Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul

Chapter XXVI

Silent Side

"Look around,
Have you found?
That you're faking,
The words you say,
Are insincere,

And now break,
The walls,
That surround me,
The temperature is,
Rising here,

Now change,
Myself,
My condition,
The time you took,
Meant everything,

'Cause I know,
There's still beauty,
In my heart,"

DAYFEED – "Beauty in the Breakdown"

Maybe that would do it, maybe his past would haunt him no more. The infamous Wolf O'Donnell, leader of Starwolf was no more… or soon would be. Syxx loomed over his dying body, and placed the Vortec's helmet back on his head, securing the air lock. It was all too easy. Was Wolf really not that tough? Or had his years of Slayer perfected his combative edge, giving him the advantage over his long time foe? It didn't matter, the deed was done and it was just another day at the pit.

Syxx slid the bloody knife into its rightful place on the Vortec. He still wondered about Krystal. Wolf said that she hadn't been a part of Starwolf for many years, making it about the same time that he disappeared. Syxx assumed he was lying. Krystal wouldn't have fled again. Or would she have? He wished she could see him now. How angry he was, and the killer he had become. She would be so disappointed… and afraid.

The fox walked out of the Wolf's room. He knew all of Starwolf's rooms would be on the top of the base. That's were the important members were. Krystal was might still be here, somewhere.

He was amazed at himself. He didn't know why he cared so much. He never wanted to see her. He guessed that he just wanted to know where she was, so he could keep his distance or he wanted her to see him. He paused in the center of the hallway. "What if she can tell it's me?"

That was a chance that he couldn't afford to take. She knew her way around his mind very well, or she used to anyways. She could always find his thought pattern. She didn't find him out at the funeral, but things change. He wasn't going to see Krystal; he would just have to take Wolf's dying word for it. Maybe she wasn't here.

Then, there was Kyla. The red vixen had put a lot of work into him, and helped him out a lot too. He liked to admit this though; Kyla was more of a help then Krystal could be. Kyla was elite, and stronger, faster and tougher, then Krystal. He wondered what it would be like if they ever met… Krystal was a Cerinian Warrior, but Kyla was a Slayer. That day would never come though.

The fox perished the thought. He focused his mind on his escape, making his way back to the hanger from which he had entered. His Hook Echo was a long ways off, and the target was small. If he jumped he wouldn't be able to hit it. He would have to find an alternate method of transport. He would have to steal a ship, and he knew just the one he wanted. He wanted the Wolfen.

Syxx looped around the rebels in the base, making careful attention to not draw any attention to himself... yet. Though he could probably take on any forces that got in his way, it would cause alert. Then, Wolf would be raised, and when he didn't answer, everything could go to h-ll in a hand basket for him... and it would be fun. He rather enjoyed scaring Marines as they struggled to bring him down and to survive. He's killed more then his fair share of allies.

The vulpine froze as he heard footsteps. A small group of apes, walked toward him down the hall. He stuck himself against the wall, hoping he would be small enough to slide past, but he could tell that he wasn't going to be. Perhaps, there was some time for fun.

Syxx took the helmet off of his head and armor. He shook his head allowing his short, pale blaze of head fur to spur backward, before tossing the helmet out in front of him. After leaving his paw, the black and silver helmet was visible. It bounced to the floor, and rolled sideways to the feet of the soldiers. The vulpine slipped the blade out of its sheath on his chest. He took a low stance, while rolling his knuckles over the blade. He deactivated his cammo.

The three apes stumbled as their steps came to a stop, as they all watched the helmet rolled to their feet. This silver face plate glared back at them. They all turned their gazes upward.

"Hey! Whose that guy!?"

"Hey pal! You're not allowed here!!"

Syxx glared at the men. He calculated the distance, staring through the HUD. For a regular soldier, there was no way that he could leap that far, but he wasn't a regular soldier. When he saw the men drawing for their weapons, he lunged through the air, coming upon them in a single bound. He had practiced in the simulators and on Marines but here there was no limit to how brutal he could make his kills. No matter how ruthless he was, it didn't matter, this was his job.

The jagged blade sliced through the air. He analyzed the time, the situation, and his head gave him an answer. The fox slammed the blade down on one of the ape's collarbone. He felt it crackle as it splintered, and the serrated edge sawed through bone. He let go of the blade, leaving it in the man, and spun his body through the air. His left armored fist made contact with another ape, sending him back into the wall. Each movement and swing was multiplied in force and speed by two, as the nanotechnology in the Vortec worked to amplify Syxx's strength.

