Bless you Random Weirdo!
(Stops and thinks about how that sounded.) Okay, whoever Random Weirdo is dropped the review about deviantart having bloopers and the like that I can use for the story. So bless you and thank you!
And bless you YamiPluto! I totally missed that in Velocity! But it's okay to think about them like frogs. I was trying to describe SH to a family member and there was no access to a computer, so I described Stork as…. 'a sexy frog.' She gave me the look of 'what?' But she's watching the series now!
I do not own Storm Hawks!
On with the Story!
The pool was cold. Okay, the pool water was cold, but then again, it wasn't freezing, and rather tepid from the above lights.
Piper and Cyclonis discussed how to implant heaters into the pool before Aerrow rolled his eyes and yelled "Cannonball!" He ran and leapt into the six foot deep end.
Piper and Cyclonis were drenched.
"Look you two, work time is over. Just relax for now. You don't hear anyone complaining, do you?"
Seeming to ignore Aerrow, Piper and Cyclonis swam to the side and hauled themselves out.
"Uh, Piper? Cyclonis?"
"Cannonball!" Piper and Cyclonis ran and jumped on Aerrow's either sides and drenched him twice in retaliation.
Dark Ace sighed. He was not getting into the water until the Storm Hawks had calmed down. He was looking forward to being able to swim laps the length of the pool. It was nowhere near standard lengths, but he supposed it was the best.
Across the pool, Stork shuddered.
"I can't believe that they did that."
"What? Cannonballs? Those are fun to do, Stork." Finn corrected from beside him. He was huffing and puffing an inflatable arm floatation device for Junko. His weight might cause problems, so Junko was taking an insurance against drowning.
"No. Increasing the chance of an ear infection."
Finn winced. "Those hurt really bad."
Stork nodded. "Not to mention that they can be fatal."
"Whoa, wait. I thought ear infections were treatable? You just needed a solution that would get the water to flow out. Then you heal up."
"Ooho, not always. Some people are susceptible to ear infections. They can die from it."
Finn looked uncomfortable. Stork raised an eyebrow.
"I, uhm, had one as a child. Do you think…?"
"Uhm, no. I don't think you're susceptible." Stork walked off to inflate his ducky float, and hopped into the pool. Finn returned to huffing and puffing. Soon, Junko was in the water as well.
Cyclonis and Piper were comparing swimming techniques, and Aerrow was coaxing Dark Ace into the chaos of the pool.
So far, he was having little luck.
"I'm not interested in horseplay, Storm boy. I'm waiting for you lot to calm down so I can have some laps in peace. The training exercises have started to bore me." With that, Dark Ace stretched out on the lawn chair.
"Yo Dark Ace, you want to borrow my sun glasses?" Finn called from where he was about to jump in.
Dark Ace sighed and half sat up, to tell Finn that no, he wouldn't need the sunglasses. Finn's body in a g-string bikini was all he saw for a long while.
Finn waved.
"Uh, Dark Ace? Yes or no?"
"Yes?"
"Okay, I'll get them." Finn ran off to get his favorite sun glasses. So what if they were the wrong style for Dark Ace? The guy needed to lighten up for a few hours.
Dark Ace stared after Finn.
"How can he wear that?"
"You can thank Cyclonis for 'that' later. Finn's running his shorts through the dryer now. Think it'll be safe for you to join once he's dressed better?"
Dark Ace nodded dumbly.
"And do yourself a favor- shut your mouth before he comes back."
Dark Ace made to close his mouth, realized he hadn't been starring open mouthed at Finn, and glowered at Aerrow.
Aerrow laughed, and submerged, kicking off from the wall to go play with Piper and Cyclonis.
Dark Ace sighed and made sure that he was lying on his front when Finn came to give him the glasses.
Finn turned and dove from a standing position into the pool.
Dark Ace immediately tried thinking of Snipe in a corset.
It worked somewhat.
The overhead lights were making Storks hair go from black to green in the light. He flicked them out of the way, annoyed.
"Oh, I know- let's play Categories. Uhm, I'll go first, and let's limit the play area to the five feet- six feet section."
Piper then swam to the opposite wall.
"Could someone please explain the game to me?" Cyclonis asked.
"It's easy. Piper faces away from us, and can't turn around unless she hears a noise." Finn started.
"She's only allowed to turn around three times, and then her turn is over." Aerrow continued.
"That's because it's our job to cross over as quietly as possible if she names what we are thinking. She picks a category, say color, and we yell 'got it' when we know what our color is." Stork explained.
"Then she starts guessing. And if she turns around and sees you crossing, then everyone has to cross. If she tags you last, you're the next person." Junko finished.
"Yeah, you swim to the opposite side and choose your category. Lather, rinse, repeat." Finn added.
Cyclonis nodded, and then swam to the opposite wall. Piper climbed out. "Okay, the category is crystals."
Soon, a chorus of 'got it!' reached her ears.
