DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, locations, equipment etc used in this story, it exists purely because I want it to
WARNING: This Story contain themes of violence, torture, segregation, slavery and death (not necessarily in that order). Graphic content has been kept to a minimum to avoid M rating, even so, viewer discretion is advised
Hello all and welcome back, no ramble this time as I know your probably as anxious to get into the action as I' am, just a few points to note
First, the weaponry used by both sides in this story is more advanced than in the show, and resembles actual guns and are used in much the same way, however they don't use bullets but instead use crystals as power sources to create small high speed rounds that act much like bullets. unlike normal guns, the power levels can be adjusted to increase or decrease the lethality of the rounds, the weapons can also be equipped with mods, much like in the Mass Effect series to give certain traits to the rounds, such as fire, frost or poison etc
Second, for those of you who may still be confused, LARK HAS NO MEMORY WHATSOEVER, Long Feng has effectively destroyed her entire self and rebuilt her psyche from the ground up, see is not going to act with any kind of reason or rhyme, without orders she is basically nothing more than a savage beast left off the chain. Yes this is going to be touched on more later on in the story, and eventually our heroes will attempt to get Lark's memories back to restore her personality and free her from Long Feng's control, as for details as to HOW that is going to happen... be patient my dear mortals, you'll get your answers in due time (chuckles evilly)
So, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dear Readers (and Mortals) all, welcome back to... The Storm and the Hawk
Chapter 3: A Desperate Assault
Starling took a breath as she stared down the dimly lit corridor at the security door ahead, in front of which two soldiers stood on guard, dressed in the facilities standard grey featureless armor. This was it, nine years of planning and preparation about to pay off, Starling had wanted to do this nine years ago when her sister had first been kidnapped, but grandmother had forbade it stating that they would be slaughtered in the attempt. Looking now at the security they had uncovered Starling admitted grudgingly that she had been right, but now that they had prepared, planned, Starling would wait no longer, it was time to free her sister from Atmosia's clutches
"Ace come in, do you have Lark, are you on the move?" Starling asked into her secure radio, Ace had the other one, but there was no answer
"Ace, come in!" Starling repeated, her voice growing thick with worry now, Ace was never late with a check in
"Are we moving your highness?" Ravess asked
Starling gritted her teeth, the plan had been to wait for Ace's confirmation that Lark was out of her cell and on the way to the rendezvous, then using the Intel Ace had gathered for them Starling's team would break into the facility and cause as much chaos as they could to distract security from Ace and Lark. After meeting up they would retreat to a predetermined exit point and flee the facility and afterwards the Terra. Ace's silence however was not part of the plan, meaning something had gone wrong, but they had no way of knowing what
Starling looked down towards the security door, and then turned to Ravess, "There should be a security room beyond that door yes, with schematics of the entire facility?"
Ravess nodded "Yes, Ace was very thorough with his Intel, each security room manages a separate area of the base, the one ahead should have the schematics we need to find Lark's cell."
Starling nodded in response, it was a start, if they could breach the security room then they could discover what went wrong, "Okay, we're going in, move fast and don't give them a chance to breath or get off a distress signal to the rest of the base, the longer we can keep their central command from thinking there's a problem the better."
