~
Lost
Fox rolled over for the first conscious time on his bed. A quick glance at the nearby clock told him that the time was now 8:04 Zoness Common Time. If he were back at the Great Fox, Peppy would've been running through the main corridor, blasting his bright red air horn at his door in order to wake him up. But now, in the peaceful silence of the hotel room, there was nothing to wake Fox up other than the calm softness of the Lylat shining brilliantly through the curtains.
He didn't want to wake up. Waking up meant standing, and that meant using his muscles. But if he was going to eat something, he wouldn't make Khaya take the food all the way to his room; although he had considered the possibility before realizing how scandalous it would sound.
'How could I have slept so long? I couldn't have been that tired…'
Fox recalled yesterday's events, and immediately touched his side with his right paw to affirm his recent injury. The wound which he had received while combating that monster was still clearly visible, and though he'd had worse before, it would still take a couple of weeks before it would be properly healed. The bandage was stained with a dark red splotch which stung once Fox's probing had shifted near them. It was all real, yet it felt strangely distant, not necessarily as a dream but as a distant memory which had lost its impact with time. Fox stood up from the bed, dazed, but nevertheless able to continue without any real impediment.
He walked over to the closet, where he saw his personal duffle bag propped up against the corner. He systematically removed a bundle of neatly folded clothes and headed to the bathroom to put them on. Once he felt the cold tile brush against his feet, he stopped and looked to his side, noticing his reflection for the first time in the wide mirror.
'Man, you look terrible… what happened to you? Your fur looks like frayed ropes and since when was it such a putrid dark brown? Did you have to roll your muzzle in the sand like that? And what is that strange taste, it's disgusting! And what is that nasty smell?'
"Oh yeah, guess I forgot to take a shower… need to scrape all this Break-Fast off…" Back on the Great Fox, he was constantly reminded again and again to remain clean (usually by Krystal) and look professional; however, being alone with Falco tended to dampen his grooming instinct nearly to the point here he forgot about it completely.
After a few minutes of carefully keeping his bandages from getting wet, Fox had finally assured himself to be ridden of that monster's essence. It had been a long time since he'd taken a shower where the main objective wasn't to use as little water as possible. On the Great Fox, if two showers were running at the same time, the whole ship would go haywire for some reason or another. Some pressure nozzle would break and they'd have to go to the nearest station and buy a replacement for twenty times the price it would cost on the ground, or the system would be reset entirely, meaning that the whole ship had to be run through a rigorous series of diagnostic tests before it would be running again at optimal efficiency.
Not having to worry about how everything altering their combat effectiveness, free from having to get up before everyone else and make sure the ship would be safe in case of emergency, it was all so liberating, yet it felt oddly unnatural.
And then a strange shiver descended onto Fox which chilled him down to the bone, one which was often excluded to tense combat situations, one which to him carried only one translation, intuitively telling him that something was wrong, that his friends were in danger and needed help. As soon as he could manage, he grabbed his clothes and threw them on, nearly putting his shirt on backwards. He rushed outside of his door (after grabbing the key) and went over to the one next to his where Falco was staying.
"Falco? Falco?" Fox knocked on the door, but received no answer. Maybe he'd already headed down. He knocked again. Still no answer. Perhaps he was just being paranoid.
Fox followed the perceived path of travel to the elevator and down to the lobby. Upon reaching the bustling hub, he saw no sign of Falco anywhere, not beside the smoothie bar, not next to the grand window overlooking Partasti's landscape, not even lying down near the massage area.
Khaya's eyes lit up from across the room upon witnessing the vulpine's arrival. "Ah, Mr. McCloud, you're awake. Good, that means we can start planning the day's events." She said, eagerly putting down her electronic pad.
"Hey, have you seen Falco down here?" Fox questioned.
Khaya paused briefly. "No, he… he hasn't come down yet, why?"
"I was just wondering… I had a strange feeling…" Fox wrestled with coming up for an explanation. "I don't like it."
