Fall of a Hero

-chapter three-

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by l77ercenary

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"What?" Fox exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. He wasn't sure if he should believe what he had just heard, or if he had even heard it in the first place. "The entire Husky/Bulldog unit? Peppy and Slippy?"

Falco had been able to recieve Peppy's emergency beacon but had arrived on Katina far too late to do anything. Star Wolf had already gone, leaving the Katina base a wreck. Fox was too far away to recieve the communications beacon. He hadn't found until now about the battle that had taken place.

"What survived of the Husky/Bulldog unit is still at the base, or in a hospital." General Pepper shook his head sadly. "Peppy and Slippy were....."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Fox. They were captured by Star Wolf."

Fox froze, his jaw closed with grim realization. Peppy and Slippy both had the very real possibility of ending up just like his father, James McCloud, had. For Peppy or Slippy to end up that way was something the fox didn't even want to think about.

There was only one thing that Fox could think to do.

"Where were they taken? Fox asked.

"Don't think of saving them, Fox." The general warned. "We don't even know where they've been taken."

"But we can't--"

"We can't do anything until we find out more!" Pepper sat down and sighed. "I'm sorry, but we can't afford to lose the rest of Star Fox."

The communications screen went black as it shut off, leaving Fox alone to sit in silence. Sure, Slippy could be annoying, but it wasn't the same without his annoying voice. And Peppy had been like a father to Fox after Fox's own father had died.

Fox thought that Falco must feel the same way. When the avian arrived on the Great Fox, he hadn' said a word. He hadn't even made eye contact. Falco had just walked past Fox and headed for the locker room to take a shower. Right away Fox could tell that something was wrong, but wasn't sure if he should ask about it.

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Falco let himself be drenched by the hot water of the shower. He had been in the shower for nearly twenty minutes, longer than he usually was. He hated getting his feathers wet, but this time he couldn't bring himself to shut off the water. He guessed he was hoping it'd end up drowning him sooner or later. He couldn't help but think that if he had gotten to Katina sooner he could have been able to help somehow.

He knew just as well as Fox did what could happen to Peppy and Slippy. He didn't want to think about it, either.

Star Wolf had only left about five minutes before he arrived. He had almost been there in time.

When he had dried off and dressed, he found Fox sitting alone in the main lounge area of the Great fox. Fox was bent over with his elbows on his knees, looking down at the floor in silence.

"Bill was sent to the CCH." said Falco. The CCH was the Cornerian Central Hospital. One thing Falco didn't want to see was Fox moping around the Great Fox all day. Though seeing Bill in the hospital wasn't much of good news, it would hopefully get Fox to quit thinking about Slippy and Peppy for a while.

Fox looked up at Falco, then in an instant was gone.

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It had only taken Fox about ten minutes to figure out which hospital room Bill Grey was in. The hospital had gotten crowded because of the many injured survivors of the Katina base attack. Nearly thirty had been admitted.

When Fox found Bill, the canine was busily flipping through various TV channels in his hospital room. His right leg was in a cast, as was his right arm. His right forepaw was even bandaged. The dog's nose had been scraped so that the tip was pink in color. His tail was in a sling.

"Bill?" Fox said as he walked into the room.

Bill's face instantly brightened when he saw his friend. "Fox! I thought something had happened to you when I didn't see you out there today!"

"I had no idea Star Wolf would attack Katina." Fox confessed. "I wish I could've been there."

"Don't think about it, Fox." Bill shrugged. "I wouldn't have joined the Cornerian Air Force if I was afraid to get hurt a little."

Fox raised one eyebrow. "A little?"

"You kidding? This doesn't even hurt!" As if to show Fox that he was telling the truth, Bill rapped on his leg cast. Instantly Bill froze in mid-rap. "Ow........"

Fox shook his head. Despite the way he felt, he had to chuckle.

"At least you got TV." Fox said. "When I'm hurt, I'm bandaged up and put right back in that Arwing."

"You enjoy every second of it, too, I bet." Bill laughed as Fox smiled, unable to deny was he had just said. Bill picked back up the remote from where he had dropped it when Fox had come in. "You think i got it easy? No way, man! Just look at these channels."

Bill flipped through the channels like an expert channel surfer. Various channels, such as the Cornerian Shopping Network and a few music channels, passed by. The music wasn't even Bill's favorite genre.

"I heard about Peppy and Slippy." Fox said bluntly. "How did it all happen?"

"The battle?" Bill turned off the TV and looked at him.

"All of it."

"I don't remember much. I was unconscious most of the time."

"Tell me what you can."

Bill explained what he could and what he thought had happened. Fox listened attentively to every word that was said, taking note of the important things mentally. Suddenly there was a loud commotion coming from the hall as a table carrying someone sped by. Fox thought he had caught a glimpse of whoever it was on the table, but the doctors and nurses pushing the table were in the way. Fox could hardly see a thing. But he could hear

"We have to get him treated now!" A doctor, a gray squirrel, ordered roughly. "He'll bleed to death!"

Another doctor, this one a brown feathered avian, called out. "We need the bandages for an amphibian!"

"On their way, doctor!" A nurse answered.

"Amphibian?" Fox echoed, then looked at Bill.

"Go check it out!" urged Bill.