[Author's Note: Not much introduction needed this time. Bit of a different angle, hope you all like it. As ever, thanks for reading/reviewing and enjoy! ~Foxmerc]
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CHAPTER 16
Before I Wake
Unknown
Unknown
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"Tell them the mission has failed."
Gage knelt on the cold metal floor on Artemis Thirteen, the blood from the young, caved-in head pooling around him and warming him. It spread all around, engulfing the metal from wall to wall, crawling up onto his lap and trickling up his chest.
"Tell them the mission has failed."
"This is command. Fix it, captain."
"Tell them the mission has failed."
"Fix it, captain!"
Gage looked at the young feline's broken, disfigured skull. He reached his hand inside the skull, fished pieces of bone from the mush of gray matter and blood, tried to fix them desperately in place like a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces always collapsed. "I can't."
"You have to fix it, captain!"
"I can't fix it!" He frantically shoved pieces of skull into each other but they wouldn't make the child whole again. "Hellion and the bomb. Hell and the bomb."
Red mist filled Gage's eyes. The entire room had filled with it, a ghastly fog. He looked up; Ley stood over him, her head broken and shattered just like the child's. She stared at him with her one intact eye, opened her mouth to scream, but all he heard was Hellion's voice coming from nowhere, all around him.
"You all with your military training and polished boots and yes-sir no-sir, you think you've seen it all. Well now you've seen chaos. Now you've seen us. What do you think?"
She fell to her knees, screaming silently in agony. Delaine fell beside her, his lupine head shattered in exactly the same way.
"What do you think?"
His chest tight, his head swimming, his limbs unresponsive, Gage tried to mend everyone. He tried to fix it. He scooped blood from the ground to fill the heads but it all fell through his fingers.
The dead child spoke with a voice Gage didn't recognize, yet knew immediately, yet couldn't place. "Fix it."
Gage wept, his tears lost in the pool of blood. He tried to work on the child's skull again but his pistol was in his hand. He couldn't drop it, couldn't loosen his fingers from the gun. He tried to piece the child together but could do nothing, the pistol barrel nudging and poking and breaking the bone as he worked.
"What do you think?"
Gage looked up. Ares and Eris stood near a door marked with black letters that wouldn't stay still, wouldn't allow themselves to be focused upon. They laughed, their piercing voices blindingly loud. They ran through the door, their laugh shattering the station around them. Gage rose and pursued them; the silent screams from those he couldn't fix caused his skin to tremor.
He sprinted in desperation as the station fell apart but his legs were heavy, his movements slow and abated. The station turned into a maze, identical silver hallways and identical silver doors in every direction. Each door led to another identical hallway, the laughter his only clue to follow. At last the doors became wooden, white with worn, chipped paint and colorful stickers on them, the door of his childhood bedroom. He opened one and instead of an entrance found a mirror. His reflection stared back and broke into tears, finally collapsing into an uncontrollable heap. Frightened, Gage turned away and ran down another hallway and opened the door. Another mirror. His reflection glared back in rage and screamed at him, fists pounding against the mirror, trying to get out. Gage shut the door and ran down another hallway.
"What do you think?"
He flung the door wide and came face to face with another reflection: Leon. Gage felt his face and Leon mirrored the movements. Then the lizard acted on his own; he grinned and spoke:
"When you look at me, Captain, you might as well be looking in a mirror. Except that I do not have demons, as you do. I accept what I am."
Gage retorted but his words lagged behind his mouth. "I'm not you. We're nothing alike. I'm nothing alike."
"Demons to curse. Curse Birse. The curse, the curse, the curse…."
Gage attacked the mirror and the stuttering Leon, shattering it. Sorrow gripping him, he fell to his knees.
"Fix it."
"I can't." Gage tried to put the mirror back together. "I want to go home. Mom made macaroons. I can smell them from down the block." He couldn't avoid nicking himself on the sharp shards. "Today must be special. Can you smell them?"
Gage held up one of the shards and caught the reflection of something over his shoulder. He hopped up and turned around. Ares and Eris stood far away, motionless, still as gargoyles. Gage stared back. He blinked; in that split second of eyelid movement they had moved closer, their bodies still motionless. His heart raced, fear causing him to tremble. He couldn't help blinking again; the twins appeared closer, as still as corpses. His wet eyes made him blink more rapidly. Before he knew it, the tigers stood only a foot before him, their faces locked in masks of cruel humor. Then their mouths moved and multiple voices poured forth, each one overlapping the other so Gage couldn't understand anything. He closed his eyes.
"One hostage, one hostile. Seems simple enough."
Gage's eyes flew open. He stood beside the doorway to an expensive penthouse, his team stacked up behind him. A man was inside, the mission said, a desperate man with an important hostage. "We breach in five."
He counted down the seconds and kicked the door in, his rifle shouldered and aimed ahead. A red fox in a black combat suit stood at the far end of the living room, his arm locking the neck of his living shield, a red fox in a black combat suit, a gun held to his head. Gage looked at himself, the hostage, and then himself, the hostile. He opened fire, putting multiple lasers through both of them until they both collapsed dead.
