Chapter IV
[Nota Bene: From here there are going to be some flashbacks coming up. To simplify the transition, when the story goes from the present to a flashback or vice versa, I will use * * * as a separator instead of a - .]
* * *
Morning broke warm and sunny over the Cornerian military academy that Friday in late April. Summer was in the air. The sky was the perfect shade of blue with never a cloud, and there was just a slight breeze to keep things pleasantly cool.
Why anyone would willingly sit inside and listen to a lecture on a day like this was a mystery to young Fox McCloud.
Fox didn't mind taking classes for the most part. And he was always the best when it came to flying simulated missions. But listening to lectures on the physics of flying was just unbearably dull. He knew how to fly; why clutter it up with formulas and equations? When Fox had watched the weather report the previous night and compared it to his schedule, he resolved that he was going to start his weekend early. He still had another year at the academy to look forward to before beginning his career as an air force officer, and it wasn't every day that you were sixteen and adventuresome.
The academy was surrounded on all sides by a tall iron fence with sharpened points at the top to discourage climbers. However, Fox knew that a couple of the points had been broken off during the previous winter. Even better, the break was in an isolated part of the academy with a seldom-used side street on the other side. It was a narrow gap, but if he had some help, he could make it over the fence. Fox's partner in crime was his roommate and best friend since early childhood: Wolf O'Donnell.
Carrying backpacks with civilian clothing in them, Fox and Wolf slipped away from the morning rush and ducked behind one of the academy's lesser-used buildings to reach the break in the fence. After looking around to make sure no one was watching, Wolf gave Fox a boost up so he could reach the top of the fence. Fox scrambled over and kelp a look-out while Wolf jumped up and pulled himself over. Wolf was quite a bit taller and stronger than Fox; he didn't need any help making the climb.
The two of them quickly crossed the street and changed clothes in a nearby alley. A few minutes later, and they looked like just a couple of ordinary teenagers walking down the street instead of academy cadets. Fox and Wolf left the vicinity of the academy and turned onto a busier road, where they spotted a young female lupine in a halter top and leans, leaning up against the side of a building. She smiled as she saw Wolf, and ran up to him.
"Hey babe!" said the female lupine as she hugged Wolf tightly.
Wolf smiled and caught her in his arms, returning the hug. "Hey Haley. Hope we didn't keep you waiting."
"Just a couple of minutes," Haley said, leaning in close to nuzzle Wolf's cheek.
Fox smiled. "Okay then. We got civvie clothes, girlfriend, now all we need is some cash."
"I'm tapped," Wolf said. "You got any?"
Fox took a look down the busy street. "I will," he said, taking off his backpack and handing it to Wolf. "Meet me around the other side of the block." Wolf nodded, and he and Haley walked off in the other direction.
Fox paused for a moment, looking for an easy target. He finally settled on a calico cat in a business suit, talking on a cell phone. Fox took a few steps down the street before breaking into a full run. A few moments later, he collided with the cat. The cat staggered back a step from the impact, and Fox fell down onto the sidewalk.
"Woah... hey kid, you alright?" asked the cat.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Fox said as he got up. "Sorry mister."
The cat shot him an annoyed look and walked off. Fox settled into an easy jog as he circled the block, catching up with Wolf and Haley nearby on of the group's favorite restaurants. Fox smiled as he approached.
"How'd it go?" asked Wolf.
"Piece of cake," Fox replied, turning his back to the rest of the street and discreetly showing Wolf and Haley the wallet he had picked up. Wolf chuckled. Neither he nor Haley minded Fox's cavalier attitude to thievery very much. Haley found it exciting, and Wolf was a born rulebreaker. As long as Fox didn't make a habit of it, there was no particular harm.
"Is my Zoness vacation in there?" said Haley. Wolf had always told her that he would take her on a luxury vacation to Zoness as soon as he became a rich and famous pilot.
Fox opened the wallet, and pulled out two twenty-credit bills. "Looks like just lunch and a movie." He pocketed the money and palmed the wallet in his hand. As the three of them walked off in search of something fun to do, Fox tucked the wallet into an open sewer drain. Cash was nice and anonymous, but credit cards generally weren't worth the risk of getting caught.
