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.
P.S. Fans of Wolf O'Donnell must review this chapter. Don't worry about how the fight ends. SPOILER: Folw si ltils eliva.

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Episode 11: Rain

As the dust began to settle, Fox McCloud got back up to his feet. He turned round and saw the huge gaping hole that the bomb had caused. It had destroyed the floor behind him and if he took one step backwards, he would fall to his death. Fox turned back round and saw someone sitting at the other end of the hall.
"So, you've been behind this all along, have you?" he asked, as he made his way cautiously towards Wolf. "What's the big idea?"
Wolf shook his head at Fox's question.
"Haven't you guessed by now, McCloud?" he asked Fox, as he grabbed his sword by the scabbard it was sheathed in and rose to his feet. He reached up and undid the clasp for his white cape, letting it fall into a puddle of cloth behind him. "Listen to my voice, McCloud. Listen to its accent. Think for a while. What accent do you think it is?"
A smug little smile spread across Wolf's face, as he made his way down the steps of the dais.
"Did you really think that it was a Cornerian accent?" asked Wolf curiously. "Did you think I was a Cornerian, trying to fake a posh accent? Did you ever stop to think that it could have been that I was a Cerinian, trying to fake a Cornerian accent?"
It was at that juncture in time that Fox realised that Krystal's accent did sound a bit like Wolf's. Now that Wolf wasn't trying to fake a Cornerian accent, the lupine's accent sounded exactly like Krystal's.
"That means you faked your birth certificate," he stated after a while of thought. "You faked your documents, all so you could get into the Lylat Flight Academy."
"Somebody's starting to catch on," chuckled Wolf, as he stepped slowly down the dais. "Yes, I faked all information on myself, so I could get into the Academy, which, if you remember, didn't allow Cerinians in. Do you know why?" There was no reply from the Fox and they remained in total silence, with only the drum of the rain against the steel girders and concrete as company. "They feared that if they trained a Cerinian, that Cerinian would then turn against them. The Lylat Alliance destroyed Planet Cerinia with their weapons testing. They annihilated the Planet! For what? So they could use the weapons against any that opposed them and their ideals for freedom and peace?"
"So that's why you joined Andross and after that, created Gospel," stated Fox. "You wanted revenge."
Wolf smiled at Fox.
"I didn't create the Gospel Army, Fox," he told the vulpine. "It isn't my organisation. I am only the figure head, the Mask that hides the true Leader. That doesn't matter though. I'm not in it for power. I'm just in it to give the Lylat Alliance the same grief that it caused me and my people." He then drew his sabre from its scabbard.
Fox raised his gun and aimed it at Wolf. He didn't say a word. There was no need to say a word. Fox knew what Wolf wanted and he was sure that Wolf knew what Fox wanted. The vulpine just stood there in the pouring rain, as did Wolf. Neither of them moved.
"Only I can kill you, McCloud," said Wolf after a while.
"Likewise," retorted Fox. He glanced at Wolf, observing the lupine's every actions. If he saw any tell tale sign that the lupine was about to move, then he would move also. Fox waited. Wolf had a sabre. Fox had a gun. There was no contest. Fox realised that, so he waited. After all, there was no point in shooting a guy that was in all intents and purposes, unarmed. 'What is he waiting for?' wondered Fox.
Wolf kept his eyes above him. Though the explosion had been devestating, some structure still remained, like the girder above his head that used to support the roof. He kept his gaze on the teetering piece of roof that hung just a few steps forward and above him.
"I must warn you, McCloud," began Wolf in an attempt to stall for some time, "though I have two eyes, one of them is... how shall I put it? ...faulty. One eye sees the past, the other sees the future. I'll be able to see your every move before you even make it."
"You always were a joker," said Fox with a shake of his head. He kept the sights of his gun trained on Wolf, after all, he was sure that the lupine was up to something. What it was, he wasn't quite sure. Still, he was the crafty one and he would figure out Wolf's plan soon. He heard a crack and then looked up, to see a huge piece of concrete crash into the floor in front of Wolf. "Fuck!" he cursed and then ran for it, realising what Wolf had been waiting for. He ran round the piece of rubble. There was nothing.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wolf charging straight at him. Fox turned his gun. The metallic blade of Wolf's sabre struck the barrel of his weapon just as he pulled the trigger, turning the barrel of the gun away from Wolf's head. The laser flew skywards.
Fox, using all his strength, swung his gun back round, forcing the blade of Wolf's sabre downwards. He watched as it curved out of sight and Wolf's entire body swung round with it and out of the way of Fox's gun. The vulpine saw the blade of Wolf's sabre swing round full circle and ducked just in time to avoid having his head cut straight off his neck. At the same time, Fox ran and then turned round 180 degrees and aimed his gun. He pulled the trigger and fired a laser at Wolf only to miss as the wolf dodged the gunshot. Fox pulled the trigger again.
