Minn: Here! Now! You will go!
h t t p : / / s h u b b a b a n g . t u m b l r . c o m / p o s t / 2 0 2 4 5 9 6 4 0 6 3 / i t - w a s - j u s t - s u c h - a n - o h - m y - g o d - m o m e n t - a n d - t h e
Let me just point out that ShubbaBANG is like, one of THE BEST people of all time. Go check out her tumblr and deviantArt. It is awesome. And she is awesome. :D
Oooookay got this out just in time. You guys are going to hate me so much. :P Because remember, I'm leaving soon for my vacation, meaning I'm not going to be working on this again for about a month. THEN I start writing... which knowing me will probably take another month... So yeah, next update is going to take A WHILE! I MEAN A WHILE! But I mean, this is a pretty long chapter, so that should keep you guys smiling for a while... right? I was ALMOST tempted to split up this chapter into two smaller ones, but I think it just works so much better as a whole. No worries, there's still a good bit of life left in this fic, though we're definitely over halfway now.
Chapter 12: Critical
"Are you nervous?" Starling's voice echoed back in the memory of Aerrow's head.
"Yes."
"Good. It will keep you alert. It would be foolish of you not to be."
"What about you?"
"Of course. But I still believe everything will be fine. We spent how much time making this plan?"
"So many things can go wrong..."
"You're not backing out on me?"
"Of course not. Just... we're taking a pretty big risk here, Starling. Everything relies on this mission. One wrong move could be critical."
"Then we'll follow the plan. As long as we do that, we can't fail."
"We can't fail..." Aerrow whispered to himself, more out of reassurance than anything, though it was also a point of fact. His team, his friends, and perhaps all of Atmos relied on this mission.
Although technically it had already began; Aerrow and Starling had spent the last few hours sneaking past Cyclonian patrols, flying close to the intense heat of the Wastelands, being cautious to not let a single person spot them. It took a long time, and the going was rough, but as both Knights knew perfectly well, it was essential... though far from pleasant. When they had finally gotten to the base of Cyclonia Tower, Aerrow felt almost relieved to see it looming out of the smouldering clouds.
The two flew towards a small rocky outcropping of the base. Aerrow landed shortly behind Starling, who had been leading the two. She had already dismounted and was talking briskly over a short-wave radio. She tucked it away as Aerrow approached, looking serious.
"Dove managed okay?" Aerrow asked,
Starling nodded. "She's fine."
Aerrow looked up at the sheer cliff face before them. They had flown quite a height from the bottom of the base, yet they still were a good distance away from one of the main docking bays. Aerrow watched intently as large shipments of crystals were being received overhead.
"Alright," he said, feeling prepared. "Let's do this."
Starling nodded and turned to their skimmers. She rooted through the boot of her own, and pulled out a large tarp. It was musty and deep brown, but it was perfect for their purposes. With Aerrow's help, they draped it and tied it down securely over their skimmers. The disguise wasn't perfect, but this was a remote outcropping on the rocky base of the tower – rarely passed by and unvisited. It would be efficient enough to hide their rides from a distance.
"Let's go," Aerrow said, turning immediately towards the cliff-face, but Starling held him back for a moment.
"Aerrow," she said, in a tone that indicated she was going to give him one last bit of advice. "I know it's your team... I know it's what you've been searching for, but don't get carried away. Take your time. Don't act impulsively."
Starling said it in a dead serious yet understanding way which made its way efficiently across to Aerrow. He paused, and looked to the side, not making eye contact. "I know, Starling. Truthfully... it's what I'm worried about."
Starling retreated a bit, not fully understanding Aerrow's statement.
"Just..." Aerrow hesitated. But he couldn't continue. Not now. He already spent his time worrying about that in days past. Now it was time to act. To save his team. "Let's go," Aerrow changed the subject, turning again towards their ascent. Starling followed without another word.
The two climbed around the middle base of the terra, slowly making their way up and around to the side of the building itself, being careful to remain in the shadows. When they had finally reached level ground, Starling pressed herself up again the outer wall of the tower, looking around the corner to where the crystals spotted earlier were being unloaded. The outer section of the docking bay itself was quite empty, the bigger crates already hauled inside to the sheltered interior, where most of the Talons were busy bringing them out in smaller crates. However, some of these smaller boxes still lined the metal floor extending away into the air. The closest one was a small distance away, just around the bend of the wall. Fortunately enough the lid was open, the soft glow from the crystals clearly visible. The Talons that were stationed on the outer part of the docking bay were considerably farther. In the darkness Starling watched, as Aerrow kept a lookout. Two seconds were all it would take.
Without a word of warning, Starling sprinted to the crate as soon as the cost was clear, the Talons having their backs turned. She snatched two crystals and then returned as fast as she came, none of the Cyclonians noticing a thing.
