Krystal rolled her shoulders as she stepped out of her room, trying to stretch some of her sore muscles. She had been sitting around reading a human book series for most of the day, Will having brought it to them out of storage. It was a little awkward to read, given Fox and Peppy were the only ones actually able to read English, but a translation screen and an awkward position had been letting her read them. Inside the main room, she found Fox, Will, Saber and Falco playing on Fox's old game console. Both Falco and Saber were pouting, their controllers in their laps. Two of the boxes on the screen had red lettering on the screen proclaiming them as KIA. Meanwhile, the other screens showed a tiny interceptor and a larger multi-role craft whipping though a chaotic fleet battle, the multi-role tight on the interceptor's tail. She slipped up behind Saber and Will, leaning on the couch behind them
"So what's going on?" Saber smiled to her, giving her muzzle a quick peck.
"Me and Will against Fox and Falco. Fox totaled me in like two seconds. Falco got killed by Will while Fox was chasing him. Fox has been on his tail this whole time, still hasn't gotten him." Falco growled beside them, causing Krystal to raise an eyebrow at him.
"Will only beat me cause he's lucky. I almost had that fucker!" Will was instantly speaking up as he put his fighter on the screen through a very intricate maneuver that looked more like a stunt than anything else, but it got him onto Fox's tail.
"You kiss your momma with that mouth bird boy?" Krystal couldn't help but giggle at Falco's angry retort that followed, Saber regaining her attention.
"So, what did townsend say about your wrist?" she glanced down at it and shrugged. It had been almost a week since they got here, and the wrist had shown signs that it was starting to heal itself.
"It's healing, slowly. Townsend thinks I'll only need the brace for a couple more weeks." Saber grinned at her, kissing her on the lips this time. She smiled as a wave of euphoria washed over her.
"That's great Krys." She nodded as he broke off the kiss to speak. The two of them returned to watching the game, just in time to see Fox narrowly dodge a missile, his shields gone and health critical, managing to fire his own back at Will and see it connect, destroying Will's ship.
"Aw, dang, good game Fox, good game. I would've beaten you if it was Halo though." Fox raised his eyebrow at Will about to respond when the main door to the lobby opened, Mira striding in. Will was instantly on his feet, dropping the controller into Krystal's hands. "Mira! Do you want to go out for a movie tonight?" she had a bag of groceries in her arms and froze for a second when Will spoke, giving him the chance to reach her and kiss her cheek before she could really react.
"I… um, sure! Why not!?" he took the groceries from her and set them on the counter, leaving Mira standing by the door, her hands on her hips and one eyebrow raised. Will trotted back over, his t-shirt, cargo pants, and ever present blaster a little odd to see for Krystal, having grown used to him wearing a leather jacket everywhere.
"Let's go." And with that, they disappeared right back out the door.
"Ya know, I think they've spent less time at the HQ than anywhere else. I almost never see them." Krystal nodded at Saber's words, dropping the controller onto the couch.
"What do you say to taking a walk, maybe hitting the bar on the way back?" Saber grinned and dropped his controller beside hers on the couch, standing and stretching before walking with her out of the HQ, into the dying light of the day.
Mira smiled as she walked out of the theater with Will, practically hanging off his arm. She rested her head up against his shoulder, feeling his lips brush up against the top of her head. She closed her eyes, simply letting him guide her.
"What do you say we stop by the bar, get a few drinks?" she smiled and opened her eye's to look at him, seeing his eyes focused squarely on her.
"Sure, why not?" she watched the movement around them as they walked, simply happy to be with him. Her occasional glances to him told her that he felt some sort of unease, his eyes darting to every person that past, his free hand hovering over the grip of his sidearm.
"Something wrong?" he shrugged still not looking at her as he responded.
"I don't know. Just have this feeling that someone is watching us." She nodded and tried to relax, but now that he had said it, she found that she was constantly checking over her shoulder to see if someone was following them. They reached their usual bar without any incident, slipping inside and up to the counter, where Mira was startled to see a very drunk Krystal and Saber, who seemed a little buzzed but no more.
"Hey guys, didn't expect to see you two here." Mira smiled at them as Will spoke, Krystal almost fell over as she turned around to face them, a glass of liquor in her hands.
"Oh, heeey guys. How was the movie?" she was swaying even though she was braced up against the bar.
