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Chapter Text

Piper couldn’t believe her eyes...They had actually made it to the Far-Side! A beautiful land full of mystery and a million different things to explore! It was gorgeous, bathed in the light from the setting sun. She couldn't help but look at it from the Condor's bridge. She'd been leaning against the railing for hours, admiring the view. She couldn't wait to start exploring properly. Well...once they had dealt with one last problem. Master Cyclonis. Her long-time rival, one-time friend and current objective being chased by her team.

They had been chasing her for over a week now. She has kept her head-start since they followed her mere minutes after she crossed. Especially since Piper had gotten the hang of the whole “Binding” thing. She still wasn't quite sure where it came from. Or why her and her archenemy seemed to be the only ones capable of doing it. Regardless, it had saved her and her friends' lives multiple times now.

Unfortunately, not everything was going their way. Tracking The Master was difficult. They had been close to almost catching her a few minutes into the chase but it seems she had a final ace up her sleeve, a nitro crystal. She shot ahead of them, explosively multiplying the distance between them and nearly escaping their line of sight entirely.

But Piper had figured out how to track her. One more trick she learned from the Binding, tracking crystal energy with extreme precision. It was something she never thought she or anyone could do,  but it was clear as day. She could now sense the crystal energy around her, in the engine room, her storage chest and their weapons/vehicles. But especially Cyclonis'.

The Master had been using her crystals to evade them almost non-stop for several days, turning her into an energy hotspot. After managing to tune out the immediate signals around her, she was now able to track the Master whenever she started using her crystals again. Which in order to fly away from them, was constantly.

Unfortunately she hadn't had any time to collect any unique crystals indigenous to the continent. The Far-Side was home to some truly unique and utterly bizarre crystals. Like the sentient crystals(their allergy to Radarr fur is an enigma she truly hopes to understand one day) which produce simply bizarre readings every time Piper analyzes them.

Where did she even get those? She wondered. And did that shiny city in the distance when we got here give them to her or did she steal it from them? Her mind had been plagued by the thought ever since they passed through that portal.

The possibility of having a whole other empire as their enemy was NOT something they wanted to mess around with. So while it pained her inquisitive nature and Aerrow's die hard sense of adventure...they couldn't investigate it or much else while Cyclonis was on the loose. So they kept their distance.

As fate would have it Cyclonis didn't immediately fly there when they followed her through. So the one bright-side on the Far-Side was that at least their greatest enemy didn't have a massively powerful ally waiting to crush them. 

Huh...bright-side, far-side. Oh no, I'm starting to sound like FINN! She groaned out loud, covering her face in shame. 

"Something on your mind?" Aerrow's voice pulled her from her loathing of becoming more like her adopted brother. Her friend was smiling and looked at her with those confident green eyes of his. 

She smiled back, "Yeah, just...wondering how exactly we are going to catch her, and about a million other questions about this place. There's just so much we don't know." She sighed. She knew she sounded frustrated. 

He turned his gaze back to the horizon, where they had last caught a glimpse of their quarry, "I hear ya. But I wouldn't stress about it too much. Despite whatever Master Cyclonis might be thinking, the war is over. We won. Besides, we get to explore this place!" he gestured to the beautiful and mysterious terrain. It was so much different than the Terras they were used to. "It's like a Terra that never ends! Just imagine what we could find, crystals, critters and that incredible city!"

Piper smiled but deep down she still remained worried about what indeed they would find. Even if they don't think we are trespassing, we are essentially doing a manhunt in their backyard...but that can come later. We can't afford to lose track of her for good. Her new ability was good, very good. She could even somewhat tell what crystals The Master was hiding on her. But there was a limit. As it was she could still barely feel her crystals from here. They had a lot of ground to cover.

But the Master was nothing if not stubborn and tricky. She would always be just one step ahead of them. So far they had burned through a quarter of their engine crystals. She can only imagine how Cyclonis is able to sustain flight this long with only so many crystals on her person. She must be using her Binding powers to prolong the lifespan of her crystals. She wondered how much depth there truly was to her powers.

It really sucks that the only person in the entire Atmos who could teach me anything about the Binding is the last person I could trust. Not to mention the most powerful crystal mage in the known Atmos. Well, one of them…

Piper had become quite the powerful crystal mage in her own right. But she was years away from the kind of mastery she wanted to have. She hated to admit it, but Master Cyclonis was right. They shared far too many similarities to be dismissed. Their passion for crystals and learning, fighting prowess, and not to mention the Binding. Her vision of herself in the goth's shoes haunts her still.

She had wondered about the girl since they first butted heads. Aerrow had told her how surprised he had been to discover that the feared leader of Cyclonia, was just a kid like them. And after meeting her she could swear they might even be the same age. Ever since then she had wondered why the girl had tried so hard to fulfill her predecessor's goals of world domination.

How could any kid want to continue the war and bloodshed like that? Piper had lost so much to the war, all her friends had. And from what she could learn about the war before they joined so had Cyclonis.

Her parents, the previous rulers, died almost immediately after she was born. And shortly after the fall of the first Storm Hawks her grandmother, the Master before her, died when she was 10. Piper, Finn, Aerrow and Radarr had still been on Terra Neverlandis, the orphan terra. She wondered how strange it was that both they and their worst enemy shared so much tragedy. Fate has a funny way of dealing her cards.

If only...no. It doesn't matter now. She didn't ask to be the heir of Cyclonia but she chose to commit every atrocity since then. 

What could have been didn’t matter now. Now they had to catch Master Cyclonis and bring her to justice. Putting a final formal end to the war that had cost them both their families.

Piper was grateful she had been able to build a new family, with her team. In a way, she felt bad for Cyclonis. After all, she never found a new family of her own. And if the Dark Ace was the only ally she had left, he was gone now. As disturbing as it was to share so many similarities to her enemy...she pitied her. She couldn't imagine not having anyone to call her own...

"Well...that couldn’t have gone worse." Master Cyclonis muttered to no one in particular. To say that was putting it mildly was a wild understatement as far as she was concerned. She was currently huddled in a cave, deep enough to where her small campfire wouldn't be visible. The sun had fallen a couple hours ago. She finally managed to give the Storm Hawks the slip shortly after.

How the hell do they keep finding me?! No skimmer, no ship or fleet to give me away. Not to mention I've hugged the tree tops since I arrived. I've taken so many sharp turns to lose them that I don't even know which way the portal is!

The Storm Hawks' insanely sharp tracking skills aside...she had been thinking about her defeat since the moment she escaped to the far-side. She had blown up her only remaining ally, watched her family home (which she converted into a warship after tearing it out of her own Terra) fall out of the sky, and lost a war that had been raging for over a century.

The Dark Ace was gone. A fact that wouldn’t have sent her into such deep despair if he hadn’t been the only person she even considered herself close to. At least since her grandmother died.

The old Master of Cyclonia, Master Anarchis. She had always taken care of her after her parents died, at least until she passed away. After that, all that was left of her grandmother was the single crystal she had that preserved an image of them together. Oh, and the responsibility to lead an empire at war…

She became Master Cyclonis at the age of 10. That was when her grandmother had fallen ill. Cyclonis had always been clever and learned very quickly even at such a young age. Her grandmother made sure to teach her as much as she could. Leaving her many books and memoirs to teach what she would not have the opportunity to.

She could still remember the day she awoke to castle in disarray. When Master Anarchis had died in her sleep. She remembers curling up by the side of her grandmother’s deathbed, wracked with sobs and begging her to wake up. Eventually the Dark Ace came to comfort her, carrying her out of the room so servants could move the body and prepare it for the funeral.

She remembered the swell of somber orchestras, the scripted speech to honor the accomplishments of the deceased monarch, and the feeling of a weight on her shoulders and a hole in her chest. She remembered the Dark Ace’s hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. He helped keep her going as she tried to fill in the shoes her grandmother had left behind.

She considered the value in continuing her grandmother’s campaign. Cyclonia’s resources weren’t going to last forever at the rate the war was burning though them. And the quality of her troops wasn’t the most inspiring, save for the Dark Ace. But her doubts about the future of the war had vanished when she learned that the day news of her grandmother passing reached the greater Atmos…they celebrated. Cheered, partied, danced in the streets as they celebrated her DEATH!

No, she would indeed continue her grandmother’s work. Her father’s work. Her family’s work. She had nothing else now. At least until she destroyed it all. Oh she does blame the Storm Hawks for the majority of her defeat. But she knows that in the end...she is to blame the most. She killed her one reliable ally. He had said some…unkind words and in that moment she didn’t take his safety into account, nor the extent of the energy she was shoving into him. And after he died, her castle’s defenses followed suit. Her castle, her home, had fallen into the Wastelands.

Piper was right in the end. She was just a lonely girl without any friends now. No empire, no allies, and no hope. The few nights she had reprieve from the Storm Hawks pursuit, she often cried. She fights off the urge, the welling of tears in her eyes and the growing sobs in her chest trying to escape until she can no longer fight them and simply holds herself as she sobs pitifully. Or she thinks of Piper. Her thoughts turn to her enemy more often than she would want. And not always in the ways she expects. She never did forget that day. That one fateful day she tried to win her over to her side and failed. The light in her eyes, her smile, or her invigorating love for crystals. They had truly lost hours in talks about crystals and the possibilities they could hold.

No doubt Piper is the one in charge of keeping track of me...It only makes sense that she would still find a way to impress me, even now...

She realized a while back that other than her near victory in seizing the Atmos, her happiest day since her grandmother died had been when she spent it with Piper. As much as she wanted to deny it. The Oblivion crystal could not lie. She truly had considered Piper her closest friend. And it hurt that both ended in utter failure.

How much longer could she keep up this chase? She had modified her crystals to last far longer than any normal crystals. But they wouldn’t last indefinitely, even with her powers. Eventually they would catch her, and with her reserves depleted and with her strength lessening by the day it wouldn’t even be a battle. Just a pitiful struggle against the inevitable.

I guess that leaves me only 2 choices. Do I give up? Let them take me back to an Atmos that would be all to happy to execute me? Or do I make one last bid for victory? Go down in a foolish blaze of glory?

Unless...

It won't work...And it's the most insane plan I've ever concocted . But if this plan does work, then the instrument of my defeat will be the greatest weapon I've ever had.

The Atmos will be mine yet! And I'll finally have the one thing I wanted more than anything.

She had decided. Her final plan was hatched.

The only thing left was to get caught...

Chapter Text

"Aaaaah-haaa" Piper yawned as she walked onto the Condor's bridge for another day of tracking their enemy across unknown territory. It was early morning, at least, Piper thought it was. The Far-Side didn't have a time-pulse, and it had been a different point in the day here than it was in the Atmos when they arrived. So on top of flying essentially blind, they had no clock.

It could be almost noon already. Weird, I never sleep in that late. At least the skies are nice.

Thankfully, the tropical weather kept the skies pretty clear. However, it didn't help that the farther they got from the portal, and that glistening city, the more the rainforest terrain took over. Tracking Cyclonis somewhat easier in the beginning as they deduced she would try her hardest to outmaneuver them and get back towards the portal.

At least...Where it used to be...

But it was pretty clear that the Master had abandoned that idea and had some kind of plan. 

What in the Atmos could she be thinking? Abandoning the portal is insane! She could run into any number of hazards that no one from the Atmos has even seen before! Piper couldn't wrap her head around it. Not to mention she didn't know how exactly they were going to get back home. She assumed if they were able to get here, then they should be able to leave just as easy. She hoped.

Their food stores were starting to run a little low, on top of the fuel situation. Stork had suggested to the rest of the team that it would be best to conserve fuel by not flying at night. So far, they had made up enough ground on Master Cyclonis' trail that they actually managed to spot her yesterday. Piper could feel as much with the Binding. Though it was little in terms of comfort. Particularly because she still didn't understand why she could feel that, let alone if Cyclonis was planning some sort of trap with any of the crystals she had left.

So the Storm Hawks decided to slow their pace and keep watch around the clock, in case the Master springs an ambush on them or some other horrible thing. She gazed into the ever thickening jungle and wondered just what was in store for them. She couldn't stop thinking about the glistening city. It had seemed peaceful yet also, imposing. It was hard to tell what kind of technology could be causing that light.

Cyclonis almost conquered the Atmos with just the technology she brought back. What kind of deal could she have struck with them? More importantly, just what else are they capable of? Just another question I can't answer until this is finally all over...She sighed loudly.

She was tired of the chase, She just wanted to explore this place. Though she couldn't help but wonder what the Atmosian Council would do with Cyclonis once they brought her in. She had always assumed they would just lock her up forever.  After that, they could move on. She would predict they would become official sky knight squadron before too long. Maybe Starling could finally join their team. A small blush graced her cheeks, she shook her head.

Easy Piper...she has to say yes first. No need to start tripping over yourself yet.

She'd always been a huge fan of Starling. The badass sky knight served as her role model. Every time they have had a team up she would always try to impress her and show off her skills. Granted listing them off might not have been the smoothest move. Especially when she fell down right afterwards.

Her journey down memory lane was cut short when she suddenly felt something...wrong. VERY wrong. It was like something that had always been chugging away at the back of her subconscious just went silent. Her ears heard only a minor pause in the engines' constant cacophony but what really scared her was the strange feeling in her chest. It was like...her back straightened as she came to a realization

Oh no...she couldn't have...it's not possible!

She dropped her mug and immediately started running towards the port side of the Condor! She barely manages to dodge around Junko as she feels panic swelling in her chest. 

"Woah! Morning Piper! Where are you in a rush off to?" He was carrying a toolbox, most likely to fix some leftover damage from the last battle on the bridge. Unfortunately he would have to make do with a quick apology.

"Sorry! Can't explain!" He gave him a quick glance as she resumed her beeline towards her goal. The engine room.

She just barely made it to the entrance before she caught sight of a familiar purple hued crystal adoring the top of the engine.

"WE HAVE LEECH CRYSTALS, BRACE!" the words had barely left her mouth as the crystal exploded! She was thrown back against the hull. "AHH!" She screamed as she was blinded by the flash. The room was full of smoke from the destroyed engine. The whole room tilted as the Condor lost half of it's thrusters. Alarms began blaring all over the ship.

After a few minutes she was able to get back on her feet, her vision is blurry. She wonders if she has a concussion, but that'll have to wait. If Cyclonis got the other engine before they could stop her they'd be completely stranded. The engine exploding left fire all over the room. She hoped Stork remembered the anti-fire system when he rebuilt the Condor...Again.

She stumbled down the corridor, supporting herself with the wall as the tried to decipher if the ship was spinning from her head hitting the hull or if the Condor was just that damaged. She coughed as the smoke started building up and spreading from the engine room to the rest of the ship.

I'm guessing that's a no on the anti-fire systems. If someone doesn't put that out soon it'll cause even more damage. We're barely limping along as it is. 

Her ears just barely caught someone's voice shouting amid the alarm, "-iper! Where are you?!" She stops moving and props herself up against the wall. She can feel a dull pain in her abdomen and presses her hand against it. It comes away wet. 

Uh oh...that's not good...

She sees someone round the corner, Junko! He was moving fast, stopping to have a coughing fit from the smoke. "PIPER!" He catches sight of her and rushes over to her. He effortlessly picks her up and starts going back towards the bridge. She feels him stop and hears him gasp. "Piper you're bleeding! You need help!" She looks down at her now red-painted hand and confirms what she already knew. She was in rough shape, no doubt bits of the engine were lodged in her side.

"Nngh...It's going to be alright Junko. We need to find the rest of the guys and get the other engine room. She has to be there." She winced as Junko accidentally jostled her as he adjusted his grip. 

"Sorry! I was worried about dropping you. And um, you mean Master Cyclonis right?" He made sure to keep his arms steady as he jogged along.

"Yeah."

"But, I don't understand. We've been tracking her for days, how did she sneak onto the Condor?" He kept dodging around fallen pipes and other things that had rolled loose in the explosion.

 Good question. We'd been so careful. When I had to sleep and couldn't track her the guys were watching the skies like hawks. Regular ones that is...Dammit I need to stop.

"I don't know Junko, maybe she found some way to hide from my powers, dammit I wish I knew how they worked." She kept trying to understand how the Master could have possibly slipped past her radar. The guys couldn't have missed her!

"It's not your fault Piper. We need to get you help quick! I'm sure the guys are around here somewhere." They rounded the last corner and saw Aerrow and Radarr standing just beyond the entrance to the starboard engine room. When Piper saw what they were looking at her blood ran cold. It was Master Cyclonis.

The evil queen herself was standing right there, and holding poor Finn hostage. Finn was quite literally cornered with her the crystal at the end of her staff pointed right at his throat...an oblivion crystal. And in her right hand was a boomer crystal, pointed right at the remaining engine. 

No wait, that's a combination crystal, I can feel it! It's...half eruption stone. Oh no she plans on melting the engine! She slipped out of Junko's grip in spite of his protests to stand beside Aerrow. He glanced over at her, his eyes going wide at seeing the red stain on her side. 

"Piper! You're hurt, stay back!" He shuffled over to stand in front of her but she stopped him, needing him to listen.

"That's a boomer and eruptor crystal, If she uses it she won't just blow up the engine. She'll end up melting a hole right through the floor! Destroying the starboard engine for good." She winced as she finished talking. Piper turned her gaze towards her arch-rival. 

Cyclonis looked much worse for wear than when they had seen her last. Her clothes were dirtied and torn in multiple places. She looked gaunter than usual as well, her hair was in disarray. 

"Hello again, girlfriend. You've seen better days." She managed to push out a small laugh, even though it really hurt to do it. She wanted Cyclonis to focus on her and not Finn.

"Hmph, from what I can see I'm not the only one Piper...Clearly you haven't learned how to defend yourself without a shielding crystal, what a pity..." Her voice is as haunting as ever. And she is unfazed by Piper's obvious jabs to try and fight one on one. She knows she has the upper hand, for now. The oblivion crystal glows just a little brighter. The light reflects off of the ever growing collection of sweat on Finn's forehead. 

"NO!" Piper screams, she tries to rush forward but feels her legs give way. She is sprawled on the floor just feet away from Cyclonis who is still threatening to send Finn to oblivion. 

"Please, just tell me what you want!" She pleads her heart out. The look in Cyclonis' eyes is one of satisfaction, she lowers her staff ever so slightly. 

"What I want, Piper, is to get rid of the biggest thorns in my side since I became the leader of my Terra." She lets go of her staff, leaving it floating in the air and still pointing at Finn's defenseless face. "I want to undo the damage you've done to my ENTIRE LIFE'S WORK!" Her voice distorted to most menacing Piper had ever heard it, actually making her flinch. 

Aerrow decided to respond, "And how exactly do you plan on making that come true, huh? You lost Cyclonis. The only thing in your future is a cell in the dingiest prison the Atmos has. Let Finn go and we can make sure you at least get a fair trial and a sentence less than a hundred years." His face and voice made it seem like he was 100% sure he could convince her. Hell, it almost convinced Piper but she could see the solitary bead of sweat rolling down his temple.

He's afraid he might lose his brother. Our brother. After everything we've been through together we can't lose Finn like this.

 "Cyclonis!" Piper called out to her, getting her attention. "Let him go. We both know it's me you want." She stood up, gripping her side again but now she was calm and still.

"Piper, No!" Aerrow started getting closer but she held her palm out to him, giving him a look she hoped he would understand. He paused, a look of concern on his face, before nodding. He kept his distance but looked ready to pounce at any moment. Junko right beside him, Knuckle Busters at the ready. 

"Heh, do you really expect me to fall for that Piper? I thought you were smarter than that. I-" Piper cut her off before she could continue.

"You know I'm right...I ruined your plan. I gained these dumb powers that keep getting in your way. And I am the reason you blew up the DARK ACE!" She saw a light flicker in Master Cyclonis' eyes before the witch roared in absolute rage. 

"GRAAAH!" She immediately threw the explosive crystal right at Piper who just barely managed to dodge it. The crystal flew past her face with just inches between her and death, right into the new crystal shielding box Stork had just brought in. He squeaked in surprise and fear before immediately closing it. The box flexed as the crystal blew but didn't break, being much stronger than its predecessor.

Master Cyclonis was livid, immediately turning to Finn to obliterate him. He screamed in his characteristic high pitched voice. But before the Master could do it Piper gave every ounce of concentration she had and focused her powers on the crystal. The beam stopped an inch from Finn's face.

She locked eyes with Cyclonis as they battled over control of the Crystal. Finn was prudent enough to slip down and crawl away for his life. Piper struggled with the far more experienced crystal mage until she could barely hold on. Suddenly the crystal exploded in a shower of shards and light. Cyclonis shielded her eyes as did Piper. 

When she opened her eyes again she could see Aerrow flying over her head, seizing the moment. He tackled Cyclonis against the bulkhead. If Piper knocked her head on the bulkhead pretty hard earlier, then Cyclonis' hit it twice as hard. Unsurprisingly, and thankfully, the tyrant was knocked out cold. 

All of a sudden everything but the alarms went silent. They were all shocked at what just happened. It was over, they had won.

I can't believe it, just like that?  She could feel a massive weight lifting off of her mind and she started to laugh. She was giddy beyond belief. Aerrow turned towards her with the biggest smile on his face she had ever seen. 

Then he started to bend down, no wait, the whole room was turning...It was another moment before Piper realized she had been falling over. Her eyes never left his as his face became one of fear and concern again. 

"Piper!" His voice sounded...muffled and she could hear this faint ringing noise. The alarm was a lot quieter now. That last thought Piper had before she blacked out was...

I wonder what she'll say about defending myself without a shield crystal now...ha ha ha...

Chapter Text

The sound of clanging metal and muffled shouting are what greeted Master Cyclonis when she awoke. Well that and the massive headache that had her immediately curling up again. Trying to return to sleep. 

“Nnnnooo five more minutes....”

I need to tell Dark Ace to raise the temperature of the castle, its freezing in here...That is when she remembered her home had fallen out of the sky. Guilt and loss once again made themselves at home in her chest.

"Oh" She could hear her voice breaking from the overwhelming emotion. Grief was not something she had expected to feel again. Though this time it hit her harder because she knew it was her fault she lost someone.

Immediately she sat up, ignoring the pain resonating throughout her skull, both physical and otherwise, so she could get her bearings. She was in cuffs and in a brig, of sorts. It looked...improvised. There were no bars that would allow clear line of sight on her at all times, just a door with a hastily added window and with crooked bars across it. Clearly the Storm Hawks had never used one before. And if the old ship had one, then this Condor definitely did not. She had to guess that it was a low priority at the time, like the fire suppression systems. However they were smart enough to chain her ankle, keeping her centered at the back wall. Upon closer inspection she could see that the chain was made of hastily welded pipes and fastenings. It was ugly, but functional.

I have to admit, the fire spreading certainly helped sell my performance, improvised as it was. Piper at least seemed to buy it. Let's hope the rest of her crew did. She looked down and examined the cuffs around her wrists. In the center of the cuffs was a large crystal of various shades of green that was heavily reinforced by steel. Clearly meant to keep her from smashing it. A small snicker escaped her as she immediately recognized the rock.

Oh, she didn't. A tentative probing with her powers told her all she needed to know. She couldn't detect a single whisper of crystal energy at all. Dammit! She did! She finally improved her Blocking Crystal. And from the looks of it, improved it's effectiveness. Instead of cancelling a specific crystals energy for short moment it now seems to create a 'dead zone' around it. I can't feel or control a single crystal in this whole ship with this thing on me. She let out a long groan.

This will make things difficult for later...

Cyclonis then sighed as she realized that her work was cut out for her. She examined her surroundings a bit more closely, which was difficult as the lights were off. No doubt as to why, they needed all the power they had left for repairs. After wandering around her cell she determined that it was in actuality a storage room. It was full of old cleaning supplies and discarded rags. Stains from were all over the place. From what exactly she couldn't figure out. After leaning in to smell one she almost gagged. 

Would it be too much to ask for an actual confinement cell? Even my dungeons stink less than this... She walked right back to where she had woken up. She could still hear the sounds of the Storm Hawks working diligently to fix their ship. She estimated that without help and extra materials that at they would most likely not be able to replace the engine she destroyed. The Merb was skilled as well as the Wallop but even they would need weeks to repair the damage she did. She would have destroyed the remaining one before slipping off to her next objective had Finn not happened to walk in at that moment with a drink in his hand. The look on his face was priceless though. She felt her spirits lighten ever so slightly.

Her bearings established, she decided to reflect on her original plan. Her primary objective was to completely cripple the Condor by destroying it's engines. Afterwards, she would separate them and try to get to her main target. Piper. So it's safe to say she completely failed at that plan. She knew Piper was just trying to rile her up and get her to attack her instead of annihilating her annoying teammate.

I will admit, that was a mistake. But I was cornered. If I hadn't grabbed him he would have warned the rest of his team before I even had the chance to blow the first engine! Honestly, I was lucky it wasn't the Wallop. I would have been forced to obliterate him immediately or surrender, ruining my plan permanently.

Cyclonis had hoped to clip both the Condor's wings in a single stroke. One more stroke of bad luck in her ever growing pile. To make matters worse she allowed Piper to provoke her. Saying the name of her recently deceased comrade had been more than enough to send her into a murderous rage. 

I Always knew I had a problematic temper, but I had hoped I had the self-control to not ruin my OWN plans instead of someone else like Ravess or Snipe doing it. Now I know I was wrong, Maybe I shouldn't have exiled them. Well, maybe not Ravess.

She had been right about one thing though...Piper had clearly come a very long way in a short time with the Binding. Manipulating a crystal's energy blast without touching it was an advanced technique, let alone overloading it's own energy.