Starling panted from adrenaline as she retreated to the shadows where Aerrow waited. However, she wasn't out of breath for long, and she smirked down at Aerrow, who had been waiting for confirmation.
"Our intel was right," Starling said, holding out one of the two crystals to Aerrow. He studied its pink glow, grinning slightly as he took it.
"Cloaking crystals."
"Raw cloaking crystals," Starling corrected. "Direct from Tundras. The Alliance is clearly taking the initiative to hurry things along, since they're not required to return Cyclonis' terra to her until after the treaty is signed. A peace offering..."
Starling trailed off bitterly as Aerrow continued to study the crystal. His anxiousness to proceed alerted Starling. "Treat these crystals carefully. They are very unstable," Starling warned. "And they won't last."
"I know," Aerrow said, holding the crystal carefully and becoming serious. He stole another look at it while Starling held hers out for examination. "How long do you guess we have?" Aerrow asked.
"Hard to say. No more than ten minutes, maybe. But that should be enough time."
Aerrow nodded. "Okay then. Let's do this."
Starling pulled out a long, very thin length of rope and tied one end around her wrist. Aerrow took the other end with his free hand and did the same. It wasn't completely necessary, but the last thing they needed was to get separated. It was better to have a link between them while they were invisible.
Starling activated her crystal and Aerrow followed suit. He took a moment to look down at himself, processing this new experience. It was weird... knowing your body was there but not able to see it.
"You alright?" Starling asked, bringing Aerrow back to the task at hand.
"Ye-yeah," Aerrow stuttered a bit, still weirded-out by the experience.
"Come on," the disembodied voice of Starling said, already moving away. "We need to be quick. I'll lead."
Aerrow felt a tug on his wrist, and he followed the faint footsteps he could just make out in front of him. As the two crossed in front of the docking bay, Aerrow suddenly stopped, aware that the cord tightened as Starling was brought to a jerky halt.
"What?" Starling whispered, since there were still Talons nearby.
"Look," Aerrow said, pointing, but then remembering Starling couldn't see him, he added, "To the left. The central landing strip."
Starling turned to look at the spot Aerrow indicated and smiled. The main landing strip Aerrow was talking about stood at the very front of Cyclonia, at a slightly higher level than the two were at now. It was adjacent to another large section of metal flooring which extended outside the tower, and parked right on top of it was the Condor.
"That makes things easy," Starling continued to whisper. "At least we know for sure where it is now. But that's for later. Come on, we need to hurry."
Aerrow nodded his head and turned to follow the sound of Starling's footsteps, rushed and tense. However, it became harder to track the sound once they entered the tower itself, since the noise of activity from the Talons drowned out such subtleties. Aerrow and Starling were forced to come to a walk, for fear of tripping each other up. Aerrow was rigid as they passed through the busy corridors and hallways. It felt wrong to be walking past Talons in plain sight.
Finally, they had moved past the initial entrance of the tower into its more deserted sections. Aerrow and Starling both breathed small sighs of relief after doing so. But they weren't out of the woods yet.
"If my suspicions are correct," Starling whispered when they were in the clear. "The dungeons should be in the lower level. We should make our way down and search from there."
"Right..."
Starling's curiosity was peaked. She wished she could look at Aerrow, and deduce what he was thinking, but the cloaking crystal apparently still had some juice in it, for all that remained was the anxious determination in his voice.
But then... Starling did get her wish. With a flicker in space, Aerrow flashed back into sight, and then by the altered expression on his face, Starling guessed she did the same.
"Blast it!" Starling exclaimed, annoyed. "Ah well," she spoke softly. "At least no one is near-"
"Shh!" Aerrow suddenly cut her off, listening closely.
Footsteps.
"Here!" Aerrow said, pulling Starling along since they were still attached at the wrist. Aerrow ducked into a small crevice largely concealed by a stone pillar. Starling sneaked in behind him. It was a close fit, but they had come too far now to be discovered. Trying her best not to be seen, Starling peaked around the corner, and internally groaned at what she saw.
It was a Nightcrawler. It was walking down the hallway straight towards them. Why did it have to be a Nightcrawler? Starling quickly concealed herself one again and motioned to Aerrow to keep absolutely still and silent.
The Nightcrawler continued to walk by, his footsteps echoing down the metallic hallway. He came up beside the pillar... and stopped. Starling pulled up a hand to her mouth to muffle her breathing, and Aerrow did the same. The dark-skinned soldier was no more than four feet away.
He sniffed the air curiously. Something was... off. His head turned sharply from side to side. Where was it? Something... something...
