(Author's Note) As this is the final chapter of my first (but definitely not last) story published on I think this is the most appropriate time to say my Thank-you's to everyone who reviewed my story and really took an interest. However, I have a very special thank you for Viable-Solution, who not only gave me invaluable technical information, and a chance to get my ideas in line, but he also helped my story (and me) through the low points of this venture. Without the constant encouragement, I doubt this story ever would have been finished. So enjoy, and I hope to see y'all back for the next instalment in Sloan's saga, "An Old Friend's Request"!

Wolf fought desperately against the swarm. But all his efforts were futile, and he could only watch as the bugs seemed to devour Sloan. Knowing it was pointless, but not being able to sit by and do nothing, Wolf tried to pull out his side arm, a simple projectile pistol that wasn't powerful and used only for emergencies. He was hoping he might be able to scare them off, but seconds after slipping it out if its holster he felt several biting pains in his wrist and dropped it as a reflex motion. The swarm around his eye increased, and it was a few seconds before he could open it again.

An icy chill ran through him. The glowing lump of Sloan's body had stopped moving, the bugs still writhing over her.

Oh god, she's dead. They killed her. Wolf looked around, fighting off panic. If they had truly killed Sloan, it was only a matter of time before they started on the rest of the team. To make matters worse, he watched as the bugs, putting there collective strength of hundreds of bodies to work, started to move her body towards the sand. He growled, anger bubbling in him. They may have taken her life, but they wouldn't get away with her body. Without thinking, he reached into a lower pack on his survival gear, pulled out a flare, lit it, and caught half a dozen bugs all in one powerful swing.

The bugs that had been lit squealed in pain. The others reacted immediately. Suddenly, there were no more insect jaws biting at him, no more bodies flying into his eyes. As quickly as they had come, they receded into the sand. The ones on Sloan stopped, unsure whether to leave their prize and hide or if they had enough time to take her with them. Wolf didn't give them a chance to make their decision. He fell on them swinging. Dead, flaming bugs flew in all directions.

They decided to cut there losses and flew back to the relative safety of the sand. There would be more bodies for them to claim. Wolf chased them back and made sure they were gone. After the sand and wings settled, a heavy silence pressed in on Wolf's ears, making them ring. He turned back to look at Sloan's body, fighting the tears that were threatening to spring up.

She was lying on the ground with her arms against her sides and her legs straight. It looked like the bugs had tied her down as they sucked the life out of her fragile body. Her mouth was slightly open. Some of her clothes and skin had been eaten away, leaving only raw flesh in some places. Her muscles were relaxed, something Wolf realised he had never seen before. He had never even realised how tense she was, how full of fear and nerves, until there was no more time to ease her apprehension and make it right. He didn't even understand his guilt. He wasn't responsible for her, he was just her boss.

What a load of crap. He thought angrily to himself. She was 14, and he was the only adult watching her back, this was his fault. He kneeled down next to her to check her pulse. He reached over her, his fingers almost touching her neck.

Her whole body bucked as she suddenly started on a coughing fit. Panther jumped in surprise. Wolf would have as well if Sloan's hands hadn't jerked up and grabbed his arms so tightly it felt as if she would never let go. She pulled herself up until she was pressed against his chest and took a gasping breath before coughing up one of the bugs. Her whole body was shivering, and she pushed herself even closer against him. Wolf wasn't sure whether or not to hold her.

"Sloan, are you alright?" Panther asked nervously.

"They… they were eating me… and stinging… I couldn't get away. Oh god, it hurts. And they…" she held up the hand that had once been encrusted with Aparoid crystal. The skin was now clear and smooth. Wolf, confused, looked at Panther for clarification.

"There was crystal in her hand. They must have eaten it or something." Wolf reached across Sloan –a gesture that could have been construed as a kind of hug if you looked at it very loosely- and pulled her off slightly to the side to pick up the bug she had coughed up. It was small, probably less than an inch long and, even in death, emitted a slight glow from its round body. Its wings were crumpled and its six legs were tight in to its body. Wolf looked over at the bed of sand, its glow so much more sinister now that they knew the source of the light.

"So that's why the Aparoids didn't dare move outward, the bugs would have eaten them alive," Wolf murmured. "And it's why the bugs only attacked Sloan. They must have thought she was an assimilated organic."

"Wolf," Sloan croaked. "I swallowed one."

"I can see that, Sloan," Wolf replied, trying to keep the sarcastic sting out of his voice. She didn't need any more trouble. He felt terrible. One because of what he had put her through and two because he had to swallow his pride and agree with Fox. Maybe he was right and Sloan wasn't ready for this, but now she had no choice but to continue.

"No," she whispered hoarsely. "I mean another one," And she leaned over his shoulder and coughed it up. Wolf tried not to grimace.

