Minn: Blame Jeremy Brett. This massive delay is all his fault for being such an amazing actor. As some of you may know, I am an avid Sherlock Holmes fan and it was only recently I discovered all 41 episodes of Brett's fantastic talent on youtube. So... yes. Essentially, I have been watching Sherlock all month. lol! And drawing. Memes are fun... :) Also, blame VideoPad as well. I've been in the video making mood lately... But Wolf is back now from her trip so you peeps can rely on her for getting my butt in gear. XP

Chapter 3: From the Frying Pan into the Fire

"That could have gone a lot better."

Finn didn't sound pleased. And Aerrow couldn't blame him. Granted, the three of them were able to give the Buzzards the slip, but not before Finn lost his skimmer. He now rode with Aerrow, forced to share the pilot's seat since Radarr already occupied the sidecar.

"We're safe, aren't we?" Aerrow replied with a lop-sided smile, to which Finn rolled his eyes. Always the optimist.

"But now both are radios are gone," Finn said, for once having a proper grasp on the situation. "How're we supposed to find the others if we can't contact them?"

At this Aerrow's smile fell as Radarr gave a sad small groan. "I can't say, Finn," the Sky Knight admitted. "But we will... somehow." His words weren't very reassuring, and Finn looked sideways at Radarr, sharing with the small critter a look of uncertainty.

"So what now?" asked Finn.

Aerrow sighed in regret, knowing that what he would say next wasn't going to be received with the best response.

"Our only choice..." Aerrow drew out, "...is to go to Wayside."

"What?" Finn protested, not able to believe that Aerrow would actually suggest such a thing. "But... Wayside is probably swarmed with people who would turn us in!"

"I know, Finn!" Aerrow said, perhaps a bit testily due to nerves. "But all of our supplies had been stashed on the Condor. We don't have any leads on where to find the others and we're back to square one. We don't know what's happening with the other squads... we don't even know what Cyclonis' movements are, or what the council is doing in the meantime! We need supplies but above all we need information."

"Dude, you seriously know that this is still a bad idea," Finn stated simply.

"We need resources, Finn," Aerrow reasoned, a bit more calmly now. This was not the time to let stress get the better of him. "And we especially need new com gear. It shouldn't be too hard to find what we need to repair mine."

"But why Wayside?" Finn asked, calm as well but still not at all fond at the idea. "Can't we just go back to Gale? It's not too far."

At this Aerrow hesitated. If he was going to be honest with himself, he did not want to go back to Gale. The Buzzards had found them immediately after they had left... found them on a terra that was supposedly unknown to other squadrons. Except... Finn let it slip to Dove...

But was Aerrow really willing to accuse anyone just yet? It seemed too hard to believe. Yet... the Sky Knight recalled the uneasy feeling he had while on Gale. The absence of the other Ducks... the motive for them to turn... it was just too convenient to ignore. However, suspicions were not evidence. The sense of justice inside Aerrow felt that he shouldn't say anything until he was sure.

"We... might not have enough reserve fuel to get us there," Aerrow used as an excuse. "Not with all this weight. Besides, we've shaken off the Buzzards for now, but there's no guarantee they couldn't track us back there. I... don't want to lead turned squads to our friends."

"Oh..." Finn said, having not thought about those seemingly valid points. "I guess you're right."

Radarr chirruped forcefully, showing that he agreed that Aerrow's idea was the best solution.

"Alright," Finn decided. "I guess we're going to Wayside."

It was absolute luck that the team used Aerrow's skimmer for the storage of many of their disguises. After rooting around in the storage areas of both the skimmer and the side-car, Aerrow, Finn and Radarr were able to dig out a pair of the musty brown cloaks the Storm Hawks had used in the past, along with a large fake moustache and a dark pair of shades. It wasn't a lot... but it would be enough. Aerrow had parked his skimmer behind some shrubs in the corner of the terra, though it was by no means an ideal hiding spot – Wayside offered very little in the way of concealment.

