Epilogue
Wolf walked along the streets of Corneria City's downtown district, skyscrapers towering over his head. Some buildings had collapsed, while black scorch marks covered the others, though construction machines hurried about cleaning away debris and building new edifices to fill in the new blank spots.
So many people though! The Aparoid invasion only ended about a month and a half ago!
Crowds of various species bustled along the sidewalk around him. It was getting close to eleven A.M., with throngs of people streaming out of the buildings to find a place for lunch. Even so, Wolf didn't have much trouble pushing his way through, as his large, imposing presence encouraged most to move out of the way by instinct. The sun beat down from above, made worse by the glass skyscrapers reflecting more of the light on him. At least he had a pair of shades today instead of his eyepatch, which helped. He sweated like crazy, not helped by the black suit with black tie and white shirt he'd worn to blend in. But since this was an office district, it did jibe well with the attire he saw around him. Nearly everyone wore some type of business attire, many of them yakking into their phones or carrying briefcases and coffee.
Damn, I hate suits. If I had to wear one every day I'd go insane. Soon as I get a chance, I'm rippin' this right off. Too bad I have to wear it most of today.
With a sigh, Wolf looked at a handwritten note, showing an address Leon had looked up for him. Eventually he arrived at the building he was looking for, which turned out to be…City Hall? Wolf craned his head up. Unlike the modern skyscrapers, City Hall was a classical structure, made of white stone blocks with a dome structure in the middle, two wings on either side done up with columns and fancy ornamentation, reflecting the centuries-long history of Corneria City before it grew into what it became today.
With some hesitance, he made his way into the old building, the interior of the dome over his head. Wolf's nose wrinkled. It smelled musty on the inside, reflecting the place's age. A painting ringed the inside of the dome high above the floor, depicting the very first days of Corneria City's history, where dogs of various breeds broke ground on the site of the building he was standing in today. Interesting, he supposed, although art wasn't his thing, not to mention it no doubt cost a lot of taxpayer money to make. One of the reasons he didn't bother making an honest living, knowing his money would go to useless projects like this.
He stared around the bustling, tiled rotunda. Where was he supposed to go now? There was an information desk in the middle with a security guard, although Wolf didn't want to talk to him. Despite what Wolf did to stop the Aparoids, he still had a bounty.
A rustling of buckets caught Wolf's attention, as he spotted an open door nearby, the inside far more utilitarian with metal shelves, mops, and buckets of chemicals. A brown dog with floppy ears was inside, filling up a floor buffing robot with cleaning solution and unhooking it from its charging port. Janitor seemed like a safe bet to Wolf. Probably knew the building inside out and upside down from cleaning it so much. Wolf walked over, craning his neck inside.
"'Scuse me," Wolf said.
The dog spun around in surprise, no doubt used to everyone ignoring him. "Uh…yeah?"
"Do you know where the City Planning office is?"
The dog was puzzled, though annoyed. "You know there's an information desk, right?"
Wolf rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah, but I…uh…"
The janitor looked Wolf over, weighing how to respond. He let out a sigh. "Eh, I'll just tell ya. It's not far. Head past the info desk, make a right turn, you'll see the sign 'City Planning' over a set of wooden double doors at the end of the hall. Not hard to find." He returned to his work, back in his own world again.
"Thanks," Wolf nodded, but the dog didn't acknowledge him.
Wolf followed the janitor's directions, soon arriving at the indicated doors. The sign shone in polished brass, the door handles themselves also gleaming yellow with the metal. Gathering himself up and slicking his fur with a little bit of spit, he walked through the doors. A small reception desk greeted him on the other side, a ferret in a maroon dress behind it. She looked over her spectacles as he came in, surprised at his size. Yeah, she probably didn't get a lot of visitors in her office like Wolf…
"Can I help you?"
"Does George Atilles work here?" Wolf tried to be gentle with his voice, keeping it an octave higher so it didn't sound so gruff and low. It didn't work well. "I want to speak with him."
The lady scrutinized him. Even in his disguise, Wolf knew he looked like a thug with his big figure and scarred face. There was only so much he could cover up with his crisp business suit after all. Nonetheless, she pushed a button on her phone, putting on a headset "George, were you expecting any visitors today?" Silence as she listened to the reply. She looked up at him. "Umm… who are you sir?"
Wolf froze. Stupid! Why didn't he think of this? He couldn't give her his real name. Meanwhile the lady stared at him, Wolf feeling his face burning as the seconds ticked past. Wait, I've got an idea. "Tell him I'm uh...Warren O'Reilly."
While she seemed suspicious of how he hesitated to answer, she went back to her headset, keeping a firm eye on the lupine the entire time. "He says he's Warren O'Reilly. Does that mean anything to you?"
He waited for a reply, as he watched her listen to the voice on the other end. The seconds passed by agonizingly slow, not helped by the relentless ticking of a clock in the corner. To pass the time, Wolf looked at the office behind the desk.
