AN: WOW this came out fast, but like I've said many times before, this is one of the chapters which I've been looking forward to since the beginning. With any luck this writing steak will keep up, since chapter 9 is also expected to hold many a twist. Please tell me what you think since I have no idea if this is actually any good or not. I try to keep it IC but it's just so annoying writing for Dark Ace sometimes (yet fun). Does that make any sense? Anywho, let's get started, shall we?

Chapter 8: Friend and Enemy

What he wouldn't give for some news… something, anything would be better than what he had now. What did he have? Nothing.

Not knowing what was going on was tearing Aerrow apart. He didn't know how his team was doing. He didn't know if they had a plan, if they were planning on launching an attack, or even if they were going to try and head for Atmos… nothing. He didn't even know if Cyclonis lived up to her word. It made him feel like a fool. He had completely surrendered himself and she could betray him at any moment. He knew it was the only way… his knight's intuition told him so. Yet it still wouldn't soothe his mind. It was still giving up. It was still surrender… something he never intended to do. Something his team would never expect him to do.

Aerrow paced the length of his dank, dark cell. The only furniture was a hard wooden bed with a worn brown sheet. The walls were cold steel and windowless. The only source of light came from a barred gap in the door, leading outside where Aerrow knew two Night Crawler guards stood. He leaned up against a wall and sighed deeply. He didn't care what happened to him. In all honesty, it didn't really matter anymore. What weighed most heavily and foremost on Aerrow's mind was his team.

What did they think of him? Was he too harsh on them? Aerrow prayed they understood, but of course, he couldn't know. He always had a plan… well… not this time.

Aerrow closed his eyes. The only thing that kept him going was his faith in his team. He had seen what all of them were capable of. They could get by without his guidance. They could move on… Aerrow reasoned that worrying was pointless, even though he couldn't help it. His squad was strong. He could even recount all the times when they had been able to handle hardship single-handedly…

He flew as fast as he could through the deep chasm. He could see the giant Verroc with Finn in its clutches. He reached out a hand to try and reach his friend, but he was too late. Just as he flew past, the monster swallowed Finn. He circled, unable to believe what he had just witnessed, but evidently, Finn wasn't finished yet. With a smoky belch laced with what appeared to be green flare fumes, Finn came flying out of the Verroc's mouth. Aerrow grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the skimmer, relieved the sharpshooter was alright...

He flew Junko down onto the top of the mountain. The carrier was getting steadily closer. For that fleeting moment of panic, Aerrow felt that this task was more than impossible. Yet Junko came through. With a grinding sound of metal and stone, he grabbed hold of the ship and stopped it in its tracks. But that wasn't all… he actually lifted the carrier out of the air. Aerrow circled, amazed at the pure strength and solid will of his friend. He smiled and Junko smiled back…

Aerrow turned with a smile as he saw his favourite furry blue creature come running towards him from disembarking the reclaimed Condor. Somehow, Aerrow couldn't begin to imagine how, Radarr had managed to survive inside the leviathan. Despite his co-pilot being covered in strange purple goo, Aerrow picked him up into the air, holding him close, happy in the recovered friendship...

Stork. He piloted the squad out of too many bad situations to count. He steered them away from the Murk Raiders. He navigated them through magma caves of the Wastelands. He even successfully led them on foot through the Black Gorge...

Piper. They swayed in the piercing wind off the tower's edge. He gazed down sadly at her weak face. He still believed in her. They were together…
He sat back to back with her, trying to focus as hard as she must be trying to do. She called out the power successfully. How good it felt to fly…
He fought side by side with her inside the inner sanctum. With her power they couldn't be defeated…
He held her in his hands after she had passed out. The Binding was taking its toll…
He walked with her through the stony ruins. It was only a joke, yet the smile was so sincere…
He placed his hand on her shoulder as they walked back to the Condor together…
She doubted herself but even when he was miles away, he called out to her. 'I trust you,' …
He gave her his helmet so that she may return to the surface. He could have said many things, but instead he chose one…

"It's me. I'll find a way."

