Winds of Change Book II: Distant Thunder
Chapter 4: Forty Eight Hours of Horror and Humor! Part I
AN: Ok, honestly I meant for this chapter to be a bit more light hearted, but my muse took a turn when I got to the last few pages. Not that it's dark or gloomy, just not exactly what I had in mind to begin with. There is plenty of humor though, but there are some serious moments as well. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon or Legend of Zelda. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, Sony Entertainment and Nintendo, however I DO own Kai, Rose, the Shadow crystal, and this story.
Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25
Tigger belongs to ExNarrator01
Marina is Star Wars Nut's
Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes
"Two more days? I'm stuck on the floor like this for two more days? Man this bites! What am I supposed to do for two days?" Kai mentally groaned. "This is what I get for blowing up Ancient temples, shrines, and alters." Kai said to himself as he hit the back of his head on the floor.
"Ok, if we keep heading west, we should reach the next port in about four days. We just have to keep an eye on the trade winds in case they shift." Piper said looking up from her notes.
"So what's the next stop? Vampires Lair? Werewolf's Soup Bone?" Shadow was about to continue when Piper spoke up.
"Actually, it's called Rocky Falls."
"You mean like, waterfalls falls, or like, drops like a stone falls?" Marina asked, now interested.
"Not really sure, but there are a few mentions of fish, so I think it's the first one." Piper said as she double checked her notes.
"Sweet! Kai took on the creepy, fiery, molten Phoenix Den, and while he's recuperating, we take care of the sunny, lively, and peaceful Rocky Falls!" Shadow said grinning.
"Now Shadow, Kai did his best to protect us from that…thing. The least we can do in return is complete this dangerous mission that just so happens to be in the middle of a hidden paradise." Tigger said trying her best to keep a straight face, but failing miserably.
"Uh, speaking of Kai. Shouldn't we like, I don't know, do something about him? He's got to be bored out of his mind by now." Shadow said tapping her chin.
"One hundred and thirty six thousand bottles of soda on the wall, one hundred and thirty six thousand bottles of soda! You take one down pass it around, one hundred and thirty five thousand nine hundred and ninety nine bottles of soda on the wall! One hundred and thirty five thousand nine hundred and ninety nine bottles of soda on the wall,"
"I guess your right. Someone needs to keep an eye on him, Starling too. I'm still worried about her. Even though he was rude about it, Kai did have a point. It's not normal for a healthy person to just suddenly drop like that." Rondana said, suddenly drawing everyone's attention to her.
"But you said that nothing was wrong with her. You spent most of yesterday checking on her and you told us that you couldn't find anything wrong." Shadow said from her seat.
"I said that there was nothing wrong with her physically and even that's not a guarantee. This ship's a far cry from any hospital or clinic."
"Is she doing any better? Any better at all?" Piper asked, still worried about her idol.
Rondana nodded her head. "While I still don't know exactly what the problem was, her condition is stable, and she has shown some improvement. Her skins at least got some color to it now, and she's no longer showing any signs of serious pain. It would help if she woke up, even if only for a few minutes to eat something though. She needs to eat soon or her body will start strip-mining itself to survive." Rondana said biting her thumb nail.
"As long as she's not getting any worse. I've never seen her like that before." Piper said shuddering.
That was one detail that Rondana and Marina had glossed over with Kai. Technically, he had asked if Starling was ok, not how she had been doing.
"Thank the Aurora Stone for loop holes." Rondana thought shaking her head.
"So, who's going to babysit?" Marina asked with a bored expression. "Oh, and Not it." She added raising her hand.
"Not it!" Shadow shouted, raising hers.
"Not it!" Tigger and Rondana shouted in unison, throwing up on hand each.
Piper gaped. "I can't believe you guys! I've got to be up here, how else will we find the place?" Piper asked huffily.
Marina grabbed her notebook and held it in front of her. "Uh, with this? You're not the only qualified navigator on this tub, you just happen to be the best."
"Say hi to Kai for me!" Tigger said with a false smile as she waved.
"Doohhhh, I'll give you a hello." Piper muttered under her breath as she got up and left the ultra super comfy copilot seat that Marina quickly filled with a cat like grin on her face.
"I'll keep your seat warm for ya!" Marina shouted.
Piper said nothing, she just continued marching to the quarters where her unconscious friend, and immobile friend were located.
"From the Phoenix Den to the Dragon's Den. I hope Kai's in a good mood." Piper said shaking her head as she opened the door.
"You do know that I can hear you guys up in the cockpit right?" Kai asked as soon as she entered.
"So much for him being in a good mood." Piper thought.
"And just how can you do that?" She asked skeptically.
Kai motioned with his head to an air vent behind him.
"Wait a minute; you've been eavesdropping on us?" Piper shouted.
"Pth, why would I want to listen in on girl talk? It makes no sense, and what I can actually understand usually scares me." Kai said returning his eyes to the ceiling.
Piper ignored the last remark and walked over to her bed and sat down.
"Why are you here?" Kai asked after a few minutes of silence.
