~
Can't Let you do That, Fox

"Wolf?!"

"M- McCloud!"

The two backed away in an overtaking inclination of instinct, both feeling a brief sweep of lightheadedness come across them as they scanned each other to make sure their eyes weren't lying to them. There was so much initial shock that neither of them knew what to say or do, so they both stared at each other in silence for the next few moments until Wolf decided to speak up.

"Fox McCloud, the last person in the entire Lylat I'd expect to see here…" He grumbled in his burly, commanding voice.

"I could say the same thing, Wolf." Fox said with an uncanny emphasis on his opponent's name as both of them readied for whatever tricks the other was planning. Wolf's presence confirmed Fox's suspicion that he was still roaming the Lylat even after he'd 'disappeared' along with the Aparoids almost an entire year ago.

"If you're looking to fight, I'm not stepping down." Fox barked back at Wolf, almost threateningly so.

Those words prompted a short but also noticeable flinching contest between the two; each made their own quick and calculated jerk to see if the other would react, but none of them made any significant advancement on the other which would signify any approach of violence. They exchanged intermittent stares and double-takes at each other, utterly confused at their rival's appearance; however, they both knew that they weren't going to be getting into a one-on-one fight, at least not now. The primary instance of tension died down, and the two pilots shifted into a more passive mode.

"Come on, I can't let you do this, Fox, we don't need to be doing this… not while we're on the ground at least." Wolf eased his stance and regressed to a less combative positioning, which received a similar response from Fox; although collectively, they were still maintaining somewhat of a defensive posture. "We can talk about what's going on like adults instead of clawing at each other's throats for no reason, can't we?"

Fox took a deep breath before continuing. The fact that he was speaking to Wolf O'Donnell was almost too strange for him to comprehend, but maybe since they weren't communicating to each other in heavily armed aircraft, things would be at least different on a substantial level and Wolf would disregard his personal vendetta against Fox. Perhaps the strangest part about the whole ordeal was that they were working together, though past experience had already formed that connection between them.

"Alright then, you first. Are you here because of Vincenzo?"

"I am." Wolf answered, eying the small container which Fox had set down next to a nearby crate. "And you're here for the same reason I assume…" He concluded.

Fox nodded.

"Looks like we both know how to find a good deal, McCloud." Wolf said as he paced about with his muzzle held high. "Now if only I knew where you get your groceries." He joked, not knowing that Fox had an immovable affinity for Superfoods Megastore.

"How did you even manage to get here? You're probably on the no-fly list for every government in the Lylat."

Wolf glanced at Fox momentarily before continuing his tour around the standing vulpine. "I might be a fugitive, McCloud, but keep in mind that Vincenzo has his ways. His brother's the secretary for the Zoness Transportation Administration! Or it might be his cousin, I don't remember…"

"Someone here might recognize you and try turning you in. You're wanted on practically every corner of the Lylat, aren't you at all worried about that?" Fox wondered.

Wolf shook his head at Fox. "Oh, they'll recognize me here, but they won't dare try anything as long as I'm affiliated with Vincenzo." He said with a triumphant grin. "Because if anyone touches me, they mess with him, and if they to stop my business they're stopping his business. No one messes with his business." He stated conclusively. "That's one reason why I like working with him."

Fox refrained from giving a verbal answer but Wolf took his subtle movements and expression as a sign that he understood. As much as he tried, he couldn't dispel the lingering sense of intense disbelief that Wolf was here and communicating to him in an almost friendly manner. Then again, he'd never been on the same side as Wolf when it came to business; it almost made him feel sick to his stomach, but Fox figured that since Wolf had some faint reminiscence of respect towards him and wouldn't try anything behind his back. Still, the mere fact that he was on the same side as Wolf still caused him to be uneasy.

On the other side of the deal, Wolf seemed to be taking everything with a slight bit of humor, not that he wasn't as shocked as Fox was. Any stern effort given by Fox seemed to be counteracted by Wolf's placid attitude.