A cubicle farm spread out behind her, various office sounds floating through the air. Idle chitchat, the clacking of keys on a keyboard, a printer spitting out reports, the gurgling of a water cooler. My god, it's like all those office comedies on TV, like the ones where guys go nuts over stupid things like lost staplers… I thought those were exaggerations. He looked at the people too, seeing how they all stared into their computer screens like zombies. How did people come here five days a week for eight hours a day, year in and year out without going insane? It boggled his mind…
"Well, okay. He says he's coming up." The lady turned to look up at him again, taking off her headset.
"Thanks." Wolf smiled, relieved.
From around the corner stepped a familiar spider monkey, a bit different from how Wolf remembered him. George wore a button down shirt, colored a faded yellow, with brown slacks. A few more wrinkles covered his face, although Wolf still recognized him just fine. While Wolf smiled, George had a mortified look on his face, as though Wolf were some kind of horrible ghost haunting him from his past. Not too far off the mark, come to think of it…
"Oh it's uh you… W…" George froze, as he scrambled to come up with another name. "Warren."
"Yeah, it's me… Warren." Wolf repeated, playing along.
The ferret glanced between the two of them, no doubt surprised someone so mild-mannered like George would have anything to do with a person who looked like Wolf.
"Do you… uh, want to go somewhere to talk?" George asked.
Wolf wasn't sure what else to do, so he shrugged and said, "Okay."
George hurried around the receptionists' desk, grabbing Wolf by the hand and pulling so hard the lupine almost flew off his feet. The monkey dragged him back through the marble halls of City Hall, taking him through a side door into a small courtyard filled with bushes, flowers, and stone benches for sitting on. They found an isolated corner with stone walls on all sides hiding them from view. A bench and an ashtray trash can sat nearby, the place smelling of nicotine.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" George hissed, keeping his voice low.
Wolf took a step back, nearly tipping over the trash can. "Whoa, whoa!" Wolf held his hands up. "Look, calm down!"
"Calm down?" George jerked a finger at him. "You're gonna get us both in a lot of trouble!"
"Look, I only wanted to say hey while I was in town."
George was speechless for a moment, surprised by his reply. "Really? That's it?"
While confused, Wolf nodded yes.
George paused, sighing as he let himself relax. "Whew, I thought you were… I don't know, trying to recruit me to work at Sargasso, or tell me I was about to get targeted by one of your enemies, or something. So it's just you…visiting?" The monkey gestured to him.
"Yeah, it's been nine years, right?" Wolf smirked, chuckling. "Want to get lunch? My treat."
George seemed baffled by the reply, but a chuckle soon rose up in his throat. "Lunch…" He laughed. "You have no idea how weird that sounds coming from you. You, a wanted criminal, running like the biggest pirate operation in Lylat… asking me out to lunch. Like you're one of my coworkers."
Wolf smiled, glad he'd alleviated the tension with his explanation. "Well, do you want to?"
"Heh, sure. I mean, free lunch, right?"
~X~
Wolf cut up the big steak on the plate in front of him, steam still rising from it and tickling his nostrils. He couldn't wait to dive into this. Taking his first bite, he had a huge grin on his face as he chewed it and let it go down his throat.
More businessmen in expensive suits sat around the nearby tables, although they seemed more occupied in negotiating business deals than eating, papers and laptops streaming across their tables next to their food. That suited Wolf fine. He'd asked for a booth in the back corner, out of sight of most of the other tables. The steakhouse had a brown look, with leather seats, wooden tables, brick masonry walls, and orange lights, giving it a rustic yet premium atmosphere.
"So…" Wolf took another bite, munching as he talked. "City engineer now, huh?"
George nodded, poking at the salad in front of him. Even nine years later he looked like he was still trying to eat healthy, like Ted's in the Boneyard. What a waste. Wolf had brought him to one of the most expensive restaurants in the metro area, said upfront he was going to pay for his meal, and George still ordered a damn salad. Wolf had groaned when he'd seen George pick it.
"Yeah, been here a pretty good while." George smiled. "I like it."
Wolf plucked another chunk of steak into his mouth. "Don't see how you can be happy in a place like this…" He looked out the window towards the skyscrapers of downtown Corneria City again. "Go to the office, stare at a screen for eight hours, go home, go to sleep, wake up to do it all over again..."
"Yeah, you wouldn't function well in a place like this." George shrugged. "It's great for me though. I like how peaceful and routine it is. Knowing what to expect every day… I like the stability. And the work is interesting to me, since it's why I went to college in the first place. I've had my hands full lately, with my office figuring out how we're gonna rebuild the city. The Aparoids, you know?" He shivered a bit.
"Oh yeah, I know." Wolf nodded. "I had an up close look. Even went all the way to their homeworld."
George smirked. "I saw you flying over the city while I was trying to evacuate. Glad you decided to come by."
"Aww, don't think much of it." Wolf smiled. "I mean, where else would I go if the Aparoids assimilated the entire system?"
"You sure you weren't doing it just because you wanted to be a nice guy?"
Wolf shook his head. "Whenever I do good, it always because I know I'm getting something out of it. Like either money, or saving my own life. I'm not like Fox, you know?"
