Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Starfox 64 or Starfox
Adventures. If I did, I'd be stinking rich and I wouldn't write this. A big
sorry to Zoe2000 for kinda stealing her idea about an Arctic Fox. I really
had no idea she had one in her stories, too. I only noticed after I was
halfway through my story. The same to Foxmerc on the Alben/Aldon thing.
Jeez, great minds think alike, eh?
Intro: Okay, setting. One year after the Dinosaur Planet incident. On Corneria, I guess. This is based on the N64/Gamecube setting, which means: Fox and his team are broke, Fox never met Fara, and General Pepper is not obsessed with suckers (haha). I never finished the game; heck, I don't even have the game; so don't hound my butt for stuff like 'hey, Fox didn't do that' blah, blah, blah. Gimme a break wills ya? But I'd appreciate it if you would send me a formal e-mail about it, and then I would change or update my story about that.
Okay, now on with the darn story.
"Oh, why me?" Fox grumbled as he sat up in his bed, rubbing his new swell. Fox tried to stand, but he hit his head again on the small, metal ladder of the bunks. Tom chuckled from the top bunk. Fox distinctly heard him say 'clumsy oaf'.
Fox muttered some curses about his luck and got his helmet and gloves. Shoving them on after a few frustrated groans because he put the gloves on the wrong paws, Fox stumbled toward the cockpit.
"Finally awake?" Rob asked. Fox looked out of the window and saw stars. They had taken off without him.
"Yeah," Fox yawned, "Where's everyone else?"
"The kitchen," Rob said.
"Thanks," Fox said. He was just about to walk off when Rob started to flash his bulbs and swing his arms around wildly.
"Danger, Fox McCloud! Danger," Rob shouted. Fox was just about to turn around and say something when Rob started laughing, "Ha, ha, ha. That was my first joke." Fox chuckled sarcastically and shuffled off.
Everyone greeted Fox warmly and made jokes about his head. Fox noticed Slippy had nailed down two more chairs for Tom and Krystal. Tom was sipping a cappuccino with a can of tuna (everyone just loves tuna) beside him and Krystal was chewing slowly on tuna (see author's note above).
Fox, as he sat down and poured himself some coffee, thought about how Krystal seemed different than he had expected. She was casual with everybody, instead of being all princess-y like she was supposed to be. Krystal must've read his thoughts again because she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Bill updated us thirty minutes before you woke up, Fox," Peppy informed him, "It seems that all the planets are clean, but Venom's bases shot down four of his pilots." Fox gave a murmur of acknowledgement.
"We're going there?" Fox asked. Slippy nodded, eating his usual supply of flies, cleverly concealed within a small, opaque jar to prevent the guests from getting disgusted.
"I'm not surprised Andross picked this time," Peppy said suddenly, "For the next two months, Venom is aligned almost perfectly with Corneria, Katina, and Solar, which means a direct attack, after taking over our frontal base." Slippy and Krystal nodded knowingly, but Tom and Fox gave Peppy quizzical looks.
"So our homeland, our base, and our enemy are in direct contact?" Fox asked, amazed. Peppy nodded energetically. Tom shrugged.
"It makph 'tacking a lot eafier," he said through a mouthful of food, "For uf and for fem."
"Yo da-lolly," Fox said nonchalantly, "Where're we going, anyway?"
"Katina, of course," Slippy said.
"Through Meteo?"
"That's the fastest way," Slippy said. Fox gulped down the remainder of his coffee and stood up.
"I'd better blast those asteroids out of you way, then," Fox stumbled off, with Tom and Krystal behind him.
**
"Why'd ya bring that thing?" Fox asked, pointing at her staff, which was strapped with a piece of leather to Krystal's back.
"I can create a bubble of air just in case I get blown into outer space."
"Can you create a force field for the Great Fox?"
"No."
"Darn, that makes things a lot harder."
"You're too lazy, Fox."
"Eh, whatever," Fox climbed into his Arwing. The other foxes did the same.
A flash of white flickered on each of their tail engines when they started up. The liquid oxygen, the best fuel there was for a space ship, burned brightly, blinding Fox for a second as it blew up, sending Fox at Mach 2 right out of the hatch. A whir and a whoosh later, the three were blasted into space.
Fox could barely make out shapes of asteroids in the distance. Solar was visible, and Katina was across the field. Venom, green as nasty as it always was, was looming over Katina like a ghost.
'Hmm, this seat feels way more comfortable than the other one that I was in.' Krystal thought. Fox snorted. 'Just blast the darn rocks up ahead.' Without warning, Krystal started firing straightforward. Since Fox was in front of her, he panicked and swung to the right, braking and coming up beside Krystal.
"Jeez! Not at me!" Fox yelled over the radio. Fox's screen fizzed and Krystal came in.
"Relax, I wasn't about to hit you."
"I wouldn't count on it," Fox said, "You shoot like a maniac. The screen split and Tom's voice came over, too. He was laughing real hard.
"No kidding! She knocked a quarter of my shield out," Tom laughed harder.
"Ah, shut up, you jackal," Krystal's side fizzed again and it went blank.
"Well, anyway, ETA: thirty minutes," Tom waved and he was gone, too. Fox boosted ahead and shot a single laser at a faraway rock. The laser hit bulls eye and the rock shattered into three pieces.
"Ooo, let me try," Krystal shot repeatedly forward. Fox panicked again, banking to the right just in time to avoid her deadly blows.
"Stop it!" Fox screamed. Tom started laughing again. He started shooting, too, but his aims were ten times better. He blasted away one of Fox's rock shards and blew away three more. Krystal gave out a 'humph' of anger and boosted farther than Fox, then started shooting again. Her wild shots bounced off a large asteroid and reflected back to Fox and clipped him on the left wing. The damage was minor, but now Fox was fuming.
"Gah! STOP IT!" Fox shot a rock nearby Krystal and the shards flew in her direction, barely missing her. The screen fizzed again, and Tom was howling with laughter.
"Maniacs, both of you."
The next few minutes went without much more action, just small pieces here and there, and Krystal was refusing to fire anymore. Just as the rocks cleared, Tom's voice came over the radio, but more hurried.
"Bogeys at six o'clock!"
"How many?" Fox demanded.
"Dunno, but about three hundred."
"Hold your fire, Fox!" Fox's screen fizzed again and Bill's gray-furred face came into view, "You aren't about to shoot an old friend, are you?"
"Oh, hi, Captain Grey," Tom said.
"Good afternoon, Thomas. A-hmm, anyway, Fox, I'm with Colonel Alben and her crew."
"Oh, that Labrador you were talking to yesterday? Gotta thing for her, Bill?" Fox chuckled. His screen fizzed and a dog with a mock-mean look on her face came over.
"Really, now, Commander McCloud? Why don't I just shoot you out of the sky for the darn, prejudiced, busybody vulpine that you are?" Colonel Alben said. Fox chuckled.
"I can see why you've taken an interest in her."
"Ah, shut yer yap, you pathetic, orange-butted excuse for a furry," Colonel Alben snapped.
"Ooo, feisty one."
"I thought I told you to shut up!" All the pilots present chuckled.
"ETA to Katina, ten minutes," Tom said, still snickering.
"I can see the runway up ahead," Slippy said, braking slightly, his front engines burning for a bit. The other three hundred and three fighters did the same. The fighter jets hit the atmosphere, and Fox could see the white silicon on his Arwing heating up, turning a bright red. That was normal, besides, silicon doesn't melt unless at 6,000 degrees Celsius.
A wide cement runway materialized before Fox. Yellow markers and white lines dotted the field. Fox slowly brought his Arwing's nose up a little, flipped over his landing gear, and bumped into the road with a small thunk. His tires screeched in sync with the others as rubber flew everywhere. Fox skid to a halt somewhere near the base. The hydraulic doors off all the ships hissed and fumed as the pilots jumped out.
'Nice place,' Krystal thought sarcastically as she hopped over to Fox and Tom. Fox knew what she meant. The entire planet was a brown desert. Just brown dirt and nothing else. There wasn't even a rock. There was a base and a large runway. Not much to look at.
There was a gigantic thud as the Great Fox landed somewhere over the base. Even from three miles away, Fox could hear Peppy's angry yells. Frankly, that was the reason Fox never let Slippy drive; bad eyesight and no common sense to flip over the wheels.
The pilots all took off their helmets and went inside the base. The base was renovated since the last time Fox was there. They painted the inside a bright blue, making it very hard to spot Krystal in the fray, even with her gray shirt and pants. Fox and his crew planned to sleep inside the Great Fox, but Bill and Colonel Alben would have a hard time finding proper sleeping cabins for three hundred some pilots. The base was already cramped, since there were already a few hundred infantries inside the base.
The pilots all reported to the main console room, where General Pepper and other officers droned on for three hours about his attack plans. General Pepper, who was on a screen, told every soldier at the end of his briefing to have a gun handy in case Andross decides to attack anytime soon. Fox, Tom, Peppy, and Slippy all had a laser strapped to their belts, but Krystal was yet to have one. Bill gave her a new model of the small pistols and showed her how to use the safety (thank God).
"Just pull the trigger," Bill said at last. Krystal gave him a sarcastic look and tucked it into her pocket. 'I, for one, don't trust you with any lethal weapon.' Fox thought. Krystal's reply was slow in coming, as if she was thinking for the right thing to think. 'I'm not a trigger-happy son of an ape like these guys.' Krystal nodded her head in the infantry's direction. Fox chuckled and Bill gave him a strange look.
**
'I remember the last time I saw a gun.' Krystal thought. Fox and Krystal sat on Fox's bottom bunk bed, having a conversation. It was about the war. 'It was when my parents were killed.' Fox gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. Krystal looked down. 'Do you want to see?' Fox, confused, gave a nod out of instinct. Quickly, Krystal used her paw to get a firm grasp on Fox's head. Fox normally would've thought that was strange, but strange was a different word when Krystal was around.
Fox felt a surge of energy flowing from Krystal's hand to his brain. Fox felt a flash of white, but his eyes stayed open. He felt that sucking feeling again, and in a split-second, he was in Krystal's mind yet again.
Fox was a phantom in her world, like he always were when he entered her memories or her eyes. He found himself in a dense jungle, in front of a rudely built house made of clay and stone with a straw roof. A bright blue vixen was sitting on a table outside with a dark blue fox.
A small vixen, no older than three years old, hopped out of the house and started to talk to her parents in a strange language. The little vixen had tattoos on her arms and forelegs and she was wearing the Emerald copy around her neck. She was also carrying a staff. It was Krystal as a child.
Krystal's parents nodded and Krystal skipped off into the woods and started picking berries just beside Fox. Little Krystal was wearing a bright white tunic. She had bracelets way too big for her and a tiara, just like the Krystal that was with Fox in the real world. Her hair was longer, tied back in a small bun with a golden pin in it. Her little blue eyes shined in the bright sunlight as she sampled one of the yellowish berries that she was picking and stuffing into her pockets.
Suddenly, a great big vessel appeared in the sky and sped towards the little hut. It landed a few feet away from it. Krystal's parents jumped up in surprise and started shouting. Little Krystal jumped behind the bush of yellow berries and hid. Fox watched with interest as three figures jumped out of the ship.
"Wolf!" Fox shouted. But it wasn't Wolf O'Donnel. It must've been a close relative because the wolf that jumped out had the same color of fur as Wolf, but with a different outfit. He was wearing black leather, but he didn't have the eyepatch. The wolf pulled out a laser, and before Krystal or Fox could say anything, he shot two lasers into each of Krystal's parents.
The wolf, apparently satisfied when he saw Krystal's parent's blood splatter all over the table, motioned to his cronies, a lizard and a lynx, and went inside the hut.
Little Krystal gasped, but she regained herself and ran towards the ship. Fox flew after her. Krystal ran towards the cockpit and started pressing buttons wildly. Fox gave out a scream that no one could hear when the engine started and blasted the ship towards outer space.
Fox was flung back a few feet, but went and sat down on a chair, but fell right through it. Taking a last look at little Krystal as he felt the sucking feeling again, he saw silent tears running down her cheek.
**
"Gah!" Fox landed on his bed. Krystal looked over at him.
"Now you know," she said simply.
"My God! That evil, vile."
"I know," Krystal sat down again. Fox heaved himself up and sat down beside her again.
"How did you get out like that? You were only a little kit!"
"Pure luck," Krystal sighed. Fox could see tears threatening to break out from her eyes. Fox put his gloved paw on her shoulder.
"That wolf. He looked familiar," Fox said. Krystal gave a 'hmm'.
"He was one of Andross's guys, I know now. He was definitely looking for the Emerald."
"Wanna hear one of my stories about a wolf? It'll make you feel better," Fox offered. Krystal nodded. She placed her paw back on Fox's forehead and she was sucked into his memories this time.
**
Fox was sitting idly on a stone bench, yawning into the night. This was his first mission, and a part of his training. At age fifteen, he was bold and adventurous, and he hadn't killed anyone yet.
