Here we are, my readers. This is the final chapter of it all- the last chapter I will write for my Crossed Paths Universe. I am happy to say that it was an honor to provide every one of you with something to read, and I thank you all for enjoying and loving every bit of it. Now then…
Let's finish the war…
Lone Strike
"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new."
The words of a famous man from Earth echoed through Michelsons mind. One quote that had been in his head for some time now. The choice to leave and risk his life to the fullest extent changed him. He was determined to finish this or die trying.
The human looked back at the blue planet he was leaving. Knowing full well he had a very high chance of not returning, he let out a small mental message to be left behind. He didn't want it to be found, but he didn't make it impossible. His feelings were weird, he didn't want to leave and pull the rest of the team with him, but he also didn't want to leave so abruptly.
"I need to do this… please understand" He said in his mind before letting the message free. The brainwave would sit not far from Corneria so that Krystal would have a chance to detect it. It didn't matter to Kevin if she did; he only cared that he had left something letting them know of his fate.
Michelson took several deep breaths before finally entering the coordinates to Cortera. He had no idea of what to expect. Would be greeted with the entire army? Would Prometheus be unsuspecting? Could he even defeat Prometheus? The questions rambled in his head. The thoughts of his previous battles ending in defeat and near death made him think twice about his plan. Though of course, the guilt from the war taking place destroyed this thought. Kevin knew he had to pay for what he caused and began the warp to Cortera.
The Yuthan ship lunged forward for a split second. After that, an immense planet zoomed in rapidly and abruptly stopped. The planet had dark grey lands and water masses so big that they looked to be the size of earth. Kevin was right, looking at the scans the ship automatically conducted of the planet, Cortera was a whopping 86,000 miles in diameter. To Kevin it seemed impossible for a planet that big to exist.
"Good god" Kevin said to himself as he looked at the mass before him. The grey land areas were so large that they outsized Earth easily. All around the planet itself were Yuthan cruisers, ready to mobilize if need be. Class X ships and smaller frigates surrounded the planet as if they were waiting for something. Kevin was baffled by the size of it all and wondered how he would even find Prometheus.
His mind was now set, he need to kill Prometheus in order to throw the Yuthans off and give Star Fox the edge to win.
Michelson began to think. How could he discover the location of Prometheus and his main base? Luckily, the on board computer had exact coordinates to the main 'palace' and even highlighted it on the radar.
"This is a bit easy." Kevin said to himself. As he began to fly forward towards the planet, he began to sense the Yuthans presence. He flew right through the large blockade and into the atmosphere of Cortera without any issues. Kevin began to think of how he would sneak in to kill his mortal enemy. His first thought was to use the cloaking that his armor had equipped, but he knew he would be detected within seconds of using it. His next thought was for his telepathy. Maybe he could use it to make himself invisible to guards- as in completely disregard or notice him by force. This concept was farfetched, but didn't seem impossible. If it didn't work, he would just have to use the cloaking device.
As Kevin went lower and lower into the atmosphere, eventually leaving the cloud cover, he began to see what looked like a city. A city shrouded by the night of Cortera and lit up with beauty and majesty. He was coming in from right above it and looked around. There were no smaller buildings as it went out, the buildings stayed relatively the same size and stretched for as far as the eye could see. All around the buildings were small lights; hover crafts of the military personnel going about their lives on the planet. It surprised Kevin, really. To see an entire planet dedicated to military purposes and even building cities for those off duty to live, almost like a Green-Zone for the military forces back on Earth.
As he continued to fly, he decided to fly into the city and attempt to blend in. The ship he was piloting resembled some of what the other ships were. Michelson headed into the city, pulling up behind another ship and following it. He didn't know the "roads" or flight patterns of the planet, and decided to simply follow the ship. Kevin looked back and found more ships line up. He looked back forward and saw the traffic signal change from a light blue to a light green. Interesting how red wasn't stop, but Kevin disregarded it. The ship in front of him began to fly forward and Kevin slowly followed after it as if he was citizen. He continued to fly and was eventually lead into a tunnel that ran right through one of the larger buildings. It had, what appeared to be, four lanes for air traffic; two lanes going one direction, and two lanes going the other. He watched as ships zoomed by and also made sure no one noticed him when passing from the lane next to him. He looked over to that lane and saw a ship traveling at the same speed as he was and was lined up with him. He could see the pilot; a well dressed Yuthan going about his day. Kevin quickly shot his head back forward before the Yuthan would notice. He glanced over at the pilot with his head still forward and saw the Yuthan look over. Kevin then quickly activated his helmet to hide his face. The new suit was equipped with a stronger helmet and even had a new and upgraded HUD. The main head piece morphed over his head and the visor slid into place. The new visor was smaller and was shaped like a wide V. Michelson then looked over at the Yuthan once more and saw him still looking. Kevin, not thinking straight, nodded his head up once to acknowledge him. Kevin looked back forward and saw that he had exited the tunnel. Thankfully, the ship in front of him had pulled up, and the Yuthan next to him had pulled off to the right. Michelson let out a breath of relief and continued his flight through the immense city. He didn't want to break flight patterns and head straight for the palace and simply went with whatever he could do.