There. The pillar? The Nightcrawler moved towards it, suspicion rising. Starling dared not move a muscle. Aerrow had broken into a cold sweat. The Nightcrawler stood right in front of the other side of the pillar. His neck slowly craned around the other end. Any second...
A buzzer went off somewhere in the distance. Starling just about jumped out of her skin, but was somehow able to keep still, though she felt Aerrow beside her betray a small jerk. The buzzer had caught the Nightcrawler's attention; clearly it held some sort of meaning for him, because with an irritated huff, he turned away and continued hurriedly down the hallway.
Starling slowly brought her hand away from her face, and stepped out of the crevice, Aerrow following after her. He was breathing heavily, and Starling looked on after the Nightcrawler with cold calculation. "Let's hope that's the most difficulty we have," Starling stated. Aerrow simply nodded. Starling then turned her attention towards the rope tied around their wrists. "I guess we don't need this anymore," she said, untying it and stowing it back in one of her pockets. "Come on. We should keep moving."
After the Nightcrawler the two didn't run into much more trouble. They had to be careful to avoid Talons that walked by, but in each case they were successful in sneaking past. Deeper and deeper they worked their way into the tower. Finally, they had reached one of the bottom-most floors. Aerrow could tell because there was a stifling heat that hung over the place that must have been from the proximity of the Wastelands. It was very dark, and there was some older stonework that merged with the metal walls. It didn't take a genius to figure out where they were.
"This must be the maximum security cells," Starling said, pointedly.
"You mean the dungeon," Aerrow replied, not bothering to sugar-coat things. Starling looked down at him, slightly worried now. Aerrow wasn't looking too good. His breathing had sped up slightly, and he was slightly hunched over, like he was carrying a large burden.
"Aerrow..." Starling was about to ask, but her cautious tone irritated him by the realization he had shown weakness, and he dismissed her passively.
"I'm fine," Aerrow said. "Just the heat." He began to walk off down the corridor again, but Starling hung back for a second, studying him. Yet she respected him enough to know to not press for answers. Not for this...
It was an isolated and depressing space, feeling more like a tunnel than a hallway. Aerrow moved on resolutely, Starling by his side. The two were careful to make sure no one was going to pop up around the corner, however they were close enough now to have their weapons drawn. No need to be sneaky now that they were so far out of the way of normal activity.
Finally, the corridor opened up to a larger room, which was lined with very solid looking doors at widely spaced intervals. Outside one of these doors stood no less than ten Nightcrawlers. Starling was momentarily taken aback. She didn't expect the guard to be that heavy. She turned to look down at Aerrow, asking him in a whisper, "You think we can take them?"
But Aerrow didn't need to respond. His gaze was fixed on the door, and the fiery blaze of determination in his eyes spoke for itself.
The Nightcrawlers didn't stand a chance.
Not waiting for Starling's cue, Aerrow ran in and began the fight, Starling lunging in after him. It took no more than five minutes to secure a victory, the last of the Nightcrawlers knocked out cold as Aerrow sheathed his twin blades. Starling held a fearful respect for the look on his face, but it was soon replaced with a much different look once something on the ground had caught Aerrow's eye.
There was a key that one of the Nightcrawlers dropped. The dark metal glittered faintly in the dim light. Aerrow bent down and took it, studying it intently. Starling tensed as once again that pained look echoed across Aerrow's face. Like a deep, nauseous anxiety. However, the Storm Hawk's eyes still burned in anticipation, and he looked towards the door slowly.
Aerrow approached it, key in hand as his footsteps echoed in the now deathly silent room. He slid the key in the lock and turned it, twitching unconsciously at the small, confirming click it made. Hand trembling slightly, he reached out and grasped the door handle firmly, turning it in place. Then with the sound of rock on metal, he pulled the door open, looking inside as he appeared in the threshold.
They were there. His team. Four faces looked up in stunned disbelief as Aerrow stood in the doorway, then took a couple of wobbling steps into the room. No one could say anything, but then a dreamlike grin cast its way upon Aerrow's face, and he spoke in a tone barely more than a whisper.
"Hey."
"Aerrow!" Piper shouted in joy, her voice breaking with passion as she and the rest of the team got up to meet him. She ran towards him, but with a notable limp that made Aerrow cringe as he fell into her arms, stress and relief making his torso shake with internal sobs. He hugged her tightly, trying to hold back tears.
"I'm sorry," he spoke, to the room as a whole. "I'm so sorry."
That's when Starling understood, watching the scene play out before her. Aerrow had blamed himself for all of this. Not knowing what he might find when he got here... that guilt was eating him alive. But now... now he could finally come back to grips with himself.
"Don't be sorry," Piper muttered in his ear, yet loud enough for the rest of the room to hear. "It's alright. We're okay."
