And, as expected, the story continues. I originally debated on ending the story last chapter (with obviously a different ending), but a few more things popped into mind as I've been writing the prior chapters. It seems that for the Star Fox team, that even in total victory there are problems. That and, well, you'll have to keep reading to find out what I have planned.
Crimson - Uh... (looks back at the last chapter) You're absolutely right - short of a quip from Fara as she looked over the security logs, there is no mention of Falco being in the room. Trust me when I say that he was there. Whoops.
Janus - Is Slippy truly dead? As you said - there's no way to find out short of more reading.
Marble - Thanks for the kind comments (as always), and now that you mention it, the comics didn't end at Andross' death either. Let's just say that I'm done using the comics as a very rough guideline from here on out.
RedBay - Amazing how some things just happen at the same time, no?
Chapter 43: When Good Times Go Bad
We…we won this war. How could this be happening? Andross is dead, isn't he? His whole base went supernova. I saw it! Nothing could have survived that explosion. Nothing. But now… – Fara
How could Andross create such a perfect replica like that? He had us all fooled. If it wasn't for Fara's quick thinking, we'd all be captured right now. Or worse. – Fox
Pepper looked over his pilots with extreme concern. Had anybody else been replaced with an android? How had this happened in the first place? Why hadn't the base's bio-scanners picked up the rather dramatic difference in Slippy when the team landed earlier?
This and many other questions floated through his mind as he stood idly by in the medical bay. The six members of his security team were standing around the room, guns trained on the pilots as a precaution. The pilots were blatantly aware of this as they sat as still as they could on the medical beds away from each other.
After making one last check of Slippy, whose remains lay in a heap on yet another bed, Zhen worked her way over to Pepper. At the same time, Devan walked to each of the guards in turn and passed a handheld scanner over them. "And the results?" asked the General quietly.
"Your pilots are all whom they appear to be," replied the panda as she tucked her scanner into a pocket.
"As are your guards," said Devan as he walked up. He passed the scanner over Pepper as well and showed him the results of everyone in the room. "We're all 100 bona fide flesh and blood."
"So, General, if you'd be so kind to remove your guards from the premises, I'd greatly appreciate it. I don't want to deal with somebody getting shot after this recent incident."
Pepper nodded. "Security, you are dismissed."
"Yes, sir," they said simultaneously. They then turned as a group and marched out.
The pilots visibly relaxed as they no longer had a weapon pointed their way. Everybody moved towards the center of the room where Fara and Slippy lay. The vixen looked down at the knee-height boot she was wearing, filled with the same compound that she hated so dearly, and sighed. "And the team stays at four."
"Why didn't the sensors around the base detect this?" demanded Pepper, his formally calm demeanor breaking away. "This should not have happened!"
"Yelling solves nothing, General," said Zhen. "We do have an answer for you though. Devan?"
The hare swiveled the computer monitor sitting at the work desk and showed what he was explaining. "In short, this android was designed to fool the current standard security measures implemented all across the planet. We track via three methods here – height, weight, and heartbeat."
"That…thing has a heartbeat?" asked Falco skeptically.
"Had, technically, but yes. Looks like it powers a rudimentary circulatory system used to keep the internals properly lubed and oiled."
"How did Andross get his height and weight?" asked Pepper.
"Our best guess is old school data," replied Zhen. "Following a pattern, one can extrapolate how tall one should be with that data at any age. Weight and general body mass can be gathered with visual tools, to a point, as well."
"Both were reasonably accurate," interrupted Devan. "This Slippy was an inch too tall and five pounds underweight based upon his last scan record, but both are just within the upper tolerance levels of the security system."
Pepper crossed his arms in displeasure. "Pretty loose restrictions."
Zhen nodded. "To those who spend their entire time here on the ground, yes it is. Spaceflight is surprisingly volatile to one's physiology however. Thus the extended tolerances to all pilots."
"What about the security chip embedded inside his jacket? Or the ID card he should have in his wallet?"
"That's a question for security, General."
"Pass me Slippy's jacket, Fox," said Fara. "It's on the floor next to him." He did as was asked. "Thanks." She folded the jacket multiple times around the Starfox emblem and nodded in satisfaction. Afterwards, she rifled through the pockets and found a wallet within. It only took a moment before she found the military ID card containing another security chip. "It's his jacket."
