Note: Ah, Chapter Eight. Fantastic. It kind of feels odd, really. Strange, one might even say. Hmm. Anyway, still more to come, and man, you people are clicking on that review button! I need more, though! More! I need more reviews to power my death ray-- I mean... -ahem- Make me into a better person to care for our community. Yes. -cough- X3 By the way, to clear up any confusion, Stork's "parents" were actually Dark Ace and Ravess in disguise, but Ravess herself doesn't make an appearance in this fic.
I don't own Storm Hawks, just this plushie head of Stork. I haven't finished the body yet, but when I do, it'll say "We're doomed!" when you squeeze his tummy. XD
Chapter Eight: Break Out!
After some clever finger work, a pin, and a good kick, the cell door flew open with a loud THUD. Stork winced; that sound would surely bring guards.
"Come on, kid. We so have to get back to the surface if we're going to get any veritable connection." He said, waving the kid along to come with him.
"My name is Ruel." The child answered, pouting a bit.
"Whatever! Let's go before we're both dead!" Ruel scrambled up and clung to Stork's hand. Stork picked him up (as Ruel was a bit slow physically and Stork wanted to get out of there ASAP). He began hauling ass down one tunnel, sliding around corners.
Then they slammed straight into a certain stupid, big, bulky, mace-wielding, armor-clad elite known as...
"Snipe!" Stork exclaimed.
"Ha! I got you now, you little toad!" As Snipe grabbed at Stork wildly, Stork managed to quickly do some terrified random moves, one of which knocked Snipe's mace out of his hand and onto the ground. Ruel struggled to pick it up.
"Get away from that, you little half-breed brat!" As Snipe chuckled at his own lousy rhyming, Ruel managed to swing the mace around on the floor, knocking out Snipe's left knee. He collapsed with a yell.
"Good work, Ruel! Come on!" Ruel jumped up and Stork caught him on his hip, and began running once again, Snipe hot on their tail.
"Damn! He's on his ride!" Stork shouted. The rumble of a sky ride in bike mode quickly grew louder behind them.
"I'll get you for that!" Snipe's voice echoed loudly from not that far off.
Stork turned a corner and took off for a lit tunnel.
"Is he still behind us, Ruel?"
"I don't know! You wanna stop and find out?"
"Good point!" Stork kept running as Snipe turned the corner behind them, laughing and swinging his mace. For you see, Snipe was stupid, but he knew that the tunnel they were traveling down...
Was a dead end.
Stork screeched to a stop just before hitting the stone wall. Stork swore loudly, and turned to face his imminent demise. Snipe rode up and cornered them, an evil, victorious grin on his stupid face.
Meanwhile!
Aerrow, in his searching, found a trap-door in the basement leading underground.
"An underground labyrinth? Guys!" Aerrow ran back upstairs and dragged the others down. "I think this might be where Dark Ace took Stork!"
"You could be right Aerrow!" Piper replied.
The team heard a cry from deep in the cave, one of, "Aerrow!! AERROW! HELP!!!!!!"
"Guys, that was Stork! Come on!" Aerrow headed for the direction of the sound.
Stork was still crying for help. Snipe got closer, grabbing Stork by the throat and squeezing the breath out of him. Stork feebly scrabbled at Snipe's hand with his fingers, trying desperately to pry the fingers off of his jugular. Ruel was kicking Snipe in his injured knee, but the young Merb wasn't doing much damage.
"Let him go, you big meanie!" He cried, kicking as hard as he could, in the spot he was injured earlier. Snipe finally felt the damage and dropped Stork, who had already passed out from lack of oxygen.
"You little brat! You'll pay!" Snipe backhanded Ruel, slamming the poor boy into the wall, where he dropped next to Stork.
Aerrow saw Snipe's back, and assumed the idiot was standing over something. He was right, as he saw Ruel drop. "Hey! Snipe! Attacking kids now?" Snipe looked back and Aerrow stood in the tunnel, his weapons drawn. The others stood behind him. Finn fired off an arrow that hit Snipe straight in the left hip, and caused him to go down on his knees holding the wound.
"Tch! I missed!" Finn joked. Junko ran at Snipe, and socked him in the face, knocking him out.
"Guys! It's Stork!" Junko picked up Stork and Ruel and carried them back.
