Chapter 37: Aristeia

After several minutes of hearing Fox sob uncontrollably, the sound began to tug at Wolf's heart strings, an experience he liked to avoid.

"Hey," the lupine said in a low voice, "Fox... we should leave now."

Fox continued to cry over Krystal's limp body, his tears dripping onto her face. Eventually, he attempted to control himself and wiped his eyes with his flight jacket's sleeve. At first, Wolf thought he wouldn't say anything, but he was proven wrong.

"Why did she do it?" the emaciated vulpine asked, to no one in particular. "Why wasn't she able to see what would happen? Why couldn't she predict her own death?"

"Before she made her move," Wolf began, "She hesitated a moment. I think she did know what was going to happen, but she still chose to save you."

"I wish she hadn't," Fox spat, grief turning to bitterness, then hopelessness. "It would have been better if we both died." Suddenly, eyes widening, he crawled over to Wolf and offered him the handle of his blaster. "Wolf, please... take my life. If anyone was to do it, I rather it be you. Kill me, so I can be with Krystal. Kill me so I can stop hurting! I just don't care about anything anymore. I just want everything to stop!"

Wolf batted the pistol away. "So you think this is the answer? You think Krystal saved you so you could shoot yourself moments afterward?" He spat to the side, angrily. "How could you ever want this after what she did? She believed you would have something in life, some meaning, and you want to throw her wish away?"

"But there is no meaning," Fox cried, arms giving out and falling to the floor. "Not when everyone's gone. I don't have anything left..."

Before Wolf could open his mouth to answer, an alarm went off on the Monarch's control panel. Glancing over it, Wolf realized it was signaling the arrival of a new fleet of ships. Eager to get away from Fox's pathetic form, the lupine stepped over to the satellite monitor and examined the newcomers.

"They're... pleasure cruisers," Wolf said, confused. "They've got maybe a couple military ships as a guard, but, besides that... they're just privately owned cruisers."

The next alarm to sound was Fox's wrist comm signaling an incoming message. When Wolf realized Fox would make no move to answer it, he knelt down long enough to slip it off his wrist and answer it himself. Once he had patched it through to the Monarch's own communications system, a hologram sprung to life, displaying the proud form of Captain Snow. The avian was a familiar sight, as Wolf had fought alongside the resourceful officer in the shadowed mines of Macbeth.

"Ah, Wolf O'Donnell," the gray-speckled owl said. "I was expecting McCloud. Is he... alive?"

Wolf nudged Fox's crumpled body with his boot, and the vulpine at least had the sense to sit up.

Once Fox rose into viewing range, the owl continued. "Rejoice, McCloud, for the war has been won! Andross's army has been entirely annihilated, and our soldiers are securing the planet's surface as we speak! I trust you were responsible for the deactivation of the monkey's fleet, were you not?"

When Fox didn't answer, Wolf spoke up instead. "What do you mean? His forces stopped attacking?"

Captain Snow nodded. "Yes, exactly. It's all second hand information to me; my uncle just informed me of the events. I just arrived here, but this is how he described it; it was out of the blue, really. One moment there were fighting against our combined fleets like a cornered rat, and the next they just froze in place, all power seemingly cut off. Any of our ships infected with the second Aparoid virus also halted. From there, it was easy to destroy them and what remained of the virus, but we were confused as to why they broke off so suddenly."

"Then it must have been because we killed Andross," Wolf agreed. "He was probably serving as the queen, or the king, in this case."

"Congratulations on your good work, then! The celebrations will take place shortly, but, in the mean time, it's still chaos on Cerinia's surface. Several of Andross's leaders are still running around with substantial forces, though most are retreating into hiding. We've got them covered for the most part, so we have a different job for you and your forces; Andross's research facilities. There are several bases that are as of yet unexplored, and we need all the operatives we can get to infiltrate them and recover as much data as possible. We still have not located Andross's anomaly device, which is probably our biggest – "

Suddenly, Captain Snow's transmission was overridden by a second message. The avian's holographic image was replaced by that of an over-sized panda bear, which both Fox and Wolf immediately recognized.

