Mission 06 – Departure
Damon clambered into the Arwing simulator. On the outside it looked like an exact replica of the cockpit, except the windows were black, and the rest of the ship was missing. This machine was a piece of work, it simulated everything from the force of gravity, to the actual tumbling and rolling you told it to do. The force the Arwings exerted was so tremendous that no one from the Cornerian military could pilot it properly. Damon was a little frightened; this would be his first time entering any kind of simulator. Now he was entering the cockpit of one of the most advanced ships in the Lylat System. Well, the simulation of one, but technically it was the same prospect.
As he sat in the plush seat the windows came down, making it pitch black inside for a moment. Then the screen flickered on, a large menu, Damon just sat back as the menu scrolled itself. Probably Fox or Falco selecting the settings they would be training under. Damon slipped on the headset next to him, tightly gripping the control stick. He took a deep breath and tried to relax.
In one of the other simulators Sirus was casually laying back, waiting for the simulation. He gripped the joystick in one hand and blocked a yawn with the other. He wasn't too worried, after all, as Wolf O'Donnell he had driven the Wolfen II. A ship that was faster and more maneuverable than the Arwing was.
Suddenly the cockpit levitated on their hover carriers, so they could feel the movements of the ship, but not actually fly anywhere. Falco spoke to all over the headsets, "All right you two, we're going to test your flying ability. Then some enemies are going to come at you, and it will be your job to shoot them down." What Falco didn't tell them is that it was going to be him and Fox coming after the two.
The simulation started, it was a vast desert, no cover or things to fly behind in case of attack. Suddenly there were two courses marked out in rings. One was a green set of rings, the other was red. Both led off in separate directions, but ended in the same place.
Fox spoke to the two, "Okay, we're watching, don't worry about who takes what course, they're just mirror images of each other. Just decide who goes which way. You will be assessed on how many of the rings you can fly through on one course. There are thirty rings. Go!"
Sirus took the left set of rings, the red set. Damon following suit went right into the green set of rings. They both did various feats of aerial acrobatics, each trying to loop as many rings as they could. When they both flew through their last hoop they were told to land.
After they both had landed Falco spoke, "Not bad, you cut a pretty impressive scene there Mr. Ares. You snagged all thirty rings."
Fox cut in, "Not bad for your first time kid, you only missed five. That's really impressive for your first time in a simulator. Especially since the ship is so advanced, I think we could make you into a pilot yet."
"They're not done yet Fox...now we have t see how they take care of enemies." Falco interjected, "You two take off and your opponents will fly in."
Sirus chuckled, taking off easily. Watching Damon follow closely behind him. Damon noticed two blips at the side of his screen, and then did a double take. Sirus heard the kid yell over his intercom "Mr. Ares, Fox and Falco coming in from the east!"
Sirus answered, "Well, this should certainly be interesting then..." Perhaps he would enjoy this little "training" session more than he thought. He thought it interesting that both Falco and Fox were flying in the Wolfens. Perhaps to distinguish themselves more as the enemy, but it felt as if they were trying to patronize him.
Falco veered off and headed straight for Damon, the blue falcon yelling at him "Take this you little crybaby!" He let out a charged laser blast, which Damon barely avoided.
Sirus yelled to his partner, "Falco's on your tail kid, loop behind him and then take out his wings."
Fox smirked and spoke to Sirus, "Perhaps you should worry about yourself more at the moment." Fox was right on Sirus' tail, about to let out a charged blast himself. Sirus dropped his ship a few feet and cut the engine just as Fox let his blast go. Then started it back up and now Sirus was tailing Fox.
Fox howled, "What the heck?!" It was music to the ears of the Wolf O'Donnell inside of him. He launched a bomb and watched Fox go down.
Damon was panicking; no matter what he did he couldn't escape from Falco. He began breathing heavily. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them Falco was zooming straight for him. He screamed, and Falco launched a bomb in his face. Damon nose dived and Falco cheered.
Falco gloated, "How do you like that kid!" He was rewarded with a few choking noises over the line. Falco watched as the boy never pulled up out of his nose dive. He didn't see any signs of struggle to try and pull up, then the plane crashed. Falco called over the line to Damon, "Hey, kid, kid, speak to me! Are you okay?!" Falco switched a video link to the kid's cockpit and gasped. Damon was sprawled over his controls, eyes wide in shock, tongue rolling in and out of his mouth. He was shaking and convulsing violently. Falco screamed over the line to everyone, "Get out of your cockpits, the kid's in trouble!"
