Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks or any of its characters. I do, however, own my own character and plots.

Chapter 4

Finn and Radarr watched the battle between Repton and Aerrow from outside, hovering on Aerrow's Skimmer. Finn had shifted himself to sit normally in the seat, taking control. The two of them exchanged glances while their Sky Knight tried to take back what the Rogue had stolen.

Repton continued to slash with his boomerang's blade again and again, leaving Aerrow with little decision on when to counterattack. There was enough time for him, however— he was not one of the greatest Sky Knights in Atmos for nothing. He returned Repton with everything he was dealt with, sending the Raptor back. The king growled furiously, annoyance in his reptilian eyes. He had the advantage of smooth movements and a tail to help him, but the Sky Knight continued to best him. At least he managed to block and parry Aerrow's special attacks, so he was doing far better than what other Talons could do.

The bridge door opened and Repton's brothers entered the space. It was now that Aerrow grew slightly concerned. His back was bare to them, and he had to get to a spot where he faced both oppositions. He looked back over his shoulder at them to make sure he had time to retreat. Then Repton shrilled;

"Here, catch!"

Aerrow looked back quickly and saw Reptom's boomerang soaring at a deadly speed toward him. It wasn't like he had that much distance to think before it reached him, but Aerrow managed to clear himself from its path. It flew past him, and with a thunk and yelp, it hit one of Repton's brothers. As the lizard behind him fell, Aerrow saw that Repton had completely left himself open. The Sky Knight threw out his other plan and decided to take the opportunity he was given. He sprinted at Repton, his Energy Blades ready to strike, unleashing a battle cry to end the fight.

As if in slow motion, he saw his mistake, and he could do nothing to stop it.

Repton smirked knowingly, and his hand reached back. He pulled the strange crystal crossbow from behind, and in one fluid motion, he shot Aerrow. The crystal hit him right on his diaphragm, and the pain spread instantly and unpleasantly. Aerrow shouted out, but his vocal chords suddenly felt as if a hand caught hold of them, keeping them from sounding. He fell backwards, unable to stand, and his weapons slipped from his fingers.

He watched powerlessly as Repton walked over and looked down at him, smiling darkly. It was a dirty trick, but there was no real honour in fights with the Raptors. He padded the crystal crossbow against his other hand, chuckling.

"Remember this day well, boys," Repton laughed. "The Storm Hawks have finally lost."

All of them laughed together, except Leugey, who was getting up from the floor. "Gee, boss, did you have to do that?" He picked up the dead boomerang and rubbed the side of his face. "That really hurt."

"Of course I had to, you imbecile. Consider yourself helpful for 'catching' it. We wouldn't have wanted to damage our treasure trove."

"I don't think it's completely ours yet, boss," Spitz pointed out. He withstood the intense glare of his leader for a moment before pointing out the window. "That scrawny guy and the pet are still out there."

All of them turned to look out at the same time. Finn flinched and held a deliriously-terrified look on his face, and he swerved Aerrow's Skimmer away from their view. Repton bared his teeth vindictively.

"He has nowhere to fly to, not for many miles 'round!" He turned to his brothers and they stood erect at attention. "Hoerk, you'll go and bring him back. Spitz and Leugey, I want you to devastate the Storm Hawks' rides. They'll have no way to escape if these Parasites ever wear off. Cyclonis assured me they're infinite, but we won't take the chance."

"Devastate?" Leugey questioned, a finger at his mouth. Spitz smacked him upside the head.

"He wants us to pull the cord so they can't fly, dummy!"

"But I thought you use 'devastate' in, like, 'I'm so devastated!'." Leugey laughed in that throaty, dweebish way of his.

"That's what I thought too," Hoerk admitted.

"It has more than one definition, jeez!"

"Do we devastate our own rides too?"

"Why the heck would we do that?"

Repton rolled his eyes. He held up a hand and counted off the three fingers he had, speaking a lot more slowly. "Currently there are three rides in the bay. One belongs to the girl, one to the Merbian, and one to the Wallop. How many rides are there?"