"Fuck," cursed Falco. "How long have we had this freak for a teammate?"
"Not long," replied the panda. "The body quickly readjusts to normal gravity after a few hours, and that's set into the security system as well. Assuming that the guards haven't been asleep on their posts and ignored that warning, no more than a day or two tops. Unless he avoided the sensors somehow."
As Pepper stayed quiet, Fox brought up his own thoughts. "Guys, we need to think of the times that Slippy vanished on us in the last few days."
"A sound plan," said Peppy, "but one that's far easier said than done. We've all had our lone times here at the base."
Fox nodded. "But he had Slippy's jacket. That means that he either snuck into the base somehow—"
"Which I highly doubt," commented Fara.
"—or the robot caught Slippy outside and alone somewhere." He looked over his team. "Ideas?"
"When I took you out for that jaunt around the city a few days back," said Fara. "None of you were in my sight all the time."
"Katina," suggested Falco. "When he and I landed for refueling."
"Unlikely in both counts," said Fox. "Too deep inside friendly territory and too long for the first, and too many guards around for the second."
Peppy looked up from where he was staring at the android, deep in thought. "I know exactly where and when it happened."
"Do tell."
"Inside the power station back on Venom. Slippy and I were escaping the plant after we disabled the generators. The power was completely down and there was absolutely no lighting at all short of our own flashlights. At one point I got so far ahead of him that I came to a halt to wait for him."
"I do believe we've found our answer."
He continued, feeing apologetic for causing this. "I…I never even thought that something might be wrong. Slippy seemed quiet on the way out and during the flight back, but I attributed it to how sick he looked during our journey to Venom. I didn't think. It's all my—"
"Don't you dare," interrupted Fox with a frown. "He surprised all of us. Every single one of us. We should have noticed that the team was going missing, but we were enjoying the party life too much. Thankfully we had somebody who noticed." He smiled as he looked Fara's direction." Thanks for the save, Fara. We all owe you one."
She didn't as much as respond from the compliment. She was still mulling over the battle she'd just been through. Pulling the trigger against somebody she counted as a friend was far more nerve-wracking than she ever thought it could be. What if it had been Fox? "Somebody's got to watch your back, right?"
"Right."
"Party to the point of excess," said Peppy, "but never right after a war. Or as another saying goes, 'While the head may have been killed, the body might live for a bit longer.'"
"Oh come on," grumbled Falco. "Yes, I admit it, she saved our tails back there. It doesn't mean you can go off and blabber like that. How the hell—"
Fox moved over and touched the irate avian on the shoulder. "Falco—"
He swatted away the paw. "What?"
"Not now. While you have a reason to be upset—"
"Damn right I do. This was finished. Done. Kaput." He slammed his paws onto the padded bed. "And now this shit comes along."
Pepper looked among the pilots, trying to see if the argument was finished. Noticing the silence, he continued with his questions. "So now we have a good guess when they were switched. What was the replacement's goal?"
"I can answer that," said Fara glumly. Nobody had asked her what exactly had happened in the lounge, but she had a feeling that would be Pepper's next question. It was something she wasn't yet in the mood to answer. "He said he had two objectives. The first was the capture and return of the team. After I damaged him, he switched to simply the death of us."
"Return? Did he say where?" She shook her head. "Damn." He paused and looked at the vixen for a moment. He'd been avoiding the question so far, but he needed to know the answer to it. "Fara, what exactly happened—"
Celine's voice broke into the conversation via the loudspeaker overhead. "General Pepper, contact control immediately please. General Pepper, contact control."
Devan moved from his seat as the canine approached to make the call. "Pepper here," he said as he sat down. "Report."
"Sir, two long-range communications just emanated from the medical bay. Neither of them came from any of the base's standard communication methods."
Everyone looked towards the remains of Slippy with suspicion. "What was the message and where did it go?"
"The message itself was encrypted, sir, and we're attempting to figure out the destination as well. Looks like it used Corneria's satellite communication system though. It's going to take time as there's a lot more traffic bouncing off them nowadays."
"Anything else?"
"Sir, the media is requesting an update on the war. Reports are coming in saying that the nearby planets have sighted a large explosion on Venom. Should I start informing them of the truth?"