"We found him. Who's the kid?"
Stork began to stir, his eyes fluttering open.
"Ow..."
"Stork! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Is Ruel alright?"
"Yeah, the kid? I... Ruel?"
"Dark Ace told me if I ever wanted to see my little baby boy again, I'd work for him. He killed my little Jussell but I'm not losing Ruel. I can't..."
Aerrow blinked as he remembered Candice's words.
"Ruel... That's Candice's son!" Aerrow said, looking at the boy. It was true. Once looked at properly, he looked a lot like Dark Ace, only with green skin and a Merb-styled face.
"She was telling the truth. Back to the surface, everyone! We have to get through to Candice! Seeing her son might be her only chance!"
Aerrow ushered them back up to the surface. The mind-controlled Merbs had broken through and were now surrounding them.
"Candice! Candice!" Aerrow called. Candice stood at the back of the group, weeping silently.
"Candice, look at me!" The neon-green Merb looked up.
"What?"
"Look! We found him!" Junko brought forward Ruel, who was just beginning to stir.
"My baby boy?" Ruel looked up and saw the face of his mother, and his innate sense of family kicked in.
"M-mommy?"
"My baby boy!" Ruel struggled to be put down, and Junko obliged. Ruel ran to Candice and she hugged him, crying.
"My boy, my sweet baby boy... I'm so glad you're safe." Candice stood up.
"Cease fire!" She called, and all the Merbs stopped as if they were frozen in time.
"Mommy?"
"It's all over now, honey. Ruel, what happened?"
"That bad man, Dark Ace, made me his servant and told me bad things and when I was bad he would hit me. Then he showed up," Ruel pointed to Stork, "And we busted out! Aerrow and his friends helped us!"
Candice stood in front of Aerrow, her head hung. "I'm so sorry I attacked you. I'm sorry for this assault. I just wanted my baby boy back."
"I know, and all is forgiven. Call off the mind control, and go back to living a peaceful existence. Cyclonia won't bother you anymore."
"Thank you so much, but... I can't continue living here. It's not my home, anymore."
"Where will you go?" Stork asked, stepping up to the front.
"She can stay with us. We have plenty of room on the Condor, and it's not like anyone will mind, right?" Piper asked.
"That would be perfect. Aerrow?" Candice said.
"It's fine by me. Welcome to the Storm Hawks, Candice and Ruel."
"I can be a Storm Hawk, mommy? I can really be a Storm Hawk?"
"If Aerrow says so, Ruel."
"I do say so. We'd love to have you and Ruel as Storm Hawks. Welcome to the team." Aerrow stuck out his hand, and she took it. The deal was sealed. Candice stuck up a hand and the Merbs all shuffled out. The mind control would wear off as soon as they were settled in their homes. None of them would remember. She looked down at Ruel.
"Honey, it's time you knew who your daddy was."
"You said Daddy was a human."
"Yes. A bad man. I didn't love him at all."
"Why did you have me, and Jussell then?"
"To be honest, I didn't want to. But you were born and then you were my babies, and I love you so much. You know who your daddy was?"
"I have an idea. It was that mean Dark Ace, wasn't it? I know because Dark Ace was meaner to me than the others. Like there was something he knew that I didn't."
"Yes. And he's still out there, so I always want you by my side. I don't want you to go out alone. He could be out there waiting."
"Okay, mommy."
And with that, Candice and Ruel followed Aerrow and the others back to the Condor, for a new life, in their new home.
Meanwhile, down underground...
"THAT LOUSY BRAT! What do you MEAN he got away?!" Dark Ace fumed, throwing something heavy at Snipe, who had come in beaten and battered to deliver his report.
"I'm sorry, boss! I- I didn't mean to--!"
"I'll have none of your pathetic excuses, Snipe! Get out there and FIND THEM! Bring that little bastard back here! He'll rot in the pits of Hell for this!" Dark Ace let out an inhuman scream of frustration and pain.
"Y-Yes boss! Whatever you say!" Snipe ran out, not wanting the back end of Dark Ace's wrath.
"You little bastard... You'll regret ever being born when I'm through with you..." He muttered to himself, clutching his sword tightly.
NOT THE END, Just the End Of Chapter. Still more to come!