As if to confirm Piper's words, the other Storm Hawks greeted Aerrow as he left the embrace. Stork gave him one of his trademarked uneasy yet somehow reassuring smiles, while Junko patted him strongly on the back, making their leader grin in relief at a display of their strength.
And then Finn approached Aerrow, the uneasy hesitation on his face clearly showing that he regretted their last encounter. He held out an apologetic hand to Aerrow, which the red-head took, but then proceeded to pull Finn into a one-armed hug.
"Sorry, Finn."
"Nah, it's cool, dude."
Aerrow stepped back and smiled. This was the way it was meant to be. The Storm Hawks - together as a team. The Sky Knight continued to smile as the others also greeted Starling, curious as to what role she played in all of this. But Aerrow's spirits couldn't help but be dampened a little as he watched his team closer.
Finn was largely alright, but Piper clearly had a sprained ankle, and both she and Stork looked like they had some pretty bad burns. Junko was a bit more fortunate with his thick Wallop skin, but even he had his share of looking a little worse for wear.
And of course... there was still one Storm Hawk missing.
But Piper, sensing what Aerrow was thinking, left the others who were talking with Starling and approached Aerrow, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Aerrow," she said meaningfully, making him smile as he saw the faces of happiness and gratitude before him.
The others returned the look, as they finished with Starling and now gazed at their leader expectantly.
"Okay, chief," Finn asked teasingly. "What's next?"
The old address rekindled the daring spirit in Aerrow. He grinned mischievously and an adventurous glare rose into his eyes. "Alright, everyone, listen up. This is the plan..."
Meanwhile, a dark room glowed with faint lighting filtered through a glass wall. Master Cyclonis' black silhouette stood before a similar door, leading to the balcony beyond.
"I appreciate the gesture," she said politely, with her best pretence of formality, not bothering to turn around to address her guest. "But I must say it was completely unnecessary. The treaty has not been signed yet."
A Sky Knight stood behind Cyclonis, a gleam reflecting off his armor as he shifted his weight, uneasy in his current position. Yet it was his duty to be here. The council had chosen him to represent the Alliance's wishes, and fulfilling his duty was the honourable thing to do.
"The Alliance is aware of that fact," Harrier stated dryly. "And as you are no doubt aware, it is what I have come here to discuss."
Cyclonis turned around at the Guardian's words, saying nothing, but letting her hood peel back from her face. "Go on."
"Yes, well," Harrier stuttered slightly, clearly ill-at-ease. "We propose that the terms of the treaty be acted on now. The... Storm Hawks for the most part have been found, and the remaining members can pose no threat to the resulting peace now."
Cyclonis crossed the room as Harrier spoke, paying little heed to his words.
"The sooner we begin to cooperate the better," Harrier continued, not sure if he was making any real progress. "It will minimize losses on both ends. I believe the Alliance have shown they are more than willing to abide by the terms you have laid out..."
Cyclonis came to a halt beside Harrier, though she continued to face the back of the room. Though she was shorter than Harrier, she still seemed to overshadow him. "What use are the pawns, without their king?" Cyclonis asked in a quiet hiss that Harrier guessed to be rhetorical. "I am sorry, but the original conditions are still in effect. I will not sign without Aerrow."
Harrier narrowed his eyes at Cyclonis' words. Childish.
Cyclonis turned sharply to suddenly make eye contact with Harrier, and for a moment he was taken off guard. She couldn't... know what he had just thought? Harrier cleared his throat and tried to remain professional. "See here. This doesn't really make much sense. You were the one, after all, who had proposed this agreement. Wouldn't you wish to see it through? Why delay further?"
Cyclonis was about to respond when she had suddenly noticed that a Nightcrawler stood at the back of the room. That could only mean one thing.
The witch let out a velvety grin, which sent shivers up Harrier's spine. "Very well," Cyclonis said, bitterly sweet. "I will consider it. In the meantime, why don't you wait down in my private study? I will have someone escort you. It... shouldn't take too long." Cyclonis reached out a hand, beckoning the Nightcrawler, who grinned sinisterly up at Harrier. The Sky Knight couldn't help but betray his outright contempt for such a creature. However, he left all the same, yet gave one last remark as Cyclonis turned back to the balcony.
"I'll be waiting," Harrier stated meaningfully.
"Thank you for your patience," Cyclonis replied, a grin still stretched across her face. The Sky Knight exited with the Nightcrawler to leave Cyclonis alone with her thoughts, the red sky glittering across her smile.
A loud, metallic grinding jolted Radarr awake. It was hard to believe that the Storm Hawk had actually fallen asleep on a Cyclonian Destroyer. He should have been on high alert the whole time. Furious with himself, Radarr stood up and shook himself, looking around.
The ship had come to a stop; that much was clear. Which could only mean one thing…
He had arrived.
