.

BORN OF THE DESIRE

ARRIVAL

?, 21XX

Ugh... The voice groaned to itself as a body began to pull itself up. Eyes slowly opened and began to wander around the seemingly endless void, darkness still shrouding the entire picture before it. The sound of movement rustling among the dark caught its ears, pain shooting through its body as it tried to sit upwards, realizing slowly that they seemed to be stuck in stasis almost. No, not stasis. As thought began to come back to him, his mind began to work and his hands reached around the enclosed space, realizing quickly that he was trapped in some kind of box.

He pushed forward and heard metal clunking together, brief shimmers of light escaping into the voided space. Taking a deep breath, he pushed forward with more might, a bit of wind escaping his mouth, his body breaking free from the prison and into a blinding light that caught him off guard, his eyes now shrouded by his hands as he fell to the ground. Dazed now, he shook his head to try and clear his mind once more, blinking several times over before finally being able to understand his surroundings.

His eyes darted around the room, noticing the several rows of high school desks lined along the floor, each of them bouncing bits of the light above off their pristine tops, glistening almost with such a radiant shine. He pulled himself up once more and turned around, noticing now his previous prison was nothing more than..

Lockers? His eyes blinked over several times, his mouth frowning as he pressed his hands against the cold metal. Sure enough, they were authentic lockers, a slight bit of relief leaving his mouth as if he was worried they would turn into another illusion. His eyes moved to the center of the wall the lockers rested against, now seeing a long, black chalkboard running from wall to wall. Several characters were written on it, none of them concerning him at that moment. Confusion now began to circle his thoughts as he realized he was in what appeared to be a classroom.

No, not just that. Up there, the corners of the room! His eyes now rested on a large blank screen that hung off of a mount, a small grey camera positioned next to it. As he slowly walked around towards it, he noticed a blinking red light, ever so small, on the corner of the camera, confirming his suspicions. He glanced around the room, noting a camera on each corner, but only one screen, that one positioned near the front of the room. His hand moved to his chin and he began to stroke it along the hairs, his elbow resting on his other arm. I am being recorded, that much I'm sure of. But why?

He finally noticed the cold, metal band wrapped around his left wrist, his other hands moving away from his face towards it. He felt it slowly, noticing the grooves and the glass face on the top of it, blank, a black void just peering back at him. He curiously blinked at it, his hand attempting to move it or find a way to remove it, to no avail. He sighed, leaving it be now as his eyes wandered around the room once more, almost wondering now if he was alone or...

Almost on cue, a loud thunk was heard outside, and his mind was put into full alert. He dashed across the room swiftly, his body twisting and turning along the desks ever quietly. He pressed his back against the wall and leaned his head slightly towards the door, his ears honing in to any sound that they might pick up-

"G-Get back!"

The voice was of a girl, one that was in danger. Without hesitating any further, he swung the door open and threw himself out, now witnessing the scene before him..

Her hands darted back and forth, appearing almost as if her whole body were dancing. In them was a magnificent blade, swinging ahead at this large burly beast. As she turned and hopped, her blue hair swayed furiously along with her movements, his eyes resting of them for only a moment. She turned her head towards him, her face scowling as she called out to him.

"Watch out!"

Before he realized it, fire came spewing at both of them now, his body having narrowly avoiding it thankfully. The girl had her arm wrapped around him, having pulled him away last second before those flames reached him. She pushed him back as she stood back up, her blade still drawn, her body sideways, ready to continue this duel. The beast stepped forward now, its enormous body nearly shaking the hallway with each step. Its face was obscured by the shadows, but he could still spot red firey hair above it, sitting ahead of several rows of spikes adjourned onto a massive green shell. Its mouth now broke open, a mighty roar following afterwards, deafening to hear.

"What the HELL did you do to me? Where the HELL am I?!" The beast shouted, more flames spewing out from its jaw wildly. "Put that damn toothpick down and ANSWER ME!"

