Disclaimer: Star Fox © Nintendo/Namco, InFamous Series © Sucker Punch, OCs (Nikki, Sasha, & Alissa) © Me.
Star Fox: Branching Paths
Chapter 0: The Blast
~x~X~x~X~x~
24 Hours Ago, Undisclosed Location...
"General Pepper! Surprised to see you here! ...Sir?" The scientist saluted the hound general as he walked into the room, flanked by two officers. The general waved at the scientist, "At ease, son. We just wished to check on this little science project of yours." Turning to the basketball-sized, round object on his desk, carefully mounted on a stand, inside a large, glass case. "Oh yes, that thing! It's almost ready to go. We just wanted to debrief our courier on the device before they move it to a more secure location." The General shook his head, "We're not debriefing anyone on the device, not until it arrives at Outpost 4." The scientist sputtered, "S-sir?"
The General glanced to the spherical object, a brilliant blue glow emanating from a ring and two circles on either side of the ring engraved into the shell of the device turning his red suit a shade of purple. He turned to the scientist, "The less the courier knows about the device, the less attention she'll attract to herself." The scientist inquired Pepper's usage of pronouns and he pulled up a holographic image and biography, "Nikki Lyle. Small town resident, former gymnast, never placed in any competitions, graffiti vandal, pickpocket and courier, relatively poor family." The scientist wondered if General Pepper had a screw loose, "You want to put what could potentially be the future of many fields of science and technology in the hands of a small-time delinquent?!" General Pepper turned to the scientist, "She's a parkourist. According to one of our field agents, she's allegedly spent her whole life climbing and leaping. She'll be ideal for getting around to Outpost 4. As it is, she's not gonna draw much attention to herself and she's not gonna ask a lot of very sensitive questions. She's exactly what we need, all we need to do is convince her to go through with it. I've consulted with some of our other field agents and we have a rough idea of a way to get it there."
21 Hours Ago, Rural Cornerian Town...
Checking the message once again on her cell-phone for the address, Nikki put her phone away and let go of the roof's edge, grabbing the drainpipe and sliding down it. She slid down about three stories before slowing to a stop and letting go of the drainpipe. About two feet of space was all there was between where she stopped and the ground below. Looking up at the holographic street signs, she realized she was in the right place and looked around. At that point, she realized she'd never asked about who she was looking for. As she looked around, she soon saw someone waving and checked to make sure he wasn't waving at someone else. She approached the person, in an alleyway, and quipped, "You know, Normally I avoid people in trench-coats in dark alleyways at night. So you'd better have a damn good reason for bringing me out of my comfort zone." The trench-coat Cornerian, an old hare with blue eyes, chuckled, "Strange words coming from someone who's been in a few odd jobs herself." Nikki immediately tensed, "What're you? A cop?" The hare looked around, "Nah, just someone looking to deliver a package." The hare lifted up a backpack that very plainly had something in it. Nikki's interest was piqued, "Okay, so you've got a bag. What do I do with it?"
The hare gave her an address, then handed her the bag. Before she left, he stopped her to give her a warning, "Do not open it and do not stop for anything. I've got a couple escorts that I can send with you to help out, but other than that, it's all you. Also, do yourself a favor and wait until tomorrow night. Your escorts will be here by then." Nikki glanced down the path behind her, "Okay, but who am I-" She stopped when she looked back and saw that the Cornerian had disappeared. "Okay, creepy guy gives me a bag and disappears. That's a first."
19 Hours Ago, Military Safehouse...
Miyu grinned, "If Fay's going, I know I am." The grin disappeared as quickly as it formed, "But why exactly were we chosen over any of the more combative soldiers? I mean, Fay's an engineer and I'm a scout. So... why us?" The sergeant, currently dressed in civilian attire just like they were, responded as simply as he could, "Discretion is the better part of stealth. Sending in a big, burly soldier of a Cornerian for something like this is like sending a tank to track an insect." Fay passed Miyu a drink and spoke to the sergeant, "I get that part, but please be honest, Sarge. There's very clearly something else going on here and I don't wanna be kept out of the loop." The sergeant shrugged, "How the hell should I know? If there's something going on, I'm being kept out too. All I was told was to tell you two to escort her to this address." He gave them the address and then stood up to leave, "Don't get drunk by the way, last thing we need is her escorts down and out with hangovers." Miyu chuckled, "It's okay, I know my limits. Don't have too much fun without us, Sarge." The sergeant let out a laugh, "Alright, I'll be sure to reserve 'screwing around' for when you two get back tomorrow night." He saluted them, which they responded by standing up and saluting him. "Good luck, you two." Fay nodded, "Roger that, Sarge."