Piper began to call out names. "Leecher, solar, graviton, power, Firebolt, Icey!"
Silence.
"Oblivion, slimer, Levitation!"
A ripple.
"Cheese stone!"
Piper whipped around. "Bwah! I was touching the wall!" Finn gasped. He had made the breadth of the pool in two breathes.
Piper sighed and turned around again. She continued to call out names, until she heard a 'sorry' and whipped around. She jumped in.
Dark Ace surveyed the chaos that was the Category game.
Apparently, Piper had dived in and immediately ran into Cyclonis, who, tagged, continued onto the wall to Finn. Piper than tagged Junko, somersaulted and gotten Stork, and had to chase down Aerrow last.
The red head turned to the wall he had just pushed off from and climbed out.
Radarr chirped from pool's edge. He didn't like taking baths; he wasn't going to get in. Thankfully, there other things to keep him occupied. Like watching how the light changed Dark Ace's hair from a black to seemingly having highlights of green in it.
"Category is Atmosian animals!"
"Got it!"
"Sky sharks! Leviathan! Fire Scorpions! Lava Worms!"
One by one, the Storm Hawks and Cyclonis all quietly slipped under and swam to the other side.
Aerrow kept calling out names.
"Uh, um….sky sharks?"
"Dude that was the first thing you said." Finn stated from underneath him. Aerrow turned around. Everyone playing was on his side of the pool.
With a sigh, Aerrow walked around to the other side.
Dark Ace refrained from snickering.
The game went on until everyone had gone several times. Then they all piled out to rest. Dark Ace slipped in and swam the width of the pool until the children were ready to go back in. Aerrow gave Cyclonis an amused glance when Finn asked Piper how the Dark Ace was gliding so far into his strokes.
Piper then had to explain to Finn that there was an advanced move where a swimmer gauged the distance to a wall, somersaulted, and pushed off into the next lap.
"Doesn't the water go up your nose?"
"It can. That why some people blow air out of their nose while they do the maneuver or plug their noses."
Finn winced.
The next few games were shark and minnows, and then Marco Polo.
When Dark Ace noticed how orderly Marco Polo was, he joined in.
"Fish out of water?" He called out.
"Ack!" Came Finn's voice from a spot above him. The Cannonball crashed right beside him. Dark Ace grinned.
Finn came up, spluttering and coughing. Dark Ace opened his eyes. "Are you?"
"Swallowed some." Finn wheezed. Knowing that trying to breath and water pressing on you didn't mix; Dark Ace grabbed Finn and hauled him to the edge. Finn nodded his head in thanks and wheezed for a few minutes.
"I suggest we find a new way to amuse ourselves for now." Dark Ace called out. The others agreed, and fetched the toys, especially the beach balls.
Dark Ace patted Finn's back. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah."
Stork rolled his eyes. Everyone was infected. Everyone! They were behaving strangely. Their behavior was always just a little off.
Maybe it came from being grounded for so long, unable to fly?
"Stork? Is everything okay?"
Stork glanced up at Aerrow. "I'm worried that this place has a strange affect on all of us. I mean, banding together for survival I understand, but the conditions aren't exactly…horrendous."
Aerrow shrugged. "We are still trapped."
Stork nodded. "And each day, we are less inclined to break out. Our every need has been catered to. Without the war, we are even getting friendly to those who once tried to kill and or enslave us."
Stork shuddered.
Aerrow flushed. "Okay, so everyone's starting to act their age. Maybe you can lead an expedition into the hall way Junko found later?"
Stork nodded.
Aerrow left him to his gloomy thoughts.
"At least in the Black Gorge, we had a plan of how to escape. There are no maps here."
Junko settled into the snacks. There was flavored water, whatever that was, but Piper and Cyclonis immediately hogged the White Grape and Black Cherry ones.
They giggled and lounged about, talking about all the work that they would be doing if they weren't here.
"Ah, getting the boys to clean up after themselves and be clean in general is a pain." Piper put in.
"I just have people enforce strict punishments and surprise inspections. It isn't squeaky clean, but I figured some semblance of order was better than a trash heap." Cyclonis rebutted.
Piper sighed and stretched out.
"Say, Piper."
"Mhmm?"
"Have you ever defeated the Dark Ace?"
"Oh, yes I did. We were on Terra Sahaar, and I blasted him out of the sky with the contraption Cavalry that Stork built."
"Ah, I thought the marksman had nailed me. You win, Master Cyclonis. Piper would be a fine addition." Dark Ace walked by and helped himself to a sandwich and a bottle of water.
"We had a bet going on about who had bested him. I needed some humor after he came in with the latest report on failure." Cyclonis explained.
"Pretty dark humor." Piper commented.
"Well, I bet his vacation time, but there's nothing to set him to work doing."
"He could teach Finn that kick off he was doing earlier." Piper suggested.
"Woohoo! Alright! My shorts have finally dried! I don't need these anymore!" Cyclonis glanced over to Finn, who was happily jumping around in his swim trunks.