"Why, sir?"
Gage shrugged. "They were both screwed anyway."
A side door opened and Fox McCloud walked out, offering a cheerful wave at the Dagger team. He breezed by Gage and clapped him on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Take it easy in there, mercenary."
Gage watched him leave, watched him effortlessly step over the corpses of his team; they all lay on the floor, their broken skulls painting the expensive carpet dark crimson. He dropped his rifle and walked to the door Fox had opened. His steps seemed not to bring him closer; the door retreated the more he tried to get to it. Finally, he grabbed hold of the old fashioned knob, afraid he would fall back if he let go, and shoved himself through the doorway.
A marvelous washroom lay before him. A red vixen sat on the edge of a spacious tub, wearing only a towel, her fingers gently flicking steamy water that rushed from the faucet. Fara looked up at Gage and smiled. She stood and sauntered toward him, her eyes mischievous.
"There's room for two," she said, draping her forearms over his shoulders, rubbing her body against his.
"Two is too many. One is not enough."
She kissed him. Gage closed his eyes and let it happen, his body on fire. He opened his eyes and gasped; Fara's head had suddenly been ravaged just like the child's, blood streaming down her fur. She eased back and her one remaining eye narrowed in confusion. Gage tried not to backpedal in fear. She reached up and felt her own head, what was left of her face contorting in horror as she realized her fate.
"Fix it, Gage?"
"What do you think?"
"Fix it!" Fara fell upon Gage, forcing him onto his back. She grabbed his shirt and begged him, pleaded, blood from her head raining down on his own face. Gage tried to struggle away and tell her it would be alright but the blood choked him, filled his throat. He coughed and sputtered, devoid of air. He felt himself slipping away, dying…
Choking…
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Gage's eyes flew open and he gasped, swallowing air as quickly as his heaving chest would allow. Sweat soaked his fur, chilling him in the cold recycled space station air. He peeled the sheets back and sat up, wiping his face with his clammy hands and shivering more from the dream than the cold. He could still feel everything on his skin, hear everything echoing in his ears. Ghosts from the dream hid behind his eyelids and shimmered in the dark guest room.
"Lights," he uttered, his voice rough. The illumination did little to help; it wasn't the dark that frightened him.
"Good morning, sir."
Gage winced and looked over his shoulder at the vid-comm console on the desk near the window. A receptionist's face smiled on the book-size screen, the lupine "Julie" model Beltino had designed.
"The time is 5:02, sir, approximately one hour earlier than your expected awakening. Would you like something to aid in rest?"
The fox rubbed his heavy eyes and grunted, "Fuck off, you robotic bitch."
"Suggestion noted, sir. Please dial zero if you have any further needs. Have a nice day!"
With a long exhale, Gage stood and staggered to the bathroom. A couple splashes of cold water on his face helped ease the humid sweaty feeling and the following gulps eased the fire in his parched throat. Careful to avoid looking in the mirror over the sink, he stepped back into the bedroom and his eyes fell upon the vid-comm.
They're open all day and night…they always listened before…
Gage stood and stared at the vid-comm for over a minute, his mind simultaneously going over the dream and trying to forget it. It started the same way it always had before, back on Artemis Thirteen. Though his conscious mind couldn't repeat Ares' exact words, somehow the dream always nailed it…the same way it did for Leon, a newcomer to the recurring nightmare. Fara…another unwelcome addition to the mess. Gage had thought that after dozens of nights of this dream in the past few years he would've been desensitized to it, but leave it to his damn mind to mix it up and make it worse. The worst part was always how real it felt even after he awoke, as if the entire dream was a true memory.
He couldn't relax, couldn't ease his heart down from its fight-or-flight pace. He needed someone to speak with, someone he could be honest with, someone who wouldn't be around when it was over, or judge him, or lose respect for him. There was only one place he knew to find that.
They always listen…
Gage sat in the chair before the vid-comm and punched in the number he knew by heart. As the tone indicated an attempted connection, he turned off the screen to block visual feed as he always did. The usual pit of nervousness formed in his stomach but he ignored it; once he got started it always went away.
A sultry female voice answered the call, her voice low and breathy. "Thanks for calling Bad Kitties, lover. Three credits per minute, two for every minute after ten. All major cards accepted. Card number, please."
Gage cleared his throat. "You have it on file. Birse. Last four digits, seven six one three."
A pause. "Welcome back, you. I hope you love it as much as ever. You have a girl preference?"
"No…no, not really."
"Well, let me put you through to Angel. She'll make sure you have a heavenly time. Hold, please."
Gage stared out the window at space, suddenly feeling colder. He leaned over, grabbed his jacket from where he tossed it the night before, and draped it over his shoulders.
"Hey there, sugar. This is Angel. I'm all alone right now, stretched out on this big bed and wearing nothing but—"
"Wait, wait. You don't have to do that."
"Well, you have your screen off, we can't see each other. Nothing wrong with it, we get lots of shy guys, but talking's about all I can do."
