Well, here it is. Some of will probably want to kill me when you finish reading this.

Song Inspirations: Never Take Friendship Personal by Anberlin; In the End by Linkin Park

Chapter Three

"Cyclonians!" Stork yelled, making everyone jump.

"Stork, we're right here," Finn said. "You don't need to yell."

"Force of habit," the Merb replied.

"What are they doing out here?" Aerrow queried.

"Don't know," Stork replied. "But I wish they weren't."

"Maybe they're looking for us," Finn said. Everyone stared at him. "It's a possibility."

Piper looked at Aerrow. "Should we?"

The Sky Knight looked through the periscope. "No. Not yet. We'll do some recon and see what they're up to. I don't think they know we're here."

The Cyclonians didn't seem to be up to much of anything; which granted the Storm Hawks a rather boring week. Piper had threatened the boys not to draw any attention to them otherwise she would do horrible things to them with cheese graters. They did not want to find out what she meant by that so for once, they actually followed her plans.

After three days of, as Finn put it, "useless" recon, the Cyclonians left, leaving the Storm Hawks to wonder what the point was to the Talons being on the terra for those three days. They searched the area where the Cyclonians had been but came up with nothing.

"This all sucked," Finn said as they entered the hangar. "What were they doing?"

Junko shrugged. "Guess we'll never know."

"Well, regardless, we can get back to our regular patrols," Aerrow said, stretching his arms above his head.

Finn frowned. Get back to our regular patrols. This had disaster written all over it. He was certain those Cyclonians had done something, but he had no way of proving anything.

Deep in the forest, far from the Condor, a red-tailed hawk perched on a boulder in a rocky out-cropping. A man and woman dressed in heavy cloaks approached the feathered raptor. The bird made no attempt to flee. It watched them approach as if it had been waiting for them. They stopped ten feet from the out-cropping. The man stretched out his arm as the bird took flight towards him, perching itself on his arm. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a crystal. He tucked the crystal into a crimson pouch attached to the hawk's leg.

"Well, my feathered companion," he said, stroking the bird's neck, "it seems our young blond friend is on the verge of finding himself a new home. "

The hawk looked at him and called softly.

"So do I, my friend," the man replied as if understanding the bird's call. "Now go."

As the bird took flight the woman turned to the man and said, "Are you sure all that you're doing is a good idea?"

He looked her in the eyes, saying softly, "It's the only way."

While the others went out on patrol, Finn hung back on the Condor with Stork. He laid on his bed reading a magazine, catching up on the laziness he had been denied over the past two weeks. He was finally feeling relaxed; he was finally feeling that everything was back to normal. He couldn't have been more wrong. He began reading an article on the new line of crystal displacement engines when he was interrupted by knocking on his door.

"It's open," he said, not wanting to get up off his bed.

"Is this what you do when I'm not around?"

Finn brought his magazine down just enough to see over the top of it. Aerrow stood in the doorway with that look on his face. It felt like those piercing green eyes of the Sky Knight's were staring right through his soul. It was worse than the last time—if that was even possible. He sat up, laying the magazine down.

"Find anything interesting out there?" he said, trying to ignore the look.

"You could say that," Aerrow replied nonchalantly.

Finn looked at him. "Care to elaborate," he said, standing up.

Ignoring Finn's question, he held out a white crystal. "You know what this is?"

"A message crystal." What is this? Is he planning on giving me a lesson on crystals? He knows as much about them as I do.

"It was delivered here a few hours ago," the Sky Knight said, staring at the crystal.

"That's nice," Finn replied flatly, walking over to his desk. "What's it got to do with me?"

"Oh, it has everything to do with you," he hissed, glaring at Finn.

It was starting again. He could feel the air in his room growing thick. Aerrow was looking at him condescendingly, flipping the crystal in his hand.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Finn hissed.

"Well, the package was dressed to you," Aerrow said coolly.

"So you made it a point to open it for me."

Aerrow smirked in response. For the first time in all the years he had known him, the redhead was seriously ticking him off. "And I suppose you made it a point to listen to it," Finn added, trying not to show his anger.

His Sky Knight smiled at him with that same condescending look.

Finn returned his smile with a scowl. "So, find anything new about me?" he said coolly.

