Mission 08 – Awakening Beasts
Lieutenant Ares walked down the hall to Damon's room, a package in one of his hands. He gently rapped on the door, it immediately slid open. Ares looked around the room, but it looked completely bare. The bed didn't even look like it had been slept in. Ares walked in, wondering where the kid had gone. He didn't have a reason to leave during the night. There was no reason for him to be anywhere but in his bed. Ares glanced around worriedly. Then he heard a whimper. He glanced around but couldn't find it. Then there was a series of yelps and whines. He looked up; Damon was sprawled out on the ceiling of his room.
"I forgot you could do that..." Ares said, shaking his head and chuckling. The kid had used it many times to escape the wrath of Pigma. His body was able to grip surfaces due to his reptilian nature. He would climb walls and hide on ceilings to escape Pigma's drunken rages where he would find the boy and beat him senseless for no reason.
Damon continued to whimper, both arms were flailing, as if he were trying to fight off what he was dreaming. Sirus couldn't help but feel sorry for the kid; he had a lot to have nightmares about. He wondered what particular dream he was having. He glanced down at the package in his arms, and remembered what he'd come here for.
"Damon, it's time to wake up." Ares said in a loud, but soothing voice. His response was a snort, and then another whimper from Damon. Sirus tried again, "Damon..." Still there was no response.
Ares walked over and flipped on the lights to full power, Damon's eyes flashed open and he looked around. He lost his grip on the ceiling and promptly fell. Luckily he was over his bed, and it broke his fall.
Ares walked over to him, and sat on the edge of the bed, "What's with your sleeping in, normally the softest whisper in here and your wide awake. How do you get so ready anyway?"
Damon smiled weakly to Sirus, "I've had to wake up quickly most of my life. I've never had a chance to be groggy or I would be beaten or yelled at. I've always had to be alert." Damon then frowned, "The reason I didn't wake up this morning is because I've been up all night thinking. Thinking about all the problems we've been having recently. Then when I can get to sleep I have horrid nightmares, and don't stay asleep for very long. It's been like this for a few days now. I'm getting little sleep and its kind of starting to wear on my alertness."
Ares patted his shoulder, "Well, you know if you ever need to talk, then you can come to me. Anytime, night or day, don't be afraid. I don't mind being awoken either." Ares then changed the subject, "Well, it's time for you to get dressed."
Damon looked down at himself and yelped. He was clad only in a pair of white briefs. He had to sleep in his underwear so his body could grip the surface. He tried to cover himself as Sirus chuckled at him. Damon blushed hard enough to show through his short fur, his cheeks appearing a dark shade of crimson.
"Hey kid, it's okay, it isn't like I haven't seen a pair of briefs before. Look at it this way, at least it's me, and not Krystal in here." Ares said. Damon was cowering on the other side of his bed, still clutching his front. Ares chuckeld again, "Listen, I have something for you, but I can't give it to you if you hide like that."
Damon fidgeted, then crawled up on the bed, and curled up in a little ball. Ares smiled, and rubbed the hybrid's back. "Why are you so embarrassed? We're both guys after all."
Damon frowned, "Everyone used to make fun of me in the shower room. I was the only boy who wore briefs. Then they made fun of my appearance, especially one place in particular."
Damon continued to hide the front of himself. Then Sirus remembered, back at the StarWolf base they forced Damon to walk around nude. With no clothing he had no protection, from beatings or humiliation, he was completely exposed. Sirus knew why the boy was so underdeveloped; he was a eunuch since birth. He'd never received his manhood because of his hybridization, they never grew in. They would tease him because of this condition, and it was only one of the many horrible things done to him.
As Ares he realized he had to act like he didn't know, "What's wrong, how did they make fun of you?" Damon began to sob lightly, and then revealed himself to Ares. Sirus stared at the frail frame as he spread himself out.
"In the showers they liked eunuch and female. They'd steal my clothes just so they could laugh at me. I never got any peace anywhere..." Damon softly began to cry. "Now I'm just so ashamed of my hideous body. Please, please don't tell anyone, its so embarrassing..."
Sirus hugged Damon as he began to cry, "Don't worry Damon, I won't tell, and I don't think you're body is hideous." The older wolf wiped away his tears, "Now look and see what I've brought you."
