A/N: I'm almost finished this one. I've been writing a lot in the Sly Cooper story I'm doing, as well. It's pretty fun. For those of you who are avid readers of my work, who asked me to make the genre leap, thank you. I have been introduced to three very fun games in the process. I appreciate it. For those of you who read my Sly Cooper story and never knew anything about the game prior… thank you! Fans of my writing means a great deal to me. Reflections of Peppy will be finished but I plan to take my time with it. It's a very deep, meaningful story. I've got chapters of Similar Paths Taken and The Curse planned out, as well as one for Nothing Passed Tomorrow. I've been doing a few paragraphs here and there for each. As soon as this one is finished, it will free up a great deal of time to put into those, again. :D Remember, this story is just to 'set up' the next game, on the Revolution Console. I've brought back Dr. Andross, because it seems like everytime Nintendo deviates from a major enemy (mario2, metroid2, Zelda: Links Awakening (GameBoy), etc,) they always seem to come BACK (mario3, super Metroid, Zelda: Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, etc) So, yeah… I brought back Doctor Andross. I felt there was a logical enough reason to do so, so there it is. After all, Krystal needs closure for the death of her race… Andross has to be punished for his genocide. Don't think she won't be nice to the likes of that one. I've also got to get my motivation back to write the two large manuscripts that I want to have published :D I can hope right? I want to thank you guys for sticking with me… you guys help me become a better writer. That's important to me. My gratitude and appreciation is undying!

-Kitsune

C H A P T E R fourteen

The tank hatch was pried open and Fox was the first one in, due to his injury. Krystal had since pushed away thoughts of their prior brush with nudity. As enjoyable as it was and as natural as it felt, she knew she had to concentrate on important things right now. But the fact of the matter was, this woman felt as though she could trust him on a deeper, far more complex level. She helped her mate down into the hatch and glanced back at the bike with a somber frown.

"You think Slippy will be able to build one like that?" She asked.

"It's a Space Dynamics cycle, Krystal," Fox said, sliding down into the piloting seat. She eased her legs into the hatch and slid down, pulling the metallic door shut behind herself, before shifting her weight into the gunnery seat and strapping her safety belt across her body. "We can order 50 if you want," Fox added with a chuckle, gunning the engines to life.

No sooner did the computer boot up, the sensor display chirped a proximity warning. Fox glanced down at the readout, then looked up through the cockpit window, his eyes widening in surprise. "It's Andross and Andrew! They're getting away!" Fox said, quickly putting the tank into gear and gunning the afterburner.

The tank grunted under the thrust, heading towards the dam. It was almost suicidal but Fox couldn't let his chance of settling old scores go undone. Fox opened a channel on the 'all frequency' setting, then shouted, "Fight me, you cowardly second-class dictators!" He'd never thought to combat Andross in a tank before.

"Very well!" Doctor Oikonni, the elder of the two, roared in reply. "If you can defeat me in a tank, let alone your fighter, in THIS ship, I'll be surprised, McCloud!" The strange ship in the distance began to come around. Fox narrowed his gaze and opened the channel to his team, sending out a distress beacon. This was going to be a hard-won fight.

As the small cruiser grew closer, it began to separate. The sections of the ship stretched out on metallic rods, so that something in the center was able to rise from the ship. It was a thin, almost disc-like battle fighter. It began to tilt vertically and Fox's jaw dropped, seeing the white face-like bot.

"Did you think my telekinetic amplifier couldn't be rebuilt!" Andross bellowed. "Don't be a fool! I was in the works of its repair last time we fought over Sauria! Now I'll show you what it's capable of!"

Fox charged the tank cannon beam immediately, hitting the face right in the eyes. The shot ricocheted of the front, causing Fox to balk. "That's right!" Andross chuckled over the radio, "Live by your mistakes, McCloud! I built the weak points inside the cockpit, with me. Something you can't destroy this time around!"

"What is it with you and faces?" Fox grumbled in reply over the channel, firing off a Nova Bomb so that it went right into the mouth of the machine.

To McCloud's surprise, the mouth came into the shape of an "O" then the blast of the Nova Bomb was ushered into the direction of the tank, taking the shields all the way down to 50percent status. "You see!" Andross exclaimed, triumphantly. "You won't live this time, McCloud! You may have evolved as a pilot, as a leader and as a man, but I have evolved as a scientist! My knowledge is my power! My abilities have increased ten fold and I will crush you!"

