A/N: I was waiting to see if I could get at least... one review on Chapter 9... I finally did ...So here is chapter 10. I wrote chapter 9 and 10 all in one session and right around this part is where I started to get tired… and yet I churned out 20 more pages, while tired :D That's how I roll, son! Btw, I'm back in Richmond. Long story short, my life has had a strange turn so… Yeah! And uh… stuff!
NEW STARFOX COMMAND DS News! I've seen two of the several special ending sequences… one of them: Fox, wearing shades, is portrayed with Krystal as his wife and their son.
One of the darker ones, Krystal is portrayed wearing Fox McCloud's flight uniform with James' colors, standing with StarWolf looking as sinister as could be. This screen shot as inspired me on such a deep level that you will hear about it in chapter 11. It will be creepy and it will be chilling… It will unnerve poor Star. Muwahahaha.
Chapter -10-
Ash Bowman glanced down at his wristwatch then leaned back against the wall. He had to be quick and he wasn't the most athletic or combat intense person on Venom, to be sure. He was a bit beyond middle aged anymore and knew he was no match for Commodore Brash Vandierfield …At least not when it came to a direct physical confrontation. Ash, however, was like his family in the sense that he was intelligent.
Bowman crept along the wall, staying back with his body flush to the wall. The camera at the end of the corridor hummed softly, panning from left to right but at best, it couldn't make out anything but a very grainy lump against the wall for whatever monitor was on the other end of a thousand feet of fiber optic cable. The camera panned to the far left again and Ash began to move further down the hall. After a few seconds, he paused again, careful not to move. Movement would be detected, no matter how grainy the display was on the other end of that camera's cable line.
Once he was directly beneath it, the ape, roughly in his mid-to-late 40's, was quick to reach up and disconnect the co-axle cable coming out of the backside of the box and reaching into the ceiling. The camera dropped straight down on its axial track; the power light faded to darkness. He quickly darted down the hallway and took the stairs to the basement.
Once he stepped off of the final stair, a blaster shot erupted from the darkness at the other end of the area. The beam slammed into the floor, leaving a hole. Bowman didn't care to guesstimate its depth. Another shot lanced out, just to the ape's right side.
"You're an idiot to remain loyal to a dead cause!" Ash shouted to the darkness that stretched further back into the room. The extremely dim illumination wasn't helping and he didn't possess night vision goggles.
"You're intuitive to have known it was me," Came a voice. Vandierfield's scope gave incredible and accurate insight to every inch of the area. Another shot lanced out, hitting to the right side of the ape, leaving a hole. The tiles began to crack beneath Bowman's feet.
"My grandfather is dying in a hole," Bowman snapped, further adding, "The Anglor race only brought further chaos to Venom and now most of the planet is in economic ruins. You're letting your people slide into a massive depression. Your race will become extinct at this rate, I understand that. But helping that old bastard Andrew, let alone my Archaic grandfather… It's foolish!"
"No," Came the voice. "You're foolish." Another shot lanced out, striking the floor between Ash's ankles. The tiles gave way and Ash Bowman began to fall. His flight suit clung to his body but those silvery tousled strands of his headfur lifted straight up as he plummeted. The ape reached his arms out in an attempt to grasp at the edges of the hole but both of his elbows slammed into the ground around him.
His arms felt numb and his shoulders were already aching. Only by the sheer fortitude of an ape was Bowman able to keep from slipping through the newly created hole in the basement floor. Footsteps could be heard and slowly but surly, silver boots came into plain sight. Brash Vandierfield stepped into Ash's proximity, leaning down to chide the ape. "I am told," He began. "You were always considered a blemish on the Oikonny Family."
The Commodore placed his right foot upon Bowman's right hand, beginning to pivot and mash at the ape's fingers the way one might attempt to stamp out the burning butt of a cigarette. Ash's eyes began to water from the pain but his sheer willpower was far greater than in the days of his youth. Back then, he only sought to aid those who were already fighting the same cause but now he wanted to finish this himself.
"You know, Emperor Oikonny once piloted a ship," Vandierfield muttered, still stomping on the ape's fingers. "He even flew with and against the StarFox mercenary team over the Anglor race. He does what needs to be done for Venom. He may not be as great as his Uncle but he's a great man, never the less. You, however, are a thorn in Venom's side."
The floor tiles began to crack, further extending from the hole beneath Brash and to the north, towards the stairs. "This floor is going to give out," said Bowman, struggling to pull himself upwards.
Another voice… "It's a shame you'll be dead before you're correct on that observation." This time it was Andrew Oikonny. "I want to see you fall to a gruesome death. You're not the baby cousin I once grew up with; you're now nothing more than an insect to me!"
"You were the older cousin I looked up to as a little boy," Ash admitted sourly. "I soon realized that, as a child, I was delusional and blind. You're a worthless old man and my grandfather is nothing more than a rotting husk with unfulfilled plans of conquest and domination. He'll die before he can even bring them to fruitation."
"You watch your mouth!" Andrew said, pulling a blaster from his belt. He fired a warning shot that struck the tiles very close to Ash's left hand. The blaster's setting was low enough that the beam didn't penetrate the tiles but it did serve to further destabilize the integrity of the floor. "You know," Andrew said, kneeling down in front of Bowman, "This is a very strange basement design. It was strong enough to hold several tons of computers a few years ago but there are no pillars beneath this floor. It's an unnatural design but it was once an effective one, nevertheless. However, now that a huge section of the floor has been destroyed, it will crumble beneath your weight until you fall to your death."
"Andy, you moron," Ash grumbled, "You keep shooting this section of the floor and the entire panel will collapse, killing all three of us." The crack towards the north began to widen beneath Andrew's weight. Bowman glanced over his shoulder, seeing that the crack on the other side was growing worse as well.
"Shall we go, Sir?" Brash asked.
"No," Andrew replied. "I want to ensure that he is dead. I'm tired of him meddling in my affairs. I stayed on Sauria, low key and planning, because of this little twerp. I will run no further. He dies… now."
"You idiot!" Ash said, seeing his cousin lower the blaster once more. Before Andrew could pull the trigger again, Bowman snatched Andrew's ankle, pulling hard. The ape misfired, hitting the floor, close to Brash, before falling onto his back. The crack near Commodore Vandierfield opened up completely and the lizard found himself in a sudden freefall.
