A/N: It's November, and this is Chapter 25! Duh. What I needed to say is that updates on this story and Frustrations of the Wrong Kind, my other work in progress, won't be updated that much this month due to me participating in National Novel Writing Month. So please remain patient, and enjoy the chapter!
-o0o-
Venom and it's red surface loomed ahead of the Lone Wolf and it's crew. Four hours actually wasn't that long when you had an eccentric and diverse crew to talk with, which was a plus in Fox's mind. His father was still resting up from the events of Papetoon. That planet still made him feel extremely uneasy, however.
"Dude, don't worry. We've got a huge forward base set up here," Bill said comfortingly, noting the vulpine's distress.
"No, it's not about safety. This planet just brings back….. unpleasant memories to say the least," Fox explained.
"Hmm. Well, try not to focus on them," Miyu stated from her station. The vulpine nodded.
"Yeah. Good idea. Focus on the here and now," he said to himself. Fox looked over at Fara.
"We gonna get a new mission, or something when we get to that forward base?" Fox asked her. The vixen looked down and made signs at Panther, who replied with his own.
"Yeah," She said. "Pepper's getting tired of this war. He wants it to end soon, and is taking bigger risks every day. We just need to find our missing friends before taking the homeworld out," Fara finished.
"Ah. I've got experience in these things, so taking out another homeworld shouldn't be too bad. I hope," Fox replied, suddenly self conscious of the cybernetic eye causing him so many problems. He wished he could rip it out, but that could damage his entire brain and possibly kill him.
"Descending through the atmosphere, dudes," Bill called, prompting everyone to take a seat. The ship burned through the upper atmosphere, and the dust covered surface rushed to greet them. There it was.
Venom. Andross's old home.
The vulpine took a breath to calm himself, before looking around the outside to search for the base. He couldn't see anything.
"Hey, Bill. Are we even in the right place?" Fox asked. Bill chuckled.
"Yeah. Of course, the base is secret. I'm actually right on top of it," he replied.
"So it's underground? Damn, that's pretty impressive," Fox remarked, raising a brow.
Fara looked over at them. "Hey, we needed to go where the aparoids wouldn't think of looking. This didn't take as long as it should've because we used a lot of Andross's old base here. You know, the works," the vixen explained. Fox nodded.
"Makes a disturbing amount of sense," he replied.
"Hush, dudes. Gotta get on radio," Bill ordered a, putting a headset on.
"This is Bill Grey of the Lone Wolf, requesting permission to dock, dude. Landing access code IM1SSH1M," the canine said into the comm. A moment later, the mothership lurched downwards. We must be descending to the base, Fox thought.
"That was a lot faster than I thought it'd be," Miyu remarked as they descended.
"Well, the Cornerians don't want to keep us visible for very long," Fara replied, looking at the lynx.
Fox spoke up. "It makes sense. I mean, we're visible to literally every scanner possible, so them being in a rush to get us away makes sense."
The Lone Wolf eventually landed on a pad, and it started going down, taking them with it. Wherever this base was located, it was extremely deep below the surface of the planet.
The landing pad put the Lone Wolf down in a large hangar filled with seemingly endless amounts of Cornerian ships. It looked enough to fit the entire planet. Fox's eyes widened in realization.
"Bill… how many people are down here?" The vulpine asked quietly. The canine looked at him with grim understanding.
"Dude… the entire population of Corneria that could survive and get away from the aparoids is down here," he explained sadly.
"Oh my God."
-o0o-
Wolf couldn't keep track of the time anymore. Well, he could, but he didn't care. He just wanted to finish the Flea. It was getting there; the framework finished and the plating starting to be installed.
The others tried to talk with him, but they failed. Wolf either ignored them or snapped at them. He supposed that he wasn't always a great person. Well, the situation didn't help. He just wanted to find Fox.
Every day felt like an eternity, and they were endless cycles. Wake up, eat, work on the Flea, go to bed, rinse and repeat. If only things could be different.
Wolf knew the others, particularly Fay and Falco, were trying to get him to talk. But what was the point? He didn't need to talk; he needed to finish the ship so he could go.
But what if Fox wasn't alive? There was always that thought nagging in the back of Wolf's head. He could be dead. After all, Fox was hurtling towards a planet when the signal dropped. He could've died on impact.
When those thoughts gripped him, Wolf would look at the gun holstered to his hip. He'd debate on doing it.
But then he remembered what hope was.
Hope; a tiny little spark that could explode into a fire if cared for. Wolf had a small bit of hope left in him, amongst all of the cold, pain, and guilt. He had to hope that Fox was alive.
This internal monologue plagued him as he carried panels of various metals to the others so they could weld them to the ship. The others would try to talk with the lupine, but he didn't listen. They sounded as if they were speaking to him through water.
Panther said something to Wolf as he handed a plate to the feline, and he grunted. Panther narrowed his eyes, as if that would help him understand.
Nobody would understand what he was going through at that moment.
