Fox reluctantly stepped into the elevator's bright interior, the metal doors quickly sliding shut behind him. Before he could even think about pressing any of the buttons, the car lurched upwards, Fox nearly stumbling from the sudden acceleration. The small display above the doors quickly rose in number, leaving behind the 5th floor he found himself on and steadily rising well past the tenth in a matter of moments.
"Where the hell is this thing taking me?"
The elevator began to slow almost as fast as it started, finally coming to a stop at the 23rd floor. As the doors rolled open, the vulpine could only see another hallway rather similar to the one before. The incandescent lights were still dim, with the surveillance camera on the opposite wall following his movements as he quietly exited the elevator. Whoever had taken control of the building's systems had seemingly far more control then Fox initially thought. The quiet patter of rain on the roof could easily be heard; Fox guessed he must've been sleeping for longer than he'd originally thought, if the weather had changed as much as it did from the sunny day he'd last seen outside.
The dim lights began flashing again, their patterns which he assumed to be more fighter signal code, promptly paying attention to the only way his benefactor could communicate with him. The light flashed slightly brighter, starting with a short blink, swiftly followed by a longer flash. One more short blink, and the vulpine already presumed that whoever was on the other end wanted him to turn right. He'd followed their orders so far, but the thought of going left also seemed to crop up as another tempting option; What if this was all a trick? Was this just the General toying with him in some elaborate game of his, something he'd find fun?
Fox wouldn't put it past the unhinged Cornerian, but all of this seemed too far-fetched. Why knock out his own guards? Wouldn't it make more sense to just move them?
"No, that would be insane... Right?"
More thoughts swirled around Fox's head, but none of them seemed to reach any sort of concrete course of action, other than following whatever the lights told him to go. It sounded crazy to him, but his lack of other options forced his paw to act.
The light started to flash in code again, giving off only two rapid blinks. His assumption probably have been proven correct and growing impatient, Fox took a right turn from the elevator down the hallway. The floor was a gray shag carpet on this level, significantly nicer, and quieter to walk on compared to the rough concrete of his cell. The walls maintained their oppressive material, but swapped out unpainted surfaces in favor of a darker-white.
Fox turned another corner in the hallway, finding both sides connecting into what appeared to be offices. Glass panes blocked by curtains lined the walls, providing a less 'prison' atmosphere as the vulpine crept along. The doors were marked with names, none of which he recognized, and none of which were open. He tried the handle on one door, finding it firmly locked. He had hoped to find something to eat inside one of the other rooms, anything left out from earlier in the day as his stomach audibly complained. He grimaced, but pressed ever onward down the empty hallway.
Fox passed under another camera, watching it track his position with the quiet whirr of servos as the last ones did. He didn't bother looking back.
The vulpine spun around as he heard one of the doors unlock, his mind frantically looking for options to hide. The hallway was bare of anything big, save for a small water cooler and a few filing cabinets- none of which were bulky enough to conceal him from even the quickest of looks. Running was another 'option', but the 'where' part quickly shot down any hope of it working in the slightest. Fox instead reached around, pulling up the shock rifle he'd looted earlier, keeping the barrel pointed at the door. He gritted his teeth, taking position behind a row of filing cabinets, fully expecting to need to subdue whoever came out into the hall.
Seconds ticked by, with not a single sound to concern him to be heard. The door simply sat there, part-way open. Nobody had yet to come through, or seemed to make any sort of indication there was even anyone inside the office at all.
Fox allowed himself a small sigh of relief, looking up at the camera on the wall. It looked back, slowly panning over to the open door, then back to Fox.
"...Right..."
Fox inched his way across the hall, keeping the rifle raised as he walked inside. After a quick scan of the room showing there was indeed nobody inside, Fox let his guard down slightly. The lights inside were off, with only the dim lights in the hallway poking through gaps in the curtains allowing him to see much of anything. The office was rather standard, a large wooden desk sitting as the room's centerpiece, the walls lined with shelving and file cabinets. A flat screen computer monitor sat on the table, powered on with it's login screen currently displaying.
"Alright... Why did you let me in here?"
Answering his exact question, a small vibrating buzz emitted from the desk. Fox assumed it was someone's smartphone, beginning to look across the table for it. He pulled open a drawer, finding just what he was looking for. Grabbing the buzzing phone, tapping the screen to accept the call, Fox placed it up to his furry ear. He wasn't sure what to expect, but the lack of caller ID told him who was probably on the other end.
"...Hello?"
Another voice came back, heavily distorted to the point Fox couldn't make out who was on the other end- certainly intentional to prevent their identity from leaking.
"-You've likely got questions for me, and I do have some of those answers. Right now however, I'm you're only chance at getting out of this base.-
"Who the hell are you? And what the hell did Falco get himself into? Why are you helping-"
"-Fox, I'm your only damn chance at solving anything right now... What happened with Falco? Is he okay?-"
"No, he's the whole reason I'm in this mess right now. According to the General here, he's made off with some data from-"
"-The Pathfinder's flight recorder?-"
Fox held his mouth agape; whoever this was, they knew much more then what should've been possible. Others might know more if it was that easy to tap in to his calls now.
