Mission 35 - Joy and Pain

"Ah, good evening Mr. O'Donnell" Dr. Archimedes Zenotabi greeted the wolf in a friendly manner. Sirus on the other hand simply closed the door behind him with a thump as if it was a standardize action when speaking to the scientist. The unlikely hour of this meeting had implied some urgency, and the wolf was curious to know.

"I haven't been called that for a long while." Sirus said with a faint smile. In truth, he loved his old name very much. It was a name that struck fear in people's hearts, and one that easily as famous as Fox McCloud's. "So, Doctor, what do you need?"

"I need you to be mailman." Zenotabi said with a smile. From his desk the rat took out two yellow paper folders, "One Obsidian, another for Cody's parents. Both of them are top secret documents. Not even Admiral Pepper is to look at these, alright?"

"Alright . . ." Sirus answered, a little startled by the scientist's behavior, "What are they about?"

"The one for Mrs. And Mr. Tibet is for informing them with Cody's resurrection. Bring Cody along with the files when you deliver them. Inside are some new identification papers for the kid as well as some rules of conduct that their entire family must sign" The rat continued, "Once they sign, Cody is theirs to keep, but yours to train."

"That kid's talent far surpasses any of my students yet." Sirus added, "And most importantly, he is neither arrogant nor sycophantic."

"Good to hear." Archimedes nodded, "Just follow the standard procedure for the most part. Don't forget to warn them about the consequences of exposing a secret like that, understand?"

"Yes, I understand. What about Obsidian?" Sirus asked, tucking the files under his arm.

"It's a progress report about Jade." Zenotabi replied, "She is ready soon."


"Keogh, would you mind stepping into my office. There's something about your progress I need to discuss with you." Obsidian's voice said through the phone intercom on Chad's desk. His voice was calm, not the anger that he was generally used to hearing since he started getting called into the office. The tiger stood up from his desk and quickly began straightening his suit. "A pleasant voice from that old bastard must mean something good. That little cocksucker Damon must have done something right for once." The tiger thought to himself. He quickly closed the open windows on his computer screen, all containing erotic pictures of feline women. He looked down at his pants, tapping his foot and waiting for the bulge to become less pronounced. He quickly burst from his office soon after and walked to Obsidian's in the fastest way possible. He knocked on the door and a muffled, "Enter." was heard.

Chad straightened his coat once more as he entered, "What did you need boss?"

"Keogh, lock the door, I wouldn't want anyone else disturbing us." Obsidian smiled happily, "I'm very impressed with the improvement in the quality of your work. You've got great initiative to get that done in the amount of time that you did. I knew you were a hard worker, you just needed incentive."

"Thank you sir, you have no idea how long I toiled over those papers to get them right. I only wish I had done such a thorough job in the first place." The tiger said through a pronounced grin, all pearly white fangs showing his intense glee.

Obsidian nodded, "I'm sure, I'm sure, these papers have been gone through meticulously. This is a fine piece of work." Obsidian winked, "A fine piece of work you yourself did."

"Yessir!" Chad piped.

Obsidian let a burst of chuckle rain through, "In fact, I've only seen one other staff member with this thorough a report."

"Who would that be sir?" the tiger asked brightly, completely oblivious.

"My nephew…" the lupine said darkly, bringing an ominous feeling into the room as black as his fur.

Chad jumped at the change in his superior's mood, "Wh-What!"

"Come now, did you think I wouldn't notice something wasn't going on? Do you think I'm incompetent?" Obsidian snarled, "I worked with Damon for five years in the same office, I believe I know how he writes."

"That little dip, he finally broke didn't he?" Chad said angrily.

"Are you listening Keogh! I figured it out! The only reason he was able to do it properly is I gave him access to the material that should have been for you. He doesn't know it, but I helped him out." Obsidian glared at the tiger, "He does excellent work given the right circumstances."

"The little cocksucker, I knew it, he ran to you for help." The feline balled up his fists, "He'd go down on anyone just to make himself look good."

Obsidian leaped out of the desk, picked up Chad by the collar, and slammed him to the wall, "Don't you ever insult my family in such a manner! If you ever say such slanderous statements again you will not live to regret it!" he let go of Chad and let him slowly slide to the floor, "Get out of my office, you're fired."

"For what, having a little runt do my work for me!" Chad retaliated.