"I don't think we've ever been acquainted like this, McCloud; usually our engagements are never as… benign." Wolf continued, gesturing to Fox in an open fashion which signaled to the vulpine that his intentions meant no harm. "Not to say that I'm not surprised to see you here, only that our meeting isn't one involving deadly air-to-air combat or giant monsters trying to kill us."

"Fortunately it won't be like last time." Fox commented.

"Hey, I'm still trying to wipe that boot shaped smudge off my wing." Wolf teased, recalling the time that Fox rode on the side of his Wolfen in a hasty attempt to escape certain death. "It's not like any of us get the respect we deserve for what we did either, now instead of living free, I struggle searching for ways to pay off my bounty, but it would be a lot better if I didn't have to live in hiding."

"You know Wolf, things wouldn't be so hard if you publicly came out and denounced your past involvement with the Venomian Army." Fox suggested.

"Right, I'll do that just as soon as you publicly state that the Star Wolf team gave their lives to protect the Lylat and still managed to survive!"

"What? That doesn't even make sense."

"No matter, it all comes down to the fact that we're both trying to save money, even if it means coming to some place like this and… wait…" Wolf paused, the shape of his muzzle showed a rare symptom of worry. "McCloud… are you here… with Krystal?" He asked, producing a confused and protective reaction from the vulpine.

"Why do you need to know?" Fox growled defensively.

"Only because… Panther… he's…"

"Obsessed, I know…" Fox finished, shaking his head. "No, she's not here..." He remarked with regret. "It's just Falco and I, no one else." Fox knew very well about Panther's charismatic attraction towards the vixen, and so did everyone else.

"Damn it, that's not much better, now he and Leon are going to be getting into one of their girly fights."

"I don't intend on letting them within arm's reach."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that McCloud."

Fox's left ear twitched as he watched Wolf head towards another collection of musty looking supply crates. Taking a brief glance at fox Wolf took a deep sigh before kicking one of the containers open with his heavy boot and revealing the contents of a brand new spacecraft part which was still situated in its original packaging. Fox gazed in latent fascination, it was here in front of him and within reach, so close yet seemingly far away. "So, you ordered a Class D 2.5 cell converter, right?"

Fox remained silent, mostly as a refusal to conduct business with his dispassionate foe.

"Alright, McCloud, you don't need to be standing around pouting like a little pup when we should be resolving whatever business we have here."

Fox snarled back at Wolf in defiance and folded his arms.

"Let's start this again, shall we?" Wolf cleared his throat. "So, you ordered a Class D 2.5 cell converter, right?" Wolf asked once more, laying his paw out in front of him.

"I did… but what are you doing with such a specific part? There's a select number of ships that use it and I'm pretty damn sure yours doesn't accept something so compact."

"Nothing, Leon just purchased the wrong part type; he doesn't know the difference between a cubic and cylindrical chambering system, guess which one he chose." Wolf explained. "Last time I let him buy anything for the rest of the team."

As Fox and Wolf were discussing the particulars of the transaction, the nearby door which both of them had recently came through found two more bodies squeezing through the aperture and into the room.

"There he is cousin! The one I was telling you about!" Gregory exclaimed whilst tugging on Leon's shoulder and pointing towards Fox. "Slayer of Break-Fast the Invincible!"

"Wha… that's…" Leon stared at Fox in disbelief, his mouth hanging open.

"Fox McCloud, yes." Wolf inserted himself between Fox and Leon.

"Ah, I see what's going on; you're here because of Gregory…" Fox observed.

"Wha… What's he doing here?!" Leon yelled, causing a slight disturbance to be seen from his cousin.

"Leon, this is him, the one who saved my life and my ship!" Gregory explained.

"Julita? I thought you said that she sank." Leon furthered, an unsure articulation running across his face in response to Fox's uncomfortably close distance.

"It did." Fox spoke up. "But I stuck a skewer into that monster's brain before it was able to claim another victim." He announced confidently.