Before he knew what was going on, the Commodore felt his body jerk upwards, held by his collar. His head lifted and he was gazing eye-to-eye with Bowman. It was obvious the Ape didn't have the strength to hold on much longer, let alone pull the lizard to safety in this position. "You fool, do you always save your enemies?" He snapped, referring to several decades ago when Ash Bowman helped the StarFox team against the Anglorian race.
"If I believe they show promise, they deserve a chance," Bowman erupted, grunting under the stress of holding both of their bodyweight while clinging to Andrew's ankle. Andrew used his other foot to kick at Ash's hand, screaming incoherently for Ash to let go prompting Bowman to look back down at Commodore Brash once more. "He wants both of us to die. You were so very loyal to him and now he wants you to die, too."
"No," Vandierfield growled softly. "He wants me to die with honor, and not to be at your mercy. Release me, you fool."
"As you wish," Ash replied, releasing the Lizard's collar. Brash Vandierfield began to fall. The encroaching darkness swallowed his body and he disappeared in the void below.
Seconds later, Brash's eyes caught a glimpse of the impending serrated metal that would surly bring about his end. There was no pain at first. Massive blades ripped through his scaly flesh, plunging through his left leg, stomach, his heart and through his mouth, exiting through the back of his neck narrowly missing the instant severing his spine.
The metallic flavor of blood ran over his tongue, providing him with a literal taste of his own death. The icy sensation of cold metal between his ribs was the worst of it at first. An attempt to lift his head failed and his right leg hung free, leaving him wonder just how long these spikes really were. Without further warning, his body sank all the way down the length of those metallic rods until he lay upon the floor in a puddle of his own blood. It was cold against his flesh. His lower lip quivered, trying to close his mouth but his attempts were futile.
As the emerald fluid drained from his body and mixed with the oxygen it began to take on a rusty coloration. The sanguine vitae poured from his broken body, filling his lungs and drowning him. He attempted to choke from the asphyxiation but it was no use… taking a simple breath, something once taken for granted, was now impossible.
Brash Vandierfield, a symbolic Commodore of all that remained of old Venom… spent the last seconds of his life -of his impaling death- in anger. He felt cheated… robbed of a triumphant victory. There was no sensation of guilt or loss, only immense sensations of an inner turmoil that would never be settled…
Up above, Ash struggled, pulling himself upwards. Andrew clinched his fists, narrowing his eyes. "My best field general is dead, you twit!" He exclaimed. "You have this knack for ruining things many times over in the last two decades!"
Andrew drew his foot back and gracefully swung his leg out in an attempt to punt Ash to his death but the ape held tightly, his left hand on the broken floor section and his right hand around Andrew's other ankle. He winced in pain and his elbows were hurting but he wasn't defeated.
Star McCloud snapped his fingers, causing both Fara and Crimson's ears to perk. He turned to the far wall and began to hunt for an air duct. Crimson approached his friend with a shrug. "If they're so clever, don't you think they'd have thought of this, too?"
"We'll just have to make this work," McCloud announced. "If one of us goes this way then comes back up behind the ambush, we can distract them while the other two escape."
"I suppose," Crimson replied.
"Obvious exits are most likely suicide," Fara countered.
"Not necessarily," Star interjected, glancing up at the two. "I'm willing to wager my tail on this bet; I'll be back in a moment." He ripped the vent register clear off of its bolts then flung the metal grate across the room. It crashed noisily against the floor over by the doorway and the fox placed his ankles into the corrugated shaft. "Damn, the shaft isn't smooth which means it's going to be a real pain to get to the bottom."
"Got a better idea?" Crimson asked, turning to Fara.
"We disassemble a blaster and use it on the window," She replied.
Star disagreed, saying, "I don't want a good weapon to be decimated… especially when our only option concerning a window is a very long drop to pavement and Astroturf. How about we try this and if I die, you two jump out the window?"
"Oh look," Fara said in a scolding manner. "It's a man's idea of satire, how trite!" She folded her arms for a moment then added, "I don't mean to seem so defensive but you're taking a metallic shaft 5 stories down. I'm proposing an upward climb with only 3 stories to the ground. Both will hurt and you chiding me about my idea will only piss me off."
"You're hardly being confrontational," Star told her. "I like the fact that you have a little attitude when someone tries to shower you with testosterone."
"Funny," she mused. "I was just thinking that; you're showering me in testosterone."
"Nah," Star said as he wiggled down into the vent, now up to his waist. "But yes, I know that's what you were thinking which is why I said that. If I'm not back in fifteen minutes, call the Prime Minister, the press and notify my next of kin."
"You don't have a next of kin," Crimson cut in, offering a smirk. "So therefore you can't die since we don't have anyone to notify."
McCloud first cast a grin at his friend then extended the expressive glance to Fara. "Well then… there ya go, I'll be back in fifteen minutes, won't I?"
"You're not being professional," Fara groused softly. McCloud crooked a finger at her, summoning her forth. She went over to the vulpine pilot who was now down in the register up to his arms and knelt down, expecting for him to tell her something by his demeanor and the way he was waggling his finger.
As soon as she knelt down, Star used a free paw and snatched her chin, pulling her into a quick kiss, just to return the favor from the other day. She blinked, completely stunned. It was an unprofessional reply to her comment about his lack of professionalism but she couldn't argue that it was nice. Before she could spit out another word, he dropped into the vent and was gone.
There were a few thumps heard from the hole in the wall followed by a low grunt but overall, his descent was rather quiet in moderation. In spite of her warnings, the young man had no reserve about jumping down a heating vent. In consideration of Crimson's agreement, McCloud had decided that this was the best course of action. There was no way he was going to scale the wall of a building, free form climbing, under blaster fire. It just wasn't going to happen.
The pilot put his feet and paws outwards, rapidly slowing his descent. Because the ventilation shaft wasn't smooth, he came to a near stop within seconds of dropping. Once at the bottom, he kicked his feet outwards and caused a vent cover to go flying. However, there was no noise. He perked his ears, waiting to hear the grate hit something but it took longer than he had hoped. Once the sound finally rang out, he deduced that it was not only far away but it sounded like something other than a solid floor.
