Chapter 2 – Vacation goes awry

"So, you really did all that without your blaster?" Kyle asked Fox.

"Yep." said Fox, "Krystal's staff wasn't exactly my choice of weapon, but hey."

"Well, according to the rules of combat," said Kyle, "if it's stupid but it works, it ain't stupid."

Peppy grinned.

"That sounds like something James McCloud would say." he said.

The team had spent the day at a hotel, and now they were all kicking back and relaxing at the pool. While Slippy and Falco were swimming, Fox, Kyle, and Peppy were sitting in lounge chairs, talking to each other and having some drinks. Kyle had told them about himself and how he served in the military. Everyone seemed to like him.

"How long have you been fighting Wolf O'Donnell?" Kyle asked.

"Since the Lylat war." said Fox, "I never actually met him before that. And after the war, I never heard from him again."

"So you didn't really hate each other?"

"Well, I don't know if he ever had any kind of grudge against me. All I know is that he was hired by Andross to kill me. Needless to say, I foiled all of his attempts."

"You know Wolf?" asked Peppy.

Kyle nodded.

"He was a friend of mine when we were pups." he said, "When my parents were killed, I took to the streets, where I met him. We tried our best to survive, by scrounging for food and sleeping wherever we could. Then, one day, we stumbled upon a gang who was wanted by the police. When they came after us, we ran in opposite directions to try and lose them. I was rescued by a policeman, who happened to be driving by, but after that I never saw Wolf again."

"Poor Wolf." Peppy said to Fox, "I can't help but feel sorry for him."

Fox nodded. As much as he hated to admit it, he also felt pity for Wolf. It was then that Kyle had a flashback the day when he and Wolf parted.

* * *

"Run! RUN!"

"They're gaining on us, Wolf!"

"Let's split up! I'll go right, you go left!"

Kyle and Wolf both ran in opposite directions. Kyle turned his head and saw that half of the gang was still after him. He kept running until he tripped and fell face down on the sidewalk. He started to cry.

"Oh, look. The poor baby got hurt."

"What'sa matter? You get a boo boo?"

One of the thugs grabbed Kyle by the neck and pulled out a knife as the others started laughing. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, followed by the sound of sirens. It was a police car.

"Oh shit! The cops! Let's get outta here!"

The thug let go of Kyle and they all ran. The officer stopped right next to Kyle and got out of his car. He walked up to Kyle, who was crying and shivering with fear, and put his hand gently on Kyle's shoulder. Kyle calmed down, and looked up.

"It's alright, Son. You're safe now."

The officer helped Kyle up. Kyle had a few bruises and scrapes, but he wasn't bleeding anywhere and nothing was broken or irreparable.

"Where's your family? Do they know you're here?"

Kyle shook his head, tears still in his eyes.

"I… I don't h-have a *sniff* family. My… my mom and dad are… *sniff* dead!"

He started crying again.

"Come on, Son. Let's get you somewhere safe."

That was the last that Kyle had ever seen of Wolf. The police searched for months but, although they eventually caught the gang members, they never found Wolf.

* * *

Kyle stood up.

"I think I'll go for a swim, now." he said.

Hoping that swimming would help him take his mind off that terrible day, Kyle walked up to the pool. After testing the water with his paw, he jumped in. The splash threw water into Falco's face.

"Thank you!" Falco said, trying to get the water out of his eyes.

"Sorry." said Kyle.

* * *

Kyle came out of the bathroom, fully dressed and combing the fur on his head. Fox was kneeling in front of his bed, playing his chess game.

"I still think it's cheating somehow." he said.

"Yeah, I never did like playing against the computer." Kyle replied.

Kyle, still exhausted from swimming, lay down on his bed and started taking a nap. After losing his Queen to a Bishop, Fox sighed and turned off the game. Just as he was about to lie down, he heard the sound of something hard hitting the floor.

"What was that?" he asked.

"What?" Kyle said, springing back awake.

Suddenly, Kyle spotted a gas grenade on the floor between the beds.

"Fox, look out!"

But he had spoken too late. The grenade exploded in a cloud of gas. Fox and Kyle began coughing until they both passed out.

* * *

"Sir, we have Fox McCloud and his new recruit in custody."

"Excellent. Bring them to me."

________________________________________________________________________

End of Chapter 2