Another transmission came into the channel patch, "Not if we have anything to say about it!" cried Peppy Hare from the bridge of the new GreatFox. It sank into the atmosphere, approaching Andross' flying disc fighter. The particle cannons began to power up, causing a proton buildup to gather in front of the massive cannon muzzles.

Fox could see Falco Lombardi's arwing swiftly race out from the hanger, heading for the Tank. McCloud opened the radio communication patch, calling out to him. "Don't worry about Andross; we need to get off this base before the whole thing floods!"

Falco replied quickly, "Slippy is on his way, we're going to combine our tractor beams to try and lift you up to the GreatFox. We'll return the tank later. Let Peppy deal with Andross!"

"No," Fox said, shaking his head, "He's mine. I won't be robbed of my vengeance. I want to shoot him down and fight him personally. I have to finish it and know he won't be getting up when it's all over."

"Fox," Krystal said, shaking her head, "We've got incoming objects, look!" Just as Slippy was coming out of the new GreatFox hanger, Andross was firing a volley of missiles in the direction of the tank. Krystal quickly whirled the turret about and opened fire. The gunnery handles bucked in her paws with a satisfying confidence.

She managed to shoot down some of the marking missiles but Slippy had to join for aid, leaving Falco to use his ship as a protection shield, to ensure the missiles didn't finish off the Land Master, completely.

Without further warning, the fully charged cannons of the GreatFox roared to life, sending a massive beam into the face-shaped disc. The particle discharge caused the sensors of the Land Master and both Arwings to flutter. It slammed into Andross' fighter, throwing it clear out of the general area. The Oikonni's fighter careened into the massive cliff a few hundred feet to the right of the dam.

It took several moments for the battle disc to become dislodged from where it had been embedded in solid rock. By that time, Slippy and Falco were already hovering over the tank, using the magnetic gravity beam that Slippy installed in the last month, as a prototype for light fighters. Between the two of them, it was just enough power to lift the tank from the ground a few inches.

Andross' machine came free from the rock, slowly moving forward, as if locking onto the tank from afar. Two powerful laser blasts ripped through the air. Fox punched the hovering booster on the right side, causing the tank to roll hard to the left. The double blaster shots slammed into the ground, narrowly missing the Land Master tank.

Fox rotated the tank's main gun, aimed carefully, then fired a shot. It lanced out, heading for the Dictator's ship but instead of hitting it, it went clear passed it. Just as Andross opened a channel to laugh, the dam ruptured.

A powerful cascade of water gushed outwards, gaining purchase on Andross' ship, forcing it under with the pressure and weight of the water. The avalanche of water barreled down the hill into the valley, towards the base and towards Fox and Krystal's tank. They were only a few inches off the ground at this point, with the water screaming in rapid approach.

"Get us out of here!" Fox called to his crew. Slippy and Falco hovered side by side, using their tractor gravity simulation beam to pull the tank upwards. The water rushed forward, slamming into the tank, causing both Arwings to buck to the side, nearly clipping one another.

"Increase the power of your output, transfer it from your weapons or shielding system!" Slippy called out to Falco, who quickly punched the button combination in to pull off the energy transfer. The Arwings struggled to life the tank from beneath the water, but still kept a strong hold on its metallic hull.

Inside, Fox was white knuckled, gripping at the steering wheel. The hover boosters were now flooded and useless. The computer warned that the stress test levels were beginning to exceed their maximum testing pressure, from the heavy current of the water.

"We're going to be crushed alive," Krystal groaned, looking around the cockpit in a nervous fashion, hoping that she wasn't looking at the interior of her future casket. "We can't die, the oracle told me about my future," She murmured.

"You'll have to tell me all about that if we get out of here," Fox replied, trying to keep his wits about himself. Just then, the computer exclaimed the warning of an imminent hull breech. Before Fox could think to respond to it, a jet of water gushed in through the corner, near the hatch and another geyser poured in near his booster roll pedals.

"May the Creator have mercy on us," Fox groused, trying to use his boot to cover the spray of water coming from beneath his feet. "This dream is nearly coming true. The Land Master can handle deep water with no problems, that's why I thought it was so weird that we were taking on water in my dream."

"And in the middle of some measure of combat, at that," Krystal noted, trying to keep a calm tone in her voice. She glanced over at the shield readout, but the shields were nearly ready to fizzle out. They were at 14 percent and dropping steadily.

