Mission 12 – Blood and Steel

Andrew made it to the outskirts of the airbase without difficulty. The monkey dismounted from his hover bike, and began to walk towards the entrance of the large building. A pair of armed guards was at the door, but neither of them seemed to be paying much attention to their duties. Andrew glanced around him through his visor, trying to find more potential enemies. Finding none, the monkey headed towards a corner of the building, protected by darkness. He was already formulating solutions in his mind. He could stun both of the guards with his blaster, set the probes, and drag their bodies into the bushes. Leon could take control from there. However, it was risky, since someone may exit through the door during the skirmish, or one of the guards may call for help. At the end, Andrew decided to wait.

Fifteen minutes later, one of the guards began to dose off. His partner decided not to disturb him and let him rest. That was the last mistake he would make in his lifetime. Andrew smiled, and waited until he heard an audible snore from the guard on the ground. The monkey pulled out his blaster, turned it on full power, and shot the standing guard in the head. The guard's lifeless body slumped against the concrete wall, and crumbled onto the ground. Before the dosing guard could react, the monkey already held him at gun point. "Follow me . . . and not a sound."

The poor frightened guard nodded frantically, his hands in the air. He grimaced at the body of his comrade, and wondered if he would suffer the same fate. One thing he knew for sure, the man was definitely Andrew.

"Come with me." Andrew said pressing the blaster's smoking tip in between the guard's shoulder blades, "Do what I ask, or you will be just like your friend." The monkey pushed the guard towards the bushes, glancing around to see if anyone noticed.

"Sit down, right here, and close your eyes, open your mouth."

The frightened canine guard did what he was asked, hoping that Andrew would spare his life. Just as the man was thinking about the ways Andrew could kill him, he felt something alive squirm down his throat, and crawled back up his nasal cavity. He fell to the ground, grabbing his neck and gargled. As Leon had told Andrew, fifteen seconds later, all was still. The guard's body twitched slightly, as the probe's fibers connected with his neurons. His mind would still continue to function, as if he was in a dream, a nightmare.

Andrew walked back to the entrance, took the dead guard by a leg and dragged him into the bushes. If anyone decided to find the body, then their mission would be much harder to accomplish. By the time he got back to check the unconscious guard, he was awake. Andrew eyed the guard curiously, wondering if Leon's plan had worked.

"Good job Andy, now get out of there. I need an extra pair of hands back here."

Andrew smiled at the guard, who was now controlled by Leon. His task was complete. Soon enough, over one hundred members of the air force would be under their control.


Obsidian and Sirus were still sitting in Damon's room, each of them on either side of Damon. Sirus wouldn't take his eyes off the helmet. As if he didn't have enough burdens to bear, now he had to wear this weight. Sirus wanted so much just to hold him in his arms, but do to his injury he could barely touch him. He almost didn't want Damon to wake up until he was recovered, that way Damon wouldn't have to feel so distant. Sirus bent down and kissed his cheek lightly, wishing there was some way he could bear Damon's agony for him.

He glanced over at Obsidian; he was leaning over on the desk. His head resting on an extra pillow left under the bed in case Damon wanted it. Obsidian was sleeping soundly, his rhythmic breathing overshadowing Damon's faint gasps for life.

Suddenly Damon's breath became harsh, gasping as hard as he could to get air. Suddenly his eyes flashed open, and he began sputtering and coughing. His eyes darted to Sirus, a gurgling moan emitting from his throat. Sirus' eyes flashed to the IV, it was completely dry, because he had completely forgotten to check it. Damon started up another coughing fit, waking up Obsidian. Damon began to cry, only further hindering his breaths. Obsidian just stood there stunned as Damon shuddered and gasped in torturous pain.

"Obsidian, help him! He needs medication, NOW!" Ares yelled. Obsidian completely snapped out of it. The young wolf began fumbling through drawers. He found one, but it was only a quick shot of morphine, something tat only lasted a few minutes. Obsidian quickly filled a syringe, removed the old IV, and shot the painkiller into Damon's arm. Damon continued to writhe in pain, continually gasping for air. Finally there was a faint change; Damon's breath began to slow. The pain was slowly subsiding. Sirus sighed with relief, reaching down and squeezing Damon's hand gently. Damon flicked his eyes over to Sirus through the mask.

"It's over now," Sirus said, "Just rest…" Sirus felt awful, he should have been paying more attention. The kid wasn't in much danger. He was receiving the same oxygen supply as he was receiving before. It was merely the shock of returning to so much pain that he felt he needed to fight for more are, causing the coughing fit. Sirus looked up at obsidian, "Well, aren't you supposed to be getting something?" Sirus said almost accusingly to Obsidian. Obsidian nodded, running out of the room to get a new IV bag for Damon.

Sirus continued to squeeze the hybrid's hand, and began gently stroking the side of his neck. The wolf talked to Damon, "Don't worry; he'll be back with more painkillers." Damon began flicking his eyes around, only just becoming aware of his helmet. He let out a soft whine, his body too exhausted to even whisper.

