Rising Darkness

By: JadeDragonKnight

Chapter 9: Ice

"Computer, where are we?"

Meta Knight gazed out of the windshield in bewilderment. It was a whiteout. Wind and snow pounded at the ship, making it groan. The snow mostly blew around the windshield, but visibility remained nonexistent.

"The Ice Claw Mountains," the computer replied.

"Why?" he asked in a long drawn out way.

"After launch, you instructed me to move the ship forward, and so I did."

"And you just kept going…"

"Yes. You did not specify a destination."

"Alright, well I'm specifying one now," the knight stated as he walked up to the control panel. "Take us back to the castle."

"It shall be done. However, turning around now could result in a collision. I recommend waiting until we have cleared the mountains before turning around."

"How long will that take?"

"Approximately 15 minutes."

"Fine, we'll wait."

"Very well."

Meta Knight placed his hands on the control panel. This lack of visibility made him nervous. Not only that, this scene had an uncanny resemblance to his dream, and the tugging feeling in his stomach was still there. He absently looked at the controls. Suddenly, he noticed a light flashing that hasn't flashed in a very long time.

"We're getting a transmission?" he asked himself out loud.

"Yes, but it is inaudible."

"Let me hear it."

"Of course."

The sound of static filled the bridge. Nothing could be made out in the random crackles. Just then, there was a slight break in the static.

"Mayd- mayday…-ing dow…requessss…"

The static once again dominated the room.

"That was a voice. Someone's out there," the knight stated.

"It sounded urgent," the computer added. "What do you wish to do?"

"Turn on the radar and lock onto that signal."

"Yes, sir."

Meta Knight went to a small screen on the control panel. The round window lit up. A green line radiating from the center swept around the screen. A small icon of the ship was in the very center. The knight was expecting to see a dot light up somewhere after the line circled the screen, but nothing showed up.

"Why is there nothing showing up on radar?" he asked.

"The storm is interfering with the radar and the transmission. It is difficult to get a lock on the source."

'Dammit,' the knight thought to himself. 'I'm getting a bad feeling about this…'

Just then, he heard something. It was no more than a whisper over the roar of the blizzard outside. Meta Knight stared hard into the storm and listened. All he could hear was the wind whistling off of his own ship, a very familiar sound to him. Then, he heard a sharp shriek that didn't match the Halberd's noise. The more he tried to decipher the sound, the clearer it became.

"Something's coming this way," he stated.

He looked back at the radar. Still nothing showed up on it.

"Computer, we need to get a lock on that object."

"I shall strengthen the radar's output."

He studied the radar screen, and still nothing showed up. Meta Knight grit his teeth as the shrieking sound grew steadily louder.

'At this rate, we won't be able to see it until it's on us.' Then, he's eyes widened at a realization. 'That wasn't a dream. It was a vision! And it's happening now! But, it never showed me how to get out of this like the others. Is that what's going to happen? Am I going to…?'

His eyes narrowed and his fists tighten into balls.

"No. I can change it." He placed his hands flat on the control panel and said, "Computer, aim the Combo Cannon's claw in front of the bridge."

"Yes sir."

Outside, the large mechanized claw rotated 180 degrees to face the bridge. The claw opened and the arm joints locked together, ready to spring out.

"Cannon Claw ready."

Meta Knight nodded. He stared out into the blizzard and waited. The sharp whistle was only a drone at the back of his mind earlier, but now the sound pierced through the bridge in a booming screech. The knight's heart pounded and the rush of adrenaline made his arms shake. Just then, he caught a glimpse of silver in the whiteout.

"Now!"

