Twisted Shadows:
A New Star Fox Saga

By Wolf O'Donnell

Author's Note: Here goes! It's another one of my What-happens-next-after-Andross-dies' fic. Once again, it's set in a different dimension from the other of my fanfics. The swearing has been censored, once again, with little asterisks that hides the second and third letters of the f**king swear word! Please send comments to me at w_donnell@hotmail.com.

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Chapter 7: Shadow of Doubt
Sou boku wa ki zuitan da
zutto shukudai wasureteta
Sore wa hitotsu no nazo nazo nazo
"Boku wa dare nan darou?"

The Biggest Dreamer
Wada Koji

"How can it be possible!" shouted Dr. Kano angrily, as he banged his fist on the desk, glaring angrily at the two soldiers that stood before him. "How could you let the Star Fox Team board our battleship?" Things were going awry and he wasn't liking it one bit. "I can't be defeated! Not so soon! Not before I at least overthrow Jingoist! I have so much to do! So much to see." He pulled his drawer out, picked up a gun and killed one of the soldiers. "Now get out of here and defend this ship!"
"Yes, sir!" shouted the remaining soldier, saluting the scientist nervously, before he ran towards the exit as quickly as possible.

"Watch out!" cried Fara, as she dived for Slippy, pushing him out of the way. The two of them crashed to the floor, the laser flying overhead harmlessly. She raised her gun and fired, hitting the soldier in the neck. He fell, as his four comrades stepped forward and aimed down at her. She fired her gun at them, as she scrambled to her feet and leapt round a corner and hid behind the wall for cover, taking Slippy with her.
"Thanks, Fara," said Slippy gratefully, between deep breaths for air.
The trampling of boots against metal, told Fara that the soldiers were advancing towards them. Taking Slippy's gun from him, she span round from the protection the wall gave her and out into the corridor, firing her guns wildly at the soldiers before they could return fire. Two of the soldiers were hit and fell, while the others fell to the ground merely to avoid the gunfire. One of the soldiers aimed his rifle up towards her and fired, spraying lasers through the corridor. One hit her in the arm, making her cry out in pain, as she dived back for cover.
Slippy was alarmed to see her arm bleeding.
"You've been hit!" he squeaked in surprise.
"It's nothing," said Fara, wincing in pain.
"No, it isn't," argued Slippy, as he tore off a piece of cloth from his sleeve and tied it around her arm, tying it tight to stop as much of the bleeding as possible. "There you go." He took his gun back from Fara and stepped over her, crouching near the corner where the two corridors intersected in wait for the two soldiers. "Don't worry, I'll take care of them." He was determined to do this right, to get this right. "Time to prove myself," he muttered sternly, before rushing out from his hiding spot and firing at the soldiers.
Neither of them expected the frog to come out firing at them, and both were hit in the chest, felled in an instant.

