Chapter 9: Fallen

Things weren't looking up. Then again, they could be a lot worse. Sure Radarr was tired, hungry, stinky, and his fur was unbelievably matted and ratty, but overall he hadn't undergone any serious harm. It was just that Radarr had no idea of where he was really headed. He had been jumping from terra to terra lately without making any real progress... Just a stop here and there to maybe scavenge something to eat or risking a populated terra to try and sniff out news. Yet nothing came of any such stop. Radarr had abandoned his earlier thought of returning to Saharr because he knew that Aerrow and Finn would have discovered his disappearance quite a while ago, and had probably left... that is... if nothing worse had befallen them.

Radarr gave a small moan as he flew above the clouds. He always preferred flying high so as to have a bird's-eye view of everything. Plus, two separate layers of clouds bank swirled underneath him, giving him plenty of cover from terras underneath. But as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon, Radarr knew he should probably descend and seek out a place to land for the night. In truth, he was mostly just wasting his fuel, and there wasn't a whole lot to spare. The sky was growing dark, and Radarr didn't like the idea of flying alone at night, despite the full moon slowly rising from beneath the clouds.

Radarr rumbled a sigh in his throat as he turned to descend, when from a faint distance, he heard an entirely different kind of rumble.

More like a roar...
Radarr turned his head towards the sound and screeched at the sight.

It was a sky shark. It had loomed out of the clouds from a distance and had narrowed its gaze on Radarr. The Storm Hawk wasted no time in giving the skyride an extra burst of speed, but the run-down engine wasn't strong enough to out-fly the shark. It was steadily gaining, teeth gnashing hungrily. Radarr whimpered in fright. Why did it seem like everything always wanted to eat him? Quickly, he put to use some of the techniques that came with being a co-pilot to a Sky Knight.

Radarr pulled back in a half-loop, flipping halfway left to try and shake off the shark. However, though briefly confused, the shark wouldn't be so easily distracted from his prey. Radarr growled and tried another manoeuvre, though that failed as well. The sky shark was still gaining. Radarr decided to feint to the side and pull back, but it turned out of be a huge mistake. The shark's instincts guided him towards his target, and the creature collided head-on with the skimmer. Radarr screeched as the huge, pointed teeth came within inches of his fur. Radarr bolted, giving the skyride another burst of speed. However, the collision did some damage, and the already decrepit vehicle wasn't going to hold up against such strain. Radarr looked about himself frantically, trying to come up with something in the mere seconds he had at hand while the sky shark shook its head, angered and slightly disoriented at the collision.

Suddenly, Radarr spotted something... a wrench. Radarr grasped it in his paw and thought hard.

Well... it had helped him multiple times in the past...

Radarr swivelled in his seat, looking straight at the beast, which had resumed its pursuit. Radarr narrowed his eyes in concentration. It was now or never. He only had one shot.

Timing his attack carefully, Radarr threw the wrench at the shark.

Bull's-eye! It hit the sky shark right in the left eye. Letting out with a sharp roar, the shark swayed and thrashed in the air at the temporary half-blindness. Taking his opportunity, Radarr closed in fast and punched the shark on the nose as hard as he could, confusing its senses. The sky shark howled pathetically as it gave up the fight and dove down towards the first cloud layer below. Radarr watched its descent, breathing quickly and smiling in relief (and perhaps some disbelief) of what he had just done. However, this turned out to be a mistake, because – not watching where he was going – Radarr crashed his skimmer directly into the stern of a ship.

The old metal crippled like tinfoil against the reinforced hull, and in instinctual panic, it was all Radarr could do to leap off his ride onto one of the rear engines. Turning around sharply with wide eyes and panting heavily, Radarr looked on as his repaired skimmer (not so much repaired any longer) fell beneath the clouds. Breathing a premature sigh of relief, Radarr relaxed slightly as he affirmed that there was indeed a solid surface beneath his feet. However, he couldn't stay here long – the night wind was beginning to grow cold and quite fierce. Holding up a paw to block the breeze from his face, yet still holding onto the engine with his three other paws, Radarr looked around to try and determine if there was any way onboard. The sky was pure black now, but by the dim light of the moon, Radarr could see an opening in the hull above him. The long stretch of metal connecting the engine with the rest of the ship merged into the inner workings.