They took their time as they wandered Corneria City, walking to save on bus fare. They stopped at Nina's, their favorite pizza place, and ordered their usual; chicken, french fries and barbecue sauce. Nina's called it a 'sandlot' pizza, and as far as Fox and his friends were concerned, it was the greatest creation since the G-Diffuser.
Morning wore in into afternoon, and Fox and Wolf began to make their way back to the academy. Haley tagged along as they walked. She didn't get to see her boyfriend very often, since civilians generally weren't allowed on academy grounds.
"Have you guys got a cover story?" Haley asked as they walked.
Fox nodded. "Yep. If anyone asks, Bill Grey is gonna tell 'em that me and Wolf weren't feeling well, and Slippy's rigged us some fake medical leave papers."
Haley chuckled. "It's a good thing you guys keep Slippy on the straight and narrow, otherwise he'd probably wind up a counterfeiter or something." Her attention was diverted for a moment by a sudden movement from a nearby alley. "Hey, did you guys see that?"
"See what, babe?" said Wolf, turning his head to where Haley was looking. A moment later they heard a noise coming from the alley, like two people were fighting.
Haley stepped into the alley slowly, her senses alert. She sniffed at the air. "I smell blood," she whispered. Fox and Wolf followed close behind, peering around the corner of a building.
Two people, a doberman and a lanky blue falcon, were holding an elderly coyote up while a mean looking cheetah was holding a knife in the coyote's shoulder. The cheetah twisted the short blade, tearing open the knife wound. A fountain of blood poured out onto the pavement. All of them, save the coyote, wore red bandanas around their arms. The doberman looked up and spotted Fox, Wolf, and Haley watching around the corner.
"Shit!" Wolf gasped, grabbing Haley's hand. "Run!" The three of them sprinted out of the alley and turned quickly back onto the street, not even looking back until they had ran two whole blocks. When Fox did look back, there was no sign of pursuit.
Haley sat down on the steps of an apartment complex, her hand over her heart as she caught her breath. "Oh God... the Blades." The Blades were the local gang that patrolled the area. They had begun a small-time protection racket of some of the smaller businesses lately.
Wolf sat down next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders protectively. "You okay?"
Haley nodded slowly, leaning into Wolf's arm. "Yeah... did we lose 'em?"
Fox looked back in the direction they have came. "I think so," he said.
Wolf slowly helped Haley back up. "Come on, it's all over now. Let's go home."
Haley stayed with them until they reached the break in the fence, and she agreed to stand watch while Wolf and Fox changed back into their academy uniforms, though she did sneak a quick peek as Wolf got undressed. Wolf gave her a kiss as he prepared to leave.
"Go straight home," said Wolf. "And lock your door." Haley nodded and kissed him back.
Fox and Wolf crossed the street hurriedly, and Wolf boosted Fox over the fence. A moment later, he lifted himself up and over, dropping onto the academy grounds. "Come on," said Fox. "We gotta get back before..."
"Before what?" asked a voice.
Fox and Wolf turned around, noticing the academy's Vice Commandant and the personal nemesis of Fox, a collie by the name of Adam Baldrige. He was leaning against the side of the nearest building with an expectant look in his eyes. The gold bars on his uniform glittered in the afternoon sunlight as he stepped out of the shadows.
"Ah shit," Fox muttered.
-
After being bawled out at some length by Vice Commandant Baldrige, Fox and Wolf slunk home with two weeks of KP duty each for leaving the academy without authorization and skipping classes. Slippy would be accompanying them for trying to forge medical leave papers. Fox didn't mind the punishment too much. He was willing to take his licks for what he had done. What he was really dreading did come to pass, however. Baldrige had made good on his threat to call his father, and Fox found himself being driven home for the weekend.
Fox stared out the window in silence during the twenty minute drive through Corneria City toward it's more affluent districts.He didn't particularly want to talk to his father right now, but then again, he hadn't particularly wanted to talk to him in quite some time.
"Breaking out of the academy... what were you thinking?!" James shouted at Fox. This wasn't the first time that Fox had gotten into trouble. Fox had had various minor scrapes with authority over the last few years, but this was the worst yet. James has always come down to the academy to drag Fox home when he was called, since he had a reputation to maintain there.