"No, Celine. I'll be up shortly to make an official statement. Is that all?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'll see you shortly then. Pepper out." He was about to stand up when he noticed the two hares staring at each other. Their confused expressions worried him greatly. "What's wrong?"
"Do you hear that?" asked Peppy.
Devan nodded. "I do."
Their sensitive hearing had picked up a high pitched whine, slowly growing in intensity. Devan didn't have a clue what it was, but Peppy had a guess. He looked at Slippy as he nervously said, "Fox, I think—"
The vulpine finally noticed the noise emanating from Slippy, as did everyone else in the room. Based on his experience in the resistance on Papetoon, he had a very good idea what was going to happen shortly. "Everybody, down!"
As his teammates jumped behind the nearest beds for safety, Fox knew that Fara was in no shape to take cover on her own. He reached over, grabbed her by the waist, and ran as fast as he could to safety with her over his shoulder.
Reaching an empty place between beds along the far wall, he dropped her on the ground and promptly covered her with his own body. He barely had time to place his paws behind his head before the room shook from an explosion.
He felt the heat and the force of the blast blow through his fur. The lights above detonated from the blast and showered glass in all directions. Arid smoke filled his nostrils and made him want to gag. Fara squirmed underneath him, but if it was because of the blast or her own nervousness, he didn't know as his eyes were shut tight.
A few seconds later he felt the effect subside. He bravely popped open one eye, then the other, and looked straight at Fara's own opened eyes. She smiled and whispered, "Thank you."
Fox smiled in return. "Anytime."
She pushed at his shoulder, her smile turning into a smirk. "Could you get off me? You're heavy."
"Sorry." Making sure the area around him was free of glass, he pushed himself to his feet. He offered a paw to her, but she just shook her head, perfectly happy to remain on the floor for the time being.
He looked around and tried to spot the others in the room. Thick smoke obstructed his view, as well as made it difficult to breathe. He covered his mouth with his sleeve best he could and yelled, "Everybody okay?"
A chorus of affirmatives and a curse from Falco reached his ears. One voice in particular he heard, coming from where he thought the computer desk was. "The smoke will be gone in a second," said Devan.
The sound of flipping mechanical switches reached Fox's ears. A set of fans on each end of the room quickly fired up and drowned out any other noise. The smoke quickly dissipated through the base's ventilation system and revealed the carnage left behind from the explosion.
The bed that Slippy was lying upon had turned to slag and scorch marks from the fireball were visible upwards of ten feet away. The vulpine's heart skipped as beat as his gaze passed upon where Fara was sitting earlier. The bed was a charred mess, the once comfortable padded top having melted away completely.
Fox knew that she would have not survived had she hobbled off the bed and used it for cover.
The fans shut off as Fox carefully worked his way over to what was left of Slippy. He didn't make it far before he was distracted by the doors opening up, revealing the security team with their blasters drawn. "Nobody move!" yelled the lion in front.
"Everything's okay," reported Pepper as he popped into view from behind the desk he'd been using as cover.
Security looked relieved to see that Pepper seemed fine. As the others looked around at the debris, the leader barked, "General, report."
"What does it look like?" exclaimed Falco as he brushed soot off his jacket. "Our former friend tried his damnedest to kill us from beyond the grave!" He raised his arms in disgust and looked at the mess. "The stupidity—"
"Falco!" roared Fox.
Pepper dropped his head and sighed. He thought that this would be one of the last days he'd have to deal with the argumentative avian. It definitely didn't look like it now. He watched as the medics made sure that everyone escaped unscathed. "Security, we're fine. Thank you for your promptness."
"Anything you need then, sir?"
"No. Dismissed."
Fox watched security leave and then turned his attention to the rest of his team. They seemed to be okay to his eyes, albeit shaken up. Perfectly understandable as far as he was concerned. One by one, the rest of his team rose into view, some more shakily than others. Fara dragged herself onto her one working leg, leaning against the bed for support. Peppy on the other hand, had an expression on his face he very rarely ever saw.
It was the look of fear.
Noticing the vulpine looking his way, he quickly changed back to his usual stoic look, but the damage had already been done. Fox made a mental note to talk with him later. That was something he'd never seen out of the team's consular, and it worried him deeply.
Zhen walked up to him and interrupted his thoughts. She passed her medical scanner over him once more and looked pleased with the results. Looking behind him at the debris, she whispered, "Fara thanks you. As do Devan and I."
