Piper was reading a map, when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw Aerrow and Melanie come onto the Condor. She smiled and stood up. "Hey guys! What's…" Her smile faded, seeing their grim expressions. "…up..?" She finished.
Aerrow clenched his fists. "We have to go to Cyclonia." He said. Everyone turned their heads. "What?" They all said in unison. Piper walked over. "Why? What's going on?" She asked.
Aerrow looked over to Melanie and she nodded. Aerrow returned his eyes to Piper and said, "We have to save her boyfriend." He said.
Melanie nodded and walked over. She pulled out the photo and held it out. "This is him. His name is Whidow." She explained. Piper took the picture and looked at it carefully. She gasped silently, seeing the innocence in the boy's eyes. He had black hair and aqua blue eyes. His freckles made him appear even more innocent. Piper smiled weakly. "I can tell: You've made a good choice with this one." She said and handed the picture back to Melanie.
She nodded and put it into her pocket. Finn was looking a bit disappointed at the fact that she already had a boyfriend. Junko noticed and smirked slightly. He knew something like that would come up sooner or later.
Stork was listening, and he dropped his head slightly and leaned on the controls. Piper walked over and copied him. "You were…right…" She whispered.
A man with spiked black hair walked slowly around the room, his eyes on something. He grinned. "Hm…just about as perfect as I am…" He hissed, putting a hand on his chin. "Looks a lot like I did back then…" He continued. There was a thin person in the middle of the room. The lighting cast a shadow over his eyes.
The man stopped, then said, "We'll leave at dawn tomorrow and…" His grin turned into a wicked smile. "…Take care of those Storm Hawks."
The figure opened his eyes, revealing them to a bloody red. He smiled, obviously as spiteful as the man in front of him.
Aerrow revved his bike. Around him were Piper, Junko, and Finn. They nodded to each other and their bikes jerked forwards and out. As they soared through the air, Melanie came up on her own bike, a determined look on her face.
Stork was in the Condor, a hideous look on his face. " i You gotta be the distraction, Stork. You can handle it, Stork… /i " He grumbled, imitating Aerrow. He tapped his fingers as he approached the red land of Cyclonia. "Ew." He muttered and closed his eyes. He had left the others at their resting point and had driven on ahead. "Hm…let's see what this thing can do while it's in pursuit…" He groused, but smirked slightly.
He hit a button and all the lights on the Condor lit up like Christmas time. He brought a speaker down to his mouth. "Hey! Master Cyclonis should be playing with dolls, not weapons of mass destruction!" He taunted. He got the attention of several people down there. They gritted their teeth and ran to their bikes.
Stork pinched his eyes shut and turned the mike away. "I'm gonna regret this one…" He guaranteed to himself and turned the mike back to his mouth: "She looks like she should be ruling all the boys in a Grade Seven classroom, not all the boys in a giant tower!" His eyes widened and he dropped the mike. "Okay, that's enough. Gotta skedaddle." He turned the Condor. "Oh, please go fast when I hit this button…" He had gotten everyone ticked off and in the air after him. He pushed buttons, keeping the Condor in balance. It gave a jerk unfamiliar to Stork and he gasped as he hit his chest on the controls a little too hard. He gasped for breath for a moment, then went back to driving.
Aerrow and the others came in flying low. Aerrow squinted and saw a wall just ahead of them. "Kay, pull up!" He called. Radarr yowled next to him and everyone followed the boy's order. As they came up, they pulled back their wings. They skidded slightly but regained control and sped on. Coming closer, Aerrow turned his bike and stopped. He looked around. "Not a soul around." He muttered and smiled. "Stork did a good job." Melanie nodded in agreement. "He's so brave. Just like the rest of you. Listen…" She smiled. "Thanks so much for going to so much trouble for me." Finn blushed. "No problem for a pretty face." He swooned. Junko gave him a look. "Remember Whidow…" He leaned over and whispered to Finn. Finn's shoulders dropped. "Oh, yeah…"
Piper smiled. "Let's just hope he can keep it up." She said. "Now, no doubt there are still guards inside. There are five of us, so if we go in groups, they'll be uneven." She told and tapped her fingers.
