Sorry for the long delay between chapters here - I just haven't had the time lately to throw this into html format so everybody could read it. That and I haven't been able to log in to upload.

tikitikirevenge - Hopefully by the time you get to this chapter you've found that thesaurus you've been looking for. And while I'd like to think I have a good story here, there are some other great works on this site that shouldn't be missed.

Celestrio - My whole point in writing this fic was to greatly expand upon the comics, and I'm glad to see that you enjoy my writing because of that fact. I'm not sure what you found missing though last chapter, but I hope it doesn't happen again.

RedBay - Glad to see that you caught that last chapter. I made sure that question was answered since you brought it up.

Janus - Well, back in the comics (and the instruction manual of the SNES game), Fortuna was simply marked as 'also known as Dinosaur Planet'. Why I found it so odd that a new Dinosaur Planet suddenly popped up into the universe of the latter games. I've also taken your comment to heart, and while I write Falco as a loudmouth (especially now since he thinks he should be enjoying the easy life, instead of this mess he's now in), I'll keep tabs on what comes out of his mouth.

And finally - no matter what happens, let it be known that this is the team's final 'mission'. This story will end after that. It's just the whole act of finishing said mission that's so interesting. Now on to the story.


Chapter 47: Action and Reaction

If there's anyone out there watching over us, please make sure Fox and Fara are alive. This system is simply doomed without them. – Peppy

I vow that if I ever get my claws on that piece of ape shit, I will tear him from limb to limb. – Falco

Peppy stood suspended in midair and watched in shock at the scene proceeding before him. In just a matter of minutes, he'd seen not only Fara's apparent demise, but now Fox's as well.

What hurt him the most was that there wasn't a single thing he could do to stop it.

He winced as Fox dropped into the raging river and landed with an ungrateful splash. He craned his neck against his bonds and tried to see what happened next, but the vines had him too well wrapped up. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, and couldn't help at all.

Fox swiftly passed from his view. He figured the vulpine had only seconds before he fell off, at least based on the noises that Fara made earlier. Peppy was about to close his eyes in appreciation for his second lost friend when the situation suddenly changed.

Three blaster shots rose from the river, aimed directly at the floating cube. The first shot missed, but the second two broadsided its target like a speeding hovercar. The cube detonated in muted silence compared to the noise of the water underneath it.

Within moments, the mass of vines began sagging towards the ground, the force that held them aloft evaporating into the wind. Not needing any further hints, Peppy began tugging at his limbs and tried to pull free.

Seconds later, he worked his left paw free, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't pry his other arm loose. After giving a brief prayer of thanks to anyone above for what mobility he had now, he unwrapped his mouth before starting on his other side. "Falco?"

"Yeah, yeah," came the avian's reply. "I know."

Pleased to hear that his teammate was having the same success as he was in getting free, he quieted down and continued working. He knew it was only a matter of time before Andross returned, and he had a feeling that he wouldn't be as forgiving as he was before.

Shaking his leg, Peppy found himself liberated a few minutes later. Giving his former bonds only a fleeting glance, he turned towards Falco to see if he needed any assistance.

The avian was precariously balanced on one foot, the other still tangled up in a clump of vines. With a growl he pulled out his blaster and launched a spread of shots into the vegetation. Satisfied with his work, he again tried to walk off, this time far more successful. After taking a few steps, he spun around and fired another half a dozen shots for good measure.

Covering a smile with one paw, Peppy asked, "You done there?"

He didn't even look towards the hare as he replied. "Yes. Come on."

The pair sullenly walked towards the waterfall, Peppy afraid of what they'd find when they looked over. He guessed that Falco had the same thoughts, but he was covering it with a layer of pure hatred towards Andross.

A minute later, they reached their goal. The water roared in their ears as it cascaded down the side of the cliff, its landing obscured by a thick layer of mist. From there, the water flowed generally towards the southeast, spreading outwards into a series of tributaries as the land slowly turned to swamp.

"Do you see anything?" yelled Falco over the blast of the waterfall.

Peppy's ears perked up at the sound of his teammate's voice, but other than simply putting up a paw to indicate that he'd heard him, he continued looking outwards. His eyes scanned the river in detail in an attempt to find any sign that the pilots were alive or dead. Spotting something that looked promising, he squinted his eyes and reached back with his other paw to find the binoculars that was stored in one of the many pouches on his backpack.