The girl swung her body around the flames that came billowing towards her, positioning her blade right beneath the beasts jaw. In almost an instant, she flung her arm forward, aiming at its throat, the blade piercing only but the wind as the beast quickly darted backwards, its speed catching both of them off guard. The beast dug its massive claw into the ground to slow its movement, still bearing its fangs at the girl. Its nostrils flared as smoke puffed out, its eyes focused on the girl, almost draconic in presence. However, before the two of them clashed once more, a voice shot out as a memory came back to it.

"W-Wait! Bowser, right?!" He shouted, both the girl and the beast looking towards him now. He moved towards the both of them, his eyes watching cautiously both the beast and the girl's blade. "Bowser, of the Mushroom Kingdom? I recognize that hair and that shell- you've got to be the one!"

The beast drew back his claw and huffed in deeply, standing up right now. He snorted, moving his hand against his massive jaw, wiping away a small bit of blood from a cut that must've come from moments ago. "That's me alright." The voice was deep and mighty, every word nearly catching the two of them off guard. "Who are you supposed to be, furry?"

"Fox. Of Corneria." He watched as both of them now turned and faced him, their faces now almost in shock as their mouths were agape, eyes wide open. Fox blinked his eyes, confused at their reaction.

April 21st, 21XX

"It's been nearly one month now since the disappearance of the P.M. Prospects," the man announced, his hands folded over one another, gripping tightly. His forehead glistened with sweat, a mixture of the hot lights beaming on his face as well as the severity of the situation before him. The long white desk in front of him remained empty, all aside from his hands planted firmly on it and a microphone a few inches away from them.

"Officials state that they're still working on this case day in and day out," he continued, his words coming out cleaner than expected from the look upon his face, "and that they are following a lead that shows great promise." The man bit the bottom of his lip, almost as if something was tugging at him as that last part escaped his mouth. "Again, if anyone has any possible information on the missing individuals, please come to..."

The rest of the crew stood in silence listening as he now began to list off names, the same names he's had to repeat for the last month now. He licked his lips and batted his brows as he sighed deeply, pulling out a clipboard of these names and titles attached to them. He lifted the first page and began his sermon for the hundredth time now:

"Princess Peach Toadstool, heir to the Mushroom Kingdom. Last seen accompanied by her adviser Toadsworth on their way to the Shooting Star Summit. She was seen wearing her royal pink dress, her crown as well as her parasol. Toadsworth was seen carrying a knapsack, the contents unknown. If you have any information of his whereabouts, authorities are searching for him as well." He licked the tip of his thumb, flipping to the next page. He continued reading off name after name, each followed by their last seen location as well as whoever had accompanied them. His voice was almost dry now, the lack of worry beginning to breach through the rest of his face.

The man reached the final page, lifting the others up and away as he now read off the last few sentences. "Fox McCloud, pilot of the Cornerian military. Last whereabouts are unknown. Last seen person unknown. Fox McCloud has been missing for three months prior to the other kidnappings. If you have any information of his whereabouts, please inform authorities immediately..."

As the report concluded, the man bowed his head and remained at the desk, the rest of the crew pulling the equipment away and cleaning up the scene. His hands now laid on top on the clipboard, his fingers woven among one another. He pressed his thumbs against his beaten forehead, footsteps echoing the room, bouncing from wall to wall. Chatter rustled around the room, gossip and rumors and other misinformation filling each mouth. The stress was heavy on them all, as time continued to move along despite their efforts.

?, 21XX

"So you're saying three months have passed?" Fox asked, his voice full of disbelief as he sat across from Lucina, the blue-haired girl. The classroom's walls contained the three of them, Bowser opting to stand at the back of the room.

"That's right," Lucina replied. Her arms were crossed along the blue tunic on her chest, both sleeves rolled up slightly to her elbows, almost as if they were torn near the wrists. On her left wrist was the same metal band Fox had on his own arm. Her sword remained sheathed along her waist, the tip nearly reaching her tall, indigo boots. "When I was announced as the last member, you had already gone missing and the government was working to find you."

