Mission 03 – Prelude
Fox and Krystal sat in front of their displayers, analyzing the documents General Pepper sent them. On Fox's screen was a map of the high security prison, dotted throughout with marks and labels. There was a high detailed three dimensional model of the prison on a separate screen, scanned and created by the Cornerian Intelligence Agency immediately following the event. Everything was included in the model; even the smallest details were recorded. Fox could see everything, even specks of dust. This was also one of the most gruesome models Fox had ever seen. Prisoners were shot dead in their cells, the guards lay sprawling in the corridors. Strangely enough, most of their weapons were still in their holsters, indicating that most of them were dead before they knew what struck them. It was an amazing, yet frighteningly perfect plan.
"Fox, take a look at this." Krystal said, reading her documents, "According to the CIA, there was a massive power outage approximately fifteen minutes before the jailbreak. They suspect that this is how the attacker managed to enter the prison without being noticed...in the dark."
"Well, what about the secondary power source? A high security prison can't possibly be taken out so easily by just a blackout." Fox asked in return, "Most of the guards were shot dead before they had the chance to draw their blasters, some of them didn't even leave their positions."
"They said that the attacker most likely attacked the secondary power source first. The entire prison didn't have any electricity. The security cameras were all disabled. The attacker left nothing, no fingerprints, no clue, not a trace." Krystal continued to read her document aloud, "They also suspect that the attacker had ties to the military, because the attacker had extensive knowledge of the prison."
Fox nodded and navigated himself to the secondary power chamber. Three guards lay dead; one slumped over by the window. Fox matched the location with the map, and noticed the label "suspected entrance" at the window. He looked back at the high detail model, and decided to take a closer look at the three bodies. One of them was clearly shot in the head, his eyes still blankly opened, indicating that he died almost instantly. Another fell face down on the ground, taking a head wound and a chest wound, most probably because the attacker missed the first shot. The third was in a sitting position, slumped against wall under the window. The young man's head was tilted to the side in a very unnatural position. His neck was definitely broken, and his blaster was missing from his holster.
"Hmm. . .This is something new." Fox muttered, "Krystal, the attacker was unarmed before he entered the prison. The whole thing was perfect . . . Even the blaster he used was from a guard. Oh by the way, the attacker definitely entered the prison through the secondary power chamber."
"Who did it?" Krystal asked, "No, why did they do it?"
"StarFox," General Pepper's head overtook the display, "We may have something to help your investigation. An interrogation of Wolf O'Donnell, recorded earlier today."
Fox perked his ears, "Play it for us General." he was eager to hear this, hoping it would shed new light on the situation.
General Pepper relayed the file, and they began to play it, there were only two voices, and the conversation was very mellow. Hardly seeming like an interrogation.
"Wolf, do you remember me?" a foreign voice said. It seemed to be the voice of a small child. Fox could only wonder why they had a young kid doing an investigation for them.
"Yes..." The voice was undeniably Wolf's.
"Wolf...I-I missed you so much. There hasn't been a day when I haven't wanted to visit you, but they would never let me..." the young voice said.
"It's okay kid, I'm sorry to say I haven't thought about you as much as I should have." Wolf replied.
"That's okay, maybe one day we can be together again. I remember when I first laid eyes on you. It was a week after Leon brought me back to your base. Locked in that dank little closet...then you came in. They had been starving me, and you brought me food." The kid started to cry.
"Yes, I remember now, you cowered in the corner until I backed all the way to the other side of the room. Then you tried to eat, and dove in head first, gobbling up as much as you could. Then you stopped and came over to me..." There was a sniffle coming from Wolf too.
"I knew you would stay behind, you always talked about trying to get out, but never could get away from Andross. I remember you crying for the people you had to kill." Feet could be heard scuffling; the kid must have crossed over to Wolf.
"Yes, but a want to change doesn't get you out of what you did. That's why I'm here. That's why I'm still here." Wolf said, Fox thought he sounded rather noble, and wondered bout his rival. What kind of person he had become after his incarceration, no, maybe even before that.
"Wolf, you know we have to stop them. I-I never want to see any of them ever again. Andrew, Pigma....especially Leon, they all hurt me so much." The kid cried.
