Parasite Awaiting
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Fox, but I own Galaxy Wulf.
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Chapter 8 - Space Station
Thirty minutes had passed since Galaxy Wulf and Star Fox, along with Wolf and Leon, arrived at the space station near the planet Sargasso. The group remained there, trying to figure out what to do in the crisis that just occurred at Corneria. They also remained alert, as the whole place was a hide out for criminals who were left uncaught.
"Ten minutes from now," Bark reported while showing a graphical image of a planet being engulfed with violet color inside a yellow-colored camp, "Corneria will be devastated and infested with the Zeta Probes. It will be futile to return there. Until a solution is discovered, we might as well stay here and plan."
"Right," Garou mumbled impatiently. "I might as well join Lupina and that hot chick outside…" He exited the camp, leaving Wulf, Bark, Fox, and Peppy.
"Hot chick?" Fox gave a small giggle. "And I thought Panther was the only one who's after her." He paused for a while, and then continued with a different tone. "Speaking of Panther, what will happen to him and to Falco? Will they remain inside the capsule until we stop the aliens?"
"Sadly, I'm not sure if this is like the Aparoids case," the dog replied and shook his head. "The previous parasite Lylat faced had a weakness - when the source of the Aparoids was destroyed, so did the underlings. I'm not sure if the Zeta Probes follow such effect."
The Lylatians - Fox, Slippy, and Peppy - looked down to the floor. Wulf knew that their hope almost vanished. "Hey, he said he was not sure, he didn't say it won't happen." He removed the bandage on his left arm and told them, "Look at me. I'm infected, but I'm still fighting my way for a cure."
The frog smiled at him. "Yeah, you're right. Although you weren't contaminated much because you have that Anatyde thing, you gave us some light." He then stood up and stretched his arms. "Well, I'm off for some exploring."
"Careful now, Slippy," Peppy warned him. "Even if we're allowed to stay here by Leon, we don't know exactly if the other crooks want to see us." He nodded and left the room. The rabbit looked down and sighed, "Hmm… Yeah, it is kind of boring in here. I think I'll follow him…" He followed the toad who exited the place.
Fox recalled what happened earlier. "That Lupina… She only punched Wolf, while I almost got severed during my past encounters with him," he mumbled loud enough for Wulf to hear. He thought that he might give a wrong idea, so he added, "Uh, it's nothing! I'm just hoping that what she did was enough for him to snap out…"
"I think I know what he feels," the handicapped wolf replied as he wrapped his left arm once more. "He thought that he had done nothing to save his teammate. He believed that he and his team were dragged into the mess forcefully. Finally, he reckoned that he was starting to get weak, at least towards you… You've been doing many heroic deeds lately, and he had flunked about many times… His pride got hurt, and so he waited for an opportunity. When Bark commanded for a landing here, he realized that he had an advantage - he owns this place, for he could command people here."
The dog suddenly squeezed in the conversation. "That's why, before waking him up, I thought of making him hot-headed. I told Lupina to play with his temper, and well, you know what happens next…" He looked at the two, who were slightly grinning at him. "What? We need not to be prideful at this time, and so I had to remove his ego. Believe me… That was the mildest way I could think of. I didn't want to go to the extremes." He then chuckled for a bit before advising them. "I suggest you two to relax while you still can. We need leaders like you two. Go out and enjoy! Don't worry about me. I'll fix this place up before leaving…"
The two looked at each other before agreeing. They both stood up and left the tent.
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"Krystal, stand back!"
Lupina told her as she swiped her knee towards two monkeys. "You perverts, trying to peek in women!" The two were flung away, as if a powerful swoop advanced towards their cheeks. They were lying on the ground with their bleeding noses and bloated faces. "Criminals these days… They don't know when to respect the ladies!"
"That was nice of you, Lupina," she smiled back while touching her chest for a bit, "but don't you think that that was a bit too much? I'm not trying to be a pacifist though." The she-wolf smirked for a while before dusting her legs.
"Hey, don't wander around here, okay? There are dangerous people around here!"
Somebody suddenly cautioned them from afar. That person caught up with them after a moment. It was Garou, and he was shocked to see the two crooks knocked down to the floor. "Whoa… So much for the warning…"
"These outlaws don't know anything about martial arts. They rely too much in their weapons," Lupina concluded as she swung her long black hair. "Anyway, since you've been here, Krystal, do you know by any chance where the heck Star Wolf stays?"
"I haven't seen the place during our mission," she answered keenly, "but I do remember seeing Leon going to that spot earlier, when we were fixing up." She pointed a white dome structure with two flashing poles. By the looks of it, it was uninviting yet a decent place to hide.
Garou smacked his hands together and growled, "Well? What are we waiting for? We don't want the ice to melt, now do we? Come on!"
The three headed to the said structure, knowing that their visit might be unwanted.
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"Looks like we have company," Leon told the lupine, who was inside a room with some sort of training equipment lying around. "Should I shoo them off, decimate them, or greet them?"
"Let them in. I don't care. It's not that something won't happen or anything if we don't let them in," Wolf roughly replied as he punched the red bag once more.
The door slid upwards, allowing Lupina, Krystal, and Garou to enter the place. They were surprised to see the entrance hall. It was simple yet clean - the walls were white, there were potted plants, and there were seats. You wouldn't recognize it as a home of a criminal. They walked forward to the only opened room, and they saw the two.
Wolf, who was only wearing his black pants, was easily pictured - he was sweating, with perspiration dripping on his bulky body. Leon was in his full -body suit made of strong spandex. It seemed he was simply inside a home.
"What do you want?" the alpha wolf, a person who didn't like entertaining guests, gruffly growled at them. "You want to punch me again? Sorry, but I'm too busy."
Lupina was about to jump at him and kick his face, but Garou held her back. "Umm, let me try this one, okay, Lu?" he smiled at her. He then faced at him and scratched the back of his head. "Err… Yo! You see, we need some help, and maybe you and Leon could be some help?" He knew well that that act was completely pathetic.
"You need to do better," Leon grinned with a sign of insult. "We are not teachers in a class who are about to excuse a failed student."
"Um," Krystal tried to convince them, "why don't you join us?" She took a deep breath and continued, "Don't you think it's rather futile not to assist us? I mean, pretty much later, you're going to fight these parasites, so why not help us now?"
Lupina suddenly added, "Or are you a coward? You're hiding your fear beneath that gruff look and tough physique…" Krystal and Garou were surprised to hear her say that.
"I'm… I'm not afraid… No… I'm not…!"
Wolf's voice echoed the room. He took off his eyepatch, revealing a scarred left eye. Unlike the right one, it had a green iris. "I'm… I'm not like before! I'm not showing fear! See? Can't you see?" he shouted back while gripping the eyewear tightly. His voice was fainting, then. "No… I'm not… like… before…" Tears slowly crawled out from those eyes of his. "No… there's no more… Pigma's gone… I… I won't… I won't be afraid anymore… NO!"
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