"Oh, I found exactly what I needed." He tossed the crystal to Finn and walked out.

Finn didn't bother listening to the crystal. He would later realize that listening to it just may have saved the Storm Hawks.

The entire squad sat around the table that night, eating in silence. Aerrow would look at Finn every so often. He never said a word, but Finn knew what he was thinking. Traitor.

Piper and Junko didn't look at him at all. The sharpshooter knew something had happened to them while they were out on patrol. This was getting ridiculous. Finn sighed, hoping someone would say something.

Aerrow cleared his throat. "I'm going to my quarters."

Not the something Finn was hoping for. As soon as Aerrow was gone the blond looked over at Junko. "So, how did it go?"

The Wallop shrugged. "Same ol' same ol'."

Now why don't I believe that? Finn thought. "I'm going to my quarters," he said, standing up. "Thanks for making dinner, Piper."

She looked at her plate, uttering not a word. When Finn was out of sight she said softly, "You're welcome."

Junko's face fell. He wanted to give Finn a big, crushing hug, say he was sorry and tell him everything that had been happening on their patrols; but...Aerrow. He was a Wallop. He wasn't supposed to be afraid of anything or anyone. But Aerrow... And he couldn't deny what he had seen. He looked at Piper. She looked so sad, like she was about to cry.

She stood up so quickly she knocked her chair over. "I-I'm..." She dropped her gaze and quickly left, leaving Junko, Radarr and Stork sitting silently at the table.

Radarr whimpered. Stork turned and looked out the open bay door. The sun was setting, and if it wasn't for the heavy atmosphere in the Condor, it would have been beautiful. The Merb wanted to ask what had been happening during those patrols, but he knew he wouldn't get anything out of the Wallop. He dropped the idea from his mind and watched the sun dip below the horizon.

Piper walked down the corridor, her mind flooded with a thousand thoughts. She wanted so badly to give Finn a hug; tell him she was sorry; tell him everything that had happened to them on their patrols; why Aerrow was acting the way he was, but...

She stopped by her door and leaned against it. "I don't know if I can keep doing this," she said to herself.

She leaned quietly against her door for a few more moments as a tear trickled down her cheek. She straightened herself and walked towards Finn's room. Taking a deep breath, she knocked softly on the door.

Finn sat at his desk, staring out the window. Like Piper his mind was flooded with a thousand thoughts. A notebook lay open on his desk. He wanted to write down those thoughts, but they were racing around his mind so quickly and colliding with each other he couldn't concentrate on a single complete thought. He tapped the pen on his desk, staring hard at the blank paper before him. Unable to grasp onto any of his thoughts he dropped the pen onto his desk and leaned into it. He laid his folded arms on top of the notebook and laid his forehead on his arms.

"Man, this sucks," he said to himself.

His eyes were about to close when he heard a soft knock at his door. Now who could that be?

He stood up and sauntered over to the door, opening it. He couldn't believe who was standing on the other side of the door.

"Piper?" He had to be dreaming.

She stared at him, unsure of what to say. He stared back, confused by her visit. Her gaze dropped to the floor.

"Piper... What is it?" She looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Piper, what's wrong?" His voice was shaky.

He stood perfectly still as she moved toward him. She stopped when her forehead was nearly touching his throat. She laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him. He stared ahead, completely stunned; but he soon found himself wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her head.

"I'm sorry, Finn," she said sotto voce.

"It's okay," he replied.

Without another word, she pulled away and walked back to her room. Finn stepped into the corridor and watched her enter her quarters. He had no doubt that things were going to get worse.

Aerrow stood alone in the hangar. It was early morning and the others were just getting up. He, however, had been up for a couple hours. He had spent the last week going on each patrol alone. No one argued. Finn never bothered to ask. He mounted his ride. It had rained the night before and the air smelled damp. The sky was still cloudy; it could begin raining at any time. He had to make this patrol quick.

As he flew out over the forest canopy, he wondered if he was dreaming, if he was really still asleep in his bed. For some reason, the sensation of the air around him didn't feel real. There was something other than the smell of rain in the air.

He landed in a clearing near a waterfall. The cloaked-figure he had been speaking to for the past month was nowhere to be seen.

