X

Mission No. 14

Area 6
Former Air Defense Zone

Strange New World

X

Aboard a cramped Venomian transport shuttle stood one Captain Grude. The crocodile was large and out of shape, but he managed to look imposing even with his beer belly. If he didn't, what was left of his crew wouldn't respect him.

"Hey grease pot, when are we blowin' this scrap yard?"

…Well, at least they still followed orders.

The captain didn't turn around, instead keeping an attentive watch out the forward window.

"Sector V is within sight," his voice boomed back. "As soon as this floating graveyard orbits a bit closer, and the Cornerian patrols leave the area, we can make a break for it."

Outside the viewport drifted a tangled sea of debris. The accursed Starfox team had completely ignored their mighty defense zone to blow straight through their prized Bolse satellite. It meant the Cornerian ground assault had to brave the trenches on the way to Andross's lair, but they'd effectively bypassed the main strength of the Emperor's fleet. Then, without the imposing threat of the defense satellite, a second contingent of Cornerian air support made quick work of Area 6. Captain Grude and his crew only barely managed to escape the carnage; and then it was out of the frying pan and into the fire. Venom's surface defenses were just as quickly uprooted, but Grude and his men escaped a second time. Not without losses, of course; they were running short on body bags, and unless the next crewman was completely disintegrated they'd be short one.

"Enough cowering behind the bones of our fallen brethren!" the spider monkey exclaimed. "I say we take them head-on and avenge the Emperor!"

Grude rolled his eyes. "Lago, you're demoted."

"You've already demoted me back to private! I can't go any lower."

"I don't care, I'm still demoting you!" The dismembered bridge of a Zeram-class cruiser floated by, emitting sparks. "Do you want to end up looking like that? No? I thought not. Now we wait for their patrol to leave."

Lago sat down and stared into the corner darkly. "I can't believe this. We've been reduced from soldiers to common smugglers…"

Grude glanced towards the back of the cargo bay, where a crate with valuable contents sat. They weren't able to escape Venom with much, but depending on the price they could get for it on the black market they might be set for awhile.

The four Venomians inside the shuttle waited anxiously. Grude kept up a stoic façade, even though he was just as nervous as the rest of the bunch. Shirk, an orange salamander and Grude's left-hand man, was seated at the controls. He had his eyes trained on the scanners, watching the Cornerian patrol as it passed. Lago the spider monkey kept fidgeting with his gun, while Speckler, their gangly chimp gunner, nervously paced around his station. None dared make a sound, even though the Cornerians couldn't possibly hear them.

"The curs are gone," Shirk finally rasped.

"About bloody time. Let's get out of here!"

The salamander gunned the engines, and the shuttle left the carcass of the Umbra-class cruiser they were hiding in. They made a beeline for Sector V in the opposite direction of the patrol. They could see the enchanted purple hues glowing through the cloud of debris; a promise of freedom from the watchful Cornerian eye.

But a fiery orange burst flashed on their portside, sending scraps of metal and bits of flame in all directions.

"What was that!?" Lago cried.

"They've spotted us!" Speckler jumped into the transport's turret seat, prepping the dual barrels for action.

"Nonsense, it was just a damaged fuel cell combusting," Grude assured them.

But Shirk looked up from the scanner. "The patrol…they're coming back to investigate!"

The crocodile balled a fist and smashed it into the hull. "What rotten luck! Of course this happens to us. Shirk, all ahead full!"

The salamander pressed the throttle all the way forward, and the ship accelerated. Behind them the Cornerians spotted the fleeing soldiers and began their pursuit. Shirk did his best to bob and weave through the scattered wreckage, but it was difficult to accomplish at full speed.

A metallic THUNK sounded against the ship, and the occupants lurched to one side.

"Watch it Shirk!" the reptile growled.

"Get off my ass!" Shirk hissed back, "Whatever piece of garbage hit us came from my blind spot; how could I bloody see it? Scrap must-o' been aimed at us…"

The ship rocked again and began to slow. Grude rushed to the side porthole and looked out, noticing a worrying plume of smoke coming from their starboard engine.

