~Toe the Line~

Sweat was making her hair stick to the back of her neck. The air was cool on her skin, but she wasn't cold. A warm weight was curled into her side, a heavy arm wrapped around her waist. Cyclonis wasn't much for cuddling, but she was tired.

Why do I keep letting this happen? It's just going to get messy.

She kept meaning to distance herself from the Sky Knight, draw a line in the sand and quit the damn intimacy between the pair of them. She just knew it was going to end tragically (for him of course). And she knew because the damn red-head cared about her. He hadn't spewed any love nonsense thank the merciful gods but she could tell that he didn't, or couldn't, separate sex from romantic attachment. And that made the Storm Hawk unpredictable. People did stupid things for people they cared about.

It was how the mess with the Dark Ace had started its tragic downward spiral. Ace had been the exemplary soldier. She trusted him to watch her back, and he trusted her to watch his. And a perfect working relationship went to hell the minute they started caring. He suddenly felt he had something to prove, and it just turned into anger and resentment when he fell short. And her first crush developed into bitterness and disappointment.

People are just tools and weapons for you to use. If they are no use to you then you don't keep them, was a lesson her grandmother was fond of telling her.

She knew what her grandmother would have said about Aerrow (kill him like a dog), so what did it say about her that she didn't even consider that a viable option anymore?

~Avoidance~

She was in her lab, chalk marking her clothes from doing equations on the huge slate boards that hung from the walls. Cyclonis had successfully gotten a Leecher crystal to take on the properties of icers, floaters, boomers, and various other crystals in her possession. But all of the crystals died too quickly. Well, too quickly for Furor's tastes. He still wanted to test the limits.

A majority of the Masters required themselves to go through vicious equation crunching when developing new uses or new crystals entirely. Not her. Not usually. Being a child prodigy was one of the few things her grandmother never criticized her for. She had an innate understanding of crystals; their properties and reactions. This damn experiment of hers, however, was difficult to wrap her head around enough as it was. And she couldn't prevent the crystals from decaying at an accelerated rate. So she had resorted to struggling though complicated and heavy equations to figure out how to stop it.

There's something off about these numbers... the energy of the conversion should be sufficient but...

"Master?"

Cyclonis jumped, flinging the chalk in her hand in a temper. "I said I was not to be disturbed!" she screamed in rage. She had been so close!

She whirled around, meeting the blasted Doctor's eyes, his eyebrows raised a little at her outburst. There was no fear, or concern, just a little incredulity.

"My apologies, there was just something I wished to discuss with you."

Cyclonis threw up a hand in aggravation before continuing to stare at the equations scribbled in chalk. She hoped the Doctor would disappear, but he stayed.

"It's about Aerrow."

Cyclonis rolled her eyes. It was always about the damn Sky Knight. "What about him?"

"You're sleeping with him."

It felt like someone had poured ice down her spine. The coldness swept everything out of her mind, leaving only a simmering anger underneath. She hated it when people discovered her secrets.

"Well, don't you presume a little much." Her voice was hard, detached. She remembered when people once actually heeded the dangerous tone from that voice.

"I know it's none of my business, Master-"

"In that you are correct."

"But this is going too far."

Venom poisoned her tone, "I think you forget who is the Master; I'll do as a please, and I don't need your concern or permission."

"I think it's way past due we discussed what you want done with the boy."

Cyclonis gave the man a seething glare. "I'm a little busy. Can't this wait?"

The Doctor just shook his head emphatically. "No, this cannot. It's already been too long."

~Accusation~

She stood there, her fingernails scraping away at the chalk in her hand. Thoughts were running madly through her head. Scenarios were picked up and discarded. Nothing was satisfactory. It was then that she had a terrible realization. She had been avoiding this decision because for once in her life she didn't know how to proceed.

"I think we both know that the Storm Hawks are quite alive. And they blame you for the boy's disappearance. They will come here eventually, either for revenge on you or in search of the Sky Knight."

"I am aware." Of course they would hunt her down, it was the nature of things.

"And what will you do? Will you let him go or cage him?"

"I won't give those sky rats anything."

"In other words, you want him to stay."

"You're putting words in my mouth, and I don't appreciate it."

For a moment the Doctor looked worn down, and his age showed. He just looked exhausted. "If you want him to stay, all you have to try to do is ask him."

"You presume I care enough for his opinion?"

"My apologies, Master Cyclonis. It's late; perhaps I should leave."

Cyclonis didn't acknowledge his exit. She stood still, her fingernails still clawing away flakes of chalk as she considered the Doctor's words.

Author's Notes: Sorry for the very long awaited update my dears. You can thank Hedlum; they're currently acting as my muse/kick to the butt to get Power Play updating on a half decent schedule again.