Radarr got to his feet and shook himself. So he was here. Now what?
Well, he'd never find out what the Cyclonians were up to sitting here on the docked ship. With careful, deliberate steps he crept from his hiding place and into the hangar bay.
He apparently hadn't been asleep long; the docking had likely jolted him awake. The dock was still crowded with Talons who were leaving the ship. Hiding at the plank entrance, Radarr peered out at the mass of bodies and easily spotted the commander directing everyone onward. He was the man Radarr needed to shadow. Radarr flicked his ears forward to see if he could catch anything the Talon was saying, but the commander was only giving orders at the moment, so Radarr flattened his ears again and lowered himself as close to the ground as he could.
Even just sitting on the Destroyer and being on this dock felt wrong. It smelled awful, for one thing, like crystal pollutant mixed with blood and sweat. Radarr wasn't sure how the humanoids could stand it. Not only this, but there was also something dark and sinister about the place that didn't match the light, bustling atmosphere of soldiers coming home.
Stealing himself for the smell of a lot more sweat, Radarr crept onto the plank and then leapt off it into the midst of the Talons. No one would notice him here; there were just too many people. The only thing he really had to worry about was being stepped on. Not only would that really hurt, but the Talon who did it would probably look down and see him, and then… Well, it wouldn't be good.
Radarr snuck up to the doorway leading into the interior, leaping over people's toes and slinking between their legs. Once there he hid behind a staff stand, waiting for everyone to pass him by. The commander would be one of the last people out. He had to follow him.
He had only just looked the other way for a moment when he saw…
Oh no.
You have got to be kidding!
It wasn't his usual hen, but it was definitely a hen. The dark brown hen was strutting around without a single glance from the Talons. And she was staring right at him, hearts dancing in her eyes.
Figures.
Squawking happily, she fluttered over to Radarr. He was glad the Talons paid her no mind; otherwise, she would have completely given away his position.
Without another thought, Radarr ducked away from her at the nearest escape: the vent. The chicken was right on his tail.
Up the vent they went, Radarr's paws skidding on the metal surface and the hen fluttering behind him. On the plus side, if he got lost, Radarr could just follow the trail of feathers… assuming he could get past the chicken.
The vents kept turning, ascending, descending, branching. Radarr gave up any hope of navigating them. Rather, he began picking the most confusing routes he could in the hopes that the chicken could not follow.
Unfortunately, something always has to happen to make things even worse.
A grate gave from under Radarr as he was running over it. It fell open, and Radarr just managed to grab hold of the edge before he would have fallen…
Er, where was he exactly?
He looked around. It was definitely an office of some sort. Maybe a commander's office? Whoever it was, it was a high ranker. The office was spacious and was filled with the lofty scent of dark perfume. Pink and purple decorative items decorated the shelves. Everything was in perfect order; even the desk, though it certainly had enough papers on top of it to completely bury it, seemed extremely clean. Every paper was perfectly stacked, every paper clip and spare staple in place. That, coupled with the overpowering smell and the sickening amount of pink and purple, made the room absolutely revolting.
Only one Talon commander could possibly have such an office. Radarr's thoughts were confirmed when he spotted a violin case in the corner.
Just Radarr's luck, the door swung open at that precise moment. Speak of the devil… here came Ravess.
Had she walked straight it, she surely would have noticed a furry animal dangling from her ceiling. Thankfully she was talking to someone and had her back to the room.
Without further delay, Radarr scrambled up into the vent again and closed it shut behind him. The chicken, who had been peering down at him, squawked in delight at seeing him, but he grabbed her beak and clamped it shut, putting a finger to his mouth and shushing her. Now was not the time to be making noise.
"…was quite pleased with the payment," a voice was saying. It certainly wasn't Ravess's voice. This was male. Radarr peered down into the room, and his jaw dropped. It was the commander he had been planning to shadow!
Well, that had worked out nicely.
"So everything is in place then?" Ravess hissed.
The commander nodded, bowing his head respectfully. "It will be soon, Commander Ravess."
Ravess smirked. "Master Cyclonis will be pleased."
What…? Suddenly, it hit Radarr like a slap in the face. The box he had seen the Talon commander hand over to the Murk Raiders… it had something to do with a sinister plot. Radarr may not know what it was, but he would bet anything that it was dangerous.
"Now all we need is to find those dumb remaining Storm Hawks," Ravess growled.
"Neither of them have turned up?" the commander asked.
"I haven't reported to Master Cyclonia yet, but I'm sure nothing has changed." Ravess shook her head, irritated. "I don't see why we should even bother worrying about that animal. He's not really worth our time."
"But the Sky Knight… he's important, isn't he?" the commander asked hesitantly.