It all happened in an instant. The claw launched up, an airship broke through the storm at break neck speeds, the knight braced for impact, and a crack and bang rang through the bridge. As soon as it happened, it was over. Meta Knight's eyes were shut tight and his hands were on the control panel in a vice grip. The room was silent save for the wind howling outside. He slowly opened one eye and looked up at the windshield. The front of a space jet filled his vision. He opened his other eye and let his arms relax. The Halberd's claw was gripping the rear of the aircraft. The nose of the plane hit the windshield and left a small crack. Smoke was billowing out of the rear of the craft and was swept away by the blizzard. The pilot of the jet was unconscious and slumped in his seat, the seat straps hugging him tight. Meta Knight sighed in relief, his heart still pounding.

"Nice catch," he stated.

"Thank you," the computer replied.

The knight took a closer look at the pilot. He gasped lightly when he recognized him.

"Falco? Why is he here?" he muttered to himself.

The knight then noticed that the snow storm was clearing up.

"We are almost free of the mountain range," the feminine voice informed.

"Once we're out, head back to the castle avoiding the mountains, and set Falco's plane on the main deck."

"Yes, sir."

The sky was clear blue. The Halberd had made a wide arch around the mountains and was heading back home. The jet was gently lowered to the main deck as instructed. Meta Knight made his way across the deck to it. When he reached it, the first thing he did was secure the plane to the deck via straps and hooks. Then, he examined the cockpit. Falco was still unconscious. The knight knocked on the glass panel.

"Hey, Falco. You still alive in there?"

The blue bird didn't respond, but Meta Knight could see his chest slowly rising and falling. He looked for a way to open the hatch. He found a latch near the front of the windshield. He pulled it, causing an opening between the windshield and the rest of the jet body. The knight went to lift the panel, but it didn't budge. He looked at the hatch questionably as he tried harder to lift it. Again, it refused to move. Meta Knight knew it shouldn't be that hard to lift. He scanned the sides of the plane. Then, he saw a thick layer of ice clinging to the windshield and plane body. He walked over to the ice. The air was fairly warm, so the fact that there was still ice on the jet baffled the knight. The ice wasn't melting either. He studied the ice sheet further. Then, he noticed part of the ice by the engine was glowing. The knight glanced toward the sun and determined that the glowing was not a trick of the light. The glowing piece was protruding out just enough for him to grab. Meta Knight took hold of the ice chunk and began pulling at it. He strained at the effort. It didn't seem to do any good at first, but then cracks began to appear in the surrounding ice. Suddenly, the ice gave way. The knight stumbled backwards with the ice chunk in his hands. He looked down and uncurled his fist. The glowing piece of ice gave off a chilling breeze, but the ice itself felt strangely warm. It looked broken at its tip. Suddenly, new ice began to grow over its damaged tip and form a crystal like point. Meta Knight gazed in awe at the miniature blizzard swirling inside of the ice crystal.

Dripping sounds redirected the knight's attention. The ice was melting swiftly from the jet. Water pooled on the deck and crept out with the wind. The hatch to the cockpit hissed as it broke the thin ice and opened wide. Meta Knight tucked the glowing ice away and hopped up on the plane wing. He undid the seatbelts and lifted Falco out of the cockpit. The knight grunted as he carefully swung Falco's limb body onto his back and pulled his arms over his shoulders. Meta Knight then proceeded into the Halberd.

The metal door slid open and Meta Knight entered the clinic. He glanced at Jade's bed to find she was awake, but looked sluggish. She sat up, wide awake, when she noticed Falco slung over the knight's shoulders. He heard her begin to type.

"I'll explain in a minute," he assured.

Meta Knight carried Falco to a bed opposite facing to Jade's. He laid the bird out on it and took a moment to catch his breath.

Then he said, "Computer, run a diagnostic scan on Falco."

"Yes, sir."

As was done with Jade, a robotic arm rolled over from the edge of the room and panned a light across Falco before returning to its spot by the wall. The knight looked at a screen next to the bed which showed a silhouette of Falco. The chest in the outline was highlighted then some thin curved shapes pulsated red.

"Broken ribs then?" the knight asked.

"Two bruised, one cracked," the computer corrected.