Obsidian held up two fingers, "Blackmail, and then there's the nasty amount of pornography you've been looking up on company computers. I've been watching you ever since I got this job, and you haven't done a single thing that was assigned to you. Face it Keogh, you've been nailed, I want your office cleaned out and your striped ass out of the building before the lunch break. That will be all."

"But…" Chad said desperately.

"That will be ALL!" Obsidian said firmly, turning his back. Chad simply glared at the wolf, balling his fists in frustration. He knew he couldn't fight him and win, but there was someone he could feed all this aggression on, at least one last time.


Captain Sirus Ares stood in front of a medium sized, two storied house. In one hand he held a brown folder, branded with the "top-secret stamp". The lupine stood at the door, cleared his throat, and hesitantly rang the doorbell. Several seconds later, a middle aged lizardess answered the door. At the first glimpse of her silhouette, the wolf had already concluded that she was a beautiful woman. She possessed slender, swan like neck, covered by faded yet fine emerald scales. Her eyes were the most amazing hues of greens and grays Sirus had ever witnessed in his life.

"Good afternoon," Sirus said after clearing his throat, "Ma'am. Mrs. Tibet, I presume?"

"Military personal are not welcomed here." The lizardess said coldly, "I suggest you make it quick, whoever you are."

"I am Captain Ares of the Cornerian Air force. I am here to deliver this to you ma'am." Sirus smiled as he handed the woman the folder. He watched her intently as she scrutinized it. "It's about Cody."

"Come in . . ." The lizardess said, her tone changing suddenly. If Sirus was not mistaken, her voice was already quivering with emotions. Once Sirus entered, the lizardess closed the door behind them audibly. "What kind of games are you playing with us now? Haven't you taken enough from this family yet?"

"I am sorry about your sons Mrs. Tibet." Sirus said, "But I believe that I have some good news."

"What kind of good news can you possibly have?" The lizardess said sarcastically, yet her voice was saturated with grief, "There is nothing you can do to bring my boys back."

"Actually . . . I was about to inform you that Lieutenant Cody Tibet is now being trained as one of the most elite fighter pilots in the entire Lylat System." Sirus smiled, happy that he told the truth, "And you should be very proud of him."

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE YOU BASTARD!" The lizardess suddenly burst out. She threw the folder at Sirus, who barely caught it. The woman stood up and pointed at the door, "DO YOU THINK YOU ARE FUNNY? OUT! OUT PF MY SIGHT! GET OUT BEFORE I CALL MY HUSBAND!"

Before he knew it, Sirus found himself being pushed out the door by a furious lizardess. There was a tad of a struggle between the two, but since Sirus understood Mrs. Tibet's feelings, he decided against forcing his way through with this government-given authority. Just as he was about to say something, he felt the time froze. At least, Mrs. Tibet froze. She saw.

"Sorry Mrs. Tibet, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise for you." Sirus said slyly, "Cody, go ahead and greet your mother."

"C-Cody?" She spurted out in her shock, "A-am I dreaming?"

"No Mom, it's me." Cody said as he exited Captain Ares' hovercraft and approached his mother. The lizard threw his arms around her, embracing her tightly. Two trails of sparkling tears ran down his cheeks. "It's really me."

"I don't even care if this is a dream or not anymore . . ." Mrs. Tibet whispered as she closed her eyes and held her son. She could hear his breath and feel his warmth. "Are you a ghost?"

"No mom, I am real." Cody said with a faint smile, tears of joy still running down his face. "I am sorry Mom. . ."

"Sorry?" She kissed Cody on the cheek and smiled, "Sorry for what?"

"Sorry for . . . dying I guess." Cody said with a sheepish smile, "It must so rough for you guys."

Meanwhile, Sirus simply smiled at Cody's reunion with his mother. He could only fathom the emotions that were surging through the pair right now. To see someone you love murdered, then able to see them living five years later was a sight to behold. However, under the current circumstances, such matters should be kept private. Quietly, the wolf walked towards the unclosed door.

"It would be best advised if you talk inside." Sirus suggested, holding the door open, "This is still a top secret situation."