There was no clattering. When the cover finally did hit something solid, it was more of a shanking noise of metal being skewered by metal. He slid further down until his legs were free then he gripped at the rim of the shaft and dropped until his arms became taut. He was obviously in the basement, now.
At the end of the room, a male with white hair was struggling to pull himself up from the ledge of a broken cellar floor. Andrew Oikonny was with him and the two appeared to be struggling. McCloud glanced about himself, looking for where the floor wasn't crumbling. There was a nearby section but it would be quite the jump. He wasn't athletic enough to try and run across the wall in order to reach the section of flooring that had yet to give out and the thought of swinging from his paws seemed foolish.
He drew his blaster pistol from his belt with one paw, hanging from his other. Star took his time and carefully aimed then he pulled the trigger. A bolt lanced outwards and struck Andrew in the chest, throwing the half-breed ape to his back. "Born from a jock and a tramp, am I?" Star muttered. "Now who's the chump?"
His muscles ached and the building shook again from the attack outside. To his surprise, the next volley of attacks was so close that it not only shook the building right down to its foundation, but the long shaft heading into the basement became to shift. Suddenly McCloud began to fall. He reached his paw up to the rim of the vent and now, with both paws, he held on tightly.
An entire section had ripped free from the rest of the shaft but it didn't plummet into the pit beneath the basement. His blaster, however, fell into the abyss and was lost. His head lowered, watching the small orange flash between his feet, far below. Across the room, Ash Bowman pulled himself up to a solid section of the basement flooring.
Since the vent was in the back corner of the ceiling, McCloud was able to put his feet against one of the walls. He bent his knees then shoved forth, pushing against the bulkhead. His paws released the metallic lip then reached outwards for anything. A section of the basement floor touched his padded palms and his fingers instinctively closed around it.
Suddenly a strong hand wrapped around his right wrist and he felt his body begin to ascend. "I never asked you or your family to intervene this time around," Bowman said. "But… thank you," he added, referring to the blaster shot on Andrew's chest. "Now go on, I'd appreciate it if you got out of the affairs of my business and let me handle Andrew."
"If he leaves Venom, he's fair game," McCloud warned. "I'm not like my mother and father; if you tell me to leave Andrew alone, I'll reply that you can go to hell, Mister Bowman."
"You helped me and I've helped you," Ash said. "We're even. If you ever see your parents again, tell them I said hello. From what I understand about my grandfather's Gravity Bomb, it shouldn't have killed them. There are two possibilities depending on a mixture of variables… they're either in another sector of space, far from here… or they're suspended in a state of stasis, just beneath the fabric of normal space-time. Now, get out of here. This civil war is going to tear this city to shreds. Don't be in the middle of current history as it's very dangerous."
Star's feet touched solid floor and he sighed in relief. "All right. We'll play it your way this time but I'm not finished. Andrew is my bounty and I plan to collect on him. I have a strange feeling I'll be crossing your path again," McCloud surmised. "Dad has mentioned you; I won't fly against you… but as far as Andrew Oikonny… I don't care whose cousin he is… He's a target. I'll take him down without blinking. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have friends upstairs. They're waiting for me."
"Very well," Ash said, trying to force a polite smile as best as possible. The two nodded to one another and McCloud approached the stunned body of Andrew Oikonny.
"You're goddess-damned lucky," McCloud said. "But our next meeting, you'll wish you'd stayed in bed," He warned the half-ape. Oikonny forced one eyelid to open, drunkenly gazing up at the fox. His motor skills had failed from the stun effect and he was unable to move. Star then added, "Your ass is worth food on the table for one year. I'll be back to collect. I'll be waiting not far from Venom, just like your buddies are still waiting outside the conference office, upstairs for Fara and Crimson. I'll sendthose soldiers your warm regards when I blow them to pieces."
Andrew was still unable to reply.
McCloud raced up the stairs, keeping his eyes wide open for trouble. Once he was in the main lobby he stopped, glancing up to the loft-style hallway above. The vulpine was quick to take refuge in a small cove behind the secretary's desk. He opened a channel to Bill Gray's personal communicator, staying out of sight.
"Acting General Gray, here," Came a tired sounding response. It was the same Bill Gray from earlier. The half-husky half-greyhound appeared to have had a long morning, so far.
"Personal favor," McCloud said, "I am on Venom and I've confirmed that Andrew Oikonny is behind a lot, including a new Civil War on Venom. I'm in the middle of it and my team is pinned down under snipers and I'm working to get them out. Do you have any suggestions for me? I could really use the advice of a professional right about now."
"You know," Bill began, pondering for a moment before continuing… "Your mother was really good in these situations. Maybe it was her telepathy but she was one of the best wingmates I've flown with, even if it was just for a short amount of time."
Star balked. "You never told me she flew with you." McCloud didn't know how he felt about that. Learning that his mother left StarFox was awkward enough but to find out that she joined Bill Gray was even weirder. "You guys didn't… you know… date or anything, did you?"
"Fox is my best friend," Bill said, shaking his head. The holographic image pixilated around the edges from the movement and sway of his fur. Gray then lowered his chin a bit and added, "I thought about it though. And she's telepathic, so I'm sure she knew I considered it. I'm sorry, Star. I don't mean to get into this right now; I understand your team is bogged down."
"We'll talk about this later," McCloud said, adding, "And don't call me Star. I hate that goddamn name. Now, here's the situation. I'm in the lobby on the first floor. On the third floor, there's a loft hallway and on one side my team is in a conference room, on the other side, there are multiple snipers in the area, with their sights trained on the doorway. Andrew is on the sub-level 2 basement floor with Ash Bowman and Oikonny's Commodore is dead."
"Windows or vents in the conference room?" Gray asked, returning to business. He dreaded a future conversation with McCloud pertaining to his mother but only because he was roommates with the kid and never brought up the fact that Krystal flew with him on rebound from Fox McCloud. Surly that would make any young man feel awkward.
"Both," Star replied. "I took the vent to the basement but the shaft is in poor shape. It wouldn't support another person. The windows would need some real work and then it would take someone with real skill to scale the flat walls outside. Else it's a three story drop to the ground. I'd use my camouflage decoy holographic emitter but mom's staff is low on energy and I want to look at other options before I use the last of its power."
