyes wearily. Everything about him hurt. His neck ached and his back and his hands and knees as well. He heard Junko and Finn groan and Radarr whimper. Surprisingly enough, the sounds came from underneath him. He glanced down and saw that he was lucky enough to end up on top of a heap in which the four Storm Hawk members had ended up. He was on top of Junko, who was on top of poor Radarr, who was on top of a flattened Finn. For the most part, though in pain from the crushing of the members on top of them, they all seemed fine.

His squadron . . . Aerrow glanced around hopefully, only to be greeted with all kinds of scattered pieces of metal and machinery. Oh no. "Piper!"

As quickly as they could, the four Storm Hawks ran out of the hangar bay and made their way up into the bridge. The automatic doors, which open upward and downward, the two parts meeting a third of the way up, opened as Aerrow stepped onto the bridge, looking around hopefully with the others close behind. He hoped, although he doubted, that Piper was here, and also wished to see if Stork was alright.

The place was an absolute mess! Everything was strewn out onto the floor. And buried up to his head under it all, pinned by the helm of the ship which had broken off the front, was Stork. To Aerrow's relief, he seemed alright. "Just checking," the Merb said to him from where he lay in the mess, "but we are alive, aren't we?"

"We're fine, Stork," Aerrow assured, holding up hand to emphasis the idea of being calm. He turned to the flight engineer. "Junko, how's the ship?"

Junko looked around. "Uh, nothing Stork and I can't fix," he answered.

"Good," Aerrow responded quickly. "Then Finn and I are going to find Piper."

Finn blinked in surprise. He didn't remember volunteering for the job. But as Aerrow walked past him with a distressed look on his face, he knew better than to challenge him. Practically the only time any of the Storm Hawks could possibly make Aerrow mad was when he was scared or worried. Now was not a good time to oppose his authority. Besides, Finn was worried, too, and he wouldn't mind helping. He turned and followed his Sky Knight back toward the hangar bay.

Aerrow and Radarr and Finn were flying through a bunch of jagged peaks hardly big enough to be called terras. Aerrow was trying his radio again. "Piper, come in!" he called desperately. No response. Aerrow looked away, his despair growing. "We've been at this for hours," he whispered bleakly. He was beginning to lose hope of ever finding her. And the more he despaired, the more he blamed himself for what happened. Oh, why hadn't he just turned around and taken a head count during the storm? If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

Finn was looking about, and suddenly he pointed and shouted, drawing Aerrow from his thoughts. "There!"

Aerrow looked ahead toward where he pointed. A glittering light was coming from one of the peaks. There were only two things that could cause that: sunlight reflecting off a sleek surface or a crystal. It had to be Piper! Aerrow gunned the engine for all it was worth, speeding toward the terra with Finn close behind.

As soon as they landed on the terra, Aerrow jumped out of his Skimmer and ran toward the light, sick with worry. The object was on the other side of a chasm in front of him. His shoulders sagged as he saw what it was. Finn ran up beside him. "Piper's Heliscooter," he told him. No doubt about it. Though bent all out of shape, it was definitely Piper's Heliscooter. The light they had seen was the sunlight reflecting off one of its metal helicopter blades.

"But no Piper!" Finn added anxiously.

This isn't good, Aerrow thought. He glanced at him, feeling a throbbing pain where his heart should be. The aching in his chest was more painful then any blow he'd received from the Dark Ace or any hit he'd taken in a crash. A driverless skyride, trashed and wretched, usually meant the worst. But Aerrow scolded himself for his lack of faith. He had to believe Piper was still out there, alive. He turned around, determined to find a path down to the Heliscooter. Finn followed.

When Aerrow reached the Heliscooter, he flipped up the lid on one of the handles and pushed the bottom it revealed to activate the radio, which still worked. "Aerrow to Condor," he reported. "Piper's Heliscooter's trashed. We don't see her anywhere!"

As Finn approached him, Aerrow heard Stork respond on the radio. "Um, you better get back here," he said. "Piper just showed up, and she's acting . . . strange."

Aerrow and Finn exchanged glances. Acting strange?

As soon as they landed on the ship, Aerrow and Finn went running up to the bridge. Aerrow was in panic. He wouldn't let himself imagine what could possibly be wrong with Piper.

He and Finn found Stork adjusting the Timepulse receiver and Junko tightening some last few screws in the helm, both seeming very unconcerned. Aerrow and Finn ran up to them. "Where's Piper?" Aerrow asked them anxiously, calling their attention. "What's wrong with her?"

Then Aerrow heard a strange sound. It was Piper . . . laughing. And not just any kind of laughter, either. It wasn't like those little giggles and snickers Aerrow was used to hearing when he and Piper played around or when one of the guys did something stupid. It was . . . happier. Even so, Junko frowned and Stork scowled as they both cast a glance beyond Aerrow and Finn. Aerrow and Finn turned around.