"Well, what about Rachel though?"
Wolf froze upon hearing her name.
"No one made you take her home. It was your own choice." George chuckled, a light expression still on his face. "So I wasn't surprised when I saw you over the city, or heard you went through the Beltino Gate after Star Fox to help them."
Wolf chuckled. "Oh, Fox sure got a shock, both times. I guess in a way, you know me better than even Fox does."
George grinned again. "I wonder what would have happened if you hadn't decided to help Rachel. It haunts me all these years later. I remember what you were like to be around, up until then. You know what I'm talking about." George shivered. "Before Ruvac."
"Killing a kid, after killing her father…" Wolf shook his head. "Even back then, I didn't want to cross that line. It put a face on all of those children I killed during the Lylat Wars. I never even thought about them. The whole war was only a game to me."
"Well, I'm glad you grew out of that and figured out there were more important things than winning against Star Fox. You know though…" The monkey took another bite from his salad, pausing as he munched the leaves. "I never got that message you promised me."
"What message?" Wolf's ears folded backwards. You coward, you know what he's talking about.
George's eyes narrowed. "Don't pretend you don't know." He glanced around the restaurant, observing a nearby family of huskies laughing together. He leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "Rachel. Did you ever tell her the truth about who killed her father?"
Wolf remained frozen in his place. He figured this was going to come up eventually. At first he'd been wondering if George had forgotten, but apparently not.
"I'm assuming no." George ate another bite of the salad, putting some bits of tomato and carrots along with the lettuce into his mouth. "You never sent that recording. You broke our promise."
Wolf grumbled under his breath. "Not necessarily. I can still do it someday."
"Someday…" George smirked, shaking his head. "Do you even know where she is right now?"
Wolf got a devilish grin on his face. "As a matter of fact…" He leaned forward, folding his hands together on the table. "Aren't you curious about why I'm in town? It wasn't only to see you."
George put down the fork, taken aback by Wolf's words.
Wolf paused, letting the silence hang in the air. When he was ready, he whispered the words. "I'm meeting Rachel today too."
George dropped his fork in surprise, fumbling around on the seat next to him to pick it back up. "What?!"
"Yeah." He glanced out the window. "Wanna come with me?"
George couldn't move, stunned as he laid back against the padded booth seat behind him. "You're not joking, are you? You're serious?"
"I'm not." Wolf grinned, munching another chunk of steak. "You still wanna come?"
"Oh yeah! Definitely! My boss might give me a little crap for leaving early, but if it means seeing her again I don't care!" George's enthusiasm was tempered, as he considered something. "So… uh, how's this going to happen? Does she know you're coming or are you gonna surprise her like you did with me?"
"Oh yeah um…" Wolf smacked his lips. "About that…" His tail pattered on the seat next to him in a nervous fit. "I'm taking a bit more of a risk seeing her compared to you…"
~X~
Wolf and George sat in the midst of a crowd, fold out chairs arranged in neat rows and facing a portable stage also laid out for this event. The sun still beat down from above. While the restaurant gave him a chance to cool off, Wolf was sweating like crazy again, moisture beading underneath his fine suit, and his shirt was stained with sweat spots.
Even so, he suspected the sweating wasn't only from the heat.
Most of the people surrounding him were Cornerian soldiers, some of them sitting in the audience, while others roamed the perimeter with their weapons. They were on the tarmac at the main CDF base near Corneria City. Freshly-minted army nurses filled the stage in front of them, dressed to the nines in their blue dress uniforms. Each one of them walked across the stage to get their diploma from a bulldog, a nearby Alsatian in CDF uniform reading off their names as they crossed over.
What a bizarre feeling being in this place. Wolf had never stayed in school long enough to have any graduation ceremonies of his own, and he'd never attended any of them either. After all, almost all of his friends and acquaintances were criminals, and criminals generally didn't go to school once they were on the wrong side of the law. He was having all kinds of new experiences today, wasn't he? What would life have been like if he'd made it all the way through the flight academy instead of dropping out? Ah well, it was for the best he got kicked out. Wolf knew even back then he couldn't put up with all the rules and regulations you had to adhere to if you wanted to go legit.
Meanwhile, the names of the new nurses slipped by over the next half hour, Wolf forgetting all of them moments after they were said. He twiddled his thumbs, his tail patting the seat next to him. But at long last, the name he was waiting for came up.
"Rachel Mimosa," the Alsatian said into the microphone.
She walked across the stage, giving Wolf his first look at her since that fateful day on Katina. She's grown a lot! Compared to the last time they'd seen each other, she stood almost twice as high, the tabby markings around her face now noticeably darker and more defined, her tail also taking on a similar dark brown color. Her white fur was now a darker shade of cream, tied back into a ponytail as she walked over to get her diploma. Reminds me a lot of her mother.
Something else that was new was a pair of goggles over her eyes, the blue lenses shining in the sunlight. They allowed her to see on her own, letting her walk across the stage unaided. It reminded Wolf of his own computerized eyepatch, which he got a few years ago. He smiled. Funny, we still have that in common, don't we?