The General face-faulted. "This is an awkward situation, McCloud. I don't have anyone in the area that can help you right now, either."
"This is a hot combat zone, General," McCloud replied, adding in his own hint of professionalism. The lack of a name made the situation feel less personal and that worried Bill. He didn't want Star to act strangely because of something that happened twenty years ago.
Suddenly the building shook again. Plaster fell from the ceiling, coating the blue-haired fox in a light layer of dust. "What the hell was that?" Bill asked.
"I told you, General," McCloud replied. "It's a combat zone; there is a civil war beginning outside. Oikonny's forces are pounding the Capital City into submission. It would be in Corneria's best interest to form an immediate truce with the residents not loyal to the Empire's cause."
"Are the Anglor's involved?" Gray asked, changing the subject.
"Forget about them," Star snapped. "Two members of my team are pinned down with two very dangerous options. I need advice; the Anglors aren't around, at least any that I've seen yet. Andrew escaped from that room in a transport tube in the floor but we can't access it. Can you pull up special intelligence information on this building or ... something?"
"Calm down, McCloud," Gray demanded. "I need a moment to think. Like I was trying to say earlier before I inadvertently insulted you… your mother was good in situations like this because she simply used her telepathy to determine where each target was. She would then help me flank the badguys and we'd take them down one at a time until the area was clear. You're her son and you have her powers, can't you scout them out?"
"She was also doing this for two years leading up to that point," Star reminded. "She was a pilot and a certified, licensed explorer who studied hard to pass difficult tests on Cerinia. Not only that," Star explained, adding, "She wasn't half Cornerian. I am."
"All right, man. Just calm down," Bill said. He then placed his paw over the lens on the other side of the channel, blocking out the holographic emitter of Star over on Corneria. McCloud could hear his muffled speaking then his image returned. "I've got so much going on over here right now that it's crazy. Listen, here's a quick idea off the top of my head: Get your digital binocular camera and take a picture of that section of the third floor. Hardwire your holographic communicator and your mother's staff then project an image up onto that section of floor. That will reduce the energy consumption on the staff alone. Once it's cloaked, have your team leave the door, stay close to the walls and get out of that immediate area. Your idiot of a best friend, O'Donnell? Yeah… well… his father used that little trick to Pirate a large amount of money from a bank ship, so don't think me for the idea. Let me know if you're all right after this… General Gray…out."
The holographic projection was extinguished and McCloud was left sitting there, blinking. The idea was pure genius and there was a possibility that the maneuver wouldn't drain the Staff's entire energy gauge. The only problem was that McCloud wasn't an expert with stuff like this. Violet was the best he knew but she wasn't here right now.
"Think," Star told himself. "I could just rig the batteries in parallel, right? I don't think that should overload them but … dammit." He simply stared at the communicator, knowing he'd have to call Violet and have her walk him through it. A loud noise out in the main part of the lobby shook him from his reverie and caused him to peek out to see what the commotion was.
To his surprise, a small group of lizards ran into the area with guns, stopping in a formation at the foyer. Two more broke off from the group and took to the stairs, quickly securing the second floor. Another two broke from the main group, heading for the stairs when McCloud quickly came out of hiding to stop them. "Don't go up to the third floor!" He said, sensing that they were a resistance group. "There are snipers up there, pinning down my teammates in the conference room!"
"Douy flek, geh'hizmo?" cried one. It was reminiscent to the Saurian lingo but the syntax was evolved. With his telepathic abilities, Star was able to make conversation.
"I'm the lead pilot of StarFox," McCloud told them. "Andrew Oikonny is on the second sub-level and the ranking military official in this building is dead. The snipers have fortified their positions and have their sights locked on the conference room door. What are you people doing here?"
The same lizard who spoke before, said, "We're here to secure our Capital. What the hell are you doing here?" He demanded in the Venom lexicon.
McCloud approached the speaker of the rebel faction and said, "We came for Oikonny. Corneria wishes to place him under arrest."
"If you know where he is, why aren't you arresting him?" The man asked, tilting his head slightly in a bird-like fashion.
"It's complicated," Star replied, offhandedly referring to his compliance to the wishes of Ash Bowman. "Andrew was incapacitated and now I'm coming to the rescue of my team as they're pinned down with no viable options."
"Fair enough; a typical Cornerian response: putting your team before your mission," The lizard replied with a harsh edge to his tone. "Cold blooded we may be but putting the mission first and ensuring success always takes precedence. StarFox… that name rings a bell…"
"Yeah, it saved Venom about half-a-dozen times," McCloud retorted.
"Oh," The lizard simply smirked. "You mean the team that kept trying to defeat our dictators and oppressors but never actually finished each job and broke up because of the egotistical, over-zealous leader between each mission?"
Star blinked. He'd never realized that Venom schools viewed the history in such a way. Everytime Andross, Andrew or the Anglor race was defeated they wound up making some sort of return. When fighting the Aparoids and saving Sauria, Venom was never involved so therefore the Venom outlook on StarFox was a team who never completely finished each mission. Also, it was public knowledge each time that StarFox disbanded and they managed to fall apart several times between catastrophic events, demanding their return. Was it really his father's fault?
Seeing the look on the boy's face, the lizard added, "That's right, youngster. Fox McCloud was an imbecile outside of his cockpit. He couldn't handle the simple politics of keeping a small band of mercenaries together and couldn't offer a family atmosphere because he grew up without a father or mother in his life. Without understanding the simple concept of a family atmosphere, he was unable to provide for his non-blood family. Once the team passed puberty, they each got a girlfriend and their little family disbanded. They were all idiots… good pilots with no direction."
Star was mortified and completely insulted. Is this how Venom really remembered his father? Not as a liberator but as a problematic pilot who couldn't even hold a small group of people together? He could partially understand their mentality. Falco left the team and Slippy took a job working for Corneria. Once the team reassembled, Fox and the team only lasted for about a year or two then things went sour again. Ultimately, Falco left the team again for Katt Monroe, Slippy left the team for Amanda, Peppy left the team to become a General and spend more time raising his daughter, Lucy, on Corneria… And last of all, Fox broke up with Krystal.