"No, I mean…Angel, what's your real name?"
A moment's hesitation. "Sarah."
"What I mean, Sarah, is that I'd just like to talk."
"This is phone sex, sugar. Talking's our specialty."
Gage swallowed. "I just need someone to listen, to talk to."
"You want to pay three creds a minute for a normal conversation?"
"Yeah. Please. I just need someone."
Another brief pause passed before she spoke again. "Oh, hey, I heard'a' you. Some of the other girls mentioned a 'talker.' Well sure, sugar, I get paid all the same. If you get off from being the talker, go right on ahead."
Gage took a breath through his nose. "I couldn't sleep tonight. When I finally did, I had this recurring nightmare. It has to do with my job and a major screw-up. Everyone wants me to fix it but I can't. Then I run after these…competitors and I see myself in these mirrors…and then I shoot these other versions of me. But something was different this time. This horrible guy I know was comparing me to him, and this woman I have feelings for was there too but she was…she was affected by my screw-up too."
"What was the screw-up? What do you do for a living?"
"I'd rather not say. Let's just say people's lives were ruined. Every day, lives are in my hands."
"Come on now, sugar. I'm sure it ain't as bad as all that."
Gage wished that just once that saying could be true. He rested his head on his hands and rubbed his eyes once more. It had been so easy to shed tears in the dream; why could it not be that easy now? "It's not just the dream. People put their faith in me. Everyone at work is going through a real tough time and it's only going to get worse and I have to face it with them. But those competitors are still out there. And there's always more to take their place. Eventually I'll screw up again and how many people will get hurt next time? And even if I don't screw up…" Leon's reflection popped into his mind. "…what if I'm not as honorable a person as I thought I was? What if the dark side of my job finally gets me?"
"You're going all over the place here, baby. Sounds like you take your job way too serious. What, do you work in quality control or something?"
"Something like that."
"So why not quit? Find a new job. You know, I'm just doing this to pay my way through college, ain't gonna be here forever. Maybe you should try a switch."
"You know how lots of guys define themselves through their jobs? Well I am my job. It's what I do, plain and simple. I can't do anything else."
"What about that girl you mentioned, the one you have feelings for? What does she think?"
"I can't do anything about her. I don't know if I ever can as long as I have this job."
"From where I'm sitting, I'd have to say your job sucks."
"It's not pleasant, no. But it has to be done."
"Can you give me anything about it that you like?"
Gage thought for a moment. "Well…when the job is done right, I know I made a major difference for the best. Not many people can say that. On the other hand, when I screw up…" He sighed. "I need to know what to do, Sarah. How do I fix it? How do I make it all work? How do I go out there and do my job and protect my men when I'm a goddamn wimp who jumps at dreams and doesn't even have his own mind sorted out?"
The line fell silent and Gage wondered if he had scared her off. He found himself comforted when her voice rose again.
"You're asking an awful lot from a phone sex line. Look, sugar…no one has their mind fully sorted out, no one I ever met anyway. And no one's perfect. I ain't a shrink or nothing, but it sounds like your nightmare's trying to tell you something, maybe lots of things. Maybe you have to make a choice. Maybe you don't, maybe things will work out with the right attention. I don't know."
"Yeah. Yeah, maybe."
"Look, I ain't saying this because my job is to get men tight in the pants, but I think you're just rattled right now and need to relax. Things always look worse in the dark. You're paying to talk, so why not talk about some nice things to get your mind off this pesky dream?"
"I really don't—"
"I'm putting my foot down. Don't make me be the dominating one; I've played that role plenty of times and customers say I'm damn good."
A chuckle escaped Gage's muzzle.
"That's a good start. You have a nice laugh. Sexy voice, too. So talk, sugar. What do you like to do for fun?"
"I don't have much fun time. See, I'm actually a highly-trained special forces soldier performing covert operations out near Venom."
"Ahh, a sense of humor at least. Either that or you watch too many movies for fun."
He grinned. "Yeah, you got me. Listen, I appreciate you trying to cheer me up but I think I better go. I already probably spent half a month's pay on this call."
"Aww. Well, alright then. I hope things work out for you."
"Thanks for listening."
"No problem, sugar. I got paid and you didn't want me to do anything weird. Thanks for calling Bad Kitties. Be sure to ask for Angel next time!"
Gage cut the connection and leaned back in his chair, his eyes rising above the screen to the infinite expanse of space beyond his window. Fox and the others wouldn't expect him for some time; even his scheduled wake-up call set for six was earlier than theirs. All the better; he'd need a bit more time to set himself straight: take a long shower to loosen his muscles, maybe try to smooth talk his way into the station guards' firing range for some meditative shooting, whatever it took to get his mind clear and focused again before everyone woke up.
He fleetingly thought of visiting Fara to see how she was doing after the previous day's hardships but immediately dismissed it, angry at himself for thinking it. He knew he had to be more careful now, analyzing each action that involved Fara to make sure his professional mind was in charge. Fox had said she was fine. Period. No reason to go see her. No professional reason.
