AN: FINALLY it is done. I've been dreading this chapter ever since I first thought of it, and even now I'm not sure if it really turned out all that great… I cut out like, half the spirit's speech… (You peeps should consider yourselves lucky… I was seriously thinking about postponing the Binding chapter yet again… yet here it is in its crappy entirety.) Yes, I am aware that this is one of many chapters where I've started with Starling, and yes, I am aware that that is predictable and dull. However, I'm sorry, but in the long run it really was the only way to fit it in nicely between chapters (alternating between the Storm Hawks, Cyclonians and Starling). I suppose I could have worked it out nicer, but by the time I had all the details fully thought out in my notebook, I wanted to just get out and start already! No worries, this is the second last one where you'll see her first thing. Anywhos… I'm sorry, but long winded explanations are my weak point, so bear with me through this chapter 'kay? Chapter 8 will be like, the ultra epicness of all time (not really, I just like DA) so please don't give up on me now! XD (Btw, I'm sorry to those whom I haven't talked with in like, forever. I'm almost never online anymore since university started up. Sorry about that... don't worry, I'm still alive if you want to keep chatting. :D)
StormHawksAwesomeness: I'm not saying you need an account, I just meant that because you don't, I have to reply to you in this fashion, whereas normally I respond to questions as soon as I get the review. It's still alright, though. Anywho, I think you misunderstood who was speaking. Cyclonis is the one who says "I knew you'd return," and then in the second paragraph, the speaker switches to Dark Ace. I thought it was clear enough to omit the need of stating the speaker since the Dark Ace was the one who did the returning, but looking back I suppose I should have made it clearer. Sorry 'bout that.
Chapter 7: Two Become One
It was dark and cold. Starling shivered and pulled her cloak closer as a foreboding wind blew past. It was a clear night, yet black, for there was no moon. Starling looked anxiously at the sky in anticipation. Even the stars were dimmed – the bright neon from the recently fixed Wayside diner polluted the sky with lifeless manufactured shades of blue and red. Starling stood, concealed from view and the warm, promising glow of comfort flooding out of the diner windows. She groaned silently to herself as she watched more late-nighters leave and enter their ship, no doubt flying off to their nearby home terra to take in a nice night's worth of sleep.
She hated stakeouts.
Yet this was her last hope. The plan was idiot proof, or so she hoped. Starling laughed quietly at her feeble joke. But then a shadow made its way around the back of the diner, and all traces of fatigue and humour left Starling's face to be replaced by seriousness; the target had come into sight.
Less than a whisper and moving with the wind, Starling tailed the target. It too, was wearing a hooded cloak akin to Starling's. The face was in shadow, yet Starling had no doubts she had found the right person. It was time to make her move.
The shadowy figure hovered on the edge of the light. The skimmer was refuelled and it was time to leave before any do-gooder sky knights showed up. The person turned to the ride, only to be met with another face in the dark.
"Going somewhere?" The accent gave her identity away. The target scowled as Starling pulled back her hood. There was only one thing left to do… run.
Starling pursued as the dark figure wove between the numerous cargo pieces out back. Crates of various sizes blocked Starling's way and prevented her from gaining on the subject. At the last moment, she chose to take a chance and veered off the subject's tail.
The dark figure looked back, grinning when the pursuer was nowhere in sight. The person continued to run – right into the sky knight.
Starling had gone around the other side of the diner to meet the target head-on. It could have failed if the person in question decided to run off in a different direction, but just as Starling predicted, the course followed through. Starling had her target on the ground and disarmed in seconds. "So good to see you again," Starling said sarcastically as she lifted the prisoner from off the ground and pinned her against the shady side of the diner. "…Ravess."
For indeed, the ex-Talon had been evading the law ever since Cyclonia went down. The pink-haired violinist turned to Starling with loathing. "So what?" she spat. "I suppose you're going to turn me in now, right?" Ravess hissed with the offhand yet angered manner that people who had resigned themselves to their fate so often adapted.
"Actually, Ravess," Starling smiled, glad she finally held the power in a situation of bargaining. "Today is your lucky day."
"Oh?" Ravess asked, not believing it for a second. She was still unable to attack or escape, for Starling had a fierce grip on her. "And why is that?"