Must be early, Aerrow thought. "Either that or it's late."

A piercing cry broke Aerrow from his thoughts. He turned to see a red-tailed hawk perched on a rock near the water. He turned back when he heard the crunch of pine needles. The cloaked-figure was walking towards him; it stopped a few feet away.

"Here again?" it said.

Aerrow glared. "I want to know the truth."

It held up a turquoise-colored crystal in its gloved hand. It looked at the crystal. "What's that old saying? 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' The same could be said of the truth." It tossed the crystal to Aerrow. "I can't tell you if he will or not. That's for you to decide. Just remember, all is not what it seems."

Finn had been avoiding Aerrow all day. He had been on the bridge when the Sky Knight returned from his morning run. As he landed on the deck, Finn noticed a strange look on his face. It was unlike anything he had seen before—on anyone. Not even the Dark Ace could match that expression.

"I suggest you hide, "Stork had said to him. "I'm thinking about doing that myself."

That was definitely a good idea. Finn made his way from room to room, doing his best to avoid his Sky Knight. It worked, for the most part. He didn't have to work too hard at it. Aerrow didn't seem interested in talking to him then. Not a word was uttered between them when they did happen to cross each other's paths and Finn was fine with that; he actually welcomed the silence between them. He had stopped by Piper's lab to talk to her; but after what had happened two nights ago, they could only stare at each other in an awkward silence.

So, he now found himself in the hangar, sitting on the floor against the wall, staring into space. He sat quietly, letting his mind drift, until he heard footsteps approaching. He stood when he realized it was Aerrow. He stood flush against the wall as the Sky Knight drew a blade and held it to his throat.

"We both know the truth," Aerrow hissed. "Don't you dare deny it."

"What are you talking about?" Finn said through his teeth, afraid to move even in the slightest. "What's wrong with you?"

"This isn't about me," the redhead seethed, withdrawing his blade. He glared at Finn and left.

Finn decided at that moment, one way or the other, that would be the last time his Sky Knight would hold a blade to his throat.

Once again, Aerrow sat on his skimmer next to the waterfall. It was a cool. misty afternoon and Aerrow was in a fairly good mood. Finn had been trying to avoid him for the past few days. When he was able to corner the blond and ask why he was being so evasive, he wouldn't say. Aerrow was set on finding out, but he would have to ask someone else. Maybe it would know.

Well, speak of the devil, Aerrow thought as the cloaked-figure stepped into his line of sight.

"What brings you here this time?" it asked.

And he wanted to know who it was.

"Why is Finn being so evasive?"

"Ah, no memory," it replied. "So it is happening again."

"What?" Aerrow looked at it perplexed. "What are you talking about?"

"This isn't the first time," it answered in a hissy voice.

"What isn't the first time?" Aerrow said loudly. "What's going on? Who are you?"

"Perhaps, it is time," it said.

Aerrow sat up straight on his skimmer. He was about to speak when he heard a loud cry. He looked up to see a red-tailed hawk flying towards them. The cloaked-figure held out its arm. The hawk circled the figure before perching on its arm.

"You sent the message crystal," Aerrow said, remembering Piper saying something about a red-tailed hawk and a message crystal.

"You remember then?"

"Who are you?" the Sky Knight demanded.

The figure pulled off its hood. "We have much to talk about, Aerrow."

Finn poked his head around the doorframe, peering onto the bridge. There he was...Just standing there. This was it. The final showdown. He was going to get his. Finn stepped silently onto the bridge. He stopped a few feet away from him.

Good. He's distracted talking to Stork. The blond brought his arm back, ready to attack. You're going down.

He narrowed his eyes and then...

"Waaahhh!"

"Gotcha, Finn!"

Aerrow turned around. Junko had Finn in a bear-hug and the blond was covered with poma fruit. The redhead burst into laughter and Stork rolled his eyes, mumbling something about mindworms and rashes.

Finn grimaced. "Man..."

Junko let the sharpshooter go. Aerrow picked up a stray piece of fruit. "Incoming!"

The blond ducked. The fruit hit Junko square on the forehead. The Wallop grinned.

Aerrow frowned. "Uh-oh."