"Don't you care that you're making a bad name for yourself?" said James. Fox didn't answer again. Truthfully, he didn't care. he already had a reputation for being the best pilot since his father's time. What he did care about was being forced into another weekend of exile with James.
It was four years ago that their lives had taken a turn for the worse. The day Fox's mother, Vixy McCloud, was killed when she started her car in the driveway of her house. The car had been rigged with a bomb, intended for James, by Dr. Andross Oikonney. The jealous ape had been caught and sent into exile on Venom, but the damage had been done. Fox would have been killed in the blast as well, if not for Vixy forgetting her purse in the house and sending Fox back to get it.
Since then, Fox and James' relationship had grown more and more strained. James sunk into a kind of depression, and he immersed himself in his work, spending whole weeks away from home, flying various missions for the Cornerian military or staying up in space aboard the Great Fox, which James had forbidden Fox to visit. Frustrated and lonely, Fox began to show signs of rebellion. He started getting into trouble both at school and the academy. Up until now the worst had been when he got into a fight with another cadet who had made a joke about his mother's death, and Fox had sent him to the hospital with a broken jaw. Fox got by with the support of his friends, especially Wolf, and by spending time with James' partner Peppy, who looked after Fox whenever he could.
Fox noticed another car in the driveway of his house as James brought the car to a stop. Leaning against the driver's side door was a stout pig wearing an old bomber jacket. Fox recognized him from the few times the pilot had visited James. James turned off the engine, and he and Fox got out of their car.
"Hello, Mr. Dengar," Fox said respectfully. Pigma looked over at him and nodded in acknowledgment.
"Pigma," said James as he walked over to the overweight pilot. "What brings you here?"
"I tried to call you, James, but your cell phone wasn't on. Pepper said he has a new mission for us." replied Pigma.
James nodded, glancing over at his son for a moment. "Fox, go inside," he said.
Fox stuck his hands into his pockets as he walked toward the door of the house. James' missions were always top secret, and he was feeling too miserable to try and eavesdrop on James and Pigma's conversation. He looked back at Pigma, and he got a smile from him. Fox trudged up to his room and flopped onto his bed. He pressed his muzzle into the pillow, and closed his eyes.
-
James left early the next morning, and Fox spent his day moping around the house in a state of boredom. He tried calling Wolf back in his dorm room, but he got no answer. Wolf wasn't picking up his cell phone either. James returned in the afternoon, and informed Fox that he was leaving for another mission the next morning, and that he would be driving Fox back to the academy on Sunday morning.
Fox was in his room, idly playing with the model Arwing fighter that his father had given him for his tenth birthday, when his cell phone rang. Fox dove underneath his bedcovers to muffle the sounds. He was supposed to be grounded, no phone calls.
"Hello," Fox whispered into the phone.
"Hey, is this Fox McCloud?" replied an unfamiliar voice. Fox sat up a bit with the blankets still covering his head. He knew everyone who had his cell phone number.
"Yeah, who the hell is this?" asked Fox.
"My name's Falco Lombardi," he said. "I found your number in your friend Wolf's cell phone."
Fox grew suspicious. "Where's Wolf?"
"He's in the hospital."
"What?!" shouted Fox, completely forgetting the need for stealth. "How?"
"It was the Blades... Wolf's girl saw them beating up a shopkeeper who wasn't paying his protection money, and they hunted her down and kidnapped her. They made her call Wolf, and he went after them."
A wave of dread washed over Fox. "Oh God... are they okay?"
Falco's voice paused for a moment. "I think the girl's okay, but Wolf took a switchblade to his eye. The doctor's say he's gonna live, but they can't fix his eye."
Fear and guilt balled Fox's stomach into a knot. "How the fuck do you know all this?"
"I... used to be in their gang. Not anymore though. Not after tonight," replied Falco, sounding ashamed.
Fox rubbed a hand over the white stripe in his headfur. "Look... I'll be at the hospital as soon as I can. Don't move."
"Alright. I'll wait for ya."
Fox turned off his cell phone and strapped on his boots. He took the stairs two at a time, running for the door. But first he had to get by James, who was studying the contents of an unmarked file folder in the kitchen table, and in full view of the front door as Fox sprinted past.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" asked James as Fox's hand gripped the doorknob.
Fox turned and looked at his father, his hand frozen in the middle of turning the doorknob. "Wolf got in a fight... he's in the hospital."