Falco's sudden grabbing of his shoulder caused the hare to jerk his head away from the area. He yelled again, "Do you see anything?"

Peppy sighed as he shook his head before looking back out to try to find whatever caught his attention before. He sighed and wished that the avian would learn the value of patience.

"We're going down there!"

Did he just say what he thought he heard? There was no way that Falco just suggested that he was going to find some way down the sheer cliff face. "What?" he hollered back, trying to pantomime his confusion best he could.

"We're going down!" he replied as he pointed out towards the cliff.

Still acting like he hadn't understood what was said, as he knew that Falco wouldn't follow him otherwise, Peppy gently grabbed his teammate's arm and dragged him away from the deafening waterfall.

After traveling about 100 feet, the hare turned around, knowing that he'd be able to hold a conversation without yelling back and forth to one another. Now he just had to figure out what made Falco's crazy mind tick with these ideas of his. "What did you say to me?"

"I thought you said you have good hearing," he said with a huff as he pulled off his backpack.

"Funny," he said drolly. "My hearing is exceptional, as you already know, but even I have issues trying to understand a conversation next to a waterfall. Now, what did you say to me last?"

Falco was digging through the items in his backpack and paying the hare little attention. "We're going down there to find Fox and Fara."

Peppy's eyes shot wide open. His guess as to what he'd heard was correct. "What?"

"Are you deaf?"

"I can hear you just fine. Do you have any idea how you're getting down there?"

"No."

"Do you know if either one of them are even alive?"

"No."

"We have a mission—"

"Screw the damn mission!" He pointed towards the waterfall as he continued. "There are two teammates down there, one of them who's been a friend of mine for years! I will not leave them until I know for sure!"

Peppy looked at Falco with a hint of sadness, having a good guess what he must be going through his mind right now. He just needed to figure out what he could say to fully convince his teammate that his position was the right one. "Falco, think this out for a moment."

"No."

"Then at least listen to me. Please?" After giving him a dirty look, the avian slowly nodded. "Good. Now, I've known Fox longer than you have. I'm just as worried, if not more so, about his well being. I know how you feel."

"No, you—"

"Falco…" Peppy stared at him until he remained quiet. "Even if we had a way to get to the ground below, that's going to take time. A lot of time. Andross is no doubt on his way here somehow or another. And there's no way he's going to be as gentle to us as he was this time around."

"So what are we going to do then?"

"We're going to continue on with this mission. We have a teammate who's to the best of our knowledge alive and well. Once we rescue him, we'll scour the planet for Fox and Fara. I have no intention on leaving without them either."

Falco stood there and contemplated their next move. After a few seconds, he let off a muttered curse and stomped towards the river, away from the waterfall. "Fine." He didn't get far before he stopped with another thought on his mind. "Hey, what about the headsets we have?"

Peppy shook his head with a sigh. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten such a simple thing. While it wouldn't change their plans any, it would help them on their journey knowing the others were alive. "A very good idea, my avian friend. Let me try."

He shrugged off his backpack and looked for his headset. After finding it, he was about to put it on when he flipped the power switch without a second thought.

The ear-shattering whine that emanated from the earpiece wanted to make him scream in pain. Controlling his urge to do so with difficulty, he killed the power as quickly as he could.

"What the hell was that noise?" asked Falco.

Peppy shook his head and tried to clear the ringing from his ears. "I think normal communications are being jammed. But there's only one way to find out."

"I am not—"

"You suggested the idea. Now follow up on it."

"Fine." The avian searched for his headset as well, but unlike his teammate he kept it inside his backpack just incase as he powered it up. The resulting noise was muffled, but just as nerve-wracking as before. "That's just lovely."

"Agreed. Let's go then, Falco. There's nothing more we can do here."


Water…water everywhere.

Cold…so very cold.

Dark, cloying water all around.

Water pushing me in every direction.

Which way is up?

I don't know anymore.

I need to breathe.

I have to breathe.

Is the water getting lighter?

Am I going up?

I can't hold my breath any longer.

I have to breathe…now!