Piper mulled over a map as the fruit began to fly. And if a piece of fruit came to close, well...she made it a point to inform the boys that she had no control over who would be eating it. Finn jumped up, grabbing a piece of fruit before it hit her. He grinned at her. She gave him a sly smile and pushed him out of the way. They were no longer having awkward moments, but Finn still wondered.

Aerrow hadn't been out on patrol since his last meeting with the cloaked-figure two weeks ago. He hadn't even been off the Condor, at least not without Finn. It made the blond wonder if it all had been a farce, some kind of test concocted by his Sky Knight. Everything went on as if the past six weeks had never existed and he was beginning to believe it so. He was finally feeling like he was a part of the squad again.

He flashed another grin at Piper before turning around to fire another poma fruit at Aerrow. He was ready to release the fruit when he felt something touch his back. He turned back to Piper. She was smiling, but not her normal smile. And there was something else, something in her eyes. Distracted, he jumped when Junko called his name, causing him to throw the fruit in a random direction; a direction that ended up being Stork's. The fruit splattered on the back of the Merb's head.

"Sorry Stork."

"It was bound to happen," Stork muttered.

The fruit continued to fly until the bridge was covered with the red produce. It looked like a slaughter had taken place. But it only resulted in laughter and a very long clean-up. Things were getting back to normal and Finn was finally feeling happy again.

Later that night, they intercepted a transmission. Cyclonians were headed their way, though they wouldn't arrive until the following day. The Cyclonians had been in their vicinity already, but the transmission made it clear that this time would be different. Finn waited for Aerrow to turn on him again; but the redhead made no motion to do such, much to the blond's relief. There was something strange in the air; Finn couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The following morning Finn was awakened by knocking on his door.

"Well, at least it's not that stupid alarm," he mumbled.

He opened the door to find Piper standing on the other side. He was now very happy he decided not to sleep in only his boxers.

"Piper..." he said, shocked. "Uh, what's up?"

"Can I come in?" she asked.

"Uhm, sure," he replied, gesturing for her to come in. "So, what's up?"

She stood at his desk, staring out the window. "Look, Finn, I know I haven't always treated you the way I should and you still get on my nerves..."

Okay, where's this going?

"But I... It's just that..." She dropped her gaze. "Finn, I..."

He placed his hand on her shoulder. He had a feeling. "Piper."

She pressed her forehead against his chest. Taking a few deep breaths, he placed his right hand under her chin, lifting her head. Her eyes met his. He leaned forward until his lips met hers; they both closed their eyes. He placed his hands on her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Their simple kiss quickly turned into a far more passionate one.

Too absorbed in the moment, neither one realized Finn had begun stepping backwards, taking Piper along. Nor did either of them see the desk chair turned out. Finn's left heel caught the leg of the chair, causing him to fall. He toppled backwards, pulling Piper with him. He landed on his back with a thud; Piper landed on top of him. They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Regaining their composure, they both sat up, Piper sitting next to him. She laid her head on his shoulder, sighing.

"I'd better get to the bridge," she said, not sounding real eager to move.

"Yeah, I'd better get dressed," he returned with the same lack of eagerness.

He stood up slowly then helped Piper to her feet. She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his chest. He happily wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. He didn't want to let her go. He had a sinking feeling that this would be the last time he would be able to hold her; they would be going no further than this. He could feel her hot tears on his chest. He knew she had the same feeling.

He took a deep breath. "I love you, Piper," he said softly.

She choked back her tears. "I love you, Finn," she replied, unwillingly pulling away.

He smiled at her, wiping away her tears with his thumb. He leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. She smiled back.

"I'd better go now," she said, walking to the door.

As it opened, she turned back to him, smiled and walked out. Finn sat down on his bed, running his hand through his hair. He looked over at his nightstand and grabbed his alarm clock.

"I don't think I'll be needing you anymore." He turned it completely off and set it back on the nightstand. "Better get ready."

He quickly changed clothes and pulled his boots on. Standing by the open door, he took one last look around his room, soaking in its every detail. He knew there was a very good chance he would never see it again. He huffed and walked out, closing the door behind him.

As he neared the bridge he could hear the voices of his squad mates. Piper sounded unhappy. He stopped at the bridge door and listened. Aerrow was speaking now, speaking about him and it didn't sound good.