"Greetings, Fox... and Wolf," the wealthy elite began with a triumphant grin. "My compatriots and I are holding a victory celebration on Cerinia's surface. You can worry about Andross's research later; right now, you have a party to attend, don't you? Why don't you gather your friends and join us?"

Wolf's mouth formed a snarl as he growled, "Thanks, but we're all that's left. It's going to be a pretty empty party."

"Oh, but I insist you come! We owe everything to you, after all. Without your valiant efforts and Fox's rousing speech, Lylat would not have united under one banner..." Here the panda trailed off and grinned once again. "Our banner, that is. Still, the invitation stands if you choose to accept it. The celebratory dinner shall be held in the parthenon located in Cerinia's capitol. I look forward to your arrival."

Once he was finished, Bo Pandafeller's fat image disappeared in a swirl of pixels, leaving a foul aftertaste in Wolf's mouth.

Fox collapsed back onto the floor. "It was all for nothing, wasn't it? We defeated Andross just so they could take over. We were being used the whole time."

Starring outside the Monarch's vast window at the fractured pieces of Cerinia and the miles upon miles of destruction that floated endlessly through the planet's airspace, Wolf clenched his fists. "I think I found our meaning..."

"What do you mean?" Fox asked, looking up at the lupine.

"Revenge."

Several hours later, the pair of mercenaries arrived outside the massive walls of Cerinia's parthenon. Starring up at the smooth, white marble walls, Fox thought to himself, If only Krystal was here to see this. It must have been a familiar sight to her...

Cerinia was certainly the most mysterious planet he had every visited. It was a combination of the expansive, tropical jungles of Fortuna and the dark, mysterious forests of Sauria. As far as the eye could see, the planet was covered in dark green foliage that glowed with violet and azure colored flowers. It was perpetually in darkness, only lit by the ambient light typical of warp tunnels that Fox had seen in his time. The only structures that broke the blanket of jungle were the occasional ancient ruins or cities left from the Cerinian empire, or the industrial, smoke-spewing towers of Andross's factories. For some reason, the simian had left all of the major landmarks of the Cerinian people intact, including the Parthenon that now stood before them. Perhaps it was his love of ancient lore and archeology.

Before they had boarded their respective ships and left the Monarch, Wolf had explained his plan to Fox. It was a simple but effective design to eradicate the world of the elites who had taken advantage of it. And all it relied upon was one, simple trump card that Wolf held up his sleeve, for which they had Stillo Blechette to thank. Once Wolf had explained his plan, Fox again found the courage, leadership, and determination that always burned within his heart and gave him the strength to continue. He was ashamed that Wolf had to see him in such a pathetic state, but now he had recovered.

All about them, a bustling crowd of Cerinian slaves and Cornerian soldiers ran back and forth, transporting supplies, decorations, tables, food, drink, and dessert for the dinner party. The elites were eating a feast on the ashes of their enemies.

Walking to the nearest gate, Fox grabbed ahold of the nearest slave, a male servant arrayed in a white toga. Leaning in close, he whispered in his ear, "Lock the doors. All of them."

The servant stumbled back, nearly dropping the golden vase of wine he carried. "What? I-I don't understand, sir – "

Glancing around him at the guards walking nearby, Fox said, "Read my mind."

A confused look crossed the Cerinian vulpine's face, but he closed his mouth and complied.

If you want to kill the invaders, Fox thought, You will do as I say. Pass the word among your fellow Cerinians to stand beside each door. Once the celebration gets underway, close and lock them. My friend and I will take care of everything from there.

But, how can you possibly kill every Cornerian? They have too many guards! They'd overwhelm you!

Fox stepped closer to the Cerinian slave and forced him to stare into his hate-filled eyes. Horrific images of anger, hatred, and violence flooded the servant's mind, and the Cerinian understood. Nodding, he set aside his wine pitcher and ran off to spread the word among the other slaves.