"It was great. I'm surprised that Will wanted to see a chick flick though." She elbowed Will playfully in the ribs as she spoke, forgetting about the injury there. He cringed, letting out a subtle gasp of pain. "Oh I'm sorry Will!" he just smiled and waved it off, speaking as he did so.
"Just twanged a bit. Shouldn't you be getting her home Saber? She looks a bit, um, tipsy." As he spoke, Krystal sloppily took another drink, nearly sloshing the liquid across her front.
"Um, well, I tried. She doesn't want to leave." Will rolled his eyes, grabbing Krystal by her arm as he spoke.
"Come on Krys, let's get you home." She instantly struggled and protested, weakly pulling against Will's arm.
"But I don wanna gooo!" Mira raised an eyebrow at her, just before a fist suddenly flew out from behind Will, slamming into his jaw and knocking him away from Krystal. For a second, she thought it was Saber until she realized that it was a burly Lupine, his fur nothing but midnight black. The only spot of color were his eerie red eyes, seeming to glow softly in the dim light of the bar.
"What the hell was that for?" the lupine looked at the group, his eyes sliding between each of the members.
"I think I found myself some Foxes." He spoke much louder, to the bar at large as he continued. "Did you hear me boys! We have ourselves some Foxes! Death to Star Fox!" as he said that last word, he took another swing at Will, but Will clearly saw it coming, side stepping and elbowing the Lupine in the ribs before swiping his legs out from under him. She didn't get time to see more as a Swine took a swing at her, forcing her to duck under it. A quick pair of jabs into his gut staggered him back, but only for a second. The swine was instantly lunging forward, easily picking up her small frame and slamming her into the ground, pinning her in place. She struggled against the massive swine, his horrific breath making her almost puke.
"Ohh I courd have fun with you little lady!" his thick deep voice was barely audible over the struggle going on around her.
"In your dreams pal!" she kneed him in the groin and rolled out from under him. As soon as she was on her feet, she kicked at the swine with all her might, rocking him on the floor when a new voice shouted.
"All of you, cut this shit out before I throw you outta my bar!" the bartender had pulled a shotgun out from under the counter, aiming it at the group. Krystal was up against the bar, clutching the side of her head. Will and Saber had positioned themselves on either side of her, guarding her from the three canines and the Lupine that had started the fight. "Now all of you, get the fuck out of my bar!" Mira stepped over the swine to the others, Will's voice breaking the silence between them.
"Are you okay Mira?" she nodded, seeing the bruise already forming on his face. "Alright then, let's get back to the HQ." he led the way out, Saber supporting the now half-conscious Krystal, Mira bringing up the rear. He took their usual route, cutting through a back alley. Before they were even halfway through it, the same lupine from the bar stepped out in front of the exit, one of the canines beside him. But what her eyes focused on, was the blaster rifles in their hands.
"You are surrounded, if you surrender now and come quietly, I'll be sure to be gentle with you." Her eyes flicked back behind her seeing the other three from the bar, the swine on point with a shotgun, the two canines flanking.
"Yeah, fuck you two buddy." As Will said that, he snapped his blaster out of it's holster and fired, blasting the canine beside the lupine, the lupine ducking the shot. As soon as he had fired, he was diving up against the wall, Mira following suit. She felt something rip past her thigh as the swine's shotgun fired, blaster bolts ripping past from the other two shooters. Will pounded a pair of bolts into the swine before shouting again.
"Run!" she sprinted toward the exit, hearing Will's blaster fire a couple more shots before a red bolt ripped past from in front of her, the lupine having stepped out of hiding. For a second, she though the bolt had been aimed for her, until she heard Krystal's blood curdling scream.
I fired two more shots past the canines, their pig like companion bleeding on the ground. I smirked and turned to run for it when the Lupine stepped around the corner, firing a single round at us. It whipped past me, having punched clean through Saber's chest, Krystal and Saber dropping from it. Krystal screamed as she caught herself with the broken wrist, Saber's body eerily limp and motionless. I ran to Krystal as I snapped the last two rounds at the vulpine, one flat out missing, hitting a passing car, the other hitting the lupines thigh. My hands instinctively reloaded as I shouted at Krystal.
