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Dead to the World	By : barrsa Category: +S through Z > Storm Hawks Views: 2446 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Sky Hawks, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Prologue
- 2-Sky Politics
- 1
- 2
Aerrow stared unsurely at himself in the mirror. He held the two ends of his tie and looked hopefully up at Radarr who was perched on his shoulders. Radarr just shook his head and shrugged.

“Well, I don’t really need a tie, right?” Aerrow asked his furry companion. “I mean… I feel a little over-dressed.”

Radarr chirruped in agreement and tugged at his own little outfit, which consisted of a black vest and bowtie. Aerrow sighed, turning to examine one side of his suit, then the other. It was a simple black fitted dress coat and trousers, over top of a deep wine red dress shirt.

He turned forward and fiddled with the tie for again, then slowly raised a hand to the reddish scar that ran across his neck. He ran two fingers over it’s length, sighing.

Cyclonian attacks were getting so much worse, and yet all of Atmos seemed to be continuing as if it were business as usual. This latest battle, the one that had put himself, Starling, and all of the rest of the Storm Hawks in intensive care, had at least garnered some attention from the Sky Knight council.

What they going to do? In short, absolutely nothing. The council’s idea of addressing the issue was awarding Starling a medal of honour for the part she played in the battle. Aerrow couldn’t deny that she deserved it, but how would it help defend against the Cyclonians?

He pushed the thoughts from his mind. Tonight was about Starling, and he was going to be happy for her.

“If I don’t wear it, then you can see this,” he muttered to himself, still touching the scar. He tugged uncomfortably at the coat for a moment more, then looked at Radarr in the mirror.

“I guess we should go see how everyone else is doing.”

He cautiously opened his bedroom door and crept out, feeling ridiculous and out of place in his formal attire. The Condor was looking better than it had in years, thanks to a generous donation from the ship repair yard in Terra Metral. Still, it was patchy, dark, and above all else old. There was something about the formal get up that made Aerrow feel out of place in his own home.

He could hear voices coming from the bridge, and tried to appear confident when he wandered in.

Everyone except Piper was ready and waiting. Stork was at the helm, as usual. Finn lounged in a chair, looking painfully bored. Junko paced around the bridge, looking even more uncomfortable in his suit than Aerrow felt in his, and he momentarily felt bad for the big guy. It had been hard to find something broad enough across the shoulders for the massive teen, but eventually he had found a fitting brown suit on his home terra.

“Duuuude, lookin’ good!” Finn said, making finger-pistols at the red headed teen. “I might have a little competition for the ladies tonight!”

Aerrow chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t know Finn, that baby blue tux is pretty hot.”

Finn crossed his arms defensively as Stork snorted with laughter from his place at the controls. Despite the gentle coaxing from his team mates to go with something a little less… loud, Finn insisted on purchasing a tuxedo that would be better suited for a high school graduation then a formal ceremony.

“Yeah, whatever man. You’ll see, girls can’t resist my charms.”

Aerrow and the others laughed, and Finn smiled easily. He was used to being the clown, it was the one thing aside from sharp shooting that he was good at.

“Oooh no! Not tonight Finn, we have to make a good impression!” Piper snapped from the doorway.

Aerrow’s breath caught in his throat as he turned to face the navigator. He could hear a faint gasp behind him from one of the others. She stood with her hands on her hips, stern look slowly disappearing from her face as her team mates openly stared. She was in a cream-coloured spaghetti-strap cocktail dress, with matching opera-length gloves and modestly heeled shoes. Her midnight blue hair was swept up in curls, with a few strands framing her face.

“What?” she asked, beginning to blush self consciously.

“Wow Piper, you look…” Junko began.

“… like a girl!” Finn exclaimed. Aerrow swatted Finn’s shoulder and gave him a disapproving glare. Piper looked understandably offended.

“You look amazing,” Aerrow said firmly, walking closer to the blushing girl.

Her whole demeanour changed as she smiled shyly and shrugged, muttering something incomprehensible that he took to mean ‘thank you’. She stepped forward and lifted her arms, for a heart-stopping moment Aerrow thought that she was going to hug him. Instead she lifted Radarr from his shoulder and set the squirming and complaining co-pilot on the ground.

“He’s getting fur all over you,” she said, brushing off his shoulders, carefully not meeting his eyes.

