Darkness…

He was unconscious, lost to his nightmares; visualizing cruel torture, even his untimely demise. Fox suddenly awoke from his night terror, filled with pangs of fear. The lupine glanced around his room in confusion and panic. Everything was hazy… almost surreal. Fox stumbled out of bed; the atmosphere felt heavy. Fog enshrouded Fox's surroundings.

"What's going on?" Fox gasped, his words echoed around the room. He shambled forward, feeling ill almost spontaneously. Fox looked down and saw an unexpected sight; blood splattered the floor and wet the wall. As he peered onward he saw the dismembered corpse of Krystal; his lover, his soulmate. Fox gripped his stomach; he was cramped with severe abdominal pains. Fox kneeled to the floor; he gagged violently, tears streamed down his stained fur. He couldn't hold it in and he vomited relentlessly. The twinges were only getting worse, so Fox did the only thing he could do, he dropped to the floor and curled up in a ball…

Darkness…

He was unconscious, lost to his nightmares; envisioning the death of his most beloved friend and companion; Krystal. Krystal, that name held an unparalleled significance to Fox. This revelation was followed by flashbacks of his former life… How Fox's father died, the famed James McCloud. How Fox had defeated Andross, His Adventure on Dinosaur Planet and even his excursion to eliminate the aparoids. Then Fox had a glimpse of intimate moments he had shared with Krystal (these events take place after StarFox Assault); dinner by the lakeside… the movie theatre… the excitement of their work, as part of the Cornerian Elite Forces (CEF for short)… then just Darkness…

This was succeeded by a sudden flash of bright light; Fox returned to semi-consciousness;

Fox's eyelids flickered, he was fatigued and even the smallest strain resulted in brutal pain. The Terrors returned once more; all of the preceding events raced through his mind in mere seconds. Fox arched his back and screamed in agony, wrenching his spinal cord. He squirmed and struggled; the Fox was temporarily blinded from his convulsions. He almost didn't even realize he was bound. Fox's bear chest heaved nervously; his heart was still racing to dangerous extremities. He decided his best tactic would be to try and calm himself. Even if he couldn't see he could still examine his surroundings. Fox sniffed the air intently; the stench of decay was apparent. He could also hear the splash of water droplets muffled in the distance: he could tell this room had a low ceiling. Probably a cell of some sort Fox thought. The lupine's peripheral vision was returning slowly. Sweat beaded Fox's matted and disarrayed fur; as he took in his surroundings he felt pains in his chest. The graphic sight disturbed him; the remains of a previous prisoner were chained to the wall. What a horrible death Fox thought as he leveled himself. He noticed he was shackled to an iron bed, the only piece of clothing he had left was his tattered pants. This was all so perplexing to Fox, he couldn't remember any details of how he ended up in here. As he tried to recall what had happened his head started to throb and ache with excruciating pain. The flux of pain caused Fox to faint; to delve into his hellish nightmares once again…

Chapter 2 Haunting Reminiscence

Haunting memories flooded Fox's thoughts; black and white recreations of his past… He could barely remember his mother, what happened to her? Vivid details eerily persisted of his childhood, when both his mother and father had been alive. Somehow he could clearly recall his mother's distinct features, and yet it still all seemed so vague to Fox. She had been a caring and strong woman. She had always been there for Fox; she wasn't overprotective but very compassionate. She and James had been happy together, there was never a complaint of there marriage. Nor had they fought; Fox's family had been almost perfect. But the fates have a method of weaving people's lives in a way which they often end in tragedy. Fox's happiness had suddenly come to an abrupt end when his mother mysteriously disappeared. Several years later his father was killed when he was ambushed by Pigma; the Traitor. What had really happened to his mother? No one knew of her whereabouts; not even General Pepper, one of the most authoritative figures in Corneria. Had she been killed? There were never any reports of assassination attempts; no one held a personal vendetta against her… Then what truly happened? Even in his subconscious state the realization hit Fox like a brick. Perhaps she's still alive! The chances were slim, but something told Fox, deep with in him, that she was still living. Something nevertheless plagued his dreams though; what was her name? Fox could imagine his mother, how kind and caring she was, but it was almost as if part of her was erased permanently from his memory. He had forgotten her voice, the sweet, melodic tone of her gentle voice… How Fox longed to be united with his parents once again.

