Immortal Star Fox
Chapter XXVII
The sound of electricity is what was getting Fox's attention.
Everything was violently shaking. Fox was slow to open his eyes and take in his surroundings. It felt like something was holding him down. Fox started to pick his head up and it was heavy for him. His eyelids were droopy that it was difficult to open them.
The electricity was surging throughout the entire area and Fox was doing his best to pick himself up. The next thing he knew, Fox felt something sharp in his chest. The jerky movement from the sharpness is what jolted Fox up. He let out a gasp as he started to breath.
Fox tried to get his surroundings in order, but the shaky room wasn't doing him any favors. Fox groaned as he tried to pick himself up. He felt the sharpness flow throughout his body and cried out. His voice was drowned due to the other surrounding noises. The pulsating sound of energy filled the entire room. A bright light blinded Fox for a while before he realized where he was.
Fox flexed his fingers on his right hand. He felt his palm and could feel it starting to get warm. He clenched his fist and released it. Fox looked to his left and saw a large, black stake inside him. Fox eyed it with a shaky breath and brought his left hand to try and pull it out. The stake was moving, but it was impaled deep.
The electricity began to pick up. Fox looked up to see the silhouette of someone standing at the console. It didn't take long for Fox to recognize who it was standing there. Andross worked the console like the mad ape he was. Computers were flashing, the room was filled with a smell of burnt flesh, and the entire base was shaking underneath Fox.
Fox returned his gaze to the stake. He grabbed it with his hand and pulled with all his strength. The stake was moving slowly out, but it was stuck in. Fox brought his other free hand and grabbed it and started to pull.
The stake started to move out slow and Fox started to wiggle it out of his chest. Fox groaned as he pulled harder. The stake was coming loose and Fox felt a shock surge throughout his body. Fox was afraid that his noises would alert Andross. He took a quick glance at where Andross was standing and saw that he was too focused on his console.
Everything was shaking underneath Fox. But he couldn't focus on that, he needed to get this stake out of his chest. He pulled with all his might and managed to pull the entire stake out. Fox let out a sharp yell and quickly covered his mouth, trying not to alert Andross.
Fox was breathing heavily and felt a stinging sensation where the wound was. He looked it over, and was shocked and confused to see that there was no blood coming out. He patted his chest down and went to the other wound that Andross left him. Again, he was confused to see that there was a wound, but not a gaping, disgusting one. It was more of a healed one, but the color was what threw Fox off.
The wound looked like a skid mark across his stomach. It was black in color, but it had the same texture of his fur. Maybe just a color disorder. Fox didn't need to worry about that now. He placed the stake next to him and started to pick himself up. Fox grimaced as his legs were barely waking up.
Fox tried to feel for anything to grab on the wall, but didn't feel anything. Suddenly, the base stopped shaking. Fox looked up to see Andross back away from the console and put his hands to his side. Andross walked back to the console and typed on the keyboard.
"My beautiful creation," Andross said. He placed a hand on the glass.
Fox decided to suck it up if we wanted to end it here. He bent his legs and used the wall as leverage. He pushed himself upwards and shifted his legs under him. He pushed off the wall and regained his balance. He looked at his surroundings, getting a small dizzy spell and seeing some dots in his eyes before they returned to normal.
He blinked a few times and the room was dimly lit. He looked at his hands and could see them normally. He took another pat down of his body, his shirt was torn from where the stakes were impaled through. Once he was done with that, he looked down to see the stake that he pulled from his chest.
He picked it up and saw how disfigured and jagged it looked. Fox could see his blood was dried at the sharp end. He then looked at his left hand. The wound that was there courtesy of Fetcher. It was at this point he remembered back to that other world he was in. Something about having the same thing inside the both of them.
Fox was one who was not good with riddles. Even then, it seemed that this one was clear as day. The something he had was his own blood. Andross had Fox's blood inside him. Fox was then thinking if it could be possible for the one to take back life if he helped create it. He's seen how his blood acted like acid to Andross.
But how did it work like that? Fox really didn't care about the explanation. What he cared most was the ape in his sights. Fox wanted him to experience pain beyond imagine. He wanted it to be the same as when he lost his parents to him. Fox took the stake and pierced his wounded hand with it. It hurt a little and Fox was able to get his palm to bleed.