The Lizard lifted a scaly, clawed hand and waved for the two men at the steps to find an alternative method to the third floor then delivered hand signals to another two men. All four men left the immediate group to begin a search-and-sweep plan. The man then turned back to McCloud and said, "You are the offspring of Fox McCloud and the blue vixen?"
Star nodded slowly, simply replying with, "Yes."
"You owe your life to the Anglor attacks. They terrorized Lylat, furious that they were disturbed," The lizard replied. "If they remained at peace, your father would not be Fox McCloud. As you can see, they have doomed your fate, too. Now, let us see about your team." The lizard spoke for another moment but Star couldn't focus on what he was saying. All he could do was think about what would have happened if the Anglor race remained dormant…. Would his father be Bill Gray? Was Fox McCloud really the legendary hero that Cornerian history books portrayed him to be?
McCloud felt confused on a personal level. What if Fox and Fara were meant for one another and Krystal was meant for someone else? What if she should have died on Cerinia like the rest of her race? What if Star wasn't meant to exist at all? Was the universe built from fate or freewill? He felt like focusing on soul searching for personal clarity once this mission was finished. But what if his father felt the same way and that's what caused StarFox to break up so many times in the past? He didn't want to relive the exact same mistakes of his father. Maybe he could employ the help of his friends and team in helping him to cure this personal confusion… for now, their lives were at risk and it was time to save them.
"This is what I'm going to do," McCloud said, cutting off the lizard who was apparently still talking. "I'm going to create a holographic wall that looks exactly the same as the hallway on the third floor. We'll get my team out without them being noticed then we'll go back for Andrew. If you want to split up your team, you can send half of them for Andrew now. I don't rightly care. I just wish to help my wingmen and take down those snipers."
"You must transport Andrew Oikonny to Corneria yourself," the lizard replied. "If he stays here, he'll be rescued from any jail we put him in; if he's accessible to Venom, he'll not receive the death penalty. However, if my men kill him, his body stays here to be put on display. We'll see how this afternoon pans out."
"Lets home he doesn't escape," McCloud muttered. "Does your team have an electronics expert I can work with?"
"He was killed in action," replied the reptile. "Am I to understand that you require an electronics expert to help with your plan?"
"It would make things smoother," McCloud muttered. "Have a better idea?"
"My men will draw their fire while you help your team escape. I'm not doing this to help you," The lizard explained. "I'm doing this to discover the location of multiple snipers so that we can secure the building. I simply invite you to exploit this diversion in your favor. Our business here is finished, son of Fox McCloud."
"Actually you can call me…" Star paused. He despised his name and here he was about to give it out. He simply shook his head and said, "Forget it… 'Son of Fox McCloud' is fine." He didn't feel like he was living in his father's shadow in front of a people who didn't think highly of Fox McCloud to begin with. "The Commodore is dead; you should have no trouble securing this building. See ya."
The blue-haired fox turned away from the lizard, his mind swirling with mixed emotions. His inability to settle his temper and concentrate made it difficult to utilize his telepathy. Without that power, he was putting his team at risk, since they only agreed to this mission because they thought he would be able to use it to protect them from danger. Now he was just an angry kid who had to help his friends duck and cover to escape a concrete deathtrap.
The city shook again, causing the building to tremble. Loud creaking noises were heard throughout the complex, furthering the destabilization. McCloud got halfway across the lobby when the lizard shouted out to him, "There is a bunker intended for the government officials. On the first floor basement, you must head into the western tunnel which slopes downwards for a few hundred meters. It leads out to the ruins of the old city for a safe escape but there is no guarantee that the tunnel may have caved in years ago. It should still be functional. Don't leave through the city, that would be foolish. Making better choices is the first part of becoming a real leader. The second part of being a leader is a great deal like being the father of a group of children. When you respect them, they respect you and you're able to get along as equals but when the time comes to be serious, they still respect you first and follow your orders no matter what they are. Don't be an imbecile."
"Thanks," McCloud replied, heading for the stairs. Under his voice, he added, "…I guess." He made his way up to the third floor and waited by the steps for the rebel faction to go through their pattern the way they'd rehearsed during training. They were experts, using intelligent tactics to draw fire, locate the enemy snipers then eliminate the gunman, one by one. Gunfire rang out through the lobby on all floors, sporadic and rhythmic. The quick and clever fox waited because his instincts told him to do so.
A thunderous volley of noise was heard outside as missiles rained down in this area, showering the building's old force field. With power out to most of the city, the building's generators wouldn't hold out too much longer. A cloud of dust billowed in from the main doors in the lobby and the thick plume filled the main hall.
It only took a few moments for the dust cloud to rise upwards, making visibility difficult. It was the turn of fate that McCloud had been hoping for. He dashed down the hallway, approaching the conference room. He leaped into the air, pouncing the door knobs with all of his might. His left heel successfully snapped the handle from the door then he shouted, "It's me, unlock it and get out here!"
The door flew open and Crimson emerged with his blaster. "Fara went through the window after using her blaster to cut a hole in the wall around the outside of it. She made it to the roof, I saw her climb up, myself. She's setting up a beacon of distress to confuse the Venom air strike."
"She's goddess damned nuts," McCloud snapped. "We have an escape tunnel in the basement that should lead back towards Tricky and the ships. Now we have to get up to the roof and find Fara!"
"We waited an awfully long time," Crimson said defensively. "We assumed you were dead and so she took command."
"There are a lot of politics clashing here," McCloud replied. "Our mission was to stop the serial killer from terrorizing the Saurian Colonies. We've done that, they're safe. Let's go get paid. We'll go after Andrew if he lives to leave this planet but we're only putting StarFox at risk by chasing him all over Lylat. Let's go get Fara and get the heck out of here."
"Why the sudden change of heart?" Crimson asked.
Star shrugged, stepping back into the conference room and sitting down where he felt it was safe and out of the sight of the doorway. Crimson followed. McCloud glanced up at him then said, "It's weird; I've got a lot of stuff on my mind, Red. This team needs a lot of training together and we need for me to work out my personal crap with Violet."
"Hey, by the way," O'Donnell chuckled. "That was pretty smooth, the way you kissed Fara before dropping into the vent."