"Set the whole buncha us back honestly," Bowser chimed in, snorting once more. "Doin' us no favor besides delaying this project. Which, now that I'm gettin' to it, let me ask you both." Fox and Lucina cocked an eyebrow, curious. "What the hell was the point of this project anyways? Far as I know, they picked us outta the rest and then... well, then..." Bowser grunted, rubbing his hand on his head, frustration over coming him. "I-I can't remember..."

Lucina shook her head, her hand brushing away her blue bangs from her eyes. "Nor can I. I can only remember the day of the announcement and.. that's actually it." Her eyebrows furrowed and her lips frowned, turning her head slightly lower. "I can't seem to remember much else about... anything. My life, where I was, just..."

"The announcements and wakin' up here," Bowser grumbled. Lucina paused briefly before nodding at him slightly. "Tsk. It's ridiculous! Could hardly remember my name nor my kingdom and my kid... God, where the hell are we?"

"You've been asking that for a while now," Fox piped in, his mouth slightly forming a smile. "And to make sure I understand, both of you had also just awoken moments prior to that event outside?" His question was answered with nods from both of them. All three of them now sat in silence, pondering their situation. Fox finally broke the silence once more, his curiosity still piqued. "We should explore the rest of this building. Perhaps there are others."

The trio ventured further down the corridor, noticing several doors lined up along the walls. The classroom they had originally left was numbered 'B2', while all these other rooms remained nameless. However, trying to open them proved futile, as either the locks were busted or they just wouldn't open. It mattered not, as Fox now began to note the lack of windows in this strange hallway, the only source of light the numerous fixtures poking out from the ceiling.

This must be a school... Fox pondered to himself, curious as to who or what had brought them here. Along with that, he too wondered the same thing Bowser kept asking: where were they taken? He definitely didn't recognize the build or markings of the hallway, and the lack of decorations and windows didn't do any favors for him either. Albeit, if they weren't somewhere within Corneria, he wouldn't recognize it that well. The sound of their footsteps was finally broken as Bowser began to chime up once more.

"These things wrapped around our wrists," he said, grumbling, his right hand twisting the metal band around, "you don't happen to know what they do?"

"They look like watches," Fox replied, observing his once more, his eyes reflecting back off the face of the band. "If they are, our captor had forgotten to replace their batteries."

"Watches?" Lucina asked, her face curiously eyeing her own now.

Fox piqued his eyebrows, remembering now that they all come from different parts of the world. "Ah, Lucina," he said, her face turning towards him. "The country you're from again, if you happen to remember it's name, what was it?"

Her eyebrows furrowed as she crossed her arms, her teeth nibbling on her lower lip. Her eyes closed momentarily, before reopening to a still worried face. "I.. I believe it's called Ylisse. My mother and my father, however... I cannot recall. Ylisse was however never introduced to these 'watches' before, that much I am sure of."

"Hmpf, really?" Bowser chimed in, cocking an eyebrow. "You must be from an incredibly dated country since most parts of the world would have access to somethin' so simple as a watch." Lucina simply replied with a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her head as Fox shrugged.

After minutes of walking they finally reached the end of the hallway, a set of doors awaiting them. Thinking they too would be locked just as the rest of the ones in the hallway, Fox pressed his hands against the door and gave them a quick shove, almost losing his balance as they flew open, much to his surprise. Ahead of them was an even brighter light and much more open space, the trio now entering and seeing several other faces, all of them as confused and worried as their own.

"More people!" A higher pitched voice cried out, sounding almost to a young boy's, the voice coarse as well.

"Wahaha! Look at 'em, they'ra like little rabbits, 'cept-a for the big doofy one!" A much louder and ruder voice shouted.