"To keep an eye on you and Starling." She said kicking her legs back and forth.
"Why? You don't trust me?" Kai asked either board or slightly offended, Piper couldn't tell which.
"Not exactly. I'm just here in case one of you needs something." She replied dully.
Kai narrowed his eyes. "Gee, sorry for being such a bother."
"I didn't say you were a bother." Piper said falling back onto her bed.
"Well you sure seem to be implying it." Kai muttered.
"Look I'm sorry ok. The last three days have been hard enough; I don't need you adding anything to it alright?" Piper nearly shouted as she stared at the bunk above her.
After that was a few minutes of silence, which were broken by Kai.
"Sorry. I'm just not very good with the whole helpless thing." Kai said. "Not to mention my backside is cold, my chest is killing me, I'm bored out of my mind, AND MY NOSE ITCHES LIKE CRAZY!"
"Yeah, I guess I can understand that. A while back Aerrow had a little….accident. He was ok in the end, but he had to sit still for five days straight. I don't know who was closer to snapping in the end, him or us." Piper said shaking her head.
Kai chuckled. "The Sky Prince on his butt for five days? Yeah right."
Piper sat up with a small grin on her face. "It's true. Though it was his back, not his butt he was on for five days."
Kai was silent for a moment before speaking. "What happened? Got nailed by Snipe or something?"
Piper sweat dropped. "Closer to the something half." She answered, not wanting to say that her Captain had tripped on a puddle of oil and had fallen into one of the Condor's engines.
Again Kai chuckled. "Let me guess, you were about ready to rip out your hair weren't you?" Kai asked.
Thinking back to the experience, Piper giggled. "Pretty much. How did you know?"
Kai stopped laughing at this before responding. "Uh, you don't want to know." He answered.
Piper narrowed her eyes. "Why is it every time somebody asks you something, you always respond with, you don't want to know, I'll tell you later, or another time?" She asked.
"So I don't have to answer the question, duh." Kai replied like it was the most basic thing in the universe.
"Well you're not getting out of this one." Piper said getting up and walking over to the immobile teen.
"Oh, and why is that?" Kai asked with a small grin.
"Because if you don't, I'll tell the others about these." Piper said with a Suzi sized grin as she gave the bangles on his wrist a tug.
"They already know about them." Kai replied as flatly as he could.
"Really? Do they know everything about them?" Piper's grin grew.
Both glared at each other for several seconds before Kai flinched and looked away.
Inside her mind, a chibi Piper was doing a victory dance. "Booya! Piper 1 Kai 0!"
"Fine, what do you want?" He asked sourly.
"Ohhh so very many things." Piper said sitting down with crossed legs. "But first, answer my question from earlier." Piper ordered.
Kai sighed. "Fine, just promise that you won't attack me ok?"
Piper was puzzled by the request, but agreed not to attack the teen, now even more curious than before.
"I knew because I know enough about you. You're not exactly caretaker material." Kai answered bluntly.
"Excuse me?" Piper's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Kai turned his neck so he was now facing the younger teen. "Exactly what it sounded like. You have the desire to help and take care of people, but lack the mentality to do so. You're impatient, have a short fuse, are easily offended and over react whenever you make a mistake." As he spoke, Kai could see Piper's face turn various shades of red, so he quickly continued.
"I'm not saying you're flawed, that's just the way you are. Not everyone is a good caretaker. In fact, out of your entire crew, the only good one ya'll have is Junko." Kai pointed out.
"How you figure that?" Piper asked, having regained a measure of control.
"Well, Aerrow's got a good heart, same as you, but he also overreacts when it comes to his friends. I bet when one of you gets hurt he spends the entire time in the medbay blaming himself." Kai answered.
"Actually, you're pretty close." Piper thought. Seeing that Kai had stopped, she motioned for him to continue.
"I'm not even going to bother with Finn." Kai paused as Piper giggled slightly before continuing. "And Shadow just tries to hard to help people, in the end, probably hurting them even more."
"Dead center there too. Although it was pretty funny when she tried to make Stork my Sand Cakes last time he was sick."
"Stork is too much like a mother hen, and would keep you from flying for having a splinter removed, which is probably why he keeps himself busy most of the time." Kai continued.
Piper merely nodded in agreement.
"All that leaves is Junko. He's got a good heart like the rest of you, the patience to be Finn's best friend, and from what I recall of my little visit last year, is a big old softy. Am I right?" Kai asked the now smiling bluenette.
"On the money." Piper said shaking her head. "But do you really think I'm that bad of a caretaker?" She asked, still upset by his early comment.
"Like I said, not bad per say, just not the best. You need to calm down a bit and not be so jittery all the time. It's like you've got a permanent sugar high." Kai added.
"Hey! I'm not that hyper." Piper shot back pouting.
"Piper, I saw you running laps through my base. Trust me, you're hyper. But, that's not always a bad thing."
"Wait a minute, your trying to change the subject!" Piper realized and pointed an accusing finger at Kai.
