Finally! Sorry for the delay, I meant to upload this chapter Saturday, but it required more editing/rewriting than I had anticipated, but I think it I fixed all the plot holes and grammatical errors, as well as random characters appearing and disappearing with no explanation. If I missed anything, feel free to message me so I can make corrections. See end for AN.


Chapter 2: Corneria Defense Force Head Quarters, Interrogation Room 3:

Isaac sat alone in the room, staring blankly at the steel table in front of him. He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but it felt like hours. One of the aliens had tried talking to him earlier, but he remained silent. 'What the hell is this?' he thought.

He wasn't sure what the machine had done, but with the talking animals he figured he wasn't on Tau Volantis anymore. Or maybe he was still on Tau Volantis, or Titan Station. Hell, maybe even still on the Ishimura, and all of this is some Marker induced fever dream. He pushed that thought away and began to wonder if Carver was sent here as well; one of the aliens here did find his helmet after all. Isaac sighed and glanced toward the large two-way mirror on his right. He could fell their eyes on him, sending a chill down his spine. He wondered what they would do with him, hoping it wouldn't be more experimentation.

Peppy, Bill, Fox, Krystal, and Fay stood on the other side of the glass, observing the strange man. Falco and Miyu left earlier to help move the shuttle to a hangar and to ensure the alien body made to the research area without being seen by the media.

"What do you guys think?" Bill asked.

"I don't know," Peppy replied, "Charlie, did you get anything from him?"

Charlie, a ferret standing nearby, replied, "He refused to answer any questions."

Peppy nodded, returning his eyes to the strange man. He then turned to Fox and asked, "You and Krystal encountered him first, right?"

Fox nodded, "Krystal found him first, I showed up a couple seconds later."

Peppy looked at Krystal, "Did he say anything to you when you found him?"

Krystal nodded, "He called me Ellie. He was about to say his name after that, but he stopped when I stepped in the light and he saw what I was, and then he started to panic." Peppy rubbed his chin in thought.

"Uh, Peppy," Fox began, knowing what Peppy was thinking, "I don't think we should send Krystal in there alone."

Peppy turned to him, "We may not have a choice. Were you able to read his mind, Krystal?"

She shook her head, "No, something is preventing me from do so." Peppy nodded and began to pace.

Fox turned to Krystal, "It's your call." Before she could answer, Prime Minister Lena entered from the end of the hall and made her way toward them.

"OK! So, what did we get from the alien?" she asked in an irritated voice.

"He's refusing to talk," Bill replied.

Lena turned to him, cocking her brow, "Well, we need to get something from him," she said frustration filling her voice, "Because every God damn news outlet is outside the gate demanding answers, and I need to give them something before this causes a mass panic."

Bill sighed, "I understand that, but the alien is under a lot of stress right now. I mean he almost killed himself when we caught him."

Lena sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry," she began, "Ever since I arrived here, the press outside has been hounding me with all these questions I couldn't answer." Lena looked to the man in the room, "Someone has to at least get him to say something."

"Just neither confirm or deny," Charlie suggested.

"Oh yeah," Lena replied sarcastically, "Because that works."

"Works for the military," Charlie replied.

As the group argued amongst themselves on what to do, Krystal thought about what happened when she first encountered the man. The name Ellie ran through her mind, and she wondered why he called her that. Making up her mind, she turned to the others, "I'll go."

The others looked at her, Fox stepping forward, "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

Krystal nodded, Fox turned to Peppy and Lena. "What do you guys think?" he asked them.

Peppy said, "Well, if she wants, I don't see why not." Fox nodded and turned back to Krystal. "Be careful," he said.

Krystal smiled, "I don't think it'll be a problem." She headed to the door, Bill unlocked and opened the door for her, and she stepped inside.

Isaac looked up when he heard the door open, and the blue vixen he saw before stepped in. She walked to the table and sat down in the chair across from him. He looked over her appearance. She had dark blue hair in between in her ears, what looked like beads in strands that hung down near her face. The fur on her face was white, her eyes an emerald green. She cleared her throat, snapping him out of his stupor.

"So," she began, "I believe introductions are in order. My name is Krystal, you are?" she motioned for him to speak.

Isaac closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He slowly exhaled, opening eyes, "Isaac Clarke," he finally said.

Krystal smiled at him, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Clarke," she said, "Now, can you tell me where you are from?" Isaac hesitated; unsure he could fully trust her. Krystal frowned at his hesitation. She focused her telepathy to see what he was thinking. Darkness clouded his mind, red symbols occasionally appearing in the void. She was sure she had seen symbols like them before, but they evaded her mind.

"I'm from a planet called Earth," Isaac said after a minute of silence, bringing her from her thoughts.