"I- What? How do you know-"
"That 'secure' line you contacted Pepper with wasn't as secure as he'd like you to think it is. I wouldn't worry about that though, not right now. I know why Pepper sent you into the outer rim, and I know what you were supposed to bring back. No, I don't know what's on it, nor why Falco ran off. I want to get to the bottom of this Fox, I really do.-"
The voice let out a garbled chuckle. "-Hell Fox, you know me, you just don't know it yet. I won't say it yet, I'm worried someone else might be watching. And if he is, it'll be a hell of a lot harder to hide. Anyways, I have near complete control of the building's systems, pretty primiti- er, unsecured networks, really. I've also had some inside help leave a few things in that office and elsewhere in the base. You'll just need to sneak around and get them. In the drawer below the one you already searched is a headset.-"
Curiously, Fox grabbed the handle and pulled open the drawer. He raised an eyebrow, reaching in and grabbing the headset. It felt more heavy-duty then the scouter he usually wore, but felt lighter in his paws despite it's more metallic texture contrasting to the tough plastics of his usual one.
"Haven't seen this model before."
"-Military design, that's all I can say. There's a spare power cell for your rifle in there too. The one you have is spent.-"
Fox checked his gun, sliding out its power cell. Indeed, it was empty with the lack of an LED indicating any sort of remaining charge. "...How did you know that?"
"-The method I used to take out the guards? Thanks, by the way. It's simple, I can remotely discharge the rifle's power cells, so whatever poor sucker that's holding it gets the whole cell dumped in their paws. It's not lethal, usually.-"
Fox grew rather curious about the discharge method, seeing how it'd be exceptionally useful, but didn't press further. "Great... I guess. Anything else? How am I actually going to get out of here?"
"-Roof, that's why I sent the elevator upwards. I had someone leave behind some equipment up there, should be enough to get you beyond the base's walls. Also got someone waiting on the road outside to pick you up, you'll know them too.-"
"Equipment? What sort of equipment? Would love to prepare for that sort of thing. Well, not that I can, but you know..."
The voice chuckled again. "-Where's the fun in that?-"
Fox let out a grumble in annoyance, still confused about the voice on the other end talking like the vulpine was a close friend. It was beginning to almost sound unsettling.
"Why are you helping me?"
"-Simple; I've been watching you, Fox. Had my eye on this Rickenbacker guy for almost a year now, ever since his forces almost had me snagged despite taking precautions that would've normally thrown off even O'Donnell himself, so, I got curious. Barely got away from that, but my methods attracted the attention of someone much worse. Anyways Fox, I have a feeling this goes deeper, much deeper than you'd expect. Plus, it's about time I met you, again.-"
"Again?"
"-Yeah, again... Shit, I've been using this frequency for too long... Don't have much time, need to move. Remember Fox, head for the roof, there's a keycard in the drawer you'll need for the door... Damnit, he's getting close, sorry Fox, I'll talk later.-"
The noise cut to quiet static as the connection was closed. "What? Where do I go after past the wall? What road?" No response came as Fox fiddled with the headset, leaving him with an incomplete picture of a plan.
"Guess I should get used to this... Right, keycard."
The vulpine pulled open the drawer further, quickly finding the keycard that had been left behind. It read as a low-level access card as he turned the red plastic over in his paw, but it hopefully would be enough to reach the roof if the voice was correct.
"Putting a lot of hope on you, here. Too much, in fact."
Fox grabbed the spare rifle cell, completing his reload before approaching the door. Once again, he gingerly grabbed the handle, twisting it downwards and slowly pushing it open. He still hadn't seen anyone awake since his cell, but the late hour most likely explained the lack of office personnel around. He still wanted to remain as quiet as possible though, despite not having seen anyone. At the very least, the increasing sound of rain would mask his footsteps on the carpet.
The fox stepped out into the hallway, checking both directions before heading down the way he originally intended. He took a worried glance at the camera he'd seen earlier, it now sitting idle and hopefully off; It seemed his benefactor was no longer connected.
"On my own, again."
Fox crept down the hallway, keeping to one side of the wall as he did so. Probably hoping to find some sort of concealment if someone was to approach. He rounded another corner, instantly finding a red sign sticking out from the wall lit in some sort of neon.
Roof access
Fox allowed himself to smile slightly as he picked up the pace, spotting a gray door set into the wall underneath. A small black box sat to one side, Fox assuming it as a reader. He swiped his card, hearing a soft electronic beep as the door unlocked itself.
"Progress..."
The vulpine gave the metal door a shove, it's frame providing some resistance to the door's free motion. It gave way nonetheless, with the cold outside air pouring into the hallway. A slight chill ran down Fox's spine as the temperature dropped, not quite as bad as the moist drainage tunnel he'd walked in his lucid dream, but cold enough to get a shiver from the fox as he stepped though.
The door led to a small flight of concrete stairs, a slight trickle of rainwater flowing down the steps into the drain below. Braving the steps, the fox pushed himself upwards and onto the roof proper. Fox shivered once again, the building's height and lack of obstructions giving the night wind free reign across the rooftop. The only substantial lights the roof had came in the form of strips of glowing while material powered via slow chemical reaction. Not bright enough to emit any real sort of light across the roof, but enough not to stray away from the path deemed safe. It was likely for maintenance personnel to navigate by, but they would serve Fox well enough in the night.
"Great, now I need to search in the dark for whatever the hell they left up here..."
The twinkling skyline of Corneria City in the distance across the bay provided a strong reference point, Fox wishing he could be back in the warm summer house he owned along the outskirts, the exact house where this entire incident had started. He was thankful of the command building's low height, at least; He could be screwing around on the roof of one of the city's skyscrapers, after all. The wind up on one of those wasn't something he currently wanted to think about.