Fara Phoenix broke through the surface of the water and took in a desperate gasp of air before gravity grabbed hold of her body and dunked her under again. She kicked with her feet, her muscles screaming with the strain, and surfaced once more in the turbulent water. Fighting with what reserves she still had, she focused her attention on keeping her head above water and finding solid land.

Every movement of her limbs caused her to wince in pain and her entire body fought her commands. Despite her desperate attempts earlier, her dive had been far from perfect. In addition, the drop was simply too far to take without severe punishment to her lithe body.

Just as her legs locked up, her feet connected with solid ground. Using the last of her strength, she dragged herself onto the grassy ground at the water's edge. Her legs cleared the water as she let out a groan of exhaustion, her body finally failing her.

She lay there on the soft grass, her waterlogged clothing and fur soaking the once dry ground underneath her. As the afternoon sun beamed down on her and warmed her clammy skin, she used what energy she had left to focus on her senses. She was utterly defenseless as she lay there, and it kept her from enjoying the knowledge that she'd somehow survived the impossible.

She breathed hard through her nose and mouth, inhaling the smells of the damp ground and grass, of the water lilies and various flowers. She felt the slight breeze against her wet fur and she listened to the water gurgle as it passed behind her. Even with her eyes closed, she could tell she was safe for the moment, as she couldn't smell the ionized stench of a blaster shot or hear a lizard nearby in the grass.

A minute passed, then a second, where all she did was recuperate her spent energies. During that time, moving even a single finger was beyond her power. As the third minute came around, her eyes came to life, the rest of her body slowly following.

Letting out a grunt of exertion, she pushed herself to a sitting position and turned around so she faced the water. Feeling the sheer weight of her drenched clothing, she reached back and pulled off her backpack and then followed with her jacket. Next, she tugged off her boots and grimaced as she upended them and watched the water splash onto the already damp ground. She unhooked her blaster as well, surprised to see that it was somehow within its holster.

She was about to wring out her jacket and take a stock of what supplies were lost or ruined from the soaking when something that Fay told her yesterday floated through her mind.

I see Fox floating down a sea of blue, and I see him being shot by you.

While there was no way in hell the second was going to pass, she thought, the first was definitely a possibility considering what had just happened.

Her muscles complained as she stood up, her bare feet sinking slightly into the wet soil. She looked upriver and tried to follow the water towards where she fell in, but it was out of her sight, the winding path blocked by the rise of the riverbank and occasional tree. Her gaze wandered back down the river, coming to rest on what looked to be a log floating by.

She rubbed her eyes tiredly and looked again, quickly changing her mind as to what she saw. That was no log.

Instead, it was Fox McCloud, floating face down in the river.

"By the Creator, no…" Adrenaline flowed through her as she stared in shock at the vulpine. Her petty complaints about her sore body were nothing compared to this.

She had only one goal now – she had to save Fox.

Her goods forgotten on the bank, she ran the short distance back into the water. As soon as it got deep enough, she dove in and started swimming, pumping her limbs like a professional. She knew that she'd pay for this excursion in the near future, but now was not the time to worry about things like that.

She reached Fox within seconds of first entering the water. She ducked underneath him and reappeared on his other side, grabbing hold of his unmoving body. Finding no closer shore nearby, she kicked as hard as she could and propelled both of them back towards her landing spot.

She all but pushed the vulpine onto the bank then got out and dragged him away from the water. She knelt down next to him and checked for a pulse. Her own heart fluttered as she realized that she couldn't find a heartbeat.

She closed her eyes and searched her mind for the basic survival courses she took what felt like ages ago. Her eyes popped open as she remembered what she needed to do.

Fara pried open Fox's mouth and made sure his airway felt clear. Satisfied with how she didn't find anything, she placed one paw on top of the other and proceeded to start CPR.

1…2…3…4…5…

Breathe.

"Come on, Fox," she said as she checked for a pulse.

Nothing.

1…2…3…4…5…

Breathe.

"Come on…"

Ignoring the tears that were now streaming from her eyes, she desperately continued.

1…2…3…4…5…

Breathe.

"Fight, Fox! Please!"

1…2…3…4…5…

Breathe.

And still no response from the vulpine.

"I…I need you, Fox. You just can't give up on me now. I…don't leave me alone." Her own paws were shaking as she tried to find a pulse. Once again, there was no sign of one.

She rapidly blinked and cleared away the tears that had clouded her vision. She wasn't going to give up. Fox would come around. He just had to.