All of the sudden Fox heard something, from the inner most recesses of his mind;

"F-f-o-x… F-f-o-x… there was silence … F-f-o-x" the singsong voice echoed through his thoughts. "D-o-n-'t… g-i-v-e… u-p… T-there is al-ways hope… We are counting on you…"

"… Mom?" Fox gasped.

The reassuring voice dissipated, and Fox was pelted with tormenting visions. He saw his crew, the StarFox armada, being shot down by hordes of enemy fleets. Then he witnessed his own death, Fox spiraled downward, out of control in his R-wing. This was continued by more terrifying scenes; it seemed as if they would never end! Were these trials testing Fox's sanity to the limit? He didn't care he wouldn't give in, never! For the sake of Krystal, his friends and especially his parents he would never yield to evil, no matter what form. Fox was determined to succeed these nightmares, his survival depended on it!

Fox screamed in defiance and awoke from his trance. He was breathing laborious; sweat trickled down his tousled fur. Fox was tense, his muscles were tightened, and saliva driveled from his maw. Where am I? He thought anxiously; ...I have to get out of here! He strained with all his might, trying to break the shackles, but they held firm. Enraged, he gritted his teeth and stressed his taut muscles. Fox forced the shackles with such ferocity that they snapped. He sat up from his iron bed, arching his back and stretching his sore appendages. Fox subsequently went to work in an effort to unhinge the restraints binding his feet…

Chapter 3

The Inherent Gift

Fox closely examined the bindings on his feet; his eyes shifted, taking in every little detail. There's gotta be a way outta this Fox's thoughts raced through his mind; he managed a glance at the dungeon floor. Something caught his eye; a tiny shard of metal that had broken off from his shackles. This could be used to his advantage! He reached for the shard, but it proved to be out of his range. Fox composed himself and decided to try again, it was only thing he could do. The vulpine cleared his mind and focused on his goal, his mother's words still lingered; "there is always hope". Fox made sense of this, if he was determined enough he could achieve anything. So with out hesitation Fox extended his arm concentrating on the shard, it was out of his grasp… But if he could muster enough strength, perhaps he could stretch just a bit farther. But to no avail it was just too far away!

At that moment something triggered deep with in Fox; a flashback invaded his consciousness; He was back in Corneria with his parents. But there was something different about this scene… Or just something more profound, Fox noticed this whole recollection was 'different' then the previous ones he had. This memory was in color and he could here his parent's voices; they were calling him. But why? The vision was clearly more intricate and more meaningful than other reveries he had experienced. There was something Fox's parents wanted to show him. "What is going on?" Fox said aloud. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't recall this incident. It is almost as if it had never happened. Or maybe this episode of his life was erased from his memory, only to emerge at a particular time during the direst circumstances. Fox trusted this dream; and so he ran to embrace his parents. They enveloped him in a large hug; his mother and father looked down at him with their gentle and honest features. Fox looked up into their eyes trying to read their thoughts;

"Fox…" His mother begun; "You were born with a special gift"

James continued in turn; "Not only are you a born leader my, son. But you have also been granted an innate power that flows through our bloodline"

"Fox… please understand that this is not a curse but a talent bestowed upon you to protect you in times of trouble"

"My son remember; you have the power to achieve anything, as long as you truly desire it. Never have we seen any one who is as strong willed as you are; go forth and make us proud!"

With that his parents vanished and Fox was brought back to reality. He stared blankly into the abyss pondering what he should do. Something drew his attention back to the shard, causing him to focus on it once more. Fox felt a certain drive he had not felt before, almost as if he was consumed by an arcane power. Raw energy flowed through his veins; he could feel his vitality being restored. And there was that sudden glimmer in his eyes. Fox smiled slyly; he felt powerful again; as he did when taking on entire fleets in his arwing, alone. This rush of kinetic power filled Fox with utter confidence. He was ready once more, but this time he wouldn't fail! Fox deliberately opened the palm of his hand and urged his energy out from his body and to the iron shard. The ethereal force directed the object into his hand; floating into his grasp.

