-o0o-
Wolf actually tried to have a more positive outlook on what was going on, because he realized how terrible he felt and was acting. Sure, he might be in emotional distress and pain, but he needed to be strong.
It took him long enough to let Falco's words sink in. Wolf was such a damn idiot.
The lupine actually picked himself off of his sleeping bag, and perked his ears. He was tired of moping, but he still felt cold and gruff.
Wolf yawned, blinking and getting up. He saw Panther drinking a cup of coffee by the counter, and went over to him.
"I'm sorry for the shitty way I've been acting," Wolf rasped, his voice hoarse with disuse. Panther smiled softly.
"It's grief, Wolf. I understand," he said, patting the lupine's back.
"I won't let that shit get back to me. I'll be strong for you all," Wolf replied determinedly. The feline chuckled.
"There's the Wolf I know. Now, we've got a ship to work on. We're missing a pilot. Let's get him back," Panther said, setting his coffee down and walking over to the Flea. Some of the plating was installed, but wires were sticking out all over the place. It'd need work. Quite a bit of work.
Wolf cracked his knuckles and neck. He was ready to get going. He grinned cockily. No more time to be down. He had to rescue the man he loved.
-o0o-
"Jesus, do I really have to wear armor like this?" Fox asked in dismay as he looked at the suits I'm the armory in front of him. They were barely even given bulletproofing. It looked like a set of leather and Kevlar was meshed together in an ugly fashion.
Pepper had led the crew to their armory, and asked them to find proper protection and arms. So far, it looked pretty disappointing.
The bloodhound scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, these are the newest models. The aparoids can infect any machine, so our old robotics can't work," he explained. Fox shook his head.
"I want heavy protection, General," Fox replied adamantly. The others around him nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, definitely. I'd rather run that risk than wear this terrible armor," James said, crossing his arms. Panther nodded in agreement. Pepper wrung his hands in defeat.
"Fine. They're in that set of lockers," he said, pointing to a large set of storage lockers in the corner of the armory.
The vulpine walked over to where Pepper pointed, and opened the containers. Sure enough, metal suits of armor were shown. They looked just like the one he was wearing in his vision. Fox felt his metal arm self-consciously. It was cool and lifeless.
"This'll work," James said, nodding. The vulpine noticed that the armor was suspended in the air, and in pieces. He guessed that it was too heavy to put on all at once.
"You'll put these on piece by piece, and get a headset for the suit to link to," Pepper explained, confirming his suspicion. "Fox, I think you can let it connect to your cybernetic eye." The vulpine nodded.
"Alright then. Let's get these on," Miyu said. Bill grinned at seeing the armor. Fox guessed that he really liked it.
Fox grabbed a set that was painted green, red, and silver. It wasn't just that it was in the vision; he also preferred those colors over the other choices. The vulpine ambled over to a bench in the middle of the armory and sat down. He started with his legs, and strapped boots on, followed by shinguards. He didn't need to take his clothes off to do that, apparently. The pieces seemed to magnetically lock to each other after being fitted on him, and adjusted to his size. He put the armor for his thighs on, then his crotch and hips. The whole lower body was fitted on.
"This stuff is heavy. How are we gonna be able to walk?" Fara asked.
"When you get connected through headset or eye, the tech will turn on and take the weight off. Simple," Pepper replied. The vixen nodded.
Speaking of Fara, Fox thought about her almost constantly. Who was she, he wondered as he placed the stomach guards on. He'd never heard of her in his universe. He guessed that she was just this universe's version of Krystal. After all, he'd heard no mention of her whatsoever. On top of that, nobody in the crew had liked to mention where she came from. Fox just could not shake a feeling of curiosity about her.
Fox was startled out of his thoughts as Bill sat heavily down next to him on the bench with some pieces of armor in his hands. The vulpine looked over at him. Panther was on his other side.
"Hey, dude. I know nobody has asked, and if you're uncomfortable with answering, then whatever, but… what's with the cybernetic eye?" Bill questioned. Panther and the other two leaned in the listen as well. James looked at him curiously, while putting his set of armor on.
Fox took a breath. That was a fun time to think back on, and it was only a few weeks ago that it had happened. He might as well say what had occured to cause his injury.
"It wasn't too long ago that this happened actually. A few weeks," Fox started. "Basically, my universe has had to deal with Andrew Oikonny after the aparoids, and it wasn't pretty. He went insane. Like, completely out of his mind."
Miyu's eyes widened slightly. "Wow. That's actually a big shock," She said seriously. Fox nodded.
"So my crew and Star Wolf had to team up because Andrew framed Wolf for a crime he didn't commit, and we ran all over the system while avoiding the authorities and Andrew's army. Eventually, we confronted him at Corneria, and he… well… I lost my temper and attacked him," the vulpine continued. "After I'd finished wailing on him, I backed off and was happy that we'd won. But… he had another trick up his sleeve," Fox explained after putting the back guards on.
"What was that, then?" Fara asked, eyes widening.
Fox closed his eyes and pulled the collar of his shirt down to show a huge scar in the middle of his chest. Everybody else in the room gasped in horror.
"Four shots," the vulpine whispered. "One on my arm, one on my leg, one straight through my chest, and one in my eye." He chuckled. "Wolf ripped Andrew up after that. I thought I was gonna die. He and another friend of mine, Fay, at least the one from my universe, they saved me."
"Oh my God," Miyu whispered.
James took a breath to say something. "Fox… I'm sorry. I wish I was-"
"Save it," Fox replied. "There's nothing you could've done, dad."
"Can I touch it?" Panther tapped out in Morse. Fox nodded, and the feline gingerly felt over the scar. His eyes widened slightly.