Not wanting to waste anymore time, Fox began to comb the roof for anything out of place. He assumed whatever he was looking for had been packed in a crate of some sort to keep it out of the weather. The darkness provided no help as he looked, straying off the established path to search behind a large pair of air conditioning units mounted on the roof. Fox could hear the drone of the fans as he approached, carefully feeling around the dark with his paws for anything out of the ordinary.
His fingers began to feel numb as he looked behind another pair of units, still finding nothing other then the occasional loose pebble his boots would kick around as they sloshed across the wet surface. The roof of the building was huge, and with so many nooks and crannies to search in the near-total darkness he could easily be looking for hours.
"I'm gonna be up here all night at this rate..."
The vulpine's ears twitched as he heard the door slam open, followed by a few pairs of footsteps slapping about the wet steps up to the roof. Fox ducked behind another AC unit, staying out of sight the best he could, now that he was absolutely sure somebody was up here.
"Spread out, search the roof. Someone reported seeing somebody snooping around the halls, probably couldn't have gone anywhere else."
Fox peeked around the corner of his cover, spotting a small squad of Cornerian soldiers beginning a full sweep of the roof, rifle flashlights scanning every inch of the floor. He recognized the vague silhouettes of their rifles, seeing each with the standard issue blaster carbine that nearly every branch of the military used. While the rifle could theoretically stun at low power, getting shot to test his hypothesis wasn't something the Fox wanted to try.
A bright flash of light, followed by the distant, powerful roar of thunder lit up the entire rooftop and surrounding landscape for a brief instant as the storm grew in intensity. The unpredictability of the lighting would only make things more difficult; He'd stick out like a sore thumb if poorly timed. Fox pondered fighting them, only having spotted a total of five soldiers searching the roof. Attacking Cornerians would only give the General more legal sway against him, and even if he could take out all five by himself, he'd almost guarantee reinforcements would arrive within minutes.
Seeing an opening in the guards search patterns, Fox peeked out from behind his concealment after the soldier's light passed by. Hoping the patterning of the rain would mask his moments, and hoping none of them had night vision, the vulpine poked his whole body around cover. Stepping out into the open rooftop and creeping along, Fox did his best to balance speed and noise as he stayed low, falling into an uncomfortable crouch-walk to minimize his profile. Eyes narrowed at the nearest guard, silently screaming at him to remain facing away; One turn of his head would be all it would take to ruin everything.
A few tense seconds of movement later, Fox neared another piece of cover on the roof, some sort of electrical equipment was all the vulpine cared to notice judging by the symbols on the side visible in the brief lighting flash. Fox picked up his pace, his boots kicking up a puddle that had pooled up in a small imperfection in the floor.
"Who's there?"
A light began turning in his direction, the noise having drawn unwanted attention from his pursuers. Fox broke into a short sprint, dashing ahead of the flashlight by mere seconds, pressing himself against the wall he now found himself behind as the light panned over. The vulpine remained in the shadow as the guard approached Fox's position, his own combat boots sloshing in the rainwater as he drew near. Judging by the sound and the growing intensity of the light, Fox could tell the offending soldier was mere meters away.
Fox had some sort of a plan, but wasn't sure how the later parts of it would work out. Lacking options, Fox prepared himself to act as the dog was about to round the corner, shifting and lowering his stance. The stubby barrel of the soldier's blaster carbine came into view, sweeping left and right to look for the source of the noise. Fox's heart was pounding in his chest, the vulpine trying to think of anything that'd get the dog off of his position.
McCloud took the soldier's hesitation to round the corner to his full advantage, frantically reaching down to the rooftop, waving his paw around in a single quick motion to find anything. His paw brushed against a small object, Fox not giving a care in the world what it was exactly, it felt like a small pebble in his paw, but that was all that mattered. Without a second though, Fox reeled his arm back, giving the rock a hefty throw behind him, hoping it would make enough noise where it landed.
The rifle's sweeping flashlight inched up to Fox's feet, with the Vulpine using the rain to mask himself slowly scooting himself as far away as possible without leaving cover. With a snappy thawk, the rock Fox had just thrown had impacted something, something metallic. He held his breath, hoping against hope his distraction would draw attention away from himself.
"Hey! Did anyone else hear that?"
"Yeah, it sounded like one of the AC units!"
The soldier's flashlight panned away, leaving Fox alone with his spot in the rain, followed by the sound of footsteps jogging over to wherever Fox's rock had landed.
"Sir, we've searched the entire roof, he's not-"
The distant roar of an explosion bounced off of the roof, followed by the telltale orange glow of an ensuing fireball. Fox felt the entire building shake under this seismic wave rippling through the structure, and his steadfast attention locked onto the noise's far-off source. He saw it almost instantly; A burning fire on the other side of the base across both runways, sticking out clear as day in the rainy night backdrop. The embers provided the vulpine with a rough, orange view of what had decided to detonate moments ago. The cries of the searching squad only solidified the fact of what had happened.
"The hell? Is that the fuel depot?"
"Oh shit... Yeah, It was... L-looks like one of the tanks ruptured..."
Even from the rooftop, Fox could make out the shapes of the adjacent fuel tanks from the light of burning fuels, hoping the explosion wouldn't set off any more of the volatile cylinders just a few feet away. Depots like this would've had safety systems to prevent a catastrophic chain reaction, and he silently hoped it was doing it's job. He'd seen poorly-built fuel depots level city blocks on Venom during the war, knowing all too well the damage they could do.
