Author's Notes:

I had planned for this to be the last chapter from Falco's POV, but it ran rather long so I split it in two. This is the first half. Second half is mostly done and will follow shortly, closing off Falco's part in Act II. Then it's back to Fox and Krystal, and the story will mostly follow them through to the end of the Act.

X

Mission No. 42

Zoness
District 13

Club Down

X

Everything hurt when Falco came to, but a sharp jolt of pain in his shoulders came to rise above the rest. He groaned and rolled onto his side, lessening the pressure on his back, but also discovering his arm was hurt as well. In fact it was impossible to find a spot that didn't cause him pain to rest on.

Opening his eyes and looking down, he found himself once again completely covered in bandages – fresh ones to replace the old after having reopened all his wounds fighting Grimmer, but now he sported a few additional ones; this time on his face. The vision in his left eye still seemed darker than usual, but maybe that was just a trick of the light in Katt's room.

"Falco, you're awake!" a familiar voice exclaimed. The feline appeared at his bedside and knelt down, bringing her face level with his. She was smiling now, but it was clear she had been crying at one point.

"What happened?" he asked groggily. "How long was I out?"

"Well, after you gave your rousing, defiant speech, you promptly fainted and nearly fell off Bowser's shoulders."

Falco's cheeks burned, and not only from the raw skin Grimmer's knuckles had exposed. "Makes sense."

"After that Bowser carried you home, and Tosca and another nurse patched you up. Again. You were so beaten up you slept for hours."

"Heh, well, you shoulda seen the other guy," Falco joked. "Speaking of which…what happened to the Gang?"

"We think Grimmer survived, but don't know for certain. His brothers managed to escape with his body at least. They took a few loyal members of the Gang and fled to East Side. Everyone else was either pounded silly or scattered – but none of them can show their faces in the North End again, and I don't think any of the other gangs in adjacent sectors will accept Grimmer, either."

"And his hideout?"

"Cleared out. Angry mob approached with torches and pitchforks, but they got warned ahead of time and escaped. The civilians are trying to figure out what to do with all the shit they left behind – most of it was stolen or extorted from them anyway, so now it's back in its rightful hands."

Falco sighed in relief. "Good. I was afraid they'd still hang around after I beat Grimmer." He went quiet, for the first time noticing the rhythmic bass thumping through the walls. "Hey, what's going on out there?"

"…Nothing to concern yourself with."

"Aw man, they're having a party? Without me?"

"Just a little celebration! Nothing exciting. It's really a snoozefest; you'd do better to sleep and rest up here-"

"Alright, come on Katt, help me up! If I'm gonna lie around all day like a dead fish, I might as well do it close to my friends."

Katt sighed. "Well, I see there's no stopping you…"

Begrudgingly the feline helped Falco up and out of bed. The avian carefully put an arm over Katt's shoulders and allowed her to support him, leaning heavily on her. Every movement he made was slow and ginger, so as not to disturb his wounds again. Together they hobbled out of Katt's room, through the kitchen, and into the garage proper.

Once they stepped through the threshold the music hit them full blast; one of the new members had hooked up his PDU to a car and was playing club music through its speakers at deafening volumes. The rest of the Free Birds and other guests partied with abandon, packing the entirety of the garage floor. They chugged drinks, ate snacks, and danced to the music. Falco's good friend Fazio the bartender had come to visit; the goose converted a workbench into a makeshift bar as he mixed his signature glowing drinks for the Free Birds. Meanwhile Bruiser clunked by Falco and Katt to pass the beverages out on his tray, careful not to spill any along the way.

Looking around Falco saw the Free Birds flaunting paraphernalia and trophies stolen from unfortunate Gang members. They jokingly pinned their green patches upside down on their shoulders, wore confiscated bandanas, and played knife-throwing games with their daggers. Falco even caught Mouser parading around a fine-looking bike he'd nabbed – one that was much too big for his tiny stature.

It put a smile on his face to see them celebrating; the last few weeks had been so stressful, and the gang's future seemed uncertain. But now it looked like they were here to stay in the North End. As much as he hated being left out, he still felt satisfied seeing the others able to enjoy themselves for once.

Damn, that music was loud though. His head still rang from getting punched silly that morning, and the relentless dance beat was giving him unpleasant flashbacks of a certain pounding. He turned to Katt and shouted, "I know I'm usually the last one to ask this, but can they turn that shit down?"