The memory gave Aerrow a jolt. He was brought back to reality as quickly as if he had been given an electric shock. He'd find a way…? He sighed and looked around at his pathetic surroundings as he slumped slowly to the ground. It was only a whisper, but Aerrow knew he had to say it. "I'm sorry, Piper…"

The minute the words were out, a noise from outside the cell caught Aerrow's attention. He stood up again and approached the door, senses alert. Someone was yelling – they seemed agitated. No, not agitated – furious.

"…protector… .. . .. …believe… . …him…"

The shouting was a far ways off, yet there was no doubt that in time Aerrow would be able to hear every word the person was saying. It sounded like the noise was coming this way.

"…lied!…. .. .spoil everything!…. . ..AERROW!"

The last word was screeched through the halls of the tower, and the sudden rise in volume and sheer manic anger made Aerrow stumble back from the door. There was no doubt now as to whom it was – Cyclonis.

As predicted, the sounds of fast-paced footsteps made their way to the outside of the cell door. Cyclonis didn't bother to pause to consult the guards – she merely burst straight in.

"You liar!" she screeched at Aerrow. "You filthy scum of the earth! You have misled me this entire time! Foolish, devilish trickery!"

Aerrow was completely shocked and at a loss for any reason why Cyclonis was acting this way. She was not the Cyclonis he knew; this was a witch – corrupted with power and evil intentions, paranoid in her beliefs and delusional with might.

"What do you mean?" Aerrow protested, only to hold Cyclonis back. He knew there would be no reasoning with her in this state.

"Stop your games!" Cyclonis hissed. "I know who you are! You are not a sky knight! You never were and you have misled me the whole time!"

"Not a knight?" Aerrow asked, entirely confused and now fearful of Cyclonis' mental state. "What are you talking about?"

"LIAR!" Cyclonis bellowed. "You have gotten the better of me for the last time! You will not stop me from taking over the Far Side! Do not think that your precious world can resist me!"

"Far Side…?" Aerrow stammered. "…my world?"

But Cyclonis had delved too far into her insanity, and she turned, suddenly, eerily, stony faced away from the knight. Silently and impossibly calmly, she turned to a person out of sight beyond the doorway. "Take him," she ordered.

Before Aerrow could attempt to make any sense of the situation, two Night Crawlers descended upon him, dragging him out of the cell to a location that Aerrow could only suppose would lead to his death.

He was thrown harshly onto a cold steel floor. His head scraped against the ridges, and he could feel the scratches form on his face. As he tried to steady himself, he could hear the two Night Crawlers leave. Aerrow didn't know what to make of it, so he thought it best to examine his surroundings.

He was in a large, perfectly cylindrical room. It was very bright and very sterile – menacingly so. However, even though he knew (or at least suspected) that he was inside, the room was full of scattered fog, not unlike the mist he had encountered earlier since coming to the Far Side. He tired to look up at the ceiling, (if there was a ceiling) but all he could make out was bright light mixed and spread throughout the haze. It was harsh on Aerrow's eyes after being in the dark for so long, so he was forced to revert his gaze back down towards the floor.

"Not what you were expecting, is it?" a voice suddenly echoed out of the mist.

Aerrow jumped and immediately tensed for battle, even though he knew perfectly well he didn't have anything to defend or to fight with. He wasn't aware there was someone else in the room with him, yet as he turned towards the spot where the voice came from, he could just make out a dark figure blurred in the fog. He squinted, trying to see his opponent clearer.

"Who's there?" he demanded, sounding pitifully weak.

A cold, low laugh was the only reply – yet it was reply enough. Aerrow's eyes widened in surprise. He knew that laugh… but no, it couldn't be. It was just his mind playing tricks. After all, he had been musing alone in that cell for quite some time…

But it was no trick. As the figure stepped closer out of the fog, the shock hit Aerrow full force, and he stumbled backwards, falling to the ground.

It was the Dark Ace.

Aerrow couldn't say anything. His mouth hung open in silent disbelief, and his breath came in hard, panting gulps. "You…?" he was barely able to form the word. "…How?"

The Dark Ace laughed, clearly delighted to see the sky knight so taken aback. "Really, Aerrow, I thought you'd be a bit more open-minded than that. Especially after all you've been though."

