Part 4:
THE CLOUDRUNNER
"Shouldn't we just remove McCloud? He could be trouble..."
"Now entering Great Fox's sensor range"
For a moment Falco didn't know where he was, then he remembered. Instinct took over. He pulled the handle for the cloak, it engaged smoothly with a whine. Falco frowned at himself, he wasn't entirely sure why he'd done that... Then a whole host of reasons flashed across his mind – "no-one will believe me, they'll lock me up if they find me, no-one will believe Andross is coming back ... and if Peppy sees me like this... I can't let that happen"
Falco spotted Great Fox in the distance, tears again pricking in his eyes, he'd do what he came to do and leave. Nothing more.
"Accio, tayho von quxoho. Shalme kao CloudRunner. Sonné don cuxof zuk? Talreac sonné val heray?" Falco nearly leapt out of his feathers at the sound of the voice on his comm.
"What the hell?" Falco asked himself "now there's one language even I've never heard. Maybe Slippy'll have made a translator" Falco chuckled "Well, there's no way Fox can speak that"
Great Fox grew bigger in the distance.
"Shalarac! Sonné don cuxof zuk? Alaso talaran saber tunay? Kao Krazoa soran Krystal, alfalfa sorray Dinosaur Planet. Shalme kao CloudRunner!"
"Alright, alright hold your horses!"
Falco tuned his Arwing into Great Fox's database and quickly downloaded all the new language files. His actions didn't provoke a response from the ship; unless Slippy looked really hard through the computer he would never know anything. After a few seconds the new programmes were uploaded.
"Sonné don distress signal. We are the CloudRunner. Are you receiving this message? Please respond. Our world is being torn apart, we need assistance!"
Mildly Falco wondered why they were still calling for help when Fox was already there. Then he noticed the planet, it really was being torn apart, fragments from the very surface had been torn away, leaving burning scars beneath. He shook his head, wondering if he was seeing things, evidently he wasn't. He whistled in awe to himself.
"This is Falco Lombardi, receiving your message... Err... How can I help?"
There was a pause.
"What skills can you offer us Falco Lombardi?"
"I'm a mercenary... or I was. I'm wiling to help you for free though"
The voice seemed to speak to another "Another mercenary, we don't want their kind"
"He's willing to work for free. Why is that Lombardi?"
"I have a score to settle and answers to seek on your world."
"Just like the girl. She was a mistake."
"I will be coming to your world either way. I can see it's in trouble. I like to help people, that's what I do, and why I'm not a mercenary anymore. But I would be grateful of an explanation as to what the hell is going on."
A new voice, old, spoke quietly "Let him come, better he is with us than running around meddling in things he does not understand. The SharpClaw will breach our defences soon; we need all the help we can get. This one will have off world weapons."
"We can manage without his kind"
"This one is different to the fox and the girl, let him come, he could be of great use to us, especially with his fighter craft."
There was another pause.
"Alright Lombardi. Our fortress is located on one of the fragments of the planet, coordinates are being downloaded into your navigational computer now. Come to our fortress and we may be able to help each other."
Falco watched as a signal showing the route to their fortress through a tide of asteroids flashed up on his screen.
"Roger CloudRunner, I'm on my way."
Slippy turned to the bleeping on the radar. It looked almost as though a ship was entering the planet's atmosphere, but when he scanned there was no ship. He was intrigued. Fox was hung up in the Volcano Force Point temple and wouldn't be coming back for a while so he felt it was safe to move Great Fox to investigate.
Falco watched Great Fox move her orbital position to one that would bring her closer to his entrance vector. He smiled to himself, Slippy hadn't changed, he was still as sharp and inquisitive as ever. He found that made him laugh softly. Slowly the void of space gave way to an atmosphere that shouldn't exist on the fragments of the planet, Falco thought what a strange place it was. Then as he monitored Great Fox's movements it occurred to him that as soon as he dropped the cloak Slippy would realise he was there, and then soon enough everyone would know. He'd have to do something about that. The fragment of the planet was quite small, only a few hundred miles across. Falco soared over it, over lush green forests that shouldn't exist at all where he could see birds flying, then in the distance the plateau he was flying over dropped away abruptly to water. Then standing in the middle of the vast lake surrounded by the forest plateau he saw it. An enormous fortress of green blue stones, he stared at it in wonder, it was the most beautiful thing he'd seen for a very long time. It rose out of the water like some glistening emerald, its many high roofs stretching into the sky, smiling Falco understood why they called themselves the "CloudRunner", their homes really did seem to reach to the base of the clouds, and maybe even beyond.
"Falco to CloudRunner, I'm here"
"Right Falco. Bring in your ship in to dock"
Falco was surprised to see small enclave in one of the rock walls beneath the main body of the palace light up and landing lights directing him in. This world really was full of surprises. Slowly he guided his Arwing into the docking bay. What he presumed was a CloudRunner sat listening to the noise of the Arwing and tried to look in the right direction. The CloudRunner jumped as the Arwing reappeared. As he lowered the Arwing to the deck he opened a channel to Great Fox.
Slippy jumped as Great Fox's sensors were suddenly assaulted with a mountain of new information, they all began to bleep at once. He logged an Arwing, one of theirs, highly modified, and an Avion bio signature that could only belong to one person. The most prominent emotion Slippy felt was relief, Falco was alive, they could all stop worrying now.
"Slippy. I know you can hear me. Respond"
Slippy again jumped, startled by the sound of the familiar though long unheard voice.
"Falco??!! Where've you been hiding? We were beginning to give up on you!"
Slippy wasn't sure if his relief came through in his voice, he couldn't have expressed it in words even if he'd wanted to, but that would probably embarrass Falco, and in the worse case scenario, scare him away.
The sound of his voice, familiar... comforting, Falco wanted to go home, not be here. He sighed "Nice to know you have so much faith in me. Its good to hear your voice Slip'" He would probably never know how good.
"Are you coming aboard, are you going to help Fox, is that why you're on the planet?" Slippy asked, trying to make sense of the situation.
"No. I'm not coming aboard Slippy"
The tone of his voice more than his words made Slippy's heart drop. The relief suddenly went away.
"Why not? Peppy misses you, a lot, so do I and Fox won't admit he does. Wait and I'll call them; you can talk to them too-"
"No! Slippy you can't tell them I'm here!" Falco cried desperately cutting him off.
"Why?"
"That doesn't matter. I just don't want them to know. You have to keep my secret Slippy. Once I'm finished I'll be gone and they never have to know I was here."
Slippy felt physically sick. Falco was going to run away again, a mountain of questions ran through his mind, why was he leaving? Where would he go? Where had he been? Why didn't he want them to know he was here? Then, though he was angry at himself for thinking it, what had he done wrong that he didn't want anyone to know about? He shook himself, that didn't matter.
"But...but Peppy he's-"
The thought of Peppy made Falco's heart go like ice, he was the one person he wanted to be with most, and the reason he couldn't go back. He'd always felt safe with Peppy, he wondered if he'd ever feel safe again.
"Please Slippy promise me. It's really important that no-one finds out I'm here" He croaked, his voice choking.
"Why?" Slippy asked again, gently, the pain in his old friend's voice too clear to ignore.
"It just is!"
Slippy just knew he didn't want to upset him and scare him away, for now he'd agree, he could sort something out later, and at least while Falco trusted him he wouldn't be alone.
"Alright Falco, I promise. But I'm going to be watching you, if you get into trouble I'm gunna tell them."
"Trouble's what I'm here for Slip' don't tell them. No-matter what happens"
"But... what if... what are you doing down there?"
"Sorting out one of the CloudRunner's... Little problems..."
Slippy would be dammed if he was going to let Falco get into trouble and not do anything about it, but he wasn't about to tell him that.
"Falco... be careful ok?" There was silence on the other end of the comm. "Whatever you did, whatever you've been doing... it doesn't matter ok? Whatever trouble your in I'll still stand by you buddy."
"...Why do you assume I'm in trouble?"
Slippy wanted to kick himself "I- err didn't mean it like that. Its just that you're afraid to go to Peppy"
"Yeah, I am"
The end of the line was quiet for a moment, then went dead.
Irritably Falco flicked the switch to turn off the idling engines as he lowered his aching head to the control panel. He didn't have long to reminisce however as the CloudRunner walked up to the side of the cockpit. He opened it and looked down on the creature.
"You are to accompany me" It said firmly, fixing him with a fierce yellow gaze oddly like his own. Grimly Falco climbed down the side of the Arwing. The creature seemed taken aback when it laid eyes on him, the startled expression in its eyes was one that perhaps would only have been read by an Avion or a fellow CloudRunner. Falco stared at it as they walked, it was like a cross between an Avion, a lizard and a dragon. It walked on two legs, sharply clawed, so much so that they clicked on the floor as they walked, a long tail was held out stiffly behind it, swinging from side to side as it walked. Its body was fairly short, but a long neck curved up for a long way so that its head was above Falco's. The CloudRunner had a long, almost Avion head, its yellow eyes facing forward looking down a pale brown beak, though not hooked like Falco's. On the back of its head stuck out a bony crest. It had no forelimbs, these had been replaced with wings, huge dark brown almost leather like things, thick and strong unlike the membranes of a bat's wings. The CloudRunner skin was pale brown and scaly although unlike the shiny scales belonging to the Dinosaur like creatures on the Behemoth , the ones like Slytir and Mitoc, these scales were matt, almost like processed leather, Falco was sure that if he reached out and touched him it would feel like leather too, though he didn't dare, for fear of offending something so much bigger than himself.
Falco felt as though he was at a meat market, being herded. The CloudRunner walked behind him saying nothing. In any other situation Falco would have found their home beautiful. The fortress was all built from some sort of smooth green blue stone that Falco could almost see his reflection in, not that he wanted to. He was shepherded intro a green courtyard and made to walk around the edge of the grass under a covered section. Then he was taken out across the grass to a podium type arrangement where several CloudRunner waited. Falco walked up to them and just stood there, unsure as to what to say or do. He looked around, several large CloudRunner stood facing him and more seemed to be arriving every moment, surrounding him. Falco heard a noise. Flinching he looked up. A CloudRunner flexed its huge wings where it sat looking down on him from above. Falco felt thoroughly intimidated, he didn't know what to do with his hands, they kept inching towards his gun, carefully so as to avoid hurting his various wounds he put his hands behind his back and wrapped his fingers gently together so he couldn't reach his gun easily. He wouldn't give the best impression if he appeared trigger-happy, and he knew that any one of the creatures around would be more than a match for him, even the smaller ones. He could hear them whispering to each other, but was unable to catch the words. Two looked at him critically then laughed. Then finally Falco spotted what he guessed was the leader, she came forward, looked Falco up and down then spoke.
"You were all the universe could offer us?" she said. "We were better off with the girl"
"Wait!" An old CloudRunner said appearing from the side "This one may be better"
Falco guessed he was the same one who had spoken for him before.
"Better?? Look at him! He looks as though it is all he can do to stand before us!"
Falco glanced around briefly but said nothing. "We ask for help and all we get is this wraith and an incompetent girl!"
"I'll leave if you don't want me" Falco said slowly, turning unsteadily to go.
"Wait child" the old CloudRunner said coming closer to him. He looked him steadily in the eye for a moment then nodded "He is good, better than the girl"
"Alright sage, we have little left to lose. The fox seems to be worth his money anyway. This feeble one can't hurt, I place him under your care, do with him what you will"
Falco had looked up suddenly when she had said "fox" but decided it was best to say nothing.
"Come with me Falco Lombardi" The old CloudRunner said before walking off down a passageway. Falco followed. He spoke again as they walked. "This part of our fortress is currently free from SharpClaw, though it will not remain so for long. The able members of my race are fleeing. Though I'm afraid we have few places left to hide. Our queen has been captured, many of our warriors are dead, our system of government has fallen.... This fortress however is not your concern. I for one believe there is more at stake here than just our world, and Krystal may have made it worse."
"Andross?" Falco asked
"Yes. You know of him?"
"All too well" Falco spat
"I knew the fox had met him before, I did not realise you had"
"Fox is my friend. I once flew with the Star Fox team. Everyone in the Federation has heard Andross' name, more or less. I was one of the ones who flew against him last time he attacked. Now more than ever I have my reasons to want to see him destroyed"
"You know the fox?"
"Yes, he is a very close friend of mine... or at least... he was... Why the hell am I telling you this?"
"If you were once one of his team why aren't you with him now?"
"We... parted ways... I can't go back to them now"
"Why not if he is your friend?"
"I'm not here to talk about Star Fox! How do we stop Andross?"
"You'd like to go back wouldn't you?"
"How do we stop Andross?" Falco asked angrily, pushing back the pain.
"You miss them. You regret ever leaving; you wish you were with them, not here"
His thoughts were as loud as though he shouted from the rooftops, and they betrayed his heart.
"Shut up!" Falco cried angrily. The shout hurt his chest. The CloudRunner watched him falter, unmoved.
"Your last mission went badly. You failed"
"Shut up..." Falco said but weaker this time.
"Were you with them on your last mission? Were you the reason it failed? Did you leave because you were ashamed or did they tell you to go?"
"No..." Falco said biting back the pain, barely able to breathe. The CloudRunner waited until Falco was on his knees before he came over.
"I'm sorry. If we are to proceed I must know what happened. The best way to make you tell was to bring you to your knees with the pain until it gets so bad it holds you there, and you have no choice but to talk if you ever want to stand again. You must tell me what happened. It could change things going on here greatly."
Falco stared at the CloudRunner with dark, angry eyes, filed with smothered pain. The old sage sighed to himself, this one was going to be difficult, but he held promise such as he had not been seen for many generations in his race. He went as close to the crouching child as he dared. It was obvious what had happened to him, anyone could tell just from looking at him. Friad wondered if he would be up to the job emotionally, let a lone physically. Falco looked at the ground and would not meet his eyes.
"I am sorry child; I will help you... if you'll let me"
Falco's head snapped up.
"You-You're a telepath?" he asked his voice shaking.
"Mm, in a manner of speaking" he decided it would be best if he waited to explain the truth about that. "My name is Friad"
Falco looked back at the floor. Friad didn't dare get any closer. He would have liked to help Falco up, but he knew better than to touch him. Touch would not happen for a long time, until he had earned his trust. Friad watched as Falco forced himself to stand, he could see him wincing, but eventually he stood shakily on his feet.
"Follow me." Friad said.
Friad walked off and Falco followed.
Friad led him to a room deep in the fortress, he pushed open the door and went inside. Falco was surprised by what he found, light entered the room through a small skylight but other than that it was thickly walled. Falco shuddering was reminded of his cell on the Behemoth. The room contained a bed and what he guessed was a perch for Friad. This suspicion was confirmed when he flapped his leathery wings and hopped onto it. Falco staggered into the room, it felt like and eternity since he'd seen a bed. He felt as though it was calling him, he was suddenly beset by a deep weariness.
"We knew you were coming, it is not usual for our kind to sleep in that manner"
Falco sank gratefully onto the side of the bed, but from the look Friad was giving him he knew sleep would have to wait. Friad decided to try a different method, a test.
"Tell me what happened and I will allow you to sleep"
Falco looked at him uncertainly. Friad held his breath, waiting for the response. Falco didn't speak, instead he laid down carefully, flinching when his back met the bed.
"I'll tell you" He yawned "until I fall asleep, after that you can do what you like to me, I guarantee it wont be anything new" Falco watched for Friad's reaction, to judge whether he was serious or not. Friad realised Falco was testing him, he smiled. He was pleased, the child still had some of his spirit left, whatever had served him to keep it there was strong. This one had promise...
"You are either very brave or stupid"
"Neither... but I've seen the reverse psychology used before... by an old friend... very effectively I might add, and I've lived in the environments where people prey on your worst fears and use them against you... more than once" Falco's empty face broke into a smile, Falco was aware he hadn't smiled for a long time "but if one or the other... stupid... Stupid for coming here, into another war zone"
"You had your reasons though didn't you?"
"Yes. Revenge" Falco definitely had spirit even if it was flamed by anger and hurt. Falco sighed "And to help an old friend... I could have turned my back on him... but I didn't..."
That was it, loyalty, faith and a deep friendship with someone... the fox. Friad grinned to himself. Then sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought... Of all the people...
"Talking about it will begin the healing process..."
Falco looked up at him sadly.
"I think you already know what happened and I'm very tired, so I'm going to make this as quick as possible, and leave your mind to fill in the gritty details. Mission briefing style.
"I ran with the Star Fox team up until a disagreement with the leader Fox McCloud, after this I left, intending to return later - once we'd both cooled off a bit... As I flew I encountered a ship, the Behemoth..."
"They wanted something they called... err... SpellStones... I have no idea what they are, to use as some sort of power source, for their master weapon and from what I heard they intended to get them here. I also heard something about reviving Andross, although I still don't understand how that's possible..."
Watching Falco relive what had happened was awful. He should be telling this to someone he trusted and loved, not him, a stranger. Friad sighed to himself as Falco came round from another flashback. He'd heard enough to understand the wider reasons why their world was being attacked, but Falco continued to speak, and Friad listened right till the end.
"I homed in on Great Fox knowing that it would be around Dinosaur Planet, that's when I picked up your distress beacon and contacted you. I still don't understand why I'm any different to Fox in your eyes, but here I am, as asked. Can I go to sleep now?"
"Yes..." Friad couldn't say anymore to him, his eyes closed and he was gone.
"Help me... I'm dying"
Fox stopped abruptly. He'd been alone with a dinosaur too long. He was hearing things.
"I need Krazoa spirits or I will not survive"
Fox frowned down at Tricky, he seemed to hear it too. Maybe he wasn't going mad.
"please... help... me..."
She coughed, Fox had to admit, her voice sounded kinda nice, the thought of this girl in trouble unnerved him.
"Please...don't hurt me!"
"Sounds like she's in trouble Fox" Tricky said
"But I can't stop now to help this stranger!" Fox mused... "what about the mission?"
"Whoa!! A Krazoa!" Tricky shouted.
Fox spun round to face a giant Krazoa spirit. Its long face with a chin like a beard peered down at him from two stories up. To his surprise it spoke.
"She is in great danger. She is trapped at our palace, until all six Krazoa are returned there she will remain so. Her life force is gradually ebbing away. She does not have much time left. If you wish to save her you must collect the Krazoa spirits and return them to the palace. If you do not she will die. Follow the path and you will find us."
The Krazoa pointed with its head (it didn't seem to possess arms) at a place in the wall of the snowy canyon Fox was walking down where he could climb up onto a ledge above.
"The choice is yours" The Krazoa started to fade away...
"Hey wait!" Fox called but the spirit was gone. Fox turned helplessly to Tricky "What do we do now?"
"Falco, awaken. You must drink something"
"ugh... Peppy?... you sound funny" Falco groaned.
"No Falco it's me Friad... The CloudRunner"
Falco opened his eyes and turned to look a him.
"You know that's the first time in... heaven knows how long I haven't been woken up with a knife... it's kinda nice, even though you're not Peppy"
Friad smiled, Falco was going to trust him, hopefully. Friad held out a bowl, cautiously Falco reached out to it. He took hold of it hands that shook more than he remembered and sniffed it carefully, it didn't smell bad.
"It is water, laced with something to ease the pain"
Falco looked at, swallowing anything was dangerous, could hurt, especially if he didn't know where it came from. He drew it closer to his face, keeping one eye on Friad. He sniffed again, still it only smelt of water. He let the top part of his beak touch it, the liquid didn't burn like the stuff he could just remember them throwing in his face... that he suddenly remembered was why his eyes hurt. Finally he took a sip. It hurt his throat as it went down. It tasted like water, but there was something behind it, a familiar taste, but Falco couldn't quite remember what it was, he decided he didn't care, as his body suddenly demanded more with a thirst that hadn't been there before.
"Easy child" the CloudRunner soothed as Falco began gulping at the water "What wounds we could help you with have been dressed-" Falco dropped the bowl, looked down at bandages on his arms and went to rip them off.
"No!" Friad shouted moving forward to try and stop him, only just catching himself as Falco pressed himself into the wall. He stared at him, frozen, his body rigid. "Please understand little child we do not wish to harm you. I would like to be your friend. You must trust us as... we need your help" Falco's eyes moved and his body relaxed a little "Our doctors tended to you while you slept. I watched over you all the time to make sure they would not hurt you, I hoped our medicine would make you feel easier, please tell me if that is not so"
Falco couldn't deny that he was right. The pain though persistent was more distant, breathing was no-longer the agony it had been.
"I doubt our medicine is a good as what you are used to, but we have done our best to help you..."
Falco started to frown
"We ask nothing in return"
His frown changed to pleased surprise
"Although I would ask you to help us... if you are still willing"
Falco nodded carefully, his voice seeming to have gone wandering all on its own.
"Good. If you feel strong enough I will show you the palace, before night falls..."
Falco again looked surprised
"You have been sleeping for some time..."
Fox stood panting before the strange purple Krazoa. The Test of Combat was over, he guessed he'd have a few new bruises to add to his collection as a result, but now he'd won the right to return the Krazoa to the palace, he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not... well if it helped the girl... Fox and the Krazoa looked at each other for a moment. Its almost translucent body reminded Fox of some sort of ghost, it was all a sort of head, it didn't have a body, it had a flat face with long "hair" flowing out behind it. The Krazoa rushed at him, it hit him in the chest and threw him back.
"Arhhhh!" Fox screamed as he felt the Krazoa enter his body with a whooshing sensation that spread out from his chest. It wasn't exactly painful, but Fox definitely wouldn't have called it pleasant.
He walked, or rather limped along slowly by the CloudRunner's side. Friad was patient, and never walked faster then he could manage. He talked softly, telling Falco about the various parts of the fortress and what they were used for, even though he seemed aware Falco wasn't paying particular attention. Falco's tired mind found that every passage and corridor looked the same, he didn't bother trying to remember his way around. Falco simply enjoyed being able to walk and feel the wind and the sun on his face. It had been a very, very long time. As he grew more and more tired he found himself longing for the simple pleasures of the bed he had only shortly left behind.
Now that he wasn't so exhausted sleep was long in coming. He remembered that he now hated to be alone more than ever, but he'd been too afraid to ask Friad to remain with him. As he lay there in the dark everything that had happened began to sink in for the first time. In the stuffy room in the middle of the Fortress he was reminded of his cell. The screams of the others began to reverberate off the walls. He realised the others wouldn't be coming back. Finally Falco cried with the grief he hadn't had the strength for before. He cried long into the dark hours, until at last he had no strength left.
He lay on his back staring up at the stars, listening to the little dinosaur Tricky's snores from where his head rested on his stomach. Fox couldn't sleep. Having the Krazoa in his body felt odd to begin with, but now he didn't even notice it anymore. He could hear the chatter of a little CloudRunner somewhere, they seemed to have been following him all through, as though watching over him. Even with Tricky there Fox felt lonely, the dinosaur wasn't exactly the best of company, and definitely not the most intelligent of conversation. Fox found it hard to admit it to himself, but, he missed Falco, even though his conversation wasn't very intelligent either. This would be his kind of mission, lots of open space, sentients who could fly, Falco's dream. Fox sighed absently and rubbed Tricky's head where it rested on his stomach. Had Falco been there when the mission was called he would have joined Fox on the surface. He was almost as good on the ground as in the air. Fox sighed, if Falco was there he would probably be sleeping or keeping watch nearby. Fox even missed his sleepy mumblings, the times they had shared a room Falco had always spoken in his sleep, to the point where Fox had threatened to smother him in the night. Fox sighed, it hadn't taken much for him to threaten Falco like that. They'd been in enough fights, Fox had always thought of it as light hearted fun, but as he lay there in the dark he wondered if Falco had seen it in the same way. For the first time in his life Fox supposed not, who would, when they continually came off worse. Fox sighed, it had been one fight too far, one too many bloodied beaks, and one too many cruel words, Falco obviously couldn't take it anymore, and had finally left. Fox sighed, maybe he'd really hurt him this time... he'd never even had the chance to say goodbye... or to beg him not to go... Fox had always assumed Falco would turn up again when it suited him, but it had been almost four weeks now with no word, that was out of character, even for him. Fox began to wonder at the possibility that Falco would never be coming back. He tried to shrug away the idea, but in the darkness it grew. Fox felt sick, and worried, his mind played out scenarios that would account for his extended absence. None of them were comforting, and he wouldn't have wished the fates he imagined on his worst enemies, let alone Falco. Fox tried to shake it off. Falco could look after himself. Nevertheless the creeping, uneasy sensation in Fox's gut intensified. He sighed and heard himself mumble.
