Three chapters in one week, wow I've been busy. I also have been really inspired and I've had a lot of time on my hands. I'm really excited for the things to come. I still need opinions on whether you want Piper to have the double or Adrianna. Give me input. Also if you have ideas for future chapters, leave me a comment, I can't promise I'll use them, but I do welcome the input. So without further ado, continuation of Atmos' most Wanted.
"From the wanted poster, we know what has been stolen and from where," Aerrow said as all the Storm Hawks looked at the map laid out before them.
"It started here and the last one was here," Piper said as she pointed to the map. "See, there's a pattern. And so, the next likely target is Terra Atmosia."
"But there's only one thing there worth stealing," Adrianna said as she looked down at the map.
"Right, the remaining shards of the Aurora stone," Aerrow said as he looked at all the Storm Hawks. Aerrow looked at his sister. She had been doing better over the last 48 hours. She had even changed her clothes and so she now looked like a Storm Hawk. She was wearing a mostly blue outfit now with some hints of copper as an accent color.
"I heard from Cyclonis, that getting those shards back was no small feat. Cyclonis was so enraged that she almost let me go after the thieves," Adrianna said simply. She remembered, with a disgust, how she had begged to be set lose on the Sky Knights that come to retrieve the Aurora shards.
"Yes, and they put the shards back in the tower for safe keeping," Aerrow stated to his team. "Any one of those pieces has enough power to do major damage. So, if we want to clear our names, we need to find out who is behind this."
"The only way that is going to happen, is if you catch them in the act," Piper said as she looked at her leader.
"Stork, set a course for Terra Atmosia. We need to get there first," Aerrow said.
As the words left his mouth, Stork took to the helm and set their new course.
"Are you still in love with that little traitor?" Ravess sneered as she passed by Dark Ace.
"I would watch your tongue if I were you," Dark Ace seethed. He had been in a foul mad over the last few hours as he searched for every mention of the Storm Hawks. The only thing that he had been able to find out that the Storm Hawks were now Atmos' most wanted for a string of thefts that had been taking place over the last week. It was infuriating him since he knew that the Storm Hawks wouldn't stoop so low as to resort to petty crimes. So why were they being accused of it?
"Why, because Master Cyclonis lost her little pet?" Ravess asked as she continued to walk away.
Dark Ace punched the wall as soon as Ravess was out of sight. The loud thud that he caused, made every Talon that was in the area jump in fright. Dark Ace then stormed off in the direction of his room.
"S-sir," a Talon stuttered.
"What?" Dark Ace ground out in frustration.
"Master Cyclonis wishes to speak to you," the male Talon stated before he ran in the opposite direction of Dark Ace.
Rolling his eyes, Dark Ace changed his direction and walked towards Master Cyclonis' office. As he approached the office doors, he didn't bother knocking. Dark Ace simply barged into the office. "You summoned me Master," Dark Ace said as he held back a sigh of frustration.
"I see that you picked up Lilith's bad habit," Master Cyclonis said slyly.
Dark Ace refused to meet Master Cyclonis' gaze. After gaining his composer, Dark Ace looked up. "You wanted to see me," Dark Ace finally ground out.
"Yes, I want to know if you can still do your job?" Master Cyclonis asked. "I want to know if Lilith now being the enemy will change your loyalties?"
"No, my loyalty will always lay with you," Dark Ace said with a bow.
"Good, and so I want you to hunt down the Storm Hawks. I want them kneeling before me, and I want Lilith standing by my side once again," Cyclonis said.
"Of course," Dark Ace said as he turned to leave.
"Looks like they're already inside, whoever they are," Piper stated as the Storm Hawks crept up to the tower that held the Aurora shards.
"They got the shards," Adrianna said as she pointed up to the top of the tower as it went dark and dark clouds covered the sky.
"Game on Storm Hawks," Aerrow said as he pulled out his short swords.
"These clowns are going down," Finn stated as he and the rest of the Storm Hawks positioned themselves around the busted door to the tower to wait for the thieves.