"Speckler, keep those dogs off our tail!"

"It wasn't them!" the chimp shouted back, "we're not in range yet!"

What in bloody blazes…

A chime sounded from the dashboard, and a hiss emitted from the rear of the shuttle.

"We're…we're being boarded!" Shirk warned.

Grude and the others spun around a mere second too late. They came face-to-face with a blue-feathered pheasant and a blaster primed and pointed at them. As one they drew their weapons and aimed back.

"Whoa, take it easy there," the avian said in a cocky voice. "I wouldn't shoot just yet if I were you."

"You're in no position to bargain, bird," Grude said. "It's four of us against one of you. You might kill one of us, but we have four times that chance of killing you."

"You're one to talk, gator gut. You're the biggest target here and the first one I'll shoot if it comes to it; I have less chance of missing."

Grude's jaw dropped open while the two primates exchanged glances.

"That fine with you Speckler?"

"Yeah, I say we take 'im."

"Wait! As Captain I order you not to fire!"

The bird flipped a detonator in his hand and caught it. "Smart move. See, I just decommissioned your starboard engine. I have a bomb placed on your second one as well, and if anyone makes a sudden move my itchy trigger wing will det it. Faster than you can say "Uncle Andross" you'll be sitting ducks for the Cornerians to pick up. Then it's off to a Zonessian prison for a decade or two."

To make matters worse, Shirk warned, "The Cornerians are gaining on us!"

Grude kept his blaster trained on the bird, but it trembled with the ship. "You…you're not Cornerian! You're just some merc. In fact I bet you exploded that random fuel tank just to set us up like this. So, what's in it for you besides the bounty on Venomian soldiers? There's gotta be somethin' else ya want, or you wouldn't have gone to this length to get us here."

The avian winked. "Right you are! I want this." Without even glancing down he tapped his foot against the crate they were smuggling out of Venom.

"Captain, he can't have that!" Shirk hissed quietly. The ship lurched when he glanced over his shoulder at Falco.

"Eyes on our flight path!" Grude bellowed at him. Turning back to the avian he begged, "I'll-I'll give you an even portion!"

Falco just raised his eyebrows and cocked his head, as if to say "Really?"

"Then we'll split it 50-50?"

The ship rattled as Shirk crashed into more debris, but the mercenary didn't budge.

"Fine, you can take all of it! Just let us go!"

"Phew, I thought you'd never agree."

The bird shoved the case backwards with his foot. The artificial gravity made it slide backwards through the airlock and into his ship's cargo hold, which was docked against the back of the shuttle.

Lago crept into the open, eyes widening the more he studied the avian.

"Wait a minute…you're part of Starfox, aren't you?"

"Getting warmer…"

He pointed at him. "You're that bird, Falco Linguini!"

Falco slouched, a look of disappointment on his face. "Oh come on. It's not that hard to remember Falco Lombard-"

But the monkey charged forward, blaster firing. "You'll die for what you did to the Supreme Emperor!"

Falco threw himself to the floor to avoid the first few blaster shots, then fired his own weapon squarely in the charging primate's breast. His assailant fell to the deck, clutching at a burning hole in his chest.

Falco righted himself and blew the trail of smoke coming from his blaster. "Anyone else?"

"He killed Lago!"

"Get him!"

But before the others could attack Falco kicked a fire extinguisher into the forward hold of the shuttle, took aim, and exploded it with a well-placed blaster shot. The pressurized container ripped apart, sending white foam everywhere. The Venomians were quickly covered and blinded by the solution, halting their advance. Falco dove backwards through the airlock and waved at them.

"Uh, toodles, I guess."

The bay door sealed shut just in time to block a volley of laser fire. The ship lurched as the avian's fighter decoupled and drifted away.

Grude looked over at Speckley. Both of the Venomians didn't look like much more than piles of foaming agent.

"Well, I heard Starfox was a team of goody-two-shoes, so maybe he'll keep his word and let us escape."

The shuttle reverberated as another explosion shook its portside.

"Son of a-"

X

"So that's how you ended up with…this?" Peppy nudged the crate with his boot.

"Of course!" Falco concluded his story.