There was an awkward moment as they stood too close together, neither saying anything or looking the other in the eye. Finn coughed loudly, sidling up to Piper.

“So, hows about you let the Finnster accompany you to the party?” he said sliding an arm around Piper’s shoulders.

She laughed nervously and moved out from under his arm to the other side of Aerrow.

“Firstly, this isn’t a party. This is a very important meeting for Sky Knights and their squadrons and you need to behave. Secondly, I already have a date,” she said matter-of-factly.

“What?” Aerrow and Finn asked in unison.

She looked pointedly up at Aerrow, taking his arm. He stared blankly for a moment, then blinked in realization. Finn looked skeptically from one to the other, one eyebrow raised.

“Uh, yeah! Of course I’m going with Piper!” Aerrow said laughingly. “Sorry buddy, guess I beat you to the punch!”

Finn stared a moment more, seeming to struggle with the concept, then laughed suddenly. Aerrow thought it almost sounded forced.

“I knew you had it in you! It’s about time!” He smiled and clapped Aerrow on the back with a little more force than was necessary.

“D’you hear that, Stork? I told you he would! Pony up!” Finn almost skipped over to the grumbling pilot, who was digging through his wallet.

Aerrow was mortified. He friends had been making wagers about him and Piper? He had never even entertained the thought that they talked about his personal life behind his back. He made a mental note to pull Finn aside later. And by ‘pull aside’, he really meant ‘kick the shit out of’. To his surprise, Piper seemed much less disturbed.

“Thanks,” she said quietly, releasing his arm and taking a step away. “I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.”

Aerrow glanced over at the gloating blond. “Feelings? Finn?”

“Aerrow!” she hissed playfully. “He takes it harder than you think,” she said more seriously. Aerrow grinned to himself, thinking that maybe Piper didn’t know Finn half as well as she thought she did.

“We’ll be reaching Terra Atmosia in less than ten minutes,” Stork called over.

“Oh!” Piper squeaked. “Okay everyone, remember the plan!” She marched over to the middle of the room, looking slightly wobbly in her high heels.

“The only reason we get to go at all is because Starling invited us as guests of honour.”

“Which is SO STUPID,” Finn cut in. Piper ignored him.

“This is the perfect opportunity to show the council how mature we are. That means no crazy schemes, no pocketing hors d'oeuvres, no picking fights with the Rex Guardians…” she sighed and slumped her shoulders a little. “Just try and make a good impression. If not for the Storm Hawks, do it for Starling.”

Junko put a massive hand on Piper’s dark shoulder and smiled reassuringly at her. “Don’t worry Piper, we’ll be good. Right guys?”

Finn and Aerrow responded with an enthusiastic “Yeah!”, Stork was a little less unenthusiastic, and Radarr barked the affirmative. Piper took a deep breath and smiled up at the Wallop.

“Can someone tie my tie for me?” Aerrow asked sheepishly, noticing that both Finn and Junko had ties on.

“Uh, sorry dude, clip-ons,” Finn said, pulling off his tie to demonstrate, and Junko did the same. Aerrow looked hopefully over at Stork, who turned slightly to show that he wasn’t wearing a tie. He had a high mandarin-style collar that wasn’t suited for ties.

“I don’t do ties. Too much like nooses. You’re just asking for trouble with those,” he said ominously.

“Here,” Piper said, walking over and carefully taking his tie. “Okay, the rabbit goes around the log…”

Aerrow tuned out the cutely phrased instructions and smiled warmly down at the girl. He suddenly felt an aching fondness for the girl, watching her delicate hands work the tie into the proper knot and carefully pulling it snug against his collar.

“And there!” She took a step back to admire her handiwork. “You got all that, Mr. Sky Knight?” she teased.

He hadn’t, but he nodded anyway.

“Piper, are you sure we should be dressing up like this? I mean, if it’s all Sky Knights and their squadrons, wouldn’t it make more sense to wear our Storm Hawks gear?” Junko whined, fidgeting uncomfortably.

Piper sighed. They had been through this more than once before. “Starling’s invite said formal wear. You wouldn’t want to be the only one there in our ratty uniforms, would you?”

“I guess not,” the Wallop conceded.