"But…" Aerrow said a bit more clearly, finding his voice again. "But I saw you… That battle, you…" Aerrow looked into the deep red eyes of the Dark Ace, and for a brief moment they shared the memory of what had happened.

"Don't ask how it is!" The Dark Ace barked, suddenly angry for reasons Aerrow did not know. "It just happened! Cyclonis' bidding…" The Dark Ace trailed off, and for a moment, Aerrow truly could not tell what the Dark Ace was thinking. "Besides…" the Dark Ace smiled, becoming himself again. "…we've ventured off track. As you can clearly see, we're the only two here, and I believe you're without a weapon."

Aerrow scowled, rising to his feet. "I don't need a weapon to beat you."

The Dark Ace laughed in genuine amusement. "Fool's words. But don't fret, Aerrow, I intend to have some fun before finishing this."

The Dark Ace's comment sent chills down Aerrow's spine. There was something purely evil – nonhuman – about the way the Dark Ace spoke. However, Aerrow couldn't shake the feeling that maybe the Dark Ace was all words – that something had changed. He shook his head in disbelief at himself. On what possible grounds did he have to suspect that?

Regardless, he no longer had any time to muse on the fact, because all at once, the Dark Ace attacked. Aerrow dodged just in time, and kept a steady eye on his opponent. The Dark Ace struck again and Aerrow was able to avoid it with ease. Maybe he was imagining it, but the Dark Ace seemed weaker than before. It was familiar? Aerrow couldn't place it.

Aerrow's thoughts were cut short when an energy blast from the Dark Ace's sword hit him square in the chest. He fell back with the force and banged his head against the wall. Luckily it wasn't too hard, yet he could feel a distinct tingling in the back of his neck. Alright… maybe the Dark Ace wasn't entirely weaker.

"Why are you still doing this?" Aerrow asked, deciding the best tactic was to stall with more words. "Why do you keep fighting? What could you possibly have to gain?"

The Dark Ace was about to reply, but then the growing feeling in his chest suddenly burst forth again.

(He had gotten in a fight with Thor – not like that wasn't hard. The man's ego was big enough to fill the Condor most days. Lightning had come in to talk about it – he was always poking his nose in where it didn't belong. Apparently being the leader entitled you to that privilege. "Why do you egg him on like that?" Lightning asked sadly. "What could you possibly have to gain?")

"Why?" The Dark Ace yelled with anger again. "How could I not? I gave up my choices when I chose this path!" The Dark Ace attacked again, almost hitting Aerrow this time. Aerrow bolted to the side, but he wasn't properly prepared, and he took another hit. As he smashed against the wall, he could feel a large piece of his skin tear off, and blood began to drip down his face.

"You always have a choice!" Aerrow argued back.

(It was the night before the battle, and Lighting called everyone to the bridge. "I want you all to know that you don't have to do this," he said to the room at large. "You can always back out or walk away. You always have a choice. No one is going to force you into anything.")

"Shut up!" the Dark Ace yelled. He fired again, but Aerrow was slightly more prepared this time and was able to dodge the attacks the Dark Ace fired.

"Tell me then," Aerrow demanded. "Why did you choose the path you're on?"

It was more of an accusation than a question. The Dark Ace became enraged at the knight's audacity, and he aimed a punch at Aerrow's face, abandoning all sophisticated uses of the sword. Aerrow heard the sickly crunch as his nose broke, and as he fell from combat for a third time, he raised a hand to wipe away the fresh blood.

"Admit it," Aerrow accused. "You don't even know the reason anymore."

The Dark Ace yelled in fury and picked Aerrow up off the floor. The knight weakly tried to fight back in order to escape, but the Dark Ace had a firm hold, and continued to beat his prey. Aerrow eventually broke free, yet only had enough strength to half-limp across the room to collapse again. Yet despite his drastically tragic physical state, Aerrow was still cocky.

"Why do you continue to fight back?" The Dark Ace questioned in anger. "It's hopeless! Don't you get it? Give up!"

Aerrow smiled through his gasps of ragged breath. "That's not… how a sky knight does things."

(He had made another logical argument against Lightning, but the knight merely smiled. "Giving up isn't the way we do things," he reassured his co-pilot. "Giving up will only lose the respect people have for you.")