"I hope you're safe... and... happy, wherever you are"
Fox frowned at himself, he'd never admitted he cared jack shit about what happened to Falco before, even to himself. Fox growled, even if he and Falco had their differences what he was doing to Peppy wasn't fair. Falco knew Peppy would worry about him if he just disappeared. Peppy had always only had two rules where leaving was concerned, they could go whenever they wanted to, now that they were old enough, providing, they told him where they were going, and they kept in touch. They all owed at least that to him, but Falco had broken both those rules in one foul sweep. That made Fox very angry, it took him a moment to realise exactly why. He wasn't only angry on Peppy's behalf, Falco had run out on him... And Slippy too. In doing so, with no warning, he had left them short of one pilot and made their margin for error tiny. If one of them was ill or injured Star Fox would more or less be taken out of commission, you can't do combat flights with only two pilots. Fox's hands balled into fists. If Falco didn't turn up soon he would have to look for a replacement. Fox allowed his self-preserving anger to fade again. Falco was one of a kind, he doubted he would ever find anyone who could replace him. Fox missed him, and he wondered, if maybe he had shown it a little more often Falco would be here now, muttering inanely in his sleep.
"What are you doing?" Falco jumped and spun round to face Friad
"Making sure no-one can ever be held in these cells again" he growled, lowering his gun from the lock, not caring what the CloudRunner might do to him
"Yes... that could have been a very stupid thing to do Falco. Where are we to hold any captured SharpClaw now?"
Falco hadn't thought of that.
"uh..."
Friad shook his head "Never mind, come away now child before you get yourself into more mischief. This is not the best part of the Fortress for you to see"
"yeah your prison blocks" Falco muttered angrily
"A necessary evil, you'll understand"
Falco snorted "how many people rotted away in them?"
"None" Friad looked back at Falco "We are not a savage race Falco. We keep the cells to protect the majority against the dangerous few. Rather than having to deal with them in any other way-"
"No you just leave them to rot, where no-one can see-"
"Falco! I know you have your opinion of prisons but that does not give you a right to judge our system of justice."
Cowed Falco followed him in silence.
"Sorry to shout at you child... I was worried about you when I found you gone from your room so early this morning..." Friad said softly.
"Really?" Falco's voice was filled with surprise.
"Yes"
"Why?"
"Because I don't wish to see any more harm come to you. Is that so very hard for you to understand"
Falco couldn't answer that "...Rooms like that one make me itch, I don't like closed in spaces"
Friad cursed himself. He should have thought of that.
"I see. Then perhaps we can move you somewhere more airy"
"Can I sleep outside?"
"That may be a little too cold-"
"Please, I don't want to be behind thick walls, I want to be able to see the sky, as high as possible"
"We have a flat area of roof... I'll have some blankets moved there, but you'll have to sleep on the ground"
"That's ok" Falco sighed gratefully
She was beautiful. Hanging there motionless, like a perfect marble carving, preserved in blue diamond or ice. Her body slender, perfectly shaped and formed. Fox couldn't see her eyes, they were closed, but he imagined them the most wonderful watery sapphire blue, glinting with life. He imagined she would be a very nice person to talk to, someone that pretty was bound to be nice, and friendly. Smiling Fox decided he'd like to get to know her. He'd invite her back to the ship once he'd finished rescuing her. She'd be able to make herself at home and-
"Fox what are you doing down there? You haven't got time to go chasing girls! Release the Krazoa and get the hell out of there. We need that early completion bonus! The fridges don't fill themselves you know. So get your ass moving!"
"Thanks for that Peppy" Fox growled "I thought I was in charge"
"Someone needs to remind you what your supposed to be doing" That was usually Falco's job "hurry up Fox... its about to rain where you are"
As if by magic the first large drops fell onto his head. Shaking his fur he scurried off to release the Krazoa.
He stood before the statue, uncertain as to what he was meant to do. Then it started to happen, something started fizzing and bubbling up within him. The Krazoa stirring. The sensation turned his legs to jelly, forcing him to his knees. He gasped as the Krazoa strained to be released, stirring his insides up. Then he saw the purple creature streak from his body, pulling and ripping at him as it left. He cried out in surprise more than pain. Once the Krazoa was gone and his body was truly his own again he knelt on the floor, shaking and weak. It took him some time to find his feet again.
"Well... I want to know he's safe" Falco said carefully "That's why I came here in the first place"
"We have spies Falco, our younglings" he paused "the CloudRunner and EarthWalker don't get along so well you see... It was the EarthWalker who called Fox in... or at least he was employed on their behalf. We'd called in Krystal... but that didn't turn out too well... When Fox arrived our cynical leaders believed that someone called in by the EarthWalker could only be a disaster... they sent spies to follow him... our rivalry is why we were still calling out for help when you arrived. Fox is already being watched over by our younglings"
"What do you mean your younglings"
"The babies of this species"
"Yeah but by the time they come back and tell you Fox could be dead"
"I am a telepath I see the images they see, they will send me the images if Fox is in trouble; we call it Projecting. Observe."
A strange sensation filled Falco's mind and suddenly an image of Fox walking through a group of trees, so vivid and clear Falco felt as though he really could, if he wanted to reach out and touch him.
"He is well looked after. He has recovered the first Krazoa, to help save Krystal."
"That's what I don't understand... what are the... Krazoa and the SpellStones... what do they have to do with Krystal... who is she for that matter? Where does reviving Andross comes into all this?"
"The SpellStones are basically energy conduits, they store and transmit the energy within this planet. The Krazoa are magical spirits, peace spirits, capable of giving life. They have the power to bring Andross back"
Falco looked sceptical.
"I'm serious. It can and will happen if we don't do something about it. I know what Andross did to the wider Federation. I know of the wars he caused and the blood he shed. I have no wish to see a Third Andross War, and I have even less wish for it to originate here. His followers heard the legends of the Krazoa, recovered his spirit or whatever you wish to call it and brought it here for them to revive him. No-matter what you believe about life and death, it is possible here, though he won't have his old body. As I said the Krazoa are magical spirits who are part of what holds this planet together"
"I never believed in magic. Especially not now" Falco said coldly. Friad shrugged.
"Most things people used to call magical can now be explained away by your science... but I've always believed that that took something away from life. What's there to live for if you can't look around yourself and hope there is something more than what your eyes see?"
Falco looked up at the sky.
"I used to pray... I'm not sure who to... anyone who would listen, pray for a miracle... There's been nothing magical about my life. On the Behemoth no-one was listening to our cries. I stopped believing a long time ago..."
"We all need something to hold on to... it doesn't matter what it is. Surely you must believe there are miracles and magic in the world somewhere"
Falco looked up again sadly, he watched a bird float slowly by. He closed his eyes and let his head rest on his hands for a moment.
"I like to believe that Salty and Silver aren't really gone. That there still out there somewhere... and that they'll be waiting for me... on the other side... With what you said about Andross, maybe that isn't such a false hope..."
Friad nodded "Many races across all the universe believe there is more than just this life... they can't all be wrong"
Falco shrugged angrily, angry at the pain in his chest, it always seemed to be there, hiding, not far from the surface.
"I wont be holding out for your magic to save me. I'll take a gun and my wits any day"
Friad sighed. "What do you do when they fail you?"
"Die. Just like everybody else " Falco answered angrily, trying not let his voice shake.
"The pain will ease... it doesn't last forever" Friad said gently.
"What would you know about it?!!" Falco asked angrily, but regretted his words as soon as he spoke.
"More than you might imagine... I am very old Falco. I have seen many young ones pass away before their time. I'm tired of it. I'm not sure how long I have left..."
"Don't say that!" Falco pleaded. Friad looked up at him.
"You said much the same thing, not in so many words, but I knew what you meant. You say it with your eyes."
"I miss them..."
"I know... but it will get better, you just have to be willing to give it time"
Falco looked out across the smooth water around the base of the fortress, up at the sky, then turned and looked back at Friad.
"Peppy used to say that wounds take time to heal, and not all of them go away..."
"Your friend is wise... he must have seen some things to talk to children like that"
"Yes... he wont lie to us... He and I share... a lot now"
"Peppy recovered..."
"He isn't the person he was before... and wont ever be again"
"Everything that happens to us changes our perception, changes who we are, our personalities evolve as we grow older, none of us are standing still, people change, for good or ill. You can't expect to be who you are now forever, and you wont be, you are not the same now as when you were four, and you wont be the same when you're fifty. Time waits for no-one, we can only hope to use what we are given well... I was a warrior once, a very long time ago, I know how it feels to lose a team-mate..."
"Five at once...?"
"More or less... When I was a warrior we used to fly in huge squadrons, I was only young then, not much older than you are now, the last time the SharpClaw rose up against us. We formed an alliance, the CloudRunner, EarthWalker, SnowHorn, HighTop and ThornTail against the SharpClaw and RedEye armies. The LightFoot used to swap sides depending on who was winning. Many were killed, after the worst battles I can remember flying over and seeing bodies strewn from horizon to horizon, it was inevitable that some of those would be my friends, whole families, generations could be wiped out in a single day." Friad looked around sadly "That is why there are so few of us. We used to have a thriving population, into the hundreds of thousands, but there were always more SharpClaw... now we are lucky when our numbers reach ten thousand after a good season. Our world was devastated by the conflict, but we won and the EarthWalker and CloudRunner became this planet's dominant species... Thanks to Andross and General Scales we risk a repeat of that war. The EarthWalker, charged with the protection of Krazoa Palace have suffered losses that they might not recover from... They were slaughtered by SharpClaw carrying weapons the like of which we have never seen before... ones like that." Friad pointed his beak towards the blaster at Falco's hip. "We have no defence against off-world technologies. When Andross' forces arrived there was nothing we could do to stop them. Anyone who tried to stand against Andross was massacred... we soon learnt to let them do as they wished. The CloudRunner have been watching them build a tower on the slope of one of our highest mountains for many moons, we tried to stop them... many tried... all failed. Our weapons are no good against them. Andross and his forces have upset the fragile balance that held our world's society together. You, Fox and Krystal will help us right that balance"
"How? I still don't know who Krystal is!"
"Patience, patience, I'm getting there! First... we... you must destroy that tower. I do not know what they are doing up there, and I have no wish to find out. I believe that whatever that thing does, it's not designed for our world. I know little of your Federation, but I believe in your ways this planet is not far from one of yours with the largest populations, and a government centre."
"Corneria, Shit! And Katina! They have some of the biggest aerial and ground armies based there, if they knock those out... there really will be nothing to stop the Behemoth! Whoa Venom really are determined this time... they must have outside help... but who?"
"The Behemoth, needs the SpellStones?"
"Yes"
"If the planet looses those and blows up the tower will no longer exist, they must intend to use the tower before all the SpellStones are taken off-world..."
"Or just before... at this distance... just as they retrieve the last SpellStone, before the planet blows apart... how long will that take?"
"A few hours, a day at most."
"They use the tower then... but how? Ugh where's Slippy when I need him? Friad do you have any pictures?"
A mental image arrived in his mind a tall tower with a massive dish on the top.
"EMP!!!!" Falco shouted loudly. Several baby CloudRunner leapt into the sky in alarm and even Friad spread his wings "Fuck! The SpellStones are just giant batteries right? They're going to use them well before they blow up the planet! They'll need a massive power supply, hopefully Fox will stop them ever taking the SpellStone there but if he doesn't... they launch an EMP or something like that... every electrical system between here and Corneria will be fried... every fighter, shuttle and... Great Fox will fall out of the sky! Federation wide panic! The Behemoth can just wipe Corneria off the map without anyone to challenge it... they wont even need their master weapon at all... their master weapon starts off here... maybe that's what it is, most ships have some shielding against electromagnetics, but not on that scale... no-one will ever get to engage the Behemoth! They'll have the Federation on its knees in a few days! And then Andross will be free to take over."
Falco looked very pale. He stared at Friad terrified for a moment then threw up over the side of the balcony they were standing on. Friad was silent for a moment, while Falco tried to subdue the hysterical panic in him, and force his lunch back into his stomach.
"We need to destroy the tower"
"Need too?" Falco groaned "That's an understatement. We have to. I'll take my Arwing up there now, blow it to bits."
"They will spot you and shoot you out of the sky"
"Then I'll call Slippy and have him use the orbital cannons-"
"They have the power to destroy Great Fox, you said that yourself. They will use it if they have to. You must strike it yourself."
Falco pulled his aching head up from the balcony wall.
"...I don't think that even if I asked for help from my friends they would think it possible... I hardly believe its possible... I do have to do this alone..."
"The tower is not all there is to it. Even if you destroy it our world is still in danger, and with it yours. This is where Krystal comes into it.
"When Andross arrived here we were watching. By then the SharpClaw had already removed some of the SpellStones so the planet was already in pieces. We'd called for help and Krystal turned up, I taught her telepathy, so she could better communicate with us, as I hope to teach you. She was there with us when the shuttle bringing him landed. When the shuttle landed Andross' spirit just flew away, Krystal, Nomad my son, and I just watched it float away, we could see him, but the SharpClaw could not. After that Nomad took Krystal to Scales' galleon and then on to Krazoa palace believing she could be of help there, and for what little part she played she was. She released a Krazoa... but unfortunately she was captured, she fell into Andross and Scales' trap, she was held in a sort of SpellStone of her own, to act as a conduit for the disbanded Krazoa's power. She gave them exactly what they wanted. Without her Andross could not be revived"
For a moment Falco looked angry
"Do not be angry with her. It was easy mistake to make, she was only trying to help, if it had not been her it could easily be Fox where she stands now, and then we really would have a problem. Krystal is dying because the Krazoa are draining her energy to help hold the planet together, give us air to breathe here, they do not care that they are killing her, or realise what will happen if she dies and they are left without anyone to drain. They believe they will be reunited soon, if they are not... our world is doomed, and many others along with us. Once united their power is vast, they will give Andross his life simply because they can. Krystal will be released then, with her strength returned to her. The Krazoa will not do harm to anyone, but they will not look beyond the present. Krystal is running out of time..."
"well what can we do about that?"
"That's where you come in again. Once you have destroyed the tower you can help Fox collect the Krazoa"
"Fair enough"
"There are six, Krystal returned one, Fox another and Scales has the sixth."
"What? How?"
"Some time before Andross and Krystal arrived Scales and his army attacked Krazoa Palace. There was one EarthWalker there who had been my student in what you call telepathy, with his dying thought he cried out to me. Alarmed I flew straight to Krazoa palace with one other, my daughter Kayla. We flew to Krazoa palace, when we arrived there we saw such a massacre... as I have said, many, countless, EarthWalker lay dead, or dying, along with only a few SharpClaw... We flew the palace, seeking the cause of the destruction. We found Scales along with a troop of SharpClaw and... creatures like Fox, Canites you call them isn't it? And other species, there were so few of them for all those who were killed. We watched them at a distance, they went up to the sacred place, where Krystal is now and dispelled the Krazoa... as they dispelled one entered Scales' body... my daughter... Kayla... she saw what they would do and flew out to stop them... they shot her from the sky with one of your weapons. My fear held me silent and in place, and I suppose that was what saved me. I watched them... toy with her body... then they left, in a big shuttle, all but a few who were left behind to patrol the palace and wipe out the remaining EarthWalker in the back quarters of the palace. I flew then, back here, and I watched the planet break apart beneath me." Friad paused and sighed "I lost a daughter to this war already... I may yet lose a son. Nomad and a few others launched an offensive against Scales and Andross just after Krystal became trapped. He was captured and taken to Dragon Rock."
"Then we have to save him!" Falco shouted. Friad knew he'd touched a bone.
"No. There's a SpellStone there. Fox will free him I'm sure..."
"Oh he will, don't worry" Falco said reassuringly, he paused "I'm sorry about your daughter"
Friad bowed his head "So am I child"
"I'm- sorry for the things I said, I didn't think"
Friad smiled a CloudRunner smile at him "Do not worry, I know when you grieve yourself you rarely have the time to comfort the grief of another"
Falco shook his head "But I should have..."
"Don't worry about that child, there are bigger things for you to worry about. If you are to help us I must teach you what I taught Krystal..."
Friad usually taught his students to speak before teaching them how not to listen, but he could see the usual methods weren't going to work this time. Falco had been born with the gift of hearing and his nature let him listen.
"You hear the voices of the ancients don't you Falco?"
"What? What do you mean... like ghosts? I don't believe in ghosts"
"It seems Falco you don't believe in very much. Call it what you will... an extra sense so to speak. You could say you can read others, even though you don't intend to. You've had premonitions... dreams haven't you"
"Oh come on that's just stupid coincidences! Last night I dreamt Fox grew wings and flew out of one of Great Fox's windows, you don't see that happening do you?"
"Was it that that made you scream so?" Friad asked softly
Falco looked at him but said nothing.
"You are lucky I think. You know which of your dreams are premonitions and which are just dreams. They leave you tired and drawn... more so than before you went to sleep."
Mildly Falco wondered how he knew that. He'd never really told anyone, not even Peppy.
"You must learn to harness your gift and use it to your advantage. I can teach you how-"
"I haven't got a gift for you to teach me to use!"
"Yes you have, but you will never find it if you don't believe it's there! It's not really that hard to learn, but the first step is believing you're capable of it! Damn it Falco you've done it before but not realised what you were doing!" Friad cried in frustration. "I can see this isn't going to work on you, you really are as stubborn as a mule. I will plague your mind until I make you use your gift, respond telepathically or force me out. I wont stop until I force you to prove it to yourself!!"
"How do I force you out?"
"Envisage a wall, think of pushing me out, different things work for different people, come on Lombardi fight me!" Friad knew that what he was doing was incredibly cruel, not to mention dangerous, if Falco was as strong as he thought he had the potential to kill him if he completely lost control. Friad knew they were walking on a knife-edge. If he had a flashback now, Friad might not survive it. Falco felt himself growing angry at Friad, this however naturally made him do as he'd said, he automatically hardened himself to Friad's presence in his mind.
"Come on Falco you can do it. Force me out, come on!"
"This is stupid!" Falco stood up and walked away, angry, trying to get away from Friad. "It's impossible. I can't do it!"
"You never will if you think like that. You have to believe in yourself" "And make a leap of faith"
"Stop that!" Falco said.
"Come on Falco make me stop. Block me out of your mind. Come on fight me, that's what your good at" Friad's comment had the desired effect, Falco's anger intensified to a frightening level. "Come on Falco, fight me, force me out"
"Shut up! Get out of my head" Falco shouted, and tried his best to force the voice out of his mind, drown its noise in his own memories of silence "Get out, get out!!"
"Come on Falco you'll have to try a bit harder than that!"
Falco concentrated again on blocking out the noise, frustration and anger willing him to succeed, did he have nothing left? If even his mind wasn't safe from their prying, their violation?
"Come on Fal-"
The sound stopped. Falco and Friad exchanged mutually surprised looks. Friad tried to finish his sentence but couldn't, Falco's mind seemed to be protected by an impenetrable wall. Friad was surprised by its strength, most of his new students' defences could be broken down with just a nudge, by the looks of things Falco was gifted, even if he would never admit it to himself, either that or he had a lot to hide
"Well done" Friad said sincerely "It is very few who learn that lesson so quickly"
Falco blinked confused, his anger receding, and with it the blocks.
"It worked" Falco was even more shocked "Did I do that? Did you hear that?"
"Yes. Well done Falco you did it. I told you it wasn't so hard. Now you've done it once you wont need to be so angry to make the blocks"
Falco looked very pleased with himself, especially for someone who had stubbornly maintained it was impossible. He looked like a child with a new toy, or one that had just learned to ride a bike. Friad was relieved to see the anger drain from his face, if he'd gambled, and lost...
"You have learned to speak, you should be proud Falco, you learn very fast, now I wish to teach you something different...
"The sentient mind is like a glass sphere." Friad sent him an image of a glass ball filed with swirling colours. "Fragile, easily shattered" He paused. The colours within their glass case continued to swirl, blues, reds and greens all looping together as though in some glorious Technicolor dance. "within that mind you store everything, who you are, your memories, for that is all that's left of the past" Friad gave him a meaningful look "For better, or worse memories are all that remain... In your mind you store these memories, orderly, all in their proper places. The good" The colours in the globe swirled, bright blues, greens and yellows danced at the forefront of the globe. "And... the not so good" The colours changed, dark purples, blacks and blood reds filed the perspective, Falco's heart went suddenly cold. "As long as the globe- the mind remains intact thoughts mostly stay in their proper places... although like spectres they can sometimes creep up on you when you are unsuspecting. But for the most part the mind is a logical ordered place... to a grater of lesser degree in the individual!
"However things can come about to change that. As I have said the mind is though forged of glass. It is easily destroyed." Falco watched as the colours in the globe swirled faster, then they blasted out all angles, so suddenly he jumped, colours raced in all directions pursued by a tide of black, until it all grew dark. Falco opened his eyes, he hadn't been aware they were closed. Suddenly he felt very sick.
"It is easier to shatter than most would admit. The strongest minds have been known to crumble in minutes... given the right... encouragement."
Friad stopped, waiting for Falco to understand the deeper meaning of his words. He seemed to be thinking, holding his head in one of his hands where he sat, slouched.
Finally he looked up and Friad saw fit to continue. Falco became aware of activity in his mind's eye again before Friad spoke.
"The mind can be mended. You must pick up the shattered pieces and rebuild"
Falco was reminded of Peppy, "Pick up the pieces and carry on" was one of his favourite proverbs. Within his mind the colours burst out again, splattered in gaudy patches seemingly across the entirety of the inside of his skull. As he watched sparkling crystals, reflecting the colours in an unseen light, like glass drifted towards the centre again.
"This process takes time, there is no quick fix or easy route, the healing process comes naturally in most-if your mind is set that way, to want to get better... Time is what you need... don't we all? There are however a few things you can do to hurry the process along, which can only be good, for all concerned."
Falco looked up and nodded. He would try anything, anything at all if they told him it would help make the pain go away. He listened carefully to Friad and did his best to follow his instructions, willing now to believe in what Friad was teaching, he would believe in anything that had even the slightest chance of helping make him better.
Fox couldn't breathe. He was locked in a room rapidly filling with gas coming out of the floor. He coughed hard, pain wrapping round his lungs like a rope. Desperately he climbed onto the highest object in the room, trying to get away from the acrid green smoke. Higher, in cleaner air his chest and mind cleared a little. He had to get out of this room. He was running our of time. Drawing a grenade from his bag and hoping the gas wasn't flammable but not knowing anything else to do he threw it at the door. A few seconds later. Bang! He wasn't a toasted fox, he guessed the gas wasn't flammable. Through a hole where the door had been he could see light. He leapt towards it, outside breathed in air, glorious wet salty sea air! Tricky came up to him where he knelt gasping.
"Fox you ok? I tried to follow you but the door shut before I could get there! Did you need me?"
"No, its alright Tricky" Fox gasped "Hey do you hear that?"
Below Fox could hear weeping.
"Yeah I hear it..."
"Come on"
Fox led Tricky down onto the sandy shore below where clear blue waters lapped up against the yellow sand. It was the kind of place you saw in holiday brochures, or at least it would be without the patrolling SharpClaw and gigantic HighTop imprisoned in the middle of the small inlet, his legs and long towering neck chained to four huge rocks sticking out of the sand. Fox hadn't bothered trying to rescue him, it seemed he was too stupid to even realise he'd been captured in the first place. Fox's ears led him to the source of the weeping. In the cliff that made up the side of the inlet of Cape Claw he found a small cave blocked with bars. Carefully Fox approached them.
"Err hello?"
The weeping stopped, there was a flurry of movement, a sweeping sound, like a sail catching the wind, a flash of a shape and yellow eyes. After more shuffling Fox saw the face that held those eyes. A yellow beak was pushed up against the bars with yellow eyes lodged in a brown head. Fox's first startled thought was that it was an Avion, then as he looked more closely into the darkness he saw the shape of a long neck, but the body remained hidden in shadows.
"Fox-Fox McCloud?" A woman's voice asked
"Yeah... how'd you know that?" Fox asked
"Never mind. The SharpClaw locked me in here, you must get me out!"
"Who are you lady?"
"I am the queen CloudRunner" At that Tricky made a noise like a hissing cat and backed away.
"Foolish little EarthWalker. The SharpClaw put the bars in while I was unconscious, I cannot move them."
Fox examined the metal bars. They were drilled well into the rock above and below into the sand. Scratching his head Fox tried to think of a way to get her out. After a moment he drew a blank.
"Fox to Slippy"
"What is it Fox?"
Briefly Fox explained the situation "Any smart ideas my genius buddy" Fox asked hopefully.
