Chapter One:
Assessment
Disclaimer:I do not own the cartoonStorm Hawks. It and all its respectable characters are © to Asaph "Ace" Fipke and Nerd Corps. Lupin and all plot contents within are © to me. All shows/ books/ video games/ songs that are mentioned in this chapter are all © to their respective owners, I don't own them.
Note: Hello, hello. I'm not quite gone yet. I will be trying to do somewhat consistent updates, but there ain't no guarantees. I'll try though! Trying is good, right? Anyway, enjoy the next chapter, my lovelies!
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Sometimes a thing gets broke, can't be fixed.
-Kaylee, Firefly
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"Get off me, ya bums."
One furry head popped up slowly, gave a plaintive meow, and settled back down into the warmth of the blankets. Lupin groaned and shifted under the bundles, tempted to do the same, but…she had to get up.
A soft whining made her groan again. She jolted as a wet tongue swabbed itself over her face, hot dog-breath pouring over her. She gagged and pushed a furry snout away.
"Kosmo!"
A black-furred head tilted at her as Lupin opened her eyes to glare at the dog blearily. Warm, liquid brown eyes and a grinning, panting smile were her furry companion's answer. She yawned, too tired to stay mad. A cat shuffled higher up on her chest and settled there, purring contentedly. A second was lying across her thighs, while a third was between the wall and her head, purring as blithely as the small one on her chest.
Kosmo the German Shepard whined again, tail thumping excitedly, impatiently.
"Okay, okay, we'll go. Just lemme get up," she yawned again and sat up. Three cats scattered tiredly as Lupin stretched. Kosmo scooted closer to the bed, blocking her from getting off as he nosed her arm to pet him. She had to move him aside by the thick leather collar. "Oi, let me by, you big ham. I swear, I'll let the Chinese restaurant down the street have all y'all!"
The empty threat went unheeded as she shuffled to the door of her makeshift bedroom, and down the cold metal steps to the bathroom downstairs. The three cats and dog followed suite, scattering across the garage. Kosmo was her alarm clock, always up at six, almost without fail. She rarely set her actual clock or phone alarm nowadays.
After the bathroom, Lupin went about her usual morning routine. She set up her coffee to start brewing while she took Kosmo out, came back, took a quick shower, got dressed and had coffee, and got ready for school or work.
Today's schedule revolved around the former. She readied her satchel, collected her books and gathered her keys up. She stared at her car sitting in its spot. She had finally, finally, finished piecing her poor baby back together late last night. It had seemed like an unlucky sign when, in her first week back home and no longer an active duty service member, that she had gotten t-boned by a drunk driver. Most considered her lucky to have survived. She had merely found it an inconvenience and annoying as hell. Shrapnel had stayed pierced in her side for several hours until the Jaws of Life had been called upon to pry her out.
But, she considered herself luckier to have good connections and great friends who helped her out through the mess. She had protested at first, but after one such friend threatened to tie her up and force her to watch them work on her car without allowing her to assist, she shut up pretty quick. Most of the leg work had been completed within a week of the accident by them—chassis and interior repair, paint job, suspension work— and she fielded the rest, mostly maintenance and repairs on the engine, which had suffered a great deal. The carburetor especially had been difficult to replace after discovering it had been damaged beyond repair. The cons of having a carbureted engine.
The past two months, her first out of the service, had been decently kind enough to her. Despite her lack of personal transportation, finding a job with her resume had been surprisingly quick. It wasn't her dream job, but it was a start. Getting into college, however, had been another matter entirely. It had been managed enough to accommodate her schedule, though.
Lupin watched as two of her cats tussled around on the garage floor as a moment of distraction. Kosmo sniffed her bag, then looked up at her and whined. She patted his head.
"Be a good boy, now. Watch the house, you're in charge."
After securing the cats and opening the bay door, Lupin settled inside her Camaro, and felt a little thrill at being back behind the wheel. Her hand settled over the shifter. Her left foot tested the clutch. She sank back into the refurbished, plush leather seat, inhaled the scent of old and new mingling. Lupin started her vehicle up, reveling in the growling rumble of the engine. A shiver ran down the length of her spine and she grinned, a flash of fangs poked out from the corners of her mouth.
Oh, yeah. The bitch was back.
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"So, you're sure she'll be here?"
"She said to meet her here. Relax, Aerrow."
"She didn't agree to fix anything, though. I can't relax. If she doesn't help, we gotta start all over again. And Cyclonis—"
"Isn't here. We would've seen movement from her by now. She'd be stuck, same as us if she were here."
