Winds of Change Book II: Distant Thunder
Chapter 7: Flight of the Fearsome Foursome!
AN: Alright, this is the second time my muse took me for a wild ride. I had no intentions of focusing on this chapter's star character to begin with; it just seemed to flow with the story's progress. Personally, I think this is the best chapter I've ever written, not only because of its content, but because I was actually able to write something as deep as it turned out. Also, this chapter introduces two new characters, one of which I have a link to the picture I used for inspiration, along with another of Shadow at the end. And yes, I have cleaned up my profile; it no longer has a bunch of filler pics, just the important stuff.
Oh, and in case anyone didn't know, I accept anon reviews!
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
Kai groaned as he pulled out yet another metal trunk from the storage area of his ship. It had been four days since he woke from his 'nap' and he still felt like he had fallen off the side of a terra. Rondana had made a ship wide announcement that Kai was no longer in any danger, but he still was not to participate in any combat or otherwise strenuous activities for five more days.
Things had changed since then though, no doubt about that. He had gotten used to being ignored, as was the common now. Shadow and Starling both kept their distances from him, and Tigger, during most of the day was the same. She had explained to him that it was because she didn't want to upset Shadow, who currently only had her as a friend on board. She understood what he did, and why he had done it, but notted that Shadow needed her support more at the moment.
The others had been….different. Rondana never seemed to be too far away, not counting the ships small size. Though she didn't speak to him often, she was never cold with him, nor did she leave the room when he entered as Shadow and Starling did. Marina seemed to take the same stance as Tigger, only with Starling in place of Shadow. The two actually got along surprisingly well, which Kai was thankful for. He knew that Starling was uncomfortable when in a group for extended periods of time, so having a friend, or just somebody to talk to and swap stories with kept her distracted.
Then there was Piper.
Piper seemed to be trying to make up for the rest of the crew, and though they didn't talk as much as they had a few days back, Kai was extremely thankful for her. She had picked up on the fact that he despised silence in any form, and tried to keep him company. He hadn't told her anything else about his past, nor had she divulged him with her own however. They mainly focused on the book.
As Piper translated it, Kai would look over her notes, and make his own set with anything he thought might prove useful.
Looking at the list of places they had to visit, he made sure to plot a course that would avoid one in particular for as long as possible. He still couldn't believe that out of all of Atmos, he had to return there of all places.
The only other person that spoke to him regularly was Marina, and it was all business. She was new to these skies, and didn't know them, or what to expect. So Kai tried as best he could to explain the normal problems that would be encountered, things ranging from sky sharks, to Leviathans should they run across one.
Then there was the subject of Ancient grounds. Kai had recounted every creature he had come across and anything else that might be of use to look out for.
This was where he had to explain the rest of what he was willing to about the Virage. Something that still confused the others.
Flashback
"Alright, so basically, the more human like it looks, the more likely it is to kick our cans in a fight." Marina said grimacing.
Kai nodded his head. "Pretty much. They got pretty good at biotech towards the end of the war. At first they only made large weapons and creatures, and while they were, and still are a threat, their size can be used against them. The smaller ones you have to watch out for because they are not as limited in movement or flexibility."
"So the Virage was an early weapon?" Piper asked, thinking she was finally getting the hang of things.
She was surprised to see Kai droop suddenly.
"Actually, it wasn't. The Virage was one of the last things they made, and it's the most dangerous thing I've ever come across. Just hope that we never come across another one."
"But, I thought you said they started making things smaller in the end? Why was that thing so big?" Shadow asked confused. She was still mad at Kai, but at the same time she wanted to know more about the creatures, there was just something…off about them, or at least the one they had come across in the Phoenix Den.
Sighing, Kai leaned his back against the wall.
"Piper, do you remember when I asked you what you knew about Dragons a few days ago?"
Piper nodded. "Yeah, it was right after you said that the Virage were a final answer to a problem, or something like that."
"Well, the problem I mentioned, was Dragons."
It took a second for the statement to register, but when it did, Marina was the first to speak.
"Wait a minute, your telling us, that those…things were made to fight Dragons?"