A loud, base-wide air raid siren went off soon after, howling it's wailing drone across the base and surrounding landscape, with the flashing lights and sirens of the air base's fire trucks beginning to rush across the dark tarmac to attend to the hellish blaze. The static drone of radio chatter broke up the distant noise, with one of the soldier's helmet radio buzzing with activity.
"Hey, command got reports of motion sensors going off on the access tunnel leading to the hangars before the depot went up, they're pulling us off to check it out."
Fox's ears turned back, hearing one of the other soldiers protest what he assumed was the squad leader's orders.
"We're goin' near the depot? Those hangars are built within earshot of those fuel tanks..."
"Yeah, I don't like this either, private. Wouldn't wanna piss off Rickenbacker though, we all know what he did to corporal Higgins, don't we?"
"I know, but what about the report?"
"Dunno, don't really care. Probably some paper-pusher in his office seein' things without his coffee."
The squeaking of boots in the rain and the shaking of gear signaled the squad running off, down the steps and back into the building's winding halls, all seemingly without another word of complaint, or otherwise. Fox let himself a sigh of relief, once he was sure only the sound of the rain and thunder was left.
"...Too close..."
Fox grabbed the edge of the AC unit he was using, slowly pulling himself around the corner while doing his best to make as little noise as possible. The wet rooftop and it's soaked equipment were all that met his gaze in return, the vulpine stepping out of cover fully while keeping his rifle held up. He crept towards the steps leading back down to the door, drenching his feet in the creek running down the short flight of stairs. Fox reached the door, gingerly pushing it open and peeking his gaze, and rifle inside.
The hallway was just as he'd left it when coming through, only now with the wet boot prints of the Cornerians that had passed through moments before.
"Need to keep this door locked while I'm looking, I could be up here for hours... Ah, that'll do."
McCloud's eyes locked with the door's keycard reader, the small black box looking relatively delicate to the point a solid impact could bust it off the concrete wall entirely; the screws didn't look that strong. Fox allowed himself a small smirk, slightly happy that a plan of his might actually work tonight.
"Hope this isn't too loud..."
Acting quickly, Fox firmly grabbed the barrel of his rifle with both of his gloved paws, placing the gun's stock against the small plastic box. Squinting his eyes, the vulpine brought up the gun like an awkward club, then swinging it down in a single quick motion.
With a loud crack, Fox felt the plastic-on-composite impact sting in his paws, with the flimsy screw mounts snapping off and the entire card reader popping off the wall. The vulpine finished his work, tugging out any wires left connected, then kicking what was left intact outside.
Fox stepped outside into the rain once again, giving the door a firm shove closed to ensure it locked. He wasn't an expert with electronics, figured his little act of sabotage would at least slow someone down. Destroying CDF property still wasn't something he wanted to partake in, but he figured a small keycard reader was fair game, more so because General would undoubtedly blame him for the still-burning fuel depot.
"Damnit... Hope that nobody got hurt by that..."
It was practically obvious by now to Fox that the fuel Depot was a distraction, probably set by whoever he'd talked to over the phone earlier. A strange feeling of anger slowly crept up, Fox getting concerned and annoyed at the rather loud methods his benefactor was using to draw attention away from him, not seeming to care about collateral damage or anyone caught in the crossfire. Was there anybody around the depot when it went off? Some poor maintenance worker finishing his shift?
Fox wouldn't know, not tonight at least.
Already having lost enough time, McCloud began to comb the roof, starting by slowly walking around the roof's edge and then working inwards. His rifle had a flashlight mounted onto the hand guard, but using it up on the roof would've been a quick way to get spotted by even the most brief look from a guard in the night. He could see well enough not to trip, but beyond that would've been pushing his ability to see in the dark.
Fox stumbled around the roof for a few more cold minutes, grumbling to himself as his search turned an abundance of nothing.
"It's freezing up here... Can't do this for much longer..."
Desperate for results, Fox picked up the pace. He broke into a slight jog, darting his vision around in one last attempt to look for anything out of place hidden on the miserable, wet roof. His eyes caught a glimpse of something as he peered around another AC unit. A small, glowing green light was being shone from within the maintenance door's crack. It was just barely bright enough to be seen from the small patch of roof between it and the edge of the building, so it had avoided the squad's previous, perhaps hasty search.
"Please..."
Fox nearly tore the door of it's hinges, his furry fingers numb as he grabbed the handle. Set down inside the unit's small interior, sat a green glowstick. Left next to it, was a long, black military-style crate, similar to a rifle case he'd seen in use by the CDF before.
"There you are..."
He grabbed one end, pulling out the case into the rain and onto the roof. He pried it open, grabbing the glowstick to illuminate its contents. Fox narrowed his eyes, unsure if what he was seeing was actually his escape plan.
"...You've got to be joking..."
Laying on it's side inside the crate, sat a long rifle-like device, a large spool of cable attached just forward of the pistol grip. Mounted on either side were two pieces of metal, each with a pulley at either end. Fox pulled it out of it's box, almost struggling with the added weight of the cable. It was a big, folding compound crossbow, with a large curved grappling hook sticking out the front end as it's projectile.
"Well, looks like this is how I die..."
Fox sighed, weighing his options while holding the large weapon loosely in his paws.. He could go back inside, but he had no way of knowing where to go, let alone escape or find Slippy or Peppy. His benefactor had been the only reason he was in this position to potentially escape, and without them in the system his keycard would only get him so far. He wasn't able or willing to go 'loud', knowing that taking on the base's defenses and guards would've been a quick end for him, and Star Fox as a whole for that matter.