James stood up from the table slowly, momentarily ignoring the fact that Fox must have received a phone call. "How did it happen?" he asked.
Fox paused before telling him. "It was a gang. They kidnapped Haley, and Wolf went after them." He was too panicked to bother making up a lie. He turned the doorknob again, opening the heavy front door a crack.
"Fox, you're still grounded! You're not going anywhere!" shouted the elder McCloud. "And just how did you find out about this, anyway? I thought I said no phone calls."
Fox glared angrily at his father, his grip on the door tightening. He found himself forced to choose between his father and his best friend. It didn't take him long to choose. "Screw you," he muttered as he turned away from James, opening the door wide and beginning to take a step.
"Fox!" James' patience was at an end. Years of Fox's disobedience and stubborn refusal to yield to any sort of authority had taken it's toll on him. But open rebellion like this was just intolerable, especially for someone who had given most of his life to the military. "If you walk though that door, don't you come back!"
Fox's gaze hardened. As he grew older, more and more people told him that he looked like his father. But as he looked at the fox with the white stripe of fur between his ears and the trademark sunglasses clipped to the front pocket of his bomber jacket, Fox saw only a stranger. The anger, frustration, and resentment welled up inside of him, and he felt something in him... snap."
"I HATE YOU!! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!"
Fox slammed the door behind him as he left his home for the last time, tears in his eyes as he started the ten-block run to the nearest subway station. From there, he could make it to Corneria City General Hospital quicker.
* * *
No one interrupted as Fox told the tale of the last time he had seen his father alive. The memories were painful, but getting them out of him after holding them in for such a long time was cleansing. He didn't cry at all, but he did lean toward Peppy, who had moved over to the couch to wrap a comforting arm around his shoulders.
"What happened at the hospital?" asked Ashe.
"Well, I met up with Falco, and we went after the Blades. But... we couldn't save Haley, and I got cut up pretty bad. When I woke up, Falco told me that he was gonna turn his life around and become a pilot, like he always wanted. And a couple of days later, Peppy came by and told me what happened to my father." replied Fox.
"And what happened to Wolf?" said Ashe.
"He disappeared from the hospital one night. The next time I saw him, he was trying to kill me along with the rest of the StarWolf team." Fox said.
Ashe nodded his head slowly, looking over at Peppy, as he had been doing for most of Fox's story. "I understand, Fox. How do you feel?"
Fox had calmed down from his initial outburst, and his breathing had returned to normal. "I... I didn't mean what I said. I don't really hate Dad... I just wish he'd paid more attention to me. And whenever I think about him, I remember that our last words were spoken in anger."
"Alright Fox," said Ashe. "I think we've done enough for one day. Why don't you go and get some rest?"
Falco and Slippy helped Fox up and escorted him upstairs to his quarters. Peppy and Ashe stood up, and watched them leave.
"Thank you, Preston," Ashe said to the rabbit. "You were absolutely right."
"I couldn't have done it without you," replied Peppy. "I never knew Fox was this torn inside."
Ashe nodded. "Yes... but it's not the whole story, you realize."
"What do you mean?" Peppy asked.
"I mean that there's another side to this story," Ashe replied. "And I intend to find it out."
"You can't be serious!" Peppy said with alarm.
"I am. This problem isn't completely resolved. I sense longing in Fox, not just grief."
"It's too dangerous!"
Ashe took a deep breath. He began to walk toward the turbolift, as if he had already made up his mind. Peppy followed him close behind.
"At least let me come with you," Peppy pleaded.
"No. He knows you. He doesn't know me," said Ashe.
Peppy rubbed a hand over his ears, pulling them back. "He won't trust you."
"I know," said Ashe. "But he will listen, and that's the first step."
The two of them rode down in the turbolift to the hangar. Ashe strode over to his ship and opened the canopy. "Besides, I think Fox doesn't particularly want to see me right now. He views me as an irritation." Ashe climbed into the cockpit. "I hope this will change his mind."
Peppy folded his arms in front of his chest. "I'm not going to be able to change you mind on this, am I?"
Ashe smiled and shook his head. "I'll try Titania first. I can blend in with the mercenaries there without too much trouble. If I broadcast a neutral beacon then I should be okay."
"Alright. Good luck."