Kai shook his head. "No, those things were made to hunt Dragons. They were somehow given the ability to sense them from a long distance."
"Kai, what else can you tell us about the Virage. If it's as big of a threat as you make it out to be, we need to know anything that will help us." Starling said with a cool all business tone.
"What can I tell you about them? Not much that's of any use really. You already know that they're big, and extremely strong. The only other one I came across had just woken up itself, and I think it was still a little groggy. It's probably the only reason I'm still alive now." Kai said lowering his head.
"How did you beat it?"
Kai looked over to Rondana with a sad face. "I didn't. All I could do was trap it. I found it in a crystal lab deep inside a cavern, and when the thing followed me to the back, I set off the charges and ran like a scared rabbit for the exit. For all their power and endurance, their not too bright. About as smart as a little kid, but that still puts it above most animals."
"So it's basically just a giant that we have to avoid or run from?" Marina asked pinching her nose.
Kai looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment, but nodded his head. "For the most part, yes. Like I said, I don't have a lot of experience fighting them, and the only information I have on them…I haven't been able to finish going over."
Everyone looked up at him.
"You have records of one?" Piper asked in a daze.
Kai nodded. "Yes, and its part of the reason I take this work so seriously, and why I destroy everything. I don't want Lark, or the Council, or anyone for that matter finding out how to make them."
"You…don't know how, do you?" Rondana asked, sensing that there was more to this than Kai was letting on.
"No, I don't know how to make one; I have a….understanding of what happens."
"You're going to have to explain it better than that." Starling said narrowing her eyes.
"I know one of the key ingredients, so while I don't know exactly what is done to make it, I do know what is required to make one. And no, I will not tell you, nor anyone what is needed."
"Kai, are you sure that is wise? Knowing how something is made could be the key to destroying it." Tigger said from the back of the group.
"Trust me on this, if you knew what I did, you wouldn't be able to fight it. If we come across another, I'll deal with it."
Seeing that Starling was about to speak up, Kai cut it.
"Oh and that reminds me. Marina, you and Shadow need to be extra careful."
The two looked at him oddly.
"Why would Shadow and myself be at higher risk?"
"Because, like me, you two carry Ancient artifacts. I saw them resonate when the Virage woke up, and that's happened to me in the past."
"What do you mean, happened to you in the past?" Shadow asked, getting a bad feeling in her stomach.
"I've had my crystal set off booby traps, and have been hunted by things that could detect it. I'm not saying that you'll always be at higher risk, it's just something to watch out for."
Flashback end
Kai shook his head at the shouting behind him as he found what he was looking for.
"You call yourself a linguist! You said waterfalls! All I see is rock and sand!" Shadow shouted.
"Hey! I said it mentioned fish! And it does! Not my fault the place dried out and turned into a desert! This book is older than the entire Council put together!"
That was one of several surprises they had met last night. Tigger had been right about the ship needing some spot repairs after all, since last night one of the engines had failed, forcing them to make a rather hasty landing. They had been lucky to find the next location, and actually reach it before the ship fell apart according to Tigger.
Rocky Fall's, turned out to be more rocky than falls. It was a large desert terra that had a large number of mountains running though out the landscape. Not a tree in sight, not an animal in sight, and according to the external thermometer, it had an average temperature of a hundred and six.
That was why Kai was currently digging around in the supplies. Since they had not known exactly what to expect, he had packed expecting everything, and was thankful for it now. Opening the metal trunk, he smiled when he saw its contents before closing it and dragging it to the quarters where the others were discussing (i.e. arguing) the current situation.
"Rondana, I am fine. You don't have to keep checking on me every five minutes." Starling said swatting away the medic.
"Look, I'm only doing my job. You're not in the best of shape right now and you need to be careful until you get back your strength. I'm part of the mission team and I need to make sure your ok before I leave."
Starling groaned as she listened to the others bicker while at the same time tried to ignore the monster sized headache she was developing.
Knock knock
Piper sighed. "Kai, what is it, we're kind of in the middle of something here."
"I found something that I thought you could use, I'll leave the trunk outside the door." He said before walking off.