Radarr's stomach dropped. They'd caught the others. Even so, he felt a pleasant jolt. They hadn't caught Aerrow. He was still on the run.
"If you don't have a Sky Knight, you don't have a Sky Knight squadron, I guess," Ravess said nonchalantly. "But I believe I have some more important work to do in the meantime." She held up her fingernails for inspection. "You may go."
The commander bowed and left the room.
Radarr's mind was whirling. The Murk Raiders had been given an item by the Cyclonians. Not only that, but Radarr felt sure he'd seen a box like that before, which meant someone else had also been given this same... something. But who? How many were there? And most importantly, what exactly was it?
Even more pressing… the others were here! Most of them anyway. And after Radarr hunted them down, it would only be a matter of time before they found Aerrow.
Yet there was still one problem left before he went on his search. Radarr looked up at the chicken whose beak he was still holding. She churred happily. He blinked. What to do with her…?
Then, before he could think twice, he grabbed the chicken, stuffed her down the grate into Ravess's office, and ran for it, laughing as he heard horrified screams and indignant squawks coming from the office.
He only just stepped out another grate, this one close to the floor, when he froze. A familiar scent caught his attention. Could it be...? Radarr dropped to all fours and sniffed the ground intensely. Yes. He'd know that smell anywhere. It was the Storm Hawks!
Squawking excitedly, Radarr dashed through the deserted corridor, following the trail. Could it be his friends had already escaped? Radarr ran with the last vestiges of his strength. The trail was fresh. This was his chance. He could finally be with them again.
The trail led Radarr to the central hangar bay of Cyclonia, the landing strip stretching away just out of sight, around the turn of the wall Radarr had entered from. There were no Cyclonians nearby, but Radarr's sharp hearing picked up activity from outside. Radarr looked towards the sounds and his heart skipped two beats at what he saw.
It was the Condor, and just out of sight, Radarr could sense his team was nearby. He just knew it. After so long...
Radarr ran to the exit where the landing strip stretched out. Any minute, he would turn the corner and find his team. He could be with them. With Aerrow. He couldn't stop smiling.
But all too soon, that smile vanished as Radarr came to a sudden halt. What met his eyes was not what he was expecting, and something he never wanted to see.
No...
It couldn't be...
Aerrow marched alone through an empty hallway. He supposed it was sheer luck (but maybe fate) that allowed him this one moment of peace before the execution of their plan. None of the team was thrilled about Aerrow being on his own to confront Cyclonis, but they all agreed in the end it was the only way. Just so long as they pulled off their half of the mission...
They would. They were his team. They never let him down.
Aerrow took a steadying breath as he drew nearer and nearer to where he knew Cyclonis would be waiting. Everything was falling into place...
He reached the door of Cyclonis' chamber, twin blades drawn. This was it. And yet, that small voice of self preservation that one can never truly ignore told Aerrow to turn back. Just leave. Yet Aerrow was successful in dismissing it. Nothing would go wrong. Nothing bad could happen.
Aerrow opened the doors.
Cyclonis was there, as expected, facing the large glass wall leading to the balcony, just as she had been facing it while talking to Harrier. Aerrow didn't bother to say anything. He merely walked up behind her, calm and determined.
"I've been expecting you," Cyclonis trilled coldly. "It's about time you showed up."
"It's over, Cyclonis."
"Oh far from it, Aerrow. In fact, I'd say this is the very beginning." Without warning, Cyclonis fired a blast from her crystal staff, concealed beneath her cloak. Aerrow dashed to the side, just barely avoiding the shot.
"You're fast to react," Cyclonis complimented smoothly. "But then again, you would have to be to have made it this far." Her hood peeled back, revealing a smug and knowing grin.
"I know what you're up to, Cyclonis – "
"Doubtful,"
"-and I may not have all of the details yet, but either way, I know that the treaty is nothing more than a sham."
"Oh but, Aerrow," Cyclonis mocked in a horribly sweet girlish voice, as if something terribly inconvenient just occurred to her. "Do you have any proof?" She walked away from the glass wall to the center of the room, facing Aerrow head on.
"Not yet," Aerrow confessed, through still holding his ground. "But I'm not going to stop until I get some."
"And what? The easiest solution you could think of was getting a first-hand confession from myself?" Cyclonis flourished her staff, which glowed faintly as a small message crystal flew out of Aerrow's pocket into her clutches. Aerrow's eyes widened in surprise that Cyclonis caught on so quickly, but she merely eyed the crystal with bored distaste. "I'm really hoping this wasn't your only plan." Casually, she dropped it underneath her foot and crushed it into dust.
Aerrow eyed her movement with disdain, and he grimaced up at her.