1…2…3…

On the third compression, Fox's eyes suddenly shot wide open. He leaned forward and sucked in a giant gasp of air. But to Fara's ears, it didn't sound right. It was as if he had water lodged deep inside his lungs, fighting to get out.

Knowing what was going to happen next, she grabbed Fox, flipped him onto his side, and aimed his head towards the water below. After another gurgling breath, the vulpine promptly vomited the river water he had inhaled earlier.

Afterwards, he wiped his mouth with a sleeve and flopped onto his back, trying to get his breathing under control. He gave Fara a weak smile as he tried to say something, but it only came out as a quiet mumble.

Fara was so grateful to see him alive again that she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on his forehead. "What did you say?" she asked as she lifted his head close to one of her ears.

"I shot…the cube. Other two…safe."

"Good job. I don't know if I could've pulled anybody else out of the river like I did with you. You're heavy you know."

Fox simply nodded and smiled once more. "Thank…you."

She smiled back as she noticed his wandering eyes lock on to her wet own. "You're welcome. Nobody is dying on my watch. Especially you."

The vulpine slowly reached up with one paw and caressed her face before he closed his eyes and dropped into unconsciousness. Returning the gesture and blinking away new tears that were threatening to fall because of it, she lowered him to the ground.

After checking his pulse to make sure he was okay, she gave him another peck on the forehead and leaned back to take stock of Fox's condition. Unlike her own fortune as far as her supplies went, he didn't seem to be anywhere near as lucky. His flight jacket was missing, his blaster was gone, and his backpack was nowhere to be found.

She grimaced at the thought of only having one weapon between the two of them. Wondering if her blaster still worked, she walked over to where she'd dropped it and picked it up. Taking careful aim across the water, she fired.

The weapon broke the relative silence of nature with a hiss and left a scorch mark on the grass. Satisfied that it still worked as designed, she went to put down her weapon, idly wondering if she'd be able to protect the both of them long enough for Fox to get a weapon of his own from a lizard.

Andross' lizard force…

She froze and realized that they were both in serious trouble.

She had a feeling that Andross would be furious with the loss of the cube and the loss of the pilots he'd held captive. He'd at least send out another cube, if he had others, or one hell of a lizard force in retaliation.

And odds were he'd check to see if she and Fox were dead as well.

She had to find a defensive position somewhere. Or she needed to continue with the mission somehow. She grimaced as she turned back towards Fox. How was she supposed to do either with an unconscious teammate?

Fara padded around on the grassy hill and looked for some way to drag Fox around until he woke back up. She mentally went through her supplies and thought about what she could combine to create some way to pull Fox away from the water and towards their goal.

She came to a stop in front of a large tree. She looked up towards the branches with a smile as realization hit her. The answer was a simple one – with two relatively straight branches and the small thermal blanket in her backpack, she could create a sling of sorts to carry the vulpine. It wouldn't hold together for very long, but it should work long enough to get away from the river.

Now she just needed some way to cover the rather obvious tracks she'd leave in the process. She looked around, her eyes coming to rest on a large bush sitting near the water's edge. Perfect, she thought. She'd attach some of the more leafy sections behind her sling to obscure her tracks.

She glanced into the tree again, and upon coming to the conclusion that there were no suitable branches available in this one for her to use, walked towards the bush instead. There were plenty of trees in the area. She'd find the one she needed shortly. In addition, she didn't want to go searching until she'd reequipped herself first. Climbing trees while barefoot wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do, especially in hostile territory.

The bush that she'd picked out was as tall as she was and covered with some kind of thick blue-green leaves. She reached into a buttoned pants pocket and dug through what items she had stored there, grateful that it felt like everything was still available. As she moved around the leaves up top with one paw, she pulled out a collapsible knife with the other.

Finding a long, leafy branch, she was about to cut it off when her foot kicked something hard hidden underneath the bush. She jumped back as she brought the knife into a defensive position, as she knew it wasn't the bush itself that she'd kicked. It was too rough and solid to be of the same material that the branches were made out of.

After standing there for a few seconds, satisfied that nothing was going to jump out from underneath the bush, she inspected her bare foot for any injury before cautiously approaching again. She ducked down low and spread the branches apart with one paw, still keeping her knife ready if she needed it. What she found hiding inside completely stunned her.