When she received her diploma and smiled to the audience, he wanted to stand up and clap right there, despite being directed not to by the earlier speakers. It took a lot of effort for him to stay seated, his body trembling and urging him to stand. Nonetheless, he held himself down. He couldn't afford to draw attention to himself in a place like this.
Another torturous hour later, the final nurse crossed the stage and everyone stood up to cheer the new graduates from the Cornerian military's nursing academy. The lupine jumped out of his seat, enthusiastically cheering and whistling towards Rachel. In the midst of his cheering though, he noticed himself getting curious glances from George and some of the nearby soldiers. Wolf soon toned it down, settling for a more moderate pace of clapping.
The graduates filed off the stage and to the nearby reception area, where a couple dozen tables with refreshments on top were set up. After they had left, the crowd also got up and followed after them.
Standing up from his seat, Wolf let out a breath, straightening out his tie as he watched Rachel over the heads of the rest of the crowd. This is it. My second chance. The euphoria he'd had from before soon descended back into nervousness, as he couldn't take his eyes off the myriad Cornerian soldiers filling the area. Ironically, he felt like a sheep amongst wolves here.
"You gonna tell her now?"
Wolf jumped, almost falling over his chair, but it turned out to only be George.
After he put his chair back and looked around, Wolf said, "That was the plan. I wanted to tell her in front of you, but uh… I didn't think it'd be like this." He couldn't stop looking at a nearby husky in uniform, strutting around with a blaster rifle hanging off its strap. Wolf didn't have his gun with him. He'd left it behind because you had to pass through a weapon detector to get into the base. "I don't even know what she's going to do when she sees me again. What if she screams?"
Even George seemed hesitant to the idea. As a primate, he was in danger here too. Sure, the Lylat Wars were long since past and many primates and lizards had settled back into regular society, but the old biases still remained amongst Cornerians. No doubt George had to deal with a lot of that trying to get to where he was now. He might be thrown into jail alongside Wolf for the two of them being associates.
"Look, George, I don't wanna ruin everything you've built. You worked hard to get here. Are you sure you're okay with us doing this?"
George crossed his arms, eyes narrowing as he weighed the potential consequences. Was it worth it or not? He kept looking over at Rachel off in the distance. "It's dangerous, but…" He glanced at Wolf. "I say we do it. It's time for the truth to come out."
Wolf gravely nodded, turning around. Gathering himself up, he made his way through the crowd towards Rachel, trying to make himself as discreet as possible. Not easy with how tall he was, though.
Rachel stopped at one of the refreshment tables to pick up a bottle of water. She unscrewed the cap and took a long sip. Wolf watched closely, his feet shifting, tail twitching in agitation. Here goes… Wolf strode over, trying to put some confidence in his step...but right when he was about to reach Rachel another ragdoll cat stepped next to her, also in a dress uniform. She looked a lot like Rachel, except her fur had a faded look. Oh shit, it's Misty again!
Wolf abruptly walked in a different direction, towards a table with a selection of deli slices, cheeses, and crackers on it. He picked a few pieces off the tray with his fingers, ignoring the tongs, and tossed them into his mouth, chewing on them so he looked like he was mingling. He narrowed his eye, looking at Misty. If I try talking to Rachel, her mom's gonna freak and sic the whole base on me! Is there anything else I can do?
"What's wrong?" George whispered, stepping up next to him and also gathering some food on a plate so as not to look suspicious.
"That's Rachel's mom." Wolf trembled. "If she sees me she's going to cry for help. I remember how she looked at me when Rachel said my name!"
George munched on his food, less to sate his hunger and more to keep himself from panicking, but he offered a suggestion. "Is there a way we could get them apart?"
Wolf's ear folded back, as he watched Rachel smiling and laughing as she talked to her mom. Misty seemed to be enjoying their conversation too. So annoying! Another one of the recent grads, this one a female poodle, slid up next to Rachel. She chatted with the two ragdolls, laughing and giggling as well, Rachel apparently friends with her. The poodle held an open soda bottle in her hands, not having bothered to put the cap on as she spoke.
"I have an idea." Wolf said. "Watch."
Wolf strolled past Misty, Rachel, and the poodle, keeping his head low…but he 'accidentally' bumped into the poodle enough to make her stumble and send some of the soda flying onto Rachel's uniform, staining it. The poodle gasped, snarling behind Wolf.
"Watch where you're going!" the dog cried out. "Sorry Rachel…" Wolf barely heard her, already melting back into the crowd.
Once he was safely out of range and not being followed, he looked back, watching Rachel head around the corner, where he knew some restroom and sanitation stations had been set up. She was probably going there to grab some paper towels and clean up a bit. Just as Wolf had planned.
Wolf doubled back to George, waving for him to follow. The two hurried to catch up to Rachel. Rounding the corner, the pair spotted her slipping paper towels out of a portable dispenser near a line of portable toilets, grumbling about her rotten luck getting her nice new uniform stained like this. But she was alone now. This was going to be his best chance.