Smiling and chirping slightly in anticipation, Radarr carefully scaled his way along the beam and squirmed his way into the ship. It looked like he had finally gotten a lucky break.

Little did he know he had just boarded the Blood Crow.

Feeling like he had just woken up from a long sleep, Aerrow looked around himself. It was dark and hollow. Yeah... that was the perfect way to describe it... hollow. Just... a large empty space. Well, that wasn't entirely true. He was there. You had to be present to think, right?

A large light suddenly shone down from above, aiming its beam directly on the Sky Knight. Aerrow winked up at it, lifting a hand to block the harsh rays. However, as he did so, a metallic clinking noise echoed loudly through the room which made his blood run cold.

He was chained.

There were four long chains each fastened around his wrists and ankles. Aerrow moved about in quick jerks, adrenaline suddenly flooding his system. What... How...? He traced the links to their source which was a large stake hammered into the concrete floor beneath him. From a deep instinct, Aerrow gripped it with his hands and tried to pull it from the ground, even though he knew the attempt was fruitless. After a good few tugs, Aerrow abandoned the effort, panting hard. Cold sweat formed on his forehead, which glimmered weakly from the light overhead. What...? This didn't make any sense.

The rest of the room was still very black. Aerrow tried squinting to get a better view of his surroundings, but there was nothing. Where was he? Why was everything silent? Then, some sixth sense kicked in, and Aerrow turned around sharply.

Someone was standing behind him.

At first Aerrow couldn't make out who it was – they weren't standing close enough to the light. But as they moved into view, Aerrow discovered that it wasn't just the two of them standing there. There were more figures present who were slowly moving towards the light, yet not entering it entirely. They just moved in close enough so that Aerrow could dimly make out their features. Aerrow swivelled on the spot, greeted by new faces everywhere he looked. They were all around him now. All of them.

All of the squadrons.

They just stood there. No one said anything or made any movements. They just looked down at Aerrow, cold and indifferent. Their faces were completely blank. And Aerrow didn't know why, but he began to panic. His friends (for he could never truly think of them in any other way) were making him panic.

But wait...
There was one squad missing...

Where were the Storm Hawks? Where was his team? Aerrow searched the faces, cold and unmoving as stone. They were just a blur – obstacles to what really mattered. Aerrow turned about, searching.

There.

It was Finn. Finn was in the crowd. Aerrow couldn't see anyone else from his team, but just having at least one companion standing there filled him with relief. Aerrow laughed shakily and fell to his knees in sudden exhaustion, the chains clinking sinisterly. "Finn," he breathed, a timid smile on his face.

But Finn didn't smile. He looked like all the others. He just stared hollowly back at Aerrow, no expression on his face. The light shining down on Aerrow never found its reflection in Finn's eyes.

"No..." Aerrow muttered, panic slowly filling him again. "No... Finn...!"

But the body of Dove stood beside the wingman. Continuing to stare, and not moving her face by an inch, she raised a ghostly hand and placed it on Finn's shoulder. The light began to flicker.

"Finn! Wait!"

Slowly and smoothly, Finn and Dove revolved on the spot, turning away from Aerrow as the other faces closed in. Fully panicking as the light failed, Aerrow yelled. "FINN! NO! FINN!"

"FINN!"

Aerrow bolted upright in a cold sweat. What...?

Leftover adrenaline quickly died away as Aerrow sat and looked around himself. He had left the clearing. He was sitting on a rocky ridge a few feet away from the edge of the terra. But... why was he there again? Still vaguely haunted by the nightmare, Aerrow shook his head and tried to focus. Finn had flown off. Aerrow was still on the terra because he didn't know what to do next. He tried calling the Condor again, but there was nothing. But... didn't he make another call?