This time, Wolf swung his sabre in an arc until the blade hit the laser. There was a spark, as the laser diffracted off his blade. Silently, Wolf ran straight at Fox. He thrust his sabre straight at the vulpine, only to miss as Fox twisted out of the way. Mid-thrust, upon seeing his failure, Wolf swung the sabre sideways and Fox ducked. He swung it vertically.
Fox rolled out of the way and aimed his gun at Wolf. He pulled the trigger. The laser flew through the air and just missed Wolf's arm.
"Shit!" swore Fox, as he leapt back to his feet. He fired several more times at Wolf, only for the lupine to block each laser with that blasted sabre of his. That was it. He stopped firing and allowed for Wolf to charge straight at him. Wolf swung. Fox leapt over the sabre blade and kicked at Wolf's head.
Wolf saw it coming all too soon and bent backwards underneath the kick and twisted out from underneath. He swung his sabre straight at Fox's shoulder and just managed to cut the vulpine's hide.
A wince spread across Fox's face, as he turned and fired, his laser skimming past Wolf's arm.
Neither had wounded the other seriously. They only managed to give each other a tiny nick on the arm. If they hadn't been dressed in different things and if Wolf hadn't so many scars, one would have looked like a gray-scale image of the other. They were complete opposites and in the years they had fought each other hand-to-hand, it looked as if they were evenly matched.
"It seems we're still evenly matched," stated Wolf calmly. The smile on his wet muzzle widened. "I'll fix that, though!" With lightning speed, he rushed straight at Fox and swung his sabre at the vulpine. He missed once again, as Fox rolled out of the way and then turned to fire. Wolf twisted round and shielded his body with the blade of his sabre. He heard Fox swear. "You know, it's pretty funny. Society makes me out to be the bad guy, but it's you that has the antisocial habits– smoking, swearing... I even bet you drink heavily as well. Like father, like son, eh?"
Fox growled angrily at Wolf's comments.
"Shut up!" he shouted angrily, before he opened fire. His laser missed as Wolf ran in a circle around him. He pulled the trigger again and there was only a click. Fox saw Wolf run straight towards him. The vulpine discarded his gun quickly and pulled out his second one. He turned it and fired.
Seconds before he pulled the trigger, Wolf smashed the blade of his sabre against the barrel of Fox's gun, the force of which turned the gun down to the ground. Fox saw Wolf turn the blade of the sabre and swing again. He leapt back, narrowly avoiding being cut by the sharp edge of Wolf's sabre. Fox turned the sights of his gun at Wolf.
Wolf stepped sideways to avoid being shot at. He swung his sabre straight at Fox's head, only to miss again.
"Stay still!" growled Wolf, as he swung again. He missed. Wolf swung his sabre vertically, hoping to cleave Fox in half, but the vulpine rolled out of the way. A laser flew at him. His sabre was swung into the laser's path. It was diffracted. Wolf ran straight at Fox and thrust his sabre point first at the vulpine's chest.
The sabre went through empty air. Several more lasers were fired at Wolf. He blocked them all with the blade of his sabre. Wolf chuckled.
"Didn't I tell you I could see the future, McCloud?" he asked Fox. "I can see your every move before you even make it." He charged at Fox.
The vulpine fired repeatedly at Wolf, but the lupine did not dodge the lasers. Wolf merely swatted at each other with his sabre, deflecting each one. The grey-furred wolf ran full tilt at Fox, swinging his sabre horizontally in an arc at Fox's torso. Fox leapt over the sharp blade and fired, only for Wolf to duck underneath the laser.
Upon landing back on the rain-soaked floor, Fox whirled round and swung his gun round to face Wolf, just as Wolf swung his sabre. Their two weapons clashed together. With all his strength, Wolf swung his sabre round, pushing the gun along with it. Their arms did full circle before Fox's gun was flung out of his hands. It flew through the air and clattered on to the floor, sliding across it to the edge where the bomb had torn a gaping hole in the building.
"Now you lose, McCloud," stated Wolf, as he swung his sabre straight at Fox's head.
The sabre never hit Fox, as the vulpine ran for it. His sensitive vulpine ears heard Wolf's footsteps behind him. Wolf was running after him. He dived to the floor and grabbed the gun, before he whirled round on to his back and took aim. In that split second when he aimed his gun, he saw Wolf raise his sabre and thrust it at him.
The point of the blade hovered merely micrometres away from Fox's flesh. The same could be said for Fox's gun, which was practically pressed against Wolf's shoulder. Both were so extremely close to each other, that there was no room for any other manoeuvre. They were so close that they could see the pure hatred in each other's eyes.
Neither moved from their position. If one attacked, the other surely would attack as well and they could end up killing each other. At that point, they were completely soaked to the bone and it was still raining. Their fur was matted down and they both smelt like wet dog. If it weren't for the fierce battle between them, they would both have looked incredibly silly.
A great urge to make some smart arse comment nearly overwhelmed Fox, but he knew there was no need to say anything. The position they were in was sufficient enough. Fox looked into Wolf's face and saw nothing there but a wry smile. He then glanced down at his free hand, which was in his pocket. There was a way to win this. Fox knew there was a way. He began to wonder. Did Wolf know that he had already lost?