“There’s Terra Atmosia. We’re almost there,” Stork said darkly, sounding more like they were going into the wastelands than to a place as familiar as Terra Atmosia.

*****

To his credit, Junko had been at least partially right. There seemed to be a healthy mix of formal wear and squadron uniforms.

There was a good sized crowd outside of the hall as the group approached it; hopeful civilians hoping to get a peek at some of the Atmos’ most famous Sky Knights. Radarr climbed up onto Junko’s shoulders - Piper couldn’t reach him up there - to escape being trampled. Stork seemed to have the same idea as he walked as close to the Wallop as was possible without actually pressing against him. People seemed much more willing to stand aside for Junko than anyone else in their little group.

Aerrow approached the large entranceway in the lead, feeling slightly out of place under the doorman’s scrutinizing glare.

“Can I help you, young man?” he drawled, glancing sideways at the guards chatting just to the side of the stairs.

“I’m Sky Knight Aerrow, leader of the Storm Hawks. This is my team,” he gestured back to his group, noticing that all of them looked varying degrees of anxious.

“Do you have a summon?” he asked, leaning forward slightly, as if he was talking to a small child.

Aerrow grinded his teeth and said nothing as he presented Starling’s invite. The Interceptor’s seal caught the moonlight for a second and shimmered. The man snatched the card and examined it carefully.

“Oh, you’re here as Ms. Starling’s guests. Of course, go right ahead,” the man stepped out of the way and offered a half-hearted bow as they passed.

“Here as guests! What a douchebag!” Finn hissed to Aerrow.

Piper hushed the blond. “We are here as guests, Finn. But maybe if we make a good impression with the council tonight, next time we come it’ll be as an official squadron,” she said forcefully. She turned forward again only to bump into Junko, who had stopped suddenly.

“Wow,” Junko said lamely, gaping at the lavishly decorated hall. There were easily over three hundred people in attendance, ranging from Sky Knights to leaders from across the Atmos. Of course, the place as also swarming with paparazzi.

“There’s so many people…” Piper said, wide eyed.

“Can I go back to the Condor now? Please?” Stork asked bleakly.

“Hey Junko! Look at the snack table!” Finn nearly squealed.

Aerrow smiled widely as he took it all in. He could appreciate how the fanfare could easily draw people in, but he knew that this was the superficial side of the Sky Knights, something that he wasn’t all that fond of. It reminded him too much of the traitor, Carver. Still, he hadn’t even seen Starling since the battle, and he needed to thank her.

There were medium sized circular tables set up around the hall. There was a space cleared in front of the band pit where some people had actually started dancing. It was beyond weird to see some of Atmos’ most famous Sky Knights wearing suits and dresses waltzing around the dance floor.

“Oh, would ya lookit that! If it isn’t the Storm Hawks!” They looked over to see Suzy Lu and two of her Absolute Zero companions striding over.

“Suzy Lu!” Piper cried excitedly, and rushed to meet the woman, who quickly enfolded her in a warm hug.

“Well now, look at you! Prettier than a fresh set of snow tires!” the Blizzarian exclaimed, holding the blushing girl at arms length.

“Um, thank you!” Piper said. “I think.”

“G’day eh!” Billy Rex greeted, moving straight to Finn. He began to animatedly share his most recent “extreme” stunts, as the blond listened with great interest.

“So how have the Storm Hawks been, eh? Keepin’ outta trouble?” Suzy Lu grinned at Aerrow.

“If only!” Stork groaned quietly.

“You know us, we’re never out of trouble for long,” Aerrow said smiling.

“I hear that, eh!” the female Blizzarian at Suzy’s side remarked.

Quiet music began drifting through the hall, and all eyes turned towards the band, located in the back of the hall in front of the stage. Strings and brass combining prettily in a somewhat morbid sounding waltz.

“Ew, who picked the lame tunes?” Finn said, making a face. Billy Rex nearly shot his drink through his nose with laughter, nodding emphatically in agreement.

“I think it’s kind of nice,” Stork said softly. “It’s like a funeral.”

All eyes of the Storm Hawks and the present Blizzarians turned to stare quizzically at the Merb.

“I mean… the music… is funeral-y…” he floundered. “I’m going to get a drink,” he announced suddenly, and walked off.

“He’s a strange one, eh?” Billy Rex muttered to Finn.