He was sitting before a stone building, the same one that Andross attacked. At this time, there wasn't a gate, and hills and trees surrounded the place. Little dark shapes that were benches dotted the landscape. Fox was assigned to serve as a watchman for the ambassadors who were coming from a distant star. He was with a dozen other classmates and among them, Bill Grey the Husky, who was still lance corporal at the time.
Fox yawned again, and lazily shifted his position. Looking at the beautiful, cloudless night and the bright moons above, Fox dozed off for a second. As he closed his eyes, he thought he saw a dark figure creeping across the hills and among the trees. Fox bolted upright and looked again. He didn't see anything this time.
"Bill, cover me," Fox said, meaning for Bill to tell whatever high ranking officer who asked where Fox was that he was in the bathroom or something. Bill nodded sleepily. Fox said quiet thanks and ran off towards the hills where Fox thought he saw the figure.
There wasn't anyone in sight, so Fox yawned again and decided to take a walk in the woods. Stretching lazily, Fox flopped silently around. A sound brought him right back to life.
'Whir.' the unmistakable sound of a sniper rifle powering up reached Fox's sensitive ears. Running quietly towards the sound, Fox noticed a bump in the ground ahead of him. There was a tiny clearing with few trees, and a window from the mansion was clearly visible. Fox noticed the figure just before he fired and Fox kicked him quickly. The silenced shot went off target and bounced off the wall.
"Ah!" Fox screamed as the figure charged at him and locked its sharp claws around his neck. It was a wolf, a dark gray one to be exact. Fox brought his knee up and kicked the wolf hard in the stomach. He reeled back, giving Fox just enough time to draw his gun. The wolf did the same, and was just about to pull the trigger when.
"Fox! WOLF!" Bill crashed through the trees. The wolf turned his head slightly to Fox's right, and that was his worst mistake. Fox pulled the trigger and an angry buzz was audible throughout the field.
The shot would've pierced the wolf's skull, but he flung himself backward at just the right time. Instead of hitting him in the cranium, the shot was just at the right angle to pierce his right eye and come out of his nose bone. Blood flowed freely from the rich blood vessels of the eye and nose.
The wolf let out a scream and a curse, shot one shot, that barely missed by an inch, at Fox and scrambled away into the darkness.
**
"Tsk, you got lucky too, heh?" Krystal put her paw away. Fox nodded.
"That was Wolf O'Donnel. No wonder he keeps trying to shoot me down during our dogfights," Fox mumbled, "He never wins, anyway. Poor guy."
"Ha!" Krystal uttered a menacing growl, "Poor? Those darn villains." She pounded her fist on the bed.
"Uh, right," Fox edged away from her, "Wanna go flying again?"
"Sure," Krystal stood up and followed Fox down the hall.
**
"Ah!" Krystal yelled as she sped across the skies, "Too. Fast."
"Don't worry, you're not likely to crash," Fox said, "G-13. Way to fly."
"I think my bones. Are getting crushed," Krystal gasped as her Arwing reached Mach 3. Fox followed her easily. Fox could reach Mach 5, but the force could kill him, especially with the leather seats instead of the fake fur ones that Bill's pilots had.
"Don't be silly. You probably didn't turn on the G-Diffuser," Fox laughed. Krystal, who showed on Fox's screen, flipped a switch, and she heaved out a breath.
"Remind me to do that next time," Krystal said as she puffed out carbon dioxide. She gave another boost and sped away from Fox.
'Think you can beat me? Think again!' Fox boosted after her, the excess of the liquid oxygen trailing behind him.
"Mach 4!" Krystal yelled.
"Oh yeah? Mach 4 and a half! Um, if there was such a thing." Fox suddenly zoomed right past Krystal and over some hills of dirt.
"Huh! Mach 5!" Krystal was now nose to nose with Fox, flying a such a velocity that they could almost go around the whole planet in a matter of minutes.
"I. Can't. Breathe!" Krystal puffed at Fox.
"Ok, slow down. You beat me," Fox put on the brake and he was thrown forward a little. Krystal did the same.
"YEE-HAW!" Bill suddenly appeared out of nowhere and launched right past the two foxes.
"Jeez! Slow down!" Fox yelled.
"AAAAAA!" Tom sped right after him; his after wind catching Fox and flinging him a few feet to the left. Fox heard Krystal mumble 'boys'.
Fox banked sharply to his right and sped towards the base, with Krystal on his tail. Smiling slightly, Fox braked quickly, making Krystal yell in fright and turn to the left. Catching on the object of the game, she slowed and bumped Fox's Arwing softly, making the shields sizzle for a bit. They played the crashing game for a few minutes before the reached the base again.
Fox bumped softly on the cement ground and he powered down his ship. Krystal, still inexperienced, literally crashed down to the ground with such force that the runway cracked.
Fox jumped down, catching his laces as he fell and bumped his hip on the ground. The effects of going mach-speed are varied, but usually it causes nausea or temporary forgetfulness.
"Darn it." Krystal mumbled as she stumbled along after Fox, "So. Dizzy. Fox? What's my name again?"
"Uh, dunno. Captain Houndtooth?"
"Right."
**
'Boop? Blurble. Gurgle. Puh-tooie.' Fox spat out the water and dipped his head again in the sink. 'Oh, darn it! Shouldn't have flown that fast.'
"Hi, Fox, do you mind? Everywhere in the base is full," Krystal flopped carelessly into the bathroom and turned on the tap on the second sink.
"Glurp. O, Oi doant moind," Fox said with his head still in the water. Krystal muttered thanks and dipped her head in the water, too.
"Are oo 'til. Er." 'I mean, are you still going out with Tom?'
'Erm, no. He wasn't very interested in courting when I asked him.'
'Oh, too bad.'
'It's ok. We haven't begun mating yet.'
"Bloop." Fox spluttered and splashed in the water. He finally regained use of his neck and flung his head out, "What?"
"What 'what'?" Krystal raised her head, too.
"Did you say mating?" Fox coughed through a lung full of water.
"Yeah. So what? That's what I'm supposed to do, right? I am the last of my kind," Krystal said this and dunked her head in the water again.
'Uh, whatever you say.' Fox dried himself with a towel and walked out. Jumping off the Great Fox, he walked towards the base, hoping that Bill was back from his race.
Kicking open the door to the cafeteria, Fox began prowling through the tables, looking for his thick-furred friend. Fox spotted a husky sitting in a table beside the windows.
"Hello, Bill."
"Hmm? Who are you?" Bill looked up good-naturedly. His head wobbled a bit while he was talking, and he had spread peanut butter on his milk carton.
"Snap out of it!" Fox reached for Bill's small glass of water and flung it at his face. Bill banged his fist on the table as he sneezed it out of his snout.
"Hey, watch it!" Bill shook himself like a wet dog. Uh, right. Fox gave himself a little shake as he just realized what he had thought.
"Back to the ground now?"
"Oh, hiya, Fox. Where'd you come from?" Fox groaned. Bill cleared his throat, "Never mind."
"When did you make captain, Bill?" Fox asked as he sat down across from his friend.
"Three months ago, I think. I got a medal and a promotion after getting shot from the sky by my own teammate." Fox raised an eyebrow. Bill shrugged, "Doesn't matter how I get it, right? As long as I got it." Fox nodded as he heard the phrase his father always said.
"All pilots report to the fields immediately! We are under attack! I repeat: We are under attack!" The intercom shouted. Fox scrambled to get up and sprinted out the door, squeezing his way down the hall with a hundred others.
If someone were watching up in the skies, they would've sworn there were ants swarming out of the building. Fox, being the fastest runner of the lot, did a flying jump and landed squarely in the Arwing. Kicking the engine to life, an explosion rocked Fox's ears as he remembered to close the cockpit.
"All units report," Bill shouted over the radio. Then, there was a string of pilots reporting in, and among them, Fox could hear Krystal and Tom. Flying fast and checking his radar, Fox saw hundreds of jets swarming behind him, and another few hundred swarming toward him in the opposite direction.
"Break formation and engage," Colonel Alben cried. The group split and banked off in different directions, boosting to catch up with Fox. Fox powered up his lock-on lasers and fired towards any ship that dared to come too close.
Jets were screaming across the skies as the two groups clashed. One being the yellow and brown marked Venomian jets; the others were the blue and green of Bill and Colonel Alben's pilots. A whole hour passed and Fox wasn't being shot at, but he was doing the shooting, blasting down over twenty of them, but he also accidentally shot Tom once and hit another jet from Colonel Alben's fleet.
"Holy-" Bill yelled as a plane barely missed him. Lasers flew all over the place, with Krystal shooting wildly, occasionally catching a bad guy in the engine or wing and sending them right into the ground below.
Fox tailed an officer and shot, his accuracy beating everyone in the battlefield, but jets were dropping like flies, enemies and allies alike being shot down. A bogey tailed Fox and clipped him in the wing. Fox did an easy somersault and shot the bogey down with a simple homing laser.
"Status report, computer," Fox demanded as he shot another plane down.
"Shields at 98 per cent. Engines at 100 per cent."
"Not that! The battlefield!"
"212 Venomian crafts. 158 Cornerian crafts."
"Damn it!" Bill shouted, "We're outnumbered!" Fox banked steeply to avoid an Arwing, probably Krystal.
"Send in the infantry, General!" Colonel Alben said, tapping her screen. Just as she finished her request, fifty tanks roared out of the base, with Slippy and Peppy in the lead, manning Landmasters. They shot into the sky, sending SAM's and other missiles into the fray. Fox narrowly collided with a torpedo, frankly from the Blue Marine.
"What the heck-" Fox dived just in time as it whistled dangerously by, "Slippy, what in heaven's name was that?" Slippy clicked in. He shrugged and pressed another button, sending another torpedo flying.
"We have plenty."
Now the yellow jets where being exploded and falling from the skies. A cheer went up from the Cornerians as the fleet of enemies retreated back into outer space. Fox puffed a breath and did a smooth U-turn, coming back to the base.
"All units report," Bill commanded, out of breath. Fox noticed that this list was a lot shorter than the last one.
"I'll show ya whose boss!" Krystal soared over to the retreating fighter jets and started firing again. Fox turned his head to see what she was doing. The Venomian fleet broke lines and scattered at the sight of Krystal, but one turned right back at her and launched a bomb.
"Krystal!" Fox screamed in horror as her Arwing was hit and exploded in a fiery ball of death, the remnants of her jet pummeling to the earth. A great boom was heard as she crashed to the ground. An ambulance crew rushed toward the wreckage and poured carbon dioxide on the burning metal scraps.
Fox and the other pilots bumped to the ground, opening the cockpits. Engineers rushed in to do repairs and maintenance on smoking planes. Fox tripped over his laces again and tumbled over his Arwing while he was boarding down, but running quickly over to the hover car that was turning over the pieces.
"Hey, HEY!" Fox shoved a raccoon over who was pushing him back. He ran over to a stretcher. Fox froze in terror.
"Fox?" Krystal asked weakly. Her body was finished. She had burns all over her and there was a deep gash across her chest. The blood from her wounds stained the stretcher, but what was most frightening of it all was her right arm: her paw was ripped off.
"My God!" Fox searched for her pulse, but the signal was too weak to detect on her right wrist. Fox silently slipped the Emerald of Earth onto her neck when nobody was looking. Krystal suddenly stopped breathing.
"Leave her, Mr. McCloud!" The raccoon doctor pulled a stunned Fox off of the stretcher and told his nurses to carry Krystal to the hospital wing. The doctor rushed off after the hover car, leaving a petrified fox crumpled on the ground, sobbing.
**
"Hi," Krystal coughed as she sat up. Fox pushed her back down on the bed. Fox relaxed when he saw that she was still living and conscious.
The infirmary had a strong smell of chlorine and medicine. The white ceramic walls and floors made the Great Fox look gray. Everything was whiter than the Great Fox. The sheets and the mattresses were a pure white that even would put a bright fox like Tom to shame. Even the patients were wearing such a bright white robe that Krystal almost glowed.
There weren't many patients. Most of the pilots who have been shot down exploded with their aircraft. The only ones in the whole room besides the two foxes and the nurses were a unconscious squirrel without a tail and three other unrecognizable bodies who look like their fur was shaven off. Krystal was only in the infirmary for a day, but she looked fine in the outside.
"What'd the doctor say?"
"Oh, the usual," Krystal coughed again, "Three broken ribs, all four fractured limbs, internal bleeding, swollen hip, fractured hip, one collapsed lung, broken sternum, one ear gone, fractured spine, deep cut around the chest and stomach area, punctured stomach, first degree burns, half a tail, one blind eye, brain damage, compound bone damage to six areas, twisted wrist, cut esophagus, concussion, cut main artery, snapped veins, snapped hamstring, triceps, biceps, and neck muscles, and not to mention a missing paw." Fox raised an eyebrow. She looked way better than that. She didn't have the fractured limbs, because she was scratching herself with her left paw, and her burns were almost gone. Her tail looked normal, and so did her eye and ears. Her right paw had somehow re-grown, too, but the fur on it was much shorter than the other one.