Leon stared at Fox with a frozen look. Blinking slowly he turned to Wolf and pleaded for some kind of answer. "W- What's going on?! He shouldn't be… here!" He said in his scratchy and shifting voice.

"Don't you see? McCloud's our drop-off guy for Vincenzo…"

"But… we're giving him a part that he'll use against us!" Leon cried.

Wolf returned his focus intently back at Fox. The basic fact was that they were enemies, but even though Wolf had a personal promise that he would take Fox down one day, it was still a hostility meant to retain his pride and he understood quite well that as long as Fox maintained his competency that it would probably never happen. They had the same understanding of one another that was forged through years of friendship in some. At higher echelons of skill, some pilots formed an uncanny disposition even towards their enemies sometimes; an enemy often knew more about a pilot's tendencies than anyone else, that's why an important part of anyone's training was to go up against skilled veterans who could best understand their proficiencies and their flaws.

"You're right, but I don't think McCloud's one to provoke." Wolf admitted as he examined the stance of the now flanked vulpine. "He just does his job like of any of us… there's no need to worry about him benefiting as long as it's not against us."

"Bu- But…" Leon was still gawking at them in bewilderment. Fox was even surprised that Wolf was taking such a noble position.

"I'm not going to be fighting you guys anymore…" Fox remarked, swiping his right paw across his body in a brisk fashion. "My team's not going to fight you anymore… There's no reason to; you helped us, you helped our team, you… helped the Lylat. The old Venomian Army's dead, we don't have to be enemies unless you're looking for a fight." He concluded decisively.

Wolf grinned and produced a pleased nod. "Well, McCloud, I'm glad to see you taking initiative, maybe you've actually learned something. Have you thought about kicking that whiny kid off your team?"

Fox bared his teeth slightly. "Don't you dare go there, Wolf."

"Ooh! Foxy's getting mad!" Wolf hollered towards Leon, mockingly. "Is it because I hurt his feelings?"

Fox made sure to keep his reactions to a minimum, any little sign of emotion he showed would be immediately picked up by Wolf and exploited.

"My team's none of your concern, Wolf, just finish what you're here to do and leave them alone."

Wolf paused before accepting Fox's demand. "Leon, wipe that dumb grin off and go get us all rooms." He demanded, pointing at his colleague forcefully. "And take your weird cousin with you too; I've got business to finish here."

"Y- Yes, Wolf." Leon muttered submissively, taking the arm of his cousin and departing from the dark concrete walls of the supply cache.

"McCloud, I don't know else to say. I never expected to see you here, and I know that you didn't expect me either, so I'm just going to tell you right now that… I did what I did to the Aparoids because I felt it was right and because…" Wolf struggled to arrive at the end of his explanation. "Because I thought that it would make things better… but after being chased around the Lylat this past year, I've learned that none of that's true; there will be people out there who will chase your tail simply because you're out to do your own thing, and choose your own future."

"You don't have to be hiding Wolf…"

"Right, and spend the next thirty years of my life rotting in a high security prison station? No thanks."

"There are other ways than that you know…"

"I've tried McCloud, but no one cares to listen. I've tried finding ways to leave the Lylat altogether, but no matter where I go, there's always someone looking to make my life miserable. I'm only asking you to make sure that you're not one of them."

Fox cast his vision away from the lupine. If he were with the General, or any Cornerian forces for that matter, things would be different, but he also knew the efforts that Wolf and his team had made in combating their common enemy, and even though it wasn't enough to fully forget about his past deeds, it was enough to make him consider reaching out in a sense of benevolence.

"Alright, Wolf, just leave me and my team alone."

"I'm too busy to be chasing down you guys anyway, Fox, that doesn't mean I couldn't take you down if I had to."

Fox rolled his eyes. "So, are we done here?"