Fox was already out and trying to pull the kid out. Falco was next and helped get him out lay him on his back. Fox was over Damon trying to get him to respond. Damon continued make choking noises and shake. Sirus ran over and yelled at the both of them "What are you doing?! Turn him over on his stomach! He's choking on his tongue!" Sirus shoved the two out of the way and rolled Damon face down. The choking noises soon stopped, but he still continued to violently shake.
Fox asked worriedly, "What do we do now?" He was rubbing his gloved hands together tensely.
Sirus looked at him while gently rubbing Damon's back, "We just have to wait until it passes..."
Damon's eyes fluttered open, and found himself lying in his own bed. Mr. Ares was sitting at the end, waiting for him to wake up. He couldn't remember what happened after Falco attacked him in the simulator.
"Ah, you are finally awake." said Sirus with a gentle smile, "You did pretty well, Damon. Falco went a little too hard on you. Besides that, you have nothing to worry about." Except for the occasional seizure, that is. The wolf knew how sensitive the kid was, so he left that part out.
"I was so scared . . . Everything was so real." Damon whimpered, "And Falco was trying his hardest to shoot me down too. I know it." The kid's eyes were filled with tears, marking the beginning of a new series of sobs.
"Don't worry about it Damon, it's just a game." Mr. Ares shifted a little closer to the boy, "A tough game, but you would learn how to beat it after a while." He wanted to hug Damon and reveal his true identity that very moment, but it was too risky. Hesitantly, the wolf patted the teenager on the back, trying to calm him.
"I wish Wolf was here. . ." Damon muttered as he continued to sob. Somehow, this stranger reminds him of the dead mercenary, somehow. Mr. Ares certainly didn't look like Wolf, but their build was about the same, as well as those large and powerful hands. Those hands were his only comfort before, and they were comforting him now.
"I am sorry about that, Damon." The lieutenant continued to stroke the cadet's back, "But you've got to move on. People care about you, and I am sure Wolf wouldn't want to see you like this. . ."
"No one cares about me." Damon replied. He stopped his sobbing, but instead he curled into a ball, wrapping the blankets around him. "Everyone hates me, like Falco."
"Well, I care about you." Ares rubbing Damon's exposed neck, "And I am sure Fox and Krystal cares too."
"Still, it's not the same, it doesn't feel the same," Damon hugged himself tighter, "I want to move on, but I can't. I'm scared, what if they don't like me, what if I forget Wolf?"
"Wolf won't be forgotten, kid." Lieutenant Ares patted Damon on the back, "The whole Lylat system will know who he is, from now till the world ends. He would be just like Andross, one of those villains. His name would be written all over history books."
"But that's not Wolf!" the teenager protested, "Wolf is gentle and kind. He cares about me; he is like . . . my father! Not some evil guy who goes around killing people for fun!"
"Well, you have a lot of people in Lylat to convince of that kid. Especially those he hurt..." Wolf hated to talk about himself this way, but at the same time he knew he was right. He wanted to repent, and be forgiven of what he had done. Maybe it was better this way though, a fresh start for his body. Now he just needed to purify his mind, "I'm sure he repented for what he did, the way you speak of him, maybe he really wasn't such a bad guy. Perhaps he was simply misguided."
"What "maybe"? He IS a good guy!" the cadet was furious now, but he held his anger in. "He was good from the beginning! Why don't you people give him a chance? Why do you have to kill him? WHY?"
"You know, sometimes you are only allowed one chance." Mr. Ares patted Damon on the back, getting ready to leave. The door automatically slid open as he walked out. "And if you lose that chance, it is over."
It was a beautiful day, almost too beautiful for Wolf O'Donnell's funeral. Only a few military officials attended, along with Fox, Krystal, Damon, Sirus, and most unexpectedly, Commander Bill Grey. If it wasn't for the solemn atmosphere, Fox would have greeted his old comrade already. Luckily for Fox, the service was short. It only consisted of a small passage from the priest, and a short eulogy from Damon. The young cadet was unexpectedly calm while reading, without shedding a tear.