He handed Damon the package he had brought. It was a long box wrapped in plain brown paper. Damon began to tear the paper off, and then lifted the lid off the box. He choked on his tears, and looked at Sirus happily.
"Go try them on; we have to see if they fit." Sirus smiled as Damon tried on what he had bought for him. It was a new set of clothing, a StarFox uniform of sorts. Although like each tem member had their different style, Sirus had gotten him an outfit different from what the others wore. The base was a red short sleeve jumpsuit. He was given some white boots, and white fingerless gloves, a white flight jacket, and a white scarf. To top it off he was given a red beret, with the Star Fox insignia stitched in white. The insignia was also stitched in red on the left breast of his jacket, and white again in the same place on his jumpsuit.
Damon did a light spin, showing that the clothes fit. Sirus smiled and patted Damon on the back. "There, you look like a member of the team now. I thought you needed something a little more formal for the funeral today. Your blue cadet's outfit was looking a little old, and thought this would make you feel more part of the team." Damon smiled and hugged Sirus.
"Thank you Mr. Ares, thank you so much..." Damon walked out of the room with Sirus to go and wait with everyone else for the funeral.
Fox stood at the small podium that had been set up in front of the caskets. He stared at all four, his eyes straying on the right most coffin, the one draped with the Cornerian flag. Inside lay Bill, his friend, this was the final goodbye in this life. Fox spoke, "Friends, we're all gathered here to honor and mourn our beloved friends. It's funny how time, and life passes..." Fox looked at the small sea of mourners, he began to tear, "The day before he died I saw my old friend for the first time in eight years. It was at another funeral, the one for Wolf O'Donnell that we were reunited. Perhaps it was fate that we were to meet one last time before he died." Fox choked on his tears and then regained composure, "Bill and I were best friends all through our academy years. We were together through thick and thin. In the Lylat Wars, Bill assisted my team on our way to defeating the tyrant Andross. He and his family have done much for all of us. Now they have been taken, and I know for their good deeds they go on to a better place. We should all strive to be like the Greys. They will always have a place in our hearts..." Fox stepped down from the podium and took out four of the magic crystals from the plants, each a different color and laid them on the graves. When the caskets would be dropped a magic crystal plant would grow and shine over the grave.
The StarFox team was preparing to leave after the caskets were lowered. Fox was leaning on Krystal and sobbing softly. Soon there were voices calling after them, two young male voices. Everyone turned around to see a pair of canines running to them. One was a husky and the other a bulldog, both in their mid-twenties. Their faces also were streaked with tears.
"Fox, Fox McCloud, please wait!" the husky yelled. He was waving his arms. He was tall and thin. Finally both caught up with the team, "Thank you for waiting."
"That was a beautiful eulogy; we just wanted to thank you for doing justice to the commander." The bulldog said smiling, but tears still streaming from his eyes.
Fox sadly nodded, "May I ask who you two are?"
The husky nodded, "I'm Lorenzo Harding, Captain of the Husky Unit. This is Samuel Tintoretto, Captain of the Bulldog unit. We fought together at the battle of Katina."
Fox smiled, "I remember it well, thank you for your support at that critical time. I'm glad to have met you." Fox was smiling weakly, and his voice was cracked from crying so much. Tears streamed forth, but his gratitude shone through.
Sam spoke, he was shorter and due to his Bulldog ancestry was slightly stocky, "We were proud to serve under Commander Grey, and it's an honor and a privilege to meet the savior of the Lylat system, as well as being a close personal friend of the commander."
Lorenzo spoke, "He treated us like brothers, we were comrades in arms. He will be severely missed."
Sirus smiled, "That he will, but he has many friends who will cherish his memory dearly." Fox turned and smiled to Lieutenant Ares.
Sam nodded, "Well, I hope our paths cross again some day. If you ever need assistance we'll be there for you." Both Sam and Lorenzo saluted Fox. The leader of the StarFox team stood then on his own two feet, looking amazingly regal and powerful, like he had just defeated Andross all over again. He saluted the two captains and then turned to walk back to his ship.