Fox wiped the stake with his bloodied hand. He'd need to get his hand checked after this for infections. Fox limbered his way to Andross. Fox picked up the stake and saw that it was corroding itself. He needed to make this quick. He started to trot faster.
Andross was still oblivious to what was happening behind him. His typing was overpowering Fox's boots. Fox didn't take long to be behind Andross. It was at this point Andorss had a sixth sense tingling. Fox noticed Andross' state and decided not to wait any longer.
Fox pulled his arm back and unloaded his shot to Andross. The ape let out a blood-curling scream as he looked down to see a black stake going through his chest. Andross quickly backhanded Fox. He still had hold of the stake and pulled it out when he was punched. Andross turned around and stumbled on the console. He propped himself up and looked down at Fox. The tod picked himself up and let out a scream as he ran towards Andross.
Andross attempted to give Fox another punch, but he easily blocked it and brought the stake high in the air before impaling it through his heart, if he had one. Andross looked down to the stake and back to Fox, who had the coldest stare one could draw up. Andross tried to grab Fox by his throat, but Fox grabbed it with his bloodied hand. It started to burn off and Andross tried to break loose.
Fox kept Andross where he was, staring coldly into those blood shot eyes. Fox twisted the stake deeper into Andross as his hand finally burned off. Fox then wrapped his hand around Andross' throat and squeezed. Fox was a little hesitant as half his throat was gone already, and his esophagus was exposed. But whatever was needed to stop his terror, Fox was going all in.
Andross was trying to fight back. He began kicking Fox and Fox did slip under one of his kicks. Andross tried removing the stake, but Fox began to knee Andross in the stomach. The ape coughed and Fox pushed down the remainder of the stake into Andross.
Fox picked himself up and put his hand back around Andross' throat. Andross' screams started to die down, due to his throat being burned away. Andross eyes started to bulge from their sockets, so much that Fox had a tough time looking at him.
But Fox still didn't alter, he looked at the stake going through Andross and his hand was disintegrating his throat. Knowing that Andross only had a few seconds left, he decided to say one last thing to his enemy.
"Back from the dead, motherfucker."
It was at this point that Andross felt himself slipping away. Fox felt his hand going through his throat and decided to release his grasp so that Andross could suffer. Andross couldn't find anything around him to push Fox off of him, so he just had to watch Fox tower over him. The look in Andross' face was enough to know that Fox was the one who finally bested him.
Andross' entire body was shaking. Fox finally released his hold on the stake and got off of Andross. He watched as the ape was tried to pull it out with his one good hand, but failed every time. Fox didn't see it, but it also went through the console and it was giving Andross a shock. His face contorted with the shocking and Andross took a final look at Fox.
"Y-Y-You should b-be d-dead." Andross managed to say. Fox walked to Andross' position.
"I should. But I'm back. You're not the only one who's immortal." Fox said with almost a taunt in his voice. "The only thing is, I'm not going anywhere. But you." Fox grabbed the stake. "You deserve to rot for all that you've done."
Fox pushed the stake one final time and Andross let out a final scream, or what was left of one. Fox released his hold and stepped back. He saw Andross starting to spasm. His body was violently shaking that it looked like it was liquefying. However, his head was still intact. Andross' eyes rolled back and his hand fell from the stake and to his side.
Fox watched with a close eye to make sure what he was seeing was indeed true. Andross' tongue rolled out and Fox cautiously approached. He poked Andross on the cheek. He didn't respond. He poked again and there was still nothing. Finally, Fox gave Andross' face a couple of slaps.
No response.
Fox finally put two fingers next to Andross' nose and didn't feel any breathing. Once he confirmed this, Fox let out a sigh and fell back. He caught himself before and cushioned his fall. Fox couldn't believe what he did and how he had to do it. It was here when he saw the console that Andross was working on.
He quickly got up and went to it. Fox typed on the computer and saw that a new body was near completion. It just needed to upload a memory file inside of it. Fox started to think that Andross was going to upload his mind to this new body. It was the only possibility, but now the only thing he could think of was destroying it so no one could harness this much destruction.
Fox didn't waste time in trying to find a self-destruction switch or anything similar. Fox searched in Andross' computer but couldn't find anything of the sort. Fox search was almost endless until he saw something that caught his eye.