Piper smiled reassuringly and it coaxed a gentler smile from the taller, redheaded young man beside her. Aerrow sighed softly.
"You're right, Pipes. Sorry. Just…three, no, four weeks now, being stuck here…it's just…"
"I know. I'm homesick too. We'll get back, though. I found someone who might be able to help."
"That's good. Did you set up a meeting yet?"
"Yeah, tomorrow morning by the Staples Center. It's pretty public, but also private enough that people won't care to eavesdrop. Hopefully."
"It'll be fine. Doesn't seem a lot of the stuff we have back in Atmos exists out in the open in this world."
"That's the weird thing. This girl, Lupin? She had dog ears and a tail, and nobody seemed to care all that much when she walked out onto the street. They didn't freak out, at least. Not like the last time we brought Junko out, remember?"
Aerrow grimaced and nodded, remembering quite well. Luckily, the incident had happened late at night, in the small hours outside of a diner parking lot instead of in broad daylight, in front of public masses. The incident had, so far, gone largely unnoticed by the mass population, thankfully.
But a tail and ears in broad daylight? Either people did know about things like this or it was a rather intricate eccentricity the girl indulged in. It was certainly enough to give him pause and he mulled over this tidbit while his eyes roamed over the other warehouses in the distance; the hazy, smog-covered blue sky; the arching, incomplete highway ramp that would likely never see completion. The sounds of the highway traffic in the distance sounded tinny and faded into the background noise.
Something roared and rumbled close by, breaking his train of thoughts. An alarmed squawk sounded off shortly after. Aerrow turned to see a blue-furred, skinny and clothed creature pop up from behind a rusted oil drum, ears pricked high and alert.
"Radarr," he called, catching his attention. The creature turned his attention when his name was called, and growled inquisitively. Radarr allowed a beat to pass before rushing over, tail held ramrod straight and bristling. The rumble of an engine drew closer, fading in and out occasionally. The three waited and it wasn't long before a sleek, low-slung yellow and black-striped vehicle came prowling around the corner of one of the warehouses. It looked shiny, like it had received a long-awaited, well-deserved wax job. The rims gleamed as the late afternoon light between warehouses caught onto them. The vehicle came to a stop when it was within ten feet of them.
Aerrow and Piper leaned on Piper's bike, side by side while Radarr clambered onto his shoulders, watching the driver through the windshield warily.
The purr of the engine cut short and a young woman emerged from the driver's side. She was dressed casually enough, just like them—jeans, t-shirt, a plaid over shirt, boots. A hat sat squarely on her head, dark hair tipped red in a slight mess, while red-tipped bangs framed her tan face. She was short, lean, slightly athletic in build, nothing too fancy about her. But she was pretty, even with the scar on her face. She removed sunglasses she had on her face and revealed startlingly contrasting eyes: the right was a blue-gray and rather normal, but the left was a bright gold, almost animalistic in nature, like that of a cat. It was slightly unnerving.
But, being the young man that he was, those features alone weren't enough to discourage him from greeting her properly. So she had a few quirks? So what? Other than that, she looked rather normal. Not tail, no ears. Perhaps they really had been an eccentricity? Aerrow put on a smile and stepped forward, a hand extended out to her for a handshake.
"You must be Lupin. I'm Aerrow. This guy here is Radarr. And you've already met Piper."
The woman nodded to them and grasped his hand in hers. Her grip was surprisingly strong, but he noticed the hesitation flicker on her face when he introduced himself. The way she stared at him and at Radarr, at Piper, then back to him…it was almost as if in faint recognition. It was brief, fleeting, and then gone. Well, that was interesting.
"Right, yeah. That's me. Grease monkey for hire," she shot back. He chuckled.
"It'll be worth it, trust me."
She inhaled slowly and exhaled ever slower. She looked to be holding back a snappish reply.
"Okay, so. Where is it?" She finally managed to get out, looking past him toward Piper's bike and he shook his head. "That's…not it. We have to take you to it."
Immediately, her face scrunched up in wariness and borderline fury.
"I told you to bring it here. There's a reason I wanted to meet here." She was bristling visibly and indignant.
"Couldn't get it here. It's…pretty grounded," he responded casually, trying to sound reassuring and calming. Her mismatched eyes narrowed and darted between the three of them.
"Your buddy is walking around, flashing his big cash and you're telling me you couldn't rent a trailer hitch sled for a car to haul it here?"
He and Piper exchanged glances, thinking the same thing. Uh-oh. They were losing her. And short of telling her the whole truth right away, they had to go with the next best thing: beg for her to trust them. The first mechanic in a few weeks willing to actually come down and they couldn't afford to lose her before they even go started.