"Because I have a proposition for you. I didn't track you down for nothing."
"Sure you didn't." Ravess sneered.
"Don't get smart," Starling warned threateningly. "You have no idea how tempted I am to just hand you over to the Sky Council, yet I won't."
Starling spoke truthfully enough, and the sincerity went noticed. Ravess couldn't help but satisfy her curiosity. "Why won't you?" This time it was a valid question.
"You're the only one who is able to help me. And I can help you. I doubt you want to spend the rest of your life in prison. Believe it or not, I have the power to greatly reduce your inevitable sentence. Willing to listen?"
Ravess acted like she pondered it for a moment, yet Starling knew it was all an act – the criminal had no choice. It felt good to be back in control of things…
"Fine," Ravess conceded. "I'll listen."
The door creaked as Ravess opened it, Starling close behind. She wasn't about to turn her back on someone who would likely betray her at any second. "This is it?" Ravess asked, looking around the small, dilapidated wooden structure. "This is an abandoned tool shed!" The place the two had entered was cramped and cluttered. A small bulb hung from the ceiling, flickering as if it might die out at any moment. A fly buzzed overhead.
"Oh I am so sorry if it doesn't meet your standards!" Starling couldn't get any more sarcastic. "Know anywhere else nearby where we can talk in private?" Ravess was quiet. "Then sit down." Starling pointed to a small wooden table in the corner next to a large rotting desk. Ravess pulled up one of the only two still standing chairs and grudgingly sat. Starling followed suit, making sure to sit between Ravess and the door – not that she doubted her own skills in taking on Ravess if she decided to attempt an escape, but a conversation tended to flow more smoothly when one participant wasn't trying to make a mad dash for the door every five minutes.
"I'm busy, Sky Knight, so why don't you just make this quick?"
"You're busy?" Starling couldn't help but ask, humour filling her voice. "Doing what? Running from the law? I think you've more than failed in that." Ravess scowled, and as Starling spoke, meaning for it only to be a joke, she actually realized she was entirely correct. Ravess did look put out. Her face was very thin and boney, with dirt and dust filling in the creases. Her hair looked matted in places and had lost its sheen. All in all, Ravess looked like a mess. She wasn't cut out for a life out of luxury.
"Are we here to make a deal or to throw witless banter at each other?" Ravess growled.
Starling realized it was tactless of her to have resorted to such childish comments, and felt ashamed – even though she would never admit it to Ravess. "You're right," she agreed. "I do have something to discuss with you."
Ravess crossed her arms impatiently, waiting for the knight to continue.
"Even you've probably heard what I've been up to," Starling started.
"Some things here and there," Ravess answered cryptically, not really giving an answer at all.
"Then you know I want to take out for the Far Side, and I need some help," Starling replied, not in the mood for games.
Ravess raised an eyebrow in interest. "The Far Side…?"
"I'm just going to cut straight to the point," Starling said. "I've heard of the adventure the Storm Hawks had in the stratosphere – and I heard you were involved."
Ravess didn't respond.
"But most of all," Starling continued. "I heard Aerrow travelled around the Far Side in a skimmer launched into the exosphere. It was launched by something you had built, was it not?"
Starling waited for Ravess to respond, yet the ex-talon was speechless for many moments. At last, she had chosen her words. "How do you know about all of that?"
Starling laughed half-heartedly. "The Storm Hawks are famous now, Ravess. I wouldn't be surprised if a book was written about their adventures. The point is, I can tell by the look on your face that the story is true. What I need to know is if you can build that machine again."
At this, there was no concealing the fact that Ravess was genuinely amazed, and a little fearful, of what the sky knight had in mind. "You want to attempt the same feat they went through?" she asked, appalled at the notion, too surprised to even remember to frown. "Are you insane?"
"It's my only hope left," Starling replied, straight-faced and grimly determined. "I can't get around the border mountains or under. The only course of action left is to go over, and to do that, I need to be launched into the exosphere."
"Forget it!" Ravess protested, rising from her chair in defiance, only to be met with Starling face-to-face. "I'm not going to partake in your ridiculous fantasy. The Storm Hawks made it back by pure luck! You try going up there, you won't be coming back."