"What do you think it is?" Shadow asked, momentarily forgetting that she was not finished yelling at Piper about having been misled about their current mission.
Marina opened the hatch and saw a metal box about half the size of their lockers on the ground.
"Hmm, no harm in peeking." She said dragging it inside. Pulling it to the middle of the room, she opened it and was surprised to see cloth.
"What on Atmos is this?" Shadow asked, pulling the light grayish green material out.
As soon as Shadow pulled one all the way out and held it up, Marina recognized it instantly. "It's a cloak, harsh enviro type if I'm not mistaken." She said pulling one out herself.
"A cloak? Is he nuts? It's hot enough to fry an egg on the ground and he gives us cloaks?" Shadow asked in disbelief.
"Actually they're good for keeping cool. The light color reflects a lot of the light and heat. I'm surprised that I forgot mine actually." Marina said examining it more closely. "Though I don't know why it has draw strings running though it."
Shadow grabbed the two strings in the cloak she was holding and pulled them as far as she could. The result was the cloak closing up like a giant bag.
"I think that's Kai's booty bag." Piper said laughing.
Shadow dropped it jumped back away from it.
"HIS WHAT?!" She shrieked.
Piper continued to laugh. "Kai's a pirate, remember? I bet that's he uses these to carry what he decides not to blow up."
Marina was laughing now. "Now why didn't I think of that?"
Back in the hanger, Kai found Tigger messaging her head.
"Something wrong?"
Tigger jumped slightly, not having heard Kai enter.
"I'm just trying to mentally prepare myself. This is not going to be an hour patch job you know."
Kai flinced. "Look, I'm sorry ok, but at least we landed. If there's anything you need…"
Tigger shook her head. "I know we have what I need to fix it. I just need time. I could use a hand getting some of this stuff up there though." She said nodding towards the welding rig and tool boxes.
"There's a lift in here actually. It goes up to the top, you could use that."
Tigger stared at him blankly. "Why do you have a lift in your hanger that reaches the outside?"
Kai got a little nervous and shuffled his feet slightly. "It's uh…part of my day job." He replied looking away.
It took a second, but Tigger figured it out. "Pirate, duh."
"You sure you don't need a hand? I mean I'm not as good as you are, but I can still do a good patch job, and it's not like I have anything else to do."
"Nah, I work better alone. More hands mean I have to watch for more than ten fingers." Tigger said dismissively. "Now go on, shoo, shoo!"
Kai grumbled but left the hanger and returned to what had come to be his sanctuary, the storage room.
Marina smiled as she wrapped her new cloak around herself and pulled up the hood. "Not bad, Lark's got some good tailors, I'll give her that."
"And you're sure this will keep us from being cooked alive out there?" Shadow asked as she stared at the cloak with more than a little doubt.
"Shadow, I've worn one of these most of my life, and the only thing I ever got was tan lines because of my clothes. You might get a little warm, but you should be fine."
"Uggh! Marina, some help here?" Piper pleaded.
Marina chuckled. "How is it that someone can have trouble with a cloak? It's not that hard. I guess I'm just used to it." Marina thought as she helped Piper fix hers so that it wasn't falling off of her, or choking her.
Turning, she saw that Shadow and Rondana were watching how she had done it, and were now putting their own on over their flight suits. She was surprised to see Radarr hop up with one of his own. Apparently he had found a small one and cut most of the material off, leaving just the hood and a portion of the cape. The sky monkey was much smarter than she had given him credit for, as she saw he had wrapped the sleaves around his midsection to keep his fur covered. She also had to admit he did look rather funny with the hood pulled up and his face set with a serious expression.
"Ok, now Starling, remember what I told you."
Starling cut Rondana off by holding up her hand. "Don't overexert myself, try to rest up, and keep an eye on both Kai and Tigger. I can handle it."
Rondana nodded and turned to the others. "Well, all set?"
Piper grinned. "Yep, I've got everything in my pack."
"I still don't like the idea of you carrying around the charge crystals." Shadow said wearily.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Piper asked hands on her hips
"It means I value my life, and I'm in your squadron. I know your history with crystals." Shadow said crossing her arms.
