So here is a small chapter for you, sorry for the small wait. Things happen. But without further ado, here's another chapter for you all to enjoy.
Heart of Darkness...Jailbreak
His name is Eyles, he's 27 and he is a Talon. He was guarding a cell that contained extra special prisoners, The Storm Hawks. It was quiet and he was bored. So he took this time to reflect on his current situation in life. He had been coerced into the service of Cyclonia by his mother, tradition of the family. It was a simple enough job. Fly through the sky, follow orders, and hijack the occasional trader's vessel. Simple.
But, over the last few years, things had started becoming less simple. Under the command of the young Master Cyclonis, they had started attacking more terras then ever before. Most people were taken as prisoners to be sent off to various locations. Some were kept in a special wing of the citadel, separate from the usual holding cells he was now guarding. And then there was the creepy Merb that served directly under Master Cyclonis, Dr. Heron. Rumors flew everywhere about what might be going on behind the closed doors of Dr. Heron's lab, all of them gave him nightmares. And then there were the "reactors." Only the higher ups and a few technicians knew the secrets on these things. But when he looked at them, so small but producing so much power, he always felt a chill run down his spine.
Today was simple guard duty, which he always preferred as one of his duties. It gave him time to think and relax. And, with all the extra bindings the had used, the Storm Hawks weren't going anywhere any time soon.
The sudden sound of metal clanking against metal shook him from his thoughts. The sounds had come from behind the cell door next to him.
"Oh crap." He said as he scrambled to look through the viewing window on the door. He peered through just in time to see the wallop of the group bring his fist back, reading a strong punch. In the split second between when Junko started bring his fist forward and connecting with the cell door, Eyles realized what had always been bugging him about his situation in life.
"I hate my job."
...
The cell door flew forward, crashing into the wall opposite the cell. The Storm Hawks quickly rushed out of the opening, scanning the hallway for any signs of the enemy. They all shared a confused look as they saw none in sight.
"What? No guard?" Finn said, his voice carrying a tone of disappointment. "Guess they don't think much of us."
"Hmmm, I don't know." Junko said as he stepped towards where the cell door lay against the wall. "It felt like there was a bit of squishiness when I hit the door." He bent down and moved the door, revealing the battered Talon guard.
Piper quickly moved over to the guard, pressing her fingers against his neck. "He's alive." She quickly slapped the Talon across the face, bringing a small groan from the guard. "Where is Dr. Heron's lab?" Piper questioned the guard with anger present in her voice.
Aerrow quickly spoke up after seeing Piper's actions. "Umm, Piper? Maybe you shouldn't..."
He was cut off as Piper slapped the Talon's face again. She grabbed his uniform with both hands and brought his face closer to hers. "Where is Heron's lab!?" She slammed him against the wall, hard. "Answer me Talon!"
"But mommy, I don't want to be a Talon anymore." He responded in a voice that reflected how disoriented he was. His head rolled to the side and he quickly lost consciousness again.
Piper released her grip on the Talon's uniform, letting him fall down to the floor. "Useless." She said in a quick, angry, breath.
Aerrow quickly moved to Piper's side, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Piper, I know your worried, but you have to keep it together. We'll find him."
Piper regained her composure before speaking, but she could still feel tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. "I know we will, but I just can't help but feel I could have done more to keep him from being captured."
Aerrow gave a small, reassuring, squeeze on Piper's shoulder. "First things first, we find out where the lab is. Then, we rescue Stork, and after that we escape this place. We have to go inform The Sky Council of what we learned."
"And, when we get back, we have to take care of Stryker's two-timing butt." Fin added, smacking his fist into his other hand.
"I don't know." Piper thought for a second before continuing. "The way Cyclonis was talking, I'm pretty sure Stryker is on his way here to play the part of the conquering hero."
"So what?" Finn added, not holding back his disdain for Stryker. "Let him come waltzing into Cyclonis's trap. He made us into a bomb, remember?"
"Of course we do." Aerrow spoke up. "But, there will be others coming with Stryker, not just him. And we can't let a bunch of innocent people get hurt." Aerrow looked around at his squad, keeping a look of confidence on his face. "We'll just have to warn them somehow."
Finn quickly spoke up, looking around him as he did. "Um, not that I don't agree with you or anything, but could we just focus on the 'us getting out of here' part first? I mean just standing here in this corridor for to long, you just know that..."
He was quickly cut off by the sound of foot steps coming around the corner. Two Talons appeared, a conversation going on between them which cut short as soon as they saw the group of teens in front of them. Before they could react, Aerrow and Piper sprung forward. Aerrow took the one on the left, delivering a strong punch to the side of his head which knocked him cold. Piper caught the arm of the the other Talon as he tried to take a swing at her. Using the momentum of his punch, Piper quickly turned and threw him over her hip, on to the floor. She snatched up the staff weapon of their unconscious guard and pointed it in the face of the Talon she had thrown to the ground.
"Where is Heron's lab?" She asked in a strong voice.
The Talon looked up from the ground at her, then around at her companions. "Two levels up, just follow the signs that say 'infirmary."
"Thank you." Piper said in a cold tone before smacking him across the face with her staff, knocking him out cold. She looked at Aerrow. "Well, now we know where to go."
Aerrow nodded, in his gut he still felt unsure about how Piper was acting. But he didn't have time to worry about that, he knew the most important thing right now was getting his crew out of danger. "Storm Hawks, lets move."
They group quickly began moving through the corridors to where Stork was. Finn was glancing around him as they moved, noticing the unusually empty hallways. "Where is everybody anyway?"
"We can figure that out after we rescue Stork." Piper said as she ran along side Aerrow. Her thoughts were only on rescuing the friend she had failed to protect. Please Stork, be okay when we get there. She thought to herself. A small ball of fear was growing in the pit of her stomach, gnawing away at her confidence. She could only hope that everything would be okay, while at the same time fearing the worst.
Next chapter should be up tomorrow, baring any unforeseen circumstances. Look forward to it, but be sure to review this one. Till next time, keep your imaginations aflame. ;)