"Oh, so uh, what is your species called?" she asked, blushing from embarrassment.

"I'm a human," Isaac said.

Krystal hummed at the word. 'I never heard of humans,' she thought.

"Where am I?" Isaac asked her.

"You're on Corneria," she said.

Isaac looked down to the table. "Corneria," he muttered, "Where the hell did that machine send me?" Krystal's ears perked at 'machine'.

Outside the room, everyone glanced at each other. "Machine?" Fox questioned, "Is he talking about our orbital warp gate?"

"I think we should call Beltino," Peppy suggested "He might know."

Lena looked into the room before turning to Peppy. "Actually, I want to ask him some questions first," she said.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," he replied, "We should wait until we know he's not a threat to us."

Lena sighed, "I can't take too long with this. Not with that crowd outside." Lena turned to Slippy, "Mr. Toad, contact your father and have him meet us down here."

"Yes ma'am," he replied and stepped away to call Beltino.

"What machine?" Krystal asked after a moment of silence.

Isaac thought for a moment, 'Would they even believe me?' He took a deep breath and began his story. He told her about the Ishimura, Titan Station, and the Lunar Coloney. He left out the more personal details about him and Ellie, and also Nicole, only saying he had a friend on the Ishimura he wanted to visit, but said everything about the Unitologists, Danik, and the Brethren Moon, how they used the machine to kill it, and finally John Carver. Krystal and the others listened with their full attention.

She thought on his story before asking, "So, you believe this alien machine sent you here?"

Isaac nodded, "I don't know any other explanation."

Krystal gave a slight nod. She rose from the chair and bowed to him. "Thank you, mister Clarke," she said, "I'm going to talk with the others to find out what we'll do next." She walked to the door and exited, leaving Isaac to his thoughts, 'Maybe I said to much.'

The others turned to Krystal as she left the room. "Krystal," Lena began, "Was he telling the truth?"

"He didn't tell me everything," she said, "But what he did tell me was true. I didn't sense any deception."

Lena gave a nod, stroking her chin in thought. "How should we proceed, Prime Minister?" Peppy asked.

"I'm not sure," she said, "We have yet to discover an alien species, and now we had one seemly appear from places unknown."

"Well, I don't think we should just lock him away," Peppy said.

"We should at least keep him here till he calms down," Lena said, "Then we can try to get him to give us the full story of his arrival."

"Let's-" Peppy began but was interrupted by the sound of a slamming door.

At the end of the hall, Beltino was bent over in the doorway. He rested his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "Relax," he said between breaths, "I'm here."

Everyone collectively rolled their eyes. "Well then," Lena said, putting her hands together, "Mr. Toad, I asked you here to get your opinion on somethings we've learned."

"Ok," he said, walking over to the group, "So, is this about the alien?"

"Yes," Lena replied, "Krystal here just interrogated him, and he gave some details on his species and his arrival."

Beltino turned to Krystal, "Let's start with the species, what is he?"

"He said he is human," Krystal responded.

Beltino nodded and asked, "His arrival?"

"He said that an alien machine sent him," Krystal replied.

Beltino rubbed his chin and began pacing. "Well, the orbital warp gate is still being repaired form the Aparoid invasion and is not fully operational, so I don't think it sent him here."

"He mentioned this planet Tau Volantis," Fox chimed in, "He said it had been inhabited by aquatic aliens that had built the machine."

Beltino cocked a brow at this. "I haven't heard of this Tau Volantis before," he said as he stopped pacing, "Is his race from there as well?" he asked, turning back to Krystal.

She shook her head, "He said his race comes from a planet called Earth."

Beltino nodded at this and went back to pacing. Lena rubbed her temples, "Well, I should head back out to do some more damage control," she said, pointing Peppy, "Stay here and see what else you can from the alien."

Peppy nodded as Falco and Miyu entered the hall, Falco coming up to Peppy. "The research team moved the shuttle to Hangar 885," he said, "The body was taken to the BIO building."

Lena turned to Falco, "What are they planning on doing with it?" she asked.

Beltino stopped pacing, saying, "I wanted to have them perform an autopsy to learn the alien's anatomy." He pointed to Isaac, who was now staring at the ceiling, his arms folded across his chest. "Seeing as we have a live specimen," he continued, "I thought it best should our guest require any medical treatment. I was going to check on their progress before you called."

Lena huffed in agreement, "Alright, get back to it then. Make sure you document everything we've learned so far," she said before heading out, "I would like a report tomorrow morning."

"Yes ma'am," Beltino replied, following her out, Charlie escorting him.

Fox looked at Peppy, "What should we do now?".