'You used the Emerald?'
'Of course, or else I'd be dead by now.' Krystal groaned as she tried to shift her position to get a better look at Fox. 'The doctor said I'd be better in three years, but with the Emerald, well, come back tomorrow.' Fox breathed a sigh of relief. Krystal slipped the chain from her neck and waved it at Fox.
'You keep it. You need to heal, remember? It belongs to you, anyway.'
'It does?' Krystal thought as she shrugged and slipped it back on.
"I'm going to get something to eat. Do you want anything?" Fox asked politely. Krystal shook her head and pointed to a tray beside her and made a face. Fox could tell that she couldn't stand applesauce, because she had tossed an open container of it against the wall. Fox patted her on the shoulder and left.
Fox absent mindedly wandered over to the cafeteria again, and spotted Colonel Alben and Bill eating lunch at the same table that Fox splashed water on his friend. Fox grabbed a plate of steaming fish and sat down opposite Bill and the Colonel. Colonel Alben scowled.
"Good afternoon, Commander McCloud," she said with a strict tone.
"Hi."
"What's the matter?"
"I just wanna eat lunch."
"Can't you eat somewhere else?"
"Erm, no," Fox peered at the other tables. They were all full.
"Chill, Alex, I don't think he's going to dump his fish on our faces," Bill nudged 'Alex' playfully.
"Who's Alex?" Fox asked stupidly.
"I'm Alex," Alex growled, "Alexandra Alben. Jeez."
"Uh, right."
"Well, this is turning out to be an intelligent conversation."
"Sure," Fox shrugged and started to pick at the salmon with a fork.
**
"If Andross decides to attack again, we're done for," Peppy paced up and down the lounge of the Great Fox. Slippy nodded.
"I don't think he has enough troops," Tom said hopefully.
"He may have aid of foreign mercenaries."
"Wait, aren't we mercenaries?" Krystal piped up. She was completely healed, and she decided on her luck to jump out of the sixth story window of the infirmary. The Emerald was the luckiest charm Fox could ever wish for, but he thought it was safer with a seasoned warrior who knew more about it.
"Yeah, but that's not the."
"We could ask for the foxes' help," Slippy interrupted. Tom raised an eyebrow. Fox started explaining about their adventures in the other solar system, leaving out the library part.
"We can always assassinate Andross in his bed," Fox suggested.
"After you defeat his elite guards," Peppy pointed out. Fox noticed Tom fiddling with his chain again.
"If only you were invisible," Tom said, the Sapphire twirling between his fingers. Suddenly, there was a flash of blue and Tom was gone. Everyone panicked.
"Hey, where'd ya go?" Fox groped blindly for the chair that Tom had sat on. Fox poked into something moist.
"Ow, that's my nose!"
"Huh? Who said that?" Peppy started groping around, too.
"Hey! That's my ear!"
"Tom? Tom!" Krystal suddenly appeared to grab onto some air.
"OW, my lip!"
"Tom! You are invisible!" Slippy squeaked.
"Well, way to state the obvious," the invisible Tom muttered. Krystal let go of Tom in shock.
'We mustn't tell them!' Krystal panicked. 'I don't trust that toad with our secrets. Tell them that you have an invisibility cloak or something.' Fox knew she was talking to Tom, but he could still hear her.
"Uh, it's a prototype level three invisibility, uh, shield. Yeah, that's it."
"Cool! Is it high level alkaline?"
"Um, yeah."
"I thought that they failed on every test on alkaline shields."
"Well, uh, they made it this time," Tom stuttered. Fox could tell that he was running out of excuses.
"Tom, don't you have that thing to do?" Krystal said between clenched teeth.
"Uh, yeah," Tom said, reappearing with a quiet crack, "Gotta go to Fox's cabin now." The three rushed out.
Fox bumped into his door and quickly punched in the two-digit code. They squeezed in when it opened with a hiss. Fox fumbled with the second code three times before the door closed.
'Close call.' Krystal thought.
'Uh, why are we hiding?' Tom looked around, his eyes squinting several times on the door.
'It's a secret only three must know and three must keep.'
'You go that outta the book?' Fox asked.
'Where else?' Krystal noticed Tom's blank look again, and she started explaining again.
'Ah, cool. But how come I can't talk to anyone else with these thinking powers?' Tom asked.
'I think only the three kinds can do it.' Fox shrugged.
'Then how come you don't have a gem?' Tom was beginning to sound like a curious schoolgirl. Fox pondered that for a second.
"Andross!" He shouted as he jumped up. Krystal pulled him back.
'What?'
'That ape! He has the Ruby! He stole it from my dad!'
'Yeah, I hate him, too.' Tom said absentmindedly, fiddling with his chain again and popping back to invisibility.
'I hate you when you do that.' Krystal groped around and prodded Tom's nose again.
'This will be a backup plan in case one of us gets captured. I mean the invisibility part.' Fox got up and opened the door. Peppy's stern face blocked him from exiting.
"Done with your little chat?"
"Uh, yeah, it was about."
"Go on."
"Family," Krystal finished. Peppy's expression turned softer.
"Sorry, then," he walked off. Tom gave a sigh and walked out, too.
**
"These aerial photographs were taken yesterday at midnight, Cornerian time, on Venom. Looks like we wiped most of their army out, but lots of bases still remain," Colonel Alben waved the laser pointer around the maps and photos dangerously. Fox ducked a number of times to avoid it from blinding him.
All the pilots, though still few, were crowded around the overhead glass projector in the main conference room. Krystal decided not to come because she started to develop a fever from her wounds. The Emerald was going to come in handy again.
There wasn't much left of the Venomian army, that's for sure, but large, gray buildings remain on the surface shown by the projector. Looks like another battle was necessary.
"We will take flight at 1800 hours tomorrow, so get dressed a hour before, for those who are too vain," Colonel Alben was directing the comment to a male sparrow who obviously takes too much pride in his feathers. He sunk deep into his chair.
A badger raised his paw and swung it furiously in the air, knocking a raccoon to the floor. Colonel Alben nodded.
"Will we get any outside help?"
"Yes," Colonel Alben said, "The Cornerian infantry has agreed to take 30% of their foot soldiers from Fortuna, Corneria, Titania, and what's left of Zoness. The carriers at Sector Y also promised a hand." Fox let out a sigh of relief. At least when he's shot down, there will be backup.
"Dismissed!" Bill shouted. The pilots rushed to get up and away to polish up their jets. Fox stayed behind.
"Hey, Bill!"
"Yeah, Fox?"
"What's the total population of the army in those planets?"
"Uh, that's confidential."
"Come on, Bill. You're speaking to a commander."
"Fine. Roughly, uh, about 500," Bill suddenly became very interested in his shoes. Fox gaped.
"I knew it! Ha, I knew it!" Fox stomped on the marble floor, "What's that, only 150 more units? That comes to, including the infantry on Katina. 400."
"Uh, yeah."
"Yeesh, that helps us," Fox muttered sarcastically.
"By boosting morale," Bill pointed out; "Statistics show that an army who is confident fights better than an army who knows they'll lose."
"You've better have a good plan up your sleeve."
"I don't."
"Then why are we on this mission?"
"Because we'll finish this for once."
"Didn't we finish it before?"
"Yes, but Andross always comes back."
"So what's so different about this time?"
"We're gonna nuke the place afterwards so we're sure that no life survives."
"Isn't that a plan?"
"Sort of."
"What kind of damage to Venom's environment?"
"Wake up, Fox! Venom doesn't have an environment! And why should you care?"
"Dunno. Just popped into my mind for some reason."
"You can get very weird sometimes."
"We're gonna lose."
"Yeah, right."
**
"What's the date today, Slip?" Fox flicked on the television and watched the news.
"Uh, Bill's having dinner with the Colonel." Slippy jumped onto the couch, too, and took out his electronic organizer and pressed a few buttons.
"The calendar!"
"Oh right. June 20," Slippy declared.
"And what's so special about this day?" Fox turned his head slightly as the reporter (a hound) ranted on about the war.
"Uh, aren't you going to tell me?" Slippy franticly pressed buttons on the mini-laptop.
"It's the day every month that Falco calls!" Fox gave Slippy a small slap to the head.
"Oh, yeah," as if on cue, Fox's communicator started beeping. He flicked it open.
"Hi, fur-face," Falco grinned, his beak close to the screen as usual. He didn't seem to have bothered combing his blue feathers today, but he had his wrinkle-less black leather jacket as always. He appeared to be in his Arwing.
"What's up?" Fox asked. Well, that's a stupid question, Fox.
"Open the hatch and power down your shields, will ya?" Falco plucked a red feather from his eyebrow.
"Why?"
"So I can shoot you into oblivion," Falco rolled his eyes, "So I can come in, you bird-brain! Uh, forget I said that." Chuckling, Fox commanded Slippy to go to the cockpit. Slippy was in a bad mood today, because he grumbled something about cruel, heartless tyrants ruling over underrepresented toads.
Moments later, Fox heard the hatch opening, and a few minutes later, closing. Fox rushed to the docking bay and waited for the hydraulic systems to open.
"I haven't seen your ugly mug for a while," Falco smiled as he jumped out and clapped his wing on Fox's shoulder. Fox looked over Falco's shoulder. There were three Arwings (a familiar sight with Krystal crashing hers) and a pink shuttle. That could only mean.
"Hi, Fox!"
.Katt. Friendly-tempered and beautiful, just like other cats, and yet Fox couldn't stand her with Falco together: They had way too many arguments. It's a wonder that Katt hadn't tried to eat Falco yet. Oh, wait, that's not a wonder. It's a wonder that Falco hadn't tried to eat Katt yet. Katt loved Falco and Falco hated Katt.
Falco, in his usual leather jacket and black jeans, strolled calmly around the Great Fox, occasionally saying "Hey, I haven't seen that in a while", even to Slippy ("Hey, I haven't seen that thing in a long time!"). Katt, in a pink tee shirt and blue jeans, didn't say a thing until the kitchen.
"Tuna!" Katt licked her lips and watched intently as Krystal was opening a large can of it using the motorized can opener that, evidently, Slippy's great-grandfather invented. Peppy, who joined Slippy to watch the news, cracked up upon hearing the word.
"Tuna? What's so funny about tuna?" Falco asked. Slippy doubled over with laughter.
"Oh," Fox threw a empty can at Slippy, "Me, Krystal, and Tom all love tuna."
"So? That's not funny."
"You'd be surprised at how we find humor walled away from civilization."
Fox pushed Falco and Katt down on chairs and told them all about his adventures, except, of course, the gems. They were completely fascinated. They obviously were bored out of their minds being mercenaries. Looks like Falco didn't get that shiny, fame-broiled, solo career he wanted.
"Wow, you're so lucky, Fox," Falco said after Fox was done his story, right up to there and then.
"How much did you get paid?" Katt asked. Fox was stumped. They were so busy with Krystal that he didn't even have time to ask for his paycheck.
"I'll go ask General Pepper," Fox jumped up and walked to the cockpit. Rob was busy making upgrades in the programs and systems, so Fox flipped over his communicator and pressed the speed dial button for General Pepper's residence. It was 9 o'clock in the evening in Corneria, anyway. General Pepper came on after three rings, and he looked bored.
"Good afternoon, Fox," he yawned.
"Hello, General," Fox grinned nicely, hoping to worm some extra cash if he was being good. Fox began asking many questions about Pepper's wife and kids; the Lylat System; the office. 'He's gotta give me at least one thousand extra credits for that act.'
"So, General, when do I paid for my exploration?"
"What exploration?" General Pepper asked. Fox frowned.
"The one where you sent us to a place three hundred light years away. Say. north, west, west on your star-map co-ordinates."
"I don't remember," the General thought for a moment, "Oh, of course! The exploration thing. I'll send you the check electronically." Fox smiled.
"Thank you."
"Sure. Good night, StarFox."
Fox walked away to his cabin. Flicking on his computer, he scanned his file. The General must've done it right away, because there were ten thousand new credits in addition to the five thousand Fox already saved. Clicking on a little button on the keyboard, he split it up between his teammates. Thinking hard, he flicked another button on the keyboard and typed like a maniac.
"Krystal?" Fox called. Krystal poked her head in less than two seconds. Fox rotated one-eighty degrees on his chair, "I need some information for your new bank account." Krystal raised an eyebrow. Fox sighed for the sixth time in the day and started explaining about money.
"Stupid concept," Krystal said after, "Why can't you keep the money in your pocket?"
"It would be too heavy. Besides, no one likes using cash anymore, so you actually can't carry the money around in your pocket," Fox clicked a button, "You get a card though. If you want something, swipe it on the card reader beside the item and you can take it out. Of course, the bank automatically withdraws the money and gives it to the store."
