This is NOT the longest chapter in Rise Of The Enemy, that's still Chapter 4. It must have been a disappointing final book, but remember that I was pretty much over it by this point, and this is a REASON, not an excuse. The lackluster chapters were a product of my excitement for Four Seasons.
In addition, I wrote this entire chapter without an outline. This is all raw, so enjoy the final main chapter of Rise Of The Enemy!
WILLOW'S POV
I saw Lucas spring into action like a clown out of a jack-in-the-box. Really, I hadn't known him to be that quick, but apparently what Andross had just done to Cole was what gave him the energy he needed. He'd already been exhausted from the run here, no doubt, and this fight was no doubt making it worse.
He immediately started dodging Andross's every attack like it was nothing, running around the room at speeds that would likely have made him pass out had this been a normal situation. Of course, it wasn't a normal situation, but I could only stand back in awe. Any worry or grief I had had about Cole was gone, replaced by adrenaline. I wanted to get up and fight with Lucas.
I saw Lucas whip his blaster out and begin shooting at Andross's eyes. I tried not to focus on Cole's broken body below him, but it was hard. I could only hope that...no, Dr. Howler would be able to bring him back. There was no way that Cole McCallen could be dead.
In any case, Lucas kept on hitting Andross. Eventually, the mad scientist turned back human. I wasn't sure how that happened, but this gave Lucas even more opportunity. With a few whips of his gun, he was able to bring the monkey to his knees.
"Have mercy on me, Enfield!" Andross shouted in a desperate plea to get Lucas to spare his life. As soon as he had finished saying that, I saw a deadly look appear in my boyfriend's eyes, one I had never seen before.
"I'm sorry. You have caused too much pain, to too many people, to be allowed to live. I hope you enjoy rotting in hell".
Lucas continued on bashing the mad scientist with what must have been everything he had. Blood spurted outwards from the monkey's body, but Andross wasn't done yet. He grabbed onto Lucas's arm, and I could see that my boyfriend's goal had quickly become to keep Andross in as much pain as possible, to prevent him from causing Lucas as much pain as possible.
Eventually, Lucas managed to break free of Andross's grasp and began running around him, whacking Andross with his gun. Why he didn't just shoot the monkey is beyond me, but he probably wanted Andross to feel as much pain as possible during his death. I could definitely agree with that.
By the time Andross finally went still, Lucas wasn't done yet. He kept on going, absolutely brutalizing the monkey's corpse. At this point, it was just wasteful. I had no love for Andross, but I didn't think his corpse deserved this much.
Finally, Lucas stood back. You could see Andross's heart, that was how much Lucas had mutilated his corpse.
He looked back at us. Smiling, he said, "We won".
Immediately thereafter, he collapsed to the ground.
Falco ran over and caught him. Taking off Cole's shirt, he placed it under Lucas's head to use as a pillow.
"Why is he unconscious?" Ian asked Dr. Howler.
The Bengal tiger looked at him with an odd expression. "I'm not sure. We'll be taking him back to the Great Fox, I'll make a stretcher here. And one for Cole, too".
I perked up at that last sentence. "So Cole's still got a shot?"
Dr. Howler shook her head sadly. "He's gone. Those tentacles...there's no way he's still alive".
Falco put his ear to the chest of the Detroit native, in order to listen to Cole's heart. "Sorry. Nothing we can do. He's too far gone".
I had expected joy and relief would come once we had defeated Andross, and accomplished our goal. Instead, I was right here...with two of my friends dead. I had never dreamed that victory would come at such a cost.
"If you want to make sure your boyfriend's okay, Willow, I suggest you help with the stretcher. Tigre's making one right now".
I went over and saw that Dr. Howler was trying to find some materials to use to carry Lucas back up to the ship. "Never mind" she said, noticing that there was a closet nearby, with stretchers hanging outside of it.
Dr. Howler and Falco helped to strap Lucas into one stretcher, and the deceased body of Cole into another. Since Konstantin had died miles away from here, and the only living person who knew where he was was lying unconscious on one of the stretchers, there was a fat chance of finding it.