Jade walked out of the CIA headquarters, glancing back and forth before approaching her hover-bike. Her lawful work for today was complete, and it was time for her underground work. The black cat snickered at the irony. A CIA agent by day and an underground assassin by night, she had kept her lifestyle rather secretive. Her only entertainment was perhaps working with Obsidian, whom she would meet later tonight. But first, she had to get something to eat, since her body required it.
The cat put on her red helmet, the same color as her suit and her bike, the same color as blood. She placed her briefcase under the storage compartment, and sped off towards her favorite restaurant, with lots of seafood and fish. She had an enormous appetite for seafood, probably because of her feline heritage. The cat stopped by the takeaway window and placed her order. Two pounds of cooked shrimp and a filet of raw salmon was her favorite snack with Obsidian. Of course, he would bring along his barbequed ribs and steak. They would do this everyday, snacking on their favorite foods while watching the sunset, discussing their family matters with each other. In many ways Obsidian was her brother, sometimes she would love him, but more often they would find themselves quarrelling with each other like children. Not now though, not during this hour, when the sun was about to set.
Jade headed towards the shore, her hover-bike speeding along the sandy beach. At this rate, she would arrive there in five minutes, but something unexpected was going to happen today, and she was about to be late.
Her bike was working fine as always as she drove towards the base of the cliff, when a high power laser ripped through the front of the bike, shutting down the frontal G-diffuser. As a result, the nose of her bike dived into the sand, and the black cat was thrown through the air. She made a spectacular dive roll to lessen the impact of the fall, but she was still stunned somewhat. There was a sniper out there who fired that shot, and the sniper was probably waiting for his or her rifle to recharge before firing again. Almost mechanically, Jade ran towards the crash site of her vehicle to retrieve her weapon. Just as her hand reached the handle of her suitcase, a second shot grazed along her back, singing through her leather jacket and searing her flesh. She hissed and ignored the pain, and dived behind a bolder at the foot of the cliff to take cover. The sniper wasn't a particularly skilled one, since he managed to miss two shots, but it was enough to alert the assassin.
"Ooh, looks like someone wants to play." Jade said, opening her briefcase, revealing her favorite sniper rifle. She assembled the blaster within fifteen seconds, the unlocked the safety. Whoever this sniper was, this was his unlucky day. "Excellent, now bring it on."
The assassin peaked out the side of the bolder then quickly retreated. Another blast of laser skimmed the rock, showering fragments over the cat. However, with just one glance she had located the attacker. And he happened to be Pigma Dengar, who Jade would refer to as "Piggy". Knowing that her boss won't be happy to see Pigma ripped to shreds, Jade once again turned down the power on her rifle. This allowed her to fire rapid shots, at a reduced firepower. However, one shot was more than enough to take Pigma down, but the thoughtless pig thought he had the situation under control. Leon had told him everything about the black cat. She was supposed to be the second cousin of Lieutenant Ares, the new pilot of StarFox. Unfortunately, the information Leon received was false, and Pigma was about the find out the hard way.
Jade grinned at the thought of roasting the pig and sharing his corpse with Obsidian, but she decided that it was quite pointless, and the wolf would probably scold at her for that. The black cat waited a little while longer before she planned on her attack. Since Piggy was a non- professional sniper, his arms are bound to get tired from supporting the sniper blaster. It was at that moment that Jade would strike, possibly knocking Dengar unconscious with her low power laser. There was still a risk involved in her plan. If Dengar was stronger than she thought, she may get hit by his laser blast.
"Come out a play with me, Kitty Cat!" Pigma shouted, looking through the scope of his rifle. Yes, the blaster was heavy, and the pig's arms were getting more and more tired by the moment. "Stop hiding and let me shoot you! It shouldn't hurt too much!"
Jade giggled at Piggy's empty taunts. A successful assassin must be patient, like a lioness stalking her prey. Pigma was definitely unworthy to be called an assassin, according to Jade's standards. She waited for about another minute, before getting ready with her own rifle. She already saw where the pig was by a mere glance, and what was left was simple: Rise, aim, and fire.
Pigma Dengar did not realize that he was shot, in between the eyes, until he felt his body falling backwards into the scattered foliage. He couldn't understand what happened. One moment he was shooting at the cat, the other moment he saw a flash from the rock, and he was falling. The pig was unconscious before he hit the ground. The hunter had become the hunted.