Kevin came up on another light and was forced to stop, with the ship in front of him making the light before it changed.
"Damn it" Kevin muttered under his breath. He watched the ship closely and memorized the flight path it took. He would need to mimic it to keep from causing any suspicion or cause a fight; as it was, Kevin was outnumbered.
Michelson then looked over to his right and saw what looked to be a restaurant. It seemed to be rather popular. The bright neon sign read 'Cortera's Finest' in an elegant and abstract font.
Outside of the restaurant were Yuthans simply enjoying meals of somesort. Males and Females, talking about their day and their plans. It amazed Kevin to see such order on a military planet. How they acted like they were just citizens and seemed to be care and worry free.
He then directed his attention back forward and saw the light changed to the light green. Kevin began to fly forward and draw the path the ship he saw take in his mind. As he flew between two large buildings, he saw something that instantly caught his attention. A large complex that was in the middle of an opening. The complex was enormous and was patrolled by tons of small Yuthan ships. The main building was tall and was lit by lights on the ground. The complex itself resided in a large square made by the buildings around it. There were grass and trees out in front of the base and even Yuthans walking around. According to the ship, this was the so called 'palace'.
"That must be where Prometheus is" Kevin said to himself. As he was moving lower and lower to the ground level lanes, Kevin decided to try something stupid. This was a military planet, and that was the main complex. To attempt a mind trick of some kind, Kevin slowed down and pulled off to the side of the lane. He saw a walking Yuthan, took a deep breath, and prayed for his plan to work.
Kevin opened the canopy and signaled for the Yuthan.
"Excuse me!" Kevin yelled.
The Yuthan looked and walked over to the ship.
"What can I do for you, sir?" The Yuthan said as he noticed Kevin dressed in full armor.
Kevin reached into the mind of the Yuthan and quickly erased suspicion and blocked any attention to his apparel.
"Yes, I'm a new recruit and I just recently arrived here on Cortera. Do you mind telling me how the hell I get to the palace? I need to turn in some orders and I was never instructed on how to get there in this big ass city." Kevin said.
The Yuthan chuckled, "Not to worry, I had the same troubles when I was a recruit. Just stay in the ground lane and go all the way around the palace. The entrance for on duty military is on the opposite side of where we are."
Kevin looked at the palace and then back at the Yuthan, "Thank you."
He closed the canopy and released the mental grip he had on the Yuthan. Kevin slowly took off and followed what the Yuthan told him. He eventually made his way all the way around the palace. As he turned the final corner, he found the military entrance. A bright blue shield like wall with several Yuthan guards standing at post. Kevin pulled up to the light next to the gate and readied to turn. After the light changed, he turned left and into the the path towards the gate. He slowly pulled up and watched the two guards walk around the ship.
"What are they doing?" Kevin whispered to himself. He then quickly scanned their minds and found that they were simply inspecting the ship. He then sensed that the guards now wanted to speak with him. Like the last Yuthan, Kevin got a hold of both of their minds and blocked the attention of his apparel. He opened the canopy and looked over at both guards.
"Evening" Kevin said.
The left guard nodded, "Evening, Lieutenant Will?"
Kevin felt his heart suddenly drop. Apparently, this ship was made specifically and designed for Will; and oddly enough, Kevin didn't catch it within the Yuthans mind. He then reached deeper into both of their minds, getting a much tighter grip on them.
"Yes, that's me. Why do you ask?" Kevin replied.
The guard shook his head slowly, "Just curious. What brings you here? And not out there with the rest of the army?"
Kevin thought quickly, "I… uh… need to deliver a special message to Prometheus. It's important and has regards to my mission."
"And this mission is?" The guard continued.
Kevin stuttered slightly, "That's… classified. Prometheus gave me the mission and gave me no obligation to reveal it."
The guards looked at each other. Kevin felt that they were getting suspicious and thinking of what to do. One guard had a thought of calling for backup, the other thought about contacting Prometheus directly.
In an effort to continue the mission, Kevin reached even deeper into the two guards minds. He then reached out to the other guards around the shield gate, making them completely oblivious to the two guards next to Kevin. He then reached out to the bystanders walking by and did the same thing- erasing any attention on those two guards.