It was a small boat.

Amazed at her find, she grabbed hold of the boat and pulled it out into the afternoon sun. The light revealed that it was a little longer than she was tall, and it looked to be carved out of a single tree, as there were no visible seams along the hull. The bark from the tree still adorned the exterior, but the interior was smooth, as if somebody had sandpapered it or something after cutting the insides of the tree away. On the bottom of the boat lay a single paddle, ready for her to use.

She smiled at her incredibly good fortune, hoping that this vessel was as sea-worthy as it looked. And there was only one way to find out.

Fara dragged the boat across the dirt and grass, moving it towards the water. She then walked into the river, pulling the boat the rest of the way. It entered the water without a hitch, and while it floated somewhat high for her liking, she knew that it would drop down lower as soon as she added some weight into it.

As far as she could tell though, this would easily get both her and Fox away from where they were now. And hopefully the vulpine would wake while they traveled, getting rid of the issue of what to do if he didn't. All she needed to do was get some distance away from the waterfall and from whatever search parties Andross decided to send out.

She pushed the boat back to dry land and made sure it wouldn't float off while she got ready. She then put back on her belt and blaster, but slung her jacket and backpack over her shoulder as she carried her boots back to the water. She figured she'd use the jacket as a pseudo-blanket for Fox, as her thermal one wouldn't respond well to water.

She dropped the backpack and jacket into the boat and entered the shallow part of the water to wash off her feet again. While a little water wouldn't hurt the inside of the boots, especially after the soaking they were through already, the dirt and mud she'd picked up from walking around would make her uncomfortable at best. After putting her boots on, she looked through her backpack and was impressed to find that everything was still strapped down inside and dry in their plastic bagging.

She pulled on the backpack and walked back to Fox. He was still lying comfortably in blissful unconsciousness on the damp ground. Shaking her head at how he avoided all the problems she'd gone through, she leaned down and half-dragged half-carried him to the boat. She grunted with exertion as she lifted him in, her muscles complaining about the work she was making them do again.

Fara pushed the boat into the shallows once more. After readying herself, she gave one last shove and clambered in. The boat rocked from the sudden movement, but both of them were now in and were moving downstream in the current.

She carefully covered Fox's curled up form as best she could with her jacket and then took the paddle in paw and began guiding the craft through the water. Many colorful trees and bushes passed by as she journeyed downstream, and the current behind her was strong enough to propel her forward without additional effort.

Tributaries began branching off from the main stream as the time slowly passed, but she decided to stick with the main flow for the time being. She still wanted distance at this point, not a variance of direction. That and she had no clue how far any of these smaller waterways went before coming to an end.

Eventually the current slowed down, forcing her to start paddling to keep any decent forward momentum. Her muscles began to complain from the strain once again, and she yawned occasionally, a blunt reminder that she desperately needed the same rest that Fox was getting. She looked down at the vulpine occasionally as she paddled, satisfied to see his chest slowly rise and fall with each breath of his.

As she continued forward, she noticed the terrain around her slowly change. What was once dry grassland turned into soggy marshland. What was once soft dirt turned to wet mud.

Fara let out a great yawn as she looked for a spot to tie up her borrowed boat, too tired to find a place to come to shore. She didn't want to travel any further into the swamp either, as that was the last place she wanted to walk around in.

Around the next bend, she spotted a nearby bush draped some ways over the river. She smiled as she saw it, as not only would it stop her craft, but it would provide some cover from anybody looking for her.

Stifling another yawn, she pulled the length of rope out from her backpack and tossed it around the bush. Not finding a spot she could secure the ends to on the boat, she tied the other part to her wrist. She felt a slight tug as the craft came to a stop, the slow current underneath trying to move the boat along, but she was satisfied that she wasn't going anywhere.

She craned her neck as she searched for the sun. Comparing its position verses the compass and watch combo she had in her backpack, she figured she had two hours or so of sunlight left. Just enough time to get in a quick catnap, she thought.

She took one final look around to make sure she was alone before lying down as comfortably as she could in her half of the boat. She unhooked her blaster and placed it underneath her, hiding the existence of her weapon incase somebody jumped her.

As she closed her eyes, her last thoughts were on the vulpine lying nearby.