“You have no idea,” Finn sighed. He brightened quickly. “Hey, lets go raid the food table!”

“Yeah!” Junko agreed, following the blond and the Blizzarian, Radarr still in tow.

“Remember your manners!” Piper called hopeless after them, drawing laughter out of the remaining party. Aerrow looked around, surprised by how many familiar faces he saw.

“So, I hear you folks were there when Starling took those Cyclonians down,” Suzy Lu said in a conspiratorial voice, moving in a little closer.

“Yeah, we were already on Terra Metral when the call went out,” Aerrow confirmed. “It was… messy,” he said awkwardly, not wanted to elaborate.

“The word is that she took someone’s head clean off!” the other Blizzarian said, looking from Aerrow to Piper as if the answer was in their eyes. Aerrow looked away, taking a sudden interest in the floor.

Piper subtly took one of his hands in hers. “No, it wasn’t like that…” She trailed off, looking up at Aerrow. He said nothing, eyes still trained on the floor. They knew the rumours; none of them were pretty.

“She only killed him out of necessity. She saved Aerrow,” Piper explained, giving Aerrow’s hand a small squeeze.

“Oh, and it didn’t have anything to do with the fact that he had killed her entire squadron, eh?”

Aerrow glared at the woman heatedly, and opened his mouth to snap at her, but Suzy Lu beat him to it.

“Kara Mae! You’re completely out of line,” she said with more authority than Piper or Aerrow would have credited her for a moment earlier.

“No matter how you look at it, that woman’s a hero. Whether that lizard was killed in battle or brought back here to be sentenced and hanged doesn’t make one lick of difference,” she said firmly.

Kara Mae’s ears flattened back against her head, and she had the good grace to look ashamed.

“I know what people are saying… That we lured Repton out just to murder him… But that’s not what happened. It happened so fast, we didn’t even have time to think…” Aerrow said haltingly, subconsciously moving closer to Piper.

“Starling’s had her chance for revenge in the past. She was just in the right place at the right time. If it wasn’t for her, the Cylconians might have taken over Terra Metral,” Piper supplied.

There was an awkward silence, even as voices and music filled the air.

Rust-coloured eyes moved from Suzy Lu to Aerrow, overwhelmed by the tension.

“So!” She said in an overly cheerful voice. “Why don’t we go check out that food?” She tugged gently on Aerrow’s hand.

“It was nice seeing you again Suzy Lu!” Piper smiled up at the older woman, who smiled crookedly back.

“We’re sittin’ just over there, you’re welcome to join us later,” she said, with a slight wave good-bye.

Piper and Aerrow turned and headed towards the food tables.

“Well, that could have gone worse.” Aerrow said, grinning down at blue haired girl.

“Oh yeah, totally,” she laughed, more out of relief than anything. At least Aerrow was still in good humour.

They squeezed their way through the thick crowd, exchanging pleasantries with everyone they recognized. There was no sign of Starling anywhere, Aerrow noticed dejectedly. It took them a good twenty minutes to actually reach the snack table, since they stopped and chatted with every familiar face.

Aerrow felt something tugging on his pant leg as soon as he approached the table, he looked down to find Radarr glaring up at him crossly.

“Hey buddy, everybody just ditch you here?” Aerrow said frowning. He leaned down and picked up his pouting co-pilot and put him back in his rightful place on his shoulders. Radarr nodded and gave him a dirty look.

“Aw, don’t be mad. Here,” Aerrow grabbed a small plate and filled it with fruits, and handed it up to Radarr. Radarr chirped appreciatively and snatched the plate, much to the disgust of the people standing nearby. Radarr began munching happily on his food, unaware of the people staring. One of the servers leaned across the table slightly, beckoning Aerrow to come closer.

“Sir, would you please feed your pet elsewhere? People feel uncomfortable, it’s not… it‘s not sanitary,” the young man said quietly, his whole demeanour begging Aerrow not to make a scene.

“Now listen here-” Aerrow began, but felt Piper’s hand grip his arm tightly.

“We’re sorry, we’ll go out to the patio,” she said hurriedly, pulling Aerrow along with her.

Aerrow sighed exasperatedly and followed the petite girl obediently.

“C’mon Piper, that guy was being rude,” he protested, reaching up to rub behind Radarr’s ear.