Khaya hesitated in answering. "Well… maybe today it's your turn to wait for him!" She said gleefully. "Actually, I was planning to tour the center of the island later, and the trips run on very tight intervals, so… we can't wait for him too long."
"That sounds good Khaya… I just hope he'll be up before then. Hey um… where are we going to be eating today?"
"Oh yes! The dining hall's right over there," She pointed to some double doors opening to a large annex section. "Don't worry, we won't be interrupted by mutated sea monsters this time, our master chef's cooking is considered to be some of the best acclaimed in all of Zoness' class II resorts."
"Good, I'm really hungry after all that… relaxing yesterday…" Fox said, wondering what Khaya meant by class II resort. "But I don't want to be overwhelmed with all these elaborate setups; I just want something... normal. Not wild or flashy, normal." Fox clenched his stomach and walked towards the dining hall. Khaya followed four steps behind him.
"Mr. McCloud, the schedule's really up to you… I'm not necessarily required for any of these activities; I'm only here to help maximize our experience."
"Our experience?" Fox repeated.
"I mean your experience technically… I enjoy these things too… even though I do it all the time. You're not the only one who comes here to get away from life." Throughout the next moments Fox could tell that Khaya was attempting to avoid eye contact, it was as if she'd triggered something she didn't want to.
The two stepped into a large auditorium where twenty-five tables seating eight each were dotted symmetrically along the floor. The first thing that Fox noticed upon entering was that it was empty, completely empty.
"Where is everybody? This place is deader than Venom."
"They'll come, soon enough…" Khaya assured herself. "Or maybe no one else feels like eating inside today…"
The two found a couple of seats (quite easily) in the center of the auditorium, it was boring to sit around and do nothing so they occupied the minutes between ordering and waiting with an attempt to strike up conversation.
"So…" Fox began, not knowing where to go from there.
"So…"
"So, how long have you known Captain Gregory?"
Khaya sighed. She seemed to do that at the mere mention of the chameleon's name. "I've known Powalski for a few years… when I first knew him he was, more reasonable… but after he lost one of his boats to Break-Fast, it became his life obsession, and he wouldn't stop until that fish was dead… he left everything else behind…" She looked away and to the floor. "Including me…"
"Powalski you said?" Fox stopped and reminisced on the name. He couldn't narrow it down, and it was begging to fall off the tip of his tongue.
"Yes, that's his last name. What about it?"
"Oh, nothing I… I think I know someone by the name." Fox replied, his mind unable to find the end of the elusive trail of names he kept in his databank. "Nevermind…" The two waited in utter silence for their food to arrive for a few more minutes. "So… does the General come here often? Or is this where he sends guys when he doesn't know how to reward them?" Fox asked.
"Can't say for sure; however, there have been occasions were we've had to provide for security detachments, so it's not too unlikely that he's been here before. Since this is one of the few resorts which have actually had a successful recovery, many are choosing to go here instead of more traditional options." Khaya sounded as if she knew little about the general, her tone indicated that she was speaking almost the same way she would if she were giving a tour of something.
"Hmph, you'd think he'd be here half the time considering all the benefits he gets. Those high ranking officer types always seem to be on vacation when they're most needed. Although now I guess Zoness isn't as popular as it used to be for the most part." Fox's voice echoed through the practically empty room. "I've heard about a lot of soldiers who've taken vacations on Corneria, it's easier for them and they don't have to travel as far."
"What about you? Do you take vacations often?" Khaya's ears lifted as she stared down at Fox. "Or is this a rare occasion?"
"Me? Not really… I spend a lot of the time waiting…"
"Waiting for what?"
Fox looked at her with a downcast slant in his eyes. "Something, anything that comes my way. Waiting for whoever steps up and threatens those who can't fight back."
"Well… when was your last vacation?"
"My last vacation took place in the Cornerian Highlands… my team and I were just trying to relax and enjoy nature when I got a call from a friend of mine telling me that a group of paramilitary terrorists had taken over a hospital and were threatening to destroy it unless they… actually, I don't feel comfortable sharing any more with you…"
"Oh my… could you tell me how it turned out?"