"Thee Aurora shards," Repton said triumphantly as he wore his terrible disguise of Aerrow. "Quite the improvement from a cheese stone."
"Tell that to Terra Gail, and everyone else you stole from," Aerrow spoke, effectively gaining the Raptor's attention.
"Oh common, that looks nothing like us," Finn whined.
At his comment, the disguised Raptors started laughing.
"The Storm Hawks, wanted criminals," Repton laughed as he took off his mask. "How the mighty have fallen."
"Yeah, well now it's your turn. We're taking you in," Aerrow said as he pointed one of his swords at the thieves.
For a moment Repton looked worried. He knew that he couldn't take on the Storm Hawks while holding the Aurora shards. Someone would hear the commotion and come running. Everyone would believe the Storm Hawks over them any day. That was until Repton looked to the sky and spotted an incoming squadron. A squadron hopefully casing after the Storm Hawks. "Why don't you take these instead," Repton said as he tossed the container and the Auoura shards into the air.
Every Storm Hawk made a mad grab for the powerful, falling Aurora shards. Everyone except for Adrianna. There wasn't a shard coming her way, so instead she took off after the fleeing Raptors. Everyone else was so busy, that they didn't even see her take off running.
"Come back here!" Adrianna shouted as she pulled out Helios as she ran after the fleeing Raptors. She finally caught up to them as they mounted their skimmers a few minutes later.
"Lilith, I never thought I would see you here with the Storm Hawks," Repton said as he dismounted his skimmer to face the general. He hadn't heard that she was no longer one of Master Cyclonis' generals.
"The name is Adrianna, and I no longer work for that woman," she seethed as she took a fighting stance.
"Hey boss, do you think we could take her to Cyclonis and she would forgive us for our mistakes?" Leugey asked.
"That is the smartest thing you have ever said," Repton purred happily as he stalked closer to the general.
It was in this moment, as she watched the Raptors dismount their skimmers, Adrianna knew she screwed up. She hadn't thought everything through as she had taken off after the Raptors. Her only thought was to help capture the thieves and prove her brother's innocence. Now, she was out manned.
So, she did the first thing that popped into her head. She pulled out a smoke crystal and threw it on the ground before sprinting back the direction that she came.
As she ran, her heart sunk as she spotted the Condor take off, effectively leaving her stranded on Terra Atmosia.
"Aerrow," Adrianna seethed as she watched her brother and his friends leave without her. Adrianna looked around, she could hear the Raptors still chasing her. So, she did the one thing she could, she headed down the hill towards the town.
Adrianna didn't pay attention as to where she was heading, she only wanted to get away from her pursuers. As she came to a large door to a public building, she pushed open the doors and ducked inside.
"Can I help you," a man asked as he sat in a high up desk with three other gentlemen.
"Um…" was all the Adrianna could say.
"If you are not here to register as a Sky Knight and your squadron, I suggest that you leave. We have important matters to attended to," the man stated.
"Yes, I'm here to register," Adrianna stated. Since she had officially turned 21, she was now able to be recognized as a full-fledged Sky Knight.
"Very well," the man sighed as he pulled out his heavy book full of past Sky Knights and their squadrons.
"My name is Adrianna, Sky Knight for the Storm Hawks," she said simply.
All four men sputtered and looked at her in shock. "What?" the same man demanded.
"I can only assume that my brother came in here a while ago asking to be made a legal squadron. But since he is only 18 and to be a recognized Sky Knight you must be 21 years or older, regardless of what age you passed the trials at," Adrianna said simply. She knew it was Aerrow's dream to lead the Storm Hawks just like their dad, so it was safe to assume that Aerrow had already tried to become a recognized squadron.
"How-" another man asked. Words seemed to be failing all the gentlemen as they faced the young girl.
"No," another one said, he seemed to be the only one who spoke confidently.
"I passed my trials when I turned 16 and came here and asked to be made a legal Sky Knight. You said that a Sky Knight had to wait until they were the age of 21 years or older. I turned 21 a while back. So, I'm asking you politely to let me register," Adrianna stated as she held in her temper.