“No, he was doing his job! I’m sure if they knew Radarr then things would be different, but for all they know he could be… could be… ” she trailed off awkwardly. Radarr made an offended noise and hunkered down against Aerrow’s shoulders.

“Could be what, Piper?” Aerrow challenged, feeling defensive.

“UGH! I don’t know!” she said, stomping her foot slightly. She paced angrily away to lean on the railing of the patio.

Aerrow frowned up at Radarr, who frowned back. It was rare that Piper lost her temper with the Storm Hawk leader. He wandered over slowly, taking time to examine a few of the decorative tiles before leaning beside her.

“You shouldn’t sweat this stuff, Piper. It doesn’t matter if we’re official or not. And this one appearance isn’t going to make or break us. Being a Sky Knight squadron isn’t about wearing fancy clothing or having perfect manners,” he said softly.

He noticed that she was shivering slightly; it was a chilly night. He cautiously put an arm around her, and pulled her gently against his side.

“That’s not what it seems like. Look at the Rex Guardians! Longest running squadron, and they’re nothing but fancy clothing and perfect manners,” she mumbled, leaning her head against his shoulder.

He grinned down at her. “Well, if that’s what being an official team is about, then I don’t want to be official.”

She smiled slightly, and closed her eyes, just relaxing against him. Aerrow relished the closeness, feeling that unfamiliar ache again. He could feel her small frame against him, the smoothness of the skin on her shoulder, hear her gentle breathing.

He had never felt this way about Piper before. Over the past couple of months he had begun to feel differently around her. He was confused and a little anxious about his feelings. He didn’t know if it was his head or his hormones guiding his heart, and he didn’t want risk losing the closeness they had now as friends just because he was thinking with his dick.

He had almost forgotten about the passenger on his shoulder until he made an inquisitive noise, looking incredulously from one teen to the other. Aerrow blushed and coughed awkwardly, removing his arm so suddenly Piper looked up at him, startled.

“Well, uh, I think that I hear someone checking the mics. That means they must be starting soon. We should go in if we want to find a place to sit,” he said, shuffling awkwardly.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” she said quietly, giving him a slightly suspicious look.

As Aerrow had assumed, there was minimal seating left. They found Stork hunkered down at table near the back, guarding some extra seats. They smiled and thanked him for saving them seats, and settled down to wait.

“This place is a death trap. All these important people in one place. We’re just asking for a Cyclonian attack,” Stork muttered, eyes darting around the room. He was clutching his drink for dear life.

“Don’t worry Stork, the security here is better than it is at most prisons,” Piper soothed, gently prying the glass from Stork’s trembling hand before he broke it. “Besides, the only people who knew about it in advance are in here right now. It wasn’t leaked to the public until like an hour ago. It would take longer than that for Cyclonis to gather enough forces to take Atmosia.”

Stork grumbled his disagreement inaudibly. Piper absent-mindedly took a sip from Stork’s glass and promptly spit it out all over the table.

“Is this alcohol?” she coughed, eyes watering as she handed back the drink.

Stork snatched it back. “Yes it is. Unlike you kiddies I can drink. And I want to be good and drunk for when the bomb goes off and kills us all,” he said matter-of-factly.

Piper looked at Aerrow to say something, but he just shrugged a little. Aerrow figured that maybe a drink or two might be good for the uptight pilot.

When Junko and Finn returned a moment afterwards, arms filled with goodies, the music fell silent and the ceremony began.

In the middle of the stage was a podium with a microphone. Sitting to each side of the podium were the members of the council, Starling, and a few members of the Rex guardians, including the Sky Knight Harrier.

Harrier was first to speak, he gave a short and dry introduction speech then introduced the council members.

When the council elder took the podium, a respectful hush stole over the crowd. He smiled and adjusted his glasses, inspecting the audience. It took Aerrow a moment to realize he had already begun to speak; an attendant scurried over and adjusted the microphone down to lesser his height.

“… here to honour a Sky Knight of great bravery. Through great hardship has she risen to become one our the most valuable weapons in the fight against the Cyclonians.”

Aerrow glanced sideways at Piper, as they both subtly flinched at the term “weapon”.

“This young woman has gone above and beyond the call of duty to single-handedly apprehend two of Cyclonia’s top generals and rescue a group of children from the clutches of death.”

