What has happened to both Fox and Fara after their abrupt landing? You're about to find out.
Chapter 34: Recovery and Recuperation
I told Fox that we were pushing our luck, that someday it would run out. That almost happened, and we almost lost two people I call my friends in the process. For all our sakes, I hope this doesn't happen again. – Slippy
Darkness.
Silence.
The lack of sensory input was a wonderful feeling, one that he wanted to stay and experience. But there was something…a certain something…that was hovering just outside his personal space, something that was interfering with his time away from the world.
On top of that, there was a nagging feeling of something that was far more important than anything he was experiencing right now. Something he had to find the answer to immediately for some reason or another.
Focusing on whatever was nearby, Fox McCloud worked his way out of the blissful peace and quiet that encompassed his thoughts and back into the world around him.
"You lied to me last time, allowing my pilots to skirt their duties for a few hours. My staff and I regretted that move for the rest of the day. I'm waiting right here."
"You will vacate these premises right now, General, or I will call security and have you escorted out of here. Inside these chambers, they will follow my orders, and you know it. Go bother your other pilots if you want details of that mission of yours so badly."
Devan smiled as he listened to his boss argue with Pepper, knowing exactly who would win the argument before it even started. Taking one last glance at Fox, who currently lay on the bed in front of him, clad in little more than the basic white hospital gown commonly used, he made sure his vitals were within reason via the display on the wall above him and watched the battle of words progress.
The pair stood face to face near the entrance of the medical bay, Pepper's towering presence fighting against the aura of authority that Zhen emitted. It was a battle that the panda had every intention of winning, but she had other, more important things to deal with. "Now if you'll excuse me, General," she said calmly while looking him straight in the eyes, "I have patients to look after. Please leave, before we both do something we'll regret later."
Ducking his head so he could hide the huge grin now forming on his face, Devan happened to glance at Fox, who to his surprise had his eyes open and was looking directly at him. Pepper on the other hand had spun in place and stomped off, clearly upset but knowing that there wasn't much he could do about it. "Come over here a moment, Zhen," said the hare as soon as the canine had gotten out of earshot.
She walked over with a curious look on her face, glad to finally have the hotheaded General out of her office. "Is there something I—" Looking down at her patient as she neared, she was surprised to see him awake. "Well what do we have here?" she asked with a pleasant smile. "Good morning, Fox McCloud. How are you feeling?"
Fox lay there, staying quiet as his head moved from side to side, obviously trying to find somebody. Unable to locate his objective, it became clear that based on his movements that he was going to sit up. The medics moved to stop him, placing their paws on his shoulders. "Don't even think about it," said Zhen gently. "Wait a few minutes before you get up, or you'll regret your actions. You've been out for the last 20 hours. You need to give your body some time to adjust."
The vulpine muttered something in a hoarse whisper as he moved his paws back on top of his stomach, showing that he was going to comply for now. Devan leaned in closer and tried to understand what he just said. "Care to repeat that?"
Blinking his eyes as he stared at the lights stretched across the ceiling, he tried again after taking a moment to gather his strength. "How's Fara…and the rest of the team…doing?"
Devan hesitated just a moment before responding, trying to make sure that with his answer Fox stayed in bed for a while more. "They're doing fine. Just lie there and I'll get them for you."
Shaking his head in disagreement, Fox cleared his throat, pleased to see his voice start to come back. "Why don't I—" He cut himself off with a pair of coughs. He tried again before he could be interrupted, this time more successful. "Why don't I believe you?"
Zhen took command of the conversation at this point, now able to understand the vulpine fully. "Devan, why don't you look after Ms. Phoenix for right now. I'll answer our patient's questions."
"Sure thing." He turned and walked off, tapping buttons on his datapad to bring up the relevant information he needed.
Looking back over to Fox, she glanced at the monitor above him and said, "Okay, Fox, let me be completely honest with you. The three males on your team are in perfect condition, or as close as they're going to be anyway. I just approved Slippy to return to the cockpit earlier today, and judging by his mood, he's eager to fly once more."
"What about Fara?" he rasped, coughing once more.
She smiled and shook her head, not exactly surprised to see this much concern for his fellow pilot instead of his own. "Don't interrupt. I was getting to that." She looked at her datapad as she continued. "You are in relatively good condition, although I worry about how long you were unconscious before. For your own safety, I'm temporarily removing you off the flight roster for a day or two. Go relax, go get some sleep. It's all I ask."
He was about to say something when Zhen raised a paw to stop him. "As for Ms. Phoenix…" She glanced at something outside of Fox's view for a moment. "For starters, you saved her life doing what you did yesterday. Another five minutes and I doubt we could've brought her back." She thought back to Fara's near-lifeless condition when they pried her from the Arwing many an hour ago. It was very touch-and-go for a bit, but eventually she pulled through.
"How is she?" he asked upon noticing her silence. His voice was quickly strengthening. "What kind of injuries did she sustain?"
"Multiple skin lacerations, a few somewhat deep, numerous first-degree and a few second-degree burns, and a very injured ego if I had to make a guess." She thought back to a prior incident that was something like this a few months back. "What exactly happened to her?"
Fox looked surprised to hear that question. "Nobody told you?"
"We were too busy trying to save her life to ask for a full explanation. You were also the only one to see the damage to her Arwing firsthand before the rather harried landing according to your teammates."
He thought for a moment before responding. "Only if you let me see her."
Zhen gently laughed, amused to see this reaction. It seemed that the rumors floating around about a possible attraction between the two of them were true. She wondered if Fara had the same thoughts. "You drive a hard bargain, but it is one I can agree to."
Fox moved to sit up once more, this time the medic making no moves to stop him, short of clasping a small band to his wrist. His head spun as he righted himself, but he suffered no other ill effects. "Fara was inside the blast radius of a Nova Bomb. The shields took some of the damage, but judging by the condition of the consoles nearby when I first found her, they didn't absorb much."
She nodded, knowing why the incident seemed so familiar. "That explains it then. I was here when she returned after a mishap on one of her test flights, and I was wondering why her injuries seemed so familiar."
