Argh I planned to have this uploaded waaaay sooner than this so I'm really sorry again. One of these days I'm just gonna accept that I suck and stop apologising but today is not that day.

Here is chapter 28 and yay new war has over 7000 views thanks you guys you're all really awesome for choosing this fic to read.

I don't own Storm Hawks.

OoO.

The young Sky Knight awoke the next morning with a stiff neck and a rumbling stomach. He fell asleep sat upright against the wall by the window, his course of action before drifting off was rhythmically tapping a broom against the glass in the hopes that someone, if not Rasvec, would find him.

Thankfully Aerrow had a slumber without visions, but there were plenty of thoughts that haunted him during the day, and oddly enough they revolved around the Dark Ace. Of course he still missed his friends, but their safety was pretty much set in stone, provided he could do his job right. And Aerrow always did his job right in the end.

But now he couldn't shake the worrisome concerns for his treacherous friend, there were too many threats which impended over him. The raven haired man was fatefully ill, he had been treated, but desperately needed necessary fluids pumped into the bloodstream to help counteract the infection.

Dark Ace was considered evil. Dark Ace victimised hundreds of people. Dark Ace was a rude bastard. God knows how many enemies were still surviving and itching to return an unpleasant favour. For all Aerrow knew more Raptors could show up at Gale any day.

He gave his eyes a quick rub and sneezed as some thick dust caught in his nose. There was no time to waste, so he returned to the locked wooden door and began drumming on it without the intention of stopping any time soon.

It took around ten long minutes before Bill finally knocked back rather violently "Quiet in there criminal! Jeffrey is ill and needs his sleep!"

"I have a proposal for you Bill!"

"I don't want nothing to do with you Talon, so leave us be."

"I think you do. It concerns an elite Cyclonian squadron and the safety of your family."

"What you talking about?"

"Open the door so we can negotiate like men!" It was strange being so forceful towards the public, but when the door actually opened on his command the hero felt a sinful pleasure of authority.

"Well?" Bill pushed eyeing him down with disgust.

"Let me out of here first," Aerrow demanded. Although he was silently panicking as he had no idea how to continue this bluff, if he told them a squadron was on their way he could be locked up again and used for a ransom. These people were simple but resourceful.

Bill guided the teen out with the customized bat close to the boy's chest.

"So what now boy?"

I really have to stop winging situations like this Aerrow admitted glumly to himself, as the risky lie and savage weapon befuddled him for an answer.

"I won't use my weapon if you will gladly lower yours, I'm way more skilled than you, but I have no intention of shedding blood." That was the truth.

Bill's beady eyes dashed back and forth as he contemplated the request, they flickered over to where the small sword was nestled in Aerrow's belt. Eventually he lowered his glorified club, but clearly refused to part with it completely.

With a stroke of luck (if that's what you would call it) the sweet little girl from the last visit came wandering down the stairs, curious about all the fuss.

I really should not stoop to this but... Aerrow thought to himself as he prepared for the only plan his frantic mind could conjure.

He was quick footed, that was the strength of his strategy, as he advanced towards the youngster by the stairs. Like a scary old man the redhead picked her up and held her against his chest, her perky legs dangling by his thighs. Once he had a firm hold he raised his leg and picked the knife tucked away in his boot, bringing it to the little girl's neck, with the thought in the mind that the sword would be just too scary for her.

He swallowed hard as his mind screamed at him for behaving in such a way. This was not how Sky Knights got things done, these people were just trying to survive, but he couldn't think of anything else. You're not going to go through with it, he reminded himself just get out of the house fast and safe.

"What the fuck are you doing!? Let her go you bastard!"

"I will! Just let me walk out of here and no one needs to be harmed!" He warned, trying to reflect the kind of face dark ace would pull...what a pointless reference. He wouldn't look hostile, he would be grinning like a manic cheshire cat if he introduced a hostage situation.

"Daddy," she whimpered. Aerrow could practically hear her tears. I am an awful person.

"It's alright sweety daddy's here! Let her go!"

The Storm Hawk's voice began to hoarse as he internally fought to keep it together, "I told you I will. Just let me out of this house and I swear I won't come back."

Thankfully none Cyclonian folk valued family over an upper hand. Aerrow was released, although he held onto the child until he was actually sat on Rasvec. The thought of Bill striking him once his daughter was free seemed easily possible. The old man kept his pointy bat, but the teen barely even noticed.

Human and beast flew away from the Terra with absolutely nothing to show for it. The stress had faded and Aerrow said with a clear voice as loudly as possible, as if they could actually hear, "I know that was really Cyclonian of me guys, I'm sorry. But I haven't changed, I promise."