He nodded and glanced over at the vixen. Imagining her being forced to spend more time stuck in the base's regeneration tanks put a shudder through his body. His previous vow of making sure that didn't happen again still stood. Glancing at her injured foot, he wondered if he had any chance of keeping it.
"How is everyone?" asked Pepper suddenly.
"Everyone's fine, General," replied Zhen as she turned around to face him.
"Short of Slippy anyway," Devan butted in.
"Good," said the canine. "Fara, I tried to ask this of you earlier, and I still need to know the answer. Especially after this disaster. What exactly happened in there with Slippy?"
Fara sighed as she pulled herself onto the bed nearby. She didn't want to relive the experiences again, but it looked like she had no other choice. Starting with when she noticed the team missing, she quickly went through her story. The others stayed quiet the entire time, a fact that she was grateful for as she didn't know if she could start up again if she stopped.
The team looked impressed as she finished her story, remembering their own brief battles with the robotic toad. Falco had closed to melee range, thinking that he could take him on with his fists, while Fox had used the avian's blaster from where he had dropped it inside. Both had failed miserably. Peppy's fight ended before it started, Slippy taking him out with a quick blow to the head as soon as they entered the lounge.
"I really need to talk to Miyu about giving out untested military hardware to friends," said Pepper after she had finished.
"But in this case—"
"Yes, Fara, I realize that. But the upgraded blasters were not ready for a full rollout, and the boots were supposed to be a secret military design. Sometimes…"
He trailed off, prompting a brief question of concern from Fox. "Sir?"
"Nothing." He stood up and looked at the team. "I'm needed upstairs. I'll keep you informed as to what we've learned." His gaze shifted to the vulpine. "Do not for any reason leave this base, especially via Arwing. You are not to go jumping off on your own path of retribution. Do I make myself clear?"
Fox nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Good." Without another word, he turned and walked out.
"Are we needed anymore?" asked Fox as he gestured towards the medics.
"No," replied Zhen as Devan ducked into the side office. "Fara, I'll need you to return in about four hours to see if that foot has healed up fully. I don't know what the General means about untested military hardware, but that boot saved your foot from being crushed."
She nodded as the hare came back into view, a crutch in one paw and a cane in the other. "Crutch or cane, Fara?"
"Crutch please."
"You sure? I might be able to dig up one of those wheeled walkers if you want one instead."
"Very funny," she said with a grin. Taking the crutch into her paws, she adjusted it to her height and stood up. "Shall we go?"
Fox walked over to her as he said, "Yeah. My room, guys. We need to talk." He paused only a moment as he watched Fara hobble off, before he asked, "Want some help?"
"No, I'll…" She trailed off as she looked into his eyes, eyes that were almost pleading her to accept. She smiled and nodded, knowing she couldn't turn him down. "Sure."
The four pilots left the medical bay, the medics smiling behind their backs over the closeness of Fox and Fara.
"What's up, Fox?"
The vulpine looked among the remainder of his team, going through the questions he had in his mind. Short of Fara, everyone was on their feet, as if showing their impatience in being here. What they collectively knew was important to him, as Slippy's survival could very well count upon it. "Just a few questions actually, Falco."
"Hurry up then. I have things to do."
Fox's anger was quick to build. "What could you possibly…" He quieted with a sigh, realizing that getting upset wouldn't solve anything. He remembered that the avian's machismo wouldn't let him be concerned over such a simple matter. "I'm not going to finish that."
"Good." He crossed his arms and showed his displeasure in being where he was.
Fox quickly looked away, refusing to be goaded into starting another argument. Even though he deserved it as far as he was concerned. "Peppy, you sure the power plant is where we lost Slippy?"
The hare nodded as he leaned against the wall. "He was like himself up to the point where we got separated. Afterwards—"
"I know. Was the plant outside of the blast radius of the base?"
Peppy turned towards Falco and looked for his opinion. The avian noticed the attention and closed his eyes in thought. After a moment he nodded. "Yeah."
"Agreed," said Peppy. "It was on the edge of the city, so it should still be in one piece."
"So Slippy should be fine then."
"Assuming they haven't tortured the toad for information," said Falco. "Or beat him up, or—"
"Cool it," interrupted Fox.
"This is Andross we're talking about."