"Hey! It's not like I did any of that on purpose! They were accidents!" Piper shouted before pouting slightly.
"Ok, first of all, I'm not Aerrow, so pouting doesn't work with me, second, that's my point. Your kind of….accident prone when it comes to crystals." Shadow said with a nervous grin.
Marina rolled her eyes.
"That's why I have the fuses, remember? The charges are useless without the flint crystals to activate or set them."
Shadow still didn't look reassured, she knew from past experience that when it came to Piper, crystals tended to do weird things, things that nobody had ever heard of, and that nobody could, or would want to explain.
"Alright don't make me separate you two." Marina said teasingly. "The sooner we get this one done, the sooner we get to the next one, which might actually be a hidden paradise."
Tigger had just finished dragging the tools over to the lift when Marina, Piper, Shadow and Rondana entered the hanger.
"Tigger, did you check our skimmers?"
Tigger grined. "Yep! Everything's set and ready to go. Tanks are full, weapons charged and the tires are fresh. If anything happens out there it's your fault."
Marina nodded her head and climbed aboard her personal skimmer, just as Shadow did. Rondana, not owning one of her own, got onto one that Kai had loaned her from his base.
Just as Piper reached her 'loaner' Tigger tapped her shoulder.
"Hmm? Something wrong?"
Grinning, Tigger held out a set of keys. "Kai said not to scratch her paint or get any dints. If you do, you'll be buffing them out."
It took a second for what she said to register, but when it did Piper's jaw hit the floor.
"No way am I flying that monster. It's as bad as Aerrow's racing skimmer, and that thing uses the Condor's engines."
"Piper, you might need it. I gave it the once over, and trust me, that kind of fire power is always nice to have on hand. If nothing else it can outrun anything in case of an emergency."
Piper bit her lip, but reached out and took the keys.
Tigger backed away from the skimmers and opened the rear hatch to the outside.
As the four skimmers fired up and revved, Marina called out over the engines.
"Remember, this is sand, so don't push it. We won't be able to reach takeoff speed, but that doesn't mean we crawl like a turtle."
"MOVE OUT!" Marina shouted before peeling out of the hanger with tires squealing.
Tigger idly wondered if this was what it was like to be the flag girl for a race track as she watched the other three follow suit.
"Where did I put those things?" Kai thought out loud as he dug through the storage room.
Having nothing else to do, and facing the fact that he was now (in his mind) a third wheel. Kai set out to do something he had neglected for the last six years.
Target pratice.
If asked why it was he didn't bother practicing, his response would have been along the lines of: "It would be like trying to teach Harrier how to rap."
Meaning that it was not only useless, but it was also painful to watch.
Finding the crystals he had stashed in case of an emergency, Kai dug through the case until he found several Solaris stones. Grinning, he pulled out his tri-staff, and inserted them into the three crystal chambers.
"At least I'll have plenty of time to practice. Not like these babies will ever run dry in the middle of a desert." Kai thought as he made his way outside.
Perched on top of the freighter, Tigger was surveying what lie ahead of her with a scowl.
"I should charge him for this. No, scratch that, I AM going to charge him for this."
Not only did she have to fix the busted engine, but she had to give the entire ship a service check. There was also the little factor of the temperature being over a hundred.
She was used to hot weather, but not to this degree. True, she had a Solaris-block crystal necklace that Aladd had given her to keep her from turning into a lobster, but it was still hot.
Her solution? White kaki shorts and tank top. Not her favorite choice in clothing, but as Kurk had said when he gave Aladd command for the first time; desperate times called for desperate measures.
Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she put on her face shield and started on what she knew would be a day long project.
Starling found herself to be relieved with the others absence. Since she had woken up, they had treated her as though she were made of porcelain. Weak, fragile, and likely to break if not treated with the upmost of care.
"They seem to forget that I could take down all of them on my own." She thought with a scoff.
It wasn't that she was ungrateful as much as she was uncomfortable. Being orphaned when she was only ten, she had little experience with being pampered or taken care of. She took care of Kai when he was sick, but she herself had rarely even been, and those few times she had stayed in her room under a mound of blankets to herself.