-
[Nota Bene: From here there are going to be some flashbacks coming up. To simplify the transition, when the story goes from the present to a flashback or vice versa, I will use * * * as a separator instead of a - .]
* * *
Morning broke warm and sunny over the Cornerian military academy that Friday in late April. Summer was in the air. The sky was the perfect shade of blue with never a cloud, and there was just a slight breeze to keep things pleasantly cool.
Why anyone would willingly sit inside and listen to a lecture on a day like this was a mystery to young Fox McCloud.
Fox didn't mind taking classes for the most part. And he was always the best when it came to flying simulated missions. But listening to lectures on the physics of flying was just unbearably dull. He knew how to fly; why clutter it up with formulas and equations? When Fox had watched the weather report the previous night and compared it to his schedule, he resolved that he was going to start his weekend early. He still had another year at the academy to look forward to before beginning his career as an air force officer, and it wasn't every day that you were sixteen and adventuresome.
The academy was surrounded on all sides by a tall iron fence with sharpened points at the top to discourage climbers. However, Fox knew that a couple of the points had been broken off during the previous winter. Even better, the break was in an isolated part of the academy with a seldom-used side street on the other side. It was a narrow gap, but if he had some help, he could make it over the fence. Fox's partner in crime was his roommate and best friend since early childhood: Wolf O'Donnell.
Carrying backpacks with civilian clothing in them, Fox and Wolf slipped away from the morning rush and ducked behind one of the academy's lesser-used buildings to reach the break in the fence. After looking around to make sure no one was watching, Wolf gave Fox a boost up so he could reach the top of the fence. Fox scrambled over and kelp a look-out while Wolf jumped up and pulled himself over. Wolf was quite a bit taller and stronger than Fox; he didn't need any help making the climb.
The two of them quickly crossed the street and changed clothes in a nearby alley. A few minutes later, and they looked like just a couple of ordinary teenagers walking down the street instead of academy cadets. Fox and Wolf left the vicinity of the academy and turned onto a busier road, where they spotted a young female lupine in a halter top and leans, leaning up against the side of a building. She smiled as she saw Wolf, and ran up to him.
"Hey babe!" said the female lupine as she hugged Wolf tightly.
Wolf smiled and caught her in his arms, returning the hug. "Hey Haley. Hope we didn't keep you waiting."
"Just a couple of minutes," Haley said, leaning in close to nuzzle Wolf's cheek.
Fox smiled. "Okay then. We got civvie clothes, girlfriend, now all we need is some cash."
"I'm tapped," Wolf said. "You got any?"
Fox took a look down the busy street. "I will," he said, taking off his backpack and handing it to Wolf. "Meet me around the other side of the block." Wolf nodded, and he and Haley walked off in the other direction.
Fox paused for a moment, looking for an easy target. He finally settled on a calico cat in a business suit, talking on a cell phone. Fox took a few steps down the street before breaking into a full run. A few moments later, he collided with the cat. The cat staggered back a step from the impact, and Fox fell down onto the sidewalk.
"Woah... hey kid, you alright?" asked the cat.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Fox said as he got up. "Sorry mister."
The cat shot him an annoyed look and walked off. Fox settled into an easy jog as he circled the block, catching up with Wolf and Haley nearby on of the group's favorite restaurants. Fox smiled as he approached.
"How'd it go?" asked Wolf.
"Piece of cake," Fox replied, turning his back to the rest of the street and discreetly showing Wolf and Haley the wallet he had picked up. Wolf chuckled. Neither he nor Haley minded Fox's cavalier attitude to thievery very much. Haley found it exciting, and Wolf was a born rulebreaker. As long as Fox didn't make a habit of it, there was no particular harm.
"Is my Zoness vacation in there?" said Haley. Wolf had always told her that he would take her on a luxury vacation to Zoness as soon as he became a rich and famous pilot.
Fox opened the wallet, and pulled out two twenty-credit bills. "Looks like just lunch and a movie." He pocketed the money and palmed the wallet in his hand. As the three of them walked off in search of something fun to do, Fox tucked the wallet into an open sewer drain. Cash was nice and anonymous, but credit cards generally weren't worth the risk of getting caught.