"Busted"
Kai looked the other way. "Fine, what else do you want to know?" He asked feeling a sudden sense of dread fill his stomach.
Piper thought it over for a minute. Here was a once in a lifetime opportunity to pick at Kai's brain. Something she had dreamt of doing ever since the Cabion incident. It was almost like having an Oracle crystal of her own, but now that she had it, she didn't know what to do with it.
"Ok Piper, you've got to play this one smart. If I spook him, I'll never get another chance like this, I can't mess it up."
Running down the vast list of questions she had, she decided to start with something that wouldn't be too invasive, and at the same time not seem suspicious.
"What was that….thing…you fought back at the Phoenix Den? I took a few snapshots of it and double checked the books I brought with me, there's nothing even close to it ever being mentioned, not even in legends or myths. What was it, and how did you know what it was?" Piper asked.
"Those are two very different questions, which do you want to know?" Kai asked closing his eyes.
"Why can't he just answer both? It's not like he's going anywhere anytime soon. Unless….he doesn't want to answer one of them, but has no problem with the other. Question is, which one is he nervous about?" Piper thought it over before answering.
"I want to know what it was." She replied. Seeing Kai sigh, she knew that she had picked the one he didn't want to answer, which confused her.
"It's called a Virage." He began only to be cut off.
"Wait a minute, it's called a? Not that was the? You mean there could be more of those things?" Piper asked in shock.
"Not could be, are. I ran into one a while back….it didn't end well either." Kai said turning to face the wall.
"Hey, you haven't finished answering my question." Piper growled.
Kai was silent for a few seconds, but he then continued.
"Look, I can tell you a bit about them, but trust me on this, you do NOT want to know WHAT they are. I wish I didn't know, and if there was a way I could forget, I WOULD."
Piper was taken back by how firm Kai's tone was. She couldn't help but notice the tiny twinge that was in his voice as well. He wasn't simply trying to dodge the question this time, he was sincere about wishing that he didn't know what he did, and that frightened her.
"Ok…just…tell me what you want to about them then." Piper said suddenly finding it hard to speak.
Kai shook his head, but spoke. "Like I said, they're called Virage, and they were a…solution of sorts that the Ancients came up with." Seeing that he had Piper's attention, he asked a question that surprised her.
"Tell me, what do you know about Dragons?" He asked pointedly.
"What does this have to do with Dragons?" She didn't see the harm in his question, and it wouldn't be fair not to answer since he had been, even if it was like trying to pull teeth, for her.
"I know that they were nearly wiped out after the first flight vehicles were built. Man feared them so they hunted them to the point of extinction." She said shrugging her shoulders.
"That's not entirely true, but close enough." Kai replied.
Piper's eyes widened. "How did you know about Rinjiin?" She asked nearly falling over.
"Who?" Kai asked blankly.
"Rinjiin! He's the last Dragon Knight, we found him at the Sky's Edge with a clutch, how did you know there were still some Dragon's left?" Piper asked, still slightly surprised that Kai would know about something that known only to the Storm Hawks and the Sky Knights, something that had been sworn to secrecy.
"The last Dragon Knight? Piper, Dragoon's are not something to joke about, that's like joking about the original Storm Hawks." Kai said in a warning tone.
"What on Atmos? Did his eyes just turn grey?" Though she couldn't be sure, she could have sworn that for just a moment, Kai's amber colored eyes had flashed grey.
"I'm serious Kai, how did you know about Rinjiin's clutch? The Sky Knights swore not to tell anyone outside of their squadrons about them, how did you know?"
"Rinjiin's clutch? Sky Knights? What the blazes is she talking about?"
"Piper, I need to know exactly what you are talking about. Sworn oath or not, this could be serious." Kai said staring her directly in the eye.
"What's up with him? How could he not know about Rinjiin, but know that Dragon's aren't extinct? Whatever the case, I can't break my oath." Shaking her head, Piper spoke. "I'm sorry Kai, but I can't tell you that. I gave my word just like the others. I shouldn't have said what I did; you'll just have to forget about it."
Kai sighed and closed his eyes. It seemed like an eternity of silence had settled in. Just when Piper thought she was going to spend the next few hours in complete silence, Kai spoke.
"I'll make a deal with you. Everything for what you know concerning this…Rinjiin character." Kai said turning to face her again.
"Kai, I'm sorry, but I can't. My word is not up for sale, bargain or trade." Piper said shaking her head.
"Are you sure? I'm not offering just a little tidbit here, I'm offering unlimited, unrestricted access to all that I know, hold or have access to." Seeing that Piper wasn't going to budge, he started playing his cards.
"Piper, from what little you told me, I'm pretty sure that I know why my bounty was renewed, and why the Council no longer had any use for Starling. Please, I need this information."
Piper bit her lip. "What makes you so sure that this has anything to do with you or Starling?" Piper asked, still not willing to just go and break her oath, even with the offer being given.