Jade quickly scanned the trees and shrubs for any another threats, then a sickening thought surfaced in her mind. What if Pigma shot Obsidian? Immediately the cat felt her heart pounding, knocking violently against her ribs. She ran over to the unconscious pig, grabbed him by the collar and pinned him against a tree. Noticing that the pig was unconscious, Jade kneed the cyborg pig in the groin as an attempt to wake him. It worked.
"You monster!" Pigma shouted, his teeth grinding in pain. Somehow the skinny kitten was able to pin him to the tree with one arm. Of course, the pig wouldn't admit that he was fat, but he was indeed "big boned". How could a young woman possibly lift up someone at least twice her weight, with only one arm? There was only one answer, she was a freak.
"Where is Obsidian?" Jade hissed in Dengar's face, her patience was running out. No one touches Obsidian, not even Boss. If the wolf was missing a hair, Jade would rip the pig apart, limb by limb, quite literally. Her grip on the pig's collar suddenly loosened, and her claws clamped onto Pigma's blubbery neck.
"I . . .I don't . . . know!" Pigma coughed, feeling her freakish strength on his neck. He wheezed through his constricted trachea, trying to breathe.
Jade glanced up the top of the cliff, but Obsidian was no where in sight. In anger, she held the pig by the neck and threw him against a shrub. Pigma landed with quite enough cushioning, but he was definitely scared, and his whole body throbbing in pain.
The black cat raised her rifle and pressed it into the pig's chest, "I will pop your heart like a bubble, if you don't tell me where Obsidian is."
"Andrew has him! Don't shoot me! Please. . ." The pig whined, he didn't want to die, not like this.
"Thank you." Jade said with her melodious voice, almost like a song. She smiled, flipped over her rifle and smashed the butt against the pig's head, knocking him unconscious. The proper authorities would take care of him soon enough. It was time for her to find Obsidian and capture Andrew as well. She ran as fast as he could, with her rifle strapped on her stinging back, towards the path that Obsidian always took. If Oikonny harmed her partner in any way, she would definitely tear him apart. It didn't take too long to find Obsidian though, and she smiled in relief.
Obsidian stood in front of Andrew, the tip of his rapier touching the monkey's throat. Next to them was Andrew's broken blaster, cut cleanly in half. The wolf grinned, "I never thought catching you would be so easy, Andrew Oikonny."
"Shut up, Leon would kill you! You freak!" Andrew felt the razor sharp point of the rapier threatening to break his skin, and fell silent.
"Freak huh?" The young wolf chuckled, "You and your metal implants look freakier to me."
Jade called her Boss on her cell phone, smiling happily at Obsidian. "Hello? Boss, guess what? We have two of the StarWolf team members captured, Piggy and Andy. Yes, we will send them to you as soon as possible. Yes, don't worry, everything is under control. Yes, they are fine, just a little bashed up, that's all."
The cat closed her cell phone, "Boss is pleased, except for the part about me bashing up Piggy."
"Why did you tell him that?" Obsidian asked with a disgruntled voice.
"He will find out, no matter what."
Pigma Dengar woke up with a throbbing headache, and found himself in a prison cell. Not any prison cell, but a prison cell of the High Security Prison. Andrew was no where in sight, nor was anyone else. He was alone within a cell, with one wall made of unbreakable glass. No, there must be something that he could do . . . If he stayed, he would definitely be executed, just like Wolf, or worse. He had faith that Leon would come and save them, or someone would. This wouldn't be the end. This couldn't be the end.
The pig pressed his swollen face against the glass wall, trying to take a better view at the corridors. This was not the wing that they were in last time. It took Leon eight years to make the last plan, and this time Pigma and Andrew probably had less then two weeks. The pig slumped against a wall, defeated.
It was then that General Pepper arrived.
"Pigma Dengar! Long time no see." Pepper said through the glass wall. It wasn't sound proof, but it was indestructible to just about anything else. The general knocked on the glass with a big grin on his face, like a child knocking at the cage of an animal at the zoo. Except it was the lion knocking on the cage of its victim.