Aerrow straightened up and looked out at the clouds before him with wide eyes. The sky was getting dark, though there was some pink and orange on the horizon where the last of the sun was still hanging. Right. He didn't know what to do so he called the only person he could turn to for guidance. Harrier. But there was a delay in the signal... he couldn't get here right away. Be patient. So he walked out here to wait.

Aerrow's thoughts were still a bit jumbled, and he gave his head another shake as he rose to his feet. What was wrong with him? Well... that was easy enough to answer. He couldn't remember the last time he ate something... and running from place to place was sure to tire out anybody. Aerrow took a deep breath and looked out at the sky. Still... he had done a lot of running in the past. Nothing had ever tired him out like this. Well... that was understandable.

But now that the fresh air moving along the cliffs had cleared Aerrow's head, he looked around himself, puzzled. He did remember calling Harrier, but then why wasn't the knight here already? Had something delayed him? Or maybe Aerrow really hadn't been out for all that long. After all, if he recalled correctly, the sun was already growing low when Finn had...

Aerrow breathed out sharply, interrupting his thoughts. He wouldn't dwell on that. Not until he had his own course of action sorted. But... being the person he was, Aerrow couldn't convincingly make himself believe that.

But then, there was the sound of an engine through the trees. Aerrow turned sharply, but then relaxed at the thought that it was probably Harrier. Aerrow took a few steps towards the noise, but then paused as his sharp senses picked up on something important.

There was more than one engine rumbling in those woods.

Aerrow swivelled on the spot and ducked behind a tree. Stupid! How could he have made such an obvious mistake? Leaving his skimmer behind in the clearing... stupid, stupid! Aerrow looked around, his mind racing but too tired to really be working properly. Maybe... Harrier had brought the Guardians with him? No, he said he was going to come alone. But that wasn't important. Who was in there? No, it didn't matter. They were all the same, and the cover of darkness wasn't going to help...

Aerrow just remained crouched, debating on what to do. His breathing had become ragged, and he had broken into a cold sweat again. He looked down at his hand draped across his bent knees. It was... shaking? Aerrow raised it to his face unbelievingly. All he could do was stare.

But then a clear gust of wind blew over the terra again as the darkness descended, and Aerrow tightened his fist. No. He had to get a hold of himself.

But there were still people in the forest. Was he willing to take the risk? Right now it looked like he didn't have a choice. Aerrow poked his head out from behind the tree. The sounds of the skimmers were distant, but still clear enough to be made out. Aerrow tried to do some calculations in his head. He wouldn't be able to see them clearly... but they wouldn't be able to see him either. The real variable was whether or not they had come across his skimmer in the clearing. If that were the case, he could really be in trouble.

Reaching with one hand, Aerrow grabbed the hilt of one of his swords, reassuring himself it was still on his back. Well... if worse came to worse... he would just have to be lucky.

But then another option descended from the sky. Harrier had come. Aerrow turned as he heard the skimmer flying down behind him and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw who it was.

"Harrier," Aerrow gasped. "Man, am I glad to see you."

"Likewise," Harrier responded, though he looked a little flustered. Aerrow couldn't blame him – Harrier had probably seen the other squad descend from a distance. "Do you have your skimmer?"

"No," Aerrow said, still feeling embarrassed at his mistake. "I left it in the middle of the terra."

"Leave it for now," Harrier replied. "It's best we get you out of here as fast as we can."

Harrier seemed to sense the danger at hand, so Aerrow nodded and hopped onto the back of Harrier's skyride. The seat was significantly smaller than that of his own, so Aerrow had to face backwards to make room for the two passengers. Without a wasted second, Harrier took off, careful to be discreet so as to not alert the squadron searching down below.

"I'm glad you made it," Aerrow said, though his words not sounding as relieved as he intended them to be. "There's so much I need to talk to you about."