The vulpine's adrenalin kicked in and everything seemed to be slowed down from there. While spinning, with his non-dominant paw, he lugged the Night Knife from the collarbone area of the first ape that had not enough time to drop and was still standing. He felt bones crack and shift as he drew the blade. He could see a thick trail of airborne blood droplets as he drew the knife out and slashed it clean across the throat of the second troop. Leaving one still alive and Syxx had already predicted his action.

He glanced over his shoulder, looking down the silvery hall. As he had anticipated the last one had made a break for it. Syxx tossed the knife through the air with his left paw. He could hear it cutting the atmosphere as it spun seemingly uncontrolled. He turned his body around, now looking in the direction of the final one that was trying to escape.

The Night Knife still rotated through the air above him. As he spun around, he caught the bladed end in his right glove with so much care, and so precisely, that even if it were his bare paw, then it wouldn't have even scratched it. The fox tightened his grip around the blade, and brought it over his shoulder. With the step he took forward, his right arm and knife went forward too, the razor blade leaving his paw.

He saw the black bladed knife twirl through the air. He tried for a moment to count the rotations, and gave up. He knew what he was doing, and knew how the knife would react. As the ape was just about the round the corner, he dropped as if he were just hit by a tank and the weapon plowed into him with a strong shuck sound. The knife hit him with such force, he front flipped and landed on his back.

Syxx closed his eyes, drooping his head toward the floor and listened. His breath was calm, and nothing around him made a sound. He opened his eyes and grimaced at the floor, and picked up his helmet. He preferred taking it off during combat, and while using his knife especially. He could feel the evil part of him from within though; he knew that he could have done it easier. He had the Mapaw. Syxx found no fun in simply shooting his victims. He wanted them to see who killed them. The last thing that he wanted going through their minds was his golden tooth and silky, jet black fur.

The vulpine placed the helmet back on his head, and analyzed the mess that he had made. He was nearly standing in a thick sticky pool of blood, and if that wasn't good enough, the walls had been painted with a hefty amount red, which in some places was thick enough to start trickling down to the once silvery-black floor.

Syxx made his way toward his final kill, but more importantly to him, it was where his knife was. He peeked around each corner of the intersecting halls, before nudging the dead body over with his boot, pushing him onto his side. The fox smiled menacingly, taking knee to look at his work further.

The body already had a pool around it. The seven inch blade had buried itself to the hilt. This is what he had been training for. The black knife had hit with enough for to go clean through the neck. On the back, the handle struck out, and in the front, and a little off center, to the left, two inches of the bloody tip blasted through, and the rough side of the blade brought with it severed pieces of muscle tissue, skin tissue and fur. Yes, it wasn't often that a knife came with an exit wound, and it was defiantly ugly, but it made the dark fox smile.

The fox placed his paw on the hilt of the knife and lashed it out, bringing with it split pieces of tissues, and a steady airborne stream of even more blood, that fell to the floor and around the dead body, not mention on the Vortec. He grabbed the edge of the man's shirt and swiped either side of the blade, attempting to wash it; for all that it was worth right now. He slipped the Night back into his sheath. It wouldn't take long for the base to gain knowledge of this little incident, and connecting this with Wolf wouldn't be hard.

But still… they wouldn't get him. They didn't have a chance against a Slayer.

X

Syxx crept around the large hanger of Sargasso. Over the past few hours he had been watching ships come in and out. They had discovered the havoc of his killing spree quite some time ago, but they didn't seem to be on a super sharp lookout for him. He still wondered of Wolf, and if anyone had found him yet. The chances are that they had. It had been a while. But many feared to disturb him as well.

The ship traffic was at a steady pace; every once and while some fighters would come in, and some would go out, but that wasn't the problem for him. The trick wasn't getting his paws on a standard rebel Junker. He was on the lookout for something especially for himself. He was on the lookout for the sports car model that had to be somewhere in the base. Well, it was a sports car to their standards, but put up the Wolfen and the Hook Echo, the Echo wouldn't even have fun.

Syxx wanted to take what Starwolf had been flying around in all these years. The red Wolfen had hunted him, he wondered what it was like to pilot one, and that's what he was out to do.

He watched the activity around the hanger. There were many apes, and others of the Lylatian variety. But, he spotted no members of Starwolf, which he assumed the only two who were Leon and Panther, but there was always a possibility that Krystal was still here too. A burden that he still had to account for after all these years, sadly enough.

The vulpine found a dark ledge above the many substructures within the hanger, so he could look down on the ships coming in and out. He still waited patiently for a Wolfen to appear. Where else would they be? This is where they were stationed.