Lieutenant Ares walked down the hall to Damon's room, a package in one of his hands. He gently rapped on the door, it immediately slid open. Ares looked around the room, but it looked completely bare. The bed didn't even look like it had been slept in. Ares walked in, wondering where the kid had gone. He didn't have a reason to leave during the night. There was no reason for him to be anywhere but in his bed. Ares glanced around worriedly. Then he heard a whimper. He glanced around but couldn't find it. Then there was a series of yelps and whines. He looked up; Damon was sprawled out on the ceiling of his room.
"I forgot you could do that..." Ares said, shaking his head and chuckling. The kid had used it many times to escape the wrath of Pigma. His body was able to grip surfaces due to his reptilian nature. He would climb walls and hide on ceilings to escape Pigma's drunken rages where he would find the boy and beat him senseless for no reason.
Damon continued to whimper, both arms were flailing, as if he were trying to fight off what he was dreaming. Sirus couldn't help but feel sorry for the kid; he had a lot to have nightmares about. He wondered what particular dream he was having. He glanced down at the package in his arms, and remembered what he'd come here for.
"Damon, it's time to wake up." Ares said in a loud, but soothing voice. His response was a snort, and then another whimper from Damon. Sirus tried again, "Damon..." Still there was no response.
Ares walked over and flipped on the lights to full power, Damon's eyes flashed open and he looked around. He lost his grip on the ceiling and promptly fell. Luckily he was over his bed, and it broke his fall.
Ares walked over to him, and sat on the edge of the bed, "What's with your sleeping in, normally the softest whisper in here and your wide awake. How do you get so ready anyway?"
Damon smiled weakly to Sirus, "I've had to wake up quickly most of my life. I've never had a chance to be groggy or I would be beaten or yelled at. I've always had to be alert." Damon then frowned, "The reason I didn't wake up this morning is because I've been up all night thinking. Thinking about all the problems we've been having recently. Then when I can get to sleep I have horrid nightmares, and don't stay asleep for very long. It's been like this for a few days now. I'm getting little sleep and its kind of starting to wear on my alertness."
Ares patted his shoulder, "Well, you know if you ever need to talk, then you can come to me. Anytime, night or day, don't be afraid. I don't mind being awoken either." Ares then changed the subject, "Well, it's time for you to get dressed."
Damon looked down at himself and yelped. He was clad only in a pair of white briefs. He had to sleep in his underwear so his body could grip the surface. He tried to cover himself as Sirus chuckled at him. Damon blushed hard enough to show through his short fur, his cheeks appearing a dark shade of crimson.
"Hey kid, it's okay, it isn't like I haven't seen a pair of briefs before. Look at it this way, at least it's me, and not Krystal in here." Ares said. Damon was cowering on the other side of his bed, still clutching his front. Ares chuckeld again, "Listen, I have something for you, but I can't give it to you if you hide like that."
Damon fidgeted, then crawled up on the bed, and curled up in a little ball. Ares smiled, and rubbed the hybrid's back. "Why are you so embarrassed? We're both guys after all."
Damon frowned, "Everyone used to make fun of me in the shower room. I was the only boy who wore briefs. Then they made fun of my appearance, especially one place in particular."
Damon continued to hide the front of himself. Then Sirus remembered, back at the StarWolf base they forced Damon to walk around nude. With no clothing he had no protection, from beatings or humiliation, he was completely exposed. Sirus knew why the boy was so underdeveloped; he was a eunuch since birth. He'd never received his manhood because of his hybridization, they never grew in. They would tease him because of this condition, and it was only one of the many horrible things done to him.
As Ares he realized he had to act like he didn't know, "What's wrong, how did they make fun of you?" Damon began to sob lightly, and then revealed himself to Ares. Sirus stared at the frail frame as he spread himself out.
"In the showers they liked eunuch and female. They'd steal my clothes just so they could laugh at me. I never got any peace anywhere..." Damon softly began to cry. "Now I'm just so ashamed of my hideous body. Please, please don't tell anyone, its so embarrassing..."
Sirus hugged Damon as he began to cry, "Don't worry Damon, I won't tell, and I don't think you're body is hideous." The older wolf wiped away his tears, "Now look and see what I've brought you."