"And I you," Harrier replied. "But perhaps we should save it for when we land."

Aerrow nodded, but then realizing Harrier couldn't see him with his back turned, agreed aloud. "Yeah." The Sky Knight watched as they flew away from the terra, leaving his skimmer behind. What if Finn tried to return? What would he find? Aerrow didn't know why, but as the terra grew smaller and smaller in the distance, Aerrow had the nagging feeling that he was leaving something important behind.

"So," Harrier suddenly spoke, snapping Aerrow to consciousness. He hadn't realized that he had drifted off again. What was wrong with him? Aerrow brought a hand to his face and shook his head slightly. They were still flying, and a small sliver of deep purple could still be seen mixing with the black on the horizon. He couldn't have been out for too long. In fact, Aerrow doubted he would ever get a truly restful sleep ever again.

"Sorry?" Aerrow asked, feeling like he had missed a question Harrier had asked him.

"Do you know where your other squadron members are?" Harrier repeated.

Aerrow looked down at the clouds, a self-loathing smile playing its way across his face. "No," Aerrow responded flatly. "In fact... I was hoping you could tell me."

A silence fell after that. Aerrow had the feeling that Harrier wanted to save the discussion for later. It was hard to talk while flying in their position. Aerrow could hear Harrier alright, but the Storm Hawk suspected the wind blew away his own words. But there was so much running through his mind... Aerrow found it hard to stay quiet.

"I never thought..." Aerrow began, though Harrier remained focused on flying. "I never thought they would all turn. I mean... I suppose I understand their view on things. It's just..."

"You wonder why they betrayed you?" So Harrier was listening.

"No," Aerrow denied, though the difficulty in his voice was clear. "I just wonder... If it was another squad... not the Storm Hawks... would I do the same thing?"

There was a long silence after that. Aerrow thought Harrier might have denied Aerrow's worries and tried to reassure him that it was foolish to think that way. But he didn't, because truthfully, neither one could guarantee that.

"Some people can be blind," Harrier stated simply.

"I can't blame them." Aerrow countered. "I can be hurt by it, but I can't blame them."

"Actually..." Harrier drew out, "I was referring to you."

At this Aerrow tensed. What did Harrier mean by that? A small spur of adrenaline made Aerrow more aware of his surroundings, and he looked down at the glimpses of terras below, only just visible through the cloud cover.

"Harrier..." Aerrow said carefully. "This isn't the way to Terra Rex."

"No," Harrier's voice carried back coldly. "It isn't."

Thinking hard and without drawing attention to himself, Aerrow reached behind his back, searching for his twin blades.

They were gone, and so was his glider.

He was trapped.

"I'm sorry," Harrier said, not the least bit of remorse in his voice, and still keeping his eyes ahead of him. Aerrow's breathing sped up, the shock of Harrier's betrayal working its way through his system. "This has gone on for too long."

Aerrow scanned the clouds, reflexively looking for an escape. There was none. "When?" Aerrow asked. "When did you turn?" There were no accusations in his voice, only the shock of being betrayed.

"It wasn't easy," Harrier explained blankly and in a matter-of-fact way. "Leading you in the right direction. I had to make sure you would still come to the Guardians if Latebra failed... which it did. Although I have to say, it was helpful when the Rebel Ducks turned. I didn't expect them to give in so easily, and it was most successful in diverting your attention."

Aerrow could only listen in silent fury. The whole time... Harrier had been turned since the beginning. The question was, who else had gone to him for help like he had?

"Who else?" Aerrow asked darkly.

"Sorry?" Harrier questioned, not following Aerrow's train of thought.

"Who else from my team have you taken, Harrier?" Aerrow practically shouted the question to the back of the other Knight. For a moment Aerrow thought he might snap and resort to fighting with or without weapons, but the rational part of his thoughts was successful in holding him back, knowing that the attempt would fail against his armed opponent.