Honestly, Cyclonis was deeply impressed. It had taken her years to learn to use the Binding like that. In truth she still was. It was nothing but pure luck that she had finally advanced enough to unlock extremely useful abilities in the past few months, like empowering another person. She was barely able to manipulate the large Far-side crystal for her final advance against the Atmos. For all the good that did her.

But clearly she didn't understand the tech well enough to know it's weaknesses. And that isn't even mentioning the bargain she made for it...with them. One that she can no longer keep. The people she met on the Far-Side during her expedition didn't exactly give their technology for cheap. She had to regurgitate almost everything she knew about Crystals as well as the Atmos for just the big one. The sentient ones were oddly enough free though. Now she knew why.

I'm not sure they really honored their side of the deal to begin with. Seriously, how in the wastelands could a crystal be ALLERGIC? What kind of ridiculous technology did they give me? Regardless, there is a very good chance she might have just ended up in the exact same situation. At least this way she had bought herself an invaluable resource. Time. 

She hadn't been lying to Piper. The Binding was a mysterious and dangerous power that did affect your mind. Just not in the simple way as she had made it seem.

It was simply too greedy. The reason it had been killing Piper was the same reason leechers explode, the same reason...the Dark Ace exploded. A severe imbalance in power. Leechers absorb too much energy and cannot stabilize at such a high energy level. So they release it, explosively. The Dark Ace's body in a much a similar way could not contain the full power of the massive Far-Side crystal. In Piper's case she had been giving too much of her own energy, her lifeforce, to empower her allies and use crystals at their maximum potential to boost her attacks. She is lucky she didn't blow Aerrow up herself the first time she tried it. 

I had to be selfish with my energy use and use the Binding sparingly. I hadn't really cut loose before I needed to find the key because it was too dangerous. I always made sure to use an external energy source when I gave the Dark Ace a power up. That's why I couldn't use the same abilities I could give him concurrently. I'd be stretching myself too thin. Whenever I dipped to deep into my own lifeforce I would have to drain a crystal's energy to keep from getting sick all the time. It's why I never parted with my staff. She thought as she looked at her side. It's absence was not a comfort to say the least.

Finding perfect attunement with Aerrow closed the loop so to speak and saved Piper's life. However, she only managed to do so in a moment of strong emotional connection. She knew Piper didn't understand what the Binding really was. A homeostasis of crystal energy a mage has to actively maintain. If she doesn't learn how to control it completely, then its only a matter of time before she ends up in the same state she was before. 

Grandmother warned me to never use it unless it was absolutely necessary. It is extremely difficult to master. My grandmother always lamented that she hadn't been born with it so she could teach me properly, even in our royal lineage full of crystal mages it was rare. Only a handful of Masters throughout history had been born with it. Even fewer had survived long enough to master it. It was even more dangerous than trying to learn crystals by trial and error...So I figure Piper has already experimented with it. She's lucky she hasn't succumb to it again already. I had to learn the hard way too, and I got lucky that I was given at least some idea of where to start. But Piper has nothing but a name. I can't let it end like that for her.

Originally, she wanted to get Piper alone in order to study her abilities and gauge just how strong she was on her own without Aerrow there to skew the results. Cyclonis would then do battle with her until Piper overused her binding abilities. After Piper eventually succumbs to draining her own energy in order to beat her, Cyclonis would then offer to save her by sharing her own. Hoping that it would be enough to win Piper's tenuous trust. If not, then then the other girl's curiosity would be piqued at least. She knew Piper, and that girl would never pass up the opportunity to learn about their mysterious shared abilities. Information about the Binding would be impossible for her to resist. Piper would no doubt try to convince her to turn herself in. At which point she would have had act the role of a defeated monarch who only wants the best for her 'best friend forever'. Being close to Piper's crystal collection would come in handy. But more importantly, her plan would give her access to Piper. 

Because what she truly wanted...was to corrupt her.

She could feel the smile widening on her face as she imagined the possibility of ruling the Atmos with a crystal mage almost as powerful as herself by her side. After all, she could access to Piper's mind or at the very least influence her dreams. It would require some more subtlety than before and quite frankly more acting prowess than she was certain she had. But she had to try. She couldn't do this alone anymore.

Piper was an exceptional crystal mage. The best she had ever met outside her own bloodline. Working together, their potential with the Binding was practically limitless. But it would not be easy. Her previous interactions didn't exactly give her great base to work with. 

I did try to kill her immediately after she rejected me. Not my most graceful moment. But thought I was eliminating a future problem at the time. If I left her unchecked she could one day surpass me in crystal mastery, powers or no powers. Once upon a time that thought would terrify her. But now she understood what what Piper really was...was an opportunity. 

She stopped thinking when she noticed a paltry bucket with water in it in the corner of her cell.  She hadn't had more than a few handfuls of water in the last several days. 

I probably shouldn't just drink a random bucket of water I found in my supply closet of a cell. Regardless of that logic, her chapped lips and dry throat were veeery convincing. She grabbed the bucket and put the least rusty edge up to her lips. Gulping down as much as she could until her lungs screamed for air. 

"Wow, I can't believe you just drank half a gallon of used mop water!" Cyclonis almost immediately spat out what remained in her mouth and dropped the bucket, turning towards the now laughing sky knight squadron leader. Her anger prickling to life once again.

"Aerrow..." She growled out. She felt a pang of embarrassment that she could no longer modify her voice to sound more intimidating.

Damn blocker.

"Yep, that's me! So care to tell us why you've had us chasing after you for more than a week?!" His tone was light but she could detect a hint of anger in his voice. He was frustrated. 

No doubt he was worried about Piper. But she wasn't. Piper had survived worse.

"Wasn't it obvious? I was clearly wasting your fuel." She felt a small sense of satisfaction at his face changing from a smug look to a disapproving grimace.

"Nice try Cyclonis. You and I both know you are lower on crystals than anyone. Pi-I mean-WE didn't even detect you slip onboard with our-uh-crystal detectors." He seemed nervous, perhaps worried he had said something he had hoped to keep a secret. 

Clearly winning a war(even if temporarily) makes sky knights lose their edge. So...Piper was the one tracking me after all. I knew it. But how did she cook up a long-range scanner in such a short time? Other than the Time-pulse or the Aurora stone, most crystals don't produce nearly enough energy to be detected further than a few meters. How did...Oh.

Her head shot up as she suddenly realized something.

Clever girl...You never disappoint me Piper. She developed a new ability. Like me. My furthest reach is 30 feet at most, but she actually has the ability to sense crystals KLIKS away! That's insane! No wonder the Storm Hawks never seemed to lose me. Not until I was asleep and my crystals were inactive. 

"Care to share your thoughts Cyclonis? I'm all ears." He was insistent wasn't he? Clearly he is just scared that he just put a target on Piper's back in case I try to escape. Taking her out would ensure they would never find me again. Lucky for him, I need her alive and well.

"Just...impressed by the technological ingenuity is all. That type of device wouldn't be something just anyone could make. No doubt Piper is very proud of her accomplishment. Oh, and it's Master Cyclonis to you Storm Hawk." Her voice gained a poisonous edge as she finished her lie. 

"Yeah well, just goes to show that we don't have any less than the best the Atmos has to offer on board. Not including present company of course. Since, you know, you lost." His jovial tone and expression had returned just as her's became bitter. "Also I'm pretty sure you need an actual Terra to rule over for anyone to call you that...Cyclonis."

"Ha ha. Clearly you should have pursued a career in comedy. Wouldn't the world be a much better place if you had..." His eyes gained a steely edge, apparently he had taken exception to that

"Thanks, but I always saw myself as more a stunt pilot than a comedian. Either way, the line of work where I stop you from destroying any more Terras is enough for me. I would have loved to perform on Terra Gale though." His loathing for her actions dripped from the last few words he uttered. It was clear he had a soft spot for the Rebel Ducks.

He is not going to let his guard down around me anytime soon. I don't care for his forgiveness one way or the other. He isn't the one I'm trying to win over anyways. But I should probably play nice so he at least thinks I'm not immediately plotting against them for now.

She sighed, "I...apologize for destroying Terra Gale, and the others. It was an unfortunate act that needed to be done. I had to send a message to the rest of Atmos so they would not resist and surrender without a fight. Otherwise I would have to destroy more of my future empire. But I was wrong. Clearly I made a mistake starting with the smaller ones. If I had picked Terra Atmosia from the start then I could've avoided any more needless destruction." Her argument was decent she thought, but the look of disbelief on his face told her that she might have messed up her apology. 

"'Smaller ones?' That was their HOME!" He grabbed the bars of her improvised window, shaking them. "You stole everything from them! Terras aren't just some spaces on a game-board you psycho! " Aerrow was absolutely livid. Yes, clearly that was not what a 'repentant' war criminal would say. Damn it. 

"I'm trying to say I'm sorry for drawing it out Aerrow. Trust me, no one took the war more seriously than me. After all I was raised to win it by any means necessary. All Masters are." That seemed to pull him back from his temper enough to lower his volume. 

"Are they taught to be heartless? To see every other person who isn't a Cyclonian as an enemy? Civilians? Children?! You let every terra you destroyed get evacuated beforehand, even if it was close. But you didn't choose to do that for Terra Atmosia. Would you have actually gone through with it? Kill them?" He wanted desperately to hear she had remorse for anything, if she had a line she wouldn't cross.

She swallowed a lump in her throat, "We are taught that our civilians, our children, and the future they need is the only thing we should hold love for in our hearts." He was quiet as he mulled over what she just said. Looking at her with a strange look. She knew she hadn't answered his question. Not directly. Because in truth she had no idea herself. Cyclonis knew that the Storm Hawks would show up if she turned up her ruthlessness, she had to convince them she would do it. So what if she took much longer to do it than she did with Gale? She was luring them out. Not giving the Atmosians time time to flee.

Right?

She had been taught about the art of warfare from the moment she could write her own name. While he and the other kids were learning to read anything longer than their own name or the names of their favorite sky knight group. She was learning the strengths and weaknesses of every single Terra in the Atmos. They taught her about manipulation, assassination and subterfuge. She was taught to never show mercy or to beg for it. No matter how much it hurt. She learned to squash anything even resembling pity so deep down inside of her that she would never be able to find it. Not even for herself. At least, that is what she hoped. 

How could you ever understand me? Age is the only thing we have in common, but I was never a child like you. I was not allowed to be. I had to be...be THIS. 

She cleared her throat, "Cyclonia distilled the strongest elements of every Master over the course of every generation since the beginning of the war to improve the next. I am the sum total of that process. I was made to win this war." She hoped that even without her voice modulation that it sounded as intimidating as she felt it did.

He sighed, "If that were true then we would have surrendered a long time ago by now. You're right, this war is generations old. You talk a big game about the previous Masters of Cyclonia, but they never succeeded even once. And I know you are smart enough to see that Cyclonia was in decline because of the war that they refused to let go. Otherwise you wouldn't have gotten so careless. Yeah, you got closer to victory than any of them ever did, but the 'original' Cyclonian empire was brought back for-count em-a total of 6 weeks. And even then, you needed help from the Far-Side." He took a deep breath. Eagerly waiting her response. She was silent. 

She considered telling him that if it wasn't for the rodent and a miracle Piper pulled out of thin air that they would have failed to stop her from achieving victory. But the bitter pill of truth in his speech stopped her. He was right. She was about to respond when he kept on.

"Maybe we did get lucky, scratch that, we absolutely got lucky. If your weird Far-Side crystals hadn't been allergic to Radarr or if Piper and I hadn't connected at the last second...If I hadn't caught her. Then there is a good chance none of the Storm Hawks would still be alive." He said it with enough gloom to give the Merb a run for his money. After a moment he released the bars and turned to leave. Looking back just one last time with an expression she found hard to decipher before speaking one last time.

"Don't think I won't be asking you about those weird crystals later by the way. Or maybe Piper will, when she feels better. I think you should answer honestly." 

"And why is that?" She scoffed back. Does he really think I'm so defeated I'll give him everything without a fight?

"Because I know It'd mean a lot to Piper. She told me how the oblivion crystal you tried to kill Finn with works." Her eyes widened, She didn't! "If you didn't know, it goes both ways. I'm not too thrilled about it, and I'll never trust you let's be honest. But I think if even a 'heartless' witch can befriend someone in less than a day then maybe you aren't a lost cause. At least not to her." He finally walked away to attend to other duties.

...shit.

She thought that she would get some sense of satisfaction from hearing him lament the near loss of his friends. But it didn't come. After she realized that what she really wanted was Piper by her side, she felt a tightness in her chest at the thought of her death. Either to the Binding sickness, or falling to the wasteland. At the time she had accepted it. Victory was far too close for her to waste any time or feelings for an enemy. Even for...for her best friend. Who hated her.

Oh Ace, I am really messed up aren't I. She wished to see him again, even once. To apologize, to save her...To simply hear his voice. He would tell her to 'Get up! Stop groveling in the dirt feeling sorry for yourself! This is not the Master Cyclonis I served for all those years. Show them who she really is!' He would already have the key in his hand, sardonic smile on his face framed by his dumb sideburns. She curled into herself.

Deep down she knew the chances of convincing Piper of wanting anything to do with her were slim to none. What other choice did she have? Surrender? Living the rest of her life in a room with no crystals to interact with or scrap to tinker with made execution seem pleasant by comparison. Not to mention, she would never see Piper again once she was locked in the deepest dungeon the Council can find.

And I was planning to mess with her head to get her to stay close to me...how pathetic is that? As if it would even work. Piper is too strong for something like that. It's why I like her.

Because she saw herself in her. At least, the parts of her she liked.

Maybe it was too crazy to dream I could ever rule the world with a friend by my side. Tyrants don't have friends. At least...not nice ones like Piper.

.

.

.

So I guess I'll have to resort plan B…

She uncurled just enough to check if anyone was looking before discretely reaching into her boot to retrieve a small object. Not a crystal, that would have been detected. No, this was a device no larger than a pebble, flat and black in color. Cyclonis hesitated for a moment. Then made her decision.

No one will lock me in a cage forever. Let's see how the Storm Hawks fare against something new...I'm sorry, Piper.

She squeezed the device hard until she heard a distinct click, then slipped it up her sleeve. 

I hope that The Emerald Imperium are willing to renegotiate the terms of our deal...and spare your life.

Chapter Text

...I'm sorry, Piper...

Piper woke up to the sound of familiar snoring and birds chirping. She wondered what those words echoing in her dream could mean. Well, until the dull ache at her side made itself known. She lifted her head and saw that her midsection was completely wrapped in bandages. Apparently, she was in the infirmary. But what caught her attention after that was Finn. He was asleep, sitting in a chair at her side and was half draped onto her cot. His hand gently holding hers. She couldn't resist smiling at the sight. It always warmed her up when she was reminded how much her brother loved her. She couldn't help but remember when he tried to comfort her after the whole 'Lark' thing. Which reminded her why she ended up in the infirmary in the first place. 

Damn it Cyclonis why did you have to go and do that? You threatened to KILL Finn and practically blew up the Condor! What is wrong with you?! The fear she had felt seeing that oblivion crystal so close to Finn's face slowly turned to anger I can't believe I ever considered you a friend. I don't care what that crystal said, after today I don't think you deserve a single one! At least, that's how she felt right now. It's not like she wasn't used to her or her friends having their lives threatened on a near daily basis during the war. But it felt different when it was Cyclonis' staff at their throats. Why is that? 

Suddenly Finn woke up, she hadn't said anything but saw that she had started squeezing his hand without realizing it. He seemed a little dazed for a few minutes before he realized she had woken up.

"Piper! You're okay!" He immediately started leaning in as if to scoop her up into a hug, but then he stopped himself. He had a bashful look on his face. "Sorry, forgot." He said, gesturing toward the bandages. She was confused at first but realized he was actually thinking before acting for once. She was touched at how much effort he was putting in to keep his curse of breaking things in check.

Oh Finn you lovable goofball. She held her arms open anyway, her smile back on her face. He immediately accepted the invitation, but with decidedly more care than the first time. They hugged, holding one another as tightly as they dared. 

"I'm glad you're alright, Piper." She could hear the worry in his voice. She can't imagine how scared he must have been seeing her bleeding like that. Passed out on the engine room floor.

"Same to you, Finn. I...I don't know what I'd do without you in my life." The sound of what she could swear were sniffles came from over her shoulder. She shook her head in disbelief as she was tearing up too. 

You get on my nerves practically every single day but I don't ever want to live in world without you. They stayed like that for a bit until Piper remembered that they had more pressing matters. Namely the broken Condor, and Cyclonis. She let him go, the both of them wiping some tears from their eyes. Piper couldn't help but laugh a little at Finn trying to play it off like he just had something stuck in his eye. But it was time to get to business.

"So Finn, what happened after I passed out?" She asked. Finn started scratching the back of head, a classic sign that she probably wasn't going to like what she was about to hear. Great...

"Well...I've got some good news and bad news. Good news is we managed to stick Cyclonis in the old supply room/jail until we can get her back home. Also we don't have to worry about her frying us the minute she wakes up because of those cuffs you made. Good idea by the way." She was grateful that he finally praised her ability to think ahead for once but knew it was just to butter her up before he dashed her hopes.

"Thanks, and the bad news?" Please don't say we're stranded, please don't say we're stranded...

"We're stranded." Damn it! 

"Ugh!" She groaned and laid back in defeat. She closed her eyes covered her face as she realized that they were in the worst situation they could have found themselves in. 

So to recap, we have been flying at little over average speed for a over a solid week away from the spot we entered. We are in uncharted territory where we don't even know what could kill us. There is a seemingly advanced civilization that may or may not have helped our greatest enemy try to conquer our home. And to top it all off we are stuck guarding said enemy until we manage to fix our nearly irreparably damaged ship...Yep, just another day for the Storm Hawks.

She could just hear Stork already, We're doomed. But for the first time in a long time she might have to agree. Traveling back on foot was out of the question for every single reason she could think of. And she doubted she had the floater crystals necessary to rig some sort of makeshift hovercraft. Not that they'd last that long. How did she do it?! Did she sell her soul or something? 

Piper knew she was being facetious. Clearly Cyclonis had used some sort of trick with the Binding to stretch out the lifespans of her crystals. Clearly not enough to outrun them. Otherwise, she'd have just kept going until they ran out of fuel. Which begs the question. 

Why did she pick now? Was she really just running without a plan? Or was she planning something else? If she wanted to kill us she wouldn't have hesitated to kill Finn and blow the other engine as soon as she did the first one. There might have been a chance some of them survived the crash but we'd still be trapped here, on the Far-Side and then she could just leave. She has the key- That's when it hit her. 

Oh...She has no idea what she's doing.

It makes sense. After all if Piper broke down Cyclonis' current situation then it all becomes startlingly clear. This is a girl who's had massive expectations put on her since the moment she was born and was just about to fulfill them when everything went horribly wrong. A girl who lost her most trusted lackey-honestly the closest thing she had to a father just a little over a week ago. A girl who knows that the whole Atmos hates her and who has been on the run since she failed to conquer it.

Did she want to take us down with her? The thought of it disturbed Piper more than a little. But it didn't quite add up. If Cyclonis felt she had nothing left to live for then what did "Undoing the damage we've done to her life's work" mean? Why bother waiting until we all showed up to the engine room and not blow it immediately?

I need to talk to her, I need to figure out what in the Wastelands she was planning to do. She seemed ready to kill Finn but I know how over-the-top dramatic she can be. She literally projected her face onto the sky just so people could see her gloating face as she conquered them. I think she is hiding what she really wants but why? She never bothers keeping her motivations a secret even if her plans are. Well, except that one time with that Nil crystal. It never really showed up again...strangely enough.

She stopped her brooding when Finn tapped her on her shoulder. "Uh, Piper? You kinda zoned out for a minute. I was trying to ask you what you think we should do next, since we're totally screwed ." He searched her eyes for a minute. "But... if you're not feeling up to it yet I can give you some more time to rest or get Stork to check up on you or whatever." He was rubbing his arm. She remembered it was a nervous tick from when they were kids.

"Sorry Finn, I was just thinking. I'm okay for now since I pretty much slept most the day anyway. You don't need to bother Stork." She looked out the porthole next to her and could see Stork arguing with Junko, most likely over how to fix the ship again. "It's pretty obvious that we need to fix the Condor first. But what I really want is to get Cyclonis to fess up to what she was trying to accomplish with her little 'blowing us up' stunt." She looked back at Finn and he didn't look too happy about her idea. 

"Sorry, but I don't get it Piper, what exactly is there to figure out? She was sore about losing and wanted to get back at us. It's not the first time she tried to kill us out of spite." He had his arms crossed. She couldn't blame him for not picking up on Cyclonis' weird behavior, he was sorta focused on not dying at the time. 

Piper sighed, "True but she probably wasn't expecting to get caught Finn, and had to improvise. You saw her first right? Did she say anything to you? Give me the whole story start to finish." He got a thoughtful look on his face. Most likely combing through his memories just before the standoff in the engine room. 

He cleared his throat and began narrating. "I was heading to the engine room so I could sneak in a nap after the big lunch I just had." She gave him a look that made him nervously laugh since he just admitted to slacking off. "It's...my favorite spot on the Condor to do it. ANYWAY. I had just opened the door and saw her hunched over some weird crystal, I think it was the explodey one. She saw me and she looked...panicked? I don't know, it was weird. She looked like she just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar or something." Interesting, "Also she was covered in dirt and smelled funny. But it didn't smell like dirt. More...mildewy." That caught her attention. "But no, she didn't say anything to me other than Hold still you fool! Which hurt a bit but whatever. Aerrow showed up like a minute after cuz he was looking for me and that's when she blew up the first engine." He finished his story by making an explosion noise with his mouth and moving his hands outward.

"Hmmm" Mildew...and nobody saw her moving around the ship even though the two engines are super far apart on the ship. Radarr didn't catch her scent, I didn't sense her crystals or even any new ones on the ship except until the last second. Also, where did she even get those leechers? And the oblivion crystal and exploders? Why didn't I...Oh. Finn saw the look on her face and immediately grabbed a chair. He knew she was about to talk...a lot.

"Okay, so...I thought she was initially just super grimy because she was surviving out there for a week. But now I think she was crawling through the vents to get to where she wanted to go. Instead of using cloaking or anything else. She must have snuck onto the Condor just before sunrise when I was asleep and ditched all her crystals. She must have realized that we'd detect whatever collection of them she brought with her, so she didn't bring anything more than a floater probably. So she snuck into my room when I wasn't there to steal some of my crystals to use in her plan. Which sucks but hey, resourceful." She was grinning. She felt so happy that she figured out how her rival managed to outwit her.

"The problem is, I still don't know where she got that oblivion crystal though or how she combined my boomers and eruptors. Normally that takes hours and is super dangerous if you rush it. She couldn't have been on board for more than what...20 minutes? The leechers sorta make sense since they don't produce energy, just steal it. But how did she get up here carrying them without sacrificing her floater? Once again, I have too many questions and she has all the answers." She hunched over and groaned in frustration. "I really wish she wasn't a crystal genius all the time." 

Finn nodded before getting up and walking over to a nearby table to grab her satchel bag. She hadn't even realized it was there, he must have brought it from her room. She accepted it and opened it to find a random assortment of books she owned.

Piper was grateful that he knew she could get bored just as easily as him, "Thanks! So what do you think?" He sat back down and thought for a moment. He let out a heavy sigh.

"I think...it's over. We beat her. She had some tricks left but in the end it just...wasn't enough to win. I just want to go home and chill with you guys, ideally on terra Tropica. That's still standing right?" Of course he'd say that.

"I'm pretty sure it is Finn. But I think it really matters how she managed to beat our security. Otherwise, how can we expect the Council to lock her up if she just escapes when she feels like it. Granted it still feels like it's my fault that I didn't catch her before she blew up half the Condor. We can't afford to underestimate her."

He shrugged before getting up and stretching. "Alrighty, now that I know you're fine I should probably get back to work." He gave her one last look of sibling care and walked right out the room. She grabbed one of the books he brought her. But she was barely halfway through the first page in when he popped his head back in. "Also I forgot to mention that  Aerrow told me to tell you not to talk to her until we're done fixing the Condor so we can watch your back." He slipped away only to pop back in a second later "Oh and side note, it's kinda weird when you compliment her. She's practically your arch-nemesis. I mean she's smart but she's still totally evil...See ya!" Now that he was actually gone it was her turn to fidget nervously. 

I'm not complimenting her that much, am I? I mean it would be foolish not to recognize her intelligence. It makes sense to respect your enemy's strengths. Especially if they often use them against you. I just like that she keeps me on my toes is all. That aside Piper always had a hard time forgetting just how much she'd look forward to testing her abilities against her after every subsequent clash. Though the one she remembers best was when they snuck into Cyclonia to watch the "Ultimate Extreme Mega Warrior Championship". She hadn't fought her without crystals before and grappling her on the ground was certainly...intense. 

I wish I could forget that cheesy line I said. "Fight like a girl." Really? Ugh, I could've done better if I wasn't pressed for time. It did make her mad though, and I had to get her back for the..."Storm Hawks aftertaste" stunt. Actually, I think I'm starting to see what Finn's talking about. Piper was starting to wonder if she had bumped her head a little harder than she thought earlier. She was agreeing with him a whole lot lately. 

She kept reading her book until the sun got too low for her to enjoy the natural light. As she reached over towards the crystal powered lamp next to her bed she felt the pain flaring up in her side again from moving a way she wasn't supposed to yet. Well...that won't do will it. C'mon Piper you are basically a magical crystal whisperer! Use it! She extended her arm, reaching out to the crystal powering the lamp with her powers. To her delight the lamp suddenly flickered on. She did a small fist pump in victory but immediately noticed something that sucked the joy right out of her.