"Amazing!" Fox exclaimed. He stared down at his palms; waves of energy were beginning to dissipate. Enough he thought This is not the time, I have to get the hell out of here. Fox went to work with the shard using it as a lock pick. His keen eyes orchestrated his every movement. Surprisingly he managed to pick both locks in mere seconds flat. He stopped for a second and just listened, Fox could here footsteps coming his way. His heart raced, what was he going to do?

Fox maneuvered a quick jump, and escaladed up the prison bars. He was going to hide himself in a dark corner, where the wall met with the ceiling. Fox positioned himself so he could drop onto the opposition when it entered the cell. He watched intently from the shadows; like an assassin about to strike. All of Fox's senses were tuned in on his targets. As he listened the Vulpine distinguished two guards heading his way. Fox readied himself;

They entered; one of the soldiers was a well-built and lithe panther and the other was a shorter and stockier husky. I'll go for the cat Fox decided His lackey will be easy to subdue afterwards. With that Fox dropped onto his prey; and simultaneously cracked the panther's neck. He let the body fall limply to the floor. The action was so smooth and calculated his adversary had no time to react.

"What the heck!" the husky yelled in astonishment. He was about to ready his pulse-rifle when Fox said;

"Let's Tango" Fox round-house kicked the rifle right out of his opponents hands. The husky raised his arms and formed a fighting stance. This didn't nearly intimidate Fox one bit though because he was a full foot taller than the trooper. The husky made the mistake of attacking first; a haymaker was launched at Fox's face. He had a slick counter and grabbed the Husky's arm. Fox ducked his body under the punch and rolled with the motion of the swing. The soldier went flying overhead and crashed head first into the wall. This guy had excellent pain tolerance though and got up and wiped the blood from his face, even spat out a tooth.

"God" Fox said "You guys never make it easy" his sarcastic demeanor sent his opponent into a blind rage. The bloodied husky tried to grapple Fox. But like before he had an answer and grabbed the soldier's wrists. With dexterous agility Fox lifted his opponent's arms over his head and brought them down with blinding speed. Clamping the husky's wrists into a lock; this caused a cry from the canine.

"Had enough yet?" Fox grinned.

The husky growled menacingly in defiance;

"I guess not!" Fox replied

The soldier's upper body was unprotected so Fox butted him in the head once, then twice. For the vulpine's finishing move he placed his foot behind his opponents and tripped him. Causing him to fall backward; the husky smashed onto the floor and Fox slammed on top of him. Fox weight was alone enough to crush his adversary. Why are they always so stubborn? Fox thought, If he had submitted I could of spared his life…. He didn't give it an afterthought and stole the panther's uniform so he could disguise himself; Fox pillaged what arms they had on them. He gathered a blaster pistol, pulse-rifle, a taser and stun grenades. These would prove invaluable in his escape…

From the Ashes a hero emerges (part 1)

Chapter 4 will be written in 2 sections; here is part 1, enjoy!

Fox wandered the catacombs of the vast complex; How the hell am I going to get out of here he thought, pressing on. The only thing Fox could do was push on and hope for the best. He had left his cell behind almost an hour ago, but he didn't seem to be making much progress. The mazes meandered in so many directions that it was very difficult for Fox to keep a good sense of where he was. He was lost with out any incentive to keep going. Fox kneeled down letting his head rest against a stone slab; what was he going to do?

"Oh… maybe.." Fox shuffled through his possessions and found something that could prove useful. From the belongings he had stolen; the panther had an interesting device. A com-link geared with a palm-sized PC integrated GPS system. The PC was heavily encrypted; but Fox hadn't earned the title of master-hacker from his days back in the Cornerian Academy for nothing no one had surpassed his talents but Slippy of course! Fox jacked in to the system's restricted files and found some substantial info on his location. To his surprise his captors had been holding him on Corneria the whole time.