Cody nodded at Sirus' suggestion and helped his mother enter the house, since she could barely walk from the shock. He also noticed that she was somewhat frail compared to the woman that he used know. Not to mention that she looked five years older than before. Perhaps it was all a result of the death of her eldest sons. The three eventually situated themselves in the lounge with a coffee table in the middle. Sirus casually placed the files on top of the glass slab, while Cody sat down in one of the simple, elegant sofas, still embracing his mother in his arms. Neither of them wanted to let go, as if this was a dream waiting to vanish into nothingness.

"Well Mrs. Tibet, I think we owe you an explanation more than anyone else." Sirus said, trying his best not to interrupt Cody's reunion, "When you are ready, you may ask me any question, and I will answer to the best of my ability."

"How did you do this?" The woman asked, still holding her long-lost son, "How is it possible?"

"Well . . . I can't really explain what they actually did, because I am only Cody's flight instructor with a bit of information." Sirus said, looking down at the carpet, "Basically, a scientist came up with a theory of resurrection and decided to put his theory to some tests, and Cody was his first experiment. With Cody's DNA and Leon's CII, he was able to create a body that has no cerebral activity. And, with the help of a Krazoa Spirit, he was able to infuse Cody's . . . essence into this body. We can't exactly say how much Cody remembers about his life before his death. . ."

"Well, I would say if not everything, a lot." Cody said with a smile, ensuring his mother, "At lest I won't forget about you."

"Right. . . And he seems to recall more of his memories when exposed to stimuli that relate to his old life." Captain Ares explained, "That's as much as I can tell you as to how he was resurrected. There are some legal issues regarding to this whole incident, but I will explain them to you later."

"I see . . . how about Cody's brother?" Mrs. Tibet asked. She was ready to be disappointed, but there was no fault in asking, "Did you do anything with him?"

"Unfortunately," Sirus began, "Cody's DNA and identity was the more convenient of the two, and thus Cody was chosen over Brian. I apologize for talking about such grave matters with little affection."

"Oh . . . its fine Captain, I . . . I can't really . . . I don't even know what I should say." Mrs. Tibet was in total awe. Although she was rejoicing over Cody's return, she could feel the pain over the loss of Brian. "There's nothing more that I can ask for."

"Excellent." Sirus said with a smile, "Well, there are a few things that I need to elaborate on as to what you and your family are to do. All of Cody's former documents must be replaced. Furthermore, since this is a top secret issue, no one else besides the immediate family members can know about it. To cover up, when asked or confronted, you must say that Cody never died, and was only missing after the terrorist attack five years ago. You may also say that the government made a mistake when registering his death for further support."

"I see . . . alright, I will do that." The lizardess said with a smile, "Is there anything else that I need to do?"

"You must also acknowledge the fact that Cody is a property of the Cornerian Government by law, and the Cornerian Government reserves the right to terminate or destroy its subjects in the future if you fail to keep this incident top-secret." Sirus declared, "This is not a warning to be taken lightly."

The lizardess held Cody tightly, fearing that she may lose her beloved son again, "Yes, I acknowledge that."

"Good." Captain Ares said with a smile as he opened the folder on the coffee table and took out a pile of documents. Among the sheets of paper was a contract of sorts, "Read this and sign at the bottom. I will need the signatures of you husband and younger son as well."

"Well, my husband won't be back till later tonight." Mrs. Tibet replied, "Would you mind to stay for dinner?"

"No thank you." Sirus said with a smile. The large lupine stood up and stretched his arms, "For the sake of your family reunion, it would be the best of my interest to come back tomorrow. Besides, I am sure you and you family will need some time to absorb all the information. So . . . any questions before I go?"

"I . . . I must thank you Captain Ares." The lizardess said, still holding onto Cody's hand, "Thank you so much."

"I can't take the credit of someone else's work." Sirus said, keeping his head down as he turned to open the door. "I am simply Cody's mentor. He is a very talented pilot . . . very, very talented. You should be proud of him."

"Sir, will we fly tomorrow?" Cody asked as the wolf walked out of the house.

"No genius!" Sirus barked with a smile, "Fifty pushups and a kiss for Mrs. Tibet, NOW!"


Chad haphazardly threw his possessions into random cardboard boxes that he had been provided with. He was nearly done with his final task when he saw the object of his desires. If he was going to leave, he was at least going to take a few named people down with him. He eyed Damon menacingly from his personal office. The mangy little hybrid was standing in front of a cubicle, a woman zebra sat in the desk. He smirked with devious intent. Chad was going to make sure they would pay, he was already fired, what more could they do to him.