-o0o-
The small crew of the Lone Wolf, including Fox and his dad, exited their mothership and started walking to the main command base, with Bill leading the way. The vulpine noted people, mainly soldiers, staring and pointing at himself and James. Well, they had good reason to mutter. Two people they thought dead right in front of them.
But then a flash came through him.
This one was painless; but it looked real. Instead of soldiers on either side of him, they were men and women dressed in black. At first, Fox was confused, until he looked ahead to see Peppy and another man carrying a casket. He looked down to see that he was wearing a suit, as well.
This is my dad's funeral, he thought in sadness. He would've been fifteen here.
Of course, no body was ever recovered, due to the disappearance. Peppy still wanted a casket. Even if it was empty. He said that James deserved a proper burial.
Fox never stayed for the service. He knew he was going to break down, so he left. He left and broke down in a private spot. Of course, Falco found and comforted him.
And just as soon as the flash came, it left, leaving Fox dazed, confused, and very, very upset. He didn't like those memories; that's why he tried to stay positive. For his friends and family, so they wouldn't see him weak.
Bill led the small group through winding hallways and corridors, past shocked civilians and troops alike. They all made Fox feel uneasy and out of place.
"These people aren't freaking as much as I thought they would," Fara remarked as the group turned a corner. The place was a maze, and it was giant. The entire population of a planet must need a huge living space, Fox supposed.
"Yeah, well…. Nobody wants to cause a mass panic, right?" Bill jokingly asked, but the humor dropped from his voice in sadness.
The crew stayed uncomfortably silent until they reached a doorway at the end of a hallway. It must've been for a conference room of sorts.
"Pepper should meet us in here to discuss our next objective, dudes," Bill explained before they walked inside. Fox nodded.
"Yes, but has anyone told him about James?" Miyu asked in worry. Bill blinked, then groaned.
"Aw, crap. Dude, I knew I forgot something. Oh, this should be an absolute joy," the dog muttered in frustration.
"Well, come on. He'll find out in a few seconds," Fara stated, opening the door and stepping inside.
Everyone followed, and Fox entered a room with a large conference table in the center, with holomaps lining the walls. A projector was in the middle of the table. He also noted that General Pepper was already there, sitting at the head seat.
And that General Pepper looked extremely flustered and shocked.
As the group took their seats, Fox next to Panther and his father, Pepper tried and failed to compose himself. It was almost funny, seeing the old bloodhound in this situation.
"Wha- What is this? First, Fox comes back from the dead, and now James? What the hell is going on here?" Pepper asked, distressed and confused. Bill chuckled.
"Look, these guys aren't from here. They're from… like… another universe, General dude. Our Fox and James are gone. These two are basically visitors," Bill explained badly.
"Well, we just ended up stuck here after certain experiments gone wrong," James helped. Pepper nodded, eyes stoll wide.
"That's absolutely incredible!" The bloodhound exclaimed after a moment of silence. "But this is so strange; it's like seeing a ghost, looking at you two. I feel like I'm dreaming."
"We all wish we were," Fara muttered, crossing her arms.
Pepper finally regained his composure. "Now that this is all out of the way, I need to give your team a new mission." He stood up, walking over to a holomap on the wall, and pressed a few buttons on the side panel. A 3D model of the Lylat System appeared over their heads.
"So… the aparoids have taken in total… about five planets." The planets turned purple as he spoke. "Their next objective is Macbeth, but at this point… it's not worth it. We have to cut the head off of this snake. We have to get to the aparoid homeworld."
Fara creased her brows. "But the orbital gate was compromised after the failed assault on the homeworld the first time," She said.
"This is true, Miss Phoenix. But our scientists have been very, very hard at work, and thanks to the efforts of the missing Slippy Toad, we've got a working gate," Pepper explained, pacing. Fox perked up.
"Really? How does it work? What did Slippy figure out?" He asked excitedly. If there was tech to be worked on, Slippy could handle it. That was a given.
The bloodhound chuckled. "You see, this teleporter can attach to any ship, and allow it to make a slipspace jump. Slippy made the blueprints, and after he vanished, the other scientists finished it," he continued.
"So you need us to use it to get to the aparoid homeworld and destroy everything with the virus that will self-destruct the machines, right?" Miyu asked for clarification.
"Basically, yes. Will you do this thing for me, and for the whole Lylat System?" Pepper asked desperately.
The crew, including the vulpines, glanced around at each other, nodding. James spoke up first. "Of course we will, Pepper. My son and I may not be a part of this universe, but we must do what's right," he replied determinedly.
"Yeah, we won't go extinct. That's not gonna happen, General Dude," Bill said cooly, flashing a cocky grin.
Pepper looked at everyone individually, beaming with pride. "Good. But, of course, all of you will need some gear. We can't let you go on this mission ill-prepared, now can we?" He asked.
The memory of that first vision rocketed through Fox. He was wearing an armored millitary outfit when he found this universe's Wolf. That must be what's next. Getting the armor.
"Show us to your armory, then," Fara stated, getting up. She smiled slightly.
The general nodded. "Very well. Follow me, everyone," he said, waving them along.
It was time for the next phase in the war. Assault.
To be continued…..