OVERRIDE SEQUENCE
That was what Fox was looking for. He typed furiously to try and get the sequence to start. The computer was reading Fox's typing and was able to get the sequence to start. The computer began to light up and an alarm was starting. The room was flashing red and Fox backed a little. A diagram popped on the computer showing what was about to happen.
The body that Andross was making was drawing raw energy from Venom's core. The only way to destroy it was to use the energy from the core to cause an explosion of mass proportions on the body. Fox felt the base start to shake again. He realized that this was the time to leave the area, and fast.
Fox picked up his blaster and ran like hell out of the room. The entire base was shaking violently and Fox hit the wall while running. He heard more steel pipes falling from the ceiling and covered his head. The pipes fell behind him and Fox continued running out of the hallway. He reached the main lobby and found his mask that was he took off.
He put it back on since he didn't want to breath in Venom's smog. He ran to the main doors and pushed them with all his might. The doors creaked and Fox squeezed his way outside. Fox looked around and saw his Arwing parked a few distance. Fox began running to his Arwing when he heard an explosion happen behind him.
Parts of the base flew high and Fox looked around to see the metal sheets flying high. Fox reached his Arwing and jumped into it. The canopy was open, so when Fox closed it, he had to keep his mask on due to the smog that was present inside. He'd have to wait until he left the atmosphere to eject the air.
Fox started his Arwing and didn't take long for him to pull up and fly far away from the base. Fox looked back and saw the base blowing up behind him. Fox started to break out of the stratosphere and looked back again. The base was exploding and Fox was still breathing hard.
Fox was at the end of the atmosphere and the base was at the final stages of exploding. Heat manifested on his nosecone and Fox finally saw the dark background of space. Fox finally let out the smog that was in his cockpit. The Arwing hissed and let out the smog from its vents and filled it up with breathable air. Fox took off his mask and let out a loud gasp. He looked down and could see where the base was.
More areas were exploding on the Venom's surface. The surface began to crack a little and the energy from the planet's core finally combusted and parts of Venom's surface shattered. Fox had to fly off to not get hit by rocks. A rock did knick him on his wing and Fox could see some metal fly carelessly into space.
Once the destruction was over, Fox turned around and saw a large crater now etched in Venom's surface. The last remnants of Andross' reign were finally destroyed and that no one from his army would dare attempt to start another revolt in his name. Fox slouched in his chair and rubbed his eyes.
Fox heard a beeping coming from his communicator. He turned it on and saw that it was his team calling him.
"Go for Fox." He answered.
"Fox! What happened down there?" Slippy's worried voice croaked in.
"We tried to call you when we saw the explosions happening." Peppy said.
Fox looked down at his chest and saw the scar in his chest more prominently. It looked like a circle with black veins crawling in his fur. When he touched it, it felt like his normal fur. He went down to the other at his stomach and the same thing. A large cut had black veins flowing through it and feeling just like fur.
Fox was so in his own mind that he wasn't thinking about anything else but his own well-being. Finally, the call of his team screaming for an answer was the cause of his snap. He looked at his surroundings and saw his team in formation. The Great Fox was up in the distance and he could see a platoon of ship off to his right.
"Yeah," Fox said croakily. "I'm fine."
There was a beat of silence from the comms before Peppy asked another question.
"Did you… did you do it?"
Fox took a deep breath. "Yeah. He's no more."
Fox didn't hear anything for a while, then at the same time, he heard a sigh of relief from all of them and small congrats. Fox accepted them with a small smile and then heard from an outside comm.
"What's this about Andross?"
Fox recognized the voice of Bill and gave off a smile chuckle.
"At least you did more than bird brain back there." Katt's flirty voice chimed in.
"Hey!" Falco was ready to mouth off to Katt until Fox spoke.
"Are we done here?" Fox asked calmly. "I have somewhere I need to be."
The silence filled the comms. Everyone knew what he was talking about. No one spoke, but Fox took this as confirmation that they were indeed done with Venom.
"Alright." Fox started the engines and took off to the Great Fox.
He left his team behind, but they quickly followed. Falco stopped when he didn't see Katt following, so he sent her a private transmission.
"You coming?"
