The Interceptor

Kai

I wasn't in the air long before I found a decent place of land. If memory serves, I saw something on Aerrow's maps that named this place 'Tranqua'—uninhabited, very humid, yet peaceful and quiet. I leaned my Skimmer up against a tree and made my way to the nearest lake, sitting on the edge.

I now had time to examine just exactly what had happened to me. My skin was painted with black markings—I looked like the circuit boards powering the Condor! Glancing at my reflection in the water, I could see the markings curl up one side of my neck and no further. My eyes held a faint glow, no longer that brilliant green I was born with, but bright silver—foreign and unnatural.

Just the thought of what had happened angered me. With the passing rage, the markings on my arms and hands gradually began to glow, the light crawling from my upper arms down to my fingertips. I closed my eyes and tried to shoo away the rage. Rage… It was all centered around rage. Rage triggered the absorption, rage made me hurt Piper. However, when I had attacked Piper, my rage was magnified. I'd never felt so mad…

I was never a violent person. Something inside of me had caused the rage. It could've been any of the crystals now lurking in my genes. Piper said something about the Leech crystal and violence. I took that as truth and decided not to question it.

I wanted absolutely nothing to do with this—I didn't want to hurt anyone anymore. I just wanted to be home on Atmosia, curled up on the couch or working in my garden while I waited for Dad to come back from work.

I closed my eyes and cried, the tears freezing as they hit he skin on my legs. My eyes shot open with the mysterious change. I scraped the small droplet of ice from my skin and examined it. Nothing was normal anymore… None of this was supposed to happen to me! I was Kai Everett. I was a human from Atmosia. I was never destined for anything more than a life of a house-wife, taking care of whoever I was supposed to marry.

Then Aerrow came along and changed everything.

I depend on him, now. I depended on him to be there when I wake up, screaming from the nightmares caused by the incident at the Academy. I depended on him to be there to stop the bleeding when Ace decided to show his face. I depended on him to comfort me when Finn screwed up and turned me into a monster…

I then proceeded to laugh at myself. I'd been so sheltered from the world, being forced to look after the house while father was at work, I couldn't handle it when something went wrong. Looking back, nothing that had happened was honestly that bad. Sure, I may come out of everything emotionally scarred, but I was handling everything like a child!

I suppose my age was an excuse in the eyes of others, Aerrow's comfort was an excuse on my part, but there truly was no excuse in reality. I needed to man up and accept that if something happens, I have to take the consequences without question.

But for the time being, I couldn't get the tears to stop.

"What are you doing on this terra?!"

Startled, I quickly turned around, losing my balance. I began to slip off the ledge down toward the lake, but the girl behind me managed to rush over and grab my wrist. "Thanks," I breathed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you this is the second time this month that this has happened…"

"I might. You look a bit clumsy."

"Hah, yeah… And I proceed to sit on precarious ledges. It's really my fault, I'm asking for it." I readjusted myself back on the ledge, facing the ledge once more.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, taking a seat next to me. "You're… a Storm Hawk… You're not supposed to be out here, anyway! Aren't you on your way to Gale?"

I nodded. "There was an incident back on the ship and I ran away… I can leave if I'm not allowed here, I don't know—"

"It's fine. I'm… on my way to Gale, myself. I'm meeting the rest of my Squadron."

"I'm Kai," I told her, smiling.

"Lora."

I looked over toward her, examining her armor. "You remind me of someone…" I glanced at her odd headgear, noting the similarity with Ace's. "You're not related to the Dark Ace, are you?"

She twitched. "No. Don't ever compare me to him. I'm nothing like that Cyclonian bastard!"

I leaned away from her. "In other words, you are…"

She looked away from me. "A long time ago, yes. But not by blood…"

"If you have such a grudge against him, what's with the headgear?"

She tapped her fingers against the ledge, frustrated with the questions. "It was… Look, kid, don't you have anything better to do?"

"I'm waiting for someone to come and rescue me…"

She looked down, kicking her feet through the air. "Yeah, well, let me tell you something about those Storm Hawk comrades of yours. Never trust them. One day, one of them might turn around and cut you."

"…You really have it in for Ace, don't you?"

"No, I have it in for Dark Ace. He's not Ace anymore…"

I looked at her, concerned. "You loved him, didn't you?"

Lora glanced at me. "I loved Ace… I can't even recognize the monster he's become." Her brows tugged together, the frustration growing. "Receptive kid, aren't you? What's with the tattoos?"

