Beware, this chapter can get confusing.

Kept Secrets

Kai

Gale was honestly the farthest from home I'd gone thus far. It seemed to foreign, so… so Cyclonian-controlled… "Why are we here, again?"

He smiled. "We're not here for the reason you think."

"Oh, so we didn't pick up a shipment and freeze my toes off at Blizzaris to get it to Gale?"

"No… I meant we're not here to help out the Talons. There's a squadron here called the Rebel Ducks and they needed a few things. But I do need your help specifically, Kai. I want you and…," he stopped and glanced toward the blond. "Make that you and Junko. I need you two to go check on the status of the mines."

"Wait, wait, wait. Aerrow… Why are we landing on a Cyclonian-infected terra?" I asked. If I knew this terra was talon-infested, I may have never agreed to be on-board during the shipment off-loading.

"There are several places we can land where we'll be hidden from the mines," Stork added. "All though it's not entirely in any of our best interests, I suppose I'll land the Condor here, anyway…"

"Well… I don't want to go down to the mines… what if we get spotted?" Junko questioned.

I sighed. "I doubt a few Talons will be a problem."

"Kai… you might want to come here, then…," Piper whined, ushering me over to the helm window.

Upon looking downward, I saw more than my fair share of Talons—an amount Junko and I could definitely not handle on our own. "Hey… I think something's startled them."

Aerrow stood up, walking over to the window. Finn quickly followed over as well. "That's… that's Starling's Skimmer!" the blond pointed out.

"And she's being followed by a Talon…" Aerrow turned from the window, willing to risk our stealth to help out a friend.

"Wait! I don't… think that'll be necessary…," I laughed, seeing another Skimmer quickly pick up behind her and the Talon. In an instant, the one on the other Skimmer launched from the bike, took down the talon, and replaced themselves in the pilot's seat before anyone could've guessed. "Who… is that?"

"Starling's an Interceptor," Finn told me.

"The girl?" Aerrow spoke curiously. "…I'm not sure…"

"Looks live we've been spotted…," Finn muttered.

Stork made a hard right and caught us all off-guard. "Talon? WHERE?!"

Aerrow sighed. "No, Stork… Stork, it's fine. Prepare to be boarded."

"May I ask why that's fine?" he asked, daring to play chicken with the Interceptors.

"He's not talking about Talons…"

"Oh… Okay."

Taking another closer look, I realized just exactly who that was. Lora. She said she was on her way to Gale… "Guys I know her. Let them on!"

Junko rushed to the hangar door, pulling it open. Not a moment too soon, of course. The two hit the landing strip and powered their way onto the Condor, skidding into the helm. I could see Stork cringe as the clean floor was scuffed-up.

"Hey, Storm Hawks," Starling smiled.

"It's nice to see you again," Aerrow laughed. "Who's this?"

Lora stepped off her bike, grumbling to herself. "Good for nothing .... Save your ass a million .... No respect…"

"Hey," I walked up to her. "You're an Interceptor?"

"Nice to see you, too. Go away."

I blinked, taking a step back.

"She's nobody. Just an annoyance."

"I have a fucking name!"

Aerrow took a step back as well. "Hey… is there a problem?"

"Aerrow, this is Lora," I introduced her. "I ran into her on Tranqua before you showed up."

"He showed up?" she questioned, surprised.

I smiled. "Unlike Ace, I can actually rely on him."

Lora continued to grumble profanities beneath her breath.

"What's the story, Starling?" Piper asked.

"Well," she sighed. "I found her in the clutches of Talons a few months back… She was able to free herself in the most incredible fashion, I thought she would be a great asset to me. I had no idea she had an attitude to boot." A drop of sarcasm was mixed in with her words.

"Hey, you should try dealing with your sorry ass twenty-four-seven!"

Trying to keep a cheery mood, Starling smiled. "I'm so glad you're here. Please… Please take her off my hands!"

"You're weak, you know that?"

"You should try not to argue!" I added in. "Listen, I can tell this argument is a result of intolerance on your part," I looked at Starling, "and ignorance!" I glared at Lora.

"Receptive kid, aren't you?" she growled.

I tried to qwell the oncoming anger, knowing it would get me in trouble. "I want the both of you to shut up and sit the hell down! No one is going anywhere until I get this place quiet."

Finn and Aerrow stared at me in awe.

"There's the Storm Hawk I know," Aerrow smiled.

Stunned, Starling walked over to the table, Lora dragging behind. "I don't understand why I have to—"

"Sit. Down. Shut up. Now!"