"uh... What'd you have?"
"This staff- couple a grenades-"
"You can't use the grenades, the rocks'll collapse and you'll crush her!"
"Duh Slippy, I'm not that stupid"
"Well, I dunno...What else you got?" He said laughing
"Not much... my blaster, PDA, med-kit, combat kit, the usual!"
"Umm... I don't know Fox, short of dropping you a welding kit... how hot does that staff burn d'you think?"
"Not that hot Slippy"
Slippy groaned thoughtfully. Fox could just imagine him chewing the end of one of his tools in concentration.
"I don't know Fox... Hang on... Peppy report to the bridge"
Silence for a moment.
"Fox are the bars drilled into a overhang or do they go into the main face of the rock?"
Fox went closer to the cliff to get a better look, he climbed up a little.
"No they go straight into the main cliff face"
"Bollocks. There's no chance of chipping the rock off then-"
"And less of that language" Peppy's voice
"Hey Pep'"
"How you doing Fox?"
"Ok, 'cept we got a bit of a problem even Slippy's giant brain can't solve..." Fox again explained the scene.
"well they got them in there, there must be some way of getting them out" Peppy logical as ever
"unless they planned on leaving her here to starve to death" Fox mumbled
"Please you must get me our of here! I have to return to our fortress, something terrible is about to happen there!"
"Ok, ok we're doing our best!"
"Fox, you're sure there's no mechanism for lowering the bars"
"Not that I can see"
"Well have a look around, make sure we aren't missing anything" Frowning Fox began to explore the local area "What puzzles me is how they managed to fit the bars before she regained consciousness. The SharpClaw aren't the brightest stars in the sky, I can't see how they managed to fit those bars so quickly without some sort of pre-prepared mechanism or outside help" Slippy mused
"Fox how many bars do you think you'd have to remove before she could escape?"
Fox looked back at the cave entrance
"Two, maybe three"
"Wait... maybe we're coming at this from the wrong angle..."
"What are you thinking Peppy?"
"Fox, is there anywhere that looks disturbed, footprints... loose rock... soil?"
Fox paused
"Yeah... now you mention it... at the side here, next to the bars" Fox pushed at the rock "its soft" he rubbed soil between his fingers "Like its been filled in"
"There you go, you don't have to move the bars, Tricky's good at digging, and you're a strong boy, with no aversion to hard work" Peppy chuckled "I 'spect you'll have her out of there in no time!"
"I don't know what we'd do without ya Pep'!" Fox laughed
"Cook your own dinner!" Peppy retorted
"Hey I cook sometimes!" he said as he and a reluctant Tricky started to move the rubble
"Only when I threaten you"
"Even then, it tastes horrible! I prefer Falco's cook..." Slippy trailed off, forgetting that he was the only one who knew of his presence on Dinosaur Planet. Fox was still angry and Peppy was secretly afraid he was dead.
"Fox out"
Again Slippy had the urge to kick himself. He watched as Peppy turned awkwardly away.
"You know Peppy... I'm sure Falco's safe wherever he is" Slippy said softly. Peppy didn't look round. "And he might not be as far away as you think he is" he was walking in dangerous territory now. Peppy looked round, an eyebrow raised enquiringly. "Because I know no matter how far away he is he'll always think of you" He blurted out, knowing it was the truth "And... I bet he misses you as much as you miss him, if not more... you've still got us, he could be all alone..."
Peppy raised the other eyebrow and sighed.
"You wont ever do that to me will you Slip'?"
Slippy shook his green head "No, not on purpose."
"Good." Peppy briefly wrapped his arm round his shoulder.
"I'm sure Falco isn't trying to hurt anyone. He's... just doing what he thinks is right"
"And which idiot taught him to do that" Peppy laughed gently and hugged Slippy tighter again "Do you think I'm being a silly old fool?"
"No... I'm worried about him too" With perhaps more reason. At that moment Slippy desperately wanted to tell Peppy the truth.
"But Fox..."
"Since when did you let what Fox says get to you? He's just angry, its his way of not showing he's upset... right? That's what you used to tell us"
Peppy laughed, and Slippy was glad to see it "So you did listen to some of the things I said then"
"Of course, we always listened to what you said Peppy" he giggled
"Hey..."
"Don't worry about Falco... he'll be ok..."
There was a flurry of wings. Fox only just got out of the way before the CloudRunner ploughed her way out of the cell. Once free she stretched her wings and shook herself before turning to Fox and Tricky.
"Thank you Fox" She held her head up high on her long neck and folded her dark wings behind her. "I can't stay long, I have to return to the fortress." She turned her yellow eyes on Fox "hmm... I am a Gatekeeper. I will open the path between here and CloudRunner fortress, I fear it is in great danger. If you wish to help us bring your ship and follow me. For now we have what you seek at our fortress, but you'd better be quick or the SharpClaw may find it first!" She laughed an upper-class laugh then lifted her head to the sky and closed her eyes. Fox watched amazed as a purple vortex formed in the sky.
"Take care Fox McCloud, we wouldn't want your General's money to be wasted" she laughed again, eerily, and lifted into the sky "it is a shame you do not work for free" She laughed and flew away up towards the vortex, leaving a confused Fox standing on the ground.
"What was all that about?" he asked Tricky scratching his head
"I don't know... Stupid CloudRunner they always talk in riddles"
"But, how did she know all that?"
"They probably have their spies watching us... they're everywhere. EarthWalker hate CloudRunner!"
"Tricky you're paranoid... but... do you think we'd better help them anyway... what do you think they have that we're looking for?"
"Fox you idiot she was talking about a SpellStone! Hurry up and get up there for goodness sake!" Peppy's voice. Frowning Slippy wondered if she'd meant something other than a SpellStone...
Friad looked up suddenly, as though startled
"It is time Falco, we have to leave for the tower. Get your things, quickly child!"
Falco stood "W-Why the hurry all of a sudden?" he asked grabbing his combat gear
"We need to get away from here fast!"
"Why?" Falco asked again
"Scales and the SharpClaw are coming"
"Well can't I help you-"
"No! This fortress is not your concern,you shall not die here!"
"But Friad I can't just run away!"
"We can look after ourselves. You must not be here when they arrive! If they recognise you, they will kill you outright. You know too much! You are very dangerous to them and their plans! You cannot remain here!" Falco hadn't thought of it like that. "We must leave, now! come on my back, I will fly you to the mountain!"
In his desperation and hurry Falco forgot about his fear of touch and leapt onto Friad's back with surprising grace.
"Hold tight!" Friad cried and beat his power full wings. Falco felt a surge of energy as all of Friad's tightly coiled muscles released and they sprung into the air. He was flying!! He's always dreamed of being able to fly on his own wings, this was close enough!
"I have to open the gateway Falco, I'm a gatekeeper you see..."
"What?!" Falco shouted over the noise of the wind as they climbed higher and higher.
"Just watch"
Falco watched. Ahead a swirling purple vortex formed in the sky, which Friad flew towards.
"Don't be afraid... Its perfectly safe..."
Friad flew up into the vortex and Falco's world seemed to go into overdrive. Colours changed to purples and reds, all the while he could hear a rushing sound. The world seemed to spread out and then compress. Through the purple streaks Falco could see stars. He and Friad seemed to tumble in all directions, though he always remained on his back. Then abruptly it stopped. Falco felt as though he was upside down, then realised he wasn't.
"Hold on!...Are you alright back there?"
Falco still felt dizzy, he shook his head trying to get rid of the feeling.
"The nausea will pass" Friad told him "look, we are on the main part of Dinosaur Planet now"
Falco looked round to observe fields below them "We passed through space... that shouldn't be possible!"
"But it is. The Gateway protected us. Our species have used this method of travel for centuries. It comes in especially handy now the planet's in bits! But it's best not to leave our pathways open for everyone to use!"
Falco looked back to the vortex and watched it close.
"Ok Friad... I give up trying to understand this place"
Falco held onto Friad's neck, bent low over it. Just enjoying the ride. He watched the green of the hills flick away below him. It occurred to him that it would be a nice place to go walking, he'd bring Peppy here... Wait... No... Falco felt sick, he'd probably never see him again, let alone have the chance to go hiking with him, even if he survived the week. Suddenly feeling the wind rush against his face and the steady beat of Friad's wings wasn't so exhilarating...
"Why such heavy thoughts child? You seem to weigh heavier on my back all of a sudden"
"Sorry" Falco said before realising he was speaking metaphorically "I was just thinking how beautiful your world is"
"And that makes you sad?"
"not as such...I'm just sad I'll never get to share it's beauty with anyone"
"Why do you say that? You're friends will join you here, if you ask them"
"But I can't do that... I'm not welcome with them anymore."
"I don't think that's true, no-matter what happens to my son Nomad... no matter what he does I will always love him, he'll always be my son"
"In my experience it doesn't work like that"
"Then you have been very unlucky little child... but I did not mean your genetic father..."
"If I go back to Peppy and he realises what happened... It will destroy him" For a moment Friad feared Falco would fall from his back, but then his grip tightened again "I'm not willing to do that to him." He paused, that was the real reason he wasn't going back... "Besides Fox isn't exactly going to welcome me back. I hit him for goodness sake! What was I thinking? You don't punch your commanding officer!"
"Wasn't it him that threw the first punch? If it was you have a right to defend yourself"
"I don't remember now, it seems like an eternity ago" Falco paused "You must be worried for your son... If Fox does not help him, I will"
Friad chuckled "So noble a gesture... I am very worried about him, as any father would be... but I trust in your friend. If he's anything like you I'm sure Nomad has nothing to fear!"
Falco laughed bitterly "If Fox was anything like me your son would already be dead"
"The only difference between you seems to be your lack of faith" Friad said sharply
"Faith didn't do me much good before"
"You must believe in yourself!"
"Why? That only leads to arrogance and that is something I despise."
"There is a difference between being arrogant and believing in yourself." Friad sighed "Your lack of faith is painful to behold little child. There is so much in you you should be proud of"
Falco just snorted.
"I believe that... even if you refuse to"
"It seems as though you have enough faith for the both of us"
"Were you always like this?" Friad asked
Falco's eyes narrowed "Like what?"
"Did you ever believe in... anything?"
"I believed in the Cornerian Government until they screwed me and my team."
Friad's wings continued to beat. In the distance Falco saw something black rising up against the mountains
"I must believe in something... otherwise I wouldn't be doing this"
Friad still said nothing. Falco pulled the black combat gloves tighter onto his hands and checked the gun and clips were tightly at his hip.
"Besides I already told you... I used to believe... then I was forced to take a cold hard look at the world and I realised that if I hung around waiting for magic or whatever to help me I wouldn't last very long" Falco felt his hands clench into fists "I can put it down to a day, if you really want to know"
Friad suddenly felt he'd gotten more than he bargained for, and realised he's walked into an emotional minefield, and decided it would be better if he just shut up.
"One moment in time..." Falco closed his eyes "Take it away Friad... You can do things with memory... I don't want to remember the bad things... why is it that that's all I ever seem to remember?"
"That's how the mind works, to try and prevent us repeating our mistakes"
Falco said nothing, instead he was happy just to watch the countryside pass away below them. The tower growing larger in his sight.
"Drop your height now Friad, they probably wont spot us but the lower we are the better our chances of getting in unnoticed"
Friad said nothing, but responded by lowering his height so that Falco could see their shadow flashing across the grass and stones below.
"I have lost a daughter to this nightmare, I may yet lose a son, I wish to see no more death. Be careful little soldier." Friad gently stroked his head along Falco's side. It was the first affectionate touch Falco had felt since before he left."Don't let this be our final parting."
"It won't be. I'm coming back"
"Good... I must leave you now child" Friad beat his wings and lifted into the sky, the downdraft almost knocking him from his feet "Be careful Falco" he said before turning and flying away.
The mountains reached up into the clouds, their tops covered in white snow shinning in the sunlight. Cold damp winds wiped his coat around him. The air smelt fresh and cold, grinning Falco closed his eyes and thought back, indulging in a momentary fantasy. He and Peppy were outdoor people, he'd never been to a mountain with anyone else, and they seemed to have their own specific smell to them, their own sounds, and their own feel. His eyes still closed Falco wondered if it was the thinner oxygen, the Avion lungs were designed for that, it was as close to the sky as he could get, with his feet still firmly planted on the ground. Opening his eyes he surveyed world around him. The place where he stood was on a steep hillside, the grass was short, damp and muddy beneath his feet, beaten down by the wind that constantly lashed itself against the hillside, though somehow to his left a forest stood up against the elements, its trees bowed to the wind casting forbidding shadows across the damp grass. Falco turned to look ahead of him. The mountain sloped down to a more hospitable landscape, below long yellow green grass waved in the gusts of wind as the shadows of clouds flittered over them, beyond that vast flat green planes spread out to the edge of the horizon broken only by the distant meandering of a river. When he turned to look up the mountain became steeper, rising more and more sharply from where he stood so that in only a few 100 metres he would have had to climb instead of walk. The grass hung on stubbornly for a little further, then reluctantly gave way to bare rock, where only the most sturdy of moss could cling to its surface. Then as the mountain rose up so high it almost crooked his neck the firsts of the snow was apparent just as the peaks disappeared into the low cloud. To his right the tower, vast and black, scowling down on the otherwise beautiful landscape, its massive dish sitting on its top just waiting to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting peoples of the Federation. It was the kind of thing people looked back at in history books and sighed, sighed because the grief was not their own. Falco wanted them to be able to do that in the next generations, and not be living under Andross and his followers fists, if that came to pass the history books would be very different.
Falco looked up at the tower, Friad had dropped him off in a good spot, a small rise in the terrain hid him from view of its base, carefully he set off towards it. Halfway up the small hill he bent to a crouch and then fell to his belly, he crawled the last few metres to the top of the hill on his elbows. At the top he paused, staring down the hill at the campus around the bottom of the tower, his body pressed against the ground, his head only just high enough to give him a clear view, if they had decent biosensors they obviously weren't watching them very well, or he'd have been spotted. If the people here were anything like those on the Behemoth they probably thought they were invincible. Falco watched the tower for a while, with Avion eyes he had no need for such trivialities as binoculars, after a time he spotted a door. At least he had a door decoder, along with weapons that was one of the things they had in their essential combat kits in the Arwings. Falco continued to watch, he'd almost come to the conclusion that there were no guards on the ground when he spotted someone, waltzing round the base of the tower looking thoroughly uninterested. At first he thought it was a SharpClaw, then with a shudder he realised it was of the same species as Slytir and Mitoc, the smarter version of a SharpClaw, and much more dangerous. The Cancent Falco suddenly remembered, that was what their race was called, what Leon had called himself, what Mitoc had been. Falco chose that moment to wonder if the two species were related, SharpClaw and Cacent. He watched the guard make his slow patrol round the base of the tower, trying to decide whether to kill him on the way in, or the way out. He decided to let it live for now and watched it turn its back on him as it continued its slow, half-hearted patrol. Once he'd gone Falco got up and sprinted for the door. He reached it unchallenged, and using Slippy's door decoder, let himself in.
Carefully he walked inside. There didn't seem to be anyone about, Falco couldn't even see any security cameras. This was too easy, he must be missing something, he'd have thought Andross' master weapon would have been better guarded. But he supposed they wouldn't expect attack of this kind in such a remote place, most lone operatives would have more sense than to try attacking such a place unaided. It would have been geared up to repel an attack from the CloudRunner, the only species on the planet really capable of attacking such a place. They hadn't been betting on him showing up. Falco looked along the corridor. It was made entirely from metal and lit from above and by thin slits in the wall by a strange red light, it wasn't dark but it wasn't light either, the worst kind of light for trying to see in. Maybe it worked for the lizard people. Falco chose a direction, right, he thought he could hear and sense signs of life along that way, being careful to remember the way back he set off.
He tried to walk softly but still his boots seemed to make a huge amount of noise against the metal floors. At a junction in the corridors Falco paused to listen, he was sure he heard voices from one direction so he followed the sound. He stalked down the corridor, listening, a gun in both hands, he wasn't about to be lenient, he had no intention of leaving anyone alive. The sounds of voices speaking grew louder, Falco walked softer. Ahead he could see white light, his eyes drank it in, tired of the soporific red light. Cautiously he walked up to the end of the corridor. It brought him out into the back of a room where a Cancent and a Canite sat at computer tables, tapping away at what they were doing, entirely involved. Falco put his guns away, he didn't want an alarm raised until absolutely necessary. Instead he took a piece of narrow wire with two small wooden handles on each end out of his pocket. They called it the "Cheese Cutter", that had been Slippy's idea. With that he took out a his combat knife, black bladed so it wouldn't catch the glimmer of a distant light. Silently he crept up behind them. This had been one of the moves he'd been good at, lacking the physical strength for the others his light build had afforded him the stealth to do it, the actual act required very little physical strength at all, if you had a good wire, a child could do it, Falco knew. Carefully Falco crept up behind the Cancent and slipped the noose over his head, he looked up alarmed as Falco pulled the two ends of the wire across themselves, the knife in his right hand.
"Ah-" The cry was cut off and faded only to a gurgle of blood as it ran into the severed windpipe from the arteries and veins suffering the same fate. The Canite sat beside the Cancent looked up, only to receive Falco's knife in his vulnerable throat. Falco allowed the body of the Cancent to slouch backwards in the chair, fearful all the blood might damage the computers before he had a chance to find out what they did.
He peered down at the computer display the Cancent had been looking at. What he saw filled him with white hot rage, then induced a flashback- Silver laid half naked on the floor before him. Those men just treated girls like objects, for their amusement. Falco smashed his hand down on the Cacent's head, if he hadn't already been dead Falco would have killed him all over again. Furiously he moved to what the Canite had been looking at, he at least had been doing his job, rather than indulging his perverse fantasies. The screen showed a display of the tower's systems, lighting, sprinklers, air conditioning and most importantly of all a complete map. Falco drew it up and gazed at it.
The tower was made up of a total of 12 levels with the control computers for the EMP on the 10th, he had to make sure he destroyed those or the whole mission would be a waste of time. As he stared at the design he realised it was going to be a bigger job then he'd thought, five grenades were not going to be nearly enough to put all the systems that needed to be beyond repair. He was going to have to ask Slippy for a little favour. He looked down at the readout, he'd have to knock out comms, or the whole secret would be out. It didn't have much in the way of defences, a small network consisting of only 5 turbo lasers was controlled from a substation on the 4th floor. Two grenades. The comm. station was on the 8th floor, from the diagnostic it looked as though all the external communications went through there. Falco was suddenly glad he'd paid attention in electronics, 1 grenade, destroy that and the best they'd be able to do was shout for help from the roof. Then there was only the EMP to worry about, three grenades would probably do it... Falco groaned, wishing he'd thought to get the high yield explosives before he'd entered the tower, an Arwing attack wouldn't penetrate the thick armour. What was he going to do once he'd blown the EMP? He guessed kill as many as possible on the way in and out and hope there weren't enough left to organise a hunting party to come and kill him, Falco frowned, remembering the woods... he could hide in there... He'd have to run like hell... but maybe, just maybe he could pull it off. He laughed to himself. He didn't have many options. He rolled his eyes "Oh well what the hell what's one more stupid mission to add to the list? Peppy's not here to tell me how dumb it is this time." He laughed "It can't possibly be worse than the Destrop incident... I was deaf for a week".
Sighing Falco took another look at the map, there was a central lift shaft running through the middle of the tower, he guessed he might be able to risk that, it would certainly give him the element of surprise, and he didn't much fancy the idea of running up and down twelve flights of stairs. He studied the map a little longer, trying to get his mind to memorise the intricacies of the twists and turns in the corridors, but the longer he looked the less his mind wanted to concentrate, it grew swirly and sleepy and all he seemed to be able to remember was the layout of the Behemoth's corridors and the sound of his pounding feet and screams as he ran through them. He shook his head and looked around the room, the doors to the lift were on his right. He paused, allowing his mind to assimilate the information and work out a plan, it was almost second nature now, after so many years.
The lift droned quietly up the tower. Falco looked down on the body of an unfortunate Vulgarian that had been in the lift when he'd entered, he couldn't help being reminded of Blaze. At the forth floor the lift stopped, Falco pressed himself against the wall of the lift.
"Cayle, you got the coffee- huh?" A voice, the scraping of a chair against a metal floor, then footsteps.
"Fu-" the voice began. Falco sprung out from his hiding place, hitting the Cancent square in the chest, his eyes found the room's other occupants and told his hands where to aim. Killing seemed to be as though in a dream of late, Falco was just suddenly aware there was no-one left alive in the room. He paused, after checking the remaining shots in his gun he stooped down to drag the Vulgarian out of the lift.
He looked around. He recognised the targeting computers that controlled the laser cannon network; they were similar to those that crowded Great Fox's innards, the ones Slippy always complained about having to maintain. They were beasts to repair apparently. The room contained the main brains where targeting vectors and ship ids were calculated and applied in mere seconds. From here the power source for them could be accessed. Falco walked into the tiny room, between the rows of computers clicking away from floor to ceiling. The static made all his feathers stood on end, and snapped at him when he took a grenade from his pack. For a moment he feared he may have set off the timer, but as nothing blew up he guessed he was safe. Carefully he stowed the grenades in inconspicuous corners, sure to cause the maximum amount of damage. Falco had always gained a kind of perverse pleasure from blowing things up. That done he left the room and got back into the lift.
The 8th floor seemed to be empty. He was grateful. He tried to walk casually thought the corridors, there was a small chance he could be mistaken for a particularly untidy guard, he had to remind himself he wasn't eight anymore, and move as such. He found the door to the communications uplink, it was locked with a security code. Falco again slipped his door decoder out of his pocket and casually let himself in.
The room was dark, and empty. For which Falco was relieved. The comms. weren't being used so were simply idling. Falco paused as he set up the grenade inside an access panel. He looked down at the wiring inside, one of his lessons with Salty working on basic cloak repairs suddenly sprang to mind. He fingered through the strands of cabling, finally he found what he was looking for. Falco cut through a cable covered in an attractive shade of vomit yellow. The comms. wouldn't work now if he was caught, and it would take a while for them to figure out how to fix them, by then the backup timer on the grenades would have run out and it wouldn't matter anymore.
The lift droned up the tower again. The EMP control area was far more open plan than he's have liked, it covered the whole of the top floor. Worst of all he was running out of ammo. The guards he's killed had been unarmed or carrying too little to be of any real use, nevertheless he had two guns, his own in his right hand and a smaller one he'd recovered, and both were running low. The lift shuddered to a halt on the top floor. Falco took a deep breath.
The lift doors opened both in front and behind him. Startled Falco pressed his thin body against the wall, hoping the edges of the door would conceal him. He was now standing open in the middle of what could rapidly turn into a fire fight.
"Hey Jayne, we got a ghost in the lift again"
Falco considered taking the lift back down again and rethinking his plan, but he was rapidly out of time. A Cancent face appeared round the doorway.
"Who are you?!"
Falco squeezed the trigger. The Cancent staggered for a moment, then fell against the door. He was out of options. Falco darted forward out of the lift, firing the guns at everyone he could see, looking for better cover than the lift afforded him. The best he could find was a computer panel which left him entirely open down one side. Falco hid himself up against it as fire rained towards him. He was sure that at any moment one blaster bolt would break through and find his head. He looked right. The lift in the centre of the room left a corridor across the whole floor open down his side. A Cancent was about to shoot him from there. Falco darted out the way only just in time. He found himself back in the lift, laid on his back. There was a Cancent inside, standing over him, staring down, pointing his gun right between his eyes. He didn't fire, for a fraction of a second they stared at one another, Falco saw something flicker in his eyes; it was almost like... recognition, finding an unexpected acquaintance in an even more unexpected place. Then his head exploded and he fell back as Falco's fingers moved unbidden. He moved to the side as though in a dream, the world seeming to move in slow motion. Seconds later a blaster bolt landed where Falco had been laid. He pushed himself up against the lift wall, searching for the button that would take it down again. Somewhere someone raised an alarm. A great honking siren blazed out along with a verbal warning:
"Intruder Alert"
The lift was hardly cover enough he was still open to their attacks, and now with the alarm its power had been shut down. The end was coming. At that moment his mind began issuing telepathic distress signals...
Friad nearly fell out of the sky. His heart was filled with panic and a sensation of helplessness. The war seemed certain to claim another victim. Peppy on Great Fox had the sensation that an elephant had just trampled over his grave, and was suddenly certain he was missing something important. Krystal realised there were other people on Dinosaur Planet in more immediate danger than herself. Fox felt a particularly icy wind climb up his spine and fill his head with the sounds of gunfire and a familiar voice. Slippy watching Falco's bio-readings hovered his hand over the alert and prepared to call in the cavalry.