Sitting in front of his computer, Chad opened the network messenger. Being the high ranking officer that he was, he had the power to make important announcements of certain cases. Of course, nothing could stop him from using the same network messenger to announce Damon's darkest secret now.

"Attention: Damon Ares is a eunuch." That was enough. After setting the priority of his message to the highest, he started a countdown program. In one minute and fifty-eight seconds, the message would appear one every computer's screen. Fortunately for the tiger, he had no intention to wait for Obsidian's wrath. Once everything was running according to his plan, Chad left the CIA headquarters, never to return.

Damon chatted with the women at the desk. It consisted a little about work, a little bit of idle chatter. Neither of them having anything better to do. There was an electronic chime, and the zebra took a sidelong glance at her monitor.

"And so this new cadet began rooming at our house…" Damon continued. He stared at the woman as she stared at her monitor, as if entranced, "Something the matter Gwen?"

The zebra whipped her head around as if coming out of a trance, "Oh…uh…no!"

Damon raised an eyebrow, "What's up?"

She clicked the message off the screen, "Nothing!" she began to giggle, a blush starting to show through her thin fur. She began to stare at him.

"Okay?" Damon said, obviously confused, "I'll see you later I guess…" and he wandered off, wondering why she was suddenly having a giggle fit. He began to walk towards his Uncle's office.

As he walked he suddenly heard more laughter, and felt as if the entire room were watching him. He tried to confirm his suspicions, but every time he actually looked at a person the quickly turned away, as if they were hiding something. In his lack of attention he ran into something solid, upon looking up he apologized, because it was a girl. She was a tall and slender jackal girl, the kind that most young boys dreamed about. Damon's eyes opened with a view straight on her breasts by accident, and he blushed. He looked at her face to say an apology, but she was looking elsewhere. Her eyes seemed to be zeroed in straight at his groin; Damon immediately blushed and clamped his open legs shut. As he slunk away he heard another set of giggles come from the girl. Damon ran the rest of the way to his uncle's office. He knocked repeatedly on the door until he was finally allowed admittance. Bursting into the room he slammed the door behind him and locked it. He stared at his uncle, his cheeks darkened from his embarrassing encounter.

Obsidian stared sadly at his computer screen, "I'm sorry Damon…"

"For…for what?" Damon began to sound nervous; he was disturbed by his uncle's solemn mood.

"I didn't expect it to go this way…I forgot to take away his power to do that…this is all my fault. I'm so sorry Damon…forgive me…" Obsidian turned away from Damon and bowed his head, as if he were ashamed to look at his nephew.

Damon walked over to the desk and stood by his uncle, laying his head on his shoulder, "What's wrong?" he was still completely oblivious.

Obsidian bowed his head lower, "Look…" was all he said. "I knew how upset you'd be, but I just wasn't thinking…"

Damon looked at the computer screen, read the message several times over. Tears began to cloud his eyes, "No…" he softly moaned.

"I'm sorry little guy." Obsidian said. He watched as Damon sank slowly to his knees. Gently he took Damon's head and laid it in his own lap. He stroked his fur in an attempt to comfort him. Damon simply cried softly, burrowing his face in his uncle's lap, but knowing he could not hide forever.


The barely audibly swipe of a keycard marked the return of the youngest member of the Tibet family. Slim, youthful and strikingly handsome, Patrick was truly adorable for both his parents and many secret admirers. Adorned by a pair of elegant, frameless glasses, his face lacked nothing other than a smile.

"Mom, I am home!" The teen cried after he shut the door. As a typical student of his days, he carried nothing other than a small single-strapped bag, which slung casually on his shoulder. As usual, his mother came out to greet him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"How was school?" Mrs. Tibet asked.

"It was boring, as usual." Patrick replied, shrugging slightly, returning his mother's greeting with a soft kiss of his own. Of course, Mrs. Tibet's tear-streaked face and reddened eyes did not escape the teen's sharp, icy-blue eyes. "Have you been crying again, mother?"

"Yes. . ." The middle aged lizardess sniffled and wiped her eyes, trying to efface the evidence. "Don't worry about it, I am fine."

