Chapter Three

A dense pearly mist had risen up over the water and the horizon was hidden from sight. The poor visibility put the team at a disadvantage. It was impossible to see oncoming dangers out to the left side of the ship.

One of Finn's secondary positions was lookout; hawk-eyes like his made him the perfect candidate for the job. Since the start of their voyage of the far side, the Storm Hawks had relied on his judgement more than ever. The lack of navigational instruments left the sharpshooter invaluable when it came to navigating the unknown land. A lot of weight had been thrust onto his shoulders, but not once had he complained about it. He liked the feeling of importance and upon entering the bridge he was quick to assess the situation and set himself up with Stork's x-ray peepers on the left side of the bridge and made sure Junko and Radarr covered the right.

The enhanced binoculars could be configured to see through just about anything. Stork originally created them in the hopes of detecting brain tumours, but none of the merb's gadgets were ever used for what they were originally designed for by the others. It was by no means a perfect view, but if something approached them through the fog, he would detect it for sure.

"That storm's getting closer." He informed the others on the bridge. It had been a short time since he had his lip stitched up and the paralyser stone's effects had worn off. "You think it'll be a good idea to port up somewhere for lunch? I'm starved."

"That's Aerrow's calling." Stork stated bluntly, his gaze not wavering from the sky.

"Actually, it's my calling." A voice came from behind them. Finn quickly glanced over his shoulder to see that Piper had entered the bridge. She had a book in one hand and a dark purple crystal in the other, Finn could not remember what it did. "And no, Finn. We're not going to stop for a picnic right after being ambushed by nightcrawlers."

"How's our Sky Knight?" He asked.

"Comatose." She clarified, plonking the book down on its spine over the round table and allowed it to fall open. "You guys have to make do with me for the next forty eight hours. Aerrow's not going anywhere."

"Whatcha got there?" Junko inquired, watching her move the crystal around in her hands.

"I'm going to try and cloak the Condor." Piper responded, shooting him a nervous smile.

Finn could swear he heard the helmsman squeal with glee at the mention of Piper's goal. Snickering to himself, he gazed back through the peepers. "The entire ship?" He questioned "Are you sure you can manage that?"

"Well, I got us here, didn't I? If I get this right, I can harmonise it with the shields, so the crystal will recharge every time we refuel."

"Um…" Stork cut in. Finn spared him a glance and found the merb lifting a finger. He rolled his eyes and continued scouting the coastline. "I'm pretty sure by doing that you'll halve the efficiency of the shields with both crystals using the same matrix and that can only lead to disaster."

"We do it that way, or we create a new energy output." Piper replied "The second method will keep the Condor grounded for too long. We can't afford the dely."

Stork considered for a moment. "I can reroute the output, but if the shields get knocked out like last time, the cloaking device will still short out."

Finn adjusted the peepers and looked down at a large crack in the land. The water disappeared into the dark chasm and beyond the gorge, the mountains rose up higher than the peepers could identify. They were right at the base of the barrier cliffs. "Hate to break up the important engineering meeting, but I've got something aport, four o'clock."

"What is it?" Piper inquired, hurrying over to where Finn was standing and took the peepers from him.

"Some kind of opening." He explained as she scanned the area outside. "Maybe we should check it out."

"You think all this water leaks through to Terra Aquinos?" Piper mused, lowering the crystal gadget to exchange an inquisitive glance with Finn.

He returned a look of confusion. "What's that got to do with anything?"

A smile crept onto the navigator's face and she thrust the peepers into Finn's chest. "Everything." She established and hurried over to the table, snatching up a blank scroll and a pencil. She beckoned the others over with a wave of a hand. Finn joined her with interest, Junko and Radarr followed. "We're right next to the barrier cliffs now and this entire area is filled up with water."

Finn watched her sketch out a quick diagram of the barrier cliffs and the sea that surrounded them. He had always been impressed with her artistic ability and considering the drawing took her no less than fifteen seconds it was a fairly decent render.

"We already know that the endless caverns we sealed route through to the far side." Piper continued, sketching out a terra on the other side of her drawing of the barrier cliffs. "Terra Aquinos is a huge pocket of water that goes down so deep it is not even charted on our maps."