"Is that all?"

"I think so…" Exhausted, she rested her head on his shoulder. Leon looked like he was about to be sick. Panther got up and went carefully over to the pit of sand.

"Oh my god." The frothing of the sand had turned up the sinister treasures of the bugs. Bones now littered the sand, poking up from below. Panther shivered. How close Sloan had come do joining them forever. "Are you alright? Can you still fly?" Panther asked. They had to get off this planet. Sloan lifted her head and shook it to clear her foggy mind.

"Yeah, yeah I think I'm good."

"You were just nearly eaten by bugs. You better be positive," Wolf told her. Sloan nodded vigorously.

"I'm positive." Just to prove it, she stood up. Only to lose her balance and nearly fall back down on her face. Wolf reached out and caught her.

"Really, I'm okay. I'm just a little dizzy. It'll pass. Really. I just need a… little rest." With that she curled up against Wolf again and closed her eyes. Wolf was not particularly convinced.

She woke up from her snooze about 45 minutes later and continued to try and get back on her feet. She was soon able to stand up again, even if she was leaning against Wolf's shoulder. Her body had been weakened by the insect onslaught, but there was strength in her eyes.

Wolf's comm. crackled to life. Fox's exited voice came through.

"Wolf, all the hatchers have been destroyed, the shield is down! Where are you?!"

"Kind of in the middle of something." He glanced over at Sloan, who nodded. "We're on our way."

XXX

Wolf half carried Sloan back to the Wolfens. She was the first off the ground and circled the team impatiently to prove her ready and willingness to go.

"You're sure you're alright? There will be no chance to save you if you screw up again," Wolf told her as they broke the cloud barrier on the other side of the planet.

"I didn't come all the way out here to be a bench warmer." Wolf grinned.

"Fair enough." There was no Aparoid resistance as they cleared the huge fortress-like black wall that hugged the city. The calm silence made Sloan's skin crawl. Below were the signs of a hard fought and bloody battle. Whole walls were scarred by plasma and laser fire, along with the discharge from Aparoid weapons.

"What happened here?" Panther asked his companions. Wolf looked down to see what was left of the Great Fox smashed into the gaping mouth that the Aparoids had carved into the planet.

"The shield! It's coming back up!" Sloan yelped. Sure enough, the crystal was gliding back across the hole like ice covering a pond. As fast as the Wolfens could take them was barely fast enough, and Leon slipped in just before it closed completely. There was a groaning protest from the hull as the shield crushed the Great Fox.

"How are we supposed to get back out?"

"We'll have to worry about that later, Fox!" Wolf bellowed out his enemy's name.

"Wolf, you made it!" Fox seemed relieved to see him.

"Of course, so now what?"

"Get through this maze and give the Queen her present."

"I like the sound of this," Leon hissed.

"Incoming!" Slippy cried. They fell into line and, as a unified front, took on the Aparoids that came for them. There were three rings of Aparoids that interlocked. As soon as one in the chain had been destroyed, they separated into smaller units and started to attack individually. Sloan cut out of the line and took a dozen of them while barrel rolling. The plasma that was deflecting off her shields was flying everywhere, making as much of a hazard as the Aparoids flying relentlessly at them. This, Wolf realized, had been carefully planned by the Aparoid Queen. Her attackers had to be careful not to strike there allies both with a miss-shot on the quick moving, small Aparoids and with the ricochet from their high velocity plasma cannon. Three more rings soon came into view.

"It's just like those bugs," Sloan told Wolf. "They just don't stop coming." That association with the creatures that had nearly killed her didn't frighten her, it made her fight harder. Wolf nearly took off Fox's wing after rolling out of the way of a birdlike Aparoid and ended up smashing into a wall. Panther was nearly destroyed by a wall mounted cannon that Falco just managed to take out before it landed the killshot. Krystal, Slippy, Panther and Leon fell back and caught all the Aparoids that tried to circle around behind the main fighting force, which ended up being Sloan, Fox, Falco and Wolf.

Wolf couldn't help but be proud of Sloan. She had come through for them under pressure and was tearing up Aparoids left and right. Fox had noticed to, and spoke up about it after she pulled off a difficult manoeuvre that saved him from heavy fire.

"Wow, I have to say, you're better than I ever expected." Sloan smirked.

"We're not done yet, tell me that again once we accomplish our mission and get out of here in one piece."

"Watch yourself Sloan," Wolf snapped as a barrier of light suddenly sprang up just off her right wing. It was Fox who got clipped by it and it threw him into a second wall. He righted himself just in time to miss the third, but sustained heavy damage. Light barriers had cut the glowing purple passage into pieces just big enough for their ships to fit through, all while ever more Aparoids were being hurled at them. Sloan was trying not to be overwhelmed by it all.