Using the crossbow's cable to reach the ground might work, but sneaking across the entire base with potential vehicle patrols was another poor option, perhaps to reach the gate, or the Great Fox still landed at the other side of the base. Even if he was able to reach the ship, there was no way he'd get off the ground without attracting the attention of the entire base, and in turn, a surface-to-air missile barrage.
"God. Damn. It..."
With a groan, Fox grabbed his rifle, swinging it over his back and pulling the sling tight against his body. He heaved up the crossbow, shoving the stock into rest on his shoulder. He needed a target higher then the wall, as firing the cable lower would've been a rather comical way to break his muzzle on solid concrete. The bow's basic sight didn't allow for any way to adjust for range, so just guessing would've had to be enough for the shot. He looked around the top of the distant perimeter wall, hoping the spool packed enough cable to reach whatever he chose as a target. He wouldn't have a second shot with this.
The vulpine spotted a small structure as the lightning flashed over the landscape once again, finding the stubby remains of the mag-rail track that once served the base. The severed end of the tracks was built higher than the wall, it being his only option. He still didn't trust the cable, but he was yet again out of options.
"Hey, the doors jammed!"
"Someone's gotta be up here, they busted the card reader!"
A rush of muffled voices seeped from behind the door Fox had blocked, him recognizing the voice of the squad leader from just minutes before.
The soldiers started to pound on the door, going for the hinges rather than the solid metal itself.
"They'll find me if I hide again... Shit, looks like I've got one crappy option..."
Fox knew he only had a minute or less before the door was busted open in one way or another, and fighting back wasn't ideal with only the non lethal weapons he carried. The idea of firing the crossbow's grappling hook back at them nearly crossed his mind, but Fox was quick to force it back into the dark recess of his mind it came from. Hearing the metal buckle inwards from a powerful, unseen strike, Fox raised the crossbow to his shoulder again, looking for his previously spotted target.
He couldn't see it clearly through the dark or the rain, so he was reliant on the weather to illuminate his predicament.
Fox almost winced as the door was hit again, the shouts of the men behind it now clearly heard through the hole between the frame.
"This is taking too long, just shoot the hinges!"
The sound of nearby blaster fire erupted from the other side of the door, the metal providing little resistance to concentrated small-arms fire. Fox's heart raced faster, still waiting on the lighting to almost literally light his way.
Fox heard a loud bang from down the stairs, nervously looking over his shoulder. The interior lights of the hallway could be seen in flickering shadows as the Cornerians moved around, prying the door down around the lock's bolt, it being the only thing still holding them back from storming the Fox's position.
The sky flashed and boomed once again, casting the distant thunderbolt's bright light across the base. It was only for a second, but a second was all he needed. The edge of the tracks became clear as day for an instant, Fox pointing the large weapon above to compensate for drop. He squeezed the trigger, releasing all of the bow's energy in a single moment. The weapon jerked forwards as the large hook sailed through the air and the rain, soaring above the base and the outer wall, pulling the cable along for the one-way flight.
With a distant metallic clang, the hook slammed into the cut edge of rail, finding a home among a horizontal beam just below. The weight of the cable forced a tensile strength test on the hook, falling tight between the anchor and the weapon. Thinking quickly, Fox found a pipe to shove the crossbow behind, acting as another anchor point for his frantically set zip line.
Hoping the weapon's frame was sturdy enough to carry his weight, Fox grabbed the pulley assembly from it's concealed spot, placing it on the cable and grabbing both handles.
"This is gonna suck..."
The door finally gave way with another hail of blaster fire, it falling to the wet concrete with a splash. The sounds of the squad's rapid footsteps in the rain quickly followed, Fox knew he had to go.
"Give it up McCloud! We know you're up here somewhere!"
Fox stepped off the edge, holding on for dear life as the cable sagged under his weight. He rapidly picked up speed as the pulley whizzed down the cable. The rain peppered his fur as he flew downwards, rushing towards the wall and breakneck speed. Rifle flashlights from the roof searched around behind him, the squad quickly finding the crossbow and the cable. They put two and two together, with emerald-green blaster bolts blazing dangerously close to his ears and tail as it flapped in the wind. Fox could hear each shot vaporize the rain nearby as they flew, soaring by and slamming into the wall ahead.
"Hold fire you morons! We don't wanna kill him!"
Fox barely heard the squad leader's distant orders in the rain, but the gunfire directed at him subsided, letting him too freely reach the wall. Their lights couldn't penetrate the rainy night well enough to reach the wall, but he knew they would radio in Fox's escape. The sky flashed again, letting Fox see the rapidly approaching monolith of concrete. He put his legs forwards, bending his knees to absorb the impact. He closed his eyes, hoping his paws wouldn't carry enough momentum to slam into the wall.
Fox felt his legs impact the wall, the stinging pain of the collision burning up his body with a small whimper, he held on best he could, knowing the one freezing paw off would result in a deadly fall.
"Gotta... Keep... Moving..."
The vulpine painfully inched his numb paws closer together, keeping the weight on the pulley roughly balanced on either side. He slowly grabbed the cable, using it to pull himself up on top of the wall where the cable had sagged with a long mantle move. Fox groaned, laying stomach-down on the top, catching his cold breath once again. He lied there for a moment, still shocked he'd actually made it across.
"Yeah... Wouldn't call that fun..."
His benefactor's words echoed in his mind, them chucking at the whole ordeal like some sort of joke. He'd be having a few harsh words to say, should, or when they met.
"Now... I just need to get down... Crap, didn't think about that."