Having people wait on her hand and foot, helping her get up, and walk beside her in case she fell only aggravated her.
"I'm twenty four dang it! I don't need a nurse maid!" Starling scowled.
She still felt agitated over having Rondana dry her hair two days ago.
"To need help with something so simple." She thought shaking her head.
After learning what exactly was going on from Arygyn, she found that many of the little details from the last few weeks making sense. She was thankful that her tiredness from the last few days had been due to Kai draining her, and not something that she would have classified as a 'real problem'.
This was something manageable, whereas if it had been a sickness or disease of some sort she would have been at its mercy. In this case, all she had to worry about was Kai, something far less frightening and far more controllable.
There was however, a new problem that she foresaw.
"Now I have to figure out how to get Kai to actually use his powers. As long as we're connected, I doubt he'll call on them willingly."
From their past, Starling knew quite a bit about her former apprentice. She knew his strengths and his weaknesses, what he would and would not do, and, his limits.
Of these, his biggest problem was taking risks. More specifically, with others.
With his neck on the line, she knew he would jump head on into terra Cyclonia itself.
But put another person into the equation, especially a close friend, and he would shy away from anything remotely dangerous.
It was all too much for her. Two years had past since the Nightmare of Mesa. For these last two years the only person she had to look out for or worry about was herself. The only thing she had to count on, the only thing she had to calculate was herself.
Now she had a squadron to watch out for. Now she had seven people to count on, seven people to calculate for. She knew Piper well enough, and had seen Shadow fight several times. But Tigger, Rondana and Marina were all unknowns, and Kai….
Running the figures over again and again, she kept coming up with the same results.
He was, in all respects a liability.
To start, he put the others in a state of emotional confusion and turmoil. Aside from Marina, the others knew, and trusted him greatly. But now because of recent events they no longer did so to the same degree. Two years worth of habit was now conflicting with three weeks worth of hurt and anger.
Secondly, he provided only partial information. This led to further distrust, and put them at risk from possible threats when fighting. Knowing a little about an opponent leads people to underestimating them, something that people are cautious enough to avoid doing when they know nothing about the same opponent.
Thirdly, Kai was not used to working in groups at all. True, she had flown solo the last two years, but she also had seven years of experience in flying, and fighting with a squadron. Kai only had a handful of group missions under his belt. While the others all came from squadrons, or at least worked in a group more than not.
And lastly, there were his powers. Having seen them firsthand, the others might, in the back of their minds count on him using them should the situation warrant it. However, as long as they were bonded, Starling knew it was unlikely for him to do so. Added to that now was the cost of him using them, draining her. She knew that Kai had only used his powers twice in the last two weeks, and that the total time elapsed was less than ten minutes.
Ten minutes in two weeks had left her out cold for four days.
Shaking her head again, Starling set out to find the others. It was after all her job to watch them while the others were away.
"Are you sure this is the right way?!"
"For the hundredth time Shadow, YES!" Piper shouted over the roar of the groups skimmers.
Twenty minutes had passed and as far as they could tell, they were no closer to their destination than they had been when they landed.
From what the book mentioned, their target was at the back of a canyon in the mountains ahead of them. The problem was that the mountains were not growing any larger, meaning they were not getting any closer.
Marina smiled. This terra was very similar to her home of terra Gerudo. A scorching hot sun, wide empty desert, and not an animal in sight. (Not counting the buzzards circling over head.)
It was quite a sight really. Four skimmers at full throttle, whipping up rooster tails of sand twenty feet high, with their riders all cloaked in white with capes flying in the wind behind them. It was like something out of an action movie.
"I wonder if we'll come across any whip wielding treasure hunting hunks out here?" Rondana though grinning.
Having finished her first book, Rondana had started on her second, which just happened to be a romantic thriller involving a lost temple in the middle of a desert. She was still disappointed at the first books ending. Which had turned out to be just as tacky as Kai had predicted. Rebecca died in Wandicemo's arms, only to come back to life when Rachel's influence over her disappeared.
"I just hope this one's not another rip off." She thought shaking her head.