The hare crossed his arms and smiled condescendingly. "Really Falco, you expect me to believe all that?"

He faltered. "Well, yeah. Why not?"

"Because that's about the most ridiculous story I ever heard come from that yappin' beak. 'Shooting a flying fire extinguisher' my cottontail…"

Peppy, Falco, and Slippy stood in the shuttle's storage compartment, circled around a large transport crate. When they rendezvoused with Falco the day before, and he and Fox traded Arwings for their stunt at the gate, the avian had lugged the cargo aboard Peppy's shuttle, unwilling to part with it.

Outside the viewport lay the blackness of space, littered with tiny white stars scattered like grains of salt. After they helped Fox and Krystal through Beltino's Gate they slipped away to neutral space, hiding just on the edge of the Meteo asteroid field. Bill and the Cornerians were so occupied with Fox and the chaos Falco caused that they were easily able to sneak away unnoticed.

"Honestly Falco, I can't believe you stole this. I thought you were above petty theft and drug running now that Starfox was so successful."

"Yeah? Well ya had me figured wrong. When I joined your team I'd just left my old street gang back on Zoness. We pulled jobs like this nearly every week. Honestly I've kinda missed the thrill. Oh, and quit saying I "stole" it. It's not stealing if you steal from robbers."

The hare's nose twitched. "But they stole it from our boys! By the reflexive property you're stealing from the Cornerians."

"Who in turn stole it from the Venomians! See, even the Cornerians know it's okay to steal from those who steal!"

"What!? But… Argh!" Peppy threw his arms up in frustration. "Now you've got me so confused I don't even know how to respond to you. The point is you've ended up with property that rightfully belongs to the good guys, and as your elder by some twenty-plus winters I strongly advise you to return it."

Falco crossed his arms and wouldn't budge. "Nuh-uh. I broke my tail-feathers getting this stuff; I ain't about to just drop it off on some policeman's doorstep. Besides, I blew through most of my reward money and could use some extra dough."

Peppy knelt in front of the crate. "Well, what type of drug is it? Class A's? Hallucinogens? Opioids?"

"I…actually don't know. I've never seen them before. Must be a new Venomian drug. Here, see for yourself."

Falco crouched beside Peppy and undid the clasps. The top popped open, revealing the contents of the crate. Rack upon rack of sample tubes rested atop one another, sparkling in the shuttle bay's fluorescent light. Peppy gingerly picked one of the vials up, studying it with one eye closed. He turned it back and forth in his fingers, admiring how the light seemed to make it change colors at different angles.

"I admit my knowledge of narcotics is limited. James and I never did anything more potent than Molly during our academy days; not that you should ever try it either!" he finished, pointing a judgmental finger at Slippy and Falco.

"Yeah yeah, skip the lecture Gramps. You're alive and still here, which means it didn't kill you."

Peppy stared thoughtfully out the window. "That fool almost got us kicked out of Flight Academy…" He shook himself back to the present and handed the vial to Slippy. "Can you make anything of this son?"

Slippy narrowed his eyes at the container. "Well, it has 'krystal lysergisch acid' printed along the side; 'krystal' spelled with a K."

"'Krystal' is just the Venomian spelling of crystal," Peppy explained.

"Yeah, no shit Gramps. Do you think it could have anything to do with that blue-furred chick Fox was escorting around?"

Peppy scratched his chin fur. "The names are probably just coincidence; Fox told me he gave her the name because, as a research subject, she didn't have one. Though she seemed to recognize it..."

Slippy handed the vial back. "I think I saw this mentioned in the data Fox sent me. It's some sort of experimental drug Venom was working on, and it's linked to the Cerinians, but I don't remember much more than that. Additionally the test-tube packaging suggests it was synthesized in a lab by actual researchers. It's not some bootleg brewed in someone's garage, or else it would've been packaged in gallon jugs without the scientific labeling."

Peppy clasped his hands behind his back, pacing over to one of the viewports. Wordlessly he stared out, lost in thought. Both Falco and Slippy waited anxiously for his conclusion. Eventually he turned and faced them with a resolute expression.