"This seems like a 'you guys' thing. I'll be around, so don't you worry." Katt then cut the feed. Falco could see her engines being to light up and soon she took off to parts unknown.
Falco didn't see the need to pursue her at the moment, but now he needed to rejoin his team and find out what they were going to do next. Falco was the last to dock his Arwing. The ship hummed before Falco completely shut it down. He opened the canopy and jumped onto the ladder.
He walked to where the rest of his team was. Falco could see that Fox had his mind set on where he was going. Fox made his way to elevator and didn't have to wait for the shaft to arrive. He entered and pushed for the deck and quarters area before Falco held the door open.
"Hold on there," Falco said. He looked over Fox and saw his current state.
He saw Fox's torn shirt and the markings on his chest and stomach. Fox knew that they were going to question him about it, so he wanted to make it brief.
"Just a minor inconvenience." Fox said, as he pushed the button to the upper level. The door began to close, but Falco held it open.
"That ain't no inconvenience," Falco pulled Fox out of the elevator.
Fox swatted Falco's wing off him and Falco was about to revolt until he saw a new look in his eye. A gleam of someone who had been through something traumatic. Falco took a step back, keeping an eye on Fox.
Fox knew that all eyes were on him. He could feel a small breeze from the AC flowing into his torn shirt. He did shiver a little, figuring he needed to change shirt. Fox didn't even try to hide the marking on his fur.
"It's nothing. Just a new mark. That's all." Fox began walking back to the elevator until he was blocked by Peppy.
"Fox. You need to tell us what happened," Peppy demanded.
"We tried calling for you, but you didn't answer." Slippy added. "We were thinking of going down to help you."
Fox sighed at his teammates concern of him. He decided to talk, but keep out the most prominent detail.
"Andross and I had an excessive back and forth. There was a time where he had the upper hand, but I was able to get him. That's all."
Fox looked around to his fellow friends. His teammates had a confused look on them, but Fox thought to himself that he was very clear in his words. Fox gave a nod and walked around Peppy just before he heard ROB's voice come through the intercom.
"Attention Team Star Fox. General Pepper is calling from Corneria."
This was the one thing Fox wanted to avoid. He didn't want to deal with any sort of military or ceremonial antics right now. He wanted to go back to Sauria. To fulfil his promise to a special vixen. Fox grimaced at ROB's announcement. He just wished it was a quick call from the Great Fox's deck.
"General Pepper is requesting our presence at Corneria."
That was definitely not what Fox wanted to hear. He groaned loud with a strained voice. Peppy went to him.
"I'm sure he just wants to talk. It'll be in and out." Peppy tried to sound optimistic for him, but Fox wasn't buying it. "Fox. I'm sure she'll understand you taking your time. Don't rush it."
Fox began to calm down at Peppys' words. In that moment of silence, he realized that she was indeed willing to wait for him. Fox was hoping that this wasn't going to take long. He held his eyes shut before opening them.
"Okay." Fox shrugged. "Okay. Let's go."
With that, Star Fox made their way back to Corneria. Fox contacted Bill when he made his way to the deck. Turns out, he was the one who informed Peppy of Andross' death. Fox knew he couldn't hold it against him as he was a solider following orders.
Fox spent the rest of the trip back to Corneria sitting in the captain's chair. He just had his arms crossed and stared into space, blinking occasionally. The others took turns checking up on him to make sure he was doing okay. He kept saying the same answer that he was okay.
A few hours back to Corneria, Fox fell asleep. His team didn't want to bother him, so they left the deck and Fox to ROB's care. The deck went dim and Fox was propping himself with his right hand. His snores started to fill the empty deck, but ROB didn't pick it up and let Fox be in his slumber.
Another hour later, ROB woke Fox with word that they have reached Corneria. Fox shook his head and saw the blue planet from the Great Fox's window. Corneria was fast approaching and the rest of Star Fox entered the deck as they began to descend.
The Great Fox broke into Corneria's orbit and soon were guided by CDF's fighters. Fox saw the clouds disappear as the CDF tower came into full view. Fox could see ships flying around it and repairing the damage that was caused no more than a few hours ago. The fighters broke formation and the Great Fox's landing gears began to expel.
The clamps of the landing platform locked the Great Fox in place and it was time to head up to Pepper's office. Star Fox made their way past the number of soldiers who were all eyeing them and giving each a glare before whispering among themselves.
