Suggested listening: Half Light II(No Celebration) by Arcade Fire

The truth weighs down on you
An ant crushed by the weight of a star
And no matter how much you try to stay true
The horrors come back, no matter how far

A shrill beeping sound threw Wolf from a dreamless slumber. He shot up with a gasp as his heart pounded in his chest.

Oh, right.

Wolf leaned over and turned the alarm off. He rubbed his eye as he moved to the side of the bed. His head felt much clearer than it had before he went to bed, but he still felt heavy and weighted to the ground.

Nothing felt good anymore. It was all so painful and hard to take.

He shook his head and set his feet on the ground to stand. The ground came at his face and he yelped as his snout collided with the floor.

"Ah, shit!" Pain erupted all over as he held his snout.

Forgot. Legs are trashed.

He sighed as a flash of anger ran through his head. He looked down at his legs and cursed at them in a manner of different ways.

After his small fit, Wolf grabbed the wheelchair and hoisted himself up in it. He put his boots and coat on and grabbed his PDA before leaving his room.

As he wheeled down the halls, he felt his stomach grumble and constrict. When was the last time he had a proper meal? Time felt both infinitely slow and like a blur since he'd first set foot on the Great Fox.

He took the elevator to the third floor and came out in the colorful recreational deck. Nobody else was there, Wolf noticed as he went to the kitchen and started looking through the fridge for food.

He smiled in triumph as his hand closed around a box of waffles in the freezer. He grabbed two and stuck them in a toaster on the nearby counter.

The whoosh of the elevator doors caught Wolf's ears. He turned around to look at the new people.

"-but you could keep practicing too, " Falco stated.

"I got you. I'll keep an eye out for- oh, hey dude!" Bill waved at Wolf, who raised his hand a little in return.

Falco scowled. "We can continue this later." He walked back in the lift and cross his arms.

"Wait, Falco!" Bill reached out a hand, but the door had already shut.

Wolf felt a sharp pain in his chest at the look on Falco's face. His ears drooped and he stared at the floor.

"Oh man, I'm sorry about that." Bill walked over and set a hand on Wolf's shoulder.

Wolf growled and clenched his fists. "Why does that bird have to be such an asshole?"

"He doesn't trust you yet." Bill leaned on the counter while Wolf moved back to the toaster. The waffles had popped up, and he put them on a plate before taking a bite out of one.

"Will he ever?"

Bill sighed. "That's a great question, dude." He raised an eyebrow as Wolf munched on his waffle. "You eat those plain?"

"Sure do. Got a problem with it?" Wolf grinned and took another bite.

"No, that's just… weird." Bill shook his head.

"I think butter on them is weird."

Bill laughed. "You're a strange guy, Wolf O'Donnell."

"Says the one who uses 'dude' every other sentence." Wolf snickered as Bill pushed his shoulder.

Wolf ate the rest of his waffles in silence while Bill stood beside him. His stomach felt a lot better, but he knew he would need a good source of protein soon or he'd suffer the consequences.

"We'll be at Bolse in a few hours," Bill murmured, breaking the silence.

"I'll come with you guys to help." Wolf threw his plate away and started to leave the recreational deck.

"Are you sure that's such a good-"

"I can handle myself!" Wolf snapped.

"Oh, sorry Wolf." Bill scratched the back of his head.

Wolf sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to snap at you."

They entered the elevator. "I'm just concerned, that's all. We all are, even Fox."

Wolf scoffed. "Yeah. Sure they are."

"You know they care about you at least a little!"

That's what I'm scared about.

The elevator dinged and dropped them at the hangar bay. Wolf could hear the sounds of metal clanging on metal, blowtorches, chains, and the work of a tired group of mercenaries. It stirred emotions in him that he couldn't quite place.

He itched to get out of his wheelchair and grab a wrench.

Wolf saw Fox up on his Arwing looking at an open circuit panel on the side of its body, some wires in his hands. His jacket was tied around his waist, and he had oil and grime all over his tank top and fur.

"How long has he been at it?" Wolf cocked his head.

"A few hours. He woke up and went right to it."

Wolf shook his head. Why does Fox insist on working himself to death like this?

Bill walked over to Fox's Arwing and looked up at him. "Hey, Wolf's awake!"

Fox set the wiring down and descended the side of his Arwing to stand in front of Wolf. "Hey."

Wolf scratched at his cheek. "Hi."

"We'll be at Bolse soon."

"And you want to know how to get in and out, right?" Wolf crossed his arms. Straight to the point, as per usual. Selfish jerk.

"I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay first." Fox's eyes held that concern that shocked Wolf to his core.

"I… uh." Wolf cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm good enough." He calmed down and looked back up at Fox.

"You good enough to come to Bolse with us?"

"I should be asking you that question."

Fox waved him off. "I got enough sleep."

Bill rolled his eyes. "Three hours isn't enough sleep, dummy!"

"Too late now." Fox climbed back up on his Arwing and started working away at the circuit boards again. "So how do we get into Bolse?"

"Depends on if there's still power. If not, we can go right in, but if there is, I've got clearance codes." Wolf tool his PDA from his pocket and showed them it.