"Aww, didn't like that, did you?" Cyclonis mocked. "Then again, there's always your testimony, and we both know how much that is worth nowadays." Cyclonis grinned and continued to walk farther back into the room as Aerrow circled around, not letting Cyclonis out of his sight.
"So what?" Aerrow retorted, not phased in the slightest. "Either way I will stop you. I've been to Bogaton. I know you're making secret deals with the Raptors."
"Ohh, very good," Cyclonis chimed. "But is that all? Really? Honestly, Aerrow, I thought you were better than that."
This gave Aerrow pause. There was... more? How much?
Cyclonis smirked. "By the look on your face I can tell you haven't been very thorough. Then again, I suppose I owe you an explanation after everything I've put you through."
Cyclonis raised the one question Aerrow couldn't ignore. "Why us?" he asked. "Why the Storm Hawks?"
"Don't flatter yourself. I only chose you because I knew you would offer the most resistance... buy me the most time."
"Time for what?" Aerrow asked, backing against the full-wall window as Cyclonis began another approach. But then, she phased immediately before him using her crystal magic, causing him to recoil in surprise.
"Why," Cyclonis hissed into his ear. "Time for my plan of course."
Aerrow merely looked into her eyes questioningly as she pulled away, staring back at him intently. "You were right, Aerrow," Cyclonis said, walking back the way she came. "I have been discussing plans with the Raptors, and other misfits as well - those who are insignificant enough to not be noticed. I'm sure you've come to learn how handy a trait that can be. Although, I needed a way to make sure my dealings weren't noticed by the Alliance. I needed them to feel safe, so what better way than to combine the two, and send them on a wild goose chase?"
Aerrow narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't right here. "Why tell me this?"
"It's not like anyone would believe you anyways," Cyclonis pointed out fiercely. "And besides, you're too late to stop me. Even now, the pieces have been put into motion."
"And which pieces would those be?"
Cyclonis studied Aerrow carefully, her eyes narrowing coolly as if evaluating the strength of her prey. Aerrow shifted on the spot, but would not betray his discomfort. Finally, after several moments of silence, Cyclonis seemed to have come to a decision.
"A crystal bomb."
Aerrow took a minute to process that. "What..." But he was cut off.
"You heard right. A newly invented crystal that exceeds the limit of a normal crystal's power twentyfold. Detonate it, and it will set off an explosion big enough to wipe out the face of an entire terra."
Aerrow remained planted where he stood. This was worse than he thought. But then... there were those blueprints in Repton's study...
"I used Repton's resources to manufacture it, and covert Talons to organize distributions of them across the Atmos," Cyclonis gloated.
"Them?" Aerrow asked, picking up on the plural.
"Let's see," Cyclonis teased, acting horribly casual. "There's the one on Saharr," she listed, counting them off her fingers, "One for Neon, another for the Guardians, and of course," at this, Cyclonis paused, smiling brightly. "There's the one on Atmosia."
"That's impossible," Aerrow said, foolishly hopeful in scepticism at what he was hearing. "There's no way you could have snuck a bomb onto Atmosia, even with the Sky Knights distracted!"
But Cyclonis said nothing. She merely raised an eyebrow knowingly, as if to ask, couldn't I?
Aerrow remained where he stood, thinking quickly. Then again... if the treaty was signed, the Alliance's guard would weaken. It made sense... but then... why was she telling him all of this?
"I haven't even told you the best part," Cyclonis continued to gloat, turning her back to Aerrow briefly.
"...What is that?"
Cyclonis pierced Aerrow with her gaze, and smiled sadistically. "The Atmosia bomb is placed underneath the Aurora shards."
Aerrow froze. The Aurora shards? Subjected to that level of power? That would cause a reaction strong enough to wipe out any terra within thirty leagues of Atmosia! Aerrow couldn't let that happen! It was then that he realized something was seriously wrong. Cyclonis was telling him way too much. She wouldn't willingly divulge this information. Not unless she had some assurance of...
Aerrow jumped out of the way just in time as Cyclonis fired a blast of crystal energy straight for him. Cyclonis screamed in frustration as Aerrow tried to counter with his twin blades, but of course she was more than able to defend herself. Aerrow tried to make a sprint for the back of the room, but Cyclonis sent a bolt of energy in his path, causing him to fall in the other direction. Aerrow sat up from where he landed and faced Cyclonis with resentment. But then, his eyes wandered to the door behind her, and she chuckled smoothly as she followed his gaze. There was a deep glimmer in those eyes. It was a dark delight that came with winning a match of wits.
"Expecting someone?"
Aerrow's eyes widened. She knew.
The sudden surprise made Aerrow drop his guard, and with a powerful burst of energy, Cyclonis sent Aerrow flying backward, smashing through the glass onto the balcony. The force of the attack was so violent that Aerrow felt his head bash against the railing at the edge of the platform, and for a minute he felt his vision go blurry, as small pieces of glass bit into his skin.