"Sounds simple enough."
"Okay. Last name?"
"Don't have one. Make one up."
"Um, Blue? Okay. What's your birthday? Year, month, day in that order, please."
"Er, 5067, November, 5. Yeah."
"That's interesting. Mine is on November 7, same year. Species?"
"Fox."
"Yeah?"
"No, fox."
"Oh, right. Occupation?"
"Um, mercenary."
"Done. Thanks. You just got two thousand and five hundred credits."
"Is that a lot?"
"You could live off of that for ten years, given that you use it sparingly," Fox was just about to exit the computer when the screen started to fizzle. Fox smacked the hard drive, but to no avail. Suddenly, Wolf's face materialized on the screen.
"Hello, Fox."
"What the he- What are you doing on my computer?" Fox growled and smacked the computer again.
"To negotiate," Wolf seemed to be very happy. That can't be good.
"For what?" Fox tried a hard boot, but it didn't work. The screen didn't even go off.
"For money."
"And in exchange?" Fox smack the monitor this time. The screen fizzled a little, but stayed the picture.
"You get your life," Wolf smiled.
"Classic. Ransom without foxnapping."
"No, look out your window," Wolf's smile grew bigger. Fox turned to look at the window. Wolf was right outside it, holding a gun.
"Go on, shoot," Fox laughed. Those glass panes were laser-proof and bulletproof.
"Oh, you don't get it, do you? Look again," Wolf shoved a figure in front of the window. It was Krystal.
"What the hell?" Fox turned. The Krystal behind him doesn't have the Emerald, but the one outside did. The one behind him grinned a maniacal grin and punched the lights out of Fox.
**
"Oh, crap," Fox got up, but he was already up. He was stuck to the wall of something. There was a sharp pain in his back.
'Krystal?' Silence. Then, Fox remembered the day before. There were two Krystals. One was, quite obviously, a clone from Photonia. The other was the real one. But how could Wolf get to another planet in a matter of seconds? Wait, the Krystal that punched him didn't have the Emerald. Six hours was enough time to get to another solar system and back. All Wolf needed to do was to slip into the Great Fox at night, since Slippy never locks the door and get a blood sample from Krystal when she was asleep, then steal the warp drive from Slippy during the meeting.
Fox groaned as he felt his jaw. It was swollen, and dry blood had leaked out of his mouth. Everywhere else was fine, but Fox was still stuck to the wall. Fox pushed hard, and with a rip, he was off. He was hooked to the wall with a small pin in the vest. Fox walked around the room, taking inventory of his surroundings.
It was a brass, dome room, obviously in a base. Was he in Venom? Most likely. The room was stock empty of things except lights and a door leading out.
Fox tried his luck with the door. It was an old fashioned on, with a knob. It swung easily out, and Fox walked into another room just like the last, but with Wolf waiting patiently, his gun aimed at an unconscious Krystal, who was also pinned to the wall. Krystal had many holes in her shirt, all bloody. Wolf was in leather jacket and leather pants, still with the eyepatch. His ear seemed to be ripped from their last dogfight.
The fake Krystal was standing behind Wolf.
"Don't worry about her," Wolf said, gesturing at the fake Krystal, "She'll be evaporated soon, anyway."
"What is going on?"
"This is pretty fun, you know, Fox," Wolf suddenly pulled the trigger and shot Krystal in the chest. Fox was horrified. Blood gushed out from the wound and spilled to the ground, which was already covered in red liquid. Wolf continued, "I shoot her, she heals in a matter of seconds. Look." The wound was already gone from Krystal. Wolf chuckled and shot her again in the leg.
"You sick son of a-"
"Don't push it, Fox," Wolf swerved the gun at Fox, "Or else you'll get a taste of this, too." Fox stopped dead.
"What do you want?"
"Well, see, after you shot me down on Venom, Andross thought I was dead, so he formed a new StarWolf team, with some guy named Britch as the leader. I was forced into exile, and I have quite taken to living on Katina. Nice place, isn't it? No one to bother me," Wolf scoffed. He loved attention; "I don't have much money." Wolf coughed lightly as if he was embarrassed to admit it.
"So?"
"So, I want to borrow three thousand credits from you for me to live off some proper food for once and get a job," Wolf nearly burst into tears.
"What?" Fox dropped his jaw; "You went into all that trouble just for three thousand measly credits?"
"You're right, it's too much. How about one thousand until I get back on my feet again?"
Fox nearly laughed, but Wolf had the gun, so Fox bit his tongue and snorted.
"No, really. I'm serious, Fox."
"Ok, but do me one favor. First, do you still have the security cards for Venom's bases?" Fox's mind turned to the Ruby of Blood.
"Yeah."
"Go there and take Andross's ruby."
"Are you nuts?" Wolf cried, "Even if I somehow did manage to get in, I'm gonna have a hell of a time trying not to wake up Andross during his naps."
"Whatever. Gimme six hours to get the money."
"Okay, but the girl stays. The elevator is hidden behind that off-colored brick. Damn, this is fun," Wolf shot Krystal again. Fox winced and took off.
**
"I'd like a withdrawal of a thousand credits, please," Fox said to the young squirrel clerk. Luckily the base had a makeshift bank in the lobby. Fox's mind wandered off to the car he used to get to the base from Wolf's base. It was so old it still used internal combustion.
"Here you go," she threw a large sack into Fox's arms, "Come again, Commander."
Peering over the sack periodically, Fox made it back to the car. Luckily, he used the entrance opposite the Great Fox, so no one that he knew was likely to notice. Chucking the bag into the passenger seat, Fox turned the key (another Stone Age invention) and pushed the pedal.
"Crap, this is hard," Fox muttered as he stepped on the brake again to stop hitting on a large outcropping of dirt from construction.
With another hour of driving, Fox made it back to the hill of Wolf's base. With a swift motion, the fake dirt swung down and dropped Fox and the car into a large elevator. Jumping out and pressing a button, Fox heaved the sack over his shoulder and carried it down just as the door swung open.
"Took you long enough," Wolf said as he shot Krystal again.
"Will you quit that?" Fox hurled the sack towards Wolf. It hit his chest and rolled off, throwing him backward a few yards.
"Thanks, Fox. No hard feelings about trying three times to kill you, right?" Wolf opened the bag and examined the contents.
"Yeah, right," Fox said sarcastically. Pulling a bleeding Krystal down, he heaved her over his shoulder and walked away.
"Fox, just for hitting me with the sack, don't take the car," Wolf laughed. He was still evil.
Grumbling, Fox opened the elevator door and went out. Fox vaguely remembered the day that one of his best friends turned his back to Fox.
**
"Hey, Bill, whatcha get on the math test?" Fox, no more than ten years old at the time, ran to catch up with a husky about half a year older than he was.
"Oh," Bill snorted, "Seventy-nine percent."
"Aw, that blows. I got eighty-five," Fox waved the paper in Bill's face.
They were walking home, as usual, from elementary school through a park. Bill's house was just a block from Fox's, so they often played games together as youngsters. Bill's father was an engineer for the army and his mother was a secretary for a general teaching in the academy. Fox's parents had a lot more adventure. Even though his mother did not have an occupation, his father was the leader of the StarFox team, a group of three mercenaries saving people from all sorts of disasters. Fox was very proud.
The two were chattering unconcernedly, but behind them, a gray wolf sneaked up behind them, his paws raised.
"HIYA, Fox!" Wolf O'Donnel clapped his paw on Fox's shoulder. Fox jumped a foot into the air.
"Jeez, Wolf! You're gonna gimme a heart attack someday!" Fox panted. Wolf chuckled, but not the sort of chuckle he gave today, but a warm, sincere one.
"Nonsense! If a pilot at the age of ten gets a heart attack, I'll sell my soul to the devil himself," Wolf swung his pack around and rummaged through. He picked a piece of paper that was wedged between a binder and his laptop
"What'd you get on the test?" Fox peered over.
"Ninety-eight," Wolf proudly waved. Bill, with a shocked look on his face, grabbed the test away and read it.
"And you didn't cheat?"
"Would I ever?" Wolf was just about to grab it back when a big ape shoved him over.
"Hey, Andrew, leave him alone," Fox pulled Wolf away from Andrew and his buddy, Leon.
"Why would we do that? Hey Wolf," Leon grabbed Wolf, who was well over larger than both Andrew and Leon, and offered him the proposal that would change his life forever, "How would you like to hang out with us instead of these wimps?"
If Wolf had said no, he would've have become the smartest animal in Corneria, also being a member of the praised StarFox team, but he didn't say no. He said yes. In a matter of years, Wolf will be hired by Andross to plant a car bomb in James' car, killing Vixy, and he will also be sent on missions to wipe out StarFox two times.
**
"Dear God!" Tom rushed forward to help Fox. He took Krystal and helped Fox down to a chair.
"What happened?" Slippy asked hurriedly.
"Met an old friend," Fox said simply, "Oh, she's fine."
"Hurry up, Fox, we're supposed to leave now for the battle," Falco pulled Fox along.
Krystal yawned and sat up.
"Hi. What's for dinner?" She asked.
**
"He shot me?" Krystal was staging a private conversation with Fox, blocking out the signal to other pilots. They were speeding along to Venom. The green planet was looking very evil.
"Yeah, about a hundred times, judging by the blood."
"I didn't feel a thing!"
"Eh. Emerald," Fox said, sitting back.
"I'm darn lucky to have it, or I'd be dead at least three hundred times now," Krystal mumbled.
"ETA to Venom's atmosphere: 15 minutes," Tom said, "Charge up your shields, guys, it's go time. I see defenders up ahead!"
Fox peered forward. Indeed, there were about fifty ships dotted together before them. Fox fired a single shot, and the other pilots followed suit. They weren't much to worry about, just robotic target practice. Krystal actually shot down five of them. Not surprising; she fired enough lasers that Fox could use to shoot down a planet.
The pilots tried to enter the planet's atmosphere with the least amount of attention attracted. Venom's air was thin and toxic. It was easy to fly through and see through, but it was always rather dark on the planet, so vision sometimes proved a problem. The fleet moved easily towards the bases, covered by darkness, until Colonel Alben gave the signal.
"Lines one, two, and three, drop missiles," she roared. Thirty bombs sped towards the nearest jet warehouse. It went up in flames with an explosion that rocked the earth.
Apparently alerted, Venomian crafts sped out of bases and airfields. There weren't many, though, and the help Colonel Alben requested was here. Large carriers dropped off infantry in masks and lots of tanks. The air was swarming with green and red lasers a minute later.
"Fox, get this guy off my tail!" Bill shouted.
"Krystal, stop shooting him."
"Oops, sorry."
Fox was having an easy time. Most of the crafts were robotic, unlike the ones that attacked Katina, so they were easy pickings. They were too dumb to actually return fire. Fox counted fifty crafts down before he let the computer take over the math.
"Lines six and ten, attack the bases! Lines four and seven, cover them. Say, Bill, this is a pretty nice night." Colonel Alben seemed to be in a good mood. Apparently, warehouses being blown up are her definition of a fun date.
The battle was in the Cornerian favor. In a matter of thirty minutes, the battle was over and the infantry stormed the remaining warehouses. They took ninety prisoners out with their paws up and their blasters on self- destruct.
"Bogey at seven!" Bill pointed at the eastern sky.
"I got him!" Fox sped after the craft. It was a small ship, speeding out from a base and heading towards space. The pilot was a good one. He deflected twenty lasers from Fox before he shot the engine and the jet screamed towards the ground in a cloud of smoke. Fox caught a glimpse of the pilot as it fell past. Andross.
"I'll get you, you moron," Fox whispered as he sped after the flaming craft. It wasn't long before it crashed and exploded into the plains. Fox bumped neatly on the dirt and strapped on a gas mask. Opening the cockpit, he jumped out and headed toward the remains of the ship.
"You." Andross coughed. He was still alive. Fox raised his blaster gun.
"You!" Fox yelled as he pulled the trigger again and again until he was sure that big brain of his was rotten. Scooping up the Ruby on his chest, Fox put it on. There was a whirl of sounds that Fox could not recognize and he was thrown again into the sucking of magic.
**
'You got it!' James smiled
'Sure did, Dad.' Fox smiled back.
'Keep it safe. Keep it away from Venom.'
'For obvious reasons?'
'For obvious reasons.'
'Say, Dad, how do you contact me like this?'
'It doesn't matter how I get here; it matters that I got here.'
'As always.'
'Good-bye, Fox. Don't give up, and trust your instincts.'
'Will do.'
**
A/N: I know, I know; it's still not finished. I'll be writing the sequel soon, so keep your shorts on. For those of you who do not wear shorts, keep you pants on. For those of you who wear skirts, dresses, or other lower limb attire, do so as said above. For those of you who do not wear any of those mentioned above, you need a psychiatrist. Yes, for those of you who are spelling freaks, 'psychiatrist' is spelled right. I think I say 'for those of you' too often, eh? And yes, for those of you wanting to know, I'm Canadian.