The light she turned on now allowed her to see the ever so slightly pronounced veins on the inside of her forearm. They were black, the skin around them slightly paler than the rest of her. Oh no...not again...please not again. She started to hyperventilate, unable to control the panic welling up inside her.

She sat up as much as she could without stressing her injuries any further. A closer inspection showed that the pale skin and veins were ever so slowly expanding. She realized it was The Binding and threw her book at the lamp! The book flew true and knocked the crystal right out of its socket cutting off the lamp's power supply. The room was dark once again. Thankfully, the moon was full tonight. After her eyes adjusted she held her arm near the porthole and the moonlight gave her just enough light to see that the veins stopped spreading. They even faded back to normal. But if she looked very closely she could still tell they were there.

The Binding, it's affecting me again. No no no no NO! This isn't happening! I thought it was fine! Wait, Aerrow and I can fix it! We'll just...do what we did last time? We trusted each other and it just seemed to work. Piper wanted to believe that it was that simple, but it's not like she suddenly stopped trusting or loving her friends. No, the truth was she had no idea why she got better during the last battle they had in Atmos. As unscientific as it was she just assumed that the power of love and friendship was what got her through it. Clearly, she had been naive. 

She held her arm close to her chest and tried to slow her breathing, she looked toward the moon in the sky and tried to focus on how many craters she could count until she felt calm again. 

What do I do? I don't know how to fix this and if...something happens to me my friends will be trapped here forever. I need answers!

...I  need Cyclonis' help...

Piper sat back and tried to sleep, knowing that as soon as she is able to leave this cot that she might have to go to her greatest enemy and find a way to get the information to save her life from her somehow. Her fate lied in the hands of the girl who tried to kill her after she failed to become friends with her. Unless she figures out something else.

.

.

.

I'm doomed aren't I?...

Chapter Text

"Of all the inconsiderate, mindless, infantile..." Cyclonis had been cursing the Storm Hawks under her breath for the last couple of hours, painstakingly scrubbing every last inch of her skin that she could reach. Night had fallen and whatever light had filtered in through gaps in the repurposed supply room's plating earlier was gone. Leaving her to try and clean herself in the dark. Erasing the smells and grime that had accumulated on her over the last 2 weeks was proving to be a chore when one was cuffed and chained to a wall. Thankfully she had discovered a bottle of dish soap and some—relatively—clean rags. The Merb had stopped by shortly after Aerrow left to provide her with a fresh bucket of water. By then she had already hidden her transmitter. It was understatement to say she missed her Royal washroom, and she especially missed her bed. Even if she often neglected it to spend time at her desk, tinkering with crystals and..other hobbies.

He also saw fit to give her her daily share of their ever dwindling rations. It was...modest to say the least. She couldn't help but wonder if his frugality was a result of his disdain for her or their ever worsening situation.

Both most likely. I doubt they have much in the way of supplies now. At least that means they will be weaker when the Emerald Imperium arrives to...rescue me.

It felt foolish to begin having doubts now, but her time alone had allowed them to creep in and nip at the edges of her mind.

Did I make the right choice? Should I have tried some other plan? Surrender surely couldn't have made it worse for me, right? She tried to crush these thoughts the second they appeared in her mind. Admit defeat? After everything and everyone she lost? She'd never be able to face her own reflection! The first lesson she was taught was that a true leader never surrenders. Defeat or death, was preferable. At least...that's what she had thought. It had certainly always been expected of her. Until recently she never truly felt the weight of that ideal.

Only when the end was in sight and I had lost everything. When the Imperium had provided her with the failsafe beacon she almost threw it back at the messenger's face. It was insulting, the insinuation that she should plan for failure when she was at the cusp of victory. But she didn't get rid of it. She held onto it even during the 6 weeks she had the Atmos in her grasp. The pragmatic part of her just wouldn't allow her to simply chuck it into the wastelands, even if simply holding onto it felt like a pest gnawing at the back of her mind. 'Only a fool never accounts for failure.' That is what grandmother taught her.

Did I wait too long? I told myself that I was buying time. If I managed to lead them as far from the portal as I could, then I would have all the time in the world to bring them down or escape their capture. She couldn't have signaled the Imperium so soon because...they wouldn't have had time to get her.

Right? Of course, that implied that she trusted them. And she knew better than to trust anyone who wasn't Dark Ace...so suffice to say she trusted no one. She couldn't rid herself of one doubt though. 

If I had to give them almost all of my knowledge in exchange for the mere chance of conquering the Atmos, what will they ask in return for saving me from my failure? And that is when a terrible thought occurred to her...what if they never wanted her to succeed in the first place? It was obvious to her now that they had given her the rejects. They had not given her a single soldier or advanced weapon that she could have studied. They had tricked her into accepting flawed tech on the sole basis that she could control it, let alone use it. And they have not made a single attempt to contact her ever since she arrived here. 

Now it makes sense. Those crystals were far too strange to be natural and no crystal I ever synthesized was like them. The serpent ones seemed...aware to an extent. And the massive crystal, well, I just don't know of a single crystal that could grow to such extremes. And that includes the imprisonment one. They did their absolute best to assure me that all of these strange crystals would 'Carry me to Victory'.

Liars...Either way, they are my best chance at escape at the moment. I won't rot in a cell for pursuing my grandmother's dream.

Cyclonis had activated the beacon a few days ago. From her best estimate of their capability, she expected them to have arrived by now. If they bothered to come 'save' her at all.

She has had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach ever since she arrived here. It wasn't until her recent doubts that she realized it was fear. Not that they wouldn't come, but that they would and she would end up as just a tool in their machinations. Because it turns out that the Emerald Imperium was not as dissimilar to Cyclonia as she had thought. From what she had gleaned from their limited interactions, they are a militaristic society focused solely on expanding their reach. Perhaps even more so than hers. Not to mention that their level of technological advancement was beyond anything she had ever seen before or could've imagined. And she had launched a satellite death ray! Compared to their achievements it might as well have been a hot air balloon. 

I can't help but admire the expert way they kept deflecting my demands. At the time I was desperate so I took what I could get. I realize now that they are VERY aware of my situation in spite of the picture of near victory I painted for them. Yet they convinced me they were clueless. They played their cards well.

It was clear that they didn't fully trust her, they didn't give her anything that she could attempt to reverse engineer for herself. Preventing her from gaining any insight into their technological supremacy. She respected their prudent nature. As an ally they were invaluable, but as a potential enemy...

We would never survive a war with them. What I did in 6 weeks, they would do in 3 days. And they would leave nothing standing...

Granted, they would have to figure out how to escape their mountainous prison. Not to mention navigate out of the Great Expanse. Cyclonis was able to get a rough estimate of their geographical location by taking multiple geographical measurements the first time she arrived here. So taking into account the position of the sun and the general climate t's safe to assume they are roughly...9,500 nautical miles from the heart of Atmos. "Hmph." She wasn't quite sure if the knowledge that she was literally half a world away from home was comforting or not.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the footsteps approaching her cell. She felt her body tense as the door was unlocked and began to creak open. She stood up and balled her fists. Her paranoia was on full blast and her heart was pounding!

"Who's there!?" She growled out. It was too dark to make out any detail but she could the thin figure  was holding something, which did little to ease her fears.

They then lit a small candle, revealing the intruder to be Piper. 

Piper...of course it's her. Cyclonis immediately felt herself relax and allowed herself to release the breath she had been holding. She had been afraid that the Imperium had already caught up to them. Which was foolish. If they had she would have heard them vaporizing the Storm Hawks, and possibly the entire Condor.

"Sorry to bother you so late. It's just...we didn't really get to 'talk' the last time we, uh, talked. And I have some questions for you. Oh! And I figured you might still be hungry so...I saved some of my rations for you." She handed Cyclonis a small bundle dried...something. Whether it was meat or fruit was anyone's guess. She stared at Piper for a moment before uttering a small 'thanks.' and began to chew on the dried lump of sustenance. While she ate she realized that Piper had most likely picked such small hours of the morning to visit because her team was doubtless still asleep. She doubted Aerrow would have allowed them to talk without another Storm Hawk present, regardless of the chains on her wrists and ankles.

"I...wanted to see how you were doing earlier but the boys wouldn't let me because of my, well, you know." Her injuries. The ones I caused.

She forced a fake chuckle. "Is that so Storm Hawk?...I must say, I am surprised to see you on your feet so soon. I guess your teammates aren't completely useless. First-Aid is basic training after all." She tried to keep her tone aloof but in truth she was deeply concerned. In truth, she had been lying to herself when she told herself she wasn't worried for Piper’s wellbeing. The sight of Piper clutching her blood soaked side was still fresh in her mind. The bandages wrapped around her torso starkly contrasted with her uniform. And yet I still tried to attack her...foolish.

Piper made a pained face before letting out a sigh. "Ok, so is that how you want to play it? Fine. I'm going to ask you some questions and I would like it if you would answer honestly." She was putting on her serious voice. Cyclonis found it hard not to laugh, too used to trading barbs with the girl. But she needed to be careful, one slip of the tongue and she might accidentally reveal the Imperium's pending arrival.

"I can make no promises to my captors under duress. Piper. You have me imprisoned in substandard conditions after all. Why would I help you?" Cyclonis made sure her face betrayed no emotion other than a mild disdain for her current conditions. 

"Simple really, you need us to put in a good word with the council don't you? I think you would want to improve your chances in the Atmosian court of law as much as possible before you're put on trial..." Piper let her words hang in the air. If she thought they held any weight over her rival then she was sorely mistaken. 

"Now you try to coerce me with things you can't possibly guarantee. My oh my Piper, you truly are a corrupt officer of the skies." The pout on Piper's face was almost enough to keep Cyclonis from realizing that she immediately went against her own plan of staying professional. 

Dammit! Get your act together and stop trying to neg her. The former empress cleared her throat and looked Piper in the eye. "My apologies. That was uncalled for. I will do my best to answer your questions." Her about-face did not go unnoticed by her fellow crystal mage, who narrowed her eyes at her. After a moment she pulled out a small notepad and a pen. She carefully set the candle down where she felt it wouldn't fall over and turned back to face her.

"Good. Alright then let's get started. First: Why did you wait a whole week before attacking us? were you looking for something in particular? was it another portal? do you have a secret platoon of night-crawlers hiding out nearby that you were trying to contact?..." Sweet ancestors she actually brought a damn list? And does she expect me to remember every last question?! Cyclonis waited until Piper had exhausted her very extensive list of questions. It took her a several minutes to organize her answers in her head before she began rattling off her answers. 

"Rule one of Guerrilla warfare: Never face an enemy that outnumbers and outguns you head on. Exhaust them and utilize the element of surprise. Speaking of which I would think that as the Storm Hawks' resident tactician, that you would have figured that out." Piper rolled her eyes but gestured for her to keep going. "No, I was not searching for anything. If I was looking for anything that would have given me an advantage, then I would have ended up leading you to it and giving myself one more disadvantage." She paused as the girl struggled to keep pace and record everything she said. At least everything of value. She continued.

"There is only a single entrance and exit to the Far-Side Piper. If I recall correctly, you closed it." This elicited a response from her.

"How exactly did I close it? You're the one with the key!" She pointed an accusatory finger at the witch. Cyclonis was surprised at that quick change in temperament. Perhaps Piper felt unsure about the ability of her team to go home. 

"You destabilized it by expanding it by such a wide margin. Didn't you wonder why I didn't do it? And for the record, I don't have the key anymore because it was absorbed by the door. It was the power source for the portal actually. And now, only a power of equal or greater magnitude can open it again." This information didn't seem to lighten Piper's spirits very much. She now wore a look of worry and her breathing had become panicky. Strangely enough, Cyclonis felt a tightness in her chest at the sight. Why does seeing her like this bother me? 

"Don't worry yourself too much Piper. Any door that can be closed can be opened once again. It's just a simple matter of skill and persistence." Piper was still rattled but she seemed to believe in her words. Dammit now I'm giving her hope? What has gotten into me? She needed to get back on track. "Ahem. No, I do not have a hidden army of night-crawlers stashed away. Trust me, you would have seen them much earlier if I did. Or not. They are assassins after all." Her snide tone managed to knock Piper out of her small episode and get her pen moving again. Once she had finished she took a deep breath and gave Cyclonis a serious look. 

"Ok. Enough beating around the cloud. I want to know how you got the drop on us. How did you get those crystals? I know you stole some from me but I don't have any of the combinations that you used. Especially not the leechers and the Oblivion crystal." She crossed her arms and waited for her answers. 

"Hmph, all right then." She straightened her back. Ok, how do I answer this? If I give her the truth she will never feel secure leaving me around ANY of her crystals. Not to mention give away my greatest asset. It won't make much a difference before the Imperium arrives but I can't risk it if they don't come...I'm taking too long. Fine. She has practically figured it out anyway. She just keeps overlooking the obvious answer. "It's The Binding." Immediately, Piper's eyes widened. She scrambled to grab her notebook before Cyclonis said another word.

"I have managed to cultivate the ability to alter the internal configuration of a crystal by manipulating its energy. The better I understand the crystal's inner matrix, the better I can replicate it in another. For example. I had no rations when I crossed over, but I did have a spare firebolt crystal. I had studied the curious case of the...'cheese stone' that belonged to Terra Gale. It was a surprisingly simple—if strange—structure. So I made one. I can honestly say I no longer care for the taste of cheese." A pity, it made surprisingly high quality "fromage" actually. 

Piper's pen couldn't be moving faster if it was alive! Clearly she was filling her notes to the brim with theories about the possibilities of such a power. 

"That's...INCREDIBLE! But, it's supposed to be impossible to change a crystal's internal matrix! It's literally set in stone and no technology has ever done that before! I can't believe you did that all by yourself!" It was hard not to be flattered by Piper's uncontrollable gushing about all the precedents her discovery has shattered. It was nice to think that even at the end of her life as a crystal mage, she can still teach the best student she could have had something new. 

"Don't limit your understanding of crystals to the writings of those who never challenged their assumptions. For us, impossible just means difficult. Never forget that Piper." The pen stopped moving and its owner looked at Cyclonis with a combination of awe and...pity?

"You could have changed the world you know? With your inventions and your knowledge of crystals. If you hadn't been dead set on ruling it." Cyclonis couldn't help but scoff at that. 

"Who said I wouldn't have? In fact, if I had won then I would have dedicated the rest of my life to redefining our modern understanding of crystal science." It was Piper's turn to scoff.

"Just so you could better subjugate everyone." The witch rolled her eyes but let her continue. "But why? Why go through with this stupid war if it already cost you so much? Isn't a normal life better?" Her pleading tone grated on Cyclonis' ears. 

"Why? Because it's the entire reason I exist! You act like I made some flippant choice rather than uphold the responsibility of the mantle I inherited. The war isn't an interruption to my life, it is my life. As I told your precious leader, fulfilling my duty to my people is more important than pursuing personal interests."

"Then why try to recruit me? You knew I was loyal to the Storm Hawk and yet you offered me a chance to rule the world with you." Cyclonis suddenly felt backed into a corner.

"I...was trying to weaken the Storm Hawks. Without their tactician and resident crystal mage, they would have never gotten this far. I simply recognized you as the problem." Almost immediately Piper was in her personal space. 

"Then why not KILL me? You had the Oblivion crystal in your hand. You could have gotten rid of me at any point! The storm, the hours after...Heck! you could have eliminated all of us with it the entire day you spent on the Condor. Stop lying to yourself and admit you wanted someone to care!" Cyclonis could feel her back touch the wall. She hadn't realized she had been walking backwards. So she pushed forward, almost bumping into Piper. They locked eyes for a moment before Cyclonis broke eye contact. 

"I don't have to justify myself to you. You said no remember? So don't act like I'm just some lost child. How could you possibly understand the position I was born into? Or what I'm going through?! My life is over Piper. Because the war...is over. Happy?" Her breathing was getting heavy. She was not thrilled to have been shaken by such simple questioning. It took a couple seconds to compose herself. "Enough, this interrogation is over." Her tone was cold sharp. Making it clear to Piper that she meant it.

.

.

.

Several long minutes pass in silence. As hard as Piper tried, she couldn't get Cyclonis to look at her anymore. So she packed up her notebook, letting out a deep sigh. Cyclonis kept her gaze firmly fixed at the inscrutably stained wall. Waiting until Piper would leave. But just as she was about to step out the door she stopped.

"Hey...I know you don't mean that. You don't really think your life is...over, right?" Silence. "It's not too late to start over. You are barely 16 just like the rest of us! I know you can still make the most of it." Finally, Cyclonis decided to speak.

"Oh? And what a meaningful and fulfilling life I would have right? I mean there is just loads of rich life experiences I can have from the inside of a cell." The sheer amount of venom dripping from every other word made Piper visibly recoil. That was the one things she couldn't dispute. She knew damn well that Cyclonis would be forced to pay for her crimes. It didn't matter how much she changed. The council would punish her one way or another...

"I-I can't promise that you won't end up inside of a cell. But, maybe if you can convince them that you are different—that you are able to change—then maybe they will...I don't know...give you parole? I promise I'll fight on your behalf to get you a better life. We can-

"HOW DARE YOU EVEN INSINUATE THAT WE ARE THE SAME?!" Piper jumped back.

"Don't you understand?! I have NOTHING!" . She could feel her voice breaking, but she didn't care. All the rage, the loss, the pain. Cyclonis could bottle it up no longer...She could feel a lump in her throat and wetness in the corners of her eyes. She turned away from Piper, trying to save the last of her dignity in vain. She would NOT cry in front of her rival. "I have....nothing. My home is GONE, the place I grew up, all because of me. My grandmother is dead. My—my friend is dead because I was too desperate to win!" The truth finally passing through her lips .She slid down the wall to her knees. Her legs betrayed her as the last remnants of her strength finally gave out. The deep well of stubborn pride that had fueled her every day since she lost it all finally proved...that it was not bottomless.

...I'm tired...I just want this nightmare to end...She lay there, letting silent tears fall down her face. Grandmother...I am so so sorry. I failed you at every turn. I never deserved to have your title. I am an unworthy successor to your throne...

Her body jolted at the sudden feeling of warmth on her hand. She almost yanked her limb away until she realized that it was Piper putting her hand over hers. Their gazes met and she could see the soft, earnest smile upon Piper's face and a light in her eyes. She had seen it once before...as Lark. It was the look that had haunted her dreams ever since that day in the storm. But, whatever feeling was there was not for her to have. 

"Cyclonis...everything is going to be okay. I promise." The sheer conviction in Piper's voice almost made her believe that. But the cold reality of what she had done wouldn't leave her alone. She couldn't tell her. Should she tell her? How can she admit that she had already called for reinforcements the first opportunity she had?  That it didn't matter if they took 6 minutes or 6 weeks—The result would be the same. 

Piper the rest of the Storm Hawks would be destroyed. And all she could do was see the absolute faith in Piper's eyes that would inevitably shatter when she realized who was to blame. She hoped it was a dud. She desperately hoped the button's signal was too weak to penetrate the Condor's bulkhead. Because for once she didn't feel so alone and she can't lose it all over again...

Don't look at me like that...please. I don't deserve your kindness Piper...

Wait. NO. NO! I CAN NOT regret calling them! It's too late for me to change! Our fates are sealed, nothings changed just because...because I-I...

.

.

.

Oh Piper, what have I done?...She gripped Piper's hand back, hoping for the first time in her life—that a plan of hers had failed...

Chapter Text

As Piper walked back to the infirmary—hopefully before anyone could notice she had left—she couldn't help but feel conflicted. On the one hand she had finally gotten Cyclonis to open up about her repressed emotions. I'm surprised I was able to get her to crack in just one session. I kind of expected it to take weeks . Maybe I can get her to help us escape this place. On the other hand, she still had more questions that she wanted to ask her. But seeing the state she was in before she left, she just couldn't bring herself to pressure her any further.

Her side began to hurt again. The pain in her side had started to fade over the last couple of days. But it would flare up if she stayed on her feet too long. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to grab a chair before going to see their prisoner.

She had just turned the corner into the hallway where the infirmary was when she saw someone waiting for her at the doorway…Aerrow. His arms crossed and the sternest look on his face she had ever seen.

Crap. I had a feeling someone heard Cyclonis shouting. Aerrow began tapping his foot impatiently for her to get closer. He...doesn't look happy. That was an understatement. She hadn't even seen him look this mad when he lost to the Dark Ace the first time. 

Piper hesitated before taking her next step. Aerrow saw she was nervous and relaxed his posture somewhat, and softened his expression. He spoke.

"Morning there, Piper. Care to tell me why you are disregarding 'Doctor Stork's' orders?" Like usual his tone hid the seriousness of his intent. She swallowed a lump in her throat before answering. 

"Would you believe me if I said I needed a glass of water?" She said sheepishly, giving him a hopeful smile. He simply raised an eyebrow and began tapping his fingers on his forearm. She sighed. "I'll take that as a no then..."

She walked the rest of the way to the infirmary, doing her best to not show her growing discomfort with every step. It didn't work. Aerrow immediately went to her side to support her, taking as much of her weight as he could to keep her moving. They made it into the Infirmary just as the light from the sunrise began to filter in through the window. He helped her onto her cot, she noticed he had organized her books while she was gone. She had been burning through them, trying to distract herself from the ever growing list of questions in her head that she wanted to ask Cyclonis. Obviously she had caved in and snuck out. 

"Sorry for sneaking out, and thank you for arranging my books. It means a lot to me." He gave her that famous devil may care smirk of his. 

"I mean it's only fair. Since you usually clean up after us." His happy expression slips into a more concerned one. "Piper...what's going on?" 

Piper could feel his gaze cutting right into her. She knew exactly what he was talking about. She went around him and questioned Cyclonis by herself. I was too impatient. I let my fear get to me. I needed to know.

She sighed. “I…needed to ask her about something. Ha. Actually, I even forgot to do that. I got too caught up in asking her how she got the drop on us. And why the portal closed.” He gave her a puzzled look and motioned for her to go on. “She answered honestly, at least, it felt honest. First off: She was basically making us waste our fuel on purpose, she doesn’t have any surprises here for us. At least as far as nightcrawlers are concerned.” She paused to let him respond. 

“I’m surprised that wasn’t a joke when she said the fuel thing to me. But why do that if it also exhausted her resources? Not to mention herself ?” That’s a good question. She cleared her throat before continuing.

“She might have been hoping to get us as far from the portal as possible before trying to open it again herself. Something we most likely can’t do without her-”

“But the Key! We can use that!” He cut in. She held up her hand to silence him.

“The key doesn’t exist anymore, she used it on the door and it absorbed it as an energy source. I destabilized it when I made it bigger so we could fly through. It’s not a surprise it closed right after we passed through it.” His face dropped as the truth of the situation sunk in. 

“So, we need her?...To cooperate I mean.” She nodded. He groaned and sat down in the chair next to her cot. The poor boy’s head was hanging low. She knew he must feel regret about ordering them to follow Cyclonis. He probably didn’t think that their first adventure on the Far-Side would be anything like this. 

She felt bad about all the bad news she had to deliver to him. More so because she wasn’t done. “That’s not all by the way,” He raised his head to pay attention to her. “She told me how she was able to get her hands on all those crystals. Especially the combinations. We knew she could extend the lifespan of a crystal’s energy but she can also change their internal structure into whatever she wants.” His eyes widened.

“You don’t mean…” His body was tense. She nodded.

“She can make any crystal she understands: Burners, floaters…and the Oblivion crystal.” She leaned back onto her cot. She knew this was not the best news at the moment. Quite literally any crystal was at Cyclonis’ disposal if she got free. Meaning she could simply come up with any escape plan she wants until one works. 

He sighed. “No wonder you call her a genius all the time.” He gave her a smile she knew was forced. Finn probably mentioned how she 'praised' Cyclonis for essentially duping them. That little snitch! “Thank goodness you started making that blocker when you did. I’d hate to imagine what situation we’d be in if you hadn’t. Good thing we have you on our side.” he gave a short laugh. 

I have to tell him. “Aerrow, I have something I have to tell you. I haven’t,” She paused, finding it difficult to admit her situation. “I haven’t been feeling too great.” He gave her a confused look.

“Well, no one expects you to walk off shrapnel Piper. It’s kind of why you need to rest. Remember?” He was being facetious to lighten her mood. 

“Not that. I...tried to use my powers again. To see if I can activate crystals at a distance. And…well…” She removed her gloves and showed him her wrists. His eyes became saucers when he saw the dark veins. They hadn’t faded. “It’s happening again, the sickness.”

He grabbed her wrist, carefully as to not jostle her, and carefully examined them. She knew he could see that it was happening a lot faster than last time. 

“ No… It can’t be, w-we can do that thing again!  What was it called?... Perfect attunement! We can just do that and-” She took his hands into her own, and looked him right in the eye. 

“Aerrow, we trust each other. I know I can trust you with my life and you’ve trusted me with yours plenty of times before. What I felt—what we felt—happened because we believed that even when we were about to die. I still trust you. But this is still happening. And I don’t know why. I need to talk to her again.” A shadow passed over his face.

“ Cyclonis. ” He said her name with a disdain Piper had only seen reserved for the Dark Ace. He didn’t trust her. Arguably none of them should. Still, I think that maybe…maybe she would help me. “How could we possibly trust her to tell us the truth? Even if she considered you her friend once she’s proven she wants us out of the way. She could only benefit by letting you… fade ” His voice shook, his repressed fear floating to the surface. 