Wolf walked over to her, his nice dress shoes clacking against the pavement while his mind buzzed with terrified thoughts. How would she react after all these years? What if everyone had already told her what an awful person he was and how lucky she was to be alive after being in his company? So many years away from her, so many unknowns…
Wolf and George stopped behind her. The two of them exchanged one last glance, before Wolf cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Rachel?"
The cat spun around, looking up into Wolf's face, her goggles on. She gave him a confused look. "Umm… yes? Who are you two?"
She doesn't recognize me? Wait, this is the first time she's seeing my face! And George's face! She didn't have those goggles to see before, remember? Unbelievable she doesn't know what I look like.
Gathering himself up, he stood tall and proud. "It's me. Wolf." Well, there it is. I said it. So now what happens? He watched intensely, his heart rate rising as he looked at the small cat.
Rachel had a sharp intake of breath, taking a step back from him. She didn't seem to know what to say, staring up at him. Then she looked around behind Wolf. Wolf's legs tensed. Oh god, she's probably looking for someone to shout for, I better get ready to-
"Wolf…" she whispered, moving closer. "You know how dangerous it is for you here, right?"
Wait, what? He needed a moment to let his rigid body relax. Relief washed over him, Wolf letting the tenseness slip out of his body, smiling at her. "I know. But I wanted to see you anyway."
Rachel smiled at him, giving him a hug. Wolf was taken aback. This was like nine years ago, after they met for the first time. He returned the hug, leaning over her. They pulled apart after a short time, both smiling. She turned to George, surprised by his appearance.
"George, that's you?" She smiled, looking between the two of them. "You're both here?!"
George beamed a smile, hugging her as well. "Yeah, we are."
She laughed, giving him a hug too. However, her smile vanished. "So...why are you here? Why now?"
Wolf sheepishly chuckled. "I was wondering if you'd decided to follow in your mom's footsteps as an army nurse. Since you were ten when we met and it's been nine years, I figured you'd be graduating around this time if you did. It turned out you were, once I checked the grads list of this year's class. I wanted to be here to congratulate you."
"You two went to all this trouble for me?" She was stunned by their effort to make it here.
"Well, Wolf did," George laughed. "He only brought me along for the ride. I wouldn't have known otherwise."
"Wow, thanks, Wolf!" Her eyes jumped up, as she remembered something. "And thanks for stopping the Aparoids! Everyone on my hospital ship was talking about it when you came to the Aparoid homeworld to help! I'm amazed you figured out we'd delayed the graduation ceremony until now because of the war and-"
"Yeah, I was dealing with my own problems, so it's a good thing it got pushed back." Wolf's ears curled back in annoyance. "Anyway, I might not see eye to eye with the people you work for, but Corneria put up a huge fight to buy time for us to get inside the Aparoid homeworld and kill the Aparoid Queen for good. Star Fox helped us too… and especially Peppy. He gave up the Great Fox so we could get through the barrier the Queen put up to protect herself. Brave sons of bitches, the lot of them." It felt weird to talk about them that way, but even Wolf had to grudgingly admit he was impressed at how much so many were willing to sacrifice so the rest of Lylat would survive another day. "I hope we never have to do anything like that ever again."
Rachel put on a grim face. "I know… I've had to help treat victims of the Aparoid plague. We did what we could to cure them, but some of them were too far gone. I…" She sniffled. "I try not to think about how they were taken away by soldiers in hazardous environment suits… What happened to them afterwards." Her tears threatened to come out. Wolf leaned over, giving her another hug and patting her on the back. "Thank you… for what you did. If you didn't help Star Fox, it would have been a lot worse."
"Aww, it was nothing sweetie…" Wolf gave a lopsided grin.
"No, seriously. When I saw you arrive at the Aparoid homeworld to help, I couldn't believe it. It reminded me of when I first met you, before I knew who you really were."
Who I really was… Wolf hoped that particular topic wouldn't come up if they spoke, but it was unavoidable he supposed. When he killed her father, he had irrevocably altered her life. She would have been a different person right now if he'd never entered it. What would she be like now if they'd never met? He looked down at her.
"Anyway… You inspired me that day. I knew I had to do everything I could, too. Make sure my patients lived another day." She giggled. "I'm glad you're here. I wanted to thank you for what you did, but you didn't stick around long enough after the battle."
Wolf chuckled. This was going a lot better than he'd ever dreamed. How foolish he was thinking this might be dangerous, talking to her.
"But…" she said.
The lupine's smile faded.
"Why are you still a pirate though?"
Wolf sighed. "Tell me… how do you think the Cornerian military rewarded me for what I did? Has anyone even told you what happened to me once this was all said and done?"
"Umm… no. Did you at least get a reward?"
