A/N: Seems as though Fox and his comrades have a situation that they were totally unprepared for on their hands. Now I would say more but it would only ruin it for you.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Star Fox, Nintendo and/or Rare do.

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Chapter 24: Rogue

When Fox awakened he was in a cell…in the palace. The walls were vomit colored and he rested next to a skeleton of a fur that probably died from starvation over the years. Fox had never seen this part of the palace before…or at least not like this. 'This is…my home.' Fox gasped. "What happened to my home?" He asked himself.

He couldn't bear to rest on the cold cell ground and he came to a stance. He found himself relieved of his Arwing dagger. But he found that he was closer to his target at least. Scales would probably perish here and now. Fox didn't know how he'd accomplish that without some sort of weapon.

The question now was how he got out of here. He didn't even know how he got there in the first place. "Shannon…" he mumbled to himself. The damn traitor had played all the furs for saps in giving them false hopes. He was probably in line with Scales the entire time and no one, not even Mia, knew it. It made Fox angry to think about it but soon it would pass…when Shannon died at his hands, that is.

"After all he had taught me…" He trailed off as he heard the door down the hall open. Then he heard the tapping of claws on the marble floor. The tapping grew louder and louder. 'It damn well better be Shannon!' Fox thought with anticipation but it wasn't It was just a normal sharp claw. This one didn't have a red cross but he had a collar and chain with him.

The sharp claw unlocked the cell door and quickly put the collar on him and pulled him with the chain. Then he tied Fox's paws behind his back. "Scales awaits. It's a glorious day today. The one who we're supposed to fear was easily subdued." Fox wasn't even going to question what this meant.

They started off down the hall and Fox looked in the cells and saw nothing but skeletons. It was downright terrible to see. A tear glistened in his eye and now the only thought that rang in his mind, 'If only I'd have returned sooner!'

Fox was dragged to the throne where Scales back was facing him. When Scales turned he smiled. "I thought that he was lying when he said he'd captured the King of Corneria." Scales grinned evilly. "I'm going to enjoy killing you."

Fox wanted to scream Shannon's name and was about to do so until the very FUR that captured him walked out. Fox's jaw dropped. "Wolf!" He screamed but could barely raise his voice due to the collar.

Wolf looked to Fox and then to Scales. "I told you I'd ensure us victory. Now nothing can stop you…'King.'"

Fox lowered one brow…something about the way he said 'King' just didn't seem right. "You're a bastard." Fox said to Wolf. "You set me up from the beginning."

"I didn't do anything to set you up. YOU decided to come back. Now that you're here and we can kill you, there's not reason why the plan can't go underway."

"Wolf…after all the things you told me and all the reasons you gave me for coming back…they were for nothing?"

"I don't play by the game Fox. I do what I want to do, not what someone else wants me to do." Wolf stated.

"Care to hear how your 'kingdom' is going to die?" Scales grinned.

Wolf stepped in front of Scales. "No, first let me speak."

"Very well…" Scales grunted.

"You want to win this battle…don't you?" Wolf asked him.

"Wolf you wouldn't--ack!" Fox screamed as the chain was pulled and the sharp claw yanked him over to him.

"You want to win so you might as well be prepared. Zoness is coming to aid Corneria…and you might as well prepare yourself for that much right now."

Scales clawed at his chin. "Go on."

"They're going to come and then rush the palace and storm the kingdom ready to take on anything. They should be here within a week, considering they're bringing supplies and all." Wolf told him. "And then the furs will attack. Now how's that for preparation?"

"Well…you say it's in a week?" Scales asked and Wolf confirmed. "Then I still have time to prepare! Ready Shannon's troops and tell them that they should be outside at the palace doors guarding us NOW while I prepare the rest of the troops. I want at least nine bodyguards Wolf being one of them. Tell Shannon that we set up now to prepare for Zoness." Scales eyed Fox. "His execution will be after this war is over. I want him to live to see his Kingdom die! Take him away!"

Scales turned to walk away and no longer heeded what Mia had said. 'Beware Fox McCloud…' To Scales she must've made it all up.

***

Back in the cell Fox was red. The sharp claw that had put the collar around his neck had tied him off to the bars and it was painful because Fox could only stand in one place. That was right next to the lock. "Just like that he gave away…" Fox trailed off.

Just then the door opened down the hall and Wolf was walking towards Fox with a grin on his face. He took out a key and undid Fox's collar but didn't open the cell. "I'm sorry it had to be this way Fox."

Fox was ready to strike him down but the Arwing was gone. "You had that planned from the beginning didn't you!? You didn't come to Zoness to get them to raise an army. You went to Zoness to get me and bring me back here so I could be executed!"

Wolf cupped his claws together. "Fox, I planned nothing! I made this up as I went along. If I had planned your capture from the beginning I wouldn't have tried so hard to persuade Zoness. Not to mention that Zoness will be here in a couple of days."

This made Fox's eyes widen as he remembered what the lupine had said to Scales. "You told Scales that they'd be here in a week…"

"He's preparing now isn't he? That means everything is going according to plan, MY plan!" Wolf laughed. "I do what I want and how I want it. How I want this done is to see a glorious battle range between the sharp claw and furs. Between good and evil. This experience should be blissful to you."

"How?"

"You're going to see a memorable battle and tell the tale. Your tale will be that about a vulpine that ran from home because of something he didn't do. A tale of love and war…of betrayal and defeat."