They took their time as they wandered Corneria City, walking to save on bus fare. They stopped at Nina's, their favorite pizza place, and ordered their usual; chicken, french fries and barbecue sauce. Nina's called it a 'sandlot' pizza, and as far as Fox and his friends were concerned, it was the greatest creation since the G-Diffuser.
Morning wore in into afternoon, and Fox and Wolf began to make their way back to the academy. Haley tagged along as they walked. She didn't get to see her boyfriend very often, since civilians generally weren't allowed on academy grounds.
"Have you guys got a cover story?" Haley asked as they walked.
Fox nodded. "Yep. If anyone asks, Bill Grey is gonna tell 'em that me and Wolf weren't feeling well, and Slippy's rigged us some fake medical leave papers."
Haley chuckled. "It's a good thing you guys keep Slippy on the straight and narrow, otherwise he'd probably wind up a counterfeiter or something." Her attention was diverted for a moment by a sudden movement from a nearby alley. "Hey, did you guys see that?"
"See what, babe?" said Wolf, turning his head to where Haley was looking. A moment later they heard a noise coming from the alley, like two people were fighting.
Haley stepped into the alley slowly, her senses alert. She sniffed at the air. "I smell blood," she whispered. Fox and Wolf followed close behind, peering around the corner of a building.
Two people, a doberman and a lanky blue falcon, were holding an elderly coyote up while a mean looking cheetah was holding a knife in the coyote's shoulder. The cheetah twisted the short blade, tearing open the knife wound. A fountain of blood poured out onto the pavement. All of them, save the coyote, wore red bandanas around their arms. The doberman looked up and spotted Fox, Wolf, and Haley watching around the corner.
"Shit!" Wolf gasped, grabbing Haley's hand. "Run!" The three of them sprinted out of the alley and turned quickly back onto the street, not even looking back until they had ran two whole blocks. When Fox did look back, there was no sign of pursuit.
Haley sat down on the steps of an apartment complex, her hand over her heart as she caught her breath. "Oh God... the Blades." The Blades were the local gang that patrolled the area. They had begun a small-time protection racket of some of the smaller businesses lately.
Wolf sat down next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders protectively. "You okay?"
Haley nodded slowly, leaning into Wolf's arm. "Yeah... did we lose 'em?"
Fox looked back in the direction they have came. "I think so," he said.
Wolf slowly helped Haley back up. "Come on, it's all over now. Let's go home."
Haley stayed with them until they reached the break in the fence, and she agreed to stand watch while Wolf and Fox changed back into their academy uniforms, though she did sneak a quick peek as Wolf got undressed. Wolf gave her a kiss as he prepared to leave.
"Go straight home," said Wolf. "And lock your door." Haley nodded and kissed him back.
Fox and Wolf crossed the street hurriedly, and Wolf boosted Fox over the fence. A moment later, he lifted himself up and over, dropping onto the academy grounds. "Come on," said Fox. "We gotta get back before..."
"Before what?" asked a voice.
Fox and Wolf turned around, noticing the academy's Vice Commandant and the personal nemesis of Fox, a collie by the name of Adam Baldrige. He was leaning against the side of the nearest building with an expectant look in his eyes. The gold bars on his uniform glittered in the afternoon sunlight as he stepped out of the shadows.
"Ah shit," Fox muttered.
-
After being bawled out at some length by Vice Commandant Baldrige, Fox and Wolf slunk home with two weeks of KP duty each for leaving the academy without authorization and skipping classes. Slippy would be accompanying them for trying to forge medical leave papers. Fox didn't mind the punishment too much. He was willing to take his licks for what he had done. What he was really dreading did come to pass, however. Baldrige had made good on his threat to call his father, and Fox found himself being driven home for the weekend.
Fox stared out the window in silence during the twenty minute drive through Corneria City toward it's more affluent districts.He didn't particularly want to talk to his father right now, but then again, he hadn't particularly wanted to talk to him in quite some time.
"Breaking out of the academy... what were you thinking?!" James shouted at Fox. This wasn't the first time that Fox had gotten into trouble. Fox had had various minor scrapes with authority over the last few years, but this was the worst yet. James has always come down to the academy to drag Fox home when he was called, since he had a reputation to maintain there.
"Don't you care that you're making a bad name for yourself?" said James. Fox didn't answer again. Truthfully, he didn't care. he already had a reputation for being the best pilot since his father's time. What he did care about was being forced into another weekend of exile with James.
