Chapter 2
[Present time]
"Sounds like you had a good life up till then," Robin commented as Terra sipped more Coke.
"From what I remember, it was a good life," Terra commented, "I didn't have my powers as yet. That comes later on."
"We never knew you have a brother," Cyborg said, "Why haven't you mentioned him?"
"Patience, Cyborg," Edward said, "All in good time. When she is ready to tell us, she will. I'm just as curious as you are."
"We all are," Robin replied. Terra got up and refilled her glass. She was coming to a more difficult part of her story as it was not all good times as a princess.
[Early September, 2000 – Markovia]
Well, the two weeks came and went by pretty quickly. The king had made the necessary arrangements to travel out of the country and. Finally, they were ready to head off into the distance.
They got into the limo to drive to the airport where a private jet was awaiting to take them the rest of the way to their month long vacation.
"This is going to be fun," Tara said happily to her brother, "A month at the beach!"
"Yes, it will be," the king replied gently. His mind was still on the kingdom, obviously.
They boarded the plane shortly and "Markovia 1" was airborne a little while later.
What no one knew, though, is that there was a problem with the airplane. Something that would set in motion a chain of events that led a young girl down a very different path than what she would have wanted had she been asked.
As they climbed to their cruising altitude, the pressurized cabin was slowly losing pressure and as the air became more and more rarified, the occupants felt drowsy. First, young Tara passed out, eyes drooping shut. Then, a few moments later, Brion passed out.
That in itself was weird as the king was enjoying a conversation with the kids.
He stood up and staggered to the cockpit.
"Something is …" he stared to say and collapsed.
"Your Highness!" the pilot yelled and turned to turn over the king.
"DESCEND, NOW!" he said, "Get on oxygen!"
"Mayday! Mayday!" the co-pilot said into the radio after assuring his oxygen, "This is Markovia 1 declaring Mayday." He switched the transponder to the international distress signal, making the blip on the ATC radar larger.
The pilot grabbed the emergency oxygen bottle and put the King on that before resuming his seat.
"Markovia 1, this is control, we copy your Mayday," the radio announced, "We're standing by."
"We've got a pressurization problem and need to descend to 5,000 feet," the pilot said, "Request vectors back to base. We have 5 souls on board."
"You are cleared to descend to 5,000 feet. Make left turn to 245 degrees," ATC directed.
As the pilot started his turning descent, an alarm sounded in the cockpit.
"No!" the co-pilot said, "Engine fire as well. Pulling the bottle."
That meant that he was activating the fire extinguisher and cutting power to the damaged port engine as well.
The plane, already in a compromised position entered into a wing stall, throwing the craft violently about while the pilots fought for control of the aircraft.
The folks on the ground noticed the plane's sudden problem and let their on base fire station know.
The plane fell through the 5,000 requested level before the air thickened enough to allow the pilots to regain partial control, but, even that was not enough as the airplane slammed into the treetops and plowed a path to the ground.
As fortune would have it, even though the wings were damaged, there was no leaking of fuel, but, the aircraft would never fly again regardless.
Both engines had taken heavy damage in the crash landing and both pilots were dead.
[Back at the Tower]
"You know," Edward said, "I remember this incident. The government launched an all-out search for the wreckage as soon as the plane disappeared from the radar."
"Come to think of it, Batman had also heard of the incident," Robin said, thinking back.
"I don't remember much after blacking out," Terra said sadly.
"I do," Edward replied, "May I tell this part? There is a reason which will become clear."
Terra nodded, "Please do. No one really told me what happened."
Edward started, "As everyone here knows, I've been 'out of the closet' for a long time, unofficially from 1751 and officially in the early 1800s. It was also a known fact that I do help in search and rescue missions, especially the harder ones.
"The crash of Markovia 1 was one such time. As a standing policy, when countries outside of the USA need my help, a request has to come through official channels. This was done at my request.
"Well, a few hours after the accident, I got the email from the Secretary of State herself asking for me to go to Markovia. So, I went via teleport ASAP."
[Markovia Palace]
Edward had teleported to the Palace, per the instructions in his email. The viceroy in charge greeted Edward and said, "Thank you for coming so quickly. Forgive us, but, with our Royal family missing, it's important that they be found quickly."
Edward nodded, "I understand. I'll do what I can to help."
Edward was escorted to the briefing room and shown the area where they thought the plane had gone down. The problem was that the sun was about to set, and that put a priority on finding the plane.
"There's not much time," the viceroy noted.
"That's not a problem, sir," Edward said, "One of the nice things about being a dragon is I have built-in night vision even in human form. I can cover the search pattern."
"Excellent!" the viceroy said, "Several of our helicopters will be assisting you as well."
They went over the pattern until Edward had it memorized and he took his leave to start the search.
