A/N: I don't own Storm Hawks

"Please, step inside" Lark calmly ordered the prisoner

The prisoner gave a tiny nod in compliance before stepping inside the Condor's holding cell. Once secured within it, Lark closed the cell and locked it behind him. The captive then turned around to face his captor with a look of not so much anger; so much as it was disappointment. Lark could only look back at the man like a mix of sadness and resilience in her own eyes. Aerrow had ordered for Lark to stay with him until they reached Atmoisa to stand trial, hoping that here presence would keep him calm for the time being. Finn of course detested the idea of leaving the two alone together, but both Aerrow and Piper convinced him that it was safe and that they could trust Lark to handle the situation on her own.

Now here he was, the Dark Ace, her former second in command and closest confidant in her inner circle now nothing more then prisoner of war.

But that was back when Lark was a different person. Back when she was Master Cyclonis, a vicious tyrant who committed hundreds if not thousands of atrocities during a war with the very people she had now sworn to defend. Gone was her throne, her Nightcralwers, her legions, she had traded it away to become a member of the Storm Hawks. It was always unclear to both sides as to why Lark had just given up ruling Cyclonia and she was never fully divulged as to why, she merely showed up on the Condor one day and surrendered herself over to them, but not before making her request to made a member of the young heroes squadron.

There was justifiable distrust on the Storm Hawks part of course; they had every right to despise this girl. This was the same Master Cyclonis who had tried on multiple occasions to kill them all and had even deceived Piper into a friendship that she then used to try and corrupt her. She allowed them to lock her in the very cell that now contained her former second in command as they tried figure out what to do with her. Inevitably, it was decided that Cyclonis was to be taken back to Atmosia to face the judgment of the Sky Council for her past crimes.

It was the trial of the century—perhaps even in the entire history of the Atmos. Cyclonis was surrounded by the hundreds of Sky Knight Squadrons from all sorts of different Terras who had all flocked to Atmosia to see the one enemy they had waged war with them. They jeered, shouted curses at her and had called out death threats to the once mighty Master Cyclonis. For nearly a six grueling days, the former ruler of the Cyclonian Empire was questioned, berated and belittled in a court full of people who would love to see her burned at the stake like the witch she presented herself as.

It was at her final hearing that Aerrow suddenly stood before the court and gave a speech that almost made the former tyrant shed a tear…almost. He beseeched the Sky Council and the masses of Sky Knights around him that they had to be the better people in this matter and at least give the girl the benefit of the doubt, he went want on four nearly an hour talking how the ideals of the Sky Knights was to share the light of freedom and forgiveness to those who needed it most—if it wasn't her life on the line, Lark would've puked over how sappy this was.

After the young leader's speech, the council had a long debate over what to do with their prisoner. Finally, they came to the decision that not only was Cyclonis to be spared, but also left in the charge of the Storm Hawks—much to the chagrin of many Sky Knights, several of the Storm Hawks including. And so, Cyclonis changed her black and violet attire into a white and blue version of it to signify her change of heart and left Atomisa as a newly christened Storm Hawk.

Admittedly, the young heroes were leery toward their once great adversary. It took her weeks to even get them someone other then Aerrow to say more than two words to her, and even then it was mostly when he was giving orders to her. It felt odd, being the one to be getting instead of giving them, but in time, she quickly learned to get over it; after all, if she gave them just one reason to distrust her, they would drop her off at Atomisa to be executed. Over time, Lark slowly gained at least some form trust among her new team, sure Finn still had no faith in her and Piper refused to leave her alone anywhere her crystals, but she could now at least have decent conversation with them.

"I'm not going to lie; this might end badly for you" Lark finally said, breaking the silence "But maybe Aerrow can negotiate a deal with—"

Suddenly, the Dark Ace let out a cry of rage as he punched the bars of his cells. Lark wasn't surprised by his outburst; the fallen Sky Knight had several of them in private with only her as his only witness to his rage. The former queen wasn't fazed by this at all, in fact, she was expecting this reunion to happen every since she departed from Cyclonia without so much as goodbye to anyone, least of all him.

"You betrayed us! You betrayed me!" he accused furiously "What's happened to you? what have they done to you?!"

"Enough" Lark coldly commanded him like she had so many times before

"Did they use a hypno stone on you, is that it?" Dark Ace demanded "did they brainwash you?"

"No, I haven't been brainwashed" the former queen replied with a small shake of her head "and I'm sorry if that disappoints you"

For brief moment, the Dark Ace, the stoic and enigmatic warrior of the skies flash a quick look of sorrow in his eyes upon hearing that confirmation before flaring back up with rage within them.

"We believed in you—we dedicated our lives to you!" the fallen Sky Knight proclaimed

"Not to me. To the Cyclonian cause" Lark corrected

"You are the Cyclonian cause" Ace said to her before audibly muttering "At least you were…"

"Oh?" the new Storm Hawk asked simply, wanted to see what he meant be that

The Dark Ace paused as he lowered his head, forgoing her baited question and instead brought up something else entirely.

