Cowboy Star Fox
By Wolf O'Donnell
WARNING: This fanfic will contain swearing, graphic scenes of
death and violence and the use of British-English Spelling and
Grammar. If any of these things offend you or if you are
underaged, please do not read any further. Upon reading any word
or letter in this file, you hereby agree to forfeit all your
rights to sue me and that I cannot be held liable for any
psychological or physical damage caused by the contents of this
fanfic. Star Fox and all related characters (including me) are
copyrighted by Nintendo. Scales, Dinosaur Planet and all related
characters are copyrighted by Rare. The Gospel Army, Dr. Jerome
Kano, the Sekai Foundation and all related characters and places
are copyrighted by me.
* * * * *
Episode 10: The Real Folk Blues
Large, billowing dark clouds covered the sky. The rain fell
down from the heavens like guided bombs, soaking everything,
attacking the tall tower that stretched skywards, higher than any
tower around it. Raindrops fell on the concrete rooves of
buildings, it fell on lampposts, the pavements and the parked
vehicles. They fell on the nearby church and on the statues of
saints, slowly dribbling down their cheeks as if the statues
themselves were shedding tears.
Suddenly, vans came screeching round the corner. Vehicles of
all kinds surrounded the Kleinfelter Plaza on all possible sides.
Dogs, cats, species of all kinds, rushed out of their vehicles.
Men shouted at the civilians through megaphones, yelling at them
to get out of the way.
The SWAT Teams prepared themselves. The Star Fox Team prepared
themselves. The Lylat Police prepared themselves.
* * * * *
The place was a sprawling hall equivalent to the atrium of
a Roman villa, with marble columns and a marble floor. On one
side was a wall of windows. Opposite the double doors were a
small flight of marble stairs that led up to a single chair that
stood in front of a large velvet banner that displayed the Gospel
Army's logo.
Scales stood to the right-hand side of the chair, his arms
crossed behind his back. He watched as Wolf climb up the steps of
the dais, with one hand holding on to the scabbard in which his
sabre was sheathed. The SharpClaw raised his good hand up to his
radio earpiece.
"Wolf, we've got a problem," he told the lupine, mere
seconds afterwards.
"There is no problem," replied Wolf, as he turned
round and brushed his white cape aside before sitting down, still
holding on to the sabre. He brought the tip of the scabbard down
on the ground, as if the entire thing was a cane. "They're
all here just as I anticipated. Even McCloud is here." A
smile spread across his furry muzzle. "Let them come.
They'll soon find out the true nature of the Gospel Army."
* * * * *
The glass doors slid open, after all, they were automatic.
A canister was thrown, as lasers flew through the air. One laser
hit it dead in middle and it exploded, sending gas pouring into
the large hallway.
The SWAT Teams were the first to enter, each armed to the
teeth. They stopped and saw that the Syndicate members within the
building also wore gas masks like they did and were also armed. A
laser was fired and hit one of the SWAT Team members in the
chest.
A gun fight erupted within the large, marble-floored
reception. Lasers flew through the air. Blood was shed and the
floor dyed red.
Fox rushed past the Syndicate thugs. He saw more armed
criminals up on the mezzanine above him. They opened fire at him,
before he darted in a zig-zag pattern, dodging the lasers with
fancy footwork. It was the best he could do. He grabbed a gun and
raised it. Fox didn't even take aim. It was difficult for him to
do that while running and dodging lasers. He just aimed randomly
and pulled the trigger repeatedly.
One of the trenchcoat wearing thugs keeled over and fell over
the banister.
The vulpine dived for the still functioning escalators and
took cover between its metallic walls. He sorted out the weapons,
making sure they were properly loaded. Fox grabbed a gun in each
hand and looked up. He saw one of the thugs skid to a halt at the
top of the escalators and take aim. Fox was quicker. He fired and
then ran up the escalators, keeping as low to the metallic steps
as possible.
Fox emerged on top of the mezzanine. He spread his arms out
wide and fired in two directions, shooting two of the Syndicate
thugs in the arms. The vulpine looked around carefully. Which way
would take him to the top floor, where Dengar was undoubtedly
situated?
Though the sound of laserfire was deafening, Fox could hear
footsteps behind him. He whirled round and aimed his gun.
It was Falco.