The light walls finally stopped coming, but then the tunnel narrowed until there was only enough space for one ship at a time. Then, up ahead, Sloan saw blades that revolved at different speeds. Timing would be incredibly important to keep herself and her ship intact. Even with the slowing effects the dangerous situation had on her mind, manoeuvring had to be sharp and immediate to be able to slip past the blades positioned so close together. She broke through only to be confronted with more wall mounted cannons and a bird Aparoid that fired electrical bolts that rippled across her ship and threatened to breach her hull. It was a never ending onslaught.

I hope you see your mistake. A female voice said in her ear. Sloan looked around, but couldn't see any other ships. Even Wolf and the others had disappeared.

"Who…?" she asked her cockpit, not hitting the comm.

I'm the one that gave you a chance to live. But you chose to die like your foolish leader. Your kind are always so resistant to change.

"Die like… Wolf! Where are you!?" She turned her Wolfen around to see him floating near a wall. He had not been so lucky with the blades. One of his wings had been ripped clean off and blue engine coolant was oozing out of the machine. Her heart jumped into her throat. "Wolf! Say something!"

"Stop yelling Sloan, I hear you," Wolf said quietly. He didn't sound good, but at least he was alive.

"Are you okay?"

"I've felt worse." She heard him shift in his seat, and gasp in pain. "But I've seen better days. Worry about yourself Sloan, I'll be fine."

In truth, he wasn't fine. He had hit the very last blade and that's how he'd lost his wing. It had sent him into the wall with such force that his four point harness hadn't been able to hold him to his seat and his face had slammed forward into the control panel. He was gasping for the breath that had been knocked out of him by his harness. The pain in his muzzle had him seeing stars, and he could feel the blood running down his face. His artificial eye had shorted out from the impact.

He unclipped the harness in the hopes it would help him breath, but just the difficulty of that simple action told him there were internal injuries. He watched as Sloan glided away to intercept yet another batch of Aparoids. Fox and his team had moved on to the Queen, Panther and Leon would soon be here.

"Looks like you don't need me after all," he murmured. He wanted to close his remaining eye but he feared it wouldn't open again. This wasn't the first time he'd lay badly wounded, possibly dieing, in the cockpit of his Wolfen. His mind wandered back through time and space, back ten years to Titania, where he had engaged in his first dogfight in a Wolfen. It wasn't so much different now. He could barely see, barely breath, the cold was creeping in. And again, he couldn't just give in to the cold and let it all end.

You want to think everything has change, but it hasn't. You still have people you can't leave behind, things you can't leave undone. You know it, but you never want to believe it. You always have to be running from something. He thought to himself.

"Wolf!" Sloan's cry brought him back from his thoughts. "Wolf we've got to go! Star Fox got the virus into the Queen, the Aparoids are gone, and the whole planet is coming down around our ears!" Wolf leaned forward to check his engine. Dead, totally dead, it was barely keeping him stable in the air. Soon even that power would be drained, and he'd plummet to what would surely be his death. He slumped back into his seat, exhausted by the simple movement. He could think of more painful ways to die.

"No can do kid. Engine's toast. Forget about me and just get yourself out." A huge piece of the wall fell away, missing Wolf by only a few feet.

"What? No, I'm not leaving you here! You saved my life more times than I'm worth, and as soon as you're in trouble I'm supposed to leave you in the dust? Just what do you take me for?!" He watched as she got so close to him her wing nearly touched his battered fuselage, then rummaged around in her cockpit. He couldn't really see what she was doing thanks to the tint. Her canopy opened and Wolf could see she had unbuckled herself. He furrowed his brow.

What the hell are you doing? He watched as she pushed off the Wolfen and jumped across the gap, landing unsteadily on his remaining wing. The ship shuddered under the sudden increase in weight, but somehow both Sloan and Wolfen managed to stay up. Sloan punched a code into her comm. bracelet and Wolf's canopy opened. She reached in for his hand.

"Sloan…"

"I'm not leaving her without you, so unless you want to kill me along with yourself, take my hand." Her face was set and determined. She really was ready to die for him. The determination in her face was edge with desperation. The look in her eyes was one that said, don't leave me, I need you. He slowly reached up and took her hand in his. His glove was torn, and he realized this was the first time he had touched her without a barrier between them. It was a strange feeling.

Something flashed past his eyes. A vision of something far off. A glimmer of grey fur, green scales. A scream in Sloan's voice. He could feel something small and hot on his cheek.

Sloan saw something too, a glint of gold usually hidden by his glove.