“I know that it sounds crazy but. I think she’s willing to help us, help me at least. She’s…not doing alright. Not at all. She regrets the Dark Ace’s death a lot more than any of us realized. And she doesn’t seem to have any hope for herself left. But I know from her past behavior that she does want more. She wants someone to trust, someone to care. So, what do you say? ” Piper waited to hear what he thought. She wasn’t entirely sure what the best decision would be. Trust their sworn enemy because she seems like she’s desperate enough to help them? Or try to work things out on their own? Knowing that Piper would be getting weaker and weaker as the days went by?

He shook his head, “I don’t know. * sigh * I told her…that I don’t trust her and probably never will. I called her heartless. Clearly, I was wrong about that. If the shouting was anything to go by, she has a lot of stuff going on. But trusting her with your life? I don’t know if I can do that Piper. And I’m also worried I might not have a choice. I need to think this over. Get some rest. Finn volunteered to make breakfast, he should show up in a couple hours.” He got up and began walking towards the door. His stride is slow and purposeful.

Aerrow looks back at her and gives her a sad smile to try and lift her spirits even though she can see the look in his eyes. A look she only saw once before. When she was sick, frail and dying. It was the look of someone who was memorizing your face, like they are seeing you for the first time. Because deep down they know…it may be the last time they see you. He turns the corner and she hears the sound of his footsteps slowly fade. She lays back and stares at the ceiling.

There is a tightness in her chest that she is all too familiar with. She doesn’t remember losing her real family. She was too young. But she knows how she felt when The Binding was threatening to take her family away from her. By stealing her life. And now it’s washing over her all over again. Warm tears silently trail down her cheeks. She covers her mouth to keep her sobs from escaping. I don’t want him to hear this, I don’t want him to make a stupid decision because of me. 

Piper buried her face in her pillow until the sobs stopped. She took a shaky breath, wiped her eyes, and closed them. I’m not quitting Aerrow. I promise. She WILL help me. I know it. And if not…I’ll keep fighting. No matter what.

Aerrow waited until he was almost to the end of the hall before he broke down. He slumped against the wall, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor. He was sitting across the entrance to the open hanger and could see the morning sunlight outside spill into the hanger bay. Illuminating their stolen Cyclonian switchblades. The boys had found repainting them to fit their style and team colors was somewhat therapeutic. Granted fixing the paint job didn’t fix their shitty fuel economy.

He threw his head back so it lightly banged against the Condor’s hull, hoping the pain might help him focus. It didn’t. “Ow.” Maybe that wasn’t the best idea, but at this point what is?

Aerrow has had to make a million decisions since he started this squadron with his friends a couple of years ago. This was the hardest one. Trust Cyclonis, the actual biggest threat the Atmos has had time and time again. Or gamble with Piper’s life and hope she’ll just get better on her own. Neither looked good. She tried to kill Finn for Storm’s sake!

I can’t expect her to not take advantage of this. In some way, even if she does save PIper. Does she even still care about her? She did try to kill her right after trying to make her a traitor. She’s desperate but she’s not stupid. If she helps us she’ll be that much closer to ending up in a cell somewhere on Atmos. If she doesn’t help us it’s not like that changes. We’ll figure something out. Piper will at least. She always does.

He tried to comfort himself by recalling all the times her planning and calculations have saved their lives. Ironically more than he could count. He would’ve never made it back from the Exosphere if it weren’t for her. Or even have been able to save the Atmos from Cyclonis’ space death ray. (God their lives were weird). 

The redhead got his butt off the floor and entered the Hanger proper. The main door was wide open, revealing the dense jungle outside. He hadn’t had much of a chance to survey their surroundings without the use of their periscope. The day had just started and the cacophony of animal calls was already starting.

Aerrow hadn’t seen much wildlife other than those dragon looking things flying around the mysterious city when they arrived. They hadn’t gotten much detail at that distance. But from here he could see the trees were actually familiar in a way. They reminded him of the trees from Terra Amazonia, Gnarled and very lush. However the coloration was much different. The trunks were almost black, with hints of brown. It was difficult for him to focus on an individual trunk. The leaves were a deep turquoise. 

Sunlight seemed barely able to penetrate the thick canopy above. The grass below was sparse but grew tall under where there were gaps in the foliage. For the most part he could only see maybe half a dozen meters into the forest before the darkness completely obscured anything he wanted to see. There was the occasional fast moment of a small animal moving through the bushes. Either a bird or another creature. He couldn’t tell. 

He turned his attention back inside and could see that He and Finn were almost done repainting their rides. But Junko hadn’t made much progress. He was too busy trying to repair the Condor with Stork. He got to work, he only had the right wing left anyway.

According to their 2 mechanics’ latest report, they should have enough materials to get the engines back into running shape. The problem is fuel. Thanks to that explosion—er, explosions —the Condor lost the remainder of its fuel crystals. They were dead in the wind so to speak. Without some new powersource they were properly stranded. Unless the locals suddenly decide they want to help or…

He dropped his brush as a thought stuck him. Or Cyclonis could do it. She changes and controls crystal energy. Is that possible? Can she just, FIX the fuel problem? He shook his head. THAT was possibly even more dangerous. Giving her access to that many crystals, not to mention having their ‘ prisoner who wants to escape’ control their fuel supply sounded bad even before you take into account their personal history with her.

Aerrow finished up the wing he was working on. He put some more touches on the Storm Hawks insignia. I know we’ve built our own legacy now but I still wonder what the previous team would think. Storm Hawks stuck on the Far-Side. Who would have thought? He stood up, cracking his back and stretching his arms. “ Whelp , I should probably check on the guys. Finn should be in the kitchen by now.” He dusted off his hands and turned to leave the Hanger bay but immediately bumped into Junko. Or more accurately, Aerrow bounced off of him and fell flat on his butt. He looked up and saw Junko carrying a large box of scraps. No wonder he didn’t see me.

“Sorry Aerrow! I was in a hurry.” He adjusted his grip on the box so he could hold it with one arm. The wallop reached down and offered his squad leader his hand. Aerrow took it, practically shooting back onto his feet. He was really glad they had a wallop on their team. 

“Don’t sweat it bud!  I respect the hustle you're putting in. Any updates yet?” Aerrow put his hands on his hips, trying to project an image of authority after looking a bit foolish. 

“Well, Stork and I finished patching up the engine rooms. He said he should have the engines done by the end of the day. But we still need more fuel crystals. Otherwise we’ll be dragging the Condor back home.” Junko scratched the back of his head, “Even for me that’s asking a whole lot.” Aerrow chuckled at that. 

“Don’t worry Junko, we’ll figure something out.” Hopefully sooner rather than later. I don’t know how long Piper will hold out without help. I really don’t want to put Piper’s life in her hands. But if we don’t have another choice… “ So…is Stork already in the engine room then? I was gonna check up on Finn first but if Stork is already there then he’s closer anyway.” Junko shrugged before grabbing the box he was carrying with both hands and resuming his journey to the corner of the Hanger they decided to use for storage. Ever since they had converted the old storage room to Cyclonis’ jail cell. 

Alright then. Guess I’m stopping by the engine room then. Just to be sure. Aerrow left Junko to his own devices and headed off towards the engine room. There were two of them, but only one was damaged from Cyclonis’ attack. Thankfully . 

He rounded the corner to the starboard side engine room. From the moment he entered through the doorway it was clear how badly this place had been damaged. His nose was saturated with the smell of scorched metal and work grease. The walls were a pathwork of repurposed metal plates. Not the prettiest repair job I’ve ever seen but I’ll take functional over fancy anyday. He heard the sound of banging tools and the rev of a drill coming from beneath the mostly reconstructed engine. A pair of long legs ending in three-toed, green feet sticking out from underneath it cued him into Stork’s presence. 

“Hey there Stork!” The sound of a loud bang followed by a pained yelp made him jump but then immediately try to hide his laughter as Stork crawled from underneath his workspace. The merb was tenderly rubbing the top of his head and giving him a somewhat resentful yet also resigned look. Aerrow rubbed the back of his neck. “ Hehe, Sorry?” Stork rolled his eyes. 

“Care to tell me why you are lowering our chances of escape from this forsaken place by raising my chances of brain damage? ” The helmsman was clearly still grumpy from the late hours he’d had to pull to rebuild the engine in such an insanely short timeframe. 

“Just wanted to check on our progress. I heard from Junko that you two are almost done, but that our biggest concern is our fuel supply?” The merb grunted before pulling out a wrench and tapping the engine a few times. The Engine crystals flickered rapidly before stabilizing.

“Yeah, not a lot of life left in those…I foresee starvation and madness in our future. I hadn’t accounted for the prolonged stay in foreign territory when I put in my order of merb-cabbage, leaving our stores… low . Oh, and the extra mouth .” His displeasure was palpable. 

“ C’mon Stork you know we can’t just let our prisoner starve to death because we don’t like her. She’s entitled to food at the very least.” Aerrow believed that wholeheartedly. He and his team were heroes. Even when it was hard to stay one. 

“Be that as it may, realistically we are going to have to either start drawing straws.” Aerrow raised an eyebrow. “ Or start doing some recon and seeing what we can incorporate into our diet out here. FYI, foraging in a foreign ecosystem is one of the top four reasons stranded survivors never make it out alive .” Stork was clearly exaggerating like always but he brought up a good point nonetheless. Food was getting scarce.They had already run out of the non -merbian rations Piper had learned to make from their leftovers in the fridge. “Let me spell it out for you. Starting today—and accounting for everyone partaking in my only remaining food supply —We have 3 days worth of reliable merb-sanctioned cabbage left.” Stork let that sink in. Before adding under his breath, “ Give or take a day if someone can’t stand the taste of cabbage.”  

Aerrow pinched the bridge of his nose to clear the headache that was forming. 

”OK. So…aside from all that. What do you suggest we do about the fuel?” Stork gives him a long look, glances at the engine and gives him the most deadpan response Aerrow had heard him make up until that point.

“Remember the giant hamster-wheel that Piper’s twin rigged for us that one time?” The merb waited until the look of realization appeared on Aerrow’s face, “Yeah… that . Hope you’ve kept up your cardio.” Stork returned to lying on the floor and crawled back under the engine, where the sounds of welding could now be heard. Aerrow sighed. 

“Thanks, good to know we have something along the lines of a back up plan.” He turned and left the merb to do his work. His spirits have taken enough of a beating today. The teen was at his ropes end. He did his best to shake off the despair as best he could before walking towards the Galley. He had barely reached the door before it opened, revealing a humming Finn. The blonde’s arms are fully loaded with plates of… strange looking fruits .

Finn was slightly startled to see Aerrow standing right next to him. “Wha-Oh! Hey Aerrow, how’s it going?” That made Aerrow smile a bit. It was nice to have someone ask him that. He looked down and saw Radarr was accompanying Finn with a glass of water. His fuzzy co-pilot gave him a chirp in greeting and waved. 

“I’m fine, thanks for asking Finn. And good morning to you too Radarr. At least someone is in a good mood today.” He gave the assortment of inscrutable fruit Finn was holding a questioning look. “Is that…safe to eat? ” He crossed his arms and gave Finn an expectant look.

“Well, we were running out of food so, me and Radarr decided to just…y’know, forage?” He gave Aerrow his best puppy-dog eyes but Aerrow’s face was not budging an inch. Stork’s words were still fresh in Aerrow’s mind. “Um, we haven’t, like, tried them yet. But I’ll eat anything if it means I don’t have to eat merb-cabbage for dinner.” Aerrow sighed. 

“Ok Finn. I understand. Honestly, it’s better if we start figuring out what we can eat now instead of when we are half-crazy from eating merb-cabbage too long.” Or from starvation when we run out. He gave Finn a pat on the shoulder and a nod. “Collect as much different fruit as you can. Be careful, try to only touch stuff that something else is clearly eating. Avoid anything that moves. We’ll sort out what’s good and what’s not good to eat later. Did you give Piper her breakfast?” Finn nodded but suddenly became despondent, looking downward.

“Yeah…I left it with her.” FInn looked at him with pure concern in his eyes. “She’s not alright. Is she? I heard her crying before I knocked. I didn’t want to bother her but she needed to eat. Why was she upset, Aerrow?” Radarr had walked over to Aerrow’s side and placed a paw on his leg, lending his support.

“She’s sick again, Finn. She needs all our support.” Aerrow placed his hand back on Finn’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze, “We owe her too much. It’s time we step up for her, right?” Finn's face became a mask of duty. He nodded sharply before turning around to continue his collection of fruit.

Radarr chirped up at him. “Alright pal you can help him out a bit more. Keep an eye on him.” The blue-furred co-pilot gave him a salute before running after Finn.

Aerrow took a deep breath and decided a patrol around the Condor would do him some good. He made his way outside. The sun was finally at full strength and he quickly found himself skirting the treeline. They had been lucky to find the clearing when they had. Otherwise they’d be in much worse shape. For now we need to stay strong. Who knows what else is waiting for us out there…

Chapter Text

Finn’s day started when Aerrow knocked on his bedroom door. The blonde teen groaned into his pillow. He dragged himself out of bed, knocking over several of his possessions but not caring about them this early into the day. Finn slipped his shoes on and stumbled towards the door like a zombie. 

He opened it revealing the familiar look of impatient disappointment on his Leader’s face. “Finn! I need you to do something for me while I check up on the rest of the ship. Can you get Piper something to eat in an hour? She still needs some more sleep.” Finn Yawned. 

“And I don’t?” Aerrow crossed his arms and lowered his eyebrows, “Just kidding man, I gotcha. I’ll take care of her, don't worry.” He gave Aerrow a dismissive wave of his hand as he produced another yawn. His friend nodded before walking away. 

Finn locked his fingers and extended his arms upwards, stretching as hard as he could. His spine cracked as he twisted his body. He smiled. Another day without having to fight Cyclonians! I know this place isn’t exactly Terra Tropica but it’s hot and the trees are the right kind, I think. No beach though.

He started walking towards the kitchen. Finn wondered what exactly was even left other than merb-cabbage. He wanted to give Piper something that would help her recover, not send her to the other side. 

Entering the kitchen, he started hunting for anything edible he could cobble together for Piper. He managed to find a single potato (or more accurately the only one without excessive sprouts) and the last can of processed meat. Simple and somewhat nutritious. Good enough for me. 

“Eternal meat and hashbrowns it is!” He exclaimed as he fired up the stove. After a few minutes of only mildly burning his ingredients he loaded the meat and potatoes onto a plate with a fork and grabbed a glass of water(they had run out of juice 3 days ago) before heading over to the infirmary where his customer was awaiting her breakfast. Finn had to fight the urge to take a couple of bites before he arrived at his destination. Don’t think about it, don’t smell it, don’t eat it. Piper needs every bit of this. C’mon Finn you need to think about her not yourself for once. 

Miraculously, he reached the doors to the infirmary without succumbing to his instincts. Only for the sound of…sobbing, to reach his ears. “Wha?” he pressed his ear against the door and could hear Piper’s voice. She was indeed crying. Why is she balling? Did Aerrow say something to her? Is she hurt? Oh don’t be stupid Finn of course she’s hurt! Stork literally had to spend an hour getting all the metal bits out of her stomach. But I don’t know why she’s crying now.

He didn’t know what to do. His chest hurt hearing her so upset but he didn’t want to barge in and embarrass her by catching her mid-cry, not today at least. And her food was getting cold. Hmmmmmm. Suddenly, he had a brilliant idea. Finn took several steps backwards down the hall. Once he felt he was far enough for it to be convincing he started to stomp his way towards the door. His ridiculously loud footsteps seemed to do the trick because when he reached the door again he couldn’t hear any sobs. He knocked. 

“Hello! Is anyone hungry in there? I got a piping hot plate of breakfast just getting cold out here!” Finn could hear a small laugh and smiled. 

“Come in!” Her voice sounded much more cheery so he opened the door with his elbow and stepped right in. He saw her and did his best not to react to her puffy red eyes, or her much paler than normal skin. 

“Morning Piper! I thought you could use some well-needed nutrition, courtesy of yours truly. Yep, busted out my best cooking techniques, plating prowess and raw skill just for you. You’re welcome.” He gave a dramatic bow after handing her the plate and glass of water. He looked up and gave her his characteristic eyebrow waggle. She tried to hold her laughter but couldn’t and simply busted out laughing. That made him smile wider. I love it when she laughs at my jokes cuz it means she isn’t thinking about something sad anymore. 

She regained control of herself before clearing her throat. “Thank you Finn. I absolutely appreciate you checking in on me. I wasn’t expecting you for another hour though.” He realized he had Immediately forgotten that Aerrow had asked him to wait before delivering her breakfast. He probably knew that Piper needed time to deal with some stuff before her ‘ bumbling brother’ came to give her breakfast. I’m such an idiot.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. “Nonsense , the Finnster only provides the best service!” Finn popped his famous finger guns and winked at her. She smiled and offered her hand. He kneeled down and took it into his own hands. Waiting to hear what she had to say.

“Thanks Finn, I really can’t tell you enough how lucky I feel to have you as a frie—No— as a brother.” He actually felt himself tearing up a bit. He patted the back of her hand and stood up. He nonchalantly wiped his eyes by pretending he was fixing his hair. 

“Anytime.” He clapped his hands before pointing at her plate. “Enjoy that, I had to fight the urge to eat it for you so enjoy it while it’s hot okay?” She nodded. Glad she’s feeling better. Finn decided his work here was done and promptly left the room so she could enjoy her meal. He didn’t think much of the small cough or two he heard as he walked away…

…After Finn met back up with Aerrow and learned that Piper was crying because she was sick again he decided he was not going to sit idly by. He had collected about as much fruit as they could store for the moment (without a storeroom). And decided to grab an armful of various fruits. He was hoping to figure out which ones were good to eat with Piper’s help.

He entered the infirmary “Hey Piper, want to help me find out which of these won’t give us-” He didn’t finish his sentence as his heart almost stopped when he saw her. Blank stare, unnaturally pale skin, and foam around her mouth. She wasn’t breathing. He dropped the fruit and immediately dove to her side. “PIPER! ” He shook her, waved his hand in front of her face, called her name right next to her ear but nothing made her react. Finn ran to the intercom next to the door. “GUYS! Get here NOW! Piper is-” His voice choked, “She needs help! HURRY!” 

Finn felt hot tears running down his cheeks as he knelt by her side and begged her to wake up, to react, something.

“No no no no…. ” This can’t be happening again, Oh please Aurora not again! He heard footsteps behind him but he couldn’t bear to tear his eyes away from his fading sister. He felt a hand on his shoulder and instinctually shrugged it off. Until a much larger and stronger hand grabbed him by the arm and started yanking him away. “ NO! Get off of me!” He started punching the person holding him wildly. He realized it was Junko of course and stopped hitting him but didn’t stop trying to get back to Piper’s side. 

“FINN! It’s me, just calm down. Stork is here and he’s gonna help her. Sit over here with me okay?” Junko did his best to keep his voice calm. He didn’t seem to care at all that his best friend just tried attacking him. He knew it was a raw emotional reaction. The wallop’s eyes were misty and his voice warbled often. But his grip held firm. Slowly Finn started to calm down. He couldn’t stop shaking. He turned back to see Stork hard at work setting up an IV drip and a heart rate monitor. The merb was already filling a syringe with a clear fluid. He injected it into her arm. A moment later she took a sharp breath. She had been suffocating.

Finn was finally sitting down but he was anything but relaxed. His foot was tapping the floor 3 times a second. He was biting his nails, and cradling his head. His eyes darted between Piper and the floor repeatedly, as seeing her suffer like this made his stomach hurt. After a minute, Junko nudged his arm to get his attention. His friend pointed to Aerrow who had been calling to him, but Finn hadn’t realized it. 

“Finn, I need you to come with me. I’m going to the brig and I need someone to have my back. Are you coming?” Aerrow needed him. But Finn couldn’t stop looking at Piper on the cot, fighting for every second of her life…

So he shook his head at Aerrow, wrapping his arms around himself. He saw Aerrow’s shoulders slump slightly before Finn saw him give Junko a look and a nod. One that Junko returned. What did they just agree on? That I’m staying here so Junko has to look after me? C’mon! I’m not some stupid, kid…But that’s what we are isn’t it. We are just kids. And we’re a million miles from home with no one to help us. 

He held his head in his hands and let the tears he’d been holding back all this time flow free. Aurora, help us. 

Cyclonis hadn’t completely recovered from her conversation with Piper just yet. It had been a few hours since she had poured out her heart to her arch rival. Enough for her to feel every ounce of shame she experienced from her complete and utter lack of control over her emotions. You should be embarrassed to call yourself a Cyclonis. Grandmother would have been mortified to see how weak her ‘heir’ had become. 

Suddenly she heard a loud shouting over the intercom. There wasn’t a speaker near her cell. She could have sworn she heard Piper’s name though. I wonder what the problem is, the Storm Hawk sounded…distressed.

.

.

.

Oh no. No no no no! They couldn’t have arrived yet! I still need time to figure out how to make sure the fools aren’t exterminated outright! She had been pondering the best way to…well…’save the Storm Hawks’. Even the thought made her stomach upset. Cyclonis had already made several choices she considered nonsensical. Most of which happened before she ever went to this Aurora forsaken land. Why stop now?

Lying to herself about how she felt was pointless. Piper was correct. And she knew that at the very least the sole person she cared for was indeed her fellow crystal mage. And by extension that meant her ‘ Family’ were off limits. Worse. If they died, Piper would most likely never talk to her again. So far she knew she had to get out of these cuffs…

Just then she heard rapid footsteps approaching. Cyclonis got to her feet once again. If it’s Piper I need to get her to remove these cuffs from me. She’ll trust me if I act emotionally vulnerable again. She is too kind to ignore her empathetic nature…

But it wasn’t Piper that was frantically trying to open her cell, it was the leader of the Storm Hawks. Aerrow. And he looked very upset. Her body naturally tensed up, in case she needed to fight. If he wants trouble he will get more than his share.

However, the sky knight had other plans. “Cyclonis, I mean Master Cyclonis. We need your help.” He is trying to ingratiate himself with me by using my title. It’s serious. She nodded at him to continue. “It’s Piper, she’s dying.”

The moment her brain registered what he said, Cyclonis felt her heart drop. Her blood turned to ice. And her eyes widened as a gasp escaped her throat. Her worst fears were already being realized. “Show me, NOW.” There was no hesitation in her voice. Surprising both of them. But the look on his face told her he was past the point of suspicion. He knew she cared. And that she was his last hope.

He walked over to her and pulled out a key to unlock her leg shackle. The moment she was free she began to walk towards the doorway but felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Aerrow’s, the look on his face was as serious as the grave.

“Don’t make me regret this.” Cyclonis nodded but he pulled her back, he wasn’t done. “Cyclonis, I meant it. If she doesn’t come home, neither do you. Understand?” She stared at him for a moment. Her face is an impassive mask.

“If she doesn’t make it home, then none of you will either. And I will be the last of my kind. Trust me, Storm Hawk. Piper will not die today, not if I can help it .” He let out a huff through his nose. 

“Alright, let’s go.” Aerrow released her shoulder and opened the door for her, “Follow me.” He took off running down the hall with Cyclonis hot on his heels. They passed several empty rooms, Cyclonis couldn’t help but find the layout of the ship familiar from the multiple times she’s infiltrated it. So she knew exactly where she was going. Aerrow was surprised with how well she was navigating the ship, keeping perfect pace with him.

Finally, they reached the infirmary. The moment she entered the other members of the team immediately became hostile. Finn didn’t even hesitate to pull out his energy bow and point it right at her face. Cyclonis froze and Aerrow quickly put himself between them, hands raised in surrender. “Woah! Finn, hold on!” The look in the blonde’s eyes is almost intimidating, Cyclonis thought.

“What is she doing here!?” Finn’s voice was rougher than usual, his screaming for help hadn’t done him any favors. The wallop had also gotten ready to fight. Knocking his knuckle busters together, lighting them up and raising his fists. Aerrow raised his palm to stop the wallop in his tracks. Junko glanced at Aerrow’s face and back towards Cyclonis, his gaze lingering on her cuffs before lowering his arms. Finn hadn’t moved an inch. He was still aiming at her face. Oh he’s serious alright. I wonder why he’s so much more protective of Piper than the rest.

“Aerrow, are you sure this is safe?” Aerrow nodded. The wallop started backing off and even put his hand on the blonde’s shoulder to try and calm him down. Finn narrowed his gaze at Cyclonis.

“Finn, You have to put the bow down. She is going to help us save Piper. I know you don’t like it, but I need you to trust me,  I wouldn’t be allowing this if there was another way. But there isn’t.” The energy bow shook in Finn’s grasp but he eventually lowered it. 

Cyclonis smirked briefly at him but then quickly focused her attention on the girl in need on the cot. Her chest seized and her face fell as she saw how much Piper’s condition had worsened. The girl was paler than she had ever been during the fall of Cyclonia. Her eyes had sunken in, a respirator mask was placed on her mouth. She seemed to be unconscious. But most worrying for the empress was that she could see the black veins that had crawled up Piper’s arms and now framed her eyes. She’s holding on by a thread…I don’t know if I can even save her now…

The goth felt her anger flare up inside herself. WHY DIDN'T SHE SAY ANYTHING!? Was it not obvious that…that what? You can’t pretend that you are somehow trustworthy just because you balled your eyes out in front of her. As much as she hated it, her inner voice was right. Piper would have put her team at risk if she had asked for help from her ‘worst enemy’. I should have noticed she was unstable. Her nervousness, her carelessness. Asking about my abilities. She was telling me indirectly and I missed every single sign. Cyclonis was ashamed of herself for not being able to prevent the painful sight in front of her. She turned to Aerrow.