"And where are these prototypes?"

Wolf stroked his chin and hummed. "Hangar for all the experimental stuff. I can't remember exactly where that is, but there should be maps of the station onboard."

"Awesome." Fox turned around and shook his head.

"Hey, you're lucky we even get to do this!"

"I just hope it doesn't go wrong. For everyone's sake." Fox looked back down at Wolf and shook his head. Including mine?

"You two gotta lighten up!" Bill crossed his arms. "We aren't gonna improve if you two act like this!"

Wolf felt his face heat up. "Sorry, Bill."

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Fox looked just as embarrassed as he did.

Are you gonna make up your mind on how to feel about me?

"Who's going on this trip?" Wolf cocked his head at Bill.

"Me, you, Fox, and Falco. Someone's gotta pilot those out of there."

Wolf grimaced. Why did it have to be that bird? It's gonna be so hard to get Falco to trust me.

"Alrighty then," Wolf replied as his ears drooped.

"How long until we're at Bolse?" Bill looked up at Fox.

"About two hours."

Bill nodded. "You can go do whatever until we get there. I've gotta check up on Slippy, so I'll see ya later!" He waved at Wolf as he left the hangar.

Wolf turned to say something to Fox, but he was so engrossed in repairs Wolf decided not to say anything. Instead, he wheeled off to strike up a conversation with somebody else.

Wolf saw Falco leaning against his Arwing, but he decided not to go over there. Falco was wearing a deep scowl that sent Wolf a pretty clear message. He kept moving past the Arwing.

"Wolf."

Wolf stopped with a start, his heart pounding. He relaxed when he was Peppy waving at him from his Arwing. Wolf sighed and rolled over to Peppy, who was crouched by its landing gear.

"What is it?"

"Just wanted to check on you. You doing okay?" Peppy was smiling kindly at him. It had a calming effect better than even what Bill could do.

"Could be better, I guess." Wolf looked down at his useless legs and frowned. Could be a lot better.

"I'm sure we can figure this out."

Wolf snorted. "Seems like everyone's out to get me rather than help."

Peppy set a wrench down on the floor and wiped his hands with a rag hanging on a nearby toolbox. "Just give it time."

"Why can't people just trust me?" Wolf crossed his arms and slouched in his wheelchair.

"You've done a lot of bad stuff, to be fair."

"Oh, so people aren't allowed to change?" Wolf felt his hackles raise.

"I didn't say that." Peppy set a hand on Wolf's shoulder. "The first thing anyone sees in someone is something bad. You've gotta work for that forgiveness."

Wolf blinked. Why does the old man have to give such great advice?

Even so, you don't deserve that forgiveness.

Why not? You want to be good.

Monster. That's all you'll ever be.

Wolf growled and shook his head. Peppy raised an eyebrow but made no comment on it.

"If you say so."

"I've seen it plenty of times, even in James." Peppy's eyes grew distant and sad.

"Surely James wasn't that bad." Wolf rolled his eye and shook his head.

"He was a mercenary. We've all done what we had to so we could survive, even him."

Peppy's words struck bullets into him, but they weren't the first to have that effect. Wolf took a breath.

"For mercenaries, you've sure done a ton of good, right?" Wolf's voice was small. He felt trapped in a corner of his own making, having to claw his way to freedom.

Peppy shook his head. "Killing hundreds of Venomian soldiers is a good thing? Ending so many lives? Families?" The pain was all over Peppy's face and voice knocked the breath from Wolf.

I… shit. To think Fox has seen just as much as me?

"Not something that crosses your mind often." Peppy picked up his coat from a nearby stool and put it on. "Should've seen Fox's face when he realized that." Another flash of pain across Peppy's face.

"I'm sorry I brought this up." Wolf shook his head and frowned.

"No, it's alright, really." Peppy smiled at Wolf. He motioned for Wolf to walk with him, so he rolled to match Peppy's pace.

Peppy continued. "I'm not sure Fox realized how much damage he'd truly done on his personal war back then… but it isn't my place to talk." Peppy sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Ask him if you wanna know."

Wolf blinked. Did Fox really not know about what he was doing? That's quite a thought.

"We'll see."

Wolf bit his lip and looked up at Fox as they passed his Arwing. He was still on top of his Arwing, but this time he was curled into a ball and staring at the sealed hangar door. He looked much older than he was.

"Why don't we see how Slippy is doing at the lab?"

Wolf nodded. "I doubt he's had any sleep." Wonder what he's found from my boots.

They took the elevator to the third floor and went through the recreation deck to a hallway that extended out from behind it. The blank hall led Wolf and Peppy to an open doorway that they stepped through.

The laboratory was a modest size, about twice as big as Wolf's room, but it was a huge mess. Wolf almost knocked into a stack of boxes as he entered, and a few tools nearly met his face as he caught his balance.

Slippy was working in the one clean space in the entire room, a single table in the center of a sea of chaos. A laptop and some other scientific-looking tools were around him. Bill was hovering over Slippy with a frown on his face.

Not good.

"What's going on, guys?" Peppy stood behind Slippy and crossed his arms.

"Something bad I think." Slippy's hands were flying across the keyboard as he was typing something into a program.

