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

Chapter 18

Repton seated himself in front of the Eye, exactly where it had been the week or so before, but he didn't look directly at it. He was sort of reluctant to.

He could hear Nakoto pacing. Tap, tap, tap. Pivot. Tap, tap, tap. Occasionally, her tail would come down and smack the ground, followed by a low grunt. Then the pacing would continue. She probably thought that she was alone in that room, but Repton was listening. And as idiotic as it was to his logic, he felt dirty. He hadn't felt like this watching her before, but now being in her privacy without her knowing seemed inappropriate. But what was he to do, when both his duty and curiosity insisted he do this?

He finally brought his eyes to the Eye. The sides of Luchas' pendent were cut off with white cloth; he deduced that Luchas' coat was hung on the wall with other gowns. The middle was quite clear though, and Nakoto passed through it. First one way, then rounding back the other. She was massaging her right palm with her left hand's fingers, eyes to the ground. She cursed.

"What was I thinking?" she muttered. She stopped, straightened up, then slapped her tail against the ground again. "It's for Adam. Luchas is the only one who can do it... he's most experienced with my blood... but what if Seth's right, and Adam dies..." She growled under her breath, turning around. Her body was frigid with her anxiety for another round of pacing, then she stopped again. She let out a deep sigh.

Repton caught his reflection on the surface of Athene's Eye. He noticed the markings where the bottle's glass cut him, and saw how tended they were. Cyclonis didn't even notice them. Nakoto did a very good job of nursing him. The fact that she took the time to help him still confused him, as well as infuriated him. Why the hell did she help him, when she should've known he would betray her? That she would mean nothing to him?

Nakoto approached a lone chair that was set against the wall and sank right into it. She leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a few moments. Then her hand fished into her pocket and she pulled out a small object. Once in hand, she bent her torso forward, resting on her knees. She held the object in her hands between her legs, twirling it over and over. It was the Aquanosian water, clinking as her Claws grazed its surface. For a long while, she just regarded it, and Repton didn't know what it was she was thinking about.

"As if things weren't troubling enough," she breathed ruefully. She twirled the bottle again in her grip, and she pressed a hand at her chest, padding here and there, as if looking for something that wasn't there. "It's going to be harder to hide. Being forgotten by Cyclonia made life so much easier. I had a chance to live simply. And then I had to meet him and screw that over for myself..." She leaned back, and Repton was surprised to see a sad smile on her face.

"But... that's no regret of mine."

"Nakoto! You're here!"

I turned my head toward the four approaching children, but it took me a moment to smile at them genuinely. They shouldn't have been out... I didn't know if I could explain things so delicately.

I stood up from the chair. The spines on my head eased backwards, and I leaned forward, decreasing my height. I slipped the bottle back into my pocket, to avoid their curiosity from forming any bigger than I knew it was. The children ran up to me, but they kept their distance. They must have thought my expression was alien, and I couldn't blame them. I tried my best, and my smile may have been reassuring, but my eyes were sad. Their own smiles still remained, if not a little confused.

"Kids," I greeted. "Why are you out at this time? You should be in your beds."

"Adam's not with us," said the human boy, Chance. "We're out looking for him. Do you know where he is?"

As hard as I tried, I couldn't stop my composure from cracking. My eyes were a window to this weakness, I knew that. They creased a little as I laughed softly —helplessly— and pointed to the door. There was no use in making up stories.

"He's in there."

"Can we go see him?"

"No."

"Why not?"

My eyes closed painfully. Why did it take so much effort to keep the smile on my face? I took a deep breath and whispered: "He's going through a tough time, okay?"

"What's wrong with him?" the Wallop asked. The children's smiles started to dwindle, and they looked at the door in a mixture of confusion and fear. They stared at it as cautiously as they would regarding a monster. Soon my smile started disappearing slowly, and I knew that I had to tell them the full truth somehow.

"He's very sick, and the doctors have to help him."

"Adam's going to leave us."