"That's not too bad. It's going to hurt like hell though."

He went over to the medicine cabinet and took a small jar from it. He then grabbed a syringe.

"How much Morphine for our friend here, computer?"

"Fifteen milligrams."

"Same as Jade, huh," he muttered as he concentrated on poking the needle into the jar and taking out the exact amount recommended.

Meta Knight put the jar away and went over to Falco. He pulled up the bird's sleeve and went to inject the needle into his arm.

"Disinfecting the area first is highly recommended," the computer's voice informed.

"Er, right."

Jade watched patiently as the knight took a moment to clean the area he was going to inject with an antibacterial wipe. After he injected the Morphine, Meta Knight sighed, went over to Jade's side, and sat down in a chair. He looked at the TV screen.

"What happened to Falco?"

"Right. He almost plowed into my ship, but I stopped him. Now, his plane is on my deck, there's a crack in the bridge's windshield, he's unconscious over there, and I got this," the knight explained then he took out the glowing ice shard.

Jade's eyes widened. She typed away at the keyboard.

"Another artifact? I thought you weren't collecting those anymore."

"I didn't choose to get it. It came to me. Almost killed me too."

"Maybe you have some kind of magnetic force on them." Jade paused in thought then added, "I guess you really can't stop getting them."

"I suppose not," the knight replied.

"So this one makes four, right?"

"Yes, but there's something that's bothering me. This is an ice artifact, not water. It doesn't fit the pattern."

"Ice is a form of water."

"Elementally speaking, ice is usually considered an element separate from water."

"Scientifically, that's not the case."

"Look, I'm just being hopeful that the chain is broken and this is the last artifact. These things have caused nothing but trouble."

"So, is something supposed to happen now?"

"I don't know," Meta Knight cried in defeat.

He set the ice crystal aside, lifted his mask, and rubbed his eyes. Jade frowned at his distress. Her fingers rubbed over the keys of the keyboard as she thought of what to say. The knight replaced his mask and folded his hands. He gazed over at Falco for a moment then sighed.

"Things just seem out of control," he stated. "I can't help but feel that people are getting hurt because of me."

Jade quickly typed a response.

"You're doing your best. That's all that matters." She glanced at the ice crystal then continued. "We may not know what that creature wants these artifacts for, but if it's anything bad, we'll stop it and put an end to this mess, right?"

Meta Knight read the screen and grinned.

"Yeah, I'll make sure of that."

Jade smiled. Then, she typed something else.

"A bit off topic, but my arm really itches. Can you check to see if there's anything weird going on with it?"

"Of course."

The knight got up and went to the side Jade coaxed him to. He grabbed a pair of scissors lying on the table next to him and cut the bandage. He unraveled it quickly until he got close to the skin. Then, he carefully began to uncover the area and examine it. The burn wound was closed and scabbing with a yellowish color.

"Wow, that's looking a lot better. You're itchy because you're scabbing over the cloth. I'll have to change it now while it's still loose."

Jade nodded, but with apprehension in her eyes. She knew it was going to hurt. Meta Knight dampened the area then slowly started to pull the cloth loose from her arm. She cringed and balled her fists. Suddenly, he hit a snag, shooting pain up her arm.

"Ow, dammit!" she cried.

"Sorry," he replied quickly.

Just then, they looked at each other with wide eyes.

"You…cussed, just now," the knight stated slowly.

"I did," Jade added. There was a second of silence then she cried, "I can talk!"

"You're talking!" Meta Knight added.

She laughed and smiled with unbridled joy. Then, she wrapped her arms around the knight, who was stunned by the action.

"I can talk again," she said happily.

Meta Knight was holding her to keep her from falling off the bed. She was hugging him tight. Then, he smiled and squeezed her back.

"That's great, Jade," he added.

"Thank you," she said, but not just as a reply. She was thanking him for all he did for her.

"Aww, that's cute."