Peppy hummed in thought as Miyu walked to the glass, eyeing Isaac up and down. Fay tapped her on the shoulder, "What's on your mind?"

Miyu gave a sly smile, "Just wanted to see him up close."

Faye giggled softly, "Yeah. He is quite different, and yet so similar."

"And quite handsome for an alien," Miyu added.

Fay glanced at her with a questioning look, "He has grey fur on his face and head, a sign of age." Miyu shrugged, "I think he looks good in grey."

Peppy cleared his throat, getting her attention, "Let's keep that quiet for now Miyu," he said, making her blush, "We don't want to stress him out any more than he already is."

"Ok," Miyu said, and she and Fay went back to chatting.

Peppy went to the room's door. He glanced to Fox, "I'm going to ask him some questions, make sure no one interrupts us." Fox nodded and Peppy pulled a tablet from his jacket and stepped inside. Fox watched as the man looked down towards Peppy, uncrossing his arms. Peppy pulled out the chair and sat down, extending his hand for a shake.

Krystal stepped beside Fox, staring into the room. "I can fell his stress building," she said.

Fox sighed, "There's not much we can do for him right now."

Isaac looked down towards the door when he heard it open. In walked a large rabbit in a red dress uniform and what looked like a tablet tucked under his left arm. He remembered seeing him when he was arrested. The rabbit pulled out his chair and sat down across from him.

"Hello sir," he said, "I'm General Peppy Hare of the Cornerian Defense Force." He extended his hand toward Isaac.

He huffed softly and took Peppy's hand, "Isaac Clarke, CEC Engineer." Peppy smiled, releasing his hand.

"So," Peppy, began, "I wanted ask you a few more questions and clarify some things for me."

Isaac nodded, leaning forward slightly. "What do you want to know?" Isaac asked.

"Tell me more about your home world," Peppy said, "Earth you called it?"

"Yeah," he replied, "It's over-populated, low on resources, on the verge of death."

Peppy nodded, typing this into his tablet. "And where is your planet located?" he asked.

"In relation to here, I don't know," Isaac replied, "But it is in what we humans call the Milky Way Galaxy."

Peppy typed this as well before asking, "And these Unitologists?"

Isaac took a deep breath before he said, "They are religious fanatics who believe the Markers are sacred, and the necromorphs are the next step in human evolution."

Peppy added this to the tablet, then asked, "You mentioned this Marker and the necromorphs when you were with Krystal, can you tell me more about them?"

"Ok," Isaac said with a sigh, "The Marker is an ancient alien artifact that was found on Earth in 2214. It generated a signal that seemed to produce unlimited energy, which was paramount to our dwindling resources. But, the Marker signal, drove people mad, made them kill each other, and themselves...then they would...change." Isaac paused after a moment; his breathing became heavy.

Peppy noticed and reached over the table and placed his hand on Isaac's shoulder. "It's alright," he said, "Deep breaths."

As Isaac calmed himself, Fox and others watched from outside with concern. Krystal grimaced as she could feel the pain radiating from him. Miyu, noticing her stress, came up beside her.

"I think we should give him some space," Krystal said, staring at Isaac.

"Peppy shouldn't be much longer," Fox reassured her. Krystal sighed heavily before stepping away from the observation window and walking to the breakroom nearby, Miyu following close behind. Fox let out a puff before turning back to the room.

Krystal filled a cup with water from a nearby jug before sitting herself on the room's couch. Miyu entered and sat down beside her.

"You OK?" she asked, taking Krystal's hand.

She nodded, "Yeah. I'm just worried about Isaac."

Miyu cocked head, "Who?"

Krystal chuckled, "The alien. His name is Isaac Clarke."

Miyu scratched her chin, "Isaac huh?" she said to herself. Miyu looked at her friend, her eyes were closed as she leaned her head back against the back of the couch. "So," Miyu asked, "What do you think of Isaac?"

Krystal took a deep breath before speaking, "He's someone who has suffered a lot in short amount of time."

"What do you mean?" Miyu asked.

"He told me about this ship he went to on a repair mission. He said he had a close friend onboard he wanted to see, so he volunteered for the mission," Krystal said, pausing for a sip of water.

Taking a breath, she continued, "When he arrived, most of the ship's crew had been mutated into these creatures he called 'necromorphs,' and they killed the remaining survivors, and the people he arrived with." Krystal could feel tears beginning to sting her eyes, the pain she felt from Isaac wearing on her emotions. She rubs them away before they could flow.

Miyu patted her on the back, "It's OK, take your time." Krystal took a few steady breathes to calm her nerves. After her breathing slowed, she continued her story, telling Miyu about Isaac's journey through the Ishimura, the visions of his friend, the betrayal of Kendra, and the battle with the Hive Mind.