Piper then drew a long tunnel protruding from the bottom of the terra and continued it until it came out under the barrier cliffs and met up with the water on the other side. Finn leaned in closer for a better look and abandoned the x-ray peepers on the edge of the table. Piper put down the pencil and folded her arms.

Stork swooped behind her from the helm and glanced over her shoulder at the drawing. "If that terra sprung a leak, the entire Atmos would meet a watery doom."

Radarr - who had been perched on the table - let out a confused squawk and tilted his head to one side.

Piper chuckled and nudged the helmsman with an elbow. "Don't be so dramatic. They're called the endless caverns for a reason."

"Yeah, thanks for the geography lesson, Piper." Finn piped up, he scratched his ear feeling somewhat bemused. "I still don't see what this has to do with that opening I found."

Piper just looked at him. Finn glanced at the others and they were all giving him that same arched eyebrow look suggesting he was the only one that did not know what Piper was describing.

The navigator clearly worked out he was getting nowhere after a few moments of silence, because she picked up the pencil and began drawing again. Finn followed the tip of her pencil as she drew the Condor right next to where the tunnel ended.

He met Piper's eyes. He glanced back down at the drawing. He looked at Piper. "Oh." He realised. "Looks like the Finnster discovered the entrance to the endless caverns. Chicka-cha."

The sharpshooter pulled out the pistol fingers. Junko laughed at his enthusiasm, but he was the only one who did so. The others slapped a hand on their faces.

"I'm pretty sure this isn't the only way in." Piper spoke up, regaining her composure and directed her statement to the entire team. "The barrier cliffs could well be an intricate labyrinth of intertwining tunnels." She paused suddenly and glanced out of the window. "But, the only entrance we know of from our side is beneath the lake on Terra Aquinos and the water's gotta come out somewhere." She pointed out the window at the dark chasm. "There."

"Then, we better go in to investigate." Finn repeated.

Piper nodded in agreement. "This is important."

Junko looked hesitant. "I don't know guys, recon without Aerrow? It doesn't sound like a good idea." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "He's been set on making sure we're all safe. Leaving him behind isn't a good way to repay him."

Radarr chirped in agreement and nodded sternly.

"Well, we can't wait for him to get better." Piper pointed out. "Stork, find a place nearby to tether the ship." She turned to Finn and the others. "The four of us will go in and see what we can find."

Finn's stomach growled. He pulled a face and gazed longingly at the acting team leader. "Food?"

Piper sighed. "Alright. I'll see what I can do."

"Shouldn't someone let Aerrow know where we're going?" Junko suggested, his gaze darting between Piper and the bridge's main entrance as if the leader were to walk in at any moment.

"If he wakes up, I'm sure Stork'll be able to fill him in." Piper responded and her eyes rested on the helmsman. "You will take care of him, right, Stork?" She said sternly, eyeing his slender physique as he waltzed back to his post at the helm.

"Well, I need someone to listen to my Merbian Darkness Poetry." Stork replied. His four fingered hands gripped around the helm. "He still has yet to hear the final verse of Darkness, Total Darkness, Purest Black."

"Like that's going to happen." Finn snorted. "Hey, Junko?" He asked, turning to the wallop beside him. "Can I ride with you? My skimmer kinda sorta got trashed."

Much to his annoyance, Piper was the one who responded. "What about your spare?"

"It isn't ready." Finn replied shortly. "Aerrow and Stork are still messing with the engine."

"Need I remind you that the Nimbus Seven needs a lot of attention to make sure it functions correctly?" Stork interjected, "Unless you want to die."

Finn crossed his arms. "I wasn't complaining!" He assured him. "Take all the time you need."

"No worries, Finn, you can ride with me." Junko grinned, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I can fix your ride up, no problem! It'll be back in the sky again by tomorrow, no sweat!"

"Now that we've sorted that out." Piper said, drawing the attention of both Finn and Junko. Radarr was also staring at the two with a look of dominance. "You guys go get ready. Radarr and I will gather up the essentials."

"Which hopefully includes sandwiches." Fin added.

Junko nodded in agreement. "Extra cheese, please!"

"Make mine a chicken salad with cheese and barbeque sauce." Finn requested, lifting a finger. "Hold the salad."

Piper raised her eyebrows at him, not saying a word, but Finn knew what she was thinking.

He exchanged knowing glances with Junko before continuing. "I eat too much junk food. We had fried eggs this morning. Chicken salad is exactly what I need right now."