Some of the children and I looked back at Lilym, the Blizzarian girl. She stood at the back of the youth group, purposely excluded. Her hands were grouped up before her, clenching each other,. Her eyes were glassy. The Blizzarian boy beside her, Spencer, pressed a hand at her shoulder, but she stepped away bitterly. Her face crumpled, and the tears pooled. I straightened up slowly, having a premonition. I knew what was coming, and I felt pity.

"Adam's going to leave us," Lilym cried. She buried her face in her hands. "Just like mother left me!"

I watched the girl cry silently. My eyes softened, and I let out a deep exhalation through my nose. I knew my mouth was a sad, expectant line. I told the child softly: "Come here, Lilym."

The Blizzarian girl sniffled, trembling, then ran forward at full force, latching herself to my thigh. The force had me step back, but not by too much. She let out a strangled cry, followed by a serious of wails. I towered over, caressing the child's head tenderly, then scooped her under the arms and perched her on my hip. I pushed her upwards using my forearm, and so made a small seat for the child. Lilym immediately tucked her face against my neck, just below my jawline, and she continued to bawl. I looked down at the other children, who were watching Lilym helplessly.

"Come on; I'll tuck you guys in."

"No!" Lilym shouted. Her voice was muffled against my scales, and if it had been any louder my ears would've rung. "I want to stay here!"

"This isn't the place for you."

Lilym shook her head aggressively. She started crying louder. I looked down at the others and jerked my head. They shook theirs in return. My eyes grew steely and I gave them the sternest look I could.

"Kids..."

"We're not leaving," Aaron declared. The Wallop child cheeks blew out. "We're not leaving until Adam comes with us."

I shared their gaze, waiting until they backed down, until they broke under my reprimanding leer. They didn't. I didn't want to yell at them, and it wasn't in my place to. I looked up at the ceiling, sighing in defeat.

I closed my eyes and said nothing for a few long moments, then turned to the chair I had been previously sitting in. I hooked my foot around a leg of it and sent it sliding away, clearing the space. Carrying Lilym, I myself walked into the space, pressed my back to the wall, then slid down slowly. Letting out a soft groan, I made myself comfortable. I laid out my tail, and I invited the other children to sit with me. They immediately obeyed, falling to their knees down beside me. Two settled on either side of me, snuggling into my sides, while the remaining human child sat on his knees in front of me.

The Blizzarian child Lilym started to settle down, but was still considerably upset. Bless her poor heart... I set her down on my lap and nuzzled the girl's hair, humming a soft tune. It was something from my childhood that I managed to hold on to. The words to that song were still lost though, and forever would be. Soon enough, Lilym calmed to simple sniffling, wiping her tears away.

"I know it's hard, Lilym," I told her serenely. "But your mother wouldn't want to see you cry."

Lilym looked up, her eyes wide. They threatened to overcome with tears again. "How can she see me? She's gone... "

"She's never gone. She's always watching over you. "

"How do you know? "

My chin lifted, but I still held Lilym's gaze. What I had to say next hurt me a little to say aloud, but I forced it out with pride:

"Because I have no doubt in my mind that my parents are watching me always, that's why. "

A gasp of surprise escaped from Lilym, then she looked away. "Your parents are gone too...? "

"Yeah, for a long time. "

"Don't you miss them? "

Thinking about it, I exhaled whimsically. "Sometimes. But that's only when I forget that they're always with me. As long as I remember a face, I know they're there. "

"I still remember my mother's face. "

"Then she's here. You just have to remember that she is. Never forget, and she'll be your strength."

Lilym slowly took her hands away from my neck and sat up normally. She wiped away the tears again, but this time, it was the last of them. I doubted she completely understood what I was talking about, but the idea certainly relieved her of some grief, and I was glad. A child was still just a child, and they needed comfort. I smiled down at her, leaning my head back against the wall. Now all I had to do was lead them back to bed...

"What were your parents like, Nakoto?"