"It's gotta be this loud to drown out the sirens!" Katt shouted back. "But I'll ask!"

Falco's face froze. "The sirens?!"

"Yeah, they still haven't shut them off!"

"…And the people haven't returned?!"

"No, they're still in the shelters!"

At once his good attitude disappeared, replaced by a sinking feeling in his gut. "Katt: shut the music off now!"

The feline looked at him funny, but ultimately obliged. She helped him sit down on an empty car seat, then talked their self-appointed DJ into stopping the song. Sure enough, when the music cut out, Falco once again heard the distant sirens wailing.

"Aw, who killed the music?!" Shani demanded, and others raised their voices to echo the same sentiment.

"Hey look, it's da Boss!" Mouser exclaimed when he noticed Falco.

Bowser raised a mug overflowing with beer. "Champion of boxing is awake again! Three cheers for-"

"All of you, can it and listen!" Falco shouted. "We're not out of it yet. Don't any of you find it strange the evacuation order hasn't been lifted? That they haven't diffused this imaginary 'bomb'? If they're not letting people return to the North End, the Bureau must still intend to rout us. Which means it's our turn to evacuate."

"What?" many in the crowd gasped.

"Abandon the garage?" Kitt asked.

Shani brandished her rifle. "Aw come on Falco, we can take 'em! I've been aching for a proper shoot-out for weeks!"

"Not a chance. We were fortunate enough to beat Grimmer's Gang today; I don't want to push our luck by fighting the Bureau as well. If we do, a lot more of us will get hurt – and probably killed. I don't want to risk anyone else's lives. But everything will be okay. Take as much stuff as you can carry, return to your homes or old hideouts, and we'll stay in contact with you. When it comes time to meet again, we'll choose a new base of operations and notify you. We have a safe house already setup for Pukes' lab, so in the meantime we can continue production – and maybe even distribution." He clapped his wings together. "Alright let's move!"

Many of the newer members were harder to convince to leave, but Falco's closer friends stuck up for him and hustled the rest along, even if they personally felt just as disappointed. In pairs and small groups the Free Birds gathered their things and rode off on their bikes, while others stayed behind to help pack. Pukes' lab equipment and supplies were the bulkiest of the luggage, but Bowser was right there to help, doing most of the heavy lifting himself.

Katt returned from her workshop, dumping an armful of supplies on the floor. "You plan on riding the Azure Sky out of here, Falco?"

The avian winced. "Not in this condition. I don't think I could stay upright – and certainly not in a police chase."

Katt gestured to the bags accumulating on the floor. "I don't think I could balance all this and you on my bike, either. But someone has to take you – unless you feel up to walking."

He sighed. "I think I can make it. Our safehouse is just a couple blocks away, and if I gotta rest we can break into one of the abandoned houses along the way."

"Well, in that case, maybe we should have someone else…?"

Falco nodded. He tossed a bag of mycelium to one of the recruits. While new to the team, he was a longtime friend Falco knew from before the war. Instinctively he caught the bag in the stomach and looked at Falco in surprise.

"Hey Zeke, didn't you beat me in that race once?"

The green-feathered amazon nodded, swinging the sack over his shoulder. "Yeah. You said I cheated," he grumbled.

Falco cringed. "Well, this should make up for it." He tossed his keys across to him, and he caught them in his other hand. "Take the Azure Sky out of here, and get someone you trust to take Katt's bike as well. Keep 'em hidden and safe until we need 'em. Oh – and don't have too much fun riding the Sky, see?"

A grin tugged at Zeke's beak, but his expression soured to one of worry as he looked at Falco. "What about you?"

"I'm in no condition to ride her. Besides, a captain always goes down with his ship – er, garage."

He nodded, heading off towards the back room with another friend. "Alright, I promise I'll take good care of her."

Katt raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I'm impressed. You won't even let Kitt look at that bike, much less sit on it for fun."

"Yeah, well, desperate times," he shrugged. "I'm more worried about what they'll do to the Arwing; it's still parked at the spaceyard. I have a feeling I'm not getting it back anytime soon. Boy Fox will kill me..."

"Why? It's your ship."

But Falco shook his head. "It's not; it's Fox's. We switched before the Gate, remember?"