"Come on, lets move!" I felt Saber's neck, looking for a pulse, only to find nothing. Red plasma bolts ripped past and I fired back with one hand, using the other to rip Krystal onto her feet. We sprinted past the wounded lupine, a kick from Mira knocking the pistol he was reaching for out of his hand. I ducked and weaved through the now screaming crowd, more red bolts ripping over my shoulder. A woman was hit square in the chest, another in the leg as we ran, Mira almost stopping to help them, only following because of me grabbing her arm and dragging her along. The bolts were getting closer, so I suddenly stopped and spun, firing two well aimed shot's into one of the canine's chest. He was blasted backward, the Lupine and the final canine stopping to check him for a pulse. I took that as a chance to drag the other two into a store front, dragging them behind a counter. Krystal was sobbing out loud, forcing me to ram a hand over her mouth as I peeked over the counter. There was no sign of the assailants, but I saw a Cornerian police officer, setting my weapon on the counter and shouting at the top of my lungs.
"In here!" as soon as I had stood, Krystal began sobbing again, screaming about leaving Saber. "We have wounded!" I shouted that as soon as one of the cops entered, finding myself staring down the barrel of his pistol. My hands shot into the air.
"Stay where you are, you are under arrest!" I was instantly shouting back, keeping my hands up.
"I… We're innocent! They attacked us and I returned fire! Nothing more!" the cop seemed to totally ignore me as he spoke into his radio.
"I got three suspects, need back up to detain! One human male and two females!" more cops rushed into the store, putting all of us in hand cuffs, earning a shriek from Krystal as they gruffly rammed her broken wrist into the cuffs without a single care. I cursed as they grabbed my weapon off the counter and forced us out into the street, cramming all three of us into separate squad cars.
Fox rushed into the police building, unable to calm the worry in his body. He rushed right up to the clerk, speaking before the female clerk could.
"My name is Fox McCloud, I'm here as legal counsel for William Hawkins, Mira Marshall, Krystal, and Damon Saber." He hoped his ploy would work, although, with the amount of legal hoops he had jumped through in his lifetime, he probably would make a decent lawyer. The clerk tapped at a few keys, looking up at him with a bored expression.
"We have no Damon Saber on file, and the other three, the request for legal counsel has been denied." Fox felt anger boiling up in his veins, wishing he had his blaster on him.
"Denied! Only the defendants can decline legal counsel, and I highly doubt you just asked them!" she closed off her screen, resuming her bored demeanor.
"Under Article fifteen of the New Defense act, all human terrorists and their accomplices are allowed only the counsel provided by the state, and article twelve clearly states they are not allowed visitors. Have a good day Mister McCloud." He clenched his fists, fighting the urge to slam his fist on the counter.
"They are not terrorists! They are members of my team! We've been fighting on the frontlines since day one of this war, for the CDF! I have all of the legal paperwork to prove it!" he tapped a few keys on his wrist computer, pulling up hologram's of all of the legal paperwork, the electronic stamps all up to date.
"Article seven states that all humans involved in criminal activity on Corneria or her allies is a terrorist until proven guilty." Fox closed his eyes, still trying to remain calm as he spoke again.
"What. The. Fuck. Are you talking about!? What happened to due process!" she leaned back staring at Fox with a slightly less bored expression.
"I told you Mister McCloud, no outside legal counsel is allowed for human terrorists. That is the law." Another voice joined them, Fox hearing the faint click of a safety being flicked off.
"Put your hands on the back of your head, now!" Fox was slowly complying when yet another voice joined them, this one extremely familiar and oddly calm.
"Put that weapon down officer. Or do you guys want another gun battle on your hands." Fox slowly turned around to see Winters and half a squad of soldiers, weapons raised at the various members of the police that raised their weapons. The police officer pointed his weapon skyward and the soldiers all relaxed. "Now what's this I hear about a group of war heroes being detained?" He marched clean past Fox past the counter and toward the cell block. An officer stepped in Winters way as Fox began to follow.
"Sir, you are not allowed back there! That is the detention center!" Winters simply fingered his weapon, the two soldiers beside him tightening their grips on the rifles.
"Do you really want to try to stop me?" the officer stepped out of the way and he signaled for Fox to follow him. They stepped into the detention center, passing several cells before they found one that had Will, Mira, and Krystal in it. Mira had Krystal's brace off, gently manipulating her wrist, which from here Fox could see it was deformed. Will was the first to notice that group, instantly stepping up to the energy field and speaking.
"Captain Winters, Fox! Wow, you two are a sight for sore eyes!" the captains grim expression turned Will's smile into a frown.
"What the hell happened Will?!" he sighed, starting to pace back and forth as he spoke.