Fox peered over the other edge of the wall, looking down into the darkness below. He remembered from the fly-over of the base the Great Fox did earlier, that below him was a large wooded area, surrounding the base. A further look revealed the tips of tall trees, still growing lower than the wall. The cable leading back to the roof slackened, falling to the base below, no doubt it being the soldiers on the other end cutting it.
"...Not that I wanted to go back anyways."
McCould eyed the length of cable left, spanning the short distance between the wall and the tracks. The slack end still connected might've been still providing enough weight to cross the gap.
"Might be a ladder further down the tracks..."
Carefully, Fox crawled back onto his stomach, grabbing the cable and slowly swinging himself over the edge and above the trees. He let his full weight sag, the bundle of metal wires holding firm under the vulpine's mass.
"Good..."
Fox gingerly inched his paws down the cable, letting them slide forwards on the moist metal to ease his fingers. The distance between the two surfaces wasn't very big, with Fox thinking he might've been able to jump across were the landing not a jagged cluster of torn metal rail. He reached the halfway point, working his freezing wet paws and fingers forward. The cable began to sag, being pulled downwards as he approached the middle.
The cable behind him lost it's frictional anchor, Fox's weight being too much on the wet concrete for the metal to hold on to. The vulpine yelped as he fell with the cable, wrapping his legs around it in an attempt to ride it down like Corneria's worst rope swing. The geometry of the cable being compressed and dragged slowed his wet fall to the forest floor, with Fox's poor legs impacting the mud and rock at an angle. He tumbled forward, falling muzzle-first into the soaked ground with his arms sprawled forward.
His body dredged up the dull pain from his nightmare before, slowly pulling his face out from the puddle of muddy water he found himself in.
"Never... Doing... That again..." He croaked, dragging himself upwards with the help of a nearby tree branch. He staggered in his step, resting his bruised and soaked body against another tree.
He was exhausted, battered, and still technically on the run from forces he would've usually trusted. He shook his head, knowing that sticking around the cold mud would get him caught, by the General's forces, hypothermia, or otherwise.
"Starting to hate this job..."
Fox slogged his feet out of the mud, the wet matter clinging to his entire body as he did so. He found firmer ground to walk on, still shocked he hadn't broken a bone in either landing. There were a few cuts now, sure, but it seemed he'd been lucky enough to avoid the worst of what could've happened.
"Better find a kit soon, don't wanna get these cuts infected..."
Fox started walking, more of a slight hobble were somebody to see it. The road wasn't too far from here, Fox going off of an earlier memory. He hoped whoever his benefactor had sent was still waiting for him, as getting caught on the road without a ride out would've gotten him caught by the patrols that were being inevitably scrambled in the base.
He picked up the pace, almost stumbling over a tree's twisting roots he couldn't pick up in the dark. Within less than a minute of running through the dark, the harsh yellow glow of street lights poked through the leaves and bushes. Fox slowed down, taking cover behind a thick tree trunk, then peering around the corner onto the street.
Down the small open hill separating the forest from the road, sat a parked vehicle sitting directly underneath a street lamp. It was a black SUV, windows tinted beyond the legal amount to the point he couldn't see inside with the overhead glare. He didn't hear it's engine running, see any markings, or anything else parked nearby. The vehicle could've belonged in an old spy movie, being rather similar to the unmarked, black vehicles the Cornerian Bureau of Investigation would drive. It didn't stand out as a 'getaway' vehicle to him, but that might've been the point.
"This better be it..."
Fox Stepped out from his place behind the tree, grabbing the rifle that still hung behind his back. It was caked in mud, casing cracked from his fall. Grumbling to himself, he simply dropped it, being little more than a wet hunk of composite and electronics now lying in the grass now.
He approached the vehicle's passenger-side door, stepping out into the street to cross the empty road. As he got closer, the door simply popped open on it's own accord. Fox jumped back, looking into the vehicle's interior, spotting a rather familiar pink feline sitting behind the wheel, smiling back at him.
"...Katt!?"
"So, what exactly did Falco do now?" Katt asked, shifting the vehicle into a higher gear as the SUV charged upwards, coming off the highway on-ramp and onto the expressway proper.
Fox sighed, feeling the two's car pick up speed and blending into the light midnight traffic. "Honestly, I don't even know the full story..."
"Well, what do you remember?"
McCloud leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. Dry mud was still caking his fur, and he hoped wherever they were going had a shower, or just even just a garden hose.
"Alright... Things were going well, sorta. We were hired by Pepper-"
"I already know that Fox, for the Pathfinder?"
Fox was a little taken back by the feline's knowledge, but decided he was too tired to press for answers. "I... Well, uh... Yeah. We got the flight recorder, but-there was this General Rickenbacker guy."
Katt shifted into another higher gear, keeping her eyes on the road as they overtook a large truck. Wherever she was taking him, Katt was doing it in a hurry.
"I didn't even know him until earlier today, didn't even really wanna land." Fox shrugged. "Guess I didn't want to piss some Cornerian official I didn't know off, so I went along with his plan anyways."
"Fox, I know you as someone smarter then that, right?"
"...I know, I know. Lapse in my judgment or whatever, I guess."
"Heh, least you didn't use the 'I'm getting old!' excuse. Falco's done that one before." Katt teased, glancing over her shoulder at the road behind.
Fox picked up on the gesture, looking in the passenger-side mirror himself. The darkness didn't help him see much further, with only the distant headlights of other vehicles really standing out.
"...We're not being followed, are we?"