"...Three?" they asked doubtfully. Repton sighed, then he exploded without warning;

"Get to it!"

"Got it, boss!" The three of them saluted, and they stumbled out of the bridge, fighting for the lead of the group. Repton took a moment to watch them leave, a little mortified and exasperated, but their behaviour couldn't possibly ruin his victory.

He turned his attention back to Aerrow, who could only stare hatefully up at Repton. The Raptor was ecstatic at the fact that it was the only thing the Sky Knight could do. He grabbed him by the collar and dragged his body to where the others sat helplessly.

"Can you still hear me, then?" Repton asked when he threw his body beside Piper's. His back hit the wall but he couldn't even utter a grunt. Repton grinned. "Do you want to know what I've done to you?"

He was planning to enjoy himself, rubbing the facts in their faces. Since they couldn't speak or answer his questions, he started. He pulled out one of the green crystals from the crossbow and turned it in his fingers, showing it to them at different perspectives.

"These are called Parasites. They have the properties of both Paralyzing and Leaching crystals, and they're meant to absorb the life out of warm-blooded creatures like you. A special gift from Cyclonis herself." He tossed it up, then swiped it clean from the air, laughing. "To think a brat like her could pull off such an excellent weapon. But they have no effect on Raptors like me. Maybe that was a mistake on her part? Who knows. The important thing is that Sky Knights like you haven't got a chance."

The Parasite that latched itself unto Aerrow's abdomen glowed and faded, as if it were breathing all on its own. Inhaling, it blazed, exhaling, it died. Aerrow could see its light, but even as he did so, he didn't even have the strength to hold the direction of his eyes. Repton's smile grew wider.

"The idea was to bring you to Cyclonis alive, but she said she didn't mind if the Parasites did away with you. You'd all simply be the first successful test subjects for her."

Repton slapped Aerrow across the face, taking advantage of his defencelessness. He left a scrap on the boy's cheek, courtesy of his rough scales. He smirked and stood up, wandering over to the radio. Once getting there, he looked back at them maliciously.

"It's about time you've paid for ruining my reputation."

Throughout that whole ordeal, the Skimmer bay was still open. The Raptor brothers had forgotten to close it, which was no surprise. Finn quickly landed inside and leapt off, letting the bike die of power. Radarr jumped after him as he sped for a hiding spot. The bigger picture demanded him to do something about the new threat, but hiding was the first thing he had to do. Getting caught got the Storm Hawks nowhere.

He managed to fit into a cabinet beside the door that led out of the bay. He and Radarr had to remove some of the tools to make room, but they also made the effort to place the tools accordingly, to make sure it looked like they were in use before the attack. Both of the them sat inside the cramped space, and luckily closed the door just in time.

Hoerk, Leugey, and Spitz entered the bay and looked around one more time.

" "Devastate the Storm Hawks' rides"," Leugey said aloud, sounding proud for doing so. It must have been an order from Repton. The three of them set forth to do their assignments. "Hoerk gets to fetch the little guy, right?"

"Right," the named one grunted, and he seated himself on his Bonewing. He already turned it up when Spitz suddenly shouted over the roar.

"Hold on!"

The larger one gave him a look of annoyance, held back from going on with his business. Spitz's eyes moved around the bay.

"How many rides did Repton tell us to take care of?"

Sadly, it took the other two a second longer than necessary to remember. "Three?" Leugey guessed.

"Right. Three." Spitz's eyes moved rapidly to and from the vehicles. "Well, I count four."

Finn looked to Radarr in alarm, and they covered their respective mouths to stop themselves from making a sound.

"Maybe Repton didn't count right," Hoerk said, shrugging it off. Spitz gave him a cold stare.

"You know what I think? I bet that kid and the rat came back on board. Look; you forgot to close the bay doors!"

"Don't blame this on me! You forgot to close them!"