"Oh..."

Before the last of them could leave, however, flashing red-and-blue lights shone through the garage's front windows. Time was up; the Bureau had arrived.

"Go-go-go!" Falco told the others, and they started to hurry out the back doors. Meanwhile Bowser was still helping Pukes pack her equipment, and Katt and Kitt were busy packing their things as well. The garage had been their home for the past few years, so they had many of their life's possessions to bring with them.

Falco, Shani, and Mouser crept up to the grime-covered windows. They peaked over the ledge, discovering a dozen police vehicles had pulled into the two streets that crossed in front of the corner garage, while even more continued to arrive. They arranged themselves in a defensive wall, boxing in the corner garage from all 270 degrees adjacent to the streets. The officers got out and took cover behind their cars, aiming weapons and searchlights at the building.

"This is District 13's Central Police Department," one of the officers said over a loud speaker. "We have a warrant for the arrest of Falco Lombardi. He's accused of illegal drug trafficking, armed robbery, and assaulting officers. All we want is him. Stand down immediately, and no one will be harmed. If Lombardi does not turn himself in peacefully within the next three minutes, we will be forced to open fire. We will not press charges against any of the other so-called 'Free Birds' members, but if you do not give him up we will treat you as accomplices."

Falco frowned. "Well that's interesting; they just want me for some reason."

Shani scoffed. "You're not going out there, are you?"

"Of course not. It's just…odd that they'd let Corruption go in exchange for me."

"Don't worry Falco, we'd never turn you in," one of the new members assured him. "We can take a few of the Bureau officers!"

Falco looked behind him at their evacuation progress; one member was passing out bags full of Corruption to others as they disappeared out the back door, while Pukes and Bowser were still packing the last of their items. Katt started a fire in a trashcan in the middle of the garage floor, dumping piles of sensitive documents in to burn.

"They're not gonna finish before they start the siege," Falco realized. "We need to buy them some time."

Shani nodded. "We can return fire from the roof, then when they close in, escape over the rooftops and disappear."

"Go for it," Falco said. But before Shani could leave he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him. "Hey, just…keep in mind, people in the North End have family in the force."

Her face turned stoic; her jaw, firm. "I used to be a soldier, Falco. We both have. They're doing their duty, and I'm doing mine."

"I know, but…" He sighed, then patted her shoulder. "Just use your best judgement, okay?"

The canine nodded and backed away from the windows. Taking a few of the remaining Free Birds with her she shimmied up onto the roof. Meanwhile Falco hobbled back to the rear of the garage and began helping the others pack, shoving their most important belongings in random bags.

"We have given you ample time," the voice over the megaphone blared. "If you do not come out on the count of ten, we will open fire. Ten!...Nine!..."

"Heads down!" Falco urged. "Try to stay below the window ledge!"

"Three!Two!...One!" the voice finished counting. "Open fire!"

A rain of bullets crashed through the windows, shattering glass panes into fragments and pinging off the sides of cars. Several bullets embedded themselves in the wall just above Falco's head, raining dust and mortar down on top of him. Pukes cried out and ducked low, covering her head and cowering, but Katt urged her to keep packing.

Their volley didn't go unanswered. Soon they heard return rifle fire coming from the roof, ringing even louder in their ears as Shani and her men fired back. The policemen released cries of surprise and hunkered behind their cars, quickly redirecting their focus up at the rooftop. More shots rang out, followed by a burst of sparks and bright neon-red tubing raining down from above – they'd hit the store's sign.

But they hadn't completely relinquished their pressure on the garage's interior. Shots continued to rip through the building, a deadly threat to any who raised their head too high. Bowser finished packing up a case and moved to shove it towards the back door, but in the process inadvertently stood up too tall. A bullet ripped into him, and he grunted. Quickly he dropped to the floor, avoiding any further injuries. He clutched at his broad forearm, which began to leak a dark stream of red.

"Bowser, you okay?!" Falco called over the gunshots.

"Is fine!" the croc growled through gnashed teeth. "No need for worrying! We must get Ms. Pukes' lab out."

"Those bastards," Mouser cursed. Taking his handgun, he ran up to the window and ducked beneath it, poking his head out to return fire and claim his revenge.

But outside they heard an engine loudly gunning, and Mouser ceased his firing to stare.