“I need these cuffs off. Now.” He raised his eyebrow at her. 

“Why, just tell us what’s wrong with her.” She glared at him. Gritting her teeth.

“She is dying because she has been slowly depleting her life energy using the binding incorrectly. And when she was injured her body didn’t have enough energy to heal properly. Now her organs are failing as well as her other systems. It’s fatal unless she is given enough energy to reverse the process without overloading her body.” Cyclonis had to catch her breath. “I can do it. I can give her the energy she needs while controlling the flow so that it doesn’t kill her. But I can’t do anything with these cuffs on.”

Finn immediately spoke his mind. “You can’t honestly believe she is telling the truth, right? ” He looked at his squad leader expecting the same reaction but was outraged to see Aerrow pulling out a key, “C’mon, Aerrow! There is no way she’s not just gonna fry us and leave Piper to die!” Finn even stepped closer to his friend to try and snatch away the key but Aerrow grabbed his wrist.

“Damn it, Finn! I told you, we don’t have a choice . This is Piper’s only chance. Even if she’s lying we wouldn’t know how to fix her.” Finn wore a pained expression but backed down. Aerrow walked over to her and deliberately took his time to unlock the cuffs. He looked her dead in the eye, it was clear he was searching for something in her gaze. It seems he found it because he twisted the key. A soft click indicated she was now free. 

He took the cuffs away and Cyclonis rubbed her wrists. She could feel her powers returning to her as they reacted to the crystals around her. As well as the black hole of energy behind her. A chill ran up her spine, as her hair stood on end. She turned around and could almost see the little energy left in Piper’s body scramble to fix the damage that she herself had caused. I did this…I’m so sorry Piper.

The empress walked to Piper’s side, to get a better look. But immediately jerked her head back as Radarr suddenly appeared. He fiercely growled at her as he stood protectively over his sick comrade. She scowled back at him at first, but realized she needed to deal with this the right way. So she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Cyclonis gazed into his eyes with as much sincerity as she could muster. Her face calm and her tone even as she whispered to him. “Please, let me help. I can’t lose her too.” He ceased growling and looked at her funny, tilting his head. He stared at her for a moment before nodding and hopping off the cot to stand next to the adult Merb on the other side of the bed. 

She saw a small four-fingered hand grasp Piper’s. Cyclonis realized he had been by Piper’s side the entire time and she had never even noticed. She motioned for the merb to give her space. He grumbled but stepped back without any protest. 

Okay. Her body is failing to repair itself with the limited to non-existent life energy inside her now. So I need a surplus amount of energy. I require a medium to administer said energy and more importantly I need to keep her energy levels from rising at an unstable pace. Concentration is key. But first thing’s first..

“Aerrow, I require you to quickly assemble as many crystals as you can and bring them here. I also require the biggest and highest quality crystal in Piper’s collection as a medium.” He nodded and motioned for Finn and Junko to come with him. Leaving Stork and Radarr to keep an eye on her and Piper. 

“Alright guys let’s make it quick!” The three left. Leaving Cyclonis with just Stork and the creature. She took the time to remove the medical instruments the merb had laid out and store them in their proper place. She would need space to work. She left Piper’s respirator mask on as it was the only way Piper was able to breathe. She saw that Radarr was still holding onto Piper’s hand and gently petting it. As much as she tried not to, Cyclonis did find it endearing.

“When they return with the crystals, You’ll have to let go of her hand. Okay?” He whined at her but nodded in understanding. “Wouldn’t want to drain you in the process. I’d never hear the end of it from her.” He gave her a small smile and she couldn’t help but return it with a small one of her own. Don’t get ahead of yourself, you still need to actually get her through this…

Upon closer examination she could see that Piper was indeed extremely energy deficient like she had thought. And felt. It’s strange. I hadn’t thought that The Binding allowed for such in depth energy detection. I can actually see the energy in her body pooling around her wounds. But as a result every other part of her body is left to fend for itself. It’s starving. “Merb, I require an IV drip. She is going to require a Dextrose solution fed directly into her bloodstream. Her digestive system is too fragile for a tube feeding at the moment.” For his credit the Merb did not skip a single beat. He knew exactly where every single thing he needed for what she asked was located. 

He was already done assembling the IV stand and was filling the bag when he threw her a look over his shoulder. “By the way, the name is Stork, your highness. Not Merb. ” His irreverent tone was grating but she had more pressing matters to attend. 

“I’ll keep that in mind. Now hurry and hook her up. Don’t be as stingy with the Dextrose as you are with rations. She is going to burn through a lot very quickly and once I start the energy infusion process I cannot stop. Understand?” He adjusted the solution accordingly as he rolled his eyes at her. 

“Of course. I just hope your magic is as reliable as centuries of tested science.” He finished his job and promptly moved to the other side of the room before she could respond. Busying himself with taking inventory of their remaining medical supplies. And avoiding eye contact with her. 

Finally, the rest of the Storm Hawks arrived with a large bucket full of crystals in tow. The trio had outdone themselves. Just from where she was standing she could feel the sheer concentration of energy on the other side of the room. A cruel contrast to the empty void gnawing away at Piper’s life. Cyclonis immediately sprang into action giving them orders.

“Bring them here!” She waved them over to her and as soon as the bucket was close enough she began levitating the crystals out of their container. One by one the crystals floated through the air and to a designated location she had cleared for them. Soon there was a perimeter of crystals hovering in the air around Piper. Cyclonis made sure to grab the floater crystal as it was the one she would need for the medium. It was the highest quality crystal on board. Piper had taken great care in crafting it. Now it would be the key to her salvation. While the team was paying attention to the crystals floating through the air she discreetly had 3 of the smaller ones slip under Piper’s sheets, where they would be hidden. 

“This crystal’s structure is very close to what the uneducated would call… perfect .” She closed her hands around it, shielding it from view and shut her eyes. Suddenly it began to glow. Brighter and brighter until nothing else could be seen in the room but it’s light! Until it slowly faded. As the team’s eyes adjusted they saw that the deep blue crystal in her grasp was now a bright radioactive green . “As a result it is far easier to transmute into a crystal of a different structure, or type. Like a Nil crystal. Hopefully, it’s pure enough for what I intend to do.” She turned back towards Piper and began to focus. 

The team saw as suddenly the crystals in the air began to shine brightly. Not nearly as much as the previous light show but enough to make them flinch. Slowly, thin trails of energy began to stretch from each crystal towards Cyclonis herself. Her form began to softly glow as she absorbed more and more energy. She leaned over and gently placed the rather large Nil crystal on Piper’s chest. She carefully scooped up Piper’s hands and placed them above the crystal on her chest, ‘completing the circuit.’ 

“Whatever you all do, do NOT come any closer until this is done. Is this understood?” Aerrow nodded, crossing his arms. Junko did his best to maintain a brave face as he began pacing. Finn was the most nervous, he stayed outside the perimeter she had established but his gaze was locked onto PIper’s face. 

Cyclonis Places her hand over both of Piper’s as she uses every shred of focus she had within herself to begin the flow of energy to the Nil crystal and to Piper. Normally, Nil Crystals require days of strict motionlessness from the subject in order to repair anything. Their energy output is so fickle when repairing organic matter that it’s the only way to make sure a wound will heal properly. It is better at repairing crystals. At knitting their energy back together. I have to carefully assign the correct amount of energy into the damaged areas of Piper’s body so that the nil crystal treats them like it would a crystal. Fix to the previous structure. Nothing more, nothing less.

As Cyclonis felt the collected energy steadily flow down her arm and into Piper she couldn't help but look at the injured girl’s face. Even when pale and on the brink of death she could still see an echo of the bubbly girl in her visage. Before she could stop herself, Cyclonis reached up with her other hand and cupped Piper’s cheek. Her skin was cold against her fingertips. Clammy even. Behind her, Aerrow gave her actions a suspicious look. Finn had already closed his eyes, saying a silent prayer to whatever deity he could make up.

If the flow is too slow it may make me fall into cardiac arrest. If it is too fast, her organs rupture. An image of the Dark Ace exploding crosses her mind. It is ugly and she shakes it off, Sweat beading up on her forehead as she concentrates. Several minutes pass. Crystals begin to fall to the floor, dark and dead as their charge runs out. She started with 20, now she was down to 16…15…11…Her power supply was dwindling. It wouldn’t be long until all that was left was her own. Too dangerous. Way too dangerous. 

Her emotions were welling up inside her as the number of crystals around her fell into the single digits. Her chest ached with words she needed to say. Because she didn’t know if she would ever get another opportunity to say them. 

“C’mon Piper, ” She whispered, “I didn’t lose it all just to lose you too! Don’t make me a fool for trusting in you. Wake up!” Eventually the crystal had healed all that it could and she fed what remained of all the energy into Piper directly. Filling up her reserves. Hopefully.

Soon the only remaining crystal was the Nil crystal. It had been pulsating for the last couple of minutes. Almost as if it was matching the rate of Piper’s heart. But now it has stopped. All the floating crystals were dead. And the room was filled with silence. Until the soft sound of sobbing reached her ears Cyclonis didn’t have to turn around to know it was Finn. Junko soon joined him, not fighting back the sobs as they believed she had failed. Doubt entered her mind as well, it felt as though her heart was slipping into that dark void that had formed when she lost her grandmother. And when she had lost Ace.

Cyclonis felt her lips begin to tremble as the seconds dragged on. She reached out a hand to remove the Nil crystal from Piper’s chest only to jump in shock as Piper suddenly gasped for air! Her skin had even gained a hint of its normal color. Rich and lively, just like the bark of the trees in my grandmother’s garden. Thank goodness…

Piper's eyes cracked open, those amber hues catching Cyclonis’ attention like they always do . She sees Cyclonis standing beside her with small tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. The girl she saved weakly smiles at her, and Cyclonis can’t help but return that warm smile in spite of herself. “Welcome back-”

The goth barely had time to move aside after hearing rapid footsteps before the boys rushed to Piper’s side! They can’t restrain their joy and praise her for pulling through. She nearly stumbled into the wall as every young member of the Storm Hawks bum rushed Piper with pure affection. But even in their excitement, no one put too much pressure on her. Treating her like fragile glass. Cyclonis stood back. Feeling like she was intruding in on something she wasn’t supposed to be. So, this is what “family” looks like. It’s…nice. 

She had grabbed the nil crystal along with a few of the smaller ones while none of them were looking. She quickly changed the big Nil crystal as well as three small ones behind her back. Cyclonis sighed. The seeds of doubt were growing in her mind. Is this really the only way?

Aerrow was still celebrating with his friends but looked up and saw the troubled look on the former queen’s face. His smile disappeared, replaced with a mildly concerned frown. He peeled himself away from the rest of his squad and approached her. “Hey uh, Cyclonis. Is everything all right?” She could see his hand twitching at his hip, where she saw the cuffs hanging. 

“Everything is fine. I am simply basking in the success of my genius. That’s all.” He smirked. He was standing in front of her. He reached down and calmly grabbed the cuffs. “Are those really necessary? I think I’ve proven I am more than capable of cooperation.” I’d rather not have to do this with violence. Not here. Piper is barely even conscious and any major disruption to her healing process could cause a massive backlash.

“Sorry, Cyclonis.” The young sky knight looked conflicted. Until he found his resolve. Duty above emotion. She respected that. “I owe you for saving one of the most important people in my life. And I know that this is probably the worst way to reward you for saving someone’s life. But you’re still the most wanted person on the Atmos. And you do have a lot to answer for. I’m glad you’ve made some progress. Faster than anyone could have expected. But we’ve already taken enough massive risks. I can’t take one more. So please, don’t make this harder than it has to-” Before he could finish his sentence an obnoxiously loud alarm blared from the room’s speakers. She could hear it echoing all throughout the ship.

“ Proximity alarm!” Stork yelled as he scrambled over to the porthole to take a look outside. Cyclonis could feel the faint signal of several dozen crystals, but they felt...strange. “There’s nothing there? Of course there is! That’s what the damn ALARM is for!” The merb was growing more hysterical by the second, mumbling about invisible jungle monsters and Far-Side ghosts.

Cyclonis felt the signals getting closer. I wonder if it’s some sort of weapon. Most likely more deadly and effective than whatever they gave me. Aerrow immediately began to bark orders at the other male Storm Hawks who scrambled to prepare for an attack. Now or never. 

She quickly raised her arm, the big crystal in her palm was now a bright blue crystal. Aerrow saw her move and opened his mouth to yell out a warning to his team but in a flash it was over. They had all been paralyzed, all except for Piper. The commotion and noise had stopped. The alarm had already died down. The crystal was no more.

Cyclonis took a deep breath and released it slowly. It was silent save for the faint buzz of the paralyzing energy coursing each member of the Storm Hawks, save for the one on the cot. She walked through them, avoiding their accusatory gazes, and kneeled by Radarr. His gaze was full of hurt, and fear. She reached out to him slowly, making sure to not move too quickly and gently moved his body so that he was on his back. That way he wouldn’t fall over in case the Condor moved. She looked at him with a soft, apologetic look and said…

“I’m…sorry. I’m so very sorry. I didn’t want to do this little one but I have no choice. Radarr …was it? I need you to take care of this.” She held up one of the small crystals she had also changed when she turned the Floater into a Paralyzer. It was a pink colored stone. “This is the most important thing in the world for you to keep safe. The bad men are here. And they will hurt everyone here if you don’t keep this safe. I know I must look like the most untrustworthy girl you’ve ever seen. Radarr, please . Stay hidden until the time is right. You’ll be able to save us all if you do.” She activated the crystal and pressed the small Cloaking crystal into his palm. She closed his fingers around it and patted his hand. Suddenly he vanished from view. She gently slides him beneath Piper’s cot, taking care not to hit his head on the metal undercarriage. Cyclonis gave him a smile where she thought he was before standing back up. “I’ll make it up to you one day. Promise.”

She slowly walked around the cot to Piper’s side, the girl had barely started her recovery, and was on the verge of passing out again. Piper’s eyes followed her as Cyclonis got closer and closer to her. The bedridden girl seemed slightly distressed. So Cyclonis began to gently rub her arm. “Don’t worry, they aren’t being harmed. I know what this looks like. I swear on my grandmother’s grave that it isn't that. It won’t be long until you lose consciousness. So pay close attention Piper.” With a flick of her wrist Cyclonis produced another one of the small crystals seemingly out of midair. “This is a warp crystal. It’s weak. But it works. I need you to keep this hidden and bide your time. I’ll contact you when I can.” She reached up and slipped the small gem under Piper’s orange headband. Cyclonis’ face had gotten a bit close to Piper’s. They locked eyes and the goth swallowed nervously. Quickly pulling away. The former queen gave her one last look, staying just long enough to see Piper slip back into sleep’s embrace.

Cyclonis could feel that the energy signatures had stopped their approach. They are waiting for me. She steeled herself as  best she could. Wiping any sign of weakness from her face and putting on the mask of a pompous Master who never doubted what she was doing. She exited the infirmary. Leaving the Hawks she had paralyzed in their places alongside their unconscious navigator. No hesitation, no mercy, no weakness.

She found the hanger bay and walked out into the sunlight. What was left of it. Much time had passed since her heart-to-heart with Piper. The forest around her was silent. Only the rustling of leaves in the wind reached her ears. The animal sounds she had heard almost every moment during the chase with the Storm Hawks were nowhere to be found. They are afraid of something. More accurately, someone…

Cyclonis walked several paces until she was standing in the center of the clearing the Condor had landed in. Her posture was perfect. Her outfit wasn’t as pristine as she would have liked it to be. It didn’t quite give off the impression she was a victor. But she hoped to make up for that with presence alone. “I have returned! ” She announced with all the gravitas of the queen addressing her kingdom. “Victory has been claimed over the Atmos and Cyclonia stands tall as the sole ruler of a thousand Terras!” She slowly turned, her eyes scanning the treeline as she talked. No one. “Is this how you greet your guests? I am an ally of the Emerald Imperium and I demand an audience!” The wind rustled the treetops again. Her eyes caught a glint of metal as a heavily armed (and even more heavily armored) soldier appeared from the shadows between black tree trunks. He raised his arm, opened his fist and waved forward. 

Suddenly, dozens upon dozens of blue glowing eyes suddenly lit up. Everywhere she looked there was a pair of chilling lights staring at her from the trees. Every soldier that had been keeping themselves hidden stepped forward. Some of them had armor that had been black one moment only to shift to a shiny green and chrome pattern. Their glowing eyes had been goggles attached to their helmets. Almost every inch of them was covered in armor. Some had removed their mouth plates, or more accurately, retracted them. There was a spike in energy behind her, and a shadow fell over her. She kept still, forcing her body not to move. Even as every muscle and fibre of her being begged her to run.

Ah, it’s him… The mage slowly turned to face the monster towering over her. “General Gargan . A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” The General was a 7 foot tall metal behemoth. His eyes were burning yellow lenses tinged with blood red. Each glowing eye was encircled by metal, the soulless ‘eyes’ were wedged beneath his furrowed pale brow. His face was as if the last vestiges of humanity had been plastered onto a metal sculpture. It was the only skin she could see. And she doubted if it was even skin, it was marked with deep cuts from past battles. But they were not scars, there was nothing to scar over. Just more of the machine beneath. His jaw was pure titanium, and more of it lined his neck with red hydraulics and black armor plating making up the majority of his body. His shoulders and arms were covered in thick armor plating with glowing embedded crystals providing power to his limbs. His hands were metal claws tipped in titanium as well. His lower half is the only part of him with clothing. Cloth wrappings and a loincloth preserved his modesty. As if he has any to hide . He had a long flowing train of fabric behind him. His knee armor was spiked. Just like his feet. Both clearly used for violence.

“We detected multiple life signs aboard your craft. Where are your crew? Are there hostile elements? ” His voice had a synthetic element to it, and he emphasized every word exactly the same without pause between sentences. Most likely he did not have vocal chords to speak. She couldn’t hear him breathing either. The whirring and clicking of his mechanical parts had gotten louder. He had been expecting conflict, preparing to attack. Which is why she knew better than to tap into her power. Lest she be mistaken for an enemy.

“There were…” His eyes glowed brighter. “But I handled them. I commandeered their vessel after the battle as mine was too heavily damaged. They are now my hostages . And are not to be harmed.” She saw his claws twitch in the corner of her eye. “All hostiles have been neutralized. General. One is recovering in a medical bay. She will need more care during her transport to the Capital.” Cyclonis saw his eyes return to their normal glow and his mechanisms slowly quiet down. But his disappointment was palpable. He looked towards the soldiers behind her.

“ Very well. Men! Enter the craft and secure all neutralized hostiles. If they resist. Destroy them. ” She felt her hackles raise.

“ I said-” He cut her off immediately when he moved his head unnaturally fast to look at her, leaning in close before she could even blink. Her mouth froze mid-word. She couldn’t move.

“I am in charge when enemy combatants are involved on Imperiium territory. And I reserve the authority to DESTROY any and all threats should I deem it necessary.” There was a shred of emotion to his voice. Mostly just rage. So he is human it would seem. At least when challenged on his authority.

“Yes, General. I understand and apologize. But I assure you it will not be necessary. I made sure of it myself.” Cyclonis could see the soldiers carrying out the paralyzed Storm Hawks down the hanger bay ramp. Piper was on a hovering stretcher with what appeared to be a medic by her side with white armor. No Radarr, good. She returned her attention to the General. The brief fear that had gripped her was gone. “Shall we?” He stared at her for a brief moment (though it wasn’t like he had another choice with no eyelids to speak of). And straightened his metal spine. He raised his claw to motion more soldiers over to them. Most likely her new escorts. He gave her one more look of barely perceptible contempt before speaking.

“Welcome to the Far-Side, Master Cyclonis. Land of the Emerald Empress and home of the Emerald Imperium. ”

Chapter Text

When Piper opens her eyes to nothing but darkness, she immediately panics. What is this!? The black void suffocates her with its unrelenting night. She strains her eyes to see into the dark as hard as she can but no matter how desperately she tries, the darkness does not relent. Help! HELP! I can’t stand the dark! Please…

As if answering her plea, blinding blue light fills her vision. Candles, they light themselves in a circle around her. That’s better but…where am I? Piper can suddenly see that she’s in the center of a strange library that she has never seen before. Behind her is a large imposing portrait of a monarch long passed. Anarchis. She sees other, smaller paintings of the Dark Ace and Cyclonia itself. 

I don’t know this place. I don’t think I’m supposed to be here… As if sensing her discomfort, the shadows responded by crawling towards her until she was trapped in the center of the room. The candles flicker precariously….threatening to swallow in her darkness yet again. Piper is terrified. 

“ Where am I!? ” “ Cyclonis! Is this you!?” No one answers but suddenly she notices a small table in the center of the room. Barely illuminated by the flickering blue light of the candles. It's a book, a…diary. She isn’t sure why she thinks this but she sees the black Occucrow with crimson eyes emboldened on the cover and knows it must be important. The corners of the book are decorated in silver and a sterling lock gleams at her, teasingly. It holds the book shut, a part of her tells her it will be impossible to open without a key no matter what she does to it. 

Why do I know that? And…why do I want to know what’s inside it so badly?

Piper decides that she should try and investigate by reading a book that isn’t locked. Wandering over to one of the shelves with more candle light she noticed that none of the books had any way to really tell them apart. All were a dark reddish purple with no titles on their spines or covers. That’s…odd. 

She picked one at random and opened it. At first it seemed empty (no surprise there, this whole place didn’t make sense). Then she heard something, a faint noise. She checked around and saw no one. when she focused on the book she heard the noise again. Her eyes went  wide as she realized there was a scene playing out like a projection on the pages of the book! She saw a little girl, dark hair and pale-skinned, running around a small courtyard full of many different kinds of plants. Trees, flowers, shrubs. Many of them looked rare to Piper. 

Her eyes followed the little girl as she played with models of skimmers. The girl was making them ‘fly around’ ith her little chubby hands. All the while making engine noises with her mouth. Oh my god that is the CUTEST little thing! Piper felt herself smiling in spite of her dour surroundings. The little girl’s antics had melted her heart. It seemed for a moment as if the darkness at the edge of the candlelight had lessened, returning to its proper boundaries. 

Piper continued to watch the scene and suddenly gasped as a figure had entered the frame. It was a tall, gaunt woman with cold lavender hair with light gray ends. The girl stopped playing, standing at attention for who Piper could only assume was her grandmother. Anarchis. Because now that Piper could see the little girl’s face it was clear who’s memory this was. Purple eyes, that cute little mole… Cyclonis . 

Anarchis wore her dark royal robes, sans her iconic crown. Her posture was rigid. She called out to Cyclonis in a firm voice. The girl stopped in her tracks, turning to face her elder. She walked over to her, hopping up on her tippy toes to show off her little skimmers. “Look grandmother! I made these!” Anarchis bent down and inspected them. A small smile gracing her lips. 

“ Very good , little Lark.” Piper felt her body stiffen as the realization that Cyclonis had used the nickname her grandmother gave her as her cover when they first met. She really did that?

“Thank you grandma, I love my little sky knights.” Her grandmother’s face turned sour and she stood up. Little Cyclonis wore a confused look on her face, not understanding why her grandmother was upset all of a sudden. A small gasp escaped the girl’s throat as her little skimmers were plucked from her grasp by an invisible force. They flew around her head for a moment. Her eyes filled with wonder. Until…

*CRACK*

The wooden toys crashed into each other, becoming nothing more than splinters. “Young Cyclonis, we have discussed this. You are to address me as ‘Grandmother’ when we are alone and nothing else. And sky knights are not your friends…they are obstacles. ” The little girl fell to her knees and collected the wooden shards of the toys she had worked so hard to make. Piper could hear sniffling. Her heart ached at the sight. 

Apparently, so did the previous master’s. She softened her expression ever so slightly and scooped up her crying granddaughter in her arms. Bouncing her to calm her down. “ There there, I’m sorry. I’ll have the woodworker make you a whole fleet of Cyclonian Switchblade Elites. You’ll love them, won’t you?” Little Cyclonis nodded, snot and tears still visible on her face as she wrapped her chubby little arms around her grandmother’s shoulders. As Anarchis turned to leave, Piper could see the girl stare at the pile of wooden splinters that used to be her favorite toys being carried off by the wind. One at a time…

Piper closed the book and gently returned it to it’s place. She noticed the room felt less oppressive now. Maybe the dark simply concerned her less than what she had seen. Poor girl…

She was not in the mood to open another book from the shelves if there was a chance she would see something like that, or worse. There was probably invaluable information hidden all over this library. But with no way of knowing ahead of time she’d be reading for days. Time she knew she didn’t have. So she turned to the small table with the solitary diary on it. The lock gleamed at her teasingly. Enticing her more than ever. 

I have to know what’s inside. Piper walked over to the table tentatively, unsure of what could happen. This was a dream after all. It was strange how lucid she felt here. In Cyclonis’ mind. As her hands lifted the book off of the table she heard a voice behind her. 

“ I believe that is mine…Piper” Piper whipped around to see a pair of glowing purple eyes staring at her from the dark. They started to approach her, the shadows peeling away to reveal none other than Master Cyclonis, in all her glory. “Didn’t your parents ever teach you not to take what doesn’t belong to you.” It was as if she had manifested from the shadows. 

Piper had a million questions…but she wasn’t about to take that comment lying down. She cleared her throat before answering. “I never knew my parents, just so you know.” She saw Cyclonis wince at that for some reason. Curious  “Also, didn’t you steal my Nil crystal?”