Lora pressed her lips together, walking over to the table confidently.

"Now what's going on? Starling first."

Lora huffed, crossing her arms and legs.

"Can I ask you something first? Where'd you get the tattooed chick from?"

Aerrow laughed, leaving that one up to me.

"No subject changing. I'll explain that later."

Starling sighed. "Lora and I just don't get along. I thought for once I would be able to get back on track, you know? Rebuild my team… Lora is way better off on your team," she forced, giving us a cheesy grin.

"You can't stand her so you're passing her off to us?"

"Yes," she admitted.

Lora grumbled, desperately trying to stay quiet.

"Okay. I don't need to hear Lora's side of the story… Stork, let's get that shipment to the Rebel Ducks, all right? Starling, help out the guys. I'll keep Lora company."

Everyone agreed, quickly taking their positions on the ship. Once the room was partially cleared, I sat down beside Lora, glaring at her. "What the hell is going on?"

"Turns out I'm more of a bitch than you thought," she scoffed.

I reached out, placing a hand on either side of her face. "You need to cool off." My hands began to glow brightly, watching the power crawl up my arms. The markings transferred to her skin around my hands, disappearing gradually as I let go.

With a calm, almost drugged look on her face, I knew I would get a rational answer out of her. "I'm cold... What the hell did you do to me?"

"I cooled off your blood. Now you're too distracted to be mad!" I smiled.

She narrowed her gaze, watching me closely. Lora turned back around, resting her arms on the table. "God, this place has so many memories…"

"You've… been on the Condor before?"

"I lived here," she breathed. "Just for a few months, it wasn't entirely official… They said it needed to be kept a secret, I'd be surprised if there was any record of it." She looked down, tapping a finger against the table. "You guys don't still have V2, do you?"

I shook my head, unsure of what, or who exactly she was talking about.

"Right… This was all quite a few years ago… Back in the original squadron, aye?" She laughed quietly, resting the side of her face against the metal table.

"So… you were part of the original Storm Hawks, then?"

She nodded. "Not for long, and not officially."

"You worked with Ace…"

"Yeah… Back when he was Ace."

I stood up, stretching out my arms. "Why don't you show me around, then? I haven't been here long myself… Show me what you know."

She stood up, readjusting her armor. "Sounds… fun, I suppose."

Our first stop was my room, oddly enough. Lora pushed open the door, glancing around the room. "Piper lives here, huh?"

I shook my head. "I do."

"Fitting… Ace lived in this one. He wrote all over the walls." Lora proceeded in tearing down my sketches, disappointed to see a fresh coat of paint covering whatever was there before. "He had coded plans on here… Everything he needed to escape the Condor after he ambushed it, assuming he was on board. He had flight plans, demonstrating the optimum way to take down his leader…"

She let her fingers drag down the walls in disappointment, handing me the pictures she'd removed. "Sorry…"

I smiled, tossing them on my bed. "Where to next?"

"Lightning Strike's room… It was the most interesting." Not too far away, we landed in Aerrow's room. "His boy lives in here, aye?"

I nodded.

"Not surprising…" She quickly turned around, facing me. "Hey, rumor has it Mara's still alive… any of that bull true? I'd like to get my hands on the lazy bum."

Mara was the best of the best—he was the original Storm Hawks carrier pilot. "No… no, he went down with the ship…"

A sadden look took over the excitement, and Lora forcibly pressed on. "Anyone live in here?" she asked, opening another door. This was the purple room… "Oh…" From the barren feel, she knew the answer. "Starling said she was offered this room once before. I assume you weren't a part of the team at the time…"

I shook my head.

She led me to the kitchen, not bothering to stop there. She grabbed my hand and looked left, then right. Fear replacing anger, I was still unsure if Lora would get hurt by being in contact with me. I tried my best not to transfer any of the power while she held onto me.

"Watch this!" she giggled, pressing herself up against a seemingly unimportant wall. She patted the wall in search of something. Scratching her nails against the metal, they hit a lift. She pried it upward and twisted it counter-clockwise, pushing in the wall. "This is so cool… I hid so much shit back here." She let go of my hand, carefully maneuvering around the narrow walkway.

I could see this place hadn't been touched in a while, but by the footprints that had been left I knew Stork had found this place.

"I wonder if that Merb of yours stole any of my things…"

"You kept things back here?"