Two is too many.
Gage found himself speaking the rest of his dreamed words into the silent air. "One is not enough."
With a forced scoff, he shook his head and stood to head for the shower.
Just a dream.
Just a dream.
-
Venom
0712 hours, local
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Dianus propped herself up in her wide canopied bed, the satin sheets suddenly hot and stifling as a death shroud. She blinked rapidly and took deep breaths through her nose. With a mechanical click, light poured into the room and spread across the entire bedchamber as the protective shield that covered the dome-like walls and ceiling retracted. The beautiful luster of the Venomian sands nearly surrounded the large room, the light ever present with a golden glow.
"My apologies, mistress. You asked to be awakened when General Heramus arrived."
Dianus blinked and became aware of one of her guards standing beside the bed, her black combat suit, cloak, and mask making her as a shadow against the brightness behind her. "Of course…yes, of course."
"Are you well, mistress?"
Dianus straightened her shoulders and narrowed her eyes. "Identify."
"Cheryl, mistress."
"Never ask such ridiculous questions, Cheryl. You will know when I'm not well. Lay out appropriate clothing and return to your post."
"Yes, mistress. My apologies."
Dianus' eyes darted around the room as Cheryl retreated to the dressing corner. The usual six guards all stood at motionless attention, spaced evenly in a protective formation to cover every angle. They always stood as such, even at all hours of the night while she slept. The vixen knew that she need not worry of looking weak or absurd in their eyes; their loyalty was assured, their opinions nonexistent, their lives forever at her fingertips. Yet still she felt embarrassed for waking up in such a flustered state, shaken by a simple dream.
More a nightmare than a dream. She resented her lack of control over her nocturnal thoughts given her discipline in controlling herself when awake; she couldn't remember the last time she gave her once-husband James McCloud more than a fleeting thought. Yet he haunted every moment of her sleep that night. Even her true beloved's presence only reminded her of the longing she had suffered since his death. Andross' legacy, while indeed her honored purpose in life, did not keep her warm at night.
Then there was Fox…
Dianus stood, careful to maintain her grace, and walked across the soft violet carpet to her dressing corner. She slipped the shoulder straps of her nightgown off and let the garment fall to her ankles. As Cheryl helped her into the intricate violet dress she had chosen, Dianus became preoccupied with Fox. Again her unconscious mind betrayed her; never in the waking hours did she allow herself to remember Fox as her son, yet in the nightmare she could not see him as anything else, his eyes orbs of blame and sorrow.
Very well then, she thought as she looked at herself in the mirror and adjusted the dress where it needed. Let the sad ghosts of the past reside in the dark corners of her mind where they could do naught but remind her of sadder days. The presence of her enemies in her dream only strengthened her claim that she was nearing the point of their defeat. She took a deep breath and smiled at how wonderful she looked in purple, the interlaced white elbow-length gloves the perfect touch. Already the dream fluttered from her mind, lost against the thoughts of all she had to accomplish that day.
"Has the general been shown to the command room?" Dianus asked.
"Yes, mistress. Ares and Eris of Hellion are with him, however. That was not foreseen."
Dianus' smile broadened. "No matter. I trust they'll remember to watch their tongues this time."
Once satisfied with her appearance, Dianus followed Cheryl from the bedchamber, two door guards falling into pace behind her. The rest of the complex lay before her in much the same design as her own quarters; corridors connected domes of different sizes and purpose, some indefinitely shielded for security but most translucent to allow the embrace of Venom's sands to forever be visible. One such shielded dome occupied the west end of the compound, larger than any other dome save the main hub in the center. Dianus sighed as she passed the security door and entered the dome, leaving the warm light behind.
Four hundred soldiers and guardswomen snapped to attention as the door slid shut and locked behind her. With a slight wave of her hand, they returned to their consoles or errands, manning the three tiers of holoscreens and input stations arranged in a ring pattern from the center outward. In the center stood a gleaming metal dais with her chair perched atop, monitors surrounding it from which she could observe every facet of security and operations. She never liked spending any long amount of time in Central Command; the fluorescent lights lacked personality and the black dome shield blocked out the planet's natural beauty. Luckily, her underlings were well trained and seldom required supervision for everyday tasks.
Dianus strode to her dais where the bloodhound General Heramus stood, both ragged pirates behind him. She ignored the general's bow and sat in her chair, resting her head on her hand and giving them a cold look.
"A pleasure to see you again, ma'am," Heramus said. "It's always an honor, as it once was to be in the presence of Andross."
"Enough, general. If I want boot-licking I can demand it of any peon in this room. Give me your report."
The bloodhound nodded slowly, sweat glistening on his brow. "The former Starwolf pilot was killed, as per your orders. But…Fox McCloud and the Dagger captain got to him first. They broke him out of jail and spent at least five minutes with him before he was executed."
Dianus' brow rose. "I'm sorry?"
"They, uh…they broke him out. Without a trace of their guilt for the police to find."
She smiled and nodded slightly. "Good boy, Fox. Very good. What was the point I made so excruciatingly clear at our last meeting, Ares?"