Stork cleared his throat. "You're an idiot."

"Go!" Piper urged, waving her hands at them as if she were conducting an orchestra.

"Okay, okay!" Finn assured her, holding his palms out before him.

"We're going!" Junko added and the pair slipped out of the bridge.

It was not until a few minutes later when he and Junko were waiting in the hangar did Finn speak again. He was slumped against his trashed skimmer, watching Junko adjust the wing mechanics of his own ride. "Don't you just hate it when Piper's in charge? She sucks the fun out of everything. Remind me to wallop Aerrow for taking the day off."

"Don't you think you're being a little harsh?" Junko responded, tossing the wrench back in the toolbox.

Finn ran a hand over his hair. "I'm still gonna wallop him." He retrieved his crossbow from his skimmer's seat and lazily pretended to shoot. He observed the hatch opening through the viewfinder and Piper lowered her eyebrows at him as she entered, her maroon and grey rucksack slung over one shoulder. Radarr was following close behind.

"Finn, quit playing around, we've got work to do."

His mouth hung open in disbelief. He turned to Junko and gestured at her with the end of his crossbow. Junko had to have his back, she was being extremely unfair. His request for support had been ignored, however and Finn sheathed his crossbow in defeat.

"How do we know this place is safe?" The wallop inquired.

Piper strode over to her heliscooter and placed her rucksack on the seat. She pulled out a sandwich wrapped in a paper towel and threw it at Finn's face. "We don't."

Finn expertly caught his lunch inches from the end of his nose. "Chicka-cha."

She reached into the bag once again and handed Junko his sandwich. "Make sure you stay on guard."

Finn unwrapped his lunch and he bit into it hungrily. His mouth full of bread and barbeque sauce, he watched Piper handing out earpieces. "'You sure we should be doing this?" He asked her, when she had reached him. He swallowed. "'Cause I'm having second thoughts." He took the earpiece from her and shoved it into his ear.

Piper's harsh gaze softened and she smiled at him. "We're not going to get anywhere if we hide in the Condor. It's going to take a while before we can find our feet over here."

Finn arched an eyebrow. "No kidding. I'd feel a lot better if we were all here. No offence, Piper."

She nodded meekly and let out a sigh. "Me too."

Having downed his lunch, Junko kicked up the stand on his sky ride. He got into position at the controls and the sharpshooter clambered onto the storage compartment on the back of the seat.

He took another great bite out of his sandwich with his legs hanging over the side of the vehicle, his gaze following Piper as she mounted her heliscooter. "Wanna take front?" He asked, resting his left elbow on his knee as he tilted his head towards the concealed landing strip.

Piper furrowed her eyebrows and revved the engine to life. "Stork, lower the hatch."

The hangar's huge door gave a loud rumble and slowly lowered. The sea below crashed against the rocks and a cold harsh wind rushed past them and tickled Finn's ears. The sky had darkened somewhat since their last pursuit. Thunder rumbled somewhere afar. There was roughly four hours remaining before the storm hit. He stuffed the rest of his lunch, brushed the crumbs from his gloves and screwed up the serviette. He tossed the crumpled ball into the corner of the hanger.

"Let's do this." Piper grinned, taking the lead. Radarr gave two thumbs up as they passed by, chirped enthusiastically and snapped on his flight goggles.

Finn clutched the back of the skimmer as Junko followed after her. The two sky rides transformed into their respective flight modes at the edge of the runway and disappeared into the mist.

It was a short descent to the opening in the barrier cliffs and Finn hopped off onto the edge of the cliffside before the wings of the skimmer even folded back into the body. He pulled out his crossbow and hurried over to the cave to guard the entrance. It was dark inside, but with keen eyes like his he was still able to make out a long distance into the depths. The sea had been diverted into a narrow stream that ran to the left of the cliffs and vanished into the darkness.

Piper placed a hand on his shoulder to apprise him of their presence.

"It looks like we're alone." Finn informed the others. The only sound that could be heard was the running water echoing around the cave walls.

"You better go first." Piper whispered in his ear. She gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"Cool with me." Finn replied, taking the first step into the darkness. He reached for the right side of his crossbow and flicked on the crystal flare torch to light their way with emerald light. The cavern was sloping downhill, so it made it more difficult for him to see through the viewfinder.