"Radarr, you'll have to stay behind as a lookout," Aerrow said as he positioned the moustache on his face, while Finn tried to keep his balance in the process of pulling one of the cloaks over his head. "Make sure no one comes around here. If they do, find another place to hide. Finn and I will find you – the terra isn't that big."

Radarr squawked obediently, while Aerrow turned to Finn, who had just placed the shades over his eyes. "You ready?" Aerrow asked.

"As ready as I'm gonna be," Finn replied, still openly doubtful about the plan.

It didn't take long to find the parts for the com gear. Leaving some money behind, Aerrow tucked the items away in a pocket behind his cloak, while Finn looked around in apprehension. However, their mission wasn't over yet. The duo was headed towards the diner next, in hopes of finding a lead about the treaty. Finn knew by this time it was pointless to raise any more protests, so it was to a quiet pair of strangers that the door of the restaurant opened.

The situation wasn't ideal. There were at least ten patrons sitting at the tables, quietly chatting amongst themselves. None had looked up as Aerrow and Finn entered, yet there was a tension which hung heavily in the air that filled the restaurant with a heavy, quiet feeling, like the calm before the storm. At least, that's how the pair of Storm Hawks felt. It was a familiar feeling... just like the one from before.

Following Aerrow's lead, Finn shadowed him around the counter to where the bulletin board hung. The Sky Knight glanced around, wondering if any familiar faces would appear in the handful of diners that surrounded them.

"Aerrow," Finn whispered, nearly inaudible over the sound of sizzling meat on the large grill. "I really don't like the feeling of this."

The pair had arrived at the board, and Aerrow knew what his wingman meant as he scanned the papers for any important looking news. Any minute he feared he would see the wanted poster. Just like before... only this time they were guilty.

No. He couldn't think like that. It was ridiculous to do so.

"In and out, Finn," Aerrow whispered back, as he examined a flyer that caught his interest, only to find out it contained no useful information.

Finn looked around while the redhead was busy. A couple of curious customers had turned their gaze towards the odd duo, making Finn flinch.

"Anything?" the sharpshooter finally asked, his patience quickly waning.

"Just hang on, Finn," Aerrow said, turning away from the board in a moment of frustration. He didn't like being rushed under circumstances like this. But just as he was turning back, something caught the Sky Knight's eye, making him pause in a brief second of panic.

"Get down!" Aerrow muttered urgently, forcing Finn below the counter with his hand as he dove underneath it himself.

"What—?" Finn was about to ask, but was quickly shushed by Aerrow. The Sky Knight pointed around the corner of the counter to the end stool, just visible from around the turn. Someone had just sat down who would definitely not be fooled by their meagre disguises.

It was Carver.

Finn's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the ex-Sky Knight. "What is he doing here?" he whispered in the minutest voice possible.

"Cyclonis let her political prisoners go prematurely," Aerrow murmured back. "I guess Atmosia did the same." For indeed, Carver also wore a hooded cloak not unlike Aerrow's and Finn's, but he didn't seem to be in any particular fear of being recognized. More like he was just trying to not be noticed in general.

"I thought Harrier said the Red Eagles have a new Sky Knight now," Finn questioned.

"They must not have wanted him back..." Aerrow speculated. "Can you blame them? He may be free, but there's no way I'd trust him."

Their conversation was quickly hushed, for Carver had called over the cook tending the grill, and seemed to be asking some questions.

"What's the fastest way to Saharr from here?"

"Saharr?" asked the cook, seeming surprised at the question. "Well, it's a few fair ticks south of here to be sure."

Carver didn't seem to be pleased with this answer. "Point it out." Aerrow guessed that Carver must have produced a small traveller's map for the cook, but seconds later his guess was confirmed when Carver had dropped it, and the paper fluttered to the ground, not three feet from where Aerrow and Finn lay crouched.

The Storm Hawks tensed. Any second Carver was going to bend over to grab the paper and see them. It was sitting right there. If Aerrow wanted to, he could reach out and take it. The duo was already against the wall, and Carver sat right in between them and the door. They were trapped.