He handed Damon the package he had brought. It was a long box wrapped in plain brown paper. Damon began to tear the paper off, and then lifted the lid off the box. He choked on his tears, and looked at Sirus happily.
"Go try them on; we have to see if they fit." Sirus smiled as Damon tried on what he had bought for him. It was a new set of clothing, a StarFox uniform of sorts. Although like each tem member had their different style, Sirus had gotten him an outfit different from what the others wore. The base was a red short sleeve jumpsuit. He was given some white boots, and white fingerless gloves, a white flight jacket, and a white scarf. To top it off he was given a red beret, with the Star Fox insignia stitched in white. The insignia was also stitched in red on the left breast of his jacket, and white again in the same place on his jumpsuit.
Damon did a light spin, showing that the clothes fit. Sirus smiled and patted Damon on the back. "There, you look like a member of the team now. I thought you needed something a little more formal for the funeral today. Your blue cadet's outfit was looking a little old, and thought this would make you feel more part of the team." Damon smiled and hugged Sirus.
"Thank you Mr. Ares, thank you so much..." Damon walked out of the room with Sirus to go and wait with everyone else for the funeral.
Fox stood at the small podium that had been set up in front of the caskets. He stared at all four, his eyes straying on the right most coffin, the one draped with the Cornerian flag. Inside lay Bill, his friend, this was the final goodbye in this life. Fox spoke, "Friends, we're all gathered here to honor and mourn our beloved friends. It's funny how time, and life passes..." Fox looked at the small sea of mourners, he began to tear, "The day before he died I saw my old friend for the first time in eight years. It was at another funeral, the one for Wolf O'Donnell that we were reunited. Perhaps it was fate that we were to meet one last time before he died." Fox choked on his tears and then regained composure, "Bill and I were best friends all through our academy years. We were together through thick and thin. In the Lylat Wars, Bill assisted my team on our way to defeating the tyrant Andross. He and his family have done much for all of us. Now they have been taken, and I know for their good deeds they go on to a better place. We should all strive to be like the Greys. They will always have a place in our hearts..." Fox stepped down from the podium and took out four of the magic crystals from the plants, each a different color and laid them on the graves. When the caskets would be dropped a magic crystal plant would grow and shine over the grave.
The StarFox team was preparing to leave after the caskets were lowered. Fox was leaning on Krystal and sobbing softly. Soon there were voices calling after them, two young male voices. Everyone turned around to see a pair of canines running to them. One was a husky and the other a bulldog, both in their mid-twenties. Their faces also were streaked with tears.
"Fox, Fox McCloud, please wait!" the husky yelled. He was waving his arms. He was tall and thin. Finally both caught up with the team, "Thank you for waiting."
"That was a beautiful eulogy; we just wanted to thank you for doing justice to the commander." The bulldog said smiling, but tears still streaming from his eyes.
Fox sadly nodded, "May I ask who you two are?"
The husky nodded, "I'm Lorenzo Harding, Captain of the Husky Unit. This is Samuel Tintoretto, Captain of the Bulldog unit. We fought together at the battle of Katina."
Fox smiled, "I remember it well, thank you for your support at that critical time. I'm glad to have met you." Fox was smiling weakly, and his voice was cracked from crying so much. Tears streamed forth, but his gratitude shone through.
Sam spoke, he was shorter and due to his Bulldog ancestry was slightly stocky, "We were proud to serve under Commander Grey, and it's an honor and a privilege to meet the savior of the Lylat system, as well as being a close personal friend of the commander."
Lorenzo spoke, "He treated us like brothers, we were comrades in arms. He will be severely missed."
Sirus smiled, "That he will, but he has many friends who will cherish his memory dearly." Fox turned and smiled to Lieutenant Ares.
Sam nodded, "Well, I hope our paths cross again some day. If you ever need assistance we'll be there for you." Both Sam and Lorenzo saluted Fox. The leader of the StarFox team stood then on his own two feet, looking amazingly regal and powerful, like he had just defeated Andross all over again. He saluted the two captains and then turned to walk back to his ship.
