Fall of a Hero
-chapter four-
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by l77ercenary
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When Fox had finally caught up with the doctors and nurses, they had already transferred the patient to another bed and had begun treating the bleeding. Fox worked his way around the room until he could get a better look.
Slippy.
Fox held himself back, knowing that the doctors were Slippy's best hope. Slippy's usually cheerful face was sunk into a frown. A long, deep cut that would surely form a scar was along his left cheek. In the shape that the clothes were in and the multiple abrasions and cuts along his arms, Fox could tell that the crash hadn't done this. Slippy had been tortured, or beaten. Fox guessed the first rather than the latter, though didn't hope for either.
Slowly, Fox backed out of the room, leaving the doctors to their work.
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It was nearly three hours later when Slippy finally regained consciousness. Though the frog had been given morphine, slight pain was evident on his face. His arms and legs were bandaged from the various abrasions and cuts. The deep cut along his left cheek was stitched up and his eyes had a dullness to them.
Fox walked into the room, unsure if Slippy noticed him. Slippy was staring at the ceiling, unblinking and unmoving.
"Glad to have you back, Slippy." Fox said as he walked into the room. "Slippy?"
Slippy looked at him for a few seconds, a hint of a smile coming across his face. He didn't say anything though. It probably hurt to talk. It didn't take Fox long to see that this was Leon Powalski's work.
"How'd you get away?" Fox asked.
"I didn't." Slippy replied. "They just dropped me off."
"Hows....Peppy?"
"Ok. He wasn't even touched."
For a minute, Slippy was quiet and had started to stare at the ceiling again. Though Fox was relieved that Peppy hadn't been harmed, yet, he knew there was something else behind it. Something else Slippy hadn't said.
Then Slippy said. "Andross had a message for you. He said that he wants a final battle between you and Star Wolf. Peppy will be released, but only if you agree."
Now it was Fox's turn to be quiet. He wasn't sure what to say. Star Wolf had the Wolfen IIIs, which, from the reports from Katina, were far more superior to Star Fox's Arwing. He wanted Peppy back, but accepting the challenge would mean that he would be placing his, Falco's, and Slippy's lives in danger. Slippy was in no condition to pilot anything right then, so the frog would be counted out.
"Fox, he gave you two weeks to reply." Slippy added. "Peppy wouldn't even be touched until then, though afterward he couldn't give any promises."
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"Well?" Fox looked at his team mates, minus one. It was two days later. Slippy, who had gotten out of the hospital the day before, was sitting on the couch of the Great Fox's lounge room, but probably wasn't feeling any better. Falco was leaning up against the wall.
"Well what?" Falco looked at their leader. "I say there's nothing to think about. Andross has to give us Peppy back so we can fight as a team, right? As soon as we get Peppy back, we run for it."
"I've already thought that plan through. Andross'll be expecting that." Fox said. "I've been talking to General Pepper. We're to meet with him at 0800 tomorrow morning."
"I hope he's got something good up his sleeve." The avian pilot muttered.
"Fox," Slippy said. "even if we don't have a plan, are we gonna do it?"
Fox shook his head. "I don't know, Slip'."
Fox turned and walked out of the room. Slippy and Falco watched him go. After a few seconds of silence, Falco was the first to speak.
"He wasn't cut out to make these type of decisions."
"Whaddya mean?" Slippy asked.
Falco looked at Slippy. "What do you think I mean? The guy's gonna go crazy before he'll let us fight those Wolfen IIIs."
"We have to save Peppy, though!"
"Look at it this way." Falco sighed. Trying to explain things to Slippy was almost hopeless. "The Arwing can't beat the Wolfen III. If we lose, all of us die, not just Peppy."
"Oh..."
"Now you get it."