The two soldiers marched up the corridor, rifles in hand, scanning the entire metallic corridor for any signs of intruders. That was their current assignment and they would not fail Dr. Kano, as much as they would like to be rid of the mad rat. They walked up the corridor silently, neither of them speaking to the other, knowing that silence was of the utmost importance when it came to this assignment. They were determined to find those intruders that had entered the ship if it...
A hand lashed out and grabbed one of the guards, dragging him away from the other. Within his hiding place in the doorway, Bill then smashed the soldier against the metallic door repeatedly, as Falco grabbed the other soldier and punched him in the face. Both let the Guild furries collapse to the ground.
"This ship isn't designed well," commented Bill, as he emerged from the doorway, which could hide a whole person from any soldier in the same corridor. "Not that I'm complaining about it."
"Help me search these guys," snapped Falco angrily, as he delved into the pockets of the Guild soldier's uniform. He was hoping to find some key card or something of the sort, anything that would help them get through the battleship and find Fox. "Ah-ha! Found something!" he cried, as he pulled a card out of the sidepocket of the soldier that he had knocked unconscious. He looked at it carefully, seeing that it was like a credit card, and probably used as some kind of key to open locked doors. He stood up.
Bill plucked the rifle away from the soldier's grasp.
"Falco, catch!" he said, before tossing one over to the avian, who caught it superbly. He bent down and picked up the other rifle, holding it in his paws and trying to get a feeling for the black and sleek weapon. "This is some nice work," he commented, as he marvelled at how natural it felt within his paws, even though it was probably alien technology. "We'd better get moving before some more of Jingoist's goons show up."
"Too late!" came a sly remark, before lasers flew through the air.
Falco ducked, narrowly missing one as he and Bill ran for cover. He dived round a doorway. The gunfire ceased. He peered round and saw that the corridor that end was completely blocked by a line of soldiers, male and female, furry and scaly. ´There's no way in Hell I can get out of this jam` he thought quietly. ´Go through this door.` He turned to look at the solid metal door and began to wonder what was beyond it. Pressing a wing against a button, the door slid open.
"Bill, quick!" he cried, motioning for the dog to join him. "Through here!" He poked his gun out and began firing at the advancing soldiers, giving Bill some cover, as he ran towards the blue feathered avian.
The two of them dived through the doorway, pressing a button, closing the doors to the lift, as the soldiers ran up towards them.
"Alert the other levels!" shouted one of the commanding officers amongst the soldiers. "They must not escape!"

"There," she exclaimed with satisfaction. That new cloaking device worked wonders. "Can't tell the real Usurper from my ship." Katt was rather proud of this new feature to grace her ship, but she knew that it wouldn't last long and that she had to hurry. Turning round, she ran through the unguarded hangar and past the disused Usurper jets, straight towards the exit. She stopped in her tracks, her ears perking up. Katt could hear the sound of footsteps and the sound was getting louder and louder, much to her horror. She whirled round, looking for somewhere to hide but could find nothing.
The door opened and two soldiers walked in. Both were lizards, one female and one male. They looked around them cautiously, walking away from each other and looking around the deserted Usurper jets for any signs of anything living. Satisfied that they were alone, they walked back together and began whispering to each other quietly.
"Are you sure this is safe?" the male lizard asked the female one. "If Dr. Kano found out..."
"What are you? A lizard or a mouse?" asked the female soldier. "If Lord Jingoist saw this, you'd be demoted or worse. Besides, Kano is too busy with his androids to notice what we're going to do." She turned and looked towards the control panel that controlled the air lock. "If we disable the docking bay shield, our Guild comrades will be able to board the ship and help us capture Kano." She couldn't wait. There was supposedly a reward for that treacherous rat, and she would claim it for herself, with or without the help of this cowardly fool. "Now are you going to help me disable the shield or not?" she hissed.
That was when the male swayed forward uncontrollably and collapsed to the ground, revealing Katt, who stood behind him proudly.
"He won't be to help anyone for quite a while, so I wouldn't count on it," remarked the feline.
"You!" screamed the female lizard before she lunged for the pink cat, throwing a fist at the feline face.
Katt ducked out of the way, whirling round and smashing a boot into her opponent's stomach, makling the lizard double over. She followed that with a well-timed uppercut to the scaly jaw and then a low kick that knocked the legs out from underneath her opponent. She however, was not prepared when the female lizard landed on her hands and did a back-flip, her feet smacking into Katt's jaw and sending her reeling back. As she recovered, the lizard rushed her and punched the feline in the face once and then twice, before whirling round, her thick tail sweeping Katt's legs out from underneath her. Katt crashed to the ground with a thud and saw foot fall towards her chest. She rolled out of the way just in time, sweeping her leg at her opponent's.
The female leapt over it.
"Not again, kitty," hissed the female lizard, before she reached for her gun. A laser hit her in the hand, making her drop it to the floor.
"You have to be quicker, dearie," retorted Katt, before she got back to her feet, her gun aimed at the lizard. "Now you're going to tell me exactly where Fox McCloud is being kept, or you're not going to be able to claim that reward of yours."
For a while, nothing happened as the two women just stood there facing each other, one with a look of burning hatred on her scaly face. Then the lizard made her move, ducking quickly. Katt fired at the lizard, but she dived out of the way, grabbing her gun and then aiming it at the feline.
"Not bad," commented Katt, as she kept her finger near the trigger, ready to fire. She waited a while for some remark from her opponent, but none came. This woman, she thought, was intent on killing her as quickly as possible using any dirty technique she could use. Keeping an eye on the lizard, she looked for anything she could shelter behind to give her an advantage. ´Forget this` she thought, as she suddenly realised a better option. Her muscles tensed, she was ready to spring into action. "See ya!" she called out quickly, before leaping into a sprint for the door.
The lizard turned her gun and fired furiously at the feline, who darted left and right, avoiding the lasers skilfully. She ran after the pink furred feline, as the door slid open and her opponent disappeared through it. The door slid shut, as she skidded to a halt in front of it.
Katt turned round and shot the control panel. It exploded with sparks and smoke, before bursting into flames. She heard a cry of frustration from the other side of the door and then the sound of fists banging against metal. A smile on her face, she walked calmly away from the malfunctioning door.