"There's a stasis machine on the Great Fox" the Bengal tiger said. "We can make sure Cole's body does not decay until we get back to Corneria, where we can hold a proper funeral. And we'll hold a memorial service for Konstantin. Two brave young men".
Falco nodded tiredly, as if he was just eager to get this over with. Once again, I could relate to the guy.
And, something else, to put the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae that had already melted?
It was my birthday.
IAN'S POV
Two days had passed since the battle on Venom. According to Falco's estimation, it would take us roughly four days to reach Corneria again, meaning that we were halfway through the journey.
I had spent most of those two days thinking about the losses we had suffered. Konstantin, twenty years old, had still had so much life ahead of him...he could have been a great father, I thought, if only he'd had the chance. Not that Konstantin had ever been one to like women...for all I knew, he had been gay, just because he didn't want a girlfriend. I'd never know now.
Lucas had been taken into med bay as soon as we'd arrived back on the Great Fox. Dr. Howler, after performing some examinations on him, had determined that he was in something slightly akin to a coma, but he was going to wake up at some point. She still wasn't sure about the cause of his collapse, but she thought that he might have used up so much energy during the final battle that his body had just given out. She wasn't sure exactly why the fight should have been so draining, but the adrenaline rush might have been the cause.
He still hadn't woken up, but this didn't worry the doctor. It worried me, however. I just wanted to see him awake, and talking to me.
With Dr. Howler's permission, I went and visited med bay. Looking over at Lucas's bed, I saw that he had an IV in so that he didn't get dehydrated. He didn't have any other machines except the heart monitor, which, according to the doctor, was because he was breathing normally.
"The one worry I have" Dr. Howler said, "is that his muscle starts deteriorating. Certainly, he might need some physical therapy once he's awake, but I remain confident that he will wake. He just needs rest, that's all".
"Not anymore" said a sleepy voice from the bed.
We both turned to see that Lucas had awoken. He was moving very little, but his eyes were starting to open.
"Hey, sleepyhead, how's it going?" I asked him.
"I just...had a bad dream. Or was it a good dream? It was...bittersweet" he said, in a slightly muffled tone of voice.
"What do you mean?" I said.
"Andross...we were fighting him...and I went ballistic. But...Cole...he died? I don't know. It was kind of hazy".
Dr. Howler laughed sadly. "That wasn't a dream, Lucas. That was real".
Lucas gave a deep sigh, as if he had just had a particularly satisfying drink, before falling asleep again.
"Let's get Willow in here" she said. "Except...how will she know that he woke up?"
"We wouldn't lie to her" I told her.
"Fair enough".
LUCAS'S POV
In years to come, my memory of the final battle with Andross was always hazy. Some form of energy that I'd always possessed, if it had been given to me through evolution or whatever, had come alive within me and caused me to go crazy on the mad scientist. I wasn't thinking clearly, I was just that full of adrenaline.
I woke up in the med bay of the Great Fox. I remembered waking up briefly earlier, and talking to Dr. Howler and Ian...but I'd just been dreaming it. It was much like that time I'd gotten my appendix out, back when I was thirteen. I'd woken up from anesthesia, and in the haze of drugs I'd erroneously referred to my surgeon as "Dad" and ripped out my IV. Really, that was the only comparison I could make.
Every muscle in my body was aching, as if I had just run ten marathons back-to-back. My mouth felt like it was lined with sand, and yet I felt too exhausted to drink. Looking up and to my left, I saw a usual sight.
Ugh. SO sick of IVs.
I saw that I also had a heart monitor attached, and my waking up triggered Dr. Howler to come over to my bedside. She had a look on her face that looked both relieved and concerned at the same time, if that was even possible.
"Hey, Lucas, are you in pain?" she asked me.
I shook my head. That was the truth; I wasn't.
"You thirsty?" she said.
I nodded, and she poured me a glass of water. She helped me to sit up in order to drink it, since I was feeling pretty weak. Once my vocal cords had been rehydrated, I was able to ask, "How long have I been out?"
"A little more than two days. You've been sleeping for a long time" she said unnecessarily.