Intro: Okay, setting. One year after the Dinosaur Planet incident. On Corneria, I guess. This is based on the N64/Gamecube setting, which means: Fox and his team are broke, Fox never met Fara, and General Pepper is not obsessed with suckers (haha). I never finished the game; heck, I don't even have the game; so don't hound my butt for stuff like 'hey, Fox didn't do that' blah, blah, blah. Gimme a break wills ya? But I'd appreciate it if you would send me a formal e-mail about it, and then I would change or update my story about that.
Okay, now on with the darn story.
"Oh, why me?" Fox grumbled as he sat up in his bed, rubbing his new swell. Fox tried to stand, but he hit his head again on the small, metal ladder of the bunks. Tom chuckled from the top bunk. Fox distinctly heard him say 'clumsy oaf'.
Fox muttered some curses about his luck and got his helmet and gloves. Shoving them on after a few frustrated groans because he put the gloves on the wrong paws, Fox stumbled toward the cockpit.
"Finally awake?" Rob asked. Fox looked out of the window and saw stars. They had taken off without him.
"Yeah," Fox yawned, "Where's everyone else?"
"The kitchen," Rob said.
"Thanks," Fox said. He was just about to walk off when Rob started to flash his bulbs and swing his arms around wildly.
"Danger, Fox McCloud! Danger," Rob shouted. Fox was just about to turn around and say something when Rob started laughing, "Ha, ha, ha. That was my first joke." Fox chuckled sarcastically and shuffled off.
Everyone greeted Fox warmly and made jokes about his head. Fox noticed Slippy had nailed down two more chairs for Tom and Krystal. Tom was sipping a cappuccino with a can of tuna (everyone just loves tuna) beside him and Krystal was chewing slowly on tuna (see author's note above).
Fox, as he sat down and poured himself some coffee, thought about how Krystal seemed different than he had expected. She was casual with everybody, instead of being all princess-y like she was supposed to be. Krystal must've read his thoughts again because she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Bill updated us thirty minutes before you woke up, Fox," Peppy informed him, "It seems that all the planets are clean, but Venom's bases shot down four of his pilots." Fox gave a murmur of acknowledgement.
"We're going there?" Fox asked. Slippy nodded, eating his usual supply of flies, cleverly concealed within a small, opaque jar to prevent the guests from getting disgusted.
"I'm not surprised Andross picked this time," Peppy said suddenly, "For the next two months, Venom is aligned almost perfectly with Corneria, Katina, and Solar, which means a direct attack, after taking over our frontal base." Slippy and Krystal nodded knowingly, but Tom and Fox gave Peppy quizzical looks.
"So our homeland, our base, and our enemy are in direct contact?" Fox asked, amazed. Peppy nodded energetically. Tom shrugged.
"It makph 'tacking a lot eafier," he said through a mouthful of food, "For uf and for fem."
"Yo da-lolly," Fox said nonchalantly, "Where're we going, anyway?"
"Katina, of course," Slippy said.
"Through Meteo?"
"That's the fastest way," Slippy said. Fox gulped down the remainder of his coffee and stood up.
"I'd better blast those asteroids out of you way, then," Fox stumbled off, with Tom and Krystal behind him.
**
"Why'd ya bring that thing?" Fox asked, pointing at her staff, which was strapped with a piece of leather to Krystal's back.
"I can create a bubble of air just in case I get blown into outer space."
"Can you create a force field for the Great Fox?"
"No."
"Darn, that makes things a lot harder."
"You're too lazy, Fox."
"Eh, whatever," Fox climbed into his Arwing. The other foxes did the same.
A flash of white flickered on each of their tail engines when they started up. The liquid oxygen, the best fuel there was for a space ship, burned brightly, blinding Fox for a second as it blew up, sending Fox at Mach 2 right out of the hatch. A whir and a whoosh later, the three were blasted into space.
Fox could barely make out shapes of asteroids in the distance. Solar was visible, and Katina was across the field. Venom, green as nasty as it always was, was looming over Katina like a ghost.
'Hmm, this seat feels way more comfortable than the other one that I was in.' Krystal thought. Fox snorted. 'Just blast the darn rocks up ahead.' Without warning, Krystal started firing straightforward. Since Fox was in front of her, he panicked and swung to the right, braking and coming up beside Krystal.
"Jeez! Not at me!" Fox yelled over the radio. Fox's screen fizzed and Krystal came in.
"Relax, I wasn't about to hit you."
"I wouldn't count on it," Fox said, "You shoot like a maniac. The screen split and Tom's voice came over, too. He was laughing real hard.
"No kidding! She knocked a quarter of my shield out," Tom laughed harder.
"Ah, shut up, you jackal," Krystal's side fizzed again and it went blank.
"Well, anyway, ETA: thirty minutes," Tom waved and he was gone, too. Fox boosted ahead and shot a single laser at a faraway rock. The laser hit bulls eye and the rock shattered into three pieces.
"Ooo, let me try," Krystal shot repeatedly forward. Fox panicked again, banking to the right just in time to avoid her deadly blows.
"Stop it!" Fox screamed. Tom started laughing again. He started shooting, too, but his aims were ten times better. He blasted away one of Fox's rock shards and blew away three more. Krystal gave out a 'humph' of anger and boosted farther than Fox, then started shooting again. Her wild shots bounced off a large asteroid and reflected back to Fox and clipped him on the left wing. The damage was minor, but now Fox was fuming.
"Gah! STOP IT!" Fox shot a rock nearby Krystal and the shards flew in her direction, barely missing her. The screen fizzed again, and Tom was howling with laughter.
"Maniacs, both of you."
The next few minutes went without much more action, just small pieces here and there, and Krystal was refusing to fire anymore. Just as the rocks cleared, Tom's voice came over the radio, but more hurried.
"Bogeys at six o'clock!"
"How many?" Fox demanded.
"Dunno, but about three hundred."
"Hold your fire, Fox!" Fox's screen fizzed again and Bill's gray-furred face came into view, "You aren't about to shoot an old friend, are you?"
"Oh, hi, Captain Grey," Tom said.
"Good afternoon, Thomas. A-hmm, anyway, Fox, I'm with Colonel Alben and her crew."
"Oh, that Labrador you were talking to yesterday? Gotta thing for her, Bill?" Fox chuckled. His screen fizzed and a dog with a mock-mean look on her face came over.
"Really, now, Commander McCloud? Why don't I just shoot you out of the sky for the darn, prejudiced, busybody vulpine that you are?" Colonel Alben said. Fox chuckled.
"I can see why you've taken an interest in her."
"Ah, shut yer yap, you pathetic, orange-butted excuse for a furry," Colonel Alben snapped.
"Ooo, feisty one."
"I thought I told you to shut up!" All the pilots present chuckled.
"ETA to Katina, ten minutes," Tom said, still snickering.
"I can see the runway up ahead," Slippy said, braking slightly, his front engines burning for a bit. The other three hundred and three fighters did the same. The fighter jets hit the atmosphere, and Fox could see the white silicon on his Arwing heating up, turning a bright red. That was normal, besides, silicon doesn't melt unless at 6,000 degrees Celsius.
A wide cement runway materialized before Fox. Yellow markers and white lines dotted the field. Fox slowly brought his Arwing's nose up a little, flipped over his landing gear, and bumped into the road with a small thunk. His tires screeched in sync with the others as rubber flew everywhere. Fox skid to a halt somewhere near the base. The hydraulic doors off all the ships hissed and fumed as the pilots jumped out.
'Nice place,' Krystal thought sarcastically as she hopped over to Fox and Tom. Fox knew what she meant. The entire planet was a brown desert. Just brown dirt and nothing else. There wasn't even a rock. There was a base and a large runway. Not much to look at.
There was a gigantic thud as the Great Fox landed somewhere over the base. Even from three miles away, Fox could hear Peppy's angry yells. Frankly, that was the reason Fox never let Slippy drive; bad eyesight and no common sense to flip over the wheels.
The pilots all took off their helmets and went inside the base. The base was renovated since the last time Fox was there. They painted the inside a bright blue, making it very hard to spot Krystal in the fray, even with her gray shirt and pants. Fox and his crew planned to sleep inside the Great Fox, but Bill and Colonel Alben would have a hard time finding proper sleeping cabins for three hundred some pilots. The base was already cramped, since there were already a few hundred infantries inside the base.
The pilots all reported to the main console room, where General Pepper and other officers droned on for three hours about his attack plans. General Pepper, who was on a screen, told every soldier at the end of his briefing to have a gun handy in case Andross decides to attack anytime soon. Fox, Tom, Peppy, and Slippy all had a laser strapped to their belts, but Krystal was yet to have one. Bill gave her a new model of the small pistols and showed her how to use the safety (thank God).
"Just pull the trigger," Bill said at last. Krystal gave him a sarcastic look and tucked it into her pocket. 'I, for one, don't trust you with any lethal weapon.' Fox thought. Krystal's reply was slow in coming, as if she was thinking for the right thing to think. 'I'm not a trigger-happy son of an ape like these guys.' Krystal nodded her head in the infantry's direction. Fox chuckled and Bill gave him a strange look.
**
'I remember the last time I saw a gun.' Krystal thought. Fox and Krystal sat on Fox's bottom bunk bed, having a conversation. It was about the war. 'It was when my parents were killed.' Fox gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. Krystal looked down. 'Do you want to see?' Fox, confused, gave a nod out of instinct. Quickly, Krystal used her paw to get a firm grasp on Fox's head. Fox normally would've thought that was strange, but strange was a different word when Krystal was around.
Fox felt a surge of energy flowing from Krystal's hand to his brain. Fox felt a flash of white, but his eyes stayed open. He felt that sucking feeling again, and in a split-second, he was in Krystal's mind yet again.
Fox was a phantom in her world, like he always were when he entered her memories or her eyes. He found himself in a dense jungle, in front of a rudely built house made of clay and stone with a straw roof. A bright blue vixen was sitting on a table outside with a dark blue fox.
A small vixen, no older than three years old, hopped out of the house and started to talk to her parents in a strange language. The little vixen had tattoos on her arms and forelegs and she was wearing the Emerald copy around her neck. She was also carrying a staff. It was Krystal as a child.
Krystal's parents nodded and Krystal skipped off into the woods and started picking berries just beside Fox. Little Krystal was wearing a bright white tunic. She had bracelets way too big for her and a tiara, just like the Krystal that was with Fox in the real world. Her hair was longer, tied back in a small bun with a golden pin in it. Her little blue eyes shined in the bright sunlight as she sampled one of the yellowish berries that she was picking and stuffing into her pockets.
Suddenly, a great big vessel appeared in the sky and sped towards the little hut. It landed a few feet away from it. Krystal's parents jumped up in surprise and started shouting. Little Krystal jumped behind the bush of yellow berries and hid. Fox watched with interest as three figures jumped out of the ship.
"Wolf!" Fox shouted. But it wasn't Wolf O'Donnel. It must've been a close relative because the wolf that jumped out had the same color of fur as Wolf, but with a different outfit. He was wearing black leather, but he didn't have the eyepatch. The wolf pulled out a laser, and before Krystal or Fox could say anything, he shot two lasers into each of Krystal's parents.
The wolf, apparently satisfied when he saw Krystal's parent's blood splatter all over the table, motioned to his cronies, a lizard and a lynx, and went inside the hut.
Little Krystal gasped, but she regained herself and ran towards the ship. Fox flew after her. Krystal ran towards the cockpit and started pressing buttons wildly. Fox gave out a scream that no one could hear when the engine started and blasted the ship towards outer space.
Fox was flung back a few feet, but went and sat down on a chair, but fell right through it. Taking a last look at little Krystal as he felt the sucking feeling again, he saw silent tears running down her cheek.
**
"Gah!" Fox landed on his bed. Krystal looked over at him.
"Now you know," she said simply.
"My God! That evil, vile."
"I know," Krystal sat down again. Fox heaved himself up and sat down beside her again.
"How did you get out like that? You were only a little kit!"
"Pure luck," Krystal sighed. Fox could see tears threatening to break out from her eyes. Fox put his gloved paw on her shoulder.
"That wolf. He looked familiar," Fox said. Krystal gave a 'hmm'.
"He was one of Andross's guys, I know now. He was definitely looking for the Emerald."
"Wanna hear one of my stories about a wolf? It'll make you feel better," Fox offered. Krystal nodded. She placed her paw back on Fox's forehead and she was sucked into his memories this time.
**
Fox was sitting idly on a stone bench, yawning into the night. This was his first mission, and a part of his training. At age fifteen, he was bold and adventurous, and he hadn't killed anyone yet.