Ignoring his dizziness, Fox moved to the edge of the bed and hung his legs off the side. He paused there, waiting only a moment before he hopped off the edge onto his bare feet. Zhen stood nearby, making sure that she wasn't needed if he decided to topple over. Instead the vulpine stood there, making sure he had his balance, turning to look at the medic when he was ready. "I hope you aren't employing the same solution to her injuries," he said, remembering the story that Fara told him after their very first battle.
"If you mean the regeneration tanks as to being the method of her recovery, then your answer is that we are."
Fox was shocked to hear that statement, his head snapping over to the two cylindered chambers in the center of the room, noticing Devan looking over the occupant of one of them. He started walking over, his first steps anything but stable on the white, tiled floor. "She hates that thing, you know that?"
Zhen nodded as she followed the vulpine closely. She clearly remembered Fara's reaction when she was last here. "I know. Most people have a general dislike of the feeling one gets during treatment, but as for Fara…"
"She told me her story a few days ago. Can't you let her out of there?"
The two walked around to the front of the device, Fox's eyes going straight to Fara's head, which was the only part of her body currently visible. A few patches of slightly charred fur could be seen on her face, bringing a quick gasp of shock from the vulpine. "Using her face as an example," said Zhen from behind him, "imagine that over a good portion of her body, only far more severe."
Devan looked up from the monitor on the front of the cylinder, making notations on his datapad. "Without Fara here soaking in this, she would be anything but the pretty vixen she is right now. She deserves that much at least."
Fox patted the top of Fara's head, just grateful to see her alive. How she looked was of no real concern to him, as it was the person inside that counts. He could see the hare's point though. "You're right," he said as he pulled his paw away. "Is she unconscious right now or—"
"She's currently medicated," answered Zhen, pleased to see the light contact between the two. "It's easier on the patient to start, but we can't keep her like that as it hampers the recovery effort."
"Oh." Yawning suddenly, Fox shook his head in an attempt to wake up. He had too many things to do and to think about for sleep to interfere. His stomach grumbled as he continued, reminding him that he hadn't eaten any real food as well in almost a day. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to get something to eat. Call me when Fara wakes, okay?"
Zhen shook her head, having another plan in mind for her patient. "Why don't you return to your room and relax, while I go call your teammate Peppy and have him bring you a healthy meal. That way you can sit, eat, and talk about what you've missed."
The plan made sense, but it felt like he was being forced to do it somehow. "If you insist."
She could clearly see the hesitation in his voice. "It's not an order, but I can make it one easily enough."
Fox sighed. "All right. Don't forget to call Peppy."
Devan laughed from the other side of the pair. "Don't worry. Unlike what we do with Pepper and the higher ups, we have no reason to lie to our patients."
"My assistant is correct – we're completely honest with what we say. Just go get some rest for now."
"Okay." He finally noticed the gown he was wearing, debating if he should leave with it on. "What should I do with this thing?" he asked, indicating his outfit.
"I'll have Peppy return it," said Zhen, wondering when he would notice. "Just make sure to change into something more comfortable beforehand. Also, don't even think about removing that wristband – it's your connection to the medical center here. It's waterproof, so you can shower in it with no problem."
He looked at his wrist, surprised that he hadn't noticed the device. "Okay." The vulpine shrugged about his lack of attire as he worked his way out of the medical bay, taking one last long look at Fara before leaving. Once again, his team had survived another brush with death. As the doors closed behind him, he wondered just how many more close calls they would have before their luck ran out.
Thankfully for Fox's modesty he didn't encounter anybody during the short walk between the medical bay and his room. Stopping only long enough to touch his paw to the scanner at his door, he walked inside, going straight to his closet to find something to change into. It didn't take him long to find a decent outfit, his time instead spent debating on taking a quick shower instead of just changing into it. In the end, his need for cleanliness won out. He figured it would also wake him up somewhat, remembering his earlier yawn.
Clothes draped over one paw, Fox walked over to the washroom, looking wishfully at his bed as he passed. He moved on though, knowing that he had too many other things that needed to be done instead of his own personal needs. He closed the door behind him and placed his outfit on the sink as he dropped his gown to the floor, not caring where it ended up.
Fifteen minutes later, he came back out, trying to soak up as much water as possible via his oversized towel. That was the only problem with fur he mused – while it was a great natural protector, and it kept him rather warm even in the coldest of weather, it was such a pain to dry out. Grabbing a hunk of it at random, he noticed that he was due for a trimming, as it was starting to get long once more.
Finding himself mostly dried out after a few minutes of work, he yawned, noticing that instead of invigorating him, the hard work associated with showering had sapped what little energy he had. His stomach rumbled once more as he dressed, reminding him about his lack of food, and how Peppy was due any minute with his meal.
However, as he walked back out into the main part of the room, his eyes were drawn to the comfortable bed once more. This time around, his instincts won over his need to get other things done, and he practically dropped onto the bed, falling into a deep slumber less than a minute later.
When Peppy arrived not too long afterward, carrying a tray loaded with some of Fox's favorite meat and bread products, counterbalanced with his helmet on the other side, he was surprised to see the door open without any kind of acknowledgement from the occupant. He was even more surprised to see the vulpine sound asleep on his bed, expecting to see him wide awake after being out for so long.
Not wanting to wake him up, Peppy quietly placed the tray on the nightstand, taking care he didn't make any noise. Before he turned to leave, he looked at his commander, noticing the peaceful look on his face. He knew that this was the only time that Fox could forget about the worries of leadership, and he could tell that their adventures in the last few days were starting to get to him. Making a mental note to check up on him later, the hare left just as silently as he entered.
A few hours later Fox awoke with a start, his fur matted with sweat. He had been dreaming, and from what little he could remember it wasn't a peaceful one. It had ended with an image of an extremely frightened Fara, simply looking at him and screaming for all she was worth.
Not knowing what the dream meant, but worrying him all the same, he rolled out of bed, his first goal to find out if anything was going on. Eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness that he didn't remember before he fell asleep, his fingers pecked at the keyboard for a moment before Devan's face appeared on the screen. "Medical bay, this is..." He stopped, recognizing who he was talking to. "Oh, evening, Fox. How are you feeling?"
