Chapter 13: A Tale of Two Brothers
It became clear not long after they departed the Kajben residence that marshal law had been invoked in Corona. The wail of police sirens echoed through the decaying capital. Once or twice, Wolf saw helicopters roam the skies, no doubt scanning what little air traffic existed in order to find their skipper. He breathed a small sigh of relief that they had chosen to abandon the vehicle in the alleyway. The gross streets with their clusters of buildings provided a far better cover than he could have realized. Snaking their way through the back streets towards the edge of the city was no easy feat but Leon ensured their path was clear before they proceeded. The nimble lizard would scale a small building (usually via the fire escape outside the building and some impressive parkour work) before giving the other three the signal to proceed. It was a tedious process but it got them to where they needed to be before long.
As the buildings thinned and the wasteland beyond came more into view, Wolf knew it would soon be time to submerge into the depths below the city. He found one of the sewer tunnel entrances situated behind a garbage dump. Andrew complained about the smell with a simple glare and a pinch to his nose but the others did not seem to mind. Or at least vocalize it. Wolf pulled back the lid into the darkness below, turning on his flashlight. He gave the ladder down a quick scan then descended.
As soon as his boots hit the moist ground, he felt that rush of nostalgia he had long been combating since arriving on Eladard. Leon landed next to him and he abruptly handed the chameleon his light. He unhooked Candy's scanner from his belt then activated it. It immediately brimmed to life with various points of interest—most of them to the south, where the hangar was located. Wolf adjusted one of the knobs to focus in on their current location. Pigma and Andrew came down the ladder next, the latter closing the lid and shutting them into the infernal darkness.
"Back at it again," Pigma remarked. Wolf could practically hear his smile.
"Once we're inside the manor, I'm gonna make a beeline for Archie," Wolf informed them. "The sooner we take him out, the better. Once his thugs see that he's bit it, maybe they'll scatter."
"Where do you think he'll be?" Andrew asked.
"He likes his theatrics," Wolf remarked. "I'd imagine he'd be in his trophy room or somewhere near the roof."
"Dramatic," Leon concurred with a nod.
They walked in the darkness, Leon lighting their way with his flashlight. Wolf held the screen in front of him, trying to make sense of their position and the radar. It seemed intelligent enough to locate nearby walls and began to gradually construct a map of what was around them. A small compass in the bottom right hand aided his sense of direction greatly as he quietly directed the team which way to go. Perhaps it was his focus on the device but he felt a strange calm settle into his chest as they traversed the darkened tunnel. It took him some time to realize that his nerves still did exist but they were buried under infinite layers of bitter resolve.
Bleep.
More fuel cells came into sight at the very rim of the scanner's signal. It was a cluster a mile and a half from the city's walls. There was little doubt in his mind that it was their destination.
"Do you really think they'll retreat when we kill Archie?" Andrew asked.
"They're probably only around for the paycheck. Most troops scatter like dust when you remove their main motive for fighting," Leon pointed out.
"Like what happened on Venom," Pigma added and Wolf could almost feel Andrew bristle.
He's right. I hate to admit it, but Pigma's right. But he's clearly trying to stir shit up with Andrew. And at a time like this.
"Keep quiet. I don't want anyone gettin' distracted," Wolf snapped over his shoulder.
Much to his appreciation, his team actually heeded his order. They walked in the uncanny silence and dark for some time. Wolf's eye flitted from their path ahead, illuminated by the flashlight, to the scanner's screen back and forth at a dizzying pace. They stopped for a small break at a fork in the road but even then, Wolf toggled the scanner's settings so that they could get a sense of what was happening above them. It looked like they were encroaching upon Archie's manor and would be there soon.
"Soon" became an hour later. Wolf let their pace slow only to conserve energy, though the concept of a stroll in the dank, smelly tunnel system did not even remotely resemble any form of relaxation. He told himself to not worry too much about the next few hours. Ever since the Cornerians had shoved him and his siblings to Eladard to keep them off their pristine streets, Wolf had known his life had been a war for survival. This was just another battle. One he hoped he would win. One he was not entirely convinced he would.
Well, if this is the end of the line and we're all marching to our deaths… there's only two outcomes. I kill Archie or it doesn't become my problem anymore.
He wanted to laugh at how apathetic he had become, how numb his nerves were to the fear. But he couldn't even muster one of his confident smirks. Not even into the bleak darkness before them.