"No, you cannot lead a squadron of children," the same confident man stated.
"No, you said that I had to wait until I was 21. I'm now 21 years old. I can become a Sky Knight," Adrianna said in frustration.
"You can become a Sky Knight, but you will not be able to be the Sky Knight for the Storm Hawks," the man answered.
"Fine, then let them become legal," Adrianna stated.
"No," he said again.
"Then while can't I become the legal Sky Knight for the Storm Hawks?" Adrianna demanded.
"Because, those hooligans do not deserve to be call a Sky Knight squadron," the man answered simply.
The man that held open the book of Sky Knights and squadrons, looked at his council member in shock.
"You have no right to say that about a squadron who has done nothing but help people and try to put a stop to Master Cyclonis," Adrianna practically yelled.
"You will find that we have every right. We are the council for the Sky Knights after all," the man sneered.
"You are nothing but a bunch of fools if you can't see past your rules and see the good that a group of teen agers are doing," Adrianna stated. She then turned around to get ready to leave.
"If you walk out that door, you will never be recognized as a full-fledged Sky Knight," the man stated.
"My name is Adrianna, I'm the daughter of Lightning Strike, the leader of the Storm Hawks. I am the older sister of Aerrow, the current leader of the Storm Hawks. I passed my trails when I was 16. I am a Sky Knight and I don't need you to tell me otherwise," Adrianna stated as she walked to the large doors that she had come through.
"Tell me this," the man said as he wrote Adrianna's name down next to Aerrow's. "Why did you come here?"
"I knew that Aerrow's Storm Hawks probably aren't being recognized as a legal squadron, I wanted my name down as co-leader for now just until he turned 21 and was able to be recognized as a full-fledged Sky Knight. They have done so much to help people, but not everyone recognizes them because they aren't legal. I wanted that to change. Aerrow is a great leader and he has done so much, I wanted to help him do so much more as a legal squadron," Adrianna said as she shoved open the door.
"Why did you write her name down, she has forfeited any rights to be considered a Sky Knight," the man demanded of his fellow council member.
"Oops, I guess I wasn't paying attention. But it is too late, once their name is in the book they are a recognized Sky Knight and squadron," the member said with a smile.
Adrianna left the building with a smile on her lips. She had heard what the man said about her being recognized Sky Knight and the Storm Hawks being a legal squadron. Adrianna was lost in thought as she bumped into someone. "I'm sorry," she said as she looked up into the eye of the rest of the Red Eagle squadron.
"Adrianna!" Fulton shouted as he grabbed a hold of Adrianna in a tight hug.
"What happened to you?!" Kieran demanded as he gave Adrianna a hug next.
Adrianna gave Clinton a hug before she answered. "I got captured by Dark Ace. He had been waiting. I couldn't let the children get recaptured so I stayed behind to give them time to escape."
"When did you escape?" Fulton asked. They hadn't heard anything from the Storm Hawks, so they assumed nothing had happened.
"The Storm Hawks came to the Mega Warrior Championship on Cyclonia and kinda rescued me by accident," Adrianna said as she pushed away her memories of that night.
"So, what are you doing here?" Fulton asked.
"Well, my brother left me here and I don't know how to catch up to them because I don't have a skimmer," Adrianna said with a sigh. She hoped Aerrow would realize soon what had happed to her.
"You didn't think that we would just get rid of your skimmer, did you?" Clinton asked with a smirk.
"I've been gone for almost a year, I was excepting so," Adrianna admitted.
"We kept it," Kieran said as he led the group towards their headquarters.
"Your stuff is still in you room," Fulton said as Kieran unlocked the door.
"Thank you," Adrianna said.
"I guess that you're leaving," Clinton said as he watched as Adrianna looked around.
"Yes," she said simply.
"You'll always be a Red Eagle," Clinton said as he and the other two guys walked away to give Adrianna time to pack her things.
"Did you see the wanted posters," Fulton whispered as the three men entered the living room.