Something yanked Wolf upwards and out of his vision. Sloan had pulled him forwards half out of the cockpit with strength one wouldn't expect from her small size. He helped pull himself out with all the strength he had left. Sloan slipped under his arm and guided him to her own Wolfen. They somehow managed to get across the gap between their wings, and he half fell into the second seat.

No sooner had he sat down than there was an ear splitting crash, and a section of the ceiling fell away, directly onto Wolf's dieing ship. The debris crushed the cockpit and sent the Wolfen falling into nothingness under the huge chunk of rock.

"My ship," Wolf moaned.

"That's our way out," Sloan said confidently, not seeming to hear Wolf's cry of distress. She pointed up at the hole that had been created by the falling debris that had put Wolf ship out of its misery. Beyond it was a tunnel. Sloan wasn't sure how she knew, but it was the only way out that they had. She boosted though before anyone could stop her, and, seeing no alternative, they opted to follow.

The falling debris were just as dangerous as the Aparoids that had now disappeared entirely, and she was limited not just by the tiny space the Queen had squeezed them into, but the fact that she couldn't get too fancy thanks to her precious cargo. She could hear him growl down his pain every time she made a turn a bit too sharp.

Suddenly, the tunnel angled up steeply, then went sharply down until the nose of her ship was nearly vertical. Wolf leaned forward and grabbed her headrest tightly.

"Wolf, say something. Are you alright?" The fear in her voice was unmistakeable. Wolf didn't answer, he couldn't open his mouth without pain. Instead he slipped a hand onto her shoulder for a second to show he was alright.

The tunnel had begun to darken now, the badly damaged walls no longer giving off light. Below her was the way out, she knew it, but as she got closer, she saw the glint of crystal covering the way.

"Shit!" she hissed. It was a covering that looked like stained glass. It looked thin, but there was no real way to tell its true thickness. "Wolf-"

"Go through it, full power." Sloan hesitated for barely a second before giving the engine all she had.

The crash was thunderous. She was thrown forward to the limit of her harness. Shattered glass was everywhere, and for one terrifying moment she thought that the glass of her cockpit had broken along with the crystal. They were both tumbling end over end. Sloan squeezed her eyes shut.

Dammit, we got so far and now we're going to die. Slowly, everything stopped moving. Sloan was still breathing hard, hands balled into fists. One eye slowly peeled open. They were lying at an odd angle, the engine overheated from the sudden burst.

"Sloan, Wolf, are you alright?" Panther asked, flying over her.

"If you injured Wolf with that stunt, I'll-" Leon started.

"Christ Leon, she just saved our lives! Give her a break!" Panther snarled. Sloan could tell by his voice that he was at the end of his nerves. Wolf was laughing quietly.

"Just like me when I was your age. You did good kid. Not that there isn't a lot of room for improvement," he added quickly. Sloan was speechless with pride. Panther noticed the Arwings leaving for the orbital gate portal.

"We should follow them," he stated the obvious to affect some movement.

"Don't let them see us," Wolf ordered He turned back to the remains of the once beautiful planet with all its deadly secrets. "For now, let's just let them think we're out of the picture." Sloan obliged by stealthily creeping behind them and slipping into the stream only after making sure that they were gone. Wolf slumped back into his seat. It seemed like ages since he had seen Lylat. He wasn't sorry to leave the pathetic rubble of a planet that had been just as abused as the organic souls it had imprisoned.

XXX

A solitary metal shape floated amongst the newly formed asteroids. It was about the size of a basketball, with four metal arms each about a foot long and ending in blinking lights. Inside its thick metal casing was a camera, the eyes of a man far away, who had been watching the scene thoughtfully. He put his glass of champagne down on the polished oak desk. A vicious grin spread across his face.

"An interesting development. We lose control of the subject, only to have her usually abysmal abilities suddenly become amazing. Incredible. You are lucky, King, the subject saved your life. I will overlook this slip on your part."

"Thank you, sir," Regis King answered from a different monitor of to the man's right.

"Of course," the man continued after a sip of champagne, "The subject has reached its 14th year and needs to be brought in for analysis." He turned an unfeeling eye in King's direction. "You will recapture it. This time there can be no mistakes."

"Sir, there is the small problem of the Star Wolf team. Their leader seems to have become attached to it. After all, he did hide it's presence from me."

"Yes, I thought of that. I've looked at his record. I'm sure his allegiance can be bought."

"I don't believe his record accurately represents him."

"No? Well, if you must, get rid of him. There can be no loose ends, King. Your life depends on it. This little rat needs to fade into the darkness of obscurity. You must make sure that by the time this is all over, its wretched name shall never been on another person's lips."

"Of course, sir." But the man didn't hear those words, for he had already closed the connection between them. Neither did he see King's static face turn back to its usually fearsome smirk.

It was time for the hunt to begin.