He was sitting before a stone building, the same one that Andross attacked. At this time, there wasn't a gate, and hills and trees surrounded the place. Little dark shapes that were benches dotted the landscape. Fox was assigned to serve as a watchman for the ambassadors who were coming from a distant star. He was with a dozen other classmates and among them, Bill Grey the Husky, who was still lance corporal at the time.
Fox yawned again, and lazily shifted his position. Looking at the beautiful, cloudless night and the bright moons above, Fox dozed off for a second. As he closed his eyes, he thought he saw a dark figure creeping across the hills and among the trees. Fox bolted upright and looked again. He didn't see anything this time.
"Bill, cover me," Fox said, meaning for Bill to tell whatever high ranking officer who asked where Fox was that he was in the bathroom or something. Bill nodded sleepily. Fox said quiet thanks and ran off towards the hills where Fox thought he saw the figure.
There wasn't anyone in sight, so Fox yawned again and decided to take a walk in the woods. Stretching lazily, Fox flopped silently around. A sound brought him right back to life.
'Whir.' the unmistakable sound of a sniper rifle powering up reached Fox's sensitive ears. Running quietly towards the sound, Fox noticed a bump in the ground ahead of him. There was a tiny clearing with few trees, and a window from the mansion was clearly visible. Fox noticed the figure just before he fired and Fox kicked him quickly. The silenced shot went off target and bounced off the wall.
"Ah!" Fox screamed as the figure charged at him and locked its sharp claws around his neck. It was a wolf, a dark gray one to be exact. Fox brought his knee up and kicked the wolf hard in the stomach. He reeled back, giving Fox just enough time to draw his gun. The wolf did the same, and was just about to pull the trigger when.
"Fox! WOLF!" Bill crashed through the trees. The wolf turned his head slightly to Fox's right, and that was his worst mistake. Fox pulled the trigger and an angry buzz was audible throughout the field.
The shot would've pierced the wolf's skull, but he flung himself backward at just the right time. Instead of hitting him in the cranium, the shot was just at the right angle to pierce his right eye and come out of his nose bone. Blood flowed freely from the rich blood vessels of the eye and nose.
The wolf let out a scream and a curse, shot one shot, that barely missed by an inch, at Fox and scrambled away into the darkness.
**
"Tsk, you got lucky too, heh?" Krystal put her paw away. Fox nodded.
"That was Wolf O'Donnel. No wonder he keeps trying to shoot me down during our dogfights," Fox mumbled, "He never wins, anyway. Poor guy."
"Ha!" Krystal uttered a menacing growl, "Poor? Those darn villains." She pounded her fist on the bed.
"Uh, right," Fox edged away from her, "Wanna go flying again?"
"Sure," Krystal stood up and followed Fox down the hall.
**
"Ah!" Krystal yelled as she sped across the skies, "Too. Fast."
"Don't worry, you're not likely to crash," Fox said, "G-13. Way to fly."
"I think my bones. Are getting crushed," Krystal gasped as her Arwing reached Mach 3. Fox followed her easily. Fox could reach Mach 5, but the force could kill him, especially with the leather seats instead of the fake fur ones that Bill's pilots had.
"Don't be silly. You probably didn't turn on the G-Diffuser," Fox laughed. Krystal, who showed on Fox's screen, flipped a switch, and she heaved out a breath.
"Remind me to do that next time," Krystal said as she puffed out carbon dioxide. She gave another boost and sped away from Fox.
'Think you can beat me? Think again!' Fox boosted after her, the excess of the liquid oxygen trailing behind him.
"Mach 4!" Krystal yelled.
"Oh yeah? Mach 4 and a half! Um, if there was such a thing." Fox suddenly zoomed right past Krystal and over some hills of dirt.
"Huh! Mach 5!" Krystal was now nose to nose with Fox, flying a such a velocity that they could almost go around the whole planet in a matter of minutes.
"I. Can't. Breathe!" Krystal puffed at Fox.
"Ok, slow down. You beat me," Fox put on the brake and he was thrown forward a little. Krystal did the same.
"YEE-HAW!" Bill suddenly appeared out of nowhere and launched right past the two foxes.
"Jeez! Slow down!" Fox yelled.
"AAAAAA!" Tom sped right after him; his after wind catching Fox and flinging him a few feet to the left. Fox heard Krystal mumble 'boys'.
Fox banked sharply to his right and sped towards the base, with Krystal on his tail. Smiling slightly, Fox braked quickly, making Krystal yell in fright and turn to the left. Catching on the object of the game, she slowed and bumped Fox's Arwing softly, making the shields sizzle for a bit. They played the crashing game for a few minutes before the reached the base again.
Fox bumped softly on the cement ground and he powered down his ship. Krystal, still inexperienced, literally crashed down to the ground with such force that the runway cracked.
Fox jumped down, catching his laces as he fell and bumped his hip on the ground. The effects of going mach-speed are varied, but usually it causes nausea or temporary forgetfulness.
"Darn it." Krystal mumbled as she stumbled along after Fox, "So. Dizzy. Fox? What's my name again?"
"Uh, dunno. Captain Houndtooth?"
"Right."
**
'Boop? Blurble. Gurgle. Puh-tooie.' Fox spat out the water and dipped his head again in the sink. 'Oh, darn it! Shouldn't have flown that fast.'
"Hi, Fox, do you mind? Everywhere in the base is full," Krystal flopped carelessly into the bathroom and turned on the tap on the second sink.
"Glurp. O, Oi doant moind," Fox said with his head still in the water. Krystal muttered thanks and dipped her head in the water, too.
"Are oo 'til. Er." 'I mean, are you still going out with Tom?'
'Erm, no. He wasn't very interested in courting when I asked him.'
'Oh, too bad.'
'It's ok. We haven't begun mating yet.'
"Bloop." Fox spluttered and splashed in the water. He finally regained use of his neck and flung his head out, "What?"
"What 'what'?" Krystal raised her head, too.
"Did you say mating?" Fox coughed through a lung full of water.
"Yeah. So what? That's what I'm supposed to do, right? I am the last of my kind," Krystal said this and dunked her head in the water again.
'Uh, whatever you say.' Fox dried himself with a towel and walked out. Jumping off the Great Fox, he walked towards the base, hoping that Bill was back from his race.
Kicking open the door to the cafeteria, Fox began prowling through the tables, looking for his thick-furred friend. Fox spotted a husky sitting in a table beside the windows.
"Hello, Bill."
"Hmm? Who are you?" Bill looked up good-naturedly. His head wobbled a bit while he was talking, and he had spread peanut butter on his milk carton.
"Snap out of it!" Fox reached for Bill's small glass of water and flung it at his face. Bill banged his fist on the table as he sneezed it out of his snout.
"Hey, watch it!" Bill shook himself like a wet dog. Uh, right. Fox gave himself a little shake as he just realized what he had thought.
"Back to the ground now?"
"Oh, hiya, Fox. Where'd you come from?" Fox groaned. Bill cleared his throat, "Never mind."
"When did you make captain, Bill?" Fox asked as he sat down across from his friend.
"Three months ago, I think. I got a medal and a promotion after getting shot from the sky by my own teammate." Fox raised an eyebrow. Bill shrugged, "Doesn't matter how I get it, right? As long as I got it." Fox nodded as he heard the phrase his father always said.
"All pilots report to the fields immediately! We are under attack! I repeat: We are under attack!" The intercom shouted. Fox scrambled to get up and sprinted out the door, squeezing his way down the hall with a hundred others.
If someone were watching up in the skies, they would've sworn there were ants swarming out of the building. Fox, being the fastest runner of the lot, did a flying jump and landed squarely in the Arwing. Kicking the engine to life, an explosion rocked Fox's ears as he remembered to close the cockpit.
"All units report," Bill shouted over the radio. Then, there was a string of pilots reporting in, and among them, Fox could hear Krystal and Tom. Flying fast and checking his radar, Fox saw hundreds of jets swarming behind him, and another few hundred swarming toward him in the opposite direction.
"Break formation and engage," Colonel Alben cried. The group split and banked off in different directions, boosting to catch up with Fox. Fox powered up his lock-on lasers and fired towards any ship that dared to come too close.
Jets were screaming across the skies as the two groups clashed. One being the yellow and brown marked Venomian jets; the others were the blue and green of Bill and Colonel Alben's pilots. A whole hour passed and Fox wasn't being shot at, but he was doing the shooting, blasting down over twenty of them, but he also accidentally shot Tom once and hit another jet from Colonel Alben's fleet.
"Holy-" Bill yelled as a plane barely missed him. Lasers flew all over the place, with Krystal shooting wildly, occasionally catching a bad guy in the engine or wing and sending them right into the ground below.
Fox tailed an officer and shot, his accuracy beating everyone in the battlefield, but jets were dropping like flies, enemies and allies alike being shot down. A bogey tailed Fox and clipped him in the wing. Fox did an easy somersault and shot the bogey down with a simple homing laser.
"Status report, computer," Fox demanded as he shot another plane down.
"Shields at 98 per cent. Engines at 100 per cent."
"Not that! The battlefield!"
"212 Venomian crafts. 158 Cornerian crafts."
"Damn it!" Bill shouted, "We're outnumbered!" Fox banked steeply to avoid an Arwing, probably Krystal.
"Send in the infantry, General!" Colonel Alben said, tapping her screen. Just as she finished her request, fifty tanks roared out of the base, with Slippy and Peppy in the lead, manning Landmasters. They shot into the sky, sending SAM's and other missiles into the fray. Fox narrowly collided with a torpedo, frankly from the Blue Marine.
"What the heck-" Fox dived just in time as it whistled dangerously by, "Slippy, what in heaven's name was that?" Slippy clicked in. He shrugged and pressed another button, sending another torpedo flying.
"We have plenty."
Now the yellow jets where being exploded and falling from the skies. A cheer went up from the Cornerians as the fleet of enemies retreated back into outer space. Fox puffed a breath and did a smooth U-turn, coming back to the base.
"All units report," Bill commanded, out of breath. Fox noticed that this list was a lot shorter than the last one.
"I'll show ya whose boss!" Krystal soared over to the retreating fighter jets and started firing again. Fox turned his head to see what she was doing. The Venomian fleet broke lines and scattered at the sight of Krystal, but one turned right back at her and launched a bomb.
"Krystal!" Fox screamed in horror as her Arwing was hit and exploded in a fiery ball of death, the remnants of her jet pummeling to the earth. A great boom was heard as she crashed to the ground. An ambulance crew rushed toward the wreckage and poured carbon dioxide on the burning metal scraps.
Fox and the other pilots bumped to the ground, opening the cockpits. Engineers rushed in to do repairs and maintenance on smoking planes. Fox tripped over his laces again and tumbled over his Arwing while he was boarding down, but running quickly over to the hover car that was turning over the pieces.
"Hey, HEY!" Fox shoved a raccoon over who was pushing him back. He ran over to a stretcher. Fox froze in terror.
"Fox?" Krystal asked weakly. Her body was finished. She had burns all over her and there was a deep gash across her chest. The blood from her wounds stained the stretcher, but what was most frightening of it all was her right arm: her paw was ripped off.
"My God!" Fox searched for her pulse, but the signal was too weak to detect on her right wrist. Fox silently slipped the Emerald of Earth onto her neck when nobody was looking. Krystal suddenly stopped breathing.
"Leave her, Mr. McCloud!" The raccoon doctor pulled a stunned Fox off of the stretcher and told his nurses to carry Krystal to the hospital wing. The doctor rushed off after the hover car, leaving a petrified fox crumpled on the ground, sobbing.
**
"Hi," Krystal coughed as she sat up. Fox pushed her back down on the bed. Fox relaxed when he saw that she was still living and conscious.
The infirmary had a strong smell of chlorine and medicine. The white ceramic walls and floors made the Great Fox look gray. Everything was whiter than the Great Fox. The sheets and the mattresses were a pure white that even would put a bright fox like Tom to shame. Even the patients were wearing such a bright white robe that Krystal almost glowed.
There weren't many patients. Most of the pilots who have been shot down exploded with their aircraft. The only ones in the whole room besides the two foxes and the nurses were a unconscious squirrel without a tail and three other unrecognizable bodies who look like their fur was shaven off. Krystal was only in the infirmary for a day, but she looked fine in the outside.
"What'd the doctor say?"
"Oh, the usual," Krystal coughed again, "Three broken ribs, all four fractured limbs, internal bleeding, swollen hip, fractured hip, one collapsed lung, broken sternum, one ear gone, fractured spine, deep cut around the chest and stomach area, punctured stomach, first degree burns, half a tail, one blind eye, brain damage, compound bone damage to six areas, twisted wrist, cut esophagus, concussion, cut main artery, snapped veins, snapped hamstring, triceps, biceps, and neck muscles, and not to mention a missing paw." Fox raised an eyebrow. She looked way better than that. She didn't have the fractured limbs, because she was scratching herself with her left paw, and her burns were almost gone. Her tail looked normal, and so did her eye and ears. Her right paw had somehow re-grown, too, but the fur on it was much shorter than the other one.