That seemed to snap Cyclonis out of her moment of empathy. “It was actually Gundstaff’s crystal, who you stole it from.” Piper nervously scratched the back of her head, tucking the diary under her other arm. “And since he was under my employ, it was actually my crystal, Piper.” 

That made Piper’s blood boil. “ Under your EMPLOY? I think you mean under your extortion. He didn’t have a choice since you were holding his family hostage! Ugh, I can’t believe you!” It seemed Cyclonis wasn’t ready for Piper to be pissed off at her. She seemed taken aback. Her eyes searched Piper’s for a moment.

“You’re right.” Piper narrowed her eyes but gestured for Cyclonis to go on. “I extorted Gundstaff. I saw him as a means to an end. I needed his services and he wouldn’t acquiesce unless I had leverage. And from the moment I met him I knew that his family was all he cared about.” A look of disgust had come across Piper’s face at hearing the confession. She was about to start yelling again until, “I…was wrong. I know what I promised to do to them if he ever disobeyed me. Like he did when he helped you.” 

Piper felt a chill run up her spine. She didn’t. “Don’t worry, I didn’t make good on my promise. His family is alive and well. At least since the last time I received a report on them.” The Storm Hawk sighted in relief.

“Good. But that isn’t good enough.” Piper approached her, standing less than a foot away from Cyclonis. Their faces are inches apart. “When we get back home, you are telling me where they are so I can free them. Got it?” Cyclonis swallowed nervously at how close Piper had gotten, but her facade didn’t crack this time.

“Yes, I understand. Now, since that matter is settled, someone is a bit more upset than usual. I know this isn’t just about Gundstaff, so why are you so aggravated now, Piper?” Cyclonis gave Piper an expectant look. Like you don’t know! How dare you pretend you don’t! Piper took a deep breath to calm herself. She took a couple steps back.

“It’s because you betrayed my team when I was most vulnerable. You took advantage of their love for me to free yourself. Admit it!” Try as she might, Piper couldn’t keep the anger out of her voice. “You saved me, paralyzed my team, and hid a warp crystal on me. What are you after!?” She pleaded.

Cyclonis took a while to respond. Piper kept her hard stare directed right at her. Even as movement in the fringes of her vision grabbed her attention more. She gave her surroundings a brief glance only to give them a proper look when she realized there were…flowers. They had grown at some point on the bookshelf behind her when she wasn’t looking. They seemed to form an arc around where she had been standing. Is this…no. I think she is messing with me, again. And I won’t fall for it again. “Nice flowers, now answer me.”

The goth cleared her throat before speaking. She seemed to hesitate before pointing at the locked book still in Piper’s grasp. “Could I have that back please, I’ll answer if you do.” She held out her hand expectantly in Piper’s direction. The Storm Hawk didn’t feel like fulfilling her request but…well Cyclonis was right. It wasn’t hers. Not to keep or to understand. Not yet. So she handed it over, no tricks or needless disrespect. 

As Cyclonis took it, the former empress gave it a careful look over, inspecting the lock. Happy with its intactness, her eyes flashed along with the Occucrow’s on the cover. The book shook before suddenly turning into a book-sized Occucrow! It squawked at Piper once before flying from Cyclonis’ grasp into the dark depths of the library.

Cyclonis lowered her head. “I…don’t know for certain why I do some of the things I do.” She gave Piper a look that she could only interpret as… lonely. “I know that you tend to be at the center of the decisions I don’t understand.” Piper fought the urge to roll her eyes but kept listening. “But what has changed is that I no longer mind it. I want to help you. I want us to go home. And that includes your…team. Your family.” That caught Piper off guard. Does she mean it? “I did what I did to protect them. The soldiers would not have hesitated to kill them upon encountering resistance.”

Piper held up her hand for Cyclonis to give her a moment to think. She’s not necessarily lying. I don’t know this society. It helped her try to conquer us after all. It would only make sense they aren’t our friends. Maybe she just made it easier for them. But giving me a warp crystal and hiding Radarr go against that. So she’s sabotaging them and giving us an avenue of escape. She wouldn’t have saved me if she was hoping to just have them deal with us. So…she saved me because she wanted to. She’s still the same manipulative person as always. Maybe it’s just another ploy to get me to betray my family. Or maybe… Her gaze became fixated on Cyclonis’ movements as she had started fixing her hair behind her pale ear at Piper’s prolonged staring.

“I have a question.” Piper’s tone was curt, without a shred of emotion. “What do you think we are? Allies? Friends? Something else? Because I will tell you this now. We aren’t any of them. Saving me doesn’t make up for what you did. But I’ll humor you this one last time. I’ll accept your help on one condition. You tell me the truth. Every time, without exception. So tell me what you want from me.” Piper stared Cyclonis dead in the eye. 

The dark mage took a moment. “I want…freedom. I want to choose my future. I know I’ll never be able to escape what I’ve done. No amount of charity or work will erase what I’ve taken. And as much as I might want it, you’ve made it clear your  friendship will never be within my grasp. But you said to me that my life isn’t over. Even if fulfilling my grandmother’s dream… is. ” She took a deep breath, for some reason Piper felt herself tense. “And I accept that it is a reality. So I will help you and your Storm Hawks escape the Far-Side on one condition.” The royal’s face was stone.

“And that is?” Piper asked.

“Claim I am dead.” Piper wasn’t entirely sure if she had heard that.

“ What?” It took a considerable amount of effort not to pinch herself. She knew she was dreaming, and was afraid of ending this conversation before getting her answers.

“ ‘The conquering heroes return home, reporting that the Master of Cyclonia met her end at the hand of a new enemy. One that they must prepare to face in the future.’ You will tell the council that, as well as the whole of Atmos.” Piper released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. 

“That’s… crazy! You just want to escape the consequences of your actions!” Cyclonis suddenly started laughing maniacally, putting Piper on edge. 

“Oh Piper. That’s good.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “No, what I am escaping is rotting in a cell. The consequences of my actions already happened. I have no home, will have no title, be in danger wherever I wear my real face…and have no one. ” She gave Piper a pointed glare at that last one. “ I am drowning in consequence. I will never know peace. I don’t even expect to evade detection forever. But I want to experience the life you described. Starting over.” Cyclonis paused. “That’s all I want.”

Piper nodded slowly, leaning onto the table and hanging her head. She sighed. “I don’t know how well that’ll go over with the guys. Or if we’ll even get out of here.” She took a deep breath. “But I accept your terms. If at any point I can’t trust you, I’ll ditch you. Got it?” She looked up at Cyclonis.

There was a light in those purple eyes she hadn’t seen before. “Very well, I am glad you see things my way. Especially since you all required my help to open the portal regardless.” 

“I could’ve figured it out!” She pouted. 

“I don’t doubt it. I’m willing to bet you would have gotten it within a week,” Piper smiled “Six whole days after they already executed you and your friends.” Piper stopped smiling. Cy giggled, covering her mouth. She went on to explain her plan.

“Alright, I don’t know how much longer we’ll have in this dreamscape, so I’ll be brief. First things first, you’ll need to get your team to trust me. We won’t get far otherwise. And please do so in a way that will not inform the guards of the escape method I provided for you. Radarr should eventually arrive with the other half of the plan. Once I’ve gathered the necessary information I’ll make my move and join you all. That is when everything will become chaotic. We cannot afford to be captured again. Understood?”

PIper nodded “Wow. I can’t believe how many holes there are in that plan. You get that Aerrow will never trust you after you basically used saving me to get away right?  In his eyes and the team’s. Not to mention how we obviously need to hijack a ride to even get back to the Condor AND open the portal before they cut us off.” Cyclonis made a soured expression. But also nodded in agreement.

“Then it’s a good thing they trust you then. Tell them whatever you have to. As for the distance between our objectives. We will have to split up.” Piper couldn’t help but interject.

“So now we need two rides. Great!” She crossed her arms. Cyclonis raised an eyebrow and smiled. Piper was really starting to dislike that smile. 

“Who said we needed more than one? I can fly Piper. So can you. If you ever learned how to do it efficiently. As a result we will be much harder to track. Meaning your friends will be the distraction, while we work on opening the portal. Believe it or not the Condor should be able to outmaneuver the hovercrafts. They are fast. But only in a straight line.” Her smugness didn’t rub Piper the wrong way but there wasn’t much else they could do. 

Piper sighed. “Alright, I get it. It’s not like we had many more options anyways.” She walked around the small table and started wandering around the library. Trying not to feel Cyclonis’ eyes on her, following her every move. For some reason the shadows didn’t seem as dark now. In fact, she understood now that the lighting was in fact an illusion. It could be as light or dark here as she wanted. Interesting, I can affect this place without even really trying to. But so far it’s clear that this this Cyclonis’ little corner. I wonder if I have mine…

As if in response she noticed a soft beam of orange light suddenly appear. As she approached, she realized it was coming from a rectangular window. But peering outside of it proved pointless. Just light. Of course I’m not going to see outside my own head. More and more orange light filtered into this half of the Library. She could see more bookshelves. But now the books weren’t the reddish-purple of Cyclonis’ books though. They were bound in a warm brown leather. She chose one that felt right and opened it to one of her oldest memories. 

She felt a sense of warmth wash over her as she was transported to the big orphanage on Terra Atmosia, The Owlet Orphanage . It was created when the war had started producing more orphans than the Atmos knew what to do with. It was long before she, Finn and Aerrow ran away to Terra Neverlandis to pretend to be sky knights. Back then it was just her and Finn actually. Aerrow didn’t show up till later. She and Finn however had been at Owlets since before either of them could remember. Their whole lives really. 

The memory took place inside the main building of Owlets, where the mess hall and other large areas were. It was an old building. Rust and crumbling concrete were the mainstays of her childhood.  She and Finn were huddled in the far corner. She was asking him about what had happened to his lunch. 

“ Finny~ C’mon! Tell me who it was!” Her high-pitched voice felt so odd to hear so many years later. She could even hear the faint whistling of her missing tooth.  I can’t believe I used to have pigtails. Cute! And Finn! Awww, he used to be so cute. Before he realized he could talk. Young Finn was plagued with shyness. It took him a few years to really get over it. And only because she encouraged him endlessly. As much as I regretted it later. 

“B-B-Benny…” The tiny blonde boy was hugging his knees, sitting on the floor. His rumbling little belly angered his adoptive sister. Oh poor Finn, they picked on you every day until we left. Piper never regretted leaving Owlets. It was the beginning of a life she was proud of. And a family that meant everything to her. So obviously, kid Piper wasn’t much different. No one messed with her little brother.

“ Ooooh! I told that big dummy to stop taking your food!” Her puffed up cheeks and little shaking fists belied her rage. Almost immediately, little Piper turned on her heels and marched off to where she knew Benny and his goons were hiding. All the kids at Owlets were dressed the same. Dark brown badly fitted shirts and stitched together pants. But she’d know that potbellied bully anywhere. He was sitting at the center lunch table with his two friends. “Hey Benny! Didn’t I tell you what would happen if you took Finn’s lunch again!?” Her loud voice made Benny cover his ears. 

“Yeah, want another missing tooth?” He and his buddies laughed at her expense. Little Piper was unfazed. 

“Big talk from someone who wet his pants after I kicked his butt!” That made more children around them laugh at the bullies. The bully trio got up, ready to fight her again. Until she spook “You dummies really want to start crying in the middle of the lunchroom? Or do you want to just give me Finn’s lunch and fight later?” The bullies pondered this for a moment. If they won, good. If they lost…

Kid Piper was now happily on her way back to Finn with his food in tow. She was practically skipping along in joy that her gamble had worked. I was barely learning how to strategize back then. Though honestly it feels like more of a gamble looking back. I just bet on the fact the bullies would give up before I did. Piper watched as her younger self sat back next to Finn and handed him his food. Smiling as he ate. 

She heard a faint giggle next to her and looked up to see Cyclonis looking down at her memory, only for the goth to gasp as she realized she was caught red-handed. “ I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have eavesdropped. I just wanted a peek and got carried away!” She bowed her head slightly and began to walk away until Piper grabbed her wrist.

“Wait! It’s okay…” She gently pulled the other girl to her side and opened the book again. Letting her see the memory from the beginning. Except this time Piper was looking at Cyclonis’ face, not the memory. She watched the joy spreading across Cyclonis’ features as she saw Piper in her youth. As well as her early bond with ‘Finny’. It was the most genuine smile she had seen out of Cyclonis since that day She pretended to be Lark. Well, I say pretended but maybe I was just seeing the part of her her grandmother tried to keep buried. The girl who loved fun. A light blush coated Cyclonis cheeks as she laughed at young Piper facing the bullies alone. 

“You were so reckless!” She said, “I can’t believe how much of a rascal you used to be.” Piper chortled.

“ Used to be?” They both shared a small laugh. Before Cyclonis stopped and looked behind her. Piper gave her a confused look before doing the same. They had moved spots in the library without realizing it and were now standing in front of Anarchis’ portrait. Her cold judgemental gaze pierced right through Piper’s soul. Why are we-  

She looked at Cyclonis and her question was answered. The goth wore an expression full of nothing but guilt and fear. Piper knew Cyclonis held her grandmother in high regard. As the standard for a ruler. But perhaps there is something more there as well. She gently put the book down on the table the diary used to rest on before she spoke up.

Piper coughed to get Cyclonis’ attention. “You know, she can’t decide your life for you anymore.” Cyclonis gave her a confused look. “Arguably she never could. And if you really want to start over again. And I mean really start over. Then You can let go of her expectations. Right?” Cyclonis smiled before shaking her head and softly laughing to herself. 

“You say that as if it were so easy. And yes I do wish to start anew. But shedding her from my identity is harder than chopping off a limb. I couldn’t do it without redefining myself beyond all recognition.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “And my identity is all I have left.” Piper bit her lip and sighed. She knew she had said she wasn’t her friend. And she had promised herself she wouldn't fall prey to her instincts again but…

She couldn’t help herself. “Hey Cy?” Piper asked softly, slowly walking up to Cyclonis with her arms behind her back. 

Cyclonis immediately snapped out of her pity party the moment she heard the term for endearment. “Excuse me Piper but that is not my title- Eeep!” The empress was caught off guard as she found herself suddenly wrapped in a tight hug from Piper! The stronger girl gave her shoulders a squeeze as she whispered into Cyclonis’ ear.

“Thank you for saving my life. I forgot to say that earlier, I’m sorry.” Piper could feel Cyclonis’ heart rate racing against her chest and suddenly the dream was over.

Cyclonis was startled awake. She could still feel Piper’s warmth on her skin. Could almost still smell her scent… Not friends hmm? It was hard to keep a small smile off her lips.

She was still catching her breath when she saw red light washing over her face. She looked up to see the enormous frame of General Gargan sitting across from her yet still able to lean over her. 

“Curious. Your kind must require more sleep than the other’s ” His gaze nor his body moved at all when he spoke. She stared at him head on.

“What kind might that be? General.” She asked, her tone as dead as his.

“Mages. A unique presence. None were thought to have survived the purge.” She furrowed her brow. A small bead of sweat crawling down her temple.

“Purge?” He leaned back. 

“You should be more aware of your own history Master Cyclonis. After all, you are doomed to repeat it” She stared at him. I feel like that was more of an implicit threat than a matter of fact. But he is not wrong. She sat up straight and simply nodded in response.

Cyclonis decided to pay attention to the front of the Hovercraft where she could get a better view of their destination . They were mere minutes from the Citadel. It would be the first time she would ever see it so close…

…and unfortunately, not the last…

Chapter Text

It was cold. 

That was the first thing Finn noticed as he and his friends were forced to march from the shuttle to the base of the massive tower they saw on the first day they arrived at the Far-Side. All of them were restrained by some kind of advanced cuffs. And each of them had at least 3 or 4 guards flanking them. Cyclonis was somewhere way behind them, most of the guards seemed to be with her. Including the monster. 

His mind was racing, he had no idea what was about to happen. Where they were taking him and his friends. Or if Piper would ever open her eyes again.

All he could do was try to keep himself from passing out and keep his eyes moving. Taking in every detail that he could. Just in case…

They had journeyed up the river in the advanced hovercraft for a long time. Until then, it had been nothing but bright yellow lights set deep into the mountains that flanked the winding river from both sides. All of it leading to the shiny city, home of the big green tower.  

They had set down on a landing pad at the end of the body of water, surrounded by the tallest buildings and countless soldiers. There was a path that led straight to the massive gleaming spire with dozens of smaller yet still towering structures of steel around them. The Storm Hawks that could walk were forced to march towards its underside. Somehow, the entire structure was being supported by dozens of stilts connecting to several other buildings. The biggest of which was only half as tall as the main structure. 

Finn practically fell backwards when he tried to see the top of it, only to get nudged forward by Aerrow. The powerful light in the middle of it didn’t help, it practically blinded him. And Finn swore he could hear some kind of omnipresent humming noise. He wasn’t a science expert like his sister. But even he knew a battery when he saw it. The humming was most likely coming from that glowing… thing.  

I-I can’t even see what the damn thing looks like. Oh god, I hope it doesn’t give me cancer or something. That would really suck. Not that it’d matter…

He looked behind him at the rest of the gang. Aerrow was directly behind him and had his eyes set forward. A determined look on his face. He saw Finn’s gaze and gave him a small smile. A small attempt to make him feel better. 

Behind Aerrow was Stork. The Merb was shaking like a leaf. His eyes were wide and darting from one place to the next. As if he couldn’t make up his mind about what deserved most of his terror. Finn’s money was on the black and red 7 foot tall murder machine that was taking up the rear after Junko. One grey metal claw on his best friend’s shoulder. Those soulless red eyes staring back at Finn from a horrible imitation of a human face. Junko had tried breaking loose earlier. But the cyborg pinned him to the bulkhead of the shuttle half a second later with just one hand. 

Finn had been terrified that he’d hurt Junko but his buddy was smart enough to stop fighting. He’d managed to bump some guards but they didn’t seem any worse for wear. 

When the big guy grabbed him I thought it was over. That was an understatement. Finn had felt his heart seize in his chest. 

And of course he’d kept his eyes on Piper as much as he could. She was on some kind of floating metal cot. She was being pushed alongside them. His heart felt less heavy when he realized she still looked healthy, even if she was out cold. Cyclonis kept her word on that at least. 

The next time I see her, I’m going to shoot her in the face! She leveraged my sister’s life for one last chance to screw us over. Pretending like she cared! She’s just a monster using other people to get what she wants! Always…

He furrowed his brow and faced forward again. The cuffs hurt his wrists from how heavy they were. He hated that they knew to keep them chained together so they couldn’t run for it. Not that they'd even consider leaving without Piper. And Radarr. He hadn’t seen the little guy since Cyclonis double-crossed them. 

Please be alive little buddy…

His thoughts were cut short when the soldier in front of him told him to stop, holding a cold metallic clawed hand in front of the blonde’s face. Finn complied and Aerrow bumped into him, followed by the rest.

Finn took a minute to give the armored person in front a look over. The guards weren’t as intimidating as the big guy with the skull face and metal tusks. But they looked just as tough. They were covered head to toe in black armor over some kind of dark brown jumpsuit. Their helmets hid everything, for all he knew they were just as altered as the general. He tried not to shudder at the idea that behind that emotionless mask and glowing blue green lenses was possibly something worse. The top of their helms all had prominent forward facing metal spikes that reminded him more of a blade. 

Pointy headed losers. At least the Talons never had ridiculous headgear like that. Well, more ridiculous.

The guards kept a tight circle on the Storm Hawks as they walked onto a prominent platform directly underneath the spire. It was large and circular with a big emblem on it. 

The first thing he noticed was the star. Bright white and almost as blinding as the light he saw on the first day here. It sat in the middle of an ominous dark sword, flanked by large teeth-like spikes. And snakes. Very familiar snakes…

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The Hawks were herded together to the center of it with the guards taking up positions around the edge of the platform. The big guy got on as well, Finn couldn’t see Cyclonis anywhere. 

Maybe she got a special ride all the way up to dictator mountain already.  

They just stood there for a second. He was about to ask what the heck they were waiting for before the ground shook beneath him. He felt his stomach lurch as he realized they were moving up.  

The platform they had been standing on was actually an elevator. It floated them all up to the bottom of the spire. Finn worried they were about to be crushed until he saw the roof split open, the platform carrying them right into the building. Suddenly, the Storm Hawks found themselves bathed in a dim green light. 

As his eyes adjusted he realized that the light came from small holes in the walls all around them, making shadows nearly nonexistent. He saw dozens and dozens of cyborgs. Some were armored like the soldiers. But others just had sleek, minimalist clothing. Mostly ranging from light grey to black. 

On each level as they passed them, he noticed huge, oversized hallways that made even the big monster behind him look small by comparison. 

Finn didn’t see a single person without metal somewhere on their body. He developed a deep fear in the pit of his stomach. The impassive looks on their faces. The way the cold of the building bothered no one but the humans. He wondered if they had more missing than what he could see. 

Oh Aurora please, I don’t want to end up like them….

He looked back and saw the monster cyborg staring at him, unblinking. Inhuman. Then he saw someone much smaller step out from behind the monster. Someone worse . He saw her . 

Cyclonis .

For once, his fear evaporated. His body heated up and his face twisted in anger. 

“ Traitor…” He hissed at her, and he knew she heard him when she met his gaze. Her eyes were empty. “ At least they won’t have to cut out your heart to turn you into a monster, you’re already there.” He’d never talked to anyone like this. With so much venom that it hurt his throat. But he’d never hated someone this much until today. 

Cyclonis stepped closer. “What was that, Storm Hawk?” Her raspy voice sounded like a snake to him. It used to scare him. Now it just pissed him off.

He turned to face her properly and hissed a reply through his teeth. “I thought you could change. Because PIPER thought you could .” He got louder. “But you were just a shrike. Waiting to stab us in the back.” He seethed. “ Y ou’ll pay for what you’ve done . ”

A soldier stepped forward but Cyclonis raised her hand to stop him. She leaned in towards Finn who froze. He didn’t know if she planned on hurting him. 

She whispered in his ear. “ Your first mistake was presuming you knew anything about me. Piper does. Perhaps you’ll do well to remember that. Now quiet before you lose the ability to speak…” She turned around and walked away from him. He stared after her. 

Finn watched as she gave Aerrow a sideways glance that the redhead returned. He couldn’t tell who’s look contained more malice. 

The platform suddenly stopped rising. I guess we’ve reached our stop. He thought morbidly. 

They were forced to step off the platform by the soldiers and marched down a long metal corridor until they’d reached their final destination. The holding cells. At least, it looked like a cell to Finn. He’d seen enough of them, but never one without a door. We really got to stop getting captured. He thought before he was roughly shoved into the cell along with the rest of the Hawks. Piper’s cot was gently pushed until it settled in a corner. 

As soon as they had cleared the threshold of the cell, a transparent green wall of light appeared. Suddenly it made sense. Ah, forcefield. Classic. Suddenly their cuffs all opened and fell to the ground. Before a guard held up some device and pressed a button. The cuffs suddenly flew into his arms. Magnets most likely. They passed through the barrier without any trouble. What’s it even there for then? Finn thought. 

“The prisoners shall remain in their cells until such time that their use has been determined. Any attempt to leave will result in immediate termination. ” The big metal monster guy said. His voice was the stuff of nightmares. Finn’s heart skipped a beat when the cyborg looked at Piper. “ Beginning with her.” 

Finn had no idea what came over him. But hearing that made him lose control. He moved to try and attack the monster easily 4 times his size. He wanted to throttle that animal for threatening his sister! 

Aerrow immediately threw himself in between Finn and the energy barrier. “ Finn! Stop!” The blonde struggled for a moment before he managed to get a hold of himself. What’s wrong with me? I’m not, not like this. 

But he knew why. Because for the first time in his life, his sister isn’t able to protect herself. Or him. She was defenseless. And it terrified him. So he couldn't handle it when she kept being threatened or hurt. 

The monster outside their cage stared at him. “Brave for a little vermin trapped in a cage. Or simply foolish. Do not act rashly fleshling. You will find fighting against the Emerald Imperium is nothing like your pathetic little war back home.” 

The cyborg held up a hand and poked the barrier with the tip of a claw. Finn watched as the barrier lit up and a painful buzzing filled his ears. He squinted his eyes and saw smoke slowly floating from the claw tip. Now dull with smoking ash on its surface. The monster was unfazed. 

“If that had been your weak body, you’d be nothing but a charred corpse. But feel free to try anyway.” The cyborg turned and walked back down the hallway. Finn saw him step onto the platform with Cyclonis who had been waiting patiently for him. 

The moment he did, the platform rose up out of sight. Going to who knows where. 

Good, as long as she’s away from us. From Piper… He turned and knelt down next to Piper. Checking on her breathing and making sure she had a pulse.

“Finn. Are you alright?” Aerrow asked him. Heis placed his hand on Finn’s shoulder. 

“I’ve felt better. But I don’t care about what I feel right now. How are we going to get out of here, Aerrow? This place is a fortress!” He gestured to the room around them. “I don’t even think we made it halfway up this ridiculous building!”

“I know…” Aerrow sighed. “But we’ll just have to come up with something. This place is just another prison. And we’ve busted out of plenty of those. Well, I have. And besides, when Piper wakes up I know she’ll come up with something brilliant. We just need to keep our heads on straight until then.” He gave Finn’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “And not get ourselves fried right?” He winked. 

Finn gave a small smile. “Yeah…yeah you’re right. Becoming ‘Finn barbecue’ just because he messed with me isn’t helpful.” He looked back down at Piper, peacefully sleeping. 