She shrugged. "I was off on a side-job while Ace was taking down the Condor, thank God. Never had a chance to retrieve any of it… Ah!" She knelt down, reaching elbow-deep into a mysterious crevice. She pulled back a dusty wooden box. It was quite large in size and seemed pretty heavy just by seeing the amount of effort she put into lifting it. "Guess you never did find V2."

"What is this V2?"

She patted the box. "We had an incident with him not too long before the Condor went down. They wanted to throw him out and I felt bad… so I put him in this box and stuffed him back here. I… don't have the key… It was on the ship."

"You put someone in that box?" I asked startled.

She shook her head. "V2 was our… Well, you know that monkey-rabbit thing you have crawling around here? He's like that… only mechanical and spherical. He won't run. Period. But it'd still be pretty cool to see the old guy…"

Still unsure of what exactly she was talking about, I nodded. "I don't know if I can help you in the key department. You might have to ask Stork, our pilot." I began to fiddle with my necklace before realizing something. I'd strung that key I won racing Aerrow early on around my neck. He made me promise I would find what it went to… "Wait… try this. It probably won't work, but I'm obligated to try anyway." After untying the necklace, I handed it to her.

She stuck the key in the lock, turning the rusty lock. A smile struck her face as she began to lift the lid. I was stunned. I never thought I would find what the key belonged to... "Look…" She brushed off the dusty metal finding it to be surprisingly shiny, except for a few spots of rust.

"Holy…" I squatted down, looking at the robot. "He actually worked?"

"Yeah… I didn't think that was possible, really… Somehow, he defied logic and functioned perfectly."

"Off crystals?"

"It took one Engine crystal, and fresh fuel crystals to keep him running. I was assigned to keep watch of his crystal power levels," she smiled proudly.

"Can… you take him out? I want to see if there's something I can do…"

"With that weird crystal thing you do?" An eager smile crossed her face. "Absolutely." With some effort, she lugged the robot out of the box and kicked the wood aside. Once he was free from the box, she fished two metal balls from the box and set them beside the robot. "These are his hands…"

I laughed. "Okay, keep quiet for a minute… I don't entirely know what all I can do or if this'll even work…" I pressed my hands against the dusty metal, closing my eyes. I let out a cool breath, feeling the metal begin to freeze beneath my skin. Not what I was hoping for, but progress nonetheless. I tried to further concentrate, delving deeper. I knew if I searched for remaining crystal power, the Leech crystal inside of me would beg for whatever it could get. I could feel the power transfer through the metal, running through every fiber, every inch of metal and crystal, around every gear. Once I'd found the engine crystal, I knew there was something I could do.

Like a dry sponge, the engine crystal began to take whatever power I would allow it to have. As the greedy crystal began refueling, I continued my search. Another crystal object laid in my grasp, unresponsive to my invitation for power. I retracted my hands from the metal, fatigued from the draw of power.

"That's incredible!" Lora cheered. "You should've seen your skin… it was creepy. And… and those markings were on V2, too! Ha ha!"

I smiled, catching my breath. "I try not to think about it… it still creeps me out. Listen, I felt like part of the circuit was missing. The power went in and out, there was no end… give me one of those," I reached for one of the metal balls she said were his hands. I grasped it in my hand. "If you want to talk about incredible, you should take a look at the robot! He can transfer power to his hands without wires or connective crystals, it's absolutely amazing!"

"I tried not to question it," she mocked jokingly. "It was creepy."

I rolled my eyes, laughing. "You want to see your buddy?" I smiled, prying open his hand. Located in the middle of the metal hand was a small crystal. Though it was nothing more than a cooking crystal, it would hold enough power (given a constant supply) to power the contraption for a short amount of time.

Thankful eyes caught my own. "Even if it's just for a moment… I miss the little guy…"

"Give me the other hand." Grasping the two in each hand, I exhaled. Still recovering from the lack of power lost in the first round, I knew I had to keep it short. I fed as much power as I could into the cooking crystals and waited for a response.

The rusty gears tried to fire up, grinding against their prior sedentary lifestyle. The circuit-like pattern markings ran across his metal, glowing dimly as I fed power through his hands and into the rest of his body. Suddenly, the metal beast rose from the ground, floating in mid-air.

"Lora…," it spoke quietly with an electronically warped voice.

Tears filled the warrior's blue eyes as she reached out to brush off V2's metal.

"Lora, I've missed you… How long have I been gone?"

"Six years…"

If the contraption could cry, it would be bawling its electronic eyes out. "Where is Ace? Surely he is with you… That boy couldn't keep his hands off of you!"

She closed her eyes, forcing the tears out.