At the end of their path was a ladder, leading up to a hatch that had a small hole in its center to let light stream down in a single, almost holy beam. Wolf did not believe in destiny but if he did, he would have thought it was an omen. He glanced down at the scanner then back up again at the ladder. Wordlessly, he beckoned the others to follow, hooking the scanner back onto his belt. Through his fingerless gloves, the metal of the ladder was as cold as death. He pulled himself up, towards the hatch above. Leon's flashlight followed him up to the top. Wolf's hand grabbed the handle and the lizard turned off the light so that it would not alert anyone on the other side. Blaster drawn, Wolf slowly pushed upward. The creak that resulted sent a shiver down his spine, propelling his muscles to fling the hatch open with reckless abandon. Immediately, he pointed his blaster at whatever face might be peering down, trigger halfway squeezed…
But there was nothing. He gave pause for a few painstakingly long moments. Nothing? He had not expected that. After a quick gander about the dusty room they had stumbled into, Wolf pulled himself out of the tunnel. The hatch had been surrounded by crates for the most part—crates that bore various insignias from various trading companies. Judging from the cobwebs that clung to them, it looked like they had been sitting for a long time. He glanced around the first one, noticing a set of pale wooden stairs leading upwards towards a door.
Basement level. And it looks like Archie doesn't do shit with it. Perfect.
He turned and helped Leon up. Once the lizard was securely on his feet, he whipped out his rifle and began to scan the area. Andrew and Pigma came up next and before Wolf knew it, they were all four huddled behind the stack of crates. Ears swiveling, Wolf listened for anything that would indicate they were not alone. Silence met him and cautiously, he stepped from behind the crates and walked towards the steps. Since he had come to the basement, he had been acutely aware of a stale scent. His violet eye wandered towards the corner of the room, just beneath the old wooden stairs. A few dull white sticks jutted up from the dirt on the floor. Sticks, that Wolf quickly realized as he drew closer, were really broken femurs and rib bones.
"Charming," Leon murmured.
They climbed the stairs, the wood groaning like banshees beneath their feet. Each step they climbed just reminded Wolf of how his body ached for a day of rest. At the crest of the stairs, he grabbed the doorknob, pressing his ear to the door. He could hear something shuffling on the other side—footsteps. They moved in threes, in a way that reminded him of a dance. Wolf drew his blaster up. Whatever room they were about to spill into, he didn't care—but footsteps on the other end meant that things were about to get hectic really fast.
This is it.
He twisted the doorknob and it resisted. Brows arching in surprise, Wolf realized the knob was locked… and it was not from their side of the basement. He tossed the other three a cautionary look, pointed his blaster down and promptly shot through the lock in a single fluid motion—sparing no time for regrets, no time for talking himself out of their goal. Wolf echoed the move with a swift kick to the central flat of the door, making it swing wide on its hinges.
At once, he realized they were in a kitchen. The cook was a portly hippo who basically fell over in fear at the sight of the four bursting through the door. His hand reached out for one of the carving knives hanging near the stove but Leon made sure he was dead before his fingertips even brushed its redwood handle. An assistant ducked behind one of the counters with a terrified scream. Pigma grabbed the wiry looking ferret by the neck and promptly chucked him into a nearby pantry, locking the door.
"The stairs should be outside of the dining area, to the left," Wolf said.
"What if he's not there?" Andrew asked.
"Then we keep looking until we find him," Wolf replied.
Through the kitchen doors, they found themselves in the dining area facing the back gardens. Wolf felt a rush of déjà vu as he looked out across the large glass window. It had just been a few days ago when they had been here last but it felt like it had been ages.
"Hey!" a dog yelled as he rose from one of the chairs to the lengthy dining table, a gun in hand. Before he could fire, Wolf popped off two shots—both striking true in the chest. The dog sank back into his chair. Two others sat at the table—a leopard and an owl. To the right, towards a couple of couches, Wolf could see there were at least three others. Outnumbered—but only slightly. Manageable odds, Wolf figured, as he braced for the next few minutes to succumb to sheer chaos.