Part of me almost doesn’t want her to wake up to this nightmare. She’s endured enough. And I know she’ll be hurt that Cyclonis betrayed her again. Ugh, why go through the effort to save her if she was just going to stab us in the back?! It doesn’t make sense!

His head hurt. He sat next to Piper and hugged his knees to his chest. Aerrow began examining their cell. Looking for anything they could use. Junko began to subtly test how strong the walls were by tapping them. And Stork was just standing in the middle, jittering like usual. 

Sigh, Piper, we need you…

Cyclonis watched as General Gargan antagonized the blonde member of the Storm Hawks. Though her attention lingered on the one member who was not conscious. 

Piper. She hadn’t woken up yet. Cyclonis found that concerning. 

Did I make a mistake during her rejuvenation? Is she in a coma!? Try as she might, she couldn’t stop thinking about how quickly her plan to rescue them would fall apart if Piper was not a part of it. 

Wake up, Piper…please.

The General finished up threatening the Hawks and dismissed most of the guards they had come with. She shifted her gaze onto him. She didn’t need him suspecting her more than he already did. Those burning soulless eyes locked onto her own and he marched towards her, never breaking eye contact until he was on the platform with her. 

She sighed through her nose and closed her eyes for a moment. The mage could feel the platform begin to rise underneath her feet. What am I even going to say? I have no time to draft up a script, no way of knowing if escape is even possible in the first place. And yet I’m still here, being escorted to a meeting that will most likely end up with me being imprisoned yet again. 

Or worse… Cyclonis had no idea how dangerous the leader of a civilization this advanced could be like. Would her intelligence not be enough? Could she even outsmart an enemy like them?

I miss when the only one I was trying to outwit was Piper…

The whirring of metal joints altered her to the movement beside her. She opened her eyes and turned her head just enough to watch Gargan out of the corner of her eye. He was staring at her. 

Cyclonis sighed, “ Is there something I can assist you with, General?” Her tone was as deadpan as she could get it. “ I’ll have you know it’s impolite to stare, where I come from. Of course, I understand that might be difficult for you. Lacking eyelids and such.”

Compressed air escaped through the vents in his neck with a hiss. She flinched at the sound. Keep it together, if he was allowed to hurt you, he’d have done it by now. She steeled herself and smirked at him.

“An astute observation. Useless flaps of flesh would only hinder my surveillance capabilities. And I need to be able to record every iota of information available to me. ” Gears clicked as he tilted his head. “ For example, your obsession with the unconscious girl.” It took every ounce of self-control Cyclonis had to not twitch a single muscle.

“ I have no idea what you are talking about. I was simply doing my own surveillance. After all, they WERE my prisoners.”

“Of course, Master Cyclonis. Though, of the total 40 minutes that you have dedicated to watching the prisoners, 21.5 minutes were dedicated to watching that prisoner in particular. ” Cyclonis could feel her heart rate spiking. 

“ Of course, General. After all, she could awake at any moment. Wouldn’t want to be caught off guard would we? Not that I have any doubts about your soldiers. But I can tell you, that one is more capable than she looks…” 

He straightened his large body, arms clasped behind his back. “ Is that so… In that case… ” He turned to one of his soldiers. “ Make sure that the unconcious prisoner’s vitals are monitored closely. When she awakens, she is to be put into her own containment field separate from the others.” 

A cold chill ran up her spine as she realized she’d just made a terrible mistake. But she couldn’t raise an objection without raising suspicion. She’d have to be careful.

“ How prudent of you, General. ” She examined her nails. “ You are a man of strategy after all.” He glanced down at her.

“Thank you, Master Cyclonis. I’m sure you’ll keep that in mind, going forward.”

She chuckled. “ Oh? Is that a threat, General?” Cyclonis smirked. Hoping that her false bravado would see her through. 

“It is important that one understands the capabilities of one’s…allies. After all, the runt seems to believe you are a traitor. Treachery leaves a black mark on those who use it. Even if it was in service to the Imperium, you have proven that you cannot be trusted.” She frowned. 

If that’s the case…

Her gaze narrowed and she sneered at him.

“Allow me to clarify this to you, General. I serve…NO ONE. I am the Master of my domain. And that does not change regardless of where I am standing. You and your ‘Empress’ will do well to remember that…” She rasped as venom dripped from every word.

Only a few moments later did she realize she probably should have held back on that last biting remark. 

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Before she even had the chance to react, she could feel an unnatural heat radiating against her face. He was facing her now, crouched low enough to look her right in the eyes. The glowing embers of his eyes were matched by the blood red glow of his energy blade being held up to her throat.

Her entire body seized in fear as she couldn’t decide what to do or even say. Death was less than a hair’s breadth away. If she swallowed too hard, she’d end up slicing her own throat. The buzzing of the weapon’s energy filled her ears and robbed her of the ability to think clearly, save for a single thought.

I am going to die.

The glow in his eyes intensified, “Threats to the Empress are punishable by immediate execution.” His voice sounded even less human. More distorted, and cold. 

The small teen stared at him, waiting with baited breath for the moment he would end her life. 

But it didn’t come. 

Cyclonis shifted her gaze from the glowing blade to his face intermittently. Why…? Why hasn’t he killed me yet?

She chanced a glance at the handful of soldiers surrounding them and realized something. All of them were looking at one another, as if they were unsure of how to act. Their body language wasn’t as expressive as a normal human, but she recognized fear of reprisal when she saw it. 

Oh…I get it now. They don’t know what to do. This wasn’t planned for. He wasn’t supposed to do this…He’s disobeying orders. She swallowed nervously, noticing the blade shift ever so slightly. Just enough to keep it from her flesh. She let out a sigh of relief and glared at the monster in front of her right in his eyes. 

 “ Well?...I’m waiting…” Her face became passive. Almost bored. “ Is there something wrong General?” 

He didn’t respond. She decided to take a calculated risk, and stepped forward. He pulled his arm back and stood up. The soldiers around them seemed to relax somewhat.

“Your insolence is beyond reproach, witch. And is beyond forgiveness.” She scoffed.

“ And yet, I’m still here.” Cyclonis brushed off her outfit as if he had left crumbs on her. “ I know why you are sticking so close to me, General. Why you bothered to escort me all the way from the Storm Hawk’s ship till now. And why you insist on trying to antagonize me and even went so far as to threaten me. ”, She leaned forward, smiling as he moved his arm back in tandem with her movements. The blade kept at a fixed distance away. “ You are here to intimidate me. To sow fear of the Imperium inside of my heart. You don’t actually care about whatever relationship I have with any of my prisoners. ” 

The monstrous cyborg said nothing. The soldiers around them shifted nervously. Clearly they doubted the self-control of their general. She did not.

“ In other words, I know you are simply serving as her ‘ guard dog’ . So cease your pointless barking and take me to your master. ”  Cyclonis could feel the gazes of every soldier in their immediate proximity. She knew exactly what they were thinking. Any second now, she would be one head shorter. Or smashed into a bloody stain on the platform’s pristine surface. Or perhaps the General would throw her over the side to let gravity deliver her death. 

But instead he sheathed his blade. The silence stretched for what felt like an eternity, his gaze burning a hole into her own. 

She’d won. The platform stopped. He spoke. Not a single hint of emotion in his robotic voice. Even though she could hear the creaking of his metallic frame as he was forced to restrain his fury. 

“...We have arrived at the Citadel level containing your private quarters. The Empress has been kind enough to provide them for you to prepare yourself for an audience with her. Will you be needing an instructional pad on how to use the amenities?” He could have been reciting a prerecorded message for all she knew. 

“ No thank you General. Although that is very kind of you. I prefer to discover things on my own. I’ll be just fine.” She calmly walked off the platform and onto the new floor with a confident gait. She turned to call back to him. “ Don’t wait for me, it may be a while. You know how we ‘organics’ are. Right, General?” 

Cyclonis could hear the sound of metal scraping against metal as he dug his claws into his palms. “Take as much time as you need. ” He motioned to a soldier to activate the platform once more. The large metal disc began to descend. “ And yes…I do.”

Well, that could have gone better. Huh, I am using that phrase quite often these days. I hope that it doesn’t become a habit. Plans should go smoothly the first time. 

She fidgeted with the smooth panel next to the door of her room for a bit before it opened for her. Only when she was inside and the door had closed behind her did Cyclonis allow herself to release a long breath. 

“ I am going to get myself killed at this rate…”

The small witch fell back onto her bed, collapsing from the weight of everything that had just happened. 

Am I really willing to risk this much for her…?

Chapter Text

The humming of the energy barrier made it difficult for Junko to calm his nerves. He was leaning against the wall to the side. Opposite of him was Stork mumbling to himself in the corner. And across the wall of dangerous light was Piper’s floating gurney. Finn was sitting on the floor next to her and Aerrow was pacing in the middle of the room. 

This sucks…

The walls were a nauseating pale green material. It felt like smooth stone but was stronger than any metal he’d ever punched. He’d checked. There were no windows or anything else. Just a box without a real door. He’d been trying to bust down the wall behind him for hours. Their cell wasn’t very comfortable, it didn’t even have a bunk or anywhere to sit that wasn’t the floor. 

Not the coziest cell we’ve ever been in. But hey, no rusty nails! So that’s good…

Junko was thinking of how he and his friends could possibly escape. After they were marched into the prison cell, they were stripped of their weapons, comm links, and even his precious tool kit. It reminded him of when they got captured by that crazy Cyclonian Commander or whatever his name was. But this time it was a lot worse. 

I don’t know what we’re gonna do to fix this.

The only one who was not awake and stressing out was Piper, who hadn’t woken up yet. She could be in a coma for all he knew. Finn hadn’t left her side the entire time. His best friend wasn’t faring much better than he had been on the Condor when Piper was… worse.  

Finn was hunched over with his head in his hands and tapping his foot. It was a nervous tick of his, Junko remembered. He wasn’t used to seeing it so often. Stork was muttering in the corner about ‘doom’ and being ‘dissected’. And Aerrow was pacing from one end of the cell to the other, it was a very short walk. 

“It just doesn’t make any sense.” Aerrow said to himself. “She saved Piper’s life, we all saw it. So why would she just… betray us?” He buried his fingers in his auburn hair, as if he was preparing to yank it out. 

Junko hummed to himself, he didn’t understand why Cyclonis did what she did either. He wasn’t sure what to think when Finn told him Piper was talking to her a couple of nights ago. He wished he’d bothered to ask Piper about it before…well, everything.

“ Because it’s who she is…” Aerrow stopped in his tracks, realizing that gravelly voice was coming from Finn. The blonde teen looked up at their leader and Junko was shocked at how serious out his face looked. “ She used you man. Just like she used Piper.” 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about Finn.” Aerrow responded heatedly. Junko watched as Finn got up and marched right up to Aerrow’s face, staring him down. 

“And you do!?” Finn scoffed, wearing a fake grin as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I can’t believe you are asking yourself why she would do this. OF ALL PEOPLE!” Finn yelled at him.

“Calm down Finn! I’m just saying that her actions aren’t lining up.” Aerrow raised his hands and motioned for Finn to lower his voice. 

Junko was getting nervous.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Finn act like this before. He’s never been this…aggressive.

“Face it, Aerrow. You shouldn’t have let her out of those cuffs! Hell, I bet she even planned for Piper to get injured in the first place just to give herself an opportunity to get out when she got worse!” Finn shoved Aerrow’s chest, forcing the teen to take a few steps back.

“ Hey!” Junko spoke up, getting the attention of both the human teens.

The wallop felt like he should do something, intervene. But as soon as he started moving, Aerrow immediately threw him a look. It was the ‘ I got this, don’t worry’ look he’d give them whenever he had to talk them out of whatever trouble they got into. Junko nodded and went back to lean against the wall. Finn was still seething.

I was right there . I could have tried to stop her before she paralyzed us. But I was too slow.  

Junko sighed. 

What’s the point of being a big strong wallop if I keep letting my friends down when it matters?  

He didn’t want to think like this but it was hard. Even when they were captured by Master Cyclonis, they still had a plan. Still had hope. Now? They had nothing. Not even Radarr. They hadn’t seen their fuzzy little friend since they were paralyzed. 

Aerrow gave Finn a sympathetic look, placing his hand on his shoulder. “Okay, Finn, I get it. I messed up. Maybe there was some other way to save Piper. But we didn’t have time to waste searching for it. You remember how she looked, right? Would you have waited for a better answer, even if it risked her life?” 

Finn looked back at Piper’s comatose body. He sniffled and shook his head. “ No . I would have wanted her to get better as quickly as possible…I still don’t trust Cyclonis, I don’t think I ever will.” His face softened. “But I owe her my sister’s life .” 

He leaned against Aerrow, stifling a sob. His friend awkwardly wrapped his arms around him. Before holding him tight.

Junko watched as his friends made up, normally he’d join in on the group hug but…he was too worried wondering what was going to happen to them when the soldiers came back. For once, they didn’t have an exit plan. He leaned his back and let it bump against the wall, closing his eyes and thinking about home and the fact he might not ever see it again.

I’m scared.

His ears perked up as he caught some of Stork’s muttering in the corner. He focused on what he was saying.

The merb was talking to himself about the Condor and ‘good reception’. Stork was facing the corner, his hands fiddling with something. Junko tilted his head in confusion.

They confiscated everything we had on us, right? Weapons, tools, even my lucky nut I keep on me at all times. I really hope I can get that back. But what is Stork messing with then?

He walked up behind their somewhat sane pilot and tried to peek over his shoulder. The merb didn’t notice him until he felt a large finger poking him in the shoulder, causing him to jump and scream.

“Uh, whatcha doing?” Junko innocently asked.

Stork stared at him, one eye twitching and grumbled at him. “ Clearly, not being discreet enough.” The merb hissed.

Junko laughed nervously.

Stork sighed before showing him his removed chest piece that he doubled as a remote to control the Conder. 

“Aw sweet!” Junko pumped his fist in the air.

“ Quiet!” The merb shoved a finger against Junko’s lips while simultaneously replacing the remote back on his chest. “ You don’t want them to know we have a way to access our ship.” He whispered. 

“ Right!” Junko whispered, “ So…can we?” Stork deflated somewhat. 

“Not quite, the walls are made out of some kind of extra dense alloy. Nothing’s getting through. Neither Radio Waves… or wallops .” he said gesturing to the structure around them. 

“Heh, yeah. It’s the first time I’ve hit something and felt like I’m the one who got dented.” Junko scratched his chin. “So what do you think’s gonna happen to us?” 

“ Hmmm…” Stork rhythmically tapped his fingers together. “Well, if I had to guess?” He inhaled deeply, “ Dissection . Horrible genetic experimentation, unwelcome amputation and fitting for prosthetics!” The merb gasped for breath before continuing. “And probably certain death.” 

“Oh…” Junko looked down, “I don’t really like any of those things, any chance we can avoid that?” Stork blinked at him, his face deadpan as he blew a strand of hair out of his face. 

“Well, unless you can find a couple of warp stones in your digestive tract like last time, I’d say we’re out of luck ” Stork sighed. 

“Oh…No I kinda burped them all up.” Junko said. Stork rolled his eyes, before walking over to the human teens still reconciling a few feet away.

He pried Finn off of Aerrow despite his protests and leaned in to whisper into Aerrow’s ear. 

The redhead gave smile .

“Now that’s what I was hoping to hear. Okay, so we have options. Huddle up guys.” Aerrow motioned for the rest of them to come closer. Stork was reluctant at first but got dragged along by Junko. “ Okay, so we’ve got the ingredients, now all we need is a recipe to bake this prison escape cake!” He whispered.

“ Aerrow, I’m not exactly in the mood to talk about cake. And what ingredients?” Finn asked.

“ He means Stork’s remote!” Junko explained.

“ That we can’t use unless we get out of the building in the first place. Remember?” Stork interjected. “ And while we are discussing the matter, we still don’t have any fuel crystals!”

“ One problem at a time, Stork. Right now we have to focus on waking Piper up and getting out of here. I don’t doubt she can come up with some kind of a plan to get out of here.” Aerrow had that determined look on his face that reminded Junko of when he was planning their final assault on Cyclonia. 

Hopefully this works out better than last time. He didn’t voice his thoughts out loud. He knew that Aerrow hadn’t been doing much better than Finn. 

“ So…we aren’t going to talk about my sister’s weird situationship with one of our greatest enemies?” Finn arched an eyebrow as the rest of the guys stared at him with looks of confusion and annoyance. “ C’mon, you cannot tell me she’d be doing all this if she wasn’t obsessed with Piper.”

“ Who’s obsessed with me…? ” A weak and all too familiar voice asks.

All of them jumped at the sound of Piper’s voice. They all turned simultaneously and saw Piper trying to sit up, staring at them with a confused look on her face. 

Finn was at her side in an instant, throwing his arms around her in a hug. 

“PIPER!” He yells out cheerfully. Piper blinks, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she starts to shake. “ Hey, hey it’s okay, Piper. We’re here…” Finn spoke softly to his sister as he helped her sit up slowly. 

Aerrow walked over to her other side and slid her hand into his, squeezing it and giving her the warmest smile he ever had. 

Junko didn’t stay out of the group hug this time he dashed over to his human friends and wrapped them all up in a hug. He didn’t lift them or squeeze too hard, just in case. 

Stork had ducked just in time to avoid the hug. Standing a few feet away from the group and keeping an eye on the hall outside their cell. A small grin on his face. 

Piper took a minute to gather herself, she rubbed her eyes and groaned loudly. “ How long was I out?” she asked. 

“About….erm, 8 hours.” Junko answered, letting them go and giving Piper some breathing room. But not before booping her nose, getting a small laugh out of her. 

“Guess I needed it.” She hugged Finn back tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. She looks at Aerrow. “So, care to tell me where we are?” she asks. 

Aerrow scratches the back of his head. “So, remember that ‘shiny city’ we saw on the day we got here?”

“ Yes?”

“Well…they caught us.” Her eyes bulged. 

“What?!” Finn let her go and sat on the gurney beside her and wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her shoulder.

Finn laughed, “Yeah, it’s pretty messed up. They showed up right after your girlfriend decided to turn us into living statues AFTER saving you . Apparently, these guys are weird half metal dudes with shiny weapons and a scary 7 ft monster dude as their boss.” 

Piper gave Finn a confused look and returned her attention to Aerrow. “Uh, what?” She rubbed her temples, “You mean to tell me, that not only did Cyclonis paralyze you after saving me. She also turned us over to… someone? Oh, and Finn?”

The blonde looks at her. “Yeah?” Piper immediately punches him in the shoulder.

“She is not my girlfriend!” He stuck his tongue out at her.

“ Whatever.” He said as he rubbed his shoulder.

Aerrow waved his hand in front of Piper’s face to get her attention back. “Uh , anyway.” He continued, “What he meant to say was, once we realized you were…getting worse. We had no choice but to let Cyclonis help. She seemed to be on board for the most part and worked with Stork to save you.”

Piper had a thoughtful look on her face. “I see,” She looked down. “And these metal guys?”  

“Soldiers. All of them. Their ‘Commander’ or whatever ordered his men to load us onto transports. Of course, they made sure to shackle us. Eventually, we arrived at this place. You can’t really tell but we are definitely much higher in the air than you think we are. Hundreds of feet, easy. And yeah, Cyclonis is the one who turned us over. She’s definitely working with them.” Piper furrowed her brows and hummed. “Doesn’t explain why she helped you though…”

Piper sighed. “ She …has a LOT of issues…” Piper gingerly touched her headband, her touch lingering over a suspicious lump. She saw Junko looking at her and winked, smirking in a way that told him she had some kind of trick up her sleeve. 

“Hey, are you feeling ok? Any nausea? Or dizziness?” Aerrow asked her. Junko knew he was talking about that sickness she seemed to keep getting whenever she uses her powers too much. At least, that’s how he understood it.

“I’m fine. A lot better actually. I think she might have…” Piper stopped talking and glanced behind them at the gaps in their cell. “...given me a ‘ boost’ .” She gestured for them to get closer. 

Junko made his way over and hunched down as well, lifting his arms and covering them as best he could so they could speak as privately as they could. 

Piper continued, her voice but a whisper. “Ok, so ‘ our grumpy new friend’ did a good job helping me. And she even gave me a ‘gift’.” 

Aerrow narrowed his gaze at Piper. “What kind of gift?” He kept his voice as quiet as possible, but Junko heard a slight shuffling beyond the wall of their cell. 

He shushed Aerrow, who gave him an apologetic look. Piper gently squeezed the redhead’s shoulder and gave him a small smile. “I’m not mad because if it wasn’t for her, you’d all be dead right now.” 

Junko and the rest of the guys gave her a strange look. He spoke up. “Uh…Piper? I don’t see how freezing us in place helped us stay out of prison.” Finn nodded at him and turned to Piper.

“Yeah, and what was that about ‘ dead’?”   Finn gave her a worried look.

“Guys, we had no idea what we were dealing with. She made sure they didn’t see us as a threat.” Aerrow immediately responded.

“Would have been nice if she had told us.” He had an annoyed look on his face now, as well as a hint of frustration in his tone. 

Piper sighted. “Yeah, me too. But let’s face it. Neither of us would have trusted her. I think the fact we are all alive now is enough for me to trust that she is on our side.” She saw how unhappy the gang was at the prospect of working with their greatest enemy. “For now at least…” 

“And you think that is enough to trust her?” Aerrow gave Piper a pleading look. “She saved your life. I’m still wondering why. I think I have an idea but…can we trust her with our lives , Piper?” 

She looked at him for several seconds, then her gaze drifted over to Finn. Then to Stork who was shaking his head ‘no’. When she got to Junko he gave her a small smile and winked.

Piper sighed, “I don’t know if we can trust her completely. But I know who I don’t trust. The people holding us captive. She was so scared that she had to risk losing our trust to keep us safe from them. Maybe it is just a long con.” Piper looked down dejectedly. “But I want to believe in something good. And she didn’t leave us with nothing.”

“You mean, other than a crippling distrust of monarchies and an ever present threat of annihilation?” Stork piped in. 

Piper laughed through her nose, “ Besides that Stork. Let’s just say we have an escape plan, and our ‘little friend’ is a part of it. I shouldn’t say any more than that for now.”

Junko hummed. He thought about everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. He’d been working to fix the Condor, his home, so he and his friends could go home. Piper got sick and nearly died. Their worst enemy saved her but also paralyzed them. They were captured by terrifying people they don’t know, who may want to hurt them. 

They don’t have Radarr. But Piper has faith in Cyclonis, and says Radarr is going to help them too. Junko has no idea if any of this will end well. But he will be damned if he doesn’t do his best to help fix this. I’m not letting them down again. I’ll do whatever it takes.

“Piper,” She looked at him. “I don’t know about Cyclonis.” She grimaced, “But I trust you, and I trust Radarr. I trust the whole team. I know we’ll get out of this. One way or another. Right?” He held out his fist for her to bump. Her smile beamed like a light in the dark as she bumped his fist with her tiny one. 

“Right!” 

The team got to enjoy a few more seconds of camaraderie before they heard the marching of metal soles coming from the corridor. All of them turned to face the energy barrier.

A small platoon of Imperium soldiers appeared, lined up from one end of the barrier to the other. There were a dozen of them. 

Aerrow barely had time to yell “Get ready!” before the barrier came down and the soldiers rushed them with unnatural speed. They turned from armored statues to liquid metal demons in an instant. 

Junko wasted no time, he was mid-swing by the time the soldiers were on them. “ Graaah!” His fist connected, but not with the soldier’s head he was aiming for. He saw the cyborg shift his body so that Junko’s fist connected with his shoulder instead, spinning him around with the force of the punch. 

Only for the soldier to recover instantly and slip inside Junko’s defenses. Before the wallop could even process what had happened a metal fist connected with his jaw, sending him flying back, his head connecting with the wall. 

All of this happened in 3 seconds. 

Junko’s head was spinning. 

What just happened…? 

He tried to get up but felt a weight against his neck. He looked up and saw the soldier standing over him, those spectral green eyes glowing menacingly. The solder was standing on his neck. 

The wallop tried to grab the soldier’s leg only to feel a crushing weight cut off his air. A long electrified blade slid out of the soldier’s right hand and he pointed it at Junko’s face. The blade’s tip was less than an inch from his horned nose. 

“Do not move. ” The soldier spoke. “ Or you will die.” The voice was metallic and monotone. It scared him. There was no emotion in it at all. 

Junko looked to the side as much as he dared, the soldier’s foot pressing if he moved even a millimeter. He could see his friends in a similar state. Pinned by soldiers and completely at their mercy. Then he heard her.

“No! Hey! Where are you taking me!? STOP!” He watched helplessly as two soldiers dragged her away from them, out of the cell, out of sight.

Piper!

A rage he’d never known before lit up inside him. He grabbed the soldier’s leg and the blade, the edge instantly cutting into his palm. Electricity surged up his arm as the nastiest shock he’d ever felt made him scream. 

But he still had the strength to throw the soldier off him. He was on his feet half a second before a large black metal fist entered his vision. 

It hit him with the force of a freighter. 

Junko felt the strength leave his body before he even hit the floor. The taste of blood filled his mouth as the lights became dim. The last thing he saw were the massive black feet of their commander. And the last thing he hears…is his voice.

“Interesting, resilient to high voltage. Higher muscle and bone density. But weak like all the rest.” 

Junko closed his eyes as a deep sense of shame accompanied him into unconsciousness.

I’m sorry…Piper.

Chapter Text

Everything is…too clean.

Cyclonis would have laughed at that thought if she wasn’t still reeling from her encounter with the General. 

The young teen had only managed to stay still on the bed a few minutes before her nerves got the better of her. She forced herself to get up and examine her surroundings. Confirming that the room was unnaturally clean. 