The Sky Knight couldn't help but feel partially responsible when he returned to Gale that afternoon, to find Dark Ace in a far severe condition since he left yesturday evening. His skin fashioned a sickly pale colour, and his temperature burnt like he'd snuck out to take a wander in the wastelands.

Worried that he may have given him the wrong cure, he frantically flicked through Stork's notes again. The Merb noted that it could get worse before it gets better, but the same couldn't be said for the fact that Dark Ace needed fluids back in his body before making a full recovery.

Now he was downstairs checking through all the maps and blueprints commandeered from Piper's lab. There had to be a Terra close by that held hospital facilities with a chance of still being relatively in tact.

He soon came across a Terra. But he needed to make a rather important decision. The good news is it was only a short distance from Gale, if the plan was a success he could have Dark Ace hooked up and recovering in no time.

The bad news is: the Terra was Cyclonia.

The blueprints were like a impressive recommendation. It was large, had countless supplies and beds, and all the best medicine tucked neatly away in a warehouse. Nothing but the best for the Queen's narrow minded followers.

Thanks to the pretty navigator, there were colour coordinates leading to all the cabinets in the hospital wing, informing you on what held which items. "When did she have time to do all this?" Aerrow pondered with proud admiration for his girlfriend.

Time was running short, so he had to go for the long shot. He saddled up the second time that day with only a hasty dinner break which he was still finishing as he called Rasvec down. His weapons consisted of what he had on the mining Terra, with the addition of spare pistol.

Rather than take minor detours which resulted in somersaults, dips and gliding, Aerrow and the scaly beauty flew straight ahead at full speed to reach the heart of the Queen's empire. There was no time for child like wonders today, he had a mission, and he had to be man about.

The black Terra's zombie situation had not changed since the last time. There were still thousands of cadaverous soldiers wandering around, thanks to their beloved Master.

His only option as far as he could see was to take the ventilation shaft route again. But this time round was far more spine chilling, the lack of backup made him tremble with nerves. It was an effort just to silence his breath, in case his wordless fear gave the dead something to get excited about.

In the hanger bay was where he decided to start the journey on his knees. But first he had to reach the vent, reach being the operative word, as they were a pipe climb away. It wasn't that difficult, but his eyes twitched with the itch to look behind him as he closed in on the opening, Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look down.

By the time he had scaled the height and began fiddling with the screws, he could hear engrossing snarls just a slip and fall away.

Aerrow yanked the rusty old thing open, ignored the shattering sound it made as it hit the floor and scrambled inside.

He didn't give himself time to catch his breath and clambered through the draughty air vent. He really hated these things, shame zombies didn't fall for disguises...well maybe they did but the hell was he going to test the theory.

Dust and filth clung to his hands, and he hated to produce more than quick breaths in case he inhaled something damaging.

Soon the teen encountered his first junction, so he whipped out the map Piper had covered with well organised notes, and peered down at it with a weak solaris crystal to aid him.

Aerrow sprawled the map out onto the base of the vent and followed the trail with his fingers, if he was smart about this he could match the hallways below to the vents. "OK I can do this, just got to keep following this path," he told himself with a finger on a specific dotted line.

He kept the map folded up and held in his grip ready to check when he needed it. And he needed it a lot.

The moans of hunger below him made him feel so uneasy, and without even knowing, his movements gradually became quicker. With the urge to shift the scary sounds he got louder, his hands and knees thudded on the metal a lot harder than previously planned.

There was light up ahead peering through the slits of another vent opening. Before coming into contact with it, Aerrow double checked his glorified cheat sheet, his destination was still too far away to jump down now.

As he continued rushing along, the second his hand smacked down on the vent door, it gave way and swung open. Totally unprepared the Sky Knight fell through, dropping into the middle of a hallway. A squadron worth of zombiefied Talons turned on their rotting legs to face him.

Quick thinking needed now. A flash of familiarity caught in his sight and he was up on his feet, charging through with his blade. A slash there, jab here, he darted through the corridors feeling a strong sense of deja vu. Only this time; no bad ass partner watching his back.

He was retracing his steps from last time which was a good thing, it meant he wouldn't get lost. Thankfully he was nearing his destination quicker than last time. The slaying did not cease as he closed in on Dark Ace's old apartment. The door was unhinged like last time, as they took the barricade down in case it would ever be needed again.

Before entering, he stabbed another who was too close in the head, and pushed another backward forcing it to stumble to the floor.

Then Aerrow ran through the door, and blocked it best he could with a chain used before.