"By this time, I'm not even concerned about getting back," Starling said, still deadly serious and maintaining a face of stone. "I just want to get to the Far Side. Even if there is no return, at least I'll be able to find the Storm Hawks, or at least discover if they're alright. But not going... that's not even an option anymore. I can't stay here, watching everyone slowly forget the people they owe their lives to. I can't bear to sit back and do nothing! It's for that reason..." Starling had tried to keep her emotions in check in front of Ravess, but her passion had gotten the better of her, and she found herself burning with the desire of her will. "It's for that reason that I have to try!"
Ravess raised an eyebrow at the knight, silently evaluating her past enemy. Starling calmed from her outbreak and stared down Ravess just as hard. Against her better judgement, Ravess sat back down. "How much do you know about the Far Side of Atmos?" the pink haired fighter asked casually.
Taking this question as a good sign, Starling also sat down. "I know enough. Although, from what I've read, very little can be considered fact. I don't think it's possible for anyone to have a truly informed concept of the place."
"Cyclonis did," Ravess retorted back without a moment's breath – although, it was merely a fact, not an argument. "I don't know how or where she got her information, but Cyclonis knew plenty about it. True, she revealed only what she wanted, but with the way she spoke you could tell... she was connected with the Far Side."
"Connected?" Starling asked.
"Oh, you mean you didn't hear that story?" Ravess asked with a cruel smile. Starling scowled. "There was a giant beast guarding the door to the Far Side," Ravess continued. "Cyclonis called it a family pet. I don't know what you make of it, but to me that pretty much implies that Cyclonis was a lot more involved with the place than she led most people to believe."
Ravess could tell that this was news to Starling. She looked at Ravess intent and silent, listening to every word she said. "Regardless," Ravess turned away, acting aloof and distant. "We've ventured off topic. Even if I was to build you this launcher and help you get to the Far Side, you still haven't told me exactly how I'll benefit."
At this Starling smirked. It was negotiation time. "I told you," Starling said. "Believe it or not, my opinion is highly valued with the council. In fact, the leader told me himself..." Ravess turned an eye towards Starling, willing to listen. "If you help me with this," Starling continued. "I'll write a note to the council, explaining the circumstances and your act in the part. Call it a character reference. I'll vouch for you and I'm sure that my sole vote will either greatly reduce or eliminate your sentence. Think on it – no more running from the law. No more of these..." Starling gestured around, "...late night engine crystal runs. Although, that means you'd have to keep your nose clean. I can't give you diplomatic immunity (I doubt anyone with half a brain would), but my word counts for something, and that's what I offer in return – my word."
Ravess turned to Starling, scowling – not a good sign. "And I'm just supposed to believe that?" Ravess snapped. "I'll take some note and go run off to the council, assuming that I would be able to leave? You must take me for a fool."
"I swear to you, I'm not lying!" Starling reasoned. "Read the note beforehand if you want! Can't you see that this is a genuine deal? Why else would I have spent all this time tracking you down without making a move for arrest?"
Ravess cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms, still not believing what she was being told. "...Why?"
"What?" Starling asked innocently, not knowing what it was Ravess asked.
"Why you? There are plenty of sky knights across the Atmos that the Storm Hawks have helped. They seem content to leave the Storm Hawks to whatever fate they're dealt in the Far Side, so why are you so determined to come to their aid?"
Starling's steadfast face fell into emotional speculation. For a long time she remained silent, debating whether or not to speak... but what difference would it make now? "The Storm Hawks offered me a place on their team, once. Did you know that?"
"No," Ravess replied. "I didn't."
"I turned them down. After my team... I had accepted life as a solo fighter." Things had grown awkward in the tool shed. Ravess didn't know why the knight was telling her so much, yet the feeling of tense discussion hung in the air, compelling the ex-talon to listen to her words. "Yet..." Starling continued. "I never forgot the offer, and deep down, I found myself wondering what it'd be like to be a part of a team again."
Starling stared at the table, brought back to memories and feelings long since buried and forgotten. "I was too cowardly to accept. I didn't want to experience the same pain – the same heartbreak, yet all along I was depriving myself of that which I wanted most."
"Which was?" Ravess prompted.