"We got attacked! First, in the bar, then in an alleyway on our way back to the HQ! This midnight black Lupine was leading them! I… Fox, they got Saber. He's dead." Fox cursed, but Winter's quite voice was what startled Fox.
"Midnight…. Here….." he seemed lost in thought for a second before he shouted at one of the guards. "You there! Let them out of this cell, now!" the guard hesitated and he shouted again. "I said now! By my authority as the commander in charge of Corneria's Defense, open this cell right now!" the guard scrambled to do as he said, the energy field over the cell dropping so Fox could slip inside. "Now go get me the detective in charge of this case, now!" the officer rushed off as Fox stopped at Krystal and Mira, fighting the urge to puke at the deformed section of skin over her wrist. He couldn't imagine the pain she was in right now.
"Her wrist is totally shattered. She needs a hospital, now. We kept telling them that, but they wouldn't listen!" he nodded, and looked Krystal in the eye, seeing the mass of tears that were still leaking out.
"Are you okay Krys?" she looked away, closing her turquoise eyes.
"She hasn't spoken since Saber." Fox nodded and gently grabbed her arm, getting her to stand up and follow him. As the group reached the end of the detention block, Winters half turned to them and spoke.
"First, to all of you, it's commander now. Second, go straight back to your HQ, stay armed, and stay vigilant. Someone has put one hell of a bounty on your heads, and someone has been picking off any leadership in support of the continued use of mercenaries. Third, I need an image of your missing team mate, so I can check the morgue. If I have any questions for you as I investigate this incident, I will send a squad. Move." Fox nodded, confused at the once friendly soldiers sudden change in personality.
"I'll keep them there commander. Can you send some medical staff over?" he nodded and turned deeper into the station, a soldier leading them out to an armored vehicle.
Midnight dragged the limp lupine corpse by the foot, using one hand to toss the body on the floor of the command bridge of the Verham cruiser he had brought it too.
"I got one of the Star Fox members. The others got away. This was your fault Oikonny!" the primate turned his command chair around, smiling. The chair was raised up, almost like a throne.
"How so?" the lupine snarled, already speaking.
"You are the one who said to attack while the human was around! The human was armed, and killed two of the men you sent with me!" Oikonny smile only broadened.
"You accomplished more than I thought. I believed you would be killed by the human. But you have proven to be a more valuable asset then I was lead to believe. You see, my plan was to merely have Star Fox detained under the new law, but I like your effect better. Our enemies will cease to see Star Fox as invincible, especially if we publically broadcast this, things, death. You will be payed, handsomely. In the meantime, keep an eye on them. You may leave." His claws dug into the palms of his hands, wanting to rip the white furred primate apart. "Yes, this will do quite nicely. Horace, go fetch me my nephew. He has an announcement to make." Midnight gave the white furred primate on more puzzled look before the elevator door sealed, whisking him back to the hanger.
Fara slipped through the crowded streets, glancing at the holographic map she had displayed on her wrist computer before she pressed onward. Her fingers closed the display as she reached her destination, only to find the Star Fox HQ surrounded by a whole platoon of armed foot soldiers, keeping the side walk outside clear of all civilians. She approached the building, only to have two soldiers to intercept her.
"Stop, no one is allowed past this point!" Fara let her shoulders slump, resting a hand on the curved grip of her blaster.
"Look, I know you are doin your job and all, but I got business with Fox McCloud. He's an old friend." The two soldiers raised their weapons, aiming at her chest.
"We don't care who you are, no one goes in that isn't on the schedule." She smiled warmly to them, brushing a few rouge strands of her vibrant red hair out of her eyes.
"so? Look, my name's Fara Phoenix, go have that pigheaded pea brain up there look out the window, and he'll tell you to let me in." the two soldiers glanced at each other before one of them activated his radio, his conversation lost behind his faceplate.
"They said to let you up, but we are taking that." The soldier stepped forward, yanking the blaster out of her holster. She glared at them and walked by, slipping into the building and pressing the proper floor button. After a few seconds, the elevator doors opened into the head quarters lobby, just a small space with a single door and an unmanned desk, which she stepped past and entered the main space of the HQ. She instantly recognized Bill, who had been waiting by the door.
"Well I'll be damned, the crimson vixen herself is here. I thought that was you outside" She smiled, pulling her old friend into a hug.
"Been too long Bill, where's Fox?" a brown haired human spoke up from one the couches, his eyes never leaving the screen he was playing an old and very familiar game on.