"Andross is dead."
"We can only assume," said Peppy. "We never saw him die."
"He's more than likely being held to set up another trap for us," suggested Fara as she lay on the vulpine's bed. "If that damned ape is still around."
"Yeah." Fox sighed, worried if his team would live through another of Andross' surprises. "Any guesses where that android sent off his messages?"
"Venom, obviously," replied Peppy. "The other is more than likely a backup hideout of sorts, or possibly some data collection point."
"I'm more interested in how Andross knows the codes to the satellite system in the first place," said Falco.
"We've guessed that he's known the access codes for some time," commented Fara. "Corneria has initiated code changes multiple times, but he must have somebody on the inside. Why build your own communication network when you can use the one that's included for free with the planets you've conquered?"
"I say we just head back to Venom and start shooting the damn place up. They'll release—"
"Don't you ever think?" snapped Peppy. "Not only could Slippy be in any of those buildings, but that just might be what it takes for Andross to kill him!"
"Well excuse me, oh high and mighty. It seems that you have the answers for—"
"That's enough!" roared Fox. He was sick and tired of all the arguing. The fact that not only was this war supposed to be over, but that they were now short a longtime friend wasn't helping matters any. "I know we're all upset right now—"
"No shit."
"—but fighting solves nothing." He sighed. "Just…keep in mind that we are going to get our teammate back. No matter what. As soon as Pepper has an idea where those signals went, we're leaving to find out what's there. Make sure you're prepared at all times."
"We'll find Slippy," said Fara. "Tell us where to go, and we'll follow."
"Yeah." And if Andross wasn't dead, he'd make sure he finished the job. No matter the cost. He wasn't going to worry them with that thought though. "You're all dismissed."
"Hold on," interrupted Falco. "Anybody want to tell me how the hell that ape gained the ability to make these androids in the first place?"
Fara looked like she was going to say something insulting, but after a quick glance at Fox's perturbed face, she quickly changed her mind and kept quiet. Instead, Peppy was the first to reply. "That's actually a good question. I know he was the head of the Academy, but I never paid too much attention to what he was doing as far as his research went."
"Pepper told me a few things about what that creep did as a scientist," said Fara finally. "And if I remember right, at the time we were in the process of developing advanced AI routines for explorative purposes. A fully AI run cruiser wouldn't need supplies or even environmental protection, so they'd be perfect for seeing what was out there."
"He just took what he'd learned and ran with it." Fox shook his head. "Just imagine the damage it would cause if he replaced Pepper, or the President, or…"
"Damn, that's a depressing thought," commented Falco. "Well, that's that. We done here?"
"Yes, you can all go. Peppy, hold on a minute."
"See ya, Fox," said Fara as she dropped to her feet.
"You going to be okay?"
She smiled as she turned around and leaned heavily into the crutch for support. As much as she'd like to keep accepting his help, she knew he had more important matters on his mind. "My room isn't that far, silly. I'll be fine."
Fox watched as the others left. As the door closed, he looked at the hare in concern. "A credit for your thoughts?"
Peppy kept his gaze away from the inquisitive vulpine as he responded. "You saw my expression earlier I take it."
"Yes I did, Peppy. Frankly, it worries me."
"Think that the consular will become the one who needs the consultation?"
He shook his head. "No. I'm just worried that this war has finally gotten to you. We always turn to you for advice. Who do you turn to?"
The hare closed his eyes after a moment. "Nobody."
"That's what I was afraid of. Am I right about you and the war?"
"Yes. Is this simply Andross' last hurrah, or are we going to have to look over our shoulders for the rest of our lives? Will we ever have a life of normalcy again? Or is this an example of what to expect?"
Fox looked at his mentor for so many years as he tried to figure out how to respond. Ultimately, he had nothing to say but restate the obvious. "That's a good question. It's also one none of us have an answer for. Personally, I think we'll have a good life. Will we have to keep watch over ourselves? Definitely. Will we be hunted every minute of our waking days? Highly doubtful."
"I'm in my late-thirties, Fox," he said as he drastically changed the subject. "I still remember the look on James' face when you were born. Am I just getting old? Am I not cut out for this anymore?"
This was something that the vulpine hadn't ever heard before, and it surprised him greatly. As far as he was concerned, Peppy wasn't old at all. With the average Cornerian citizen living until their late 80s, his teammate wasn't even halfway through his expected lifespan. "You're not old, Peppy," he said finally in an attempt to break the silence.