Fox glanced briefly at Khaya before returning his focus to the empty center of the table. "Not as good as we hoped… but not as bad as it could have been."
Khaya looked disappointed at the answer. "Well… do crazy things always happen when you go on vacation?"
"No, I don't go on vacation much either. Always have to be ready… in case something happens… be prepared for any enemy…" Fox froze in the comprehension of his own words. He felt wrong, as if he were even now neglecting his duty. Sure, most of his job involved waiting for something to happen and then responding to it, but the mere thought of ignoring his commitment to protect and serve the Lylat wrecked his mind. But if the General was paying for him, then that certainly made things different. "How long am I supposed to be here again?" He asked, not trying to sound rude.
"The rest of the week, which is four more days, why?"
"I… I don't know how to say it… I feel that something's wrong. Falco missing, everything looks empty; I've had a strange feeling ever since I came here. In fact," He stared into space. "I don't even remember when I came here. I remember being with my team… and then we got separated, and then…"
"They dropped you off here, you and Falco that first night."
"Yes but… that's not right. I should've had the rest of them come with me; I would have paid for them to come along with me… I don't know how I was so inconsiderate. I abandoned them, and now they're somewhere else, only wishing they were here."
Khaya lifted the glass of water in front of her to take a sip. "Well wherever they are, I'm sure they're happy for you." She put the glass back down on the table, and then she jolted in surprise once she saw the arrival of two elaborate dishes. "Oh look! Our food's here!"
~X~X~X~X~X~
"Team center, team center, this is Res-unit four. Still no sign of the splash zone, I'm going to try turning back and checking sector 37h again, over." The pilot waited a few seconds for a reply, which eventually came to him through a minimal pattern of interference.
"No need Res four, we've just scanned that area, there's no reason for that now."
"Eh… ok, where should I check now? I've already passed Waypoint A twelve times."
The pilot heard a deep, relenting sigh over the radio. "I don't know… I don't know. Our IR scans might not be working properly; it's what you get from buying them used. These things are designed for land, not this. I think the movement of the water's confusing it, so keep an eye out and stay sharp."
"Copy team center, continuing search." The pilot returned to his routine check of aircraft's systems, and after verifying that everything was optimal, set the auto-level system back on and lay back in his seat, however uncomfortable it was. He noticed that the point where his back would start to hurt was coming soon, as he was approaching the three hour mark of sitting tense in that position. He yawned, reaching back to stretch his muscles; while doing this, he nudged the small container housing his prized pistol and it fell to his side, much to his surprise. "Well, looks like someone forgot to secure you." He muttered upon looking at the same pistol his father used when he was a pilot. Upon examining it further, it became readily apparent that for some reason the safety had also managed to come undone.
'I wonder how embarrassing it would be to shoot myself down.' He thought to himself, lifting the gun up to press the safety button. 'Can't believe this is happening… it's already been such a bad day, now my own gun's trying to kill me?'Just as the gun reached eye level, he noticed something strange in the distance, shining for less than a moment. His movement froze, and from then on, everything changed. Another bright shine reflected into his eyes, a wide grin formed across his muzzle. In the few moments of intense excitement, he let go of his gun, which fell to the floor and discharged only inches away from his feet. He yelped in surprise, but took quick care of the situation once he recognized that the danger had passed.
"Team center? I'm going to go out on a limb here and… check the area over to the northwest, over."
"Northwest? That wouldn't make too much sense Res four, it's doubtful you'll find anything there."
"Doubtful, but not impossible." The pilot held onto his resolve.
"Well… good luck, you're searching for hay in a needle stack."
"Eh… sir I think you're mixing your metaphors up."
"Well it doesn't matter. If you somehow are able to spot anything, don't hesitate to… you know."
"I know, Res four out."
The pilot sped towards the northwest; his hopes lifted that he would finally achieve the objective and put an end to the madness. The whole entire day was revolving around this; the entire mission was dependant on this one problem. Who knew how much longer it would take before they eventually gave up? He neared the area where he saw the small flash, a quick visual search around him brought up nothing, but he was intent on finding the source of the light.