"To be a part of a team again, to have friends nearby whom I could rely on and trust. Of all the squadrons I know, the Storm Hawks were the only ones who offered to accept me. It didn't matter if I joined or not – a part of me already knew that I was committed to their team. That's why..."
At this, Starling looked back up into Ravess' eyes and she shone with the fiery determination of one who cannot be stopped. "That's why I can't give up on them anymore than they would give up on me! I can't fail my team! Not twice..."
All at once, Starling realized whom she was talking to and the inappropriateness of everything she said. She blushed and turned away, deeply embarrassed and ashamed that she would so easily show her weak side and secret thoughts to a complete enemy. She looked down and to the side, turning her face away from the light overhead. She didn't say anything, but neither did Ravess. They remained silent, not sure what to make of the other. Eventually, Starling recovered and regained her nerve.
"Are you going to help me or not?"
Ravess leaned back in her chair, amused. "Well, far be it from me to stop you if you want to embark on such a crazy mission. As long as I benefit, I couldn't care less what your reasons are." But she said it with a smile, and Starling knew that she accepted. Now, they were partners, and no matter what happened, they were in this together.
"Deal," Starling said with a smile, holding out her hand.
Ravess grasped it in her own. "Deal. But don't get this wrong, sky knight, I still don't like you."
"Nor do I like you," Starling smirked.
They shook.
Two skimmers dove into the streets of the Far Side. They moved quickly with a target in mind, yellow following green. Beforehand, there was some debate if this idea would work or not, but what other choice did they have?
They landed near the entrance of the temple. Finn looked up at it in worried anxiety, Junko pulling up beside him. "You sure about this?" Finn asked, turning to his buddy. The temple still maintained its dilapidated and menacing aura, even though the Storm Hawks knew it was perfectly safe.
Junko looked down at his arms sadly, for cradled between them was Piper's still frame. "It's our only hope..." Junko reasoned, turning towards Finn. The sharp-shooter nodded, trusting the Wallop completely. Without anymore to say on the subject, the two proceeded into the temple on foot.
It was darker inside. The strange green light which had illuminated their way before was gone. Junko felt it was somehow fitting – yet he couldn't place why.
They came once again to the doorway which led to the spirit. Junko gave in to a nervous glance at his buddy. Finn didn't look all that confident himself, yet he smiled and gave Junko a thumbs-up, knowing that his friend would feel better with the vote of confidence. Junko's resolve strengthened, and together with his buddy, they entered.
It was the same as before, only darker. There was no sign of the spirit, yet the statue remained standing in the exact place it had been previously. Junko approached the altar apprehensively; Piper still nestled between his arms.
"Uh..." Junko stammered, not sure if he would get a response. He looked behind himself where Finn was standing. The blond said nothing but half-smiled back at his friend. Junko turned back to the stony face and sighed, annoyed with his own uncertainty. "Hello?" he asked. "Miss spirit... thingy?"
There was no response. With each silent moment that ticked by, Junko's fears only grew, but then, thankfully, there was a glimmer of green light from within the statue's stone.
"Why are you here?" the spirit finally asked. Junko was taken aback; it wasn't the greeting he had expected. The question wasn't intended to be mean or harsh, yet there was definitely a cold undertone to the faded words. She had only half-appeared; the light was dimmed and smeared, like it had come through a foggy window.
"Please," Junko implored. "We need your help. We need... to ask you something."
"There is nothing more to be said," the spirit stated matter-of-factly. "At least, not to you."
Junko didn't know who the Spirit might be referencing, but he didn't care. All he cared about was the fact that their only hope was beginning to fade... "Wait!" he yelled out after her. "Just wait one second! What do you mean there's nothing to say? I haven't even asked you anything yet!" He wasn't angry, yet the seriousness and stubbornness of his Wallop heritage began to shine through.
Looking like it was against her better judgement, the spirit remained where she was, curious at this Wallop.
"Please!" Junko pleaded again. "Our friend needs your help..." He laid Piper gently at the statue's feet. The spirit looked down at her pale form, and despite the dire circumstances, Junko couldn't resist but feel a trace of hope. Behind the spirit's empty eyes glowed a faint glimmer of understanding.