Piper was rummaging in the rucksack over her shoulder. She pulled out a flashlight and handed it to Junko to leave her hands free.

The rocks beneath their feet became less dense with every step they took until their shoes sunk in the sand. Finn held out his left arm and stopped the group suddenly. Something ahead had caught his eye.

"Finn, what is it?" Piper whispered cautiously, her hands were clutched tightly to his forearm.

He directed the green light from his crossbow at their feet. There were three trails of footprints leading through the cavern. Two of the trails were the same size and shape and looked extremely fresh, leading opposite ways. The most distorted and shallow of the imprints – which had clearly been there the longest – remained undisturbed. This particular trail looked to be leaving the cavern.

"Stork, it looks like we're not the first that's been here." Piper frowned. "Footprints."

"Nightcrawler? Dragon? Phoenix? Flesh eating seaweed monster?"

"None of the above." Piper informed. "Human. They're all human."

Radarr went down on all fours and started sniffing at the sand. He growled starkly and arched his back.

"What is it, buddy?" Junko inquired, crouching beside him.

Radarr whined and pointed to the oldest set of footprints.

"Where's the set going in?" Piper mused. Finn and Junko turned their attention to her. "They're only leading one way."

"They could have faded away." Junko suggested. "They look like they've been there awhile."

"Radarr, is the scent still there?" Finn requested.

The furry creature straightened up and shook his head.

"Then it was a one way trip." He concluded.

"A one way trip from Terra Aquinos." Stork added, most likely with a twitch in his left eye.

"It can't be." Piper murmured. Finn could feel her grip around his arm tighten.

"What about these?" He asked, swiftly changing the subject. He shone the flare torch over the most recent pair. They looked a lot smaller than the former. There was no doubt they belonged to a completely different person.

Piper crouched and inspected them. "Hmm," She pondered, gesturing in the air above the closest print with her fingers. "They're pretty thin. The shape of the sole suggests that they could be female. Tracking isn't my strong point, so I can't be sure."

"They look kinda similar to yours." Finn pointed out. "The shape, I mean. It looks like this girl has some kind of spikey things in her shoes."

"Cleats," Piper nodded in agreement, "for mountain climbing, no doubt." She stood upright.

"I don't think Cyclonis had those." Finn deliberated. "She doesn't seem like the mountain climbing type, let's be honest."

"There wouldn't be any cavern left if it was her." Piper said in obvious distaste.

"Whoever they are, they're all alone." Junko cogitated, his ears lowering.

Radarr pined. The pair gazed sadly at each other for a moment before the acting team leader took a confident step forwards.

"These footprints are preserved pretty well." She addressed the entire team, her voice now surpassing a whisper. "It means this place rarely gets visitors." Piper took a few strides ahead of the others, out of the range of the crossbow's light. "It should be safe to investigate." Her voice was echoing around the shadowy cave. "C'mon!"

Piper may seem to have the idea this place was secure, but Finn wasn't taking any chances. He continued to scour the path with his weapon raised.

A few meters ahead, Piper had attached a burner crystal to the end of her staff and was holding it up for light. Its burning radiance was as if it belonged to a flaming torch and bathed the damp cave walls in a warm orange glow.

The four Storm Hawks proceeded downward until the sound of the wind and waves crashing against the cliffs out in the open was replaced with running water. The sandy slope had many twists and turns as the passageway grew wider.

Piper's leading pace began to slow and it allowed Finn to take front. It was not until he had passed her did he find out what she was up to.

"Stork, do you still read?"

"Well, I would read a lot more if weren't for the fact that the merbian carrier pigeons that deliver my tombs have no hope of reaching the far side of Atmos without meeting their demise." His lazy reply droned as the four continued onwards.

Finn and Junko smirked under their breaths. Piper shot them a cold look, her index finger planted firmly to her ear.

"Great, you can still hear us." She confirmed, following behind the group. "The cavern goes down pretty far; we might drop out of radio range."

"Shall I assume you've been eaten?"

"Thanks for the encouragement, Stork," Finn responded, "especially considering my track record."

He pointed his crossbow's light away from the roof of the tunnel and towards the darkness ahead. The ground beneath their feet began to level out and the water lapped at the sand around them. A ray of light leaked in through a large crack in the rocks high above, illuminating the cave walls and their moist surfaces sparkled in the sunlight. They were standing at the foot of a tall intersection of cave tunnels. To their right, the rocks split into three openings that towered above them.