"No?" He turned his head and looked directly at Fox. There was either a hint of anger or confusion in his eyes as he continued. "What am I then?"
"You…hmmm… I know. You're tired."
"Tired?"
"Tired of the fighting. Tired of the conflict. Tired of the war. It was supposed to be over today, right?"
"That's right."
"And there's your problem. That's all our problems. Think about it, Peppy. How long have we been fighting?"
"Including our time on Papetoon?"
Fox nodded. "Yes."
"Months. At least half a year, and that's based on the Papetoon standard. They have longer days than Corneria does." He dropped his head in thought. "So, converting to local time here…"
The vulpine hid a smile. He had a feeling that the hare would get technical on him. "Peppy, I don't need the specifics."
He looked back up with a groan. "Oh."
"Anyway, in addition to that, we've traveled across the galaxy and slaughtered the population of a small moon. If you think about it too much, it would affect anybody. Hell, look at Fara. I know she's not taking this well."
"That's true."
Fox could see his teammate's demeanor improve as he continued to talk. "Hopefully this will be our last mission. After that, we're done. We've saved the universe. Odds are that we'll get to retire on whatever reward Pepper has in mind as well."
Peppy chuckled. "That's if the military can afford such an expected reward."
"They better. Falco will tear this place apart if he doesn't get one."
"True. Being known as the person who saved the entire system from a life of eternal slavery isn't good enough for him."
"Yup."
The hare pushed himself away from the wall and covered a yawn with one paw. "Thanks for the talk, Fox. I needed that."
Fox nodded. "Anytime. Anything else you want to get off your chest?"
"No, I'll be fine."
"Good." As Peppy turned to leave, he quickly added, "Don't forget to take back your psychologist hat."
He stopped in mid-step. "Very funny," he said dryly.
"Yeah, I thought so too. See you later."
"You too."
Fox was sound asleep when the door chime abruptly woke him up. He lay there curled up on top his bed and tried to figure out what the noise was that had brought him out of his slumber when it rang again. "It's open," he said as he twisted so he could see the newcomer.
Fara hobbled in with a smile on her face. "Did I wake you?" she asked as the door shut behind her.
"Yeah. But I needed to get up anyway." He rolled out of bed and hopped to his feet. "How's the foot?"
"Can't feel a thing at all. In medic terms, it's working as it should."
"Ah." He gestured towards his bed. "Want a seat? It's a bit lumpy, but it works."
She laughed. "Funny. Actually, I stopped by to ask if you wanted to take a walk with me."
A multitude of thoughts passed through his mind as he tried to figure out what exactly Fara meant by that line. He gave up after a few seconds and tried his best to hide his confusion. "Sure. What for?"
"You'll find out when we get there."
He shrugged. "Okay. Not like I have anything better to do." His curiosity piqued, he picked up his crumpled jacket from the carpeted floor and put it on. After a moment, he reached over and strapped on his blaster, something that he'd missed during his earlier encounter with Slippy. Not like it would've helped anyway. "Want some help to wherever we're going?"
She looked at Fox and tried to figure out why he seemed to be so protective of her today. Was it because of her newfound injury? Was there something else on his mind? Or was he just being cute? "No, I'm fine. Besides, I'm getting pretty good at whacking people with this thing if they don't get out of the way fast enough."
He laughed. He had a feeling that she was telling the truth as far as assaulting others went. "Lead on."
They slowly walked down the hallway and passed by a few others who were in a far more somber mood than they had been earlier. What had happened in the lounge clearly had gotten around to everyone based on their glances. Suddenly, Fara's voice broke into Fox's thoughts. "Thinking about the ground battle ahead?"
"Huh?"
"You know, the ground fighting we're gonna have to be in to save Slippy."
"Oh, that." He nodded. "Yeah, I have been. I figure we're either going to assault some base or board some kind of ship in the near future. Just trying to think of some plans."
"Ah." She paused upon noticing the look of concern on his face. "Hey, cheer up. Something tells me that you've been in quite a few fights in your time. And we make a pretty damn good team as well."
"Fara, you're not…" He quieted as he saw her expression turn sour. "What?"
"You know what. Don't even think about leaving me behind again."