"I wish I could help, they don't deserve to be free. I don't know where they've gone. I don't know who helped them either; the person was silent, and shrouded in the dark." Wolf said.
"All right, I believe you...I know you wouldn't lie to me, especially about something this important to all of us." The file suddenly reverted to video. Fox gazed in wonder; Wolf was cradling a freakish kid who looked to be about seventeen. Wolf was rocking the boy back and forth in his arms, trying to calm the child. It was almost sweet; Fox then really had doubts about how brutal Wolf was anymore. In the tape he had seemed so kind.
Pepper cut in, "We are positive that O'Donnell knows nothing."
"Who's the kid Pepper, you suddenly have children doing your interrogations for you?" Fox asked.
"Cadet Damon, as I'm sure you caught, is a close personal friend of Wolf's. Damon was a failed experiment of Andross and Leon. They were attempting to create super soldiers by combining different DNA. Needless to say he has some interesting qualities, some of them actually very useful. In the end they labeled him a failure because he didn't excel as much as they wanted. He has some regenerative capabilities and that's it. He also has seizures occasionally, but we think that's due to the trauma he's suffered." Pepper said, informing them of the hybrid.
"Trauma, what happened to him?" Krystal asked.
Pepper replied, "Almost his entire life has been traumatic, he was born in a test tube, no determinable parents. After they rejected him as a specimen, Leon brought him home to work as a slave. They frequently beat and starved him. He lived in constant fear. Seems O'Donnell was his only comfort. When we did the clean up process of Venom after Andross was killed we found Star Wolf. Leon had the boy strapped to a chair, obviously torturing the child. His first year spent on Corneria was in a mental institution, he wouldn't talk, hardly ate, and would hardly allow anyone near him...come to think of it he really hasn't changed much. I'm not even sure the military is for him; he frequently has mental breakdowns and has to revisit the hospital for therapy. He's too old to go into a foster care system, so we simply made a place for him in the military."
"I wouldn't have guessed Leon was like that." Said another voice as someone else entered the room. It was Falco. "That would be another reason for me to kick his hide." The avian moved towards one of the chairs and sat down, joining the conversation.
"Hmm. . ." Fox muttered, "Regenerative capabilities huh? Like what?" Science was never Fox's strong point, but he couldn't help but wonder.
"If you have a strong enough stomach, I can show you his "regenerative capabilities"." Pepper said with a smile, "It's quite amazing actually, if you guys are interested, I am happy to share."
"Sure," Fox replied jokingly, "After looking at corpses all day, I am pretty sure my stomach is strong enough."
"Well, if any of you don't want to watch, close your eyes. The footage is taken by a security camera, therefore it doesn't have sound." Pepper's holographic head disappeared, and was replaced by three screens, each on showing the same footage.
Fox rested his head against the back of his hair, enjoying the show. It was hardly amusing, even though the clip was in color. There he was, Cadet Damon, along with some other cadets of the military academy, surrounding an Arwing, testing its engine. It was obvious the other kids were ignoring him, but that was expected.
"This is the part where you should close your eyes if you feel like throwing up." Pepper's voice warned, "It's quite bloody."
Without warning, the freakish cadet fell face-forward onto the running engine of the Arwing. He was having one of his infamous seizures, at the worst time possible. Although there was no sound, Fox could almost hear the cracking of bones and ripping of muscles, as one of Cadet Damon's arms was tore out of its socket by the running gears. Blood splattered everywhere as the other cadets responded by pulling Damon back, at the cost of his arm. The clip ended with Damon on the ground, presumably dead or unconscious, with several exhausted cadets around him.
"This is him, three weeks later." Pepper's voice said audibly, as a new clip appeared on the screens. Cadet Damon was sitting in a hospital bed, his face slightly scarred from the accident. Bandages were wrapped all over his upper body. A skinny, childlike appendage grew from the boy's shoulder, where the old one was severed.
"So, what did you guys do? Give him a mechanical arm?" Falco spoke, with his arms crossed.
