"It wasn't random."
The Storm Hawks looked up at the sound of Piper's voice.
"It can't have been random," she said. "What happened to Aerrow? People don't just snipe teenagers in the street unless they're totally psycho. I can't be the only one thinking this."
"You're not," said Stork. "This whole thing stinks like Finn's socks."
"And on top of that, it was a sniper," Finn pointed out. "Which means it would have had to be pretty far away to go unnoticed. I know a thing or two about sniping and you have to be quick and a very good shot. And if the shooter had a scope, then that would mean…"
"They were deliberately aiming for his leg," Junko muttered. "They wanted to make sure he couldn't run away."
If Radarr had anything to add, he didn't show it. He had been curled up on the sofa for hours, barely moving except for his breathing.
"Who would want to do something like this?" Piper wondered. "I know Aerrow's never avoided making enemies, but who would he have to upset so much for them to do something this horrible?"
Again, nobody could think of anything to add.
"I guess we might not find out until he comes home," Piper finished.
If he decided to come home.
He couldn't take it anymore.
Aerrow sat up, fists clenching and unclenching as he tried to streamline his wild thoughts into a single idea.
If this emptiness lasted one day longer, he wouldn't be able to continue.
Might as well end it before it got worse, right?
He twisted around, rested his bare feet on the cold floor, and paused.
What could he do it with?
Never mind. He'd find a way.
He stood up, wavering as he tried not to put any weight on his left leg. Initially using the bedside cabinet for support, he hopped over to the door and leaned on the frame.
Careful to be quiet - he didn't want anybody seeing him and trying to stop him - he opened the door, slipped out and limped down the hallway in search of a place where nobody would be able to find him.
Several doors down he had to rest, and slumped into a chair to try to catch his breath.
Only a few metres down the hallway and he was already exhausted.
He really was useless.
Nobody would miss someone as pathetic as him.
Didn't this hospital have an open rooftop?
He saw a sign on the wall at the end of the hallway, with an arrow pointing to one side that said 'Roof Access'.
Yes, that would work.
Perfectly.
Leaning on the wall for support, he made his way down the hallway, past what felt like endless doors and corridors, praying that nobody would see and try to intercept him.
After what could have been a lifetime, he found the set of stairs that led up to the roof, and ascended to the outside.
A soft, chilling wind blew in his face as he closed the door behind him and leaned against the woodwork. The moon was gibbous and bright, illuminating the rooftop enough for him to see the lines of laundered sheets fluttering like ghosts and the railing that ran around the edge nearby.
Nobody else was there.
No witnesses.
Aerrow stumbled over to the railing and caught himself on the cold metal. He leaned over it, looking down at the concrete pavement far, far below, which only seemed further away the longer he stared.
He could throw himself over and nobody would care.
Not even...
Would they?
Major Blitz rubbed his sore head as he walked through the hallways, making a beeline for Aerrow's room. He figured it would be best to keep in as close contact with the boy as possible, considering...
And even if that wasn't the case, the poor kid needed as much help as he could get, and the Dust Storm Alchemist had sworn that he would be the one to provide it.
But when he looked through the small window in the door, he saw the bed was empty.
Shit.
He threw the door open and ran in, heart suddenly pounding in his chest as he looked around and saw that there was nobody else in there.
"Shit," he muttered as he dropped what he had been holding onto the pillow, "shit, shit, shit, shit, shit..."
After looking around out the door, he started running, despite not knowing for sure where he should go. Reaching the hallway's intersection, he saw the sign pointing towards the rooftop.
He wouldn't, would he?
Considering his state of mind, it was perfectly plausible that he would.
The Major turned on his heels and sprinted in the direction the sign had indicated, his shoes slipping a little on the practically frictionless floor as he followed the rest of the signs until he reached the staircase leading to the roof.
Though he was struggling to catch his breath by this point, he took the steps two at a time and wrenched the door almost off its hinges.
Panting, he looked around the windswept space.
"Holy shi..." he gasped, unable to finish the curse.
The boy was sitting against the railing, curled up into a ball and hugging his legs with his face hidden behind his knees. As the soldier approached, he noticed he was shivering, and pulled a dried sheet from the line nearby.
"What are you doing up here?" he asked, despite it being rather obvious.
Aerrow didn't look up.
"I couldn't do it," he said in a shaky voice. "I was going to jump over, but I couldn't do it. I wanted to, and I still want to, but I-I couldn't."
Major Blitz stood over him, watching his quivering form.
"I was almost there," Aerrow continued. "I was almost gone, I almost had it, but... but then I got thinking... about my friends in Atmos... my squadron... Piper... Finn... Junko... Stork... Radarr, I-I thought... would they miss me?"