Kevin took a deep breath and jumped up out of his seat. He grabbed the heads of the two guards and brought them together, easily knocking them unconscious. However, Kevin knew they would come to and alert the others, so he pulled out his Beretta 9mm, attached the silencer, and put a bullet in each of the guards heads. He looked around nervously and saw that no one had payed attention to what he did, even the guards. He then looked at the ones in the small control room and signaled for one. The guard came out, not even noticing the two dead bodies, and saluted Kevin.
"Ah, Will, I didn't notice it was you."
Kevin nodded, "Of course, could you open the gate for me? I need to give Prometheus an update on a mission he assigned to me personally."
The guard nodded, "Absolutely" He then turned and signaled for the gate to be lowered. The guard manning the controls did so and lowered the shields without any issues. The blue wall dissipated and Kevin flew right on through. He continued to hover over the ground and flew right into the palace. The room he had flew into was well over 20 floor up with no ceiling and ships moving up and down onto each floor for maintenance.
Kevin searched around mentally to see if he could get the location of Prometheus; at the same time, he started to move upwards until he found a spot that he could land. He searched until he found something not too far off. The mind of a general that knew Prometheus well is what Kevin found, and from within it he had the exact location of Prometheus. He was within the Control Room Alpha.
Kevin slowly landed the ship and downloaded a map of the palace for his use. The minimap on his mask HUD appeared and showed the 3D rendition of the building. He then reached into the minds of the three maintenance workers, erasing all attention to him and jumped right out of the ship. The guards walked right by Kevin, not even glancing at him or bumping into him.
"Perfect" He said to himself. He pulled out his silenced M4 and began his journey through the building, walking through the entrance and out into a tall and long hallway. The map showed that the hall he was in broke off into even more leading to other areas of the palace. After he released the minds of the engineers, however, Kevin started to feel very odd. His head began to hurt slightly and his body felt as though it was trembling.
Suddenly, from within his mind, a voice was heard.
"What a surprise this is." the voice said, "You really do have the guts to do anything."
Kevin knew exactly who it was.
"What is it you plan on accomplishing? Do you think that just because you have a temporal immunity means that you can kill me?" The voice continued.
Kevin was able to barely mutter a few words, "Prometheus"
"There we go! Was that so hard to say?"
The Yuthan had an incredible grip on Kevin's mind, bending it and causing Kevin severe pain. At this point Kevin knew he would be killed; Prometheus knew of him being there, so reinforcements would surely arrive quickly.
"Oh don't worry" Prometheus said as he felt the feelings of Kevin, "I won't ruin the chance to kill you, the guards have no clue you're here." He continued.
Kevin then began to feel strength from inside of him. He used it to his advantage and started to push Prometheus out of his head, "I'll see you soon… you fucking demon." With that, Kevin pushed Prometheus out and cealed his mind away, making him invisible to the Yuthan. "Send your damn guards to me, they'll only die" Kevin said through his mind.
The human then began to sprint through the halls, following the 3D minimap. As he turned the first corner, he found a group of three guards simply patrolling. The three stopped and were a bit startled, however quickly realized that the man in front of them was not a Yuthan.
Kevin was much faster though. As soon as the guards realized who was in front of them, Kevin downed them with a bullet to their heads. As he fired, he heard a yell from behind him. He looked back and found two more guards sprinting for him and firing their weapons. Kevin quickly sidestepped to the wall and hid behind one of the pillars holding up the immense ceiling.
As soon as the lasers stopped flying, he came out of the cover and opened fire at the two guards. A barrage of bullets flew and riddled the guards, killing them almost instantly.
Kevin turned back and continued to run until he reached another door. He opened it and continued running, only to find even more guards coming straight for him.
"OVER THERE! WE HAVE A VISUAL" One of the guards yelled.
Kevin went back behind one of the pillars and opened fire on the guards. He set the M4 to fully automatic and let loose on the Yuthans, dropping them fairly quickly. Kevin never thought that such a primitive weapon would have such a great effect on an extremely advanced species.
-oOo-
"Alert the guards about the presence of Michelson." Prometheus said calmly as he watched the camera feeds of the halls. Dead guards were all around in the wake of Michelson. Prometheus scanned the palace but found nothing. He couldn't find Kevin, though Kevin knew where Prometheus was.
"Sir, we keep getting reports that Kevin is moving through the halls quickly. However, everyone who calls in goes dark before they can even finish."
Prometheus looked at the camera feeds, "So you're telling me that Kevin is getting ever so close to where I am?"
The commander nodded, "Yes sir, he must know the layout and may only be targeting you."