Once done, Lieutenant Ares and Krystal brought Damon back to Great Fox, where the young cadet most likely spent the rest of his day crying. Fox McCloud took advantage of this time and greeted his friend, Commander Bill Grey.
"Bill!" Fox shouted after the husky, who was preparing to leave. "Bill Grey!"
"Fox! I thought I would see you here." Grey stepped out of his hovercraft, "Man, it has been a while."
"Eight years Bill." Fox smiled in delight, "Eight long years."
"Eight years already . . . that went by pretty quickly." Bill seemed rather shocked by the fact that he hadn't seen his old schoolmate since the Lylat Wars.
"I was heading back to my ship, until I saw you." Fox answered, "If you have some time to spare, I wouldn't mind an old friend visiting."
"Not today Fox, because my wife the kids are waiting for me." The husky said with a large grin, "Hop in, I'll drive you home." Bill unlocked the doors on his car, and the two friends entered, almost in perfect unison.
"So you are married?" Fox asked curiously, "How many children?" The fox then saw a small picture frame on the dashboard. In it was Bill, his wife, and two very young children.
Bill chuckled, "The older one is four, and the younger one is two. You should meet my family another day. How long are you staying here for?"
"Don't know, really. We are just staying here to gather some more information." Fox replied, "We are looking for StarWolf."
"StarWolf huh," Bill had his hands steady on his steering wheel; they were getting close to the Great Fox now. The husky could see the colossal ship as he drove. "That's going to be tough. You probably won't find anything useful here on Corneria."
"Well, it's always good to look, you never know." Fox replied, cracking his neck idly, "And yeah, I could visit your house. What about tomorrow?"
"That's fine with me. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon. You can stay for dinner too, if you want." Bill stopped the vehicle in front of the airport entrance. The husky pulled out a scrap piece of paper and scribbled his address on top, along with his phone number. "It's not too far from here; you should be able to find your way around."
"Thanks Bill, I'll see you tomorrow then." Fox said, stepping out of the hovercraft. "Mind if my wife Krystal along?"
"Ha, so you are married too?" Bill chuckled, "Congrats, I'll see you both tomorrow." With that, the hovercraft sped along, and disappeared around the corner.
Commander Bill Grey arrived home about twenty minutes after he met his old friend. It was quite a surprise for the husky, actually. "Eight years. . ." he muttered as he parked the hovercraft on his driveway. He reached for knob on his large front door, noticing that it was unlocked. Perhaps he forgot to lock it when he was off to work in a hurry this morning.
"Honey, I am home!" Bill said, like a typical husband after a long day of work. He expected his wife to come out of the kitchen and kiss him sweetly, or ask why he was late with a bossy tone. Instead, he didn't get a response.
"Honey?" Bill asked again, taking off his shoes putting them neatly next to the doorway. It felt strangely quiet today, no clanking of cutlery in the kitchen, or laughter of children. It wasn't normal. The husky held his breath for a moment, listening carefully. Aside from the humming of the washing machine, the house was completely silent. Bill cautiously walked into the kitchen, and found it empty. He opened the dish washer, and discovered that the dishes inside were still dirty. His wife would always finish the dishes before he came home, today was very abnormal. He then checked the basement, where the washing machine was. Again, the machine was on, but his wife was nowhere to be found. "Honey? Where are you?"
Already, he could feel his heart beating faster and faster, where was she? Where were the kids? What was going on? The husky rushed up the flight of stairs, to the second floor, and into the master bedroom. There he found his wife in bed, covered by the quilt. "Oh honey, you scared me!" She didn't respond. She was dead.
Grey stood in front of the bed, completely shocked by the horror. There she was, lying in bed, with singed hole in her forehead. Bill stood there frozen in his stance, "Th-This is impossible. This is not happening."
"Oh yes it is, Commander Bill Grey of the Cornerian Army." said a melodious, masculine voice, "How did Wolf's funeral go?"
Bill spun around, and found himself face to face with a blaster. It was Leon Powalski. "Le-Leon. . .what did you do to my kids?"
"Don't worry about them; you will be seeing them soon." Leon chuckled, his finger squeezing harder on the trigger.