Katt switched lanes, moving the SUV in front of another slower truck. "Shouldn't be... You were saying?"
"Okay, after we land, Falco runs off to go meet with you, apparently... I'm guessing he didn't actually tell you anything?"
"Nope, nada. I knew you guys were coming back to Corneria, but I didn't know why he ran off."
"Damnit, well, alright. Anyways, guess he bolted off with whatever was on that recorder, it was empty when the General looked through it after we left. He arrests me and my team, and then whoever you're working for breaks me out."
"Any idea what's on it?"
"I have no idea Katt, only Falco went against my orders not to look through the damn thing. Sure as hell can't be good though... Where are we even going?"
"Safehouse, it's on the outskirts of the city, old factory of some sort."
"You better have a shower-"
Fox was forced back in his seat, the SUV being rear-ended by another vehicle with a horrible metal-on-metal bang. The vehicle swerved, Katt fighting with the steering wheel to regain control and prevent them from totaling into the wall. The rear window was shattered, with the cold air flooding into the vehicle's previously warm interior.
Katt kept the vehicle straight, looking in her rear view as to what had just tried to force them off the road.
"What the hell was that?" Fox yelled, looking back down the road. The sight of a large military MRAP accelerating towards the back of the vehicle greeted him in kind. It's highbeams nearly blinded him as it's front bumper slammed into the rear, the SUV violently lurching forward from the impact.
His question had been bluntly answered, with Katt slamming on the accelerator. The vehicle's engine roared, pulling ahead of the pursuing MRAP best it could. Neither vehicle was deigned for pure speed, but Katt's ride was only slightly faster.
"Friends of yours?" Katt said, gripping the steering wheel tighter.
Fox didn't reply, the answer obvious enough to both of them. The MRAP charged at them once again, finding a burst of speed from it's engine where Fox thought it couldn't.
"He's coming again!"
Katt jerked the wheel right, throwing the SUV into another lane. The would-be collision was avoided by mere seconds and feet as the pursuing vehicle flew past them, slamming on it's brakes and turning into their lane in another attempt to wreck them.
The cat turned left, punching the accelerator again as Fox held on to his seat. The SUV shot past their multi-ton armored opponent, now sitting practically still. He watched as another two pairs of headlights swerved around from behind, with two more MRAP's now following.
"Didn't you pack anything to deal with these guys?"
"I wasn't expecting any heat, not like these assholes at least!"
"So you've got nothing?"
"Not quite, but we gotta get off the highway first!"
Fox groaned. "Great! I just love more goddamn surprises!"
The two MRAP's closed the distance, one hanging further back then the other. One began to pull up alongside the vehicle, Fox noticing the remote turret affixed to it's roof rotate and point the barrel of it's heavy blaster at the SUV's rear wheels.
"Katt?!"
"I know!"
The heavy weapon's barrel revved up, it's electronic wind-up still audible through the window. Katt slammed on the brakes, the turret letting loose with a barrage of superheated blaster bolts. They ate nothing but asphalt as the weapon's operator struggled to track the SUV rapidly disappearing behind, vanishing from his camera's field of view.
Katt spun the wheel around to force the car into a flat spin, narrowly dodging another vehicle before regaining control. The SUV was now facing oncoming traffic, with Katt stepping on the gas and charging down the highway's emergency lane situated next to the divider.
"Where the hell are we going?"
"I saw an exit behind us, it's the last one before we get into the city..." Katt upshifted again, forcing the car's engine to work harder. "...I'd bet he'll have air assets on us soon, and we can't face that on the highway!"
"That didn't answer my question!"
"The canal!"
"What?"
Fox was cut off as the vehicle plowed through the divider, with Katt having spotted a small opening in the wall where the solid concrete was temporary replaced with a water-filled plastic barrier. It offered little resistance as the SUV smashed through it, the already soaked windshield receiving a hefty crack from the heavy plastic tumbling over the hood. The cat pulled into the far-right lane, now going the correct direction on the highway and picking up speed to match the rest of the rather confused traffic. Katt pulled up behind another slow truck, hoping to hide behind it's large trailer until they reached the off-ramp.
"...Did that loose them?"
"Doubt it."
With a loud crash, one of the perusing MRAP's barreled through the concrete divider in front of them, chunks of concrete and rebar spraying out across all three lanes of traffic. The vehicle carried it's momentum, and itself into the side of the trailer. The thin plastic and metal was simply torn to ribbons, clashing with several tons of military-grade armor plate and composites. The trailer's content's were thrown about, crates upon crates of packaged fruit tumbling across the expressway mixed in with bits and pieces of trailer. The MRAP held onto it's near-unstoppable momentum, slamming into the far wall with another shower of concrete and dust. The driver regained control, having practically bounced his vehicle back onto the road.
Katt swerved, avoiding the terrified truck driver's cab as they slammed on their brakes, still dragging along the obliterated remains of the trailer.
"Shit, you sure these guys don't want you dead?!"
"I don't know anymore!" Fox screamed, holding onto his seat as Katt dodged another ramming maneuver from the larger military vehicle, pulling ahead of it. The vehicle recovered faster then Katt would've liked, the two receiving another heavy rear-end shunt to the back of the SUV. She fought the steering wheel for control, tires screeching in the rain as they fishtailed from the impact. The MRAP attempted another ram, with Katt able to move just in time.
"We can't take much more of this Katt!"
"I know, hold on!"
She eyed a sign mounted overhead, glowing under the beams of their headlights. Fox didn't see it in time to read what it said exactly, but the large arrow pointing left and Katt fighting to stay in the leftmost lane told him enough.