No one argued, they simply prepared for the fight ahead, despite all being in their early twenties or late teens, each and every one of them had trained for this day, even if they had to do it in secret. Starling then nodded to Snipe who returned it, before she tossed a small object down the corridor towards the two guards, a white flash engulfed the corridor along with a loud bang. Snipe was moving before the blast had even gone off, head down with ear protectors on, once the flash bang had gone off he raised his head and his weapon, a crystal mace and slammed into the first disoriented guard using his shoulder as a weapon, before bringing his mace around to the second one and knocking him out as well
Ravess was right behind her brother and quickly got the codes for the door entered, they were through in seconds and the soldiers on the other side were caught completely off guard. It was over in seconds, and now the Cyclonians had control of the security terminal. Starling wasted no time and brought up camera feeds for the section they wanted while disabling the cameras in their section, citing mechanical failure to the system to fool the facilities central command
What Starling found on the feeds however sent a block of lead feeling dropping into her stomach, "No," she breathed as she stared at an empty cell, no Lark and no Ace, and the corridor cam showed an open door. Starling had no way of knowing that Ace had taken an extra precaution before going to Lark's cell and that was to remove himself and Lark from the security feeds, Starling had no idea that Ace was lying unconscious on the floor of Lark's cell, and despite Starling's attempts to find Lark on the feeds, all they found were empty corridors
"This can't be right, Ace confirmed she was here just yesterday, where could she have gone?" Starling hissed frustrated
"If the princess isn't here we should withdraw, we can't afford to fight an entire military facility, especially if there's no gain," one of the other Cyclonians said
Starling's eyes hardened at his words, "No! We're not leaving, Ace is still in here somewhere, and if Lark really wasn't here he would have contacted us by now and said so," she replied crisply
"Begging your pardon your highness, but he could have been captured, that would explain his silence and why we can't find Lark, if that's the case, we could be walking straight into a trap," said the same Cyclonian
"No! My sister is here somewhere, I know it! We're going to get her out, find Ace and blow this wretched facility to kingdom come when we're done!" Starling shouted back, turning her rage filled eyes on the man who had spoken who simply bowed his head
"By your word your highness," he replied
Starling nodded then turned back to the console, "Where do we start your highness?" Ravess asked
Starling thought for a moment, then made a decision, a decision that would determine the future of Atmos, and one of many that would be made today. "We act under the assumption that Ace was successful in getting to my sister and is making his way to the rendezvous and is just unable to communicate at this time, therefore, we make all haste to carry out our original plan."
"Yes, your highness!" the Cyclonians chorused
Subject C was lost, which was surprising because she'd been here all her life, but in the past she had been guided or even forced down these hallways, so by the time she started walking down them willingly it was just something she did, without thinking about it. As a result, she had no idea where she was going, only that something in her head was pushing her to find a way out, not that she knew where that was, she had never seen a way out in the entire time she'd been here, for all she knew, this place was the entire world
She continued walking along the corridors, when suddenly a shout came from behind her; she turned to see two guards running towards her from the other end of the corridor, weapons drawn.
Kill them! Shouted a voice in her head, and she did just that, her body reacting on instinct not even stopping to think about what she was doing, she simply reacted. Subject C continued on her way, leaving two charred corpses in her wake
Piper's hand covered her mouth as she stared at the ruined bodies that littered the corridor, they were just outside the security station where Starling and the Cyclonians had been only minutes before, and already Piper was having second thoughts. Aerrow and Dove came jogging up behind her
Dove gave an audible gasp as she beheld the scene "Mon Dieu, what happened here?"
"Looks like the Cyclonians attacked this place," Aerrow growled, "But why, what's going on here Piper?"
Piper didn't respond immediately, taking a moment to steal herself, To Starling and the other Cyclonians these people were enemies, responsible for all they've suffered, so of course they'd do this, it doesn't change why I came down here
She then turned to the others, "Go back you two, you don't need to be here, there's still a chance for you guys to keep your futures, you don't have to throw them away," Piper said, before heading further into the facility
"Like hell we're going back without you Piper, now tell us what's going on!" Aerrow exclaimed as he raced around in front of Piper to stop her from going any further
Piper glanced at him then at Dove who while nervous was still looking at Piper expectantly. Piper sighed, "Fine, Starling's trying to rescue her little sister," she said simply, "And she asked me for my help, and I was too much of a coward to give it when she asked."
Aerrow and Dove looked at one another, "Her sister?" Dove asked
"Yes, Lark Cyclonis was her name I think, she was kidnapped 9 years ago and has been held in this facility ever since, apparently Lark's jailors have been less than kind," Piper explained
Aerrow and Dove exchanged another look, then something came to Aerrow, "Wait a minute... Cyclonis? As in the Cyclonis family!?"
Piper nodded, "I reacted much the same way when Starling told me her real last name, Swiftflight was just a cover while she was here at the Academy, planning and preparing for this day, the day she tries to rescue her little sister."