Fara looked around her, as they sneaked quietly into the large chamber.
"Looks like some sort of lab," she commented, as they looked around them. There were huge machines all over the place and blueprints sprawled over tables. There was also the stench of solder, which made her nose wrinkle back in disgust. She hated that foul smell, which had always made her a little woozy. She stalked through the laboratory, her gun at the ready, with Slippy following behind her.
"Stop right there," said a voice sternly. It was Dr. Kano and in his hand he had a gun, which was aimed right at Fara. "I do not know who you two are, but I'm sure that you aren't authorised to be in here, Star Fox."
"Who are you?" asked Fara.
"Dr. Kano," replied the rat sternly. "Now I suggest you surrender, unless you want a large gaping hole in your head." He stalked towards them, a predatory smile on his muzzle. "I have waited so long to do this and prove myself better than Andross. He was a fool, you know. Jingoist should never have made him Emperor of Venom. It should have been me that was Emperor!"
Slippy didn't like this rat one bit. He had the same quality that Andross had, that same quality that made chills run down his spine.
"Yeah, whatever," said the amphibian as cooly as possible, but it came out as a nervous stutter. "I think you should surrender, you're outnumbered two to one."
"Oh, so the little froggy can count, eh?" chuckled Dr. Kano. "Don't be a fool. You won't have time to shoot me, before I kill your girlfriend."
Fara growled angrily.
"I am not his girlfriend!" she cried, before aiming her gun at the scientist and firing.
Kano shot back, but wasn't quick enough. To his surprise, the laser Fara fired hit his gun, and it blew in his hand, making him toss it away from him in pain. He glared at the fennec fox and realised that he had failed to hit her.
"You'll pay for this, you b**ch!" he swore angrily. He whirled round and ran for it.
"Stop right there!" cried Slippy more confidently, as he aimed his gun at the scientist.
"Fat chance of that!" laughed Kano, as he pressed a button in the wall, which slid open seconds later. He disappeared through the entrance, as the door started to slide shut.
Fara and Slippy quickly ran for it, not wanting to be trapped on the other side, when this scientist could be the key to finding out where Fox was. The fennec fox leapt through the entrance, pulling Slippy through, as the wall finally slid shut. Fara stopped, looking around her. This room was a dark, lit only by a light that shone on three large cylindrical metallic containers in front of her. Each container had a door with a circular window in it near the top, and Dr. Kano was standing at a panel in front of the three.
"Dr. Kano, freeze!" commanded Fara.
The rat didn't even bother to turn round.
"I will not," replied Kano sternly. "It's time to release my greatest weapons ever, and you can do nothing to stop me!" He pressed a button in front of him. The doors opened and three creature stepped out of each container. "Look at them! How life-like they look! Just like the original members of the Star Wolf Team!" He laughed out insanely, as they stepped down on to the floor in front of him.
Slippy's eyes were wide with horror. He thought that all members of the Star Wolf Team had died, except for Andrew. No! These weren't the real Star Wolf members. They were dead. These looked so much like them though, with the same Star Wolf uniform, but in place of the Star Wolf logo was Dr. Kano's red emblem.
"Do you like them?" asked the rat, as he turned round to face Fara and Slippy. "They're created from the bodies of the old Star Wolf Team and their bodies reinforced with steel. What remained of their brains, I modified, placing computer chips and circuitry in the place. They're my androids, cyborgs even, and they obey my every word." He smiled at them. "O'Donnell! Powalski! Dengar! Kill them!" he cried, pointing at the two.
The Pigma android turned to face Dr. Kano. There was a glint of something in his eyes, perhaps recognition. Perhaps within that now metallic skull of his, what remained of his brain could still remember what the rat had done to him.
"We don't take orders from you," said Dengar sternly, before he reached out and grabbed the rat's head and he crushed Kano's head.
Fara and Slippy were too afraid to move and even more so, as they watched Dengar crush Kano's head and kill the scientist, like Kano once did to O'Donnell. The machines then turned round, glaring at Fara and Slippy with eyes that seemed to glow with hatred.