"Why?" Normally, I was lucky if I got eight hours of sleep, let alone more than six times that. Hearing that I'd been out for days...that was something.
"We think that you used up so much energy while battling Andross that...your body just had to put you out for long enough to heal. That's just what we think happened".
I nodded. "Andross?"
The Bengal tiger's face suddenly looked alarmed. "You don't remember?"
I chuckled. "I remember just fine. We beat him, right?"
Dr. Howler nodded. "Your girlfriend will want to talk to you for sure. She saw you earlier while you were sleeping, and she's a little...disturbed by the way you killed Andross. It's like you just went all crazy".
I remembered how I'd killed Jack some months before, and how Willow had taken a long time to forgive me for that. Hopefully, since Andross had been our enemy, she'd be a little more kind towards me. I could hope.
That didn't change the fact that I had absolutely brutalized the mad scientist. I had a hazy memory of it, but that was all it was; a hazy memory. As in, it wasn't all that clear. All I knew was that whatever I had done caused my bones to ache as if I had the flu.
"You just sit tight there, and I'll get Willow to come in. How's that?" she asked me.
I was pretty happy that I was going to get to see Willow again. I was sure that she'd be happy to see me, at least for the most part.
I only had to wait a few minutes, watching the fluid drip into my veins and the stars of the Lylat System pass outside the windows of med bay, before she came in. Willow Foster.
She sat in a chair next to my bed and began to play with my hair, which had gotten shaggier in the two days I'd been unconscious.
"I've been worried about you, Lucas Enfield" she said.
"Why?"
"You weren't waking up for two days, Lucas. You must have used up so much energy on Venom that you just couldn't stay on your feet. She took a sample of your blood immediately after, in order to try and see what might have happened, but there's just...I mean, they'll have to analyze it in the labs back on Corneria, to see what it was. For now, though, it looks like you're fine".
I nodded. "But...Cole?"
Willow's smile turned upside down. "He didn't make it. The tentacles of Andross just grabbed him, and he never stood a chance. I'm sorry, Lucas".
"No. I should have gone into action before then. I could have avoided that, and I wouldn't have gone into a coma. Would that have made you happier?"
"It wouldn't have. Really, I'm not so sure that it would have worked without rage mode, as you might call it. You used up a lot of energy, but you're going to live. Really, I couldn't be happier about that. But, like you said, Cole's gone, and that's sad".
I was still trying to deal with the loss of one of my friends, but I knew there was someone else. My memory was like a TV with a bad signal for the fight with Andross, but before that it was full HD. "Konstantin's gone".
"Yeah. What was it, an automaton Wolf that killed him?"
"Yes" I said, nodding.
"That guy was motivated by revenge until the very end. Even once he'd achieved it, he never let it get to him that he'd already won. Was that his undoing?"
"No" I said. "Konstantin Brockenbough was noble. I'm hoping that he gets a full state funeral once we get back to Corneria. Speaking of which, when are we going to be there?"
"Falco says the day after tomorrow, sometime in the morning. He's hoping that you'll feel better by then. How are you doing right now?"
"I'm just dandy" I said.
The truth was, I was feeling okay physically. I didn't feel too desperate for water, and my aches and pains were beginning to recede somewhat. On the other hand, I was a wreck emotionally. Losing two of your closest friends is never an easy thing to deal with.
"Great. Dr. Howler's going to come back soon, and she'll change your IV bag. She doesn't want to take you off it just yet, in a few hours she will, she says. See you later".
I waved at her as she was leaving. "See you later".
IAN'S POV
Normally, on the Great Fox, I spent my downtime playing video games with Konstantin, Cole, and Lucas. Since two of the three of them were dead, and the other one was still in too much grief to really get into it, that wasn't what I was doing anymore.
Instead, I holed myself up in my room, reading. I should have been relieved, jubilant even, at having won the war. All I could think about, however, were Konstantin and Cole, and how we were never going to see them again.
This was how things went for the final two days of our voyage. I visited Lucas in med bay, and later watched him take his first steps after his collapse, three days after losing consciousness. He was released right after that, but we weren't talking to each other that much. The grief was too much for us to bear.