'Maybe it was just a reflection on the water… maybe I didn't see it right…' He turned his ship around to try again. 'Come on, it has to be here!'
His eyes were diverted once more by other flashes coming from the water, all indistinguishable from each other. About five minutes later, the seconds felt like minutes, with his eyes scanning seemingly every square inch for the missing It was now that he figured he may as well turn back and give his ship as well as his eyes a break, they both needed it.
"Team center… this is Res four. No sign of objective. Ending search… out."
"Copy Res four, be sure to use gate two when entering, one seems to have a problem with one of the magnetic locks. See you soon, out."
Today was going to be even longer now. He would land, his ship would be set through a brief maintenance run, and then he'd be off again, to scan the same waters he had been watching for hours now. Finding the objective was never going to happen, he had failed. He tried searching for team center's craft, which was supposed to now be only a few kilometers from his position; however, a bright glare kept him from being able to visibly identify objects in the sky.
'Damn it… how's that visor work?' The pilot slid the visor from his helmet down to cover his eyes, the main nuisance of the glare was eradicated, yet he could now see where it was most intense. His heart sank into his chest, he now saw the source of the flash easily without the additional distraction, and by the looks of it, someone was trying to signal him from below.
"Team center, team center! Target spotted! Target spotted!"
"Where!? Where is it!"
"My position, its right under me… I see it better now… it's…"
"What? What is it?"
The pilot guided his aircraft down to move closer towards the dot, which grew into an outline, which grew into an entire raft, floating in the massive ocean.
"Team center, come send a rescue craft… to my position, I've spotted a floating raft, don't know how we could've missed it all this time."
"Good job rescue four, is it just one raft you see? Or are there two?"
"Yeah, there's just one" The pilot noted flying low over the downed survivor. "And it's not a friendly."
~X~X~X~X~X~
The morning air carried with it a strong scent of moist dew and funnel cakes, mysteriously drawing Fox towards the large signs posted outside of the resort building until Khaya directed him away from them after a few attempts. Once they had cleared the distraction, they came to an open clearing where a group had already eagerly gathered for the arrival of the next trip.
The strange feeling that Fox had about Partasti had all but disappeared at this point.
"Alright McCloud, the next trip will be in… five minutes." Khaya said, glancing briefly at the nearby clock posted on the waiting area sign. "We're going to take a tour through the natural caves, and then we'll be treated to a stunning view of Partasti's famous sinkhole, The Blue Wonder, and then we'll get the chance to climb the Overlook Ridge where you can see the distant islands sitting on the horizon. It's an amazing experience, especially late in the year when Solar falls right in between the Lylat and Zoness and causes the water here to shimmer in colors so beautiful they would throw it onto advertisements. You need to come here then… even though that's usually when it's the busiest…"
"That sounds great Khaya… but I'd like to wait for Falco..." Fox said, staring intently at the entrance to the resort, hoping that his friend would step out any second. "I don't see him coming yet… might be a little longer."
"There's no problem is there?" Khaya asked. "He's not at the theater in case you're wondering, I saw him leave there last night."
"No… I mean at least I don't think so. You can never really be sure with him. One minute he's fine, the next he's screaming for help. And then you find out that he accidentally fell for an old prank that he forgot he put there a long time ago."
Khaya giggled at Fox's recreation. "That sounds funny. He's probably just sleeping in; it might be because of the beds… they're really good." Khaya remarked. "Either way, the expedition will have to leave with or without him, we wait for no one!" She said in a joking manner, smiling to diminish any inconsiderate sounding attitude. "But seriously, if he doesn't show up, we're not delaying anything, these guides need to be back here for the next group when they return."
"Well then, couldn't we go on the next group and just wait for Falco? Wouldn't that be easier? Then we both can go."
Khaya stared at him in disappointment, yet she still maintained a level of understanding at his proposition. "He'll be ok, he's an adult; he can take care of himself, can't he? It's not like he's going to get kidnapped or something. Besides, morning runs are always the best!" She leaned closer to Fox. "And I think the guy who runs the evening tours secretly has an unnaturally strong attraction to me… in a super disturbing, not cute kind of way." She whispered to him.