"No . . . Why are you doing this?" Bill asked, he knew he was going to die. "Why—!" His question was cut short by a searing laser blast that tore through his left lung, knocking him onto the ground.
"That was for Wolf." Leon said coldly, a small trail of smoke rising off his blaster's barrel. The chameleon bent down, and pressed the blaster against the husky's stomach. He squeezed the trigger again.
Bill gagged as the second laser burned through his intestine. He coughed weakly, with blood trickling down his mouth. "Why. . . Why?"
"That was for the eight years in jail." The chameleon answered again, grinning at the dying husky, "Don't you dare die yet, I am not finished with you." The barrel of his blaster pointed to the husky's right lung, and fired the third shot.
Bill jerked in pain as the laser bore a hole through his right lung. He began to take deep gasps of air, coughing out more blood in the process.
"That was for the rest of the team." Leon leaned close to the dying commander, examining the blood oozing out of his chest, full of small bubbles. "How does it feel? To drown in your own blood?"
"Why. . ." Bill said weakly, with a barely audibly voice. His eyes began to lose focus, and his eyelids were heavy. The deep gasps became more and more frequent as his body called for more oxygen. He was drowning, in blood, and in sorrow.
Leon stuck his finger into one of the wounds, smearing some blood on his fingertip. He then stood up and wrote on the nearest wall with the blood, the letter "I". The lizard than repeated this, until his entire message was written on the wall, with the blood of his enemy.
"Before you die, Commander, I would like you to know that your children died a more painful death than you have." Leon bent down, whispering in the husky's ear, "I slit their throats and watch them writhe in pain, until their blood is drained out of their lifeless bodies." Leon laughed, a maniacal laughter, like a creature from the deepest pits of hell.
Bill Grey coughed again, spitting some blood onto Leon's face. His gasps where now wheezy, as most of his lungs were filled with blood. The gasps finally slowed down, and the husky's body began to twitch involuntarily.
". . .Why. . ." those were the last words of Bill Grey. His eyes rolled back, and his body was motionless. A small sigh came from his collapsed lungs. He was with his wife and children.
Damon clambered into the Arwing simulator. On the outside it looked like an exact replica of the cockpit, except the windows were black, and the rest of the ship was missing. This machine was a piece of work, it simulated everything from the force of gravity, to the actual tumbling and rolling you told it to do. The force the Arwings exerted was so tremendous that no one from the Cornerian military could pilot it properly. Damon was a little frightened; this would be his first time entering any kind of simulator. Now he was entering the cockpit of one of the most advanced ships in the Lylat System. Well, the simulation of one, but technically it was the same prospect.
As he sat in the plush seat the windows came down, making it pitch black inside for a moment. Then the screen flickered on, a large menu, Damon just sat back as the menu scrolled itself. Probably Fox or Falco selecting the settings they would be training under. Damon slipped on the headset next to him, tightly gripping the control stick. He took a deep breath and tried to relax.
In one of the other simulators Sirus was casually laying back, waiting for the simulation. He gripped the joystick in one hand and blocked a yawn with the other. He wasn't too worried, after all, as Wolf O'Donnell he had driven the Wolfen II. A ship that was faster and more maneuverable than the Arwing was.
Suddenly the cockpit levitated on their hover carriers, so they could feel the movements of the ship, but not actually fly anywhere. Falco spoke to all over the headsets, "All right you two, we're going to test your flying ability. Then some enemies are going to come at you, and it will be your job to shoot them down." What Falco didn't tell them is that it was going to be him and Fox coming after the two.
The simulation started, it was a vast desert, no cover or things to fly behind in case of attack. Suddenly there were two courses marked out in rings. One was a green set of rings, the other was red. Both led off in separate directions, but ended in the same place.
Fox spoke to the two, "Okay, we're watching, don't worry about who takes what course, they're just mirror images of each other. Just decide who goes which way. You will be assessed on how many of the rings you can fly through on one course. There are thirty rings. Go!"
Sirus took the left set of rings, the red set. Damon following suit went right into the green set of rings. They both did various feats of aerial acrobatics, each trying to loop as many rings as they could. When they both flew through their last hoop they were told to land.