Don't think that way, Ian, I said to myself. Konstantin didn't die so you could live a life of sadness. Go enjoy it!
After I came to that realization, and that this was what Cole and Konstantin would want me to do, I had a lot easier of a time putting my grief aside.
We landed on Corneria four days after the battle, around noon on August 18. Lucas was a lot steadier on his feet, and he walked along with the rest of us down the runway. I was reminded of the time after the second war during this, and I had to remind myself that, this time, the threat was really over. At least, as far as we knew.
But we did know a lot. That was one thing that I'd always reminded myself, both now and earlier, in the labs.
The five of us entered a Cornerian government building to talk with James McCloud, who was a hologram, as well as Maisie Johnson, the acting President of Corneria.
Maisie walked up to us. "I presume that I no longer have to act as President of Corneria?"
"That is correct" Lucas said. Standing up to his full height of six foot two, he said, "I am willing to take back my duties as President. Trust me, that no longer feels onerous now that I've been to hell and back".
"What do you mean?" James asked.
"As you can see", Falco said, "two of our members, Cole Oliver McCallen and Konstantin Nikolai Brockenbough, are not here with us. Reason being, they perished on Venom. We did everything we could, but it just wasn't going to happen. They are gone" he said, trying not to cry.
"It's okay, Falco" his wife said, patting him on the back. "They're in a better place now".
This made me a little bit angry. None of us were that religious; Cole had been an atheist, and Konstantin had been an agnostic. Neither of them had believed in heaven. I felt that pretending they were in heaven was an insult to their memory. Willow, Lucas, and myself were all cultural Christians at most, and we all felt that it was more important to celebrate a person's life than their death when they were gone.
"In any case", James said, "I'm glad you have come back safely, although I am very sorry for your losses. But there are some congratulations I must hand out to each of you. The five of you, as well as the deceased McCallen and Brockenbough, will be given the highest of honors. Let's start with those who are no longer with us".
James presented us with a large crimson badge in the shape of the logo for the Star Fox team. He held it up in the air. "I was going to have you bury this with Konstantin's body, but do you have it?"
"No" Dr. Howler said. "Only Cole's, which is waiting in stasis on the Great Fox. We'll hold a memorial service, I presume?"
"Yes" James said. "In any case, Konstantin Brockenbough is going to be posthumously awarded with a Medal Of Honor, as well as an even higher award that we'll get to later. It will be placed on his tombstone; he at least deserves an honorary one even if his body is not present. Cole's body will also be buried with a Medal Of Honor, and each of the five living members of Star Enfield will also receive one".
A Medal Of Honor sounded pretty cool, I had to admit. Along with a large pension for life, I would also get the honor of being recognized for having served Corneria. It was my dream come true, to be completely honest.
"Tigre Howler, for your work in medicine, helping Lucas Enfield recover from his illness...all of your work on the Great Fox and at the Grey Clouds Flight Academy...you are hereby promoted to be Head of the Cornerian Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Are you going to accept this position?"
"I will, so long as I can continue to be the physician of Lucas Z. Enfield. Is that possible?"
"Yes" James said. "Do you wish to remain Lucas Z. Enfield's personal physician?"
"I do" said Dr. Howler. "And I accept the position".
She then poked Lucas in the back. "Did you hear that, kiddo? You're stuck with me!"
Lucas laughed as James moved on.
"Falco Lombardi, you will ascend to the position of being the head of the Cornerian Army. Maisie Johnson is retiring".
"Sold!" Falco said.
"Ian Keller..." James began. I was getting really pumped up; I was about to find out what job I would have in post-war Corneria.
"...you may take the position as being Deputy Head of the Science Commission of Corneria. Do you accept the position?"
There was never any doubt in my mind that I would accept any job relating to science. "I'm taking it".
"Very well. Willow Foster, you may remain Secretary Of State, and Lucas Enfield, you may remain as President. Will you do that?"
Both of them nodded. And so, Corneria's SOS and President remained the same as we walked out into the summer sun.