"Have you figured out what that stuff is?" Wolf looked to the flask containing the black substance.

"Yeah, it's uh…" Slippy rubbed his chin. "It's made of carbon and calcium and the other stuff that we're made of, right?"

Wolf nodded. "Building blocks of life, right?"

"Yeah, but there's something else too." Slippy stopped typing and turned around to face them. "Remember the Lylat Wars? How Andross had tons of nasty bioweapons?"

Wolf shuddered. "How could I forget?" Seeing some of those up close…

"Dozens of them were active, but how many more could've gone dormant when we defeated Andross?"

Wolf's eye widened. "You're not saying..."

"Andross's bioweapons all have a similar base chemical sequence. This is almost an exact match to them."

Bombs went off in Wolf's head and his vision turned white.

"Shit… how?" Wolf covered his mouth with a hand. Dread and horror settled in his stomach. It couldn't be possible, Fox killed him twice!

"I don't know. This might not even be related to him, though." Slippy grabbed a pen and a sticky note and started scribbling something down on it.

Peppy sighed. "Knowing Andross though… hm." Peppy suddenly looked his age for once as he stood there with a hand on his chin.

Bill tapped the table. "There's something else too. Tell 'em, dude."

"I noticed that the structure of the substance has an odd form. There's a lot of dead bacteria I've never seen before in there, but I don't know why!" Slippy exclaimed as he set his head down on the table.

Flashes of the nightmares flew through Wolf's head. "I might know what it does." He frowned and pressed a hand to the side of his head as it began to throb in pain.

Wonderful. Another issue for the list.

"Oh? What is it?" Slippy perked up and looked at Wolf?

"Those creatures, I remember them being able to infect people, I think?" Wolf rooted through his mind for an explanation but found nothing. "They turned them into more creatures."

"That's insane," Bill murmured as he shook his head.

Slippy was already typing at the laptop. "Can you give me anything else?"

Wolf hummed and furrowed his brows. "They ate people too, and they expand in water, they don't have eyes, that black stuff is usually a liquid… uh…" He sighed. "That's all I got, sorry."

"That's more than enough!" Slippy's voice was cheerful, which unnerved Wolf. "I'll get to work on identification, thanks!"

"No problem." Wolf smiled a little as he backed away from the table.

"Is there anything we can do with this info?" Peppy set his hands on his hips.

"Not a ton yet, but I have a huge favor."

"What's that?" Wolf crossed his arms.

"I need all of Andross's research notes when you go to Venom."

"Oh…" I'm out of the picture, then. Figures.

"That was it. You guys can go if you want; should be at Bolse any minute now!"

Wolf nodded and turned around to leave the lab. He left with a sigh, not bothering to look back. A weight settled on his chest and constricted his lungs.

How am I supposed to get over this block if I can't even be any use to anybody?

He was just a freeloader on this journey, that was it. Just a leech who can't even stand up without help.

Useless.

Wolf walked around the Great Fox as he thought about what he said. By the time he had stopped, he was back in the hangar.

It was quiet now. No talking or clanging on hammers on metal or electricity crackling, just silence. A rare vestige of uneasy peace.

Wolf saw Fox sitting atop his Arwing with his legs curled into his chest. His jacket was discarded on a wing. His back was to Wolf as he stared at the hangar door.

Wolf came up to the Arwing and moved to where he could see Fox's face. He wore a frown and a gaze of a phantom.

"What's going on, Fox?" Wolf waved at Fox. Fox jumped as his body tensed up, but then he looked down to Wolf with a neutral expression. His eyes were still haunting.

"Oh. Hey."

Wolf cocked his head. This would be easier if I was up there. Damn legs.

"You look near-dead." Wolf crossed his arms.

Fox rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the compliment."

"You should've gotten more sleep."

"I couldn't." Fox sighed and descended the ship to sit on the edge of the wing. Little better.

"Why not?" Wolf raised a brow.

"Feels like I'm living in a nightmare already."

"Aren't we all?"

Silence. Wolf scratched his muzzle and looked at Fox.

"We'll be at Bolse any minute," Fox murmured.

"Yeah…"

"Still coming with me?"

"You need a guide, don't you?" Wolf crossed his arms. I can't be that useless, right?

"Hey, as long as your information holds up, I'm good." Fox raised his hands in surrender.

"They weren't ever completed because you stormed Venom." Wolf stretched his arms. "The Wolfen-III's that we owned during the aparoids were good ships, but those IV's at Bolse are top of the line." Wolf felt envy rise up in him. "What I'd do to pilot one..."

Fox chuckled. "They better be as good as you say."

Wolf grinned. "If it goes well, they'll be even better than that."

Wolf felt unease rise in his chest. He looked at Fox's Arwing during the silence, observing every scorch mark and scar. Why didn't he just repair and replace those parts? There was at least a dozen on the side he could see.

ROB 64's voice cut through the silence. "Attention all personnel. We have arrived at Bolse. Please make all necessary preparations."

Fox sighed and jumped from the wing. "Guess it's time."

"Yeah."

Wolf looked up at the ceiling and closed his eye. Please don't let this be a failure.

You can't let everyone down again.