A bed fit for royalty to the left, a leather couch that made the Rex Guardians look like they didn't spend enough to the right, and the fact that the apartment as a whole looked barely untouched by the apocalypse. These factors all enticed Aerrow, and offered him the chance to relax.

But only for half an hour or so, just until the heat died down. Besides, he didn't want to sound too Finn-like, but the teen thought he deserved a quick lie down after the escapades he'd endured today.

Screw loafing on the couch, Aerrow headed straight for the bed, diving onto the luscious pool of silk. The sheets were chilled, but it didn't stop him dragging an oversized pillow towards him so he could snuggle into it. Why was his bed on the Condor so firm?

Subconsciously he was telling himself to take a nap, and he couldn't be bothered to conjure any objections.

The next time he opened his eyes, the sun was dimming, as it began to hide away for the night. Shit. Shit. Shit.

The young Storm Hawk sprung out of bed, mentally bashing himself for allowing the comfort to overwhelm him. Yes he was exhausted from the hostage situation, all the reading and the zombies. The zombies were always a distraction from rest. But now they would be a bigger problem if he couldn't get what he needed before the moon beamed brightly on the Atmos.

If only he could have just stayed in the apartment for the night, but he couldn't leave Dark Ace that long. Not when he was so close to getting the equipment.

Speaking of Dark Ace, there was still some time to do a little scavenging in the ex Talon's favour. Aerrow took one of the pillows and filled them with the three photos that were arranged on the drawer, he placed them in as carefully as possible.

That was pretty much it...that should have been pretty much it. But Aerrow was a boy, and temptation welled up inside when an adult said no. In fact who wouldn't be filled with the urge to take a peak, when The Dark Ace barks an order at you not to look in a specific bottom drawer?

With an over exaggerated innocent look, the redhead knelt down and placed his hands on the silver handles. Pursed his lips and pulled them open with a hasty rush.

"...What the hell...is this?!" He dared to pick one of the questionable items out to get a better look.

"Does Dark Ace torture people in his room?" He pondered out loud as the leather hand cuffs dangled in his grip. He rummaged through and fished out a whip, along with a riding crop.

There was a dumbfounded look on the Storm Hawk's young inexperienced face, as he stuffed the violent looking objects into the bag. He was going to have some questions for his partner when he recovered, that was for sure.

Back on his feet, he shook away that ghastly shock. Time to get back on track.

He straightened out the map and spent a few minutes trying to recover his last check point. Back in the vent he went, with the Cyclonian co ordinates between his teeth.

The zombies were less than an hour away from roaming around in their prime, Aerrow kept telling himself Keep it quiet.

The medical unit was a mere twenty doors down from the Dark Ace's apartment, the whole wing had it's own section separated from the higher rank accommodations. From what he could see through the vent slits, it was still pretty clean and salvageable.

Finally things are going my way, Aerrow relished in silence with a cheery smirk. Why shouldn't things go swimmingly once in a while? He was going to be able to slip into this zombie free (from what he could see) room and grab what was needed, as no signs of a struggle indicated that he couldn't. Meaning he could return to his ill friend and bring him back to a full recovery.

He propped the door to the ventilation system open, and poked his head down to get a proper scan of the situation. Like all hospitals it had that strong mixed scent that made you want to wrinkle your nose, which Aerrow did so accordingly once he leapt down into the thick of it.

While he couldn't hear the moans of a festering throat, or the scraping of a dragged heel, there was that eerie sensation of eyes seeking him out. He scanned the room once more, evaluating each possible hiding place thoroughly.

The Storm Hawk sighed with relief, "I'm just getting paranoid."

"Are you?" A deep, water deprived voice asked from behind. The redhead leapt out of his skin and turned quickly to face the weary looking Cyclonian.

This guy looked like he was ready to strike a man down as easy as he could breathe. He wore that zombie survivor's look in his eye; which read the pain of loss and struggle of starvation. There was dirt on his skin and grime in his hair. His tight uniform was actually baggy, and while he looked like he hadn't had a meal in weeks, it somehow enhanced his fierce demeanour.

Pointed at him was one of the standard army spears, with the crystal almost burnt out. Of course it would be, he couldn't see the Raptors shipping supplies to them, and the zombies only stagger after being blasted by the energy.

"I doubt this is a rescue Sky Knight, so what the hell are you doing on our Terra?" His voice was actually gruffer than his friend waiting for him back home.

"I didn't really think it mattered, since the system is fucked now anyway," Aerrow answered without matching the hostile tone, he assumed this guy's voice was the only real scary thing about him.

"On the contrary, this our home, we're surviving just fine. We don't need hooligans like you sneaking in and stealing what we need."