"We…don't own any cars. And we…we need your help—"
"Yes, you seem quite desperate for a private mechanic when we're really a dime a dozen if you knew where to look."
She looked to be holding back a great deal more. Aerrow decided he didn't want to know what was going on in her head right now. Radarr whined in his ear.
"Okay, I'm gonna be honest with you. Yes, we could probably find someone else to help us. But so far, you're the only one who doesn't seem to be in it for the money. We've had two people flake out with a lot of our money and they hadn't even seen the bike." He hesitated before continuing. "We trusted them too easily, and now we're asking you to do the same: trust us. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but…I think you won't regret it if you do."
He waited, a heavy hush swarming in around them. It was al ong, uncomfortable silence and the longer the second ticked by, the more he realized they'd lost her. Uncertainity crossed his face while guarded wariness on hers stared back at him. He finally relented, ready to recognize her discomfort when she suddenly sighed loudly, interrupting him.
"Lead the way."
He blinked. Radarr growled in surprise. Piper gasped. "Really?"
Lupin nodded after a moment's pause.
"Yeah. All right. Fine. I could handle Afghanistan. Pretty sure I can handle this…whatever this is." She motioned vaguely to the two of them. She pivoted sharply on her heel, turning back toward her vehicle. She paused at her door, leaning on it casually, and now that her profile was revealed, he could see the tail Piper had spoken about. It was bushy and wolfish, dark brown and tipped a dark red, just like her bangs, oddly enough. Interesting.
"Lead the way," she repeated, tail swaying, shivering, settling as she spoke.
He grinned at her.
"You got it."
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The drive wasn't long, but to Lupin, it felt like an eternity was passing her by. She didn't even know why she was here anymore. Well, she partly knew why, but she didn't have the time to be entertaining some wacko kids and their crazy story.
She's encountered plenty of weird odds and ends in her life—hell, she was one—but so far…so far, that vibe she was getting from them…
She wasn't sure if this was going to take the cake or not.
She sighed, foot jiggling beside the clutch pedal nervously as they weaved their way through the warehousing district. It was mostly empty and they seemed to be avoiding the main traffic beyond. The hulking bike ahead of her was surprisingly graceful, even with two people on it. She couldn't pinpoint the make or model, everything looked custom and…armored. It looked like it had been designed to be armored, almost.
And yes, all right, she would admit, she was…intrigued. She was good at sniffing out lies and so far, she hadn't sensed any, only sincerity and even desperation in their scents. It wafted off of them in waves, constant and almost cloying, it bordered on fear, hiding behind a masquerade of self-assuredness and smiles. She knew the act quite well. She's played the part many times, nad perhaps she was also going along because she somewhat sympathized. She just hoped her small show of kindness wasn't going to be taken advantage of.
They finally rounded about to a lone warehouse structure, a bit of a ways from the main district. It sat close to a large and empty field and stood derelict and abandoned. A rather clever choice, no one would think to look for them there.
At least, that's what a lot of people would like to believe, if they were in hiding.
They slowed to a stop and Lupin waited as Piper dug in her pocket for something and fiddled with the object. Then something caught Lupin's eye over by the warehouse. It looked as though something was shimmering in midair, like heat off the ground. Seconds later, the empty air seemed to…open. A ramp appeared out of thin air, revealing the innards of a cargo bay, like that of a large aircraft. Piper signaled to Lupin to follow. Aerrow, seated behind her, resumed holding her waist while Radarr, the odd blue-furred creature he had, clung to his shoulders.
Lupin didn't follow at first. She hesitated, allowed that inkling of doubt to take hold. It was like very sophisticated camouflage. They had some of kind cloaking mechanism for a ship of unknown size and origin. Were they aliens? Beings from another dimension? The questions spun crazily through her mind.
This was all too weird. Like Doctor Who. But without the Doctor. And the TARDIS.
Should she follow or leave?
They knew where she lived. No point.
Hide somewhere?
She couldn't endanger her friends or family like that. Besides, where was her pride as a former Marine, as a werewolf? She would be damned if she tucked tail and ran like a curltail.
So a few seconds of courage it was, then.
Steeling herself, Lupin inched forward and up the ramp, into the awaiting belly of the ship.
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Everyone in the cargo bay held their breaths as they waited for Lupin to board the Condor.
Or so it seemed like they all were. When the purring growl of that noisy, bulky vehicle finally inched its way up and over the ramp, Aerrow could feel the bundle tension slowly ease up in his chest. It was still there, of course, but it was simply less taut.