"Doesn't that all sound kinda like, you know, bullshit?" Miyu asked.

Krystal let out an amused huff, "Yeah, it does," she said, "But I could tell he wasn't lying."

Miyu nodded before humming in thought. This Isaac might be the most interesting person she's ever heard of. She definitely wanted to talk to him in person, and maybe get a closer look at his face. "So," Miyu said, "What happened next?"

Krystal continued with what Isaac had told her, going into his time on Titan station. "They held him for three years!?" Miyu exclaimed after hearing the story.

"That's what he was told by someone named Daina," Krystal replied, "This guy named Teidmann was using his mind to create this Marker thing." Miyu gave her a questioning look, and before Krystal could explain, the slamming of the hall door made her and Miyu jump. They both glanced at each other before getting up and heading to the hall.

Fox glanced to the room where Krystal and Miyu went, rubbing his temples in frustration. He could see how stressed Isaac was becoming, Krystal's emphatic powers would no doubt pick up on it, deeply affecting her emotions.

Falco stepped beside him, "Is Krystal alright?"

Fox sighed, "She can feel his stress, and it's really affecting her."

Falco nodded, "I can see he's really stressed right now," he said, watching as Peppy went over to Isaac, placing his hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. Falco turned to Slippy, "Hey Slippy," he said, getting his attention, "As a son of a scientist, what's your opinion on this?"

Slippy scratched his chin in thought, "Well, this is unprecedented," he said, "This guy appears to be from a planet we've never heard. I think this will definitely cause a stir across Lylat."

Falco grunted in agreement. Turning to Fox, he asked, "We saw a large crowd out there, what do they know?"

"They all saw the green light," Fox replied, "And maybe some here say about the aliens, but the Prime Minister is keeping that quiet."

"Hey Falco?" Slippy said, tugging his sleeve.

"Whatcha need Slip", he replied.

"You said they took the shuttle to Hangar 885, why did they take it there?" Slippy asked, "That's the wash rack."

"They were going to take it to the research room in Hangar 880, but that hangar is full," Falco replied, "The egg heads are there taking a look at it now, anyway."

"Let's hope it helps solve this mystery," Fox said. He turned back to the room, noticing Peppy returned to his seat. He could see the fatigue in Isaac's body "We should wrap this up soon," he said, "It's getting late."

"Peppy looks like he's almost done," Falco said, watching Peppy put his tablet away.

Fox sighed in relief, "That's good. Maybe some rest will-"

The slamming of the hall door startled them, interrupting Fox. He spun around and drew his blaster, Falco, Fay and Slippy doing the same. Charlie, the CDF soldier from earlier, was picking himself from the floor. Fox groaned and holstered his blaster. Charlis stood to his feet, brushing off his uniform.

"What the hell was that?" Fox asked.

Charlie looked at him, letting out a huff, "General Stanely is on his way down here, where's Peppy?" The door to the interrogation room opened and Peppy stepped out, Krystal and Miyu joining from the breakroom down the hall.

"What's with all the noise?" Peppy asked.

"General Stanely is coming," Charlie replied, "He'll fill you in when he gets here with the Prime Minister."

"What's this about?" Peppy questioned, this all sounding strange. Before he could answer, the main door opened, and General Stanely and Lena walked in, followed by Fara.

"Peppy," Lena began, "We have a situation."

"What's wrong?" Peppy asked.

"Another alien was spotted at James McCloud Memorial Park," Stanely replied, "It attacked a couple of guards, stole their weapons."

Peppy pinched the bridge of his nose. It was approaching eleven thirty at night, and this debacle showed no signs of stopping. "Was anyone killed?" he asked.

"No," Stanely replied, "But both were seriously injured."

Peppy huffed loudly, "For fucks sake, I'm not officially in charge yet and I'm already considering retirement," he said with a groan.

"We're sorry this got dropped in your lap," Lena said, her tone portraying sympathy.

Peppy sighed, "It's alright, no one knew this would happen, where is the alien now?"

"He's barricaded himself in the Lylat War Museum," Stanely said, "Some CDF soldiers have surrounded the museum, currently holding for further orders."

"Okay," Peppy said, sounding relieved.

"The reason we came here," Lena chimed in, "Was that the injured guards told us the alien was asking for him." She raised her arm, pointing at Isaac.

Peppy glanced to Isaac, leaning back in his chair, appearing to be asleep. "You sure it asked for Clarke?" he asked.

Lena nodded, "The guards told us he kept demanding where Mr. Clarke was."

"So, that's the 'alien' from the marina, right?" Fara asked.

"Yup, that's him," Peppy replied.

"Did he mention if anyone was with him when he arrived here?" Stanley asked.