Everyone sitting near the Storm Hawks awkwardly avoided looking anywhere in their direction. Aerrow was sure that he could actually hear Piper grinding her teeth.

Each member of the council had their turn singing their praises, then Harrier came to the front to present the medallion of honour.

The council elder motioned for Starling to come over, and the crowd cheered earnestly. She bowed her head slightly as the Rex Guardian placed the medal around her neck. They shook hands and smiled as cameras flashed. She was mildly underdressed for the occasion, particularly when standing next to Harrier. She was wearing a Sky Knight uniform that was only slightly more formal than her usual fare.

Starling took the podium, under the lights she appeared more worn out than Aerrow had ever seen her. Still, she managed a crooked smile as her eyes swept over the crowd. She locked eyes with Aerrow for a split second, and nodded imperceptibly in greeting.

“Thank you good sirs, this is a great honour. However, I can not take full credit for my accomplishments. Storm Hawks, would you please stand?”

The group stood, Junko looking bashful while Finn smiled and waved as if he’d been born in the spot light. The council seemed slightly anxious of where this was going.

“Without the help of the Storm Hawks I probably would not be in front of you today,” she paused as the crowd applauded politely - except for the Absolute Zeros who cheered as if they were seeing their favourite rock band - and the Storm Hawks sat down again.

Starling leaned forward slightly, placing her hands on the sides of the podium, her expression suddenly grim.

“I want everyone to understand that there was nothing heroic about my efforts… Our efforts,” she corrected.

“I was merely doing what I had to as a Sky Knight. And it is my pleasure to do so! But we Sky Knights are the Atmos’ only defense against the Cyclonian army. While we have a much greater population, we only have a fraction of Cylonia’s troops. W-why is this?” She stuttered the last sentence, beginning to look a little faint.

She leaned on the podium a moment, putting a hand delicately to her head. Harrier, who had moved off to the side of the stage rushed over, putting his hands out to steady her. She angrily waved him off, growling something away from the microphone. He nodded unsurely and took a step away. She took a deep breath and continued.

“Every Terra is divided. The only people unifying the parts of Atmosia that aren’t controlled by the Cyclonians are the Sky Knights, and there aren’t enough of us to face Cyclonia’s entire army! I’ve been on the inside, I’ve seen the troops. When Cyclonis decides to make her move, we are doomed to failure if we don’t make some drastic changes - right now.

“We’ve taken a very passive role in this war, and if we don’t start preparing more adequately, we’re doomed to failure. We’ve lost almost all of our major arms manufactures to the Cyclonian empire. Do you all think that’s just a coincidence? As it stands, we’re out gunned and out numbered.

“We must let go of the old ways and prepare for the biggest war in recent history,” she was pale under the glaring lights, her voice shaking audibly. She looked as if she was about to continue, but instead bowed her head and raised a trembling hand for balance.

Aerrow stood suddenly, knocking his chair backwards when Starling swayed onstage. The sound rang out like a shot in the deathly quiet hall. Before he could take more than a step forward, the Harrier was at her side again, gently escorting her off the stage. The council leader was quick to take the podium again.

“I’m sure Sky Knight Starling is very tired, her comments should surely be excused,” he said rapidly, dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief. He and the rest of the council exited backstage as the crowd erupted into frenzied chatter.

Aerrow turned to look at his fellow Storm Hawks, and they all wore identical expressions of shock. Radarr had dropped his empty plate when Aerrow had suddenly stood up. He whined lowly in Aerrow’s ear, looking anxiously over the crowd. Within seconds they were surrounded by paparazzi with TV cameras. Before Aerrow could even find his voice, a microphone was thrust in his face.

“Sky Knight Aerrow! Nice to see you again! Guy Skylee of Inside Atmos - Atmos’ number one source for celebrity news!” the man with the microphone said quickly, giving Aerrow’s hand two firm pumps.

“Sky Knight Starling referred to you directly in her speech, how do you feel about her comments denouncing Sky Knights? And how do you always manage to be in the middle of these scandals?”

Aerrow stared stupidly from the paparazzo to the camera, mouth open slightly.

“I- what?” he shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. “She didn’t denounce anything!”

“But surely you find her comments unpatriotic?” the man said, getting pressing closer to the frazzled teen.