It was four years ago that their lives had taken a turn for the worse. The day Fox's mother, Vixy McCloud, was killed when she started her car in the driveway of her house. The car had been rigged with a bomb, intended for James, by Dr. Andross Oikonney. The jealous ape had been caught and sent into exile on Venom, but the damage had been done. Fox would have been killed in the blast as well, if not for Vixy forgetting her purse in the house and sending Fox back to get it.
Since then, Fox and James' relationship had grown more and more strained. James sunk into a kind of depression, and he immersed himself in his work, spending whole weeks away from home, flying various missions for the Cornerian military or staying up in space aboard the Great Fox, which James had forbidden Fox to visit. Frustrated and lonely, Fox began to show signs of rebellion. He started getting into trouble both at school and the academy. Up until now the worst had been when he got into a fight with another cadet who had made a joke about his mother's death, and Fox had sent him to the hospital with a broken jaw. Fox got by with the support of his friends, especially Wolf, and by spending time with James' partner Peppy, who looked after Fox whenever he could.
Fox noticed another car in the driveway of his house as James brought the car to a stop. Leaning against the driver's side door was a stout pig wearing an old bomber jacket. Fox recognized him from the few times the pilot had visited James. James turned off the engine, and he and Fox got out of their car.
"Hello, Mr. Dengar," Fox said respectfully. Pigma looked over at him and nodded in acknowledgment.
"Pigma," said James as he walked over to the overweight pilot. "What brings you here?"
"I tried to call you, James, but your cell phone wasn't on. Pepper said he has a new mission for us." replied Pigma.
James nodded, glancing over at his son for a moment. "Fox, go inside," he said.
Fox stuck his hands into his pockets as he walked toward the door of the house. James' missions were always top secret, and he was feeling too miserable to try and eavesdrop on James and Pigma's conversation. He looked back at Pigma, and he got a smile from him. Fox trudged up to his room and flopped onto his bed. He pressed his muzzle into the pillow, and closed his eyes.
-
James left early the next morning, and Fox spent his day moping around the house in a state of boredom. He tried calling Wolf back in his dorm room, but he got no answer. Wolf wasn't picking up his cell phone either. James returned in the afternoon, and informed Fox that he was leaving for another mission the next morning, and that he would be driving Fox back to the academy on Sunday morning.
Fox was in his room, idly playing with the model Arwing fighter that his father had given him for his tenth birthday, when his cell phone rang. Fox dove underneath his bedcovers to muffle the sounds. He was supposed to be grounded, no phone calls.
"Hello," Fox whispered into the phone.
"Hey, is this Fox McCloud?" replied an unfamiliar voice. Fox sat up a bit with the blankets still covering his head. He knew everyone who had his cell phone number.
"Yeah, who the hell is this?" asked Fox.
"My name's Falco Lombardi," he said. "I found your number in your friend Wolf's cell phone."
Fox grew suspicious. "Where's Wolf?"
"He's in the hospital."
"What?!" shouted Fox, completely forgetting the need for stealth. "How?"
"It was the Blades... Wolf's girl saw them beating up a shopkeeper who wasn't paying his protection money, and they hunted her down and kidnapped her. They made her call Wolf, and he went after them."
A wave of dread washed over Fox. "Oh God... are they okay?"
Falco's voice paused for a moment. "I think the girl's okay, but Wolf took a switchblade to his eye. The doctor's say he's gonna live, but they can't fix his eye."
Fear and guilt balled Fox's stomach into a knot. "How the fuck do you know all this?"
"I... used to be in their gang. Not anymore though. Not after tonight," replied Falco, sounding ashamed.
Fox rubbed a hand over the white stripe in his headfur. "Look... I'll be at the hospital as soon as I can. Don't move."
"Alright. I'll wait for ya."
Fox turned off his cell phone and strapped on his boots. He took the stairs two at a time, running for the door. But first he had to get by James, who was studying the contents of an unmarked file folder in the kitchen table, and in full view of the front door as Fox sprinted past.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" asked James as Fox's hand gripped the doorknob.
Fox turned and looked at his father, his hand frozen in the middle of turning the doorknob. "Wolf got in a fight... he's in the hospital."