The ruffians fired and Star Wolf immediately dispersed from the doorway. Wolf ran for the table, leaping above the high back of one of the chairs and landing on the table's surface. As the leopard began to crawl onto the table, Wolf reached the central vase—one filled with particularly wilted roses—and promptly punted the vase at the thug's ugly mug. The blow struck true and as the thug howled in rage, his face littered with shards of ceramic clay and a hundred little cascades of blood. Wolf started to fire at him but his friend grabbed his leg, pulling him to the ground. Wolf kicked out, catching the owl in his lower jaw. The owl fired next to Wolf, the laser shooting up just past Wolf's body—so close that he could feel its heat as it zinged by and blazed through the ceiling. Wolf's next kick took the owl out of his chair and Wolf pulled himself back onto the table, feeling its integrity weaken with a crack.
"WE GOT INTRUDERS IN THE DINING ROOM!" shouted the leopard into a radio in his hand. His other hand was holding the right side of his face, blood streaming between his fingers.
All of Archie's men just heard that. We'll be overwhelmed in an instant if we don't move.
A quick glance told him that Andrew and Leon had dispatched some of the thugs hanging around the couches. Leon was sporting a cut over his left eye and Andrew had crippled one of the thugs with a blow to the foot.
"Fuck," Wolf breathed. "Get to the stairs! Leave 'em!"
The door into the next corridor was unoccupied save for one unfortunate guard that met his demise as soon as Wolf laid eyes on him. In the distance, he could hear a variety of troubling noises—doors slamming open, the pounding of footsteps, shouts from where they had come from.
An intersection lay ahead and Wolf braced himself to be fired upon, his blaster at the ready. Just a few yards from making it to the cross-section, he caught a glimpse of a handful of guards running their way. They seemed equally surprised when they looked to their left and saw Star Wolf rushing towards them.
"Duck and close your eyes!" Pigma yelled and Wolf obeyed without second thought.
The swine tossed a small sparking grenade at the guards. When Wolf heard the bomb go off, he gave it a half-second before opening his eyes and opening fire into the cloud of smoke. By the time it cleared, their opposition lay on the ground. Wolf made a small hop over the bodies and kept moving, goaded by adrenaline.
The foyer's glass windows showed the darkness outside, Corona's glow banishing most of the stars. The staircase with its ornate but dusty handrails did not match the splendor of the glasswork found in the foyer but perhaps years ago, it might have. Wolf cast a glance towards the horizon before ascending, taking note of how the sky was a shade lighter than it ought to have been. Day would come in a few hours. Who would be there to herald it, Wolf wondered.
"Wolf, once we hit the second to top floor, we can hold them off," Leon said as they climbed. "The three of us can manage. We have enough ammunition; we just need a good choke point."
"As long as you promise none of you are gonna do anything stupid," Wolf replied.
"Like… what?" Leon asked.
"Like die," Wolf retorted.
"We made good time getting to the stairs. They probably still think we're on the first floor," Andrew said with a bit of a cheeky grin.
"They won't think that for long," Wolf replied to him as they passed the second floor. His calves were already burning but there were two more flights to go. As the third floor came into view, his ears perked and he held up his hand. "Hold on."
As if on cue, a boar burst through the doors, holding a baseball bat in one hand and a pistol in the other. With a crazed laugh, the boar swung the bat at Wolf. It careened over the canine's head, smashing into the window. Wolf headbutted the guy, grabbing him by the collar and chucking him overhead and back down the stairs. Pigma and Andrew ducked out of the way to let the boar tumble back down the entirety of the stairwell. Two more guards came through the door but they were dispatched fairly quickly, with Pigma receiving a nasty burn on his forearm from one of the lasers.
They passed the third floor and Wolf heard Leon stop running. He looked back at his team, at where Pigma was already prepping a grenade to throw down the stairs the moment enemies came into view. Andrew looked slightly bothered but he mustered a fanged grin nonetheless, holding his gun up at the ready. Leon opened his mouth to say something to Wolf but nothing came out. He closed it and merely gave his leader a simple nod, closing his eyes.
"We'll be here when you're done," promised the chameleon.
"If I'm not back in ten," Wolf said. "Assume I'm dead and finish it for me, Leon."
"Don't… joke like that," Leon replied. "Like I said. We'll be here when you're done." He pulled a knife out and handed it to Wolf. It was a simple blade, about half the length of the canine's forearm. Wolf accepted it, flitting an ear to the side.
"Return it, please," Leon replied.
