Chapter 2: The Threat
"Hey Fox, wait up," yelled a voice from down the hall. Fox stopped and turned around to find his feathered buddy running toward him.
"Hey Falco, what's up," asked Fox.
"Wanna do something tonight?"
"I can't. I've got a date with Fara tonight. I'm taking her to the movie- theater downtown to see that new movie."
"Nah, it's ok. See you back at the Great Fox," yelled Falco as he started running back toward their mother ship. Fox started walking down the street when Sky, Haley, Trixy, and Mark drove past him and stopped next to him. Sky lifted up his sunglasses and gave Fox a dirty look.
"McCloud," he said with a nasty attitude.
"Campton," Fox replied back in the same tone.
"I heard you and your team were talking to Orwall about me. I don't like being talked about behind my back."
"I just asked her what happened, Skyler, that's all."
"Well, Junior, next time, keep your nose out of our business! Or next time you won't get off so easily," warned Sky. And with those words he drove off, leaving a cloud of dust behind for Fox. Fox coughed a few times until the dust cleared. Just then, General Pepper drove by in his jeep. "Need a lift, Fox," he asked.
"Yeah. I need to talk to you about something, General," answered Fox. He hopped into the jeep and they drove off toward the Great Fox. On the way there, Fox explained to him about what happened at lunch that day and what Sky told him.
"So I was wondering if you knew what happened between Sky and Jackie four months ago," ended Fox.
"I'm not so sure myself, Fox. I don't meddle in other people's private affairs, and you shouldn't either," started Pepper. "Although, the way he threatened you kind of made me curious. When did you meet him?"
"I met him after my mom died. He helped me take care of Jamie when Dad was busy. But after Dad died, he changed all of a sudden. He turned very bitter, and started a fight with me one day. He kept saying nasty things about my father, and then I knocked him out. We stopped talking to each other after that. Do you think it could be because of that grudge we held against each other back then?"
"How old were you when this happened?"
"I was nine. It was about a month after Dad was killed."
"I want you and the rest of Star Fox to not only look after Jackie, but to keep an eye on Sky and his friends."
"Yes sir," ended Fox. General Pepper then drove up to their destination and Fox hopped out. Pepper then drove off back to the base before he could ask him something. Fox shrugged and walked into the Great Fox and straight to the kitchen where everybody was. He sat down at the table and joined them, worn out.
"Fox, what took you so long," questioned Peppy. "You feeling ok?"
"I'm feeling fine. I just ran into some scum along the way and General Pepper gave me a ride back," answered McCloud.
"Define 'scum'," said Slippy.
"Sky Campton and his friends."
"He has friends? That's amazing," replied Falco sarcastically, taking a sip of his soda. "What were their names?"
"Uhh.Haley Warner's his girlfriend, then there's Mark Cardi, and Trixy Monroe," exclaimed Fox. Falco suddenly spit out his drink in shock.
"Monroe!? Did you say Monroe!?"
"Yeah."
"Any relation to Katt?"
"Yeah, that's her younger sister." Just then, a pair of hands covered Fox's eyes. He felt a kiss on his cheek. "Hey Fara. You're here early."
"Hey Fox. Ready to go," she asked. She removed her hands from his eyes. He turned around in his chair to look up at her.
"Can I get cleaned up first? I just got back."
"Sure. I'll wait right here for you."
"Thanks." And with those words, he got up and went to take a shower. Fara sat down in his seat and started talking to the rest of the team. All of a sudden a small fox kit came running into the room, hopping into Peppy's lap.
"Hey there, little guy," started Peppy, looking down at the young fox. "How are you doing today, Jamie?"
"Great! I made it past level three in my flight simulator today," squawked Jamie. "Where's my big brother?"
"He's in the shower hogging all the hot water again," Falco said annoyed.
"Falco, be nice," said Fara. "Anyway, he looked like he was worried. Did something happen today?"
"Unless there's something that he's not telling us, no," replied Peppy.
"I'll ask him tonight then." They talked for another ten minutes until Falco stood up and slammed his hands on the table angrily.
"Geez! What's taking him so long!? There won't be any hot water left when he's done, and I still need to take a shower!"
"Hold on, I've got an idea," exclaimed Slippy. He went over to a computer and hit a couple buttons. All of a sudden there was a loud scream from the bathroom.
"Aaaaahhh!!! What happened to all the hot water," yelled Fox. Everyone, including Fara, couldn't help but laugh. "SLIPPY!!!"
"I'm dead meat," cried Slippy. He turned the hot water back on and ran into his room, slamming and locking the door shut while everyone kept laughing. Fox came out about five minutes later with an angry look on his face, but nice and clean.
"Where's that frog," he growled. Fara went over to him and kissed him passionately to calm him down.
"Ready to go," she asked.
"Let's go. You'll love this place." He put his arm around her and they walked out of the Great Fox. Peppy watched them walk off with a worried look on his face.