"Yeah, just let me check my stuff before you go, gotta make sure everything's in order. Oh, and by the way, your converter will be at Vincenzo's tomorrow, along with anything else you wanted." Wolf walked over to the small case which Fox had set down earlier. He smiled upon seeing the internal contents, still keeping them away from Fox's line of sight. "Been waiting for these air filters…"

Fox's ears perked at the sound of another entity approaching the open room. He anticipated the figure of Panther, but was instead shocked to see Khaya enter the door. "Wolf?" She gasped in astonishment.

"Khaya…" Wolf growled, his eye lifting from its previous object of attention. He set the small case down on one of the solid crates, letting out the distinctive clank of metal against metal.

"McCloud? What are you…?" Khaya saw the open containers and aircraft equipment lying on the concrete floor. "What's going on here?"

"It's… not easy to explain…" Fox grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"You're not supposed to be here…" Khaya said to Fox. "And you," She continued, staring down at Wolf with a deep quality of anger that boiled inside of her chilling blue eyes. "You're not supposed to be here either…"

"How else was Gregory supposed to leave? You know he can barely take care of himself."

"I didn't mean…" Khaya froze, returning her focus to Fox after a slight bout of hesitation. "I… Mr. McCloud, you should leave, you really shouldn't be here."

"I know, Khaya, but…"

"It has to do with Vincenzo, I know, but… you should really get back to your room." She continued with a worried motion.

"Why?" Fox asked, showing the first real exercise of opposition towards Khaya's suggestions for the entire week.

"Because… because this area is for employees only." Khaya answered with a resigned inclination. "Please, McCloud."

Fox looked at Wolf, who simply shrugged, then turned back at Khaya. There was some strange underlying factor in the husky's unnatural presence at the airfield, especially considering the fact that she had arrived at this exact moment and not any other.

"McCloud, please."

"Alright, just hold on." Fox whimpered in return. "I've got something to finish."

~X~X~X~X~X~

"I can't believe you were over there McCloud, it's not what I'd expect of you." Khaya told the vulpine as they entered the white hotel lobby which at this hour had been all but deserted. Fox took note of the green strip which was surrounding the walls of the building; it was of similar size and placement to the one he saw at the airfield.

"I already told you, Khaya, I was there on Vincenzo's behalf, not on my own." Fox justified, trying to sound as non-threatening as possible.

"We… I already told you that you should leave Vincenzo alone, Mr. McCloud. We're not responsible for anything he does, the reason we keep him here is because as long as he's here, no one else will come onto the island and mess with us." Khaya pointed out with hesitant movements. "For the company, he's more of a security measure than anything."

"My business is my business, Khaya. If it involves working with someone like Vincenzo then so be it, I don't need to be told who I can and cannot work with, that's my decision."

Khaya gave a relenting sigh. She led Fox to a small alcove where he'd seen her situated earlier and found a couple of pale tan armchairs. "Mr. McCloud… I've only told you what I'm… supposed to tell you." She continued, seeming a bit worried internally. "About Vincenzo and about your stay…"

"What do you mean, supposed to tell me?" Fox queried, shifting forward in his seat.

Khaya fidgeted slightly at Fox's advancement. "You… probably understand what I mean by saying that Mr. McCloud." She paused for a moment, sliding one of her paws across her right ear. "One reason we don't want you working with Vincenzo is because… because he tends to work with people like Wolf. Wolf's a dangerous mercenary who-"

"I know who he is…" Fox finished. "I've dealt with him on multiple occasions."

"You…" Khaya looked back at him, confused. "Oh… I see." Her eyes fell back down to the floor amidst a brief session of silence. "I've known Wolf and his gang through Gregory, I'm sorry McCloud… I don't know what else to say to you about this. I'm sure you understand that I'm only doing my job."

"That's ok, Khaya, I'm not expecting anything else. I know the risks of what I'm doing, but I can handle myself."

"I know you can McCloud, but it's my duty to keep you away from anything that might be a complication, I'm sure you understand."