They both raised an eyebrow at the third voice. They looked over to see Falco watching them.

"Oh, don't mind me," the bird added, "I'm just glad to see that Meta Knight has a heart."

There was a moment of silence then they broke their embrace, their cheeks flushed. Jade covered herself up with the blanket as Meta Knight cleared his throat and wrapped himself in his cape.

"Well, I see you're awake now," the knight stated. "Mind telling me why you were flying through a blizzard?"

"Aww, come on now. I just woke up and my chest is killing me. Do you have to cut straight to the point?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the knight replied flatly. "It's just that you almost killed me, and I wanted to know why."

"Sheez, you're so cold," Falco huffed. "Alright, I was sent down to check out some weird signals coming from the mountains."

"Hmm, and did you find anything?"

"Maybe. It's a bit of a blur. As soon as I got close, the storm seemed to constrict on me and my engine started freezing over. A spaceship doesn't usually freeze, having to operate in space and all."

"That's true," the knight replied, egging Falco to continue.

"What? That's it. My engine froze and I fell out of the sky. I don't remember what happened next. Why don't you fill in the blanks for me?"

"Fine. You flew straight at the bridge and I had to catch you before you plowed into me. The sudden stop must have knocked you out and hurt your ribs."

"Aww, seriously? How bad is it?"

"Two bruised, one cracked."

"Damn," Falco replied, rubbing his chest. "That's gonna hurt in the morning. Why isn't it hurting now?"

"I gave you some Morphine."

"How very kind of you," he stated.

Meta Knight groaned and shook his head. Falco's lack of concern for their lives was frustrating. The blue bird titled his head a bit to look at the glowing object on Jade's bed.

"Where'd you get the pretty rock?" he asked.

"None of your business," the knight replied as he tucked the ice crystal away.

"Humph," Falco grunted as he sat back in the angled bed.

"I suggest you call your buddies and ask for a pickup."

"Pfft, my arms aren't broken. I can fly just fine."

"I doubt your ship can fly right now, and even if it could I'm not letting you fly in that condition."

"What are you, my mom?"

"Just suck it up and call them."

"Fine, but I might call them sooner if I had a full stomach. I'm awfully hungry right now."

Meta Knight grunted in response.

"I think I could go for-"

"I'll make you what I feel like," the knight interrupted.

"Sounds great," Falco replied shortly.

The knight gave him a look before leaving the room. A few seconds after the metal door closed, Falco sighed.

"Man, who shoved a pole up his ass?" the bird stated.

Although the question was semi-directed at her, Jade didn't answer.

Falco waited a moment before saying, "So, what happened to you?"

Jade looked up at him then replied, "Fire."

"Hmm, that's rough." There was a second of silence. "How'd you end up in here?"

"This was the nearest medical center," she answered.

"Oh, ok."

Falco scratched the side of his face.

"Aren't you going to make that call?" Jade asked.

"I will in a minute. But hey, what was that glowing rock from before?"

She held back a response. She was unsure whether to fill Falco in on the current dilemma or to keep it secret. Meta Knight didn't seem like he was being very open about it to anyone other than her.

Falco sneered at her silence and added, "Oh, it was a gift, wasn't it?"

"What? No!" Jade burst out.

"Ah ha ha, I got you two figured out. Guys just don't hand out precious gems to gals unless they got feelings for them."

"It was not a gift," she argued, her face turning red.

"And that little moment you two had earlier," Falco continued, ignoring her, "that was something special. I've never seen him nice to anyone except you."

"He just…" Jade paused to soak in what the bird said. "Really?"

"What? Don't tell me you haven't noticed. Meta Knight's as cold as ice and completely shrouded in mystery, yet you two are pretty chummy."

"You…really think he…likes me?"

"Uh, yeah. It's pretty obvious."

Jade stared down at her sheet. Did the knight actually have feelings for her? And if so, was it really that obvious? Was Falco the only one that noticed, or did everyone see it except her? Thinking back, he did used to act differently towards her than he does now.