"Keep watching, Mr. Lombardi." Pepper's voice continued. A new clip was shown on the screens. This time, both of Damon's arms were perfectly restored, without a trace. No scars, nothing. In fact, he was back in his uniform, getting ready for another assignment. "That's him five weeks later. Pretty impressive, don't you think?"
Fox was completely speechless. He couldn't help it but to wonder how Leon created such a monster. No, monster wasn't the right word. Freak on the other hand was.
"You know, it wouldn't hurt to have a regenerator in our team." Falco said with a joking tone, "That way we don't have to worry about saving each other all the time." Of course, the joke was just an attempt to alleviate the tense feeling in the room. Even Falco was nervous to see this.
"Actually," Pepper's face returned to the hologram, "that's not a bad suggestion at all, Falco. Since Peppy is-"
"Since Peppy is what?" The old hare entered the room, obviously displeased, "I would prefer it if you leave things like these for StarFox to handle, General Pepper."
The general's expressions dimmed, but he still kept a smile at the old hare. "Alright, I think I've sent you everything you should know. I'll contact you when we find more information. Pepper out."
"Hold on one moment, General Pepper." Fox said before the hologram was about to fade away, "What is the Cornerian Government planning to do with Wolf O'Donnell?"
"He would be sentenced to death in thirteen days." General Pepper replied, "There's more to this than it seems, StarFox. And I would prefer it if you leave things like these to the Cornerian Government. Pepper out." With that, the hologram disappeared.
Then there was silence, as each member of StarFox left the common room, deep in their own thoughts. Krystal followed her husband back into their bedroom, leaving their work. The couple silently walked through the corridors of the Great Fox and allowed the metallic door to recognize them. The door slid open after a beep, and Fox entered, followed by Krystal.
"Fox," Krystal asked, finally breaking the silence, "Is there something wrong?"
"Err...No Krystal, try to get some rest, we have a lot of work to do tomorrow." Fox kissed his wife as she slipped on her night gown, forcing a smile on his face. "Good night." The loving couple crawled into their bed, but both of them lay awake staring at the ceiling for hours, captured by their own thoughts. . .
Things were in motion. . .
Fox and Krystal sat in front of their displayers, analyzing the documents General Pepper sent them. On Fox's screen was a map of the high security prison, dotted throughout with marks and labels. There was a high detailed three dimensional model of the prison on a separate screen, scanned and created by the Cornerian Intelligence Agency immediately following the event. Everything was included in the model; even the smallest details were recorded. Fox could see everything, even specks of dust. This was also one of the most gruesome models Fox had ever seen. Prisoners were shot dead in their cells, the guards lay sprawling in the corridors. Strangely enough, most of their weapons were still in their holsters, indicating that most of them were dead before they knew what struck them. It was an amazing, yet frighteningly perfect plan.
"Fox, take a look at this." Krystal said, reading her documents, "According to the CIA, there was a massive power outage approximately fifteen minutes before the jailbreak. They suspect that this is how the attacker managed to enter the prison without being noticed...in the dark."
"Well, what about the secondary power source? A high security prison can't possibly be taken out so easily by just a blackout." Fox asked in return, "Most of the guards were shot dead before they had the chance to draw their blasters, some of them didn't even leave their positions."
"They said that the attacker most likely attacked the secondary power source first. The entire prison didn't have any electricity. The security cameras were all disabled. The attacker left nothing, no fingerprints, no clue, not a trace." Krystal continued to read her document aloud, "They also suspect that the attacker had ties to the military, because the attacker had extensive knowledge of the prison."
Fox nodded and navigated himself to the secondary power chamber. Three guards lay dead; one slumped over by the window. Fox matched the location with the map, and noticed the label "suspected entrance" at the window. He looked back at the high detail model, and decided to take a closer look at the three bodies. One of them was clearly shot in the head, his eyes still blankly opened, indicating that he died almost instantly. Another fell face down on the ground, taking a head wound and a chest wound, most probably because the attacker missed the first shot. The third was in a sitting position, slumped against wall under the window. The young man's head was tilted to the side in a very unnatural position. His neck was definitely broken, and his blaster was missing from his holster.
