Oh, this ought to be fun…

Neon Games

Aerrow

"You did great, Kai," I smiled. "The rebellion was easy enough to handle, I'm just glad you made yourself useful."

Kai smiled. "It was the least I could do after what happened to Elle…"

Finn nodded, though he was oddly disturbed by the prior events.

No longer needed on Lynn as back-up arrived, we made our way toward Mesa, and Neon thereafter. Mrs. Elin Warden was in danger and Kai made the right choice by getting her out of there. "Is she still sleeping?"

Kai nodded. "Stork gave her something for her anxiety and treated her bruises. It… it was pretty bad, Aerrow."

"You should've seen the guy dealing the bruises," Finn grumbled.

I sighed. "Well, you two should get some rest. We have to pick up a huge shipment at Neon and we won't have much time to stick around and ride the rides…"

Finn sighed, grumbling as he walked out of the room.

"Is… he all right?"

Kai shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure… Finn took down Mr. Warden after he tried to take a swing at me. His little rant was something to hear, for sure. I don't know, maybe the fight deeply disturbed him? Let's just give him time… Let him off the hook tomorrow when we're loading the ship! I'll keep an eye on him while we're down at Neon."

I shook my head. "We need you to help out. Hell, we need his help as well! It's a big shipment… The good news is that we won't have to make trips. We can dock the Condor directly on Neon, so that'll save us a ton of labor."

Kai shot me a half-hearted smile. "You… get a lot of these nonsense missions, don't you…?"

I nodded. "We aren't really an official squadron… No one trusts us with the big stuff." Yawning, I stretched out my arms and headed off toward my room. "Make sure you get some rest, all right? We'll hit Mesa before the sun is up. Finn and I will take Elin to her sister's so don't worry about that but you'll need to be up by the time we get back."

Kai smiled. "Good night, Aerrow."

ooo

I wasn't all too surprised to find Kai still sleeping once we returned from Mesa, and no more surprised when Finn went back to bed. Now I was alone on the ship—Stork, Kai, Finn, Piper, Junko, Radar… they were all asleep.

I pulled out the maps to Terra Gale and examined our route, trying to see if we could take any shortcuts. With the deadline and the ETA, we were already risking it. We had absolutely no room for error… no matter how trivial the mission was.

After shaving off six days from the trip, I felt proud, but now I had to find something else to do until the others were up. We still had about two hours until we got to Neon.

I grabbed a note pad and began to jot down things that might keep me busy, though I ended up drawing Finn hanging upside-down from a Cyclonian bridge by one of his ankles. I laughed at the scene, quickly tossing the note pad aside.

One and a half hours down, thirty minutes to go.

"God, you must be bored," a tired voice entered the room.

"Yeah…," I laughed. "I'm not surprised you're the first one up."

Piper took a seat next to me, inspecting the drawing I'd made. "Hah… That's funny… Hey, Kai and Junko are up. She, uh… had another nightmare… Junko's trying to calm her down." Just as I'd lurched up from my seat, Piper pushed me back down. "Nuh-uh, lover boy. Junko's got it."

I laughed. "I'm just worried."

"Sure, you are, Aerrow. Don't pull that crap with me. I know that look, it's that look you gave me in fourth grade when you wanted my pudding cup."

I started to speak but cut myself off, knowing anything I said would dig my grave another foot. "All right, fine. Let Kai know that she needs to look over the cargo bay with Stork. It needs to be up to par, the load is going to be heavy.

Piper nodded. "Good subject change!"

I shook my head, walking into the kitchen. I examined every surface, the table, the countertops… After finding a rubber band, I opened the fridge, rummaging through the contents. Unhappy with my findings, I shut the door. I grabbed the band on the table and fumbled around with it. When my eyes caught the sink, a brilliant idea dawned on me. If I couldn't find something fun, I'd make my own.

I rushed to the sink, fiddling with the sprayer. I turned the sink on and depressed the button noting that it cut off the water entirely, diverting it to the nozzle. I smiled, shut the sink off, replaced the nozzle, and examined my workspace. I wrapped the rubber band around the nozzle so it depressed the button and returned to the fridge.