I laughed, looking at my arms. "It's a long story…"

She sighed. "Listen… You're… You're a Storm Hawk. Let me know if you're ever in trouble, all right?" She dug into her pockets, pulling out a Messenger crystal.

I held up my hands defensively. "I shouldn't touch that."

"…Why not?"

To prove a point, I would take the risk and touch the crystal. I took the crystal from her grasp, watching it turn to dust in my hands, as crystals do when their power is drained. Unsure of what the effects would be, I told myself I would figure it out later.

"Shit, kid, you're screwed up."

"I know… I'm so scared right now…"

With her armored hand, she put a finger under my chin, forcing me to look her in the eye. "This, as strange as it is, is nothing compared to what could happen, you understand? Be thankful this is all that's happened to you."

"Yeah? I was forced to infiltrate the Talon academy, mentally raped by the Dark Ace himself, conned into meeting him on Neon, I smashed my hand open because of him, I wake up screaming at night because I witnessed a murder at the Academy… Sure, that's nothing. I totally understand."

Stunned, she bit back her words. "I… I'm so sorry that you had to deal with him…"

"I just want to go home…"

"Then go. No one is stopping you." Through the silence, she grasped my exact reason for staying. "You love him, then, aye?"

I smiled.

Lora stood up, holding a hesitant hand out for me. "Be careful with that. Falling for a co-pilot can get you in trouble…"

"But I don't like a co-pilot…"

"No, no, ignore that. That's just my rage talking." She smiled. "Still. Be careful with this."

I nodded. "I won't let him hurt me."

I suppose it was interesting how she grasped my reasoning without knowing specifically who I meant. I knew Lora meant well—if she truly had something with Ace years ago… I could see why she was being cautious.

"I have to get going—I'm meeting someone soon. If you ever need anything, Kai, send out a radio call for me, all right?"

I nodded.

"Now… you better get off this terra quickly. I know a few people who might get suspicious if you're here for too long."

With a smile, I turned back to face the water. "I'm still waiting for someone…"

"Don't expect that boy to come after you."

As I turned around to respond, she was gone. I sighed. Waiting for Aerrow would be agonizing… If he didn't come for me within the hour, I would assume Lora was right. That would crash my hopes faster than Finn finds boredom.

Another distraction made me unbalanced and I fell from the ledge into the lake. Now soaking wet and disappointed, I resurfaced in search of a way out of the water. Laughter peered over the ledge and I growled. I knew that laugh.

"You better help me out of here…"

In seeing the eyes that matched the voice, I was stunned. It wasn't Finn—but Aerrow. I hadn't heard his laugh before… "Aerrow…"

"Are you all right?" he asked though the laughter.

"I'm fine…"

"Do you need help?" He crawled a little closer to the edge, holding a hand out for me.

I stepped back. "No… D-don't touch me…"

He frowned, "Kai…"

I swam to a lower edge and pulled myself out, wringing out my hair and clothing. I pulled off my armor and sat there, waiting for the warm air to at least partially dry me out.

He walked over, taking a seat next to me. He pulled his shoes off, dipping his feet into the water.

"I'm scared, Aerrow… Genuinely afraid."

He put his arm around me shoulder and I flinched. "Afraid or not, I'm not scared of you."

"You saw what I did to Piper…"

He nodded. "As scary as it was, it was understandable, to an extent. You're just scared…"

"Aerrow… Why is all of this happening to me?"

"This was Finn's fault. I'll see to it that he's punished."

"Let me," I grumbled, watching my hands as they lit up.

He removed his arm from my shoulder and took my hands in his, quelling the rage. "As long as he's not dead, by all means…"

I laughed. "Let's just say he will be cold, limp, and in pain when I'm done with him… assuming I don't get my hands on any more crystals between now and then."

He looked down, realizing he was still holding my hands. Quickly, he removed them and stood up, holding a hand out for me. "We should get back… I don't want you getting sick."

I pinched my shirt, pulling it away from my skin. "I'm screwed anyway… why don't we just go for a swim, eh?" I rose to my feet without his help.

"I can't—"

"Yes you can, don't be chicken…" I hopped around, removing my shoes one at a time.

Aerrow stuttered, watching my every move.

I dropped my skirt, stepping closer to the edge of the lake. As I grabbed the hem of my shirt, I glanced behind me, watching Aerrow in utter awe. "… You're gonna swim, aren't you?" I smiled.