"Dey got a car pointed right at the garage door!" he warned. "Dey're gonna ram through!"

"Shit, we still need more time…"

Since Dimmer ran a truck through the garage door a week ago, the Free Birds had done their best to patch it up. They'd even taken additional steps to secure the entrance by boarding up the interior with plywood and parking a car to brace it – but it still couldn't survive another frontal assault.

Just then Bruiser stepped out of the back room. Unlike everyone else who rightly feared for their lives, the robot stood up straight, unphased by the bullets flying through the room. His head swiveled back and forth, his processor seemingly overwhelmed by the amount of damage done to the shop and the number of assailants outside. Finally he seemed to focus on the car through the window.

"Warning: a motor vehicle is on a collision course with shop property. Please avoid the vicinity; I will engage."

In the middle of all the gunfire, Bruiser let himself out through the personnel door between the two garage entrances. When the officers saw him they ordered him to halt, but of course the one-track-mind robot didn't heed their words. With no concern for his own safety, he kept right on marching towards the car that was revving up. The police had tied the accelerator down so no one had to be in the vehicle when it hit. Finally they let off the clutch and let the car jump forward, the wheels squealing on the wet pavement as it gained traction.

The squad car raced to close the gap to the garage door, but at the last moment Bruiser stepped in front of it. Kneeling and bracing himself, he latched onto the hood and front bumper right as it ran into him. The robot's super-Lylatian strength was the only thing that kept him from being hurled seventy feet in the air. To the shock of all, Bruiser held firm. The car pushed him several yards back after the initial impact, but Bruiser's steel feet grated against the pavement, keeping their grip till the car slowed. With the accelerator still tied down, it threatened to push him further and further back; but Bruiser seemed aware of that. Reaching beneath the bumper, he lifted up the front end of the car, raising it over his head till it precariously balanced seven feet off the ground. The rear of the car hit the street, and both sets of wheels were left spinning futilely in midair, unable to reach the ground.

For a moment both sides paused and gaped, in awe of the robot's feat of strength. But the police quickly regained their composure…and turned their fire on Bruiser. Bullets tore at him from every angle. Those that were fired from low-caliber handguns simply pinged off or dented his metal casing – but unlike Grimmer's Gang, the police had brought high-powered rifles and other weapons for the assault. As deafening crack after crack rang out, more and more pieces of Bruiser's body tore away. Holes ripped through his torso, shards of metal blew off and clattered to the ground, and fountains of sparks and oil opened in quick succession, till finally they gushed in every direction.

Now little more than a scrapyard sculpture twisted in a vaguely Lylatian shape, Bruiser could no longer hold the car up. With a grinding metallic screech, his arms and legs caved in, and the police vehicle crushed him to the ground. The car's wheels touched down on the pavement and the vehicle once again lurched forward, dragging Bruiser's metal corpse underneath it. Still, it managed to build up enough momentum to ram into the garage door, bursting it free from its tracks and displacing the car on the other side by about a foot.

The police had broken in.

Falco clenched his fists. Once again, the spark of life vanished from Bruiser's robotic eyes, but this time it seemed for good; there was no repairing or even reclaiming his parts now. Falco would have felt the same way if ROB had died; the robot was so familiar and eager to help that he seemed almost like family. It was even worse for Katt who had known him longer. Besides the shop itself, Bruiser was Katt's last connection to the previous owner of the garage, before he died in the war – and now she had to abandon that as well.

"Falco, let's go!" Pukes cried. "We're done packing!"

Just in time, too, he thought, for every second the unmanned car continued to push the gap wider. As soon as the police could pin Shani and her men down on the roof, their full force would come in through the breach in the door like rats.

Falco turned from the spectacle outside, finding Bowser had most of Pukes' gear in his arms while the green fox herself carried a suitcase and bag. One of the croc's biceps sported a nasty black hole, bleeding red down his army-green scales.

Mouser scurried over from the window to join them. "I'll go with Bowsah and Pukes! I can't carry much, but I can cover them during our getaway."

"Come on Falco, you're with us," Katt said, motioning to herself and Kitt. The pair of felines carried their luggage in either hand, and wore backpacks over their shoulders. Even though they weren't brother and sister it was hard not to believe the two weren't related seeing both cotton-candy-colored felines standing side-by-side like that.