"They would," said the Major. "Trust me. Sky squadrons tend to have trouble coping if one of their members goes missing."
The curled-up boy struggled to avoid sobbing.
"You must be freezing," Major Blitz realised, and he sat down next to the boy and wrapped the sheet around his shoulders. To his relief, Aerrow released his legs and sat up straighter, still refusing to look at the soldier's face but allowing himself more room to breathe.
"Thank you," he said weakly, and the gratitude in his voice was heart-breaking. "I don't even know why you're being so nice to me, Major. I don't-"
"You need all the help you can get," said the alchemist, rubbing his back in what he could only pray was a comforting way. "Do you want to go back inside?"
"Not yet," said Aerrow.
He looked up, still keeping his eyes away from the soldier's, and the wind blew into his face.
"It was the wind that did it," he said, and blinked a tear out of his eye. "Up here, i-it reminded me of Atmos, of home a-and of my squadron... they're my family... but I don't know if I'll ever be able to face them again-"
"Why not?" asked Major Blitz.
Aerrow looked horrified.
"Why not?!" he echoed in shock. "Why do you think? You know what happened, don't you? Do you think they would ever want me back when I'm-?"
"Listen to me, Aerrow," said the soldier, and the Sky Knight fell silent at the sound of his name. "You have every reason to return to them, and they have every reason to want you back. I know right now you feel as though your world has come to an end, like you don't have any prospect of a future outside what happened to you, but I promise that you will find hope again. You will get better. You will find a way out."
The boy silently pulled the sheet tighter around his body.
"But I couldn't even jump off this roof," he pointed out. "I'm so-"
"You're not useless," said Major Blitz, "or spoiled or dirty or broken or anything else you might be thinking of yourself right now. You've had a horrible experience and you need time to recover from it. That's all. There's no point in ending your life tonight. If you give it some time, things are going to get better, I promise."
"How do you know?!" Aerrow demanded desperately, and the alchemist noted how he still kept his eyes off his face. "How do you know all of this? What the hell happened to you to make you such a fucking expert?!"
Resting it on the cold ground, the Major curled his other hand into a tight fist.
"I lost my family," he replied.
Aerrow's eyes widened in shock.
"I lost my wife," said Major Blitz. "I haven't seen her in over a decade, and the same goes for my son. He would be your age by now. And I've been trying for years and years to find a way to get them back, but it's felt like a waste of time. It's why I started studying alchemy, why I decided to enlist with the State. Surely having this status and funding could bring me closer to them, right?"
He sighed exasperatedly.
"No such luck," he muttered.
Aerrow bowed his head in shame.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have-"
"It's alright," said the Major. "I wouldn't have expected you to know."
"But I should've," Aerrow said wretchedly, and the tears began flowing freely down his face. "I should've known you'd had some kind of experience, I... god, I feel so stupid!"
"Don't," said Major Blitz.
"I'm sorry!" Aerrow moaned.
He allowed the soldier to pull him into a hug. Part of his mind warned him that this was a potential threat in the making, that he should try to get away, but a majority of his thoughts were such that he was in vital need of comfort. And in any case, this was the man that had saved him. He was trustworthy. He was safe.
So the Sky Knight wept into the Dust Storm Alchemist's shoulder, not holding anything back as his cries echoed out into the night and the strong, protective arms of the soldier tightened around his body.
"You're going to be alright," said Major Blitz. "You'll see. Just keep yourself alive and you will make a full recovery. I did. You can too. You'll see."
Still holding the crying teen, he carefully got to his feet and positioned Aerrow to stand on his own.
"Can you walk by yourself or do you want my help?" he asked.
"I..." Aerrow said hesitantly, head bowed in shame. "I guess I could really use some help right now."
Major Blitz held him tightly around the shoulders and made sure he didn't lean too hard on his left leg as they walked back to the door and down the stairs.
"I expect you're more than ready for a good night's sleep, aren't you?" asked the soldier. "You've been staying awake too much, thinking too much."
"I know," Aerrow said sadly, "but when I sleep I have nightmares. My friend Stork has this helmet thing that sends him straight to sleep for hours, and he says he doesn't have any dreams with it."
"Maybe you could ask to borrow it the next time you see him," Major Blitz suggested.
"I can't," said Aerrow. "I said earlier. I don't think I'll ever be able to face them again."
"You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"
"Maybe, I guess."
They walked/hobbled in silence for the rest of the journey, with Aerrow keeping his head down the whole way and barely looking anywhere except at the floor. The alchemist wordlessly pulled him forward, moving at a speed that he could manage and never seeming like he was trying to rush him.