The exit nearly flew at them, Katt throwing the SUV into a drift while stamping down on the brakes, rubber screeching in protest against the pavement, but otherwise holding it's course downhill. Fox remained clutched to his seat, thankful he'd buckled up earlier, quicky forcing a thought of him being thrown from the car down for the moment. The cat eyed the review, watching the MRAP hit the ramp. It's driver hadn't seen it coming, nor expected as tight of a turn the ramp made. Slamming on the brakes didn't help enough, plowing through the wall and tumbling to the earth front-first.
There was no fireball, no resulting explosion. Just the dull thud and crash of the heavy impact.
Katt smirked, keeping her eyes on the road ahead as she slowed down, turning right onto ground-level streets. The neon glow of traffic lights sat overhead, reflecting off the sides of the buildings set on both sides of the roads. Fox didn't recognize where in the outskirts they were, but the sides of old warehouses and run-down factories gave him enough information. Katt had gotten off the highway in the industrial district of Ridgemont, an older portion of Corneria City's outskirts. Fox had passed through shabby streets before on the highway, but he'd never actually stopped by proper.
"Hmm, little disappointed though."
"What? Why?"
"You know, no explosion?"
"Dammnit Katt- Hey, there's two more!"
Katt watched behind, seeing the two other perusers navigate the ramp behind them, accelerating again as they hit the rainy streets.
Katt sped up, going well past the legal limit the road allowed. The SUV's frame groaned as the wheels barreled over imperfections in the heavily-used industrial road, kicking up torrents of puddled rainwater in every pothole. Fox turned around once again, narrowing his eyes as the MRAP's headlights washed through the shattered rear window, the large vehicle pulling up along side with the second one blocking their rear.
"Katt!"
With a crash of metal-on-metal, the heavier vehicle slammed into the right side of the two's SUV, violently shunting it off the road and onto the sidewalk with a shower of sparks and crumpled bodywork. The second one went in for another rear end slam, Katt throwing her car into the highest gear the transmission would allow to avoid the impact. The SUV pulled ahead, forcing the larger two vehicles to break off and allowing the cat freedom from the sidewalk. She swerved back into the street, Fox piping up again at the two's situation not getting any better.
"You're gonna get us both killed! At this rate I'll be a fox sandwich with you and this car mixed in!"
"We're almost there, just be quiet and let me drive!"
"Almost where?"
Katt spotted their exit, twirling the steering wheel in her paws and forcing the vehicle into a leftwards drift. The tires bounced over the curb, suspension bottoming out as the car ducked down into a small alleyway between two buildings. She slammed on the brakes as they plowed through a chain-link fence, the front wheels catching air as the vehicle rolled down a concrete slope. Fox's head hit the dashboard, bruising against the plastic from the car violently leveling out. He groaned, trying to rub his forehead as the driver pulled another hard turn right.
The car's headlights bathed the area ahead in glowing light, Fox seeing the angular concrete walls of a large drainage canal Katt was now driving down, going upstream from the looks of it. The current of rainwater lapped at the sides of the vehicle, threating to drown the engine were it much deeper. The car pushed ahead almost like a boat at sea, kicking up a spew of mud and moisture behind it. More lights drove down into the canal behind them, with the two MRAPs still in hot pursuit.
"These guys don't give up, do they?"
The military vehicles had little issue closing the distance, with a higher ride hight and larger tires, the two's headlights were soon upon them. One began to line up another ram, Katt learning her lesson and swerving again.
"We're approaching the floodgate, you have access?"
"Who are you talking- Oh..."
Fox hadn't noticed the small earpiece wrapped around Katt's left ear, too concerned with being compacted into a wall by several tons of CDF equipment to really notice.
"Good, we should be ready. Do it."
Fox's eyes widened, seeing a flashing yellow light flash into existence up ahead. It, along with many others, was mounted into a large pillar, one of several making up a larger dam built across the canal. The realization hit him like a missile soon after, Fox's mouth agape at the absurdity of the plan.
"You're shitting me! No way that's the plan!"
"It's either this, you they throw into another cell! Get ready to bail!"
Fox couldn't argue, any words he could say cut off by the roar of the vehicle's engine struggle through the water as Katt sped up. Fox saw one of the dam's floodgates raise, releasing thousands upon thousands of gallons of rainwater into the canal ahead. The small tsunami the dam released built up speed, speeding towards them with the energy of a freight train. Fox noticed the headlights of the chasing MRAPs to pull away, both drivers now very aware of the plan.
Katt pushed the vehicle's engine harder, rushing towards the wall of rainwater rushing downhill to greet the two and their poor vehicle.
"Why are we driving into it?!"
"Dunno! Might look like suicide to them? ...Now! Go!" Katt yelled, popping open her door before unbuckling her seatbelt. Fox picked up on her actions, quickly doing the same. He opened his own door, letting the chilly water rush into the vehicle's interior and around his feet. Katt grabbed the doorframe, pulling herself out of the seat and into the stream outside.
Fox gave one last look behind, seeing the two other vehicles desperately turn around. He knew they wouldn't be fast enough anyways to outrun the small lake's worth of water just seconds away.
With a sharp breath of air, Fox leapt from the vehicle, making a mad crawl through the water before the wave hit, picking up the car and sweeping it away.
A/N: Might be the last chapter I post here for a while, been loosing enthusiasm to continue writing this. I've got another project I'll be working on soon though, so that should be fun.