"Eh, I shouldn't have done it," McCloud bitterly admitted. "I'm sending mixed signals. I have to be sure how I feel about Violet before I go around doing stupid stuff like that." He paused then said, "I'm not trying to have StarFox be the butt of bad jokes. I don't want a team to have a reputation of its leader breaking the team up every other day because he can't get his crap together."
"You're being awfully hard on yourself," the half-wolf noted. "Did you have a black out? Is that why you took so long? It would certainly explain why you're in this sour-sally mood."
"No but I found out a bunch of things about this team and my family from different people while I was in the field." McCloud's words caught Crimson by surprise. Sensing the confusion, the fox told him, "I was talking to Bill to try and get some ideas about how to save you guys without getting us killed. I explained the situation and he referenced how my mother would have handled it… the weird part is… he knows from experience. When my parents had a falling out and broke up a few years ago, mom joined Bill Gray's team. Then when the Anglor's showed up, StarFox came back together just to stop the bad guys. IF they didn't attack, my mother and father may never have reconciled."
"You're here," Crimson said, shaking his head with an expression of pure amusement. "They're married," He added, placing his paws on his hips and his foot on a seat adjacent to McCloud. "Just because she's a woman and Bill is a man doesn't mean that those two would have eventually fallen in love just because they flew together. This world isn't that shallow. I thought you were the kind of fox who believed in like… soul mates and stuff."
The Mercenary leader shifted his weight uncomfortably. "I've already kissed Fara twice; what do you think Bill did with my mother?" Star muttered.
"First of all," O'Donnell said, seeing that this was really bothering his friend, "Just because you and Fara shared a kiss… doesn't mean you're going to father her children next season. And if you do, that just means you guys were meant for each other… it has nothing to do with convenience."
Red looked his quiet friend over then added, "And if Krystal did suck face with Bill Gray, I doubt he'd have remained friends of the family. Give it a rest, we're trying to save our newest Team member, who's currently on the roof trying to stop them from pounding the shields of this complex before they give out and we all die. She's out there being brave; let's get out game-face on and play some ball, huh?"
Star glanced up at Crimson and offered a weak smile. It began to grow, tugging slightly at the corners of his muzzle as he let his friend's advice sink in. "You know something Red… you're not only right, Bill has the wrong impression of you, by far. You've just defended someone who does nothing but dog you all the time."
O'Donnell shrugged. "He is a dog, McCloud. I guess, when you're on Sauria, do as the Saurians. Now let's go get our fennec out of danger, find this underground escape tunnel and get the hell off of this planet so we can get paid for our Sauria Mission, huh?"
The stairs leading up were dangerous. The two boys had to sprint them by sections to avoid being shot. At each platform between the next ascending flight of stairs, the two pilots would duck down and wait for a few moments. Occasionally, blaster beams and bullet shells would desecrate the nearby walls, riddling it with holes. The intensity of the fighting was growing to a fevered pitch and StarFox was caught in the middle, where they didn't belong.
Their clothes were soiled with dirt and soot and a fire broke out on the fourth and fifth floor. The roaring inferno added an element of alacrity to their situation. "All we need now is for the stairs to crumble behind each step!" Star cried as the two rushed the next case of stairs.
"Don't you ever say that again!" Crimson cried, reaching out a paw to tap the fancy wooden banister rail three times. "We have enough going on, I'm not trying to add to the situation and I don't want you jinxing us!"
"Don't worry, they seem pretty sturdy!" McCloud called back, raising his voice over the ambient noise of the roaring fire beneath them, the gunfire above and below them and the missiles detonating outside. In response, Crimson simply wrapped his paw against the wooden banister yet again.
Suddenly O'Donnell lost his footing and collapsed to the stairs. McCloud whirled about and snatched the lupine's paw. "See, I bet the frickin' stairs are collapsing aren't they!" He shouted, almost angry.
"No, dumbass," retorted the fox, pulling his friend back up to a standing position. "The stairs are covered with dust and plaster, just watch your step; c'mon!" He hooked one arm around Crimson's waist, guiding him up, to take point. "We're almost there and you'll live to kiss a woman before you reach 30 if you're lucky!"
"Screw you, McCloud," The lupine replied, placing his left paw over his muzzle to shield his face from the smoke present at the top of the steps. "What in the hell, is this floor on fire too?"
McCloud followed him into the top floor hallway, looking around. "Seems like it's coming up through the heating vents. I don't know how stable this floor will be with an oven directly beneath it, though. Watch your step."
"Will you stop trying to jinx this mission?" Crimson cried, throwing his paws into the air. "I'm serious, you're going to get us killed, then the only person left to date Violet will be Fara!"
McCloud snatched Crimson by his shirt and gave a tug, "C'mon, I wanna live to see that," He said, dashing down the hallway. The two made their way through the smoky area until they reached at door halfway down the aisle. It was marked 'Emergency exit to Roof. Caution: Alarm will sound.' Star tightened his grip on Crimson's shirt to stop his friend, then released the cloth all together. "Right here! We found it, let's go!"
The door opened with relative ease but there was no alarm. Both boys took the steps two at a time, racing upwards only to come to a halt when they saw a small squad of lizards with weapons further up. "Get down!" McCloud hissed, dropping to his stomach on the stairs and staying as low as he could possibly lay. Crimson did the same, tucking his tail down between his ankles. "They might have Fara hostage," Star added with a frown.
"There's only one way to find out for sure," Crimson replied, pulling his communicator out. He opened a channel to Fara and said, "Fair-rah Fee-Nix," softly into the receiver.
"It's pronounced 'Fennecs'," She replied over the comm.-channel. O'Donnell's eyes shifted over to his friend and he grinned as if to say 'see?' then he handed the communicator over.
McCloud eased his thumb into the send button and said, "We're approaching your rooftop position now but there's a gaggle of guards at the top of the stairs. Since you're on the roof, let's flank'em. On my mark, ready?"
"You're not being very professional," She replied over the communicator. "Giving away your position, when I very well could have been captured? Not smart, McCloud. I want you to think about what you'd have done differently, knowing what you know now, if you had any intention of rescuing the damsel. Yes, I'm on the rooftop. It's a little hot up here, why don't you come join me… come unarmed."