"You know, for saying I have dark humor, you have an evil sense of reward."
Piper grinned.
"Oh, Dark Ace. I decided that instead of your vacation time, you should teach Finn how to swim."
Junko gasped in horror.
"That's pure evil! He won't make it!"
Aerrow attempted to soothe Junko. "Finn will be okay. He's pulled through tougher scraps."
"Not evil for Finn." Stork corrected. "Evil for Dark Ace."
Aerrow looked confused for a moment. Then his face split into a cocky grin. "He's never tried to get Finn to do what he wants before."
"Oooh yeah." Stork mirrored with an evil grin.
Dark Ace stoutly ignored them, and masking his apprehension, went to collect the blond marksman.
Let there be nothing said of the next two hours he spent teaching Finn while everyone watched, laughed, and bet on how long he would last.
He was totally going to get even with all of them.
Well, except maybe Master Cyclonis.
"That was awesome! I thought I was a good swimmer before, but now I'm gonna be even greater!"
Finn's exuberance infected the group. They decided on racing later, to see who could put forth the best record.
"Yay." Dark Ace commented, his face a straight mask. He was never going to call the marksman an idiot ever again.
He was on the epic level of an imbecile. How he had managed to hit his head repeatedly against the wall without injuring himself was starting to give Dark Ace a headache. He made a straight line for his lawn chair, pulled a towel over himself, and flopped down.
He was out like a light.
Dark Ace woke up hours later to someone screaming.
He leapt from the lawn chair, knocking it over, and raced to the edge of the pool. The Storm Hawks and Master Cyclonis stared at him.
He stared back.
"Alright. Who screamed?"
They kept staring.
"What?"
"You have lines on your chest from sleeping on the lawn chair." Stork pointed out. Now that he mentioned it, his chest did smart from being wet and coming into contact with the lawn chair.
Ignoring the pain, and the starring, Dark Ace proceeded to stare down the adolescences. Finally, Junko caved.
"We were dunking each other and Stork got Finn real good. So Finn went to get him, finally caught him, and I think he accidentally tickled Stork."
"…..Merbs scream when they get tickled."
"Apparently."
Dark Ace raised an eyebrow. "Fine." With that, he waded into the pool.
"What are the rules for dunking?" He asked once he was near the group. Well, most people would mistake it for demanding, but Dark Ace was a little grumpy at his nap being interrupted.
"No more than two people can dunk the same person at one time. You have to let go after ten seconds, but that's the final limit, it's usually get their head under water and let go."
"It's like wrestling." Aerrow clarified from Junko's explanation. Dark Ace smoothed his greener than black hair back.
"Alright. A free for all?"
"Yep." Finn commented.
Dark Ace grinned evilly.
Forty-five minutes later, he was still grinning. Only Aerrow, Master Cyclonis, and Piper had managed to dunk him. But that was only once each.
He had gotten everyone several times.
Ah, it felt good to be feared again.
Finn swam around, kicking his legs not in a scissor motion, but by bringing the feet together and then kicking outwards before pulling them back in.
He was swimming like a frog.
"What are you doing?"
"I did this once after my Skimmer got destroyed, and what do you know, it works in the water!" Finn exclaimed.
Then he submerged. Dark Ace watched as Finn swam under Piper and Cyclonis who were resting on floatation devices that looked like single cots. He swam around Junko.
He surfaced quietly, took a breath, and swam around Stork. He picked up torpedoes from the bottom of the pool and pelted them at the Merb, just close enough that Stork realized that there was something near him.
He freaked out.
Once he realized that Finn had quietly swum away, Stork stopped hyper ventilating and turned to dive and collect the torpedoes.
Oh, this meant war.
Then Aerrow had stood in the five foot section and spread his legs. Finn went through and surfaced behind him.
"Well?"
"Nine out of ten. I felt the water move before you breached."
"Aw, man."
"My turn." Aerrow waded forward, and then dove under.
They continued like that for a while. Just when Dark ace was contemplating joining them, Finn stuck his head in the water and pulled a face.
Aerrow, who was swimming with his face to the surface, grabbed the back of Finn's legs and pulled him under.
It quickly turned into a wrestling match. Piper, Cyclonis, and Dark Ace watched as Aerrow and Finn writhed and neither succeeded in throwing the other.
Finn used the water to his advantage, stopping Aerrow from getting a firm grip.
Aerrow used his extra height to keep Finn from dunking him with a solid lower center of gravity. Finally, Finn leaned forward, and gasped "Truce?"
"Truce."
They let go of each other. Piper and Cyclonis' eyes were half lidded and staring at Aerrow. Dark Ace slid into the water and hoped no one came near him.
A/N: Yay, I got to torture the Dark Ace some more! There might still be playtime in the next chapter, but I think it's time for the Storm Hawks to try and break free….not that they know they won't succeed.
Evil grin.
On another note, after Stork walked off, I nearly wrote the line 'Finn returned to blowing….' and decided not to.