"You think I'll need this?" Wolf asked with a wry smirk, slipping it onto his belt.
"No," Leon answered. "But I like the reassurance."
Wolf gave a small humorless chuckle and nodded to the lizard before slipping through the door. The fourth floor was eerily quiet when Wolf entered it. No guards had been posted and the sound of any sort of combat seemed drowned out by the uncanny silence. Painted portraits sat in the hallway. Some were Cornerian dogs, their eyes ripped out by clawmarks and their smiles elongated by sloppy red paint with faint trails. Was it really paint or blood? He was not sure.
At the end of the hallway was another picture, this one a photograph of Archie and his brother that had obviously replaced a masterpiece in where it hung. The sight of Klaus Ursus smiling in it made Wolf's stomach turn and the back of his throat burn. His mind cruelly crafted the image of the bear's corpse laying in a puddle of rainwater and blood, swallowed by the dark cover of night. Muzzle crinkled with latent rage, Wolf pushed past the photo, moving towards the door to the trophy room. He grabbed the handle, gun at the ready.
When he threw the door open, he expected to hear the piano music but there was only silence. He aimed his blaster ahead of him. The room was dark within save for the fire that crackled in the fireplace, illuminating the dead faces that had been posed about the room. Their eyes were glazed over but somehow, he felt like they were watching him. Rooting for him. Craving their own revenge.
A shadow was cast from the armchair, its back to him. It faced the fire but he knew it was occupied. A puff of cigar smoke emanated from its occupant. Archie had always liked his cigars in the wee hours of the morning. Klaus had too… and Wolf… but that was once. Once a long time ago.
"Archie. Let's end this," Wolf said, taking a few more steps into the room. "You know this can't go on forever. If I don't put you down, the Cornerians will beat me to it, once they've realized what a mess you've made."
The shadow did not stir in the arm chair. He took another step forward.
"Don't tell me you're afraid, Archie. That's not very Baron-like of you."
Another step. Distinct movement on his right told him that was a big mistake. He turned to intercept the attacker, firing off a single shot. It did nothing but brighten up the room for a split second—fast enough so that he could only see the glint of fangs and spotted fur in the darkness. Something hit his stomach and before he knew it, they were tumbling on the ground near the fire. He kept a firm grip on his gun, knowing that losing that would mean he would lose everything. He felt something press him down into the floor, a firm hand seizing his throat.
"Nice try, O'Donnell," hissed a gravelly female voice. He looked up at his attacker.
Zula. Defending your boss until the end, I see.
Her fangs glinted in the firelight and her knife jabbed down at him. He moved his head out of the way, the blade sinking into the rug next to his cheek. She snarled angrily and he awkwardly tried to point the gun at her from where he was pinned down. He fired, the shot striking the ceiling. Zula jumped, clearly not aware he still had his blaster. She fell to his side, between him and the fire and he responded by giving her a swift kick towards the flames. She screamed as her hindquarters were caressed by the searing heat and Wolf used the moment to stand up, pointing his gun at her for a split second before being dragged back down to the ground again by a swift kick from the hyena to his knee. He landed painfully on his side, both hands on the gun with its butt pressed into his chest. Zula clawed for the armchair, trying to rise to her feet. Her knife was missing from her hands. The hyena pulled a pistol out but Wolf fired first, the shot coursing cleanly through her side. She crumpled to the ground, clutching her side.
Wolf rose to his feet and made for the armchair, realizing that a series of pillows had been stacked onto it to give the illusion of a person sitting there. A dimly-lit cigar sat on a tray propped up on the tallest pillow. Snarling with rage, Wolf whipped around to look at the wounded Zula.
"Where is he?!" he demanded.
She did not respond. Wolf stooped down to pick her up by the collar of her vest. Her eyes snapped wide as he did so, widening even more when he brought her rounded snout to meet his.
"Tell me!" He snarled at her, fangs bared.
Her fearful gaze searched his single eye. Zula's turquoise fringe draped pathetically across her wide face, but even her dramatic bangs were not enough to hide her gaze moving from Wolf to the darkness to her right- towards the figure of an elk that had been preserved and positioned in a rearing position. Wolf traced her line of sight to the elk. There was a glint of light. He released Zula and dropped to the ground immediately, but it was too late. An explosion coursed through the trophy room, its roar deafening and its touch sending both Wolf and Zula flying. Wolf landed on his stomach yards away from the fireplace, the back of his head caressed by a faint breeze.