Jade walked out of the CIA headquarters, glancing back and forth before approaching her hover-bike. Her lawful work for today was complete, and it was time for her underground work. The black cat snickered at the irony. A CIA agent by day and an underground assassin by night, she had kept her lifestyle rather secretive. Her only entertainment was perhaps working with Obsidian, whom she would meet later tonight. But first, she had to get something to eat, since her body required it.
The cat put on her red helmet, the same color as her suit and her bike, the same color as blood. She placed her briefcase under the storage compartment, and sped off towards her favorite restaurant, with lots of seafood and fish. She had an enormous appetite for seafood, probably because of her feline heritage. The cat stopped by the takeaway window and placed her order. Two pounds of cooked shrimp and a filet of raw salmon was her favorite snack with Obsidian. Of course, he would bring along his barbequed ribs and steak. They would do this everyday, snacking on their favorite foods while watching the sunset, discussing their family matters with each other. In many ways Obsidian was her brother, sometimes she would love him, but more often they would find themselves quarrelling with each other like children. Not now though, not during this hour, when the sun was about to set.
Jade headed towards the shore, her hover-bike speeding along the sandy beach. At this rate, she would arrive there in five minutes, but something unexpected was going to happen today, and she was about to be late.
Her bike was working fine as always as she drove towards the base of the cliff, when a high power laser ripped through the front of the bike, shutting down the frontal G-diffuser. As a result, the nose of her bike dived into the sand, and the black cat was thrown through the air. She made a spectacular dive roll to lessen the impact of the fall, but she was still stunned somewhat. There was a sniper out there who fired that shot, and the sniper was probably waiting for his or her rifle to recharge before firing again. Almost mechanically, Jade ran towards the crash site of her vehicle to retrieve her weapon. Just as her hand reached the handle of her suitcase, a second shot grazed along her back, singing through her leather jacket and searing her flesh. She hissed and ignored the pain, and dived behind a bolder at the foot of the cliff to take cover. The sniper wasn't a particularly skilled one, since he managed to miss two shots, but it was enough to alert the assassin.
"Ooh, looks like someone wants to play." Jade said, opening her briefcase, revealing her favorite sniper rifle. She assembled the blaster within fifteen seconds, the unlocked the safety. Whoever this sniper was, this was his unlucky day. "Excellent, now bring it on."
The assassin peaked out the side of the bolder then quickly retreated. Another blast of laser skimmed the rock, showering fragments over the cat. However, with just one glance she had located the attacker. And he happened to be Pigma Dengar, who Jade would refer to as "Piggy". Knowing that her boss won't be happy to see Pigma ripped to shreds, Jade once again turned down the power on her rifle. This allowed her to fire rapid shots, at a reduced firepower. However, one shot was more than enough to take Pigma down, but the thoughtless pig thought he had the situation under control. Leon had told him everything about the black cat. She was supposed to be the second cousin of Lieutenant Ares, the new pilot of StarFox. Unfortunately, the information Leon received was false, and Pigma was about the find out the hard way.
Jade grinned at the thought of roasting the pig and sharing his corpse with Obsidian, but she decided that it was quite pointless, and the wolf would probably scold at her for that. The black cat waited a little while longer before she planned on her attack. Since Piggy was a non- professional sniper, his arms are bound to get tired from supporting the sniper blaster. It was at that moment that Jade would strike, possibly knocking Dengar unconscious with her low power laser. There was still a risk involved in her plan. If Dengar was stronger than she thought, she may get hit by his laser blast.
"Come out a play with me, Kitty Cat!" Pigma shouted, looking through the scope of his rifle. Yes, the blaster was heavy, and the pig's arms were getting more and more tired by the moment. "Stop hiding and let me shoot you! It shouldn't hurt too much!"
Jade giggled at Piggy's empty taunts. A successful assassin must be patient, like a lioness stalking her prey. Pigma was definitely unworthy to be called an assassin, according to Jade's standards. She waited for about another minute, before getting ready with her own rifle. She already saw where the pig was by a mere glance, and what was left was simple: Rise, aim, and fire.
Pigma Dengar did not realize that he was shot, in between the eyes, until he felt his body falling backwards into the scattered foliage. He couldn't understand what happened. One moment he was shooting at the cat, the other moment he saw a flash from the rock, and he was falling. The pig was unconscious before he hit the ground. The hunter had become the hunted.