I'm waiting for you.
The guard fell to the ground, making his partner turn round. The last thing before he blacked out, was a fist. The other guard fell to the floor.
Falco knelt down and picked the keys up from the guard, looking towards Fox, who sat in the cell.
"Fox, don't worry, we'll get you out," he said.
"Bill! Falco!" exclaimed Fox with surprise, as he got up and strode over towards the bars of energy that prevented him from escaping. "Am I glad to see you." He turned to face Falco. "It's about time you got here."
"Yeah, well we would have been here sooner, but we had to stop off for donuts," joked Falco, not noticing the angry expression on his friend's face. He used the keys and deactivated the forcefield. "There! Now let's get going!"
"Sure thing," agreed Fox. He only took one step though and he suddenly cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground and clutching his left knee. "Geez that smarts!" he cried in pain.
Bill rushed over to Fox, kneeling down beside him.
"What happened?" he asked his best friend.
"I'm not sure," replied Fox, as he clutched his knee, wincing in pain. "I think I broke something."
This was making Falco more concerned and he rushed into the cell to join his friend.
"Come on, Bill, we can't stay here any longer," said the avian sternly. "Let's get Fox back to the Great Fox as quickly as possible before any more guards show up." He then turned to face Fox. "Don't worry, we'll tend to that when we get back."
A smile spread across Fox's muzzle, but one that seemed so cold and chilling to the avian.
"You guys are the," began Fox, "most stupid fools I've ever seen!" He spread his arms out quickly, smashing both Bill and Falco in the face with his fists. He leapt up to his feet, kicking them both in the groins before tearing their weapons away from them. Fox rushed out of the cell and quickly turned on the force field again, shutting them in his former cell. "I don't believe that you fell for that!" laughed Fox, a mad look in his eyes.
"What have you done with the real Fox?" cried Bill, clutching his nose with one hand.
"Nothing, you mutt!" snarled Fox angrily, as he took the keys out and pocketed them. "The real Fox stands here right before you," he said, spreading his arms out. "Now if you excuse me, I have to get going. There's a lot of things I must do." He turned round and was about to walk away, when he stopped in his tracks. "Oh, and Falco, there's something I forgot to give you." He whirled round and fired his rifle, hitting Falco in the leg and making him cry out in agony. Fox laughed evilly, before turning round and leaving the two in their cell with one of them bleeding all over the floor. "Goodbye and take care!"


Star Fox and all related characters and places are copyrighted by Nintendo Ltd.
Jingoist, Dr. Kano, Kofu, Miasma and Kappa are copyrighted by me.