He looked up. Part of the wall had been blown away, revealing the brisk morning air. The sun was a thin orange line on the horizon. The stars were beginning to fade. Archie's trophy room was in shambles. Bits and pieces of his trophies lay scattered about, dust settling on everything. Zula lay a few feet away, unmoving with her eyes shut.
"Agh…" Wolf spat out dust from his mouth.
"Oh… did I miss?" Archie's false naïve tone heralded his entry into the fray. He stepped out from behind the elk.
Pain coursing through his body, Wolf pushed himself to his feet. His blaster had landed a few feet from him so he grabbed it quickly, training its barrel onto where the grizzly bear emerged from his hiding place. A blaster was in one hand, a second explosive in the other.
"Yeeeeeeeeeeep, just a little to the left and I'd have gotten it," Archie tutted. "That's a shame, really."
"So you're finally showing yourself," Wolf remarked, ears back. "Done lettin' your cronies do everything for you?"
"Oh Wolfie. That's not even nice," Archie held a hand dramatically to his chest, as though Wolf had said something unthinkable. "But you are right, I suppose. I am quite… done, as you put it. Done with this aaaaaaawful status quo."
He stepped forward, gun still trained on Wolf and vice versa. He clipped the grenade back to his belt, giving a bit of a yawn as he did so. With his now free hand, Archie picked up a skull, holding it up so that his fingers punctured through the eye sockets. Wolf's stomach did a flip. The skull's face was wider than that of a canine… and much larger. Was it… a bear's skull?
Telltale signs in Archie's haughty physique told Wolf that his guard had not lowered, not even despite his lazy steps forward. Wolf knew he could fire at any moment and Archie would respond equally as fast. Wolf chose to bide his time for the right moment.
"Hasn't this become boring, Mr. Smiley?" Archie asked the skull softly, voice devolving into a childlike manner. "All day we sits in our chair and people bring us money and goods and our guards shit their pants on command when we tell them to. BORING with a capital 'B'!"
And then, much softer, like a mother to its child, Archie added to the proclaimed Mr. Smiley, "It was more fun when you were around."
Even in the faint light, Wolf could see the bear's facial features quite clearly. Darkness had eaten away at the area near Archie's eyes. His brow was set in a permanent crease of rage and worry. The way his fur was matted and some parts seemed to be missing told Wolf that the ursine was ill—perhaps in more ways than he had initially realized.
"I knew you were unhinged back in the day, but even this is disgusting for you. What happened to you?" Wolf asked him with an incredulous shake of his head.
Archie smiled, wiggling his fingers through the skull. His smile cracked wider, broadening enough to show his pointed teeth. His dark eyes flitted to Wolf. A small laugh shook the hulking bear's body, bloodshot eyes glistening with tears.
"Why don't you ask him?"
Archibald Ursus fired, the skull dropping to the ground. Wolf dodged to the left, returning fire. A faint transparent blue energy sprung forth from a bracelet around Archie's wrist, forming a shield and blocking the shots perfectly. With a thunderous snarl, the grizzly lunged at Wolf and Wolf quickly found himself backpedaling.
He has a barrier?! Fuck!
The back of his heel met the thin air behind him, the cold of Eladard's early morning wind whipping through his fur. He spied a fire escape from the corner of his eye, guarded by a railing and a several yard leap. As Archie ran towards him, Wolf knew he had no choice. The bear fired and Wolf leapt for the fire escape, his hands catching the railing and hoisting himself over it.
"I never knew life without him, you know!" Archie roared, reaching the massive opening in the wall. "He was always the one with a plan! What was I supposed to do without him!? Where was I supposed to go but here?!"
I killed the only person keeping Archie's madness locked up. And then I ran for it. It's my fault Corona ended up the way it did. It was always a shithole place to live but I made it worse when I shot Klaus Ursus that night.
It was another confession to himself that he knew he did not have time to regret. What had happened all of those years ago could not be changed. All of the lives Archie had taken in his grief could never come back.