The vulpine looked stunned for a moment, amazed that he had slept that long. "Evening?"
"Last time I checked it was anyway. Let's see..." His face ducked out of the picture for a moment as he read the clock on the far wall. "Yup, still evening. It's 19:17 according to the clock, and all is well. What's up?"
Fox smiled at the medic's antics, deciding against making a comment about it has he wanted to get straight to the point. "How's Fara doing?"
Devan turned around in his chair, looking at the readings at the nearby regeneration tank. "She's still sleeping, Fox. Something wrong?"
"No, everything's okay. Just checking." His stomach gurgled rather loudly all of a sudden, being very rude in reminding him that he hadn't eaten any solid food in more than a day now. He hoped that the noise wasn't heard on the other side on the conversation.
But it had. "Was that what I think it was?" asked the hare.
"Yeah."
Devan looked concerned. "Why didn't you eat what Peppy brought you? Have you eaten anything at all?"
"No. I…sorta fell asleep as soon as I got back here." He looked around upon smelling something in the air. "As for Peppy…" He smiled as he found the plate of food near his bed, thanking the hare mentally for coming through for him. He'd have to repay him later somehow. "He was here while I was out."
"Good to hear. I'll let you go then. Devan out."
Fox didn't pay attention at all to the medic's closing comments, as he was already up and walking over to his food, as if a supernatural force was controlling him. He was so hungry at this point that all he saw was his meal, and woe to anyone who might get in his way.
The two now cold pork sandwiches vanished in a very short time span, Fox going as far as licking the plate clean to make sure he got every bite. With the food gone, his primal instincts released their grip upon his mind, the vulpine dropping onto his bed with a groan. He blinked, trying to remember what his goals were before he fell asleep earlier.
Standing back up, he looked at the tray formerly stacked with food and debated on getting anything else tonight. Noticing his helmet lying there, he put it on, surprised that he didn't realize it was missing earlier. As it was one of the few connections left with his family, it was something that he rarely ever took off anymore, now that it had been given to him with little explanation. With a sigh, he thought about his parents, pushing the sad thoughts out of his mind a few seconds later. He had other concerns at the moment.
Deciding against getting additional food, knowing that eating too much was just as bad as not eating enough, he made up his mind to go down to engineering to see just how much damage had been caused to the Arwings. Pausing only long enough to pull his boots upon his bare feet, he left his room and walked over to the closest elevator, nodding in greeting to the few people he saw passing him by to go to the mess hall.
The ride down to the engineering deck was a short one, Fox running into nobody else in the process. The doors opened upon his arrival, giving him a good overview of how much work needed to be done to get the craft in operational condition once more.
He did not like what he saw.
The two damaged Arwings had all their armor plating removed, making the craft look nothing like their sleek selves, exposing the skeleton-like interior. Sitting at one side of the room, it was clear that the armor plates were worthless, their colors a muted red and orange instead of the silver they normally were. The engineers scurried like ants, the group of twelve split into two teams in an attempt to get the vehicles flight capable once more, pulling various components out of the craft and laying them anywhere where space was available.
As he approached, members of the staff turned and said their greetings, not waiting for a response before getting back to work. They had a job to do and they were going to let nothing get in their way. Making sure he didn't interfere with their task, Fox wandered around and tried to find Cyrus for a status on the repairs.
Someone a bit more familiar to him found him first, however.
"Hey, Fox!" yelled Slippy, running up to him from behind an Arwing, clutching a toolbox in one paw and a rag in the other. He was splattered with grease and other unidentifiable substances, but true to form, he seemed to not care in the slightest. He was just pleased to get to play around with the innards of the crafts.
Smiling at his teammate, not at all surprised to see him down here working, he said, "Evening, Slip. How are things going?"
The toad looked over the Arwing he had been working on, putting down his tools and trying to clean up best he could. "Pretty good, all things considered," he replied with a frown. "They're in bad shape, but the crew here insist they'll get them up and running again."
Fox could tell that Slippy needed a bit of cheering up. He was hiding something, that much was obvious. Whatever it was kept his spirits down and he didn't like noticing that. "Good to hear. With your help, I know that the Arwings will be in perfect shape, if not better, in only a matter of time."
Slippy nodded. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but there's a ton of work ahead of us." He noticed Cyrus walking up from behind Fox, and figured he might as well ask the questions on his mind before he got back to work. "How's Fara doing? And for that matter, how are you holding up?"
Now Fox turned into the one that needed the cheering as he grimaced at the thought of his teammate cooped up in the medical bay all alone. "I'll be fine. As for Fara… You remember the cylinder-shaped tubes in the medical center, right?" Slippy nodded. "They're regeneration tanks of sort, and she's in one right now. The medics say that she'll be fine though."
"Good. I'll visit her sometime later tonight." The toad raised his voice slightly as Cyrus walked into hearing range. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work. No rest for the weary." He turned to leave.
"Don't work too hard, Slip. And thanks."
"No problem. See you around."
Fox stood there and watched the engineers continue their work as Slippy joined them in their efforts to bring the damaged Arwings back to life. He ignored the footsteps of the approaching badger, lost in thought over how close things had come and how badly he had ruined his own craft in an attempt to save a life. But material things could almost always be repaired or replaced. A life could not.
Cyrus walked past Fox into his field of vision, noticing how he just stood there, staring into nothingness, tormented by his inner demons. He watched the vulpine, debating if he should say anything, wondering if he should break the silence. A few seconds later he did however, knowing that he had many other things to do before the night was over. "Evening, lad. 'Tis something I can help you with?"
Snapped back to the present from being spoken to, Fox looked over to the speaker and blinked his eyes a few times in shock. It took him a moment, but he composed himself, remembering what he was doing here. "Sorry about that," he said glumly, looking back to the Arwings. "How go the repairs?"
"Well, to be honest, I have some bad news, and I have even more bad news."
Fox sighed. "Great. How bad is it?"