"You'd think we'd get a warmer welcome," Falco leaned into Fox.
Fox didn't pay it much attention. They weren't here for gossip or headlines. They were hear for Pepper and whatever hoops they had to jump through just for his satisfaction and for a good pay.
They entered the hexagonal plaza. Most of it was still intact because most of the damage was , thankfully, on the outside. The holographic map of Corneria in the center showed that the building was still no more imminent threat to Corneria or Lylat. They walked through the plaza and to the lobby, where the elevators were.
"What do you think he's got for us this time?" Slippy broke the silence.
"Some medal or shit like that." Falco answered. "Right, Fox."
Falco gave Fox a small punch on his shoulder. Fox didn't acknowledge it. He stood at the elevator's doors with his arms crossed. He stared down. He didn't even bother changing shirts, maybe that's why he was getting strange looks. He didn't let it get to him.
The elevator came down and they all entered in. Peppy pushed for floor 100 and they felt the cabin rumble slightly before it began lifting them up. None of them talked for the duration of the ride. The grinding of gears was the only sound that was heard in the elevator.
They reached the 100th floor and the doors to the general's office opened. The four members flooded out and Fox looked around. The hallway was damaged, but not severely. The metal walls were falling off, showing the interior wires and the frames that held the building together.
Fox approached the receptionist to the general's office. Fox recognized the golden retriever that was working at her desk. Fox got her attention and the golden retriever went frozen. Fox remembered back when she slipped him her phone number. A gimmick that he should have been used to. He didn't bother to try and call her since someone else was on his mind.
"Hi. General Pepper called us in." Fox said blankly.
The receptionist stared back at Fox. She glanced at his new marks and made a small gasp. Fox sighed and wanted to get this over with.
"Can you let him know we're here. I'm in a hurry." Fox demanded, but not trying to sound rude.
She nodded and picked up the phone. "Hi, general. Star Fox is here. Should I. Oh okay. Yes sir." She hung up the phone. "He's ready to see you."
Fox tried to smile, but it turned into a strained one, his teeth showing. "Thank you." Fox turned to his team. "Let's go." Fox pulled the doors open and they stepped into General Pepper's office.
The office was damaged. The window was shattered and they could feel a breeze coming in. The desk was broken and the carpet was heavily stained with oil and water. They walked in and saw Pepper sitting at the couches off the side.
"Fox." The general was holding a glass of water. His uniform was splattered with oil. "Oh, don't mind this. Just a near miss with some Venom soldiers."
Fox went to Pepper and sat across from him. He stared at the old hound's eyes. There was something that Fox couldn't quite put his finger on, so he needed to pry for information.
"So," he started, "what are we here for? Another round of celebration." Fox looked around the office. "Because this sure looks like some party Venom threw in here."
That got Pepper to sit up. "Excuse me?"
Fox didn't change his position. "Just tell us we did a good job. We expect the check to be in the same P.O. box."
"You think that's why I called you here for?" Pepper placed his glass on the table. He picked up a file from the floor and opened it.
There were pictures from Sauria. The temple that they were supposed to protect was destroyed. Papers that were filled with important information of the surrounding areas and local tribes were documented. But the most notable one was a transcript from the Cornerian base about the death of Colonel Fetcher.
"Mr. Lombardi." Pepper turned to Falco.
Falco was thrown off the mention of his name. He could sense something was not right, as did Fox.
"We at the Cornerian Defense Force were not aware of Colonel Fetcher's true motives. An undercover Andross supporter had used us for his own gain. Even with your will to take his life, you never gave him a just trial."
Fox read the document over. "Wait a minute," he interrupted. "This is incomplete. There's nothing here about how Fetcher revived Andross. That Falco saved my life. You've omitted that out."
Pepper looked back to Fox. "We need to clean house, Fox."
Fox slammed the papers against the table. "Bullshit! You're just trying to save yourself."
"Fox, calm down." Peppy went to restrain him.
"No!" Fox pushed Peppy off of him.
"We need Falco grounded." Pepper said. "It's the best way to ensure that he'd be clear of unsuspected eyes."
"I'm alive because of him." Fox pointed to Falco. "You don't get to say who on my team is grounded or not."