The tiger stared blankly, surprised by the sudden attention. "Uh…uh…" His sister whispered something in his ear and his eyes lit up. "Oh yeah. Don't underestimate people."
"Correct. Leon was not executed quickly enough, for we assumed McCloud would not break the law. He is rising to meet our challenge. Did he gain any knowledge from Leon before my guard killed him?"
"Impossible to say," Heramus replied. "Given Leon's history, I don't think torture would have worked in such a short time."
Dianus leaned back and turned her head to a monitor at her left. With a few keystrokes of the pad built into her armrest, the screen showed a long-distance probe surveillance of the LDC Vanguard. The massive ship had not budged in days, maintaining its vigil of Venom with irritating stubbornness. Dianus gazed at it for minutes, deep in thought. "You've allowed a disturbing trend of failures lately, general. Admiral Henriksen lived, General Pepper lived, and even a task as simple as silencing that bumbling coward Leon has slipped through your fingers. My husband may have respected you as an officer but your performance has been…inadequate. Explain yourself."
Heramus wiped his brow and opened his mouth to speak a few times before finally finding the words. "The attacks on Corneria City have undoubtedly spooked the public, so our goal was accomplished. Corneria took a firm stance during the war but now the politicians and media are in charge and the LDC is spineless. I've personally seen to the impending success of Project Atlas. It will be operational within the week and then nothing, not even the Vanguard, can stop you."
Dianus slowly nodded. "What of the infiltrator?"
"We don't know. Her neural link has not reactivated since it was jostled and damaged during her 'rescue' from the pirates. Her memory was projected to return within these past couple days but we've received no communication. She might be fully functional and gathering information as we speak, or her memory could have been irreversibly damaged. Our inside man in Toad Development claims that the Dagger captain exhibited strong protective feelings toward her but he was unable to get closer."
The vixen's brow furrowed. "Interesting."
"We can't be certain of her loyalty or whether she's even aware of who she is."
"No matter. Her deployment was but a secondary experiment. She is inconsequential." Dianus cleared the monitor of her enemy's capital ship. "Is your part in Project Atlas complete?"
"Yes, ma'am. Once final preparations are complete, it only awaits your command."
"Then I suppose congratulations are in order. I pray it works. You'd better pray as well."
Heramus offered a nervous half-smile at the binary compliment and warning. "I promise, ma'am."
"Return to the Nyx and await my orders. I will send one of my personal guards as escort."
With a deep bow, the bloodhound left, trying his best to avoid appearing too eager to leave. Once the door closed, Dianus raised her hand and beckoned the guard named Cheryl closer. With the mask and hood close enough for her to smell the fiber, she said, "He hired Leon. Leon was interrogated by McCloud. Heramus may be compromised. We can't allow him to be arrested or discovered. When you're both securely onboard the Nyx, kill him and return the ship to port. Clear?"
"Yes, mistress."
The guard followed him out like a visage of Death stalking its next victim. Alone on the dais with Hellion, Dianus swiveled her chair toward them, amused at their cautious faces. Their last visit was apparently fresh in their minds.
"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Dianus asked. "We're not scheduled to meet."
"We got your lapdog there to bring us," Eris said. "You said you'd have something for us after whatever the hell you did on Corneria. We want Dagger and we want them now."
Ares smirked. "Too true, sister. We waited long enough. I dream of Birse…I smell his blood in my sleep. Dagger's the biggest trophy in the galaxy. Come on now, Di. He ain't good for your business either. You gotta have some information we can use."
"You rabid morons had Captain Birse in your grasp and you allowed him to escape. Since then, he's been a thorn in my side. I need Dagger out of the way but most importantly I need them delayed until Project Atlas is launched."
"Delay!" Ares repeated. "Y'know, nothing delays a man like dying."
"Right as always, brother!"
"I say next time we cut off one leg at the knee and see how long it takes him to bleed out."
"We already did that twice this year! What about hanging him by his own intestines? Ohh, that sounds like fun!"
"Creative as ever, sister."
Dianus tapped her chin with her forefinger in thought, letting the insane tigers go about their vulgar discussion. A plan formed in her mind, each element taking root as quickly as it entered her mind. When there was a lull in the laughter and coarse language, she interrupted. "You know what I've grown to like about you two? I can come right out and say I want you to be bait and you'd probably jump at the chance."
Ares' eyes widened. "Bait for Dagger? You bet!"
Such good little puppets."Listen well. Captain Birse is a formidable enemy. If you want him defeated, and to suffer in the process, don't strike at his armor. Strike at his heart. It seems he has feelings for an infiltrator I planted in their midst. As fate would have it, I can no longer be certain of that infiltrator's loyalty or functionality. It's come time to eliminate her."
"You want us to do it? How?"
Dianus gestured to the black-clad women around her. "Each of my personal guards has a neural implant that allows me to monitor them. They also act as a kill switch. Each implant is connected to its own handheld transmitter that can kill the unfortunate guard with the push of a button. Though her neural feed was damaged, the kill switch should still work since it's on its own frequency." She grinned. "Would you like to be the ones who kill her? If Birse does indeed have feelings for her, you can throw him from his guard and perhaps gain enough of an upper hand to finish him once and for all."