Aerrow tilted his head. "Piper, you can go with Melanie. I've got Radarr and Junko and Finn can go together." They nodded to his words. "Now, for an approach…"
"WHAH!!" Stork yelped as he made an unusually sharp turn to avoid shots from the enemies. His six toes held him in place as he was nearly thrown to the side. Something slammed into the side of the Condor. He cried out and whacked his head on the side of the table. "Augh…" He groaned as he crouched and held his forehead, rubbing it. He looked up, a revolting scowl on his face. He stood. "Alright. You want trouble?" He hissed through his teeth. He hit the breaks and made the Condor turn. "You've got it." Some of the men out there could see his face and cringed in fear.
"Dark Ace…the Storm Hawks have infiltrated the tower…" The younger boy said to the man with spiky hair. Dark Ace turned, smirking. "That eliminates most of the trouble. I think I'll let you take care of them as a warm-up." He said. The boy bowed. "Yes. I'll be back shortly." He said and walked out of the room.
Piper and Melanie walked, watching their surroundings carefully. "Hm…I wonder how Aerrow and Radarr are doing…" Piper muttered. Melanie nodded. "I'm sure they can take care of themselves…I mean, Junko's a big fella." She responded. Piper chuckled and shook her head slightly. "I know, but they're kinda…" She poked at her temple. "You know…" Melanie giggled. "Yeah." She said.
Aerrow was speeding at the outer wall, looking around. "Strange, we should've run into some trouble by now." He muttered. Radarr gave a shriek. As he did, a boy landed as swiftly as a cat. Aerrow gasped and twisted his bike so that he skidded to a stop just a few feet in front of the boy. "Who're you?"
The boy stared at him, long and hard. He had black markings on his face, and his eyes were harsh and cold. Aerrow didn't want to believe it, but he looked so much like…
"Whidow..?" He asked. The boy gritted his teeth at the name. "My name is not Whidow…" He flicked his wrists and a flail powered by crystals came off of his belt loop. "It's Venom." He moved around Aerrow as smooth as a blade of grass in the wind. His black boots were dangerously silent.
Aerrow didn't want to, but he drew his weapons. "I don't want to hurt you, Whi- -Venom." He told. Venom cracked his neck. "But I want to hurt you…bad…" He grinned and lunged forwards. Aerrow gasped at his speed. He twisted away from his heavy boot just barely. Venom turned and threw his fist at Aerrow, striking him against the chin. "You're slow, Sky Knight." He snapped.
Aerrow used his position as an advantage, and as he hit the grass and flipped around to his other side, he pushed himself up with that arm and landed on his feet. Venom smirked slightly. "Clever." He said and held his flail up. Aerrow grit his teeth together. But not challengingly or threateningly. It was through worry. What could he do?
"Stop right there!" A voice ordered. Piper and Melanie froze where they stood. There were three guards in front of them. Piper leaned over to Melanie. "You know Skyfu or something..?" She whispered.
Melanie glanced at her and smiled. "Duh." She snickered. Piper's face turned into a wicked smile as they took Skyfu positions. "Bring it." They said in unison. Less than ten minutes later, the three guards were on the ground, black and blue. The two girls slapped each other high-fives and continued on. Melanie turned her head at something that caught her eye. "Hey, it's Aerrow! And…who's that..?" She announced, and squinted.
Stork grinned to himself as his finger hit the Autopilot button. "Time to go kick some Cyclonian…booty, or something." He said and his smirk faded away at his lame saying. He jogged out to the shooting deck where Junko and Finn usually were. He turned to the cannon and bit his lip. "Uh-heh. Okay…Junko's used this loads of times. He makes it look easy enough…" He told himself as he approached the huge thing. "Ugh…here…" He muttered and grabbed it. He hit the button to fire and got no reaction.
"It's i empty?! /i " He hissed. "AUGH!" He rolled his eyes and sprinted to grab something to stick in it. "Um…um, um, um, um…hey!" He grabbed the garbage bags full of broken glass and stuffed them in. "Okay." He said and once again came up behind the cannon.