"You don't want them getting out once we begin?" Wolf asked in a low voice.

"Exactly. Come on, let's go."

A pair of guards stopped them at the entrance to the coliseum, demanding their weapons. Fox removed his two energy pistols and handed them over, while Wolf removed his weapons belt and laser gun. Neither of the guards asked for his claw extensions, now did they seem to notice Krystal's collapsed staff with Fox carried in his pants pocket. Perhaps they were a bit overconfident.

Stepping into the crowded amphitheater, Fox and Wolf were confronted by a large gathering of Cornerian citizens and soldiers; the wealthy, the interplanetary business owners, the elite, and the influential, along with CDF and FTF soldiers stationed around the coliseum as guards, and Cerinian servants scurrying about to keep their plates covered and their cups full. Circular white tables were set up around a central platform that rose above all else. The largest table was located directly in front of the platform, seated at which were several familiar figures to Fox. Among them, Fox noticed Bo Pandafeller, who had set them up at the beginning of the war, Eldar Mothchild, a wealthy owl, Bill Goats of the AWG, and a spectacled bear which Fox didn't recognize; he must have been important, however, as he commanded the full attention of the table whenever he spoke.

None of the crowd seemed to notice them, as their attention was soon directed at the platform in the center of the parthenon. A line of officers were lead up onto the stage, all of which were bound with energy chains. Once they filled the entire front side of the platform, they were forced to kneel and bow their heads before the audience around them. One particular officer, Fox noticed, refused to bow his head no matter how hard the Cornerian guard struggled with him. Fox's heart sank; it was General Snow, the enigmatic owl who had lead them to victory against the Androssian forces at Sector Z. Beside him knelt General Stealer, the second part of the trifectum of Cornerian military leaders. Half of her face was severely burnt, and the left side of her uniform was covered in black ashes. Apparently, she had only barely survived the battle against the Androssians. But where was General Gray?

Fox's eyes searched the line of military officers kneeling on the stage, but he couldn't find his old friend Bill among them. So I've lost another friend, Fox thought. All he could do was assume had had not made it out of the battle alive. At least he wasn't among the soldiers behind the officers that were forcing them into submission.

Ringing an ornamental Cerinian bell that stood beside his table, the spectacled bear stood up and raised his arms, signaling for silence. "Fellow patrons of the Lylat System, may I have your attention!" The bear's voice was powerful, yet filled with a snake-like cunning. "Today we are ushering in the new age of rulers of the Lylat System! With Andross eradicated, and the planets of the System united in a single community, we have finally achieved the impossible! A one-system government!"

Wine and champagne glasses were raised as cheers and applause rose from the crowd of animals that filled the amphitheater. Once they died down, the spectacled bear continued. "But we are not finished yet! The military still needs some cleaning up in order to welcome in the new world. Yes, this ceremony is a changing of the guard!" Turning around to face the stage, he continued; "Ironstripe, you may begin the execution."

"Ironstripe?" Fox whispered below his breath. He couldn't believe it. Major Ironstripe stepped forwards, gun in hand. Taking up a position in front of the wounded General Stealer, the badger placed the barrel of his weapon to the raccoon's head.

"Brock," she spluttered, her voice cracking, "Brock, why are you doing this? How can you serve them? We were allies! We bridged the gap between the Cornerian and Free Trade Federation's militaries! We've relied on each other so much, how can you kill me now?"

"Forgive me, Ms. Stealer," the badger said, pulling back the hammer on the gun, "But you are standing in th' way o' the new world. The Free Trade Federation has always stood in Corneria's shadow and born the brunt of your tyranny, but Mr. Yemen and his Society promise they can change all that. They have the power to enact change and evolution; you never did. I'm sorry, I wish you could have seen it our way, but ye're holding us up. Ye had too much faith in me to begin with. Farewell, Stealer."