LUCAS'S POV
After the body of Cole had been retrieved from the stasis unit on the Great Fox, we all took a presidential motorcade to the cemetery. The memorial service was being held for Konstantin as well, even though we had not been able to retrieve the body.
I felt a little like that was my fault. I knew where that body was, and yet I'd been too exhausted to do anything but pass out for two days once I had defeated Andross. Really, it wasn't my fault, but the rational part of my brain wasn't really working.
As soon as we reached the cemetery, Cole's body was taken from the back of our limo and placed into a coffin. As it was being lowered into the ground, the secular priest (the same one, in fact, who had officiated the wedding of Falco and Dr. Howler two months before), said some words about the life of our friend, our fallen warrior.
"Cole Oliver McCallen was a tale of two worlds. There was the side of him that was a juvenile delinquent from Detroit, a scared white boy in a black neighborhood, who committed many bad deeds. Certainly, this side of Cole should not be celebrated. However, there was the side that helped Corneria defeat the Anglar forces, as well as Andross, and for that we must commend him. If only he were here to see us, we would be applauding him tremendously. That does not mean, however, that we cannot applaud him now. Thank you, Cole McCallen, for your life and tenure as a Senator".
The priest rubbed his eyes before continuing.
"Konstantin Nikolai Brockenbough was a very noble young man. He served in the military, and he was a very efficient commander. He helped us to win both wars, against both the Anglars and Andross, and this was what set him apart. Beyond that, he was always an intellectual young man rather than a brute-force one, and one that we must each try to emulate as much as possible. Thank you, Konstantin Brockenbough, for your life and military leadership".
We stood at the cemetery for a while longer, talking and sharing memories of Cole and Konstantin, two of the bravest people I had ever met. It was a bittersweet service, because, while I had very good memories of the two, the fact that they were no longer with us was difficult to get around.
I was mostly happy when the service ended and we got back in the limo.
It was late afternoon by the time we reached the Green House once again. I bade good-bye to Willow before getting out of the vehicle and heading into the presidential palace, along with Falco and Dr. Howler. Even though she now had a government job, she was still going to be my doctor for whatever health problems I might have in the future.
Entering the Purple Room, I thought about just how great it was to be home. At least, here.
This brought me back to thinking about my parents. I had made amends with them, and I at least understood why they had done what they had done. Perhaps, sometime soon, Willow and I could visit them together. After all, the war was over. We could do pretty much whatever we wanted.
Did I want to get an Earthly education?
I didn't think so. I'd gotten captured in the middle of tenth grade, and I didn't see that college would be necessary. I already had more money than I could ever need, because my pension from the military was going to be more than enough to live on. However long I decided to govern Corneria, that was how long I'd get to live in the Green House. Really, that was an option, just being President as long as I wanted to. There were no term limits, just what was determined by my lifetime.
And that will likely be many, many more years.
Indeed. I couldn't get over the fact, even though I'd been done with treatment more than two weeks ago, that I was cured. No more taking tons of medication. No more waking up and puking. No more worrying constantly that I was going to die.
I got up from my desk. There were no new bills for me to sign or veto today, so I went to have dinner with Falco and Dr. Howler. Even though I was mostly happy about defeating Andross, I picked at my food.
"Lucas, are you all right?" Falco asked me. "You've barely touched your food".
"It's just...Cole. And Konstantin. That was my fault".
"It wasn't your fault, Lucas" Dr. Howler said. "The way things were going, there was no way you could've stopped him".
"I could have helped, though" I said.
"You don't know that for sure" the avian told me. "Really, this was the best possible outcome, so let's just try to move forward. Make this a good life, because it's not what those two would have wanted, you always feeling guilty for that. Just live, Lucas".
WILLOW'S POV
Two days later, August 20, I was walking down by the harbor, enjoying some late-summer sunshine. It had been nearly a week since the battle on Venom, and I was mainly thinking about how we'd lost two of our own. It wasn't just that, though.
I knew that I was now seventeen years old. At the time, I hadn't really felt like celebrating, but now that we were out of danger I was thinking about it even more.