"Since Fox is no longer in Lylat, the duty falls to me to be acting commander of Starfox. I say we help him."

"Now you're talking!" Falco pumped his fist.

"But how?" Slippy asked. "He's an entire star system away! There's no way we can get through my dad's gate a second time; security will be even tighter now."

"I know what he's thinking," Falco smiled while locking eyes with Peppy. "We sneak aboard a Cornerian troop transport headed through the Gate!"

"That's exactly what we'd do," Peppy began, "if we wanted to get ourselves killed the fastest way possible. That's just plain suicide. No, we can help Fox by remaining here in Lylat. I think Fox stumbled onto something big; bigger than any of us, and that's saying something. I'm a little disconcerted with the immediate absorption of Venom's research into Cornerian corporations. Part of me thinks there's not enough good intentions in the world to transform that which is inherently evil."

Slippy wrung his hands. "Alright, what do you want us to do?"

"We look into this psychic program. Find out more about that young lady, Andross's involvement, and the current status of the experiments in government hands. We can start by analyzing the composition of these chemicals."

Falco confidently nodded. "I know this gal on Zoness. She's a great cook- er, chemist, I mean."

Peppy glared at him, his whiskers twitching. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that slip up. Locate your...chemist, and have her analyze these; find out their effects, what they're made from, whatever. Keep in constant contact with me. As for you, Slippy," he turned to the amphibian, "what I'm going to ask of you is rather dangerous. I want you to infiltrate Cornerian Intelligence and find out more about this Cerinia project. Use whatever elevated privileges and job positions you have. But whatever you do, don't get caught. Are you up to it?"

Slippy scuffed his boot against the bay floor. "Snooping around government databases is pretty risky…but if it's for Fox I'll do it. Count me in!"

"What about you, Gramps?"

"I'll ask around," Peppy said. "I've made plenty of connections since the Lylat War, so it's time to put them to good use."

When they were finished talking they helped Falco carry the crate back aboard Fox's Arwing. The fighter was docked with the rear of the shuttle, so Falco had to crawl in through the storage compartment to get to the cockpit. Once inside he pushed the seat back up and settled in. A jolt ran through the ship as the doors sealed and it decoupled from the transport shuttle. But before he left Slippy hailed him over the intercom.

The frog's face appeared as an emerald hologram. "Hey Falco, you be careful out there! You know I won't be around to keep your beak out of trouble anymore."

"Ha-ha." The pheasant folded his wings behind his head and kicked back. "Don't worry about me, Slip. I can handle things. If anyone, I should be worried about you."

Peppy's head replaced Slippy's. "Remember Falco, that's Fox's Arwing. You better not put a scratch on it, or-"

"I know, I know. He'll fricassee me." As his ship floated away, he looked up at the shrinking shuttle, which gleamed silver in the sunlight. "I'll see you guys when we finish sorting this out. I promise."

"Bye Falco!" Slippy cried before he drifted out of comm range.

The avian placed two fingers to his forehead and casually saluted. "Yeah, bye kid…"

X

Fox followed Krystal down the incline and into the decimated town. He felt guilty about having her go first, but if she could remotely sense other creatures' minds she should be safe. Of course he was still figuring out the limits to her powers; Krystal didn't seem to know their full extent either. He'd also coaxed her to wear more clothes this time. Currently she borrowed one of his green jumpsuits, which was only slightly too big on her lithe frame, as well as a pair of boots. She'd left behind the down vest when Cerinia's climate proved to be temperate, though Fox kept his on for the extra pockets. At first she insisted on…"lighter" wear, but he convinced her to don the flight suit by saying the landscape might turn out like Venom, which quickly changed her mind.

Regardless, Krystal didn't look comfortable. She was still getting used to the boots, and intermittently tripped over rocks and debris. Nor did she enjoy wearing the flight suit; she constantly itched different spots and tugged at the collar.

Near the foot of the hill they reached a steep, dirt incline, and Fox took Krystal's hand. Together they slid down, relying on each other for balance. At the bottom they ran forward a bit to dissipate their momentum, then slowed.

The destruction of the town looked even worse up close.