Aerrow and Dove were stunned into disbelief and shock, for the last 5 years they'd been living and learning alongside a member of the Cyclonis family, the most hated and hunted family in the entire Atmos. While they were distracted, Piper kept going, but Dove and Aerrow soon noticed and raced to catch up with her
"Guys please go back, if you get caught or identified..." Piper started
"Yea we know, we'll be branded as traitors and become 'Atmos' most wanted'," Aerrow said as he fell into step beside Piper
"But you must think we are cretins to let you go alone," Dove added
Piper stared at them incredulously, "But the risks..." she began
"Can go stuff it, we're not abandoning you Piper, cause if you feel that this is the right thing to do... then it must be pretty important," Aerrow interrupted
"Exactement," Dove said, giving Piper a wink
Piper felt her eyes begin to mist up, their willing to take this risk with me, they really are the best friends I could ask for
The Skyknight exams were always so dull, it was little more than an attempt to sustain a by-gone age of heroes, the Skyknights were outdated and ineffective and these exams proved it. Did these children really believe that what they were being tested on would save their lives, or help them to bring down the enemies of the Republic, what young fools
Still the Skyknights did serve one purpose, they kept the people happy, knowing their age old protectors were still watching over them, but it was little more than a farce these days. Less than half of the Skyknight squadrons that had existed during the war were still active today, and most had been forcibly disbanded by the state after a failure to carry out orders. It was the Atmosian Liberation force that protected the Atmos now, Long Feng's creation and the reason for his success and power now
At the very least, the young Skyknights these exams created could be more effectively controlled and managed, allowing Long Feng and the Senate to turn the old outdated weapon that was the Skyknights into a more finely honed weapon, one that they – no he – could use, to control all of Atmos
As Long Feng thought of his glorious future to come, his mind drifted to that young Crystal Mage Piper, she will make a fine addition to my collection, willing or not, it doesn't matter, all that matters is that her mind be made available for my plans. With a mind and skill like that, combined with Subject C's power... nothing will be able to stop me
Long Feng was suddenly distracted by his phone, he was getting a message
Long Feng began to smile as he read it, everything is proceeding according to plan, within the next few weeks, the last embers of resistance shall be crushed... and the Senate is next
Starling gritted her teeth in frustration as a hail of crystal shots impacted the corner she was hiding behind, across from her were the rest of her team fighting against the facility's guards. There hadn't been a trap, but security had been tighter than expected, now they were trying to get through to their original rendezvous point in the hope that Ace and Lark were waiting for them
As her team fought, Starling tried Ace on the radio again, "Ace, come in damm it, where are you!?"
Suddenly two more guards appeared around the corner behind Starling, she reacted on instinct, diving towards them into a roll, then springing to her feet and drawing her crystal nun-chucks. Her first brutal swing caught the leg of the closest guard, a loud snap coming from his leg and a scream from his lips. The second guard swore and tried to bring his weapon to bear on Starling, but she easily swerved around him and brought her nun-chucks down to crack against the crown of his helmet. The guard crumpled to the floor, a small trickle of blood seeping out from under the helmet, the first guard was writhing on the floor in agony as he clutched his leg. Starling grabbed one of the weapons the guards were wielding and held it in the man's face
"Tell me where Lark is!" she shouted
The guard looked up at her, though with the helmet on it was impossible to see his expression
"Tell me, WHERE IS MY SISTER?!" Starling repeated, thrusting the weapon in the man's face now
"Go to hell Cyclonian!" the man growled back
Starling glared furiously at the man, then brought the weapon to the ankle of his uninjured leg, and pulled the trigger, the man screamed in agony
"I WON'T ASK AGAIN!" Starling roared
The man however slumped back against the wall he was leaning against, his body going limp, he wasn't dead, he'd simply passed out, Starling swore and tossed the Atmosian weapon aside. This is taking too long; we'll never find them at this rate, and the longer we spend in one place, the more troops we'll have to fight
Alarms blared through the halls as Piper, Aerrow and Dove watched a contingent of soldiers pass by their hiding place
"Crap, this place has gone nuts, sounds like the Cyclonians are tearing things up," Aerrow commented
Piper couldn't help but agree, they needed to find Starling and fast, she glanced down the now empty corridor the soldiers had just come from, "Ok let's go, we need to find Starling, or better yet her sister, and then get out of here," Piper said
"Do you even know what her sister looks like Piper?" Dove asked as she and Aerrow followed Piper down the corridor
"Well no but" Piper began but was cut off by a yell from the direction they just came
"Heh, you three, stop right there!" shouted a soldier, weapon leveled at them
"Crap," Aerrow hissed
"Command this is Delta 2-3, I have three intruders in sector 12, what are your orders?" the soldier asked into his radio
As he spoke with command, Piper's gaze drifted to a crystal fuse box on the wall, close to where they were all standing