"I'll tell you." Cyrus pulled a datapad from a belt pouch, going over the data it contained. "First, what little good news I have. The two undamaged Arwings have been completely repaired, Nova Bombs and all."
"That is good news," said Fox, relieved to hear what was said. At least they weren't utterly defenseless incase Andross decided to try a counterattack.
"Unfortunately, 'tis all downhill from there," he continued. "The worst part is that the two other Arwings suffered structural damage from an improperly controlled reentry and via the methods used to stop them here at the base."
Looking over the Arwings once more, Fox now understood why the internals of the craft were being taken out. "What's your best estimates on repairs?" he asked as he looked back. "And sorry about all of this."
Cyrus shook his head. "No need to apologize, lad, as your actions saved a life yesterday. And that can't be replaced. As for an ETA on the Arwings, best guess is a few days. I'll inform you as—"
The badger never got to finish his sentence as he was suddenly interrupted by the loudspeakers blaring overhead, the voice coming from it echoing off the stone walls. "Fox McCloud, report to the medical bay immediately. I repeat, Fox McCloud, report to the medical bay immediately."
The voice belonged to Devan, his tone not exactly indicating what was wrong. The vulpine made a good guess however, his ears drooping back as he thought of the patient currently under his care.
Something must have happened to Fara.
Heart racing in panic, Fox ran to the nearest elevator. The entire engineering staff watched him with concern as he left, hoping for the best.
Fara awoke with a start, her peaceful and medicated rest interrupted by a nightmare of some sort, one that she quickly forgot as soon as she awakened. Little did she know at the time that her current situation was far worse, one that she couldn't escape from by simply waking up.
Her eyes still closed, and not knowing where she was yet, she just laid there, the last fragments of her dream fading away. She lifted up her arms, intending to rub her eyes, trying to make herself presentable for the rest of the day.
To say that she was shocked when her limbs refused her command was an understatement.
Thinking that maybe she was still asleep, she tugged at her arms again, switching to her legs when that failed. Quickly finding that her body failed to comply, she tried to sense what position her limbs were in, thinking that something might be holding her in place. It took her a few seconds, but she realized that she couldn't feel anything at all from the neck down, as if she was just a disjointed head floating in space.
Now she was panicking, her heart rate spiking in the process. At least she assumed it was anyway, as she couldn't feel that either. It was a horrible feeling, one filled with dread and so familiar, that she knew that this wasn't just a dream.
Fara's eyes snapped open and tried to find out where she was and why she couldn't move. Her head flopped from side to side, trying to take in as much visual information as possible, her addled mind attempting to recognize her location. Suddenly, Devan moved into her field of view, and at that point everything snapped into place.
What happened to her in the hours before her near death flooded clearly into her mind, invoking another wave of panic as she relived that span of time. She knew who she was looking at. She knew where she was.
She also knew why she couldn't move a muscle.
Irrational fear overwhelmed her conscious thought, the fear of being left alone in this horrible medical device, unable to move at all. The fact that she had already been through this once before only amplified that fear. She looked up at Devan, who seemed like he was going to say something to calm her down, when she did the only thing she could think of that explained her current displeasure.
She screamed as loud as she could.
A few minutes earlier found Devan yawning at the lone desk in the main medical bay, trying to keep himself awake as he had a long shift ahead of him. He never really liked the night shift, as other than a few individuals complaining about something they shouldn't have eaten at the mess hall, or those who couldn't sleep, there was rarely much to do. He thought about lying down on the couch located in the side office, but he knew better, knowing that he had a patient to look over.
He thought back to when he and Zhen had extracted Fara out of her cockpit a day and a half ago and how poor shape the vixen had been in. While she hadn't been as injured as badly as she had been the last time she paid the medical bay a visit, she was far worse off due to having almost suffocated inside the confines of her Arwing. Thankfully the medications they used in reviving her had worked, but for a bit it almost seemed as if her body had resisted for reasons unknown.
Wishing that it would be a bit busier, as then he would have something to do other than sit and think, he thought back to when he had just graduated out of medical school a few years ago. Some days he wondered why he decided to go into the military, ending up on Corneria Base, instead of a civilian hospital, where at least he wouldn't have so many quiet moments. He didn't have long to reminisce however, as the datapad lying next to him suddenly sprung to life.
Picking it up, he took at look at the screen, finding out the reason for its activity immediately. It had detected increased respiration, heart rate, and brain activity in Fara, making it a likely sign that she was about to wake up. Standing up, knowing that based on prior experience she would need some personal comfort thanks to her being in the regeneration tanks, he was about to approach when he remembered that he had one thing to do first.
Quickly accessing the security system with his medical passwords, he got the computer to track down Fox's location, knowing that he had a promise to keep. It took a few seconds, but it finally found him, Devan putting on the nearby headset to talk to the staff there. "Fox McCloud, report to the medical bay immediately. I repeat, Fox McCloud, report to the medical bay immediately."
That objective finished, the hare walked over to Fara, looking over the datapad at her current condition. It read that while her heart rate and respiration had spiked, it was far from any dangerous levels. He hoped that he could keep her calm and relaxed, even though she was in something that she never wanted to experience again. He did not want to see a repeat of her prior performance.
He watched as her eyes suddenly popped open, her head spinning as she looked around the room in a near panic. Concerned, but thinking that he could still get the situation under control, he arrived at the regeneration tank, looking down at her face as it focused upon his own. Taking a breath, he was about to say something when he was rudely interrupted.
She spoke her mind very loudly and clearly by promptly screaming in his face.
Cursing mentally, knowing that he had just lost any chance at maintaining control, he reached into his pants pocket and pressed a button on the small pager he always carried. It was connected to a similar device that Zhen always had nearby, and it was considered a panic button of sorts, to contact their partner in an emergency.
And this was most definitely an emergency.
While he waited for backup to arrive, Devan tried once more to quiet Fara down. He knew that giving her any additional sleeping medication was right out, as they had already used that early in the treatment, making sure she got some sleep to start. So he had to keep her occupied mentally until his boss arrived, at which point they could discuss options.