The twins exchanged looks, their eyes and smiles growing larger as their minds toyed with the idea.
"Oh," Dianus continued, "and I don't mind a little creativity this time, since the objective is a delay. Even you can't screw up pushing a button."
"Oh, don't you worry 'bout that," Ares said, barely containing a giddy laugh. "I got lots'a ideas."
"Me too, brother! I can't wait to—"
"Quiet!" Dianus snapped. "Save the jabbering for your own filthy ilk and pay attention. I'll have the kill switch sent to your ship along with a detailed layout of your orders and objectives. However you choose to go about this, it must coincide with the preparation phase of Project Atlas. You'll be notified when the time is right. If you fail, Dagger will be the least of your concerns. Am I clear?"
Ares gave a mock salute. "You got it. We'll be—"
"Get out of my sight."
As the twins left Central Command, Dianus wondered if dealing with them was worth the benefit of having two vicious attack dogs to use at her whim. Nonetheless, she congratulated herself on her improvised plan. The tigers were useful tools for creating distractions, at least. Part of her desired to see what would become of their confrontation but the impending launch of Project Atlas overshadowed it. She felt an energy around her as if Venom itself was ready give birth to its new generation
She allowed her mind to wander, envisioning the fate of the Vanguard, Admiral McGarret, and finally Fox McCloud. She knew not how much time passed before a hand fell on her shoulder.
"Mistress."
Dianus glanced up, annoyed, at a guard. "Identify."
"Ingrid, mistress."
"Is this important, Ingrid?"
"Yes, mistress. It's returned."
Dianus stood bolt upright and stepped to the edge of her dais. "Bring it up on the main screen!"
The large holoscreen on the first tier glowed to life. Before her unblinking eyes, the visual readout of an orbital probe showed it: an unmarked Arwing, drifting practically motionless as if derelict.
"Scans report the same as last time," Ingrid said, her voice emotionless through her mask. "No recognized signature. Life scans unreliable. Would you like a patrol to—"
"Yes." Dianus had locked her eyes on the Arwing and couldn't look away. "Destroy it."
Somehow she knew that couldn't happen. She continued to watch as the patrol was rerouted, feeling the Arwing stare back at her. All at once, her nightmare returned to her; the overwhelming presence of James McCloud, the glare of their son Fox. She knew that it was impossible for this Arwing to be James. He was long dead and every destroyed Arwing prototype was accounted for. Regardless, this ship appeared and disappeared seemingly at will.
Her eyes didn't leave the screen as the patrol approached the Arwing, forcing it to leave. She didn't bother watching the tactical display layout; she knew what would happen even before Ingrid reported.
"It disappeared from scans, mistress. Patrol reports no visual."
What are you?
"Do you believe in ghosts, Ingrid?" Dianus asked, her eyes distant.
"Would you like me to, mistress?"
"No…no. No such thing. We make our own ghosts." She cleared her throat and blinked a few times. "If it shows up again, shoot it on sight. Destroy it. Whatever it takes."
-
Unnamed vessel, Macbeth orbit
1434 hours, adjusted local
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"LDC Vanguard Communications Control to Starfox. Good to have you back in the formation. Scan vitals indicate that your ship has not been named and filed in the Lylat Transportation Commission database. Is this correct?"
Fox strummed his fingers on the shiny, brand-new armrest of his captain's chair and looked around at the others with him. Falco leaned over a console near the panoramic canopy, much as he had been doing for most of the trip, fascinated by the new equipment – especially the main cannon – in a way Slippy would have been proud of. Gage sat a tier below in the first mate's chair tapping his foot on the floor, his eyes distant. After the Vanguard crewman's question, their eyes fell on him.
"Right," he replied. "Give us a temporary tag number. We'll register with the LTC soon."
"Roger, Starfox. Admiral McGarret has urgently requested you and Captain Birse as soon as you're settled into formation. Out."
"Lovely," Falco grumbled. "Well, vacation's over. Hey, when we gonna name the ship anyway?"
Fox hesitated. "I'm waiting for inspiration, I guess. The Great Fox was my father's ship. I want nothing to do with that name anymore."
"That name was always too wimpy anyway. I still say The Reaper."
Fox rolled his eyes. "We're mercenaries, Falco, not villains in a sci-fi movie. Not as bad a suggestion as Gage's, though."
The Dagger captain seemed not to notice the jab immediately and raised his eyebrows as he became aware of the two pilots' eyes on him. "What?"
"You know, you've been kind of distracted since we left the TDE station."
The darker fox waved him off. "It's nothing. Just trying to figure out what the hell Beltino was thinking with that walking Arwing prototype he showed us.
Fox chuckled. "Yeah, probably a good thing that he scrapped that." He and Falco exchanged a glance; doubtful that the odd prototype was the source of such distraction in a usually constant-alert Gage. But he knew from past experience not to push the subject.