"Whoa, easy there!" he shouted over the roar of the
gunfire. "Follow me!" He rushed to the right and
beckoned for Fox to follow.
There was no need to argue. Fox ran after Falco until he was
running by the avian's side.
Falco skidded to a halt and placed an arm out in front of Fox.
"Wait," he said. His keen avian sense of vision had
spotted something ahead of him. "Take cover," he told
Fox. He then pointed towards the explosive that had been set on
the wall. "Booby trap. Follow my lead." A small smile
spread across his beak. It was nice to be leading the Leader and
he was loving every moment.
The avian ran forward and at the last moment, he skidded
across the floor, sliding across it so low that he was nearly
lying on the ground. He stood up and beckoned for Fox to do the
same thing.
Behind Fox, he heard a shout. He turned round and saw a couple
of Syndicate thugs running towards him. It was now or never. Fox
ran forward and skidded along the floor at the last moment,
sliding underneath the range of the explosive's motion sensors.
"Quick, run!" shouted Fox. He had an idea and it didn't
pay for them to be too close to the plan. "Run!" cried
Fox more insistently, when Falco wouldn't.
"Okay," agreed Falco with a nod of his head, before
he ran down the corridor at break neck speeds.
Fox ran in front of him and turned his head back to look
behind him. He turned his arm back and aimed his gun, pulling the
trigger. The laser flew through the air and hit the explosives.
There was an eruption of fire, smoke and debris– an explosion
so powerful that the shockwave knocked both Fox and Falco down to
the floor.
Krystal did a flying kick that sent the Syndicate thug
flying. She landed back, bending her knees to soften the impact.
The blue-furred vixen rushed forwards and swung her staff in a
huge arc at the hands of another of the Syndicate's goons,
knocking the gun out of the bruin's hands. She swung the other
end of her staff and smacked it into the bear's guts with such
force he collapsed to the ground.
A laser flew through the air and Krystal leapt back to avoid
being hit. She looked up and saw the gunman on the mezzanine
above her. A smile spread across her face, as she raised her
staff and fired back at the gunman. Then with one swift backward
thrust, she shoved the back end of her staff into the groin of
the Syndicate thug behind her, heard a gargled cry of pain and
then a thud.
There was nothing that Krystal, a Cerinian couldn't do. She
whirled round and faced the Syndicate thugs that had crept behind
her. They look startled. It was then that she noticed the Gospel
Army symbols on their trenchcoats.
"You're from the Gospel Army," she stated.
"What do you think you're doing?" cried one of the
Gospel members, upon recognising her accent and the Cerinian
jewelry she wore. "You're from Cerinia too, aren't
you?"
"What's that got to do with this?"
"You stupid bitch," growled a voice from behind her,
before a robotic hand clapped over her muzzle and she was pulled
towards a muscular body. "The Gospel Army is a Cerinian
Organisation!" The mysterious person then pulled her aside.
"You take care of the Police," he told the other Syndicate
thugs. "I'm going to see General Ookami."
Though Krystal was put in a headlock that she couldn't escape,
that didn't mean she couldn't do at least some damage. She began
kicking at the person that held her. The robotic hand then
grabbed her by her throat and lifted her up. Krystal was turned
round. Her suspicions were confirmed. It was Scales that held
her. She wanted to shout obscenities at him, but his hold on her
throat was so tight she could barely breathe, let alone speak.
Scales smiled at her.
"General Ookami would love to have you," he chuckled. A
laser suddenly hit his robotic arm and Scales screamed out,
letting go of Krystal. He turned round and saw the grey-furred
canine that had dared to open fire on him. "Fuck you!"
he swore, as he pressed a few buttons on his robotic arm, making
a small laser gun rise up from within. He took aim and then
fired.
Bill dodged the lasers, rolling sideways out of the way. He
returned fire, his lasers flying at Scales. Out of the corner of
his eyes, he saw the Gospel thugs take aim at him. Bill turned
his gun sideways and fired furiously at them before they could
even open fire. He caught one in the head and another in the
chest and a third in the leg. That was when he saw another set of
lasers flying at the thugs. It was Fara!
The Fennec fox rushed in, all her guns ablazing. She shot the
Gospel members in the legs and in the arms, making sure not to
kill them. Every one of Fara's shots were accurate and none
missed their mark.
There was suddenly the sound of a terrible explosion from
above.