Piper grinned as she looked down at the skimmers gauges. She knew that Marina's skimmer was comparable to Starling's Red Streak, and that Rondana and Shadow's were no second rate domestic models. That is why she was excited over the fact she was keeping up with them so easily with the nine gear beast.
Using only second gear.
Her heritage gave her a yearning for battle, a lust of sorts for excitement and danger. She was after all a sixteen year old Amazonian. That was one of the reasons she flew a heliscooter, to keep her adrenalin in check and to keep her from doing anything wild, crazy, and unpredictable.
But now that was not the case. She was going faster now on the ground then she was used to in the air, and the rush was intoxicating. Not that things were ever stale on the Condor, but getting shot at (in her mind) was not as much fun as flat out burning sky, or in this case, burning rubber.
Between her mother, and Aerrow, Piper never really had a chance to unwind, to let her hair down so to speak. She was well mannered, respectful, and often times served as both the voice of reason and sound judgment with the Storm Hawks. Those were all things she had been taught and had learned growing up. She did them for the sake of her friends and because she knew it was needed.
The problem was, that those things were not who she really was.
Not that she lived a lie or a double life as Kai had apparently been doing for who knows how long. She was simply….doing what had to be done.
For the first time in as long as she could remember, she was able to be herself, completely and wholly. She didn't have to be the voice of reason, she didn't have to keep the boys in line, and, due to Kai's status as a wanted criminal, she didn't have to worry about every little rule and law the insufferable old fools of the Council had set.
It was hard to describe for her. She had lived such a sheltered life, been guided by the hand. When she was given something to do, she had always been told how to do it, what she could and couldn't do, what was and was not acceptable. But now, now she had none of that. She had a goal in mind, but no restrictions on how to complete or accomplish it, no boundaries to hold her back other than those she set for herself.
It was easy to see why so few renegades ever came back. Who wants to give up complete and total freedom?
"Heh, I bet I could blow Aerrow's doors off if I raced him right now." Piper thought grinning.
Gasp
Just like that, it hit her. The realization of what had happened.
She had changed.
The Piper that had left the Condor with Kai, the Piper that had grown up playing with Aerrow, Radarr, Finn and Junko on terra Lyn,
Was dead.
True, she hadn't done anything even remotely illegal (aside from aid a fugitive) but her thinking had changed. Already, things that she never would have even thought of before, were becoming common background thoughts in her mind.
She was the serious one, the thinker, the planner, she was the one that kept the others in line and chided them for doing silly things that were a waste of time, and here she was in the middle of a dangerous mission, one that could help decide the outcome of the war, and she was thinking about racing of all things?!
Fear
It shot through her body like ice water.
"I can't be like this! I'm supposed to be the mature one!" The tiny voice in her head shouted.
That single thought had been the one thing that held her true self back. It held her in place and kept her as 'Piper the bouncy, giggly, book worm good girl' since the resurrection of the Storm Hawks two years ago. It was her mantra that she repeated every time something she (at heart), really wanted came along that was (in her mind) childish and a waste of her time.
But now, for the first time, there was a second voice. One that she had never heard before.
"Why not?"
Piper blinked.
"Why can't I be myself? The guys all goof off and do as they please. Why do I have to be the boring one?"
The old voice spoke again.
"Because they need someone to watch out for them! Their not responsible or mature enough to look out for themselves."
It was strange; she had heard this tiny voice and listened to it all her life, but for the first time she could actually see it.
In her mind, she saw herself, exactly as she looked in the mirror less than a month ago. Dull orange eyes, dark blue hair, wearing her orange and blue flight suit.
"You have to be the way you are! If you don't take care of the others, who will?" She pleaded.
"Uh, I don't know, themselves maybe?"
Looking over, Piper saw, 'her' for the first time.
It took her a few seconds to figure out just who 'she' was, but when she did she refused to believe it.
Sauntering towards her was a dark skinned teen with shimmering dark blue hair, and bright orange eyes that twinkled mischievously. Instead of a normal flight suit, she wore a sleeveless form fitting top that came down from her neck and went underneath her arms, exposing her from the neck to just below her shoulder blades. Her pants, while not restrictively tight, were snug and did show off her frame.
"How….how can….that….thats me!?"