"Uh...," Peppy groaned scratching his head.

"He mentioned someone named John Carver," Krystal cut in.

"Did he give a description?" Lena asked.

"No," she replied, "But we should ask him."

"Did the guards describe this guy?" Peppy asked Lena.

"They said he was about six foot two, dark skin, shaved head, and what looked like a large scar on the left side of his face," she answered.

Peppy turned back to Isaac, then he began pacing. "I wanted to let Isaac rest and continue this tomorrow," he said, "But he's the only one who can help us here." Peppy turned to Lena, "What do you want to do?"

Lena closed her eyes and blew a puff of air. She opened her eyes, "Ask him what he knows," she said.

"Right," Peppy replied and headed back into the room.

After Peppy left, Fox went to Fara. "How did the evacuation go?" he asked, giving her a hug.

"Good," she replied, "No one was injured." Fox released her from the hug. Fara pointed to Isaac, "So, the 'alien'," she started," Who is he?"

"He said his name is Isaac Clarke," Fox replied.

"And he's a..?" she asked.

"Oh! Uh...human, I believe he said," Fox responded.

Fara nodded, continuing to stare at Isaac. "He looks like the simians from Venom," she said, "Do you think they're related?"

Fox shrugged, "We'll have to wait on the research team," Fox replied, "They found a dead human on the docks, they have in the lab right now."

"Wow," Fara said with a tone of disbelief. Both she and Fox watched as Peppy questioned Isaac about Carver.

Isaac stirred from his sleep as the door opened and Peppy entered. "Mr. Clarke," Peppy said, "I have some questions about your friend, this John Carver."

Isaac stiffened at the name, a feeling of dread flowing up his spine. "Did you find him?" he asked slowly.

"We think," Peppy replied, "Guards at a nearby museum have cornered another human inside."

"Shit," Isaac muttered, "Is it him?"

"That's what I wanted to ask. Could you describe his appearance?" Peppy asked.

Isaac sighed heavily, "He's about six feet tall, dark skinned, has a large scar on his left cheek."

Peppy grunted in response, "Then that's him."

Isaac grew more concerned at the confirmation. "Carver's been through a lot," he said, "It's not my place to go into details, but he's very unstable."

Peppy ran his fingers across his head," So, what do we do?"

"Let me talk to him," Isaac replied, "We aren't exactly friends, but a least I'm a familiar face."

"Alright," Peppy said with a sigh, "Follow me." Peppy led Isaac to the door, and out into the hall. He visibly stiffened as all eyes turned to him.

"Mr. Clarke," a large lioness said, extended her hand, "It's nice to see you in person."

"Likewise," he said shyly, taking her hand, "And you are?"

"Oh sorry," Lena said, somewhat embarrassed, "I am Lena Harrigan, Prime Minister of the Lylat Empire."

"Good to meet you," he said releasing her hand.

"Now," she said, "About your friend. General Hare here will escort you to the museum."

Peppy nodded, "Come on, Mr. Clarke," he said pointing down the hall, "We'll go out the back way to avoid the media."

Peppy and Isaac barely started walking, before Fox spoke up, "Hey Peppy? Can we come with you?"

"Prime Minister?" Peppy asked.

"I think it would best if Star Fox went with you," she said.

"Okay," Peppy replied, "Let's go, Star Fox." As the group trekked down the hall, Isaac took his time to observe them. In addition to Krystal, the was the fox, bird, frog, and lynx he saw at the marina. A cocker spaniel and a tan fox who weren't there before were also in the group. Isaac thought how out of place he must look.

His thoughts went to Ellie. He wondered if she even made it to Earth, if any of Danik's men survived and followed her. He figured with the Moon dead, their faith would be shattered and probably would all be driven mad. 'At least I don't have to deal with that shit anymore,' he thought. As they reach the end of the hall, Peppy opened the exit and they headed out to the motor pool.

Peppy led them to a nearby APC. "I'll drive, you guys get in the back," he said. Isaac and the others headed inside after Peppy opened the ramp. He hopped in the driver's seat and quickly drove to the museum.

Isaac sat himself between Krystal and Fox, the tan fox sitting beside him, and the lynx sitting beside Krystal. the toad, cocker spaniel and avian sat on the opposite side. With no windows in the troop bay, Isaac thought about what he'd say and do when he met Carver. He didn't know how disturbed he was by all of this, he hoped he hadn't hurt anyone. He was taken from his thoughts by the lynx across from him tapping his shoulder. He looked at her, remembering her from the docks. Her large green eyes were making him somewhat uncomfortable.

"Yes?" he asked shyly.

"I'm Miyu," she said, extending her hand.

"Isaac," he said, taking her hand.