"I understand, really I do, I only came here for one thing, that's it I swear." The man raised his eyebrows, Aerrow was surprised he was being allowed to continue, "I just need the gear for an IV, I've got a friend who is really sick back home. He needs this, more than you do at the minute. And believe me if you let me leave with it, it will benefit you in the long run...wait did you say we?"

"Yeah he did," a second voice echoed and after it, a roughed up soldier appeared from another well concealed spot. Of course, no wonder the teen had not spotted them, they must have had to perfect hiding from the zombies.

Emerald constantly switching between both men, he asked trying to keep the tone of the conversation calm, "There a lot more of you?"

"Far more than your squadron Aerrow," the second said, and he didn't sound inviting.

"It hard grabbing food around here?"

"Here for one thing my ass!" The second guy spat back, he began to close in on Aerrow with his spear ready to attack. In response the Sky Knight whipped out his gun, in dire need to maintain the upper hand.

"Far worse than an energy bolt will shoot out of here I can promise you that." He warned, pointing it between his eyes. "I only said because if it is difficult, I can help."

"How?" The first asked.

"I will trade you this weapon, for the IV. And believe me one fire in the head will kill a zombie dead for good.

"Must be some powerful crystals."

"No crystals, last forever. Just keep reloading."

There was a short silence as the two Talons looked at each other, silently debating the proposition. "You're a Sky Knight. Man of your word, right?"

"Yes, I'm done trying to hurt you guys."

"Deal." Aerrow shook his hand, while the other Talon was sent to get what he needed. While waiting the redhead stood casually beside the Cyclonian with his hands behind his back, "Been as hard for you as it has for us?" The older man questioned.

"And worse," he grimaced with his response.

"The Sky Knights all banded together or?"

That question stumped Aerrow for a moment, they really should have. May have even managed to regain some balance and order for the Atmos, and hunting for the Tempus Crystallus ingredients would have been a far easier.

"'Fraid not," he swallowed feeling rather embarrassed with himself and his people. Seems everyone else had formed alliances and secured themselves off, except the apparent protectors of the mountain top kingdoms. Even the Raptors were more organized, and that was with Snipe by their side.

"Some of your friends didn't make it?" Aerrow shook his head like it was heavy with grief. "Sorry to hear that."

"I appreciate it."

"How many of you are left?"

Should have followed the other guy, Aerrow whined to himself as he continued to deal with this inconsiderate survivor. "I lost more than I should."

"Well it happens, you never know whose going to get it next. Hell we even lost Dark Ace." At that moment, the sound of his name, Aerrow flashed a look that barely hid a narrow smile.

The soldier furrowed his brows, thankfully the second returned with the supplies just in time. "Here boy, now hand over the shooter." The boy did so with no hardship, he was going to return to the alleged dead man in as many hours now.

"Thanks I'll be on my way now." He grabbed his duffle and placed the equipment carefully inside, making sure not to knock the bag against anything as he began to leave.

He only made it a couple of steps when the first Cyclonian said "Hold on a second Storm Hawk, what have you done with our Commander?" Aerrow stopped in his tracks. Bad move. Should have kept on walking like he was still nothing to him.

Instead he turned back to them with an unreadable expression, "Nothing, I haven't seen him during this whole thing." Aerrow's voice sounded difficult to believe, and he knew it himself.

"You looked awfully happy when I mentioned he was dead, finish him off yourself did you?"

The second Talon added, "Yeah with one of your new deadly weapons?"

Argh shit I have to get out of here. What do I do? Would telling the truth really be a wise idea? He took too long to answer, so the bitter Cyclonian grabbed Aerrow and held him roughly from behind, gripping his neck tight in his gloved hand.

"Done trying to hurt us? You're a lying bastard. You killed the Dark Ace didn't you? We've lost too many in here because there was no one strong enough to protect us, but he would have fought for us!"

"Bet it wasn't quick either!" The one holding the gun growled, getting fired up from the confrontation.

"Guy's list-"

"Well we've barely managed without him, so now what remains of your friends can experience it too!"

"No wait!" Aerrow pleaded as he tried to kick free of the hold.

The gun he had given away was now pointed between his eyes, the cold metal rubbing against his skin.

"An eye for an eye!"

The man holding the gun stared him down, locking his gaze. Aerrow felt a shiver course through his body as it reminded him of the old Dark Ace. How fearful he used to be, before everything happened between them.

He coughed the words "Dark Ace is alive!" But it's like they hadn't even heard.

"This is for all the men we've lost."

Without a second to spare, the Talon shot Aerrow.

OoO.

I feel tremendously evil right now...

But anyway please review this chapter!