Piper did a double take, then a triple, and finally a quadruple.
Once the shock faded and she regained control of herself, she looked over the other her.
"That can't be right. It must be the heat getting to me. No way I would ever wear something like that, and since when did I have hips?"
Before she could ask what in the name of the Oracle stone was going on, the two started arguing.
"Take care of themselves? Are you nuts?! They can't even look after a pet rock! Order is needed. They need someone to look out for them, to plan, to navigate, to keep track of."
The 'new Piper' rolled her eyes and cut her off.
"They were mature enough to leave home on their own right after Aerrow's fourteenth birthday, and he IS a Sky Knight unless you forgot."
'Old Piper' would not give in that easily.
"Yes he is, but the others are not. I have to take care of them or they'd forget their own names!"
'New Piper' shook her head.
"They don't need a baby sitter. They can look after themselves just fine. So they play around and don't take everything so seriously, it's not the end of the world. Aerrow knows what he's doing, and has led us just fine for the last two years. Saying that they need someone to look after them and take care of them is saying that Aerrow is a bad leader and that the others are unfit to fight Cyclonia."
Piper watched as 'New Piper' walked towards the old one with strong purposeful steps.
"So, which is it? Do they need a nurse to feed them a bottle and burp them? Is Aerrow unfit to lead and not to be trusted with our lives? Or are our friends a true squadron, a family that looks out for each other, but still has fun because they can?"
'Old Piper' was now cornered and she knew it. Unable to respond she started sputtering and faded until she disappeared completely, leaving Piper, and 'New Piper' alone.
Not knowing why, Piper felt several tears fall down her cheeks. It was like a piece of her had been torn away. Realization had hit her, but at the same time, it was all she had known up till now. She was hurt, hurt and scared of what was happening to her.
'New Piper' walked up to her and cupped her face with one hand, lifting it up so they were face to face. Wiping a stray tear with her thumb, 'New Piper' smiled warmly.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to force you into doing anything, and I'm not going to change who you are."
Piper sniffed.
"Who are you? Why…why is this happening?"
'New Piper' shook her head and laughed.
"I'm you silly, just…not you yet. I'm not going anywhere, but you're….your just not ready for me yet."
Piper took a step back and rubbed her face into her sleeve. She didn't feel bad, but for some reason she was still crying. Giving a half laugh half choke, Piper spoke.
"I don't think I'll ever be ready to wear something like that."
'New Piper' smiled brightly.
"Awe, I like this outfit. Nowhere near as stuffy as the old one. It fits me like a glove."
Piper still couldn't believe it. How could the confident, yet playful and strong teen girl standing less than five feet away be her?
"Better get going. I think the others are getting worried."
"Huh? What are talking?"
"Hey! Hello! Atmos to Piper! Anybody home?!" Shadow's voice echoed through the darkness.
"Like I said, better get going!" 'New Piper said waving with a huge grin.
Piper blinked and suddenly she was once again driving Kai's 'beast'. Looking to her side she saw a worried Shadow pulling up along side her.
"Hey, everything ok?"
Piper could feel a few stray tears still falling from her face, but choked back the hurt and confusion she felt before answering.
"Yeah, just a lot on my mind."
Shadow shot her a questioning look before answering.
"If you say so. You've been quiet for almost an hour. I was starting to get worried."
Piper chuckled and shook her head.
"Na, everything's a.o.k."
Shadow shot her a puzzled look before pulling away slightly back into formation.
Reaching up with one hand, Piper felt her chest. Something was different, but she wasn't sure what. It felt like her lungs had grown twice as large, almost like some invisible weight had been lifted off of her.
Kai frowned as he watched Tigger roll on the ground laughing.
"It's not that funny."
Tigger, who had almost pulled herself up, fell on her back again howling with laughter.
By now Kai had a rather large tick mark and his eyebrow was twitching out moors code.
"STOP LAUGHING!" Kai roared.
"Hahah..I..haha..I'm…..hahaha….I'm sorry Kai….it's…it's just…..hahahahaha I've never seen someone's aim that bad! Hahahahahahaha!"