Aerrow had no idea what he was supposed to say. He'd never expected anybody to show him this sort of kindness.
It felt like an eternity before they reached his door.
"I can go from here," said Aerrow.
"Are you sure?" asked the Major.
"Yes," Aerrow said. "Thanks for helping me get back here."
"Alright," said the alchemist. "I have something to take care of, I'll be right back."
He let go of the Sky Knight, who grabbed the door handle to keep from falling, and departed down the hallway.
Aerrow almost fell down when he opened the door, as it swung open too fast and he very nearly lost his balance, but managed to correct himself by hobbling forward and causing himself agony in his leg.
He looked up at the bed that was his destination and froze in shock.
Something was sitting on the pillow.
Something small, rectangular and weather-beaten.
After closing the door behind him, he limped to the bed and almost collapsed onto it, and slipped beneath the covers before taking the object off his pillow to examine.
It was a book.
Curious, he opened it to the first page, and almost dropped it out of astonishment.
If found, please return to
Lightning Strike - Storm Hawk
The Condor
Wherever
Lightning Strike?
The Lightning Strike?!
Suddenly fascinated, Aerrow turned the page to find the first entry.
1896
19th February
Really wish Floyd would hurry up and fix the heating system. I woke up this morning with frost on my sheets and icicles in my hair. I think that's the last time we moor at Blizzaris in winter - call me silly, but I like waking up with all my fingers and toes intact.
I drew the short straw this week, and of course nobody volunteered to give me a hand, but I saw something weird as I was heading back to the Condor. There was this kid sitting in an alley, just watching everybody go past, and they were all ignoring him. It was like he was a ghost or something. Couldn't have been older than nine or ten.
I saw his eyes. They looked completely empty - no emotion, nothing. And they were so dark, like coal. He looked at me, but it was like he didn't even see me. He must've really been through something horrible. I'll have a chat with the team and see if they'd be okay with bringing him on board. We do have an extra room that's been empty ever since Dad left.
I guess he's not coming back, huh? If he really didn't want to have to hang around me anymore, he could have just said so. Bastard.
22nd February
I finally managed to bring the kid on board. He sure has a lot of energy for somebody who looked ready to give up on existing. I'm glad I picked up some extra apples the other day, because he was eating like he hadn't in weeks! Although judging by the looks of him, that's probably what happened. In hindsight, it may have been a good idea to tell him I was going to help him, because as I was bringing him in he was kicking and screaming like I was going to try to kill him.
He's rather quiet. Didn't even talk until I asked him what he was doing on the streets. He told me his orphanage burned down and he had nowhere to go. You should've seen his face when I offered to let him live with us. He just... lit up! Like all his birthdays had come at once! I honestly didn't think it was possible for anyone to look that happy.
He didn't want to tell me his name. Said it was embarrassing. So I asked him if I could maybe give him a name, and I decided to call him Ace. He seemed to like it, but of course everybody else is telling me off for not coming up with something more imaginative. Jubilee tried to call him something silly; I don't really remember what, but he didn't seem very impressed, so Ace it is.
Aerrow almost smiled. So far Lightning Strike seemed like a pretty cool guy. He wished he could have had an opportunity to meet him, or at least see him in real life.
There was a photo glued on the next page, showing a small boy, no older than ten, with black hair that spiked out all over the place, curled up and fast asleep. There was something strangely familiar about him, but he tried not to dwell too much on it.
3rd March
Today was quite a fiasco! Ace has been bugging me ever since we brought him in to take him for a ride on my skimmer, but I'd definitely had my doubts about it. The kid's so small I was worried he'd be blown right off the moment we set out, but he was being extra annoying today, so I decided there wouldn't be any harm in taking him for a quick spin around the Condor. But then he leapt right on and sped off by himself! Didn't deploy the wings or anything!
I grabbed my glider and followed him, and I got him to deploy the wings and pull up and I was going to take over, but then he started flying all by himself. I only had to tell him what to do a couple of times, he did everything else on his own. The kid's a natural! I just wish I'd brought him in sooner; I could've used somebody with his kind of talent weeks ago!
So I've come to a decision. From now on, Ace is going to be my co-pilot. I knew I had a reason for giving him that name and it's never been more fitting than now. Hell, with a little more training, he'll probably be the best damn pilot the Atmos has ever seen!
Aerrow's mouth twitched again. He wouldn't have minded meeting this Ace kid. He sounded like a lot of fun.
He flipped ahead a few pages. The entries didn't seem to be in a specific sequence, just when something happened that was apparently worth writing about. The next one he landed on was over a year later.