"Confirmed, kill all intruders on sight," the soldier said as he received his orders, before sighting the three of them down his rifle
Before he could pull the trigger though, Piper's hand came up as she focused on the fuse box, in particular, the Firebolt crystals contained within. The door to the fuse box, flew open and a crystal flew to Piper's hand
"What the!" the soldier exclaimed, taken off guard by the sudden move
"Sorry about this!" Piper shouted back, before sending a surge of energy into the crystal she was holding and tossing it at the soldier
The crystal seemed to move in slow motion as Piper, Aerrow, Dove and the soldier all turned away from the crystal, trying to get as much distance from it as they could. Then it detonated, Piper Aerrow and Dove were flung down the rest of the corridor away from the blast, they skidded to a stop just shy of the wall. The soldier was not so lucky, the blast sent him slamming into the much closer wall on his side of the corridor, there were several sounds of things breaking, then to make matters worse, the entire corridor began collapsing. Piper and her friends noticed as they saw the soldier get buried beneath the rubble, then watched as the collapse made straight for them, Dove and Aerrow dived to one side, Piper dived in the other direction. The corridor came down behind them, cutting Piper off from her friends
"PIPER!" Aerrow shouted
"AERROW, DOVE!" Piper returned, before the rubble had filled in the corridor behind them completely and they were lost from each others sight
They just kept coming, more and more of them, soldiers pouring in from every direction, and still the voice demanded their deaths, so Subject C kept on shooting, bolt after bolt fired at the never ending tide of soldiers, each one claiming a new life, it was inevitable though, that something would tip the balance. As Subject C relentlessly attacked the oncoming soldiers, the whole corridor began to shake; Subject C lost her footing and stumbled, as did the soldiers, only the soldiers recovered first. Subject C stood up to see a line of 5 guards leveling their weapons at her, thinking quickly she dived for the cover of a support pillar positioned against the wall of the corridor, as she did, she let off a storm of lightning down the corridor, covering it from wall to wall. At the same time, the guards fired, filling the air with crystal shots, each party's attacks, reached their targets at the same time, the only difference being, Subject C was grazed by one of the shots, before she collapsed behind the safety of the pillar. The soldiers were not so lucky, with nowhere to hide the lightning washed over them, their screams of agony filled the corridor, and then, silence as they crumpled to the floor
Subject C grit her teeth in pain as she clutched her side, she brought her hand away and saw her own blood, the sight caused a stab of pain in her head as images began flashing before her eyes. She saw snow, wooden buildings – "Cabins" – Subject C blinked, she had no idea where that word had come from, it just slotted straight into the image, like it belonged. She also saw bodies, lots of them, and here the images switched wildly with the past and present, everywhere she looked she saw bodies, and heard gunfire, it was all around her, echoing down the corridors, carried on the wind, and the screams. Subject C clutched her head with her free hand, while the other went back to her side in an effort to stem the bleeding
I need to find some medical supplies she thought to herself, but I'm so tired, why? Why am I so tired? Subject C could feel her eyelids drooping; she had no way of knowing that the guards had been ordered only to wound her, and that all their shots were coated with a tranquilizer. The moment the round had hit her, the tranquilizer had gotten into her bloodstream, now it was circling around her body, shutting her down. The one thing that Long Feng hadn't counted on however, was the person who was currently making their way toward Subject C, and would reach her, before reinforcements did
Starling's breath was coming in ragged gasps as she took stock of the devastation around her, they'd finally managed to beat the guards they were fighting, but there were bound to be more, we need to move
She glanced over at her team, two were injured and one was dead, considering they'd just faced off against about 30 of ALF's finest that was a testament to her team's skill, all the same, Starling hated losing people. "We can't stop, we need to keep going, Ace shouldn't be far now, then we can get out of this wretched place," Starling stated
She got murmurs of agreement from many, but she could see the beginnings of doubt, flickering in their eyes, they'd always known this mission could well be a suicidal one, but it was one thing to think about a mission, quite another to actually perform it, this being a first mission for everyone here... it was a shock, and Starling couldn't blame them, because she was feeling the same way
Aerrow dug frantically at the rubble trying to get back through, he only succeeded at causing more of the rubble to come tumbling down and nearly burying himself in the process
"Aerrow, pour L'Amour de Dieu, STOP! You are only making it worse!" Dove shouted, pulling him back to prevent rubble falling on him
Aerrow panted hard, "We... have to... reach... Piper... we can't... abandon her,"
"I agree, but it is not worth burying yourself in the rubble, I saw her jump clear so she is alright, we just have to find another way to get to her," Dove replied calmly and soothingly
Aerrow took some deep breaths, he hated abandoning his friends, especially when they needed him, but Dove was right, he was no use to Piper buried under a pile of rubble, "Ok let's go, we need to find a way to link back up with Piper."