I looked across to the Wallop on my left, meeting his soft brown eyes. The question echoed in my mind, bouncing around until deciding to get soaked up into my consciousness. I looked up at the ceiling, and my brows twitched upwards.

"Well... I don't remember too much of my father, because he passed when I was little," I mused. The shadow of a fully-grown Raptor stood in front of my mind's eye. His back to me was broad. "I remember him being strong, though. Tough. He was a soldier, and he went down fighting for what he wanted to protect. A warrior's end."

"And your mom?" asked Spencer. Lilym looked up, more attentive. I smiled distantly.

"Now, my mother wasn't strong enough to fight or work hard labour, but you know what? She was still the strongest person I'd ever known. She had great strength in the heart..." I slowly lifted one finger of my Dragon's Claw and tapped my chest lightly. "I don't think her love and courage could be outmatched."

Chance shifted to sit on his bottom. "She was just like you, wasn't she?"

"In the more correct sense, I would be just like her," I said. My brow quirked, and my gaze fell. "But I wouldn't say I was completely... I don't have her courage."

I knew the children were confused. There was just something that I hadn't talked with anyone about, and I had a feeling that I would have to face it sooner than I thought I would. Before the children could put in any questions, I shook my head.

"They were both amazing people, and as long as I don't forget them and how much they mean to me, they'll live on. Your mother will too, if you do the same, Lilym."

Lilym nodded, a more determined look on her face. I was about to say something to change the subject, but I heard footsteps, and when I glanced down the hall, I pushed my head away from the wall.

"Derik."

"Nakoto," the named one called, his footsteps now growing louder. I recognized his companion, and my stomach dropped a little. I set Lilym up on her feet and got up to meet the men. The other children on the floor rose and hovered behind me, reaching out and grasping the back of my pants. I would've smiled warmly at their reach for security, but I couldn't. Derik arrived, along with the slim Aquanosian.

I turned my attention to the newcomer, and took in his features. His skin was an olive-tone, and he had a turfs of evergreen hair pushed back from his face. He wore mere fisherman's garb, and he had a small spoils bag at his side, with hooks peeking from the flap. Fear was evident in his ember-like eyes. They were smouldering with it. He looked more ragged than the time I saw him last in Aquanos.

"Rio..."

"My son..." He brought his hands together, and he clasped them tightly. "Where is my son?"

I broke my gaze; I couldn't keep it with him.

"Derik, do me a favour and take the kids to bed," I said softly. The children looked up at me, I knew, with looks of rebellion.

"Nakoto, we told you—"

"Don't argue with me. I've let you stay for this long, so go on. Do this for me."

"But Adam..."

My tail curled around and gathered them, pushing them ahead of me. I just didn't want them around when death lurked in the halls. Derik offered his hands to them, and indecisive, they turned to me again. I met their begging eyes with what I hoped were stern, reproachful ones, and they finally obeyed. Lilym and Spencer took Derik's hands and let him lead them away. The last two followed closely behind.

"Sweet dreams, kids," I whispered.

Once they were out of earshot, I stepped up to the Rio. His eyes were unbelievably snuffed-out.

"Adam is fighting his battle right now. All we can do is wait."

Rio's back weakened, and he sighed to himself. "Adam... I'm sorry... I'm not there beside you..."

"You're here now," I told him. A small smile sprouted on my lips, but it was struggling. "That's better than not being here for him at all."

Rio slowly nodded, distracted by his own thoughts. I touched his arm and gestured to the chair I kicked away previously, and he went toward it mindlessly, silently. I stayed and leaned back against the wall... I didn't have anything to say. I didn't even know what to say. I folded my arms across my chest, and with a frown, I went on and observed the details of the tiled floor. Nothing was said for a long time.

Everyone had battles of their own to fight. Doctors fought to save a life. Adam fought against his own failing body. For Rio and myself, we fought against a heart full of doubts and fears.

Repton leaned back from the Eye and looked away.

The tune Nakoto was humming to the Blizzarian girl still played in his mind. He thought it sounded familiar, nostalgic, until he realized it was an old lullaby. It was lost in his memory, but he could've sworn that his mother had hummed it the same way to his younger brothers. The words to that song were still lost.