But two questions remained; who are they and why had they imprisoned Fox? From what he could gather they were some kind of alliance; a guild of mercenaries perhaps? This was all so puzzling to Fox; he couldn't remember how he had ended up here… Had they drugged him?

From the Ashes a hero emerges

Part 2

Fox flicked his com-link on and tried to get in touch with the cornerian forces; but there was nothing but static! There must some kind of interference with the transmission, Fox thought. Although fortunately for him he could still send small text-based messages; those couldn't be picked up easily. Fox sent an S.O.S. signal to General Pepper; but he was still unsure of his exact location. The details were slim and he could only transmit messages; there was no way for him to confirm if his allies had been contacted.

Fox got up and walked farther along the passage; leaving markings along the walls so he wouldn't lose his way. He kept going until he noticed that his path was on an incline. Was it leading to the surface? There was no choice for Fox but to persevere. The vulpine could here sounds coming from up ahead that he couldn't clearly discern. Creeping in quietly, with out making a sound, Fox listened attentively. It was talking alright; he could hear a whole group of mercenaries planning something. Fox could make out only a few words, but from what he understood they needed Fox alive. Probably for some kind of ransom; but what was their purpose?

Crawling on his stomach Fox closed in on the mercenaries letting his ears guide him. He took a left and came upon a sealed chamber; that was where the mercenaries were. It was evident, Fox could even here one of them pacing around the room. One of the leaders caught his attention, so Fox decided to eavesdrop on the conversation;

"Del'Jango did Zephere and Tyrus ever return?"

"No Vashell, Sir, we haven't heard from them since they went to retrieve the prisoner, your orders?"

"Send in a 4-man team, make sure they are well armed; If our guest has gotten free we don't want him to find out any unnecessary information do we?"

"Definitely not, Sir. I will have the team assembled as soon as possible"

Fox cocked his blaster; these mercs didn't know who they were dealing with!

The Renegade

This is the continuation of StarFox 01 Series 01; except this is from Falco's perspective. Please enjoy!

Falco rested his head lightly against his pillow, he was so out of it. What was wrong with him? He felt queasy inside; something wasn't right. His natural instincts told him something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He had recently been suspended from duty; but why was that? Falco thought. General Pepper had said I was acting too suspicious lately, that I could compromise his entire operation. What did he mean by that? Was it because I demanded to know what happened to Fox? Was that the whole reason for my discharge? Falco was tired of thinking, this was all too puzzling. As he tried to recall exactly what happened his head started to ache.

"God, I really need some rest" Falco was exhausted. It was almost as if he was compelled to sleep. He didn't care, he let himself succumb to his weariness. Too many strange things were going on, so he decided that this small "vacation" wasn't bad at all.

It was an unpleasant night; Falco was plagued with nightmares recurring nightmares. Oddly enough they were of Fox. Each time his dream repeated it was more horrifying and grotesque than the last. Not to mention more distinct. Falco envisioned Fox captured and tortured among a group of hellish and distorted figures. Who were they? It was almost as if Falco could think freely during his reverie. The dreams were freakishly real in a ghostly and ethereal fashion. The scenes were becoming more graphic and intense; pushing the boundaries of Falco's sanity. He writhed uncomfortably; sweat matted his tangled feathers.

Falco began to feel pangs of sheer pain. Something even more bizarre was happening now. There was a flash of bright, mesmerizing light and the episode changed, he saw Krystal in plain view; her features saddened, almost lifeless. Falco's breathing was fast and deep; he was awake and his eyes were wide open. But this vision entranced his sight, it was all he could see. Krystal was lying there, weeping on her bed; "Krystal? What the hell is going on?" But she never answered. Somebody entered the room; it was almost as if a scene was playing out before him. It's so real… Falco thought. But the fact that Falco couldn't intervene dispelled the authenticity of the dream. The shaded figure very silently snuck up behind Krystal. He examined her, for what purpose Falco didn't know. The shadowy assailant unsheathed a knife, carefully. Falco wished he could call out to her but he couldn't, he was constricted by the limitations of the dream.