1897
27th May
I'm in love. I don't think there's any other explanation for it. My head feels light, my stomach feels strange, and I can't stop thinking about what happened earlier today.
We received a distress call from Terra Tranqua, a little place not far from Cyclonia, and it was under attack by Talons. We arrived and of course a fight broke out, but I saw a group of them hounding this girl trying to fight them off. But as I was watching that, one of them shot me and hit my glider, so I had to get Ace to fly me really close so I could jump off, but then one of the bastards pushed her off the edge of the terra!
I jumped off after her and managed to grab her, but of course my glider failed. I swear, if Ace hadn't swooped in when he did...
But then I finally got a good look at her, and she is. A. Knockout. Says her name is Oiseau, and I just think that's the prettiest name I've ever heard in my life. Seriously, look at her! I'm amazed that she'd let me take her picture, but then she wrote her radio frequency on the back and I think that means she likes me too!
But now Ace and Spike are dancing around the ship chanting 'Lightning's got a girlfriend' over and over again, and Floyd and Jubilee have told them at least ten times to shut up. Honestly, I don't care. Oiseau is gorgeous and I'll definitely be radioing her in the future.
Another photo was stuck in, this one showing an attractive young woman blushing happily and fiddling with her dark green hair that was almost black. She was definitely pretty, but that wasn't what stood out the most. To Aerrow, the most noticeable thing about her was her eyes.
They looked exactly like his.
He flipped forward again, finding an entry from the year 1898.
18th April
Today was... a little strange. I'd received word that the Rex Guardians had elected a new leader, so we thought we'd drop by and say hi, make the guy feel welcome. When we got there, not only were they not too happy to see us, but the guy was barely older than me! And yet the first thing he did after telling me his name was Harrier was ask me what I was doing with some kid hanging off me. I think if I hadn't been there, Ace would have scratched his eyes out.
Aerrow decided to skip this one. He already knew plenty about Harrier to see where that was going.
25th September
Today...
I realised two years ago that Dad wasn't going to come back. I assumed he'd just walked out, and I guessed he must have just got tired of me or found some other squadron to lead, or just retired with some girl somewhere. And it's only today that I found out the truth, and only because one of the Talons I kicked off this ship didn't know how to keep their mouth shut.
He went to Cyclonia. He wanted to sneak in there and assassinate the Master, to take care of the problem once and for all. But he was found, captured and thrown into the Wastelands after being...
They said 'hamstrung'. It's when the muscles in your legs are cut so you can't walk. The thought of my father, the leader and Sky Knight of the Storm Hawks, crawling around in that hellish place... he probably knew he wasn't going to make it out alive. I can just imagine him, struggling to stay awake, desperate for water, bleeding, exhausted...
I'm going to destroy that place. I'm going to tear it apart brick by brick and stone every single person and creature in there to death with the bricks if I have to. And I probably would if my teammates hadn't conspired against me and locked me in my room, so I've had to settle for tearing that apart instead. I can't seem to get my shield out of the ceiling - I don't think Jet's going to be impressed.
I can't believe I just thought he'd walk out. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have been so blind? Was I just THAT excited to finally take his place? I'm such an IDIOT!
The next couple of pages were just the word 'stupid' over and over and over again.
How am I supposed to look any of my teammates in the eye ever again? Ace is knocking on the door, asking if I'm alright - he's only twelve! What am I supposed to say to him?!
What am I supposed to say to Oiseau?
I don't know if I'll be able to face her next month, and I can't even imagine how beautiful she'll look. That dress she showed me... she's so amazing. I'll have to tell her eventually - I know that for sure - and I won't be surprised if she calls the whole arrangement off. I can't let her marry an irresponsible moron.
Aerrow's heart twanged with sympathy. He'd never known his father and so he'd never been able to resent him for not being around, but he could still understand how crushed Lightning Strike must have felt. To discover something so horrible...
He flipped to about halfway through the journal, to the year 1900.
28th February
I seriously can't believe what's happened. I mean, I knew it had to happen eventually, I know it couldn't not happen, but it's still only just beginning to sink in.
I'm a father.
I have a son!
And he's so tiny and adorable, I can barely believe it! And when I held him for the first time and he grabbed my thumb with that little hand of his, I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest. He's perfect in every possible way, from his tiny toenails to his little tuft of black hair and those eyes... he has Oiseau's eyes. Same shape, same beautiful sparkle, same deep and brilliant shade of green. I couldn't have asked for better.