"Alright, let's move!" Falco ordered.

As gunshots continued to ring out behind them, and the tires of the unmanned police car continued to squeal into the garage, they disappeared out the back. The rear of the shop opened out onto a pair of crisscrossing alleyways. When the group of refugees reached the crossroads, they split up; Pukes, Mouser, and Bowser taking the left alley, and Falco, Katt, and Kitt taking the right.

Falco did his best to run, but his injuries still hindered his movement. He had to lean on Katt a good deal and ended up slowing all three of them down. He felt humiliated to be the weakest link in the chain for once; normally he was always at the forefront, and everyone else had to keep up – whether it was Star Fox or the Free Birds. But now he worried he'd be the reason the three of them were caught. He felt no different than the baggage they had to carry on their backs.

They limped behind rows of buildings – mostly tenant housing and some shops, all of which were abandoned. The North End felt like a ghost town, or a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and they were the only survivors now being hunted by dangerous predators. Falco couldn't shake a strong feeling that someone was watching them. He imagined pairs of eyes watching him from every empty window they passed, a side effect of his paranoia.

The cracks of gunfire continued to echo between the tight ally walls, but it faded the farther they hobbled away from the shop. Then altogether it seemed to die-off at once, only leaving the sirens to fill the ensuing silence. At this point Falco assumed Shani and her men were either caught or had escaped. A few shots still rang out intermittently, but they seemed to be coming from other parts of the city, so Falco assumed it was the latter.

Eventually the avian found himself short of breath and fading. He slowed down drastically, and Katt noticed it was harder to pull him along.

"Falco, you still okay?"

"Yeah," he gasped, "just need a moment."

The avian plopped down in a chair someone had discarded in the alley, and both the felines sat against the wall opposite him. The bird breathed heavily from his recent exertion. From the look of it, Kitt and Katt were thankful to rest, too, even if they didn't outright admit it.

After a long lull in the gunfire, an explosion rocked the floating city. All three of them jumped in place, flinching from the shock. For a moment the alley walls and cloudy sky were painted bright orange, accompanied by a deafening bang.

The escapees turned to look back down the alley. About a block away, black smoke began to rise into the sky.

"They didn't!" Katt exclaimed.

"They blew up the shop?" Kitt said in a high-pitched voice.

"If they were gonna do that they may as well have blown us up with it from the start!"

But Falco shook his head, speaking between breaths. "No, they've wanted me alive all this time – probably for questioning. They wanted the chance to get the full details out of me, like who everyone in our network is, and where I've been sourcing Corruption from. I have a feeling they think I'm working with the Venomians to some capacity."

Katt eventually nodded. "I bet the bomb was to cover up the shoot-out; now they can just say they 'failed' to diffuse it, and walk away saying at least there were no casualties. It also keeps us from ever returning and using the garage as a base."

She clenched her fist, obviously enraged by the Bureau's actions, considering how much the shop meant to her. After all, it had been her whole life for the past years. So Falco decided it was best to keep moving forward and get her mind off it.

Grunting, he rose from his chair. "Come on, let's keep moving. The North End will be swarming with police soon."

Gritting her teeth and watching the smoky aftermath rising into the sky, Katt finally nodded. "You're right. Let's keep going."

After a few minutes they came upon a perpendicular branch of the alleyway that lead to the street. Kitt ran ahead of Falco and Katt, but Falco heard the sound of tires and a motor approaching. Lurching forward, he grabbed Kitt by the backpack and yanked him behind cover again. It was just in time, too; a pair of squad cars passed on the street perpendicular to the alley, shining lights down it.

"Shit, they're everywhere now," Katt cursed. "We have to be more careful, or we could get pinned down here."

Going forward from this point was more difficult; now they had to account for the police actively hunting them. Every perpendicular alley they came upon they had to stop and pause, making sure it was safe before passing it. At first they were secure in the confines of the main alley, but the block only ran for so long. Eventually it ran out, spilling into an open road.

Katt pulled both of them behind a dumpster near the exit, crouching with them for a moment.

"We have to cross that street to get to the safe house," she whispered. She looked at Falco expectantly.

