Chapter 5 – The good guys strike back
Kyle panted as he, Fox, and Wolf ran to the Great Fox.
"Shouldn't we… find the… rest of the team first?" he asked.
"There's no time." said Fox, "We've gotta hurry!"
Fox, Kyle, and Wolf got aboard the Great Fox.
"ROB," said Fox, "take us into orbit."
"Yes, sir." said ROB.
Suddenly, ROB noticed Wolf.
"Enemy detected!" he said. "Engaging enemy!"
ROB ran to Wolf, grabbed his throat and lifted him in the air! Wolf was gasping for air as ROB's grip tightened.
"ROB, STOP!" Fox shouted, "He's a friend!"
Rob let go of Wolf, who began breathing for dear life as he hit the floor.
"Acknowledged." he said, "Forgive me, friend."
"Forget about it." Wolf said, still holding his throat in pain.
The Great Fox took off. After a few minutes, ROB detected a Venom command ship.
"Venom command cruiser detected." said ROB. "Should I open fire, sir?"
"No." said Fox, "We need to get on it."
"Acknowledged. I will slow our approach and stand off at a safe distance."
"That must be Bruno's ship." said Kyle. "I wonder why it's just sitting there, though."
"And how are we going to get on without detection?" asked Wolf.
"I'm thinking. I'm thinking." said Fox.
Suddenly, Fox remembered the ring that Krystal gave him.
"I've got it!" he said, "I'll be right back."
Fox went to his quarters and searched for the ring. After about a minute, he found it on his nightstand. Grabbing the ring, he ran back to the command post, where Wolf and Kyle were waiting.
"What have you got there?" asked Wolf
"A friend of mine gave this to me." Fox said, holding up the ring, "It's supposedly able to teleport whoever wears it to anywhere that they've previously been."
"Does it work?"
"I don't know. I haven't tested it yet, but it may be our only option."
Wolf shrugged and held Fox's hand after Fox put the ring on his finger. Kyle took Fox's other hand. Closing his eyes, Fox pictured the room that he'd been in on Bruno's ship. After a few seconds, they all teleported. They were instantly brought to the throne room. Fox opened his eyes.
"It works!" he said.
Wolf turned around, drew his blaster, and pointed it at Bruno's chair. To his relief, Bruno wasn't there.
"Looks like he's not here." he said, holstering his blaster.
Fox heard footsteps outside the room.
"Uh oh. I think someone's coming!"
They frantically looked around for a hiding place.
"Over there!" Kyle said, pointing to a vent.
Quickly, they ran to the vent. Wolf and Kyle gave Fox a boost, while he opened the vent. Fox climbed in and helped Kyle inside. Kyle did the same for Wolf. Almost immediately, two guards came into the room carrying rifles. They looked around the room briefly.
"What'd you hear, Frank?" one of the guards asked.
"I thought I heard someone talking in here."
"Well, I don't see anyone else in here."
"Ah, never mind. I was probably just hearing things."
"Whatever."
Fox, Kyle, and Wolf all breathed a sigh of relief as the guards left the room.
"So, what happens now?" asked Kyle.
"Well, first we should get our stuff back." said Fox, "Then we'll need to find out Bruno's plans and catch him in the act."
"That officer who drugged you might know something." said Wolf "If we can find him, I might be able to force some information out of him."
"Sounds like a plan." said Fox, "Kyle, do you recognize his scent?"
"Do I ever." said Kyle. "I sure wish he'd take a bath!"
"Good. Kyle, you lead the way and try to find him."
Kyle began sniffing around for the Captain. It wasn't long until he caught the Captain's scent.
"This way." he said.
Fox and Wolf followed. They all stopped as they heard Bruno's voice.
"I want every fighter and transport to be prepped and ready when I give the orders. You got that?"
"Yes, sir."
They heard the sound of a door closing.
"Now's our chance." said Fox.
As Kyle reached vent he looked inside. The Captain was at his desk, preparing a report. Kyle tried to open the vent, but it was stuck.
"Stand aside." said Wolf.
"No, wait!"
Wolf kicked the vent open. The Captain turned around and looked. After noticing the open vent, he looked at it for a few seconds and went back to his work.
"This ship is falling apart!" he said.
Once again, they breathed a sigh of relief.
"Be more careful next time!" Fox whispered.
"Sorry." said Wolf.
Wolf handed Kyle his blaster and silently dropped down from the vent. Kyle pointed the blaster at the Captain. Wolf snuck up behind the Captain, grabbed him around the neck, pulled the Captain's gun out of its holster, and pointed it to his head.
"What the hell…?!" the Captain said.
"What are your boss' plans?" asked Wolf.
"Go to hell! I won't tell you anything!"
"You might want to reconsider your answer." Wolf said, turning him around.
"Hi there." Kyle said, waving.
"You?!"
"Don't think I'll miss just because I'm a doctor!"
"Now, this is your last chance." said Wolf, "Tell me your boss' plans or you'll be staring at your brains on the wall."
"Alright! Alright! I'll tell you! He's sent an assassin to the Cornerian military headquarters to kill the General. After the General's been assassinated, he's going to attack the planet."
"That must be why he left us there." Kyle told Fox, "He must've planned on having us killed in the invasion."
"Ask him where our stuff is." Fox said to Wolf.
"Where did you put those things that you stole from Fox McCloud?" asked Wolf.
"In that bag on the desk." the Captain said, pointing to a duffel bag on his desk.
"That's all we need to know." said Fox.
"Thank you." Wolf said to the Captain.
Wolf struck the Captain in the head with the blaster and tossed it aside. As the Captain fell to the ground unconscious, Fox and Kyle dropped down out of the vent.
Kyle handed Wolf's blaster back to him, as Fox grabbed the duffel bag. He opened the bag and found everything that was taken from him: his blaster, his PDA, and his boots; as well as Kyle's blaster and boots.
"I'll take these." Kyle said, grabbing his boots and putting them on.
Fox took his boots, and put them back on. He handed Kyle's blaster to him and returned his own blaster to its holster. Then, after putting his PDA back on, he called Falco.
* * *
"Where could they be?" said Slippy, "The movie starts in a half hour!"
"I know." said Peppy, "It's not like Fox to be this late."
Suddenly, Falco's PDA started beeping.
"I wonder who that could be." he said, pushing the button.
Fox's face appeared.
"Falco…" he said.
"Fox!" said Falco, "Where in the hell's bathroom have you…?!"
"It's a long story." Fox interrupted, "No time to explain, right now. Listen, someone's about to assassinate the General."
"Pepper?" asked Slippy.
"Yes, and a Venom fleet is going to attack the planet afterwards. You've got to warn Pepper, now! Before it's too late!"
The transmission ended.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to see the movie another day." said Peppy, as they ran to the headquarters.
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End of Chapter 5