"Of course not, unless trying to destroy Star Wolf for good is their idea of thanks." In truth, before the invasion proper began, Wolf lost a lot of men, ships, and material to Star Fox attacking Sargasso looking for Pigma. Wolf never got an apology, but he did what he could to help against the Aparoids regardless. And the Cornerian military put salt in the wound when they took advantage after the war to run them out of Sargasso, killing and capturing more of his men in the process. He considered spilling this all out to Rachel, but felt like she didn't need to be burdened with such things. "Doesn't matter to them I saved Lylat. I'm still a pirate in their eyes, and they refused to forgive me despite my sacrifice."
"That's awful!" Rachel said. "They're setting up a monument in Corneria City for everyone who died or served. Your name should be there next to everyone else's, as far as I'm concerned."
That meant a lot to Wolf, coming from her. Wolf put on a grim smile. "I know. But it'll never happen. You may have forgiven me, but they have not."
"I wish there were something I could do…" Her tail drooped as she folded her arms together.
"Don't worry about it." Wolf patted her on the shoulder. "This is your day, not mine. I'm glad to see you. You know, you inspired me too…"
"I did?"
"Yeah… I feel horrible about what happened between us, but if it hadn't… I wonder if instead of trying to save Lylat I'd have taken all of my men and left Lylat to be assimilated. Until that day I met you, I was a goddamn monster. Would probably still be one now were it not for that…"
Rachel nodded, remembering their encounter at Ruvac. "It's terrible about what happened to Ruvac and my dad, but what's done is done. I've accepted it and moved on. It has been nine years now…"
Wolf let out a long sigh. She still didn't know, huh? Well, he supposed now was the time to do it. He glanced at George, the monkey nodding at him to get on with it.
Wolf cleared his throat. "Rachel, there's something I have to tell you. And I've been waiting nine years to do this. I can't bear to keep it a secret anymore."
Rachel looked up, confused by the words. "Does this have something to do with why you drove away the last time we saw each other? You said you wanted to tell me something, but you never did. You left me standing there with mom…"
"Yes." Wolf clenched his fist. "I still remember it like it happened yesterday. Are you ready for me to tell you now?"
She glanced at George, before nodding for Wolf to continue.
"Rachel, I was the one who did it. I killed your father that night in Ruvac."
Rachel's face remained unchanged, though a small sigh escaped her lips. "I thought it was you."
Wolf blinked, taking a step back. "You did?"
"Yes." Rachel looked at the ground. She sounded strangely calm. "It wasn't hard to put the pieces together, after I found out who the actual Wolf O'Donnell was. Believe me, my mom had plenty to say about you after you left. But back in Ruvac, I had no idea who you were or what you'd done before you met me. I would have screamed and ran away, if I knew half of what I know now."
Wolf's ears lowered as Rachel related all of this in a flat voice. It didn't suit her at all, Wolf finding it more unsettling than the anger he expected he'd be shown.
"But you spared me. And you protected me. And you kept your promise to take me home." She looked up at him. "For a long time I refused to believe the things everyone told me about you. It didn't make any sense with how you acted when you were around me. It couldn't have been the same Wolf O'Donnell I knew."
A smile tugged at the edges of Wolf's lips, but Rachel shook her head.
"I appreciate what you've done since then, although it's not going to bring back my dad… a part of me is gone forever, thanks to you."
"Rachel, I-" Wolf started.
She raised a hand to silence him. "Wolf, it's okay. I came to terms with my father's death years ago. What you did was senseless and violent, but I know it's changed you. You're not the same person you used to be. Your actions, both then and now, are proof." She smiled. "I'm still being honest when I say I wish your name could be on that monument for those who fought to stop the Aparoid Invasion."
Wolf was stunned, standing there as he took it all in. My, my… Rachel isn't a child anymore, is she? "I wish I could take back what I did Rachel. I really do." An idea occurred to him. "Do you at least want me to compensate you for his death?" He reached for his wallet. "I have money-"
"No, that's all right." She shook her head. "It won't erase what happened, plus I don't feel good about taking your money. It's blood money, isn't it?"
Damn, I hate she called it that, but it's the truth. Wolf put his wallet back. "You've got me all figured out, huh?" What a contrast from how Rachel was the last time they'd been together.
In spite of everything said before, Rachel managed a laugh. "It's enough for me you came to the trouble of visiting. This is fine." She smiled. "You too, George. This means a lot to me."
Wolf cast a smile to George, who returned the grin as well. George nodded his head in acceptance, before turning to the ragdoll. "You know Rachel, I had no idea you lived in Corneria City too. Do you think you'd want to meet again sometime?"
"Sure!" Rachel laughed. "That sounds great! I wish I knew you were around here too. Corneria's still kinda new to me and I don't have a lot of friends here…"
George laughed. "Well, I'd be glad to help acquaint you with the place! It's kinda hard for me to make friends too…" The monkey looked away, glancing at the ground for a moment.
"Aww, too bad." Rachel said. "But I'm sure we can help each other out! It's the least I can do after what you did to protect me."
Standing off to the side, Wolf smiled at the two of them. He didn't plan this, but was glad it was happening all the same. Sure, he'd have to leave Corneria soon, but at least George and Rachel could still be friends in his absence. He didn't say anything, just watching the two of them talk and exchange phone numbers.