He flew to the airport and got the flight plan of Markovia 1 as well as a radar plot of where the trouble began.
Edward was handed a portable transponder to allow the local ATC to know where he was at. But, one drawback was he would be out of contact with ATC.
He decided to fly their exact route, so, he asked that arrivals and departures be held for a few moments to allow him to head to the original departure runway.
The ATC guys told him to hurry as they didn't want to tie up the traffic system long. Edward totally understood and left the tower.
He was at the runway a few moments later and after getting up enough speed the old fashioned way, he became airborne, and started the long climb to where the plane started having problems.
That climb concerned Edward, he was also going above where he could breathe easy, however, he hoped that as he gained altitude, he'd spot something.
He was close to 15,000 feet when he spotted the glint of metal several miles away (not including the three vertical miles) and veered towards it. He also started to descend, obviously to get his breath back. He was also trying to sample the air with his enhanced senses, but, the wind had already carried away any trace of engine smoke.
Gotta hurry, he thought to himself, Choppers might not make it back it in time as it is.
His enhanced senses did tell him as he got closer that he was on the right track. There was damaged branches and as he finally landed, he saw the plane in question.
He didn't smell any fuel leaking, but, was not going to risk a lightning burst into the air until he was certain.
It looked like the plane had landed intact, but, Edward's sense of smell already told him that someone had not made it.
He walked over to the plane, still in Dragon form and saw the two pilots slumped over. Edward sighed and offered a silent prayer for their souls. He also saw the King, still out cold for some reason. As the windshield had shattered, Edward morphed to a bird and flew in before morphing back to human.
Edward saw that the plane's APU had ceased to provide power and the battery, while low, might have enough power to operate the radio. Edward shut down everything else that he could and turned his attention to the King.
Edward saw that his right arm was broken, so, he didn't bother checking that, but, he carefully checked for other injuries.
"Forgive me, your majesty," he said, hoping that he could hear him, "I have to see if you're injured and I must touch your person in order to do so."
King Harold moaned as Edward started his check and Edward discovered that there were a few cracked ribs. No belly distension was apparent. His legs were fine, as well as the ankles and feet.
Edward, suspecting a possible neck injury decided not to check that as well as his head. He didn't see any bleeding from the ears, nor any clear liquid.
He moved to the back cabin and gasped in shock! The two children were also out cold and no oxygen masks!
He raced over and felt them for signs of life. The older boy had a weak pulse and shallow respirations. The little girl was in the same boat, but, Edward saw that she had hit her head on something, probably the back of the seat. Edward checked the children's pulse rate and respirations again and headed for the front of the plane.
He powered up the radio and while the screen lit up, Edward only had one way of knowing.
"Markovia 1 to anyone in range, do you copy?" Edward said into the mic.
Static was heard.
"Markovia 1 to anyone," he called again.
More static.
"This is Edward Barnes aboard Markovia 1 to anyone on this frequency," he said.
Static, then, a voice was heard!
"Markovia 1, this is Eagle lead," the voice on the other end said.
"Eagle, it's good to hear your voice!" Edward said, "I have good news and bad news."
"Go ahead, Markovia 1, we are ready to copy," the voice said.
"I have found His Royal Highness and his children. They are alive," Edward said, "That's the good news. The bad news is that His Highness has several broken bones, his right arm and several ribs are broken or cracked. His son appears to be unharmed, but, his pulse and respirations are weak.
"His daughter, though, needs immediate attention. I suspect a possible fracture."
"Copy that, Markovia 1," the voice said, "Do you have any coordinates?"
Edward risked the on board GPS and said, "Stand by, Eagle lead."
A few long moments later, the GPS had locked onto the satellites and displayed their location.
Edward relayed their coordinates and altitude. He was assured that help was on the way.
"Papa?" Brion called out groggily several minutes later.
Edward walked back to the boy and said, "Hi, there."
Brion looked scared out of his mind.
"Where's my dad?" he demanded.
"Your plane crashed," Edward said, "My name is Edward. I'm here to help. Your dad is out cold still, but, I promise, he'll be OK. Just relax for me."
"How is my sister?" he asked.
"She's sleeping, but, she's got a bad bump on her head," Edward said as he reached over and undid the seatbelts. Brion's was stuck, but, to Edward, it was like breaking a thread as he tore the seat belt off him.
Tara's was just as stuck and just as easily ripped out.
"Stay here while I let some folks know you're going to be OK," Edward said, "Keep an eye on your sister, please."
Edward moved back to the cockpit and checked the King over. He was groaning and as Edward went to take a closer look, his eyes finally opened.
"Don't try to move, sire," Edward said politely, "You've been in a plane crash."
His eyes widened hearing that.
"Sire," Edward said, "Your children are fine. Your son is awake and unharmed. Your daughter needs to be checked out at hospital, she's still out cold and has a large knot on her head.