"Yeah, I know," Fox whispered.
"Deep," Panther tapped on the bench.
The vulpine moved his shirt to cover the scar, and fitted the chest armor on. He remained silent as he put the arm coverings on. On his cybernetic eye, a notification popped up in his peripheral vision. Must be the link, he thought. Fox focused in on the notification, and his armor lit up red. He found that he could move around.
"Wow. Okay, so this is strange," he remarked, standing up and flexing his fingers. He took a few experimental steps, and found that each footfall made a clanking sound. He rather liked it.
"You're taller. At least by three inches," Fara stated, looking him over. It made Fox feel uncomfortable.
"Yeah. Armor looks good, dude," Bill said as he strapped his chest guard on, grinning.
When everyone fitted their armor on, Pepper finally spoke up. "I ever got headsets for each of you. Here we go," he said, setting one on everyone's head and switching them on.
Bill's armor was a soft blue color, and lit up white. He stood up, grinning. "Dudes, this is cool. I like it," the dog remarked.
James's set of armor was a shade of orange like his fur used to be. "I think I enjoyed my flight suit better," he said, frowning and crossing his arms. Fox chuckled.
Miyu's was a pitch black color, and didn't light up, but she could still move. "Definitely my style here. This is nice," the lynx stated.
Panther's was a deep purple color. He smiled upon inspection. Fara's was white, and lit up grey. She didn't say anything, either, but she grinned.
"There we go. I think you're all good here," Pepper said, smiling brightly.
Fox frowned. "Yeah… but what about our weapons? Don't we need some?" He asked.
"Ah! Yes, yes you do! There should be some in those lockers over there!" The bloodhound exclaimed, pointing to a few lockers on the far wall.
"Hmm. Thanks, General," the vulpine said, walking over to the lockers. He still had to get used to how loud he was. It was pretty annoying, to say the least.
Fox opened the lockers to find an assortment of laser rifles, pistols, and other weapons piled neatly in them. He grinned, grabbing a heavy assault rifle and a pistol, and holstered them. They worked for him. Fara and Miyu grabbed basic assault rifles, with Panther taking a bayoneted pistol. Bill grabbed some sort of LMG, and James a semi automatic rifle. The weapon diversity was good, in Fox's eyes. They seemed to be properly armed.
"I think that should do it. Everyone is armed, and the device used to teleport your ship shall be fixed to the Lone Wolf. You may be dismissed to your mothership now, everyone," Pepper said, smiling. He looked proud to see everybody.
Fox started out of the barracks, ready to go back to the Lone Wolf. Everything happening was beginning to give him a headache. It was all so hard to comprehend, he found as he clutched his head. Bill looked at him, concerned, as they left.
"Dude? You okay?" He asked, setting a metal hand on the vulpine's shoulder. He nodded his head slightly.
"Yeah, I… I'm fine. I'm just having a hard time understanding all of this. Not everyday you get stuck in another universe, you know?" Fox asked. Bill sighed.
"I'm gonna do everything in my power to get you back. I swear it," the dog said, smiling softly.
"Thanks, Bill. The reality of all this is slamming into me pretty roughly. I'll deal with it. Must be a lot worse for you guys, huh?" The vulpine asked, looking over at him.
"I'll admit, dude, it's like seeing a ghost. I was used to the fact that you were dead, well… our you, anyway. I had been on your team for years and years, standing next to you almost every day. And then Miyu comes around saying she found you, dude? It's just strange. I can't help but see our Fox in you, maybe because you two are the same," Bill explained as they walked along to the hangars. The rest of the group was lagging behind a bit as they spoke.
Fox's ears perked. There was a good question to ask.
"What was your Fox like, Bill? How did he talk and act?" The vulpine asked.
Bill hummed, scratching his chin. "Well, dude… he was the same as you, but very different at the same time. Fox looked exactly like you, apart from the robotic stuff and all that. His personality… Fox was intense. Like, super intense. He was always serious, and didn't have time for a sense of humor. I think it was because his dad's death affected him so severely," the canine replied.
"How did it affect your Fox? It certainly cut deep for me when I thought he died, but the hard feelings died down after the Lylat Wars," Fox replied.
"Fox watched James die, dude," Bill explained. The vulpine's eye widened in shock.
"What? How?" He asked, confused.
"When Pigma shot him down on Venom, James survived. Peppy rescued him, after a few hours. The injuries were really bad to begin with, and the toxic crap in that place's atmosphere screwed him over. Peppy got him to a Cornerian hospital, but they couldn't do anything. He died two days after he checked in," Bill stated sadly.
"God damn," was all Fox could say.
"Yeah, dude. He never let go of his grief, and that killed him in the end, I think. He was so distant from everyone. Wolf tried to drag him out of it… but he was too far gone. It was too late. He died on the aparoid homeworld," the canine said, shutting his eyes. His composure was gone for a few seconds, but then it returned. Fox reached over to squeeze his shoulder.
"It's alright. I understand, Bill. What did you mean with Wolf?" The vulpine asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Dude… Wolf fell in love with our Fox. It was in the early stages of the aparoid assault, and Fox reciprocated that love… but it was too late. Wolf vanished after he died, and Miyu and the rest of Star Wolf hasn't heard from him since," Bill explained. Fox nodded in understanding. The thing between him and Wolf must've happened much earlier in their timeline in this universe. He wished it had in his own. It would've saved quite a bit of trouble for both of them.
"I see. I need you to remember this, though; I'm going to find them. All of them. And when I've fixed this situation, my dad and I will leave, and you will live your own lives. I promise you there won't be any more casualties," the vulpine promised as they stepped out into the hangar.
He just hoped he could deliver on that promise.
To be continued…