James stood up from the table slowly, momentarily ignoring the fact that Fox must have received a phone call. "How did it happen?" he asked.
Fox paused before telling him. "It was a gang. They kidnapped Haley, and Wolf went after them." He was too panicked to bother making up a lie. He turned the doorknob again, opening the heavy front door a crack.
"Fox, you're still grounded! You're not going anywhere!" shouted the elder McCloud. "And just how did you find out about this, anyway? I thought I said no phone calls."
Fox glared angrily at his father, his grip on the door tightening. He found himself forced to choose between his father and his best friend. It didn't take him long to choose. "Screw you," he muttered as he turned away from James, opening the door wide and beginning to take a step.
"Fox!" James' patience was at an end. Years of Fox's disobedience and stubborn refusal to yield to any sort of authority had taken it's toll on him. But open rebellion like this was just intolerable, especially for someone who had given most of his life to the military. "If you walk though that door, don't you come back!"
Fox's gaze hardened. As he grew older, more and more people told him that he looked like his father. But as he looked at the fox with the white stripe of fur between his ears and the trademark sunglasses clipped to the front pocket of his bomber jacket, Fox saw only a stranger. The anger, frustration, and resentment welled up inside of him, and he felt something in him... snap."
"I HATE YOU!! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!"
Fox slammed the door behind him as he left his home for the last time, tears in his eyes as he started the ten-block run to the nearest subway station. From there, he could make it to Corneria City General Hospital quicker.
* * *
No one interrupted as Fox told the tale of the last time he had seen his father alive. The memories were painful, but getting them out of him after holding them in for such a long time was cleansing. He didn't cry at all, but he did lean toward Peppy, who had moved over to the couch to wrap a comforting arm around his shoulders.
"What happened at the hospital?" asked Ashe.
"Well, I met up with Falco, and we went after the Blades. But... we couldn't save Haley, and I got cut up pretty bad. When I woke up, Falco told me that he was gonna turn his life around and become a pilot, like he always wanted. And a couple of days later, Peppy came by and told me what happened to my father." replied Fox.
"And what happened to Wolf?" said Ashe.
"He disappeared from the hospital one night. The next time I saw him, he was trying to kill me along with the rest of the StarWolf team." Fox said.
Ashe nodded his head slowly, looking over at Peppy, as he had been doing for most of Fox's story. "I understand, Fox. How do you feel?"
Fox had calmed down from his initial outburst, and his breathing had returned to normal. "I... I didn't mean what I said. I don't really hate Dad... I just wish he'd paid more attention to me. And whenever I think about him, I remember that our last words were spoken in anger."
"Alright Fox," said Ashe. "I think we've done enough for one day. Why don't you go and get some rest?"
Falco and Slippy helped Fox up and escorted him upstairs to his quarters. Peppy and Ashe stood up, and watched them leave.
"Thank you, Preston," Ashe said to the rabbit. "You were absolutely right."
"I couldn't have done it without you," replied Peppy. "I never knew Fox was this torn inside."
Ashe nodded. "Yes... but it's not the whole story, you realize."
"What do you mean?" Peppy asked.
"I mean that there's another side to this story," Ashe replied. "And I intend to find it out."
"You can't be serious!" Peppy said with alarm.
"I am. This problem isn't completely resolved. I sense longing in Fox, not just grief."
"It's too dangerous!"
Ashe took a deep breath. He began to walk toward the turbolift, as if he had already made up his mind. Peppy followed him close behind.
"At least let me come with you," Peppy pleaded.
"No. He knows you. He doesn't know me," said Ashe.
Peppy rubbed a hand over his ears, pulling them back. "He won't trust you."
"I know," said Ashe. "But he will listen, and that's the first step."
The two of them rode down in the turbolift to the hangar. Ashe strode over to his ship and opened the canopy. "Besides, I think Fox doesn't particularly want to see me right now. He views me as an irritation." Ashe climbed into the cockpit. "I hope this will change his mind."
Peppy folded his arms in front of his chest. "I'm not going to be able to change you mind on this, am I?"
Ashe smiled and shook his head. "I'll try Titania first. I can blend in with the mercenaries there without too much trouble. If I broadcast a neutral beacon then I should be okay."
"Alright. Good luck."
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