Nooooo…. Falco said weakly.

The assassin swiftly raised his blade and slit her throat. Falco's eyes began to tear, he was usually adamantine but this scarred him. His body convulsed in a maelstrom of terror and disbelief. This dream was like an illness; wearing away what strength he had left in him.

ARGH! He managed to shout. Falco would not let this nightmare continue to scar him. Defiance was his defining characteristic; he was always strong willed! With this last burst of confidence Falco snapped out of his trance.

He tried to adjust, Falco's head still ached but at least most of his cramps were gone.

"That was horrifying, what the hell just happened? It didn't make any sense… Did it? Falco swallowed… Fox has disappeared, but General Pepper had even said that he was on some kind of top-secret mission. Did that tie in with Pepper's mysterious operation. Perhaps he was hiding something of importance. That made some sense to Falco; but why had he foreshadowed Fox and Krystal's deaths? Was that a real augury or just a nightmare?

Falco nervously called up Krystal, the phone rang a couple times. He tugged his collar, sweat beading down his neck. "Damn…." he heard some one pick up, finally.

"Krystal" he gasped.

"…." Silence.

"Are you there, who's there?"

He trembled, no one answered. It was just dead silence.

Falco urgently yelled into the phone;"If you are there, please listen to me I have.." He heard the receiver being slammed…

"Augh, damn! I better get over there…."

Falco grabbed his coat and raced out the front door. He hopped into his hovercar a slick exotic model with a flame template embroidering the hood. As he got in he adorned his comm-link and contacted Slippy, he was in garage as usual tinkering with a new invention.

"Slippy!" but he didn't notice, the toad was too occupied with his gadgets to respond.

"Hey Slippy this is important I need you to get over to Krystal's as soon as possible!"

He instantly broke away from what he was doing and spoke into his comm-link. "Can do!" he said assuredly.

"That means now!" With that Falco flicked his comm off and headed for Krystal's place…

Falco arrived outside the house several minutes later, but Slippy was no where to be seen. "God where is he?"

Falco tried calling him up one more time, but he wasn't there. Hope he's on his way, Falco thought.

This was a dismal night; it was raining and dark clouds veiled the sky. He peered into Krystal's house, but everything seemed dead. No lights were on but her car was there…

He dare not go in alone, his gut feeling told him to wait for Slippy. Falco padded his holster; he made sure he had his trusty silver magnum, it had come in handy more than once. Falco was about to investigate around the back of the house; when a shrill noise alarmed him.

Falco turned around quickly with his pistol readied. But it was only Slippy and that atrocious horn of his!

Falco briefly explained to Slippy his nightmares, he was taken aback.

"Falco I think you were suspended for a good reason, are you feeling alright? That dream sounds crazy… maybe you should see a psychiatrist!"

"Look Slippy you don't have to believe me. It was probably just a bad dream but I have a bad feeling about Krystal and Fox…"

"But I thought Fox was on…."

"I know that's what General Pepper said but Fox has been gone for a long time."

"I see what you mean that's fishy."

"And there have been bizarre things going on lately as well. I mean I haven't seen Krystal for a couple weeks…"

"hmmm.. So you care about Krystal, eh" Slippy said suggestively.

"Shut your god damned mouth, This isn't a laughing matter. When I called her up after something like 7 rings or so somebody picked up. I said it was urgent and that I wanted to talk to Krystal… but I don't even know who answered. They hung up on me… it was strange the person listened for a couple seconds. I am sure it wasn't Krystal she's not like that even when she's upset… Look lets just go inside. Maybe nothings wrong. Possibly she's not even home."

Slippy and Falco entered through the front door. Everything was dark and there were no lights on. They allowed sometime for their eyes to adjust.

"I think I can hear something coming from up stairs, lets go, quietly. Slippy be cautious and don't fumble, kay?"

He nodded. They crept up the stairs, surprisingly with out making a sound.

More than just a shadow…

Darkness silhouetted their figures as they quietly slipped through the shadows of Krystal's house. They wanted to remain unseen from anyone else who may have been prowling around. Falco had predicted that something would happen this very night. He had foreseen Krystal's death. He had to prevent this from happening.