The first person in the kitchen every morning was Junko.

This ought to be fun…

And right on cue, the big guy walks into the kitchen. "Hey, buddy! You're up early."

"Not really," I smiled, burying my face in the fridge.

"So… We've just got Neon today, right?"

"Mhmm…" Damn it, turn on the sink! By then, I could see what kind of enjoyment Finn got out of doing pranks. However, this was harmless, and Finn should know better. I pulled a half-eaten sandwich from the fridge, knowing Kai had made it the day before. I knew she wouldn't mind.

I sat down at the kitchen table and unwrapped the sandwich, beginning to eat. I watched Junko as he pulled out various ingredients and mindlessly made his way over to the sink.

Three… Two… One…

"Gahh! Damn it, Finn!"

And that's when I busted out laughing. "Ha! Ha ha!"

Junko quickly turned off the sink, laughing a bit. This wasn't the first time it had happened, but the first time I'd done it. "Damn it, Finn…"

"Actually," I managed to speak through the laugher. "Actually… that was me…"

Junko watched me for a moment, walking over to the table. "….Really?"

I nodded, wiping my eyes.

Reaching across the table, Junko took the sandwich. "Thanks," he smiled, walking out of the room.

I sighed. So much for breakfast. I stood up from the table and walked toward the cabinets, grabbing two cups. I set them both by the sink before I left the kitchen, finding Piper still sitting at the table in the helm. She smiled, watching me walk in.

"Was that you?"

I nodded, assuming she was referring to Junko.

"Way to go, Aerrow," she laughed.

I held up a hand. "Hold on… I've still got one left in me. Is Finn up yet?"

She nodded. "Kai just woke him up. He's in the bathroom."

"Good. Tell him… tell him to meet me right here when he's done. I'll, uh… I'll need the room to myself."

Piper smiled. "Hey, any prank against Finn? I'm all for it."

"Don't get me involved," Stork added. "I'm not helping you with any of this nonsense. First Finn, and now our trusted leader caught the pranking bug. Next it'll be Piper, then who knows what will happen!"

I laughed.

"I'll go tell Finn." Piper walked off.

I felt glad that someone was actually willing to help me with this. This was the first time I'd actually felt compelled to start a little mischief and I had Piper and Stork on my side.

I pulled my wallet out of my pocket, counting my cash. I had enough on me to spare, so I would set the stakes high. I stuffed a ten in my front pocket, my wallet in my back pocket, and walked back into the kitchen. I opened the fridge and grabbed the bottle of fruit punch filling up the two glasses I'd set out before. Replacing the juice in the fridge, I returned to the helm and set the glasses on the table. I set the palm of my hand on the table, the glass on the back of my hand, and waited for Finn.

Two minutes later, the blond walked in. "Piper, uh… said you wanted to see me…"

"Yeah! Take a look at this." With my free hand, I pointed to the glass balanced on top of my other.

"… It's a glass… filled with juice… what about it?" Finn was losing confidence in the importance of the conversation.

"I can balance this glass on my hand! Isn't it cool?" By then I was even starting to scare myself.

"All right, I think you've officially lost your mind." He reached for the glass, setting it beside my hand. "Just… sit down… I'll go… Stork?!"

"What?! I told you to leave me out of this!"

He sighed.

"No! Okay, listen. I bet… I bet that you can't balance one on the back of each of your hands."

Finn laughed smugly. This was an offer he couldn't pass up. Good thing he was focused on the triteness of it than the details. "All right, if I can, what do I get?"

"Ten bucks."

He nodded. "All right!"

"Put your hands on the table face-down." Once they were firmly against the surface, I placed a glass on top of each hand and smiled. "Huh…" I pulled the ten out of my pocket and threw it on the table. "Guess you can do it." I patted his back and laughed. "That's for taking a pass at Kai." And with that said I walked off.

"Wait… Hey! That was cheap!"

"No… That's how you pull off the perfect prank." And the best part? To free himself and get that ten… he'll have to spill the juice.

ooo

With Neon in our sights, Stork stalled the ship. "Are you guys going to head out first? It might… take me a while to get the Condor authorized…"

I nodded. "It's fine. I'm sure it won't take that long."