Finn and Junko held their torches high to examine the great breadth of the dominating fissures. The torch lights were lost in the darkness long before they found the peak.

Finn let out a low whistle. "Now that's high."

"This must be the entrance to the endless caverns." Piper theorised, reaching into her bag once more and pulled out a crystal flare, similar to the one Finn was using. She twisted the end sharply and it burst to life, glimmering with a cerulean light. She threw it out over the water where it splashed down into the shallow depths, illuminating the seabed in a shimmering florescent glow. The water's surface was irradiated over the cavern walls, lighting the darkness surrounding them.

Finn squinted in the dim light and made out another dark passageway deep below the water. Judging from the direction the footprints were heading, the owner had clearly arisen through here. His attention was then drawn to the sound of Radarr digging in the sand at their feet.

A glint of something below the surface caught his eye and upon closer inspection, he realised it belonged to their insignia. He knelt and excavated the artefact out of the sand. His fingers closed around something big and bulky and with a great tug, he pulled out an empty air tank. "I called it." He smirked.

"Domiwick." Piper uttered, as if the disgraced explorer's name was a curse. "I can't believe he actually made it! There's no way he would have been able to get through the caverns without knowledge of their passageways. He knew exactly what he was doing."

Finn threw the empty tank into the sand. "How?" He frowned, getting to his feet. "How is it a lowlife like Domiwick can get intel on the far side of Atmos when we're stuck flying blind, picking up the pieces?"

Piper stared at the sand. "I don't know." She glowered, turning her back to the group. "Look, we better take the evidence back to the ship."

A hostile laugh echoed around the cave. Finn leapt to attention and started scanning for a target. This would have been an easier task if his crossbow's flare torch had not died out moments before.

"You're not going anywhere."

"Aw, come on!" He whined. "Didn't we just ditch these losers?"

The four Storm Hawks were back-to-back. Bright indigo eyes glared at them from all directions. They were trapped.

"Good thing I came prepared." Piper smirked, raising her burner powered staff above her head. "Boys, shut your eyes!"

The bright glow did nothing.

"Uh, weren't they supposed to run away?" Junko gulped, lighting his knuckle busters as their pursuers closed in.

"Upgraded nightcrawlers." Piper mouthed. "Gunk, I didn't plan on that."

"Piper, what do we do?" Finn demanded. "I don't have many shots left."

"Stork, come in!"

No answer.

"It looks like we're on our own." She grimaced. "Let us go and no one gets hurt!"

"That's your plan?" Finn sneered.

"I'm afraid, we cannot do that." The nightcrawler responded, taking a step forwards into the blue light of the crystal flare. "We have orders that see you taken care of." Its taloned finger was pointing directly at Piper.

Finn's sight wavered between Piper and the nightcrawlers. He was certain she was planning something. He had seen that determined look upon her face more times than he could count.

"Wait!" Piper shouted as the clan advanced. "We know where the helix stone is."

"We d-" Finn felt a sharp pain in his left foot. "OW!"

The nightcrawler lurched forward, grabbed Piper by the hair and pulled her into its grasp. She yelled out in pain and her cry rung out around the cave.

Finn and Junko raised their weapons higher, terrified to make a move.

"You lie." The nightcrawler spat. "The stone does not yet exist. You cannot fool us with your games, child." It threw her into the sand and made to punch her across the jaw, but Finn stepped in the way and took it to his flank.

This was a bad move. He fell to one knee and clutched his throbbing side, coughing between his breaths. "Nice try, Piper."

She placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke under her breath. "You didn't have to do that."

"No," he coughed, "I needed to."

Radarr snarled and shielded the two from harm while Junko stepped forwards.

"Don't hurt my friends." He demanded.

"Surrender, wallop, you do not stand a chance against us all."

A flash of light materialised out of the darkness. It was not until the source was grounded and skidding across the sand, did Finn realise it belonged to the burning tail light of a skimmer.

"Maybe not alone." An all-too-familiar voice called out. A voice the four Storm Hawks smiled brightly to hear.

A wiry figure landed beside Junko, blades flaming furiously, narrowed eyes eager and ready for a fight. "It's time we evened the odds."