Prometheus' attitude suddenly changed and he growled fiercely storming out of the room, "No matter, alert the entire army and have them surround the palace. I want troops taking these halls right now."
The commander followed right behind Prometheus with a rifle in his hand, "Sir, do you really think Kevin could kill you?"
The two were walking rather quickly down the halls on the opposite end of the palace. Kevin was on the other end, making his way to the main control room where Prometheus was last.
The Yuthan leader simply chuckled, "Absolutely not… the chances of this wretched human achieving victory is beyond slim."
The commander nodded, "Of course sir, though I'm not entirely sure you're enough to handle Michelson. I'll stay by you and assist if need be."
Prometheus simply shook his head, "No need, commander Osara, the new suit I had created should turn the tides of this."
Osara looked at Prometheus, "But sir, you don't understand; the suit is located in the heart of Cortera. Leading him down there is suicide."
Prometheus stopped walking suddenly and slowly looked over his shoulder at Osara. "I understand completely. Do you not know our highest policy?" he said in a rather soft voice.
Osara's eyes widened, at the words Prometheus spoke "You don't mean… but… you just said you had no doubt in your mind that you would kill him!"
Prometheus shook his head slowly, "Trust me, Osara, I have a method to break him. Stay here and make sure he doesn't reach the heart. I will be down there waiting if he does." he paused, "Don't fail me."
Osara nodded once, "So long as you promise not to fail the Yuthans."
Prometheus smiled, "The human has no chance of beating me."
He walked into the elevator that he had walked up to and watched the doors slide closed. At an incredible rate did the elevator began to move downwards. The display inside showed how deep and how fast it was going. Prometheus watched it until the small icon slowed to a stop. The doors slid open and revealed an incredibly large room with huge machines all around the sides. All the way on the opposite wall was a large display with controls on it. The display reached to about half the height of the room. The main display with a large control panel in front was used for many things, such as rejuvenation of the core for Cortera. The planet itself was dieing, so the machines placed around the room connected directly to the core of the planet, keeping it alive and well.
In the center of the room were two guards standing on either side of a transparent case. Inside the case was a suit of armor that looked much different from other suits used by Yuthans.
Prometheus simply approached the case and nodded once, "Dismissed, get up to the surface and make sure no one gets through."
The guards nodded and headed for the elevator.
Prometheus walked forward and watched a small keypad extend from the floor. Using a special code, Prometheus initiated the suit activation sequences. The robotic appendages that had been holding the suit in the case split it to different parts. Prometheus faced the opposite direction and held his arms out. The device then started to place the armor onto the Yuthan. Each piece would move onto Prometheus' body and then morph into place like liquid. The suit itself was skinny and looked as though it couldn't protect from anything. However in reality, the suit could protect the user from just about anything, including intense heat, laser fire from Yuthan tech, and even areas that lack oxygen. The suit was basically a weapon of mass destruction if used correctly.
"This human will not get past me." Prometheus said to himself, "Michelson will fall"
-oOo-
Kevin was hot on Prometheus' tail. Every corner he took he would find Yuthans waiting. Using his telepathy, Kevin was quickly able to learn the new location of Prometheus. However it was in an odd place that he thought would be impossible to reach.
The human turned one more corner and was surprised to see five guards and a well dressed Yuthan official standing with their weapons drawn. The Yuthan official stepped forward and looked at Kevin with devilish eyes.
"So, you must be the human, Kevin Michelson." Osara stated.
Kevin nodded once and retracted his helmet, "No shit it's me. Who else would be stupid enough to lead a one man attack on an entire planet?" He snapped at the Yuthan.
Osara was at a loss of words and couldn't really respond to what Kevin had just said, "Uh… right…" he said, "Regardless, may I just quickly ask you a question?"
Kevin shook his head slowly, "I don't see the point since you're about to die anyway."
Osara chuckled, "Don't be too sure on that. My question is why are you here? You realize that this is a Yuthan planet. What do you even expect to accomplish?"
Kevin smiled slightly, "Simple, I plan on killing Prometheus and throwing the disgusting race you call Yuthan off of it's current course in the war. With him gone it will make winning this thing a whole lot easier."
Osara smiled, "And you expect to leave here alive if you succeed?" He said with a thought at the back of his head.
Kevin shook his head slightly, "Not entirely, no, but I do what I must." he paused, "Now enough of this." He then placed a finger on the trigger of the M9 he was holding to his side. Kevin activated his helmet once more and readied for his strike.
Osara laughed maniacally, trying to stay on the subject, "Even if you do get past me, Prometheus will have your head on a stake."