"Rachel!" A familiar voice called out. "Where are you?!"
Wolf's tail twitched in terror, hearing Misty in the distance. Oh crap, it's her!
Rachel's tail jumped, curling around her as she looked in the direction of her mother's voice. "Oh… I was gone for too long. She's looking for me now…"
"You'd better get back to her…" Wolf sighed. He hated their conversation had to be cut short, but what else could be done? He was pushing his luck as it was.
"Wolf…" She turned to him one more time. "I'll make this fast. I'm glad you came, and I'm glad you finally told me. Thank you.. .thank you for not forgetting about me, or the rest of Lylat. Corneria might not respect you, but I do."
Wolf grinned, almost feeling another tear coming to his eye.
"Rachel!" Misty shrieked again.
"Don't worry, I won't tell mom or anyone else you were here."
Wolf breathed out a sigh of relief, putting his hands together in a prayer gesture "Thank you…"
"I don't know if we'll ever see each other again, but goodbye Wolf!" Rachel skipped backwards as she said the words, turning around to dash around the corner. "Mom! I'm here!"
"What took you so long?" Misty's voice floated around the corner.
"Oh, it took a little longer to clean out the stain than I thought it would."
"Well hurry up and get over here! They want to take a group photo!"
Wolf peeked out from their hiding place, watching her leave with her mother. How cruel to have their conversation cut short. He would've liked to spend the rest of the afternoon with her to catch up. But what could be done? He was still on the run and she worked for the people who wanted him in prison. But anyway, he felt satisfied.
Wolf turned back to George. "Okay George, it took nine years, but I did it." He thought about adding on a sarcastic 'happy now?' yet he didn't. In truth, he'd wanted to do this on his own, even with that promise hanging over his head. "Heh, told you I'd keep it."
"That you did." George clapped him on the shoulder, giving him a goofy smile. "So… I guess we're saying goodbye again now, huh?"
"Yeah…" Wolf glanced back at the crowds by the reception tables. "It'd be better to leave now, before the crowds thin out. I guess you could mingle if you want, but I gotta go."
George sighed. Sad, but true. "All right. Glad we brought separate cars. Well…" He held out his hand. "See ya later Wolf, whenever that is."
Wolf accepted his hand, shaking it firmly. "The same to you. Glad you're doing well now." Wolf pulled him in and clapped him on the back of the shoulder. He could sense George being short of breath, as he was pulling him in too tight, so he backed off. Sometimes I underestimate my strength…
Though George needed a minute to fill his lungs with air, he smiled at Wolf all the same. "Well, take care Wolf."
"Same."
The two went their separate ways, Wolf having a much lighter step in his foot now. Even if he was a scoundrel pirate who lied and cheated for a living, he loved having that oath to George satisfied. After all, George had risked his life multiple times to save Wolf, as Wolf had in return. It was only fair he fulfilled their promise. Still a shame George wanted to make an honest living, but oh well.
Wolf walked towards the lot where he'd left his car. It was a rental, a plain gray sedan he'd chosen to not draw attention to himself. It had done the job fine, nobody giving him a second glance as he'd slipped right into the crowd of other cars entering the base for today's celebration. As he reached for the door handle, his phone vibrated. Wolf raised an eyebrow, pulling out his phone. The number was listed as 'Unknown'…
He considered ignoring it, thinking it might be a scam call, but in his gut he felt like he should take it. Pushing the button to accept, he raised the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Is this Mr. O'Donnell?" The voice was female, and not one Wolf recognized. "Of the Star Wolf team?"
Wolf's single eye widened. Only Leon, Panther, Jamal, and a few others were allowed to call him about Star Wolf business directly. He had most of the rubbish calls fielded by his underlings first, so many of them never made it as far as his personal device. It was already suspicious this unknown woman had bypassed all of that and gotten straight to him.
"Are you there?" she asked again, sounding impatient.
Wolf glanced around his surroundings. Was this some kind of sting? Was she waiting for him to answer yes so she could direct a team of agents to jump out and arrest him? He didn't see anybody. Nonetheless, to be safe he jumped inside the car, locked the doors, and turned on the ignition, in case he needed to make a quick getaway.
"Oh please, Wolf. You're safe," the woman chided. "No one's watching you, except me."
Wolf froze. "No… one… is…?" How did she know?! Snarling, he barked out. "Okay, who are you?!"
"You may call me Sable."
Just one name? No doubt it was an alias or something. He'd run into other customers who preferred aliases. They could call themselves 'Agent Tiddlywinks' or whatever they wanted as long as they paid him, although he'd never met any who decided to introduce themselves this way.
Anyway, Wolf decided to play ball. "So what do you need from me?"
"I require Star Wolf's services. There's a certain item I need retrieved from the Cornerians. I would handle this affair myself, but I cannot risk news of this theft being traced back to me. Are you interested?"
"And what kind of payment are we talking about?"
"One hundred million credits."
Wolf burst out laughing, slapping his knee. When he finished collecting himself, he said "Oh come on! You're joking!"