"I'm sorry Damon; you're going to have to wear that for now. It's for protection, for you and everyone else. It'll prevent Leon from controlling you from now on." Sirus gazed sadly, Damon let out another faint whine, his eyes filled with fear. "Damon…yes, you attacked another person. It was Fox, Leon used you to try and choke him to death. Fox had to shoot you with his blaster several times to get you off. So your condition is now slightly worse then when you first came in here."

Damon looked down, but the helmet prevented him from looking at his body. He began to cry, tears watering his eyes. Sirus wanted to hug him, but there was no way he could pick up Damon without causing more damage. Sirus tried to calm him down, "Don't cry Damon, it's not your fault. I'm sure Fox doesn't blame you. This is all Leon; it's all Leon's fault." He looked down, but his words brought no solace to the little hybrid.

Obsidian crept in, carrying a new bag full of painkillers. Removing the old one and disposing of it, he hung the new bag in its place. He walked the rack over and placed it in Damon's arm. He noticed Damon was crying and frowned. Obsidian looked at Sirus sadly, but with intent, as if he were trying to tell him something.

Sirus knew what the young wolf wanted. He nodded to Obsidian, it would bring a little joy to the hybrid, and with the intent gaze he gave the both of them, they knew he would keep the secret.

"Damon, there's something I need to tell you…" Sirus said softly, "This is something important, but something you can tell no one else you know. Can you keep a secret?"

Damon stared intently into Sirus' eyes, and then tried to nod, but not getting very far due to his weakened state, and the hindrance of the helmet. Obsidian smiled, pleased Sirus had decided to tell Damon the truth.

"Damon," Sirus said, "I'm not who you think I am. I am not really Sirus Ares. It's merely a charade thought up by General Pepper for everyone's benefit." Damon stared disbelievingly into Sirus eyes. The older wolf continued, "I'm actually Wolf O'Donnell…"

Damon's eyes changed, he looked hurt, like suddenly he had become the punch line of some grand joke. Damon's eyes turned away from Sirus. Obsidian spoke, "Damon, he's not lying to you. Don't think we're saying this to fool you. We want you to be happy, but we're not going to trick you to do it. Sirus Ares is actually Wolf O'Donnell."

Damon looked back at Sirus, a soft whimper. Sirus just nodded, again he reached his hand out, and Damon weakly grasped it. Damon smiled, and then softly faded into slumber, never fully letting go of Sirus' hand.


Captain Samuel Tintoretto sat in front of his desk, reading some top priority documents. Apparently General Pepper wanted the Husky and Bulldog units to be ready for an attack tomorrow, during Pigma's execution. Most of his men were resting by this hour, and they would be quite disgruntled tomorrow morning when they find out about this mission. The bulldog smiled at the amusing image of his comrades, groaning as they wake up. His thoughts were soon disturbed by a faint knock on the door, closing the folder containing the documents, he answered the door. It was Lorenzo Harding of the Husky unit.

"Hey Harding, are you getting ready for assignment from Pepper too?" Sam smiled at his old friend, "This is the biggest thing since the war, you know."

"He noted that StarFox might not be joining us in this one too." Said the husky, "We might want to do some planning, formations and stuff, just in case. If Leon and Andrew are really coming, it might be a tough fight."

"Lorenzo, we outnumber them a whole unit to one plane. I seriously don't think it would be that difficult, even if they show up." Even though he had heard of the infamous abilities of StarWolf, it seemed very unlikely that anyone could battle a whole unit of experienced pilots. Not to mention that General Pepper probably selected other fighter units to stay alert for tomorrow's event. "Are you sure we should spend our bed time working on formations?"

"Why not, it's not like we have much time to sleep anyway. It's twenty-two thirty, and Pepper expects us to be ready by four in the morning" Lorenzo said with a grin, "Come over to my house tonight, we can brush up on our tactics."

"I still think you are getting hyped up for nothing, Harding" Sam smiled faintly, heading towards the door, "But hanging out at your house isn't a bad idea. But if you ask me, I would prefer a bar."

"Sam, you are going to fly four in the morning, I don't think it's a good idea to drink before that." Lorenzo eyed the bulldog, his arms crossed.

"Calm down, I am just kidding." Sam rolled his eyes. "Let's get going then." Lorenzo was too serious, especially when it came to flying a plane. The bulldog slid the door open, and beckoned the husky out, turning off the lights. They had no idea that Lorenzo's suggestion would save their lives tonight, as the two walked out of the building.


The infected guard crept silently into the barracks; following him was a canine he had caught off guard in the bathroom. The new puppet wore nothing but a pair of boxer briefs. They walked into one of the rooms. Inside were five slumbering pilots. They walked to the largest pilot. A well muscled equine, who was snoring softly. Each of the infected men grabbed the horse under the arms and pulled him to the ground. The canine immediately jumped on his chest, and pinned his arms to the ground. The horse arose at this rude awakening. "What's going on here?" He began to focus, noticing the underwear clad Doberman pinscher sitting on his chest.

