Storm Hawks: Adventures Of the Other Side

Chapter 12

Preparations had gone underway by the enemy ship, plans underway for various forms of the impending attack.

The squadron, still undercover and briefed, sought refuge in the middle of the room watching the various groups. However, Cyclonis was nowhere to be seen.

"You there!" the General bellowed towards them. "The plan will be commence soon, get to your positions!" pointing towards the door to the hangar as he spoke. 

"Aerrow, what are we gonna do?" Piper, pulled him back slightly starting to stress. Aerrow couldn't even think of a side plan, Astra was already vulnerable from keeping the squadron secret. "Aerrow???" she whispered slightly louder but enough for only him to hear.

"I'm working on it, Piper, give me some time." starting to get slightly irritated. 

"Are we actually going to go through with this?" Junko piped in, "I mean, can we not sabotage them or something?" 

"They'll know it was us," Stork twitched, "It'll be our doom..."

Interrupting their conversation, a group of guards ran past them back to the bridge, however, loud enough that even the Atmos could hear them (most likely). 

"Sir! We've spotted a craft similar to this one north of here!"

"Notify Cyclonis, immediately!" cuing a few people to run past them once again. "Prepare the long range ammunition!" This forced the group to look at each other with sheer panic. Stork's twitching began to look like spasms from the stress. 

"Not my ship!" he freaked out, Junko trying to quieten him down at the same time. 

"Stork, be quiet! We need to get them out of there!" Piper's breath quickened. 

"Aerrow?" he turned his head to find no one there, continuously searching for the owner of the voice. "Aerrow, listen." he stopped turning. "Hide!"

"Who are you?"

"Keep yourselves safe!" With little information to go on, he had no choice but to do as advised. Aerrow ushered the group into the nearest airship to avoid being caught. 

"Air raid locked on target! Fire!" Tremors waved through the ship, Aerrow patiently waiting for some sign that they had missed...

"Aerrow! Look!" Piper's eye's widened in In scraps, the disguises corroding away like a shell, forcing them to see each other for the true selves. Panic soon taking over with the group!

"Aerrow, what happens if they find us?" Stork twitched, his nerves starting to get the better of him. 

"I don't know, we may have to run" Piper shushed the both of them as silence took over. Her heartbeat ringing in her ears from the tension. 

Aerrow couldn't think, he needed more time! So much to think about. What happened to the ship! Have they really been destroyed? Is the Queen of this land really dead?

"Enemy destroyed. Let's move."the voice sounded. Now, he was desperate for the disguises to come back, he needed to know they were safe. 

"Aerrow..."

"Shhhhhh"

"Aerrow?"

"Wait..."

"Aerrow, we need to move." He knew he had to, but his heart dropped at the thought. She had sacrificed so much for them. 

"No, we need to finish this..."

"We are outnumbered!!!" Aerrow snapped out of his trance, he also knew this, and was now stuck between a rock and a hard place. On a ship full of enemies, home blown up, and now no disguises. Sitting ducks. 

"What are we gonna do?" Junko whispered, trying now to cause attention to them.

"We have been told to do a job, lets get on the airship and go to the citadel." A tensile silence reined between them waiting for him to continue. "And there, we will make sure that they pay for our loss!" His eyes staring into the thick, black smoke that was now visible from the window.