All Over Again
Lylat System
High orbit above the captial world of Corneria
The flight was uneventful as the pilots
became more anxious as the near their destination, Corneria. "Ok.
We are near enough to Corneria so that if anything is happening Andross
will certainly know of our coming here," Fox said. "Check your
ships and get them up to snuff. We don't want any malfunctions on
this run."
"Will do, Fox," Charon replied.
"Copy that," Falco said, looking over
his instruments for the umpteenth time.
"I'm ready," Slippy confirmed, but
from tone of his voice, one wouldn't know the fear that held inside.
"Ready when you are," Peppy said at
last.
"Make preparations for atmosphere
reentry," Fox said. "Coming up on the southern hemisphere.
Charon, you picking up anything in Corneria City?"
"Nothing right now," Charon said.
"Just a couple of passenger ships leaving the airport. Numerous small
ships in the area. Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Let's hope for our sake that it stays
that way," said Fox.
"See, I told you we were wasting our
time and our resources for this," Falco said, a little annoyed.
"Why don't you remind me again of
this Falco," warned Charon. "You can take it out of my next paycheck.
Oops, my mistake, ever since Pepper thought we weren't doing enough, he
cut our pay."
"Bring it on, fuzzball," Falco jeered
Charon.
"Quiet, you two," Peppy interrupted.
"I am getting strange emotions from those two airships that left.
You picking up on that as well, Charon?"
Charon calmed down and begins to focus
his inner eye. "Yes, I am. Hmmmm, strange language, sounds
Venomian."
"How soon can we get to those airships?"
Fox asked.
"In about ten minutes," Slippy answered.
"Will that be enough time?" asked
Charon.
"It better be," Fox said.
The StarFox team pushed their throttles
to the maximum, hoping to divert the disaster that was about to befall
Corneria City. "You know, even though Venom is still under quarantine,
some Venomian locals are still here on the planet," Falco said, suggesting
that it could be just locals on an outing.
"I don't think these are locals, Falco,"
said Charon. "I don't think locals address each other as captain
or sergeant."
Using a loose triangle formation,
the StarFox team came within sight of the outskirts of Corneria City, with
the vague image of The Tydrier, looming large, over the capital city.
It was like the scene from Charon's vision was becoming reality, the two
airships, on a direct collision course on the monument, one from the east,
one from the west. "We won't be able to take both of those airships
away from The Tydrier," gasped Charon. "But we need to try, just
the same."
Fox said calmly, "Falco, Charon, and
myself will take the east airship. Peppy and Slippy, take the west."
Just then a familiar voice joined
in. "I will join Peppy then," said the feminine voice. "Three
on each I take it?"
"Fara? Where did you come from?"
asked a surprised Fox.
"I got your fighter signatures when
you were passing the southern pole," Fara explained herself. "I figured
you wouldn't be here for a visit, especially with that ape still on the
loose."
"Glad to have your help Fara," Fox
said. "Yes, helping Peppy and Slippy will be much appreciated."
Now, with their numbers bulging to
six, the fighters broke formation and raced to avoid a potentially disastrous
outcome. First Fox and Peppy tried hailing the two airships, but
no answer was coming from either airship, nor was one expected. Then
Peppy and Charon scanned the airships for potential help in the passenger
carriers. None were to be found, alive, except the Venomian pilots.
"Shooting down the airships would be out of the question wouldn't it,"
Falco suggested.
"Yes, I think it is. They are
too far inside the city to limit the civilian casualties," Fox confirmed.
"If these were out in the desert north of here or out in the bay, I would
say go for it."
"I think the best thing to do," suggested
Charon. "Is to warn The Tydrier's occupants and the surrounding buildings
of these two airships. Next, call the local authorities and have
them on standby status in case of the worst case scenario."
"And what is the worst case scenario?"
Falco asked.
"The vision," Charon said. "The
airships crash into The Tydrier."
At this, the air was silent.
Then the pilots were busy on separate radio signals, contacting the nearest
fire stations, medical facilities, and law enforcement that could help
in the evacuation. "How soon they going to hit, Slip?" Charon asked.
"At their current speed, in about
five minutes," Slippy said.
"That is not going to be enough time
to evacuate everyone," Charon said. "DAMNIT!"
Again the comm. system was quiet.
"I would like to suggest that we all land and help where we can," Charon
suggested. "My feeling General Pepper will close the airspace around
Corneria City after this happens if he hasn't already."
"I have already, Charon," said General
Pepper, as he joined the conversation. "This will be one of Corneria's
biggest disasters. Good thing you are here to at least coordinate
things. People look up to the StarFox team."
"You know, General, about our paychecks,"
Falco starting saying.
"Shut that beak of yours Falco, now
is not the time," Fox said in anger.
Falco said some unintelligible things
that none of the StarFox team wanted to hear or to know. All six
of the pilots landed in a vacant lot about half a mile from The Tydrier.
They all exited their fighters and ran to the potential crash site, Fox
in the lead, with Charon, Falco and Fara, not far behind. Peppy,
because of his age and Slippy, due to his girth, jogged and brought up
the rear.
***
Corneria City, Corneria
Near the monument of The Tydrier
Already, the fire creatures and the
Corneria law enforcement were already directing people away from the area
in a half-confused half-knowing fashion. The chief of the law enforcement
saw Fox coming and came down from his car to meet him. "We are trying
to lead the people away from the area as best as we can, but not everyone
will make it out in time," said the antelope.
"I know that, just do the best you
can," said Fox reassuringly.