Wolf fired but Archie ducked behind some of the remaining wall. The canine climbed a few steps and Archie shot back, his sanguine laser cutting through one of the old escape steps. Wolf darted up a few more steps, hoping fervently it would draw the bear out. Thankfully, it did—the raging bear leapt with surprisingly spryness to the fire escape, grabbing onto the rail with one hand and firing up at the canine with the other. Wolf gasped as the shot tore past his ear. He danced up a few more stairs nimbly, firing back down. Archie took a blow to the top of his shoulder but the bear did not seem to even notice it. He clicked his barrier back on and continued chasing Wolf until the escape reached the rooftop.
The roof was surprisingly flat and Wolf felt a small wave of relief at that. He backed up to give himself room, noticing the very blatant lack of cover. When Archie pulled himself onto the roof, he did so with some exertion, keeping his barrier up at all times. He panted heavily, pointing his gun at Wolf.
"When I'm done with you, Wolfie… I'm gonna turn you into the best towel to wipe my ass on. And when I'm done with that, I think I'll go pay my LOYAL SUBJECTS in Corona a PLEASANT LITTLE VISIT… what do you think, Wolfie? What if I just… just tore down the Grounds? And made all of Corona my new hunting zone? Oh, the people will love me. Because they'll love me or they'll DIE!"
Wolf ran a semi-circle to try to duck around Archie's barrier but the bear strafed, following his moves. Each one of Wolf's shots struck the barrier and each one of Archie's shots seemed to fly all around his mark. Archie stopped to pant for a few more moments and Wolf took the time to land a few potshots on the barrier, watching it ripple about like waves tossing in the ocean.
Need to outlast the barrier or destroy it. He can't keep it up forever.
"You're never gonna get the chance to do that, Archie," Wolf said coldly.
"Heh, we'll see about that," the bear's hand went to the explosive at his side again. From where Wolf could see, the bear still had two left. "Or… one of us will!"
Archie peeled his hand back with the explosive and launched it. The nose of Wolf's gun followed it up just a few feet in its trajectory, firing one single hopeful shot. The explosive detonated and Wolf could hear Archie's shrill shrieks like nails against a chalkboard. By the time the smoke cleared in the wind, he could tell a few pieces of shrapnel had embedded their way into the ursine's arm and the barrier flickered out of existence.
The right side of Wolf's mouth curled up in a satisfied smirk—a fleeting sign of confidence that was quickly erased by Archie's onslaught of shots. Wolf forced himself to run but a well-timed shot blazed through his right arm as he did. He watched the blaster fall from his own hands, gasping in both horror and pain. Wolf did not feel himself slow down. But he did feel the next shot that passed through his stomach, his eyes snapping wide as his knees collapsed beneath him.
Archie was on him in an instant, throwing aside his gun. Gleeful, murderous laughter filled the air as the bear began to punch down at Wolf's head. The first blow was to Wolf's left eye, knocking his eyepatch loose. The second was to his jaw, sending a ringing in his ears. The third hit the roof next to Wolf's head. Between each punch was like a strobe light. He saw brief pictures of Archie's giddy expression, marred by flecks of blood splattered on his snout and cheeks. Wolf tried to bob and weave between the punches, squirming and feeling pain ebb through him from his wounds. He gasped, breath shivering as Archie howled out his laughter into the wee hours of the morning. The bear was mad and the bear was winning but the bear had forgotten one thing that Wolf had not.
One more explosive left.
Wolf's eye fell upon it in desperation.
Fuck, if this is my last play… let's make a good one.
Wolf grabbed the explosive from Archie's belt, tugging it free. Archie paused for a moment, confused. He could feel a button on the explosive—the way to activate it. He had seen grenades made like this before on Macbeth. They were usually sold to the military but somehow Archie had gotten his paws on a few. Blood seeping down his face, Wolf cracked a smile at the bear.
"No, wait!" Archie screamed. He lunged for the explosive. It fell from Wolf's hand, clanging a few yards away down the roof. Two seconds—and in those two seconds, Archie turned and looked at Wolf in sheer horror. The eastern half of the roof exploded, sending both Wolf and Archie tumbling towards the western edge of the roof.
Archie rose, blood seeping down the side of his face. He whirled around, looking at Wolf lying on the ground.
"Oh… oh you've… really done it this time, O'Donnell," Archie said hoarsely. Sanguine flowed from his wounds like rivers. A piece of metal jutted from the back of his wrist.