9 Hours Ago, Nikki's Hometown...
The two Cornerians looked around, searching for their little escort friend as per a message from the sergeant. Fay looked down one of the alleys and was surprised to feel Miyu's hand pressing a pistol into her hands. She looked at Miyu and before she could ask, Miyu answered, "Just in case. We don't really know what to expect." As they wandered into the alley, a thud behind them prompted them to turn around and pull out their guns. They came face to face with a brown-furred feline Cornerian with green eyes, a grey hooded sweater, and grey sweat-pants, who looked them over. Recognizing the courier from the biography they were given, they put their guns away. Fay, being the more social type, approached the courier, "Hello, I'm-" The courier finished her sentence, "-one of my escorts. I kinda figured that part out when you put your guns away. I figured I'd meet with you two now so I'd know what the route is when we leave tonight." Miyu and Fay glanced at each other, "Route?" The courier clarified, "Yeah, route. You know, like the collection of streets and sidewalks and alleys that we're taking to reach our destination?" Miyu shook her head, "We were never given a specific route to follow." The courier sighed, "Then we'll take the most straightforward route. I'll see you at 10:45." The courier started walking away, leaving them in the alley.
Miyu was the first to speak after the exchange, "What a prick." Fay shrugged, "I dunno, if life was as hard on me as it is for her, I'd probably be a bit of a prick myself." Miyu stretched a bit, "I don't think her life has anything to do with her attitude. Still inexcusable." Fay chuckled, "You know you're cute when you get that face, right?" Miyu stopped scowling for a moment and grinned at Fay, "You know you're cute no matter what, right?" Fay blushed, "Yeah, though I don't suppose I could count on you not to embarrass me in public by grabbing my ass?"
"It's a cute ass."
"Miyu! Come on!"
Present Time, En route to Drop-off...
Taking a running start, she leaped from the roof of one building across the alley and grabbed the handrail of the fire-escape on the next building. The bag she wore wasn't exactly light either, it threw off her ability to jump by a little bit. But when one free ran as much as she did, a little bit was all that took to turn an otherwise easy jump into a lethal free fall. She climbed over the handrail and began climbing up the fire-escape to the roof. She tapped her ear-piece to make sure her escorts were listening, "We nearing the address?" There was a bit of static, but the reply was clear enough, "We've got about five more blocks, then we're supposed to meet with the other receiver. Any chance you can come down to street level? It's hard to see where you are." Nikki snickered, "That's the point. As far as I know, people don't generally hang out on rooftops unless they're hiding something or they're homeless. Also, it's night if you haven't noticed, and with my choice of attire, it's easier to run around at night." The escort noted this and replied, "Yeah, but it's also safer to stay in well-lit places at night and in a group. At least that way, we can pull your tail out of the fire." Nikki frowned, "I appreciate your concern, but I can handle myself in a fight."
"Noted."
Leaping to the next rooftop, Nikki skidded across the rooftop and into a standing position. Although the bag was easy enough to lift, having its weight on her back was starting to become more than irritating. She was unable to do some of her more advanced parkour with this thing on her back. However, she wasn't planning on taking the bag off until she reached the address. Pausing momentarily to rest, she took a deep breath, then sat down. At that point, she heard voices. There were other Cornerians on this rooftop, and from their tone of voice, they'd just noticed her, and they weren't homeless. Tapping her ear-piece, she called her escorts, "Hey, remember when you said you'd pull my tail out of the fire? Well, promise me you won't say you told me so, but I'm in trouble with one of the gangs."
"...I fucking told you so. Just try and get down and we'll defend you."