Carver's arms appeared from below the line of the countertop, followed by his shoulder. Aerrow grimaced. There was no way out. The tip of Carver's nose ducked into the line of sight when—

"HEY! No fightin' in here!"

The cook had yelled over to a couple of burly carrier pilots, who had gotten into a bad scuffle over something or another. As Carver's face lowered just beside Aerrow's, he turned away, distracted like the rest of the diner by the sudden commotion.

Knowing this was their only chance; Aerrow grabbed Finn by the collar and unceremoniously dragged him over the counter. The two stumbled as they fell in front of the grill and made a dash for the exit. They flew through the door just as the two fighting men were launched after them, thrown out by the cook.

But Aerrow and Finn didn't stop running. They sprinted to where they knew Radarr was waiting and dove into the bushes.

"That..." Finn wheezed while trying to catch his breath from their getaway and his own nerves, "... was way too close. No one saw us, did they?"

Aerrow peered through a gap in the brush but fell back in some crazed relieved laughter. "Nah," he half breathed, also catching his breath. "No, not at all."

Radarr hopped down to Aerrow, confused and a little alarmed at not knowing what had happened.

"What do you think he was doing there?" Finn asked, while Aerrow petted Radarr, reassuring him everything was okay. "Why's he going to Saharr?"

"That's what I'd like to find out," Aerrow replied, growing serious. "Carver may by a free agent, but I wouldn't be surprised if he were up to something. Why be so intent on travelling to Saharr if he obviously doesn't know how to get there? It shows he's never had business there before..."

"You want to follow him?" Finn asked, sensing Aerrow's train of thought.

"Yeah," Aerrow agreed. "It could be nothing, but it also could be the lead we've been looking for."

"I don't know..." Finn said. "We barely made it out of this mess, and now we're supposed to go charging into another one? Wouldn't it be better to just fix the radio and call the rest of the team?"

"There's no guarantee we'll have a signal," Aerrow countered. "Besides, Carver hasn't left yet. We'll work on the radio for now, and if we can't get in contact with Piper by the time Carver heads out for Saharr, we'll follow him. Sound fair?"

Finn gave it some thought but finally agreed. This was an opportunity...

As it turned out, the three Storm Hawks had nearly finished with the radio just as Radarr spotted Carver coming out of the diner. He had obviously stayed later in order to grab something to eat. But now, Aerrow kept a careful eye on him as he flew away to the south.

"Want to test the com gear?" Aerrow asked Finn, keeping in mind the sharpshooter's earlier wishes. Finn nodded and tried punching in to the Condor's frequency, though it was just as Aerrow had predicted – no signal.

"Alright," Finn agreed, as Aerrow seated himself on his skimmer. They couldn't say they hadn't tried...

It wasn't as long a flight to Saharr as the cook made it out to be. Then again, Carver flew very fast, shortening the travel time drastically. Throughout the trip Aerrow was careful to stay as far away from Carver as possible to avoid being sighted, but this turned out to be a huge error. As they came in for a landing, Aerrow realized that they had to pull back even more to make sure they were not discovered by others on Saharr, resulting in loosing track of exactly where Carver was.

Hiding the skimmer behind some crates at the edge of Tent City, Aerrow and Finn once again donned their disguises.

"Well, this is just great," Finn said sarcastically, coming up to Aerrow as the duo prepared to head into the mass of canvases and sand. "Not only am I sweating like a pig under this cloak, but now we've lost Carver. Maybe we should just forget about him. After all, it's not like we know for sure if he really is up to anything."

Aerrow cast a sideways looks at Finn, turning his gaze away from the main route through the tents. Aerrow had noticed that Finn's mood seemed to be steadily growing worse, and the Sky Knight could guess at the reason. Their circumstance was less than desirable – hungry, tired, hunted, and separated from their team. Aerrow decided not to say anything (when Finn got like this he was prone to arguments) but felt that the sharpshooter was being at least slightly unreasonable.