And that task was going to be anything but easy.
Just when he was going to attempt another conversation, he was interrupted once more. "Let me out of here!" she yelled.
"Fara, look—"
It didn't seem like she was even listening. "Let me out!" she shrieked, putting great emphasis on each word as she attempted to control her fear. "Right now!"
Devan tried once more with his calm, soothing voice. "Fara, you know that you're in there for a reason. You need—"
"I don't care!" On the other hand, it seemed like she was paying attention to what was being said. She just didn't want to hear any of it. "I want out of this!"
"I can't do that Fara. I've paged Zhen, and you can—"
Tired of things not going her way, she simply screamed in frustration, moving her head from side to side as if she could break free somehow. Devan looked on sadly, hating to see her like this. If only the regeneration tanks weren't so efficient in their job, he wouldn't use such a barbaric device on anybody. For those who couldn't take the feeling of not being able to move, it was almost torture. Fara was the perfect example of that.
Thankfully at that moment he heard the sound of the glass doors between the waiting area and medical section separating, his exceptional hearing able to pick it up over his patient's screams. Looking up, he smiled as he saw Zhen approach, clad in a hastily donned medical outfit, her headfur a ruffled mess. It was clear that she was trying to sleep when she was paged. "Sorry about waking you like this, Zhen, but—"
"I completely understand." The panda winced as she listened to Fara's latest attempts to get the medics to free her. She wasn't quite as loud as she had been, her adrenaline and anger slowly draining, but it was extremely irritating to Zhen, who was already behind on her sleep from the previous days. She looked at a few figures on the display attached to the regeneration tank, then moved directly above her patient, making sure she had eye contact. "Ms. Phoenix, can we talk?"
"Let me out or put me back under!"
Zhen shook her head, not liking where this was going. She was tired and not in the mood to be her normal kind and courteous self. "Look, I'm going to be blunt. While I can't give you anything to put you back to sleep, I can give you something that'll silence that mouth of yours. Will you please remain civil?"
It took no more than a moment of thought before Fara nodded briskly and quieted down. Tears began welling up in her eyes, the fear of losing what little freedom she still had left clearly visible on her face. "I don't care what I look like," she said softly after a few seconds, "I just want you to let me out."
Looking at the tearful face, wishing that she wasn't as harsh as she just was on the pilot, Zhen sighed. She couldn't change what was said however, but she could attempt to correct her mistake. "I'm sorry, but for your sake I can't—" She was interrupted by the sound of the doors swishing open. Without looking up, she said quietly, "Devan, go take care of our visitor, please."
The hare smirked as he saw their latest guest. Leaning in close and trying to make sure that Fara didn't hear what he had to say, he announced the newcomer. "Zhen, it's Fox."
Despite Devan's best efforts, he had been overheard. "Fox!" yelled Fara as she ignored the request she had agreed to moments before. "Get me out of here!"
Looking over at the vulpine, rubbing her temples in an attempt to stave off a migraine that was threatening to fire up, Zhen groaned softly. This was going to be a long night.
Fox waited impatiently at the elevator doors on the engineering deck, pushing the call buttons rapidly as if that would make his transportation arrive faster. The seconds slowly ticked away, feeling like minutes to the worried vulpine. As he didn't know why he had been paged to the medical bay, despite his best efforts his mind kept running through worst case scenarios.
To say that he was on the edge mentally was an understatement.
With a quiet hiss, the doors in front of him parted, Fox squeezing inside the opening as soon as he could fit. Turning around, he jabbed the button for the floor he wanted, hitting the one to close the door right afterward. The elevator immediately responded, beginning its journey upward as soon as the doors hissed closed.
He stood there, mentally wishing the elevator would move faster. Unable to accomplish that, he stared at the floor numbers as they passed by, counting down the seconds before his arrival. Fortunately it was late enough in the day that there wasn't anybody else who was traveling his direction, as there was no telling what Fox would have done had he slowed down prematurely.
With a muted ding, he reached the sixth floor, the doors opening so he could exit. Waiting only long enough so he could slide on by, he charged down the carpeted corridor, passing by only a single person who turned and wondered why Fox was in such a hurry.
Fifteen seconds later found the vulpine outside the medical center. He took only a moment to catch his breath before he walked inside, moving straight to the glass doors leading to the next chamber, peering through them to see what was going on.
He couldn't see much, as the angle the door was set at somewhat blocked his goal, but he could see both Zhen and Devan looking down at what he assumed was Fara. Unable to see what they were doing, Fox just stood there, worried at what was going on. Neither of them looked anywhere else but at their patient, making him wonder if he should just walk in or not.
Making his choice as to what to do, he looked around and tried to figure out how he could get in. Noticing what looked to be something resembling the paw scanners located all over the base, he touched it, the console lighting up as it identified him. A few moments later it beeped an affirmative tone and the doors split open, allowing him entrance.
He nervously walked inside, still not knowing if he should even be there. As he quietly moved away from the door, allowing it to close behind him, Devan looked up suddenly, smirking as he recognized the visitor, and not at all upset or worried like he expected. That expression put him at ease somewhat, as it told him that he was summoned as a curtsey, not because he was up here for a medical reason of some sort.
Then everything quickly went downhill.
The hare put up a paw in Fox's direction, shaking his head gently, telling him to wait for just a moment by his motions. He leaned forward, whispering something into Zhen's ear. As he straightened back up, Fara suddenly yelled out for him in desperation, somehow knowing that he was there. "Fox! Get me out of here!"
In a panic the vulpine ran over, trying to find out what was wrong and what he could do to help. He was somewhat surprised to see Fara still in the exact same place that he left her earlier in the day, but after remembering the horror story she told him a few days back, he began to understand the fear in her voice. "What's wrong?" he asked gently, having a good feeling what answer he'd get.
His guess was correct. "What do you think?" she cried, visibly upset as tears sprang to her eyes. "They won't let me out of this thing!"