He quickly tried to correct himself. "I wasn't—"
"Yes you were. I know to protect myself. Remember what I did to that android? I know you saw it."
The previous events flashed through his mind. It was something he wished he never saw, wished that Fara didn't have to go through it. "Yeah."
"Good. Look, it's nice of you to be so protective of me and stuff, but our line of work is anything but safe. We both know this."
"You're right, Fara. I'm just…worried. What…what if something happened to you? Or to any of us? I wouldn't be able to live with myself."
"Aw, how cute. So you do care."
Fox stopped dead in his tracks, his heart fluttering over what she'd just said. "Huh?"
Fara quickly realized that she was alone. She looked over her shoulder at the vulpine and noticed him standing there. Turning around, she was able to read his expression – it was one of emotional turmoil. Her simple comment had shattered the barriers he'd erected so long ago, or so she thought based on the look of his face. She worked her way back over. "You heard me. You really do care about me."
"I…" Did she have the same feelings towards him? Could it be true? "Uh…"
"Shush." She put a finger across his lips, physically telling him the same thing. Fox's expression was one she'd seen before on other males whose attention she'd drawn. Somehow, this vulpine was different. This one looked to be attracted to her because of who she was, not because of her looks. Was she right though?
Only one way to find out.
She removed her finger and used it to caress the underside of his muzzle. "How long have you been hiding your feelings from me?"
Fox closed his eyes and smiled from the touch. He was oblivious to his surroundings short of the feeling of her fur against his. This was something he'd wanted ever since he first laid eyes upon her so long ago. He didn't care what the consequences of this act might bring right now. He looked upon her and grasped her paw in his. "Ever since I first saw your beautiful green eyes."
She smiled, now knowing her suspicions were accurate. He really did have a crush on her. Did she feel the same way? There was something…special about him, that much she knew. Something that others didn't have. Would he be the one though? That was still to be decided. "How romantic."
"Well, you're a…" He suddenly quieted, letting go of her paw and turning away. "I can't do this."
Fara stumbled and tried to stay upright after his hasty retreat. "Why? What's wrong?"
"I…I can't get involved during a war."
She could sense the barriers quickly reforming. "Why not?"
He turned back around and stared at the floor. "I just can't."
"Why?" she pleaded. There had to be a reason why he was hiding his feelings from her. There had to be. "Please?"
Should he tell her? What would she think of him if he did? "I…"
"Please?" She was on the verge of tears. The person who seemed so right to her was going back inside his protective shell. She had to find out why.
"What…what if something happened to you? What if you were captured, or worse? If we were…close, I couldn't be the calm leader that the team needs." He finally looked up into her eyes. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
So this was why he'd been hiding his feelings for so long. It was because of the war and his worries about what might happen to her. It explained why he was so protective of her as well. She stood there in shock, like she'd just seen a Nova Bomb explode for the first time. "I…I…"
"Think it's dumb?" His tone quickly turned hostile. "Moronic? Stupid?"
She stomped her good foot hard onto the carpeted floor. "No!" She sighed and tried to get her emotions back under control. "It's a very…touching reason."
He looked away again. "Oh."
What could she do? What could she say? She could tell that she was going to lose him again unless she did something immediately. She limped over and reached up to touch him. He flinched back at first, not wanting the attention. She persisted, and this time he allowed her fingers to brush through his headfur. "What if…the war was completely over? Or better yet, what if it had never started? What would be your thoughts then?"
Their eyes connected once more as she tugged his head her way. "I…uh…" What would he have done if this war never existed? Was he truly in love, or was it the fact that he wanted to be her protector, her guardian? He came to the conclusion that he had absolutely no idea. "I…don't know. I just don't know."
Fara felt her heart shatter. She somehow knew the vulpine was going to say that, but she had a shred of hope deep down that he wouldn't. He seemed to be such a nice and caring person, but if it was because he wanted to watch over her, or because he was in love, she simply didn't know. She looked down towards the floor and pulled her paw away, hoping her movement would hide the single tear that rolled through her fur. "Oh."
What had he done? He watched speechlessly as she turned and continued her trek towards the nearby elevator. He had to say something, but what? "Fara, I—"
"No," she interrupted softly. "Just…just remember this for later." She sniffed and gestured forward with her free paw. "Come on."
