"Pst. Fauc!"

Spark rapped her knuckles against the concrete; it hurt, but what the heck?

"What?"

"You awake?"

"No duh..."

"I've been thinking."

"Oh, so you DO have a brain. You know, I was worrying for a moment, there." He chuckled. It rolled through her like waves crashing on a beach. It made her feel...secure, for some reason.

"Ha ha, real funny, doofus. I was wondering...Back at the waterfall."

"Spark, if you're still pissed at me giving you mouth to mouth, I really don't want to hear it, 'kay?"

"No, no, no, it's not that. I guess I never thanked you properly."

"You didn't have to."

"But I want to. So...thanks, Fauc. Really."

"You're welcome."

He's silent. She taps on the wall again, and this time, he taps back. Suddenly, she's filled with a burning desire to cry.

"I'm sorry..." she whispers. "Oh my God..."

"Spark?"

And he wants to hold her...

But more than just a wall holds him back.

Morning seeped into the world like a spider, tiny legs of light splitting through the dark clouds of night. It looked like a heaven up there. Spark pressed her fingers to the bars and thought of freedom.

Somewhere in the distance, Finn's talking to Piper. She laughs at something he says. It you closed your eyes...it didn't seem like jail.

And then...almost like it was a dream...a chirp.

A dark shadow flitted across the barred window.

"BUTTON!"

"Reep!"

"Hey, girl!"

"Rawr!"

Button slipped through the metal poles and into the cell. Spark hugged her small and furry body, felt the heart beat, the ribs, the muscles. It was nice, to hold something else that was alive.

She raced over to the cell door, calling out to everyone else.

"GUYS! BUTTON'S HERE!"

Murmurs of appreciation from the others filled the jail for a moment. Spark turned to her friend.

"Can you get the keys, pal?"

"Reep!"

"Atta girl. GO, go..."

Button jumped through the window once more, disappearing behind the concrete walls and barbed wire. Spark smiled to herself as Aerrow laughed in triumph. She heard Piper's voice in the distance, but what she said...Spark wasn't sure. She was too far away.

The world opened her eyes and greeted the new day.

Coon kicked a few cans out of her way as she descended into the dark part of Gale.

You can't have light without shadow...

And she lived in the shadows of a glorious kingdom.

"Hey, Joseph. Got any merchandise?" she called to a dark haired man standing on the curb.

"Nah. Bad buziness, last night."

"Let me know when you're doing another run. I need me some food."

All in code.

Merchandise...stolen goods. Run...a robbery. And business?

Her business was thievery.

"HEY! COON! How'd 'zey feed you in zat pigsty?"

"Not bad. Roast beef." She smirked at the speaker. She knew everyone, and everyone knew her. Her feet moved on autopilot. She could walk these slums blindfolded.

Three small children ran past her, covered in muck, shrieking in Gale. Two boys and a girl. The boys had the girl's doll.

"Donnez-le-moi! Donnez-le-moi! Give it to me!" Tears were streaming down her sooty face. Coon rolled her eyes and strode over.

"Paul, Jacques. You know better. Give Madeline her toy back."

The two boys mumbled an apology. "Désolé, Coon. It was just sum 'armless fun," Jacques said.

"I'm sure Madeline didn't see it that way," Coon said, rather dryly. "Madeline, dear, you all right?"

"Merci, Coon, merci!" She squealed her thanks before running down the street, clutching her reclaimed toy. The two boys scurried home, black hair ruffling in the wind, never to turn back, lest Coon issue some punishment for their misbehavior.

Coon, however, turned towards the rising sun, and continued down the street.

"Button, c'mere. That's it..."

The keys jangled in the Sky Monkey's mouth as she scurried down the hallway, towards her friend.

"Rmphr!" Her chirp was muffled by the metal, but it was reassuring, all the same. Spark took the keys, hooked her arm around a bar, and jammed the steel into the hole. It didn't fit.

"BUTTON! Wrong key!!"

"Reep," Button chirped, rather desolately.

"Maybe you're putting it in wrong," Fauc suggested.

"Okay, Sherlock, if you're so smart, why don't you do it?" Spark hissed. She tossed the metal ring over. Suddenly...voices.

"GUARDS!"

Fauc stuffed the key under his shirt and tried to look natural. Button dashed behind a crate.

"Hey. Get out of your cells, all of you. We're doing an inspection. One o' our keys has gone missing," the guard said, eyeballing Spark. "We intend to get it back."

They opened each of the cell doors. Everyone stepped outside. Aerrow glanced at Spark; she winked. He relaxed...but only slightly. Piper and Finn were shoved down the hall and placed next to the others.

"All right, let's make this easy for everyone, okay? Put your hands above your heads, and the corporal and I will frisk you. Any unauthorized items can and will be taken away, is that understood?"

Everyone gave a brisk nod.

One guard started to pat Finn down. The other started for Piper.

"Hello there. Pretty thing like you. What're you doing in here?"

"None of your business," she growled.

"Ooh, feisty, are we?" He leaned in towards her, forcing her against the wall. "Well, I'm just going to have to teach you some manners, aren't I?"

"HEY!" Aerrow started forward. "You leave her alone, you son of a bitch!"

"Why, you..." The guard let loose a hard punch. Aerrow was hit in the stomach. He crumpled backwards, eyes watering in pain.

"Aerrow, no!" Piper barked. "How could you?" she hissed at the guard.

He chuckled again and started towards her. Aerrow jumped up from the ground and kicked the man in the shins.

"AAARGH!"

The other guard looked up. His eyes widened. He shouted towards the stairs. "BACKUP! WE NEED BACKUP!"

"Spark, Piper, guys! Run!" Aerrow got to his feet and urged them on. "GO, GO, GO!"

The dashed up the stairs, Button jumping from her hiding place and diving after them, as the guards tore through the building.

"We need to get to our skimmers. Where'd they keep them?" Aerrow shouted at Piper.

"I don't know...the basement, maybe?"

"We were IN the basement, Piper."

"Sorry!"

They rounded a corner, the floors slick from a recent cleaning. Button shrieked a warning: the guards were coming. Spark picked her friend up, and they continued down the corridor, racing past door after door.

"Here, in here. It's a hanger bay of sorts. Look at the label," Fauc shouted. The door plate said "Skimmer Bay". Everyone scurried inside as Fauc held the door open. Spark paused before she entered.

"Nice work, Fauc."

And you know what she did?

She gave him a light peck on the cheek.

He turned crimson, before staggering into the bay after her.

Ooh, hearts flying here...Or are they?

Whee! So nice to get to working on this!!