Now it was Kai's turn to shake his head. "Piper, I can't give that information out without your word that you will exchange with me. I don't want to make you break your word, but I need insurance first. If you agree, I'll tell you. For now, all I can say is that this Rinjiin person could be the reason that the Council is finally willing to get rid of me, and why they no longer need Starling."
Piper bit her lip again and lowered her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't. I just…I can't break my promise."
Kai narrowed his eyes.
"Fine then, just answer my questions and I'll still live up my end, that sound fair?" He asked exasperated. Though on the inside, he was smiling. "I'll give her one thing; she's honest to the core. She'll make a grand Sky Knight one day."
Piper thought it over for a second before answering. "I…I can't tell you anything."
"You won't have to, just answer yes or no, ok?" He saw that Piper was still unsure so he added one little bit. "I won't ask anything that would be considered breaking your oath ok?"
Piper nodded.
"Did you ever at any time come across any living Dragon's?"
Nod
"Did you contact all of the Sky Knight's?"
Nod
Kai narrowed his eyes and clinched his fist. "Blast you Harrier. Your code's going to get us all killed one of these days."
Kai took a deep breath before looking over to Piper, seeing her expectant look; he had to fight not to smile. "Oh well, a deal's a deal."
"First off, whoever Rinjiin is, he's not the last Dragon Knight, he's one of the last Dragon Knight's." Kai allowed himself a small smirk at seeing Piper's disbelieving look.
"Kai, I'm not telling you about it and that's final." She said crossing her arms.
Kai chuckled. "I'm not trying to get you to. I'm just telling you the truth." Kai closed his eyes for a second and returned to the river in his mind. It was still roaring, and he was still underwater. Thankfully, the anchor seemed to be holding. He didn't want to use the Shadow's Embrace, but he didn't really need to, he only needed a tiny bit this time.
Opening his eyes, Kai looked over to Piper and grinned.
"I know he's not the last Dragon Knight, because I'm one as well."
Piper jumped up halfway and fell flat on her butt. "How did he do that? He sounded just like Lark and the Nightcrawlers!"
Piper sat up and watched in amazement as a thin field of black, purple and dark red energy spread out and around Kai. At first it looked exactly like the ones used by the Sage's of terra Gerudo, but then, it changed.
Instead of it staying as a formless mass, it began to take a shape. The first thing she noticed was the chest forming into something that looked like armor, armor that then spread to Kai's arms and legs. Next was a tail that sprouted out from under him and lazily flowed out beside him. This was followed by the two bat like wings she had seen him use before.
Then, she saw it.
The energy flowed up his face and continued on for several feet until it became coiled and a single mass formed at the top, a mass that split open into a mouth.
"Notice anything?" Kai asked grinning.
Piper got up and walked a few feet away to get a better look at the energy field. "It's not all that detailed, but…it does sort of resemble a Dragon."
"How do I know it's not one of your illusions?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
Kai's grin seemed to widen even further at this point.
"Eeep!" Piper squealed when she suddenly found herself a few inches off the ground. Looking down, she saw that Kai had wrapped his 'tail' around her from behind and was using it like an arm.
Groan
Kai's head turned to where he knew Starling was and he let go of the tiny energy field he had been holding, dropping Piper on her rear with a squeak.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!"
"Piper, something's wrong with Star!" Kai shouted. He couldn't see her from where he was, but he could still hear and smell her. Her breathing's becoming erratic, almost like she's drowning." The only other thing he was able to detect was the faint scent of salt, meaning that she was either crying or sweating.
Piper had gotten up from where she landed and was by the Sky Knights side in an instant. "Starling? Starling, can you hear me?" She was about to call for Rondana when she suddenly just stopped and returned to the way she had been moments before.
"What's wrong with her?" Kai asked, still worrying for his friend.
"I wish I knew. She's been out cold just as long as you have. Once or twice she started having problems, but aside from that she's been unconscious. Didn't Rondana or Marina tell you?" She asked, surprised that he hadn't known already.
"No, they just told me that she was out cold. Nothing else." Kai said, still slightly upset at this little detail having been slipped.
Piper used the bowl and rag that were by the small table to wash the sweat off of Starling's face before taking it to the bathroom to empty and refill.
"What exactly has been happening with her?" Kai asked trying to figure out what was wrong. He might not be a doctor, but he had read most medical books that were available. Not that he doubted in Rondana's abilities, he just wanted to see if he could come up with some ideas for her to think over.
"Pretty much what just happened now. She'll start breathing hard and sweating for a minute or so then stop. Though the first time was pretty bad, Rondana had to sedate her so she could go pack to sleep." Piper answered.
"Sedate her? Why would she have to do that?" Kai was trying to be analytical about this, but was having a hard time focusing on the numbers.
"Well…..she….she was in pain. I don't know how to describe it. Other than it was pretty bad." Piper said with a shudder. In all her years she had never seen anyone or anything in that much pain, not even Aerrow when he had his little 'accident' with the Condor's engine.
"What did Rondana give her?" Kai asked out of the blue.
"What?"