The boys glanced at one another then McCloud face-palmed, groaning softly. "She's been captured and I sense that she's angry at us for not knowing."
"Well, why didn't you?" O'Donnell asked.
McCloud sighed and said, "I can't concentrate which is another reason I want to leave, because without my telepathy, we're sitting ducks." Suddenly a door opened leading to the rooftop, up above. Someone shouted a few words then the entire group of guards turned around seeing the fox and wolf halfway down the staircase. "Aw hell," the fox groused, pulling out his staff.
It still had charge because he conserved its energy from earlier. "What the hell is that thing going to do for us?" Crimson grumbled. Star ignored him, lifting the staff up and placing its bottom against a nearby step. A thick blue aura began to emanate from the pole, surrounding them both in an azure glow. "We're screwed," Crimson muttered only to gasp when rounds of ammunition were quick to ricochet off of the azure field. "Can I fire back at them?"
"If you want to risk your paw by sticking it through the shield," McCloud replied. "Go ahead, stick it out there where those bullets are and see what happens!"
"All right, all right, damn! All you had to say was 'no'." Crimson reached into his pack and pulled out one thermal detonator. The yellow round ball was found on the GreatFox II earlier and now Crimson was glad he'd brought it. He mashed his thumb in on the blue activation pad and counted softly. "One, two, three, four…" He then hurled the ball up the steps and watched patiently.
"If that thing blows up," McCloud sighed, "It might cause the entire staircase to collapse. If we fall to our deaths, I'm going to be pissed."
"Why?" Crimson asked, "The Fara and Violet thing?"
"You always have to ruin my chances, don't you?" Star asked, trying to replace his worry with offbeat humor. "How're you going to fix it now?" He asked, growing a bit more serious.
"Why didn't it blow up?" Crimson asked, changing the subject. One of the lizards noticed this as well and approached the detonator, picking it up. "Well, it was really old," Crimson said with a sigh. Because the lizards stopped their barrage of gunfire to take cover, only to realize that the bomb was a dud, Crimson decided it was now safe enough to return fire.
He pulled his blaster from his belt and reached his right paw through the field, taking careful aim. His first shot hit the detonator, causing it to simply smoke. A thick miasma of the stale chemicals poured out, making it difficult to see. One of the lizards opened the door to the rooftop in an attempt to clear the section of smoke but that only bought the pilots more time.
Holding the staff in his left palm, McCloud reached his right paw into Crimson's well stocked gear bag and pulled out another weapon. The two of them quickly used the blaster pistols to disarm or kill as many guards as possible. Occasionally a lizard would topple down the stairs, rolling to a stop against the blue shield. They continued to fire into the thick smoke which was only starting to clear from having the rooftop door now open.
Struggling against a real set of laser-cuffs, Fara Phoenix couldn't help but notice that smoke was billowing out of the doorway across the rooftop. Occasionally, a blaster shot's beam lanced through the thick smog and disappeared into the sky above. All around her, she could see the incredible devastation of Shray-Lek. Most of the city was a black, smoldering wasteland. Tiny fires dotted the landscape, giving off the appearance of a sparkling black ocean, where the Capital Building was a lone island.
In the hazy distance, the ruins of Old City were now the boldest remaining parts of the Fang-Claw district. Her captor had a pistol placed against the base of her neck and she had her communicator in her paw. The look on her face put the two lizards on the rooftop at complete unease. Only a woman could scowl in such a way that someone could feel a fair amount of intimidation even when it was they who held the weapon.
"Get on your hands and knees," The gunman suddenly said, wanting to keep her as low to the ground as possible for his own sake. "Do it!" he shouted.
Fara, reluctantly, moved to her paws and knees, staying low. She was pissed off that she'd let someone sneak up on her while working on the transponder. "That's right," The lizard teased, "I hear you Cornerian vixens love getting down on the ground like that." He poked her heart-shaped rump with the pistol's barrel and that's when Fara lost her cool.
"That's it," She whispered under her breath. She reached down and pulled her makeup compact back out of her front pocket and flipped it open. The mirrored object served to blind the guard behind her simply by angling it so that she could see his face in the mirror and the round reflection of sunlight against his skin that she angled until it was in his eyes. With her other paw, she flipped the Communicator's switch back on, tossed it to the lizard across from her and said, "Catch!" in the Venom language. She then kicked her left leg back, using all the muscle in her powerful thigh to stomp the other lizard in his groin.
While their race was built differently and a groin shot wouldn't have phased most lizards, Fara had pushed her paws against the ground, put all her weight into it as well as all of the power in her legs. The kick was swift and powerful, hitting the guard so hard in a low center of gravity, that he lost his balance and toppled backwards.
He lost his balance, his heel catching against a high tension cable used to secure a lightning rod on the roof. Tripping backwards, the gunman dropped his weapon but was unable to regain his equilibrium. Far too close to the edge of the roof, the lizard let out a high pitched shriek, causing Fara to glance back over her shoulder. She saw his legs and scaly tail upended, as the lizard tumbled backwards, over the edge of the roof. Seconds later, the fading scream came to an abrupt stop.
"She scrambled for the gun which had been dropped by the guard. Seeing that she was getting up and his partner was dead, the lizard across the roof from her quickly threw the communicator to the ground and steadied the blaster in his left hand, making several quick shots. Phoenix rolled to the side, evasively, snatching the gun and coming up in a half-kneeling position with her back straight and the weapon leveled at the other man.
A single shot blasted from the handgun, hitting her opponent square in his right shoulder. He spun about like a top, his arms and legs went outwards and in that instant, he resembled a rag-doll. The shot struck the guard in his armor and so he wasn't wounded, but it still managed to knock him down. His gun skittered over the other side of the rooftop, falling into disuse.
She was suddenly distracted by a blast that came from the open door leading to the stairs. Several reptilian bodies were ejected from the doorway, spewing outwards and crashing back down to the rooftop. She kept the pistol trained on the uninjured soldier laying on his back, approaching him slowly but occasionally glancing over at the door on the other side of the large lighting rod.
She placed her foot against the lizard's neck then lifted her jaw, turning to scrutinize the doorway. Another blast occurred, causing her ears to flicker in discomfort. The bright yellow and red flash was accompanied by another Venom soldier flying through the doorway and landing on the rooftop, motionless. Without further warning, a loud metallic clanging was heard from inside the doorway. It didn't take much to figure out that the stairway must have collapsed on the other side of that door.