The bridge door slid open, allowing Fara in. She entered reluctantly, her eyes briefly meeting Fox's before they both looked away. Tension had hung in the air as heavy as the new-ship smell throughout the entire journey. The two hadn't exchanged any words and barely stayed in the same room together for any amount of time. Fox kept thinking that he should say something, anything, but what could he do except apologize again? The embarrassment over what he had done hadn't diminished since it occurred two days before.
Much to his relief, Robin followed her in, her cheerful demeanor breaking the ice. Fox hadn't been sure what to initially make of ROBin9 the "update" to the ROB64 model. For one thing, her appearance…caught the eye easier. As if crafted only by lonely single male technicians, the white snow-leopardess mimicked a beautiful female body perfectly, complete with a crisp grey skirt and blouse and high heels. Apparently, the success of the "Julie" model used as receptionists in the TDE station prompted Beltino to discover that predominantly male work forces respond better and pay more attention to a female voice or presence. So the ninth iteration of the ROB model underwent a gender switch. Fox wasn't sure about the research, but he did know one thing for sure…she made status reports way more entertaining to sit through.
"Good day, gentlemen!" she said in a cordial yet no-nonsense tone. "Miss Fara was a bit lost trying to find the bridge but all's well now. Hangar subsystems are nominal. For its maiden voyage, the insert name here is doing quite well."
Even Fara couldn't help being amused at the speech mishap.
"You know, I'm kind of used to the ROB model," Fox said. "You sure you can handle a ship like this?"
Robin's heels clacked on the smooth floor as she moved about the front row of holoscreen readouts, her eyes moving at an organically impossible speed to digest the information. "Why, I'm the only model in the galaxy that actually could keep up with the insert name here, Captain McCloud. The ROB model's head would smoke and spark in a way that could evoke a humorous response amongst organic beings."
"How many times have I told you to call me Fox?"
"Eight as of three seconds ago. Would you like me to request a shuttle from the LDC Vanguard, Captain McCloud?"
"Go ahead. We'll wait in the hangar."
As the foursome moved toward the door, Gage clapped Fox on the shoulder and said, "Is it just me, or is she kind of creepy? Maybe I just feel guilty staring at a robot's chest."
Fox grinned. "Beltino warned us she was an early model with a few kinks. Future updates might help."
"Just hope she doesn't go bat-shit and kill you all in your sleep before then. I think Peppy made the right choice staying behind with his family." Gage glanced over his shoulder in time to see Falco pass Robin on his way toward the door. "Ten creds says your pal there tries to come on to her in the next two days."
"What? He can't be that stupid."
As the Dagger captain readied a retort, the avian caught up to them and brushed by with a heavy breath and said, "Wow…you gotta remind me to thank Beltino. Couldn't have picked a better new team member if I tried."
Fox blinked. "You do realize she's a robot, right? She's not even a 'she.'"
Falco gave them a confused look before moving ahead and replied with, "Exactly. Don't have to go through the trouble of buying her dinner first."
An incredulous Fox shook his head and, before Gage could say anything, snapped, "No bet!"
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"Something's going down," Ley said, her feline eyes alight with anticipation. "The admiral wants to see us in briefing room C-Two."
She and Delaine had met the shuttle in the hangar and, after a brief exchange of greetings, came right to the point. Fox and Falco led the way at a brief pace with Fara lagging behind and the three Dagger operatives bringing up the rear, Ley and Delaine pressing their captain for more information on what had transpired on Corneria. Gage was careful with his words and tone, given the public venue, but brought them up to speed. From what Fox could overhear, he left out choice bits from their scuffle on the TDE station as well as Fara's near-torture; he made a mental note to thank him later.
After a couple elevator rides and more repeating corridors, Fox became aware of a lack of personnel and the ones that did pass by seemed to be in a rush. After watching two ensigns slow down just long enough to salute Gage before hurrying past, he asked, "What's going on? They finally serving something good in the mess hall?"
Ley giggled. "You could say that. It's on the way to the briefing room, poke your head in."
After a few more minutes, the corridor became more congested and a rhythmic reverberation was barely audible. Rounding the corner, Fox whistled at a packed crowd around the open mess hall door. The rhythm became heavier and clearer, unmistakably music. They tried to push their way into the crowd but it was already elbow-to-elbow.
"Can't see anything this way," Fox said. He glanced over his shoulder. "Captain?"
Gage cleared his throat loudly, earning glances from those in the crowd. Those that knew him stumbled out of his way and those that saw the captain's ranks followed.
"Thank you."
They squeezed through the remainder of the crowd until they had a clear view into the mess hall…or what used to be the mess hall. The lights were off, the only illumination shining from three engineering lights used for crawlspace work that had been rigged to the ceiling. Standing on a table in the glow of the makeshift spotlight was Krystal, dressed in cutoffs, a belly shirt, and sparkling silver fur. She worked the mess hall as she would have any million-credit show, strutting from side to side, her voice projected and clear even without the aid of a microphone as she sang one of her songs, one that Gage remembered was one of her favorites.