"Hey Fox, wait up," yelled a voice from down the hall. Fox stopped and turned around to find his feathered buddy running toward him.
"Hey Falco, what's up," asked Fox.
"Wanna do something tonight?"
"I can't. I've got a date with Fara tonight. I'm taking her to the movie- theater downtown to see that new movie."
"Nah, it's ok. See you back at the Great Fox," yelled Falco as he started running back toward their mother ship. Fox started walking down the street when Sky, Haley, Trixy, and Mark drove past him and stopped next to him. Sky lifted up his sunglasses and gave Fox a dirty look.
"McCloud," he said with a nasty attitude.
"Campton," Fox replied back in the same tone.
"I heard you and your team were talking to Orwall about me. I don't like being talked about behind my back."
"I just asked her what happened, Skyler, that's all."
"Well, Junior, next time, keep your nose out of our business! Or next time you won't get off so easily," warned Sky. And with those words he drove off, leaving a cloud of dust behind for Fox. Fox coughed a few times until the dust cleared. Just then, General Pepper drove by in his jeep. "Need a lift, Fox," he asked.
"Yeah. I need to talk to you about something, General," answered Fox. He hopped into the jeep and they drove off toward the Great Fox. On the way there, Fox explained to him about what happened at lunch that day and what Sky told him.
"So I was wondering if you knew what happened between Sky and Jackie four months ago," ended Fox.
"I'm not so sure myself, Fox. I don't meddle in other people's private affairs, and you shouldn't either," started Pepper. "Although, the way he threatened you kind of made me curious. When did you meet him?"
"I met him after my mom died. He helped me take care of Jamie when Dad was busy. But after Dad died, he changed all of a sudden. He turned very bitter, and started a fight with me one day. He kept saying nasty things about my father, and then I knocked him out. We stopped talking to each other after that. Do you think it could be because of that grudge we held against each other back then?"
"How old were you when this happened?"
"I was nine. It was about a month after Dad was killed."
"I want you and the rest of Star Fox to not only look after Jackie, but to keep an eye on Sky and his friends."
"Yes sir," ended Fox. General Pepper then drove up to their destination and Fox hopped out. Pepper then drove off back to the base before he could ask him something. Fox shrugged and walked into the Great Fox and straight to the kitchen where everybody was. He sat down at the table and joined them, worn out.
"Fox, what took you so long," questioned Peppy. "You feeling ok?"
"I'm feeling fine. I just ran into some scum along the way and General Pepper gave me a ride back," answered McCloud.
"Define 'scum'," said Slippy.
"Sky Campton and his friends."
"He has friends? That's amazing," replied Falco sarcastically, taking a sip of his soda. "What were their names?"
"Uhh.Haley Warner's his girlfriend, then there's Mark Cardi, and Trixy Monroe," exclaimed Fox. Falco suddenly spit out his drink in shock.
"Monroe!? Did you say Monroe!?"
"Yeah."
"Any relation to Katt?"
"Yeah, that's her younger sister." Just then, a pair of hands covered Fox's eyes. He felt a kiss on his cheek. "Hey Fara. You're here early."
"Hey Fox. Ready to go," she asked. She removed her hands from his eyes. He turned around in his chair to look up at her.
"Can I get cleaned up first? I just got back."
"Sure. I'll wait right here for you."
"Thanks." And with those words, he got up and went to take a shower. Fara sat down in his seat and started talking to the rest of the team. All of a sudden a small fox kit came running into the room, hopping into Peppy's lap.
"Hey there, little guy," started Peppy, looking down at the young fox. "How are you doing today, Jamie?"
"Great! I made it past level three in my flight simulator today," squawked Jamie. "Where's my big brother?"
"He's in the shower hogging all the hot water again," Falco said annoyed.
"Falco, be nice," said Fara. "Anyway, he looked like he was worried. Did something happen today?"
"Unless there's something that he's not telling us, no," replied Peppy.
"I'll ask him tonight then." They talked for another ten minutes until Falco stood up and slammed his hands on the table angrily.
"Geez! What's taking him so long!? There won't be any hot water left when he's done, and I still need to take a shower!"
"Hold on, I've got an idea," exclaimed Slippy. He went over to a computer and hit a couple buttons. All of a sudden there was a loud scream from the bathroom.
"Aaaaahhh!!! What happened to all the hot water," yelled Fox. Everyone, including Fara, couldn't help but laugh. "SLIPPY!!!"
"I'm dead meat," cried Slippy. He turned the hot water back on and ran into his room, slamming and locking the door shut while everyone kept laughing. Fox came out about five minutes later with an angry look on his face, but nice and clean.
"Where's that frog," he growled. Fara went over to him and kissed him passionately to calm him down.
"Ready to go," she asked.
"Let's go. You'll love this place." He put his arm around her and they walked out of the Great Fox. Peppy watched them walk off with a worried look on his face.