"I suppose you're right," Fox said, offering an awkward sort of chuckle to show his discomfort. Another seal around the gun placement went, causing the back end of the turret to begin filling with water. "And here we are, taking bits and pieces from my dream and making it a reality. I thought you were the psychic one."

"Telepathic," Krystal replied with dry humor, in vain attempt to keep her wits. "Our depth reading is going down, just stay positive, Fox. They've almost got us out of here."

"Now that the pressure seals have broken, they'll have to get us on GreatFox for sure," Fox muttered, adding, "We can't go through the atmosphere with the hull breeched in several places!"

Krystal reached off to the side, pressing the button to cause the chairs to electronically swivel in place. Activating both her chair and Fox's own chair, they were now face to face. She unbuckled her safety belt, took his muzzle into her paws and brushed her nose against his. "I just want to tell you I love you, just incase…" And before he could respond, she kissed him. A passionate kiss, full of ferverous love and complete adoration. It was one that Fox couldn't help but melt into.

Everything from that point on, happened in slow motion. Just as the top of the tank broke the surface of the water, Falco's tractor field dispersed; his gravity cannon overheated and the weight of the tank and water quickly overpowered Slippy's own tractor beam. The tank tumbled over, getting pushed by the pressure of the water's current.

"Hold on!" Fox shouted, grabbing Krystal by her clothes and pulling her into his arms. She had only just removed her seatbelt and Fox knew that being tossed around inside the tank would hurt her. He clung to her, in an attempt to keep her from being jostled around the tank's tiny cabin.

Her body weight quadrupled and Fox strained with every ounce of adrenaline his muscular frame could muster. The tank was tossed around beneath the surface, slamming against a boulder beneath the waves. The back end of the tank, where Krystal previously sat, now collapsed. The ceiling nearly touched the ground, crushing her seat.

Over and over, the tank rolled in the current, before getting deposited in the branches of a large tree. The hatch was ripped from its hinges and by this point the windshield was ripped clean out of the tank's front side. Krystal found herself sucked from the windshield opening, washed out with the current.

For Fox, once again, time slowed down as she was pulled from his arms. His right paw was wrapped around her arm just as her left paw was wrapped around his right arm. She was pulled away, their paws sliding down one another's arms, until they were holding hands for a brief moment, in a last ditch effort. Her thoughts filled his mind as she projected a plea to him. "Don't…let… go, Fox."

Fox gritted his teeth, holding his breath under the blast of water that filled the cockpit. His muscles ached, screaming in protest. With a lack of oxygen, he struggled all the way into the depths of unconsciousness. Their fingers were slowly pried loose and their eyes met for the briefest of moments as she was pulled from him. Her eyes were wide with fear. It was the last thing Fox saw before the darkness consumed him.

Eleven hours passed…

The sound of metal creaked softly, making way to a droning noise behind it. A machine's humdrum rumble and more metallic screeching was heard, causing the vulpine pilot's ears to flicker. His right eye pried open but his arms ached too much to reach up and rub away the sea foam film that covered his face.

McCloud clinched his eyes shut tightly the opened them again, trying to lick his filmy lips. Sunlight filtered in from above and the noise of mechanical equipment continued to fill his ears. Falco and Peppy were prying the side of the tank open from outside. Somehow, they'd managed to get the tank out of the tree that was even with the water's surface, earlier.

Water was resting around his hips and ankles and the back end of the vehicle was collapsed completely. "…Kr-Krystal…?" Fox muttered before slipping back into the depths of slumber. While they worked the tank hull apart, Fox managed to slip in and out of consciousness several times, but was unable to remain awake.

"…No concussion," Someone said. He knew the voices of his team mates, but wasn't in the right mind to place the voice with an identity. His mind was swirling and confusion consumed his mental state, making his thoughts cloudy.

And yet he felt at peace. A bit cold, but not a sharp piercing sort of jack-frost biting sensation. Another voice, "Part of the control stick was ripped off, it's embedded in him, I think it pierced straight through his appendix!"

Another voice, this one he didn't recognize, "It's all right," They explained, "It's a vestigial organ; it no longer serves any real function, we've evolved beyond its use. He's lost a lot of blood. After the war against the Aparoids, our blood banks are nearly depleted. If we can't find someone with Type 'O', with no Rhesus protein. It's going to be difficult to find."

"Actually," Came the first voice. Fox's mind was starting to clear just a bit and he realized that it was his school-boy friend, Slippy Toad. Slippy continued, "Krystal is Type 'O' negative. I know because she had tests on hersince she's extra terrestrial. According to her, nobody has the Rhesus protein from her race; she's never even heard of it until she wound up in L-l-lylat."