"I asked what did Rondana give her. You said that she sedated her, what did she use?" Kai's voice wasn't as worried and skeptical as it was expectant.
"I'm not really sure, it's still here, hang on a sec." Piper walked over to the med kit and retrieved the small metal case that she had seen Rondana use. Opening it, she pulled out one of the bottles and read the label.
"Morphine? No wonder she's been out three days."
Kai gaped.
"RONDANA! GET IN HERE! NOW!" Kai's voice echoed throughout the ships hull.
A few seconds passed before the young medic poked her head in through the door.
"You bellowed?" She asked teasingly. He face dropped when she was nearly shoved out of the way by Piper. "Hey! What's going on?!"
Looking back down at the floor she saw Kai wearing what was probably one of the most frightening scowls she had ever seen. And considering that she had been treating him for over a year, and had been working with Jim even longer, that was saying something.
"She went to get the 'special recipe' you gave me to fix your mistake!" Kai shouted. It probably would have been a lot easier to take him serious were he not flat on his back.
"Hey! I thought I told you to watch your mouth!" Marina quipped as she stepped out beside the stunned medic.
Kai turned to glare at the redhead. "I have my soap box this time Marina." Kai said without flinching.
The two were pushed out of the way by Piper carrying a bottle of water and a small plastic container.
"Piper, make sure you don't put in too much, just a cap full ok!" Kai shouted.
"What's going on here? Piper? What are you doing?" Rondana asked, still confused as to what was going on.
"She's giving Starling a boost to help speed up her metabolism." Kai stated.
"Why is she doing that? All that will do is burn out the sedative I gave her." Rondana was about to stop Piper when a serpentine tail of black energy snapped like a whip between the two girls.
"Don't you dare!" Before Kai could continue they heard Starling groaning in pain again.
"What on Atmos is wrong with her? What was it you gave her that would react that fast?" Marina asked confused.
The tail of energy dissipated, but Kai's voice still had a bit of its deep timbre.
"Star's allergic to Morphine! That dose you gave her earlier was almost enough to put her into a coma!" Kai shouted in anger.
It took a second for the words to register, but when they did, they hit like a brick wall.
"What?"
"Starling is allergic to Morphine. The reason she's been so messed up is that she was having an allergic reaction." Kai repeated, only this time a bit calmer.
"Allergic reacti oh dear. I, I didn't know!" Rondana ran over to the still unconscious woman and helped Piper by holding Starling's head up, so she wouldn't choke on the water.
Marina watched from the doorway, not quite sure what to do. She knew field medicine and a few little things here and there, but this was a bit above her level of experience. She watched as Kai's hands clinched and unclenched, like some kind of caged animal. Only able to hear, not actually see what was happening. She knew it must have been eating him up inside, but there was nothing that could be done about that.
"I just hope that he realizes it was a mistake." Marina thought as she left for the bridge. She was of no use here and would only be in the way.
About an hour later they had managed to get the still unconscious woman to drink entire bottle of water. They had to be careful not to give her too much since she was still out cold, but at the same time, they had to get the Morphine out of her blood.
"Rondana, is there anything else we can do to help?" Piper asked as she sat the older woman's head back onto the pillow.
Rondana shook her head. "Not with what we have onboard. If she woke up it would help, but until then, no."
"You could try keeping her warm. Wouldn't that help?" Kai asked from on the floor.
"We're keeping her as warm as we can. Too much heat can be just as bad as none at all." The medic replied.
Piper felt bad for her friend, she had only been doing what she thought would help. "How could she have known Starling was allergic?" That thought did remind her of something though.
"Wait a minute, Rondana gave her the sedative to help her sleep, it's not the cause of whatever is happening." Piper said out loud.
"Maybe, maybe not. Her reaction to it might be what's prolonging her current state. While not being the cause, it certainly didn't do anything to help." Rondana said pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Kai, is there anything else I need to know about Starling? Anything else that would help explain why she's like this?" She asked standing up.
The teen thought it over for a second, but shook his head. "Sorry, not that I know of. She doesn't have any other real allergies, and this never happened before, well, not that I know of."
"So it must be from something recent." Rondana tried to think back to the past two weeks, but she couldn't remember anything strange or unusual. Starling had eaten the same food they had, drank the same drinks they had, and slept in the same beds as they had. "What am I missing? It must be something very obvious, or very small." She thought.
"I'm sorry, but I can't think of anything else. If I had my equipment I would have a better idea of what's going on, but aside from that." Rondana's hands dropped to her side.
"Hey, you did your best. We all make mistakes, this was in no way your fault, was it Kai?" Piper asked sending a mid level glare at said person.
Kai didn't flinch; he answered honestly, exactly what he thought.
"You didn't know, it was as much my fault as it was yours. Don't beat yourself up over it, leave some for me eh?" Kai said with a small grin.
Rondana chuckled dryly before her stomach growled.
"I guess I should get something to eat huh?" She asked with a small laugh.
"While you're at it…." Kai left the statement hanging.
"Oh that's right! I bet your hungry aren't you?" Rondana asked looking down at her other patent.