"Yes," Clinton said simply as he looked towards the door way.
"Do you believe them?" Fulton asked. He didn't know what to think, the Storm Hawks were good guys. They didn't steal things like petty criminals.
"If you say that you believe them, you're an idiot," Adrianna said simply with an eye roll as she stood in the door way. She had less than a back-pack full of stuff. "You know full well that the Storm Hawks aren't petty criminals."
"We know," Kieran said as he looked at Adrianna.
"Good," Adrianna said with a nod of her head. "Where's my skimmer?"
"In the garage," Fulton said simply. "I guess we'll be seeing you around?"
"Yes, right now I need time to sort through what happened to me," Adrianna said as she subconsciously rubbed her arms.
"We could help, you'll have time here before we would go on missions," Kieran said.
"No, you have enough baggage from what Carver did to you, you don't need my baggage as well," Adrianna said sadly.
"You don't have to leave and deal with this alone," Fulton said.
"I promise I won't but right now, Aerrow and the Storm Hawks are the only ones that know what happened to me, and I would like to keep it that way," Adrianna said as she couldn't make herself look at her old team.
"Alright, but like I said, you'll always be a part of our squadron," Clinton said.
"Thank you, and someday I would like to tell you what happened," Adrianna said as she turned and left the living room.
"I can't believe that you left me!" Adrianna shouted as soon as her skimmer hit the main deck.
"Sorry," Aerrow stated weakly as he moved behind the gathered Sky Knights and their squadrons.
"You had better be," Adrianna huffed as she dismounted her skimmer. She then readjusted her back-pack.
"You are?" Harrier asked stiffly.
"Adrianna, Aerrow's older sister," Adrianna said as she pushed her skimmer into the hanger. "And you are? Wait let me guess, you're a Rex Guardian," Adrianna said.
"Yes, I am, I'm the leader of the Guardians," Harrier said.
"Addie," Aerrow whispered in a warning to his sister.
"Sorry," Adrianna said unsympathetically.
"How dare you," Harrier said angrily.
"Look, I just had to deal with stuffy Sky Knight council members, so I'm not in the mood to deal with stuffy Sky Knights," Adrianna said.
"I guess we'll take our leave then," Dove said simply as she and her family walked towards their skimmers. Everyone else took it as their cue to leave as well.
"What happened?" Aerrow asked as soon as everyone else left.
"They pompous jerks won't recognize you guys as an official squadron!" Adrianna practically yelled.
"We know, and we're okay with that," Aerrow said simply. "Why do you care?"
Adrianna winced at Aerrow's words.
"Sorry," Aerrow stated.
"No, I shouldn't have meddled," Adrianna said in defeat.
"What happened?" Piper asked.
"Well, someone can become a recognized Sky Knight at the age of 21. So, after you left me, I ran into the Sky Knight headquarters. They let me become recognized, that was until I said that I would be the recognized Sky Knight for the Storm Hawks, Aerrow would be the leader but I would be able to allow the Storm Hawks to be legal. They flipped, and said I wouldn't be recognized as a Sky Knight," Adrianna said as she kept her anger in check.
"So, you're officially a Storm Hawk? Sweet," Finn said as he slung his arm over Adrianna's shoulder.
"Yes, I guess I'm unofficially officially a part of the Storm Hawks," Adrianna said as she sent her brother a smile.
"Master Cyclonis, Repton has a report to make," Dark Ace said as he practically shoved the Raptor forward.
"What?" Cyclonis demanded as she looked up from the crystal she was working with.
"Your general, Lilith, is allied with the Storm Hawks," Raptor said as he didn't look Master Cyclonis in the eyes.
"I see," Cyclonis said as she slammed the crystal down on her desk.
"She also said her name was Adrianna," Repton hissed.
"Get out," Cyclonis ordered.
Dark Ace shoved Raptor out of Master Cyclonis' office.
"The Storm Hawks have taken my greatest weapon from me," she seethed with rage. "I want her found, now."
"Of course Master," Dark Ace said as he turned and left the office.