"Why are you doing this?" The Dark Ace suddenly burst out in fearful resentment. "Do you know what's happening to me?"

Aerrow looked up in surprise, not expecting this. What did the Dark Ace mean? "Has something happened to you?" Aerrow asked carefully.

"You have no idea," the Dark Ace spat. "You are the same as him – clueless and arrogant." However, the Dark Ace didn't sound entirely sure.

"The same as who?" Aerrow asked, trying to get to his feet. However, he suspected he might already know.

("We may make different choices and have different strengths, but remember, Storm Hawks, we're family. We're the same.")

"SHUT UP!" The Dark Ace yelled to his ghosts. Aerrow knew he wasn't talking to him, and it only added to his confusion. Something did happen to the Dark Ace... but what? Before he could question the talon further, the Dark Ace grabbed the sword again and took aim at Aerrow. The knight collapsed against the wall, sparks flying in front of his eyes. He willed to remain conscious, but he didn't know how much more he could take.

"Tell me," The Dark Ace said calmly, standing directly across from Aerrow. "What is so great about truth and honour? Why do you foolish knights insist on the virtues of family and doing what's right?"

Aerrow sat limply against the wall, unable to answer at first. His breathing became more ragged, and he coughed, coming out red. "Because..." Aerrow said, wiping the blood away from his mouth. "It's not about being recognized by others. It's about living for others. See to their needs, and it'll be reward in itself. Respect is something that is earned, not gained." Aerrow tried to get to his feet once again, but to no avail. He gasped and stared meaningfully into the Dark Ace's eyes. "In the end it comes down to this: self-respect, or self-interest?"

("What do you want out of this?"
"The same thing you do, I suppose."
"No... I want a peaceful Atmos for my family. But you don't seem to have anyone. So what's your reason to fight?"
"Do I need one?"
"Everyone needs one. Fighting without a reason... how can that be called righteous?"
"I guess... I guess I want to be respected."
"..."
"What? Is that so wrong?"
"...Respect comes apart from interest. Don't let people mislead you into believing that respect is something that can be bought."
"...")

"Everyone seems so convinced..." the Dark Ace said to himself. Aerrow eyed him carefully. "But that doesn't prove anything!" he suddenly shouted. "I am still left without a choice!"

"What happened before?" Aerrow yelled back, hoping he finally understood. "Why did you betray the Storm Hawks?"

The sudden question caught the Dark Ace off guard, and he once again fired a shot at Aerrow. At first it appeared to be the last; Aerrow laid with his matted hair covering his still face. However, he groaned and put his effort into starting back at the Dark Ace head-on. "Lightning was your friend," he stated. "How could you have betrayed him?"

"Friend?" The Dark Ace yelled in denial. "He was arrogant and sarcastic, always sticking his nose in where it didn't belong!"

"He was righteous and truthful!" Aerrow argued back. "...worried about the members of his team."

"What could you possibly know about Lightning?"

"I know he was worried about you. He cared about you..." Aerrow paused for a moment to reclaim his breath. "...and I know he wouldn't have blamed you."

(...he did not get tired of my company...
...he smiled because he could answer my worries...
...he laughed with me...
...it was a true smile...
...they saw my potential...
...I was co-pilot for a reason...
"We only lose the war if we decide to lose.")

"ENOUGH!" The Dark Ace yelled in agony. He raised the sword, ready to deal the final blow. Aerrow wouldn't turn away in cowardice. He looked straight into the eyes of the Dark Ace, and for a moment, it was Lighting who sat there, looking up at his friend in betrayal and sadness. The Dark Ace gasped, and he knew he had a choice. He yelled in confusion, mixed emotions and nonsensical thoughts. In the chaos, the blade of the sword flew through the air...

...and fell.

Aerrow paused, and for a moment the room froze. The Dark Ace stared hollowly at the spot where the sword rested.

He had thrown it at Aerrow's feet.

Aerrow's suspended breath couldn't hold long, and he panted hard in disbelief. He stared at the sword, easily in his reach. But before he could question anything, the Dark Ace spoke.

"Take it."

Aerrow looked up at the man before him, eyes wide.