It was all or nothing now. Falco took a grenade set it to timed charge and threw it out of the lift. He heard it hit the ground and roll. Then he pressed his hands over his ears and pushed himself out of the way as far as possible. The grenade exploded. Screams of surprise were cut drastically short. One side was clear but he still had lots to worry about. Through the smoke Falco emerged into the blown out area. Time was rapidly running out. He had to get out of the base fast. Most of the computers in the room had been damaged. With little other choice he threw the remaining grenades down the other end of the room, found the door marked for the stairs and ploughed down them. Behind him the room roared, Falco heard shrapnel coming down the stairs behind him. Below he could see guards coming up to meet him. At that moment more than any other in his life Falco wished he could fly. Shots flew towards him and grazed the walls dangerously close. He was trapped. He considered surrendering. No! He'd rather die, anything was better than surrender.
"Stand tall, be strong and never give up!"
Falco held the guns close to his chest. Pulled the remote for the grenades out of his pocket and ran. To hell with it. He barrelled down the stairs; the guards were perhaps surprised by his pure stupidity. As he ran he fired indiscriminately, waving the remote around screaming at them with every piece of verbal and telepathic abuse he could think of. As he ran first one gun then the other clicked and whined as they ran out of ammunition. As he approached he squeezed the remote...
Falco would look back on that day and wonder why he survived. He guessed that the combination of the grenades, his telepathy and pure stupidity threw the guards off enough for him to save his wretched hide. Only as he jumped from the third story did he realise he'd managed to push one over the edge of the stairs. Once at the bottom he quickly found his way to the exit and back out into the damp air of the mountains.
He ran. As fast as his legs would carry him. Not daring to look back. The forest's dark overhanging canopy looked amazingly inviting. It was especially dark now as the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon. Falco raced into it. The branches tore at him with ominously loud snapping sounds. As he ran he was aware he had to get a hold of himself. In the middle of a large thicket he paused, his chest heaving painfully, his whole body quivering. He could hear the Cancents' heavy bodies pushing through the trees, disturbing them, pushing them aside; making them groan. Speed wasn't going to get him anywhere now, a little haste was better... silently he moved off, seeking the deeper shelter of the trees, doing his best not to leave a path that could be easily followed...
Falco slipped quietly between the branches. He needed somewhere to hide. Along with his door decoder he had a bio signature scrambler; he switched that on now cursing himself for not doing it sooner. Now the only person who would be able to see him would be Slippy on Great Fox, and he wouldn't give him away. Mildly Falco wished he was in a city. There were lots of places there you could go to disappear, provided you didn't mind the occasional bad smell, they were places you could run to where most wouldn't dare to follow. He moved on, almost blind in the dark. Behind he could hear the guards stomping about. Then he lucked upon something he could only have imagined. To his left there grew a large tree, at its base a hole where the roots had worked away from the soil. Falco stared down at it, unable to believe his luck. He got to his hands and knees. Hurriedly he brushed aside a pile of leaves half obscuring the hole. Quickly he peered inside. It was large enough. Falco could barely contain his delight. He scurried inside and piled up the leaves at the entrance again as best he could. He was only just in time. The sound off footsteps hastily put an end to his activities. He curled himself up inside the tree and made himself as silent and motionless as possible. All he could hear was his own heartbeat, the footsteps drawing closer and somewhere water dripping off leaves.
The earth seemed to shake as the hefty guard drew closer. It walked up to Falco's tree, so near Falco could see him as he blocked off the shaft of light coming in the hole at the entrance. The Cancent paused. Falco held every muscle in his body tense. If he was found he would be helpless. He didn't have a single shot left in either of his guns.
The Cancent stood near the entrance, shifting its weight from foot to foot. It sniffed the air. It was only at that moment Falco realised he was bleeding. The Cancent continued to sniff the air, then after what seemed like an age moved away. Only after its footsteps had stomped off into the distance did Falco relax a little, though not much. Carefully he shuffled himself into a more comfortable position and steeled himself for a long wait.
He'd used this means of hiding before. Fox and Falco had spent an uncomfortable night huddled in the bottom of a wayward tree hiding from a snowstorm. They'd come to be there after they'd crashed their two-seat bomber and had had no choice but to try and hide from the storm. The warmth from their two bodies had undoubtedly saved them that night, even though neither got much sleep. Falco would have found it quite comfortable had there not been a cold trickle of a stream running along his back. Fox having acquired by far the most comfortable spot would have been happy had he not managed to pull his shoulder out of joint in the crash. Despite Falco having replaced it for him he had had been in significant pain.
He had been dozing, dreaming about being huddled in that tree with Fox when the sound of footsteps startled him. Falco stopped breathing. He strained his ears to listen. Though this time the Cancent guard just stomped past him and his footsteps disappeared again. Falco started to drift...
It was dark when he scurried out of the hole beneath the tree. It would have been a pleasant place to spend the night aside from the sodden ground. Besides, Falco needed help from a certain green someone and that could only come on the open ground. He moved off through the trees, cautiously, hoping there would be no more guards around. Somewhere above an owl hooted, Falco's heart was eased a little. He hoped it signified that calm had returned to the forest.
He was glad to get back out into the starlight. After a while the creeping darkness among the trees had become oppressive. Falco raised his aching arm up to his beak to activate his communicator. As he punched in a line to contact Slippy, he hoped it would be him who answered, but he couldn't wait any longer. Then he saw something move. Slippy answered the comm..
"How you doing Falco?" Slippy asked. The end of the line was dead. "Falco?"
"Sorry... I got distracted" Falco continued to watch the hillock for movement.
"I hate this Falco, all this sneaking around. If you were willing to tell Fox and Peppy you're here it would make life a whole lot easier"
"We've already been over this Slip'" Falco said tersely, relaxing his gaze
"I know, but I hate it... "
"Not as much as I do Slippy" Falco sighed heavily. Slippy found himself unable to ignore the weariness in his voice.
"Are you alright, you scared me shitless a minute ago... I was sure those guards were going to find you! One was standing right next to you!"
"I know... I'm ok... a bit stiff that's all, and I owe a tree a really big favour."
"A tree?"
"Yeah... they expect the birdie to be hiding in the branches... but not under it"
"Ah, yeah, that little trick again..."
"Slippy will you do me a favour, no questions asked?"
"err... I'm not sure Falco, it depends what it is"
"Will you drop me some supplies"
There was a pause. Falco listened to the quiet on the end of the comm. in the background he could just here the faint sounds of Great Fox's bridge.
"Alright Falco, what do you want?"
"You ready, I've got a list"
"Yes, go ahead Falc'"
"Right... I want some explosives... DH4s about 4kg in 500g charges-"
"Falco are you sure, that's enough to blow a small hole in that planet!"
"I know, that's the idea... Some new blaster armour... as much ammo as you can lay your hands on without anyone getting suspicious... a proximity alarm, a rations pack, a med-kit-"
"A med-kit? Falco are you ok?"
Falco didn't answer. He looked down at himself.
"Maybe you should make it 2 med-kits" Falco said without thinking.
"Falco if you're injured I'll bring the two-seat, I'll pick you up and take you back to the ship. We'll get you treated in the infirmary."
Falco found the idea tempting, a warm bed, even just for one night. Familiar faces around him... It would be great... to go home.
"Peppy will see me..." Falco started to say.
"I'll shoot him!! Please Falco, I'm really worried about you. We're all worried about you"
His words made Falco smile. When Slippy spoke again his voice was quieter.
"Peppy's going mad worrying about you... It's frightening me. Why won't you come back?... Do you hate us?"
"Nothing could be further from the truth Slip'" Falco said gently
"Then why won't you let us help you? Whatever you're doing down there you shouldn't have to do it alone! Please come back to the ship. I meant what I said if you're that desperate for Peppy not to see you. I'll stun him, he'll be out for long enough then... please, I told him you'd be ok... don't make me a liar Falco" He sounded on the verge of tears.
"No... Slippy I can't"
If Slippy saw him like this he would never let him return to the surface. Then Venom would be allowed to get away with what it was doing and Krystal would be lost.
"Slippy two more things, a jumper and a blanket... its cold up here"
"Oh alright..." he said reluctantly "I've got a lock on your position. Do you want me to drop it to where you are now?"
"Yeah, as close as possible, I don't really feel up for a long walk. Don't worry about the tower Slip' its go no scanners or communications... at least not anymore"
"Take it that was your effort?"
"Yeah" Falco sighed "Slip, no tricks. No landing and trying to force me into anything ok. I've only got live blasters down here and I've been a bit trigger-happy the last few days" Falco heard Slippy laugh down the comm. he flinched "I'm serious" Slippy's laughter cut off suddenly.
"Err... Ok Falco... please take care of yourself"
"Always... Slippy, make it quick ok?"
"Alright, I'm on my way Falcs"
Slippy waited for Falco to cut out the comm. He turned from the control panel thoughtfully.
"Now how am I going to do this with out Peppy getting suspicious?" he asked himself looking thoughtfully around the bridge. "Locate Peppy Hare" he said to the computer.
"Peppy Hare is in common room 1" The computer responded.
"Alert me if he moves from there"
"Affirmative"
Slippy left the bridge slowly. As he walked towards the crew quarters he noticed how lonely it was with just him and Peppy onboard. The ship had been quiet for the last little while, devoid of Fox and Falco's constant squabbling. Then when Fox left for Dinosaur Planet an eerie silence seemed to descend over the ship. Had Falco been with them when this mission had been called he would probably have accompanied Fox, even if they split the mission objectives and went their separate ways... not too different to how things were now... but Slippy had to tell himself they didn't hate each other that much... The door to Falco's room slid quietly open, Slippy wandered inside. Falco's room had always been tidier than his, but now it looked too tidy. It didn't feel lived in anymore. Sighing Slippy rummaged in Falco's cupboard until he found a jumper that Peppy wouldn't miss. Along with that he took a blanket from the top shelf above Falco's clothes.
"Damn it Falco why do you have to be so much taller than me?" Slippy said standing on tiptoes to reach. Eventually he pulled a blanket down. It fell over his head. After fighting with it for a moment he was ready. As he walked back out the door it occurred to him that it would be pretty hard to explain if Peppy caught him now. Thoughtfully he carried on. Armoury now. He could get the rest of the stuff there.
Slippy put the stuff down on the armoury table. He hunted through the racks for the things he wanted. He managed to take 5 standard blaster clips without the shelf looking obviously bare. Then he fed his access code and biochip reading into the locked cabinet where they kept the high yield explosives, among other things. This particular locker was death in a box. Enough explosives to blow a small moon apart, various varieties of poison, from the quick and painless to the slow and not so painless, to the untraceable. They didn't do assassinations very often, but they had their ways. There were a few other things in there Slippy didn't like to think about, some of their contingency plans, should the worst happen, the sort of things that gave him nightmares. Meticulously he locked the cabinet again. He put the explosives carefully on the table, along with the remote firing device. He looked around the room again, to the shelf where they kept the rations packs, all the Arwings carried them, just in case they went down and couldn't get picked up again for a while. As it happened the longest time anyone had had to wait was three days, on a planet with a dangerous atmosphere the air supply wouldn't have lasted that long... but it was best not to think about that kind of thing. Slippy pulled down a pack and checked briefly that it was full, then put it with the growing pile of equipment. Then he found a proximity alert, Falco must be expecting company... Finally he pulled down 2 med-kits. It was obvious they were gone. He'd just have to hope no-one noticed. That would make for even more awkward questions than the missing explosives. Finally he dumped some Falco sized blaster armour on the table. Then he stepped back and surveyed his loot. It was more than he could carry in one go, but fortunately it wasn't far.
Slippy bundled some of the stuff up in Falco's blanket and carried it over his shoulder like a sack. Quietly he walked to the docking bay and hunted out one of the boxes they used for supply drops. It was almost half as big as him. Carefully he wrapped the explosives in the blanket and laid them on the bottom of the crate. Then he covered the fragile remote in Falco's jumper. He put the blaster armour between the two to make sure they couldn't come together accidentally, if they did it would make one hell of a mess. There were enough explosives in that box to blow Great Fox into several pieces.
"I hope you know what you're doing Falco" Slippy mumbled to himself as he went back for the rest of the stuff. "I suppose I'll just have to have faith in you..."
Falco had used bombs like this plenty of times before, but never without backup and cover fire. This time he was on his own, and that was what worried him. Falco had done some stupid things in his time...
He gazed around the armoury thoughtfully, wondering if there was anything else he could find that would ease Falco's time on the planet. All he came up with was a torch, a thermo flask filed with hot chocolate and a few packets of sweets he'd had hidden in his room. At length he put the rest of the stuff into the crate and sealed the lid.
"Now here's the hard part. How do I get down to that planet without Peppy realising what we're up to... Falco you stubborn git why do you have to make things so difficult?..." Slippy asked himself as he loaded the box into the compartment for the air drops. He climbed into the cabin. The Arwing's engine roared into life and Slippy pulled up off the deck. As he boosted towards the bay doors he wracked his brains for the best excuse to give Peppy. As he pulled away from the ship the inevitable voice came over the radio.
"Slippy where're you going?" Peppy asked, Slippy couldn't ignore the slight hint of uneasiness in his voice.
"I picked up some unusual readings down on the planet, I'm going to try and get a closer look"
"Do you want some company?"
"No, there's less chance I'll be picked up on scanners if I go alone"
"Alright Slippy, take care..."
Peppy cut the comm. Slippy dove in on Falco's position, the mountains were high, the top peaks had snow on them, it had been an understatement for Falco to call it "cold", the Arwing registered the ground temperature as only just above freezing. Slippy wished he'd brought Falco something more substantial than a blanket. He homed in on Falco's bio-signature. The closer he got the more he realised Falco had definitely been better, it was hard to say exactly what was wrong with him, but his life signs were erratic to say the least, in any other situation he would probably be in a hospital. Slippy drew closer. He stared at the massive black bulk of the tower, then a little way away he noticed a flickering orange glow.
Falco looked up from his thoughts, gazing at the fire. He could hear engine noise, then as he scanned the sky he spotted the pinprick of light of Slippy's engine against the stars. He stood up, watching him draw closer. Falco judged that his right arm hurt slightly less and raised it to wave at him. In the cockpit light he just caught sight of Slippy's hand moving in response.
Slippy dropped his speed to as low as he could. Falco's bio-signature wasn't just erratic, it was all over the place. Slippy didn't know much about medicine, but he knew enough to realise things weren't good. He looked around for somewhere to land, he had to persuade him to come home. The terrain offered no-where safe. Slippy swore at himself as he turned round to pass over Falco again. Why wasn't he able to persuade him? Fox or Peppy would be able to do it, they could even order him back, Slippy was outranked by everyone. He sighed, he had a feeling Falco wouldn't be playing by the rules. As he passed over him again he pushed the switch to drop the supplies
"Thanks Slip. I owe you one... This dinosaur food is gross. Yuck!"
"Yeah Fox said that too..." Slippy shook himself "Falco are you alright... you're bio-signature's off the scale"
Slippy heard him sigh.
"I think I'll live..." Death seemed to have been alluding him the last little while.
Slippy looked down at the readings, and tried to ignore the lump in his throat and twisting in his gut. If he died down there he would never forgive himself.
"Falco are you sure you wont come back to the ship?"
"Stop it Slippy!! I can't, so stop asking!" Falco said helplessly, Slippy noticed his life signs fluctuate, his stress levels climb and decided it was probably best to let things drop.
"Alright Falco... watch yourself ok"
"yeah... Slippy, look after Fox and Peppy for me... please... if I don't talk to you again..." Slippy heard his voice shake. He was suddenly very afraid.
"You haven't got something stupid in mind have you Falc'?!"
"You know me"
"That's what I'm afraid of!"
"Take care of them Slippy... Hey there'll be fireworks tomorrow at dawn... since I missed your birthday... how was that anyway?"
"Quiet"
"Sorry I missed it"
Slippy fought back sadness and anger.
"I have to go back now Falco, Peppy will be wondering where I am..."
"Alright Slippy, t-take care..."
Morosely Falco watched him go, and couldn't stop himself wishing he wasn't. The box of supplies had come to rest a little down the hill from where he sat. He hauled his aching body up and walked over to it. He managed to drag the heavy box up the hill to where he had made his fire. With mild curiosity he set about opening it and collecting the supplies. He opened the lid and peered inside.
"A torch? Good thinking Slip'" Falco mumbled to himself and laid it on the grass, Then he pulled out the blaster armour. The packets of sweets fell out with it, thoughtfully Falco bent to pick them up. When he realised what they were he couldn't help but smile, Slippy had always had a sweet tooth. He pulled out the other things, and divided then into what he would need in the morning and everything else. He set up the proximity alert to circle his camp, if anything bigger than a rabbit came near him he would know about it. He put a med-kit out on the side and dressed his new wounds. He had been shot sometime in the process, but thankfully it wasn't deep. Only one he was finished did he remember the thermo-flask. Sitting down by the fire he opened it and sniffed it, it smelt suspiciously like hot chocolate.
"Mmmmmm" Falco heard himself say, it beat cold river water any day. "Thanks again Slip'"
He found it deeply ironic that he was forced to huddle against the fire. He owned an intergalactic space fighter, was a member of one of the most famous mercenary teams in the Federation and yet the best he could do for warmth was a tiny campfire. He had to laugh. He was sitting here shivering in the cold, up to his beak on painkillers, contemplating blowing a Venom base to the other side of the Federation and there wasn't event the promise of a pay packet at the end of it. There wasn't even the promise of a warm bed, only a life lived underground, if he wanted to keep up the pretence of having died on the Behemoth, Pepper would tell Peppy the truth, or some semblance of it someday. Falco didn't look forward to the life that would keep him hidden, but it was the only one that seemed open to him, and other than Star Fox, all he knew. He couldn't go back, they would blame him for what had happened, force him to go back to the Behemoth. If he tried to return to the team Fox would never have him back. They would never believe him, and he wasn't willing to put them through the pain going back would involve. He couldn't go back, no matter how much he wanted to. Still shivering and miserable Falco curled under the blankets, and although the cold made sleep dangerous and he knew it he drifted away.
Peppy dreamt of fire. A fire he could never make big enough, he knew he had to make the fire bigger to stop the cold. However long he worked the fire was never big enough, never warm enough, but he wasn't cold. The fire kept going out, no matter how much wood he put on it, it didn't seem to make any difference. It was still cold.
Falco stirred. Something that didn't seem quite right swam into focus, there were a pair of feet sat near the fire, a stick poked thoughtfully at the flames. Falco lifted his head to look up and see who the feet belonged to. A familiar figure sat on a log huddled near the fire against the cold. Peppy smiled sadly down at him.
Falco leapt awake. He sat up and looked to the place where Peppy had been sitting, there was no log by the fire... and, no Peppy. Falco lay back down on the cold earth, exhaustion washing over him, despair surpassing the hope that had welled up in him just moments before. For a while he considered calling Slippy and asking him to come and get him. His hand was halfway to his beak before he changed his mind. If he went home he would be as good as killing Krystal. He couldn't do that, she deserved to live... unlike him. Falco stared up at the sky. He could see one edge of the streaky clouds faintly outlined in pink, the dark sky was slowly being lit up from the east, or at least, what he presumed to be east. As he watched the purple sky turned to a paler shade and all but the brightest stars went out. It was dawn, the few hours sleep Falco had managed to snatch didn't feel like nearly enough, his body felt heavy and sore, and most prominently cold, it was as though his limbs were frozen solid. Falco sighed and tried to slowly rub some life into his arms. Mornings had always been the worst, that brief moment before the mind came fully awake where Falco could imagine it had all just been a horrible nightmare, then he would realise that it wasn't, and usually, the day went downhill from there. He sat up and considered investigating the rations pack Slippy had dropped him, but decided breakfast could wait. The sooner he blew the tower the sooner he could go back to CloudRunner fortress, at least it was warm. For a moment Falco pulled the blanket around him again, it smelt of Great Fox... of home. Sighing he swung it over his shoulders, so that it hung there. Wishing he wasn't so thin he stood up, maybe that way he wouldn't feel so cold. He paused for a moment before setting about packing up the things Slippy had dropped him. He realised he was never going to be able to take it all back with him. He doubted he would have enough time to come back and collect it after going into the tower for a second time; he'd have to carry it all. Groaning he packed up his bag, he put the med-kits in the bottom then the rations kit. Finally he stowed the explosives on top. If anyone shot him in the back they'd all have a nasty surprise. Falco pulled the blaster armour on over his head; even though it was thin it made his body feel even heavier. He clipped the spare magazines around his waste. Stamping out the fire Falco surveyed his camp. Everything else he could stand to lose, even if the team bank balance wouldn't appreciate it very much. Falco let the blanket drop of his shoulders as he swung the bag onto his back. Quietly he moved off towards the forest.
Falco shuddered in the damp darkness. The dewy wetness of the leaves clung to his face, the twigs of the trees pulled at his clothes, trying to trip him. The forest was lighter now than when he'd hidden in it before, the first golden beams of light picking through the leafy canopy. Nevertheless Falco moved through it as quickly as possible, his mind was on edge as he drew closer to the tower, at every move he expected a SharpClaw to jump out of the undergrowth at him. When he eventually reached the other side of the group of trees he was grateful, even if it did leave him in full view of the tower.
Cautiously he looked about. There were no scout parties around, obviously they had given up on him, or decided they would be better inside the tower, trying to clean up the mess he'd made. Falco smiled, they'd all be scared of the beating they'd get when their bosses found out their master weapon was inoperable. At least then the pressure would be taken off Fox, hopefully when he got back the final SpellStone their anger would be focused elsewhere, thus saving his furry hide.
Two guards were patrolling now. They must have stepped up their security a bit. Falco chuckled to himself. They'd need more than that to stop him. Even with two guards there was still a lot of time for him to slip in unnoticed, Falco waited for one guard to pass and move out of sight before sprinting to the base. He reckoned he had about three minutes before the next guard would come round the corner and be able to see him. Security had definitely been increased. Slippy's door decoder clicked away for what seemed like an age, breaking through layers and layers of encryption. Falco looked nervously about. The guard would be back soon, he was running out of time. Uneasily he began mumbling to the decoder, willing it to go faster. Finally there was an optimistic click and the door popped open. Falco rushed inside and pushed it closed again as quickly as he dared.
Panting he pressed himself against the wall, listening. He could sense more than hear the presence of guards on the bottom floor. They were far more numerous than they had been the day before. Carefully Falco skulked off, seeking somewhere inconspicuous to plant his bombs. He didn't care much about it being a pretty explosion, as long as it brought the tower down. He hoped if he managed to get a few charges set up on the ground floor and maybe one or two higher up it would be enough to destroy it. He had no intention of venturing into the heights again.
Falco found a convenient room. It turned out to be little more than a store room, containing a mixture of unpleasant cleaning chemicals. He grinned, that concoction should ensure a nice explosive mess at the very least. He listened at the door before stepping out again. He was glad he did, he heard footsteps walk past and the muffled sound of voices. He signed, leaning against the door till they passed, thanking Peppy for making him over-cautious, on the ground if not in the sky. He smiled to himself as he emerged. The stunt yesterday had been anything but cautious. Carefully he walked down the corridors that were becoming far too familiar again.
The next room he found was a toilet. It stank, obviously the cleaner hadn't been working as hard as the chemicals might suggest. Then a mean little voice in the back of Falco's mind casually asked if he might have killed the cleaner. He shook his head as he wired up the bomb. In a few minutes there wouldn't be anywhere left to clean.
A Vulgarian and Canite caught him off guard as he set up his third bomb. They snuck up on him and jumped him. They terrified him out of his wits, consequentially Falco became a screaming, squirming angry ball of feathers. It was only after he'd killed them both that his mind returned to his body. He couldn't quite believe it. As Falco stared at their bodies he was sure one of them had stabbed themselves, surely no, it must have happened in the confusion of the fight. Wishing to see no more of that grisly scene Falco moved away.
The rest of the mission went without a hitch, better than Falco could ever have hoped for. It was almost as though an invisible force were drawing the guards away from him, watching over him. Maybe he had a guardian angel, he liked to think it might be his grandfather. Finally the lasts of the bombs were set. Falco reached out with his mind.
"Friad, I need a lift"
"I'm already on my way child, my landing should correspond with your leaving the base of the tower. I will land just beyond the door you entered by. Do not worry about the guard. I will deal with him"
"huh?" Falco was amazed
"Did you think I'd let you go without a few younglings to watch over you? Besides, I have been monitoring your progress through your own mind. Be careful you have company"
The message cut off.