"We're carrying on without you" he informed her "Ravess has plans"

A look of disgust formed on his former master's face. After Lark had abandoned the empire she lorded over, it of course quickly descended into utter chaos. Ravess and Snipe split the once united empire into two warring factions as the two siblings both vied for the now vacant throne while Dark Ace stayed out of the matter and like the Sky Knights, he waited to see if either there would be a victor between them or the empire would crumble from their civil war.

Seeing the situation as a sinking ship and refusing to go down with it, Repton withdrew his alliance between Bogaton and Cyclonia and alongside his human wife, Starling, declared that Bogaton was to become a natural Terra and should any outsider dare enter their airspace with less then generous intentions, weather they be Atomisan or Cyclonian, would be met with deadly force. Aerrow once told Lark that Starling was a friend to the Storm Hawks, but after her marriage to the Raptor king, she had become as hostile as her husband was.

Carver, another Sky Knight for fell from grace, escaped prison and swore his allegiance to Ravess's faction with Snipe received aid from the Colonel, who provided his men with state of the art weaponry and crystals for the right price. The Cyclonian civil war lasted for several months and it was clear who had taken control of the empire now.

"Ravess?" she asked, almost as if she was insulted "You put Ravess in charge?"

"She wants to create a new Cyclonian Empire" Ace furthered

With a frustrated growl, Lark opened the holding cell's door with a mere wave of her hand and moved to the side before finger pointing to the door.

"Well then off you go!" she spat with disgust "Go and build your new order! March! March on little soldier! Forge ahead without me!"

The Dark Ace didn't budge from where he was standing in the cell; he only looked back at his once great master with despair written all over his face.

"The moment you tell me that this is all a trick. That 'Cyclonis the Storm Hawk' is all part of some grand scheme—then Ravess is gone" he said in voice was laced with both hope and aguish in every word "She's a caretaker. An understudy. Nothing more"

Lark let out an exhausted sigh before closing the cell and locking it again. She knew where this conversation was going.

"Ah yes, Cyclonian loyalty" she groaned as she rubbed the bridge of her nose "I had almost forgotten how toxic that can be"

Her once mighty servant could only glare daggers back at her for that. Lark then used her powers again to pull over the chair in the room's corner for her to sit down on and the one in Ace's cell to allow him to take a seat as well. This conversation wasn't going to be ending anytime soon.

"Speaking of loyalty, I assume Ravess sent you to spy on me?" she questioned despite already knowing the answer

"She wanted me to see if the new you was the real you" he confirmed

"And then what?" she questioned further, again already knowing the answer

"Put you out of your misery" Ace said simply

Lark could only nod in understanding to that logic. It's what she would've done to traitors under her reign.

"I'm surprised you didn't try to take control of the empire as well" she told him honestly "You could've done it to. The Talons idolize you, you have far better tactical knowledge then either Ravess or Snipe, and no one would dare argue your right to the throne. So what stopped you?"

"I've never been much for being a leader" the fallen Sky Knight admitted

"I don't blame you" Lark agreed in a hollow voice "Heavy is the head that wears the crown"

"Clearly" he added on venomously

If Lark was the girl she once was, she would've blasted him across the room for speaking to her in such a manner. There was a time when she could command legions with just a mere glance at them. With a wave of her hand, she could send some poor soul to oblivion. The world bowed down to the young girl that she was and gods help her, she reveled in their misery with glee. But those days were gone now, put behind her like a shadow fading away as she looked toward the light.

"I spent weeks spying on you" Ace suddenly spoke up again "I watched you just sit in your room with your eyes closed and you think, and you think, and you think"

Lark only said nothing in response to his words, she merely looked back at him with a look of pity on his behalf.

"Well you want you know what I think?" he continued fiercely "I think that in the first time of your life you don't know who you are!"

He wasn't wrong. Even reborn as a Sky Knight, Lark still felt a sort stigma hang over her head like a noose ready to slide down and wrap around her throat. Sure she was a member of the Storm Hawks, but she still was given the cold shoulder from time to time by her peers. When they went to other Terras to assist squadrons or civilians in need she was met with nothing but competent from those around her.

The Rex Guardians stood idly by when an angry mob threw stones and garbage at her, the Rebels Ducks shouted deaths threats to her while she waiting in the Condor for her team, and just last week she received a beating at the hands of the Absolute Zeroes in revenge for the loss of their home. She thought she could change sides and finally feel free at last, but cold reality she quickly learned is that she will never be able to run from her past sins that still clung to her open wounds.

"Crystal Mage, leader, tyrant—what now?" he asked sharply

"Sky Knight" the former Cyclonis affirmed, though it felt more to herself then to him

"But why?" Dark Ace demanded "if you had really wanted to you could've become a civilian and hid away on some godforsaken Terra—why switch sides?"

Again, the reformed queen let out another sigh, only this time it was more forlorn then it was out of annoyance. She had never truly given a real reason as to why she decided to abandon her people to anyone before. But she owed her once close confidant and the closest think she had to a friend an explanation for her seemingly random actions.