"Ah, can it be?!" A woman's voice now said, coming closer to the trio as the doors shut behind them. She wore a pink dress that frilled near the bottom, a large blue stone hanging around her neck. Her arms wore long white gloves, with the hands holding her dress up slightly as she ran closer and closer to them, reaching them and panting. Her blonde hair bobbed up and down with her breaths as she bent over slightly, rearing back up to greet the three of them, or specifically, Bowser.

"P-Peach?!" Bowser called back, shock having apparently taken him aback, his eyes wide. "W-What the heck are you doin' here?! How'd you get wound up in this place?"

As the two of them greeted with one another, another smaller figure came running after Peach, his appearance much more worn and worried. He had on blue overalls, with one strap having come loose, a green long-sleeved shirt underneath them. His left sleeve appeared to have been ripped off completely at the shoulder. His black mustache remained in order, but his brown hair was all wild and messy, almost appearing that he had just gotten out of bed. "P-Princess, careful! It's-a B-Bowser!"

"And Luigi? That twerp, of all people..." Bowser retorted, snorting out loudly, his upset tone showing for them all.

Footsteps followed Luigi, and with it a booming voice, the man's presence catching all of their attention immediately. "With you three, that makes fifteen of us." His arms were crossed, each of them wearing yellow gloves. He had on a blue body suit, with a yellow scarf wrapped around his neck. He wore a bright red helmet over his head, with a golden falcon adorned on the front of it. His eyes shone behind a black visor, giving off an incredibly serious vibe.

"Which means my theory was correct," another voice chimed in, this one seeming similar to the boy's voice from earlier, but much more serious and mature in tone. He remained near the back of the large room, his eyes shut, leaning back against the wall. Dark, black wings were barely visible behind him, the same color as his black hair. He appeared no older than thirteen or fourteen, and he wore a black undershirt that wrapped around his torso. Mixed in with his black hair was a gold laurel crown, and besides his black wrist wraps, gold bracelets lined his arms, aside from a faint silver band that wrapped around his left wrist. "We weren't brought in at random. Even if not all of you can remember it, we were specifically targeted."

"We are all part of the P.M. Project," a girl's voice said, sounding no older than Lucina. As she stepped forward now, a pit-pattering followed after, her bare feet drawing her closer to the center of the auditorium. Red eyes glared back at Fox and Lucina, with the rest of her head covered in silver hair, reaching down to her back. She had on an elaborate silver armor that bore a blue cape behind her, a blue sash wrapping around her body and pinning itself to her abdomen.

Silence fell upon the room as this realizing began to sink into them. Fox looked from face to face, all of them bearing worry at the situation that began to unfold itself. One by one, he glanced from body to body to see if he could recognize any of them, perhaps striking up a memory that might help him figure out who had captured them. He started with the boy who shouted out as they entered, the one who sounded similar to the dark winged boy. While almost appearing identical in image to him, he instead had white wings and, while wearing the same clothing, it was all white instead, bearing the same gold laurel in his brown hair.

The rude voice belonged to a short, stout man, a diabolical mustache shooting out from underneath a large, pink, crooked nose. He had on a black shirt that barely covered his enormous belly, with a torn-sleeve, blue-jean biker jacket over it. He had on yellow gloves with bright blue W's inscribed on them. His bright pink pants came up over his belly, with a yellow cap to cover his hair. Next to him was a blonde haired child, a small boy who didn't seem to be any older than ten. He had on a yellow and orange striped shirt along with blue jean shorts. As Fox met his gaze, he blushed almost, ducking further behind the rude man to keep himself hidden it seemed.

On the other side of the room, two feminine figures stood next to one another, their own gazes wandering the room, doing the same as Fox it seemed. The first was a blonde haired woman who's height seemed to tower the other. Her face was stern and serious, her eyes narrow as they wandered. She had on a black jacket that dropped to her thighs, a blue shirt remaining underneath it. Her legs remained bare aside from her feet, both of them standing on what seemed to be mechanical heels, the bottom of them a bright yellow. Her face turned to meet Fox's and the latter quickly looked away, her gaze becoming overbearing immediately.