“No, I don’t,” Aerrow said, holding up his hands helplessly. Guy pursed his lips for a second, obviously displeased with Aerrow’s inarticulate answers. The red haired teen couldn’t care less about her comments at the moment; he wanted to see that she was okay.
He could hear Piper somewhere to his right, angrily defending Starling. Radarr was beginning to snarl warningly Guy from Aerrow’s shoulders, not liking the way the pushy man was getting in Aerrow’s face.

Aerrow ignored the man calling after him as he pushed past him and through the crowd, making his way to the back stage entrance.

Harrier was standing guard, keeping the media at bay, giving his own interview.

“-obviously Ms. Starling is unwell at this moment. That poor woman has gone through a lot lately, and she’s under a lot of stress. She was only released from the hospital a matter of days ago.

“There’s no need for concern. The Sky Knight’s are all the Atmos has needed in the past, and they’re all we need now. I think that the council should seriously consider giving Starling an extended leave of absence, she obviously needs it,” he said, a touch of humour evident in his voice as he flashed a winning smile at the cameras.

Aerrow didn’t even realize what he was doing until it was over. His fist connected with Harrier’s jaw with such force that it sent the man sprawling to the finely polished marble floor.

“You ungrateful son of a bitch,” Aerrow seethed. “Starling is twice the Sky Knight you’ll ever be!” He pushed open the door back stage and slammed it behind him, catching sight of Harrier scrambling to his feet and snarling indignantly.

It took him only a second to find Starling, he could hear the angry voices of the Council and other Rex Guardians coming from what could only be a dressing room. He exchanged a glance with Radarr, who nodded slightly. Aerrow hesitated in the doorway, a scowl painted across his features.

Everyone was shouting over top of each other, except Starling, who was sitting quietly looking at her hands folded in her lap. She was so pale.

It took a moment for anyone to notice Aerrow standing in the doorway. The pretty female Rex Guardian turned to him with an angry, “How’d you get in here?”

The arguing stopped long enough for everyone to turn to Aerrow. He crossed his arms defiantly. Starling lifted her head and smiled weakly at him.

“Aerrow,” she said softly.

“Look, we are dealing with a PR disaster here, we don’t have time to baby-sit kid,” one of the other Rex Guardians snarled. Aerrow clenched his fists and turned his head slightly to one side, still glaring angrily at the small congregation.

“Radarr, go get the others. I’ll meet you all back at the Condor, we’re leaving, now.”

Radarr gave a small salute and nod, and was off in the blink of an eye. Aerrow marched over to Starling, and knelt in front of her. He took her hands gently and said nothing, looking concernedly into her moss-green eyes.

The others quickly realized he wasn’t about to start any trouble, and went back to ignoring the both of them and continued their arguing.

“You’re a good boy, Aerrow,” she said in that same soft, tired voice, catching Aerrow completely off guard. He blushed warmly. In a million years he never would have expected Starling to sound so… well, downright motherly. His first instinct was to dispute being just a “boy”, but decided that it wasn’t important.

“Lets get out of here,” he said, voice cracking slightly. He cleared his throat and blushed even more deeply. He rose and helped her to her feet. She took his arm and they quietly left.

They made it to the back door before they heard a voice clearly say, “Where’d Starling go?!” They grinned at each other, looking like mischievous children.

Aerrow was pleased to see the Red Streak parked right outside the back doors.

“Do you feel well enough to drive?” He asked, helping Starling mount the skimmer.

“I… No, I don’t think so,” she said with a weary smile, and shifted back for him to take the front.

If Aerrow said he wasn’t thrilled to be driving the infamous Red Streak, he’d be lying. If he said that he wasn’t thrilled about having a beautiful woman he had long admired pressed against his back… Well.

He mounted the bike and revved up, enjoying the purr of the bike. He settled on the bike, waiting for Starling to get a firm hold, then sped off into the dark streets.

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So, I’m taking some liberties, obviously. I’m not sure if Starling’s skyride is actually nicknamed the Red Streak, but that’s what wikipedia said XD

Also, since the Red Eagles are effectively no more, the Rex Guardians help take care of official Sky Knight business on Terra Atmosia.

Mostly this is terrible. But I’d love to hear some ways I can improve on it. And I promise, it is going somewhere.
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Dead to the World