We're not sure what we should call him yet, but I want it to be something memorable and cool. Oiseau hasn't had any ideas as of now, but I don't want to turn to my team for help. Jubilee will probably suggest the worst possible thing, Spike will want to name him Spike, Jet will be too busy and I don't think Floyd likes me too much anymore. He and Jet still haven't hammered that shield-dent out of my ceiling.
Ace has already suggested a load of names though. They're all quite good, but the one that stands out the most to me is 'Aerrow'. I don't know... it just has a nice ring to it. I'll make sure to suggest it to Oiseau in the morning. Can't wait to rub this in Harry's fat smug face.
It took all of Aerrow's self-control to not throw the book down and hide under his covers like it was a monster from under the bed. All he could do instead was sit there, staring at the old photograph of a tiny baby wrapped in a white sheet, looking sleepily up at the camera.
It was him. Aerrow knew that he was looking at a photo of himself.
And Lightning Strike... was his father.
His father.
His father.
The words kept running around and around in his head. He'd heard of course that he was descended from Lightning Strike, but only that. That they were related. But not that they were THAT closely related. Not that Lightning Strike, the greatest of all Sky Knights, was…
His father?!
He gently placed it down on the bedside cabinet, making sure it wouldn't close, then curled up in as tight a ball as he could and tried to stop trembling.
How had that book even got into this room? Somebody must have put it there. Was it one of his teammates? It must have been! They were the only ones who'd have been able to find it! Was this their twisted way of telling him that they wanted him to come back?
It wasn't going to work. He knew he wasn't going to go back. He'd never be able to face them after what had happened to him. And if they knew, which they most likely did by now, they wouldn't want him with them anymore.
His throat started hurting and fresh tears sprang into his eyes. He needed someone. Anyone.
The door opened and he pulled some more of the covers over his head, but not enough that he couldn't see the bottom half of a blue military uniform.
"I've informed the staff of what's happened," said the extremely welcome voice of the Dust Storm Alchemist, "and they'll be stationing guards outside your room from now on. I know you probably don't want to try that again, but you should understand that precautions have to be taken."
Aerrow felt a hand on his shoulder and, strangely enough, he did feel a little calmer. The trembling lessened to a small shiver, and even that slowed to a halt when the mattress bent under the soldier's weight.
"You've had a rough day," he said. "Rougher than usual. Just try to get some... what's this?"
The shiver started again as Aerrow watched the journal being lifted from the cabinet, and heard pages being turned. He wanted to snatch it back and cuddle it to his chest. It was Lightning Strike's- his father's private journal. Who was this soldier to just read it like it was anybody's?
"Where did you get this?" The voice was strange. Calm, yet clearly surprised.
"I don't know," Aerrow admitted. "It was on my bed when I came back and I was... I was just curious, that's all. It's a journal, but it's not mine; I-I didn't mean to pry, but I-"
"This is your predecessor's private journal," said Dust Storm, "isn't it?"
Aerrow nodded slowly, hoping it would be noticeable under the sheet. He almost fainted with relief when the journal was placed back on the cabinet, apparently the same position as before.
"You have the right to read it," Dust Storm told him. "Don't worry; I won't say anything of this to anybody else."
Aerrow felt the weight disappear and saw the soldier's back as he made to leave.
"Is it okay if you tell me your name?"
Dust Storm paused.
"I was just wondering," said the hiding boy. "I can't just keep thinking of you as Dust Storm. What should I call you?"
The soldier turned to look at him, and Aerrow adjusted the sheet slightly. He didn't want to see his face, to have to look him in the eye.
"It's Blitz," he said. "Major Wilhelm Blitz."
Wilhelm Blitz. That was... actually a pretty cool name.
"Thank you," said Aerrow. "Thank you, Major Blitz. You've been so nice to me and I... thank you. So much."
He started sweating. Had he said too much? Or not enough?
To his alarm, Major Blitz came over and started stroking his head, but... but he didn't want to shy away. It felt nice. Comforting. He found himself almost drifting away to sleep right there and then.
"It's nothing," said the alchemist. "You need all the help you can get and I'm happy to give as much as I can."
"Why?" Aerrow asked. "How can you even look at me when I'm...?"
"When you're what?" Blitz asked. "You're not dirty or ruined or disgusting or whatever you may think of yourself, you're just ill. And tired. Try to get some sleep, alright? You'll feel better for it, believe me."
"Will you stay with me?" Aerrow said before he could be stopped. "Just... just until I fall asleep. Please. Don't... I don't want to be alone."
To his immense relief, Major Blitz sat back down on the bed.
"Fair enough," he said. "Don't worry, I won't go."
He brought his hand into view and Aerrow took it, grateful for the comfort it brought him, and it wasn't long before he drifted away into a deep and peaceful slumber.