'You used the Emerald?'
'Of course, or else I'd be dead by now.' Krystal groaned as she tried to shift her position to get a better look at Fox. 'The doctor said I'd be better in three years, but with the Emerald, well, come back tomorrow.' Fox breathed a sigh of relief. Krystal slipped the chain from her neck and waved it at Fox.
'You keep it. You need to heal, remember? It belongs to you, anyway.'
'It does?' Krystal thought as she shrugged and slipped it back on.
"I'm going to get something to eat. Do you want anything?" Fox asked politely. Krystal shook her head and pointed to a tray beside her and made a face. Fox could tell that she couldn't stand applesauce, because she had tossed an open container of it against the wall. Fox patted her on the shoulder and left.
Fox absent mindedly wandered over to the cafeteria again, and spotted Colonel Alben and Bill eating lunch at the same table that Fox splashed water on his friend. Fox grabbed a plate of steaming fish and sat down opposite Bill and the Colonel. Colonel Alben scowled.
"Good afternoon, Commander McCloud," she said with a strict tone.
"Hi."
"What's the matter?"
"I just wanna eat lunch."
"Can't you eat somewhere else?"
"Erm, no," Fox peered at the other tables. They were all full.
"Chill, Alex, I don't think he's going to dump his fish on our faces," Bill nudged 'Alex' playfully.
"Who's Alex?" Fox asked stupidly.
"I'm Alex," Alex growled, "Alexandra Alben. Jeez."
"Uh, right."
"Well, this is turning out to be an intelligent conversation."
"Sure," Fox shrugged and started to pick at the salmon with a fork.
**
"If Andross decides to attack again, we're done for," Peppy paced up and down the lounge of the Great Fox. Slippy nodded.
"I don't think he has enough troops," Tom said hopefully.
"He may have aid of foreign mercenaries."
"Wait, aren't we mercenaries?" Krystal piped up. She was completely healed, and she decided on her luck to jump out of the sixth story window of the infirmary. The Emerald was the luckiest charm Fox could ever wish for, but he thought it was safer with a seasoned warrior who knew more about it.
"Yeah, but that's not the."
"We could ask for the foxes' help," Slippy interrupted. Tom raised an eyebrow. Fox started explaining about their adventures in the other solar system, leaving out the library part.
"We can always assassinate Andross in his bed," Fox suggested.
"After you defeat his elite guards," Peppy pointed out. Fox noticed Tom fiddling with his chain again.
"If only you were invisible," Tom said, the Sapphire twirling between his fingers. Suddenly, there was a flash of blue and Tom was gone. Everyone panicked.
"Hey, where'd ya go?" Fox groped blindly for the chair that Tom had sat on. Fox poked into something moist.
"Ow, that's my nose!"
"Huh? Who said that?" Peppy started groping around, too.
"Hey! That's my ear!"
"Tom? Tom!" Krystal suddenly appeared to grab onto some air.
"OW, my lip!"
"Tom! You are invisible!" Slippy squeaked.
"Well, way to state the obvious," the invisible Tom muttered. Krystal let go of Tom in shock.
'We mustn't tell them!' Krystal panicked. 'I don't trust that toad with our secrets. Tell them that you have an invisibility cloak or something.' Fox knew she was talking to Tom, but he could still hear her.
"Uh, it's a prototype level three invisibility, uh, shield. Yeah, that's it."
"Cool! Is it high level alkaline?"
"Um, yeah."
"I thought that they failed on every test on alkaline shields."
"Well, uh, they made it this time," Tom stuttered. Fox could tell that he was running out of excuses.
"Tom, don't you have that thing to do?" Krystal said between clenched teeth.
"Uh, yeah," Tom said, reappearing with a quiet crack, "Gotta go to Fox's cabin now." The three rushed out.
Fox bumped into his door and quickly punched in the two-digit code. They squeezed in when it opened with a hiss. Fox fumbled with the second code three times before the door closed.
'Close call.' Krystal thought.
'Uh, why are we hiding?' Tom looked around, his eyes squinting several times on the door.
'It's a secret only three must know and three must keep.'
'You go that outta the book?' Fox asked.
'Where else?' Krystal noticed Tom's blank look again, and she started explaining again.
'Ah, cool. But how come I can't talk to anyone else with these thinking powers?' Tom asked.
'I think only the three kinds can do it.' Fox shrugged.
'Then how come you don't have a gem?' Tom was beginning to sound like a curious schoolgirl. Fox pondered that for a second.
"Andross!" He shouted as he jumped up. Krystal pulled him back.
'What?'
'That ape! He has the Ruby! He stole it from my dad!'
'Yeah, I hate him, too.' Tom said absentmindedly, fiddling with his chain again and popping back to invisibility.
'I hate you when you do that.' Krystal groped around and prodded Tom's nose again.
'This will be a backup plan in case one of us gets captured. I mean the invisibility part.' Fox got up and opened the door. Peppy's stern face blocked him from exiting.
"Done with your little chat?"
"Uh, yeah, it was about."
"Go on."
"Family," Krystal finished. Peppy's expression turned softer.
"Sorry, then," he walked off. Tom gave a sigh and walked out, too.
**
"These aerial photographs were taken yesterday at midnight, Cornerian time, on Venom. Looks like we wiped most of their army out, but lots of bases still remain," Colonel Alben waved the laser pointer around the maps and photos dangerously. Fox ducked a number of times to avoid it from blinding him.
All the pilots, though still few, were crowded around the overhead glass projector in the main conference room. Krystal decided not to come because she started to develop a fever from her wounds. The Emerald was going to come in handy again.
There wasn't much left of the Venomian army, that's for sure, but large, gray buildings remain on the surface shown by the projector. Looks like another battle was necessary.
"We will take flight at 1800 hours tomorrow, so get dressed a hour before, for those who are too vain," Colonel Alben was directing the comment to a male sparrow who obviously takes too much pride in his feathers. He sunk deep into his chair.
A badger raised his paw and swung it furiously in the air, knocking a raccoon to the floor. Colonel Alben nodded.
"Will we get any outside help?"
"Yes," Colonel Alben said, "The Cornerian infantry has agreed to take 30% of their foot soldiers from Fortuna, Corneria, Titania, and what's left of Zoness. The carriers at Sector Y also promised a hand." Fox let out a sigh of relief. At least when he's shot down, there will be backup.
"Dismissed!" Bill shouted. The pilots rushed to get up and away to polish up their jets. Fox stayed behind.
"Hey, Bill!"
"Yeah, Fox?"
"What's the total population of the army in those planets?"
"Uh, that's confidential."
"Come on, Bill. You're speaking to a commander."
"Fine. Roughly, uh, about 500," Bill suddenly became very interested in his shoes. Fox gaped.
"I knew it! Ha, I knew it!" Fox stomped on the marble floor, "What's that, only 150 more units? That comes to, including the infantry on Katina. 400."
"Uh, yeah."
"Yeesh, that helps us," Fox muttered sarcastically.
"By boosting morale," Bill pointed out; "Statistics show that an army who is confident fights better than an army who knows they'll lose."
"You've better have a good plan up your sleeve."
"I don't."
"Then why are we on this mission?"
"Because we'll finish this for once."
"Didn't we finish it before?"
"Yes, but Andross always comes back."
"So what's so different about this time?"
"We're gonna nuke the place afterwards so we're sure that no life survives."
"Isn't that a plan?"
"Sort of."
"What kind of damage to Venom's environment?"
"Wake up, Fox! Venom doesn't have an environment! And why should you care?"
"Dunno. Just popped into my mind for some reason."
"You can get very weird sometimes."
"We're gonna lose."
"Yeah, right."
**
"What's the date today, Slip?" Fox flicked on the television and watched the news.
"Uh, Bill's having dinner with the Colonel." Slippy jumped onto the couch, too, and took out his electronic organizer and pressed a few buttons.
"The calendar!"
"Oh right. June 20," Slippy declared.
"And what's so special about this day?" Fox turned his head slightly as the reporter (a hound) ranted on about the war.
"Uh, aren't you going to tell me?" Slippy franticly pressed buttons on the mini-laptop.
"It's the day every month that Falco calls!" Fox gave Slippy a small slap to the head.
"Oh, yeah," as if on cue, Fox's communicator started beeping. He flicked it open.
"Hi, fur-face," Falco grinned, his beak close to the screen as usual. He didn't seem to have bothered combing his blue feathers today, but he had his wrinkle-less black leather jacket as always. He appeared to be in his Arwing.
"What's up?" Fox asked. Well, that's a stupid question, Fox.
"Open the hatch and power down your shields, will ya?" Falco plucked a red feather from his eyebrow.
"Why?"
"So I can shoot you into oblivion," Falco rolled his eyes, "So I can come in, you bird-brain! Uh, forget I said that." Chuckling, Fox commanded Slippy to go to the cockpit. Slippy was in a bad mood today, because he grumbled something about cruel, heartless tyrants ruling over underrepresented toads.
Moments later, Fox heard the hatch opening, and a few minutes later, closing. Fox rushed to the docking bay and waited for the hydraulic systems to open.
"I haven't seen your ugly mug for a while," Falco smiled as he jumped out and clapped his wing on Fox's shoulder. Fox looked over Falco's shoulder. There were three Arwings (a familiar sight with Krystal crashing hers) and a pink shuttle. That could only mean.
"Hi, Fox!"
.Katt. Friendly-tempered and beautiful, just like other cats, and yet Fox couldn't stand her with Falco together: They had way too many arguments. It's a wonder that Katt hadn't tried to eat Falco yet. Oh, wait, that's not a wonder. It's a wonder that Falco hadn't tried to eat Katt yet. Katt loved Falco and Falco hated Katt.
Falco, in his usual leather jacket and black jeans, strolled calmly around the Great Fox, occasionally saying "Hey, I haven't seen that in a while", even to Slippy ("Hey, I haven't seen that thing in a long time!"). Katt, in a pink tee shirt and blue jeans, didn't say a thing until the kitchen.
"Tuna!" Katt licked her lips and watched intently as Krystal was opening a large can of it using the motorized can opener that, evidently, Slippy's great-grandfather invented. Peppy, who joined Slippy to watch the news, cracked up upon hearing the word.
"Tuna? What's so funny about tuna?" Falco asked. Slippy doubled over with laughter.
"Oh," Fox threw a empty can at Slippy, "Me, Krystal, and Tom all love tuna."
"So? That's not funny."
"You'd be surprised at how we find humor walled away from civilization."
Fox pushed Falco and Katt down on chairs and told them all about his adventures, except, of course, the gems. They were completely fascinated. They obviously were bored out of their minds being mercenaries. Looks like Falco didn't get that shiny, fame-broiled, solo career he wanted.
"Wow, you're so lucky, Fox," Falco said after Fox was done his story, right up to there and then.
"How much did you get paid?" Katt asked. Fox was stumped. They were so busy with Krystal that he didn't even have time to ask for his paycheck.
"I'll go ask General Pepper," Fox jumped up and walked to the cockpit. Rob was busy making upgrades in the programs and systems, so Fox flipped over his communicator and pressed the speed dial button for General Pepper's residence. It was 9 o'clock in the evening in Corneria, anyway. General Pepper came on after three rings, and he looked bored.
"Good afternoon, Fox," he yawned.
"Hello, General," Fox grinned nicely, hoping to worm some extra cash if he was being good. Fox began asking many questions about Pepper's wife and kids; the Lylat System; the office. 'He's gotta give me at least one thousand extra credits for that act.'
"So, General, when do I paid for my exploration?"
"What exploration?" General Pepper asked. Fox frowned.
"The one where you sent us to a place three hundred light years away. Say. north, west, west on your star-map co-ordinates."
"I don't remember," the General thought for a moment, "Oh, of course! The exploration thing. I'll send you the check electronically." Fox smiled.
"Thank you."
"Sure. Good night, StarFox."
Fox walked away to his cabin. Flicking on his computer, he scanned his file. The General must've done it right away, because there were ten thousand new credits in addition to the five thousand Fox already saved. Clicking on a little button on the keyboard, he split it up between his teammates. Thinking hard, he flicked another button on the keyboard and typed like a maniac.
"Krystal?" Fox called. Krystal poked her head in less than two seconds. Fox rotated one-eighty degrees on his chair, "I need some information for your new bank account." Krystal raised an eyebrow. Fox sighed for the sixth time in the day and started explaining about money.
"Stupid concept," Krystal said after, "Why can't you keep the money in your pocket?"
"It would be too heavy. Besides, no one likes using cash anymore, so you actually can't carry the money around in your pocket," Fox clicked a button, "You get a card though. If you want something, swipe it on the card reader beside the item and you can take it out. Of course, the bank automatically withdraws the money and gives it to the store."
"Sounds simple enough."
"Okay. Last name?"
"Don't have one. Make one up."