Gage smiled as the crowd cheered. There was something different about her face. Her enthralled look wasn't pasted on for show; for the first time it seemed genuine.
"McGarret's waiting!" Delaine shouted over the crowd.
As they retreated from the commotion to the silent, nearly empty path to the briefing room, Gage asked, "When did this happen?"
"Just after you left," Ley replied. "She was a little shaky with the natural fur color being exposed but people loved it and she got more comfortable. She hasn't even been that much of a snob, surprisingly enough. This is the third show she's put on for the crew and it was all her idea."
"McGarret's okay with it?"
"Sure. Helps morale a lot. Off-duty guys only; sorry, boss."
Fara spoke, the first words she had said since boarding the Vanguard. "I'm proud of her. I honestly didn't think she'd stick with it."
The music and roar of the crowd diminished to nothing as they approached the briefing room. Admiral McGarret stood alone inside near the podium at the front of the room, his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes fixed on the blank vidscreen that took up half the wall. His deep thoughts broken at the sound of the door, he turned and gestured for the newcomers to enter and take seats near the stage. The old wolf seemed more spirited than when they had left him, his shoulders high and firm and his eyes alert.
"Good day," he said when Dagger, Starfox, and Fara had been seated. "I'm sorry I can't be more welcoming but I'm pressed for time. Let me just say good work in Corneria City, Captain Birse and congratulations on the new ship, McCloud and Lombardi. Name it and register it before we have the Transport Commission bothering us in addition to everyone else."
"Yes, sir."
"We've had a few peaceful days here, probably because Dianus was focusing on Corneria City. I hope you grabbed some rest on your trip back because it looks like that respite is about to end. We've gone over the reports you sent us from Corneria and here's what we found."
The screen came to life and showed a picture of a bloodhound in a Venomian officer's uniform, oblivious to the obviously hidden camera that captured him from above and to the left side.
"General Jerome Heramus," McGarret continued. "Former General for Andross, in charge of his special operations sector. Responsible for hiring mercenaries and overseeing covert infiltrations. We believe he was responsible for that impressive work order forgery that allowed the bomb into CASOC HQ and nearly killed General Pepper. He was thought dead near the end of the war but Fortunian spies spotted him two years ago. After we heard that your interrogation of Leon brought forth his name, we checked with every intelligence agency this side of Solar for him and that ship name you gave us, Nyx."
The screen blinked and changed pictures to a probe scan of a large cruiser, an old rectangular model that Fox recognized as Venomian.
"This is the VSF Nyx, a Venomian star cruiser in Venom's orbit. Its stealth capability is quite remarkable; we needed to retrieve the ship's comm code from the war database to get even the slightest ping on long-range scans. If Heramus is working for Dianus, as Intel is certain he is, this is our best place to search. Most likely Dianus does not know we have this information so I've approved a covert strike to extract Heramus for questioning. We need him ASAP."
The admiral shut the screen down and stepped to the side of the podium. "This second operation is a little more dangerous. No military database in the galaxy has any information on a Project Siren or Atlas. However, we now know for certain that Dianus is up to something and whatever it is, we can't allow it to happen. I don't like it, but I have to send scouts to search out these ruins Leon spoke of when he mentioned Siren. Resonance scans of the area surrounding Andross' old HQ show massive subterranean echoes in a couple mile radius, echoes which were not there during the war. Though the area shows no surface life signs, we're still talking Venom's surface here. We've had nothing but bad luck on the surface since this conflict began."
"I'll go," Fox said immediately. "I'm the only one here with firsthand knowledge of the area around Andross' HQ." Other reasons floated in his head but his wish to confront Dianus was his own.
McGarret seemed surprised at the willingness but did not fight it. "Very well. I'll send—"
"But I want Fara to come with me."
Every eye in the room went to him. The admiral cocked an eyebrow and glanced between the vixen and Fox before asking, "Are you sure? Your reports from Corneria state that trust is an issue."
"If we find anything, her memories might be triggered and help in identifying it. I'm willing to take the risk."
"Very well. You're freelancers, you can take whomever you want. I'll send all relevant coordinates and intelligence to your ship. The suggested route to avoid detection takes you through the ship graveyard of Area Six but the best course of action is up to you. Captain Birse?"
Gage straightened. "Sir?"
"Is your team ready for active duty?"
"Heramus will be on the Vanguard before he can blink, sir."
"Very good." McGarret gave a dismissive wave. "Deploy when ready. Also, be aware that tomorrow half of he Third Marine Battalion stationed here will be rotating home and the Eighty-Seventh will be coming onboard to relieve them. It's a typical changing of the guard but if either of you run into anything major, reinforcements may be delayed or unavailable."
Gage chuckled. "Does Dagger ever have reinforcements available?"
McGarret gathered up his briefing material from the podium and stepped down from the stage toward the door. "Touché, captain. Good luck to all of you. We may finally have Dianus by the throat with this one."
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-Chapter 17 Coming Soon-