Nikki glanced behind her and was about to jump when one of the thugs grabbed her bag and lifted her up. "You're trespassing on our territory. You wanna know what we do to trespassers? It ain't pretty." Nikki groaned, "Is it too much to hope it's not something as cliché as executing me right here?" The thug paused for a second, enough time for Nikki to jab her foot back into his kneecap, stumbling him and freeing herself. She took off running as the other thugs pulled out any firearms they had and opened fire. She leaped off the roof and latched onto the drainpipe opposite from the building. She slid down the pipe and was almost to the ground when a laser tore through her shoulder, burying itself in the wall and causing her to lose her grip along with all sensation in that arm. She fell off the pipe and fell three stories, landing on her back. There was a distinct crack, but she couldn't tell if that was her legs, her back, or whatever was in her bag as soreness surged through her body like a lightning bolt. Through the pain, she managed to open her eyes and see her escorts arriving and returning fire. There was a long period, or at least it felt that way to Nikki, where they returned fire, and the thugs drew the fight out, despite their advantage in numbers, they were outmatched by the skills of the two.
Grunting, she rolled off her back and slid out of the backpack straps. She couldn't feel her entire lower body and she didn't want the thing on her back any longer. She grunted as her bag suddenly felt very hot. She wasn't sure anymore what she was doing, but she briefly wondered if she had opened the zipper in an attempt to vent the heat. The only thing anyone else could remember at that point was a bright light that engulfed multiple blocks of the town, and only a select few alive for unknown reasons.
2 Years Later, Great Fox...
Miyu gasped and jolted awake almost immediately, hyperventilating for a little while, before swallowing and willing herself to calm down. Next to her, Fay stirred and grumbled a bit. She readjusted herself to face Miyu and asked, "Everything alright?" Miyu sighed, then grinned at her, "Yeah, just a bad dream." Fay raised an eyebrow, "You're a great liar, but I've been with you for four years now, and two of them were in secret. It's not just any old nightmare. Am I right?" Miyu glanced at the foot of the bed, "Yeah, you are." Fay sat up and rubbed Miyu's back, "Hey, it's alright. You can tell me." Miyu sighed and looked at the wall, "Remember when we were still in the military?" Fay suddenly understood and inferred what Miyu was going to say, "That one mission? The one that went... well, went pear-shaped?" Miyu stared at her hands, "Two point one million. That number is gonna be on my hands for the rest of my life." Fay leaned closer to Miyu, "Forty thousand, Miyu, including us. Besides, you weren't the cause of it. So don't sweat it. That was then, this is now. At this point, all that matters from then is that we survived."
Miyu decided that then, she'd voice a thought that had been worming its way into her mind since a couple nights ago, "I don't think we survived." Fay raised an eyebrow, "Did you knock a few screws loose?" Miyu shook her head, "We were spared. By what, I have no idea. But there's no way we should have survived that. That courier sure as hell didn't." Fay shrugged, "So what? Miyu, stop worrying about it, please. Normally I'm the one to worry. As I said before, that was the past. So please, just let it go for now, aye?" Miyu turned to Fay and thought about it. She averted her gaze momentarily, then reassured her, "Alright. I'll try." Fay laid back down and murmured, "Besides, if the new girl's telepathic, it'll help more than just us if you do." Miyu chuckled and joined Fay, pulling the sheet up to her shoulders. She thought about the new girl that Fay referred to.
Her name was Krystal and she had probably the oddest fur color Miyu had ever seen. That said, even the tribal tattoos weren't the most unusual feature of the blue vixen. She was telepathic, and that much she had confirmed largely by just standing in their presence. Of course, Fox, being the cute little train-wreck he was, already had a crush on Krystal and was prone to stumbling over himself around her, which gave Miyu plenty of opportunities to poke fun at him. If it weren't for his natural fur color, she'd sworn that at least once or twice he'd turned a pretty shade of red.
A/N
→ Real "Spur o' the moment" kinda story based on a random idea I had. A list of people across any franchise I knew of that could be potential Conduits. Among them included at least one person in the Star Fox canon. For the sake of the plot, there's at least three main character Conduits.
→ This is sort of a side project that I'm working on while taking a break from "Age of Devastation." I do plan to complete this one, and hopefully with a less convoluted plot than what "AoD" currently has (I plan to resolve the convolution soon). Don't worry though, I plan to finish what I started.
→ This story is, for all intents and purposes, slightly AU. The reasons for which are spoilers, so I won't divulge.