"Um, Blue? Okay. What's your birthday? Year, month, day in that order, please."
"Er, 5067, November, 5. Yeah."
"That's interesting. Mine is on November 7, same year. Species?"
"Fox."
"Yeah?"
"No, fox."
"Oh, right. Occupation?"
"Um, mercenary."
"Done. Thanks. You just got two thousand and five hundred credits."
"Is that a lot?"
"You could live off of that for ten years, given that you use it sparingly," Fox was just about to exit the computer when the screen started to fizzle. Fox smacked the hard drive, but to no avail. Suddenly, Wolf's face materialized on the screen.
"Hello, Fox."
"What the he- What are you doing on my computer?" Fox growled and smacked the computer again.
"To negotiate," Wolf seemed to be very happy. That can't be good.
"For what?" Fox tried a hard boot, but it didn't work. The screen didn't even go off.
"For money."
"And in exchange?" Fox smack the monitor this time. The screen fizzled a little, but stayed the picture.
"You get your life," Wolf smiled.
"Classic. Ransom without foxnapping."
"No, look out your window," Wolf's smile grew bigger. Fox turned to look at the window. Wolf was right outside it, holding a gun.
"Go on, shoot," Fox laughed. Those glass panes were laser-proof and bulletproof.
"Oh, you don't get it, do you? Look again," Wolf shoved a figure in front of the window. It was Krystal.
"What the hell?" Fox turned. The Krystal behind him doesn't have the Emerald, but the one outside did. The one behind him grinned a maniacal grin and punched the lights out of Fox.
**
"Oh, crap," Fox got up, but he was already up. He was stuck to the wall of something. There was a sharp pain in his back.
'Krystal?' Silence. Then, Fox remembered the day before. There were two Krystals. One was, quite obviously, a clone from Photonia. The other was the real one. But how could Wolf get to another planet in a matter of seconds? Wait, the Krystal that punched him didn't have the Emerald. Six hours was enough time to get to another solar system and back. All Wolf needed to do was to slip into the Great Fox at night, since Slippy never locks the door and get a blood sample from Krystal when she was asleep, then steal the warp drive from Slippy during the meeting.
Fox groaned as he felt his jaw. It was swollen, and dry blood had leaked out of his mouth. Everywhere else was fine, but Fox was still stuck to the wall. Fox pushed hard, and with a rip, he was off. He was hooked to the wall with a small pin in the vest. Fox walked around the room, taking inventory of his surroundings.
It was a brass, dome room, obviously in a base. Was he in Venom? Most likely. The room was stock empty of things except lights and a door leading out.
Fox tried his luck with the door. It was an old fashioned on, with a knob. It swung easily out, and Fox walked into another room just like the last, but with Wolf waiting patiently, his gun aimed at an unconscious Krystal, who was also pinned to the wall. Krystal had many holes in her shirt, all bloody. Wolf was in leather jacket and leather pants, still with the eyepatch. His ear seemed to be ripped from their last dogfight.
The fake Krystal was standing behind Wolf.
"Don't worry about her," Wolf said, gesturing at the fake Krystal, "She'll be evaporated soon, anyway."
"What is going on?"
"This is pretty fun, you know, Fox," Wolf suddenly pulled the trigger and shot Krystal in the chest. Fox was horrified. Blood gushed out from the wound and spilled to the ground, which was already covered in red liquid. Wolf continued, "I shoot her, she heals in a matter of seconds. Look." The wound was already gone from Krystal. Wolf chuckled and shot her again in the leg.
"You sick son of a-"
"Don't push it, Fox," Wolf swerved the gun at Fox, "Or else you'll get a taste of this, too." Fox stopped dead.
"What do you want?"
"Well, see, after you shot me down on Venom, Andross thought I was dead, so he formed a new StarWolf team, with some guy named Britch as the leader. I was forced into exile, and I have quite taken to living on Katina. Nice place, isn't it? No one to bother me," Wolf scoffed. He loved attention; "I don't have much money." Wolf coughed lightly as if he was embarrassed to admit it.
"So?"
"So, I want to borrow three thousand credits from you for me to live off some proper food for once and get a job," Wolf nearly burst into tears.
"What?" Fox dropped his jaw; "You went into all that trouble just for three thousand measly credits?"
"You're right, it's too much. How about one thousand until I get back on my feet again?"
Fox nearly laughed, but Wolf had the gun, so Fox bit his tongue and snorted.
"No, really. I'm serious, Fox."
"Ok, but do me one favor. First, do you still have the security cards for Venom's bases?" Fox's mind turned to the Ruby of Blood.
"Yeah."
"Go there and take Andross's ruby."
"Are you nuts?" Wolf cried, "Even if I somehow did manage to get in, I'm gonna have a hell of a time trying not to wake up Andross during his naps."
"Whatever. Gimme six hours to get the money."
"Okay, but the girl stays. The elevator is hidden behind that off-colored brick. Damn, this is fun," Wolf shot Krystal again. Fox winced and took off.
**
"I'd like a withdrawal of a thousand credits, please," Fox said to the young squirrel clerk. Luckily the base had a makeshift bank in the lobby. Fox's mind wandered off to the car he used to get to the base from Wolf's base. It was so old it still used internal combustion.
"Here you go," she threw a large sack into Fox's arms, "Come again, Commander."
Peering over the sack periodically, Fox made it back to the car. Luckily, he used the entrance opposite the Great Fox, so no one that he knew was likely to notice. Chucking the bag into the passenger seat, Fox turned the key (another Stone Age invention) and pushed the pedal.
"Crap, this is hard," Fox muttered as he stepped on the brake again to stop hitting on a large outcropping of dirt from construction.
With another hour of driving, Fox made it back to the hill of Wolf's base. With a swift motion, the fake dirt swung down and dropped Fox and the car into a large elevator. Jumping out and pressing a button, Fox heaved the sack over his shoulder and carried it down just as the door swung open.
"Took you long enough," Wolf said as he shot Krystal again.
"Will you quit that?" Fox hurled the sack towards Wolf. It hit his chest and rolled off, throwing him backward a few yards.
"Thanks, Fox. No hard feelings about trying three times to kill you, right?" Wolf opened the bag and examined the contents.
"Yeah, right," Fox said sarcastically. Pulling a bleeding Krystal down, he heaved her over his shoulder and walked away.
"Fox, just for hitting me with the sack, don't take the car," Wolf laughed. He was still evil.
Grumbling, Fox opened the elevator door and went out. Fox vaguely remembered the day that one of his best friends turned his back to Fox.
**
"Hey, Bill, whatcha get on the math test?" Fox, no more than ten years old at the time, ran to catch up with a husky about half a year older than he was.
"Oh," Bill snorted, "Seventy-nine percent."
"Aw, that blows. I got eighty-five," Fox waved the paper in Bill's face.
They were walking home, as usual, from elementary school through a park. Bill's house was just a block from Fox's, so they often played games together as youngsters. Bill's father was an engineer for the army and his mother was a secretary for a general teaching in the academy. Fox's parents had a lot more adventure. Even though his mother did not have an occupation, his father was the leader of the StarFox team, a group of three mercenaries saving people from all sorts of disasters. Fox was very proud.
The two were chattering unconcernedly, but behind them, a gray wolf sneaked up behind them, his paws raised.
"HIYA, Fox!" Wolf O'Donnel clapped his paw on Fox's shoulder. Fox jumped a foot into the air.
"Jeez, Wolf! You're gonna gimme a heart attack someday!" Fox panted. Wolf chuckled, but not the sort of chuckle he gave today, but a warm, sincere one.
"Nonsense! If a pilot at the age of ten gets a heart attack, I'll sell my soul to the devil himself," Wolf swung his pack around and rummaged through. He picked a piece of paper that was wedged between a binder and his laptop
"What'd you get on the test?" Fox peered over.
"Ninety-eight," Wolf proudly waved. Bill, with a shocked look on his face, grabbed the test away and read it.
"And you didn't cheat?"
"Would I ever?" Wolf was just about to grab it back when a big ape shoved him over.
"Hey, Andrew, leave him alone," Fox pulled Wolf away from Andrew and his buddy, Leon.
"Why would we do that? Hey Wolf," Leon grabbed Wolf, who was well over larger than both Andrew and Leon, and offered him the proposal that would change his life forever, "How would you like to hang out with us instead of these wimps?"
If Wolf had said no, he would've have become the smartest animal in Corneria, also being a member of the praised StarFox team, but he didn't say no. He said yes. In a matter of years, Wolf will be hired by Andross to plant a car bomb in James' car, killing Vixy, and he will also be sent on missions to wipe out StarFox two times.
**
"Dear God!" Tom rushed forward to help Fox. He took Krystal and helped Fox down to a chair.
"What happened?" Slippy asked hurriedly.
"Met an old friend," Fox said simply, "Oh, she's fine."
"Hurry up, Fox, we're supposed to leave now for the battle," Falco pulled Fox along.
Krystal yawned and sat up.
"Hi. What's for dinner?" She asked.
**
"He shot me?" Krystal was staging a private conversation with Fox, blocking out the signal to other pilots. They were speeding along to Venom. The green planet was looking very evil.
"Yeah, about a hundred times, judging by the blood."
"I didn't feel a thing!"
"Eh. Emerald," Fox said, sitting back.
"I'm darn lucky to have it, or I'd be dead at least three hundred times now," Krystal mumbled.
"ETA to Venom's atmosphere: 15 minutes," Tom said, "Charge up your shields, guys, it's go time. I see defenders up ahead!"
Fox peered forward. Indeed, there were about fifty ships dotted together before them. Fox fired a single shot, and the other pilots followed suit. They weren't much to worry about, just robotic target practice. Krystal actually shot down five of them. Not surprising; she fired enough lasers that Fox could use to shoot down a planet.
The pilots tried to enter the planet's atmosphere with the least amount of attention attracted. Venom's air was thin and toxic. It was easy to fly through and see through, but it was always rather dark on the planet, so vision sometimes proved a problem. The fleet moved easily towards the bases, covered by darkness, until Colonel Alben gave the signal.
"Lines one, two, and three, drop missiles," she roared. Thirty bombs sped towards the nearest jet warehouse. It went up in flames with an explosion that rocked the earth.
Apparently alerted, Venomian crafts sped out of bases and airfields. There weren't many, though, and the help Colonel Alben requested was here. Large carriers dropped off infantry in masks and lots of tanks. The air was swarming with green and red lasers a minute later.
"Fox, get this guy off my tail!" Bill shouted.
"Krystal, stop shooting him."
"Oops, sorry."
Fox was having an easy time. Most of the crafts were robotic, unlike the ones that attacked Katina, so they were easy pickings. They were too dumb to actually return fire. Fox counted fifty crafts down before he let the computer take over the math.
"Lines six and ten, attack the bases! Lines four and seven, cover them. Say, Bill, this is a pretty nice night." Colonel Alben seemed to be in a good mood. Apparently, warehouses being blown up are her definition of a fun date.
The battle was in the Cornerian favor. In a matter of thirty minutes, the battle was over and the infantry stormed the remaining warehouses. They took ninety prisoners out with their paws up and their blasters on self- destruct.
"Bogey at seven!" Bill pointed at the eastern sky.
"I got him!" Fox sped after the craft. It was a small ship, speeding out from a base and heading towards space. The pilot was a good one. He deflected twenty lasers from Fox before he shot the engine and the jet screamed towards the ground in a cloud of smoke. Fox caught a glimpse of the pilot as it fell past. Andross.
"I'll get you, you moron," Fox whispered as he sped after the flaming craft. It wasn't long before it crashed and exploded into the plains. Fox bumped neatly on the dirt and strapped on a gas mask. Opening the cockpit, he jumped out and headed toward the remains of the ship.
"You." Andross coughed. He was still alive. Fox raised his blaster gun.
"You!" Fox yelled as he pulled the trigger again and again until he was sure that big brain of his was rotten. Scooping up the Ruby on his chest, Fox put it on. There was a whirl of sounds that Fox could not recognize and he was thrown again into the sucking of magic.
**
'You got it!' James smiled
'Sure did, Dad.' Fox smiled back.
'Keep it safe. Keep it away from Venom.'
'For obvious reasons?'
'For obvious reasons.'
'Say, Dad, how do you contact me like this?'
'It doesn't matter how I get here; it matters that I got here.'
'As always.'
'Good-bye, Fox. Don't give up, and trust your instincts.'
'Will do.'
**
A/N: I know, I know; it's still not finished. I'll be writing the sequel soon, so keep your shorts on. For those of you who do not wear shorts, keep you pants on. For those of you who wear skirts, dresses, or other lower limb attire, do so as said above. For those of you who do not wear any of those mentioned above, you need a psychiatrist. Yes, for those of you who are spelling freaks, 'psychiatrist' is spelled right. I think I say 'for those of you' too often, eh? And yes, for those of you wanting to know, I'm Canadian.