GGGGRRRROROUUUUUTHHHHHH
Kai raised his eyebrow. "What? It wasn't me. He noticed that Piper was slightly pink, but decided not to call her on it. This time.
GGGGEGEGEEGEGEGEEEGGRRROUOOOOOO
Kai looked the other way. "Ok, that one was."
Rondana snickered. "I'll start something up. You two keep watching Starling for me ok? And let me know the minute her condition changes."
At that the young medic left the three alone.
Neither said anything at first, but soon Piper's curiosity returned.
"Um, Kai." She jumped slightly when the boy's eyes shifted to her without him moving his head.
"That is so creepy." She thought fighting back a shudder.
"Yes?"
"What was that stuff you had me give her? And how did you know it would help?" She asked, looking at the plastic container.
Kai chuckled. "It was actually a gift from Rondana. It accelerates a person's metabolism and absorbs foreign substances from your blood. She makes it for me to use so that I can, how does she put it, Drag my half dead sorry excuse of a hide to her office."
Piper sat back on the floor beside him and pulled a pillow into her lap. "Ok, now I know there's go to be a story behind this." She said getting comfortable.
Back in the kitchen Rondana was trying to keep her hands still long enough to open the fridge. She had managed to keep it together back with the others, but now it was hitting her full force.
"I almost killed her." She thought looking at her hands. "I'm supposed to be a healer; I'm not supposed to hurt patients." She brought her hands together and forced them to her, trying her best to keep the still.
Marina entered the kitchen and noticed her troubled appearance, and immediately figured out what was wrong.
"If you needed help with the food, you could have asked." She said opening one of the packets and dumping out the contents after reading the label.
"It looks like a grey brick." She thought. "Better add a lot of sauce this time." She decided.
"Marina….I…."
"No, Marina me, you Rondana." The woman said in a mock caveman voice without turning around.
Rondana smiled slightly, but it soon vanished.
"Marina, I almost…I….what am I supposed to do?" The girl asked. She was confused and upset, while at the same time angry and sad.
"Why are you asking me? I'm a fighter not a medic. You're the doctor on this ship, what are you supposed to do?" Marina asked, still not turning to face to younger girl.
"I….I'm supposed to…I'm supposed to help you…and take care of your injuries." She said softly.
"Then why are you in here? If you're in here you should be eating something or making something to eat. Which is it?" The older woman asked using a spoon to sample the food.
PWUIE
"That's worse that Duku meat. How old is this stuff?" Marina asked before picking up the wrapper.
"By the triforce! THIS STUFF'S BEEN ON HERE SINCE BEFORE MY DAD TOOK THE THRONE!"
Rondana, not having seen the wrapper looked into the pot Marina was using and used a spoon of her own to sample it.
"What's wrong with it? It still tastes like tuna casserole."
"The problem, is that according to the wrapper, IT'S FREEZE DRIED CHICKEN!" Marina shouted before dumping the contents through the garbage chute.
"Ok, that would be a problem." Rondana said with a light laugh.
"Uh, I still can't believe that this is the only stuff he brought with him. Who eats like this?" Marina asked wiping off her tongue with a napkin.
"Prisoners, students, airliner passengers." Rondana said counting off on her fingers.
Marana was now sporting a small smile. "Now that's more like it."
The two then noticed Radarr and Griffy tiptoeing by them for the exit.
"What are you two trying to hide?" Marina asked accusingly.
Radarr and Griffy immediately stopped dead in their tracks, but didn't turn to face the two women.
"Come on, the sooner you spill the sooner I'll let you go." Marina said narrowing her eyes.
Radarr wiped his mouth on his arm before both he and Griffy turned around.
"Is that blood?!" Rondana shouted, suddenly afraid that the two had been hurt.
Marina's nose twitched. "Wait a minute, that's not blood….that's…stake sauce. YOU TWO'VE BEEN HOLDING OUT ON US HAVEN'T YOU?!" Marina roared, suddenly ten times taller with flames appearing behind her.
Radarr and Griggy looked at each other before nodding their heads, and took off.
If opposite directions.
A tick mark was quickly growing on the redhead, while the second girl was just confused.
"Marina, are you…ok?" She asked, not sure what was wrong with her friend.
"You get the flyer. The monkey's mine." Marina said coldly before taking off after Radarr.
Tigger was in a dungeon, she knew it, there was no way she was not being tortured.
Well, kind of.
She had to admit that the freighter was a good ship. Considering that it had been built in an abandoned super carrier at the bottom of terra Deep by one person using stolen or secondhand supplies and tools.
That being said, her inner engineer was working overtime nitpicking it apart.
"Kai's onto something here, but his welding still needs work, and this thing still needs to be rewired. Add that to the overhaul for the engines and it would probably be cheaper just to buy a new one." Tigger shook her head. "As soon as Kai's back up and flying, I'm going to give this thing a proper onceover." She said.
"What?"
Tigger jumped, having forgotten that her friend was still present and that she wasn't alone.
