Fox's blood ran cold.
No. No, this can't be happening. It's impossible.
The vulpine didn't want to believe it, but he knew it was true. Krystal, his wife, was dead. The vixen's lifeless body was slouched over, strapped to the wall, blood soaking the front of her flight suit, which now had a giant, gaping hole in it. Her eyes were foggy and vacant.
Hot, angry tears threatened to let loose as they scratched at the corners of his eyes. He thought of everything that they had wanted to do, but now would never get to do. Grief weighed like an iron ball in Fox's stomach as it twisted itself into a knot. But even through all the grief, another feeling slowly began to rise within him, festering like an open wound.
It was a feeling of pure, unbridled, white-hot rage.
Krystal is dead. But that doesn't mean she'll have died in vain. I... I won't allow it!
Fox began pulling against the restraints with all of his strength. Miyu watched in amazement as little fractures began to form in the bonds, causing the edges to fray in several directions.
He's actually going to do it…
Kursed began to swing the knife again, this time at Fox. Fox strained one last time, ripping the leather straps right out of the wall. He caught her hand right as the shining, bloody blade stopped dead between his eyes, just barely nicking his head fur.
Fox literally growled. That rage had brought out something primal - something destructive - that had hidden itself deep within him, sending him into a state of insanity. He was so angry that the air around him seemed to heat up.
Miyu's eyes widened.
Holy shit... I've never seen him this pissed off before…
Kursed laughed condescendingly.
"Well, isn't this adorable? The little tod is angry. What are you gonna do, shoot me? I have your gu-"
Fox threw her against the wall.
"I don't need a weapon to kill you," he snarled.
He grabbed Kursed and pinned her against the wall by the neck and hip, slowly crushing her windpipe.
BANG
There was a sudden, sharp pain in Fox's back. He turned around to see Vul standing there, glock in hand.
BLAM
The bullet struck Fox in the stomach this time, ripping out flesh as it flew through his body. His vision swam. He struggled to get up, but he was losing too much blood. His vision began to darken. The last thing he saw was Miyu's shocked face, before the pain gave way to the welcoming darkness.
Fox woke up in a dark, empty void. He looked around, his heart pounding, his breath fast and shallow. His ears rang, the all-familiar elongated squeal that came of firing a gun without earmuffs.
Where the hell am I!?
A familiar voice rang out from behind him.
"Fox."
He turned around to see Krystal standing there, her lime-green eyes just as bright as ever, her fur shining like the full moon at midnight.
Fox was happy to see her again, but at the same time the shame he felt burned him. He hadn't been able to save her. He'd put her in danger, and now they were both paying the price.
"Krystal... I'm sorry. I could've kept you from dying. I could have saved you. If you're-"
"Mad at you? Fox, you did everything you possibly could have done. I'm proud of you. You helped me figure out a weakness in their plan."
Fox raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Krystal nodded slowly, smiling softly.
"We've got some time to ourselves. I figure that with how time works here, one second here is equal to one nanosecond back on the ship."
"And what, exactly, does that do for us?"
"Well… Before I died, I handed Miyu a temporal distortion device, allowing her to move at any speed in time. So right now, she would be moving much faster than Vul or Kursed. Only problem is, they've already gone through the portal to the 'real world'."
"Ah. I see."
Fox looked around, trying to make out something remotely solid. He came up with nothing.
"So this is what hell is like… Kinda boring, honestly."
"I agree. But it's less boring with you~"
Krystal pulled Fox in close and kissed him, ridding their minds of the traumatic event that they'd just witnessed. A few moments later, they pulled away from each other, breath being their silent communication.
"How do we get back?"
Krystal drew out a long hum.
"You'll just have to see."
"Oh."
Fox suddenly felt as if something were pulling him, slowly dragging him out of the void. Krystal followed after him, grabbing hold of his hand.
"What the-!?"
They were suddenly back on the ship, with Vul and Kursed long gone. Miyu stood there, looking proud of herself, a bright red stain on her shirt. Krystal stood next to Fox, her tail wrapped around him.
"Miyu, what did you do?"
The lynx laughed, putting her fingers into a number two and holding it over her eyebrow in an anime-like pose. It was cute, yet somewhat menacing at the same time.
"Oh, you know... pagan rituals. Making a burnt offering to Hades with Cheez-its and Slim Jims."
Fox sighed. He'd had just about enough for the day.
"I thought you'd say something like that…"
Miyu rolled her eyes.
"Come on, the portal's right there. Let's go kick some ass!"
Fox laughed.
"Miyu, you're too reckless. A real wild card. But I'm glad you're eager to go."
She smiled. This time, it was genuine.
"If I weren't reckless, why would I have joined the team?"
Fox shrugged.
"Good point. Anyway, let's get moving. If we wait much longer, we won't be able to stop them!"
Krystal nodded, a look of grim determination on her face.
"Also… Miyu, how did you avoid getting killed? I doubt they would just let you go."
"Bulletproof vest and a bag of red food dye. Plus, I'm really good at pretending to be dead. I should become an actress!"
She let out a soft chortle. Fox rolled his eyes.
"Clever… veeery clever."
They all jumped through the portal after Vul and Kursed, hot on their tails. And as he fell through interdimensional space, a single thought crossed Fox's mind:
We have to succeed. There could be billions of people depending on us. If we fail, all those people could be in grave danger.
Note:
Huge shoutout to SpaceCat for beta-reading this part! I was actually losing confidence, so I asked him for help and he pulled through. Thanks man. You're a lifesaver.
Also, yes, I am going to continue working on Sol 3. I just want to finish this story first.