Chapter 12
Fortunately Krystal, Falco, Slippy, and Bill all arrived at the Army Center shortly after Peppy and Fox did. Time was running very short though, as it took a while to reach the place from Fox's house. They got out of their cars to discuss things.
"Fox! Are you all right?!" Krystal ran over to Fox once they saw each other. "Peppy told me about the fire!"
"Yah, I'm ok," Fox replied, to which Krystal gave him a tight hug and a relieved smile.
Fox turned to all the rest once Krystal was done. "All the Cornerian troops and Beltino are hostages in there…"
"Dad…" Slippy murmured, hoping his father was all right.
"Lichak is going to spread the deadly toxins across the entire city using the computers and cannons unless we stop him," Fox continued. "Also, he's planning to bomb the Army Center. We need to act quickly, because we don't know how much time we have left."
"So we need to free the Cornerian soldiers to help us overtake the Pakat guards," Peppy stated.
"Those Pakat scum won't be a match for us," Falco commented, ready for action.
"I won't let them hurt Dad!" Slippy cried.
"We will be victorious…" Krystal said softly, brushing against Fox.
"Yes; everyone have weapons?" Peppy made sure.
Everyone confirmed 'yes' or nodded, revealing blasters and machine guns. Fox nodded, looking everyone over one more time.
"The fate of this city rests on us – let's go!" he declared, leading them into the building.
Immediately they found several Pakat guards, holding the Cornerian troops at gunpoint. Before the Pakat guards could react, Fox commanded to his team "Fire!"
That's when Peppy, Krystal, Slippy, Falco, Bill, and Fox all fired at once, taking the Pakat guards by surprise. Instantly many of the Pakat guards were down, thanks to the force of the Star Fox members and Bill. When the Pakat began to return fire, the team and Bill took cover. However, by then, the Cornerian soldiers had taken the dead Pakat members' weapons and fired at the remaining Pakat soldiers.
Obviously the Pakat guards were no match for the Star Fox team, Bill, and all the Cornerian soldiers. All the laser fire overpowered the Pakat guards in no time, clearing the main section of the Army Center. Once the Pakat were dismantled, Fox gathered everyone together.
"Bill, I want you to take half these soldiers and dismantle the main cannons somehow," Fox started. "Krystal and Falco, take the rest of the soldiers with you to rescue the rest of the troops and take out the remaining Pakat soldiers. Slippy and Peppy, come with me to free the researchers and take care of Lichak."
Everyone nodded, and Fox declared, "Let's move out!"
The three groups then broke off to take care of their missions. Lichak wouldn't expect Fox to have come back, let alone stop his operation. On the way to the research facility, Fox, Peppy, and Slippy had to take care of some stray Pakat guards – rather than using their guns, they just took them out with hand-to-hand combat. Few creatures in Lylat were trained as well in martial arts as the Star Fox team.
Surprisingly, Peppy took down most of them – despite his age, he was still as fiery and determined as ever. While Fox and Slippy might have knocked out 5 or 6, Peppy continued to punch and kick away. Eventually, Peppy finished, knocking a final guard headfirst into the wall.
"Still got the moves, huh Peppy?" Slippy joked once the guards were taken care of.
"I might be old, but I can still fight," Peppy replied, chuckling to himself.
It took a few more minutes to reach the research facility, each second feeling longer and longer. They didn't know how much time they had, so being too late was constantly on their minds. Hopefully by now, Bill and the guards had tackled the cannons with the drugs.
Eventually they reached the research facility, with several Pakat guards inside. Peppy and Fox opened fire on the guards, while Slippy rushed over to Beltino nearby. With the open opportunity, the researchers tackled the remaining Pakat guards, including Bonzo, to the ground. Lichak had spun around in his chair by this point, stunned by all the commotion.
"What are you doing?!" he yelled angrily, seeing all his Pakat guards being dismantled.
"Saving this city – not destroying it," Fox replied hastily, knocking out one of the Pakat guards with his elbow.
"You're too late," Lichak replied. "The bomb will be going off in six minutes, destroying this Army Center and everyone in it. And now that you've blown your cover, I'll release the toxins now."
"No!" Slippy cried, while the rest remained silent.