And Nakoto, lacking courage? Not once had he seen her back down from something because she was frightened. When she ran away from Cyclonians, it was the fact that she was outnumbered that drove her to flee. Flying head-first into a colony of Vulca-Bats or sandstorm were both things that no one weak of heart could accomplish. Hell, she didn't even fear death. She had plenty of courage. What kind of courage was she talking about?

He didn't plan on sitting there, watching Nakoto for possible hours. Looking at her made him second-guess himself, made him doubt his choice in selling her out. He tried again and again to convince himself that she was just a pawn, a piece to be sacrificed for a bigger prize. But whenever he managed to do that, the sight of Nakoto's face shattered its defences, and he was left with no excuse for his treachery. What happened to betraying someone... just because he felt like it? When did he start to care?

He stood up in frustration and wandered away from the Eye, to free his mind. He brought his fingers to his temple and tried banishing the conflicting feelings. As he paced, his sights passed over Cyclonis' desk at the end of the study. Nothing was ever on that desk aside from some pens and blank parchment, and give or take a book or two. But tonight, there was a curious, worn-out folder, smacked right in the middle of the piece of furniture. He approached the desk and towered over the sleeve, which had no text on the cover whatsoever. Looking to the entrance of the room as a precaution, he picked the file up and opened it. The papers stayed, but a photograph escaped from the paperclip set inside. It flipped upside-down onto the floor. He bent to pick it up, and as he did so, he noticed the carton tucked under the desk itself. Momentarily dazed, Repton collected the photo and flipped it over.

It was sepia; hardly any saturation or colour in the image. Strangely, Repton recognized it as somewhere in Cyclonia. The dark, threatening clouds and lifeless terrain tipped him off. But it was in a place he didn't recognize, with cliffs soaring in the background. It must have been at a lower altitude. In this area, a pale building was in construction. Nearby, there were workers in Cyclonian uniform and others with white labcoats. The white figures were tipping their hats, acknowledging the picture taken. Repton squinted at the bottom-right corner of the page, written in pen: Introduction of Phase II.B of Project Oasium: Deconstruction.

This, and the carton at Repton's feet, were the archives that Cyclonis removed. He noted the date of the picture, and it was well over twenty years before. He counted back the years, and he was around six at the time. If he could hazard a guess, Nakoto was around the same age... He reached down and slid the carton out, to peek at its contents. Little tabs peeked up from the folders, each displaying the dates that preceded and followed the year he just looked at. As it were, the Project itself took about five years.

Repton glanced at the doorway again, and seeing no Cyclonis, he seated himself in the throne-like chair. He stretched down and seized the folder with the earliest date, bringing up under his gaze. This was the beginning of the story. He opened it up and set it down on the desk, picking up papers and pictures.

This one was an overview of Terra Oasium. It was essentially a jungle surrounded for miles by dunes of sand before the edges dropped off into the Wastelands below. The picture of the Terra wasn't that great of quality, but he could make out the difference between the white sand and dark, leafy blob. There was a record of the various flora and fauna that existed on that piece of rock, listing from mammals, birds, and these monstrous sandwurm creatures. There were brief descriptions, but Repton skipped over the biology lesson. He flipped through the records, briefly taking in each topic. Water contamination. The concentration of crystal in the earth. He finally came to the inhabitants in the sister file.

Raptors, just like him. Papers described their language and lifestyle, and he found more similarities than differences between Oasium and Bogaton's historical customs. He looked through the pictures; there were some with them hunting, weaving, or dancing around a fire in celebration. Then, there were ones with scientists mingling into the mix, treating individual Raptors. Men, women, and children. The Rogue couldn't deny that he squinted, trying to recognize a face among these children, in case he spotted Nakoto. It would help him consider all of these papers true. At the end of the file, he reached a summary sheet. This part of the project was called Phase I of Project Oasium: Extraction.