"Hmm. . .This is something new." Fox muttered, "Krystal, the attacker was unarmed before he entered the prison. The whole thing was perfect . . . Even the blaster he used was from a guard. Oh by the way, the attacker definitely entered the prison through the secondary power chamber."
"Who did it?" Krystal asked, "No, why did they do it?"
"StarFox," General Pepper's head overtook the display, "We may have something to help your investigation. An interrogation of Wolf O'Donnell, recorded earlier today."
Fox perked his ears, "Play it for us General." he was eager to hear this, hoping it would shed new light on the situation.
General Pepper relayed the file, and they began to play it, there were only two voices, and the conversation was very mellow. Hardly seeming like an interrogation.
"Wolf, do you remember me?" a foreign voice said. It seemed to be the voice of a small child. Fox could only wonder why they had a young kid doing an investigation for them.
"Yes..." The voice was undeniably Wolf's.
"Wolf...I-I missed you so much. There hasn't been a day when I haven't wanted to visit you, but they would never let me..." the young voice said.
"It's okay kid, I'm sorry to say I haven't thought about you as much as I should have." Wolf replied.
"That's okay, maybe one day we can be together again. I remember when I first laid eyes on you. It was a week after Leon brought me back to your base. Locked in that dank little closet...then you came in. They had been starving me, and you brought me food." The kid started to cry.
"Yes, I remember now, you cowered in the corner until I backed all the way to the other side of the room. Then you tried to eat, and dove in head first, gobbling up as much as you could. Then you stopped and came over to me..." There was a sniffle coming from Wolf too.
"I knew you would stay behind, you always talked about trying to get out, but never could get away from Andross. I remember you crying for the people you had to kill." Feet could be heard scuffling; the kid must have crossed over to Wolf.
"Yes, but a want to change doesn't get you out of what you did. That's why I'm here. That's why I'm still here." Wolf said, Fox thought he sounded rather noble, and wondered bout his rival. What kind of person he had become after his incarceration, no, maybe even before that.
"Wolf, you know we have to stop them. I-I never want to see any of them ever again. Andrew, Pigma....especially Leon, they all hurt me so much." The kid cried.
"I wish I could help, they don't deserve to be free. I don't know where they've gone. I don't know who helped them either; the person was silent, and shrouded in the dark." Wolf said.
"All right, I believe you...I know you wouldn't lie to me, especially about something this important to all of us." The file suddenly reverted to video. Fox gazed in wonder; Wolf was cradling a freakish kid who looked to be about seventeen. Wolf was rocking the boy back and forth in his arms, trying to calm the child. It was almost sweet; Fox then really had doubts about how brutal Wolf was anymore. In the tape he had seemed so kind.
Pepper cut in, "We are positive that O'Donnell knows nothing."
"Who's the kid Pepper, you suddenly have children doing your interrogations for you?" Fox asked.
"Cadet Damon, as I'm sure you caught, is a close personal friend of Wolf's. Damon was a failed experiment of Andross and Leon. They were attempting to create super soldiers by combining different DNA. Needless to say he has some interesting qualities, some of them actually very useful. In the end they labeled him a failure because he didn't excel as much as they wanted. He has some regenerative capabilities and that's it. He also has seizures occasionally, but we think that's due to the trauma he's suffered." Pepper said, informing them of the hybrid.
"Trauma, what happened to him?" Krystal asked.
Pepper replied, "Almost his entire life has been traumatic, he was born in a test tube, no determinable parents. After they rejected him as a specimen, Leon brought him home to work as a slave. They frequently beat and starved him. He lived in constant fear. Seems O'Donnell was his only comfort. When we did the clean up process of Venom after Andross was killed we found Star Wolf. Leon had the boy strapped to a chair, obviously torturing the child. His first year spent on Corneria was in a mental institution, he wouldn't talk, hardly ate, and would hardly allow anyone near him...come to think of it he really hasn't changed much. I'm not even sure the military is for him; he frequently has mental breakdowns and has to revisit the hospital for therapy. He's too old to go into a foster care system, so we simply made a place for him in the military."