It took four hours for his patience to pay off. His ears perked up inside his helmet as a Wolfen fighter entered the base. He looked down upon it. A drop so far would surely break regular soldier's legs, thanks to the Vortec and his training though, that was all changed. Syxx stared at the canopy as it opened and a black feline hopped out. He growled deeply as he saw the red rose on the side of the Wolfen. Panther.

His anger built within. He didn't care much for this cat. Not after what he had taken from him, but Panther was not the objective, the Wolfen was. Syxx crouched lower and deactivated his Vortec's cloak. He placed a paw on the large pistol attached to his chest. The fox placed both paws on the pistol, and lifted it, placing the sights on the Panther's head. The forward secondary, grip of the pistol pulled the muzzle down. The vulpine focused and rolled two fingers into the dual grip trigger of the Mapaw. He bared his teeth, and pulled the trigger half way in.

He heard gunshots, and realizing he had not yet pulled the trigger, he stepped backwards, pointing the weapon at the beam which he stood on. A barrage of plasma rounds winged through the air, splashing where he had just been. Syxx knew now, he had been caught. The fox jumped from frame to frame of the substructure, gracefully, as balls of plasma flew past him. One hit in the wrong spot could wound him badly enough to slow his mission down. He took cover behind a box to activate his cammo. Then, after it engaged he made a break for it.

X

"I think I got him!"

"Where is he!?"

"See that box on the third floor! He's right behind it! He hasn't moved yet!"

"Got it! Come on guys! Let's go get 'em!"

Panther looked up toward the ceiling of the base. The goons that Starwolf had hired were in frenzy. Nothing this exciting ever happened around here, so he could understand why. He placed a black paw on his own Blaster and drew it out, just to be safe. The feline took a few steps forward. His sharp eyes searched everywhere, but he never knew, that he could search for what he couldn't see.

He jumped and spun around as the clean canopy of his Wolfen shut on its own. "Whoa."

The black Lylatian raced over to it and climbed onto a wing. His communicator refused to open it, so he tried manually, but it was locked shut. And it was empty. He almost fell off the wing of the craft, when the next moment he blinked there was some one staring back at him from inside the craft. He thought it was himself for a second, when at closer look, he found a silvery mirror staring back at him.

The man inside took the helmet off, and Panther was staring at another black furred man. The man glowered at him, and showed a gold tooth as his muzzle bent into a wrinkled snarl. Panther's only reaction was to point the Blaster at the man, and fire.

Syxx watched Panther as he helplessly fired away at the strong canopy of the Wolfen. The plasma compacted into the Blaster left nothing but black marks on the outside. The engines howled to life, and the ship floated in the hanger. More small arms fire had directed toward him, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop the ship. The vulpine spun the ship around in the hanger, and started inching it toward the plasma gate that separated them, from the vacuum of space. Panther still stood on the wing, and before Syxx left the station, he jumped off. Disappointingly.

Syxx pressed the thrusters forward. Soon, the engines warned him of their condition. He was disappointed, somehow he had expected better of the ship. It was very cumbersome in size, and the inside was comfortable, yet not as large as the Hook Echo, which you could fit almost two into. He let the engines rest as he circled the base in his commandeered vessel. The radios alerted, and he turned them on.

"Who are you!?" He could tell it was Panther's voice.

"It doesn't matter who I am." Syxx answered.

"What have you come here for? Are you a part of the Cornerian Navy? I know I've seen you before!"

"Hmm… maybe you have. Where's Krystal?"

"Krystal hasn't been a part of this team for years!"

Syxx began to take interest. "Where is she?"

"No one here knows."

"Why did she leave?"

"I don't know. She didn't say. I think it had something to do with Fox McCloud. She really loved him. More then she ever loved me!"

Syxx laughed in return.

"I answered your questions, now answer mine. Who is this?"

"You'll never find out. Technically, I don't exist."

"Wolf will never let you get away with this!"

"Wolf?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I'm an assassin, and I ever find out who this is… well I think it explains itself."

The vulpine chuckled from the back of his throat. "You're no match for me. You don't stand a chance."

"Maybe not upfront, but when you least expect-"

"My life thrives on such."

"Perhaps you shouldn't hide behind your cloaking all the time, and be fair. You wouldn't be able to beat me."

"Think what you wish, but I will always come out on top. There's nothing you can ever do to change that. I always win."

"I can't wait until O'Donnell gets his hands on you."