Fox nodded, aware that Khaya was only doing what she felt was right. Still, there were a number of things that she hadn't disclosed, and Fox wondered if that were simply due to a lack of knowledge or whether it was part of something deeper. He almost responded to Khaya in a direct and harsh tone, but knew that it wouldn't be polite to talk to her that way.

"Khaya… I have to ask… what's a containment breach?"

"Containment… breach?" Khaya repeated, unsure.

"Yeah, what does it mean?"

"I…" Khaya took a few seconds to properly come up with an answer. "I don't know, you'll have to ask someone else about it I guess."

"Khaya, I think you know what a containment breach is." Fox pushed verbally against the husky, causing her to show a small sign of distress. "I have a feeling you know what it means, you just don't want to tell me."

"Mr. McCloud, I don't feel comfortable…"

"Khaya, just tell me what it is, you should know."

"I don't know…"

"What does it mean?"

"I… think it might have to do with the divers… I'm not sure what their lingo means sometimes… I don't know anything else about it, McCloud."

Khaya fell silent once more, facing the floor in a cold, bitter, groan.

"Khaya… are you being completely honest with me?" Fox asked, staring directly into the husky with a piercingly sharp focus in his eyes. "I feel like there's something here that I'm unaware of, something just doesn't feel right."

"I am McCloud, it's…" She took another momentary pause. "I've done my best to be honest with you, it's not that I'm trying to keep anything from you, it's only that…" She froze, breathing shallowly and blinking frequently.

"I don't know what could be wrong… this island's supposed to be a place where you can be at peace with yourself and your surroundings… if you feel as if something's wrong McCloud, then I guess that means we've not done our job… now tell him… if he wants to, he can leave…"

"You're free to leave if you wish." Khaya finished her sentence with a soft touch of emotion.

"Good, Khaya, just stay focused, remember the plan…"

Fox considered Khaya's passive suggestion for a short while before coming to a decision. "Khaya… I'm just going to thank you for the great week that I've had here." He said, feeling somewhat sorry for her as he trampled over her image like a Landmaster rolling over an enemy gun emplacement. "I know that I'm supposed to have a couple of days left… but I'm deciding that Falco and I are going to leave tomorrow evening. And the rest of the day I'd like to be alone with him."

"Are you… sure McCloud? You don't want to stay?"

"Yes… you can make sure that I have transportation away from here tomorrow, can't you?"

Khaya nodded in compliance. "Yes, I can Mr. McCloud."

"So… I guess this is it then?"

"I believe it is." Khaya figured.

Fox was not the best at saying goodbyes but at that moment he tried his best. "Well, Khaya… I'd just like to say thank you for all you've done, and that… I intend on returning here someday," He said, checking out the long glass windows and well kept Cornerian shrubs inside of the air conditioned building. "Only the next time I come I intend to bring someone else along; I think you'll like her a lot more..."

"Sounds good, McCloud…" Khaya smiled. "I'm sorry for anything that might have distressed you… and… I don't think I've properly thanked you for taking down Break-Fast…"

"That's ok… taking down giant monsters is just my daily routine." Fox boasted, lightening the mutual mood. "I do it all the time…"

"…I assume this is Goodbye, Mr. McCloud." Khaya said, with a fateful glance directed at the vulpine. They booth took a heavy breath before accepting the fact.

"Goodbye, Ms. Vernuun."

~X~X~X~X~X~

"Well, look who decided to show up." Falco called from across the hallway, noticing that Fox had finally arrived. He was leaning against the wall separating the doors to their rooms, waiting for the leader.

"Falco… we need to talk." Fox pushed the door to his room open and leading him inside. "In here."

"Hey, it looks just like my room, even has the same fish tank…" Falco noted, examining the insignificant similarities between their temporary dwellings.

"Out here…" Fox motioned when he was near the balcony door.

"Why?"

"Just come…"

Falco followed Fox outside of the room and he closed the door behind them.

"What's-"

"It feels more secure out here." Fox said, looking over his shoulder in suspicion. "Falco, I need to tell you something important."