After they both had landed Falco spoke, "Not bad, you cut a pretty impressive scene there Mr. Ares. You snagged all thirty rings."
Fox cut in, "Not bad for your first time kid, you only missed five. That's really impressive for your first time in a simulator. Especially since the ship is so advanced, I think we could make you into a pilot yet."
"They're not done yet Fox...now we have t see how they take care of enemies." Falco interjected, "You two take off and your opponents will fly in."
Sirus chuckled, taking off easily. Watching Damon follow closely behind him. Damon noticed two blips at the side of his screen, and then did a double take. Sirus heard the kid yell over his intercom "Mr. Ares, Fox and Falco coming in from the east!"
Sirus answered, "Well, this should certainly be interesting then..." Perhaps he would enjoy this little "training" session more than he thought. He thought it interesting that both Falco and Fox were flying in the Wolfens. Perhaps to distinguish themselves more as the enemy, but it felt as if they were trying to patronize him.
Falco veered off and headed straight for Damon, the blue falcon yelling at him "Take this you little crybaby!" He let out a charged laser blast, which Damon barely avoided.
Sirus yelled to his partner, "Falco's on your tail kid, loop behind him and then take out his wings."
Fox smirked and spoke to Sirus, "Perhaps you should worry about yourself more at the moment." Fox was right on Sirus' tail, about to let out a charged blast himself. Sirus dropped his ship a few feet and cut the engine just as Fox let his blast go. Then started it back up and now Sirus was tailing Fox.
Fox howled, "What the heck?!" It was music to the ears of the Wolf O'Donnell inside of him. He launched a bomb and watched Fox go down.
Damon was panicking; no matter what he did he couldn't escape from Falco. He began breathing heavily. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them Falco was zooming straight for him. He screamed, and Falco launched a bomb in his face. Damon nose dived and Falco cheered.
Falco gloated, "How do you like that kid!" He was rewarded with a few choking noises over the line. Falco watched as the boy never pulled up out of his nose dive. He didn't see any signs of struggle to try and pull up, then the plane crashed. Falco called over the line to Damon, "Hey, kid, kid, speak to me! Are you okay?!" Falco switched a video link to the kid's cockpit and gasped. Damon was sprawled over his controls, eyes wide in shock, tongue rolling in and out of his mouth. He was shaking and convulsing violently. Falco screamed over the line to everyone, "Get out of your cockpits, the kid's in trouble!"
Fox was already out and trying to pull the kid out. Falco was next and helped get him out lay him on his back. Fox was over Damon trying to get him to respond. Damon continued make choking noises and shake. Sirus ran over and yelled at the both of them "What are you doing?! Turn him over on his stomach! He's choking on his tongue!" Sirus shoved the two out of the way and rolled Damon face down. The choking noises soon stopped, but he still continued to violently shake.
Fox asked worriedly, "What do we do now?" He was rubbing his gloved hands together tensely.
Sirus looked at him while gently rubbing Damon's back, "We just have to wait until it passes..."
Damon's eyes fluttered open, and found himself lying in his own bed. Mr. Ares was sitting at the end, waiting for him to wake up. He couldn't remember what happened after Falco attacked him in the simulator.
"Ah, you are finally awake." said Sirus with a gentle smile, "You did pretty well, Damon. Falco went a little too hard on you. Besides that, you have nothing to worry about." Except for the occasional seizure, that is. The wolf knew how sensitive the kid was, so he left that part out.
"I was so scared . . . Everything was so real." Damon whimpered, "And Falco was trying his hardest to shoot me down too. I know it." The kid's eyes were filled with tears, marking the beginning of a new series of sobs.
"Don't worry about it Damon, it's just a game." Mr. Ares shifted a little closer to the boy, "A tough game, but you would learn how to beat it after a while." He wanted to hug Damon and reveal his true identity that very moment, but it was too risky. Hesitantly, the wolf patted the teenager on the back, trying to calm him.
"I wish Wolf was here. . ." Damon muttered as he continued to sob. Somehow, this stranger reminds him of the dead mercenary, somehow. Mr. Ares certainly didn't look like Wolf, but their build was about the same, as well as those large and powerful hands. Those hands were his only comfort before, and they were comforting him now.
