Parasite Awaiting

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Fox, but I own Galaxy Wulf.

Chapter 5 - Escape

There's no way out…

Those words throbbed in Wulf's mind. In front of them was an infected Panther Caroso and behind them were Cornerian dog soldiers slowly being influenced by the parasite preserved in his left arm. He wished to use the parasite's power manifested on that limb, but Bark said otherwise… He couldn't risk himself…

"Don't… be… afraid!" Panther, assimilated by the organic life form, assured them. "Look at me! I've… become stronger… and… I don't feel… any pain! Wolf… and Krystal… come… and join… me!"

Wolf growled with fury, "Don't you dare talk to me like that! You're not Panther! You're that virus who infected him and the rest of the soldiers here!" However, the black feline just laughed with animosity. "Huh...? Panther, snap out of it!"

"It won't work, Wolf," Bark told the wolf as he pulled him by the shoulder. "The one you're talking to is the same Panther Caroso. However, the parasite has influenced his thinking… Think of it like when they infest a machine. They scramble up the form of the object and rewrite its process. These abominations infect a host, and then they influence him. Even if it seems that the organism has controlled the host, that person knows what he's doing." He then glanced at the door. Many infected soldiers were waking up. "All right, we have to get out of here, quickly!"

I have to think of something…

His thoughts must be brought out. Wulf removed the bandage of his left arm, revealing his assimilated limb. The Lylatian group, including Panther, was surprised to see it. Bark, however, felt unsure.

"Wulf… are you…"

"I have to…"

Caroso suddenly lunged towards Wulf. The infected soldiers rushed from the door. It was an all-out assault.

"Why… do you restrain… the Zeta Probes… in you?" Panther asked as he clashed his metallic right arm to Wulf's left arm. "You don't… know… what you're… missing…"

Wulf looked at his back. Fox and company were firing shots of their blasters to the soldiers. If any contact was made, it's pretty sure that one of them would be infected. He must think of something to get them out of there.

"Sorry, Panther… but I don't want to play now…"

He thought hard about creating energy from his infected limb. Pain aroused a bit, but after a few seconds, an orb of perpetual energy was generated on his palm. He then hurled it at the unsuspecting panther, pushing him away to the wall, and thus a pathway was created. Everybody moved away to the alternate exit.

"Can… can we at least take him?" Wolf argued to Wulf. "I can't abandon him…"

He nodded. Besides, he knew Panther would be placed inside a safe place. He could be used for observations… Right now, however, escape was their goal. He carried the feline, and then dashed off with the others.

"Garou, hurry up and call Space Den!" Eagle shouted as he saw the number of soldiers chasing them increased. "We can't stay in this place any longer…"

"Gotcha!" the ice wolf replied with grin. He pressed a button on a device on his belt, and immediately, the flagship of Galaxy Wulf named Space Den hovered down. It didn't land, but it was low enough for them to jump on. Everybody swiftly boarded the ship as soon as the docking bay opened.

Falco continued to fire shots while everybody was getting onboard. In fact, he was the last one to get in. "All right, I'll be up there!" he shouted as he kept the dogs at bay. However, one was able to get near him. Lombardi was bitten at his left leg. He kicked the beast and he rushed to the leaving ship.

"Oh no, you have an injury," Krystal exclaimed as she noticed blood dripping from the bird's limb. "We should treat this one quickly! We don't know if that one's infected!"

"We have to move, now!" Bark commanded in a hurried manner. "Garou, Eagle, Lupina, you three go to the bridge and set a course out of this planet. Wulf, you bring Panther to the sick bay. We'll check on him. Star Fox and Star Wolf, you guys follow us." Everybody immediately followed him, and each of them went to their posts.

Inside the infirmary, Falco was recommended to stay at bed with a supersonic stabilizer placed on the injury. Of course, it was treated with medicine and covered with a gauze first. He was put to sleep. Infected Panther was placed into deep-sleep mode inside an embryo-fluid filled capsule.