A little over an hour ago Kai had used his slicer blade to carve some targets into the large rock face that his ship had almost hit while landing.
Around an hour ago, he began target practice.
Fifty eight minutes ago he rushed over to Tigger, who had fallen off the top of the freighter from laughing.
Finally having enough of being mocked, Kai went back over to the makeshift firing range and resumed practice.
"Don't you think that was a bit over the top?"
Tigger stopped laughing and looked to her side, her jovial blue eyes locking with a pair of irate green ones.
"I'm sorry…haha…but..ha…you….you have to admit that…..hahahaha…he's pretty bad." Tigger managed to get out between laughs.
Starling looked away and grimaced.
"She has a point."
"Hey, if you feel so bad for him, why don't you go give him some pointers?" Tigger asked flapping her shirt to remove the sand.
Starling's eyes shifted from Kai back to Tigger.
"He's not my apprentice anymore. If he wants help, he can ask for it like everyone else." Before continuing Starling staggered a little, and were it not for Tigger, would have fallen.
"Ok, I think it's time for you to head back in and take a nap."
"I'm not tired, and I don't need any help." Starling said pulling her shoulder free before walking back to the ship.
Tigger shook her head.
"Wonder which one rubbed off on the other?"
The group of four had driven for over eight hours, and the mountains had only grown by a few inch's. It was becoming increasingly apparent that they were not going to reach the canyon without flying in under a week.
Marina pointed to a large mass of rock that rose from the desert floor and shouted to the others.
"That looks like a good place to stop for the night!"
The sun was starting to set, and Marina was preparing for the worse. She knew first hand that the dead and lifeless desert would become very much alive as soon as the sun set. They needed to reach high ground, or at least some place with defensive value.
A short time later, the four had reached the rock mass and set up camp. Which consisted of two pop tents and four sleeping bags. Seeing that everything was set, Shadow asked the one thing that had been on her mind for the last five hours.
"When do we eat?"
"I can guess we can eat now." Marina said, still looking out over the desert. "Who's turn is it?"
Grrraaahhhhhh
"O…k….Piper, are you ok?"
"Hey it wasn't me." Piper said holding up her hands.
"Not it!" Shadow shouted.
Marina turned to Rondana, who was holding up her hands.
Grrraaahhhhhaahha
"It sounds like when Junko is dragging steel beams around the Condor." Shadow said tapping her chin.
Marina's hands went to her scimitar hilts and slowly drew them free.
"Marina…what?"
"Shhhhh Piper, we're not alone."
Piper, Shadow and Rondana all reached for their weapons, but before they could get them out crystal fire flooded the area.
"AHH! Where's that coming from?!" Shadow shouted as she ducked behind her skimmer and tried to use it as a shield.
"It's from near by, but I can't tell how many there are!" Marina shouted, copying Shadow and using her skimmer as a shield.
Gggrrrrrgghhhhhh
"What is that? Shadow was pretty close, it does sound like metal, and no way an animal can fire crystal weapons." Piper thought narrowing her eyes.
"There must be a group of them to put up this much fire!" Rondana shouted as she readied her staff.
Marina narrowed her eyes in concentration.
"I don't know about a group, but I hope it's more than just one. All the fire is coming from the same location, even if it's moving, it's all coming from a single spot." Concentrating her ears, she was able to make out the firing pattern. "It's two weapons firing. So either its two of them, or its one person with two weapons."
Then it stopped.
After several minutes passed and nothing happened, the girls let out a breath of relief.
"Well, whatever it was, it's gone now." Piper said trying to calm down.
"I doubt it. More likely going back for friends. We need to moVE!" Marina shoved Piper out of the way.
GRRRRHHAAAHHHHHHHHHH
Piper looked up and froze.
Less than an inch from her face was a polished white mask unlike anything she had ever seen.
Sure, she had seen masks before, and even fought a few people that wore them.
But none of them had six glowing red eyes.
Grragggggaaahhhgghhhhhh
End Chapter 7
AN: Muhahahaha! Cliff hanger strikes again! If you want to find out what happens, you'll have to read the next chapter! Be on the look out for
Chapter 8: First Day One The Job!
Till next time! Ja Ne!