Lylat: Star Fox Chronicles
Nothing was left of James McCloud. He'd vanished into a black hole, never to be seen in this world again....or would he?
Lylat: Level Four
Water trickled along her spine and trailed down her petite and lithesome frame, swirled around her feet, warm and wet, washing away a raw odor which had been with her for more than a day. She grasped the enamel bars on each side of the shower after feeling a little dizzy, then as quickly as the feeling came, it went away.
Still, her hands trembled, although not severely as the day before.
Her father was a powerful man who could make people move on the dime, and it was he who had sent out the brigades to capture her, then bring her back home where she belonged. She fell into his arms when arriving at Phoenix Estate. He had a look on his face, not one of 'I told you so,' instead he appeared to be more than happy to see her and at the same time stunned by the turn of events.
"Here, Pup," He seldom used that pet name--hadn't since she was at least twelve years old. "Everything's just the same as it was when you left. All you need to do is go up, pull back the covers and sink into bed."
"Yes, Daddy." Her eyes held a dysphoric glimmer as he rested the palm of his hand on her cheek.
She had gone straight up to her room but did not go near the bed.
While in the shower, she must have heard the phone ringing constantly then being answered by a recorded message. ....hello, you have reached the living quarters of Fara Phoenix, Civil Defense Specialist. I'm not in at the moment but if you would like, please leave me your name, number, and a brief explanation for this call and I promise to get back to you as soon as possible....
A few more minutes and she finished her shower, wrapped a fluffy white towel around her, then retreated back into her bedroom that had been kept polished and neat just incase she ever returned to stay for a while. However, that had not crossed her mind since leaving home, because she had learned well enough to take care of herself, kept an apartment in the city without once having to ask her father for money, even though he'd offered it to her too many times, and she had been safe--her neighbors looked out for her, and so did her friends.
She figured they were all wondering where she had gone now. All but one.
rrrrriiiiinnnnnngggg!!!!!!
This time, the phone made her skin crawl.
The recorded message played. Then one beep.
".....Fara.... It's Rita! Pick up! Please, if you're there, pick up!..."
It was too soon to talk to them. She wasn't ready for talking to anyone, especially not Rita.
"Please....It's about Fox.... There's something very important... Please... ...oh my--"
She snatched up the receiver in the nick of time. "Hello?"
"Thank God you answered!"
Then were second thoughts....
"I've been trying to call all day and the line's been busy. Are you okay?"
No answer.
"We were all worried about you," said Rita. "Peppy wanted to know if there's anything he could do, or we could do to help--"
Bluntly. "No."
A moment of silence, then Rita spoke again.
"Fara, we need you to make a decision, and I hate to be the one to put pressure on you, but there's not much time. As it is, you're the only one authorized to make this decision."
"What decision?"
"You'll have to come down to--"
"I'm not coming anywhere," Fara swiftly countered. "And you can forget telling anyone else where I--"
"Fox named you as his legal guardian!" Rita blasted.
If this was the way they played games, it wasn't funny. After all she'd just been through, it seemed that her friends would have known better than to act so haphazardly in such a situation and finally stop making light of the fact that she was older than Fox by two and a half....well actually closer to three...years.
"I'm not in the mood for jokes!" she snapped.
"Jokes? Why the hell would I be joking at a time like this, Fara? His living will gave you control of everything, and you have to understand something else...."
She didn't want to hear anything more.
"It's up to you to decide whether to leave him the way he is....or....well... to pull....the plug..."
The phone didn't leave her ear. She listened but could not speak. Water dripped steadily from the ends of her hair, the carpet had become damp at her feet.
"Fara....? Fara...? Are you still there?"
A pulse. A substantial amount of trembling. Barely anything else.
Eat My Dust
Looked like a smooth operating machine. He'd spent loads of cash on it, fixed it up with headers and chrome with a 650.Mach engine rebuilt to supply a powerful torque nearly matching the speed of sound just above the surface. Heads could barely turn fast enough to see it in action.
"Nice."
Falco wasn't too thrilled with that response. "This baby is a supreme piece of machinery, top notch, better than gold, man, and that's all you can say? Nice?"
Not that Fox was not familiar with pricey fixed-up hotrods, he just didn't see the point of plunking down five-hundred bills at a time just for show. "Okay, better than I expected."
"And?"
"Well, if you want my honest opinion--"
"Damn, I'm not lookin' for your honest opinion, Fox! As I matter of fact I'm not lookin' for anything from you. Now what'd you come here for anyway?"
"To get you out of this and into where you belong."
"And according to you, where's that?" Falco tightened a hose, checked the oil.
"The Academy."
If there was anything that could make the already fiery-tempered hawk miffed, that was it.
"There you go again talkin' about that cadet stuff again.... I don't wanna be a cadet... It sounds sissy--"
"Falco,"
"--And you tell your little girlfriend to stop goin' around comparing what I do to what you do."
"Come again?"
Falco came out from under the hood where he was working and wiped some of the grease from his hands. "What's 'er name again? Ferry?"
Fox glared. "That's Far-a."
"Whatever. I hear she thinks you're the greatest pilot in the whole damned planetary system when you haven't even earned your wings yet....and on the other hand, she considers me a dumb guy with an even dumber hobby."
Seemed he'd stumped the academy's most treasured cadet.
"I don't see why you're so hung up on getting me to join the force when they've got you anyway," he sneered. "You're tops, right, Junior? You're gonna follow in your dad's footsteps, but we're all expecting you to at least outsmart ol' Andross instead of gettin' sucked into one of his traps--"
Fox snatched Falco away from the cleanly polished engine before he could get a hand on the air intake valve.
"I don't know what the hell your'e tryin' to prove, Falco, but whatever it is, it's not workin' with me. You're a damned good pilot to begin with, maybe the best. But you sure as hell will never know it if you don't get off your ass and go for it! Flying's in your blood, man. Deny that and deny what you are."
Falco straightened his collar soon as Fox let go and noticed his wrench on the chassis. He then picked it up and stepped forward, shoving the thing almost up the vulpine's trail-sniffing nose. "Don't ever do that again, McCloud, or you'll find that tail of yours wrung in a knot around that gallant little neck of yours."
"It's not my neck you want, pal. Remember, it's Andross. And I know deep down you want to see him destroyed. Join the defense and burn him alive."
In the eyes of Junior McCloud was a stark chilling glare before he turned and walked away. Falco smirked, wiped the remaining grease from his hands then shut the hood.
"..Yeah...." he said into the direction where Fox had just disappeared. "..I'll join, allright. Seems they need someone to show their little cadets how to fly...."
Lylat5