Fox and Peppy held their breath, hoping that Bill and the guards had already done something about the cannons. Otherwise, the city was about to be annihilated. It was their last chance…
Lichak spun around to the computer to press the button to release the toxins. Fox's heart beat fast, as Draven clicked the button without hesitation. However, a message appeared before him on the computer:
Action cannot be performed; cannons are not operating.
Fox breathed a heavy sigh of relief – Bill had done it! Probably just in time, too. Peppy and Slippy smiled to themselves, now more confident than before.
Meanwhile, Lichak was absolutely furious - repeatedly tapping the button, but to no avail. Enraged, he jumped out of his chair, giving Fox an angry stare after slowly turning around.
"You'll still be responsible for all the deaths in this building…" Lichak declared, keeping calm despite the setback.
"I don't think so," Fox replied, returning a hard look at Draven. "Peppy and Slippy, contact the others – get them to escort everyone out of here, immediately. Don't let anyone die – get the Cornerian soldiers to take the Pakat troops that are still alive with you too. I'll take care of Lichak."
The researchers, outnumbering the Pakat guards, took them out of the room, followed by Slippy, Beltino, and Peppy. This left just Fox and Lichak, the bomb having reached 5 minutes by now.
"You've ruined everything," Draven began, still keeping his voice calm. No matter what happened, it seemed he never overreacted.
"I did what needed to be done," Fox replied, stepping closer to his father's friend. "Bill Grey and the other Cornerian soldiers kept the cannons from going off. Your men that are still alive will be arrested. You will be arrested too, if you choose to come with me quietly."
Lichak smirked, and then gave a small yet deep laugh. "You don't really think I'll just come with you now? And I can't exactly let you go either…"
Without warning, Draven sprang forward, knocking Fox into the wall with a hard kick. Before Draven could land another punch, Fox moved out of the way, sending a kick of his own into Draven's side.
However, Draven recuperated quickly, sending several punches at Fox at once. Fox managed to block most of them, but a couple hit his sides. Fox managed to grab onto one of Lichak's arms as he was punching at him, and swung him into a nearby small computer. The result was instant; the screen of the computer knocked out of place and sparks flew around Lichak's injured back.
Even though he was preoccupied with the fight, Fox couldn't help but worry that the others wouldn't make it out in time. Lichak was obviously hurt badly, but continued to fight his best nonetheless. He managed to hit Fox in the face with another hard punch, knocking Fox backward.
Fox recovered the same time as Draven, getting himself away from the broken computer. He sent a kick at Fox, which narrowly missed as Fox jumped out of the way. The bomb continued to tick; there probably wouldn't be enough time for either of them to escape at this rate…
Fox took advantage of the missed attack and elbowed Lichak in the stomach, followed by a punch to his jaw. Lichak began to stumble backward, loosing his footing from the hard blow; he knocked over the broken computer behind him. Unfortunately for him, he fell in such an awkward position that when the computer fell, it caught a hold of right leg.
After realizing what had happened, Lichak tugged hard, but could not get his leg out of the computer. The broken screen size was just enough to fit his leg, but he was not able to get out. The wiring was firmly in place still as well, keeping Draven stuck to the ground. No matter how hard he kicked, it was of no use – he was stuck…
Fox realized the battle was over at that point; he turned to leave, knowing there was little time left before the bomb went off. Before Fox could leave through the door, Lichak desperately called, "Wait!"
Fox turned around to face Lichak a final time.
"How… did you get out of your house…?" he asked, panting heavily.
"Peppy rescued me," Fox replied. "He was also a friend of James…"
Draven looked Fox over one more time as well, knowing he was trapped and his death was certain. It was awfully frustrating to be stuck in a small computer, but that's the way it was. Knowing that time was short, Fox left Draven there, regardless of any remorse he felt at the time. Hopefully he would have enough time to escape…
Fox ran through the Army Center as fast he could, time rapidly running out. He noticed that no one but the dead Pakat guards were left in the building – that was good. Everyone else would be safe…
He continued to run past all the rooms and bodies, hoping he would make it out in time. Eventually Fox found the exit – Bill was holding the door open for him, calling his name. Fox flashed a smile, and ran through the door back into the sunlight.
Draven had given up trying to shake out of the computer – it was to no avail. He looked at the bomb beside him, with just seconds left on the clock. Lichak shut his eyes, accepting his fate, as the bomb went off.