"I bow to your will, my lord…"
"Quit groveling, and get up. You're embarrassing yourself and me."
"Forgive me, sir. Everything is going to plan."
"To the letter?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Good. Now, get the men working. I want him to be here by the time they are."
"But, my lord, it's hardly been worked on. Do you think it is… wise?"
"Are you questioning my judgment?"
"No, of course not, my lord."
"Good. You don't look half as appetizing as my last lackey."
VII
"Fox, what's happening down there?" Krystal asked over the com unit into Fox's earpiece. She gasped. What's down there? I can sense it- Oh no. Panic broke out in her voice. "Fox, you've got to get out of there! Hurry!" She circled in her Arwing around the crash site, trying to see him through the smoke. She saw him, and two… other things. She looked closer, trying to figure out what exactly they were. The brain patterns of thee two… things… screamed of death. One voice pounded in these things foul brains, making the creatures blind to all else but to kill the intruders. Us. She shuddered in her seat. Finally, the smoke cleared, showing Fox and-
The portal came back, with a flashing image of that thing in the middle, that demon-
They're- they're like demons. The best way to describe them, anyways. They stood ten feet tall, had leathery wings, and horns. Yeah, that's about the best definition of demon I can get… He raised his machine gun.
"Out of my way!" he yelled, unsure of how the demons would react. They unfurled their hands, revealing foot-long claws. Great. Just don't let them close, he thought.
He fingered the firing stud on the machine gun, and laser bolts came flying out. They hit the demons, doing no visible damage. Other than making them really, really mad. Which could make Fox really, really dead.
"I need air support!" he yelled over his earpiece. Static answered him. The demons walked closer to the wrecked craft. "Guys, don't be fooling around with me-"
"Calm down, Foxie, I'm on my way," said Falco's obnoxious voice. Fox hadn't been happier to hear it. He looked around skyward, but saw mostly smoke.
"You better not be fooling with me, Falco. I'm dead if you're not here!" Fox still didn't see any Arwings in the air.
"Those- those things…" Krystal's voice came over the com. She sounded like she'd seen a ghost.
"Krystal! Snap out of it! I need you down here!" Fox fired another burst at the demons, achieving nothing. They came closer…
"Fox! Dive behind your Arwing!" Fox jumped over his wrecked star fighter, shielding himself from any demons. He heard a roar, saw Falco's Arwing come overhead…
Krystal shook her head to wake up from her… dream? Nightmare? What just happened? Krystal looked up, and saw the wall of the volcano coming up in her viewport fast! Focus, Krystal! she told herself. She pulled up, flying up into the air, then turning over to go the other way, just in time to see another Arwing flash by Fox's... and a red flash to come out of the Arwing. He's crazy! she thought, knowing what he did. He'll kill Fox!
Krystal dove sharply, and an explosion from the ground caused her viewport to dim to compensate for the light. Her Arwing rocked a bit, and she jammed on the brakes and pointed the nose of the ship down, so she could see what had happened. He launched a Smart Bomb… He could've easily hit Fox with that, but… She looked down to the wrecked Arwing below, slightly singed… and Fox came out from behind it, slightly shell-shocked.
"Falco, I'm gonna kill you!" he yelled over the com. "Fine with me," Falco responded, "as long as we kill these guys first." Krystal looked over to the spot where the demons had been. They've been flash-cooked, she thought. Only ashes remained of the ten-foot tall demons. "That won't be a problem," she spoke to the com system, "They've been destroyed!" Her heart considerably lighter now, she brought her Arwing down far enough for Fox to jump on it.
Fox jumped up onto the wing of Krystal's Arwing, never happier to see her. "Let's get out of here. I'm tired," he said. "Roger!" came a response from Krystal, and she lifted off.
"Guys… we've got trouble," said Slippy's voice over the com. "Another one of those things just jumped out of the volcano! It's heading toward Krystal's Arwing!" "Not good. Krystal, you still have that Plasma Cannon back here?" Fox asked. "Yes, Fox, it's in the compartment, like it had been." Fox reached into a slot in the Arwing's wing, and a hinged compartment came open, giving Fox access to the Plasma Cannon. "Ok, Fox, I'm going to need you to shoot that thing down!" came Krystal's voice over the com. "Got it," he said.
He looked back, and saw the demon coming closer… it looked the same as the other two. He gently raised his cannon…
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End of Chapter VII. R&R. Questions will be answered. Comments appreciated. Thanks.
Black Swordsman342