Well, the hard part's over, he mused quietly. He stepped forward to greet Lupin again, to welcome her aboard the Condor, but he allowed a few moments to pass first, to let her get acclimated. She stared in open amazement and awe at the bay's size as she slid out of the driver's seat again. Her gaze swooped upward toward arching ceiling, the metal bulkheads, where there were workbenches, tool boxes, and wall lockers. The others' bikes and Stork's Stork-mobile lined one of the bulkheads. Then her eyes landed on his on the opposite bulkhead and they lingered for the longest time. He could already see that calculating look on her face that he's seen so many times on Piper's and Stork's faces when they got ideas brimming about their minds. Her lips moved and he had no doubt she was mumbling to herself.
He didn't get a chance to speak before he realized she had all eyes on his bike and she jolted, jerking into movement. Briefly, she dove into her car. He was startled at the sight of a furry head popping up in the backseat, all black, and broken only by teeth and a pink tongue as it yawned. A dog?
Lupin dragged out a large red toolbox and a worn leather tool belt from her car. The dog scrambled to follow. When the dog was out, Lupin slammed the door shut with her foot and moved with purpose toward her bike. He glanced back at his squadron.
Finn shrugged. Piper looked rather pleased. Stork eyed her with heavy suspicion, that little grimace in his jaw present. Junko grinned widely and nodded, as though in approval.
"I like her already," he declared. Aerrow felt that wash of relief come over him again. One of many things down, a whole slew of them to go. Like getting back to Atmost, and stopping Cyclonis, once and for all.
"All right everyone. Let's get back to work. We still got a lot to finish up."
They all scattered, slowly retreating further into the Condor. Piper lingered the longest, a little smile playing at her lips before she wandered away, presumably toward her precious crystal nursery. They needed those crystals now more than anything, especially in this place, this world.
He watched as Lupin parked herself in front of his bike, like she was already so familiar with it, like she's worked on it hundreds of times before.
Oil and grease from previous mechanical workings stained her hands. She whipped a grungy-looking bandanna from her tool belt and wiped at something on his bike. The black dog sat faithfully by her side, panting.
"Wrench. Wait. Not wrench. I meant screwdriver. Phillips, quarter-inch."
The dog sniffed and stuck its snout into the open tool box and picked up a screwdriver with its mouth. Aerrow watched in open amusement, wishing Radarr was still here to see this. His friend, however, had elsewhere to be.
Lupin reached for the tool without looking, paused to inspect it, then groaned and tapped the dog on the forehead. "Not this one, dodo brain. Try again, Kosmo."
The dog, Kosmo, whined again, took the tool and swapped it with another. Lupin took that one too, inspected it and nodded, setting to work. "Good dog."
Aerrow allowed another cheeky grin to flit across his face. They had already taken the liberty of stripping and removing the exterior paneling, including the deployable wings. She didn't need to see everything, after all. Not yet, anyways.
He watched her work quietly for a few minutes. She had deigned it fit to finally ditch her hat and the fuzzy ears Piper had mentioned were atop her head. They twitched and swiveled and moved similarly to her pointy-eared companion's. So they were real and functional, not some garish getup like Finn had suggested offhandedly. That was also interesting.
"If you're going to sit there and gawk, then get over here and be useful while you do," Lupin's clipped tone startled him from his observations. The way she barked, he noticed, she was used to giving orders and expecting them to be followed. He decided to oblige her for the time being and ventured closer.
"Watching me?"
"Kind of have to. Can't let you roam unsupervised," he replied.
"Your ship, you mean. Can't have me running around it."
"Sorry."
"It's understandable," she answered back. She leaned closer, tilting her head a little as she set aside her tool. "So, talk to me. What basic parts are needed."
"New exhaust, for one. It got completely mangled in—in an accident."
No need to mention it had been nearly destroyed in a sky battle with Cyclonis. Or the sky battle in general. That fight had nearly cost his life, and Radarr's for that matter. He was lucky to have escaped, but his bike, unfortunately, was another story, obviously enough.
"I can see that. Y'all did a bang up job gutting this thing," she huffed and he frowned at her gruff, sarcastic tone. She pulled something from her pocket, distracting him. It was a phone, as he'd come to recognize it as, and she fiddled with the touch-screen. Music began to blare from the tiny speakers. She went back to work, the phone now balancing on her knee.
"Um…right." He cleared his throat. "Fuel tank, battery, some other bits and baubles—I'm sure you can already tell what's missing. Is there anything that we might have missed?"
"Hmm." She hummed to her music in response, eyes half-lidded as she poked around some more. He started to think she hadn't heard him before she finally answered, "I'll…have to get back to you on that. Do you have a complete list of everything you need?"