They began walking in the only direction they could, the corridor that they'd jumped down, with the rubble behind them and the sounds of combat growing more faint they realized they must be cut off from the fighting
Then all of a sudden a shout erupted close to them "GADAAAAAAAAH!" and something tall and green came running straight at them
Aerrow reacted instinctively and met the charge head on, thrusting one fist forward so that it met their assailant's stomach winding him, then Aerrow used the person's momentum to turn him over and land him on his back, pinning him there. It was at that point that Aerrow noticed his assailant wasn't fighting back, but rather cowering (while also trying to get air back into his lungs)
"Heh look a Merb," Dove said appearing next to Aerrow looking down at the stricken Merb
"I know what you're after intruders but you won't get it! Nothing you do to me will ever get me to talk!" the Merb responded, and though he tried to sound tough, it was very clear to Dove and Aerrow that he was trying to put on a brave face
"There you are Stork, what are you doing, we're in a lock down and..." the second voice trailed off as its owner beheld the scene in front of him
"Junko, get this intruder off me!" the Merb Stork shouted
Aerrow quickly let Stork up as he took in the individual called Junko, a Wallop with a brown hide and bulging muscles, Junko gave him and Dove a quizzical look as they put on their best innocent face, "I don't know Stork, they seem alright to me," Junko replied
"Oh you would say that wouldn't you, always so trusting, I don't know how you've survived this long in our line of work," Stork retorted
Junko just snorted and waved him off before turning Aerrow and Dove, "Don't listen to him, he's just paranoid-"
"I' am not paranoid, I' am prepared... for anything," the last part was said with a creepy glare at Dove and Aerrow
Junko shook his head, "Like I said, pay him no mind, name's Junko, you've already met Stork," he said gesturing to the Merb
"I'm Aerrow," Aerrow replied while nodding, then gestured to Dove, "And this is Dove."
"Bonjour," Dove responded with a little wave
"Ah, un plaisir de vous rencontrer," Junko returned with a little bow, while behind him Stork rolled his eyes
To say Dove was surprised to hear French be spoken by a Wallop was an understatement, she was downright shocked, but pleasantly so
"You speak Français?" Dove asked happily
"Oui madame, I only know a few phrases though, it's a hobby of mine, haven't had a lot to devote to it lately..." Junko replied but was interrupted by Stork
"Yes, yes all very interesting, now what are you two doing here hmm? You're not soldiers that's for sure, and you're not members of base personnel, which means you must be intruders, so what are you doing here?"
Aerrow and Dove glanced at one another, before looking back to the Merb and Wallop, "We're trying to find our friend, she needs us but we got cut off," Aerrow answered
"And what, exactly are you and your friend doing in a secure military facility hmm!?" Stork countered
Aerrow and Dove knew that to answer that question was to admit to treason, but they also knew, Stork wouldn't be satisfied until they gave an answer. Luckily, Junko came to their aid
"Aww come on Stork, don't be like that, their just kids, you really think they could be a threat to security?"