'Betrayal' would ring in Fox's ear for a while. "Why did you do all that you did then? Why did you journey to Zoness and try to persuade Lady Monroe? Why did you then return and act like a friend to me only to take me to Scales? Why did you lie to Scales?" Fox asked grabbing a hold of the bars in his cell.

Wolf grinned. "So I could manipulate you both more easily. If I had come to Zoness and said 'come back to Corneria so Scales could kill you.' You would still be scared to come back."

"What's there to be scared of now?"

"Absolutely nothing."

Fox wasn't sure what Wolf's game was at this point in time. "You make no sense! Who's side are you one Wolf? Choose, NOW!" Fox exclaimed and tightened his grip on the bars.

"I'm not on your side, or Scales. I'm on my own side."

Fox didn't say anything. He started to grit his teeth in anger. "I'd come so far until now…I'm not giving up now." He shook his head. "So what are you waiting for?" The words left his mouth and hit Wolf by surprise.

"What do mean?"

"You're going to free me right?"

Wolf couldn't help but laugh. "Why would I free you when I'm the one who captured you?"

Fox was silent and smiled. "Because you do what you do and how you want to do it."

***

"Fox is gone!" Krystal shouted and the panic awakened everyone in the haven.

"What do mean gone?" Peppy rushed into the room.

"That's what I said: Gone." Krystal emphasized.

Mia walked in a bit later. "This is not a time to worry about Fox." She suddenly said. "Time is even shorter. Zoness will be here soon."

"We can't just forget about Fox!" Peppy said. "He was supposed to lead us to victory. Where will everyone's hope and spirit be when they find out he's gone?"

"Fox isn't gone. He's only been captured by the enemy." Mia told him.

"How did the enemy get in here? The only ones who know about this place are the traitors to Scales and Shannon. All sharp claws."

"That's not the enemy." Mia shook her head. "Who was our inside man BEFORE Shannon came along?"

Peppy stayed silent. "Wolf! That…"

"Leave it as it is though. If Wolf took Fox back to the palace then that's EXACTLY where he needs to be."

"How do you suppose that is?"

"That's where we WANT to be." Mia reminded him. "As for Wolf, let him be. I'm sure Fox can get out of the situation he's in."

"What about Scales?" Peppy asked almost cautiously.

"Do you really think Scales would do away with Fox as soon as Fox was taken to him?" Mia asked and Peppy shook his head. "Scales would want to make him suffer first because that's who Scales is! He'll make Fox sit around and watch innocents die before he does away with Fox."

"So what do we do then?" Krystal had to ask.

"We wait. We wait for Zoness to get here and then we go into battle." Mia said.

"What about Fox?" Krystal said urgently. "You're just going to let him die?"

"He won't die." Mia assured her. "He'll make it out alive. When we do battle we rescue him then."

***

The floor in the cell was cold and clammy and it made Fox a little uneasy. This is what all those thieves and rogues had to go through when they were caught. There wasn't a thing that Fox could do right now. Wolf had betrayed everyone and the only thing that Fox could do was sit around and wait for either a miracle to rescue him…or to die. He was hoping for that miracle.

"You're smarter than this, think!" He told himself. He'd come all this way and didn't intend to die now. If he didn't do anything soon then Scales would kill him after the battle was done.

The door once again crept open and Fox was beginning to wonder who it was this time. At first thought Wolf came to mind but there was no way that the lupine would return now. "Who is it this time?" Fox said as he leaned up against a wall in his confined space.

"How did you get yourself caught?" Shannon asked as he appeared into view. "What did you do?"

"Well at first I thought YOU were the one who put me here!" Fox had rasped to the sharp claw standing before him. "Wolf isn't with us and he isn't with Scales."

"I know." Shannon admitted.

"You knew? You knew he was planning this?" Fox asked and lowered his ears. He was beginning to wonder who the bad guy was.

"Yeah I knew." Shannon admitted. "Wolf doesn't plan on letting you die so easily."

"Die 'so easily?' Because of Wolf I'll undoubtedly die now! Maybe it won't be 'easily' but it's inevitable now. You have the key right? Free me! Get me out of here. You know as well as I do that I don't have a prayer here!"

"No!" Shannon whispered hoarsely. "You have to stay here until the battle begins!"

"Why? Why do I have to be the pawn when I'm the King?"

"This isn't a game of chess here! This is reality! Stop thinking of yourself! Do you have faith in us winning this battle? Do you not think we can save you?" Shannon was up in his face.

"It isn't that…it's that…"

"What? You think Scales plans on killing you soon? I'm Scales best claw. I know him better than anyone. My troops are already standing around the palace ready to 'defend' Scales if need be."

Fox didn't know what to say now. Then there was thumping and he could here it. "What's that?"

Shannon heard the thumping as well. It was coming from outside and the stomps were in repetition with each other. "The Red-Eye are being trained now…"

"Dammit! I can't do anything in here! Free me Shannon!" Fox demanded. "Don't disobey me! I need you more than ever."

"If you need me more than ever you'll stay there and wait for the moment. Have some faith in your comrades and they won't let you down." Shannon spoke. "We're born to die but the time we go is never decided. Your time to go isn't now; not until you've left your mark on Corneria." Shannon said as he walked out.

'I don't understand him…' Fox sighed.

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A/N: Another short chapter. You were fooled weren't you? You thought Shannon was the traitor when Wolf was really nothing more than a Rogue. So Shannon is still a good guy. Remember I only said Fox swore it was Shannon. I didn't reveal that it actually was…hope that worked out right.