Without another word, Major Ironstripe pulled the trigger and placed a bullet hole in the pleading raccoon's head. Pushing her lifeless body over with his boot, he turned around to face the crowd as cheers sprang up all around him.

Fox gasped. It wasn't a celebration; it was a coup. He stepped forward to stop the execution, but Wolf placed a hand on his shoulder, holding him back.

Ironstripe snapped his fingers, and the soldiers standing behind the officers drew their weapons, each pointed at the officers kneeling before them. The badger raised his arm for a moment, then let it fall, and bullet after bullet sounded a deafening crack through the atrium.

Once the horrific display stopped, General Snow was the only officer left alive. The white owl defiantly raised his head against the crowd of elites in front of him, still refusing to bow. His spotless white plumage and uniform were now covered in speckles of blood from his fallen compatriots. He breathed heavily as another owl stepped forwards from the line of executioners and faced him; of all people, it was his nephew, Captain Snow. The gray owl raised his weapon against his uncle, triumphantly sneering.

"I've always stood in the shadow of Corneria as well," he said. "Your shadow, specifically."

"You are a disgrace, nephew," General Snow growled in a low voice. "You have dishonored the long-standing system of the Cornerian military! A coup is completely unacceptable! It will go down as a black spot on the history of the CDF, and the Snow family as well! But I won't let it! I hereby disown you from the family, and spit on you as my last act of power!"

The blustering avian followed through, spitting a large glob of saliva onto the captain's boots.

"I don't see what you're complaining about, uncle. Be glad; you died a soldier's death."

And with that, the gray owl pulled the trigger and sent Snow's head snapping back.

With the last of the military leaders executed, the soldiers dragged their defiled corpses off the platform, and 'Yemen', the spectacled bear, stood up once again.

"Thank you for your service, Major Ironstripe and Captain Snow. You shall now be promoted as generals in your respective militaries, and help bring about the one-system army."

It was at this time that Fox could no longer wait. He marched down into the coliseum among the crowded tables, and made his way to the central platform. Finally noticing the two mercenaries, the bear turned towards them.

"Welcome, Fox McCloud and Wolf O'Donnell! We thought you would never show up for the festivities!"

Leaping up onto the central stage with Wolf following behind him, Fox said, "Funny, I don't remember ever seeing you around. What took you so long to show your face?"

The bear chuckled. "Forgive me for being so inconsiderate. My name is Mordecai Yemen; I am the head of the society of elites you see before you now. You see, it was my plan all along to unite Lylat against Andross; we first struck up a deal with the ape, pretending to support him from his enemy's side. But, once the tide began to turn against him, we cut all ties with the deranged monkey, and reaped his rewards. You, Fox McCloud, have proved a most useful knight. In fact, we have the pleasure of being in the company of both the white and black knights, don't we?"

As he paused, Wolf growled angrily behind Fox, but didn't say anything. Instead, Yemen continued.

"Now, why don't you accept your place among us? You will go down in history as the heroes of the United Lylat System! You deserve it; join the party!"

"Thanks, I think I will," Fox said. His heart began pounding as he initiated his plan.

"I would like to propose a toast... If I may."

Yemen bowed courteously and snapped his fingers, signaling for a servant. A timid Cerinian slave scurried up onto the platform, and Fox was relieved when he recognized him as the servant he had met outside. The Cerinian brought two golden goblets and an urn brimming with red wine onto the platform. He nervously handed the two cups to Fox and Wolf then began to slink away. As he turned to leave, his eyes met with Fox's, and the vulpine asked him, Is it done?

The Cerinian simply bowed his head in response, then hurried off the stage. Fox glanced around the coliseum, his courage lifting when he found the doors universally sealed.