"You said you sensed someone?" Fox checked again. "Are they anywhere nearby?"

The girl's eyes darted between the crumbling buildings. "I don't think so…I hear their thoughts echoing from far away."

Now Fox decided to walk by her side. Even if there weren't any living creatures nearby, there might be hazards waiting for them in the ruined city; hazards which her telepathy wouldn't pick up. He scanned every crack in the pavement, the wall of every decaying structure they passed, and the dark interiors of the shops lining the street. In every strange vehicle or dwelling they came upon, Fox expected to find some poor soul's remains. But he never did. Not once did he spot a rotting corpse, or a spindly skeleton, or even a conspicuous pile of ash.

"It's completely empty," he whispered. "People had to have died here, but it's as if all the bodies were cleaned out."

Nor could Fox find any rhyme or reason to the destruction; ever time he thought he had a theory for how the town was destroyed, he'd spot something new and unusual that turned it on its head.

His first thought was that an earthquake had shaken everything to the ground. At least that's what the crumbling buildings and torn streets lead him to believe. But in other places there were stains of black ash in vaguely-animal shapes, as well as charred plants and burned wood. So maybe bombs and explosions? An armed conflict? If so, where were the bullet holes, spent shells, or pockmarks?

Then they stumbled upon more and more unnatural signs that defied explanation. Metal fence posts were uprooted and embedded in walls clear across the street, sometimes two or even three stories up.

Eventually they came upon the town square, which offered the most confusing sight of all. The pillars in the encircling buildings were cleanly sliced through, as if a giant had chopped them up like they were nothing more than vegetables. Fox remembered several ancient alien shows where the host pointed out how smooth the stones were cut in certain temples. "It was impossible!" the host claimed. Well, that's exactly what he saw here.

Fox awkwardly climbed over a rift in the cement sidewalk. "This isn't natural," he muttered, "or even possible for someone of our species. What in the world could have done this?"

Krystal scaled to the top of the crack behind Fox, sharing her thoughts with him. "Well, I'm glad you're just as lost as me. I don't recognize anything at-"

Through their mental connection Fox felt Krystal's muscles tighten as if they were his own. Then her thoughts were torn from his, and he whirled around to catch her as soon as she fell off the ridge in the sidewalk. She crashed into his arms and Fox staggered back under her sudden weight. Krystal got a mouthful of his down vest in surprise.

"Whoa, you okay?" he chuckled nervously.

"Yes," came her muffled voice, head buried in his chest. "Sorry, I just lost my balance. These boots are so cumbersome."

"I understand," he admitted, still supporting her with his arms, "but it's better than cutting your feet on all these sharp edges. You'll get used to them."

Fox trailed off, but the vixen made no move to lift herself. She held onto Fox's chest, her face pressed against his soft vest for an increasingly awkward amount of time. Fox almost said something, but finally she righted herself.

"Let's get out of here. This place gives me the creeps." She didn't even acknowledge what happened between them, and Fox felt a bit relieved.

"Yeah, let's beat it. Are we still headed in the right direction?"

Krystal nodded. "The thought whispers are coming from over there. They're very faint, so the owner must still be far away."

They hurried through the rest of the buildings, eager to leave the haunting town. When they reached the other side they had to climb back out of the valley, which obviously proved a harder task than climbing into it.

After a tough climb they crested the hill's peak. They stopped for a moment to catch their breath, but it was just as quickly stolen again when they saw what lay before them.

A blanket of white snow stretched into the horizon, shimmering in the early morning light. It was painted with a myriad of oranges and pinks and blues, reminding Fox of a blank canvas on which the morning sun could freely paint. Odd, it didn't even feel remotely cold right now.

When they descended the next hill and came upon the white expanse, Fox saw that it wasn't snow at all, but clear grains of sand. They were so pure and polished that together they looked like a sea of salt or sugar.

"What's this?" Krystal asked.

"I think it's some kind of desert." Fox summoned up several relevant images and mentally passed them to the vixen. "I've never seen one like this before."

"We'll have to cross it to find whoever's out there. Are deserts dangerous?"