The faint cry of a dozen soldiers could be heard in chorus to the clanging metal, causing Fara's brows to furrow. A moment later, a soot-covered, blue haired fox staggered out of the doorway, rubbing at the base of his ears. Behind him, an ashen, fiery headed carrot top stumbled through the door and onto the rooftop. O'Donnell rubbed at his eyes, hunching his shoulders to try and rub at his ears.
"You could have warned me it would be loud, you ass," Crimson scolded in a phlegmy, half-choked voice.
"…What?" Star said, his voice exaggeratingly strident. "My ears are ringing; oh! Yeah, it's going to be loud!" McCloud added after sensing Crimson's words, lingering on the lupine's brain.
"Of all the vociferous vulpines," Fara muttered, keeping her blaster trained on a fallen guard. "You discordant dunces… you raucous rookies could have blown a hole right through this roof and killed us all!" She was attempting to rebuke but her insulting admonishment actually brought about an air of hilarity to the entire situation. She couldn't help it and her eyes began to moisten in a feeble attempt to hold back laughter at the sight of them together.
Crimson threw his arms up in the air, both embarrassed and infuriated by Fara's giggling. "How're we going to get back down to the basement now?"
"There were at least a dozen men coming up the steps," came McCloud's first excuse, followed by, "Another 4 were left at the top of the steps and they were in our path, I might add!"
"Enough!" Crimson shouted, placing his paws over his ears and clinching his eyes tightly. "I'm serious! You could have killed us both! That staff has got to be the deadliest toy to ever touch your paws, I swear!" His scarlet bangs lay haphazardly over his forehead, covering his brows. The otherwise gray-furred man stumbled away from Star, adding, "Get him away from me, he's insane!"
Sensing that Fara was nearly in hysterics over their look and the fact that they just about detonated a very small staircase in order to escape from capture, McCloud couldn't help but chuckle as well. He turned his attention to the vixen and said, "Crimson is mad because he packed his gear bag with nothing but expired explosives. The chemicals were so stale that they did everything except blow up!"
Phoenix used one free paw to rub her eyes, gathering her calm demeanor again. "Then what the hell was that double explosion?" Fara asked.
Crimson quickly butted back into the conversation, saying, "He cooked the grenades then threw one up the stairs, into the smoke, and down the stairs at the approaching group. It scared the hell out of them but then they both realized they were holding duds, like the first one that I threw. Then he uses that staff thing and shoots them with that fire-blasting thing built into it! One ruptures with the blast pointing out the door… the other blasts downwards, towards the rest of the staircase!"
McCloud cut in and added, "The staircase collapsed except for the part we were on, which simply dropped, hanging by the concrete ledge on the other side of that doorway. We climbed up and stumbled through the doorway… and here we are."
"You two are something else," Fara mused. "I'm surprised that none of us are dead. Did you two find Oikonny?"
"This building is about to collapse on him," McCloud said. "We should hurry and leave before that happens." He lifted a paw to fluff sapphire strands of hair but an amusing cloud of soot puffed up around him, instead. Fara simply shook her head.
"When you boys get paid, let's put it in a bank," she told them. "I want to sit down and take the next month to properly train you on military procedure. Your hearts are in the right place and your basic instincts and even your ingenuity is just right… but you're going to get all of us killed if you hobble around a battlefield in clown's shoes."
Crimson gawked at the insult then changed the subject. "We've still got to figure out how we're going to get off this roof," He said, clearing his throat to rid it of the dry sounding wheeze in his voice. Suddenly his eyes caught the rest of the city around them. His heart stopped and as he experienced it, Star felt his friend's change of demeanor and looked outwards only to gasp softly.
The Venom Capital city was burning to the ground. That's when McCloud noticed that at least several hundred thousand voices were suddenly quiet. Voices that he normally tried to tune out were no longer present at all. An intense feeling of loss hit him so hard that he collapsed to his knees. Crimson blinked in shock, whirling about to face his best friend. Fara's jaw dropped and she quickly stunned the Venom guard then approached Fox's son.
"What is it?" She demanded, approaching them.
"Almost everyone is dead," Star whispered. It was just loud enough to be heard over the low rumble of the wind, felt upon the rooftop of the Capital Building. "Other than that slob," he continued, motioning to the stunned soldier halfway across the roof, "we're the only living souls for several miles in every direction. All those people… women, children, clergymen… Oikonny's forces can't even distinguish the dead from the dead. He's… truly mad."
"It's not our fight," Crimson reasoned.
"First Venom," McCloud countered. "Then it's Lylat. This could easily be Corneria, next. We have to stop him and we have to stop this new machine that he's started."
"Training comes first," Fara warned. "I don't fly with any pilots. I instruct and I fly with the best. Call your friend, Violet. We'll need a Lombardi's help in this. Look at the devastation, boys," She told them. "This is one city after one afternoon of war. Oikonny made this city a model for the rest of the planet to see. If he survives to escape, he'll have Venom in his fist. We can't allow that."
A/N: I was going to take some time and add some detail and change some descriptions before posting this but enough of you guys were waiting for this chapter and you guys wanted to see how things turned out… well they survived as you can see. But things will get weird from here on out. I promise. But in a good way. I begin Chapter 11 with Star asleep two days from now… He'll be having a conversation with the ORACLE. Remember, now that he's 22 in Cornerian years, he's 16 in Cerinian years. Bam.
She appears before him and what she has to say may shock some… she's going to tell him how differently things could have been if his mother made her personal life choices differently so that he understands the concept of needing to make good choices of his own.
In the new StarFox Command game for the DS, two of the endings include Fox and Krystal having a child and, conversely, Fox never reconciling with Krystal so… you see her with StarWolf wearing Fox's uniform with a yellow scarf. Her face looks about as evil as one could ever imagine. It's kinda freaky.
At any rate, it won't be long before chapter 11 is ready. We'll be meeting more of the StarFox Command characters before long, heck we are already!
I really wanted to confirm that Ash Bowman IS Andross' grandson before publishing this chapter so… I hope it's true! Hehe.