All of the sudden, Kevin lunged towards the side and behind one of the pillars holding the ceiling up. As he lunged, he fired several bullets at the guards, hitting and killing two of them.
"What are you doing? SHOOT HIM!" Osara yelled in shock.
The laser began to fly and Kevin felt his heart start to race. He took several deep breaths and blind fired from cover. He heard a yell of agony from one of the guards he hit. He then heard rapid footsteps and saw the lasers cease fire. He looked over and found the three guards and Osara running for him.
"You really are an annoying little freak!" Osara yelled as he sprinted for the human.
Kevin tried to ready himself, but was too late. The Yuthan tackled him to the ground and landed two punches to his face. Kevin then lifted his legs up and pushed the Yuthan off with great force. Osara simply stumbled and Kevin flipped back up onto his feet. He saw one of the guards lunge for him, however Kevin simply sidestepped and got hold of the guards head. He brought the guard down and quickly snapped his neck. The second guards jumped up into the air with his fist ready, but Kevin flipped back and dodged it. He then brought his fist up and landed and clean side swipe to the guards face, ending it with spin kick to the head. The final guard came running and Kevin simply kicked him in the abdomen. The guard fell to his knees in pain. The kick was brutal due to it being from Kevin's much stronger robotic leg. Kevin then grabbed the guard and snapped his neck as well.
Osara was next and was quick to attack. He tried to landed an straight on punch to Kevin, but missed miserably. Kevin countered it by grabbing Osara's arm and throwing him away towards the ground. Osara fell back but quickly got up to his feet. Kevin then picked the weapon Osara had up from the floor. However, Osara was fast and kicked the rifle right out of Kevin's hand. He followed the kick up with a side swipe to his face and then and straight on punch to his abdomen. Kevin stumbled back and held his stomach in pain- the punch was strong, but wasn't entirely horrible.
Kevin then decided to just wait for his chance and allow Osara to let loose on him. The commander had his fists ready and started swinging. He brought his arm from the right, but was deflected by Kevin. He then came back around with his left, however Kevin simply leaned back and dodged the fist with inches to spare.
Osara was relentless and let out a full on fury. He swung his fists repeatedly, trying to hit the human. However Kevin could sense all of his movements and either dodged or deflected whatever Osara threw at him. This made the Yuthan commander beyond furious and caused him to lose focus and energy.
As the commander grew exhausted, Kevin saw his chance to strike. Osara had left an opening in his furious tantrum. Kevin used it for strong and slow hits and landed a clean punch to his face. He then spun around and kicked him in the face as well. He followed it with another swipe to his face and grabbed the Yuthan. Kevin then threw the Yuthan behind him with great force, knocking the wind out of him.
Kevin looked back and found the Yuthan struggling to get up. He then walked over and picked up the rifle once more and walked back over to Osara.
Osara held his hands forward and shook uncontrollably, "Wai wait wait… please… please don't" he said, "I… I was only following orders."
Kevin raised the rifle up and aimed it right at the commander's head, "Yuthan scumbag" He said before he pulled the trigger, ending the life of Osara. A quick fight, though one that would harm the Yuthans greatly; however not as greatly as Prometheus.
Kevin walked forward and called the elevator up. The doors slid open and the human walked in, pressing the button to lead all the way down to the Heart of Cortera. As the doors slid closed, he saw some Yuthan troops turn the corner and open fire. However, the lasers simply dissipated when they hit the Siofarium doors of the elevator.
Kevin knew Prometheus would call for reinforcements, it was a guarantee that he was lying and was simply attempting to throw him off guard. Because of this, Kevin decided to do something very risky. He shot the panel that had the screen showing where the elevator was and removed it. Inside were wires and such that controlled the elevator. He looked at them and noticed the doors slide open. He grabbed all of the wires at once and tore them from where they were. Sparks flew and and the elevator stood where it was, not moving and with no electricity running through it.
"Looks like you and me are stuck here." Kevin said as he slowly walked out of the elevator and towards Prometheus. The Yuthan was simply standing in front of the glass case and smiled at the human.
Prometheus chuckled, "Smart human. You knew of the reinforcements and wanted the joy of killing me. Too bad you won't be getting it either way."
Kevin shook his head and dropped the wires. He raised his arm up and shot his staff up into the air. He caught it, causing it to extend to it's normal length and spun the staff around. He then activated the intense flames on each end and looked at the Yuthan with an evil stare.
"Shall we end this?" Kevin asked.
Prometheus smiled, "Of course" He then ran for Kevin.
Michelson spun his staff once more and parried Prometheus swing. The Yuthan spun around, but was parried once more by Kevin. The human then jumped back and landed a stab at Prometheus' stomach.