"Uh, huh." Fox responded. "Does this happen to be a common thing?"
"Well, sort of… I guess. I mean I know I'm generally considered attractive but-"
"No, I meant with the creepy tour captains."
"Oh…" Khaya paused. "Yes and no. It sometimes depends on the shifts they and… whether or not I'm around. I know it might seem strange to you, but I've been around long enough to know who likes me and… who sort of like me." She said, struggling to maintain a sense of civil professionalism.
After a couple of minutes, the group got organized and was led down a small trail where the tour was to begin. After about five minutes of safety instruction, the group made their way to the bottom of a curve in the dirt road, and once they reached the end there was a wide opening to a rocky cave. It wasn't unlike ones Fox had encountered while at Sauria.
"Alright… I expect everyone to stay within the lit areas, if you feel yourself lagging behind, don't be afraid to say something; you won't believe how much your voice echoes when you're in these caves." The tour guide then pointed to Khaya. "Actually, Khaya. Would you mind staying in the back just to make sure?"
"Sounds good." Khaya replied with a thumbs up.
"Alright, now this first part might be a little slippery, but it hasn't rained in a while, so we'll be fine…"
As Fox entered the cave, he squeezed to fit between the thin chokepoint which led to the first main area; his eyes were assaulted by a strong beam of light, which slowly dimmed to the point where he could see each individual glimmer of the cave's long, dazzling stalactites. "Falco's really missing out…" He said to himself.
~X~X~X~X~X~
The tour around the caves lasted for about an hour after they entered the first room. Once they were finished with the first leg, they stopped to take a break in a patch of trees just outside of the caves before moving on.
"That was sure beautiful in there, wasn't it McCloud?"
"Yeah, that was actually a lot more than I was expecting. Thanks for dragging me along here, Khaya, I would've wasted my time on the beach doing nothing. Still wish Falco was here."
"Don't worry, he's fine. He's probably wasting his time on the beach."
"Hey uh… Khaya…"
"Yes?"
"I'm going to… go over there somewhere… I need to… yeah." Fox said, waving his paws around.
"Oh, oh!" Khaya jerked when she understood what Fox was implying. "Go ahead, we'll be waiting here."
Fox walked over to an area away from the rest of the group. He turned around to make sure no one had intruded on his territory, and then turned back. Just as he was about to unzip, he saw an unnatural degree of movement coming from the nearby bushes.
"Hello?" He asked, but the movement had stopped.
"Someone there?" Fox raised his head to check the area in front of him, but he didn't find anything he was expecting. He sighed and walked back to his previous position.
While he was standing there, he heard this soft voice, calling to him from the distance.
"Hey… hey, Fox… Fox…"
Fox looked around the long column of trees, trying to find the source of the voice.
"Fox, Fox!"
"Falco?" Fox turned around to see an avian figure in scuba gear approach him, holding a large grey case. "What are you doing? Where have you been? Why are you wearing that thing?"
Falco took off the mask which ran over his beak. He shook his head to re-settle his feathers. "I know it seems strange, but, I can explain! Now listen, I need you to continue on to the rest of the tour, when you get to the end, you'll see a guy named Mitch, now whatever you do, don't call him by name, ok? And then he'll give you this package thing, a lot like the one I'm holding, after that come down to the big blue hole thingy and-"
"Woah woah woah, slow down!" Fox exclaimed grabbing Falco by the shoulders. "You look like you haven't gotten much sleep. I need you to slow down and tell me what's going on… ok? You're a bit crazy right now, I need you to calm down and explain, can you do that for me?"
"Yeah… yeah, I can." Falco assured himself. "Ok… it all started after I left the theater last night…"
~X~X~X~X~X~
Author's Notes: I wonder what Falco was doing in scuba gear… hmmm… and what was the deal with that pilot? Heh, actually it doesn't matter, I know what's going on. Fox and Falco are going to be fine… right?