He grinned and hit the button. "OOF!!!" He gasped as the unexpected thrust of the cannon threw him backwards. The back of his head came against the wall. "Ow…" He muttered, trying to decide whether to rub the back of his head or his aching chest. "I think I broke something…" He moaned, curling up and holding his chest area.
"Stork is out…" He randomly took out a thin stick with a piece of white cloth tied to the end.
Well, despite his injury, he managed to knock four Cyclonians out of the air with his shot. The one leading them was peering through the binoculars. Seeing the white cloth waving pathetically, he grinned cruelly.
Aerrow flipped around, deflecting Venom's flail head. Venom smirked as he saw an opening. He twisted around and delivered a kick right into Aerrow's diaphragm. Aerrow gasped, feeling the air leave his lungs and he hit the ground hard. Venom flicked his black hair out of his eyes. "See? You i are /i too slow." He taunted.
Something landed in the middle of his back, making him stumble forwards. He turned. "Backup, eh? There was an entire squad with you. I should have expected this." He said and held his flail up. The chains rubbed together, making a dangerous sound.
Melanie held her breath. "It's him…" She whispered. "Whidow! What are you doing?" She asked, running towards him. Piper reached her arm out. "Wait, Melanie!" She cried, but she was unheard.
Venom swung his flail. Although he didn't hit Melanie, the power of the crystal it held threw her backwards. "Don't get in the way." He snapped. Melanie landed hard on her back. "Ah!" She yelped and rubbed the sore spot. Piper jogged over. "You okay?" She asked, holding her hand out. Melanie gave a groan, but nodded. She took Piper's hand and was pulled to her feet.
Venom was once again battling with Aerrow. "Your name is not Venom! It's Whidow! You have to believe me!" Aerrow tried to convince him. Venom snarled menacingly. "Shut up already! That is not my name!" He yelled and kicked him in the chin. Radarr gave a screech and tackled one of his legs. He glared down and swung the leg he clung to. He flew off and hit a tree.
Piper gasped. "Radarr! Oh, this is bad…" She bit her lip. She turned her head and saw a traumatized look on Melanie's face. "Melanie?"
The girl shook her head. "No…no, no….!" She muttered. "That…that can't be my Whidow…he'd never do that to any sort of living thing!" She said and covered her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes. "What's i wrong /i with him?!"
"So, our new fella is dealing with the Storm Hawks?" A somewhat creepy voice asked Dark Ace. The man nodded. "Yes, Master Cyclonis." He said. Cyclonis turned, her dark eyes as cold as they ever were. "Well, it's been a while now since you've sent him on them. I suggest you check up on him." She grinned slightly.
Dark Ace bowed. "Yes. I shall return shortly, and if not, I will be assisting Venom." He said, turned, and walked out of the room. Cyclonis nodded him out and looked back at the machine behind her, which was fixing itself with a mysterious force. She pulled something out from under her cloak. It was a yellow crystal with black markings on it. The markings resembled those of which were across Venom's face. She smiled to herself with a slight chuckle on her breath.
"Master Cyclonis…" A voice said behind her. Cyclonis's smile faded at the unexpected greeting. She slipped the crystal back under her cloak and turned. "What…?" She asked, then noticed the weakened Storm Hawk dangling in the two guards' arms. He looked up, black hair hanging in its proper place in front of his green face…
Stork was in an immense amount of pain. Not from broken, but fractured ribs. The two guards holding his arms up and putting pressure on his chest wasn't helping, either.
Cyclonis made a face as if she were tired of giving orders for the day. She waved her hand, as if to shoo them away. "You know what to do with him." She said and put that hand on her hip. The two guards nodded and walked away.
Piper cried out as a fist came in contact with her chin. She landed a few feet away and a defensive Aerrow jumped in front to protect her. "Stop this! You're not who you think you are." He said, once again trying to convince Venom that he was Whidow. The other boy shook his head. "Shut….up…." He warned between his teeth.