Wulf looked at Wolf and Leon. He neared to them and spoke in a low tone, "Sorry about what happened… If I told you two about what we're trying to do a lot earlier, then… we could've at least prepared…" However, he only got a cold silent reply from the two. He knew they were sad because they lost a teammate. He felt that it's his responsibility.

"Wait… Wulf, you mean to tell me that these… unknown organisms… infected your arm?" Fox asked for clarification.

"Yes… Well, I was infected… In fact, I was almost under the control of these parasites, and from what Panther told me earlier, they are called Zeta Probes. Even with Anatyde inside my bloodstream, they were able to infect me. Thankfully, Bark was able to cage them in my left arm, and with the stabilizer, the Anatyde in me kept these Zeta Probes away. I can also use their power to create perpetual energy…"

"However," Bark added, "the more you use this energy, the more you are risking yourself to be controlled by these parasites…"

Peppy suddenly got lost. "Wait," he wondered, "what is Anatyde? How did you get them? And… why were you infected?"

"Anatyde is a living metal. It reacts to any electrical pulses, mainly the brain pulse caused by feelings, and it can generate plasma. That's how it got its alias, the living metal. I got myself in an accident in an Anatyde mine, and I was injured badly. Anatyde entered my wounds, and well, I thought I'd die. However, my will to live, a powerful emotion, triggered them somehow to mix within my bloodstream. I was still prone to poisoning, though, so Bark performed an operation at me, causing the Anatyde and my cells to fuse."

"Let me answer the last question… We had a mission to investigate an abandoned bio-laboratory. The location was in your system. We received information that it was a bio-weapon of some sort created by a syndicate. However, that syndicate was wiped out… thanks to their bio-weapon, the Zeta Probes… Wulf investigated the place alone, but he… Anyway, Anatyde makes him immune to any infestation whatsoever, but with these parasites infecting him, it is made clear that we're facing a deadly threat…"

Wolf and Leon just exited the place after listening from the two's explanation. They weren't interested in the mess they ended up. However, something still perked them for not leaving the place.

Slippy gave a relief, "That's a load of info…" He was then surprised after recalling the last statements. "Wait! You mean to say… Falco… cannot be cured?"

Bark nodded for the response.

"So, you're going to put him inside a capsule too?" Krystal asked. Bark again gave the same response.

Hey guys! Go to the bridge! You have to see this!

"Trouble… All right… Let's move!"

When they reached the bridge, along with Leon and Wolf, they were surprised.

"Uh, so, Star Fox, we're going to ask permission to you," Lupina whimpered as she pointed at the screen. "The ship shows your emblem! We have to blow that thing up to get to space zone!"

It was sad. They were facing Great Fox! However, that was not the old Star Fox flagship anymore. It's now infected with the Zeta Probes. It didn't have its honorable look now, for it looked like a monstrous vehicle.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Fox asked Peppy, for he was with Great Fox for a long time. "It's the only thing that kept my father's spirit along with us… Now, we're fighting it…"

Guys…

Everybody was then taken by the voice. They saw Falco, limping as he entered the bridge. He looked like he was nauseating or something.

Uh… I tried to get out of… the sick bay… so I won't… touch Panther… but…

He then yelled out as the stabilizer dropped from his leg. The area of the wound was now a metal-like bracer. Thick wires were ejected from it, and it went up to his torso. His pants ripped off, revealing spiked kneepads and metal shorts. The wires then crawled to his back, and it ejected metal wings, thus ruining his jacket off. As the infection finalized, Falco's now an infected avian with deadly wings and a helmeted head.

"This is trouble," Wulf thought to himself as he unleashed his neutron blade. "I mustn't use my left arm…" He then commanded to the others, "You take care of the enemy ship, I'll take care of him! Sorry Fox, but we have no choice! We have to blow it up!"

He stepped forward and grabbed his blaster. "Hey," he commented with a smirk, "if you're going to blow it up, repay me by having fun with him!"

Hey! How's it hanging? Sorry for the long talks, okay?