Slippy may have been sceptical, but Falco firmly believed in his premonitions. As they climbed the stairs Falco could here the eerie noise growing louder and louder with each step. It sounded as if someone was weeping;

"This is playing out exactly like my dream" Falco whispered.

"… This is incredible… Everything is actually happening just like you told me before… The weeping is real, how could this be?" Slippy pondered hard for several moments but Falco nudged him on.

"This is no time to stop and wonder why; lets look around and make sure her house is secure"

Up ahead there was Krystal's room, but they decided they would look around first. After finding nothing the two regrouped and approached Krystal's room. She was weeping on her bed just like in Falco's dream. They glanced in, without alerting her of their presence.

Falco had keen eyes, he saw something move behind her, who was it? She hadn't noticed. More movement… The person emerged from the Shadows! Falco swiftly unsheathed his gun and fired; the assailant fell to the ground and Krystal screamed in confusion. She saw the body fall to the floor, then she turned and saw Falco motion to her. He ushered her to keep calm.

"Slippy watch my back, there might be more of 'em"

"But I don't have a weapon, you should have told me too…"

Falco sighed; "Usually I wouldn't do this, but here, take my magnum. Keep a good eye on Krystal, I'll see if that… guy has anything useful."

Slippy watched Falco but at the same time he decided to go over and try to comfort Krystal. Falco avoided the blood that was trickling onto the floor and turned the assailant onto his side. He examined the body;

"He was wearing some kind of resilient armour, I am surprised the round penetrated." As Falco searched through the assassin's belongings he found a jewelled dagger. "That's odd what the hell was he doing with this?" He remembered in his dream the robed figure had been wielding the same exact blade. Falco gasped and then dropped the weapon. Relax, he thought, perhaps there is some significance to this knife. Falco picked it up again and clenched it tightly in his fist. Hmm… interesting, it is light and well balanced, a very fitting tool for an assassin. Maybe I should hold onto this for just a bit longer…

Falco continued to search the rest of the body, but unfortunately he didn't find anything valuable, not even some kind of ID. As for guns, he managed to pilfer a custom-built plasma pistol; a very potent prototype.

"This is hopeless," Falco begun " we have no clues, what the F…" Falco's sentence was cut short by the sound of a gunshot.

"Everybody down now! Get away from the windows and find some cover"

They dove onto the ground; "Krystal do you have any weapons stored here?"

She seemed terrified, she was trembling madly; "Yeah, but in the basement…"

"Stay here, I'll be back just in a second" Falco rolled out from his cover and listened intently. He could hear foot steps, and lots of them. He peeked out the window, just for a split second. There were troops surrounding the building and they had secured his car;

"Oh Damn, we don't have anyway to escape…"

Falco returned to Krystal and Slippy;

"Here Krystal I won't keep you defenceless, you can have my pistol…"

She looked up at him, strained and tired; "… Thanks"

"Krystal, do you know what's going on?" Falco knew this was a risky question; especially now, but he needed to know what was happening.

"I… don't know for sure…"

"Later then, Lets get down to the basement, we need some arms, If we're gonna bust outta here"

They raced down the stairs, keeping to the shadows. Boom! Suddenly there was a loud crash and the front door was incinerated to smithereens. The Troops had detonated the entrance!

"Hell, we've got company" Slippy gasped.

"Who are they, Slippy can you identify them?"

Krystal bit her lower lip, they were about to enter…

"From what I can tell they are the Cornerian Elite Tactical Squad, CETS, but why the Hell would they be assaulting Krystal's home?"

Falco grinded his teeth; "Cover your eyes!"

One of the Elites shot in a flash bang in conjunction with a smoke grenade;

"Keep quiet, we'll be veiled by the smoke, we are close to the basement…"

As Falco was talking Krystal overheard one of the elites; "Find her; The Vixen, exterminate her on site. If any of her "loyal friends" are here than eliminate them too!"

"Falco we have to hurry, they're here… to kill us!"