"He's in Krystal's room. She's, going through some rough stuff." She was about to speak when his game was suddenly cut off, an image over riding the screen that took over every screen in the area, even playing off their wrist computers. On the screen was an unmistakable thin, white furred ape, his pink skin flushed a brilliant scarlet. Although unmistakable, he had changed since the last time Fara had seen an image of him, his arms and legs replaced with cybernetics, and a scar crossed his face, right over his left eye and down his cheek.
"Behold, we have slain one of the beloved Star Fox members! Nothing is safe from our wrath! All of you will watch the world burn around you!" as he spoke, he stood, tossing the limp corpse of Saber down a flight of stairs leading away from a chair that looked suspiciously like a throne. "Fox McCloud, it is only a matter of time before you and your precious team will have fallen!" as he finished that statement, the video cut off, leaving the room stunned. The human was the first to speak.
"So those men were bounty hunters hired by Oikonny. I need to look over my notes again." He shot off the couch, slipping past Fara and down the hall to the bedrooms. A feline vulpine quickly followed.
"Bill, show me where Krystal's room is." He nodded and gestured for her to follow him.
Fox sat at the end of Krystal's bed as she sobbed into her pillow, the sight of Saber's corpse being tossed aside by Oikonny permanently burned into his brain. He slid over to Krystal, gently pulling her up against his chest. Surprisingly, she didn't protest, simply continuing to sob into his shoulder. The door slid open and he looked up, only to be shocked by who was standing in the doorway. Fara looked as beautiful as the last time he had seen her, her vibrant red hair running almost to her tail, held back by a set of goggles being worn like a head band, a few rouge clumps still falling around her face. That along with her thin vest, tight long sleeve shirt, cargo pants, and holster were the only things that seemed different about her since he had seen her on Macbeth almost a decade ago. He let go of Krystal, standing up without realizing he had done so.
"I… Fara, what are you doing here?" she smirked slyly, not even looking at Krystal.
"I need you to come with me. I found someone you need to talk to, Fox." His jaw moved without words coming out until he finally managed to squeak something out of his muzzle.
"I… uh yeah. Lead the way." He followed her out of the room, both of them silent, all thought of Krystal having evaporated. He nearly walked right into Will as he stepped out of his room, a datapad in his hands.
"Where are you and new gal going?" Fara answered for him, her soft voice seeming to tease him with every word.
"The Waterway Paradise. It's a little café not far from here. Friend of mine recommended it." will held up a finger, darting back into and coming out with his rifle slung over his shoulder, strapping the pistol rig on as he moved to follow them.
"Not on your own. We are hunted people now." Fox grunted and the trio left the HQ. One of the guards handed Fara her pistol, and even though they clearly wanted to protest, the assault rifle over Will's shoulder seemed to stop any thought of protest. They walked for barely fifteen minutes before slipping inside the café, sitting in a corner booth well away from windows. Fox was just about to speak when a pair of figures slid into the booth, one lanky white furred primate, and one massive grey lupine, one eye glowing an eerie red under it's glass plate.
"Glad you came, Fox." His hand dropped to his blaster, only to find that Fara had snagged it, holding it like a trophy.
"Cant let you do that foxy." He snarled at both of them but stopped when Will's hand touched his shoulder. He looked at them human, seeing the scarily calm expression on his face.
"I know who you are. You too Dash Bowman, but what I don't know, is why you are here. If you don't want your muzzles turned into smoking craters, you better start talking." Wolf barely glanced at him with a small smirk, his focus centered on Fox.
"This war is one massive set up. The Andross remnant and the Mohamad's army banded together to start this war. The attacks on Cicero and New York were done by those two factions. I want your help to expose that, and end this meaningless war." Fox's mouth dropped open, unable to stop it.
"You were right Will. I cant….. you were fucking right this whole time!" Will's voice spoke before anyone else could, very quietly.
"What do you mean, New York?" Wolf sighed, already speaking.
"New York was flattened by a fleet of Cornerian cruisers. Twenty-three million people were killed there." Will cursed aloud as someone turned up a TV, gaining the attention of the whole group.
"…Just passed into law a bill that will stop all funding of paramilitary organizations, effectively removing these dangerous groups from our military forces. I take you live to Prime Minister Muzzin's speech." The image changed from the female reporter to the thin suit clad lupine that held the highest political office in the Cornerian government. He licked his lips in an almost greedy fashion before his magnified voice rang out.