The Yuthan grunted in pain as he felt the intense heat from the flames. He then growled and ran again towards Kevin. This time, the human sidestepped, dodging Prometheus' run. The Yuthan turned around quickly and threw his arms downward. Two blades protruded from his arms and glew bright blue with energy. Whatever it was that was running through the suit and into the blades, it must have been powerful.
Prometheus gave no second thought and ran for Kevin with his blades ready. He sliced at the human left and right. Kevin brought his staff up and deflected them with the best of his ability. He could sense Prometheus, though it wasn't entirely helpful. The same went with Prometheus; the fight was merely with skill.
The Yuthan then spun around and sliced at Kevin head height. The human tried to lean back and dodge the blade but failed. The blade sliced at Kevin and cut him right across the face just below his left eye. The blade barely nicked him, though still made a nasty wound.
Kevin jumped back a few steps and felt his face in pain. He removed his hand and saw the blood stain it. He looked up at Prometheus and simply smiled, "Good job, you got the first blood." He then charged forward and landed and clean kick to Prometheus abdomen. He then brought his staff up from below and landed an uppercut to Prometheus. The force was so strong the the Yuthan was thrown off of his feet and into the air slightly. He landed hard but quickly got back up to his feet. Kevin was ready for it though and had swung hard from the right, hitting Prometheus once more. He then spun the staff around and landed another hit to his face. He then spun once again the other direction and landed yet another hit on the Yuthan.
Prometheus spun around and landed on the floor, barely catching himself. He was panting with pain and tried looking up at Kevin.
The human walked forward and neared the Yuthan.
"This war is the result of me. I caused it…" he paused, "...so now… I'm going to end it."
He brought his staff up and pointed it downwards toward Prometheus. Just as Kevin was about to bring it down for the final strike, Prometheus extended his arm out and fired what seemed to be some sort of energy burst.
The blast was so strong that it knocked Kevin back several feet. He dropped his staff and was sent sliding across the floor all the way against one of the machines.
He coughed vigorously from the force of the blast and tried to get up. He looked over at Prometheus, who had looked up at him as well. What he saw was pure horror. The beating that he had just put on the Yuthan was terrible. Prometheus' face was scorched and blood covered it with cuts and gashes. But the gashes slowly disappeared. They had healed themselves, though not fully. Prometheus' face still had the burns and slightly large cuts, though most of the damage was gone. It was a harsh reminder that Yuthans could heal themselves, though not greatly.
Kevin slowly got up to his feet, however Prometheus did so as well. He began to walk forward toward the Yuthan and saw that the blades were no longer glowing. In fact, the blades began to dissolve right then and there.
The Yuthan leader cracked his neck and growled, "I will not lose to some human insect!" he yelled as he began to run for Kevin.
The human readied himself, however the energy blast had weakened him. Prometheus swung his fists quickly and landed each and every hit. Kevin tried to get away but only succeeded in dodging a single swing and sliding to the other side of Prometheus. The Yuthan saw it and elbowed Kevin with force. He then turned around and grabbed the human by his armor's neck piece. As if the suit was paper, Prometheus ripped the chest piece off of Kevin and threw it to the side. He then grabbed his underarmor and threw Kevin across the room. The human landed against the glass case, causing it to shatter into countless sharp pieces. Thankfully, the back plate was still on, though it fell off as he landed against the casing.
The human slowly looked up and saw the Yuthan slowly moving forward to him. Kevin got up and grabbed one the glass shards. He looked around him and instantly thought up a plan that he wasn't too certain would work.
The shard was incredibly sharp and was rather large. He held it firmly and charged for Prometheus, using what energy he had left. Using the new addition to his suit, Kevin jumped up and fired the boot thrusters he had. This threw him even higher into the air and gave him more momentum for his strike. The Yuthan looked up and tried to deflect the attack but was too slow. Kevin came down and sliced at Prometheus landing a direct hit. Incredibly enough, the suit he was wearing was deeply gashed by the shard. Prometheus stumbled back from the great force and Kevin then grabbed onto the suit. He grabbed on the inside of the gash he made and Prometheus' throat, ripping the suit off of the Yuthan and making both of them completely vulnerable. Kevin then quickly ducked down, dodging Prometheus' swing and grabbed the shard once more. He came back up and let out a fury of slices at Prometheus' chest, cutting it horribly and deeply. The Yuthan yelled in agony from the shard. Mimicking what Prometheus did, Kevin grabbed the Yuthan and threw him away, only this time in the very mess Prometheus had made; the shards of glass.
Prometheus screamed even louder in pain as he landed and felt the shards penetrate deep into his skin.