"We've suspended his license." Pepper retorted. "Any flying he does will get him jailed. You can choose someone from the academy to fill his place."
"I don't want a 'hotshot' academy pick. I am not replacing him!" Fox got in Pepper's face. Pepper had to back up. "You really want to do this, Pepper?"
Pepper took another look at Fox. He finally saw the torn shirt and marks on his chest. "Fox. What happened to you?"
"Let me tell you something, general." Fox gargled out. "I've been through hell and back so many time, I need an extra pair of hands to count. But these guys," Fox pointed to his team. "They've had my back through thick and thin. They are my team. Without any of them, we're nothing. But if you've already had your mind set."
Fox reached into his back pocket and pulled out his Cornerian license. Pepper looked at it before Fox tore the plastic card with all his strength. He tore the half into fourths and threw the plastic at Pepper. The hound saw the plastic fall to his feet and stared at Fox.
"I fly and I fight for Lylat. You should be thankful that we did what we must to ensure safety in this system. But if this is how you want to thank us, then good luck."
Fox walked to his friends and patted Falco on the shoulder. Falco saw Fox walk past and turned to Pepper. He just gave the found a predatory glare before walking with Fox. Slippy was next, but not before getting his license and placing it on the table. Lastly, Peppy.
"Peppy talk some sense into him." Pepper sounded pleading.
Peppy turned back to see Fox, Falco, and Slippy walking out of the office. Peppy returned to Pepper and reached into his pocket. Peppy placed his license next to Slippy's.
"You've always quoted for the greater good. But, I think this is the best for all of us." Peppy began to walk away from Pepper's chair.
Pepper looked at the licenses piled in front of him, and Fox's torn one at his feet. Pepper stood from his chair and started to chase down Star Fox. The door were open and he could see them passing the receptionist desk.
"Fox!" Pepper screamed to get his attention. Pepper looked to the receptionist. "Stop them."
The receptionist just stared at Pepper and to Star Fox. She looked back, her eyes were saying that she clearly didn't want to do it.
"That's an order." Pepper said.
With that, the receptionist had no other choice but to follow. She reluctantly got up and blocked Star Fox's exit.
"We still have matter to discuss." Pepper stared to approach them.
Fox didn't turn back. He stared at the receptionist blindly following orders. "Please move out of our way."
The receptionist stood her ground. "I can't."
Everything went silent. The sound of ships flying in the distance and the telephone ringing started to break it. Finally, after what seemed like hours on end, Fox did something that made the receptionist break.
"Elizabeth, please don't this."
She started to lower her arms when Fox said her name. It took him a while to remember what it was from the paper, but Fox was relived that he could remember it. Her arms rested at her side, so Fox began to walk around her, as did the others.
"What are you doing? Stop them!" Pepper ordered, but she didn't budge.
She watched as Star Fox entered the elevator. She kept her eyes glued on Fox, but Fox didn't return the gaze. He pushed for the lobby and stared down. He didn't want to go there, but if it was the only thing to try and get around her, he had to.
The doors closed and Fox rubbed his hands with his face and rolled them across his head. The ride was silent until about the fortieth floor.
"Thanks for that," Falco said, expressing how his leader stood up for him.
"He doesn't have a say on who can be on my team," Fox started. "If one of us goes down like that, then I'm following you."
Fox ended it with that, but Falco said something that almost made Fox jump back.
"What about… Krystal?"
Fox ears perked at her name and then it hit him.
"Didn't you say you made a promise to her?"
Fox closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I did."
"We don't know, or I don't know how long I'll be suspended. I can hold my own here." Falco looked to Fox. "You need to get back to Sauria."
Fox seemed to contemplate this, but then Pepper would butt in and try to get Star Fox on a leash if Fox went back on what he said.
"She'll understand."
"How can you be sure?" Falco tried to get him to budge.
"Because she promised she'd wait."
Fox did feel empty. Knowing that Krystal wasn't going to see him for a long time. But Fox didn't want her to worry, he would be fine and when the time was right, they'd be reunited. The elevator pinged once they reached the lobby. However, this was not the sight Fox wanted.
A sea a reporters and cameras were at the ready, and once the heard the doors open, flashes began and many people bullied their way to Star Fox's position. The security was doing their best to push them back, but the reporters were pushing back. Fox covered his eyes form the flashing lights and started to walk into the circle of security guards.