"I knew about your little plan all along, Aerrow," Cyclonis stated coldly, gliding towards him. Aerrow made to reach over for his twin blades which he had dropped, but he yelled out as another blast from Cyclonis' crystal staff hit him square on the chest. In his moment of weakness, Cyclonis sent another smaller shot towards the swords, blasting them off the edge of the balcony.
"Did you really think your little escape would go unnoticed? Making me confess my plan, then being saved from your little friends at the last moment? How obvious."
Aerrow looked up at Cyclonis with absolute contempt, but she smiled down at him, enjoying every moment of his pain. "It was easy recapturing them," she said. "Look for yourself."
Cyclonis pointed down, far below them with her staff. Aerrow shakily rose to his feet and looked over the railing, to the place where Cyclonis indicated. Directly below them was the central landing strip, and beside it, the docking bay. Aerrow could make out the Condor which still sat there, undisturbed. And upon a closer look, there were four recognizable faces standing just outside it, guarded by Talons.
His team... clearly thwarted in an attempt to reclaim the Condor.
"No..." was all Aerrow muttered. "No..."
"Cheer up, Aerrow," Cyclonis said from behind him, as he continued to look down at his team. "Now Atmos can be at peace."
Aerrow looked up just in time to see a wave of purple energy moving directly towards him. The blast pressed him backwards overtop of the railing – too far – and with a sick weightless rise of his body, he fell.
Past the balcony, through the clouds... Cyclonis and the team down below watched in breathlessness as the distant body wavered in and out of sight in the ever present smog that hung in the air. From her place at the top of the tower, Cyclonis waited, until distinctly through the silence, a muffled thud echoed back up to the tower.
The clouds cleared, and on the landing strip far below, was the form of a body with a distinctive mop of red hair.
Before anyone had a chance to react, one of the Talons guarding the Storm Hawks rushed forward and examined the body. Cyclonis craned over the edge of the balcony, straining for a better look. But it was irrelevant, because after a handful of seconds that felt like minutes, the Talon called up to the tower.
"He's dead!"
He's dead...
"NO!" Piper suddenly cried out desperately, trying to fight past the guards, but then they were all interrupted as a loud, mournful howl resonated through the air.
"Radarr!" Junko called out in surprise, as the animal made his unexpected appearance from the doors of the hangar bay. Oblivious to everything around him, Radarr made a frantic dash to where Aerrow laid. However, the Talon standing there intercepted him, and restrained him by holding Radarr firmly in place.
"Get your hands off him!" Piper called out, finally breaking past the other Talons.
"Restrain them!" Cyclonis called down frantically from her tower. However, the Storm Hawks would not give in, and they took out a handful of the guards, while the remaining Talons shot blasts from their staffs, trying to regain order.
But then, one such shot took a turn for the worst when amidst the fighting and chaos, one of the Talons aimed for Piper, who ducked out of the way. The resulting shot made its way across to the other docking bay, where crates of raw, unstable cloaking crystals still remained. The stray blast found its home in one of the larger crates, and the resulting explosion from the unstable crystal reaction shook the entire tower. Cyclonis fell back from the shockwave as the blast took out the supports to several of the docks, metal plating falling into the Wastelands with deep groans and clouds of dust.
The Talons ran for cover while in the chaos the remaining Storm Hawks tried to regroup, but by then it was too late. They fell along with the destroyed bits of the tower, the Condor groaning after them as it slid off its platform at a sickly tilt, some good twenty feet away.
Cyclonis, who had resumed watching the spectacle, stared down intently at the events that had just unfolded before her. She didn't say or do anything. She merely looked at the empty air, where the Storm Hawks once stood, and had now fallen into oblivion.
"Cyclonis!"
The witch turned as her name was called, for once unaware that someone was standing behind her. It was Harrier. Clearly he wasn't there for long, but judging by the look on his face, he knew perfectly well what had just happened to the Storm Hawks.
He stood there, shock still, mouth slightly open. Cyclonis brushed past him dismissively, as he rushed to the edge of the balcony to get a better look at the carnage that had just unfolded.
"Be happy, Harrier," Cyclonis mulled. "It seems we both got what we wanted."
But Harrier clearly was conflicted. The ghastly look on his face was pitiful to behold, something Cyclonis did not understand.
"The Storm Hawks are gone," Cyclonis said matter-of-factly, snapping Harrier out of his thoughts. "And as such, there is no longer any reason to delay."
Cyclonis walked back inside, Harrier following close behind, tearing himself away from the scene below with some difficulty.
"Now," Cyclonis continued, retreating deeper into the shadows. "Where do I sign?"