Falco was the first one to get up. He looked behind him at
the charred corridor and saw that the explosion had fell all of
the Syndicate thugs.
"Fox, you all right?" he asked the vulpine.
"I'll be fine," replied Fox, as he rose back up to
his feet and dusted himself off. "Come on, let's get
going." He ran ahead of Falco, still holding on to his two
guns tightly. His fingers over the triggers and he was ready to
fire at anything that moved.
Fox quickly emerged into another corridor that ran
perpindicularly to the one he was in, aiming his gun both ways,
as he looked up and down it. In front of him was an elevator. He
rushed over and pushed a button. His keen vulpine ears heard
something. Fox whirled round and opened fire at the oncoming
Syndicate thugs. There were only two and he caught each one in
the arm and then the leg.
There was a chime and the elevator doors opened. Fox turned to
face the empty elevator and then to face Falco.
"Hurry up!" he shouted at the avian.
A bunch of five Syndicate thugs ran down the corridor towards
Falco and Fox. The avian whirled round the corner and hid behind
it for cover.
"You go ahead!" shouted Falco, as the Syndicate thugs
opened fire. "I'll deal with them." He saw Fox about to
protest, but he would have none of that. "Go!" he
shouted before poking his gun out from behind the corner and
firing at the oncoming Syndicate thugs.
Fox quickly dashed into the elevator and took cover to the
wall near the panel of buttons. He pressed one and the doors
slowly started to close, the lasers smashing against the closing
metallic doors. In the elevator, Fox took in deep breaths and
checked the batteries for his guns. They still had a few shots in
left, but Fox wasn't going to take the chance. He dislodged the
battery cartridges from the two guns and brought out two more,
which he slid in quickly.
The elevator stopped. Fox looked up. This wasn't the floor he
wanted.
The doors opened and lasers flew into the elevator carriage,
slamming against the back of the elevator. Slowly, the Syndicate
thugs advanced towards the open elevator. One rushed in and
opened fire. There was no one there. He looked around him
curiously, as his other colleagues followed him in.
The vulpine dropped down on them from above, smashing their
heads together and knocking them unconscious, as he brought them
crashing down to the floor. Fox looked out of the elevator and
saw it empty. He quickly darted out, looking up and down the
corridor. It was probably best for him to go on foot for the
rest of the way up.
A laser hurtled at him and Fox leapt sideways. It cut past his
arm, making Fox yelp out in pain. He whirled round and aimed his
guns, before firing the both of them repeatedly at the person
that shot at him. Fox saw a spurt of blood and then the Syndicate
member collapsed to the ground. That was that one taken care
of.
Suddenly, his ears detected a sound. He whirled round, aiming
his gun at his opponent's head and found himself with a gun pointed
at his own head. That was not all.
"Fara?" exclaimed Fox in surprise, as he lowered his
gun.
"Fox? Sorry about that," apologised Fara, as she
lowered her gun.
"What are you doing here all alone?" asked Fox
curiously.
"We've secured the lower levels," replied Fara
sternly, "so I thought I'd come up to help you."
"Look out!" cried Fox, as he pushed Fara aside. He
quickly fired and caught the tiger in the chest, felling the
Syndicate criminal.
Fara suddenly opened fire in the opposite direction to Fox.
She hit two Syndicate members in legs and one accidentally in the
neck.
"Looks like we're even," she commented, as Fox turned
round to face her. That was when she saw something behind him.
She quickly pushed him out of the way and opened fire, just as
the Syndicate criminal did. A laser smashed into her body and she
fell backwards, as she pulled the trigger one last time, killing
the Syndicate criminal.
"Fara!" cried out Fox, as he caught her. He noticed
the rapidly increasing patch of red on her arm. "Shit!"
he cursed, as he looked down at the wound.
"Don't worry about me," said Fara, wincing through
her pain. "It's nothing serious, really. You go ahead."
Fox looked at the wound and saw that she was losing blood at a
rapid rate.
"Yeah, right," he said sarcastically, as he untucked
his shirt and ripped out a strip of fabric. He placed this around
her arm and tied it tight around the wound to stop the bleeding.
"I've got to get you back down. You need medical attention,
now. Pigma can wait."