"That's beside the point! Don't you see, Hoerk? He's in here, somewhere, waiting to be found!"

Hoerk took a moment to consider this, and a nasty smirk appeared on his face. He stepped off his ride, let it die, and went to join his brothers. "That's true," he agreed. "Less work. Now I get to smash him."

"No smashing," Spitz reprimanded. He tossed him a crossbow, smaller but similar to Repton's. "Repton wants us to bring him back like the rest of them are collected— like a vegetable. I'm going back to Repton to tell him about the change of plans. You guys just kill the Skimmers and go after the kid!"

The other two had no arguments about this. Spitz ran out of the bay while Hoerk and Leugey approached the Skimmers that remained. Finn looked through the crack of the cabinet door and watched in horror as the Raptors destroyed the vehicles. Hoerk managed to snap the mast of Piper's Heliscooter, and Leugey reached under Stork's Safety Buggie and ripped some hydraulic pipes, allowing dark fluids to stain the floor. Finn was starting to panic; next, they would kill Aerrow's Skimmer, and he and Radarr would be trapped on the ship for however long it took the Raptors to find them.

Finn suddenly remembered that Maia was also on the ship. What if a Raptor found her? It would be terrible! She didn't deserve to be dragged out into this mess.

Hoerk had already moved on to Aerrow's ride, and he started messing around with the engine crystals. Both of the Raptors' backs were toward Finn, and he sought his chance to run. There was one more safe place he thought of that would be a better place to be; Piper's room. He had to protect Maia after all. They had to stick together, until he figured out a plan. He looked down at the creature and motioned with his hands, to walk out of the cabinet quickly and quietly. Radarr frowned, and shook his head violently. Finn pressed a finger to his mouth, even though the furry little thing didn't even whimper. He was going to walk out whether he liked it or not.

Slowly, he pushed the cabinet door open, and he peeked his head around the edge. Hoerk and Leugey were still busy. He side-stepped out, and then he commenced tip-toeing his way toward the door. Radarr, despite his disagreement, followed as silently as he could. The door opened with a swoosh, and Finn dreaded the worst. He turned around and looked, and with a silent sigh of relief, he saw that the bay doors were still open, sending in a cool gust with a billowing voice. They still hadn't noticed him. He took a step through the door.

Unfortunately, he left the cabinet door open. And when he thought that the gust coming in was a blessing, he had been sorely mistaken. The wind shut the door with such might, it practically echoed in all of their ears. Boom!

Finn's joints locked when the Raptors looked toward the source. When their eyes settled on him and Radarr, they blinked.

"Hey! There he is!" Hoerk exclaimed, and a wide smile overtook his features. "Luck-y!"

He pulled out the crossbow and immediately started shooting those strange crystals. Finn squealed, dodging one by his head, then another by his hip. He danced around the projectiles until his brain finally told him to hightail-it out of there. He sprinted down the hall, with Radarr following after him, screeching.

"You need more target practice, Hoerk," Leugey chirped innocently. Hoerk snarled.

"Shut up, or I'll use you for target practice. Now come on! We finished killing the rides, so let's get the kid. And Spitz didn't say anything about not smashing the rat..."

The Condor's movement stopped long ago, or so I thought. I wasn't a ship expert, but I felt a difference from how the wind hit the carrier. As to why the carrier stopped, I had no idea. I didn't think the cause was something as serious as infiltration, or an invasion. I didn't hear any shouts, battlecries or rapid footbeats.

I rubbed my shoulder ruefully, and looked at the many instruments and maps Piper had in her room. I switched my cloaking crystal back on, to prevent any chance of exposure, and let my mind wander. I wondered who they were fighting and wished I could watch. I mean, when do you ever watch well-known Sky Knights kick the bad-guys' butts and send them crying? Not often.