This incurred shock from both Slippy and his Avian companion;

"Those confounded … Well we'll do what we have to to survive…"

As Troops entered through the front door they were almost at the basement, when one of them appeared from the mist and barred their way; "Stop you.. Arghugghg.. Uhgho"

Falco slashed him across the face; "Sorry no time to talk"

Krystal showed them where she kept some of her weapons stashed;

"Woah, you've got quite the arsenal here" Slippy said brandishing a tactical shotgun.

"You take what you need; Slippy give me back my gun; I'll take the sniper, if that's Ok, it's a matter of preference…"

Krystal appeared more cheery now, and smiled; "That's fine, hand me that CM 32 assault rifle… and the thermal scope, we should take everything… Our chances of surviving now are pretty slim, but life is always worth a challenge!"

The three smiled and nodded; this was there life; full of action and excitement. Without thrills there lives would be dull; they lived on ecstasy and adrenaline;

"You know I might enjoy living like a renegade once again…"

Slippy tugged on Krystal and Falco; "Guys I think they are closing in on our position we should make a run for it, now or never!"

"Through the window!" Falco leaped and crashed through a basement window. Then he helped Krystal and Slippy up.

To be continued…

Charge!

Opening; Falco, Slippy and Krystal are wanted for treason and murder; will they be able to escape with their lives? Somebody doesn't want them to… The C.E.T.S. aren't holding anything back, they are bringing in the big guns to finish them off. Falco's weary rag-tag group will have to put everything on the line if they are to survive.

They got out of the basement with relatively no trouble at all, it was easy to escape in the blackness of the night. Darkness was like a friend to them, cloaking their movement.

"Sarge, I heard something!" A Troop's commander turned to him "Around the back, I think there was some kind of commotion"

"Fine, send some heavily armed soldiers out to the back, lets have this placed surrounded, we can't risk losing them!"

Meanwhile Falco quickly devised a plan;

"Everybody hide; Slippy you're suited for close combat. Get to it, find a good position with cover. Krystal I don't want to strain you, are you feeling better?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Right, guard Slippy, use that bush as camouflage. I'll snipe"

With that Falco disappeared into the foliage. Slippy and Krystal took their places; it was time to take out the trash!

"Keen eyes never avert their target" Falco cocked his rifle and loaded the first kinetic round into the breech.

To be Continued…

This is part 1, I want to plan out an unparallel sniping sequence!

Chapter 9

Blood Red Skies

Blood Red Skies Intro: As the Sun rose the sky was shifted from dark blue to a deep red crimson. Corneria was eerily serene; too quiet for such a boisterous city. This silence was broken when the sound of gunshots thundered;

"Run" Falco urged. "We don't have much time. The reinforcements will arrive any minute." They ran through backyards, veiled by thick foliage. The rain had ceased so their tracks were still were mudded, they still had a good chance to survive.

"Keep it up, we can't slow down now. If we can get out of this residential sector we can escape into the forest!"

Krystal was still feeling energetic, but it looked as if Slippy was slowing;

"Falco, I don't think I can go on much longer… My legs are killing me and I'm out of breath." He stopped and panted for a few seconds. "I don't want to slow you guys down…"

"I know how you feel Slippy, and we're all exhausted but we have to push on. Here I brought some water along, I was saving it for later but you can have some. But not all!"

Falco gave Slippy a stern, yet sincere glance and smiled;

"… Thanks" He grabbed the bottle greedily and began to swig the precious liquid.

"Ok that's enough, give it back" Slippy was reluctant at first, but he realised he was acting childish and blushed; "Sorry, here take the bottle, God, I feel revitalized! Is that really pure water?"

"No" Falco replied. "It's water with some very rare nutrients added. It should keep you up on your feet for a couple hours…"

Krystal was interested; "A couple of hours?"

"Yeah, but its really expensive and hard to find"

"Maybe you and I should drink a little… If what you say is true than we will have a better chance of escaping…"

Falco thought about it; "Hmmm… But if we drink it all now we won't have any for later…"

End, don't worry I will continue soon!