"Well, if that's what you think, look in the trunk of your car."
"My… trunk…?" Wolf's eyes went wide, as he turned around and looked at the rear of the car. "Uh...what did you put in there?"
"Why don't you look for yourself? You might want to wait a moment though. I see a Cornerian soldier wandering around on your one o'clock."
Wolf glanced up, noticing a Cornerian soldier patrolling the lot with his rifle, as she'd said. Damn, this was some freaky shit. Was she somewhere nearby looking at him right now? Wolf craned his head around trying to spot anyone else.
"Please, I'm not there. Open the trunk already."
Wolf lowered the phone, weighing his options. What should he do? Should he do what she said? For all he knew the trunk could be rigged with a bomb or something. Although if it was a bomb and she wanted to kill him, why didn't she set it off as soon as he got in the car?
He frowned, getting out of the car and walking around to the back. He stood there for a solid minute, staring at the unassuming car trunk and debating if he should open it or not. Even though Sable said he wouldn't be able to see her, he couldn't stop looking around.
"Ah, screw it!" Wolf pushed the button on his key fob and the trunk popped open. Inside was a plain leather briefcase, but it sure wasn't there when Wolf had rented this car at the spaceport. Gulping, he leaned over and undid the clamps, the case popping open. Inside were fat stacks of 100 credit chips, neatly lined up in rows and columns. He slammed the case and the trunk closed, terrified. Wolf raised the phone back to his ear.
"Do I have your attention now, Mr. O'Donnell?" she purred.
"Yes…you do." He hesitated, still stunned by her little magic trick, as he leaned against the trunk. "What's this money for?"
"Two million credits… A little something to help cover your initial expenses for this job. Now do you realize I'm serious?"
"I do." Wolf nodded. "So what am I getting for you?"
"Oh, just a simple case. I want what's inside it. Hand it over to me and the reward will be yours."
This sure was a boatload of money to throw around over a case. This whole exchange creeped him out. He was still thinking about the briefcase sitting in the trunk behind him, having a hard time believing he'd seen it. Two million credits, merely to get the ball rolling… This lady was powerful, whoever she was. Scary too, although Wolf didn't get where he was in life by letting his fear get the best of him.
"All right. I'll take the job."
"Excellent. Now's not a good time to discuss, but I will be in touch. Talk to you later!" She hung up.
Wolf put the phone back in his pocket. What was in the case that made it worth one hundred million credits to her? Although as soon as Wolf thought of the question, he dropped it. It was her money, and he was being paid to not ask questions. He jumped back into the driver's seat, wheeling the car out of the parking lot, heading back out of the base.
Whatever this lady wanted, whatever journey he was about to go on, he was sure at the minimum it would be interesting…
To be continued...in Hazardous Contents
A/N: After a little over four and a half years, this story is finally done… I sure didn't think it would take this long, but I'm glad I stuck it out, and I'm glad you guys were patient enough for me to finish too :) Anyway, yeah, if you want to find out who the mysterious Sable is and what kind of journey she's about to send Wolf on, get over to my other story Hazardous Contents and start reading it now, you lazy git XD Although I think most of you who read my stuff are reading both stories already anyway :) It's been an interesting experience writing these two stories at the same time, when they're directly connected to each other but separated by ten years in a timeline.
Anyway, I usually bounce between this story and Hazardous Contents for updates, but this time I thought I'd make an exception and just update Love is Blind twice in a row to finish it off. The epilogue was already written in first draft form months ago, but I had to rewrite a huge chunk of the interaction between Wolf and Rachel in their final scene together. Originally, Wolf DID tell Rachel he killed her father in Chapter 20, but I thought it would make for better dramatic punch to save it for the epilogue. Also, originally George wasn't around for Wolf's and Rachel's final scene together, so I had to rewrite it to include him too. I don't mind the extra work though. I think it's great to give these characters one more little reunion together before they part ways again, this time on a more positive note. I know a lot of you were torn up about how Chapter 20 went…
Speaking of edits, there were a lot of times in this story where I ended up writing things one way...but then changed my mind and did them another way. For example, when George said he was thinking about betraying Wolf to the police way back in Chapter 4? I actually wrote out text with him going through with it. Wouldn't that have drastically altered the plot, huh? About a month from now, I plan to put up an afterword/deleted scenes chapter, and the scene I just mentioned will be included along with some others. Stay tuned for that, because I have a lot of interesting deleted material to show.
So...future plans from here. I have a few smaller projects I want to finish off, and I'll most likely be putting those smaller projects up in between updates to Hazardous Contents. I'm thinking of putting up a Yakuza X Star Fox crossover one-shot, plus a remade version of Shoot the Tubes with more text and a better ending (at least from Fox's perspective). Maybe another Gran Turismo fic too.
When my small stuff is out of the way, I'd like my next major story to be HOSHI SENTAI KITSUNERANGER. However, I'm pretty busy with real life things these days and thus have less time to write, so I might have to scale back to only updating Hazardous Contents. We'll have to see how things work out.
Anyway, stay tuned, and thanks for reading!