Fox weighed his response. "Potentially. You can quickly lose your sense of direction, get lost, and go in circles. You can die of thirst and starvation. Sometimes you might get bit by a poisonous snake. In Lylat you might run into bandits or other criminals, but I really have no idea what to expect here. If someone's alive out there, it must be safe. At least, depending on who they are. Or what…"

Together they stepped onto the sand, their heavy boots sinking a few inches with each step. At least it wasn't plagued by ion storms like Titania's wastes or boiling hot like Papetoon's dusty outback. Even so, it seemed just as expansive.

X

After an hour of walking they crested a dune and looked down on yet another strange sight; one that somehow topped the rest of what they'd seen that day. To Fox it looked like a modern art display; the sand was melted into a glass floor in a large, circular shape. Several large statues stood menacingly around the edges, though there was hardly a through-line that connected them. The first object they passed was a large crystalline stone with thousands of rivulets tunneled in its sides. It looked like a piece of volcanic rock, or perhaps a massive ocarina with innumerable holes peppering it. Whenever a breeze blew and passed through the tunnels it played a collection of haunting notes.

The second statue they passed looked like a giant plant, the likes of which Fox had never seen before. Its foliage was composed of funnel-shaped leaves; they collected morning dew or rain water and let the moisture drip into a variety of bowls carved in the class below. Each branch was at a different height, and each bowl was either shallow or deep, resulting in a myriad of frequencies the drops achieved.

A third statue reminded Fox of a giant wind-chime; it towered above the vulpines, with the chimes made from a polished material that resembled mother of pearl. Intermittently they'd bump into one another, resulting in a beautiful gold or silver tone that rung out between the surrounding dunes.

"Wow, it's so pretty," Krystal whispered.

Fox was unable to enjoy the concert. He was too weirded-out by all the strange things he'd seen that day, as well as the instruments' massive size. Who could have made something so large, and so bizarre?

When he turned back to Krystal she had unzipped the flight jacket and was shrugging out of it. Fox gave her a chastising stare and cleared his throat. "Ah-hem!"

The vixen glared back when she noticed. She stuck out her tongue and reluctantly slipped her arms back into the sleeves. "Hmph! I don't understand you people. You're never honest about what you feel. You get excited whenever I take this off, but you pretend you don't want me too. It's no use hiding things from me, you know."

Fox sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Please, let's not have this argument again. Sometimes I want a lot of things that are improper or bad, but I still have higher reasoning powers to tell myself no. Physically I might want to strangle my flight instructor at the academy, but logically I know I'd go to jail, so I keep myself from-"

Krystal's eyes widened as she seemed to spot something over Fox's shoulder. "Look!" she exclaimed, pointing behind him. Fox followed the direction of her finger and gasped.

In the distant sky floated an otherworldly creature. It was cephalopodic, with dozens of long, wispy tendrils that seemed to stretch for miles. They were made out of silvery ribbon that glimmered in the noon sunlight. Overall it dazzled the two vulpines, but its sheer size also made their knees tremble. It stretched longer than several Cornerian cruisers arrayed end-to-end. One side was definitely the main body, but they couldn't make out features like eyes or even a head; it was only made up of tangled ribbon.

Worried that it might see them, Fox grabbed Krystal's hand and pulled her into the safety of the "ocarina." Together they crawled into one of the holes along the side, poking their heads just out of cover to watch the beast. Fox's mind tickled as Krystal riffled through his memories, desperately searching for anything the creature could be. But all either of them could come up with was ribbon on gifts Fox had received as a boy.

"We'll wait here until it passes," he whispered, even though at this distance it could never hear him. In fact, he slowly realized most of his fears were unfounded. To the creature, both of the foxes were little more than ants.