The very moment that Wolf thrust his sabre forward, the cold metal of its blade ripping through fur, skin and sinewy muscle, Fox pulled on his trigger, sending a laser into Wolf's shoulder, causing blood to fly and splatter against the rain-drenched floor. Both yelped in pain and both reeled backwards.
As Fox fell off the edge, he pulled the grenades out of his pocket and yanked the pins out. He let them clatter on the ground, as he fell and as he did, he saw the look of pure terror on Wolf's face as the lupine noticed the grenades lying right next to him.
Time seemed to slow down as Fox fell with his back to the ground and with his gaze up towards the clearing skies of the heavens. Though it was a tall tower and gravity made him accelerate downwards, it seemed to take forever. Never had time crawled so slowly. Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes turned into hours. Though the passage of time had always been laborious, never had it been this difficult to endure. Fox seemed to fall forever. Yet only one second had passed.
An explosion suddenly illuminated the sky above Fox, sending debris and dust flying. Slowly, Fox closed his eyes and spread his arms, letting himself fall. In the back of his mind, he thought of how Wolf couldn't have possibly escaped the explosion of the grenades. In the back of his mind, his thoughts faded away. There was no more need to think.
All Fox could feel was the rush of the air past him, as he fell. He couldn't even feel the raindrops, as he fell as quickly as they did. It was, in some bizarre fashion, a rather comforting sensation. This would be a quick and violent death, yet he would not know it. The air would be pushed out of his body by the impact. The skull would shatter and its fragments would possibly pierce the flesh of the brain. The impact would shatter his bones and kill him instantly. Yet, despite all this knowledge, he felt strangely calm.
Fox let his life flash past his eyes and welcomed it. He watched the events of his birthdays. His first day at school. His first day at the Lylat Flight Academy. The death of his mother. Her funeral. The death of his father. His funeral. Fox saw all the horrors of the Lylat War flash past his eyes. He saw the massacres performed by both sides of the war. He saw the events of Dinosaur Planet play out in front of him and the fight against Andross.
And then came the impact.
The rain was subsiding. The drops of rain splattered against Fox's furry face and then ceased. The sky began to clear.
Slowly, Fox opened his eyes and then blinked once. He still saw the tower that was the Romefeller Plaza. He still saw the skies with its residual clouds. Fox felt the ground around him and found it soft and comfortable. He sat up.
"Well, I'll be," he said with a smile on his muzzle. His impact had been softened up considerably by a vast amount of pillows. He chuckled to himself. "Looks like I cheat death again."

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The man walked down a pure, clean white corridor. On either side of him were cells, each with special translucent forcefields in front of them. In each cell was what looked like a hospital bed with a patient in it. Each patient had an IV drip. Each patient was in a different condition. Some were badly burnt. Others had multiple cuts across their body. Some had gangrenous limbs. Other had rotting skin covered in fungus and pustules. Others still had hideous mutations.
The grey-haired ape didn't care for them, as he walked down the corridor, flanked by two monkeys wearing black trenchcoats. All three of them had the Gospel Army's symbol printed on the breastpockets of their coats.
The grey-haired ape, however, wore a white labcoat instead of the trenchcoat. Underneath that, he wore a yellow turtleneck. Like the two monkeys flanking him, he wore black shoes and black trousers. Unlike the monkeys on either side of him, he was old and wrinkled and had no fur on his face or his hands. His hair was a grey, untidy, tangled mess and underneath his nobbly nose was a moustache of the same quality as his hair.
"Dr. Kano, sir!" cried a voice from down the corridor.
The man in the labcoat, a human from the Sekai Foundation, stopped in his tracks. He kept his arms crossed behind his back, as the monkeys on either side of him whirled round to face the man that ran down the corridor.
"What is it?" asked the old man in a nasal voice that made him sound as if he had a cold.
"Sir, the Lylat Police have raided the Syndicate's Headquarters," announced the feline, as he approached the old man that was Dr. Jerome Kano. "We've suffered heavy losses, sir. Half of our organisation's members have been arrested and..."
Kano raised one wrinkled hand in a silencing gesture.
"Enough!" he cried abruptly, before he turned sharply to face the feline. "I do not want to hear about these failures, do you understand me?"
"But General O'Donnell..."
"What about him?" snapped Kano. "Did you not understand that he was merely a puppet? So what if he led a group of my soldiers to their destruction?" A strange smile spread across Kano's face. "It doesn't matter to me," he continued. "All that matters is that I get results. Tell me, does the Lylat Police think that they have completely taken down the Gospel Army and the Lylat Syndicate? Do you they think that both organisations have been completely eradicated?"
"Yes, sir."
Kano continued to smile.
"Then that is all that I need know," he told the feline. He pointed straight at the feline. "Take him. He shall be the new test subject for my virus." Dr. Kano watched as his two attendants advanced towards the feline and grabbed him. The scientist turned back round, ignoring the screams and pleas of the feline. He walked down the corridor, with the two monkeys following him and dragging the feline behind them.

To be continued...