Falco turned round to see a guard creeping up on him. He only narrowly jumped out of the way before he could strike him with a metal bar. Falco suddenly found he had far less of a problem killing this one than any who had tried to shoot him. Falco landed on his back, drew his gun and hit him squarely in the middle of the head. Then he noticed the woman, she had been behind the man he'd just killed, a Canite with chocolaty brown fur stared at him. Falco laid on his back stared up at her. The gun in his hands suddenly trembling. He couldn't work out whether she was armed or not.
"I... don't want to kill you" Falco stammered. Never let it get personal, he'd always been told that, but he couldn't help wondering if she had a family, and if they would miss her as much as he missed Peppy. The woman scowled at him. Falco didn't know what to do. He couldn't let her run, but he didn't want to kill her either. Then he noticed her hand moving towards something black at her hip. Falco squeezed the trigger. She fell on top of her male companion her gun in her hand. As Falco held onto the computer panel to pull himself up he decided he didn't care. She wouldn't have worried about killing him. The fact that Silver had been a girl hadn't saved her. No-one would have worried about killing Peppy, even though three children had once and still did rely him. Man or woman, it didn't matter. It was still a life. They were still the enemy. Falco turned and headed for the stairs, he only had to go down a few levels, and the lift was likely to be infested with guards. Grimly he hoped they wouldn't cut him off. He raced down the spiral staircases, his feet making a metallic clank on the steps. Just as he reached the bottom he heard a few guards running after him from the floor above. Praying Friad would be waiting for him he ran for the way out.
Falco raced out of the tower, pursued by a few guards, the remote in his hand. Friad stood a little beyond the exit glaring past him at his pursuers. As he ran Falco dared to look for the guard. He spotted him, laid dead on the ground, it looked as though he'd shot himself, but no, surely... Friad didn't look at him as he ran closer.
"Leave-him-alone" Falco heard him say.
Hastily he ran up to Friad's side and swung onto his back. Only once there did he spot the guards. He watched with rising trepidation. They had both stopped stock still, and as he watched they raised their guns to their heads, and pulled the triggers. Friad leapt into the sky.
"F-Friad?" Falco questioned
"We have our ways" was all he offered in explanation "Be ready to fire your bombs Falco, we should be clear by now"
Falco pushed down on the button in his hand. A gargantuan explosion punctured the air. Both Friad and Falco turned back to watch the tower explode. Shrapnel shot up into the air for hundreds of metres above, crowned by the massive dish, rising and falling through the air like some graceless whale.
"You did it Falco!" Friad said enthusiastically
"yeah..." Falco said less so "one less problem to worry about... and a few more holes to add to my ragged hide"
Falco stared at CloudRunner Fortress from Friad's back. Many of the ornate columns supporting the roof were broken down and it had fallen in entirely in some places.
"F-Friad... what happened here?"
"While you were gone the Scales' main shock troops breached our defences... the lasts of our warriors held the fortress for as long as possible but were forced to yield. Your friend made a timely arrival with the queen... but perhaps he was a few moments too late... by the time he arrived most of the shock troops had gone, and the damage had been done. Fox cleared the palace of SharpClaw mostly, and helped return order, and those SharpClaw he missed we telepaths finished off in our own... special way"
Falco looked down at the ruined palace.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here to help more"
"You would have been killed. Your work on the prison cells saved Fox a fate similar to your own. Do not fear child, more stone can be cut, the fortress can be rebuilt"
"But how many lives were lost trying to defend it?"
"Some, but not as many as could have been. Most of the younglings and their mothers have fled to our safe place long ago. As long as they live our futures are preserved in their wombs"
"I suppose, but that is little comfort for the lost and their families"
"No its not" Friad said as his feet touched the roof of the palace "Ask you asked your things have been moved here. When you have had time to rest you must move on to stage 2. Seeking the Krazoa, but for now rest" He spread his wings again and flew off. Falco looked after him then headed to the pile of blankets on the roof and curled up to catch up on missed sleep.
A CloudRunner baby chattered into his ear and the mist of sleep began to lift. He tried to cling to it for as long as possible but to no avail.
"Tuka tuka yah cococo tuka tuka tuka!" The CloudRunner baby said
"Oh go away" Falco groaned
"Tuka tuka yah yah co-co co-co!" the CloudRunner jumped lightly onto his chest seemingly delighted with getting a response.
"Ahhh get off!" The presence of the CloudRunner touching him from sleep brought back the nightmares.
"Keff keff suk suk!!!" The CloudRunner shouted in irritation as Falco sat up suddenly, angry at being dislodged from his chest. Falco stared around him taking a moment to remember where he was. When his senses returned he rubbed his face in his hands. He sat up and crossed his legs. The baby CloudRunner he noticed was perching not too far away making obstinate faces at him and chattering irritably. He laughed at it.
"You gave me a fright youngling"
"pitchy pitchy" The CloudRunner said in response.
"Pitchy pitchy to you too"
The baby CloudRunner stared at him silent for a moment. Then hopped closer. Falco was about to speak to it again when Friad alighted on the roof.
"Hello child"
Falco just smiled in greeting as he held his hand out for the baby to sniff at. Briefly Friad chuckled at him.
"Are you ready to seek the Krazoa?"
Falco nodded not looking up from the baby which seemed to be trying to decide if his fingers were edible. Friad sank to the ground in front of him. Falco looked up.
"I must teach you a few things first." The baby CloudRunner hopped into Falco's lap and settled itself for a long nap. "I will take you to SnowHorn Wastes. You must stand on the warp pad to enter the Krazoa shrine. Where you go I cannot follow. Once there you should proceed through to the place of the test where the Krazoa will be waiting for you. I believe this is the test of strength-"
"Strength! I dunno Friad that's not something I'm renowned for!"
"The tests are possible for everyone taking them, you need only try."
Falco nodded uneasily as he stroked the sleeping CloudRunner in his lap.
"The last test was that of fear, or courage... I do not relish the idea of you taking that. It took Fox several tries before he mastered himself"
"He has a lot to be afraid of, and one of his nightmares is about to get very real"
Friad nodded his long head in agreement "If you pass the test the Krazoa will enter your body, once you have the Krazoa I will take you to the palace to release it. Fox can make up his own ideas as to how it got there."
"He should just be grateful that it did."
Friad nodded "You must do this Falco, I would, but I cannot, I am too old and cynical" He smiled "This is down to you"
"Come on then lets get this over with" Falco said standing up, pausing only to deposit the still sleeping CloudRunner in his blankets.
The first thing that struck Falco about SnowHorn Wastes was the cold.
"Its freezin' out here!"
"Why did you think they called it "SnowHorn Wastes"?"
"The SnowHorn live here don't they, the mammoth thingies"
"That's correct"
"Then that's why I thought they called it that!"
A blizzard of snow blew into Falco's face, making it numb in seconds. He shivered and hung low against Friad's neck.
"It appears we have chosen a bad day for our quest. It is hard to fly in these conditions, especially with a passenger"
Falco said nothing, just clung tightly to the collar round Friad's neck as he battled through the storm, finally they descended into the lee of a cliff and the wind cut of suddenly, even so as Friad descended the cold still chilled Falco to his core. Friad landed, his scaly brown-yellow feet ploughing into the snow so that he slid and threatened to fall. Falco clung ever tightly to his back and tried to stay in balance with him.
"Not the best landing, but any you can walk away from is a good one... that's what you pilots say isn't it?"
Laughing Falco slid from his back "Something like that yes"
"This is the place" Friad directed his beak towards a barred entrance cut in the rock "Open for a gatekeeper and sage" Friad demanded, as Falco watched the gateway opened.
"Cool, I wish I could do that"
"Finish your training and you will be able to. Now go forth child, stand on the warp pad. I will be here waiting for you to return. Try to be swift. It's cold"
Grinning Falco entered the enclave in the cliff, glad to escape the cold. He looked around. The place was lit by a round raised platform in the centre, light from here reflected off the grey walls and the snow outside. Gingerly Falco steeped onto the platform which he assumed must be the warp pad. A blue light enveloped him.
"Who dares try to enter the Krazoa Shrine?"
Falco jumped, surprised by the booming voice in his head. Friad hadn't said anything about the Krazoa speaking to him, earnestly he responded.
"My name is Falco Lombardi I want to help your cause. I wish to collect Krazoa spirits and return them to their palace"
"Only the pure of heart may enter our shrines, and you Falco Lombardi are not pure of heart!"
"Why not?"
"You are coloured with much blood. Your heart is stained by the blood you have shed."
"Why then is Fox pure of heart when I am not? He has shed as much blood as I, if not more!"
"Fox McCloud is pure of heart. He draws only the blood of the guilty, you do not. You steal the lives of the weak and defenceless, and take pleasure in killing them. You are black with the filth of your transgressions, Dark Hearted One, you are evil."
Falco felt as though he had been kicked in the stomach. He heard himself scream in surprise as he flew backwards through the air.
Groaning with pain he found himself laid on the floor, a soft dusting of cold snow melting beneath him, Friad's concerned face hovering above.
"What happened?" he asked anxiously.
Falco managed to sit up a little "Only the pure of heart-" He gasped and was cut off by a stab of pain up his right side. He collapsed onto the floor again. Friad shook his head agitated.
"I was afraid of this... I should never have brought you here on this fools errand" He said almost to himself. Falco watched him bend until he sat on the floor next to him with his legs tucked under him, shielding him from the cold outside. "Falco you must promise you will listen to what I'm going to say to you now. It's more important than anything else I've ever told you"
Falco had lost his voice again so only managed to nod.
"The Krazoa read your emotions. They make their assumptions based on what you feel. Regardless of whether it is true or not. To them, a person can never lie to themselves with their emotions, so their feelings must portray the truth, they have no understanding behind events that transpire to bring forth those emotions. Falco they do not understand grief or pain, in the sense that we know it. They are not capable of physical sensation. They like to see the world more black and white than it actually is." Friad paused, he was rambling. "Being pure of heart is a state of mind, and nothing more" He said firmly.
"They called me evil..." Falco managed to whimper.
"That is not true!" Friad said shortly "Don't you ever think it is."
"But-"
"No! Ignore what the Krazoa said. Their words are worth nothing! They have no skill to judge what is evil and what is not"
"But they looked inside me and found only darkness!"
"Rubbish! Falco they do not understand" he paused "being pure of heart is more about how you see yourself than anything the Krazoa can judge. Its about how you justify your actions to yourself. If you believe you are good the Krazoa will think you are too, and unfortunately vice-a-versa." He paused, considering his words "it takes a lot of self-confidence and a little arrogance to be pure of heart, something Krystal has in plentiful supply"
"Fox too... and they used to call me the arrogant one"
"See. It is not about whether you are good or evil, just about how you feel. If you ever were arrogant that's something the Behemoth took from you, and with it any shred of self-worth. You must not let what the Krazoa said destroy you." Friad's voice softened "And you must not believe that about yourself. If you do it will destroy you. I have only known you a few days, but I know it is not true, and I will never be in any doubt." Friad sighed "I am not pure of heart either, for my own reasons, I have never asked the Krazoa to test me, for I know what their answer will be. The result is the same, regardless of why" He smiled hastily "Come now child. I will take you back to the fortress. You have injured yourself, you are right; you are a bird not meant to fly through the air!"
Friad moved so Falco could pull himself onto his back without having to stand up. Clutching at his ribs he managed to throw himself over Friad's back.
"Hold on" Friad said as he went to stand.
A few moments later they lifted into the sky to return to the fortress.
"I feel so useless" Falco sighed as he limped and Friad walked through the palace "Krystal's dying and there's nothing I can do to help her!"
Friad made a face "Well that's not entirely true..."
"What? What can I do, I don't know where the SpellStones are and Fox has nearly got them all now anyway-"
"This is no longer about speeding up the process. It's about buying Krystal time."
"How can I do that?"
"Telepathy is not all I can teach you, and it's certainly not the limit of your capabilities."
Falco made a confused face
"There is a method which hasn't been used since the ancient times. When I was young my teacher taught me the principle of how to do it. I won't lie to you Falco, I tried it and I couldn't make it work, and someone died who could have lived because of that."
"If you couldn't do it what makes you think that I can?"
"You may not be pure of heart Falco Lombardi, but you are something different. Long ago the CloudRunner mind was much more developed than it is now. Our problem is we use our beaks too much and ignore our minds. Back then every CloudRunner was telepathic, now I have trouble finding enough worthy students to fill just my classes, every season the number grows smaller, and it was the best of the telepaths who were killed by this war, the chances of our breeding anymore like the old days grows smaller every generation. If this is the evolution of our species, I don't like it. Where you got your gifts from I can't fathom, but I believe you are on a level with those ancient sages of my species."
Falco snorted. Friad just grinned at that.
"Long, long ago there were CloudRunner who could take hold of their very life-forces and melt them into those of others. They could use their own lives, their own strength to help heal others, buy them time while medicines worked. It will not be as hard for you now as it was for them in those ancient times, the Krazoa will help you. You can buy Krystal the time she needs with your life-force while you wait for Fox."
Falco stared at him.
"Weakened as you are, you could not buy her as much time as you perhaps might have been able to, but, as I've said, she's running out of time. The younglings that we sent to watch over Fox also watch over her. She has very little time left to live, judging by the speed Fox works at, though he is swift he still has a mountain to climb, he will not be in time for her."
Falco looked uneasy "Even if I spoke to him and told him the truth?"
Friad felt trapped "I'm sure if you spoke to him it would do much to move his feet, I think you should talk to him anyway, but, there is still much for him to do, things you can't help him with, things he has to do himself, even if he grew wings to fly he could not save her, that now lies only in your power." Friad paused and looked at him "You must know the risks. If Fox takes too long... Krystal will drain you of your life force. You will die, and Krystal shortly after you"
Falco sighed "I got that impression anyway"
"If you want my advice, talk to Fox. He'll go so much faster if he knows you are depending on him."
Falco shook his head "I don't think my being in the equation will make any difference to him. Besides I can't, I won't do that to them, going back will hurt them more than my disappearance. I no longer have a place with Fox."
Falco climbed the ladder onto the roof; Friad flew up to the top.
"I think he would be more willing to help you than a stranger."
"Not if that stranger is wearing a bikini"
Friad sighed and shook his head "So many years you have walked at his side, I don't think he would be as willing to change that as you think"
"That was the last thing he wanted when he was ordering me off his ship"
"You both said things in anger you did not mean"
"I meant every word" He growled dropping down onto the bundle of blankets that was his bed.
"You are both so thick skinned! You try so hard to be defensive, to stop yourselves getting hurt. If you just stopped trying to be so tough all the time you might be able to understand one another, and save yourselves all this pain-"
"You sound like Peppy"
"Then he had a point. From the outside looking in you two do seem very silly. You obviously care about each other, you just refuse to admit that to yourselves" Friad looked at him sadly "Falco, take some advice from an old man who knows... tell the people you love that you do, because one day it will be too late"
"Don't you think I already know that?"
"Then you must think Fox will always be with you, since you feel no need to tell him" Friad sighed "You may yet outlive him"
Falco looked down and shook his head "I-I don't want to" he almost whispered
"You don't mean that. Life can seem very hard at times, but we must cling to it. Tell Fox and the others, it will take nothing from you, it doesn't make you weak or anything else, it may make you stronger, at very least you won't be left with any regrets. Fox will not laugh at you, he'll understand if you are sincere. You may find he loves you as a brother in return..." Friad sighed "There is another option, with the Krazoa I mean... there is a slight chance you may be able to persuade the Krazoa to let Krystal go, and leave Andross dead. If you can do that..."
"Problem solved!!"
"Don't get excited. The Krazoa are fickle, stubborn creatures, even more stubborn than you are. It is unlikely you will be able to dissuade them, although I thought it would be wise to inform you of the possibility, likelihood is you will have to bond with Krystal. The method is surprisingly simple, though very few prove to be capable. You must-" Friad paused and made a face "Open yourself to the one you want to bond with. It's like... projecting your soul, letting it take wing and alight in the mind of the one you wish to bond with"
Falco laughed
"I thought you'd like that analogy. The Krazoa will likely take your minds to a medium where you can connect, all you have to do this time is concentrate, like when you use your telepathy, speak to them with it and they will do the rest. When you reach her you must connect yourself to her mind, put your soul into hers and tie them together-"
Friad noticed the anxiety on Falco's face.
"I won't lie to you. The ancients said this was as close as you could ever get to another; your very life forces are combined. They used to say something of the donor always remains in the recipient... and some said the other way too"
"Friad... I don't know I want..." He trailed off
"This is especially hard with a stranger, it's meant to be done with someone you love and care for, not a stranger. Krystal will see a lot of you, she gets a copy of some of your memories; not something she will appreciate. She will hurt you, intentionally or not, she will hurt you."
Falco looked down "But it's the only way to save her?"
"Yes. And the rest of us on Dinosaur Planet if Fox takes too long, they have to get the energy for the oxygen supply somewhere"
"Then I have no choice" Falco said sadly and went to stand. Friad pushed him down again.
"There is more. As Kayla and I wandered the palace I noticed one of the fan lifts had broken down... I hope that you learned some sort of skills from Slippy as Fox will need it-"
"Friad, I'm not a mechanic!"
"No, but our technology is simple in comparison to your own, it is that or you leave Fox to fix it"
Falco snorted "And Krystal and I will die while he hangs around scratching his furry head. I'd better do it"
Friad laughed softly "Yes... For now rest"
"But I've already spent most of today asleep!"
"All the better. You injured yourself with the Krazoa, a little rest will do you no harm, Krystal needs you to be as strong as you can be."
At that Friad spread his wings and took himself away.
He couldn't bring the staff back around fast enough. The SharpClaw struck him and he fell awkwardly, twisting in the air so that he landed on his back. He brought the staff up above his body only just in time. The SharpClaw's mace stopped only inches from his bleeding nose, sending ripples shuddering down his arms. Somewhere one of the baby CloudRunner chattered an alarm call. Fox and the SharpClaw stared at one another, Fox growing more and more aware of a pain in his left leg. Fox's arms were barely strong enough to hold back the SharpClaw's weight, he could feel his back sinking deeper and deeper into the sand on which he lay. For a terrible moment he wondered what would happen if the staff broke. It was bending dangerously in the centre. If the SharpClaw was smart enough to think of bringing the mace around again before he could get out of the way he'd be done for. He thought of calling Tricky for help, but he had problems of his own, only just holding back a band of SharpClaw with his fire-breath. That was cruel, picking on a kid. Fox decided it was time to play dirty. He lifted his good leg and kicked the SharpClaw in a particularly tender place. Howling it backed of, and still laying on the floor Fox brought the staff round and finished it off with a fire blast to the head. That done he turned his staff on Tricky's tormentors, and shot those the little dinosaur hadn't killed himself in the back. Seeing him safe Fox collapsed back onto the sand.
"Fox, Fox are you ok?" Tricky shouted, running over. Fox opened his eyes to see Tricky's concerned purple face peering over him.
"I think so..." Fox said sitting up. As he did so a fierce stabbing pain shot down his left leg "Agh! Maybe not!" he shouted. When he looked down at his leg he saw a lot of blood staining his green trousers and the sand. Feeling sick he lay back down again, groaning.
"Your bleeding! Did the SharpClaw hurt you bad?"
"ugh... kinda Tricky... I'll be ok in a minute... just let me rest a sec ok?"
Whimpering Tricky lay down by his side, warm against his body. Fox's world was going swirly and dark when a bleeping sound brought him back with a bump.
"Whaat" He mumbled down his comm.
"Fox, get up and do something about that wound" Peppy's voice. "I can't come and help you there's nowhere safe to land, short of abseiling down the rocks, or taking my Arwing for a swim in the sea." A pause "Fox are you listening to me?"
"Yes Peppy"
"You have your med-kit in your backpack, I suggest you use it" Another pause "FOX! For goodness sake! Sort yourself out or I will come and do it for you!"
"Ugh... It hurts..."
"I know Pup. You have painkillers in your bag. Use them! That's why we spend a small fortune on them every year! Get Tricky to help you"
"Yeah, yeah I'll help" Fox felt Tricky start to nose at him to make him sit up. "Come on Fox you're heavy"
Reluctantly Fox sat up, and pulled the pack off his back.
"Are you doing it?"
"Yes Peppy"
"Good boy"
After a large shot of one fast acting field painkiller or another Fox found the wound wasn't nearly as bad as it might have been. He was hopeful no bones had been broken. He treated a deep gash along his hip and thigh and hoped for the best. After a large amount of cursing he was finished and dared to think about finding his feet again. Using the staff for support he stood uneasily. The pain wasn't so bad now, masked by the drugs. With Tricky close by his side he tottered off.
"Watch yourself Fox, you can't afford to take anymore hits like that. Next time it might be your head."
"Always the optimist" Fox said sarcastically, his humour re-emerging, now the pain was veiled behind a thick wall of drugs.
The baby CloudRunner was back, sitting in Falco's lap, chewing eagerly at his fingers, Falco allowed it to do so, glad of it's companionship, he'd only been able to catch a few hours sleep, then he'd woken with a start unable to comprehend exactly what it had been that had woken him. He sat again on the roof, his legs dangling over the side, looking out at the lake over which the fortress was built, he watched a few CloudRunner fly past in a large group, then one turned away and flew towards him, as it drew closer he recognised Friad.
"Friad!" Falco called.
"I see you are awake child. I have just finished a meeting with the council, do you see them flying?"
"Yes"
Friad alighted on the roof. He grinned down at the baby sat in Falco's lap.
Friad chuckled to himself "Your friend has fallen foul of the Lightfoot..."
"What?!! Is he alright!?"
"Yes, yes don't worry, I've already sent an old student to help him. He'll be well looked after" Friad smiled "It appears they think Fox is a thief..."
It was Falco's turn to smile "They got the wrong one there..."
"Tied him to a totem pole"
Falco laughed then stopped suddenly "Wait- a totem pole?"
"Yes"
"You were right. I did dream that... He's alright isn't he... in my dream... Andross and... They stabbed him... and... and..." he trailed off for a moment, pausing to shake the image from his mind "he is ok... isn't he?"
"Yes, the younglings gave me warning in time. I sent someone to help him. He has injured his leg but I believe he will be fine. The younglings will warn us if it is otherwise." Friad chuckled "That particular youngling has grown quite fond of you" He peered more closely at it "Ah yes I know her, she is my granddaughter, Cathy we call her"
Falco looked down at her as she continued to chew his fingers.
"Funny, I always assumed it was a boy"
Friad smiled "She is a new one, of this season"
"but Friad, it thought you said all the females and children had fled"
"The older ones yes" Friad pointed his beak up to a small group of babies sitting on the roof. "Up until 2 years our young live free, as the birds do, the telepaths can see through their eyes, as we watch over Fox, but we have no control over them. At two years they begin to remain around the fortress, the biggest of those up there would be about two years, about twice the size of little Cathy you have there. At three years language begins to develop and they return to the fortress or our homesteads, usually the place of their birth and begin to reintegrate into our society. At four most have a place to call home with us and enough language to get by. Over the next few years language and intelligence grows. By eight they are ready to begin their lessons, I begin teaching telepathy between ten and twelve, if I haven't found them by then the likelihood is they aren't good enough." He sighed, saddened for the first time "There used to be lots of telepathy teachers, now there's only me. Any more would be wasted. I have a class of eleven this year, fifteen the year before that. The time to teach all the lessons of telepathy vary between the individuals, now there are so few I can give them their own lessons. With them all fled to the safe place you are my only student." He shook himself "CloudRunner aren't fully grown until they reach twenty five. Kayla was sixteen when she died... Nomad isn't yet his full size... Kayla was the very last of my younglings, and therefore my most dear, and I'm now far beyond the breeding age."
"So... how old are you Friad?"
He smiled "Old enough to be your great-grandfather"
Cathy was in the process of trying to make Falco's jumper into a comfortable nest.
"Do you have many children?"
"Yes, I have sired many sons and daughters over the years"
Falco raised and eyebrow
"Look around you Falco, only one in four of us are born male, the warriors are all that are left here mainly, so you do see lots if males, but it is not uncommon for us to have many female partners, I know that is not your practice, but I'd ask you not to frown on ours"
Falco shook his head "No, I have nothing against it" Falco smiled "It wasn't Fox's practice either, and he took great pleasure in making sure I knew it... ugh" Falco shuddered "Didn't want those images"
"No I suppose not" Friad laughed
"You don't seem old Friad"
"I am..."