"I am sorry about that, Damon." The lieutenant continued to stroke the cadet's back, "But you've got to move on. People care about you, and I am sure Wolf wouldn't want to see you like this. . ."
"No one cares about me." Damon replied. He stopped his sobbing, but instead he curled into a ball, wrapping the blankets around him. "Everyone hates me, like Falco."
"Well, I care about you." Ares rubbing Damon's exposed neck, "And I am sure Fox and Krystal cares too."
"Still, it's not the same, it doesn't feel the same," Damon hugged himself tighter, "I want to move on, but I can't. I'm scared, what if they don't like me, what if I forget Wolf?"
"Wolf won't be forgotten, kid." Lieutenant Ares patted Damon on the back, "The whole Lylat system will know who he is, from now till the world ends. He would be just like Andross, one of those villains. His name would be written all over history books."
"But that's not Wolf!" the teenager protested, "Wolf is gentle and kind. He cares about me; he is like . . . my father! Not some evil guy who goes around killing people for fun!"
"Well, you have a lot of people in Lylat to convince of that kid. Especially those he hurt..." Wolf hated to talk about himself this way, but at the same time he knew he was right. He wanted to repent, and be forgiven of what he had done. Maybe it was better this way though, a fresh start for his body. Now he just needed to purify his mind, "I'm sure he repented for what he did, the way you speak of him, maybe he really wasn't such a bad guy. Perhaps he was simply misguided."
"What "maybe"? He IS a good guy!" the cadet was furious now, but he held his anger in. "He was good from the beginning! Why don't you people give him a chance? Why do you have to kill him? WHY?"
"You know, sometimes you are only allowed one chance." Mr. Ares patted Damon on the back, getting ready to leave. The door automatically slid open as he walked out. "And if you lose that chance, it is over."
It was a beautiful day, almost too beautiful for Wolf O'Donnell's funeral. Only a few military officials attended, along with Fox, Krystal, Damon, Sirus, and most unexpectedly, Commander Bill Grey. If it wasn't for the solemn atmosphere, Fox would have greeted his old comrade already. Luckily for Fox, the service was short. It only consisted of a small passage from the priest, and a short eulogy from Damon. The young cadet was unexpectedly calm while reading, without shedding a tear.
Once done, Lieutenant Ares and Krystal brought Damon back to Great Fox, where the young cadet most likely spent the rest of his day crying. Fox McCloud took advantage of this time and greeted his friend, Commander Bill Grey.
"Bill!" Fox shouted after the husky, who was preparing to leave. "Bill Grey!"
"Fox! I thought I would see you here." Grey stepped out of his hovercraft, "Man, it has been a while."
"Eight years Bill." Fox smiled in delight, "Eight long years."
"Eight years already . . . that went by pretty quickly." Bill seemed rather shocked by the fact that he hadn't seen his old schoolmate since the Lylat Wars.
"I was heading back to my ship, until I saw you." Fox answered, "If you have some time to spare, I wouldn't mind an old friend visiting."
"Not today Fox, because my wife the kids are waiting for me." The husky said with a large grin, "Hop in, I'll drive you home." Bill unlocked the doors on his car, and the two friends entered, almost in perfect unison.
"So you are married?" Fox asked curiously, "How many children?" The fox then saw a small picture frame on the dashboard. In it was Bill, his wife, and two very young children.
Bill chuckled, "The older one is four, and the younger one is two. You should meet my family another day. How long are you staying here for?"
"Don't know, really. We are just staying here to gather some more information." Fox replied, "We are looking for StarWolf."
"StarWolf huh," Bill had his hands steady on his steering wheel; they were getting close to the Great Fox now. The husky could see the colossal ship as he drove. "That's going to be tough. You probably won't find anything useful here on Corneria."
"Well, it's always good to look, you never know." Fox replied, cracking his neck idly, "And yeah, I could visit your house. What about tomorrow?"
"That's fine with me. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon. You can stay for dinner too, if you want." Bill stopped the vehicle in front of the airport entrance. The husky pulled out a scrap piece of paper and scribbled his address on top, along with his phone number. "It's not too far from here; you should be able to find your way around."
"Thanks Bill, I'll see you tomorrow then." Fox said, stepping out of the hovercraft. "Mind if my wife Krystal along?"