He pulled a slip of paper from his back pocket, handing it to her. She skimmed it, then turned to Kosmo.
"Go get my book. Book. Go."
The dog didn't seem to understand at first. He barked twice at her, she pointed again, and he got up at last, trotting away. The windows to her car were dog, so he simply leaped in that way, scuttled about inside, got something, and jumped out with his tail wagging. A thin book was clamped in the dog's jaws.
Lupin patted him affectionately on the head as she took the book. Aerrow spied the title, saw that it was a bike repair and maintenance manual. Perhaps she wasn't as familiar with bikes as she had first appeared.
"I was reviewing this last night," she said without looking up as she flipped through pages of detailed drawings and lengthy passages. "In case I decided to take this job. Glad I did. Brushing up on things, I mean."
"Really now?" One overnight study session and she was 'brushed up'? He didn't know whether to be worried or glad.
"Mmmm." Another noncommittal answer. Music played. Pages turned. She cross referenced the book with the list and after a while, snapped the book shut. "Most parts will be relatively easy, others not so much. I'll need some time."
He figured as much. It didn't make him feel any better. More waiting. Great. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "How much time?"
"About a week, give or take. Hey, don't give me that look. It might take longer. If I get this done in a week, though, you should be begging to have my babies."
She snorted at his obviously noticeable astonished expression, a trace of a smirk on her face.
"Trust me. If I can't get the parts, chances are I know someone who can, most likely."
The relief was back again, but it was fleeting, willowy. Another week. Well, that was fine. They still needed to find a way back. Atmos was waiting, and it would be there, just as the Far Side had been.
"A week then," he agreed. "I guess you'd better hop to. Here, wait. You'll need money, right?"
He fiddled with his wallet—he was still unused to the thing, never had any use for one before—and pulled out the entire wad of cash stuffed inside. He was somewhat more familiar with the currency here. It was easy enough to understand.
"How much do you need?"
He hoped she wouldn't flake out after taking the money. Or that she didn't take all of it. He doubted she would, though. Something in the way she had examined, touched, and fiddled with his bike told him so. She seemed rather genuine in her promise to help. Unlike the last two people…
She eyed the wad with raised brows, surprise colouring her face. She gingerly took it, and he noticed a four-leafed plant with a number thirteen imprinted in it tattooed on the back of her left hand for the first time. She took the cash, counted out a measured chunk, took it and handed the rest back. He was surprised she didn't take more.
"That's it?"
"We'll have to see on most parts, because of the measurements. Most items and prices vary because of those. I'll have to get back to you on them. This'll do for stuff that doesn't need them, hopefully."
She gathered everything up, packed it all away, and headed back to her car. She left the tool box for last. He grabbed it, intending on shortening her trips, and was surprised at the heavy weight. She'd lugged it around like it had weighed nothing!
Then again, she probably wasn't strictly human like he was. Of course she might be stronger.
After securing Kosmo, she turned around to fetch the tool box, and stopped short of running into him, seeing it right in front of her. She took it and stashed it in the back alongside the dog.
"Thanks. I'll keep you posted. You got a phone number or—wait. You probably don't even have a phone, do you?"
He shook his head. She groaned, scratching the back of her head. He thought for a few seconds before motioning for her to wait. He swiftly moved to one of the workbenches, found what he was looking for and checked the little crystal on the back. It glowed blue. He clicked a button on the side, heard the radio static in response. Still worked. Good.
He trotted back over to Lupin, handing it to her. She eyed it, allowing a beat to pass, her ears twitching before she took it in her hand. "Radio?"
He nodded. "Of sorts. It'll patch through directly to our comms. So, one of us will always receive any messages you send through." He paused before adding, "The power source, it's…almost drained, so…try to limit your transmissions, make them as short as possible."
She sighed in exaggeration.
"Damn. There go my late night crank calls."
He laughed. She cracked a grin. Keys jangled in her hand.
"Is it…is it all right if I come back? If I get some parts, I mean, so I can deliver them."
The inquiry threw him off but he didn't think twice on the answer. "Of course! I mean, yeah. That'd—that'd be just fine. It'd be great, actually, if you could."
He grinned sheepishly, feeling somewhat foolish. Thankfully, she merely smiled back.
"Great. I'll start making calls, see if I can't pick some up this evening. See you tomorrow, maybe."
He felt that ball of tension loosen again, allowing another flood of relief to wash through him. He almost forgot to say goodbye as she got back into her car. Minutes later, she was backing out down the ramp and was gone.
A week. He closed his eyes and grinned.
Just one week.
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