"But your still strong and... I dunno, you just don't seem old"
"I'm not in my grave yet" he laughed "But I did not flee with the others partly because I felt I belonged here, and partly because I was afraid I would not be able to make the trip."
"But you've taken me all over the place"
"The journey to our safe place is a long and difficult one, that is why it is safe. Unfortunately it is beyond the very young and very old"
"But you can carry me too"
"You're not exactly a heavyweight" Friad shook his head "if I tried to carry Fox, even Krystal I wouldn't get very far"
"I don't weigh that much less than Fox!"
"Maybe not when you left him, but now... I could carry them" he chuckled "but I'd rather have you on my back... Giving a bird his wings, even if they're only borrowed must be worth it!"
Falco laughed
"Help me... I'm dying..."
His laughter stopped abruptly. Falco and Friad exchanged mutually confused glances.
"Please help me..."
The female voice squeaked, when she called again it was weaker.
"Please... help me, anyone who hears this... please... help me... Friad...Nomad... are you there?... someone, anyone, help me...I'm desperate "
The voice went quiet, they waited but she said no more. Friad turned gravely to Falco.
"This cannot wait any longer. Krystal needs you now."
"But, but... I'm not ready yet!" Falco glanced down "Look at me!! I'll do her more harm than good at the moment!"
"Krystal is running out of time. The bonding will not harm her Falco. You are ready." He sighed "You'll have to be. We'll leave as soon as you can gather the things you need"
"Please... it hurts..."
Falco went deathly pale and froze to the spot. It seemed to take a long time for him to find his voice, but when he did it was determined.
"I'll get my stuff"
A few moments later Falco returned to Friad, a small pack slung over his shoulder.
"I'm ready" He called trotting up.
"What you got there?" Friad asked
"My insurance policy... just in case I run into something... and a few tools to help with the fan lift."
Friad eyed the bag "Alright, climb aboard"
Falco climbed back onto Friad's back and they again lifted into the sky.
Friad touched down on the roof of Krazoa palace. For the first time Falco saw Krystal suspended in her purple prison above the palace, the blue Krazoa, like jellyfish circling around her, their tails fanned out behind them. Falco smiled at her as he slid from Friad's back, this really was weird, like some dream. Falco would never have believed someone who had told him about this just a few weeks ago. His life seemed to have changed a lot in the last little while. Falco let his hand rest on Friad's shoulder, for a moment uncertain. He didn't relish the idea of being alone again and for a moment wished Friad could come with him. He wouldn't be alone once he bonded with Krystal. Friad nudged him gently and smiled.
"Take care child. I'll see you in time"
He spread his wings.
"Friad wait!"
Falco called but Friad had already gone off the side of the palace. Falco looked around himself, there were no SharpClaw about up here, he drew up the mental map of the palace in his mind in walked cautiously to the down fan-lift.
Cautiously he peered over the edge of the lift. The air coming up it ruffled the feathers on his head. Calling up all his faith and courage he walked out into the void, the air of the lift caught him and he fell slowly down, it was hard to keep his balance as he went so he barely landed on his feet. He stepped off the fan-lift and looked around. A SharpClaw had just walked past; its back towards him, Falco smiled and took great satisfaction in shooting it in the back. Not the most noble of tactics Falco knew, but noble warriors died. He walked cautiously around the outside of the fan lifts, his reflection glinting off the stone floor. He looked across into the centre of the palace, at the huge platforms rising up to where Krystal was held on the roof. Looking for more SharpClaw he jumped out onto the central fan lifts to descend to the lower levels.
Falco heard footsteps coming closer. The stride was familiar, he knew it well.
"Fox? Shit!" Falco ducked down a corridor. He heard Fox pause. Falco held his breath.
"Great Foxy now you're hearing voices" Falco heard him say. He heard his light footsteps pass him and move on down along the edge of the fan lifts. Falco stepped out of his hiding place again. He watched Fox jump onto one of the lifts and disappear up and out of view.
"It's good to see you again Fox... it's been far too long" he receded back into the passageway. He had to give Fox time to release the spirit and get out again. He couldn't afford to be disturbed...
Fox frowned up at Krystal and the three Krazoa circling her, he couldn't resist coming to see her again before he released the spirit, just to make sure she was alright. Her eyes were still closed, as though she was sleeping. She just hung there, motionless. The sky behind her was turbulent, more purple than blue, threatening rain. Fox took one final look up at her and then trotted away.
Absently he watched the Krazoa rise up the air lifts. Fox would be gone now. He sighed sadly, this felt totally wrong, Falco had never imagined he would be hiding from his old friend. He wanted nothing more than to be back on Great Fox with all of them. Not having to fight to reach every new sunrise. Sighing he trotted back down the corridor to the fan lift.
After fiddling for a long time Falco managed to get the fan lift working again. Fox would need it for the next Krazoa. He hoped he wouldn't find it strange that it had spontaneously started working again, Falco guessed he could count on Fox not to think about it too hard. That done he returned to the central column. After looking around briefly for SharpClaw he took the same path up to Krystal as Fox had.
Falco looked up at Krystal, suspended in her name's sake. He had to smile at the irony. Avions had a saying, that every child grew into their names. He guessed in this case, as in his own, the saying was right. Krystal was blue grey and dressed in skimpy garments, leaving very little to the imagination, obviously modesty didn't mean much where she came from. She was sort of like Silver, only thinner, and Silver wouldn't have been seen dead in clothes like that. Falco retched... he had seen Silver dead, and she hadn't been wearing much more than that. Shaking he fought to suppress the images threatening to overwhelm him again. He locked his mind on the mission ahead and pushed the memories back, into the dark place at the back of his mind they had come from. Falco managed to smile when he thought of Fox's first encounter with her. Falco knew what he would have thought. He looked up at her again, Fox never had been able to resist a girl in a bikini. Personally Falco felt that Krystal had no sense. Wandering around like that was just asking for trouble... Falco again fought back the urge to be sick... and lost.
His palms sweating he forced himself to look back up at Krystal, he wondered if in the state he was in if he would do her more harm than good, the transfer couldn't go the other way, Friad had assured him of that, but Krystal probably wouldn't appreciate his memories.
"Tough shit" Falco said to himself, it was better than death. He frowned considering his thoughts more deeply and found himself asking if it was.
"Yes" he told himself, for Krystal, she would only have to put up with it for a few days, a week at most. Falco was her only option if she wanted to live. Everyone wants to live... don't they? Pushing aside his thoughts Falco prepared to try and bond with her. He closed his eyes, and tried to clear his mind, focusing on the quiet in his head, his thoughts, for once silenced. He slowed his breathing and managed to relax. As the first drops of rain splashed on his head he reached out with his mind.
"Krazoa Spirits, hear me"
For a moment Falco wondered if he was wasting his time, surely there were better ways. He could just hurry Fox along. If the spirits would let him he would do it himself. Feeling increasingly stupid he tried again.
"Krazoa Spirits, I need your guidance. The Dark Hearted One"
Falco couldn't believe he had just called himself that. Suddenly he felt a rush, it was exhilarating, an instant, if temporary high. He was standing in a blue world. When he looked down he could see his body. Yet he knew his eyes were closed, he was inside his mind. Mildly he wondered if the inside of everyone's head was blue.
"Falco Lombardi. The Krazoa hear you." A great deep booming voice rumbled through the silence.
For a moment Falco was lost, he didn't know what to do, he was surprised that it had worked at all. But the hard part was yet to come.
"Falco Lombardi, why do you seek our guidance?"
"I come to beg for the release of the girl"
"We cannot allow that Falco Lombardi" Irritably Falco wished the Krazoa wouldn't call him that... well it was better than "The Dark Hearted One" "The girl is needed to help us revive the one you call Andross"
"You must let her go! You're killing her! You must not revive Andross, for sure his heart is darker than mine."
"We are peace spirits, we give life. Dark One, who could not enter our shrines for his impure heart what right have you to decide who lives or dies?"
"Andross is Evil! If you revive him you will kill Krystal and Andross will take many more millions of lives!"
"Dark One you have taken much life" Falco was standing back in the Behemoth, his gun in hand surrounded by bodies and pools of blood. The Krazoa were tapping his memories. Falco wished they wouldn't. "Who are you to decide what is evil. You are a mercenary are you not? You get paid for spilling as much blood as possible. How many lives have you taken for money? You did not always even believe in the causes you were fighting for. That makes you a hired killer, and nothing more."
"Andross has taken far more life than me! And if you let him out he will only add to that total! Everyone lost someone to Andross, including me. The fox you see as pure, my friend, his family were lost to Andross. His father was given much pain before he died. Andross is not only a murderer, he is a sadist, he takes great joy in watching the suffering of others."
"But you Dark One took great pleasure in killing the one you called Mitoc. Does that not make you as bad as Andross?"
Falco felt deeply sick, he couldn't deny the pleasure he had taken form killing him. Maybe that did make him evil... his heart seemed to go cold. Then he was aware he was speaking again
"I did not make him suffer before he died. Which is a greater luxury than he gave my team... and me. Had I not killed him he would have killed me... slowly... as he was already trying to do. We are mortal... with emotions...we all seek revenge... for the hurts we are given... if we did not... we would not be people. You cannot expect a saint after what happened to us... anyone would feel as I did"
Falco wasn't sure where those words had come from. He was just numbly aware that it sounded like something Peppy would say. For a moment Falco didn't feel quite so alone...
"Maybe so Dark One... Maybe then the evil Andross caused is spawned purely of being a person, therefore do you not believe that he deserves a second chance? He must be well loved if his people have gone to such lengths to get him this far."
"I do not know what those lengths involve, but they do not love Andross. They do it because they believe they will gain something if he rises to power. They do it for their own interests and no-one else's. There are many dead that deserve second chances more than Andross. Fox's father, my strike team, Slippy's brother and the millions of other helpless civilians Andross and his forces slaughtered."
"But they are not here. The only one we can help is Andross. Why should we not help him, given the chance. Would you not ask us to do the same for the ones you love? Would the families of those whose blood you shed not beg us to bring them back?"
"I don't deny that!" Falco cried, this conversation was painful... too close to home "But if you revive Andross you will be making a terrible mistake! A mistake not all of us will live to regret! If you bring him back you will waste all the lives that were given to destroy him before!"
"People can change Falco Lombardi..."
"Andross will not change! Even in his death the remainders of his forces still take lives, believing he will return to lead them. Your planet is fractured because of the actions of his followers, building a machine to destroy! If you bring him back you will be saving one life by forsaking millions of others. You have to look at the bigger picture. Sometimes one must die for the good of the rest. You must not revive him, just let Krystal go!"
"You believe what you are saying now Dark One... that much is clear. But we Krazoa are left wondering, how can we trust the judgement in this area and grant the request of someone who does not consider his own life sacred?"
He was back on the Behemoth again, cowering at Mitoc's feet. Images flooded across Falco's mind, his own thoughts echoed around the blue expanse "I didn't want to wake up". His head was being held under the water again. "Hold me under, please end this!"
Falco wanted to scream, the Krazoa couldn't understand, he wondered if they were capable of feeling pain, if they could even comprehend it.
"We are also left questioning your morality, if you even carry the blood of those you considered friends"
Salty, Silver and the others flashed across his mind, their faces more vivid, intensified by the spirit's power.
"No, no I did what I thought was right. I tried to save them! I did my best and more, but my best was sorely lacking."
"We're sorry Falco Lombardi, Dark One, we cannot grant this request to the impure of heart. Andross will be revived."
"But you're killing Krystal!"
"The girl will be fine, when all of our brothers are returned here she will be released unharmed"
"What if it takes too long for your brothers to be returned to you? Krystal is fading, what if Fox is too late"
The Krazoa were silent. Falco felt a swirling sensation, sort of like the world spreading out. For a moment he dared to think the Krazoa might be going to release Krystal.
"The Pure One will not be too late"
"But what if he is!!!" Falco pleaded, desperate, if he could get the spirits to let Krystal go he could save a lot of trouble, maybe even both his and Fox's lives.
"The Pure One will have to be on time. Andross will be revived. In the hope of saving two we continue."
Falco knew what it had come down to. The stubborn spirits could not be reasoned with. Falco now set about saving as many lives as he knew how. Andross could be dealt with later. He couldn't just sit back and watch Krystal die.
"Then I add another life. In the hope of saving another I will add my strength to Krystal's to buy her and The Pure One time."
Falco couldn't believe he'd just called Fox that.
"Dark One, you wish to join with the girl?... It appears we may have misjudged your spirit."
Falco for another fleeting moment dared to hope the Krazoa might change their minds.
"Nevertheless Falco Lombardi our decision still stands. However we will help you bond with one you call Krystal. Are you ready?"
"Yes" Falco said nervously, and swiftly locked down the private parts of his mind, the ones he really didn't want Krystal to see.
"The Trapped One's spirit is here, it has always been. She can now speak, listen for her voice, call out to her and we will guide you as best we can, however the final contact must come from you."
Falco nodded.
"Krystal?" He called "Krystal... can you hear me?"
"Huh?" a new voice, unmistakably female "Who are you?"
"My name is Falco, I'm here to help you"
"So I heard"
Smart ass. Falco knew immediately he wasn't going to like her much.
"Are you the red fox that looks up at me in my prison?"
Falco couldn't suppress a chuckle, he could laugh at Fox for this one...
"With a name like Falco, what d' you think?" he responded
"Then what are you doing here?"
Falco was aware a Krazoa was gliding by his side leading him forward, towards the sound of Krystal's voice with a light touch of one of it's tentacle thingies against his hand.
"Like I said. I came here to help you"
"How do you intend to do that, without getting me out of here?"
"All in good time"
Falco found himself standing in front of the female Canite. Even her metal picture of herself was scantily clothed.
"Hullo" Falco said smiling.
"What are you?" Krystal asked frowning at him. Falco was a little insulted.
"What, you never seen an Avion before?"
"A what?"
"Never mind, we're gunna have plenty of time for you to find out. You'll know every pain and pleasure that it is to be Avion soon enough"
Falco reached out his hand towards her. She snatched it back. Falco was startled. The Krazoa began circling them. Falco frowned at her.
"Give me your hand" Falco said, gently, though he didn't completely understand why. "Its alright, I wont hurt you" Something from the Behemoth flickered through his mind, he understood why she would be unwilling.
"I am not frightened of you." They weren't even bonded yet and she seemed to be reading him "You are dirty, your hands are dirty."
Falco looked down at his hands, his fingers that no longer moved, the swelling around them, he noted bloodstains on his hands, missing feathers, the stubborn brown dirt. He hadn't noticed the mess before. He tried to ignore it.
"I do not want to bond with someone like you."
Krystal said coldly. Falco wondered what she thought "bonding" meant.
"You must let me, otherwise you will die. It will not hurt you, I promise. I will not harm you. I need only your hand."
"Just my hand?"
Falco nodded, feeling sick at the thought of what Krystal might have believed he was going to do to her. "Silver... I... miss you..." Falco thought, just to himself. Before he could bond he should get rid of that pain. He pushed it aside. Krystal's hand was nearer him now. Falco reached out and took it. His hand seemed bigger than hers, and more worn. Falco was about to begin the process when Krystal spoke.
"Why should I trust you Dark One?"
"Friad sent me to help you, and right now, I'm the only one who can. You don't have to do anything, just don't fight it, keep your mental blocks down."
"Friad sent you?"
"Yes. He never got as far as teaching you this little trick, he only taught me so I could help you. I heard your telepathic cries, I congratulate you on managing to get into Fox's thick skull."
Krystal didn't seem too convinced, nevertheless she seemed willing to allow Falco to do whatever it was he was going to do. Falco opened the boundaries in his mind, creating a doorway, Krystal had minimal mental defences, and they were down so Falco had no problem reaching into her mind. The impression he got was like hitching a rope over a peg in Krystal's head, tying them together. Then it was done and the strength transfer began... Falco felt as though water was draining through him, as though his body and mind were a bucket with a hole in the bottom. Krystal gasped as an uplifting sensation filled her mind and along with it a seemingly new, alien consciousness...
Meanwhile onboard Great Fox Slippy had been staring at Falco's bio-signature since he had arrived almost an hour ago. He had been brought to the palace on the back of his customary CloudRunner, it had disappeared again after dropping him off. Slippy had watched Falco's signal descend into the palace. Exactly what he had been doing remained an almost complete mystery. Slippy had watched with baited breath as Fox had gone within 6 feet of Falco, yet still managed to remain blissfully ignorant of his presence, Slippy had found himself cursing Fox's unwillingness to turn his head, something in the way Falco moved from the side corridor after he passed told him that, secretly, Falco wouldn't have minded being found too much. Falco had given Fox time to get out of the palace then gone up to where Krystal hung. What Falco did then Slippy could not even begin to fathom. He stopped near to the circling Krazoa, and remained there. Slippy just gathered that at one point he fell to the ground, and didn't get up again. Nothing happened for a long time. Then as Slippy was beginning to get bored and had started to assume Falco was taking a nap the Krazoa seemed to begin to dispel and Krystal started to show signs of returning consciousness. Then it all went backwards, and Krystal slipped back into the state she'd been in before. A few moments later as Slippy watched the bio-readout something went horribly wrong. Falco's heart rate plummeted until... Alarms screamed and the screen was lit up with a flashing image, the heart and lungs with a giant warning over the top of them, flashing bright red and saying in a loud voice:
"Warning cardiovascular output ceased... Bio-signature lost-crewman Falco Lombardi"
Slippy stared at the screen in disbelief. It couldn't be. He was so stunned that for what felt like an eternity he couldn't get his mind to work to figure out what to do. Peppy was the medic, there was still time. Slippy snapped back to reality. He reached out for the comm. to contact Peppy.
"Cardiovascular output detected. Bio-signature stabilising." The computer told him. Slippy's hand paused over the comm. his heart told him to call Peppy anyway but for some reason he couldn't make himself do it. Instead he turned to Falco...
"Good luck to you Falco Lombardi, we Krazoa hope that the Pure One is in time to save you both."
"So do I"
"Falco Lombardi, we the Krazoa are not sure if you truly deserve the name "Dark One"... Your actions have proven your heart still remains in the right place, even if it is impure. Your actions here are the beginnings of the path to redeem yourself. The Krazoa will find a new name for you. We are sorry we could not help you more in your quest... We will be watching you Falco Lombardi, we will find you a better name..."
Falco came around. He was laid on the floor. He must have fallen down during the process. It was raining, so hard Falco wondered if he would have been drowned by the puddle around his face had he lain there much longer. He was soaked through, and extremely cold. The words of the Krazoa rang around his mind. Maybe they were right to call him Dark One. His father had said he was evil, he'd wondered himself, maybe the Krazoa were right. He would have to save more than just Krystal's life to be anything other than dark. Falco turned his head to look up at Krystal. The Krazoa still circled her, but she was alive at least. Falco hoped he had bought her the time she needed. He also hoped Fox would hurry, he would have to get Slippy to remind him of the promised quick completion bonus always given by General Pepper. Falco looked over at the Krazoa statue. There was more going on here than any of them realised. If he'd been able to persuade the Krazoa not to revive Andross things could have been so much simpler, but Peppy had always been the best at mind games. Falco sighed. That didn't matter now. Falco and Krystal's fates were now deeply intertwined, they were both relying on Fox, though he didn't know it.
"Don't screw up now buddy, we're counting on you." Falco said to himself.
He was stirred from his thoughts by a bleeping on his arm. He rolled onto his back, for a moment not realising where the sound was coming from. Then Slippy's voice came over the comm.
"Falco what the hell just happened... you were dead!"
Falco was startled, Friad hadn't told him anything about that.
"Really? I was dead?" Falco asked intrigued.
"Well, your heart stopped" Slippy said concerned. He really should just call Peppy, it wasn't normal for someone's heart just to randomly stop then start again. Falco must be really sick.
"Cool!" Falco answered trying to sound casual. It wouldn't be the first time. Slytir and Mitoc had killed him more than once. He shivered in the rain. Krystal shivered too. Falco watched her, the process had worked, that meant Krystal could be floating around in his head somewhere, he'd have to find her soon, but for now he had more important things to worry about, he had to concentrate on staying alive until she was released, if he perished they would die together.
"Falco... What did you do? Krystal... her heart... it's beating with yours" Slippy asked confused. They were both sick, Krystal was better than she had been, but Falco was worse, and he couldn't afford to be worse, he was tottering on the brink anyway.
"Shit Slippy you're too clever for your own good!"
"What? Falco what's going on?" Slippy shouted, but to no avail. Falco had cut the comm. Slippy tried again, he tried to get a message through but Falco had blocked the channel with skill Slippy would never have credited him with.
"Damn you Falco!!!!" Slippy shouted. He now faced a battle with his conscience. Tell Peppy and betray Falco, though he still couldn't understand why he was so worried about being found, or not tell Peppy and risk being made to watch Falco die and be too late to do anything about it. "Why are you doing this to us Falco?... I'd love to know what's going on inside your head..."
"What is this? All this noise... all these images... I don't know a frog..."
"Those are my thoughts, my memories... and actually, he's a toad. Welcome to my mind."
"What the? Who?... Your mind?"
"Yes, your mind has been linked with mine... you have access to my memories and primary thoughts. I'm afraid neither of us will get much privacy for the next few days. From what I've been told you see more of me than I do of you. Along with my strength you get a whole bunch of my memories... which explains the images."
"Your strength?"
"You were dying, I've tied you to me so that hopefully between us you can survive until the Krazoa let you go. I apologise in advance."
"What for?"
"My memories... I haven't had the easiest life... and my head is just a little fucked up right now... even before you came"
"You must be a weirdo if you're willing to admit being fucked in the head."
"You have no idea..."
"But I'm going to find out right?"
"See you're learning already!"
Falco wandered across the top of Krazoa palace. He was aware he staggered, all his limbs seemed to weigh twice what they normally did, and at the back of his mind there always seemed to be a constant draining sensation, this was going to get worse, not better. Lightning cracked across the sky like a whip. Falco flinched, part of himself expecting to be knocked to the ground by the stinging blow.
"What? Afraid of a little lighting?" Krystal asked mockingly. Falco couldn't be bothered responding, she would find out soon enough.
"Friad... I need a lift" Falco called out from where he stood at the edge of the palace.
"I'm already on my way... Did you bond with Krystal?"
"Yes"
"How do you feel?"
"Crap... but kinda hungry"
"That'll be Krystal; she won't have eaten anything since she got trapped in there... I see you Falco."
Falco squinted at the sky against the rain. As he watched another flash of lightning cracked the sky, seeming to split it in two. After a few second he could just pick up Friad's brown form against the storm clouds. Mildly Falco waved. A few seconds later Friad alighted next to him, and turned his bright yellow eyes to look at him.
"You look like a drowned falcon!"Friad chuckled to himself "Climb aboard, be careful you don't slip, my back's all wet"
Falco carefully climbed onto Friad's back.
"All set?" he asked. Falco took hold of the collar round the base of Friad's neck.
"Yes!" he shouted over the rumble of the storm.
"Hold on tight child, its going to be a bumpy ride!" Friad called to Falco's mind, as the noise of the storm increased.
"Make it fast Friad... I'm freezing"
"Righty ho! CloudRunner Express at your service"
Falco had to smile at that, he was flying after all. He watched as Krazoa palace got smaller and smaller beneath them, crouching low against Friad's neck against the rain, wishing he'd stolen something waterproof. Suddenly Friad swung to the side, and Falco felt as though he was going to be left behind, to fly all on his own. He clung on tightly and managed to stay on Friad's back, though only just.
"Sorry about that Falco, we ran into a little squall. We'll soon be to the gateway, it's a nice night at the fortress. You'll soon be warm and dry"
Friad beat his powerfulwings and circled upwards towards the purple light in the sky that was the doorway. Until he turned his head up to fly into it.
"Ready?" Friad asked, though it was too late to go back now.
"Yes" Falco managed to say before his world was turned upside down. The colours, blue, purple and red again swirled over a backdrop of shining stars, like a really bad acid trip, Falco imagined. Friad seemed to multiply then disappear again beneath him, his outline blurred, making Falco feel that at every move he would fall. Then there was a rushing sound and they were back out in normal sky, gliding swiftly down towards CloudRunner Fortress, dripping wet in a cloud free sky.
"Welcome back" A strange voice called into Falco's mind.
"That's Caprice, an old student of mine. I asked her to await our return" Friad told Falco.
"oh" Falco shivered "The sooner we land the better... I'm so cold..."
"Easy child... just hold on a little longer."