A third voice, "But she's missing, Slip. There's a realistic possibility that she's gone, Slippy." Not exactly the voice of reason, but certainly the advice of someone who didn't have a flowery outlook on life. Falco Lombardi, who else?

"Let's at least look," The amphiboid grumbled sourly. "I recall Peppy telling me that she's under the impression that they're going to live together for a long time, from some sort of fortune teller."

"Dude!" Falco again. "Reality check? If she survived, she's lucky if she's not in the same shape as Fox. He's going to be in recovery for at least three weeks, look at his right shoulder? It's swollen to the size of my fist, and what about being impaled? And let's not forget, it's going to be impossible to find blood for him!"

"Falco! Calm down, son." A fourth voice. They were all there, the whole team. "Please, don't make this harder on yourself than it already is. I know you care about Fox. Let's just have some faith here."

"Whatever, Gramps. I need to stretch. I'm going to go for a patrol. Don't worry," Falco snapped, "It'll be productive, I'll be looking for her body." The sour remark caused both Peppy and Slippy to cringe. Fox couldn't even manage to open his eyes, he struggled to even hold on to his mortal coil.

"We're loosing him. Quick, let's get him out of there, we'll get him to the medical ship and try to stabilize him," Said the voice that Fox couldn't recognize. "I'll call to have a crash cart ready, I can tell you right now we're going to have to shock him by the time we get there, he's slipping fast, stop griping and start working faster, people."

"Fox?" A fifth voice. How many people were standing around him, he wondered? "Fox, open your eyes, Fox." The voice was so familiar and deeper than everyone else's voice he knew. Even deeper than Falco's voice. "Try it, it's a state of mind. It's willpower, not physical power. Open them, young man." The pilot did as he was told and immediately his eyes widened in shock.

"Father?" There before young Fox McCloud was James F. McCloud Senior. He wasn't wearing his signature sunshades, but instead, they were perched upon his brow. "Am I dead?" Fox found his voice came with ease, as if he didn't need to gasp for air, like he did a few minutes prior.

"This is the land of Limbo, son. Do you remember what I told you when you last saw me at the end of the Lylat War?" Asked James.

"Never give up," Fox recited, adding, "Trust your instincts."

"You're here because you didn't listen to that little piece of advice," The elder McCloud scolded gently. "I'm not disappointed, Fox. I love you; you're my son. I'll always love you. I'll always accept you and be proud of your achievements, son."

"Limbo? So we're both dead? I kept hope," Fox explained. "I kept hope when I saw you after I defeated Andross. I saw you again when I was facing the Aparoid queen but that wasn't you."

"No it wasn't," James agreed.

"Please, can you tell me exactly how you died, Dad?" Fox's eyes seemed pleading. All around them was darkness, but the void was illuminated just enough that it wasn't a consuming nothingness like he would have originally thought. "And why am I not before the Creator? Does He not exist?"

James tilted his head and said, "It's not your time, Fox. The Creator exists. He sent me here to give you a life lesson. Fighting for the better cause may be in your nature… the nature of our line, but it's not your entire life. The secret of life is the continuation of life itself. Reproduction. Offspring, continuing the species and your bloodline and ensuring the existence of your race. As far as how I died… It's time to ask Peppy for the whole grisly truth. Just know that as a leader I value the lives of my men more than my own. A real leader knows that his men are not pawns. They're all potential queens, you just need to get them to the other side of the metaphorical chess board."

"You gave your life by creating a diversion so he could escape?" Fox asked.

"Something like that," James explained, leaning to kiss Fox upon the boy's forehead. "You're a made man, Fox McCloud. It's time to settle down and raise a family. Your time will come, one day. Make sure you've passed on who you are to your children, before that time comes. Time is precious. Don't worry about me, I'm not alone, here."

"Not alone?" Fox gazed at him with wide, naïve eyes. "Mom?"

James smiled softly, patting Fox on the side of his muzzle. "A man isn't complete without his wife. The scriptures state they were made from us, and it didn't exactly happen like it was written. It was a metaphor, meaning that we're not complete without our spouse. You're a lucky man, Fox. You've already met and fell in love with your mate. Don't be so nervous, you have my blessing, son. Do yourself a favor first."

"Yes sir?" Fox asked, watching his father with those young, curious eyes. He was no longer a man going on 30, but a young teenage boy, if only for the moment.