"So, you still believe that crap," he whispered to himself. "Well, if betrayal's what you want then betrayal's what you'll get."

As he headed towards the hangar he heard the bridge door open.

"Finn," Stork called. He ignored the Merb.

He was leaning against his ride when the others entered the hangar. For some reason Radarr wasn't with them. Junko gave him a cock-eyed grin as he mounted his ride. Piper smiled at him gently as she walked over to her heli-scooter. Aerrow stopped in front of him, giving him an odd look.

"Hey, where's Radarr," Finn asked.

"He's staying on the Condor with Stork," Finn answered. "I was thinking we could take his skimmer." He gestured towards the Skimmer III with the metal plate attached to the back.

Finn raised an eyebrow. "Sure."

"Then let's go." Once they were both on the skimmer, Aerrow looked back at Finn. "You ready?"

There was something odd in that happy-go-lucky look Aerrow gave him. Finn grinned. "You better believe it."

The Cyclonians had yet to enter their air space, but they weren't far away. They could see the Talons in the distance. With everyone focused on their incoming enemy, Finn seized his opportunity. He grabbed Aerrow's blades, quickly connecting them.

Feeling his blades being drawn, Aerrow turned his head just enough to see Finn standing with the connected blades in his hands, ready to strike.

"You know the old saying," Finn said, "what you send around comes around?"

Aerrow had an odd look on his face. It wasn't shock, exactly. He looked as if he was expecting it, but not expecting it.

As the Talons closed in, Finn yelled, "I put my trust in you! And look where it got me!"

"Finn! Wait!"

It felt like everything had happened in slow motion. And he still felt like he was moving in slow motion as he headed for the Cyclonian Destroyer in front of him. Smoke billowed from the Condor as it fell below the cloud-line behind him. He didn't look back. The Storm Hawks were no more. And he was now on his way to Cyclonia; to a new life; a new name. Neither of which he really wanted..

He entered the hangar to a surprise. Dark Ace was standing between two Switchblades. The blond stopped and looked up at him.

"Welcome aboard, Finn," he said.

The tone of his voice didn't match his expression. There was an odd look in his eyes.

"Now what?" Finn said flatly.

"For you... I don't know," he replied. "That's not my call." He turned around. "Follow me."

"So, what happened to you when you first arrived on Cyclonia?" Finn asked, wanting to get an idea of what he may be in store for.

Dark Ace stopped, his body stiffening at the question. He turned his head to look at Finn. His eyes had a strange emptiness to them. "It doesn't matter."

There was coldness in his voice, but it wasn't directed at Finn. It was something else and the blond was certain he was going to find out what it was very soon.

Finn refused to pledge his allegiance to Cyclonis or her empire. He found a strength within himself he never knew he had, but it didn't last long. He was subjected to months of physical and mental torture. Dark Ace was never present in those moments. Finn figured he was out on missions. It didn't matter. Even if Dark Ace were there they wouldn't be able to break him. After nearly a year he finally decided to let Cyclonis have her way. He had been pushed as far as he could go with the Storm Hawks and he wondered, how far could he be pushed with Cyclonia?

He bowed before Cyclonis alongside Dark Ace. The Cyclonian queen smiled malevolently, tapping her fingers on the arm of her throne. She pointed a boney finger at the blond.

"So, Finn," she said coolly. "What will you do for me?"

He looked up at her, his eyes cold. "Whatever you wish, Master."

She smiled malevolently again. "Go."

The two Talons bowed again and walked out of the throne room. As they walked down the corridor nearing Dark Ace's quarters, the man stopped. He turned to face Finn.

"We should be receiving orders soon," he said. "But first..." Finn watched as a few Talons stepped out of the shadows. "There's something we need to discuss."

Finn eyed each of the Talons. A grin crossed his lips.

fin

I bet none of you have any clue as to what's really going on. If you would like to know ask in a review or something. I'm too lazy to write all here. But I will give the reason why Aerrow was all nasty one moment and then acted as if nothing had ever happened. It has to do with the pyramid, though I don't know what. I haven't bothered to fwork it out. Aerrow did figure out what was happening to him by the end of the story, but it was too little too late for Finn. Yeah, I know. I'm evil.

This was fun.