"Oh, you mean Wolf O'Donnell? Yeah, you might wanna' check up on the big guy."

X

Syxx walked into the Slayer's common room at the base of the barracks. A green jacket hung over his shoulders, with the same camouflage set matching his lower half. He loved the Vortec, but he preferred not to wear it all the time. He liked it for special occasions. It was better suited for killing.

Kyla giggled at him. "What's wrong?"

Syxx glanced at her as he sat down, trying to ignore the little vixen. This happened nearly every time he took a shower. His black fur would puff out for the next hour or so until it returned to normal. He let out a low growl in return.

She still smiled. "Oh, you're no fun."

"No, I'm not. Go hang out with Pyro." Syxx tried to brush down the fur on his head with both his paws. The white strip of head fur stuck back out when he took his paws off of it.

The vixen giggled. Kyla removed herself from the chair and took a seat next to Syxx on the sofa. "Rough day at the pit?" The vixen brushed a paw back on his head, trying to tame the wicked fur.

"You don't know the g-d-mn half of it." He stared at the blank TV.

"No." She sighed before perking up again. "But, I'd like to."

Syxx continued to stare. "I'd rather not."

Kyla waved a paw in front of the fox's face, attempting the break his stare. "Hello? Syxx? Are you there?" She then giggled.

"F-ck off."

Kyla frowned. "Well some one isn't getting a kiss."

"Leave me alone."

"Come on Syxx. What happened? I mean, you're usually mad, but really."

"YO!!" Pyro walked in through the door.

Kyla could feel Syxx start to get angrier, her eyes widened, staring at Syxx before she spun around on the sofa. "Pyro! No! This is not the time!"

The raccoon took another step in. "Why? What's sup!?"

"Shh! No more talky!" Kyla shouted.

"Why!?"

"Because, I think Syxx might actually kill you this time!"

"What did I do!?"

"Nothing, yet! Try to keep it that way for a while! And Pyro, I know this hard for you, but try not to do anything stupid for the rest of the day! If you do, don't let Syxx find out!"

Pyro scratched the back of his head. "You… do know that he's sitting right there… don't you?"

Kyla put a paw around Syxx's forearm. She could feel how tense he was. Syxx was going to spring at any moment. "Pyro! If you know what's best for you-"

She tried to stop the fox as he stood up. But as soon as that happened the raccoon bolted. Kyla never knew Pyro could run that fast without the Vortec. But Syxx was still heading in Pyro's direction.

She clamped around his forearm. "Syxx, he's gone."

"Let go of me." he turned around and loomed down on her; his teeth showing and the golden canine gleaming.

"Maybe that works on Pyro, but it doesn't on me."

"Fine." Syxx spun around and made his way toward the door.

Kyla still held his arm firmly. The fox was defiantly more powerful then her. Her boots screeched as the black fox drug her heels across the floor. "Syxx! Just settle down!"

The vulpine spun around, he looked dead at her. His teeth bore. She thought she could see her own reflection in the golden shine. She moved her eyes through his jetted fur, and loosened her grip on the fox. She hadn't seen him this angry in a long time. Something must have happened, perhaps something had arisen his past. She was slowly backing down, being intimidated by Syxx. She feared that he might take a swing at her. She knew what he was capable of when he was angry.

It wasn't often that she had to let him go, but she'd never seen him this mad, so the vixen let go of the man's arm, and watched him step out the door. "Syxx…" she trailed off. "… Wait."

The vixen whimpered.

X

"I thought I might find you up here." The vixen came to the rooftop of the barrack. She looked at the shadow sitting near the edge on the opposite side.

The shadow sat there motionlessly in the night on the edge of the building. The moonlight seemed to be absorbed by the black fox's fur in some parts, but in others part, it gave it a silvery shine, which only seemed to happen at night.

Kyla stared at the back of the black fox, her head poking just above the top railing of the ladder, but Syxx still sat there remaining motionless, and silent. Kyla climbed the remaining steps of the ladder, and made her way over to Syxx. When she got closer, she now saw that he was wearing the Vortec armoring, not like he had been earlier. The vixen got closer, and Syxx still was silent, and frozen.

She put a paw on his shoulder, peaking over to see what he was looking at. The fox held the Vortec helmet with both paws, while resting it in his lap. Kyla saw her reflection in the silver visor, and Syxx's too. He stared at himself, using the helmet like a mirror. His face was emotionless, breathing lightly as he glared through the lens of the HUD, back at reflection of himself.

Kyla swallowed hard. "Syxx?" She worried for him.

He was still silent.