Beside her was a much shorter woman, her appearance much more royal than Peach's own. She had long ears poking through her brown, long hair, a golden tiara sitting on top of her head. Her dress started pink but as it reached her abdomen, split into a white design, faint markings etched into the bottom of it. The front of her dress had a banner than hung off a belt around her waist, the banner inscribed with various symbols that Fox didn't seem to recognize.

A small noise appeared beside Fox's foot now as he quickly turned and look down, his expression reflecting how he was caught off guard. Almost the same size of the boy, a small yellow creature stood beside Fox now, it's head cocked with two long yellow ears extending out, the tips of them black. Around its next was the same metal band on all of their arms. Its eyes blinked at him, bright red cheeks shining back at Fox's eyes as the creature piped up at Fox. "Pika...?" The creature now nudged Fox with its short hands, pointing at the back of the auditorium where a large, satin curtain laid resting.

Fox turned to Lucina and nodded, the two of them now stepping towards it. As they did, the booming voice from earlier spoke up once more. "Oh? That's right, think we were supposed to have checked back there a few minutes ago."

"What do you mean?" Fox asked.

"I was the first to arrive, followed by Corrin and Lucas- oh, the silver haired girl and the blonde kid," he replied, pointing at each person respectively. "When we got here, we immediately headed towards those curtains, but a voice kicked into the monitor above and instructed us to wait around nine minutes, confident that's when the rest of you guys would arrive. Sure enough..."

"Mr. Falcon is right," Corrin replied. "We all agreed to follow the instructions, and thus came the rest of you all." Lucas too nodded, still cowering behind the larger man who seemed to not notice the boy. Fox and Lucina approached the curtains now, each of them grabbing one side of it, nodding at one another before pulling them across the floor. As they came to a stop, they both peeked around, curious as to what was hidden behind it.

A large bulletin board sat across the stage, reaching nearly from curtain to curtain. Everyone in the auditorium approached the stage now, their eyes fixated on the board, a slow dread coming over each and every one of them as more curiosity sat among them. Each of their faces were printed out and stuck to the massive board, with their names underneath each one. Fox noticed a face that he had yet to encounter, one that was remaining in the shadows beside the dark winged boy, Dark Pit. Robin.. her name sat in his head as he peered out, spotting her pink hair from the shadows. Her face glared back at his, and he left it at that, returning to eye the board as Falcon spoke up once again.

"What the hell is this supposed to be?" he said, agitated. "Are we stuck in some kinda sick bastards game?!" Almost on cue, the monitor above them screeched as the screen flickered on, a face appearing before them. Each of them stepped backwards and gazed above at the screen as a masked face began to speak.

"Good morning to each and every one of you," he said. His voice was muffled, sounding almost as if it was behind a synthesizer or a mixer. His mask was that of a plague doctor's mask, the long black beak poking forwards, foggy goggles resting over his eyes, blurring them from recognition. "I apologize if you had a rough sleep, or a rough awakening, but time is ticking and we must begin soon." His words came out slow, almost methodical, as each letter was said to keep them on the edge of their seats. "While I wish you all would have more time to greet one another, we simply are out of time for that."

"Hey asshole, how about comin' out and greeting us in person?!" Bowser shouted, his fist clenched.

"Pipe down you ape," the blonde woman called over, Fox noticing her face belonging to Samus. Bowser grumbled and shot a glare at her, Samus ignoring him for the most part, her eyes still fixated on the screen. "This is most likely a recording, so jeering at it won't do you much good."

"Ahead of you behind the curtains is a large placard, to which each of you will find a face belonging to yourself. Hopefully." the voice chuckled, much to nobody's amusement. "In case you had forgotten who you were, I had gone ahead and written your name underneath it. My apologies if that is the case, I might have given you too large of a dose."

So we were drugged here then.. Fox thought to himself, crossing his arms.

"This board is where you all will essentially track each other's, well, scores I suppose. After all, it's something hard to lose track of, and it might just happen in the game you are all about to play."