Falco leaned forward against the railing, staring deeply into the dark green expanse of the island and the ocean. He breathed in the fresh night air as his friend scanned the same patches of life below. "Go ahead."

"I'm not going to waste time on anything… we're leaving tomorrow."

"What? Fox, we still have two more days left…"

"I know, it's my decision and we're leaving tomorrow, it's already been resolved." Fox furthered with an unshakable tone in his voice.

Falco groaned. "Why didn't you ask me? Huh? Didn't you even consider what I might've wanted?"

"It's not about that… it's…" Fox found it difficult to explain the complicated situation to his comrade. "It's more complex than that…" He stumbled in his speech, hoping that Falco would believe what he was about to say.

"Wolf's here…" He blurted with a blunt force that crashed through Falco's mental wall.

"What the, Fox!?" Falco's eyes widened so much they almost fell out of their sockets. "Wolf, what- what is he-"

"Turns out he's on the other end of the deal with Vincenzo… and he's here because of Gregory. I don't know how he managed to get here, but somehow he is and there's nothing we can do about it. He doesn't seem to be… belligerent, though, he didn't try attacking me or anything, and I don't think he will since we're technically don't have conflicting goals in mind."

"Ugh… makes sense that he's here, though… Leon has to be related to Gregory in some way, so it's safe to assume he's here to pick him up. So that's why you want to leave? Because Wolf's here?"

Fox put his left paw on the side of the balcony. "Yeah, that's the main reason, but it's not the only one. You know, ever since we've been here, something hasn't been quite right, I don't know if it's how everyone seems to look at us or what, but there's some strange aspect of Partasti that I don't want to worry about any longer."

Falco shook his head in frustration. There was definitely a conflict in interests, but both points were understandable. He wanted to stay on Zoness just to feel the cool ocean mist a little longer, and to experience the nostalgic pleasure of what he once called home. He rested his head against the curved railing of the balcony, staring far into the distance. "I've been getting those feelings too, Fox. This whole place looks like the Zoness I remember, but it doesn't feel like it deep down, though I think it's mostly because I'm worried about Big Boy…"

"Falco… that was something else I wanted to discuss…"

"Big Boy?"

"Yes… I think its time."

"You're… gonna tell me about Big Boy?" Falco remarked, practically bouncing up and down in excitement. "Really?"

"But, Falco… before I tell you, you have to promise me one thing… that no matter what I say, no matter what I tell you, there's a reason behind everything. And even if some of it doesn't make sense at first, I want to know that you'll still trust me no matter what I say…"

"I… I trust you." Falco admitted.

Fox felt a heavy weight descend upon him as he began. The memories of the mission and suppressed perceptions of panic seeped within his inner machinations, but still he continued.

"Remember when I came back from the meeting with the General?"

"Yeah, you talked to each of us individually…"

"I told you all that we were going to be on another routine escort mission, and that we probably weren't going to encounter much in the way of enemies." Fox's voice strained in recollecting the distant memory.

"I… knew that it wasn't going to be like that… I knew very well that we were going to encounter a number of enemies, and that things were going to be real tough… I had to lie to you all in order to further the mission… I didn't like it myself, but it needed to be done."

"But why? Why'd you have to lie to us?"

Fox inhaled deeply, the stress of the truth was bearing down on him like the thick atmosphere on Katina, and there was no easy way to disclose the ulterior meaning behind Big Boy.

"Because… Big Boy and the entire mission were designed from the very beginning to be a failure."

~X~X~X~X~X~

Author's Notes: Yup… things are all riding down a singular path into an inevitable culmination of… wait why am I telling you? You're supposed to wait for the next chapter!

I know what all of you are thinking: it might be… taking a different route since I integrating Star Wolf into the story, but I've planned all this since the beginning, so it's not like I threw that in because I saw him burned into the side of a piece of toast or anything.

And for all those who are wondering, things will be resolved, eventually.