"You mind if I take a seat… with you?" Syxx's unblinking eyes never gave her answer, so she took a seat, hanging her boots off the edge. She remained silent with him for a while; he had not yet spoken or moved. "I thought it was… I thought I'd let you cool down a little while before I tried to talk to you."

Kyla was going to wave a paw in front of him, but she thought maybe she should leave him be. It was such a disappointment for her to see him like this, after all the work that she had put into him. At least he wasn't angry anymore. Not that she knew anyways. She looked out into the starlit sky, and the moonlight, before looking down onto Syxx's lap and into the visor of the helmet, meeting Syxx's eyes through the silver. His glare didn't flinch, his eyes trained on his own.

Kyla leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek. "Syxx." She whispered in his ear.

Syxx continued to stare at himself in the helmet; everything around him quiet.

"Syxx? Come on. Please. Talk to me."

Syxx looked at himself for a moment longer. He sighed, and rolled the visor of the helmet around with his paws, reflecting the stars differently, before he placed it on the ledge of the building beside him. The Vortec head gear made a hollow clunk as it was set down on the rooftop.

Kyla placed a paw on the larger fox's leg. The affinity of the touch was taken away by the steel protection of the Vortec armoring. Syxx lifted his paws to his head, and with both, took off the heads up display, placing it next to the helmet while still making careful attention to knock neither off the edge off the building. The fox ran both paws backward through his head fur, and scratched his skull.

Syxx drifted a paw over to the vixen's that sat on his lap, and slowly wrapped his paw around hers, ensuring to be gentle with the use of the Vortec. Kyla slowly grinned at him. "That won't do."

The vixen grabbed the vulpine's gloved paw. She rubbed the tough enhanced armored knuckle of Syxx. "With arms made of steel, how can you feel?"

The vixen detached the armored paw. It hissed as it came undone. Kyla removed it and set it down beside her. She then put her paw into Syxx's, tightening it around his, and pressed her fingers into the palm of his paw.

Syxx bit his lip, and gradually bobbed his head, pointing his muzzle over the starry horizon, and glared at the moon. "It doesn't matter. Life is so surreal."

Kyla squeezed his paw harder. "You alright?"

Syxx just mm'ed in return.

"Come on sweetie. Talk to me."

He was silent for a moment. "Kyla…"

"Yes, Syxx?"

"Thanks for being here. I don't know where I'd be without you. The time you take, means everything."

Kyla grinned, perhaps even the widest smile that Syxx had ever received from her. "I think that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard you say. I figure someone's gotta' keep you under control. Don't let Pyro get under your fur."

"It's not Pyro."

"I knew that. I just wanted to remind you. Do you need… to talk about it?"

"I don't know."

Kyla gripped his paw. "I think that means yes. Where'd you go?"

"Wolf is dead."

Kyla raised her eyebrows. "That was forward. Wolf?"

"Wolf O'Donnell." The fox said staring out at the sky. "The leader of Starwolf is dead."

"Isn't that a good thing though?"

"It is."

"Then, what's the problem?"

Syxx closed his eyes, whispering. "I don't know."

"Hey!" Kyla looked over her shoulder, at the top of the ladder, a raccoon's head poked up. She thought it was Pyro before realizing it was the Lieutenant.

Kyla kissed Syxx on the forehead, knowing it was too far away for Ramirez to know. "I'll be right back." She stepped over to the other edge of the building. "Sir?"

"Slayer." He nodded. "You're next assignments."

Kyla leaned over to grab the folders that the raccoon handed up. "Thank you."

"It's mostly small stuff; recon for the most part. Oh, and tell Syxx he did a great job on his last op. What are you two doing up here?"

Her heart froze for a second. "Nothing… just watching the stars."

"Umm, hmm… ok. I knew I shouldn't have paired you two up. You're probably the only one that can really talk to him. Seems to hate everyone else." The Army Man smiled and made his way back down the ladder.

Kyla blushed and tucked the two paper files under her arm. She turned back toward the other edge of the roof, and walked back over. Syxx had taken off the upper part of the amore, but he still wore the lower pants and shielded boots. He shifted his shoulders back, stretching them out.

Kyla handed a form to him. "Next mission."

Syxx sighed. "Great." Syxx took the folder, and opened it. He adjusted it so the moonlight would illuminate the white paper. He glanced over it; only reading certain sentences and bits of information.

Kyla did the same. "Recon… again. What'd you get? Something exciting?"

"Doubt it. It's something out of system. A bounty hunter thing I guess."

"Where's this?"

"I don't know… some place called Kew."