"A game?" Pit asked aloud, his head cocked. Falcon sighed, shaking his head.

"The exit to this facility is just outside this room, in the large entryway. Any of you are free to walk out, but bear in mind the bracelet wrapped around your wrists. Or neck," another chuckle followed his voice as all of them now peered at the metal bands he had just been talking about. "If you attempt to walk out those doors with that bracelet on, you will be given two injections. First, a muscle relaxant: slowly, your body will grow tired, and eventually you will not be able to resist the urge to lie down and close your eyes. Once that happens, you will be given a second injection, this one containing a lethal poison that will cause your heart to stop beating."

"N-No.." Peach whimpered, her hand covering her mouth as she eyed the screen in terror, her panting growing louder. Fox looked among each of their faces, many others carrying the same worried look as Peach did. Wario simply appeared annoyed, his pinky finger digging into his ear, almost oblivious to the situation before him. Fox looked away and wrapped his hand around the bracelet once more, peering at it furiously, rage almost wanting him to begin smashing it against the floor in an attempt to free himself.

"There are three different ways to remove this bracelet: one, find a key hidden somewhere in this facility. Keep in mind however, that there is only two of these keys, and there are- well, were sixteen of you." Fox peeked back at the screen, confused now by what he had just said. "Two, by having your heart stop beating. If the bracelet detects no trace of a pulse, it will come off."

"So if we die then," Lucina said, her right hand clutching to her chest now.

"Third and final, by graduating from this school. If I, as headmaster, deem you worthy of graduation, I will remove your bracelet and you are free to continue life out there among the rest of the droll. Which, I do believe one of you are up for graduation as we speak," his voice echoed out, all their faces twisting in curiosity now. "As for the graduation process, it will play out as such: commit a murder and afterwards, escape the trial. If you are successful in not getting caught, I will let you walk the ceremony."

Murder?! Fox's eyes widen, now glancing at the others once again, all of them quickly doing the same, their guards rising. Fox glanced over at Lucina who looked back at him, even she now slowly moving her hand towards her sword, watching the others, her trust fleeting from all of them. If he said one of us are up for graduation, that must mean... someone is already dead?! But... no! Fox turned back to the bulletin board and scanned over each face once more, counting them all, verifying there were in fact sixteen faces. But it didn't take long for him to realize now which face was missing from the rest of them in the auditorium.

"Falco! No!" Fox screamed, rushing towards the board, realizing now a large red X marked over his comrades face. Tears began to reach his eyes, his fists beating against the board, his gaze stuck on his friend's face. He clawed at the X, hoping maybe ripping it off would mean he would walk into the same room as him, his chest still beating. Instead, however, a hand grabbed his back and pulled him away. As Fox turned furiously to meet them, he calmed down as he saw everyone else now standing away from one another, distrust filling each of them. His eyes moved to the person that had grabbed him, the pink haired girl from before. "Robin..." Fox whined, his head lowering as the thought of his best friend, dead somewhere in this hell, filled his mind.

"On your bracelets, a time should appear. Normally, you will be given exactly one hour from when the first body was killed to explore the facility and figure out how the murder was committed, but for this trial, I will start the timer after this announcement ends. First, three loud beeps will play out, then the name of the room will appear. Afterwards, the time limit will show, and you are left on your own, but there will be a cheat sheet somewhere in that room that will give you further information about the case. Of course, if somebody else decides to get there first and hide it... mufufufu, well, I suppose you will be out of luck then."

"Snap out of it, now isn't the time to grieve," Robin said to Fox, her hands resting on his shoulders. "I understand how you feel, but if we're going to survive, you have to get through this! After we finish this, we will mourn him, but we can't waste any time before then!" Her voice was strict, and slowly Fox raised his head, meeting her eyes. "Trust me, and follow me. We will find his killer."

"Now then, let the game begin."

Three loud beeps followed the piercing sound of the monitor shutting off, and then a room number, one that Fox instantly recognized.

"B2?!"