Piper was sitting at the table with a bag of purple crystals and the map she had recovered from the storm stretched out in front of her. She seemed fine. In fact, she seemed better than fine. She was laughing with pleasure with another girl who sat beside her, whom Aerrow did not know. The new girl was blue-eyed and freckled with a hoop-shaped ring in either ear, and her blonde hair was pulled back in pigtails. Her outfit was pink—too much pink for Aerrow's taste (even her nails were pink)—with blue sleeves, and the one on her left was detached at the elbow.

Stork cringed at their laughing. Tapping the glass of the now-operating Timepulse receiver, he said, "Oh, I've seen it before. Azarian Laughing Fever." He turned to Aerrow. "Goes on like this till their brains explode." He put is hands on his head and then opened them and pricked his ears to emphasize his point.

Aerrow cast Stork a questionable look and saw Finn do the same. He had them worrying over Piper's welfare just because he thought she had Azarian Laughing Fever?! Whatever that was.

It was then that Piper finally noticed that Aerrow and Finn had at last arrived. She smiled. She couldn't wait to introduce her very best friend to her new very best friend. She shushed her new friend, putting her finger over her mouth, before she waved to them and called her leader over. "Hey, Aerrow!" She pointed a thumb at the girl beside her. "This is Lark," she introduced. "She pulled me out of the storm."

"Uh, hi," Aerrow greeted her, returning her smile. He didn't really know what else to say. A moment later he thought that maybe a "thank you" would be appropriate, but the girls didn't give him much of a chance.

"And guess what?!" Piper burst out in her excitement. "She's into crystals, too!" She gestured toward the purple crystal hanging around Lark's neck, much like the blue one on Piper.

"Oh, I've got a few," Lark said modestly, holding up her hands, "but I don't know as much as Piper."

"So not true!" Piper insisted, waving her hand as if she were shooing a fly. She addressed Aerrow again. "Lark actually created a force field that protected us from the storm!" Yes, Piper could remember it well. Her being in that terrible storm and thinking: I'm dead! Then suddenly Lark was there, and she took Piper's hand . . .

Piper saw Aerrow and Finn exchange glances, gaping. They were obviously a little overcome by Piper's new enthusiasm. Piper continued without thinking much about it. "We didn't even get hit by a single raindrop!" she said. "We almost forgot about the storm!"

Then Lark started giggling. "Until that really loud thunder!" she reminded her.

"KABOOM!" they both mimicked together in delight, bursting out into a fit of giggles.

Everyone had different reactions, Aerrow noticed. Radarr, who had just entered the bridge, was actually eyeing Lark suspiciously. An irritated Stork walked up beside a confused Junko. "It's like a whole other language," the Wallop commented.

Piper didn't notice any of them. "My ears are still ringing!" she proclaimed to Lark, referring to the thunder again.

"A total buzz-o-rama!" Lark added through her laughing fit.

As they continued laughing, it struck Piper that she couldn't remember the last time she had laughed this hard, the last time she had been this happy. Even Aerrow couldn't crack jokes like Lark.

Stork just groaned as they laughed and stuck corks in his ears.

Then as Piper glanced at Aerrow again, she remembered her duties. "Oh, here," she said, getting up and grabbing the map. "Lark helped me figure out the coordinates."

Finally, here was the kind of Piper Aerrow knew! He took the map from her and unrolled it, studying it. "Terra Tundras," Piper defined for him.

"Oh, been there once or twice," Lark commented. "Not much but hills and dirt." "Very boring" was the way she had described it to Piper earlier.

Piper couldn't help but notice with annoyance that Finn was eyeing Lark as she spoke.

But the Cyclonians are doing something there, Aerrow thought, still looking at the map, which means it's important. "Set a course," Aerrow suddenly ordered. "Whatever the Cyclonians are up to there, we'll find out."

Radarr, unnoticed by the rest of them, stuck his head over the box behind Aerrow, churring to himself and eyeing Lark. Something didn't smell right about her . . .

While Piper and Lark stood side by side, Finn was suddenly there next to Lark, flashing her a smile. "So, you're into crystals?" he said, trying to play it smooth.

Piper and Lark exchanged a glance. Was Finn flirting with Lark?

"How awesome," Finn continued.

Piper and Lark burst into a fit of giggles. As if!

Finn tried to do his pistol finger thing, but he groaned and gave up when he saw them giggling at him. He glanced at Aerrow and pointed a thumb at the girls, wanting an explanation.

Aerrow shrugged. Why in the world would he have an answer? "I don't know," he answered quietly.

Finn shrugged. If Aerrow didn't understand Piper, then there was no hope for any of them. Hmmm . . . Finn thought. Girls!

Piper tried to control her giggling when she heard Aerrow address her and Lark. "Girls—"

At that very moment, Radarr leapt onto the table in front of them, growling at Lark viciously. Piper cocked an eyebrow. What was up with him?

