Note: Number four! To commemorate, here's a cute little song, written by me. Well, it's Christmas themed, so it's about 2 months late, but better late than never!

On the Fourth Day of Storm Hawks my true love gave to me:

4 Storm Hawks conscious

3 Cried-On Crew Members

2 Piercing Shrieks

And a Merb's Brain in the Toilet!!!

Yes. As my humorous little song goes on, here's a chapter for you.

I don't own Storm Hawks. Darn.

Chapter Four: Set a Course for Terra Merb!

After they ate (some strange mush that Stork concocted...) Candice stood up. She looked out the window.

"Terra Merb."

"What about it?" Stork asked.

"The Cyclonians."

"Um, I don't think I like where this is going."

"You found me in the state I was in because they infected me with an experimental drug. They infected a lot of people. Those too weak to survive were killed. Like a genocide."

"So it wasn't the flu. It was overdose?" Stork asked in shock.

"Yes. The Cyclonians have taken over Terra Merb."

Stork's eyes went wide. After about ten straight minutes of stuttering and shaking Candice by the shoulders...

"When were you planning on telling me this?!" He nearly shouted, running straight for the helm and booting Piper out of the way.

"Hey! Watch where you're booting!" She called.

"No time! None! Gotta go! Gotta set a course! Setting a course for Terra Merb!" Stork rambled rapidly, pressing buttons.

"I was planning to tell you when I stopped crying. I guess I was just too upset to say anything. Now that I'm thinking more clearly I can tell you anything you like." Candice said, stepping up to the helm and looking at the floor, her electric-green ears drooping downward in shame.

"Well, you can first of all tell me how you escaped. Most Merbs I've seen --no offense Stork--" Stork snorted, "would surrender before they tried a risky escape." Aerrow asked.

"First, I should tell you how I came to try. When the Cyclonians first arrived on Terra Merb, I was twenty years old. That's about seven or eight years ago, now, actually. They came so quickly, and they made us a deal we couldn't refuse. They had crystals with them. They told us that in exchange for stopping all the horrid things that were always happening and restoring us to a less-paranoid existence, they could use Terra Merb as a base while they scouted out nearby Terra for future use. We allowed that to happen, but within a year, the Cyclonians became tyrannical and controlling, and began becoming worse than the natural disasters ever could. They enslaved us and used us as guinea pigs for their hideous experiments. I was one of those guinea pigs, which is how I gained my green color. I was born with red skin, about the color of the Sky Knight's hair here." She pointed at Aerrow.

Aerrow let out a laugh. "So tell us what happened next."

"The Dark Ace himself came to the Terra to oversee production. He found me cowering in a barrel and decided to have his way with me." She said bitterly, looking away from Aerrow.

Stork suddenly hit the brake, causing the whole Condor to stop with a screech.

"Have his way-- You mean he--"

"Yes. He didn't even realize I was pregnant until he left. After my children were born, he came back and took them away. I assume he's either killed them or is raising them to be evil. I almost hope he's killed them, because I would rather them find peace than grow up to be like that maniac. After that I knew I had to be the one to escape and find help. But I was weak from the drug, and couldn't make it far. I managed to sneak a ride on a cargo hold to the Terra you found me at. That's when I was sure I would die in the cold."

"That sick man..." Aerrow snarled, his hand on his weapons. "I'll kill him!"

"No, I'll kill him." A surprising voice from a surprising little green man. All eyes turned to stare at the Merb at the helm. Stork's eyes were full of determination that was rarely ever seen in them.

"Stork? You want to take him on?"

"He hurt a Merb, which is pissing me off enough," Aerrow blinked, it was rare, if ever, that Stork swore, "but he hurt a girl, and someone who was already weak from being experimented on. Then he took the children he created and destroyed their lives. No one gets away with that sort of thing on Terra Merb, and I'll make damn sure I beat that into him."

A radar beeped; they were close to the Terra.

"Piper!" He said.

"Yes?"

"Take the helm, I'm taking the Stork-mobile down to the Terra."

"No, Stork, you're not going down there alone to get killed. I'm going too." Aerrow offered.

"No, Aerrow, this is my Terra. My people. My fight." Stork said confidently, giving Aerrow a quick salute before jumping into the Stork-mobile and driving down to the Terra. He didn't even notice until he was there...

"Candice! You stowed away on the Stork-mobile?"

"I wasn't letting you go down to our home Terra, where we know people, in a car called the 'Stork-mobile' without backup. You'll humiliate yourself and just get yourself killed quicker."

"What's wrong with that name?"

"You ate a lot of paint as a kid, didn't you?" Candice asked dryly, giving him a bored look with her eyes.

"He'll be eating more than that when we're through with him!" A nasty voice, with a thick snobbish accent raised the hairs on the back of their necks.

"Dark Ace..." Stork snarled uncharacteristically, grabbing a sword he'd stolen--ahem brought from the Condor (aka Aerrow's room).

"Is that my sword?" Aerrow asked from behind them.

"Ah, Aerrow." Dark Ace said contemptuously, "How nice to see you arrive." He began laughing evilly, a sure sign he was getting cocky.

"Dark Ace! Candice says you've been terrorizing Terra Merb!" Stork interrupted, brandishing the sword. "And just hearing about it makes me sick!"

"Like anyone cares what you think, you paranoia-riddled little green thing!" Dark Ace slapped the sword effortlessly from Stork's hand and shoved him backwards into the dirt. Stork's head connected with a rock, slicing his scalp open. He struggled back to his feet.

"Stork!" Aerrow exclaimed. He advanced on Dark Ace, brandishing his weapons and a frown. Before he could do much, however, Stork snapped his weapon from his hand and lunged at Dark Ace, screeching out a battle cry that could only mean the normally-cowardly Merb had finally found his backbone somewhere within his bitching and complaining.

Dark Ace was surprised at the Merb's determination and the shock caused his reaction time to slow considerably.

Dark Ace coughed out a bubble of blood as the weapon slid deeply into his shoulder-blade, met with little resistance.

"Now get off my Terra." Stork snarled on a final note. He removed the bloody blade and threw it back to Aerrow, who caught it confusedly. Dark Ace fell to the side, holding his arm and trying to stop the bleeding.

"Cyclonians, retreat!" He called, signaling for one of the Skimmers to come pick him up.

Thousands of Merbs flooded from homes and buildings to greet their new hero.

End Chapter

Longest. Chapter. Ever. OO