"Come on, Finn," Aerrow said, trying to persuade his friend to go with his plan. "It won't be too hard to track him down. What's the worst that can happen?"

Famous last words.

"Radarr," Aerrow said, turning to his co-pilot. "Sorry to keep doing this to you, bud, but we need you to stay behind and look after the skimmer again. We won't be too long."

Radarr saluted and planted himself in his sidecar, faithful to Aerrow until the end. Finn merely sighed and resigned himself to their seemingly pointless mission, knowing that anything he said would be disregarded.

Navigating Tent City was easier than moving through Wayside. It was more crowded and lots of other civilians wore similar cloaks to that of Aerrow and Finn, aiding the Storm Hawks in their camouflage. However, this convenience was both a blessing and a curse. With so many people, it was hard to keep track of who was coming and going among the streets and doubly hard to track down Carver. The duo stumbled amidst the sandy roads for minutes that seemed more like hours in the heat.

"We're never going to find him in this mess," Finn noted pessimistically.

"Look, Finn," Aerrow said, patience finally coming to a near end. "I'm starting to get annoyed with your—"

But Aerrow was cut off rather suddenly, as he walked straight into someone, though it felt more like walking into a wall. The redhead hadn't been watching where he was going when he had turned around to talk to Finn, so it was only when he looked up after falling backwards from the impact that he saw the face of the rather muscular man before him.
It was Burner. Looking past him, Aerrow's heart skipped a beat as he saw the rest of the Third Degree Burners behind him.

Eyes wide in surprise and a bit of fear, Aerrow quickly scurried back onto his feet and turned completely around, pulling Finn along with him and praying Burner hadn't seen his face.

"Sorry," Aerrow muttered in a low voice, not making eye contact and making to walk away. However, Burner had gripped him by the shoulder and stood behind the Sky Knight. Aerrow was sure (or maybe he half hoped) that it was for an innocent triviality that he was held back, but Burner's presence was more overwhelming than the heat as Aerrow felt the sheer girth and strength of the squad member looming over him.

"Hold on a minute," Burner said, forebodingly still and solid... or maybe nothing was simply able to move him. "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

This was it. Burner was going to turn him around and see his face...

"Excuse us," Finn said, careful not to show his face either behind his hood, and speaking in what could only be described as a desperate, yet ridiculously fake and arrogant accent. "We're in a rush, so if you don't mind, we'll just be on our way and..." Finn placed a hand on top of Burner's own, which still retained its grip on Aerrow's shoulder, but soon found himself in the same position, as Blister joined the group by walking up behind the wingman.

"Actually," Burner said seriously. "I'd be willing to bet that you ain't goin' anywhere."

Finn froze and shared a meaningful glance with Aerrow.

Bet?

Crap. They knew.

Fortunately, Aerrow had retained his cool throughout this run-in, and in a flash of blue he had drawn his blades and shot a couple of energy blasts at the Third Degree Burners, creating a vital couple of seconds in which he and Finn could make their getaway.

"After them!" Aerrow heard one of them yell. By the surprising high pitch of the shout, he guessed it to be Blister. Aerrow knew he and Finn didn't stand a chance if they remained on the terra. Hand to hand was impossible with the strength of their pursuers, and they would be overtaken in seconds if the Burners chased them with their skyrides, which were specifically modified with speed in mind. It was the air... agility in flight was the one advantage Aerrow had. If they could just reach the skimmer in time...

Aerrow and Finn sprinted through Tent City, pushing people aside as they fought the crowd to be met with complaints and shouts of protest. But none of that mattered at the moment. Aerrow looked behind him as Finn panted heavily in fear beside him. Fortunately, the Burners were not on their rides, as the crowd was too thick to permit that. However, as Aerrow caught a glimpse of Burner fighting through the people behind them, a cold chill ran down his spine despite the heat.

Burner bore a striking resemblance to Snipe.