"You've got a broken arm, which I will have to splint. You also have some possible damaged ribs, so, please do not try to talk."
Harold nodded and relaxed.
"You three are the lucky ones," Edward said, "Your Majesty, I also have bad news. Your flight crew did not make it."
Harold pointed at Edward as if to ask, "Who are you?"
"My apologies, sire," Edward said, "My name is Edward Barnes. Your government asked for my help in finding you."
Harold smiled and whispered, "I've heard of you. My thanks for the help."
"Hush now, your highness," Edward said, "We can't risk those ribs getting any worse. We should have you and your children out of here shortly."
The king nodded and reached up to take hold of Edward's shoulder with his good arm. Edward allowed the contact, of course. After a reassuring squeeze, Edward said, "Let me get on the radio, sire. They will be happy to hear the news."
Harold nodded his assent.
Edward fired up the radio, "Markovia 1 to Eagle."
"Eagle rescue here," the voice on the other end replied.
"His majesty and son are awake and talking," Edward replied, "The little girl is still out, though. Please state your ETA."
"ETA is 5 minutes, Markovia 1," the chopper pilot replied.
"Excellent, I'll have the door open for you," Edward replied, "Out."
Edward walked to the door and tried to open it. As luck would dictate, the impact jammed it tight.
Edward turned the handle and while that moved, the door itself was jammed up. He pushed his weight against it and the blasted door still refused to move.
"OK, have it your way," Edward said.
"We stuck in here?" Brion asked.
"No way, your Highness," Edward said, "I'll have this door open in a minute."
This time, he added a hard shove to the door and with a screech of metal, the door was forced open. It folded up as it normally would.
"Can you walk?" Edward asked.
Brion stood up and carefully moved around little Tara to the door.
Edward smiled seeing that he was careful not to move Tara until the medics arrived.
And, that was happening. Edward heard the helicopter getting closer and looked for it in the fading light. A few minutes later, he saw a large chopper come into view.
As there was no space to land, a rescueman was dropped down to the crash site.
Edward greeted the man a few moments later and said, "Let's get His Majesty taken care of first. His son's unharmed and can wait. The little girl might have a head injury."
The rescueman and Edward went into the plane.
"Your Highness," Edward said, "time to go. Can you walk?"
"I wouldn't advise that," the rescueman replied, "You mentioned over the radio that he had some injuries."
"A broken arm and suspected cracked ribs," Edward said, "I haven't been able to splint the arm or anything else."
"The pilots?" the guy said.
"DOA," Edward said sadly, "They died on impact, looks like."
"I can walk," Harold said, subtly reminding them of the living.
"It's only a few steps, anyway," Edward said.
Edward helped the King to his feet and they walked to the waiting collar. They'd stabilize the arm en route.
They gently put the collar around the king's waist andsignaled that he could be hoisted.
"I'm worried about the little girl, she's still out," Edward said.
They headed back to where Brion and Tara were waiting.
"Hi, Brion," Edward said, "We got your dad taken care of, but, we have to move your sister first."
Brion nodded, "Tara's going to be OK?"
"I think so," Edward said, "She's going to be a very pretty young woman in a few years. Edward had no idea how true those words would be at the time, though.
Edward allowed the rescueman to look at Tara and he said, "I'll need a neck brace." He radioed up to the waiting chopper and they replied that they would drop one down with the rescue collar.
Sure enough, about five minutes later, they had the device and Tata was ready for transport.
Edward carefully scooped her up and put her on the waiting backboard that had also been lowered.
Her eyes fluttered open as she was being strapped in.
"Hi, there," Edward said, "How are you feeling?"
"Hurts," she said and tears started to flow.
Edward held her hand and said, "Hey, you're going to be just fine. Can you feel my hand?"
Tara said, "You're holding my hand?"
"I am," Edward said, "can you squeeze your hand?"
Tara did try, but, it was useless. Edward didn't feel any pressure.
He reached over her and held the other hand, "Try this hand, please."
Still nothing.
She started to cry harder, "I can't feel my hands!"
"Tara," Edward said, "it's all right. This might only be for a little while. You can feel your legs and feet, right?"
"Barely," she said tearfully.
"I promise," Edward said, "We'll get you some help and you'll be good as new."
Edward and the rescueman carried the backboard to the waiting lift.
"We have to lift you to a helicopter," Edward said.
"Where's Brion and Papa?" Tara asked.
"Brion will be up next," Edward said, "Papa's waiting for you in the chopper."
"OK," she said, trying to be brave.
"You're doing fine," Edward assured the youngster.
Edward nodded and the rescueman signaled that he was ready to be lifted up with Tara.
They both went up and Edward retrieved Brion as well.
As they approached, though, the chopper hailed them, "We do not have enough room for you and the King's son."