"Whidow, listen to him! Please!" Melanie pleaded, once again running towards the boy. Venom groaned, twisted around and grabbed Melanie by the throat. "You're extremely annoying, girl." He growled. Melanie gasped and grabbed at his hand. He tilted an eyebrow, seeing the half-moon on her chest. He stared at it, his face fading from annoyance to curiosity. "What is…?" He muttered. He narrowed his eyes and twisted around. As he did, he released Melanie from his grip and watched as she flew over the edge.
Melanie didn't have the breath to scream. Aerrow's eyes widened. "Melanie, no!" He yelled, and just before he lunged forwards, a bike came up and over. It was Finn! And he had a surprised Melanie clinging to his shoulders. "Hey, no one treats a pretty face like that!" He said as he landed. Junko came right behind him. Piper smiled as she got to her feet. "Nice timing." She said.
Finn turned towards her. "Whoa, what happened to you?" He asked. Piper shook her head. "Nothing, nothing. I'm fine. Just got knocked down for a moment." She said. Aerrow sighed, relieved that Melanie was okay and that they had two new people to assist them!
He looked at Finn and Junko seriously. "It's convenient that you came when you did, but we can't hurt this guy." He said. Finn tilted his head. "Hey, he looks just like that kid in the picture that Mel showed us." He observed. Melanie looked at him. "Mel?" She asked, kind of surprised at her nickname.
Dark Ace turned a sharp corner on his own bike. "Ah, there they are." He grinned. "Hm, five versus one…let's see how this turns out." He said and stopped. He watched, waiting.
The fight raged on, and Venom was handling himself marvelously. Not once have the Storm Hawks came close to striking him. Dark Ace's smile faded. "How is he doing that?" He asked no one in particular.
Aerrow shook his head. "We can't get to him! We'll have to come back later with a strategy!" He called. Piper nodded and sprinted off, dragging Melanie behind her, to their bikes.
Finn and Junko got on their own bikes and were airborne as they shot off the edge. Aerrow followed them with Radarr right next to him. His chest heaving, Venom watched them leave. He didn't look at Dark Ace as the man came up beside him. "That was…impressive." He said.
Venom turned and bowed. "Thank you, Sir." He said. Dark Ace nodded. "Let's get back. He said. The two rode back towards the tower.
In an area covered by trees, the Storm Hawks were resting. "Oh, that was incredible…" Piper groaned. "How did he do that? Not even Dark Ace could fend us all off!" She said. Aerrow shook his head. "He caught us at a bad time. I'll get Stork over here so he can get us out." He said. He turned to Melanie. "Don't worry. We're not giving up. We'll save Whidow." At the mention of his name, Melanie dropped her head. Piper put a hand sympathetically on her shoulder.
Finn and Junko tried to make things a little brighter for her, but they could only get a short smile out of her. They sighed and gave up. They couldn't get to her at this point.
"Stork, we're in the northern part of the woods. Come and get us….Stork?" Aerrow spoke as he pushed a button. He blinked. "Stork, come on. Where are you?" He asked. "He's not here…" A voice snickered back to him. Aerrow stared at his speaker like it was some foreign object he found in his soup.
He turned back to the others. "I think Stork's in trouble." He said. Finn and Junko exchanged glances. "No way. Stork may be a nervous-nelly, but he wouldn't let the Cyclonians just come onto the Condor." Finn stated, crossing his arms. "He wouldn't i just /i ." Aerrow said, raising his eyebrows. "Something must've happened."
Melanie clasped her hands together. "I'm so sorry…" She said.
Aerrow turned. "For what?" He asked.
Melanie sighed and closed her eyes. "It's my fault all of this is happening. I should have never gotten you guys into this." She shook her head. "We're hiding out in the woods; your friend is in trouble… I can't make this any worse for you." She said.
"No, but we can. Hands in the air!" A voice said. Aerrow turned, and he was staring at a large group of Cyclonians. Finn and Junko obeyed instantly, holding their arms up. Piper pulled out her staff and held it defensively in front of her.
Aerrow shook his head. "No, Piper. Settle down. There are too many." He said and held his arms up. Piper looked at him, surprised that he was giving in. She sighed, knowing he was right. She dropped her staff and copied her friends.
What would happen to the Storm Hawks now?