Just then the loud roar of the first
of the airships was heard over the people. Fox and everyone around
him could only watch in horrified fascination where the airship was going
to hit The Tydrier. Charon was in the back; his eyes were a bloodshot
red, as he too, could only watch. Not to stop what his vision had
predicted.
IT HAPPENED.
The air became deathly quiet, as the
airship slammed nose first in the pyramid, twenty-five floors from the
top. The explosion was deafening. The chaos that ensued was
mind-numbing. The emotions that came were some of happiness, sadness,
anger, and fear. The second airship hit the pyramid closer to the
base, taking more of the structure with it as the explosion rocked the
nearby buildings and creatures. Firefighters and law enforcement
rushed to the scene, but was quickly driven back of the intensity of the
smoke and debris that the two collisions had made.
For probably the first time in their
lives, the StarFox team stood helpless, trying to comprehend the magnitude
of what Andross and his armies had done. Fox was the first to come
out of his stupor. "Come on! They need our help here team,"
barked Fox. "Stay in touch with our comm. links and don't be afraid
to ask for assistance."
The team split into pairs, Fox and
Fara, Falco and Slippy, and Charon and Peppy, lending their paw, wherever
it was needed. Carrying injured and the dead to makeshift MASH units,
giving CPR to those that needed it, shedding not a tear in all of this
destruction. Emotions were for later, now, they had a job to do.
As a half hour rolled on by, the evacuation and treating of the injured
was going fairly well. Fire fighters and the law enforcement were
searching the damaged Tydrier, floor by floor, looking for stragglers and
injured. Every so often a mild explosion was heard in the direction
of The Tydrier, shaking the building more and more. "That building
can't take much more of those explosions," Peppy observed.
"No, I think it is time we get those
brave creatures out of that death trap," Fox suggested. "Don't want
any more deaths here than what we already have."
"Already talking to that young antelope
now," Slippy said.
Charon was sweating profusely, going
through the rubble, next to The Tydrier, hoping that the next stone he
turned, another creatures life could be saved, but so far, no such luck.
Falco was right beside him, complaining all the time, but he too wanted
to see some sort of life underneath this rubble. At first, Charon
felt a small tremor. Thinking that it was another explosion, he continued
on working, but the shaking grew more and more intense. He nudged
Falco. "You feel that?" Charon asked.
"Yeah, but it's just another explosion
somewhere in this building," Falco, nondescriptly said.
"Probably, but, I don't know, just
like this shaking isn't stopping like the others," said Charon, looking
around him, as other creatures, fire fighters and law enforcement, working
side by side and even civilians, that wanted to help.
The shaking became worse still.
Soon other creatures were commenting on it. Looking at each other
for some sort of sign of what was going on. Charon was the first
one to speak up. "Ok, I don't like this," Charon said, warily eyeing
the building.
"Falco, get the creatures away from
this building," Charon demanded. "I will take the left. This
building is warning us to get away."
"I am on it," Falco said, warning
the other creatures of the possible failure of the support system of They
Tydrier.
Charon ran to the antelope that was
in charge of the recovery. "I think you better call in the creatures
from this building, it's ready to go anytime," Charon suggested.
"Funny, I just received word from
Slippy, saying the same thing," bleated the captain. "But most of
my best officers are on the higher levels. It's going to take some
time to for them to come down."
Charon nodded and ran over to Falco.
"Have you warned them?" a worried Charon asked.
"Yeah, creatures are still trickling
out from the entrances that was inside," Falco exclaimed.
"Come on, they need the help then,"
Charon yelled over his shoulder.
Falco and Charon both were halfway
to the main entrance to The Tydrier, when the building began to sway.
Charon grabbed shirt collar and pointed to the building. "OH CRAP!"
Falco yelled.
Charon made sure Falco was ahead of
him as they sprinted away from the collapsing building. Falco managed
to take a peed at the building as it fell. "Don't look back, Falco,"
Charon yelled. "Just keep running."
"Run to where?" Falco asked.
This time, it was Charon's turn to
take a look. The building was halfway to the ground. Smoke
and debris was billowing out from The Tydrier. Charon turned to run
some more, but Falco was rooted in place. "Come on!" yelled Charon.
"Too late!" Falco pointed at the smoke
coming towards them at a tremendous rate of speed.
***
Base camp
Near The Tydrier
Fox looked up at the falling building,
treating the injured a good half-klick away. He could only stare
and feel sorry for those still trapped in the building and surrounding
area. "Wow, good thing I am here and not there," Slippy said, but
wishing he never had said a word, knowing others were not so lucky.
Peppy yelled across the confusion,
"Falco and Charon were still in that area, Fox."
Fox eyes widened. "No!
How can this be?" Fox exclaimed. "I thought they were with you Slippy?"
"They were, but they needed the muscle
to clear out debris to look for survivors," Slippy said.
"Now we are the muscle to look for
them," Fox said, running in the direction of the fallen monument.
Slippy and Peppy ran with Fox to look
for their two teammates. Fara came out of building that served
at a restaurant at one time. Now, it was the central nerve center
for the cleanup. "Where you guys going?" Fara asked.
"No time to explain," Fox said, running
by her. "Just come with us."
Fara was in stride with Fox in no
time with Slippy and Peppy in tow. Fox just couldn't believe two
of his best friends could be injured or even worse. No, he must not
think that, Fox thought to himself. Falco and especially Charon could
easily walk away from bigger disasters than this. Fox felt a tear
run down his cheek and whiskers. That couldn't be possible.