Wolf gathered his feet beneath him and rose painfully, swaying back and forth. Despite the laser cauterizing the wound as soon as it passed through him, moving about had ripped open what had been cauterized. Blood dripped from Wolf's stomach. He held a hand to it, wincing.
"It… it doesn't matter… because even if you live to see me die… you won't get a chance to celebrate it," Archie growled. His nice clothes were ripped and bloodstain. His face seemed devoid of any sort of reasoning. His gun was not in his hand but something else was—a small white device. Purposefully, the bear held it up and clicked… but nothing seemed to happen.
"What… what did you do?" Wolf panted.
The bear smirked for a brief moment.
"That's… not for you to worry about… just yet!"
Archie's roar shook the rooftop, striking a flicker of fear into the already scared Wolf O'Donnell. The bear charged at him, needle-like claws poised to rip into his flesh like knives through molten butter. Panic made Wolf reach for the knife Leon had given him. He had almost forgotten it was there.
Archie reared back with a hand. Wolf propelled himself forward with energy he did not know he had. Leon's blade found the bear's stomach. It was a familiar feeling, a sickening feeling, when he stabbed Archibald Ursus. He drew the knife from Archie's gut to his sternum, pulling it back out and promptly falling to a knee. Wolf looked back in time to see Archie stagger backwards, blood all over his torso and his hands. His eyes, wavering with horror, looked back at Wolf in sheer disbelief.
"W-Wolfie…" His mouth moved more, trying to form more words but nothing came out.
The bear stumbled back another foot, into open air. He disappeared over the side of the roof. A crash a few long seconds later confirmed his landing.
Wolf crawled to the edge of the roof, looking down at where Archie had fallen onto a fountain in front of the manor. His heavy body had crushed through the happy Cornerian family depicted in the center of the fountain. Pale brown water coursed over him now, mixing with his blood. The fountain's base had begun to run red.
It was done. Archibald Ursus was dead. Already his guards were starting to crowd around his body, looking up at Wolf several stories high. Wolf scooted back, gasping as he did so. Pained, the canine struggled to push himself upright. His arms trembled, elbows collapsing as he tried to rise up from the rooftop. It was no use. He knew he had lost too much blood.
This is it. I did what I could. Leon has his orders. He'll take care of the rest.
He rolled onto his back, looking at the morning sky as the sun began to rise. Each breath felt slower, harder to manage. It was like his lungs were straining for air. His fingers trembled and then lay still, resting against the cold of the rooftop. Wolf's eye went in and out of focus, staring at the heavens and then closing once unconsciousness took him.
If the afterlife looked like the inside of a hospital room, then Wolf was sorely disappointed when he awoke. An IV attached to his arm and bandages covering his shoulder, hurt arm, and torso, Wolf felt his heart rate immediately spike when he began to feel pain rack every inch of his body. He gasped, pinning his ears back. Movement to his right made him take notice of someone in a chair next to him. His ears perked when he realized it was Andrew.
"You're awake!" the simian exclaimed at once, running to his side. For a moment, he could see tears shimmer in the simian golden eyes, but they were quickly dismissed with his abrupt change in attitude. "Why the hell did you go and get your tail handed to you, huh? You almost died!"
"I'm not convinced I'm not dead," Wolf remarked, stiffly adjusting his position. His violet eye swept across the white room, taking note of the dirt and dust in the corners. It was clearly not the nicest hospital. "The hell am I?"
"You're at a hospital in Corona. Pigma has some connections here, I guess, and we got you hooked up and stabilized here," Andrew said. "You're really not dead, Wolf, I promise. You tried to leave us a few times, though."
"Ugh. How long's it been?" Wolf asked.
"Three days," Andrew replied sheepishly. "Lenny wanted to be here but he's been working on our carrier and the Wolfens. He should be done sometime today, I think. Pigma's been helping him out too. We made Leon go back to Lenny's place to sleep. He'd been here since you were admitted."
Somehow, Wolf was not surprised.
"These people probably know we're Star Wolf," Wolf said apprehensively as one of the nurses walked by in the hallway.
"They know we're Star Wolf. And we're the people that just liberated Corona," Andrew shook his head. "The Coronans, as soon as they found out Archie was dead, they stormed his manor and burned it all to the ground. There's talks about electing a mayor."
"How nice for them," Wolf said with a small groan as he tried to sit up straight. "Don't suppose we're getting any cash for it."