"Take it," the Dark Ace repeated solemnly. "Take it and get the hell out of my sight."

Aerrow stared dumbly at the sword, not able to accept what had happened. "What- "

"It was Lightning's anyways..." The Dark Ace interrupted. He almost acted as if Aerrow was no longer there. Yet the knight couldn't leave without knowing.

"...Why?"

"I've taken my revenge. Now it's time to exact it on another. Cyclonis has defeated me in more ways than you ever could."

Aerrow wasn't sure what the Dark Ace meant, but regardless, he gripped the blade in his hands and staggered to his feet. As he straightened up, he looked into the eyes of the Dark Ace, who stared coldly back at the knight. Yet Aerrow realized that the red in his eyes had faded; all that remained now was a deep, empty black.

Aerrow stood awkwardly beside the talon. He considered saying something more... but nothing seemed right. Wordlessly, he limped for the exit. Just as he was about the leave, he was stopped with the half-whispered sentence of the man behind him.

"I think..." the Dark Ace mused. "I think I finally understand what he meant."

Aerrow paused but said nothing. Instead, he turned to the door and silently left.

"Where is he?" Cyclonis hissed. The Night Crawlers flinched and said nothing. Clearly they were obedient out of fear. Cyclonis was no longer herself.

"Imbeciles," Cyclonis snapped. "You sicken me."

However, before Cyclonis could spew more insults at her underlings, she was interrupted by the entrance of her anticipated minion.

"Dark Ace," Cyclonis addressed blandly, yet not without that note of paranoid anxiety. "You finished him, I presume?"

A brief pause, then, "No."

For such a small word, the impact was anything but. The whole room froze, and the Night Crawlers cowered in fearful apprehension. It was the paralyzed disbelief of a lead actor whom had botched his lines on opening night. Cyclonis turned, eyes penetrating through the Dark Ace, yet yielding no effect.

"Excuse me?"

"I said no." The Dark Ace offered no explanation – no excuses. He stood tall and silent – clearly not making any effort to conceal his defiance.

Cyclonis said nothing for several minutes, but then she turned away from the Dark Ace. "Well then," she said slowly with the piercing pain of ice. "...that is a problem."

Faster than light itself, she turned back with crystal staff in hand. Before the Dark Ace could register anything, he was consumed by the blazing pain of crystal energy. He fell to the floor and screamed uncontrollably. It was high pitched and tortured – a scream only the insane could utter.

The Night Crawlers watched in silent fear in the shadows as the Dark Ace writhed and shook in spasms before their expressionless master. As Cyclonis continued to cast her spell, she walked over to the Dark Ace, looking down at him in disgust. "This time, Dark Ace," she addressed to the shaking, shrieking mass before her. "When you die, you won't be coming back." She stood as a statue while the crystal did its work. The shouts rose to a crescendo, making the Night Crawlers cover their ears and turn away, yet Cyclonis merely continued to stare.

Finally, after what may have been seconds or hours, The Dark Ace grew still. He laid on the floor, his face still frozen in a dead scream.

"Pity." Cyclonis stated, emotionless and stale. She looked up at the cringing Night Crawlers, whom returned her stare with blank astonishment. "What?" she asked innocently. She then turned and walked away from the body, leaving the Night Crawlers to clean up the mess.

Freedom. There were times when Aerrow doubted he would feel it again. However, it didn't feel like much of a victory.

Aerrow stumbled out of the tower's entrance battered and bruised, with Lightning's sword in hand. Maybe it was luck, maybe it was fate, but he hadn't met any Night Crawlers as he snuck away from his prison. He knew he ought to be happy – but too much had happened in the past few minutes to really make any sense at all. Something was bothering Aerrow – something that wouldn't go away.

Because he knew – even though Cyclonis was possessed by power, she wasn't insane. There was reason to her words. There was something she knew about him... Not to mention the scene with Dark Ace. Aerrow shook his head in drained confusion. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. He didn't even know himself anymore.

"...not a sky knight..."

"...your precious world..."

Aerrow turned back to the tower's entrance wondering briefly what would happen next. But then, the answer came to him and he suddenly knew what to do. It was the only thing to do. He turned determinedly towards the city below. It was time to get some answers.