"I saw you from outside the interrogation room," she said with a smile, releasing his hand, "And I have to say, you are quite handsome up close."

Isaac cocked an eyebrow at this. "I'm also forty-nine, so," he said with a shrug, hoping that would dissuade her, as she looked to be in her early twenties.

"I think you look good in grey," she said with a sly smile.

Isaac sighed softly. He didn't want to have an alien flirt with him, especially so soon after losing Ellie. His thoughts again turned to Ellie, his expression turning to sorrow. Krystal watched Isaac's shoulders slump, and the sadness fill his face. She shot a glare toward Miyu, who mouthed 'sorry,' glancing to Isaac with an apologetic look. Fox patted Krystal's knee to calm her down. Krystal stared at Isaac, wondering what he was thinking about. 'Please be okay,' she thought to herself. The rest of the hour-long ride continued in silence.

When they arrived at the museum twenty minutes later, they were greeted by a flurry of activity. Soldiers and police surround the building, reporters and camera crews scrambling to get the best angle to capture the scene. Peppy parked the APC near another and they exited.

He walked up to a CDF soldier, asking, "Who is in charge here?"

The solider gave a salute, and pointed to a tiger nearby, "Capt. Roberts. Over there."

"Thank you," Peppy said. They made their way to Capt. Roberts, Isaac lowering himself to keep from being spotted by reporters. The looks the soldiers gave him were of curiosity and gave off no hostility. Isaac was definitely thankful for this.

Capt. Roberts turned to them when they arrive, his eyes immediately went to Isaac. "Capt. Roberts." Peppy said, getting his attention.

"Gen. Hare," he replied raising his arm for a salute.

"No need for formalities this time," Peppy said, "What's the situation?"

"The alien locked himself in the curator's office," he said.

Peppy nodded, "This," he began, pointing to Isaac, "Is Isaac Clarke. He knows the other alien, and he's willing to help."

Roberts returned his gaze to Isaac. "Well, hopefully he can calm the other one down," he said, "Follow me."

Roberts led them around the back of the museum where several more CDF soldiers were waiting. Stepping to the backdoor, the CDF guarding the door slowly opened it, peeking around for any sign of Carver. "Don't take too long," Roberts warned, "High Command is wanting this wrapped up as quickly as possible."

"Just let us handle it," Peppy replied, "We don't want anyone else getting hurt." Roberts nodded and gave the signal to his men. The CDF soldiers stepped aside and Peppy, Isaac, and Star Fox entered the museum.

The halls were filled with dull light, giving an ominous feeling. The group moved slowly through the halls, their footsteps echoing through off the walls. "We're almost to the curator's office," Peppy whispered, "Everyone stay sharp."

''Peppy," Isaac said, "Let me do all the talking when we find him."

"Ok," Peppy replied. Rounding a corner, they spotted the curator's office.

"We'll stay around the corner," Peppy said to Isaac, "You go ahead."

Isaac nodded and slowly walked to the office. A few paces from the door, Isaac heard Carver shout and glass shattering. Isaac took a few steps back and waited. A few moments later, he heard footsteps approaching.

"Here we go," Isaac said to himself. The office door flew open, and Carver stepped into the hall. "Carver," Isaac said.

He turned to him, a look of surprise on his face. The look of surprise quickly turned to anger. "What are you doing in my apartment!?" Carver asked, rage filled his tone.

"We're not in your apartment," Isaac replied, "We're not supposed to be anywhere." Carver looked around the museum, the illusion of his apartment dissolving around him, his twisted in terror. Peppy and Star peeked around the corner, ready to spring into action in case things went south.

"What the fuck!?" Carver muttered, stumbling backwards, "So this is real?" Carver's mind flashed with images from when he woke up. He remembered the furred creatures staring at him in fear, the ones that resembled police officers that he attacked, chasing him as he ran. "Aren't we...?" he began, confusion in his voice.

"Dead? Guess not," Isaac replied with a sigh.

"Isaac," Carver said, "That doesn't make any sense! I activated the Codex! The Moon fell!" Carver slapped his fingers against his chest, "We fell!"

Isaac took a deep breath to gather his thoughts. "What about the alien machine, huh?" he asked after a moment, "It froze the planet," he then pointed to the ceiling, "It pulled a moon out of the sky. We don't what that technology can do."

Carver stared at Isaac with an unamused look on his face. "So that's it?" he asked, "We were saved by fuckin' aliens? A-and sent here," he pointed to a painting on the wall nearby, showing a blue vixen that looked like Krystal, clad in a small bra and a loincloth, "To some fuckin' furry's wet dream?"

Star Fox bristled at Carver's words, especially Krystal, since the painting was of her. "Isaac?" Craver asked, sounding stressed.