For awhile they watched in awe as the knot of shinning tendrils slowly swam across the horizon. But it didn't go unchallenged. Without warning the ground began to shake. Krystal grabbed onto Fox as the "ocarina" shook from the trembling. Beneath the cephalopod the white dunes erupted. The clouds of sand dissipated to reveal an equally-massive insect with multiple black segments. Its back end remained buried in the sand, but its head looked like a giant pair of scissors; even the finger holes seemed to be represented in the design of its carapace. The monster reared up on dozens of hind legs, its head reaching until its dual blades snapped closed around the first creature. It was as if the second beast's sole purpose was to kill the other. The snap itself sent a shock wave through the sky and desert, buffeting Krystal and Fox with wind and dust. The cephalopod screamed in a high-pitched wail, while the insect folded its legs and fell back into the dunes, dragging its prey down with it. Their collision with the ground sent a thunderous boom through the desert, kicking up another cloud of sand. But when the dust settled, the two foxes couldn't see strand nor feeler of the two creatures. They had vanished back into the dunes.

A minute of utter silence passed until the foxes deemed everything safe. Cautiously they crept out of the hole and brushed themselves off.

"Okay…what the hell just happened?" Fox turned and exchanged glances with Krystal. "Please tell me you saw that too! I didn't hallucinate all of it…did I? It's been a few days since I've had my…"

Krystal shook her head. "No, you didn't dream it. I saw it too. And I feel sad because of it. That poor creature was only bringing beauty to the world, but the other one had to destroy it. How is there any meaning in its death?"

Fox shrugged. "Well, at least it's not in the direction we were headed. I'd hate to run into one of those monsters in this desert." His insides clenched and he quickly scanned the dunes around him, suddenly worried that another beast could be hiding underneath the very sand they stood on. At least the orchestra of statues was still standing after what seemed like many years. "Say, Krystal, did you detect thoughts in either of those creatures? They were real, right?"

"They weren't just…" Fox felt her digging through his frontal lobe for the right word, "…mirages. They had thoughts, but they were only simple ones. While they were very loud thoughts, they were only a few words repeated over and over again, as if they were recorded and played back in a loop. Their thought-speech wasn't intelligent like ours, nor could I hear them thinking before they woke up."

Fox whistled. "Wow. Now if only Falco or Slippy were here to see this. They'd never believe me if I told them…" He gestured for Krystal to follow him. "Well, come on, let's keep moving. And pray we don't run into any more of them."

X

After a second hour spent trekking through the vacant sands they came upon another structure. Of course Fox already had an uncomfortable feeling in his gut.

The onyx cube towered several hundred feet above them, but the oddest thing about it was that it somehow balanced on one of its corners. The sharp point only barely touched the sands beneath it, yet not a gust of wind could tip it over. It simply defied all laws of gravity.

As they approached the cube they could see it wasn't smooth at all, but rough and filled with detail. Countless ridges and holes ran across the six faces, but it was hard to discern any pattern. Fox squinted so he could see better. It vaguely reminded him of when he'd left a pile of army figures on the pavement as a child, and the sunlight had melted them together…

When he realized what the carved forms really were his stomach felt sick. Immediately he grabbed Krystal's arm and pulled her back from the monolith. "Krystal, let's go this way."

"What? What's wrong?" Her voice rose in pitch as she craned her head to see over Fox's shoulder.

"Please don't look," the tod begged, tugging her away. "It's not for you to see! Come on, we'll go around."

"Okay, if you say so…" Reluctantly the vixen went along with him, and together they skirted the object. She still cast sidelong glances at it, but from this distance she wasn't able to make out any significant details.

After a few seconds she grew curious and peeked into Fox's thoughts, but the vulpine shook his head and internally screamed "NO! …No. You don't want to see what I saw. Please don't go looking through my memories either. Respect my privacy on this one thing. I'm only doing this for you, Krystal."

The vixen withdrew from his head and shrunk back. "Gomenshuld," she whispered.

"Thanks," Fox breathed in relief.

They continued on, the tod marching resolutely forward. They left the monolith behind, but Fox would never be rid of its memory. It was permanently ingrained in his consciousness for the rest of his days. He couldn't scrub their image from his head; the tortured, twisted forms chaotically linked together, their suffering and ultimate fate memorialized for eternity.

In the end he'd found the town's inhabitants.

X

Author's Notes: Wish I'd said something earlier, but thanks to everyone who read or reviewed the story up to this point! I really enjoy hearing back from you all. If you have any thoughts or comments, feel free to post them!