Although Aerrow couldn't see it, a faint smile flickered its way onto the side of Harrier's mouth. "It was difficult tracking the others down. We did not anticipate that you would separate. Yet we were eventually successful in finding the other half of your squadron. Though granted the fire was an unexpected occurrence we ...well... You don't need to know about that."

Aerrow felt like he was going to be sick. The other half of his squad? Did that mean Piper, Junko and Stork? Were they even alright? What about a fire? And what about the other two members of his team? Did Harrier not know anything about Finn and Radarr?

"Harrier..." Aerrow tried to reason, the revulsion at the other Knight's words temporarily taming Aerrow's anger. "Listen to yourself. Do you even realize what you're saying? This is the Cyclonians we're talking about. You of all people should know they can't be trusted!"

"This is a completely different situation!" Harrier denied. "This isn't just some man's word in the middle of a battlefield! This is a formal agreement, arranged by the leaders of both sides and guaranteed to affirm peace. Why make a deal and intend to betray it if you have nothing to gain? One man may betray his honour but not a complete nation."

"You're still talking about honour?" Aerrow yelled, furious at how blind Harrier could be. "Is betraying your friends the honourable thing to do?"

"If betraying one means saving the lives of many, then yes!" Aerrow could hear that Harrier was beginning to lose his temper. "Need I remind you... it is a Sky Knight's sworn oath to protect Atmos at any cost."

At this, Aerrow faltered for a second. Because that was the one point that had bothered him ever since all of this began. If the treaty was just that... and nothing more... it was his duty to see it through.
But he couldn't. It was the Cyclonians. He had to make sure...

"There's a difference between risking your life for a noble cause and just throwing it away," Aerrow reasoned.

"Does peace mean so little to you? Are you so selfish that you value your own life more than countless others?"

"No!" Aerrow denied vehemently. "It's nothing like that! Just I'm not going to take a risk if I know that it will be for nothing!"

"The law is not nothing!" Harrier spat. "Do you think the Atmosian Alliance completely incapable? We have means of enforcing the treaty! We monitor the activity of the Cyclonians! We protect our land through organization and rules! While some squadrons may be content running from one place to another, we take on the responsibilities that come with protecting those who need protection!"

Aerrow narrowed his eyes and felt the urge to once again attack Harrier regardless of circumstances. "So that's all the Storm Hawks are," Aerrow questioned mockingly. "A bargaining chip. No real value to us, is that right?"

Harrier was in the middle of a reply when Aerrow suddenly noticed a shadow looming from the cloud cover overhead, closing in fast.

"Harrier, look out!" Aerrow called. The Rex Guardian turned just in time to see a sky shark descend from above, teeth gnashing in an angry grimace. Harrier swerved out of the way, but the sky shark circled back around and made another dash for the skyride, having found a new target. Harrier shot a pair of bolts at the beast, but the sky shark weaved around them and made a straight line for its prey. Harrier looped around the second charge, but it was in the middle of the manoeuvre that Aerrow suddenly felt his footing slip.

He lost his grip.

And fell.

For a moment, a lurching fear took a hold of Aerrow, but then he hastily remembered that Harrier was still piloting the skimmer. Aerrow turned around in mid-air, but his heart sunk at what he saw.

The sky shark was still pursuing Harrier relentlessly, not giving him a chance to change course.

Harrier couldn't fly back around for Aerrow.

He was in free-fall.

In a blind panic, Aerrow shouted, face towards the night sky, as he disappeared into the clouds below.

Minn: ABKDAKBV! *flails* I'm so freaking excited to know what you peeps think! If you review ANY chapter of this fic, LET IT BE THIS ONE. Did you see it coming? Was it completely predictable? Did you have no idea? Was it nicely done? Was it cliché? TELL ME! This is the scene that MADE this fic!

Wolf: OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG! IT'S THE BETRAYAL SCENE! …Nuff said.

See that link right there? CLICK IT
|
v