"Everyone, is a threat to security," Stork said in that creepy voice again
"Including you, mon ami?" Dove returned a smirk on her face
Stork opened his mouth to answer, but then stopped midway as his brain processed the exchange they'd just had, then a look of terror overcame him, "Oh Atmos, I' am a threat to security, Junko you gotta hide me, before Long Feng finds out and feeds me to his pet!"
Junko was now the one to roll his eyes at Stork's antics, but Stork's words had peaked Aerrow's curiosity "Long Feng's Pet?" he asked
"Yes, she's a monster, Long Feng keeps her locked up down here, but every now and again, he lets her out of her cage, and puts her into an arena, specially built for her, there he feeds her robots, animals and people... she's the only one to ever come back out... on her own that is," Stork said both with a look of terror on his face and with that slightly creepy look from before
"Ok Stork that's enough of that, Long Feng isn't going to feed you to anyone, ok," Junko reassured his friend
"That is right, we certainly will not tell him... so long as you keep quiet about us," Dove said, the smirk getting bigger
Stork sagged in defeat, "Alright... but not a word of this to anyone," he said sternly
Aerrow and Dove just smiled and nodded, and then Junko got an idea, "Heh Stork, why don't we show them the ship, that always cheers you up, and you can think of it as practice when you present it to Long Feng."
Stork's face became thoughtful here, then he turned to Dove and Aerrow, "Alright, but can you two keep a secret?" he asked
"Sure," Aerrow responded, while Dove just nodded
"Good... because what I'm about to show you is so top secret, it hasn't even been announced to the Senate yet."
Piper picked her way along the corridor, not quite sure where she was going, just knowing she had to now link back up with not only Starling, but now Aerrow and Dove as well. Piper sighed, "What a day this has turned out to be, this morning I was doing exams, now I'm running for my life through a secret military facility looking for my friends while trying not to get myself killed," she muttered to herself
Piper then rounded a corner, and beheld a horror scene
The entire corridor was littered with charred corpses of soldiers, the walls covered in scorch marks and most of the lights shattered while those that remained flickered on and off intermittently. It was Piper's only way forward though, she began carefully picking her way around the bodies, then when she was about halfway, she heard a small gasp. She looked towards the source and saw a pair of legs sticking out from behind a steel support beam; they were the only thing in the room that wasn't charred, though as the lights flickered on again, Piper saw the blood near the top of the right leg
Piper reacted instantly, looking around for something anything she could use. She then spotted a box positioned on one of the walls, a first aid kit! Piper thought with jubilation, she rushed over to it and pried it off the charred wall, then she had to pry it open, she did this by taking one of the crystals that powered the guard's weapons and used that crystal to clean up a piece of metal that she used to cut off the latches of the kit.
She was just about to take the necessary supplies over to the survivor, when someone grabbed her by her jumpsuit and pinned her to the wall, right beneath one of the flickering lights. Currently it was on in such a way that Piper could see the face of the girl who now had her pinned quite clearly, while Piper herself was still swathed in shadow. The girl had dark, violet colored hair and dark violet eyes, but it wasn't so much the colour that caught Piper's attention, it was the way they looked, dead, and completely devoid of life, Piper's only way of telling that this girl was alive, was by the small subtle movement of her torso which indicated breathing.
"Who are you!?" the girl snapped
"P-Piper," Piper replied, and then she got brave, "Are you Lark?"
The girl's eyes narrowed at that, "You're the second person to call me that today," she said coldly
Well that's not really an answer, Piper thought, "Who was the first?" Piper asked
"He called himself Ace, he was a traitor to the republic... are you a traitor too?" she replied, the hand that had been clasping her side rising up, blood standing out on her pale skin as sparks began to flicker between her fingers
Piper thought quickly, "No I'm not a traitor, I just came here to help a friend," Piper replied
The hand was not lowered, but it did now stop moving towards her, "Explain?"