He nodded, pushing the ship off once more. What sounded like a startling malfunction in the engine soon turned out to be odd static on the PA system. "I'll… go check the fuse box!" Stork offered. But before he got too far, an all-too familiar voice rose through the speakers.

"Hey, ah… Storm Hawks… Put that red-headed girlie of yours on the radio…"

Piper looked at me, confused. "All right, that's enough Aerrow. I think that's enough pranks."

"…That's… not me."

Piper was now stunned.

Kai stuttered, "M-me? Why me? What does he want?"

"Do you know who that is?" I asked, unsure myself.

She shook her head.

Stork, having left for the communications room, came rushing back with a grim look upon his face. "Uh Aerrow…? That's the Dark Ace…"

Kai, close enough to the table, slowly reached out for a chair, her eyes glazed over. "He's here… for me?"

"Finn, lock the hangar door and secure the turret. If you see any sign of a Talon, shoot. Stork, put this thing into over-drive. Junko, get out there and secure the perimeter. No one is to touch the radio, you understand me?"

"You seven are idiots, you know that?" the Dark Ace laughed. "This isn't just a one-way thing here. That's right… I can hear your every word, your every breath… the slightest movement…"

How, was the question.

"Look, Dark Ace, I don't know what kind of stunt you're trying to pull here but there's no chance in hell you can get on the Condor. You can't get to Kai!" I waved to Finn and Junko, signaling them to follow my prior orders.

The two nodded, quickly leaving. Once Junko was on his skimmer and out the hangar door, Finn secured it behind him before rushing to the turret.

"See, that's where you're wrong. But I'm not about to break into the Condor… No matter the upgrades that foolish Merb may have made, you've forgotten that I know that ship inside, out. Getting in would be a snap… but that's not what I want. Kai will leave the ship of her own free will. Why? Because I know your girlfriend has a soft-spot in her heart for me."

I slowly glanced toward Kai, who was having a mental breakdown. She persisted in hitting her head against the table, muttering nonsense to herself through the tears. I couldn't stand it. I promised her this would never happen again. I promised I would never let the Dark Ace get to her… She would never have to go through it again. Everything I had built up, all of the processes we went through to rid her of the nightmares…

I won't have my efforts be in vain.

"She's crying…," the Talon muttered.

"You're not getting to Kai. She's not coming off this ship. I don't care if our shipment is late, I won't put Kai at risk."

"Damn it, Aerrow!" Kai cried. "Just… Just let me go…"

The talon chuckled. "Yeah, Aerrow. Just let her go…"

I glanced up, pressing my lips together. This… this is what happens? She made me promise not to make her face the Dark Ace again… And she's going to willingly step off the ship into his hands? I slammed my fist onto the table. "FINN?!"

The boy rushed in, sliding across the floor, panicked. "What?!"

"Go with her… to Neon…" I stood Kai up and pushed her toward Finn. "Don't let her drive."

Finn, confused and concerned, agreed with my orders nonetheless. Finn led Kai off the Condor on his Skimmer, I watched them as they flew through the air.

"Good boy, Aerrow. Too bad you never learn when to keep your team back on base…" Dark Ace laughed, followed by a solemn click. The static returned for only a moment more before our PA system was ours again.

I slowly sat down at the table, resting my head on the surface. I slammed my fist on the table, hitting my head over and over again before Piper stopped me.

"Aerrow…"

Kai

"Listen, Blondie!" The Talon even had control of Finn's radio. "Drop her off on Neon. Kai and I are going to go on a little scavenger hunt… You follow her, you die."

"Finn… It's all right," I comforted him. "I'll be fine." I knew this was going to be hell, but I couldn't just ignore it, however. I couldn't stay on the ship and ignore something that could turn out to benefit me. Aerrow… Aerrow would never see the point of it—he could never have seen the good that could possibly come of it.

And if I was right… Ace wasn't in this to kill me, or anyone else.

Once the blond dropped me off on Neon, he embraced me for fear he would never see me again. "Why are you doing this, Kai?"