Turning towards Wolf, he extended his glass to the lupine, who in turn reached into his flightjacket and produced the two glass vials Dr. Stillo Blechette had given him. The amber liquid the chameleon scientist aptly dubbed "Aristeia" swirled in the crystalline containers, and Fox could feel his pulse begin to quicken at the mere sight of the compound. Uncapping both vials, Wolf emptied their contents into their chalices, though he grinned after purposefully filling his own cup with slightly more.

Once the deed had been finished, Fox turned to face the crowd of elites and held aloft his goblet of liquid wrath. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began, voice booming through the ancient structure. "Through wretched and deceitful means you have succeeded in uniting the Lylat System. I pity all of the soldiers I went to war with and fought alongside of; when they return from their long journey of suffering, they will come to find their homeland infested with the very enemies they faced on the front lines. The only difference is that now they don't proudly wave their banner in the open; they wear sheep's clothing, and hide behind masks of wealth, politics, and family lineages. You may not see it this way, but I know I never fought for any of this. I went through so much pain and suffering for the world, I took on your silver mantel and became your hero, I lost all of my friends, and my only love. But now that everything has been stripped away, and we have reached the end of the war... I finally see. Gentlemen, I have you to thank for my losses."

Here Fox broke off and laughed disgustedly. "I honestly don't care about the world anymore – about the natives of the Lylat System, my Cornerian brethren, the victims, the fallen soldiers, the widows, the orphans, or anyone else; I am tired of carrying their burden on my soldiers. From now on, I have but one goal in life... bringing about your end."

He turned to Wolf, who felt obligated to put in a last word as well.

"To hell with you all," he said, simply.

Fox and Wolf stepped closer together, and the two mercenaries interwove their right arms, raising the goblets to their lips. The rest of the crowd did as well, and the elites of the new world unwittingly drank to their own demise; they merely laughed at the mercenary's speech.

The wine was at first cold in Fox's mouth, with an exaggerated bitter taste presumably brought on by the Aristeia solution. Then, the excellent flavor of the Cerinian-grown grapes set in, and his throat was warmed by the burning liquid. At the central table in front of the platform, Bo Pandafeller slowly rose to his feet, sensing something was wrong.

Fox dropped his chalice; he was beginning to feel the Aristeia start its work. As the mixture began making its way into Fox's cardiovascular system, he could feel the pure adrenaline fill his veins. His heart began pulsating at a break-neck pace, his breathing became more rapid, and his veins and arteries bulged out of his skin.

He fell to the floor as the relentless process continued; his mind became clouded with red while stinging pain shot through his body from the strain. Wolf had only explained some of science behind the chemical, but he knew the short-term effects would be an increased energy output, extra strength, heightened senses, rapid cell reproduction... and, above all, the mind of a beast.

The new demons that were coursing through Fox's veins seized control of him, and dragged the vulpine to the edge of the stage. He staggered over to the side, head held low, until he snapped it upwards to face the crowd and let loose a deafening roar that shook the very foundations of the parthenon and caused every wine glass and dinner plate to rattle in their place.

He had become a monster.

After his bestial display, the elites, nobles, and entrepreneurs all stood up from their tables and stumbled backwards, eager to get away from the two mad beasts on the central platform. As Yemen's guards began to surround him, Fox leapt off the stage and into the crowd, barreling towards the leader of the society. Yemen's first guard stepped between the spectacled bear and Fox, swiftly bringing down his ceremonial axe into the vulpine's right shoulder. Fox halted as the weapon sank into his torso, but already he could feel his cells begin to multiply, replace, and seal themselves back together, literally forcing the axe blade out of his wound. Taking out Krystal's staff, Fox expanded it to normal size and bashed in the head of the guard who had dared stand in his path. Pushing him aside, he forced the rest of his way to Yemen's side, where he mercilessly thrust the tip of the staff into the bear's belly. Fox smiled and laughed wickedly as the animal's life blood began to seep out of the wound, his mouth gasping helplessly for air.

At the sight of the elite's blood, the dark red color seemed to saturate Fox's vision. The next few minutes passed by in a frenzied craze of blood-lust and violence; Fox didn't think; he merely became a machine that acted solely from his instincts and desires, and they all cried for one thing; Blood.