Edward got on the radio, "Roger that, I'll follow you guys. Give me a moment."
"Understood," the pilot said.
"How are we going to follow them?" Brion asked.
"Have you heard of the stories of dragons?" Edward replied. Brion nodded and said, "They're scary."
"Not all dragons are scary, Brion," Edward said, "There's one who is very friendly to people like you."
"You sure?" he asked.
Edward got down from the plane and said, "Close your eyes, then."
Brion did and Edward morphed to his mini-dragon form.
"Go ahead and open your eyes," he said.
Brion's eyes went wide as dinner plates and his jaw hit the ground.
Edward chuckled, "This is my true appearance, Brion, but, smaller for you. I need you to be brave and get on my back."
Brion, showing that he was brave, did as Edward asked.
"Hold onto the ridge on front of you, please," Edward instructed respectfully, keeping in mind that he was transporting the Crown Prince.
The helicopter started moving and Edward gave it a few moments and said, "Here we go! You shouldn't fall off, but, if you did, you're over my wings and I'll glide long enough to help you back on."
As Brion watched, Edward took to the air and fell into formation with the helicopter.
Edward twisted his head around to make sure Brion was holding on.
"Having fun?" he asked.
"A little bit," Brion said, "I'm worried.
"Edward, will my papa and sister be OK?"
"They will be," Edward said, "Papa only has a broken arm and hurt his ribs. Tara might have to spend time in hospital, though. The doctors will want to make sure that both are fit to be home to recover."
"Why did we crash?" Brion asked.
"I wish I could tell you that one," Edward said, having to move his head back to where he could see to follow the helicopter. Night had already fallen, luckily, Edward could see in almost total darkness almost like it was a night of the full moon.
"Brion," Edward said, "What do you remember before you woke up and saw me."
"Tara and I were talking about the vacation we were supposed to go on," he said, "I felt light headed and my vision started to fade."
Oxygen starvation, then, Edward thought.
The helicopter climbed a bit and Edward followed suit. He saw why, though as there was another mountain in the way.
"I'm cold," Brion said.
"My apologies," Edward said, "There's not much I can do. I suppose some small flame bursts will work."
"You breathe fire?" Brion asked.
"I do," Edward said, "Also I can use lightning as well as ice."
"Cool!" he said.
Edward lit up his spinal ridge a nice soft red glow.
"That's pretty," Brion said.
Edward blew a short flame burst to heat the air in front of them and then glided through it.
"Thanks!" Brion said, "That's much better!"
The helicopters speakers came alive a moment later, "We will be landing at base camp shortly. Prepare the Prince for descent."
"Looks like the ride is almost over," Edward said, "Hang on."
Edward followed the chopper down and landed about 30 feet away from the camp. Brion slid off and after he did that, Edward resumed his human form.
As he watched, Tara was carefully lifted out of the chopper and into a waiting ambulance, as was the King moments later. Edward was puzzled, though. Why an ambulance when these choppers can get them there quicker?
"Got room for the Prince?" Edward asked as they caught up to the vehicle.
"There's another car waiting for him," the driver said, "We're not allowed to take passengers save the wounded."
"Over here!" another voice called and headlights flashed.
The two walked over to the waiting car and Edward opened the door to allow Brion to enter.
"Have a safe trip," Edward said.
"You're not coming with us?" Brion asked.
"I'm afraid not," Edward said, "I am needed back home, however, I will check on your progress in a few days."
"All right," he said, disappointed. The car pulled out as the ambulance did a few moments later.
Edward headed back to the base camp for a minute, but, was stopped by a guard.
"Sorry, sir," he said, "I can't let you pass."
Edward took that in stride and turned around. He walked a few yards away and decided to head for home.
After reforming his mini-Dragon self, he took to the air and teleported home.
[Tower]
"That was you that helped me?" Terra asked.
Edward nodded, "It was."
Terra leaned over and hugged Edward, "Thank you."
Edward hugged her back and replied, "You're welcome."
The others rolled their collective eyes, though.
"What?" Edward asked, "How was I supposed to know that I'd set off a chain of events?"
"Relax, dude," Beast Boy said, "It's all good."
Edward chuckled, "Gotcha!"
That got him a cushion tossed at him by Raven!
This is going to be a harder one to write as I have very little information regarding Terra to go on, comic canon or via the series itself. I'm trying to blend the two together the best I can, though. But, I doubt we'll see the others in the rest of the story, save for little breaks in Terra's narration.
However, I do not plan on making Brion into Geo-Force in this story. He wasn't part of the actual series and that makes it tough. I know...I use the JL characters more often then I did when I started this little adventure because I always wondered how the two teams would co-exist. Does Robin really hate Batman so much that he told Bats to stay out of Jump City?
Oh well...