"Have Peppy take you back to our home. It's been condemned and sits in disuse. Go inside, look in the attic and you'll find a double-thick cardboard box. Inside is a wooden box with a velvet interior. It's a family heirloom. When you see what's inside of it, you'll know what to do with it. That's all I can tell you. I love you, Fox."

"I love you too, Dad," Said the boy. "My vision is getting blurry," Fox added, reaching to rub at his face.

"Defibrillation," James said in reply. "It's going to hurt in a moment."

Fox doubled over, clutching at his abdomen. He sunk to his knees, looking up at his father with wide sobbing eyes. "Why now? I wanted to see my mother before I go back, please?" He was nearly begging. James approached him and placed a paw upon Fox's brow.

"She's serving her place in Heaven, Fox. You'll see her again, in the future. In fact, if you do as I asked, you'll see her when you hunt for the heirloom. Make sure you find it as soon as possible. Go there, yourself. Don't send someone else to do it, son."

Fox groaned in pain, looking up through tear-filled eyes. "Why does it hurt?"

"You're appendix burst, Fox. They'll remove it but first, you have to open your eyes," James chuckled gently, trying to offer a reassuring yet firm tone of voice.

"Daddy? I can't see you anymore, are you there?" Fox hadn't called him daddy since around the time Vixy died.

"I'm always here, Fox. Open your eyes!"

"My eyes, sir?" Fox asked to the gloom-shrouded obscurity that surrounded him. The one he feared he would see, earlier. "I don't understand! Can you help me?"

"You've become so strong, Fox. You only need to help yourself. Now… Open your eyes!" James demanded.

"My eyes sir?" Fox cried out again. "How? I can't see anything!"

"Willpower, my son! Remember what I told you! Never give up, trust your instincts. It's willpower, Fox. Open your eyes!" James ordered. Fox clinched his eyes shut then forcibly tried to open them. Still darkness, but the pain stabbed at him again in another shocking wave of sensation that raced up his spine. James repeated, once more, "Open your eyes!" The words continued to be repeated, but James' voice melted away, replaced by another voice, chanting the same thing.

Peppy Hare. He stood to the side, clear of Fox McCloud, who was getting shocked by the duel crash cart paddles. "Open your eyes! Open your eyes, Fox!" Peppy demanded. Behind his voice was the monotone drone of a computer hum. The hum suddenly paused. The interruption was but a caesura, followed by the pulsing beep tone.

There was a breath from beyond, like the kiss of love, which breathed air into his muzzle... into his lungs. And yet the pain in his torso behind it caused him to gasp for air. His body felt weightless for a moment but crashed back down to the cart, looking up at a man holding a pair of defibrillation paddles. Fox's eyes were wide, full of fear and confusion and the pain in his gut was nearly mind-numbing.

"Krystal!" He cried after he'd sucked in enough breath with which to shout. His cry for his mate was followed by, "Father? Are you still there?"

Those words caused Peppy's heart to sink. Tears began to flow down his cheeks, soaking his fur and matting it so that it lay haphazardly over his face in total disarray. He quickly snatched Fox's paw, pulling it to his chest. "It's me, Fox. It's Peppy."

"Where's Krystal?" Fox moaned over the pain of his appendix rupture.

Peppy leaned to kiss Fox upon his forehead, much the way James had, previously, leaving Fox to wonder if it was just a dream he'd experienced. The elder hare then explained, "Fox, you need an emergency surgery, just relax. The more you stress yourself, the harder it is for your heart, because your blood pressure is so low. Just calm down, they're going to give you a local for the pain but they can't put you under because your blood pressure is too low."

"Blood transfusion?" Fox asked sourly.

This time it was the lead surgeon who replied, "Our blood banks are nearly depleted and you have a fairly rare blood type, Mister McCloud. The Aparoid attack left us in need. More people need it than those who are able to donate, or have the will or desire to donate. Just stay calm, Mister McCloud. It'll be easier for you… clear your mind, please."

"…Krystal." Fox shut his eyes, worry gnawing at his heart.

A/N: Did Krystal survive? If she did, will she be as injured as Fox, and unable to provide the vital transfusion to save his life, or vice versa…? What happened to Andross Oikonni and his nephew? Find out soon, in the conclusion of STARFOX: REFLECTIONS OF THE FUTURE or STARFOX: UNCERTAIN FUTURE? Same Fox time! Same Fox Channel!

XD

-Kit