"I quit trying to make sense of it all back on the Ishimura," Isaac replied with a shrug. Carver turned away from him, throwing his arms out in frustration.

He turned back to Isaac, "Come on! This...this can't be real!" he shouted, "So what are we supposed to do now!?"

"Well," Isaac said as he took a quick glance at the corner where Peppy and Star Fox were.

Carver took notice, "Were you followed?" he asked darkly.

"No, I was picked up by the locals hours ago," Isaac replied.

"And they brought you here, huh?" Carver asked with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah," Isaac replied, "You guys can come out now," he called out to them.

Carver watched as a rabbit in a red dress uniform stepped out from around the corner. Following him was a red fox, a tan fennec fox, a blue bird of some kind, a small green frog, a white cocker spaniel, an orange cat, and lastly and blue vixen, who looked very familiar. Carver turned back to the painting he pointed at earlier. He let out a chuckle, "I called that one the furry's wet dream," he whispered to Isaac, nodding his head toward Krystal.

"Just apologize," Isaac said with a sigh, "I'm sure she'll understand." Star Fox lingered behind as Peppy continued forward. Stopping next to Isaac, Peppy looked Carver up and down.

"Mr. Carver," he said, "I am General Peppy Hare of the Cornerian Defense Forces." He extended his hand to Carver.

John glanced at his hand, then slowly took it. "Sargeant John Carver, EarthGov," he said.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Carver," Peppy replied, "Since its late, I say we postpone any interrogation until tomorrow."

"Interrogation?" Carver asked.

"Yes," Peppy replied, "Since you and Mr. Clarke are the first alien species we've ever discovered, this is a first contact scenario. The Prime Minister will want a full interview with both of you."

Carver pinched his nose, "Does anyone else know about us?"

"The media has been reporting 'possible' sightings," Peppy replied with a huff, "But we haven't confirmed anything...yet."

Isaac cocked an eye at this, "Yet? You think it's a good idea to tell everyone?"

Peppy nodded, "There were plenty of witnesses. If we don't provide an answer, people will lose the minds." Isaac huffed in agreement; Carver just stared at the floor.

"So," Peppy said, scratching his ear, "I'd rather not send you both to holding cells for the night, but where...?"

Fox cleared his throat, "Peppy, we have extra rooms on The Great Fox."

"Alright," Peppy said. He turned to Isaac and John. "Let's go."

Isaac followed Peppy and the others, John lagged behind. Isaac glanced at him as he drug his boots across the floor. 'God Carver,' Isaac thought to himself. As they arrived at the exit, Peppy held up his hand to stop them.

"Let me talk to Capt. Roberts first," he said. Peppy stepped outside, closing the door behind him. The others waited in silence, the late hour finally catching up to them. Peppy thankfully opened the door and motioned them outside within a few minutes. The late hour meant most of the media had turned in, making the trip back to the APC more pleasant for Isaac and John. As they boarded, Peppy climbed in the driver's cab. Startin the engine, they strapped themselves in, Isaac and John sitting next to each other, and Peppy started the drive to the cities space port, where the Great Fox was docked.

As the drove, Isaac rested his head against the wall. The cold metal could hardly be called a pillow, by the was so tired, he just didn't care. As Isaac slept, John decided to get a better look at the group. The blue vixen from before was sitting next to Isaac, perhaps a little too close. An orange lynx sat next to the vixen, resting her head on her shoulder. Across from them, a blue bird was playing with a small tablet, a green frog looking the screen as well. A male fox was resting his head just as Isaac. Lastly, a white cocker spaniel was staring at him. When his eyes met hers, she quickly glanced toward the floor, a slight pink hue formed on her cheeks. John sighed before resting his head against the wall. After an hour of silence, the APC arrived at the space port. Isaac and John both stirred as the lights in the troop compartment brightened. The ramp slowly lowered, Peppy standing just outside.

"Come on," Peppy said, "The Great Fox is just over there," he pointed over to a large ship, painted white, with a large hangar in the bow, two long wings on each side. Peppy raised the ramp up after they exited, punching in a code to lock the APC's doors and followed behind them.