"Alright then, if you need me, I'll be in my room." The teen replied as he scuttled off upstairs. Ridding himself of the burdensome schoolbag, Patrick fell face-forward into his bunk and decided to take an afternoon nap. It had been two days since he last slept.

Of course, his sanctuary was soon broken in by an intruder, an unexpected one too. Assuming that it was his mother, Patrick tiredly investigated his room with his peripheral vision. Without his glasses, the silhouette of the young man standing in his room suggested something impossible.

"No way," Patrick whispered to himself, "I must be dreaming. . ."

"No you are not dreaming kid." Cody said with a large grin, "You've grown . . . a lot."

Patrick sat up and scrambled for his glasses to get a better look at the lizard in front of him. The young man must be his brother; there was no doubt about it. "Are . . . are you Cody?"

"Yes." Cody could forgive his little brother for forgetting. After all, Patrick was only twelve when he died. Furthermore, it was actually impossible to tell whether he was Cody or Brian, since the new body that Dr. Zenotabi granted him was genetically identical to his old one. The details and slight differences between Cody and Brian were no longer evident. "So . . . how are you feeling?"

Patrick stared at his brother silently with eerie calmness before speaking again, "I know that you are a clone of some sort, but how can you possibly have Cody's personality and memories?"

"That's a surprising thing to say." Cody arched a brow. He would never expect Patrick to figure out so much by just looking at him.

"I've figured that it was possible to clone someone at an accelerated rate, but it is scientifically impossible for a clone to have the mind of the original individual. Unless you mind was somehow stored before your death . . ." Patrick adjusted his glasses, "Since that's impossible, I think I need an explanation."

"Even I don't understand it all little bro, they put some weird computer chip in my head. It kept my mind empty until they could bring me back into the body…and well, here I am." Cody said plainly.

"That's doesn't sound too scientific to me . . ." Patrick stared at Cody for a moment, "Alright, I'll buy that I guess."

Cody stuck out his tongue, "So you're not at all happy to see me. I'm nothing more than some freaky science experiment to you."

"No!" Patrick shot at his older brother, "I . . . I just . . . I am sorry."

"I guess mom and dad pulled you out of the military academy huh?" Cody asked, sitting next to Brian on his bed. Cody was quite surprised to see his brother in public school uniform rather than the high-tech military jumpsuits.

"I don't really care about the army anymore." Patrick answered, lying back down on his bed, "I want to become a scientist."

"I always thought you wanted to become a pilot so you could fly." Cody asked, looking around Patrick's room. He still vividly remembered how the shelves of this room were once covered by models of fighter planes, Arwings, Wolfens, Loadmasters, and posters of all sorts. Now all that remained on the shelves were hundreds of digital textbooks, their data stored in compact disks. "I guess not, huh?"

"Like I said, I don't care anymore." Patrick replied, "Flying, not flying, what's the difference?"

"I remember that I secretly promised you something five years ago, just before I died." Cody continued, as if he didn't hear Patrick's comment. "That one day, I will give you a ride on a fighter jet. . ."

Patrick stared at his brother silently, recalling the same words that Cody had once promised him. Suddenly, a surge of powerful emotions welled up beside him, like a great beast pouncing on a powerless prey. Together with the emotion came tears of joy and pain, intertwined in a homogenous mixture. He quickly turned around to face the wall, trying to conceal his tears. "I hate you, you liar."

"I am sorry . . ." Cody placed a hand on his little brother's trembling shoulder, trying to mitigate Patrick's feelings.

"Why did you . . . you and Brian . . . why did you get yourselves killed?" Patrick asked through his sobs, "Ever since you died the family was never the same anymore. Mom cries everyday . . . whenever she thinks about the two of you. . . Dad, he works and works like there is no tomorrow . . . he doesn't even come home half the time anymore . . . I hate it Cody . . . I really do."

"Come here . . ." Cody said softly as he gently grabbed his brother under the arm, pulling the younger lizard into an embrace. "Pat, you can't blame people for who they are. Mom and Dad love you very much, and nothing can change that."

Patrick held onto Cody allowing, his emotions to express themselves freely for the first time in five years. He had not cried since Cody and Brian's funeral, nor did he smile for true happiness since their death. The only thing that ever alleviated the pain was knowledge. With his heart constantly pursuing knowledge, he could forget about his pains, his problems. But now, he didn't have to do it anymore, because his older brother, his childhood hero, Cody, was alive.