I sighed impatiently and started pacing the room. I didn't know how long a battle took. I wanted us to get moving, so that I could hitch a ride and get to Cloud Nine. I wanted to get back into commission and scale the Atmos, delivering letters and parcels. I wanted to go back to Terra Atmosia, to the facility, and tell the children there stories again. But... I guessed that was all gonna happen in good time, and that I should be patient. I mean, one of the most bloodthirsty shadows of the skies was known to be patient, so why couldn't I?

The attempt at waiting longer was driving me insane. I decided to get out of Piper's room and see what was going on, and see if I could help. However, when I took the breath and stepped toward the door, it opened before I could get close enough, and Finn burst in. To be honest, I was startled. He was gasping like an old man having a heart attack; he must have run at Skimmer speed or something. Radarr looked like he was in a similar situation.

Finn stumbled over to me and pressed both hands against my shoulders, pushing him and myself further back, away from the door. On cue, the door closed.

"What's happening out there?" I asked him. He was still recovering, taking in deep breaths. If he had to run that fast and that hard, time must have been of the essence. "Well?"

"The Raptors... are here... and they've... somehow... taken down... Aerrow and the... others...," he wheezed. My lips pursed. "We've got to... get out of here... they saw me... and..."

"Who, exactly?" I asked. "Repton?"

Finn continued to gasp but he shook his head like he had no control over it. "The big guy, Hoerk... and Leugey..."

"Hah! Okay."

Finn looked up at me in confusion, but I was looking over him toward the door. He must've wondered why I was acting so confident. Truth was, this wasn't the first time I've met our intruders... If it was Repton on Finn's tail, then that was something to worry about. Since it was one or two of his brothers... I could laugh out loud at how easy it was going to be.

"And they saw you come in here, you say?"

"Well... they saw me going... into this... hallway... they'll check... every room... so we gotta... get out of here..."

I looked up at the ceiling, toward the ventilation. Even as I hummed, the bulb on my collar blazed. "Up there. We can go up there."

Finn followed my eyes, and he found it a good idea. He probably liked the fact that I came up with it so fast; normally he wouldn't, for pride's sake, but with the Raptors so close he was relieved there was someone with brains left. He nodded his head vigourously, then stepped up on Piper's bed. He reached up and worked with the screws that bound the casing in place. I kept my eye on the door, listening. I certainly heard their approach.

Finn finally got the hatch loose, and he tossed it down to the ground beside the bed. It clanked really loudly, and I bared my teeth at the inconvenience. Now the Raptors knew the general direction. Finn gave me a sheepish smile. He finally regained his breathing.

He motioned me over. "Come on, I'll boost you up!"

"You go first. You'll just pull me up after you."

"But, if they—"

"They're looking for you, right? I have a feeling they won't have the slightest idea when something like me appears in their plan."

Finn was silent after that, but he had no choice but to agree with my logic. Using a shelf to boost himself up, he heaved his body into the ventilation. I looked down at Radarr, and it seemed to me like he refused to leave me alone. It might've been because he was concerned or he was suspicious. Either way, he would do me more good by joining Finn.

"Sorry," I said simply, then I grasped his tail and tossed him up to Finn. He rewarded me with a strangled shriek, but I didn't mind at the moment.

Finn stayed at the edge, looking down at me. He saw how I didn't approach the vent, how I didn't even consider going near it. I told him he'd be able to pull me up, but I had no intention on joining him up there. I was too heavy to be hoisted up. "Maia? What are you doing? Come on! You have a chance to—"

The door opened, and Hoerk was on the other side, peering through. He looked confused with what he saw. What was a "harmless", wounded woman doing on the Condor? Leugey peered around his brother, also curious. Finn had stopped talking entirely, overcome with a silent fear for me.

"Who are you? I've never seen you before," Hoerk demanded intimidatingly. He held a weapon with ammo I had never seen before. I wished Finn had mentioned it. How was I to know what effect those crystals had on me? I grimaced.

The far larger one grew impatient with my silence. He stepped forward, still aiming the point of his weapon at me. "Well, whatever. You know the Storm Hawks. Maybe you can help."