"Especially seeing he's dead," laughed Fara
bitterly. She saw the incredulous look on Fox's face. "We
found him in the basement. Somebody had cut clean through the top
of his head." Her pupils suddenly dilated in fear.
"Fox, behind you!"
It was too late. Scales swung his robotic arm at Fox and
knocked the vulpine to the other side of the corridor. There was
a smile on the SharpClaw's face, as he advanced towards Fox.
"Looks like I'll win this time round," he stated, as he
placed a boot on Fox's stomach and pinned the fox down to the
ground with his sheer weight. He leaned forward. "Nothing
can stop the General now. The Gospel Army will have its
revenge." He aimed his robotic arm down at Fox, the laser
gun in his arm aimed at at the vulpine's head.
He would have taken aim, had something not rushed him and
pushed Scales off. The SharpClaw crashed to the floor with a
thud. He glared up angrily.
"You again?" he roared, as he saw Krystal standing over
him with her staff's tip aimed at him. "You meddling bitch!
This time I'll tear your fucking throat out!" He shoved her
aside with his legs and rose to his feet.
Krystal quickly got back up to her feet and readied herself.
Her eyes were set on the laser gun attached to his robotic arm.
She knew she would have to avoid that.
"This time, Scales, you're not going to escape,"
retorted Krystal, before she rushed at him. She was a blur. Her
staff smashed into Scales' head, as she whirled round in the air
like the blades of a helicopter. Krystal kicked him, as she spun
in the air.
She landed back on the floor and then rushed him. Her staff
was twirled through the air gracefully. Krystal was much faster
than Scales, and managed to hit him again and again.
Fox rose to his feet and aimed his gun. He fired at Scales'
robotic arm, destroying the laser gun.
Scales roared and swung his good arm at Krystal, only to miss
as the blue-furred vixen ducked. Her staff hit him in the face
and then the other end smashed into his groin. With a roar of
pain, he staggered backwards and collapsed to the floor.
"You think you can handle him, Krystal?" asked Fox
curiously.
"You bet," replied Krystal with a smile on her face.
She then put her fingers to her mouth and whistled, at which
point a couple of guys clad in SWAT Team gear ran up the
corridor.
Fox smiled back at Krystal.
"Take Fara to a medic and go back down with her," he
told Krystal. "I'm going upstairs."
"No, wait!" protested Fara and Krystal, almost
simultaneously.
Krystal rushed towards Fox, placing a hand on his shoulder to
halt him.
"Wait, Fox, you can't go on your own," she told him.
"Let me go with you." She had this feeling that there
was something up there at the top of the Kleinfelter Plaza,
something that Fox couldn't possibly face on his own.
"Please," she pleaded, as he look him in her eyes.
"If she's going, I'm going too," stated Fara, as she
staggered back to her feet.
"No, you can't!" protested Fox. He didn't want to
see Fara or Krystal get hurt. "I have to do this
alone," he told them sternly, looking them both in the eyes.
"Please, go with the others back down." Fox didn't even
wait for them to reply or protest. He turned his back on them and
made his way down the corridor.
* * * * *
Wolf still sat in the chair at the top of the Kleinfelter
Plaza. No one had dared to enter the building from the roof, so
Wolf had been left completely alone at the top.
"He's here," he muttered under his breath. A smirk
slowly appeared on his furry muzzle, widening into a grin and
then a full blown smile. "Come in, McCloud!" he
shouted. "Come in!" He laid his sabre, still sheathed
in its scabbard, on his lap and waited. "What are you
waiting for, McCloud? I'm in here!"
The door opened. There was suddenly a huge explosion that tore
the roof straight off the Kleinfelter Plaza and rendered the west
wall asunder, sending glass and steel and concrete flying into
the air and downwards to the ground below. Dust flew upwards,
billowing out like a mushroom in the side of the tall tower.
O'Donnell lowered his arm, uncovering his furry face. There
was a smile on his muzzle. He began to laugh, as the raindrops
fell on to him, matting his fur and dampening his clothes.
"McCloud, you fool!" he laughed.
"Hey, I'm not the only fool around here, if you think
that that could kill me."
As the dust began to settle, it became clear to Wolf that Fox
had survived. The vulpine had survived, just as Wolf had.
"So you survived," said Wolf with a smile on his
grey-furred muzzle. "Just as a I thought. It looks like
I'll be the one to kill you after all."
To be continued...