Just as Nakoto said, her people were apart of a huge experiment, like mice in a maze. They were being observed, and throughout the notes Repton skimmed, he noticed how the Raptors were belittled. They were referred to like things, mindless animals, as if they had no free will or intellect. The next file he picked up was no different, only now filled with results from their progress, of all the blood they collected. The dates flew past, and days turned to weeks, and weeks to months. Before he knew it, two years of data were finished so far. The flow of time seemed so gradual that, when he picked up the next file, it caused Repton's body to clench.

Bodies. Bodies strewn everywhere. The photo definitely did not capture the true horror of the carnage. The previous visions he memorized of Oasium were destroyed, and replaced with these new pictures. Everything burnt and razed. The notes described the death of a scientist on the field, and the fear of the Raptors tuning in with their power. They were seen as a threat, and eliminated. No one in the village survived, and their remnants would be used for further testings. However, it turned out that an infected Raptor had to be alive in order for its blood to be used. He now understood why Nakoto would rather choose death than a life in imprisonment.

At the end of the document, he saw a photo of a Raptor child and immediately recognized her. The picture was blurry, which meant she was in motion. She was holding something to her chest, and when Repton read the caption, it said that she was carrying an egg that managed to avoid getting crushed. In the current notes, it said that the egg's survival was unknown, but Repton knew that Nakoto was carrying Farida in her hands. The child was apprehended and taken to Cyclonia.

The dates lead up to the file he first picked up, the one that sat on the desk previously. Phase II.B. He looked into the carton and fished for another file that he had a hunch existed. He checked the heading and read: Phase II.A of Project Oasium: Inculcation. It took him a while to determine what exactly that word meant, until he remembered. Something to do with education, but it didn't become any less confusing. What did these terms mean? He could understand Extraction, but Inculcation, and Deconstruction? And if he could guess, not only did the letters act as sequenced headings, but they also stood for the codenames. A stood for Alpha, while B stood for Beta. Whatever happened to Nakoto was in his hands.

He looked up when noise started acting up in Athene's Eye. How long had he been sitting there, reading? Felt like more than an hour. He got up and rounded around the table. Nakoto was closer now, standing in front of the surgery door. Doctors were exiting, their voices low but distracting. A couple of them actually carried out the Aquanosian child on a rolling platform. They passed by, and Nakoto was about to follow, but she was stopped by the young, dark-skinned doctor. His facemask was pulled down and sat under his chin, spotted with some blood.

"Well, Seth?" Repton made out Nakoto saying. "What happened?"

"The surgery was... a success," Seth said. He wiped his brow as he spoke, and for a glimmer of a second, Nakoto looked relieved. But she sensed the hesitation in the doctors voice, and waited patiently. "There's no signs of the disease left in his body. Luchas kept his word, surprisingly. Adam is cured."

"Then what's wrong, then?" The Aquanosian man, Rio, approached her from behind, lurking. He was listening in the conversation. "That's good, isn't it? What's going to happen now?"

"Adam... he's not strong enough to survive."

"What are you saying?"

"We got to him too late. His heart can't take it anymore, and we can't make any successful transfusions or transplants."

"How do you know, when you haven't tried?" Nakoto's voice trembled with agitation. Then she grew aware of Rio behind her, and so she spoke more quietly. "There's nothing more you can do...?"

Seth shook his head. "I'm sorry."

Nakoto shook her own head, in stubborn disbelief. Her eyes shifted away, and it took her a while to respond. "Where are they taking him?"

"To a separate room. Follow me, and you can see him... in his last moments."

End of Chapter

A/N: Siiiick.

I don't feel so well, so hopefully this came out okay. I don't want to come back to it while I'm healthy and see some drunken sentences. XD

Hope you like! And review me your thoughts please!

Oh, and the last few chapters were written during March Break, so that's why there are so many of these at one time... sorry for holding them back. And I'm sorry none of these are a chapter for IWSTKY. I know a lot of people are waiting for that one.

~Vixen