Note: Chapter Eleven will focus primarily on Dark Ace and his increasing insanity. 'Cause everybody loves a sexy crazy bad guy. Chapter Ten here is another "Day-Aboard-The-Condor" chapters.

I don't own Storm Hawks, but if I did, there would be more chocolate. Slightly minty. Yes. An endless pool of gooey chocolate!

I thought I'd commemorate this chapter with a little something from Macbeth.

"Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then it heard no more. It is a tale told by an Idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

Chapter Ten: Forsaken

Stork was letting Ruel fly the ship while he talked to Candice in the kitchen.

"I think there's something else wrong with him. Not just, you know, obvious, he-just-tried-to-kill-himself stuff." He said.

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since he started calling me 'dad', he's been down. You think he's feeling guilty?"

"Not on your life. He hates Dark Ace so much."

"But he's still his father."

"He'll never be family."

"Technically, he is."

"Don't you fucking dare get technical. Dark Ace is his father by DNA, but he'll never be real family. I'm his mother." Candice said coldly, her eyes taking on a golden steely look to them.

Stork fell silent. "I know. I'm sorry, Candice. He's like a son to me, too, you know. I just want him to be happy."

Stork fished out a couple of sand cakes from the jar and handed one to Candice.

"I know you just want him to be happy, Stork. And I do too."

"I just wish I knew how to help him. Right now Aerrow is acting as the team shrink for the kid, and I'm supposed to be his dad, right? Aren't I supposed to help him out with these problems?"

"I'm his mother, it's even more my duty."

"Damn, now I feel guilty." Stork said, swallowing his snack and then poking his head back into the control room to see Ruel happily piloting the Condor, humming to himself to the music playing through the speakers.

"Well, at least he seems more cheerful." Candice said, smiling.

"Either that or he's finally snapped and he's a complete basket case."

"Would you try to be optimistic, for once in your life, Stork?"

"Nope." Stork replied. "I'm just too paranoid." He walked into the control room.

"Hey, kiddo!" Ruel was shocked by the sudden voice next to his head and screamed rather girlishly, jerking on the wheel and causing the entire Condor to dip to the left before leveling back out.

"Dad, don't do that! God, I swear, I think my heart just skipped a few beats."

"Sorry. Although, startling you was my intention."

"I figured that out myself, Dad, but thanks." Ruel replied, giving Stork a glare that pierced daggers to the soul. Stork stared into the glare for a few seconds, before blurting out,

"Your eyes creep me out sometimes." Stork then walked away, leaving Ruel twitching at the controls.

"Mom!" He called childishly, "Dad's being weird!"

"Stork, quit weirding out my son!" Candice called back, leaving Stork rolling his eyes.

"It's not my fault!"

Aerrow began laughing.

"Dysfunctional Families 101: How to Emotionally Ruin Your Adopted Son. Listen close now, there'll be a quiz on this." Aerrow joked.

"Dad, how is it Aerrow can get inside my mind better than you can?"

Stork mumbled something under his breath. Radarr (who was nearby) caught the words "pants" and "chains" before he decided he really didn't need to hear the rest and scampered away, whimpering.

"Ruel, let me take back the controls. You've been at it all night, let yourself rest for a while." Stork said to Ruel, stepping up to the wheel and gently shoving the teen off.

"Aw, but Dad, I'm fine! Really! I'm just a little..." Ruel realized how tired he was and fell asleep slumped over the time pulse beacon.

"As if on cue." Candice said, pulling Ruel off the time beacon and laying him gently on the couch.

"Teenagers. They have no idea when it's time to quit." Stork said jokingly. He noticed a warning beacon going off.

"Uh-oh. Cyclonians. They don't seem to be led by Snipe this time, either. Their formations are too orderly."

"It's Ravess, then. She's so 'perfect', all the time." Aerrow complained.

"No, it's strange. It's too orderly to be Snipe, but not perfect enough to be Ravess. It's either Dark Ace or someone new." Aerrow said distantly, going over the charts and radar screens.

"Oh, I hope Ruel wakes up soon, 'cause with that many Talons we're gonna need all the help we can get." Junko whined.

"Don't get your hopes up, Junko. This kid is out." Finn observed, prodding at Ruel's chest with a stick, getting a gurgly snore in return. "Yep, totally out."

Candice laughed. "You boys just don't know how to wake him up from a nap properly." She held a wooden spoon and a large pot, like one would cook chili in. She placed the pot over his head and banged on it a few times.

Ruel shot up, screaming like a girl. "Whaaaah!" He cried, falling on the floor. "Mom!"

"Talons at four o'clock, sweetie."

"Oh." Realization hit him. "OH!" He ran off, probably to Stork's "Stork-mobile".

"Ruel's got the right idea. Battle stations!" Aerrow called. Once again, Piper and Candice were left behind to man (or woman) the blasters, and Stork was the pilot.

"Wasn't Ruel's Skimmer cut in half in the last battle?" Stork asked idly.

"I'm taking the Stork Mobile!" Ruel called back, as if on cue.

"You break the Stork Mobile and I break your legs!" Stork threatened, turning the ship's wheel.

"No you won't." Candice said dryly.

"I know..." Stork replied pathetically. He yanked the Condor towards the battle to aim the blasters.

End Chapter

Well, this has gone on long enough. Next chapter will be through the Cyclonians' (read: Dark Ace) point of view.