Just then, the metal door slid open and Meta Knight walked in the room with a plate. He went straight to Falco's bed and placed the plate in his lap.

"There. Eat up," he stated.

The blue bird peered down at the plate. There was a ham and cheese sandwich resting on it.

"Oh goody, my favorite," he said with low enthusiasm.

The knight rolled his eyes. Falco leaned in to grab the sandwich, but stopped suddenly and yelped in pain. He jolted back into his bed and held his ribcage.

"Sharp pain, ow," he complained, blowing short puffs of air.

"I don't recommend bending over," Meta Knight informed.

"Yeah, thanks for the tip."

The knight then looked over at Jade, who was staring at him. She quickly lowered her eyes. He paused at the reaction.

"I made something for you too, but it's still cooking," he stated.

"Oh, uh, thanks," Jade replied.

She glanced up to see Falco giving her a look that said, "See?" She frowned slightly at him. The knight noticed and turned around to Falco. He took a bite of his sandwich and avoided eye contact. Meta Knight's eyes narrowed at the bird.

"So, were you guys chatting when I left?" he asked.

"Yeah, you know, small talk, the weather, that kind of stuff," Falco replied, food still in his mouth.

"I see," the knight added with a hint of suspicion.

No one said anything for some time. The last bite of sandwich disappeared in Falco's beak before they spoke again.

"Alright, you're fed," Meta Knight stated. "Now, call for a ride."

"Alright," the bird sighed.

He took out his communicator from his pocket, careful not to disturb his ribs. Then, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and got out of it, keeping his back as straight as possible. He punched some buttons on the communicator as he made his way out of the room. The metal door closed behind him. Meta Knight and Jade watched the door for a moment, waiting. Then, they heard a voice through the wall.

"Hey, Falco calling in. Funny story…"

The knight nodded then turned to Jade.

"Did he say something to you while I was out?" Meta Knight asked.

"Huh? No, we were just talking. Well, um, nothing important," she stammered.

"You want me to beat him up?"

"No, no," Jade chuckled. "You don't have to do that."

"Trust me; it would give me a good excuse to."

She giggled and replied, "You don't like Falco much, do you?"

"He irritates me."

"So does Dedede."

"Yeah, but that's different. I have to do what he says. Falco just rubs me the wrong way."

Jade nodded. "Does Kirby irritate you?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering. You're nice to him."

"Well, he's a bit like family to me."

"Really?"

"I have to live with him, you know."

"So, he's like a little brother?"

"Eh, I wouldn't say that."

Just then, Falco came back in the room.

"There ya have it," the bird stated as he climbed back in bed. "They're going to meet us outside the Ice Claw Mountains."

The knight's eye twitched as he said, "We just came from there."

"Huh? I thought we were still there."

"Why would I hang around a mountain range all day?"

"Well, you don't seem very busy. Where the heck are we now?"

They continued to argue. Jade absently watched them, lost in thought. Falco may have been right about Meta Knight being nice to her, but it wasn't just her. He showed kindness to Kirby, and he's not really icy to everyone. Falco was just basing his assessment on what he experienced with the knight, and since he doesn't like Falco, he only saw his cold side. Of course he would seem cold if that's how he acted towards the bird all the time. Not only that, Falco thought the ice artifact was a gift which it wasn't. Meta Knight doesn't really have feelings for her. If anything, they're just friends.

The strange tension in Jade relaxed at this realization. The knight's company was making her feel awkward for a while, but it didn't anymore.

That's it for now. Summer is here, so I can write a lot more now. More chapters are coming. Please continue to be patient with me. I really appreciate your support.

If you ever have doubts that this story will never be finished, discard them now. I will finish this dang story even if it kills me! And if I do die, I will haunt someone and use their hands to finish the story for me. So, don't fret.

Review please!