"Actually, we are," Andrew said excitedly. "There's been donations coming in all over the place. Most of them I think got put to your hospital bill, though…"
"Figures," Wolf sighed.
They chatted for a short while. Andrew sent a message to the others to let them know Wolf had woken up. A nurse came in to check Wolf's vitals and seemed to think he was recovering nicely before departing to give him and Andrew some privacy. The skies outside indicated that it was mid-afternoon and Wolf leaned back against his fluffy pillow with half a mind to go back to sleep. He did not, however, replaying his fight with Archie in his head over and over again.
Grief does horrible things to people. It makes monsters out of us.
"Andrew. Are you still thinking about taking up where your uncle left off?" Wolf wondered aloud, looking out the window.
Andrew looked taken aback.
"I… hadn't thought about it much these last few days," the simian admitted. "But… I feel like it's the right thing to do. But maybe… now isn't the time." He paused. "I know you didn't let me go back to Venom because you knew they'd kill me there. The Cornerians invaded everything and they probably killed thousands of people there."
Wolf cracked a smirk and gave a bit of a cough.
"When Andross put you on my team, I thought he was an idiot. We would be going into dangerous territory, doin' dangerous things. But he thought you needed hands-on experience. He thought it'd make you into the leader Venom would need someday," Wolf replied. "I don't really care for politics or shit, and you know that. I didn't really even believe in Venom's cause. I'm a merc. I follow orders. And the last order your uncle gave me was to make sure you made it out of the Lylat Wars alive. One way or another."
Andrew's eyes stretched wide.
"I've done my job for the most part, I think. Almost fucked it up a few times," Wolf chuckled. "You can stay on the team and learn what you want from us. Like your uncle wanted. And when the time does become right, you're free to go."
"Wolf… where's this all coming from?" Andrew blinked in surprise.
"I guess I brushed against death and it got me thinkin'," Wolf shrugged then winced as he did so. "I'm not goin' soft on ya or anything. But just… promise me you're not gonna let your grief overcome you. People that dwell on things like… there's never a happy ending for those sorts."
"I promise," Andrew said firmly, but his surprise was still evident in his eyes. "Thanks, Wolf."
Andrew smiled. He began to lean back in his chair but his communications device suddenly beeped. Wolf cocked a brow at Andrew as the simian answered.
"Hey, you get my message?"
"Andrew. We need to get Wolf out now." It was Leon's voice and he sounded panicked.
"Hold it over here," Wolf said to Andrew and the monkey obliged.
"Leon. It's Wolf. What's goin' on?"
"Wolf," the lizard sounded relieved beyond words but his focus snapped back in at once. "Look outside. Northbound."
Wolf pulled his IV container along with him as he hopped down from the hospital bed, clad in nothing but some white pants they had given him to cover his lower region. He and Andrew gathered by the window and looked out towards the north. They craned their necks to see what Leon was referring to. There was something in the sky.
"Oh no," Andrew gasped.
Wolf felt his heart sink all the way to the bottom of his gut. A fleet of Cornerian Defense Force carriers had entered orbit and were approaching Corona, flanked by dozens of fighters on each side. There was little doubt about why they were here. Wolf rubbed his snout, covering his mouth with a hand as he tried to process what was happening. He looked to Andrew's communication device.
"Leon. Where's Pigma?"
"I… The hangar? I don't… I don't know…"
Wolf bit back a string of curses.
"Find him! We gotta get outta here."
He made his move. I wanted to believe he knew better than to try that shit. I had needed him to help me square up against Archie and his army of thugs. And I knew he was trouble. I knew he had done shit with the weapons that he blamed on Andrew. But I was so focused on the mission… I was hoping he'd be smarter than that. Smarter than trying to screw us over when we all needed each other… but I guess that's over now. Archie's dead, no bounty on our heads coming from him. Now it just leaves us and the Cornerians… And with me out of the picture, it's a good time to make a move. Fuck. I should've just killed him. I should've just tried this with me, Andrew, and Leon. We could've made it work. But I was so sure… I was so sure it would work out…
"Wolf?" Andrew asked.
Wolf angrily pulled out his IV. Although pain reared its ugly head as he moved, he tried to fight through it. He looked up at Andrew, feeling his rage boil each word that came out next.
"When I see that hog again, I'm gonna fucking kill him."
