Chapter Three: Opening the Past
I don't own Star Fox, but I own my characters. Using my characters means you have to ask permission from me and giving me credit. I would be delighted then when you do! This is probably one of my long-running stories, so bear with it!
"I think this green jacket fits perfectly along with my grey tank top!"
Falco kept on jeering while the two canines ignored him. The ignored bird repeated what he said over and over again whilst they are sitting on the seats of a transit heading to a station near a nuclear laboratory. Wulf groaned angrily after being irritated repeatedly.
"I'm usually on my cool side, but please don't make me angry," he moaned with a furious touch, "and you don't want to try my patience. You're browsing for better upper clothing made us wait for another ride, thus we wasted so much time, that maybe Leon already went home. Remember, he's our only link to Wolf!" Falco suddenly stopped and just moped on the side. However, Fox was intrigued about Wulf's statement earlier.
He asked with a presence of caveat, "I'm just interested… How'd you know Leon Powalski would lead us to Wolf O'Donnell, and how'd you know that chameleon is working at the nearby nuclear lab we're about to go to? Are you using your instincts or intuition, or are you up to something fishy?" Obviously, he still doesn't trust Wulf, even though he knew he isn't working for Wolf.
"I'm just being resourceful," the lupine remarked, trying to clear Fox's doubts with assurance. "Before I met up with you, I already made a quick search on Leon. Being very sure that Wolf wouldn't be in last year's census, I looked for the chameleon since, from their records in Star Wolf and a squad leader's intuition, they're the ones who're very trusting to each other. Wolf can't trust Pigma because he works for money, and so does Andrew because he has a connection to the boss he used to work for. Leon has no background to mistrust so the two got close friends."
"And that means…" Falco, who got interested from the subject, wondered.
"That means before their team got destroyed," Wulf continued, "Leon probably agreed to help Wolf, or maybe he knew something like where to find Wolf. When my team searched name entries from the census that tells the name, occupation, and home address the entry inputted, but no Leon Powalski was found, obviously because his name is something you don't want to hear in your neighborhood. But when we inputted just Powalski in our search, numerous names appeared, and the closest one is Noel…"
Fox smiled in a way he discovered something. "That's pretty damn smart of him, reversing the spelling of his name to get a new one," he praised with a sarcastic feeling. "What a bitch though, showing here in this planet and working as a regular citizen! How was he able to cover his crummy face?"
"He's a scientist, so maybe he used some cosmetic surgery, and maybe so did Wolf," Wulf answered immediately, noticing that their ride is almost over. "We compared his census photo to his arrest photo when he was a Star Wolf member, and by the similarities, we've figured out that Noel's Leon." The vehicle then stopped, making him, Fox and Falco stand up. "We mustn't waste time. I don't know when's work time will be over, that's why we have to catch up with him and ask him a few questions."
The three made a quick get-off in order to save time. The laboratory is just a few pedestrian blocks away, and the traffic seems to be light, so the crowd won't be clumping on the lane. As the three dashed off, Falco's interest in his old foe suddenly made him ask a question.
"What's the lizard's job in that lab anyway?" he asked Wulf as he tries to keep up with him and Fox. "The geeks who work in that place are smart that they should've noticed that they just hired a criminal! And I thought scientists are so magnificent not to mention nerds!" Wulf growled at him, giving a stop from his insult.
"In those buildings, what matters is the brains, not the looks," he growled as if he was about to bite Falco. "Besides, even though they knew he was a criminal, they'd still make use of his brain, otherwise they could've just sent him to jail. And if your insult refers to all scientists, then you're insulting my friend and teammate who thought of using the census search." Falco became silent once more.
After a few more turns, they were there. A building named Nuclear Unification and Kinetic Elements Incorporated, or NUKE Inc. for short, made Wulf, Fox, and Falco stopped running. The avian heaved after a distant sprint, but suddenly regained his energy. They'll need it once they enter the institution.
"We want things to be done very fast," Fox explained quickly, giving a quick glance towards Falco, "but remember that we don't want to cause any ruckus. There're still civilians working in there, and we don't want to bother them. Now let's go!" Wulf smiled at him after that short command, making him wonder why the team got disbanded. It was such a waste.
Wulf talked to the security guards guarding the entrance of the building. They look like raccoons wearing military outfit. He politely asked, "Good morning, gentlemen! Um… we're here to see Mr. Noel Powalski. Is there by any chance that he's here?" One of the soldiers laughed at his good gesture, making Falco angry.
"Let me kick their assholes! They need to be taught a lesson!" Falco whispered to Fox as he readies himself for fisticuff, but was held back by the vulpine. Like what he said earlier, he doesn't want to cause any trouble, and he doesn't want to start it from the outside.
One of the guards answered while he continues to laugh, "Oh, that chameleon?! He's working inside the Machinery Section, doing some stuff like a Spectrum Amplifier and the like. You can find him by just walking straight and heading down to the stairs. He's at floor B1, and the room is just near the steps. Why, do you want to give him something?"
"Oh, well, you see, we're his… cousins!" Fox quickly replied as he instantly thinks of some answers. "We wanted to see him, that's why we wanted to visit him. His reptilian father wants to bid hi as well!" The guards then allowed them to come in after hearing the reply, and soon after they got a few steps away from the entrance, the guards continued to laugh. Falco wondered why Wulf still keeps it cool despite the mocking by people, but Wulf just sighed.
They continued to walk forward, ignoring the strange structure of the lobby and the people, usually scientists, are everywhere, walking, talking, and other business stuff to do. Fox, Wulf, and Falco glanced here and there for a while, and then continued to go down the stairs, heading to F-B1.
"Hmm… so the Machinery Section is just… there," Fox pointed it out as soon as he got down. "What are we waiting for? Let's go and interrogate him."
"Wait," Wulf warned Fox, as well as Falco, before going in. "We're here as friends, not enforcers, all right?! We don't want to bang him when he'll say I don't know where he is, or other horrible torture. If we went along in there smoothly, things will turn out great."
Falco scoffed sarcastically, "So you want us to go in there and have tea party with that lizard!? Great, that's just great! And you know what? I forgot to buy him a fucking gift, maybe a bomb or something!" Fox got annoyed and stopped the two from fighting.
"Will you two cut it out?!" he groaned as he pushes them towards the opened door. "Now just do whatever you like until he tells to us where the hell Wolf is, understood?"
As they enter the room, to their surprise, nobody was there except for one person. He was just there, fixing some stuff from scrapped metal and other junk from old machinery. As the person stood up and walked towards the light, they realized that he is none other than Leon Powalski. What would he do against them? Will he fight or flee? What would be his reaction towards or against them?