Fox led the team to the ship, Isaac and John taking the rear. They stopped at an elevator, Fox pushed the call button, checking his watch: three a.m. 'Least we have the day off tomorrow,' he said in his head. The elevator slowly came to a stop, the doors parting open. They stepped, the doors closing behind them. The elevator jumped as it started its ascent to the Great Fox's hangar. After thirty seconds, the elevator came to a stop, the doors opening to reveal the hangar's interior. The hangar was filled with crates, and what looked like spare parts. On the ceiling, four strange fighters sat inside individual cradles, each mounted on tracks, one for each fighter, that led to the hanger doors on the opposite side. Large pillars were attached to the cradles and the tracks, providing support. Isaac's eyes scanned the room, his mind flashing to his fight with the Tripod on Titan Station;

Entering the atrium of the Titan Memorial Medical Center, Isaac slowly made his way to the exit, following Daina's route. Loud banging from the other side of the atrium caught his attention. He turned to the sound, raising his plasma cutter. Behind a destroyed shuttle, a large, three clawed hand grabbed the top of the wreckage, crushing the flaming metal in its grip. A second hand joined the first, pulling a massive necromorph, the mutilated bodies making up its body twisted in the most horrific ways imaginable. With a roar that shook the walls, the necromorph leapt twenty feet in the air, and slammed onto the floor, the force nearly knocking him off his feet. The Tripod began stomping its way toward, Isaac quickly dodging to the side as it swiped its claws at him. He aimed his plasma cutter at the glowing yellow spot on its shoulder and fired.

The Tripod roared in pain before raisin its other arm and slamming its hand on the floor, missing Isaac by inches. Isaac jumped to his feet and fired another bolt of stasis. As the Tripod was engulfed in the stasis field, Isaac aimed his plasma cutter at the same arm and fired another two blasts. This time, its arm separated. The stasis field wore off as the Tripod slammed to the ground, roaring with pain and rage. Isaac tried to fire another bolt of stasis, but his pack had run dry.

There was a station recharge station on the wall nearby, Isaac quickly ran toward in while the Tripod recovered. Pressing the button, he watched the stasis refill through the feed on the station's display. Behind him, the Tripod stood up and began hobbling toward him. He whipped around and launched another beam of stasis into the Tripod, once again covering its body in blue light. Isaac aimed his cutter and fired into the Tripod's other arm, quickly blowing it off completely. The stasis off wore again as it slammed into the ground. Out of its mouth...Isaac?... a long appendage with a scythe like growth of bone slammed into the floor inches away from him...Isaac! He quickly jumped back and aimed his cutter...ISAAC!

Carver's voice shook him out of his dream. He realized he had been standing still the entire time. He looked toward Carver, noticing his annoyed expression, and the concerned looks of Peppy and the Star Fox team. Isaac cleared hir throat and walked up to them.

"Are you okay?" Fox asked. "Yeah," Isaac said softly, "Everything's fine, everything's...fine."

Fox didn't believe him, but just shrugged it off for now. He motioned for them to continue and the left the hang and entered a hallway that led to another elevator. Climbing in, the elevator took them up to floors up to the Great Fox's living quarters.

Fox led them out into the hallway. "Okay," Fox began, "These two rooms here," he said, pointing to two rooms on his left, "Are spare rooms for guests."

Isaac and John looked to the doors. Fox stepped over to the keypads on each door and unlocked them.

"Mine and Fara's room is the one on the end there," he said, pointing to the last door on the left, "Falco's next to me, Fay's right next door." Fox then pointed to the doors on the right, "Last door is Peppy's. Then across from you two are Miyu and Krystal, the last one here is Slippy's."

Isaac nodded, "We appreciate your kindness."

Fox smiled, "No problem. So, you guys have any spare clothes or anything else?"

"We're wearing some clothes under our suits," John replied, "But that's all."

Fox rubbed his chin in thought, "Well, tomorrow's our day off, so we can take you guys out to get more clothes and other things you need, sound good?"

Isaac and John nodded, "Sounds great," Isaac replied.

"Alright," Fox said, "We'll see you guys tomorrow." Fox and the others bid them goodnight and headed to their rooms.

John glanced to Isaac and gave a slight nod before opening his room's door, disappearing inside. Isaac stood in the hallway for a few moments before going into his room. It was a rather large room, Almost the size of his apartment on the Lunar Colony, the layout was even similar. Isaac undid the seal on his snow suit and stepped out of it, He was now dress in the same grey shirt and pants he was wearing when Carver and Norton picked him up. He removed those next along with his shoes, now only dress in his boxers and undershirt. With a sigh, headed to the bed, pulling back the covers and climbing on the mattress. Laying down, he looked at the clock on the desk across the room, the display reading 3:25 a.m. Isaac turned his gazed back toward the ceiling. His thoughts turned again to Ellie, wondering if she made it to Earth. He let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes, falling asleep quickly as the fatigue finally claimed him.


Aurthur's Note: Again, apologies for the delay. Chapter 3 is in works right now, but I don't have an estimation on when it will be completed, but don't worry, I won't abandon this story. Chapter 2 of Haunted is about halfway done and will be uploaded either this weekend or next Monday. Please enjoy Chapter 2. R&R.