A moment later Friad flew into the palace and touched gently down. Falco slid gratefully from his back, pausing to pat his shoulder as though he were a horse. Friad turned his beady yellow eyes on him as another CloudRunner walked up to them, a blanket slung over her back. She walked up to Falco and to his immense surprise bowed her head to him.
"Long has it been since there was one such as you" She said then turned to pick the blanket off her back and hand it to him with her beak. Confused, though grateful Falco took it
"What does that mean?"
"Caprice, Falco is tired, do not bother him with your riddles"
"Riddle?" Falco asked as he rubbed the water from his aching limbs
"Not the brightest star in the sky..." Falco jumped when Krystal spoke.
"Shut up!" Falco said aloud, then checked himself "Shut up"
"I heard you anyway" Krystal scoffed
"Oh really. Good for you"
The two CloudRunner Falco noticed suddenly were waiting patiently for him to finish his conversation.
"Err..." Falco began.
"Caprice will escort you back to your room. I have to meet with the council" Friad said and walked quickly off.
"Come on! Follow me!" Caprice cried cheerfully as she led the way "So what's it like flying in your metal bird? Don't you get lost in all that space out there? Don't you fly into the stars when you move so fast?" Her shrill voice and energy was beginning to give Falco a headache.
"Err..."
"Do you have a metal bird that's CloudRunner sized? I don't think I'd fit in your little sparrow thingy"
That was a new name for an Arwing...
"Do you have lots of those thingy's? Fox has one doesn't he? I like Fox he's funny, all his fur stands on end when he gets wet! Do you like Fox? Are there many more like him out there? Is-"
"One question at a time please!" Falco broke in exasperated.
"yes, yes sorry Friad said I talk too fast, and too much for that matter"
Falco smiled to himself.
"This is your room" she said opening the door with her beak. "its warmer than the roof. Friad said you don't like closed in spaces but this is better for tonight, the roof will be too cold for you"
She hopped up onto Friad's perch as Falco sank gratefully onto the bed.
"You sure do sleep in a funny way."
Falco yawned at her, trying to hint.
"You're funny!" She said laughing
"don't CloudRunner yawn?"
"Obviously not. Tell her to go away, she's getting on my nerves"
"how do you think I feel? She just wont shut up"
Caprice looked at Falco. "Uh... I'd better be going... Friad will be in to see you in the morning."
She hoped off the perch
"Hooray!" Krystal cried
"Goodnight Caprice" Falco said as she let herself out "Goodnight Krystal"
Lombardi dreamt in colour, although Krystal was left wishing he didn't. Most of it was red, she couldn't scream out loud, her purple prison stopped that. Instead she screamed at him with her mind.
"Wake up you asshole!! For fuck's sake wake up!"
The screaming, the red, the black and the twisting sensation continued.
"Please wake up!" Krystal started to plead, she'd had enough, it was horrible, tears pricked at her eyes "Falco, please, wake up!"
Falco sat bolt upright in his bed in the depths of the CloudRunner fortress. Panting hard and clutching at his throat. Friad wasn't there... but someone had woken him. Krystal composed herself again before speaking.
"Do you have any idea what you just put me through you bastard!?" Falco's mind was too much of a mess to conjure a response. Like Friad had taught him he tired to calm himself and put the scattered pieces of his mind back in the places where they belonged. He was numbly aware of Krystal ranting about something.
"You bastard! Keep your twisted dreams to yourself in future, you...FREAK!"
Falco's anger erupted, though when he thought his voice came through weakly.
"Do you think I want to have dreams like that? Its worse if you've actually lived through it!... I'm sorry though I should have warned you"
"You knew that was going to happen!!"
"mm I didn't know it would... but it does most nights now"
"Well just make sure it doesn't happen again. At least not while I'm here"
"I can't help it if I'm asleep" Falco paused thoughtfully "But maybe you can. If I start to have one of those just wake me up ok? It'll be far better for the both of us"
"ok..."
"I'll talk to you properly in the morning"
He could hear birdsong. Smell nature on the air, instead of a perpetually recycled atmosphere, he was warm, and dry and for just a moment a dream swirled with reality and Falco thought he was on shore leave with the team. For a moment he thought he heard Fox's snoring where they shared a room.
"Rise and shine sleeping beauty!" a female voice waking him? Fox must have brought one of his girlfriends home "Or should that be sleeping ugly?" Fox didn't have the best taste in girls "Come on feathered freak get up! I'm sick of watching your dreams!" ... his dreams...
Falco opened his eyes, remembering where he was. Sunlight glanced off the walls of the room, he blinked then rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He sat up yawning widely and rubbing his head in his hands. His body ached, his limbs seemed to have seized in his sleep, and Falco was aware he felt much worse than he had when he'd gone to sleep. He was afraid, afraid Fox wouldn't be in time. Falco stood, his feet complaining angrily and tried to work some of the cricks out of his limbs, his arms and even his knees clicked when he moved them.
"ugh don't do that!" Krystal complained.
"I didn't do it on purpose!"
"What's the deal with you anyway? I went through some of your memories while you were asleep. Are you a member of this... Star Fox or not?"
Falco groaned "No, not anymore"
"Then you're a soldier in the Federation Army"
"No, I'm not that anymore either"
"Then what are you?"
"Can't I just be a friend, lending a hand?"
"No. You're not my friend, I don't know you"
"But you know almost everything there is to know about me, or can find it out, you're in my head..."
"What makes you think I want to know?"
Falco shrugged "If we're to be linked together like this for a while I had hoped we could come to some sort of understanding of one another"
Krystal just grunted "From what I've seen you're not the kind of person I want to associate with"
It took a long time for Falco to find the words to respond "Maybe not. But maybe you shouldn't be so quick to judge"
"You're a thief and a mercenary, I can't think of much worse a combination"
"And what are you Krystal, other than an ungrateful purple bitch?!!" Falco exploded
"More than you'll ever be"
Grinding his beak Falco stormed out of the room, as though by walking he could get away from her.
"I was a mercenary and I was a thief. I'm not anymore"
"No, now you're not anything"
"I'm a soldier, fighting a war"
"Then who's payroll are you on?"
"No-one's but my own. I came here to help Fox"
"The guy that stares at me"
"The one who is trying to save your life and millions along with it!"
Krystal just snorted at that and Falco responded with an exasperated sigh.
The ship seemed deathly quiet. It hadn't seemed this empty for years... the only time Peppy could remember it feeling this empty was that time, when ten years ago, battered and filled with holes he'd brought her home alone, without Pigma, and without James. Those days had been the worst in his life, and they seemed prominent in his memory now. The look on Fox's face when he'd realised his daddy wasn't coming home to him, and the memory of the prison cell on Venom haunted Peppy's mind. Great Fox was too big for just him and Slippy, her corridors felt empty and for the first time ever, almost, soulless. He'd always thought of James and Hannah's spirits residing in them, but now, he somehow felt as though there might soon be a few new ghosts residing in her, replacing the living that had once called her "home"... His dreams of late had been strange to say the least, filled with his own worst memories, and a familiar voice whispering just too quietly for him to hear. He dreamed of Fox, that a SharpClaw had killed him and often of darknesses, from which he only ever recovered a corpse. Sometimes even when awake he would think he'd heard snatched parts of conversations, an anxious young voice and an old one or the same young voice talking with a girl. Whenever he tried to listen they would always vanish, figments of his desperate imagination he told himself, wondering if he was going mad. Closing his eyes for a moment he wandered on, along his lonely vigil through the ship...
"Those SharpClaw aren't so bad"
"Remember you're living on borrowed time. You should re-evaluate the side your rooting for. Your time stops with me"
"I didn't ask you to do this!"
"No you didn't did you. I can cut the link now if you like"
"No! That would be murder. Of course your not above that are you Dark One?"
"Fuck off Krystal"
"I can't! You did this remember."
"Yes and I'm beginning to regret it. I wish I'd let you die!" Falco snarled.
Krystal was silent for a long time, Falco battled with his emotions and slowly came to regret his words.
"No-one deserves to die..."
Krystal remained silent.
"Maybe the Krazoa were right... I'm sorry Krystal... I wont let you die"
"... Falco I..."
"Seen Fox lately?" Falco asked changing the subject.
"No. Not since he brought the last Krazoa. He still insisted on standing there gawping at me though"
Falco laughed "He's never been able to resist a pretty girl in a bikini"
"You think I'm pretty?"
"For a Canite... Not as pretty as Silver though."
"Oh well, I'll take it as a compliment that you consider us to even be in the same ballpark"
"Fox would say that's the closest you'll ever get to a compliment from me"
"He's probably right!"
"Yeah..."
"Come on, I stink. I need a swim"
"Ooooh!"
Falco laughed "You can't be serious"
"Nah, I prefer older men"
"Find the Avion!" Friad shouted to a CloudRunner walking down the corridor near the room. She jumped, startled, then nodded.
"Yes sage" She said and ran off down the corridor. Friad watched her until her long tail vanished round a corner. Friad reached his mind out to Falco. His mental defences were up, wherever he was, he didn't want to be found. Friad trotted down the corridor to an opening in the wall. He beat his wings and flew out into the sunshine.
Falco stripped down to his undergarments dropped slowly off the platform at the bottom of the ladder. The cold water made him gasp briefly. He let the water come up to his shoulders as he tread slowly. For a moment he let his head slide under, but not for long enough to feel as though he wasn't in control.
Falco surfaced. A face was peering down at him. He jumped.
"Ah Friad don't do that!"
"What child would you have me do? Your defences were up. I was worried for your safety."
"If I had needed you help I would not have been shielding, I would have called"
"Those who hide their emotions from others frequently become a danger to themselves"
"oh please, don't patronise me"
"That water is cold, you will make yourself ill"
"I think I can take care of myself"
Friad made a face. "You are barely repelling sickness as it is, this is not helping."
"And you're suddenly the expert on Avion physiology?"
"No, but any fool can see-"
"Friad, I don't know about you, but I don't like smelling like a dying horse. This is the best I can do."
At least he was beginning to recapture his spirit, if he cared about his appearance again.
"Get out now child. You really don't smell that bad."
"Gee thanks Friad"
Krystal laughed in his mind. Falco swam over to the bottom of the ladder where Friad was standing and pulled himself out. Friad continued to watch him.
"Happy now"
"Yes..." he tilted his head on one side
"Friad, I'm not going anywhere..."
Friad realised what he was getting at. "I will see you later, for now I will leave you in peace. Keep your shields down so I can keep an eye on you"
Falco nodded as he reached back for the silver wrapped rations he'd brought from what Slippy had dropped him. As he began chewing on a disconcertingly brown bar Friad spread his wings and rose into the sky. Falco looked down at the rations bar in his hand.
"Brown, why are they always brown?" He asked. "Haven't they ever heard of food colouring?"
"Usually when people are reduced to eating that stuff the last thing they're worried about is what colour it is."
"I suppose so" Falco paused chewing thoughtfully, he peered at the silver wrapper "This tastes like chicken" Falco told Krystal.
"So?"
"It's meant to be rhubarb and custard!"
"Oh..." she paused laughing quietly to herself. "Hey Lombardi, isn't eating chicken sort of like cannibalism?"
Falco chuckled to himself "You calling me a chicken?"
"No, it just seems weird that's all"
"I'm a mammal, and not related to a chicken, so, no, its not cannibalism"
"Fair enough"
Falco lay back on the ledge at the bottom of the ladder, his feet still immersed in the water, he closed his eyes and soaked up the warm sunlight.
"So... err Krystal... what's with your clothes, or rather the lack of them?"
"I thought you were too much of a gentleman to notice!"
"Oh come on, I'm a teenager!"
"yes..." Krystal laughed "A twisted freak of one at that"
Falco laughed softly before turning serious again.
"N-nothing happened did it... no one... made you-?" He stammered
For a moment Krystal felt compassion towards him as she listened to the pained concern in his voice. Her answer she spoke as kindly as she could.
"No... Not like that."
"Good... but why then?"
"Sometimes you have to use what you have... to get what you need"
"You don't...?"
"Not always. I used to jump ship, I didn't always stowaway. Most pilots are men. I have something they want, and sometimes it helps to remind them of that"
"Oh"
"The old ones are the worst; they just stare at you, hungrily, like you're an object. It sends shivers up your spine"
"Ugh!"
"You can feel their eyes on you all the time... just... staring at you"
Falco felt sick, then he remembered he and his kin were little better.
"Like Fox?..."
"The young ones are ok... Sweet, kinda, mostly harmless, most of them wouldn't try anything. Actually I think it's kinda cute"
"You think Fox is cute!?"
"Yeah... he seems... like just a big softy at heart."
Falco laughed "Fox McCloud, a softy... you should see him in a bad mood... or early in the morning"
"Mm bed fur"
"......"
"Hey Falco, why have you seen Fox in the morning" Krystal mocked him
"Ha, ha. I used to have to wake him up some mornings, we used to draw straws as to who would have to do it! I'm sure Peppy used to cheat. Fox is terrible at getting up in the mornings... our big exams... navigation I think it was... he nearly missed it because he forgot to get up. Now that was funny. I went in 10 minutes before we were due to leave and he was still sleeping like a baby-"
"Aww..."
"no not aww. I've never heard swearing like it"
Krystal laughed.
"Are Fox and Slippy your age then or what?"
"Slippy's a few months younger than me . Fox is much older. He'll be 19 at the end of the year"
"Why was he doing his exams at the same time as you then?"
"Well... After his mum and dad died he went a bit off the wall. He had a quite long time off. Then he got expelled from school, by that time he and Peppy were about to have to move onto Great Fox. They had money problems after the war, he doesn't talk about it much but Peppy lost everything. He tried to get work but no-one would take him. When it came down to it, it was the McCloud's house or Great Fox. I don't think Peppy could bear to part with the ship. He wouldn't have gotten what she was worth anyway. They moved onto the ship so it was nearly impossible to send Fox to a proper school. Not that he was willing to go anyway. Eventually Peppy ended up teaching Fox himself, gradually easing him back into his education. Fox wont admit what losing his parents did to him. By that time I was about to join, then Slippy came along, so it was easier for Peppy to teach us all the same thing at the same time. In the end Fox did his exams a little late and Slippy and I did them a bit early."
"Peppy's a teacher too? Is there anything he can't do?"
"Uh... knit?"
Krystal laughed.
"The kind of courses we used to do didn't require that much teaching... Peppy just used to coax and push us into doing it, more of the latter than the first. I feel sorry for him when I look back on it. We must have made his life hell at times..."
"How did you fit it all in, what with your flying and everything?"
"You'd be surprised how boring life on Great Fox could be. We weren't busy all the time, the way we lived didn't allow us to go out with friends very often. Not that I was overly popular. People were always more interested in Fox."
"Do I detect a hint of jealously Lombardi?"
"I was always shrouded by Fox's shadow. He was the hero, and I was just the tag along. The subservient little runt who... never mind"
"You're arrogant Lombardi-"
"Do not call me that. I have spent my life trying not to seem arrogant, because its something I hate so much in other's characters"
"You just said you want people to see you as the hero-"
"That's not what I said. I would just once like to be... I don't know... something more than Fox's wingman. I want to be my own person. I'd like someone to love me for me, not that I'm Fox's friend. I don't want the press attention and I never have, I'd just like... oh I don't know anymore. What does it matter now anyway, now I'm not with Star Fox my name will fade to dust." Falco sighed "look at this mission. Fox will go down as a hero for it, and I will simply be the one that vanished... into the shadows... and... never returned"
"No-one knows my name and I'm not complaining"
"no, I suppose not. Sorry I'm just brooding again"
Krystalchuckled
"What?"
"Brooding, it just seems like a funny word coming from you!"
"Ha, ha very funny" Falco said sarcastically, but allowed himself to laugh.
"Oh yeah, Lombardi, that stuff you're eating... looks like shit"
Falco paused, chewing on another rations bar
"Yeah, you're right... this one tastes like shit too. I dread to think how long its been sat in Great Fox's armoury, this stuff has a 5 year shelf life. I was just glad to see the box didn't have anything living in it!"
"Ugh..."
"You have to be careful what you eat with Slippy around. I never forgave him for leaving his chemistry experiment in the kitchen fridge"
Falco felt Krystal retch.
"yeah that's exactly how I felt... I think he was trying to grow a friend!"
"No-one had the birds and the bees talk with him then?"
"Oh must you use that expression?"
Krystal laughed "Sorry"
Falco yawned "Well sitting here isn't getting anything done is it? I feel like a change of scenery, what about you?"
"Oh always! It's dead boring up here, it just rains a lot. Its weird, my eyes are closed but I can still see. Sometimes I look around me here, like I am now, other times I feel as though I'm looking through your eyes."
"I can't see what you see... most of this seems to go from me to you then doesn't it, except for the odd scattered glimpse I haven't got anything of your memories"
"I got rather more of yours than I'd like"
"Yeah... sorry about that"
Falco climbed back up the ladder onto the walkway at the base of the fortress built above the lake. Humming to himself he walked slowly through the fortress his bare feet slapping wetly against the cool stone floors.
"Nice tune" Krystal chuckled. Embarrassed Falco fell silent. To his surprise Krystal began humming the same song in his mind "I'm bored ok? Come on Falco sing with me!"
Reluctantly at first Falco began to sing as he walked, softly...
"I'm a night wisp,
Hear my song...
I pray thou will hear me
When I call to thee
Listen to my song
The prayer in my heart
Hear my cries
I'm a night wisp
Hear my song
To his surprise Krystal sang the next verse
Nobody hears me
Though I cry so loud
Alone with my fears
The shadow in the dark
Hear my cry
I'm a night wisp
Hear my song
Hear our song
Nobody hears us
They all block their ears
We are but spectres
Or feathers on the wind
Hear our cry
Hear our cries
We are night wisps
Hear our song...
Hear our song...
"You never struck me as the singing type Krystal"
"You don't exactly look like a soprano yourself!" She laughed softly
"Hey, Slippy's the soprano, my voice isn't that high"
Krystal just laughed. "There must be a songbird in you somewhere"
It was Falco's turn to laugh "Probably, we Avions like to sing... as a species"
"But don't you have any happy songs?
"We have songs for all occasions... that one just seemed appropriate, and it works as well in Lylat as it does in Avion."
"Do you have a favourite?"
"Actually I like the more sombre ones, they seem to fit my voice more than the faster ones. There's one about life as a thief I like..."
"Well what's your favourite"
Krystal felt Falco get embarrassed
"I'd rather not say"
"Oh come on Lombardi"
"hey, I'm already annoyed that you talked me into singing, If you told Fox he'd take the piss out of me for weeks"
"mmm, now there's an idea. Nah come on Falco lets hear it"
Falco sighed and relented
Carry me
To the sky
Spread your wings and we will fly
Carry me
Past the clouds
Past the brightest of the stars
We'll touch the heavens
You and I
Carry me
On your wings
When I can't stand on my own
Carry me
Through the dark
Through the foggiest of nights
We'll fly forever
You and I
I'll carry you
In my arms
Over mountains 'cross the sea
I'll carry you
Hold my hand
Don't you ever let me go
We'll soar united
You and I
I'll carry you
Till the end
Until I fall to the ground
I'll carry you
In my heart
Till the ending of my days
We'll be together
You and I
"I left someone behind on Avion" Falco said simply "It's a Wanderers' song... it always made me think of her" Falco sighed "I miss her... I hope she's ok... wherever she is now..."
"I left lots of people behind, not of my own choice"
Groaning Falco limped into the bay where he had left his Arwing, though he did his best to hide the fact. Quietly he walked up to the Arwing, he ran his hand, that didn't seem to hurt so much along it's cool smooth fuselage. For a moment he just gazed at it. The harsh burnt edges of his severed wing broke the smooth lines of the vessel, diminished its beauty, though only a little. He sighed as his eyes took in the red winged fox painted on the purple wing, he frowned at it and wished...
"What are you doing"
Falco jumped
"Krystal!" he cried weakly. He shook his head hoping she wouldn't notice
"Wimp..." She muttered to his mind. Falco chose to ignore her.
"Friad, I'm in the docking bay"
"I know child"
"Where can I find some soap and hot water?"
"Caprice is bringing you some"
"Did you have to ask Caprice?"
Friad chuckled softly "Be kind to her Falco, she has quite a soft spot for you... and a fascination for off-worlders. I thought I'd allow her to indulge it."
Falco smiled. At that moment Caprice clattered through the docking bay doors.
"Thalco!" She cried, her mouth filled by the handle of a bucket. In his mind Falco heard Krystal laugh at her. Caprice ran up to him and deposited the bucket at his bare feet spilling hot water all over them, she didn't seem to notice. "Friad said you wanted that! What you gunna do? You giving your sparrow a bath?"
Falco smiled at her curious yellow eyes, sparkling with delight. "Sort of, you can help me if you like"
"Aaah, what?" Krystal cried.
"Hey I had a fascination with off-worlds when I was young, if I want to indulge her that's up to me. Besides Krystal, you jealous I wont be giving you my full attention?"
"Huh don't flatter yourself" she scoffed
"What can I do?" Caprice asked keenly
"Are there any rags in that bucket?"
"yep, and some sponges and a smaller bucket"
"Would you squeeze out some rags for me? My hand hurts so I can't do it properly, I need them nearly dry ok? And can you tip some water into the little bucket"
"Ok!!"
Falco watched mildly as she attended her tasks, slowly he walked around the Arwing, aside from the damage to the port wing it was unscathed, the Behemoth's mechanics didn't seem to have had their way with it too much.
"Here you go!" Caprice cried, again Falco jumped.
"Thanks" Falco took the things from her and went to climb the ladder into the cockpit, he paused and put the things down again. "Caprice, would you like to give the outside of my sparrow a bath?" it couldn't hurt
"Yeah!!" She cried, looking from him to the ship and back again. Falco walked to her side and pointed at the nose of the ship "Just clean the metal bits" he pointed at one of the moving parts "not these bits"
"But they're all dirty" She said referring to the grease
"They're meant to be like that. Touch it" Falco said softly. Caprice looked uncertain, so Falco reached out to touch it himself "Go on, it's ok see"
Standing on one leg Caprice reached up and put her foot in the grease.
"How does it feel?"
"Slippery" She answered hopefully
"Exactly, that's what helps the parts move, if you washed those bits they wouldn't slide over one another so well."
"oh!" Caprice said, seemingly enthralled with her new knowledge.
"Just do the nose and then tell me when you're done, I'm going to clean the cockpit, I made a bit of a mess last time I flew"
"Ok!" she said grinning. Falco left her slopping water about and climbed the ladder into the cockpit. She couldn't do any harm, provided she didn't stick her beak up the torpedo launchers.
Falco gazed into the cockpit. For a moment he wanted to be sick, it looked as though someone had been murdered in there. Someone could have traced every move he'd made from the smears of blood all over the various controls. It made his head ache just to look at it. He tried not to think about it as he set to work clearing up the mess. Numbly he was aware Krystal was watching, though she said nothing.
Salty waved at him, giggling. Lupus and Blaze stood grinning, Lupus holding two fingers up behind Blaze's head until he noticed and put him in a playful headlock, Silver looked at him coyly, smiling, and even Tyson grinned at him, seemingly with new respect and welcoming friendship in his eyes.
"Falco! Falco! Are you alright?" Caprice stood at the side of the cockpit staring in at him "Friad said he was worried about you..."
Falco stared at the photograph pinned under one of the displays, the figures motionless once again.
"We CloudRunner cry too..." She said softly "You're not so different from us"
Falco turned to gaze at her unable to speak as his breaths came in shudders. Caprice reached out and touched his face with her wing surprisingly gently. "I cry when it hurts, my body and..." she nodded her beak at her chest "in here"
Falco squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his head.
"Where does it hurt for you?"
"...Everywhere. But mostly here" Falco tapped his own chest his eyes still closed.
"Poor little fledge" she said softly. She looked into the cabin, at the photo that had made its way into Falco's hands "She's beautiful" She said pointing at Silver with her beak.
"Yes, she was"
Caprice looked him in the eye for a moment, then brushed his face with her wing again "Do not cry fledgling, your friends would not want you too. Look at them, they are laughing at you"
Falco wondered if she understood what a photo was, nevertheless he was comforted. For a moment he looked at the picture, there were bloody finger prints on the edges, he couldn't remember holding it before. He shook his head and repined it back under the screen. For a moment Falco looked at the other photo he carried in the cabin, no-where obvious, Fox would laugh if he knew, but Falco had always carried it in the cockpit with him. Falco gazed at his and Slippy's eight year old selves, at Fox's ten year old stance, he'd turned into a teenager early, even for a citizen of the Federation. Even Peppy looked younger in it, their very first team photo. Sighing he pinned it next to the other one, he'd never have to worry about Fox seeing it again, that team didn't exist anymore. Falco went back to his cleaning, listening to Caprice's happy chatter.