"Keep going!" Aerrow urged Finn, knowing there would be no reasoning with this squadron. "Just keep moving!"

Finn didn't have to be told twice. He reached the skimmer before Aerrow did, though the Sky Knight was only seconds behind. Starting up the ride without a second glance, he took to the sky.

All of Aerrow's tension blew away as the wind met his face. This was his element. They were safe now. Finn seemed to have shouted something, but it was drowned out of notice when Aerrow turned back, and saw that the Burners were now pursuing on their own rides.

Aerrow smirked. Not to worry. This would be over soon enough.

The knight swirled the skimmer around in the air and charged straight for the Burners. There were three headed their way, but Aerrow was sure he could take them. Finn had pulled out his crossbow and fired a pair of shots, only to be met with counteractive blasts. However, Aerrow's piloting skills were too fast for them. He pulled up vertically as Finn swivelled in his seat behind Aerrow, facing backwards to get a better view. He shot two more bolts from his crossbow and was able to take down one of the pursuing rides.

One down, two to go.

The pair of skimmers broke apart and manoeuvred around Aerrow, making to cut him off in his vertical ascension. However, once again Aerrow proved to be too much for them and pulled all the way back in a half loop, corkscrewing to an upward position. He quickly moved to the offensive by pulling a vertical loop, and positioning himself behind the Burners. He shot a pair of blasts from his own ride, and took out one more of their opposition.

Two down, one left.

It was Burner who remained. Stubborn and prone to his extreme temper, he yelled in frustration as he turned around and charged full force towards the Storm Hawk skimmer. Aerrow smirked, knowing that the fight was as good as won with his opponent subject to his emotions. Aerrow pulled out his swords again and corkscrewed around Burner as they met head on, slicing through his ride and sending him parachuting back down to Saharr to join the rest of his team. However, the thrill of victory that normally came to Aerrow at this time was lost, and instead the Sky Knight's face fell as he saw the symbol of the Third Degree Burners on the chute. Though not exactly thought of as friends, he used to think well of these people. They were a squadron... fighters in the same battle. Now... now what?

Aerrow's sudden decrease in spirits was only dramatically worsened as Finn too came out of the adrenaline of battle to realize that the pair of them had made one fatal flaw.
"Umm... Aerrow? Where's Radarr?"

Aerrow froze for a second then gasped harshly. He spun his head towards the sidecar so fast that he felt his neck crick, but sure enough, his worst fears were recognized. He had assumed that Radarr was in the sidecar. Radarr was always at his side. It never occurred to him that he wouldn't be there...

...but they had left Radarr behind.

Without a word, Aerrow had turned the skimmer back towards Saharr.

"Wait!" Finn protested, turning back around and trying to grab the controls from Aerrow. "Aerrow! It's too late! We don't know where he might be!"

"It doesn't matter!" Aerrow yelled back over the wind as they continued to descend. "We have to go back for Radarr!"

"Think about it!" Finn continued, still struggling with Aerrow. "They'll be waiting for us down there! We can't go back!"

"Yes we can!"

"What about the others? Aerrow, we don't have a chance!"

Aerrow's face was almost as red as his hair with rage. He snatched the controls away from Finn. "I'm not leaving Radarr!" he shouted.

"And if we get caught?" Finn reminded him, looking just as angry. "Then what? We won't be any good to him that way!"

A glimmer of reason came back to the Sky Knight at these words. What Finn said was true. They couldn't possibly save Radarr if they got caught themselves. If they returned now, they wouldn't stand a chance. The Burners would be waiting.

Could they really leave Radarr behind?

Aerrow could see the Burners landing on Saharr. They looked back up at him, no doubt wondering why he lingered over their terra. If he landed, it would be an open invitation.

Every part of Aerrow yearned to pull the skimmer around and head back. But he couldn't. Not now.

"We'll be back," Aerrow said, not quite sure who he was talking to.

And without another word, he flew away from Saharr with Finn at his back.