Zhen couldn't take any more of this. She looked at the tearful Fara and then moved her gaze to the confused and worried Fox. The last thing she needed after being sleep deprived was this. Taking a deep breath, calming herself down somewhat, she ordered, "Fox, Devan, side office. Now."
Fara sobbed quietly, her light brown fur darkening as it soaked up the tears. Her fears were happening to her again – being left alone in this awful and powerful piece of technology. Nobody wanted to leave her alone like this, Fox the first to say something about it. "But—"
The panda's powerful gaze was just as commanding, if not more so, than Pepper's ever was. "Now," she forcibly interrupted as she stared at Fox, as if daring him to defy her.
Thankfully for all of them, the vulpine followed the order without resisting. "I'll be right back, Fara," he said quietly as he reached out and patted her head in comfort. Surprisingly she accepted the touch, blinking a few times as she tried to stop her tears, a weak smile forming on her face. "I'm just going to have a small chat with the medics, and then I'll see what I can do."
"Okay… Come back soon." She twisted her head, trying to follow the three as they walked off, but as the room was directly behind her position, she couldn't see where they went. Closing her eyes, she tried to ignore the horrible lack of feeling she was experiencing, cursing mentally at the device she was in the entire time.
Zhen dropped down into the lone comfortable chair with a huff, her paws going to her temples as she tried to massage the raging headache away. She closed her eyes and tried to block out everything that was going on around her this evening. This had been a horrible day in general so far, and she hoped that it wouldn't get any worse.
Fox remained standing, looking around the small room while he waited for an explanation as to why he had been pulled away from Fara, who was in dire need of comfort. Based on what little populated the office, it was basically designed for only one real reason – to relax and possibly sleep in-between patients. In addition to the recliner chair, there was a desk with yet another computer sitting on top, and a long couch that was large enough for one to lie down upon. The glass that was the entire wall that faced the main bay was specially tinted, giving the person inside some privacy while allowing full view of all the patients currently being cared for.
The hare leaned against the desk, his gaze following Fox's as they both watched the lone patient. After a few seconds, Devan looked Zhen's direction, noticing that she continued to remain quiet. Taking this as a sign that he needed to explain everything, he started off by saying, "Fox, let me fill—"
"No, Devan," interrupted Zhen softly as she finally opened her eyes. As much as she wanted her partner to explain the situation, especially after her bluntness earlier, she needed to do it herself. It was just bad form otherwise. "I have to say this."
"Understood."
Zhen took a deep breath, trying to figure out where to start. "First off, Fox, I'm going to be very straightforward with you tonight. I'm tired, I've hardly gotten any sleep in the last two days, and I'm simply not in the mood to deal with another experience like this tonight. So if I sound a bit harsh, that's why."
As Fox nodded, still watching Fara outside, Devan suddenly jumped in. "Zhen, I shouldn't have paged—"
"No, you did the right thing. You're not trained yet to handle these situations properly, so your choice was the correct one." She sighed. "What little good it did anyway in the end."
The vulpine looked over the two, tired of listening to them chat back and forth. He was here for answers, and he wasn't getting any right now. Sensing a quiet moment, he asked, "What's going on out there? Why won't you let Fara out of that thing?"
"Let me answer that," said Zhen ash she prepared herself for another speech. "Fara, as you already know, is deathly afraid of our regeneration tanks, despite their powerful healing capabilities. Last time she was in it, due to circumstances beyond our control, she was completely alone in there when she woke up from the sleeping medication. Our best guess was two, maybe three hours. Needless to say…"
"No wonder," said Fox softly. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to be in Fara's position. He just hoped he never had to find out.
Zhen nodded. "To answer your next question, we can't let her out as she's in the final part of the regeneration cycle. It would cause severe harm to her if she was let out right now."
Devan chimed in with his thoughts. "And as to your unasked question of why we can't put her under again, it's a simple answer – we can't. In layman's terms, one's metabolism is greatly increased while inside the tanks, speeding up the rate of healing tremendously. Medications to put her to sleep again will counter that action, causing a longer overall healing time."
Fox simply stood there, absorbing the information as he continued to watch Fara. It looked like she was sobbing again, but he couldn't tell exactly from where he was. "So, what are we going to do?"
The panda's tone switched to her bossy one again. "You and I are going to bed. Devan will handle the situation, making sure that she'll be okay. She'll be out by morning."
His gaze shifted suddenly towards Zhen as he spoke his mind, not pleased to hear what she had just said. "Now wait just a minute—"
"No," she interrupted, her anger growing as she stared at Fox. "As your doctor, I'm ordering you back to your room for a peaceful night's sleep. You pushed yourself beyond your limits yesterday, and it's only going to hurt you and your team in the long run."
Fox was furious. He couldn't believe what he had just been told. He growled and refused to back down without a fight as he knew what he was doing was right. "As Fara's commander and friend, I'm telling you and your orders to shove off. I am staying with Fara tonight to ensure she gets some worry-free rest, and you can't stop me."
Devan looked back and forth between the pair, wondering who was going to win this verbal fight. While her boss had the power to keep Fox away from Fara, it was something that he'd never seen her enforce. As he thought back through his years of service, he realized that she'd never used her medical powers before – the person on the receiving end of her wrath had always complied in the end. Sensing that neither side was going to back down, he tried to interfere. "Zhen, Fox, please keep—"
The hare quieted as Zhen simply glanced his way, looking upset that he had opened his mouth for no reason. Her gaze drifted back to Fox as she stared into his eyes, trying to read what the vulpine was thinking. She could see the anger in his look, the determination in his face. Trying her best to ignore the now pounding headache, displeased that her usual methods of getting rid of it had failed, she decided to simply let him win this fight. "Fine, Fox, you win. However, don't you dare come back to me when you fall apart from the strain." She promptly stood up and stomped out of the room.
The pair watched as she left, passing through the medical bay with nothing more than a quick glance at her patient. Fox noticed that Fara tried to start a conversation as she passed, but she was ignored. She looked around desperately and tried to figure out where the others went, as he asked Devan, "So, any suggestions?"
"Other than to just stay with her, no. I'll find you a comfortable chair."
"Thanks."