I sighed. "Because I owe him my life." We were never even… I watched Finn fly back to the Condor, leaving me with thick tension in the air. I looked at the radio in my hand and awaited my next instructions.

"You look good today," the talon laughed.

"And you are a pedophile."

"Oooh," he cringed. "If only you knew my reasoning, Storm Hawk…"

I sniffed in, rubbing my face.

"Oh come on, don't cry, Kai… if that is your real name. Zaria Everett, was it?"

"It's Kai bloody Everett!" I shouted into the receiver. "Stop playing games with me. Where the hell are you?" I scanned my environment, searching every rooftop, every coaster railing, every snack stand…

"Don't sweat it, kid. You'll see me soon enough," he chuckled. "Since you're so eager…"

"Piss off," I growled.

"Hey, hey… take it easy. Go buy yourself a cotton candy and get in line for the Thunderbolt! Maybe a ride will get you to stop crying if the candy doesn't."

Ignoring the snack, I followed his instructions and maneuvered my way around Neon. Finding the one called "Thunderbolt," I stood in line and waited. "What's the point of this?"

"Don't you want to have a little fun? Come on, this is Terra Neon, for God's sake! Ugh… Fine, ruin it for me…"

"You're immature, you know that?" I scoffed.

"Tell that to blondie. He's following you…"

"You touch him and I swear you will never have children!"

Ace sighed. "… Fine. Lose him, turn around and take a left. Go to the Illusionist."

I smiled, "You lied! You were never going to touch him… If I asked you to kill Cyclonis, you would fall to your knees and do what I asked. You're weak!" I weaved through the crowd, searching for the so-called "Illusionist."

I stood in front of a side-show portable building, decked out with animatronics and painted paneling. I sighed. "You're sending me… into a house of mirrors?"

Ace laughed.

"You know, I already have depth perception issues. This is just redundant!"

"If you're nice, I'll give you a map…"

I rolled my eyes, entering the maze. "I don't know if this is reinforcing a vain outlook on life, considering I'm surrounded by me." As I stepped further into the maze, I was surrounded more and more by myself yet I felt more and more alone. Ace's voice wasn't there with every jeer…

At one point after running into a mirror, I turned around and leaned against it, sighing. "I'm… alone now, aren't I?"

His voice was quiet, "You're never truly alone."

I held the radio to my ear, noting the sound hadn't come from the machine. I shook it a few times, wondering if I was growing past the point of insanity.

I looked up, seeing the dimmed reflection of the Talon, leaning against a mirror as well. His reflection spread around the room like a virus and with the poor light, it was almost impossible to tell the original from the copies. I searched for the double reflection, the talon standing in front of a mirror… but nothing. No matter what I did, what angle I took, I couldn't find the original.

"What are you trying to pull here, Ace?"

"What, I can't see how my old friend is doing?"

"We were never friends…" I spun around on my heel, still searching for the man. "That was nothing more than an illusion."

"Illusion!" he laughed. "Ha! Like this…?" The reflection in the mirror reached toward me. "Listen. You couldn't stand to live a day without your precious Aerrow. Or is that Finn…?" He watched me closely. "Ah… young love. So confused… I've kept a close eye on you, Kai. You would be a great asset to me if you were ever to return to the academy."

"Not a damn chance. If you've been watching me so closely, have you seen what that academy has done? The… the pain it's put me through? The nightmares…," I struggled as the tears began to fall, "The… the nightmares I wake up screaming from every night…"

I hid my face from the mirrors, hiding the tears. This argument wasn't over and tears would call the end of it.

"If you felt so strongly as to… to stalk me… You should know why I wouldn't think twice about ripping your head from your body! You should know why I'll never go back to the Talon Academy…"

"Ha! You're naïve! You're weak. You can't take the pain so you give up. Maybe I was wrong…"

"You bastard!" I screamed, charging toward the opposing mirror. I smashed Finn's radio into the glass, shattering it. I moved on to the next one, and the next one, the tears falling faster now. I would get my hands on him, I would bash his skull in with my bare hands if I had to… I would take the glass shards and rake them through every inch of his skin, but it all started with a mirror.

Mirror after mirror, the Talon was unmoved, unharmed. This was a war I would never win.