Jade quickly scanned the trees and shrubs for any another threats, then a sickening thought surfaced in her mind. What if Pigma shot Obsidian? Immediately the cat felt her heart pounding, knocking violently against her ribs. She ran over to the unconscious pig, grabbed him by the collar and pinned him against a tree. Noticing that the pig was unconscious, Jade kneed the cyborg pig in the groin as an attempt to wake him. It worked.
"You monster!" Pigma shouted, his teeth grinding in pain. Somehow the skinny kitten was able to pin him to the tree with one arm. Of course, the pig wouldn't admit that he was fat, but he was indeed "big boned". How could a young woman possibly lift up someone at least twice her weight, with only one arm? There was only one answer, she was a freak.
"Where is Obsidian?" Jade hissed in Dengar's face, her patience was running out. No one touches Obsidian, not even Boss. If the wolf was missing a hair, Jade would rip the pig apart, limb by limb, quite literally. Her grip on the pig's collar suddenly loosened, and her claws clamped onto Pigma's blubbery neck.
"I . . .I don't . . . know!" Pigma coughed, feeling her freakish strength on his neck. He wheezed through his constricted trachea, trying to breathe.
Jade glanced up the top of the cliff, but Obsidian was no where in sight. In anger, she held the pig by the neck and threw him against a shrub. Pigma landed with quite enough cushioning, but he was definitely scared, and his whole body throbbing in pain.
The black cat raised her rifle and pressed it into the pig's chest, "I will pop your heart like a bubble, if you don't tell me where Obsidian is."
"Andrew has him! Don't shoot me! Please. . ." The pig whined, he didn't want to die, not like this.
"Thank you." Jade said with her melodious voice, almost like a song. She smiled, flipped over her rifle and smashed the butt against the pig's head, knocking him unconscious. The proper authorities would take care of him soon enough. It was time for her to find Obsidian and capture Andrew as well. She ran as fast as he could, with her rifle strapped on her stinging back, towards the path that Obsidian always took. If Oikonny harmed her partner in any way, she would definitely tear him apart. It didn't take too long to find Obsidian though, and she smiled in relief.
Obsidian stood in front of Andrew, the tip of his rapier touching the monkey's throat. Next to them was Andrew's broken blaster, cut cleanly in half. The wolf grinned, "I never thought catching you would be so easy, Andrew Oikonny."
"Shut up, Leon would kill you! You freak!" Andrew felt the razor sharp point of the rapier threatening to break his skin, and fell silent.
"Freak huh?" The young wolf chuckled, "You and your metal implants look freakier to me."
Jade called her Boss on her cell phone, smiling happily at Obsidian. "Hello? Boss, guess what? We have two of the StarWolf team members captured, Piggy and Andy. Yes, we will send them to you as soon as possible. Yes, don't worry, everything is under control. Yes, they are fine, just a little bashed up, that's all."
The cat closed her cell phone, "Boss is pleased, except for the part about me bashing up Piggy."
"Why did you tell him that?" Obsidian asked with a disgruntled voice.
"He will find out, no matter what."
Pigma Dengar woke up with a throbbing headache, and found himself in a prison cell. Not any prison cell, but a prison cell of the High Security Prison. Andrew was no where in sight, nor was anyone else. He was alone within a cell, with one wall made of unbreakable glass. No, there must be something that he could do . . . If he stayed, he would definitely be executed, just like Wolf, or worse. He had faith that Leon would come and save them, or someone would. This wouldn't be the end. This couldn't be the end.
The pig pressed his swollen face against the glass wall, trying to take a better view at the corridors. This was not the wing that they were in last time. It took Leon eight years to make the last plan, and this time Pigma and Andrew probably had less then two weeks. The pig slumped against a wall, defeated.
It was then that General Pepper arrived.
"Pigma Dengar! Long time no see." Pepper said through the glass wall. It wasn't sound proof, but it was indestructible to just about anything else. The general knocked on the glass with a big grin on his face, like a child knocking at the cage of an animal at the zoo. Except it was the lion knocking on the cage of its victim.