Lark stepped forward and bent down to his level, reaching out a hand for him to sniff. "Hey, little guy!" she greeted him. "What's your name?"

Radarr only growled more fiercely, and, much to the Storm Hawks' surprise, he lunged at her.

Aerrow quickly intercepted, grabbing hold of Radarr's tail and pulling him back. "Radarr!" he scolded. "What's wrong with you?"

Radarr stared at him in disbelief. What had he done wrong? He had only tried to protect Piper!

Lark shrugged it off, waving her hand dismissively. "It's okay. After all," she said, placing a hand on her heart, "I am a stranger."

Piper placed a hand on her hip. "Hardly! You saved my life!" she reminded her, placing her hands on her heart as she did so. She grabbed Lark's arm. "That makes you a best friend forever!"

Radarr growled softly. This didn't look good. They should not trust her!

"Hey!" Piper said to Lark suddenly, grabbing her arm again as she got an idea. "You wanna see my crystal lab?"

"Oh! Do I!" Lark exclaimed excitedly.

That only made Piper more excited. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had reacted that way when she asked to show them her crystal lab, not even Aerrow. She ran happily toward her room with Lark close behind.

Aerrow and Finn watched in confusion, exchanged a glance, and then gazed at the door again. Girl language was far beyond their comprehension. It was like Piper used a different dialect when she talked with Aerrow, and perhaps a completely different language when it came to the other guys. And what was with this whole "best friends forever" thing? Aerrow wondered. He had saved her life before. Did that make him a best friend forever, or was it different because he was a guy who cared less about crystals? Aerrow scolded himself for being paranoid, but he couldn't help wondering.

Radarr growled and leapt off the table, ignoring Aerrow completely. He wasn't so sure about Lark, and he was going to see what was up! As the girls walked along with Piper in the lead, Radarr followed along silently behind them, stalking them as he tiptoed on his hind legs.

"Oh, you know what?" Lark said suddenly, stopping Piper (and Radarr). Piper turned to look at her. "I forgot my crystals on the bridge," Lark said, laying her finger on her cheek. "Go ahead," she told Piper. "I'll meet you there."

"Um, sure," Piper answered with a shrugged. She turned and walked away. Okay, she thought. That was weird . . .

Radarr hid behind a crate beside the wall, watching as Piper walked away, leaving Lark alone in the hallway. Lark turned around and eyed the furry copilot with a smirk. Radarr's eyes widened, and he churred questionably. Apparently he wasn't as good at secrecy as he thought. He flattened himself against the wall as soon as he saw her eyes and tried to sneak back to the safety of the bridge and Aerrow's shoulder, meaning to walk on all fours beside the wall.

He didn't even make a move before there was Lark, kneeling down in front of him beside the box. What she thought was, What's your problem? But what she squealed instead was, "Oh, aren't you cute, following after me." She tapped him on the nose. "Here," she said, pulling something out of her clothing that glowed a pink light. "Want a snack?" She held it out in front of his nose.

Radarr's curiosity got the better of him, especially after hearing the word "snack". He leaned forward and sniffed the object in her hand to see if it was good to eat. A crystal? Why in the world would he eat a crystal?

He didn't realize it, but in leaning closer he had gotten right in Lark's reach. Right as he realized his mistake, the girl grabbed him and hugged him close. "Gotcha!" she hissed maliciously. Radarr whimpered in fright as she slammed the pink crystal against his head. In a moment, he seemed to disappear. Now they can't see you! Lark thought viciously.

But Radarr felt no different. He was unaware of his invisibility. He only knew that the girl would pay for that! He struggled against her grasp, growling viciously and trying to reach her hand to bite it. Lark held him out a safe distance from her so that the invisible creature could do her no harm. Looking over her shoulder to be sure no one saw, she opened the lid of the box. Radarr squealed as he was thrown headfirst into the crate and had the lid slammed on top of him.

Stay there! Lark thought. "There," she said. "That oughtta keep you outta my hair." She narrowed her eyes as she smirked and flipped back her pigtail. After all, she couldn't that Sky Knight's annoying little pet around to save him and his dear friend Piper and all the rest of the Storm Hawks when the time came for her to unleash her plan.

As Radarr listened to her from within the crate, he could hear the underlining in her voice that made his fur stand on end. The ever-familiar dark tone of evil.

Author's Notes: It's Radarr to the rescue! Maybe . . .

This episode is supposed to be from Piper's point of view, but it seems like she isn't doing enough thinking (besides what she's already blurting out loud) for me to really add anything to her thoughts, nor is she being observant enough for me to use her to see what else is going on. Besides, I think Nerd Corps focused most on the guys at this point in the episode to show their complete incomprehension of Piper's and Lark's "girl talk" and also focused on Radarr (yay!) because he had an idea of what was going on right from the beginning. Go Radarr! Go Radarr! Go Radarr! Go . . . I should probably shut up now, shouldn't I? Reviews, anyone?