Fox got as far as putting his paw on the door when the hare stopped him momentarily. "Fox, one second."
He glanced over his shoulder, tired of the interruptions. He just wanted to spend time with Fara. "Yes?"
"I'm sorry about Zhen's actions back there. She hasn't gotten much sleep lately, and unfortunately it shows. You two haven't been the best of patients while you were conked out, and to say that it's messed up our sleep schedules is an understatement."
While it wasn't exactly the explanation he wanted, he knew he wasn't going to get a better one. "Apology accepted," said Fox, looking at Fara. She was sobbing again, unable to find out what happened to the other two who had entered the side office. "Now if you'll excuse me…"
"Go right ahead."
Glad to finally get the chance to leave, Fox left, going straight to his unhappy teammate. He knew he had a long night ahead of him, but he didn't care, as it simply was the right thing to do.
Fara meanwhile had tried her hardest to relax while the others had talked privately, but it was nearly impossible. She was utterly defenseless lying there, and it pushed her already frayed nerves to their limits. Every little noise she heard sent her eyes shooting open again, her head spinning around trying to track the source. But she could never find whatever she heard.
She hated being here. She just wanted it all to end, as her overtaxed mind was starting to drive her crazy, as it saw and heard things that simply weren't there.
Suddenly she heard the door open up behind her. Ecstatic at getting some company again, she watched as Zhen came into her field of view. Not seeing or hearing anyone else, she quickly grew worried as to where the others were. "Zhen, where's Fox?" she asked as she tried to quell her fear.
The panda only turned briefly in her direction, grumbling something she couldn't hear under her breath before stomping off, pausing only long enough for the door leading out to open up.
In shock over the lack of attention, Fara just lay there, trying to hear any sign that the others were coming. But there wasn't any. Her mind began to run through worst-case scenarios, too exhausted to think of a more logical reason as to their absence. It took only a few seconds before she started crying once more, worried that some sort of harm had come to the others, thinking that's why they hadn't come out yet.
She was so distracted by her fears that she didn't hear the door to the side office open half a minute later, and with her eyes full of tears she didn't notice Fox approach her. She was too wrapped up in her emotions, her fears controlling her mind, not allowing for the far more simple answer to take rein over her.
At least until Fox said something anyway. "Fara, it's okay. I'm here for you."
She looked up and blinked her tears away best she could, a smile appearing on her sad face. "Oh, Fox," she sputtered, overjoyed to see the vulpine. She sounded hopeful as she quietly continued. "Can you get me out of this?"
Fox put on a weak smile, not knowing how she well she would take the answer. "I'm sorry, Fara, but I can't." She was clearly upset as she turned away from him upon hearing this. "However, I'll do the next best thing for you – I'll stay with you for the rest of the night. I'll make sure you aren't left here alone."
She turned back around, new tears visible on her already soaked face, looking almost embarrassed to be in this position. "You…you don't need to…"
The vulpine shook his head, silencing Fara with his motions. "The Starfox team always helps each other out in times of need." He smiled. "You're one of us now, and you always will be."
Quieting down, she just lay there, stunned to hear what Fox had said. Their green eyes met, hers searching for the honesty of what was said, his expressing nothing but kindness and sorrow for her current situation. It took her a minute, but she finally relaxed and smiled back, a large portion of her fears draining away, at least for the moment. "Thank you," she said, still not quite able to believe what she had heard.
"You're welcome. It's the least I can do."
As the pilots simply stared in silence at each other, not knowing what else should be said, they found their peaceful moment ruined by the sound of a door opening. Turning, Fox watched as Devan entered, carrying a comfortable looking chair from the visitor's lounge. Neither of them had noticed the hare leaving as preoccupied as they were earlier. "Hey, Devan," he said as he debated if he should go over and help, knowing that he would have to leave Fara's side to do so. "Need some help?"
"No, I got it." He dragged the chair over and placed it near the vulpine. "There you go."
"Thanks." Moving his seat into position, Fox dropped into it with a groan. Even though he'd spent most of the day sleeping, he still felt tired, and he couldn't figure out why. Having no idea what to do next, he happened to glance at Fara's tear soaked face, the fur matted and discolored in multiple places. Deciding to do something about it, he spun around in his chair and was surprised to still see Devan standing right behind him. "Can I have a—"
The hare broke out into a grin as he lifted up a dry washcloth into Fox's field of view. "Will this do?"
"That it will." He was about to turn back around when he asked half-jokingly, "Is there anything else you have that I might need that I haven't asked you for?"
"Sorry, but alas, my paws are empty. If you'll excuse me…"
"Go right ahead. Thanks." Devan nodded in appreciation before he turned and walked back to his desk. Looking at Fara once more, Fox showed her the washcloth. "Mind if I dry you off?" he asked gently, not sure what her reaction would be. "That look doesn't befit you at all."
Fara looked surprised to hear this, a flood of emotions washing over her. She looked at him, trying to judge his true intentions. It took a few seconds, but she suddenly realized that she didn't care if he was sincere or not. All she knew was that she had come to understand why she had all these thoughts about the vulpine next to her – there was something special about him, something she wanted to be part of.
She just didn't know if it was wise to think about a friendship like this in the middle of a war.
"Sure," she finally said, noticing the lingering worry in Fox's eyes, not sure if he was going to be rejected or not. "Thanks."
He nodded silently, pleased that he was allowed to do this. Without saying another word he began patting her face dry, Fara closing her eyes and continuing to smile in appreciation. She couldn't remember the last time that someone was this kind and caring towards her, so she appreciated the attention, even though it was rather unexpected.
It didn't take long to dry her off, so Fox switched to combing through her headfur with his fingers, avoiding the charred spots best he could. She almost purred with appreciation, not being used to this kind of close contact. He smiled inwardly, feeling the soft, almost silky fur pass between his fingers. He thought about the condition of his own fur, about how he hadn't given it the time and attention it needed in the last few days. Hers felt like she had brushed through it daily instead of his wiry and coarse own.