"I wouldn't have guessed Leon was like that." Said another voice as someone else entered the room. It was Falco. "That would be another reason for me to kick his hide." The avian moved towards one of the chairs and sat down, joining the conversation.
"Hmm. . ." Fox muttered, "Regenerative capabilities huh? Like what?" Science was never Fox's strong point, but he couldn't help but wonder.
"If you have a strong enough stomach, I can show you his "regenerative capabilities"." Pepper said with a smile, "It's quite amazing actually, if you guys are interested, I am happy to share."
"Sure," Fox replied jokingly, "After looking at corpses all day, I am pretty sure my stomach is strong enough."
"Well, if any of you don't want to watch, close your eyes. The footage is taken by a security camera, therefore it doesn't have sound." Pepper's holographic head disappeared, and was replaced by three screens, each on showing the same footage.
Fox rested his head against the back of his hair, enjoying the show. It was hardly amusing, even though the clip was in color. There he was, Cadet Damon, along with some other cadets of the military academy, surrounding an Arwing, testing its engine. It was obvious the other kids were ignoring him, but that was expected.
"This is the part where you should close your eyes if you feel like throwing up." Pepper's voice warned, "It's quite bloody."
Without warning, the freakish cadet fell face-forward onto the running engine of the Arwing. He was having one of his infamous seizures, at the worst time possible. Although there was no sound, Fox could almost hear the cracking of bones and ripping of muscles, as one of Cadet Damon's arms was tore out of its socket by the running gears. Blood splattered everywhere as the other cadets responded by pulling Damon back, at the cost of his arm. The clip ended with Damon on the ground, presumably dead or unconscious, with several exhausted cadets around him.
"This is him, three weeks later." Pepper's voice said audibly, as a new clip appeared on the screens. Cadet Damon was sitting in a hospital bed, his face slightly scarred from the accident. Bandages were wrapped all over his upper body. A skinny, childlike appendage grew from the boy's shoulder, where the old one was severed.
"So, what did you guys do? Give him a mechanical arm?" Falco spoke, with his arms crossed.
"Keep watching, Mr. Lombardi." Pepper's voice continued. A new clip was shown on the screens. This time, both of Damon's arms were perfectly restored, without a trace. No scars, nothing. In fact, he was back in his uniform, getting ready for another assignment. "That's him five weeks later. Pretty impressive, don't you think?"
Fox was completely speechless. He couldn't help it but to wonder how Leon created such a monster. No, monster wasn't the right word. Freak on the other hand was.
"You know, it wouldn't hurt to have a regenerator in our team." Falco said with a joking tone, "That way we don't have to worry about saving each other all the time." Of course, the joke was just an attempt to alleviate the tense feeling in the room. Even Falco was nervous to see this.
"Actually," Pepper's face returned to the hologram, "that's not a bad suggestion at all, Falco. Since Peppy is-"
"Since Peppy is what?" The old hare entered the room, obviously displeased, "I would prefer it if you leave things like these for StarFox to handle, General Pepper."
The general's expressions dimmed, but he still kept a smile at the old hare. "Alright, I think I've sent you everything you should know. I'll contact you when we find more information. Pepper out."
"Hold on one moment, General Pepper." Fox said before the hologram was about to fade away, "What is the Cornerian Government planning to do with Wolf O'Donnell?"
"He would be sentenced to death in thirteen days." General Pepper replied, "There's more to this than it seems, StarFox. And I would prefer it if you leave things like these to the Cornerian Government. Pepper out." With that, the hologram disappeared.
Then there was silence, as each member of StarFox left the common room, deep in their own thoughts. Krystal followed her husband back into their bedroom, leaving their work. The couple silently walked through the corridors of the Great Fox and allowed the metallic door to recognize them. The door slid open after a beep, and Fox entered, followed by Krystal.
"Fox," Krystal asked, finally breaking the silence, "Is there something wrong?"
"Err...No Krystal, try to get some rest, we have a lot of work to do tomorrow." Fox kissed his wife as she slipped on her night gown, forcing a smile on his face. "Good night." The loving couple crawled into their bed, but both of them lay awake staring at the ceiling for hours, captured by their own thoughts. . .
Things were in motion. . .