I smashed the last mirror my bloodied hand could take, sobbing loudly as I slid down to the floor. "You have no idea the pain and misery you've caused me!" I screamed, my head falling into my hands. The blood dripped down my cheek, the glass in my hand setting nerves off like live wires. I gripped onto my bangs and cried, daring to rip the hair from my scalp at the roots.

A hand rested on my shoulder and I jerked back, threatening to rip the limb from whoever owned it. "Don't touch me!"

The man squatted down next to me, moving the shattered glass aside with a gloved hand.

"You better be five terras away by the time I calm down or you won't see the outside of this sideshow."

"Kai."

"Go."

"Listen to me."

"GO!"

"…I'm sorry."

ooo

I clutched my sides and trudged back through the hangar door. I knew what I was in for. The blood still dripped from my hand, soaking into my clothes.

Aerrow was not too far behind. The second tires hit the landing strip, he was waiting for me, and he wasn't too happy with the guest I brought along. "Kai—"

"Let him go."

"Kai, you—"

"Let. Him. Go."

Ace chuckled, saluting his rival. "Goodbye… Aerrow…" And the man took his leave without another word.

I slammed the hangar door shut, exposing my raw hand to the light. The following actions on Aerrow's part were quite surprising.

He finally saw my side.

"What happened?" he asked. For once it was concerned, not forced or spoken to seek revenge.

"I smashed a few mirrors… Do you mind helping me out?"

He nodded, walking me over to the table.

I gave him a half-hearted smile and a quiet laugh. "You can ask, Aerrow."

Stork rushed a First-Aid kit to the table. Aerrow pulled out a white rag and began to mop up the blood from my skin. "You know… for once, I don't want to ask… I don't want to know what happened… but I want to know why you left…"

I looked up toward the red-head. "I owe the Dark Ace my life… And he knew I was obligated to do what he said. Without force."

Aerrow remained quiet and simply not argumentative.

I smiled. "For once… for once, you're the hero."

He glanced up from my hand in a questioning manner.

"Thank you for not asking…"

He smiled, nodding.

"But you want to know… Aerrow, I know you better than that," I laughed. "I… fell off a cliff on Cyclonia… and Ace saved me. He used that against me and he probably will do it again."

"You may owe me your life… But that doesn't mean I'll take it from you without a fair fight."

Aerrow looked at me. "And you felt it was safe to follow his orders? Kai, he could've killed you."

"What? Is… is it a crime to check up on my apprentice?"

"I'm not your apprentice. I'm nothing like you, I never will be."

"I know," I smiled. "I know he could've done much worse than cause me to smash my own hand open." I rested my uninjured hand on his shoulder. "But… don't you think if he wanted to kill me, he would've outright done it? Aerrow… The Dark Ace is direct. He wouldn't drag it out if he had the chance to openly kill me."

"You're more like a Talon than a Storm Hawk than you realize, Kai…"

Aerrow hummed. "You have a point."

"Take me back. TAKE. ME. BACK! NOW!"

"If I thought there was ever a chance that I wouldn't come back, that I would never be able to see you again…" I stopped, blushing as I corrected myself. "If I ever thought there was a chance that I would never see any of you again… I would've never done it."

"Fine… But think of this when you make your final decision, Kai… Is there ever truly a right or a wrong? Who's to say you aren't the one in the wrong? What if I'm the good guy?"

"You can justify murder as good deed? I'd like to see the evidence that supports that. Ace, why don't you take your head out of your ass and see that what you're doing is wrong?! The day you do that is the day that I'll believe Cyclonia is in the right. Take me back to the Condor before I slit your throat with a shard of glass."

Aerrow smiled. "You're getting better at this, you know."

"Considering I saw no danger in what I had done and you did? Yeah… I'd say I'm learning pretty fast."

And though Ace hadn't threatened me with my life, he threatened to turn around everything I'd ever come to know as truth. That struck a raw nerve… But it was over. It was done with and I was safe… I wanted to pretend like it never happened and Aerrow was glad to make that a reality.

Stork stitched up my hand once Aerrow fished out the shattered glass.

It was over. It was done.

This never happened…