"Today, we make history! No longer will we win wars by use of hired guns! No longer will we look up to these barbarians as heroes! Now is the time that we take back our homes, our lives, and our safety, with our own power! We will not fall to the savages of the Sol system, but rather, they will crumble before the might of Corneria!" his words ended in a thunderous amount of cheers, Fox leaning in closer to the others before he spoke.
"I'm disbanding the Star Fox team, then grabbing our remaining fighters to join you with. Will, I want you and Falco with me. Maybe Katt or Bill too. No one else knows, got it?" he nodded and fox sighed, a tear slipping out his eye. "I guess it's time to say farewell to Star Fox."
"Just where do you think you are going Fox?" He spun on the spot, finding him face to face with the vibrant blue vixen. He mentally kicked himself, hoping he wouldn't be going through this confrontation.
"Look, Krystal, I'm sorry, I have to leave. Wolf and Fara are giving me a chance to end this war, I have to take it." she sighed closing her eyes as fresh tears slipped out.
"And why don't you bring me? You know I will follow you into the depths of hell Fox." His eyes dropped to his feet as he responded.
"You're injured Krystal. I cant bring you. And we only have four ships. You know Falco wont let me go without him. Will and Katt are coming too." Her eyes opened, flicking up to the objects he had slipped into sheathes under his pack.
"Saber left that sword to you. Why are you taking my staff as well?" he tried to smile, unable to muster the emotion to.
"I thought Will might be able to make use of the sword. And Krystal, promise me something? Don't try to go out and fight. I had Peppy lock out the Great Fox's systems. He's not going to unlock them. So please, just, stay safe?" she nodded, Fox being able to feel her sadness seeping through to him.
"Only if you do the same Fox. Stay safe." He nodded and turned away, moving for the elevator. He stopped when he heard her mumble to herself, barely able to hear her words. "I don't want to lose you too." He sighed, knowing that she had already closed the door to her room, but spoke aloud anyway.
"You wont lose me Krystal. Not if I have anything to say about it."
I stuffed clothing into my duffel bag, the rifle case and my flight gear already laid out on the bed. I smiled as I grabbed the wooden model Mira had given me, just before securely sliding it into one of my pouches of the flight vest. I nearly jumped as the door opened, seeing Mira enter. She saw the duffel bag and equipment and a single tear slid down her cheek.
"You're leaving aren't you?" I sighed and nodded, sealing the duffel before I sat with her on the bed.
"Fox doesn't want me to tell you this, but I was right. This war needs to be ended, and we are leaving to do just that. I cant tell you where, but, well, remember this. I'm not giving up on us. I am coming back for you, okay?" she nodded, more tears slipping out of her eyes. "Which leads me to something I need to ask you. May I use your fighter? Otherwise, we will be short one." She smiled and nodded, giving me a quick peck on the cheek.
"Of course Will. Um, here." She reached into the pocket of her sweatshirt, pulling out a small wallet sized photo. Katt had taken it shortly before I had joined the team, framing Mira's smiling face off the balcony, the sun setting behind her. I smiled when I saw it, sliding it safely away in my wallet. As soon as I finished, I pulled off my dogtags, sliding them over her head. She had a shocked look on her face as I did so.
"What are you doing Will?" I smiled at her, wrapping my arms around her. I couldn't help but cry, knowing this was likely one of the last times I would ever get to see her.
"To remember me by. And to prove that my goal is to come back. Take care of those for me, okay?" I felt her nod, moister dampening her fur.
"I will. Promise me you won't do anything reckless while your way?" I smiled and leaned away from her, staring into her sapphire eyes.
"You know me Mira. Reckless is how I live." She rolled her eyes and I kissed her. It felt like an eternity before the passionate kiss ended, resting my forehead on hers afterward. She silently helped me strap on my gear on, handing me the bulky case that held my unused rifle in it. I grabbed an adhesive tube out of the desk before I gave her one final kiss goodbye. "I love you Mira." She smiled, even though tears were flowing uncontrollably out of her eyes, her kitten like voice drifting across the space almost like a breath on the wind rather than words.
"I love you too Will." I barely managed to retch my eyes away from her and walk into the elevator. Fox, Falco, and Katt were all waiting for, Fox with tears in his eyes. I wiped the moister away and smiled, letting a hint of sarcasm seep into my voice.
"Well boys, let's go catch us some bad guys." Katt glared at me, Fox wiped away his tears, and Falco simply nodded, leaving me to press the button and close the doors leading back to what had become my home.