It was about ten in the morning, and I'd just eaten breakfast with Ian. Lucas still trusted me with other guys, and I had no desire to kiss Ian Keller.
We had a very nice conversation about how things were going, now that we were adjusting to normal life once again. Even though I was once again Secretary Of State, I had not yet had another meeting with Lucas. Ian had not yet started his new lab job, but would be in just a few days. He seemed very excited for it, and we were having a good time discussing our plans for the future.
Now, I was listening to the sound of a flock of seagulls along the ocean, as the fishermen of Corneria City were hauling up the catch of the day. Sometimes, I wished that things could be as simple as it was for those fish. All they had to sort out was how to escape from the people who wanted to catch and eat them. While that was no doubt quite scary for the little fishies, that didn't really compare to my having to sort out my feelings for one Lucas Z. Enfield.
I was sure that I liked, maybe even loved him. We'd been separated for three months, but I hadn't loved him during that period, or at least had told myself that I didn't love him. Now, however, things were different. I hadn't seen him for two days, but by all accounts he had gotten back into the Presidency pretty well.
As I passed by the harbor, my phone rang, vibrating in my pants pocket. I picked it up and looked at the number, which was Lucas's.
I pressed the call button in order to talk to him. "Hello?"
"Good morning, Willow Foster. And happy belated birthday".
That pleased me. He'd remembered!
"Do you have anything planned?" I asked him, immediately wishing I hadn't. I figured that this was pretty rude to say to him just off the bat like that.
"Yes, I do" he said. "I found a portal in the Green House. I think that it goes back to the President's old hometown. Do you want to try it, have a nice picnic in the park in Swanville?"
I nodded. Then, remembering that Lucas couldn't hear me just nodding, said, "Yes. That sounds lovely".
"All right. I've gotten permission from Falco and Dr. Howler, but they're not coming. It's just me and you".
"I'll meet you at the Green House once I've gotten changed. How does that sound?"
"I like it!" Lucas said.
An hour later, I stood at the threshold of the Green House. After getting past the security by showing that I was the Secretary Of State, I walked in and found Lucas in the Orange Room.
"What's up?" I asked him.
His eyes lit up at the sight of me. "I'll show you the portal. Let's go" he said.
Lucas was holding a picnic basket in one hand and a blanket in the other, looking very much like a bellhop at a hotel. He also wasn't wearing a formal suit and tie, just his Star Fox T-shirt.
He led me to what looked like a large square, about eight feet by eight feet, that was in the middle of the basement.
"Can't believe it took me this long to find!"
"Are you sure that it'll take us to Swanville? Not, like, London?" I asked.
"Yep. Swanville" he said.
"How do you know?" Hey, I had reason to be skeptical.
"Falco tested it. He was willing to risk his life for us".
That was a little bit of a heavy thought, but I didn't let it claim me too much. I strode through the square, Lucas's hand in mine.
I found myself on a field on Earth. Almost immediately, I began to feel slightly nauseous, but I soon found that if I focused on the horizon, I would feel a lot better.
Lucas got to his feet a little away from me, rubbing his hands on his pants in order to get the dirt off of them. "We're here" he said.
I looked around. Sure enough, it was the park from Swanville, Maine, the small Waldo County town that both of us had grown up in. It was isolated. Some might even have called it boring. But, personally, I wouldn't have had it any other way.
Lucas spread the blanket on the ground. It was a beautiful yellow color that brought to mind late summer. Now that I was looking at him, without all of the trappings of illness, he seemed a lot healthier and happier, more lighthearted.
"What do you think we'll do about our parents?" I asked him.
Lucas looked up at the sky, careful not to look at the sun. "I don't know, but we'll figure it out when the time comes. We could actually come and visit them right now if you'd like".
"Let's have lunch first" I said. "I'm pretty hungry, even though I just had breakfast with Ian".
"It's cool" he said, opening the picnic basket. In it, I saw that there was a card with my name on it. It was a simple piece of paper, folded in half, with the word OPEN on it, with an arrow telling me to open it in that direction.