There was a single bed. Simple. Oddly enough there weren’t any blankets or pillows. Just a mattress. The floor was a synthetic material that reminded her of rubber. Softer than metal yet firm enough to walk on comfortably. There were no drawers or other such furnishings. Just the bed and an unusually large mirror covering the entirety of the wall in front of it. Forcing her to see just how disheveled she had truly become.

It doesn’t even smell like anything in here. Literally. The only scent in this room is my own. She grimaced at that realization. Ugh, I really need a shower.

The bed itself felt brand new, unused even. If this room was for diplomats then why did it feel like she was the first one to set foot here? 

She was alarmed by how much dirt and grime she was leaving behind everywhere she touched. It almost felt like she was intruding, ruining the pristine beauty of this room by merely existing within it. Not unlike how being within the Citadel made her feel. 

The Empress’ control over her dominion was unmistakable. Every last square inch of this place was pristine, measured, and efficient. Down to the very people that lived in it. 

Cyclonis scoffed. “ People…As if those automatons outside qualify. Certainly not that monster.” The former empress kept replaying the words he’d said to Finn. She couldn’t help but overhear with how quiet the citadel was in spite of the countless cyborgs occupying it.

‘... Any attempt to leave will result in immediate termination…Beginning with her.’

“ Bastard.” She said to no one, at least. No one she could see. She didn’t doubt that they were observing her in some way. With cameras too small for her to possibly see. It would be foolish of them not to keep an eye on her at all times. 

The general was almost supernaturally observant. I had the feeling that even if he wasn’t looking right at me he'd know exactly what I was doing. In fact, he’s most likely monitoring me now…

.

. 

.

I don’t care, I need a shower.  

She ceased her pacing and made a beeline for the shower, tearing off her gloves and boots as she went. Once she was inside the washroom she shut the door behind her. After a brief moment, she opened it a sliver and shoved the rest of her outfit through the gap.

The washroom was just as clean if not cleaner than the main bedroom. Of course, it wasn’t covered in the tracks she’d been leaving everywhere she went. She’s surprised no one including the General said anything. Perhaps it didn’t require being said for the shame to affect her. 

The mirror, above the white bowl she could only assume was the sink, spanned nearly the entirety of the wall just like the one in the main room had. It was harder to ignore her reflection now that she wasn’t pacing all over the place. She looked feral, like an animal torn from the brush and dragged through the dirt. 

Cyclonis could barely recognize the girl in the mirror as the monarch she had been raised to be.

“Damned bucket.” She rasped to herself before turning towards the shower to decipher its controls. 

Like the entrance to her room, it had a single smooth panel of opaque glass serving as the control panel. She remembered from her fidgeting earlier that it seemed different pressure on different sections caused things to happen. Pressing more to one side or the other seemed to both turn on the water and choose the temperature. Pushing upwards increased the pressure. 

“Interesting.” While it was a mundane appliance, she felt like she was already learning about the Imperium’s technological design philosophy. Minimalism and efficiency. That is what was prioritized. She realized that it was the same with their vehicles, internal transportation like the platform, and even their prison cells. 

There was hardly a single crevice that the Hawks could have exploited in that cell from what she had seen. Energy barriers prevent any kind of physical leverage from being used. And clearly they don’t fear power outages. Their faith in their energy system is absolute. 

Hubris, how familiar. Perhaps I can someday use that to my advantage, if I survive what comes next.

She let her thoughts about the nature of her new enemy occupy her mind as she scrubbed herself from head to toe.

The hot water was soothing, after a while she almost felt like her old self again. If she kept her eyes shut and pretended hard enough, maybe she would open them and be back in her tower. Back home, in Cyclonia. 

She’d leave the royal bath and slip into her ceremonial robes, ordering a cup of her favorite tea from a random talon and sit in her study. Dark Ace would knock on her door and offer to read her the latest report on their territorial gains and losses. 

Cyclonis knew that he was well aware she could read it herself in a heartbeat. But she never minded it. It reminded her of being read to by her grandmother when she was a little girl. Anarchis would never read a frivolous fairytale to her granddaughter, only historical accounts of ancestors' past. But her voice had soothed her to sleep all the same.

.

.

.

When the former empress was finished, a simple swipe of her hand across the shower panel cut off the water flow. 

Very Intuitive…I wonder how long Piper would have taken to figure it out. Not long, most likely. 

Cyclonis exited the shower and walked over to yet another panel in the wall near the shower. There was a circular indentation on the ceiling. 

I wonder…

She pressed the panel softly and gasped as she was suddenly being covered in warm circulating air. Ah, a drying tube. Ingenious. She adjusted the speed and temperature and enjoyed the sensation of hot air circulating around her. And tried not to think about how it reminded her of an embrace that never happened with a certain navy-haired girl…

Cyclonis re-entered the main room, cleansed and refreshed. Except something was different. 

The tracks she’d left on the floor were gone, along with any stains her clothes had left on the mattress. In fact, her clothes had been picked up, washed, and neatly folded into a small pile on the bed. Her boots on the floor before her. 

I…didn’t hear anything. They cleaned the room and washed my clothes without me even realizing they had entered at all.

She swallowed nervously.

So they were monitoring me…

.

.

.

Cyclonis dressed herself quickly and left her assigned room as quickly as she could without seeming panicked. 

The hallway was empty. As she walked towards the platform that was waiting for her at the end she could hear every single one of her footsteps. The only other noise was the sound of her breathing. It was almost as if every soul had left the citadel for some reason.

She maintained a steady pace, unable to keep herself from searching for a sign of a single soldier or even General Gargan himself. But she couldn’t even find a camera let alone anyone else. 

The lone mage walked onto the platform. After a few seconds, it began to ascend. Even as she rose, Cyclonis still couldn’t spot anyone on any of the dozens if not hundreds of floors between her and the top of the Citadel.

Where is he? 

Somehow, not being able to see the monstrous cyborg at all times was worse than having to deal with the constant physical threat he posed to her. 

There’s no way he’d have stopped monitoring me. He’s far too eager to crush me the moment he has permission. Unless he is busy crushing someone else…

The platform finally reached its limit at the very top of the tower. Cyclonis is impressed that she wasn’t suffering some kind of altitude sickness. If her estimates were correct, back in the Atmos she’d have required a breather at this height. Yet she hardly felt any worse for wear.

They are beyond our meager limitations. Yet they do not explore the heavens, they do not have the same need for another horizon. Only lands to conquer.

She stepped off of the platform and into a gigantic throne room. Vast does not begin to cover it. It easily dwarfed her own throne room several times over. But what it had in scale it lacked in soul. There were no embellishments. No tapestries, paintings or statues that spoke of the greatness of those who came before. 

It was unnatural to the young monarch. Nearly every corner of Cyclonia was awash in its history. Nothing mattered more than the memory of one’s ancestors. Her grandmother and the long legacy of the Masters that preceded her were the bedrock foundation of Cyclonis’ self-image. 

Without them, she had no idea who she was even meant to be.

But this place stood bare of any sort of sentimentality. All that existed within this room was a long table with dozens of empty chairs. Only the throne lay beyond that. 

Cyclonis froze when she saw her. The Empress of the Emerald Imperium herself. 

Empress Drakynia .

The young monarch couldn’t help but stare at the older woman, because in all her life, Cyclonis had never met a being that looked so… terrifyingly perfect.

There was not a single flaw in her posture, she sat perfectly still upon the throne as if her body had been carved from it. She was clothed in a skin tight suit awash with the greenish colors of her emblem. A perfectly symmetrical pattern of bright teal, dark green and black flowed from her neck to her shiny boots. Metal plates fused seamlessly into her shoulders, gloves and greaves. 

Her skin was fair, not a single blemish or pore. Her lips were a glossy black finish. Her hair was as white as marble. As if the color had been drained by the endless passage of time itself. And her eyes…

Cyclonis had faced monsters and murderous rogues and never batted an eye. Even Gargan was simply another monster in the end. But the Empress’ cold gaze bore a hole deep within Cyclonis’ soul that she feared would remain for the rest of her life. 

Glowing, slitted pupils the color of ice in an ocean of black…the eyes of a predator. Cyclonis felt like a prey animal that had wandered into a trackbeast’s den…she already wanted to run.

Cyclonis took a deep breath and cleared her throat, the silence finally becoming too claustrophobic for her to bear. 

“Apologies for the delay, Empress Drakynia . I was making myself presentable.” She bowed deeply and continued. “I am grateful for your generous hospitality and hope to one day extend the same to you, your highness.”

“ I know why you were delayed. It is why you were provided that room.” Cyclonis’ felt the small hairs on the back of her neck stand up straight. It was as if the Empress had just whispered that sentence into her ear from less than an inch away. She looked up and saw that the Empress was still seated in her throne. Her voice was like a metallic violin. Cold and mechanical, yet beautiful.

How did… The young mage hadn’t even heard a voice coming from the Empress’ direction at all. There was no echo. As if the woman had spoken from the air next to the former empress’ head. 

 “Please, take a seat.” The Empress’ face did not betray an ounce of emotion, it was not a kind offer of hospitality. It was an order. One that Cyclonis was inclined to obey. 

The young monarch looked down at the several dozen options for seating herself. She chose the nearest one. She pulled out her seat, the scraping of the chair’s legs against the pristine floor was grating to her ears. It was mortifying. She quickly sat down, knees together and shoulders level. The young mage placed her hands on her knees and put on an impassive, yet attentive, expression. Just like her grandmother taught her... 

“ I…wanted to apologize for placing the burden of my prisoners upon you without prior warning. You have been very generous in their accommodations and making sure they are secured.” She saw the Empress’ right hand shift ever so slightly as she tapped a finger onto the surface of her armrest. 

A rectangle of light flickered into existence beside her throne and she turned to glance at it. Cyclonis could barely make out the shapes of the Storm Hawks on that screen. 

Their cell. 

"A burden you say? Interesting." The woman’s lips moved yet Cyclonis couldn’t tell if sound was produced from her mouth. Only from the ‘invisible speaker’ she could not see floating beside her head. 

Does she even breathe? It’s almost as if she is a marionette miming speech. 

Cyclonis felt her skin prickling when she realized how much less human this woman felt in spite of her face. 

"Tell me, Master Cyclonis. Why do you not have a single soldier of yours accompanying you? Your transport is...crude. Even for your land's technological level.” Drakynia’s gaze switched back to meet Cyclonis’.

"And it does not seem to belong to you. As per the emblem on its side." She tilts her head. Her voice is steady without a hint of emotion. 

"If I had not reviewed your psychological profile, I'd even come to the conclusion that you might have been working with your 'prisoners' to present a false scenario." The Empress was baiting her.

Cyclonis was sweating. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. The witch fought to maintain her composure. She licked her lips, they’d dried out during Drakynia’s surgical dissection of her ruse. 

" Of course, that would be absurd. After all I've done, how could they possibly trust me? I claimed their ship as a trophy. And my troops were poised to follow me but the portal collapsed before they could. I was able to take the ship by myself, as you no doubt saw. " She straightened her back, internally chastising herself for not doing it sooner. 

“ Rest assured, the prisoners currently under your care were the last of the resistance left against my rule.”

Cyclonis instinctively raised her chin, her countless lessons in the study with her grandmother about proper decorum when addressing another ruler of royal blood floated to the surface of her mind. 

The Empress stared at her. She never blinked. Not even once since Cyclonis had entered her throne room. 

“I see. Your vital signs have been highly irregular since you've made contact with us again. Are you aware of this?” The mage felt her hairs stand on end. Her stomach turned as her mind raced to find an appropriate answer.

“No.” Simple but direct.

“Unsurprising. ” The empress returned her attention to the monitor by her side and, from what Cyclonis could see, was reviewing footage of her interactions with the hawks at inhuman speed. “ Yes, the idea that these individuals would ever trust you seems difficult to entertain. Your vital signs may be misleading. But theirs are not. ” She returns her attention to Cyclonis one last time. “ They despise you.”

Cyclonis was getting better at keeping her expression neutral but it was hard not to feel… something in regards to hearing that. Funny, how the idea of their animosity was inconsequential before. She couldn’t have cared less what they thought. And now it actually served a purpose, lending some credibility to her ever convoluted lies. But it also meant that her plan, which required their trust, was far less likely to work out in her favor. 

It hadn’t occurred to me before now that they could just force Piper to leave without me…Even if she manages to escape, she may not be able to convince them that I am truly on their side for the time being. Would they abandon me here…?

Cyclonis sighed, “Is there a point to this line of conversation?” The mage decided to pour some of her trademarked insolence into her tone. To fake impatience, in truth she needed every second she could buy with her bluff. 

“I believed you had wanted to discuss the details of our trade agreement now that the War in Atmosia has concluded.” She crossed her arms across her chest. 

A conquering teenage tyrant would act in this way when being mocked. I have to stay ‘in character’ if I have any hope of buying Piper enough time. 

There was a brief moment of silence after she spoke. The Empress simply stared at her for what felt like an agonizing amount of seconds. 

Cyclonis then felt her breath catch in her throat as the impassive face of the opposing monarch cracked into a cruel smirk. It bore an uncanny resemblance to the old statues that decorated her childhood estate, the ones she swore smiled when no one else was looking… 

“How interesting that trade is your concern at the moment, ” She could hear the slightest hint of amusement in the Empress’ voice. “ And not reuniting with your troops.” The older monarch tilted her head ever so slightly. 

“Tell me, Master Cyclonis, What were your losses?” The mage felt like she’d just been punched in the stomach.

“I beg your pardon?” She could barely hide her disbelief at the question. And fought against the last memory she had of Ace pushing its way into the forefront of her mind. 

Empress Drakynia stood up from her throne, any indignant remarks Cyclonis had planned dying in her throat the moment the other monarch moved. Her eyes followed the Empress’ every move.  She approached Cyclonis, her footfalls echoing throughout the entire chamber. The sound of metal against marble. 

The mage stayed where she was, feeling more and more helpless with every step the Ruler of this land took towards her. Until finally, she was within arms-length and looking down at her like a mother who was disappointed in their child for speaking out of turn. 

She leaned down until her face was inches from Cyclonis' own. 

“I asked, child , what your military losses were. In what ways did you utilize the tools I handed you? How efficient was their deployment? And for what reason did you think that letting your prisoners live was in any way a strategic choice?” 

The Empress rattled off question after question, giving the mage no time to breathe. No time to think.Cyclonis’ breathing became uneven as she fought and lost against her panic response. Her fingers began to subconsciously tap against the tabletop, even as the rest of her muscles froze.

…damn it. The young mage took a deep breath. 

“ I…I lost my top generals. My main forces were defeated during the first phase of the final battle. But I had planned for that, they were simply fighting to buy me some more time to activate the ‘weapons’ you so graciously gifted to me. I succeeded. I was in full control of the Atmos and my rule was absolute. ” Cyclonis cleared her throat. “ For the most part. The Storm Hawks had managed to take control of the portal just long enough to escape to the Far-Side.” She paused. “ I chased after them, so that I could make examples of them.”

The Empress expression did not change but she gave a small wave of her fingers, signaling the teen to continue. 

“ I had ordered my troops to accompany me but the portal had closed behind me as soon as I had crossed over. Thus, I had to restrategize, the hawks now outnumbered me. But I was able to outsmart them and take over their ship. Your General can fill in the rest. Of course, you already knew before he did, didn’t you?”

The corner of Drakynia’s mouth curled up slightly, she tapped the surface of the table with a finger and a holoscreen appeared right in front of Cyclonis’ face…showing Piper alone in her own cell. 

Piper? Oh no…

“I recall you mentioned she was particularly difficult to deal with, so of course I had the general separate her from the others and monitor her himself.” Cyclonis could see Piper looking around her surroundings, her eyes full of confusion and hands fidgeting.

“ Yes, she’s an exceptionally resourceful adversary. Oftentimes, she alone would find a way to interrupt my plans before I met you.”

“I see. But if you believe she will constitute a threat in the future, then perhaps it would be more strategic to eliminate her.” The Empress’s hand twitched and suddenly Piper’s screen had gone red. A synthetic voice spoke. 

WARNING: BIOLOGICAL PURGE IMMINENT. PROCEED WITH STERILIZATION?

Cyclonis couldn’t stop herself. 

“ NO! ” She shot up out of her chair and turned to face the empress, reaching for the crystals she had hidden in her suit’s pockets. Only to find nothing. “ What?”

“Well, isn’t that interesting,” The older monarch’s smooth robotic voice graced her ears. Oozing with self-satisfaction. 

The empress straightened her back and walked over to the end of the far table giving Cyclonis the briefest of looks over her shoulder. “I was hoping to get an honest reaction from you but I never imagined just how compromised you truly were.” 

Drakynia lifted her arm. Cyclonis felt her heart skip a beat as she recognized the crystals she had brought with her from the Condor were now suddenly resting in the Empress’ palm. 

“How… disapointing. ” 

She-she pickpocketed me…and I didn’t even feel it…

Cyclonis slowly slid back down into her seat. Her head hanging low, her hair falling forward to cover her eyes.

“ Why…?” Her voice was soft and quiet. “ Why did you even let me up here?” She raised her head and glared at the Empress with a mixed expression of pain and hatred. “ If you never believed my story from the beginning?”

Empress Drakynia examined the crystals in her grasp, responding to Cyclonis without looking at her. 

“I wanted to see if you were truly indifferent to their plight, and what you would do if I considered them expendible. At first I assumed it was due to the nature of more organic beings having an excess of empathetic impulses. But no. Your heart rate only ever spiked when the girl was in danger. When she was less accessible than the others.” The Empress turned to her and gave her a disgusted scowl, the most emotion she’s shown since they’ve met.

“You care for that one personally . Your enemy, and one you should have eliminated a long time ago if she was in any way a threat. I could not imagine a worse failing than that.” 

The empress placed the crystals down on the table, far out of Cyclonis’ reach. She walked back towards Cyclonis, stopping behind her and placing a thin yet heavy hand on her shoulder. It felt cold.

“I will give you this much credit, child. You made it much farther than I would have expected someone your age to have been able to. Even with such limited knowledge of your own history.” 

Cyclonis bristled at the patronizing statement. 

“I know my own history, Empress.” She spat. “I have been taught the entire history of Atmos since I was capable of understanding language.”

“No. You received an abridged version of your history. Of your true legacy. Not that of small-minded imperialists. But of true power. Mage history. To you, it is simply a dead civilization, lost to time and broken by the purge a thousand years prior.”

The mage’s head began to hurt. What is she talking about? Purge? Gargan mentioned that. He said that ‘ None were thought to have survived the purge. ’ There’s no record of a ‘purge’ in the Cyclonian historical records. Grandmother never said anything about our bloodline being descended from the survivors of some kind of genocide. Only that our power was rare…and dangerous.

“You are lying,” She brushed off the Empress’ hand and stood, turning to face her. “ You are trying to convince me to dissociate from my homeland. To make me feel like some kind of ‘other’ when I have always been its rightful ruler.” Cyclonis had raised her voice, returning to it the steely edge it had been lacking ever since she had lost at the hands of the Storm Hawks.

The Empress stood her ground, glaring down at her with a look of mild annoyance. The smaller teen stared back at her defiantly.

 “ I will never allow you to rule it.”

After a few moments, the Empress began to l augh at her. Cyclonis was completely taken aback. The woman’s body did not shake or bob up and down. It felt more like a recording, than a natural laugh. 

“Rule it?” The monarch gave her a bemused grin and tilted her head.

“It is a technologically primitive and chaotic collection of grains in an ocean of emptiness. ” The Empress stepped forward, forcing Cyclonis to step back, bumping into the edge of the table. Trapping her between it and her.  

The cyborg leaned closer until Cyclonis was forced to bend backwards. “I do not plan on ruling that wasteland. I plan on extracting the only resources of any value and flattening every landmass that is not explicitly useful.”

Cyclonis’ eyes widened in horror at the image of an empty Atmos with only piles of rubble beneath the cloud layer where Terras once stood. The only sound being the lonely howling of the wind.

“Now, there is the matter of your fate. ” The young mage felt cold hard fingers lift her chin, forcing her to look the Empress directly in the eye. “ I require a key to open the doorway to the Atmos. You are at least capable of that.” 

Cyclonis grabbed the Empress’ wrist trying to move it away, but it was like trying to move a statue. 

“ I don’t have another key” She hissed. “ I closed the portal and there’s no way to open it from this side-” She was cut off by a sudden pressure around her throat. 

The Empress made sure to squeeze just enough so that Cyclonis wouldn’t pass out from a lack of oxygen.

“I am through indulging your pathetic attempts at deception. ” She raised her arm, and the young mage with it, until Cyclonis could no longer feel the floor beneath her. “ Just this once, I will give you the opportunity to make the correct choice. Serve me or mage history ends here and now. ” 

Cyclonis was struggling to breath, her jaw clenched tightly. She tried kicking the monster holding her hostage. But it was like kicking the side of a skimmer, she almost broke a few toes trying. Hot tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, her face was flushed.

I Can’t breathe…it’s now or never.

“Ghkk…wrrrng…” Garbled words managed to escape the witch’s lips. The Empress tilted her head like some great bird of prey and eased her grip on the younger monarch’s throat. 

“Go on.” Cyclonis gasped for breath, her arms falling limp at her sides. The Empress lowered her until her feet touched the floor once again. 

“Speak.”

Cyclonis closed her eyes before complying with the Empress’ order. 

“ You were right…I was lying. There is a way to open a portal to the Atmos.” Her head fell forward, her hair obscuring parts of her face. 

The Empress nodded. “Just as I expected. No technology created for transportation across such a great distance could be so worthless. ” She released Cyclonis’ throat and examined her hand before holding it out to her side. A small machine descended from the ceiling and sprayed what Cyclonis could only assume was a type of disinfectant on it.  

Cyclonis shook her head. 

“ I was a fool to think I could deceive you. I could hardly deceive myself into thinking that I knew what to expect.” She swallowed. “There is no point in pretending any longer…I lost the war for Atmos. But you knew that from the moment you saw me didn’t you?” She glanced upwards at the much older woman. The resentment in her eyes was clear.

“Yes. My scouts knew you arrived while being pursued by an enemy craft. I ordered my forces to wait. I was curious .” She leaned forward. “ I wanted to see what you would do. And in that, you at least did not disappoint.” The Empress smiled. 

Cyclonis repressed a shudder at the sight.

“You disabled their craft. Crippling it. “ The empress brushed off some nonexistent debris from Cyclonis’ shoulders. “ You bided your time until the opportunity presented itself. And when we arrived, you made sure to rob my General of any excuse to tear those insects limb from limb.” She stood up straight.

“After that, I simply had to know what you would do next. I must say, you’ve left quite the impression on my General .” The cyborg woman waved her hand off to the side. “ Your attempts were admirable. And your resolve alone earned you an opportunity to serve me. Even if you are lacking… refinement. ” 

The young mage sighed, “ Thank you.” 

The Empress smirked. “Sometimes, young one, all that is needed to reach one’s full potential is a change of perspective. ” She turned to make the walk back to her throne. “ Oh, before I assign you the task of executing those parasites you brought back with you. Tell me, ” She stooped to pick up one of the crystals she had stolen off of Cyclonis’ person. “ Did you really believe these rocks of meager strength were going to be enough to kill me?” 

She examined the crystal, amused at how little energy her scanners detected from it. However as she awaited an answer from her newest subject, her system triggered an alarm. 

ALERT: SPIKE IN CRYSTALLINE MATRIX ENERGY DETECTED.

Before she could even react, the crystal she was holding between her fingertips shuddered and flew out of her hand and over her shoulder. 

The Empress turned around and saw the glowing rock fly into the palm of the young girl that had been at her mercy mere moments earlier. The other crystal had begun floating as well and glowing unnaturally bright. It orbited around Master Cyclonis until it settled in her other palm, both crystals started to shine painfully bright.

Several more warnings popped onto the Empress’ field of view warning her of massive energy spikes, though she hardly needed them as she could see the younger empress’ body begin to glow with an unholy purple light. 

“What is this?” The Empress demanded, her eyes glowing brighter as her internal combat systems became active.

A shadow began to creep across the throneroom as dark clouds formed outside the Citadel. 

The rumbling of thunder could be felt throughout the entire structure of the building. 

Lighting flashed above the canopy of darkness.

Cyclonis spoke, her voice dripping with malice and enhanced by a demonic echo.

“ This…is the price you will pay…for underestimating what a mage from Atmos is capable of… ”

The mage lifted her head, her eyes burning with purple light. Electricity shot out from the crystals she held in her fists and her body rose several inches as if gravity itself had lost its power over her. 

“ I may be one of the last of my kind…and I may never know the legacy of the mages that came before me…but know this, husk. ” 

The windows of the Empress’ throne room shattered as hurricane winds came roaring through them. The monarch activated an energy barrier around herself to defend against any debris. But a single shard of glass had managed to sneak through, grazing her cheek and leaving a mark. 

Cyclonis smiled.

“ I am Master Cyclonis, 73rd Master of Cyclonia, Heir to Master Anarchis, and the most powerful mage on this planet. And I will NEVER serve a heartless machine playing at being royalty. ”

The orbiting crystal found its way into Cyclonis’ other open palm and both it and its twin flared with red light.

The Empress narrowed her gaze and stood tall, lowering her shield and summoning a long blade of teal energy from her forearm. 

“You are out of your depth, girl . But very well. ” The monarch clad in metal armor approached Cyclonis, completely unaffected by the raging winds buffeting her body. “ If you wish to challenge me, then I will show you why you are the last of your kind.”

Cyclonis smirked knowingly.

“ By all means… show me. ”