"What is this, are you guys queer or something? Come on, I'm in nothing but my boxers guys." He squirmed, embarrassed that this guy had pinned him while he was in nothing but his boxer shorts. The others began to awaken to the commotion, and he grinned. "Guys, help me, I don't know what these two are doing but they're dragging me around in my underwe-AGGH!" The guard shoved one of the probes down his throat. The other four leapt out of bed also only clad in socks and boxers, watching in horror as their comrade convulsed on the ground.

The large equine's eyes flashed open; he stood up and stared at the four angrily. He walked over to the closest pilot who wasn't a slave, a skinny young kangaroo, shuddering at the sight of his comrade stalking towards him. The large horse picked up the shuddering marsupial by the throat with one hand, holding him, but still allowing him to breathe. The kangaroo clutched at the hand, thrashing his legs viciously. The horse held out his other hand expectantly, the clothed guard placed an activated probe in his palm. The kangaroo gazed in fear and tried to scream, but was cut off by the probe crawling down his muzzle. The kangaroo was dropped to the ground and he, like the horse, writhed for about a minute and then arose. The four infected men turned to the three that were left, a raccoon and a pair of twin lizards. One of the lizards ran up and gave the doberman a swift kick to the groin, but the canine only chuckled. The lizard stared in wonderment; he removed his socked foot from the canine's boxer briefs. The blow should have completely disabled the dog, but he wasn't affected at all. The doberman returned the favor and swung his leg up, connecting with the lizard's family jewels. The lizard buckled over, clutching his manhood, trying to placate the pain. The horse picked up the raccoon by the head and slammed him against the all, then dropped his unconscious body on a bed. The kangaroo walked up to the other lizard, who obviously afraid now. Nevertheless, the lizard held up his arms, ready for a fight. The kangaroo spun around him and wrapped an arm under his chin, cutting off his air supply and circulation. When the lizard stopped squirming, the kangaroo let go, and the lizard slumped to the ground, unconscious like the raccoon.

The first lizard looked up to see the doberman standing above him. The canine reached down and squeezed the lizard's pride. The lizard tried to scream in pain, but a probe was lodged in his mouth. The last thing the lizard remembered hearing was from the other room. Something about stopping the brawl because people were trying to sleep, an officer would be called if they didn't stop. Then everything for the lizard went black.


"Incoming hostile aircraft, all units please report to hanger immediately." said a metallic, feminine voice throughout the speakers of the airbase. "All units please report to hanger immediately."

"I guess this is for real." said Captain Harding to Captain Tintoretto as they boarded their fighters, "Good luck."

"You too Harding, thanks for the tips last night." the bulldog replied with a smile, climbing onto his military fighter's cockpit. He turned around and barked at his men, "Hey! Hurry up and sit in your birds the bunch of you!"

"You know, sometimes I think you work them a little too hard, Sam." Lorenzo teased through his intercom. The husky's fighter plane took off, along with his entire unit. Sam grinned at the comment and closed his cockpit, checking his equipments. Perhaps he was working them a little too hard, but authority is authority, there was no questioning of it. His men would follow him, and he used to follow Bill Grey, General Pepper, and so on.

"Alright boys, let's rock n' roll!" shouted the bulldog, as his fighter jet sped off. As he flew, he realized that his men were lacking enthusiasm today, but he wouldn't blame them. After all, they had to wake up at four in the morning. The Bulldog unit formed themselves into a "V" formation, following the Husky unit ahead of them.

"Enemy spotted." Lorenzo's voice boomed over the intercom, "I find it quite amazing that they think they could take on over a hundred men with a couple of shoddy Interceptors."

"So you two are Bill Grey's underlings huh?" One of the husky pilots broadcasted over the intercom. The question was puzzling, to both of the captains. First, the question was asked in a casual way, in a somewhat disrespectful tone. Secondly, it was completely out of line for an inferior officer to speak to their superiors without addressing their titles. Even Sam and Lorenzo had to address Bill Grey with the title "Commander".

"Husky Four!" Lorenzo barked, "What's your problem, are you out of your mind?"

"Maybe someone drank too much coffee this morning." said another voice from the Bulldog Unit. "Right, Captain?"

Sam chuckled at the joke, completely oblivious to the danger around him. All of his men were infected with Leon's cerebral impulse interceptors. One side was indeed outnumbered one hundred to two, but it was not Leon and Andrew. It was Harding and Tintorreto. The hundred planes flew on, towards the heart of Corneria City. Pigma Dengar would be executed at an execution ground near the prison, near the outskirts of the city. General Pepper had successfully kept it away from the public and the media, so no one in the Lylat system would know of Dengar's execution before the event occurs. Pepper's plan was brilliant, but Leon's plan was perfect.

"You know, I wouldn't mind dying on a day like this." said a reptilian pilot in the husky unit. Then, without a warning, his ship crashed nose-first into a skyscraper and exploded in to a fireball. Both Sam and Lorenzo were speechless.

Another fighter dropped his altitude and crashed into the heart of the city, its wings tore through buildings and vehicles alike. The fighter plane skidded on the main street, mangling unfortunate vehicles and pedestrians alike before it finally came to a halt. Smoke began to rise from the two crash sites, but that was merely the beginning.

Another pair of fighters dived, then another, another. . .