Falco sat on the edge of the roof of the CloudRunner fortress, his legs dangling down the side. For once his mind was quiet and he was content just to sit and watch the sun go down. He knew he wouldn't be on Dinosaur Planet much longer, Fox was nearly there. His eyes growing heavy he watched the orange glow sink beneath the mountains of the fragment of the planet. He smiled to himself, all the laws of science said this shouldn't be possible, yet he was still sat here, breathing and watching the sun set. The Krazoa must count for something he supposed. The sounds of birdsong on their final evening crescendo and the chattering of Cathy, the baby CloudRunner that had again joined him for the evening, perching on a ledge a little away from him reached his ears. The air smelt of spring flowers, water and distantly of trees that surrounded the palace.
"Your friend takes his time"
Falco nearly fell off the roof
"Krystal! You frightened me!"
Krystal only laughed
"I wish Fox would hurry up, it's really starting to get cramped in here"
"I've done everything I can to speed it up, if I could go after the Krazoa sprits myself I would. We just have to be patient, and trust in Foxy. Hell both our lives are weighing on it. I wish he would hurry too, but he's never been as fast as me"
"You are vain Lombardi"
"No, Fox has strength where I have speed. With that staff of yours he could lift me from my feet and throw me across the room, and he regularly did. He needed someone to practice on when he was learning..." Falco paused "Fox's strength was in his muscles and armed combat; he wasn't gifted with much of a brain." He chuckled briefly "Slippy's was his mechanics, can fix just about anything he can, and in water, he could hold his breath for 5 minutes comfortably, 7 without any damage. I was lucky to hold mine for 3... Peppy's strength is in his mind, sharp intelligence and cunning, Peppy can get you out of a fight without ever firing a shot. Mine lies in speed, stealth and ranged attacks. Hand to hand with a SharpClaw I could not win. Our bones are light, fragile and easily broken, as Mitoc and Slytir discovered to their glee...With me the enemy is usually dead before they even know I'm there. Avions are built to run, not fight."
"Don't you mean for flight?"
"No Avion can fly"
"Then you envy the CloudRunner?"
"Yes, more than you can ever know. My wish to fly made me a social outcast. Many Avions fear what they are."
"Then what do you fear Lombardi? If you are so different from the rest of your kin"
"I am not so different. All Avions fear drowning..." Falco shuddered "I fear small spaces... being trapped... ugh... never again... What about you Krystal?"
"I'm not scared of anything!"
Falco laughed "You sound exactly like Fox. We're all scared of something... even if we don't know what that is... it might not even be what we expect... I'm scared of losing the people... I... care about..."
"Like Peppy?"
Falco felt fear of the idea rip through him for a moment.
"Yes. He's my foster father...He raised me when I was little better than an orphan... I'd rather him than my real father any day."
"What happened?"
"That's in one of the parts I blocked off. None of your business really... but, let's just say we didn't get along so well, my father and I"
"Oh."
"Despite how you might see it I wouldn't have it any other way. I feel safe with him. We used to get funny looks, especially when we were younger. We... were a strange family... but family nevertheless... I threw all that away"
"Then you're an idiot"
"I know..."
"Some people don't realise how lucky they are. You got to throw away 2 families..."
"Well what about you Krystal?" Falco asked angrily, Krystal seemed oblivious to how much she had hurt him with her words; either that or she didn't care.
"My family are gone... along with my world, thanks to Andross"
"We all lost someone to Andross, which war, the first or the second?" Falco asked in the cold way that was customary to all living in the Federation at the time.
"The third. This one. I don't know what they did... it all happened so quickly. One day, maybe a year ago now, my home world was attacked. It was all over in a week... the cities... everything, was left in ruins. My family were gone. I managed to jump ship. I got on a cargo transport and it brought me here, to your Federation"
"What do you mean your Federation?"
"My home world was far beyond the boundaries of the Lylat Federation... Since then I've been wandering the universe trying to sort out other planet's problems and trying to find out what really happened. That's how I ended up here. When I arrived I knew I was drawing close."
"Why do you say it was Andross who destroyed your world?"
"Because I saw him"
Falco was so stunned he couldn't answer for a long time "You what?"
"I saw him, on my home world. We'll not him exactly, sort of... like his spirit, vile as it is. I think that was why they attacked my world; somehow it let them recover his spirit... I don't know... but I've had a long time to think about it while I've been stuck in here and that's the only thing that fits. I saw him again just before I got locked in here, getting off a shuttle, then hiding behind some pillar... I didn't know his name was Andross then or all the things he'd done..."
"That guy just won't fuck the hell off... Fox will be pissed." Falco thought to himself more than Krystal
"Was that true... what you said about Fox's family?"
"Yes, all of it"
"Shame... I guess Fox and I have something in common"
"You and a million others across the Federation. Fox was lucky he had Peppy to watch over him"
"So is he Fox's..."
"Foster father as well? Yes, and Slippy's, but none of us see it like that exactly, he's our friend, teacher, mentor and more... he can read us like a book, well me at least."
"Why the hell did he take you on so young then, surely you were nothing to do with him."
"No, I have my mother to thank for that... she got me into Star Fox. Best thing they ever did for me"
"But why'd he take you when he could have had the pick of all the pilots coming out of the academy?"
"Sympathy vote I suppose... besides you don't get many Avions going through the Cornerian Flight Academy. Most of us who want to be pilots are dead before we reach 14. "
"Why?"
"Social...issues... Anyway, who having been through 3 years of academy training wants to throw it away by joining a gang of mercenaries. Especially a group like ours. The ones who really pissed Andross off. It's like hanging a sign around your neck that says "I don't value my life, please blow me up". Why join Star Fox when you can fly with Husky and Bulldog units over Katina, or Condor squadron patrolling the borders? A nice steady pay packet and a lot less chance of seeing dangerous work. They get paid for sitting around for months waiting to be scrambled. If we don't find work we starve. Star Fox would have been fairly low on most people's lists."
"So Peppy took you on, as a child, into a life that was that dangerous?"
"What makes you think my life on Avion was safe? Likelihood was if he hadn't taken me I would never have seen my ninth birthday. He saved my life, I'm certain of that. Besides Peppy wouldn't have let anything happen to us that could have been avoided. He was very protective of the three of us..." Falco paused "there's nothing scarier than Peppy on a rampage. It takes a lot, but you really don't want to risk getting on his bad side"
"So how do I avoid this, just in case I run into him on a dark night?"
Falco smiled to himself "mm... I doubt you'd do anything to really piss him off... if you did you'd have both of us after you... Lets just say the last guy isn't around any more."
"And this is the person you feel safest with?"
"It was a war. Pigma deserved what he got. I did exactly the same thing to Mitoc; only difference was it was a gun, not a knife"
"Runs in the family then?"
Falco had to think about that comment. He'd never really looked at it like that before.
"Why are you doing this?" Krystal asked after a pause.
"You have to carry on for the living. That's why I'm here" Peppy had told him that. He had been holding it in his heart a lot for the last few days. "If I don't it will cost even more lives"
"A few more deaths because of you will hardly make any difference" She said coldly.
"One life saved makes all the difference to its owner. One life saved is worth a million scars. I forfeited my right to live a long time ago, while I still have breath in me I intend to try and do what's right"
"Even if that means more killing?"
"We are soldiers, fighting a war; you should know that by now. Sometimes a few must die for the good of the rest. If that means me...So be it"
"Of all the minds in the universe I could be bonded to I get a suicidal bird!"
"I'm not going to do anything stupid while I'm attached to you so you can stop worrying about that. I may not be the easiest person to get a long with but I am doing my best to help you. I'm sorry if my best isn't good enough for you, but you're already taking everything I have to offer"
"Which isn't much"
"I know that. But you should remember it's all that's keeping you alive. There's a very fine line between life and death" Falco's voice turned bitter "and some people know how to keep you tottering on the brink for a long time, in the rift where there is no life, no death, only pain. You should be glad that is not where you dwell now. Had I not helped, you would be there now or at least approaching it"
"Men have no idea about pain"
Falco laughed "Take one look around my mind and you will see that is not always true. We are capable of knowing just as much agony, both physically and emotionally as you"
"Men are wimps"
"Everyone breaks just the same, male or female, more quickly than even I could believe possible."
"But you're a wimp Lombardi"
"I'd rather be a wimp than let my heart go cold"
"Dark and cold. Seems a good combination Dark One"
Falco bristled "Stop calling me that!"
"Why should I, I think the Krazoa got it right. It sums you up just right"
"And what the hell should I call you purple bitch? Ungrateful arrogant rude sadist..." Falco's rage boiled "You're worse than Fox. You'll never understand. Once this is over I don't ever want to see you again."
"What makes you think I would want to hang around you? Fox might not like that though, he seems to like me, if you asked him to choose I wonder which way his opinion would sway. I wouldn't rate your chances very highly. I don't know how he put up with you for as long as he did. No wonder your parents got rid of you"
Falco's mind exploded with rage. He found the worst images from his memories, the beatings, the rejection, the bullies, and the StreetRunner girl who got run-over in front of him and threw them at Krystal's mind. All his anger and pain. Krystal shrieked briefly before Falco bottled up his emotions again and dragged the memories back, he'd never really let them go; somehow he thought that wouldn't have been good for her. Krystal seemed more stunned than anything. The procedure was the mental equivalent of a punch in the face.
"I-hate-you"
Krystal was silent for a moment while she recovered herself.
"Come on Dark One is that really the best you can do? Feral Mangy RedEye Lombardi... that Avion guy got it right"
"Fuck you Krystal!"
"Yeah that's another thing Lombardi. How'd you ever get to 16 with no proper girlfriends, you gay or just frigid?" Krystal laughed cruelly "Fox wouldn't want you. I don't think anyone would ever want you"
Falco was so angry he couldn't bring himself to say anything, all he wanted to do was hurt Krystal, he knew he could, if he wanted to he could destroy her mind with pain, like they had to him, but he knew that was wrong. No-one deserved that, even her.
"Come on Lombardi? I'm right aren't I?"
"I'm not gay"
"Oh, no girl ever wanted you then. Can't say I'm surprised"
"I haven't seen an Avion girl for a long time. I'm not the type that jumps into bed with anyone, unlike you obviously. Not that it's your business anyway. Only a slag walks around in clothes like yours. Fox can do much better than the likes of you."
"But not you Lombardi"
"I'd rather be alone than be reduced to the likes of you"
"Then you'll always be alone"
Krystal knew how to twist the knife.
"You get used to it after sixteen years. I learned that you're often better off alone. That way the only one you have to look out for is yourself. No-one can turn their back on you... if you turn... away... first."
Falco couldn't believe he'd just said that, he sounded as though he was nine again. It had taken Peppy years to stop him believing that.
"People are only alone because they're horrible. They deserve what they get."
"Not everyone, Krystal. You're alone."
"No I'm not"
"You are, except for me" Falco sighed "And I won't be around much longer. When we part we will both be alone again"
"I won't. I can be with anyone I want. As I said McCloud seems to like me"
"..." Falco sighed "Good luck to you then, if you can make him happy"
Krystal laughed "Whatever makes you think I want the likes of Fox? That I want to make him happy? Ugh... it might be fun to play with him for a while, but come on, why the hell would I want a mangy little whelp like him?"
Falco felt his anger build "Don't toy with his emotions. He doesn't deserve it."
"Why shouldn't I? If he's dumb enough to play along"
"Fox doesn't deserve it. He's only trying to help you. Thank him and bugger off on your way rather than giving him any false ideas"
"I don't know why you care so much Lombardi. McCloud obviously doesn't give a shit about you. Otherwise you wouldn't be in the mess your in now"
"The mess I'm in is of my own making and yours"
Krystal laughed "McCloud wouldn't worry about you half as much as you do about him"
"... maybe so"
"I bet he doesn't miss you in the slightest"
"No... but"
"He threw you out didn't he?"
"Yeah...bu-"
"See. They all hate you"
"Leave me alone Krystal..."
"They don't want you back either"
"I'm tired Krystal. Leave me alone for a while to get some sleep"
"Lazy"
"You don't do anything but sleep Krystal"
"What else can I do trapped in here?"
"Frankly I don't care so long as it doesn't involve me. Stay out of my head."
Falco lifted all the mental defences he could muster before dragging himself into the blankets on the roof and curling into a ball. Seeking a comforting voice, to push away Krystal's cruel words he turned to his comm.
"Slippy, you there?" Falco asked wearily
"Yes, hey Falco what's up?"
"Nothing, I just needed to hear a friendly voice"
"Oh..." Slippy had never heard him say anything like that before; at least not to him "You ok Falc'?"
"Mm..." Falco answered as though he was half asleep "How's Foxy doing?"
"Err... He's ok; he's over at the Walled City again-"
"The EarthWalker place?"
"Yeah, that's right..."
"Did he free the CloudRunner from Dragon Rock?" Falco asked sounding suddenly more awake.
"Yes, Falco how did you know about that?"
"I know his father. He will be pleased to hear he's safe" Falco groaned heavily, a shiver of pain running through his body "Tell Fox to get his skates on..."
"Why the hurry Falc'?" Slippy questioned.
"Just remind him of that bonus"
"Aright..."
"Goodnight Slippy"
"Goodnight Falco, sweet dreams"
Falco laughed down the comm. "Yeah, right"
Before Slippy could think to question his words Falco cut the comm.
Again Falco dreamed, although Krystal's presence steered him away from the mutually painful. He dreamt a strange dream, of memories not his own. Everything seemed to be immersed in a purple glow. He dreamt of rain and the distant rumble of thunder. Then things changed. The team were on a beach, the four of them, the shore where the waves lapped lowly against faintly brown sand seemed to be strewn with enormous purple jellyfish, their long tentacles spread out behind them. Then it seemed monkeys were playing amongst the bodies, jumping on the jellyfishes so that their liquid innards spread out across the shore. All of a sudden Falco was alone, the world seemed to be filling up with the liquefied bodies of the jellyfish, Falco was floating in a blue mist. Suddenly an image of Fox standing by his Arwing at Krazoa palace, his fur already sodden from the rain, his eyes glowing purple.
Falco snapped awake.
"Friad! Where's Fox?" Falco shouted with his mind
"What? Calm down child-"
"Where do the younglings say he is?"
"Hush, hush child, he is safe enough"
"But where is he?" Falco persisted.
There was a pause.
"The younglings say he has just landed at Krazoa palace"
"What? He has the fifth Krazoa already?"
"Yes. He completed the Test of Knowledge first time... clever boy. He is going to release the Krazoa"
In any other situation Falco would have laughed at the idea of Fox being clever.
"Where's Scales?"
"He too is at Krazoa Palace. Fox will go to face him once he releases the Krazoa-"
"Then its time for me to leave." Falco dragged himself up
"What, leave? For where?"
"To wait for Andross to be revived, I have to watch over the battle just in case Fox screws up"
"Falco you can't move" Friad said coming up onto the roof.
"I have to, Fox is nearly there, once Andross is released he'll need all the help he can get!"
The old CloudRunner put his wing on Falco's back "Fox has beaten him before, the best thing you can do is stay put. Krystal's draining you like a leach. Fox will win again"
"Fox is my friend; I'm not going to let him face Andross alone, that's the mistake I made last time!"
Falco struggled to stand, helplessly Friad offered him a wing in support, afraid he might fall from the roof.
"You're sure Scales has the last Krazoa?" Falco asked
"Yes. I was there"
"Ok... take me to my ship"
"Do you think that's wise?"
"I have to be out there ready to stop Andross in case Fox slips up" Falco said walking off determined. Friad followed him.
"What if your strength doesn't return when Krystal is released?"
"How hard is it to push a few buttons, drop a few bombs?"
"Don't toy with me Falco, I may never have left this lump of rock but I know it's not that easy"
"I'll manage"
"Falco, even without Krystal you shouldn't be flying, you're sick"
"No I'm not!"
"Falco I'm not one of your monsters, I'm not going to eat you the moment you show any weakness, you don't have to hide from me"
Falco sighed deeply and put his hand against one of the cool stone walls. Friad tapped his beak on Falco's chest. "I can't let you go up there if it's only as good as suicide... I know you didn't care much before... but for my sake if not yours I can't let you do that... I hoped we'd moved on from there... Once Andross is beaten where will you go?"
"Next mission"
"Like this?" he asked concerned
"If I must" Falco said sadly
"You can't just keep going until you drop from exhaustion..."
"If I stop the memories come back..." Falco said weakly his eyes wet.
"What happened on the Behemoth was not your fault, you can't keep blaming yourself, and though it's painful to accept nothing you do, no matter how hard you work you won't bring your squad back"
Falco faltered, Friad barely caught him.
"Working yourself into an early grave won't help anyone. You need time to heal. Stay here if you can't face Fox and Peppy. We will look after you, I will. Until you are capable of looking after yourself again..."
"I can look after myself!" He said straitening
"I'm sure you can, but do you want to? Especially once Krystal no-longer needs you"
Falco stared, Friad had him trapped. Finally he spoke "My duty now is to Fox."
"Duty... " Friad shook his head. Falco staggered off and he followed. "I've ruined you child..." He said quietly to himself.
"I can't let him face Andross alone... I won't. First rule of the Star Fox team- we never leave anyone still breathing behind..."
"You didn't break that rule Falco"
Falco paused briefly, then carried on walking.
Friad watched him sadly as he climbed back into his Arwing. Falco looked thoughtfully around the cabin. The photo of Silver and the rest stuck under one of the displays looked back at him. It still had his bloody fingerprints on the edge. He hadn't been able to get all the blood off the controls either. Falco did his best to relax into the familiar cockpit. The seat seemed to dig against his bones more than he remembered. His crippled hand seemed to have stuck in just the right shape for the controls or the handle of his gun. Perfect for dealing out more death. Sighing he prepared to do what he must, and put the thoughts of pain and fear aside. Sadly he turned to look down on Friad.
"I'll try to come back and visit"
"You will always be welcome with our tribe Falco. I would be glad to see you again, and we can finish what we started"
Falco smiled down briefly at him, then closed the canopy. The Arwing's engine roared into life. Friad didn't back away as the ship lifted into the air. Falco turned as the bay doors were opened for him. He pulled the lever to turn on the cloak. Friad watched the ship shimmer and disappear. Falco had taken the lessons on stealth to heart, even if that meant hiding from friends. The light that flooded the bay hurt Falco's eyes for a moment, then he boosted forward up into the sky. As he climbed away towards the dark edge of space Falco heard Friad's voice in his mind one last time...
"Take care child. Return to me if you have need, but you will be better off with your friends... I urge you to return to them. Go home to where you belong."
Falco couldn't answer him, he had nothing to say and he was too tired to respond. He could now feel himself growing weaker by the hour. He pulled his ship into a suitable position. Just off the escape trajectory from Krazoa Palace, he tried to settle to wait for what he knew and feared was coming.
"Your friend definitely doesn't do anything fast"
"I wish he would. I'm getting kinda sick of you"
"I can assure you the feeling is mutual"
"I'll be so glad to cut you loose when the Krazoa are finished using you like a piece of wire"
"So what happens then?" Krystal asked a little uneasily
"I cut you off and never have to put up with you again"
"Will I still feel this crap?"
"I don't think so. The Krazoa will give you your strength back. Me, I have to suffer this a little longer. There will be no magical return to full strength for me. I have to wait for my body to heal normally"
"Oh..."
"Yeah so you can shut up complaining. Just let me know when Fox turns up ok?"
"Alright"
Sadly Falco watched Great Fox drift across the sky in the distance. He was so close... but he couldn't go back...
"What's going on? You said this would save her!" Fox cried running towards Krystal and the Krazoa.
"He's here. The last spirit has been released. They're-"
Falco woke from a state where he was almost sleeping. The Krazoa were doing their thing. They used Krystal as they needed to, her strength returned and they released her.
"Goodbye Krystal" Falco said and cut the link.
"Wake up... wake up!" Fox shouted, snatching a glance at the Krazoa statue. Krystal remained mostly still. "Noooo!!" The crystal holing her shattered and she fell.
Falco armed the weapons, aware of the increasingly strong signal on his scanners, Andross' signal.
Fox caught Krystal on the staff and reached down to help her up. For the first time she got a good look at him. He was exactly like she had imagined, the way Falco had said he would be.
"I am reborn, the mighty Krazoa god. Kneel all those that stand before me"
Laughter that was oddly familiar shattered the air. Fox felt all the hair on his body stand on end...
"We will never kneel to you" Krystal shouted defiantly.
Fox looked doubtfully down at the staff and put it on his back.
"Give me that!" Krystal grabbed her staff off Fox
So that was where it had come from.
"Hey, wait!... Well thanks for nothing. If it wasn't for me you wouldn't be standing here at all"
Fox didn't know the half of it.
"My staff... You're back!" Krystal mumbled, ignoring him.
Krystal turned and started to shoot up into the sky at the giant floating... head? How ridiculous! This mission was just getting stupid. Fox frowned at her. That staff, it was like a house and a pea shooter. Fox backed away and ran for his Arwing.
Falco watched Andross leave the planet's surface. He sped past him only a few hundred metres away, completely oblivious to his presence. The way it should be.
"Thanks Salty" Falco thought to himself, suddenly aware there was now no-one there to listen to him. Falco felt sick as he watched Fox speed up in hot pursuit of Andross. He wanted to pop back into his field of vision, say "hi", and a million other things... fly by his side... but he couldn't. If Fox could deal with it on his own he would. Falco was there as a last resort. Mildly he tuned in on their radio frequency.
"I've been looking forward to this day, to see you again, Fox McCloud" The head turned round to reveal the monkey face of Andross.
"Andross!!" Fox said stunned.
"Come on Fox how slow can you get?" Falco thought to himself.
"And now to destroy the Lylat System!!" Andross cried.
"I've got to stop him!" Fox told himself, not realising Falco had his comm. tapped.
The battle went ok for a while. Falco's hands on the controls flinched every time Fox took a hit. Falco scanned him continuously. He didn't have any bombs. Fox continued to talk to himself.
"I shot you in the head... how the hell did you manage to come back?... Come on Foxy we have to beat him!" Fox barrel rolled to repel Andross' fire and prepared to try and fight back against Andross trying to swallow him again. "Why do I always end up fighting against this guy on my own? Where are you Peppy and Slippy?" That comment hurt Falco most... had Fox given up on him?
"...Where are you Falco... you'd love this, seeing me get my ass kicked-" That was it. Falco powered towards Fox's ship. Locked a bomb onto Andross and cut the cloak. Then he fired.
"Hey McCloud, different time, different planet and you still need Falco's help... It's good to see ya buddy..."
Of all the things he could of said, why that?
Peppy stared at the familiar signal on the scanners.
"Falco?" he asked Slippy
"Yes" Slippy said, significantly less surprised.
"Slippy patch me through!"
Slippy clicked some buttons. The battle raged on before Peppy's eyes.
"Hurry up Slippy!"
"I'm trying, I can't get it through. The signal's blocked!"
Falco was aware Great Fox was trying to contact him. He'd blocked the channel. He couldn't deal with talking to Peppy, especially whilst fighting Andross. He banked his Arwing around again to drop Fox off a bomb and get in a few shots of his own. The urge for revenge was as much his now as Fox's. But this was still Fox's fight, not his.
"How can you do this to me Falco?!" Peppy shouted as Slippy continued to struggle with the comm. Slippy felt sick, if Peppy knew what he'd done. He had to get a line through. Then Peppy watched Andross explode, six purple streaks shot form his head. Both Arwings fled away, they were coming towards the ship. Peppy held his breath, watching, willing them closer. Then the thing he had dreaded happened. Falco pulled his Arwing away and disappeared into the blast wave. When it cleared he was gone. Falco watched Fox pause, and pull away from the docking bay.
"I know I didn't dream it that time... Where'd you go Falco?" Fox asked over the comm.
Falco didn't respond. He hovered a little way away from the ship, hiding behind Salty's cloak. He watched the pieces of the planet reassemble themselves, watched Fox go quickly back to Krazoa palace to look for Krystal.
"Thanks anyway Falco" Fox said to himself and took his ship in to dock.
"You're welcome old friend"
Falco turned his Arwing and pulled away from Dinosaur Planet and Great Fox... It was over now...
"I wanna go home..."
Falco watched the shuttle come up from the planet and made up his mind, he just couldn't do it.
"I am going home... at last... I'm going home..."