"Well, open it" he said.
I unfolded the piece of paper and read the words.
Willow Foster,
I've been apart from you for longer than I would ever have wanted. Now that we are back together, I really do love you. I'm sorry that two of our friends died on your ACTUAL birthday, but happy belated 17th.
Love, Lucas Z. Enfield
"That's too sweet, Lucas, that really is" I said.
"'S no problem" he said, already taking a bite out of an apple. "I was being completely genuine. I love you, Willow, I really do".
And, unlike I had once before, I had no trouble in believing him. As we ate our sandwiches, followed by a blue-frosted yellow cake, I believed it more and more.
IAN'S POV
After eating breakfast with Willow, I decided to go and visit the laboratory that I worked at. I saw that it was closed, so I elected to go for a walk along the avenue. I needed to get some things sorted out.
I still didn't know how I had ended up on Corneria, but I would find answers in due time. At least, I really hoped that I would. Maybe that was the same thing, although I seriously doubted it. I would have to actively seek answers.
For now, I'd just try to settle down into my new job. I wouldn't have to worry about money any more; the pension I was being given for my military service would be more than enough to work with.
As I saw the sun near its zenith, I appreciated just how lucky I was to be alive. After so many dangers that had presented themselves, one by one, over the course of the last eight months, I could finally live my life.
The future was looking very bright indeed.
And that is a wrap on the Wing And A Scare trilogy. At least the main part; there's still an epilogue after this.
I would like to analyze all of the character arcs, like I often have.
RIP Konstantin and Cole.
Konstantin: He really did have a great story. He went from having such a bright future in Texas to getting whisked off to the flight academy, effectively meaning that he couldn't live a normal life. After his little patriotic stunt, he was imprisoned and had to be saved by the others. I really liked how he turned from this into an esteemed military commander, and he really did get a lot of credit. That he deserved. He was so motivated by revenge, however, that he killed Wolf. And it wasn't just that, too. His desire for revenge cost him his OWN life as well, since Andross had created that automaton just for him. I don't believe in heaven, but I would hope that, if there is one, Konstantin would be there. Sorry that your life kind of sucked, Konstantin.
Cole: I think that Cole is one of the more interesting characters. He has a lot more flaws than Konstantin, but that's what makes him so interesting to write and read about. He might have been a juvenile delinquent, but I feel that he realized the error of his ways and began to help Corneria. One of the reasons I killed him was that his creator, Singlewave, was also the creator of the winning tribute of Lorax: The 64th Hunger Games, and he doesn't get to have TWO characters survive my stories (Just kidding). Seriously, I just wanted to make the ending as semi-tragic as possible. But, beyond that, I really did enjoy Cole.
Ian: I've become great friends with Cosmicsafe74, and we even video-chatted some. It was pretty awesome, and so was this guy. I enjoyed writing for Ian in this last book, as he became a scientist. I really did feel like this was a fitting job for him. And, the best part about Ian? He's still alive, meaning that he's going to be a Cornerian scientist for many years to come. I really want to thank the creator for his amazing character, and thank Ian for helping to defeat Andross.
Willow: Peyton still hasn't read and reviewed most of this trilogy. Which, really, isn't that bad. But I LOVE Willow. She was such a fitting partner for Lucas, and I loved writing how she grew to mistrust him because of what happened to Jack. However, she's really a good person, and I'll miss her for sure. She IS still alive, though.
Lucas: The main character of this story had such a great plotline, in my opinion, that it's hard for me to articulate. I guess I'll share some more thoughts below.
The Wing And A Scare series was, by and large, a form of escape for me. What I mean is that I started with having just come off of Lorax, a project I didn't ENTIRELY enjoy, and I liked the freedom it brought. But I also liked to put my own struggles with Asperger's and OCD on a main character that also had those traits. I didn't realize this at first, but the more my therapist pointed that out, the more I started to believe it was plausible.
While the series itself was not as successful as I would have LIKED, it still was enjoyable to write for much of the time. I want to thank everybody who has read and reviewed everything in this series.
~~SnowLucario~~