I could feel resistance from his hands. They were begging to move, to comfort Lora… "Sorry, buddy… I have to hold onto your hands to keep you alive…"

He nodded grimly. "He finally took them down, didn't he?"

"You knew?!" Lora grew angry. I could feel remorse, regret, and concern run through the robot. It was absolutely stunning to see a supposedly emotionless beast express concern—an entirely other thing to feel it personally. "You knew he was going to bring down the team?!"

V2 backed away, inch by inch. "Ace had evil in his heart… Destruction was going to be a result wherever he went… Lora, I thought you knew."

She tore her gaze away from the robot, unable to control the tears now.

"Shit. Lora, I… I can't keep him up much longer…," I told her, watching his lights flicker, feeling his gears stutter.

She reached out for the machine, wrapping her arms around the metal sphere. "Don't forget me…," she whispered, holding the contraption as he fell from the air. The power was quickly drained, every last drop used to keep him alive.

I could feel my muscles ache, the fatigue really setting in. No matter how much I wanted to, there was no chance I could get him up and running without some sort of recharge.

Lora rose to her feet, holding tightly onto V2. "I'm not leaving without him. Not again."

I nodded. "He's all yours."

She smiled, squeezing her way past me and out of the narrow room. I kept V2's hands in my own, following her out.

"How long am I stuck here?" she asked, readjusting her grip on V2.

"I suppose… until we're done unloading the ship. I don't think you want to help out… Starling will be out there."

She shook her head. "I'm perfectly content in here." Lora hugged the metal beast the rest of the tour around the Condor, stopping specifically at the crystal lab. "This… is interesting… Looks like you guys have put Leum's room to good use."

"Piper stores every crystal she gets her hands on in here, with the exception of Cooking and Fuel crystals. Those are kept either in the kitchen, or the hangar."

"Do me a favor? Get about… three fuel crystals and a cooking crystal for me, will ya? I want to try something." She stepped into the room, setting V2 on the table. She made sure he wouldn't roll off before returning to me, prying V2's hands out of my own.

"Uh… sure?" Now entirely caught up in the lab, Lora didn't even notice me leave.

I walked from Piper's lab to the helm, walking through to the hangar. I pushed past the Skimmers and squatted down by a box of fuel crystals. I picked the brightest few and returned to Lora. "What exactly do you have in mind?" I asked, absorbing one of the fuel crystals on accident. I breathed a sigh of relief when the fatigue escaped my body, the fuel crystal entering in its place. If I could use crystals in place of sleep, I would've said this accident may not have been such a bad thing.

"You got V2 up and running… Maybe I can keep him running?" She seemed so hopeful. She missed her friend dearly…

She snatched the crystals from my hands, dropping them into the robot.

"Hmm… these aren't ordinary fuel crystals… Any idea where you guys got 'em from?"

I shook my head. "Lately Piper has come up with quite a few unstable crystals… Not sure why she's kept them…"

"Study. Kale used to do that more than once. He and Leum would collect odd crystals for study."

I nodded.

"Care to give him a jumpstart?" she asked eagerly, stepping aside.

I nodded. Refueled, I could now lend a hand. I placed my hands on the metal beast and drove a blast of crystal energy throughout him. Now up and running, I stepped back.

Lora launched toward me, engulfing me in her arms. "You have no idea how grateful I am."

"Lora!" V2 exclaimed. "How… how did you…? I thought…"

She released me, rushing over to him. "Kai's got a few tricks up her sleeves… You can thank her that you're alive."

V2 lifted his hands from the desk, stretching out his fingers. "Boy, does this feel good… Hey, I rusted…! Lora, where exactly did you keep me locked up?"

"…In the crawlspace…," she laughed nervously.

With a disappointed look on his face, he sighed. "So, how long has it been?"

"Six years…"

Piper rushed in, staring at the robot. "What… is that?"

I smiled. "His name is V2. I have no idea how he runs… Lora found him in the crawlspace." I saved Lora the trouble of explaining everything. Lora had said that her status as an ex-Storm Hawk was supposed to be kept a secret, so I left it that way.

Piper stood there, watching in awe as V2 hovered there above the ground, his hands disconnected from his body, floating there as well. "This is incredible…"

"I know, right?" Lora smiled. "Look, V2 and I really have to get going."

"He's not yours," Piper instructed. "You found him on the ship, correct?"

"Miss," V2 interrupted. "I was a companion of Loras back in my prime. I lived here on the ship, but Lora was a very good friend of mine. If you don't mind, I'd like to go along with her."