Carefully Piper, even if this is Starling's sister, she's clearly had something done to her head, she could snap and kill you at any moment, Piper reminded herself, then she took a breath. "I followed your sister Starling down here, she asked for my help in getting you out. At first I turned her down, I was too scared to risk my entire future on this rescue, but I changed my mind, not because I'm siding with the Cyclonians, but because it's the right thing to do," Piper explained
Subject C blinked, she'd come down here just because of that, this was an entirely new concept for Subject C and she couldn't understand it, what does this mean, is she a threat... should I kill her?"
Yes! Came that dark voice again, she is an obstacle, REMOVE her, NOW!
Why? Came the voice from before, the voice that had spoken before Ace had arrived in her cell, she's not fighting you, and she was about to administer medical aid to you
Subject C glanced at the first aid kit lying open nearby, then she focused on the Piper again, as she did, the rest of the light above them flickered on, and Subject C could see Piper's face, she gave an audible gasp as she did
Blue tinted hair, blue and orange jumpsuit, an orange headband and amber eyes. Subject C's dream came flooding back to her, only now she could see the figure standing next to her clearly, and they were an exact match to Piper.
They stared at one another for some time, then Subject C's injuries made themselves known, "Your hurt, here let me help you," Piper said attempting to get to the first aid kit
Subject C pressed her harder against the wall, giving a small growl as she did, but then winced in pain again, her free hand going to her side again, "Please, I have the supplies I need, I can have you patched up in a jiffy," Piper tried again
Subject C finally relented, she wasn't going anywhere with a hole in her side, and besides, this Piper might know the way out said the calmer voice, to which the dark one had no answer. As Subject C released Piper however, she gave one final warning, "One wrong move, and you'll never know what hit you, am I clear?"
Piper nodded, "Crystal," she replied, then she got Subject C to lie on her back while she got to work cleaning and closing the wound
As she worked she spoke, "So... what is your name?" Piper asked
"I don't have one," Subject C replied emotionlessly
Piper blanched, "That's ridiculous, everyone has a name."
"Not me," Subject C stated
Piper sighed, then decided to try something else, "Ok well... what do people call you?"
"Subject C" she replied
Piper shook her head, "That's not a name, it's a designation," Piper then thought for a moment, she does look an awful lot like Starling, same pointed chin, same wide intelligent brow, in fact I'd say hers is more pronounced than Starling's. Their speech patterns are also similar, then taking into account that she's a crystal mage as well as that dead look in her eyes, which I can only assume is the cause of what she'd suffered while she's been here, means there's a high likely hood, that she is Starling's sister
"How about Lark, Starling mentioned someone called Ace, so if that's what he called you, I'd say it's a safe bet that Lark is your real name," Piper said
Subject C looked up at Piper as the dark skinned girl continued to tend to her wound, she realized that Piper was showing her something that she hadn't received in the last nine years, kindness, compassion, understanding. For as long as Subject C could remember, all she had experienced had been cruelty, abuse and humiliation, now she was experiencing something new, and she liked how it felt
Subject C smiled, "Ok, I quite like it actually," she replied
Piper smiled back, then busied herself with her task; more soldiers were bound to be along soon, so they needed to be gone before then. As she worked though, Piper came to a realization; she had entered this facility with the intent to apologize to Starling and give her whatever help she could. Now however, she had only one goal in mind, she was going to get Lark out of here, away from this hell hole, and then she was going to do whatever she could to help Lark live again. Piper didn't know what Long Feng had done to this poor girl – a girl who was Piper's own age – but whatever it was, it was bad enough to turn her into a walking, talking corpse, and Piper was going to do everything in her power to fix that, and give Lark back her life
To be continued dear Mortals
What... no there is no evil laugh this time, it was getting old... maybe I'll bring it back out again later on in the story but for now I'm tired of it
Now for the French translations (I had fun with these this chapter, I'm actually quite liking writing Dove's dialogue ; )
Mon Dieu = My God
Cretins = Morons
Exactement = Exactly
Pour L'Amour de Dieu = For the love of God
Bonjour = Hello (come on guys this is an easy one)
Un plaisir de vous rencontrer = A pleasure to meet you
Français = French (I'm not actually that sure on this one, I think it's right but please don't quote me on it)
Oui madame = Yes Madam (another easy one)
Mon ami = My friend
If your liking this story so far please feel free to leave a review and as always constructive criticism is welcome, I'll see you all next time ; )