Fara on the other hand couldn't believe the vulpine was doing this to her. While she had noticed the occasional glances that he had given her in the past few days, she never expected it to turn out like this. She thought that Fox would be like your average fighter jock when she first paid close attention to him – curt, harsh, and uncaring. But he was anything but, much to her surprise and satisfaction.
A few minutes later Fox paused, looking over his grooming work. While it wasn't as good as the vixen normally looked, it was a drastic improvement to her previous tear-soaked face. Going any further would require the tools and goods she normally used, and he had neither. As far as he was concerned though, it looked better than it did before, and that's all that mattered to him.
As he continued to watch, Fara's eyes slowly opened, her green irises almost glittering from the recent attention. Their gaze locked, both of them perfectly happy just looking at each other. She broke the silence a few seconds later by quietly asking, "How do I look?"
He smiled and took a long look at her gorgeous face. Unfortunately for both of them, Fox thought that no matter what his feelings towards her were, it was a love that simply couldn't happen. He was nothing more than a simple fighter pilot, albeit a rather good gone, and she was the daughter of one of the more prominent people on the planet. Her father would never agree to them getting together, and she deserved better as far as he was concerned. "You look beautiful," he said, trying to get his mind to switch back to a happier subject.
"Thanks," she said as she turned away for a moment in embarrassment, not quite sure how to respond. Instead she stayed quiet once more, looking over Fox's face, absorbing all the fine details she hadn't noticed before. Details like how the white fur around his mouth and cheeks blended in with the light brown fur along the rest of it, and how his green military shirt matched so perfectly with his eyes, as well as with his fur in general.
Looking quite confused as to why he was getting so much attention all of a sudden, Fox tried to get another conversation going. "So, Fara, you need anything? Something else I can do for you?"
She thought for a few seconds before responding, her mind going over a multitude of possibilities. "No, not really," she replied eventually.
Finding a digital clock upon one wall, he read off the time. "Well, it's just a bit past 8pm, and since the medics told me that they'll let you out in the morning, getting some sleep will—"
"No!" exclaimed Fara suddenly, shocking him into silence. The noise caught Devan's attention, prompting him to stand up from behind his desk and see if everything was okay. Fox waved him back down as soon as he noticed this, giving the vixen a chance to continue. "No…I don't want to sleep. I…I'd like to talk for now."
He reached up and gently stroked her headfur, trying to calm her down. "Fara, I'm not going anywhere. I promise you—"
"No," she interrupted once again, much more calmly this time. She thought back to the last time she was inside the regeneration tanks, about how she woke up completely alone. She did not want to take the chance of that happening again, even if she stayed up all night. "I just want to talk for now."
Fox caved in and readied himself a long night. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?"
"Well…" It took her a bit, but she finally decided upon a topic, and from there a discussion was born. It wasn't much to start, nothing but a way to keep her mind occupied, but it began to branch off onto other topics. As time passed, it changed to a discussion about Fox's time on Papetoon and some of his more interesting missions. The vulpine complied with her requests, thinking nothing of them short of keeping Fara entertained.
She did have an ulterior motive, but it was nothing more than learning about Fox's past. She was surprised he was so open to him, but she figured that her current position and simple sounding request caused most of it.
Their talk was a continuous one for the most part, interrupted early on by the rest of the team stopping by for a visit. They didn't stay around for long, noticing that Fox had the situation well under control, but they did voice their concerns and wishes of well-being. Peppy was thoughtful enough to bring a bite to eat, allowing the vulpine to have something to snack on in-between sentences.
After the team left, leaving the pair relatively alone, they continued their talk. As the night wore on, Fox doing his best to keep from nodding off, Devan walked up behind him and touched him lightly on the shoulder to get his attention, startling him for a moment. "I'm going to turn myself in and try to catch up on some missed sleep."
"And if we need you?" asked Fara nervously, quickly growing worried.
The hare smiled wearily, trying to ease her concern. "Don't worry, I was getting to that. See the red button," he gestured, making it clear what he was indicating, "on the wall there? Push it to wake the occupant inside the spare room. Hit it if you need anything, or if we have any additional visitors who need attention."
"And if it doesn't work?" asked Fox, making sure he covered any eventuality.
"I'm more than likely dead," he replied with a smirk. "You haven't heard the alarm like I have. However, on the desk here," he twisted, pointing out the item in question once more, "are two buttons to alert the pagers we always carry. You can get Zhen that way if you need to."
Thankfully that calmed down Fara's nerves, knowing that the medics were close by if needed. "Sounds good. Don't sleep too long though, as I want out of this thing first thing in the morning."
"I'll do what I can, but Zhen has the final word, not I. While I don't foresee any problems, things have been known to come up. Anything else?"
Fara shook her head, as Fox said, "No, I think you covered everything. Enjoy your sleep."
"Don't worry, I will." Devan yawned suddenly as he turned to leave, prompting him to say one last thing. "You two get some sleep as well, okay? It'll make the time go by faster."
The two vulpines looked at each other silently as the medic walked off, the door swishing shut behind him as he entered the side office. It didn't take long before Fara spoke up once more, not liking the quiet, asking Fox to entertain her with more stories from when he was on Papetoon. After sitting silent for a moment in remembrance over the story he was about to tell, he started his tale of his most difficult mission, one that could have gone far better than it had.
It took an hour and a half to go through his adventure, as he was taking questions at every opportunity, but in the end he found it had the effect he hoped it would cause – Fara was drifting off to sleep. It was a subtle change, but a noticeable one, as she began to ask fewer questions and her eyes spent more time closed than open. When he finally finished, Fox sat there quietly and listened to her breathing. It was slow and steady, indicating that she was asleep.
Slumping back in his chair and proud of his accomplishment, Fox debated on what he should do next. Crossing his arms as he looked at the nearby clock, he realized that he still had many an hour to go until morning. Dropping his head, he decided to rest his eyes for a minute, knowing that he had to stay awake the rest of the night in the off chance that Fara woke up before morning.
Instead, his overworked body went back to its usual sleep cycle, the vulpine dropping off into a dreamless sleep, his last thoughts on Fara and how they would never be more than just friends.