Eventually, he lost count of all the animals he killed. Pandafeller, Mothchild and their families, other elites he merely recognized the faces of... only Ironstripe and Snow were able to lift a finger in their own defense, but their stand against the monster named "Fox" fell apart instantly. Nothing could stand in his way; not the generals and military leaders, not the guards, not bristling spears or burning lasers. He and Wolf were unstoppable.

Finally, the red cloud covering Fox's eyes and mind began to dissipate.

He found himself in the middle of the coliseum's marble floor, surrounded by the destruction he had inflicted on the victory gathering. As his pulse slowed and he regained self-awareness, Fox looked around himself in despair.

The white stone floor all around him was covered in red plasma, and he found himself in a pool of blood that stretched on in every direction as far as his eyes could see, only broken by islands of mutilated bodies, rubble, and debris. He and Wolf had left no one alive; the elites and their families had flocked helplessly to the gates, relentlessly beating against them and calling for help, but the Cerinians outside refused to heed their pleas.

The sight of the endless carnage he caused began to churn his stomach. Breathing heavily, Fox collapsed to the ground and tried to support himself with his arms, but they collapsed just as his legs had. As the blind rage continued to leave him and reveal what he had done, Fox vomited the contents of his stomach onto the floor.

Falling onto his side, he made a large splash in the carpet of blood, and the plasma began to soak into his silver-dyed fur. He laughed to himself, a despicable, dry noise that sounded like a fish gasping for water. The scarlet was just another color that had replaced his natural fur. It had gone from gold, to silver, and now red.

Looking around, he wondered where Wolf was, and if he had succumbed to the after-effects of the potion. Determined to be with him in his last moments, Fox reached his arms out and began dragging himself across the blood-stained floor. After a few minutes of intense strain and effort, he heard the sound of ragged breathing echoing between the piles of bodies, and made one last attempt to find his friend.

After rounding the next corpse mound, he was confronted with Wolf's contorted body splayed out on the floor, gasping for breath. Fox crawled over to his side and angled Wolf's head towards him, as the silver lupine showed no sign of being aware of him.

"Wolf," Fox called, voice ragged. "Wolf, are you still there?"

The mercenary's mouth opened and closed weakly, and Fox leaned closer to hear him. With a barely audible voice, he said, "We... we did it... we got... got revenge. Right... pup?"

The effort had been too much for Wolf, and the lupine's chest heaved once more, then became still. He breathed no more.

Fox didn't know how to take this. He had cried his last tears for his friends and Krystal; he had given all of his energy to kill his enemies; and he had traded his life to exact revenge on those that had wronged him. He had nothing left inside of him.

His strength once again failing, along with his will, he slid to the ground once again, laying on his back and staring at Cerinia's night sky. All he could do now was stare and think.

Wolf was right. He had taken revenge; he had slaughtered everyone that was left, every single enemy of his, but now there was no one left except himself, and he would be gone soon as well; the after-effect of Aristeia was, simply put, death. Even if he hadn't taken the liquid, where would he have gone? Who did he have left? Of course, Peppy was on Katina, along with former General Pepper. In the absence of a father, Peppy had stepped in to take his place. Perhaps Katt was alive as well; her whereabouts were unknown, as she had abandoned the team at the last second, but maybe she had survived the sea of Androssian forces and was still out there. There was a slim possibility that Bill Grey was alive, but it was doubtful. Fox had assumed he had died in battle, but maybe, just maybe he had only been lost...

It didn't matter, anyway. Fox's strength was ebbing away by the second, and his very soul was spilling from his body. All he wanted now was to go to sleep, to be done with it, to feel the burden lifted from his shoulders.

Slowly, the darkness closed in on his eyes until he could see no more.

A/N: Publishing and re-reading this chapter was... painful. Only one more to go, gents. Can you make it?