If I thought Piper was amazed before, that was nothing compared to how she reacted now. "You can speak?!"

He nodded

"Lora, V2… I'm sorry, I just can't let him leave. This is incredible! I have to study him…"

Aerrow joined the party, ignoring the scene. "Looks like we're done here…"

I looked at Aerrow, walking over to his side. "Lora found him in the Condor. Piper and her are fighting over him."

"Ahh… You two found him here on the ship?"

I nodded. "But he used to be Lora's, so it's a question of ownership. I told Lora she could have him."

"Guys!" Aerrow interrupted. "Kai is a part of the team, and what she says has merit. Lora, did she say you can have him?"

Lora nodded confidently.

"Then he's yours. End of story."

Stunned, Piper tried to argue her way out of it.

"He's Lora's, anyway. V2 seems to have his own personality and way of thinking, if he wants to leave with her, we shouldn't stop him."

"If you wouldn't mind…," he smiled.

Reluctantly, Piper agreed. "Fine…" She quickly left the room.

"I'm sorry to inconvenience you all. It's been quite a while since I've seen Lora."

Aerrow leaned against the doorway. "So, I suppose you have some explaining to do, Lora. How did something of yours manage to get on the Condor?"

"A few months before the Condor went down, I stayed on the Condor. Of course, assuming you've kept the original rules of the ship, you should know living there meant I had to help out."

I looked at Lora with a smug look. "She loved Acey."

"Shut up!" Lora growled.

Aerrow laughed quietly. "So you were a Storm Hawk… I don't think I've read about you."

"They didn't want me to get hurt, being so young. They tried to keep it quiet, I don't think I'm on record."

Ignoring the business aspect, I continued to poke fun at the girl. "You know, she was Ace's first love…," I sighed, smiling obliviously.

"I'm going to kill you!" Lora charged toward me, but in grasping her hands, the girl froze in her steps. She quickly backed up, a look of pain struck her face.

"Don't you dare."

Aerrow flinched, but couldn't even make a move before it was all over. "Huh… Look, Lora, you don't mind if we all talk to you and Starling for a moment, do you?"

She exhaled sharply, leaving the room. "Fine, make it quick."

"What are you?" V2 asked curiously, circling me.

"According to Piper, I'm a walking crystal."

V2 chuckled. "Astounding…"

Aerrow, V2, and I left for the helm, meeting the rest of the group out there. Not too surprising, Starling an Lora were already back to arguing. That's when I knew just what this meeting was about.

I stood between the two with a hand on foreheads. "I can kill you both in an instant. One more word out of either of you and it will be your last." That was entirely a bluff. I knew I could hurt them, I knew I could freeze them from the inside, out, and I knew I could paralyze them—but I knew I couldn't kill them. I was too weak, and I lacked that ability… but they didn't know that.

Starling backed up. "I don't want to argue anymore."

"Precisely why we're out here. Starling, you can go. I know you need to make it to Skyside Shanty before too long."

She nodded. "Thanks for everything, Storm Hawks. I'll see you around." Starling left for the hangar, flying her Skimmer off of the Condor.

"I don't know what you're trying to pull, but—"

"Join us," Aerrow stated plainly.

Lora stood there in silence, trying to read his expression. "You're kidding…"

Aerrow shook his head. "Starling is better off on her own… she's proved that to us. And from what she's told me, you're better off without her, but you need a team. And… we have an extra room," he shrugged. "So, join us."

A smile grew on her face, but it quickly faded. "I can't live here. There are too many memories… to many devastating memories… I… Aerrow… I can't. I just can't. I can't stand to relive it all…" Lora began to walk off solemnly toward the hangar door. "Go ask Starling again…"

She climbed onto her skimmer, starting up the engine. "Stay here V2," she decided. "You're connected to all of that… As much as I'd love to have you back…" She looked down, hiding the tears she couldn't keep from falling. "You're a part of him. I don't want anything to do with him… Goodbye, V2…"

And without another word, Lora took off.

V2 backed up into me, apologizing quickly after. "How… how could she just do that?"

I rested a hand on his metal body. "She's hurt, V2… You can tell she's sorry," I told him, trying to lighten the situation.

"Yeah…," he looked down. "So am I…" He slowly left the room, leaving behind a depressing feeling.

Even Aerrow was sad. The emotion Lora brought with her was strong—we didn't even know the story and she brought us to our knees, saddened by the scars her past had left.

I fell to my knees before sitting on the floor, wiping tears from my eyes. "I wonder what happened to her…"