"In what way?" I inquired. The bulb on my collar must have attracted his attention, because his eyes snapped to it and his weapon shifted, aiming at it, startled. He stared questioningly at my collar, and I wondered if he would recognize it. He did not. After a moment, he met my eyes again.

"We're looking for a scrawny kid with a rat for a pet. Have you seen them anywhere?"

"I have," I admitted. I didn't say anything, and it tested Hoerk's patience even more.

"Aren't you going to tell me?"

"It's none of your concern on where they are. And besides... you were ordered to find them yourself, right? Well, it defeats the purpose if I help you."

I knew Hoerk was easy to anger. I wasn't afraid of him. I already knew his nature; all brawn and little brain. Although, you'd think me stupid, because if he was as dumb as I described him, then he wouldn't hesitate with shooting me with that crossbow of his. Well, I reacted to certain crystals differently than humans did. I'd gone through plenty of trials in my lifetime, and almost all of them weren't pretty.

It could come out for better or for worse. The new crystal could be a total dud on me, or it could kill me. Call me crazy, but I wanted to take the risk. Once I took the shot—or once Hoerk missed, either/or would work nicely— I would rush at him and take him out. I didn't have the heart of a warrior, but when there were things I had to do, I had to do them.

He didn't shoot me yet. Instead, he took a step toward me and narrowed his eyes. "Who are you? You sound very familiar."

"Oh, I should be, alright," I sighed. I lifted a hand to make it seem like I was fumbling with my collar out of habit. "I might not look the same, but..."

Hoerk's eyes looked down to my collar, then to my face, then quickly to my collar again. He analysed it, as I intended. A look of realization hit him.

"The sign of Atmosia! You're that mail-girl? But—"

He didn't even bother finishing the sentence. Rage enveloped his face and he stepped multiple paces from me, pushing Leugey back and aiming the crossbow at my heart. "Repton's gonna flip when he finds you here! If I catch you, then he'll give me more respect!"

"Better hurry up then, huh?" I smiled. He didn't find anything fishy about it, and his finger slipped onto the trigger.

"We don't have to shoot her, do we?" Leugey asked, his voice carrying out something like a whine. "She's small. We can take her..."

"Knock it off. She's ours either way—!"

"Move, Maia!"

I wish Finn hadn't jumped down when he did. Hoerk was so alarmed by the sudden intrusion that he aimed the weapon at Finn and shot. The crystal got the boy in the neck, and he crumpled. In that moment, I had a general idea of what effect the new crystal had. It was pretty much a bio-Leaching crystal, a variation of my greatest weakness. My curiosity was momentarily quenched, and I didn't feel like finding out what it did to me anymore. The purpose of egging Hoerk on was completed regardless; he was distracted with the recoil of his shot.

I stormed forward, and Hoerk shot another one. It missed. He shot one more time, and it hit my right shoulder. Luckily it didn't hit my left, because that would've hurt more intensely than it did with my unwounded arm. It hurt, but it did nothing. The pincers had poked my scales uncomfortably, but without any grip, the crystal bounced to the floor. I didn't have time to sigh with relief.

Hoerk shouted out in shock before I punched him in the face with my curled Dragon Claw. My blood circulated quickly in the build-up of the attack, creating energy that rivalled the weapons Sky Knights used. The blow sent Hoerk crashing against Leugey, and the force had the both of them crash against the wall behind them. I supposed that was a little too much... Either way, my intention was exercised. The Raptors tumbled to the ground, and Hoerk groaned before passing out. Leugey sat up and moaned, holding his head. He was dazed, with his head spinning, so I had a moment to look back and assess Finn's condition.

Finn's eyes still wondered, then they locked onto me when I approached. "Say something, Finn," I said. If he was able to, he would have, but he couldn't. Total paralysis. The crystal at his neck pulsed, and each time it did, Finn looked more fatigued. I went to reach for the crystal to yank it free, but Radarr jumped down and snarled at me, protecting Finn as if I was trespassing in his territory. I didn't have time for this! I looked back and saw that Leugey was still dazed. Seeing that he was, I looked down at the animal.