"I once told Aerrow that I killed for the sake of killing. That every person that I killed was for pure amusement and nothing more" she began in a hollow voice "I wanted him to hurt me you see, because when he hurts others, he hurts himself"

Ace remembered that day all to well. It was weeks before his queen left Cyclonia and she was facing off with Aerrow in dual in the skies over Terra Amazonia during the siege of the Terra. The two ended up crashing together, but they fought through injuries and continued to do battle with one another, acting more on rage then sense at that point.

Up until now, the fallen Sky Knight had no idea what his master had said to the Sky Knight during the fight that made him nearly beat her to death with his bare hands, had not her loyal second in command stepped in and rescued her, Aerrow might've killed her. But after seeing her switch sides, the Dark Ace regretted that choice and should've just let the boy murder her, at least then she would've died a martyr.

"And the thing is, when those where in my head I didn't think I meant them; but when they left my mouth, I realize that I did" Lark slowly continued "If the world thinks you're a monster what does it matter? The world is wrong. But when you start to think of yourself as a monster…"

Lark's voice trailed off, knowing she made her point. Dark Ace said nothing in response, he stayed silent and continued to glower at the girl he called once master.

"I came to hate the person I had become" the reformed empress furthered somberly "and I decided that the best way to leave that person behind—maybe the easiest way—was to become a Sky Knight"

"I don't like to hear you talk like this" Dark Ace finally said, sounding almost like an upset child then the stern warrior he was known to be

"Why?" she asked plainly

"Because its not you!" he snapped back "this isn't the Cyclonis that struck fear in those who opposed her empire, the Cyclonis who we admired—who we loved! What happened to her?"

"I don't know…" the reformed queen admitted dejectedly as she looked away "I think she's dead"

"Dead?" he mused with a raised eyebrow "Or just resting?"

Before the conversation had a chance to continue further, the door to the Condor's brig slide open to reveal Junko. Dark Ace stop talking and only looked back at the girl her served loyally since she was a small child with only disappointment for her in his eyes.

"Aerrow said for me to take over with watching him for a bit" he informed her "You can take a break"

Lark glanced back at her former second in command, wondering if he was going to try anything or at least say something else to her. But instead, he only shifted his chair around so that he faced the wall, no longer allowing the new Sky Knight to see the shame written on his face.

"Thank you, Junko" she finally acknowledged

The Wallop said nothing; he only stood to the side to allow his new teammate to leave the room before closing the door behind her. Lark took a moment to breathe in and exhale; taking a moment to process the exchange she had gone through. That was much harder then she had anticipated. The once great empress had been to trial, been beaten by those she was now suppose to defend and was met with hostility by the very squadron she now served under, and yet the brief meeting with the Dark Ace was the one thing that nearly broke her. There was a time the two were connected through the Binding, and now she forever destroyed that link.

Once she had a chance to gather her composure, Lark made her way back to her quarters. As she did, she past by Finn down the hall, who only regarded her with a sharp glance before roughly shoving her with his shoulder. She was used to that level of treatment from the team's archer. The normally fun-loving, carefree Storm Hawk became a totally different when he was around her, almost as he hated he despised the very air she took in.

As she moved on, she passed by Piper's room, who kept her door open while she work tirelessly on her new crystal experiments. She stopped her work and narrowed her eyes at the passersby to her room before continuing. Out of all the Storm Hawks, Piper held the most hatred for Lark and with good reason, since she had crushed her spirit with her past deception. While they were now on speaking terms, Lark always that underneath every word that the other Crystal expert said to her was laced with distrust.

Stork was no better; the Merb would instantly turn into a mass of frayed nerves whenever he saw the former queen entered the room. Granted, that's how he always was according to Aerrow, but he was much worse now she was made apart of the team. Radarr would either growl at her or scampered off somewhere to hide while she was around.

Just as she reached her room, Lark suddenly felt the touch of a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see her leader standing before her. Aerrow was really the only one who even attempted to treat her like a member of the Storm Hawks and not as some dark shroud that hung over everyone. But try as he might to regard Lark as an equal, she could still sense the stigma between them.

"Are you ok, Lark?" he asked "I know that must've been rough for you"

"It was" she replied

"You should get something to eat" he offered "I can make you something if you want, or we can go somewhere for dinner—provided the rest of the group agrees"

"No thank you, Aerrow" she denied gently "I'd like to be left alone for now"

With that, she opened the door to her room, but just as she stepped into the doorway, he turned around again to face him.

"It was a test, wasn't it?" she said plainly "You wanted to see if I'd break him out and go back to the person I once was"

Aerrow didn't have to answer her, the truth was in the shameful look in his eyes.

"Did I at least pass?" she questioned dryly

"Do you think you passed?" he asked back at her

Lark stepped back and closed the door to her room. She wasn't even shocked that Aerrow would put her through that, she had come to expect more of these little tests of loyalty in the future and had to mentally prepared for what was to come next. She went over to her bed and lied down before closing her eyes, letting herself drift off into deep thought she replayed Dark Ace's final words to her in her mind.

"Dead? Or just resting?"