She reached out a hand downwards towards Piper. It didn't make contact, but the spirit seemed to understand regardless. She was silent and deep in thought; Junko and Finn waited with baited breath. Finally, she spoke, "Whom does she Bind with?"
Junko and Finn exchanged glances, knowing where this would lead. "Umm... Aerrow," Finn replied.
"I see..." the spirit mumbled, still focused on Piper. "Yet he is not here..."
Junko and Finn didn't bother to ask her how she knew this. They both knew that they wouldn't get a straight answer.
The spirit thought it over for many more minutes, but then she turned to them sadly. "Very well," she conceded. "I'll tell you what you want to know, even though I'm not sure how much help it will be."
"Please," Finn begged, stepping forward. "Anything is better than nothing.
"Alright," the spirit sighed. "As you both no doubt suspect, this girl is plagued by the Binding. Many people of the Far Side used to study this force. It is a complex and sophisticated power. You had better pay attention; its mysteries are not easy to comprehend – even with years of study."
Finn and Junko both nodded, willing to listen.
"Like the sky and the clouds, the Binding has always been a part of this world. It originated with its existence and with it, will end," the spirit began. She held out a faint green hand, palm upwards. Above it, hovering slightly in mid-air, appeared the apparition of a string.
"To explain such a complicated power with theory alone would render comprehension impossible, so imagine it as such – the Binding is a knot. Tied successfully, it will last and remain strong. However..." The spirit paused to allow the projection of the string to take form. It wrapped around itself with apparent difficulty, and it looked unstable and weak. "It takes two to Bind. If a person attempts to master the power by his or herself, the Binding will turn in onto its user. The knot will unwind and the string, unravel..." As she spoke, the knot did indeed fall undone, and the small fibres of the string frayed at the ends and fell apart.
"Wait a minute!" Finn interrupted. "You're saying that without Aerrow, Piper is doomed?"
The spirit gazed sadly into Finn's eyes. "Perhaps, but it is not uncommon for beginners to experience this hardship. Admittedly, she has come dangerously far into her own unravelling, but there is still hope... Has she ever recovered successfully before?"
The spirit didn't need a spoken answer. The questioning and curious looks from both Finn and Junko were answer enough.
The spirit smiled. "I can tell from your expressions that you know what I am referring to." A new apparition appeared. This time, it was of two strings. "One string can wrap around the other," the spirit continued, her words playing out in the illusion before her. "It will work for a time, but it wears out one string out while the other merely participates on the sidelines. For the Binding to be truly, completely successful, both must interact with each other. The two strings must be as equals – sharing the burden and making the knot tight and firm."
The spirit paused, and as Finn and Junko reflected on her words, they knew them to be true.
"If the knot holds overtime, the strings will grow into the shape, and take on its form even when separated from one another." The knot came undone, and the spirit's words remained true, for indeed, the strings retained their shape, the form of what used to be a knot still visible. "It is their memory and can only be retained through practice," the spirit informed. "However," the vision of the knot disappeared, and she turned her attention back towards Piper. "This Binding is still too new. Although she may have been successful in tying the knot once, it will take many more times and much more practice for her to truly master the danger inside her. She cannot be separated from her other half for long."
"Let me get this straight," Finn said, shaking his head slightly, trying to put together everything the spirit had told them. "Since Aerrow is the other person that Piper binds with, he needs to be with her so that the Binding doesn't... well..." he motioned to Piper's still frame. "...And with more time this problem will just... go away?"
"More or less," the spirit approved. "Remember, this is only the absolute basics. The Binding is truly much more complex. Upon mastery, it can be changed and warped into different forms. It may even be transferred or erased... but that is of no concern now. Doing such things without the proper caution and training is foolish and extremely dangerous. What should be your top concern now is finding a way to reunite her with her other half."
"But..." Junko stammered. He didn't finish what he was going to say, yet it was painfully obvious what he was thinking: getting Aerrow back was impossible. Finn eyed his friends sadly as he faced the daunting truth.
"Have no fear," the spirit reassured them with a smile. "Your knight is special. I have faith in those whom he's placed his trust. You will succeed." The spirit looked down again to face Piper before her. "Two will become one again."