"Oh, uh, I was just thinking out loud." Tigger replied, checking the instruments again.
Shadow, in her quest to avoid boredom, sought out her friend in the cockpit. After Marina left, she quickly claimed the seat and made herself at home.
"What's wrong with the ship that it would need to be fixed? It's not going to suddenly drop out of the sky….is it?" Shadow asked, slightly spooked.
Tigger laughed. "No it's not going to drop like a stone, but it needs a lot of work. Kai is a pretty good mechanic, but he's lousy with detail stuff. He should stick to skimmer's."
"Why?"
"Because there is a difference between skimmer maintenance, and carrier or small ship maintenance. With a skimmer, you can get by using short cuts and doing what it takes to make something work. But that's not a very good idea with anything bigger." Tigger replied.
"Like what?" Shadow asked. Sure, she wasn't a gear head, but she rather listen to her friend babble about stuff she didn't quite understand than just sit and listen to her own thoughts. Especially since they tended to get her into trouble.
"Well, this ships engines for one thing. He shoved them in, even though their made for a ship twice as big as this one, he didn't care and used them anyway." Tigger answered.
"But I thought he made this thing to be fast? Isn't that kind of the whole idea?" Shadow asked not understanding.
"Like I said, you can get away with that on a skimmer, but it's a bad idea with bigger ships. Machines have limits and rules that need to be followed. Yes, by using bigger engines Kai made a small ship very fast, but, it has to be constantly maintained or the engines will rip the thing apart. Even then they will eventually. This thing wasn't built for that kind of stress." Tigger replied.
"Oh…but what about the Condor? Its like, a hundred years old, it's bigger yeah, but it goes even faster. Shouldn't it have fallen apart by now if that were true?" Shadow pointed out.
Tigger lowered her head. "The Condor is the exception, not the rule. How the thing is still in one piece after everything it's been through is a mystery. All I can say for sure is that it was very well built, and the thing seems to poses a will to survive stronger than most humans."
Shadow laughed. "What? Are you saying that it's alive or something?"
Tigger shrugged her shoulders. "Machines have a mind of their own. Ask any mechanic and they'll tell you that. Sometimes it means they cause nothing but trouble, other times…." Tigger didn't know how to explain what she was trying to say. It was a basic principle that all mechanics knew, but was nearly impossible to explain to someone.
"Sometimes a machine can develop….to the point that it's alive."
Shadow gave her a disbelieving look that pretty much said you're pulling my leg.
"I'm serious! You told me yourself that sometimes you can feel a place, like you did with terra Deep. Why couldn't the same thing work with a machine or an object?" Tigger asked.
"She does have a point." Thinking back, she was able to recall some…rather unusual things concerning the Condor. Like how it seemed to get faster when one of their lives were in danger, or how all its various little kinks and problems seemed to instantly vanish when they were in battle. She even recalled one time that they were almost out of fuel crystals, but somehow that ship made it to the next port, even though Piper told them repeatedly that there was just no chance of the ship making it, and that they should be ready to abandon ship.
"They say that objects take on pieces of the persons who uses them, good or bad, depending on how they are used, not what they were made for. That's why mechanics always try to repair rather than replace. If you try your hardest, and do your best to keep it alive, one day it might do the same for you." Tigger said solemnly.
"If that's true, its no wonder the Condor's made it this far. Every person that's ever been a part of its crew was a hero at one time or another." Thinking it over, Shadow unstrapped her harness and got up.
"Hey? Where you going?" Tigger asked.
Shadow pulled her crystal ax from its holster and looked it over before turning to her friend.
"To give this thing a good cleaning. It's been awhile and I need to check the crystals anyways." She said before leaving.
Piper shook her head. "Kai, I'm sorry, but you seriously need to get some help."
Kai shot her a hurt look.
"I can see why you try to do this on your own and all, but seriously, you almost died destroying the Phoenix Den, and from what you've told me, that's a pretty common thing for you. One day your luck might run out." Piper said leaning back.
"I told you, it's my job. I've been taking care of it for a year now; and I've been doing fine on my own so far. If I do need help, I get it. Otherwise." Piper butted in.
"But how do you know if you're going to need help? I still don't know exactly what you are, but I'm pretty sure that you're not psychic. And if you do need help, the time it takes for you to go and get it could mean that you've failed by the time you get back." Piper said with a rather disapproving look on her face.
"I…never saw it that way." Kai replied looking away.
"You need to pay more attention to the big picture Kai. Your intentions are good and solid, but your method is like Swiss cheese."
Kai laughed. "You must be hungry. That's the fifth food metaphor you've used so far."
Piper clutched her stomach for a moment before continuing. "Even so, you know that I'm right. What if one day you mess up? What if one day you overestimate yourself, or underestimate the situation? I'll admit you've got quite a load on you, but your responsibility is the same as the Sky Knight's, and that's to keep the people safe. You just don't do it in a way that the people see of know."
"Is that why you always come up with those ridiculously long and complicated plans?" Kai jabbed.