"Ha, so you are married too?" Bill chuckled, "Congrats, I'll see you both tomorrow." With that, the hovercraft sped along, and disappeared around the corner.
Commander Bill Grey arrived home about twenty minutes after he met his old friend. It was quite a surprise for the husky, actually. "Eight years. . ." he muttered as he parked the hovercraft on his driveway. He reached for knob on his large front door, noticing that it was unlocked. Perhaps he forgot to lock it when he was off to work in a hurry this morning.
"Honey, I am home!" Bill said, like a typical husband after a long day of work. He expected his wife to come out of the kitchen and kiss him sweetly, or ask why he was late with a bossy tone. Instead, he didn't get a response.
"Honey?" Bill asked again, taking off his shoes putting them neatly next to the doorway. It felt strangely quiet today, no clanking of cutlery in the kitchen, or laughter of children. It wasn't normal. The husky held his breath for a moment, listening carefully. Aside from the humming of the washing machine, the house was completely silent. Bill cautiously walked into the kitchen, and found it empty. He opened the dish washer, and discovered that the dishes inside were still dirty. His wife would always finish the dishes before he came home, today was very abnormal. He then checked the basement, where the washing machine was. Again, the machine was on, but his wife was nowhere to be found. "Honey? Where are you?"
Already, he could feel his heart beating faster and faster, where was she? Where were the kids? What was going on? The husky rushed up the flight of stairs, to the second floor, and into the master bedroom. There he found his wife in bed, covered by the quilt. "Oh honey, you scared me!" She didn't respond. She was dead.
Grey stood in front of the bed, completely shocked by the horror. There she was, lying in bed, with singed hole in her forehead. Bill stood there frozen in his stance, "Th-This is impossible. This is not happening."
"Oh yes it is, Commander Bill Grey of the Cornerian Army." said a melodious, masculine voice, "How did Wolf's funeral go?"
Bill spun around, and found himself face to face with a blaster. It was Leon Powalski. "Le-Leon. . .what did you do to my kids?"
"Don't worry about them; you will be seeing them soon." Leon chuckled, his finger squeezing harder on the trigger.
"No . . . Why are you doing this?" Bill asked, he knew he was going to die. "Why—!" His question was cut short by a searing laser blast that tore through his left lung, knocking him onto the ground.
"That was for Wolf." Leon said coldly, a small trail of smoke rising off his blaster's barrel. The chameleon bent down, and pressed the blaster against the husky's stomach. He squeezed the trigger again.
Bill gagged as the second laser burned through his intestine. He coughed weakly, with blood trickling down his mouth. "Why. . . Why?"
"That was for the eight years in jail." The chameleon answered again, grinning at the dying husky, "Don't you dare die yet, I am not finished with you." The barrel of his blaster pointed to the husky's right lung, and fired the third shot.
Bill jerked in pain as the laser bore a hole through his right lung. He began to take deep gasps of air, coughing out more blood in the process.
"That was for the rest of the team." Leon leaned close to the dying commander, examining the blood oozing out of his chest, full of small bubbles. "How does it feel? To drown in your own blood?"
"Why. . ." Bill said weakly, with a barely audibly voice. His eyes began to lose focus, and his eyelids were heavy. The deep gasps became more and more frequent as his body called for more oxygen. He was drowning, in blood, and in sorrow.
Leon stuck his finger into one of the wounds, smearing some blood on his fingertip. He then stood up and wrote on the nearest wall with the blood, the letter "I". The lizard than repeated this, until his entire message was written on the wall, with the blood of his enemy.
"Before you die, Commander, I would like you to know that your children died a more painful death than you have." Leon bent down, whispering in the husky's ear, "I slit their throats and watch them writhe in pain, until their blood is drained out of their lifeless bodies." Leon laughed, a maniacal laughter, like a creature from the deepest pits of hell.
Bill Grey coughed again, spitting some blood onto Leon's face. His gasps where now wheezy, as most of his lungs were filled with blood. The gasps finally slowed down, and the husky's body began to twitch involuntarily.
". . .Why. . ." those were the last words of Bill Grey. His eyes rolled back, and his body was motionless. A small sigh came from his collapsed lungs. He was with his wife and children.