The others followed and security began to push a path for Star Fox, all the while the reports were shoving their hands and microphones into the circle. Fox could hear briefly in the storm some keywords.
Stuff about Sauria and Andross were the main things he heard, some bits about Fetcher, but Fox didn't want to answer any of them. That was until he heard one reported ask him that made him turn back.
"Mr. McCloud, can you tell us about the blue vixen you're dating?"
Fox's ears felt hot, but he kept his composure. "Excuse me?"
"Clearly, you two have a hand to each other." The reporter took out his phone and showed Fox a picture.
Fox's eyes went wide and his cheeks began to flush with a bright red. The picture in question was him and the blue vixen he knew. Hands grabbing in special areas. Fox just stared at the image, wondering how the reported could have gotten such a revealing picture.
At this point, it was inevitable that Fox's teammates would see the picture, as the reporter flashed it to each of them. Each took a long look at it before they turned to Fox.
"Ah, fuck." Fox sighed.
The wind gave Krystal a chill.
She shivered as the valley's pass gave more cold air flowing down. It didn't matter since she had a jacket on her to keep her warm. Krystal sat at the edge of a stream, looking down at her reflection in the water. She would lightly run her fingers through the water and see her reflection become disfigured before reverting to normal.
She looked behind her to see the temple. The archway, the stained glass that was above it, all was destroyed. The lights from the portable stands shined into the night. Workers from Corneria arrived, claiming to be a part of damage control. They worked to fix what they could and were removing and cleaning the debris from the surrounding area.
Since the attack on Sauria was over, half of the troops stationed here were quick to pack up and return to Sauria. The remainder had their grovel on wanting to finally this planet. But they were selected to help with damage control.
Krystal looked back to the stream and continued to splash at the water. She clutched the jacket she was wearing tighter. She let the water drip from her fingers and let them fall back into the stream. Her ears swiveled as she heard. She was hoping it was him. The one fox she was thinking about since they parted.
Krystal turned around. She looked up to where his height was, but didn't see him. She then looked down. She was sad, but relieved, that Tricky came to her.
"Uho 0ei ebu0, Krystal?" (Are you okay, Krystal?) Tricky asked.
"A'm ebu0. Nxuk uho 0ei teadw eik xoho kxaj cuko?" (I'm okay. What are you doing out here so late?) Krystal asked as Trick sat next to her.
"0ei xulod'k semo rusb ke kxo fucuso." (You haven't come back to the palace.) Tricky stretched and laid next to her, with his head on her lap. "Uho 0ei nuakadw veh Fox?" (Are you waiting for Fox?)
Krystal looked at Tricky. He had a child-like smile across his face. She looked away and had a small red forming on her cheeks. Tricky took a glance at the jacket Krystal was wearing.
"Ajd'k kxuk Fox's zusbok?" (Isn't that Fox's jacket?)
Krsytal covered herself more with it, although it was obvious it was his. The Star Fox logo was branded across the back and his first name was on the front patch.
"0oj. Xo cok mo rehhen ak." (Yes. He let me borrow it.) She answered him.
"Av xo cok eik rehhen ak, kxod kxuk moudj xo'j xuj ke semo rusb ke wok ak." (If he let out borrow it, then that means he's has to come back to get it.) Tricky's tail started to wag. Krystal felt it pounding the ground next to her.
"Kxuk'j nxuk xo kect mo." (That's what he told me.) Krystal's red deepened.
Tricky looked behind him to see the worker's from Corneria moving debris around and ensuring that the pathway was clear. He placed his head back on Krystal's lap and she began to pet his head lightly.
"A xefo xo semoj rusb. A houcc0 cabot xam." (I hope he comes back. I really liked him.) Tricky said before he closed his eyes. Krystal looked up to the many stars that painted the sky. She wanted to try and reach out to him, but the last time she did it, it caused her to be in short pain. She decided not to and let Fox come to her on his own time. With that, she mentally answered Tricky.
Me too.
A/N: We're almost there. A wild ride this has been. Maybe I should save my speech for the actual final chapter. Work caught up to me, so this chapter maybe a little late.
Until then, Stabby out.