Piper looked up with a small grin. "Nice try, but I know your little tricks now. Stop trying to change the subject and answer the question."
"If something like that were ever to happen, I would just have to hope that Arygyn has a backup plan for when the day comes." Kai said shrugging.
Piper's jaw dropped.
"Ok, that's it, now I know you need help." Piper said getting up.
"What? What did I do?" Kai didn't see what the problem was. She asked a question, he answered it.
"Kai, you can't expect Arygyn to do everything. He's trying to help you, not use you."
Kai shot her a glare.
"Ok, so he IS using you to a degree, but that's because you're the one best suited for the job. Isn't that what you told us before?" Piper asked. She was getting tired, trying to get information while at the same time figure out just what went on in the older teens head was more difficult than she expected. She could see why Arygyn got annoyed with him so easily. Thankfully, years of being the only girl in a group full of guys, particularly when they reached their teens had given her an edge.
"He picked me out didn't he? So there must have been someone before me, and there's going to be people after me. No big deal."
"DOOOOO! Kai, don't you get it? Just because you know there will be someone to take your place doesn't mean you should hand it to them as quickly as you can. I thought you took the Sky Knight trials? You should know this by heart." Piper wanted nothing more than to pound the boys head into the floor. Unfortunately he still had immunity until deemed fit by Rondana.
"Piper, I DO try my hardest. I throw everything I've got into every mission I do until I don't have anything left to give. Why is it that people can't seem to understand that?" Kai said the last part under his breath, but Piper still caught it.
"When you don't have anything left to throw, you ask for your friends to pitch in. Kai, your friends are not a last resort option, they should be your first choice." Once again, Kai stepped in.
"Oh? Like three days ago with the Virage? I told you to run and you didn't listen, it almost got you a free plot of land and would have given me one not to far away after Aerrow found out." Kai fired back.
"Well maybe if you were a little more open, and told us exactly what we we're going to be coming across we would have listened!" Piper countered.
"Piper, I don't have that kind of time. And even if I did, I've only come across one of those things before, and it was on the other side of Atmos. How was I supposed to know it would be there?" Kai defended.
Piper narrowed her eyes. "There you go again, trying to change the subject. Good lord, who taught you that? You're worse than…"
Click
"Let's see if the same trick can work twice." Piper's eyes glanced at the unconscious form of Starling before jumping back to Kai.
"Look, I can understand you not wanting to get people hurt, but that doesn't mean it's any safer to go solo. If something happened to you out on a mission, and you were alone, by yourself, nobody would know."
Seeing that Kai was about to cut in, she plowed over him. "What if it was fighting Cyclonians to prevent them from getting their hands on something? You would be gone and Cyclonia would have a new weapon at its disposal. Whatever it was, nobody would know until after it was used, there would be no warning, no protection, and no chance of making an effective first counter. All of that would be because of you going solo."
Kai wanted to argue, but he had nothing that could stand against that line of logic.
"Whatever your past with the Council may be, you still have taken on the responsibility of helping to protect Atmos. That means putting it first above all else. Now I don't know why you have a bounty on your head, and I can see why you are reluctant to accept help from a squadron, but you have to remember than not all help can come from squadrons. There are plenty of people out there like Rondana and Marina, people that want to help and are outside the Council's realm of influence and control. You just need to look for them and ask." Piper's shoulders drooped.
That was it, that was all that she had left in her. Kai seemed to be a Hydra when it came to arguments. Every time she cut one off, two more would grow from the stump. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that it was a hobby of his, coming up with arguments, counters and distractions. Shessh, I don't even want to think of what he would be like as a lawyer, or worse, a Council member." Piper would have laughed if she had the strength. It would be a fitting punishment for them.
"The reason the Council wants to get rid of me…"
Piper looked up.
"Is because they no longer have any use for me, not if live Dragon's have been found." Kai said slowly.
Piper found just a little bit of strength left in her, and using it she moved to sit beside Kai's head, and crossing her legs, she rested back slightly on her arms.
"I've always enjoyed a good story." She said softly.
Kai weighed his options, and seeing that her face was tired, but willing and interested, he closed his eyes, and began to recount a story that had been in the works for the last five years.
His Story.
End Chapter 4
AN: Waho! Now that was a rollercoaster wasn't it? As I said before, I started this out as a total comedy chapter, but then I heard my muse start whispering 'Let's show a little more' and 'I think its time.' When she said 'Give me your pizza' though, I told her to take a hike lol. Seriously, this chapter seemed to write itself, and with the information I've gotten on the last 4 episodes, I've gotten plenty more ideas.
This story DOES have a map, but it only shows start and finish. How I get there is up to my muse. I wanted to thank those of you that have reviewed so far, and I hope that I haven't forgotten to reply to anyone. My internet is a bit…unreliable, so if I missed anyone, I apologize. Please continue reading, and hopefully, reviewing.
Be on the lookout for Forty Eight Hours of Horror and Humor! Part II
To be out soon. Till next time! Ja Ne!