Michelson was panting from exhaustion and weakness and felt as though he was about to tremble under his own weight. But, using what he had left, he slowly walked toward the downed Yuthan and felt the rage inside of him build even further. His lust for vengeance was huge and he was so close to finally curing it for good. His enemy was down and unable to fight, and it was his time to die.
Kevin walked all the way until he was over Prometheus. The Yuthan was slightly squirming in pain and was breathing heavily. Kevin looked at his chest and saw cuts and gashes riddling it; they weren't going away, rather they stayed and bled. Kevin then looked down at his own chest and saw the same thing, only much less. The Yuthan was so weak that he couldn't even heal himself.
"Finally…" Kevin said softly as he was out of energy, "After all this fighting… after all of this death… you… the leader of the Yuthan's… fall at the hands of a human."
Prometheus looked up at the human and knew that he was done for.
Kevin looked over to his right and saw his staff on the floor. He walked over to it and looked at it on the ground. He leaned over, picked it up and examined the weapon closely. The flames had dissipated due to the staff running out of the crystal energy.
Prometheus chuckled nervously, "Killing me won't solve anything… foolish human."
Kevin then walked back over to Prometheus with his staff in hand.
"You think the Yuthans will stop after I'm dead?" Prometheus said in pain, "You are wrong… you are dead wrong!"
Kevin shook his head, "I planned on it being this way. Kill you and eliminate the Yuthan forces while they are leaderless."
Prometheus then chuckled once more, only this time in a more maniac way. He stopped his chuckle and spoke softly, "9-PK-8663iL-H. Codename Hectus."
Kevin was confused, "Excuse me?"
Prometheus looked back up, "The Yuthans won't stop until they are gone. Killing em will only make the Yuthans stronger. That code I just said is the most secret kept code the Yuthans have. Using the code initiates Order X, causing the planet to detonate."
Kevin was beyond shocked, "What…?"
Prometheus coughed vigorously with blood splattering the floor, "There's a catch… you kill yourself in the process." he then started to chuckle like a maniac, "I know you well, Michelson… you wouldn't sacrifice yourself for such a thing. You're too headstrong and selfish to do it."
Michelson looked over at the computer display and controls. He then looked around at the machines and though hard on the choice at hand. Should he do it? Should he take the code and sacrifice himself… ending the war immediately?
Kevin looked down and felt a tear form in his eye. The memories of his life flowing through his mind like a raging animal. Because of this he knew where his fate lied- he knew what had to be done.
The human looked back down at Prometheus, "You should have practiced with your telepathy…" Kevin said, "... sacrifice is the first thing I would do…"
He then brought the staff up above his head and pointed it back down at Prometheus.
The Yuthan's eyes widened, "NO-!"
Michelson brought the staff down with force and jabbed into the chest of Prometheus. The Yuthan coughed pools of blood as the staff entered his chest cavity. Kevin then ended twisted the staff and moved it around… killing the Yuthan leader once and for all.
Kevin felt his heart drop. He was scared for once after a long time.
The human slowly released the staff and looked over at the display. The words of Prometheus went through his head- about the Yuthans fighting even stronger with him gone. This he knew as a fact; the Yuthans were a relentless race and never retreated.
Kevin then spoke softly and slowly, "9-... PK-...866...3iL…-H. Codename Hectus." His felt a lump form in his throat and was barely able to speak.
Slowly walking over to the controls, Kevin saw more memories of his past. When he first met Fox, when he under went his training, and when he felt peace with the team. It was all so much to take in- that he would be leaving it behind.
He placed both hands on the controls and looked up at the screen. Before he was to do what he needed, he had one more thing to take care off.
Activating the controls, he entered the communication device and contacted Great Fox directly.
After a minute of nothing, the screen came to life, showing the Star Fox logo. A second passed when the bridge of the ship appeared; the team along with Beta Fox were standing in a line watching.
"Promet- wait!" Fox said abruptly.
"Oh my god… Kevin?!" Rose then said with shock.
Peppy then cut in, "Where in the blazes did you disappear to? We all thought you were killed in the crash!"
Kevin shook his head, feeling the blood drip from his face, "No… I wasn't killed."
Fox then spoke up, "We're on our way to the coordinates you sent to Slippy, please tell me that's where you are!"
Kevin nodded slightly, "Yes" he said softly, "It is…" he paused and looked around, "I need you and the rest of the force to turn around right now."
Fox shook his head, "Not a chance, we're ending this war now."
Kevin's voice grew louder, "You don't understand!" he yelled, "...the Yuthans… this entire planet… it's for their military. If you make the jump everyone dies!"
Falco then cut in, "And you didn't?"