The avian concentrated, brow furrowing. The effects from the large dose of Corruption he'd downed that morning still lingered, allowing him to sense the thoughts of nearby people. Unfortunately, that mostly turned out to be Katt and her brother. The only others he could hear over their thoughts were a couple of families who'd hunkered down in their homes rather than leaving, and their strong emotions of fear were quite overpowering.

He shook his head. "It's hard to tell – I don't think I hear any cops, but I can't be sure."

Katt bit her lip, debating. "You two stay here – I'll go check if the coast is clear."

Against Falco's protests she stood up and pressed herself against the wall. She slinked down the alley and into the open, disappearing around the corner. Falco and Kitt remained crouched behind the dumpster, with the avian gratefully taking the moment to regain his breath again.

…But Katt never returned.

"What's taking her so long?" Kitt whimpered.

"I dunno, but I'm not staying here anymore. Help me up…"

Kitt took Falco's arm and pulled him into a stand with some difficulty. Then he helped him hobble down the rest of the alley till they came to the exit, at which point they pressed themselves flat against the wall and peeked around the corner. But there was no sign of Katt in either direction; just groups of knocked over trashcans, abandoned cars, dead bushes, and a sewer manhole with its cover off.

"Where the hell did she go?!" Falco hissed.

His wrist unit buzzed, and he jumped to answer it. Sure enough the message came from Katt's comm…

But it wasn't she who wrote it.

we have her

if you want her back follow

we're in the sewer

an old friend.

Falco's eyes darted back to the black hole in the middle of the street. The rusted iron cover lay beside it, haphazardly strewn aside.

"Falco? What'd she say?"

The bird looked back at Kitt, unable to hide the worry in his face.

"I think someone's kidnapped Katt and taken her below the city."

Kitt's eyes widened in fear. "What? She's down there?! But who could have done it?"

Falco thought a moment, but it didn't take long to come up with an answer. "You know who it is. This is how they get their revenge. I thought they might try to get even eventually, but I didn't think they'd strike this soon – I thought they'd regroup and plan it out first."

"Well…shit! How're we gonna save her?"

Falco merely looked back at the manhole. Every second he wasted debating his next move was another second they took Katt farther away from him – and another second they had to do something terrible to her before he could stop them. And this time, the two unscrupulous vermin didn't have their more principled elder brother to hold them back.

Kitt placed a paw on Falco's arm. "Falco, you're not thinking of going down there, are you?!"

"It's the only way I can save her."

"Then I'm coming too! She's my sister!" Kitt proclaimed.

But Falco shook his head. "Sorry Kitt, I gotta do this alone. I need you to reach the safe house and tell everyone else where Katt and I went; I may need them for reinforcements later."

"But it's too dangerous to go alone – 'specially with you this weak! You don't stand a chance!"

Falco lifted his shirt, showing Kitt the butt of a blaster he'd shoved in his pants. "Hey, I'll be alright. I know how to handle myself, and I still have that ace up my sleeve," he added, tapping his skull. "Now, I've given' you a job to do, so you'd better do it – or you're off the team! But above all else, don't get caught."

"Wait, Falco-!"

But the avian took off, hobbling into the middle of the street. When he reached the manhole he lowered himself into it, quickly finding the ladder and making use of the iron rungs. He caught one last look at Kitt's anguished face before he disappeared beneath the street, wondering if he'd ever see the kid again.

Falco began descending but unfortunately heard the sound of engines approaching. He realized an uncovered manhole would probably be a dead giveaway. So at the last second he reached back out and dragged the cover into place, his aching limbs screeching in protest. With a metallic thunk he slid the lid closed, sealing off the cone of light illuminating the inside of the sewer.

Falco clung to the ladder in shadows now, heart pounding as the vehicles approached. In a flash it swept by overhead, and he released a breath when it passed without slowing. He'd gotten away, and Kitt had escaped as well.

But now he turned his mind to finding Katt.

He started climbing down the ladder, but discovered it was much harder than he'd anticipated. His sweaty fingers struggled to grip the slimy rungs, and his arms and legs screamed in displeasure. He felt so weak and pained at the same time, he didn't think he'd make it to the bottom…

After a few more rungs, Falco just couldn't hold himself up any longer. He gnashed his beak and made one last effort to stay aloft, but it was no use. His arms gave out, and he let himself drop the rest of the way down the ladder, plunging feet-first into the darkness of the sewer.