"Pull it out!" I told him. "See if you can pull it out on your own!"

Radarr gave me a look that said he didn't want to take my advice, but he had to. He turned to Finn, stationed himself at his neck, and took the crystal with one hand. It didn't budge, and so he used both hands. After a moment of extensive force, the crystal ripped free, and Finn let out a large sigh of relief.

"I-I better tell Repton about this!" Leugey said at last. I whipped my head to his direction and saw him stumbling to his feet. He realized my attention was on him and yelped. He ran for it, but before he could make it far down the hall, I had caught up with him and jumped onto his back. The force brought us to the ground. He was probably wondering why a human could take him down so easily... but you know why. He startled struggling. I smiled down at him— I found him rather adorable, like a pup.

"Hold on, Leugey," I told him kindly. "Why would you wanna tell Repton?"

"Because... because that's what Repton would want me to do!"

"Well... I want to be your friend."

Leugey stopped writhing under my body. "My friend?"

"Of course. You didn't want your brother to shoot me. You're nice. I like nice people."

"I like making friends," he replied bashfully. I laughed, a trilling sound meant to make him more comfortable.

"So do I. Heeeey, you know what a mail carrier is, right?"

"Someone... who carries mail?"

"Yes! Have you ever wondered how it feels to be a mail carrier? Would you like to try it?"

"Oh, yeah! That'd be so cool!"

"Okay! Then I need to you sit tight while I go and write a letter, okay?"

I stepped off of Leugey, and I cautiously watched for his next move. I didn't have to, because he sat up cross-legged and waited patiently. He looked up at me over his shoulder with wide, childish eyes, and I couldn't help but coo. I petted his head and I returned to Piper's room, stepping over Hoerk in order to do so. I came up to Finn's side and crouched.

"How are you feeling?"

Finn was rubbing his head, as if someone had hit across it with a bat. "Weird. It felt like something was sucking the life out of me." He looked up at me. "How did you do that...? And how did Hoerk know you?"

I looked over to Radarr, who was still holding on to the crystal. I reached over, palm up, so that he could drop it into my hand. He looked reluctant to do so, but he eventually did. I turned the crystal over in my hand, which still pulsed with the energy it drained from Finn. The crystal that was shot at me, I noticed, was dead, as if it was short-circuited, and the one that missed was alive, but with no pulse. I picked them up as well and packed them into a pocket of my mail bag. I went and collected the rest of the unused crystals from Hoerk's crossbow as well. The scientists of Atmosia had to check what they were, or many Sky Knights would be in danger.

"Atmos may be big, but it really is a small world. You'll meet everyone at least once or twice." Finn agreed with that. I didn't bother answering his question of how I knocked Hoerk out. He was more concerned with the situation.

"What are we going to do?" he asked. He had crossed his arms over his chest and clasped his shoulders. He shivered. "The others have all been hit with those... things. And then there's Repton..."

I pulled out a folded piece of spare paper, meant for letters. This one was decorated with phoenix prints. I spread it out on Piper's desk and reached for a pen that I hoped worked. It did.

"I have a plan, and I need you to listen to it closely," I said. When I knew I had Finn's complete attention, I smiled reassuringly at him.

"When my part of the plan's done, you won't even have to deal with Repton."

End of Chapter

A/N: This one's on a roll!

I'm working with this for NaNoWriMo, and so far, it's a lot of words. I mean, I should be working on a REAL novel, but I can never finish them in the time of one month. So I figured that fanfiction would work best, maybe. I think it's more of a challenge anyway.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this~ I certainly did. I thought that I would get a lot more events done in this chapter, but now I've divided the fun! Next chapter will be great to write, I can feel it... X3

Give me some feedback, I wanna know if anything confusing!

~Vixen