Kevin was still loud and was beginning to feel anger, "I snuck in and fooled the Yuthans. You all can't do that. Their army is beyond anything you've seen…." he stopped, "... and that's why… I'm taking it out with one shot…"
Fox raised an eyebrow, "What… what are you saying?"
"Prometheus gave me a code just before I killed him. He said it's the only way to stop the war…"
"What the hell is it!?" Fox asked loudly.
Kevin took a deep breath and composed himself slightly, "Detonate the planet"
Everyone on the Great Fox gasped and were shocked to hear such words. A planetary detonation system?
"Absolutely not! You're on the planet!" Fox then added.
Kevin yelled even louder, "Fox… I caused this war and all of this is my responsibility. Don't say it isn't because I know for a fact that it is. Prometheus targeted me specifically because of my past actions against Wolf and his plans. I know it is Fox, don't hide it!"
The team was silent.
Kevin then felt the tears flood his eyes.
"I'm sorry guys…" he said, "...there's no other way for it to happen…" He looked up at the screen and smiled, "Thank you all… thank you for giving me a new life…"
Fox was determined to keep his friend alive, "Kevin I swear to god if you do this!"
Krystal then started to yell, "Kevin please don't!"
Falco and the others were just silent, even Ratchet. They knew it was futile to try.
"Thank you… for being such great friends..."
"Kevin I ORDER YOU TO STAND DOWN!" Fox then yelled.
Kevin then cut the transmission.
-oOo-
"Jump to the coordinates now!" Fox yelled.
"Fox, the man is about to detonate the planet, there is no way I'm jumping there now." Peppy rebutled.
"I am the leader of this squad and I say to warp there now! He won't detonate it with us so close."
The others were silent and watched their leader desperately try to save their friend from death. They knew nothing could be done to prevent it, though Fox was hardheaded and couldn't accept the fate.
Peppy shook his head in defeat and modified the coordinates sent to them. Instead of leaving warp close to the planet, they would exit much further away. Peppy sent the coordinates to the other ships and warped.
-oOo-
Kevin started to type the code slowly
"9-... PK-... 8663-... H" He typed slowly. A new display appeared and asked for a codename.
"H-E-C-T-U…-S…" He typed.
"Detonation is immenent… place Plan X in effect?" the screen read.
Kevin then pressed on the yes symbol.
An AI voice was then heard, "Planetary Detonation now in effect. Please evacuate immediately."
Kevin then faced away from the computer and walked away from it. He felt time slow down suddenly and he was bombarded with his memories again. This time the memories were good and his life was flashing before his eyes. He liked what he saw… his friends and his allies, the new life they gave him and the adventures he went on. It was amazing to see.
-oOo-
Great Fox had exited warp. Out in front, far away was a small looking dark gray planet.
Fox saw it and nodded, "Let's get moving… contact Kevin again and tell him we're on our way."
Peppy simply did as he said and tried to contact him, only to see it fail.
Fox then looked back out to the planet. It was turning red now. Lines and streaks of the color were lining the planet as if it were falling apart, which it was.
"...no" He said under his breath.
Rose couldn't watch the planet and turned away with tears falling from her face. Slippy was the same way and couldn't keep himself together.
Falco simply watched with a tear falling from his face. Seeing a comrade go down was too much.
The planet grew redder and redder over the seconds they watched.
Peppy then spoke, "It's about to blow… we need to leave…"
The Star Fox leader was silent. His eyes fixed on the planet and his jaw dropped slightly in fear and pain.
"All ships, evacuate the sector immediately, the planet is about to detonate." Peppy said rather loudly over the comms.
As Great Fox made its way around, Fox fell to his knees.
"...he can't die like this…" he said.
Krystal then kneeled down beside him and held him tightly, "Kevin did what he needed to do…" she said quietly.
Ratchet then walked over, "You should be proud of Kevin…" he said, "...he just ended the war…"
As Great Fox accelerated forward, a bright light was seen from behind. However, it was only visible for a split second before Great Fox lunged forward into warp, back to Lylat.
Fox then fell down onto his arms and started to weep silently.
Falco and most of Beta Fox left the room. And Ratchet stayed by the side of Fox.
"Fox…" Ratchet said, "...remember when I told you about Alister? How he sacrificed himself to save the universe from catastrophe?"
Fox continued to weep and slowly looked up at Ratchet.
"What Kevin did was brave…" Ratchet added, "He saved countless lives from the Yuthans."
He and Krystal then held their hands out to Fox. The two of them got him up to his feet and Fox wiped his face from his tears.
"Contact the general" Fox said softly, "Tell him the mission… is complete."
Next Chapter… The Epilogue