Review response

Some dude: Thanks man

Silver Meta Dragon: just don't peel it to far.

Krystalwolf: I'm glad you REALLY like it.

Black Phoenix: umm… no.

Fox McCloud Savoir Lylat: yeah keeping track of all the stuff is rather hard for them. And Zavis was unconscious when it was implanted.

Hunter Killer: Pepper fate is undecided…for now.

For the above responses I've been feeling really sarcastic lately and if I offended anyone I'm sorry. Really I am.

Chapter 10

Pepper's copter floated into the main base complex and was swarmed by personal. Zavis was carted away by a hoard of white clad scientists, as the Star Fox team was lead by marines. Falco and Fox struggled briefly but they gave in when the marines threatened Katt and Krystal at gunpoint. Pepper smiled as a fennec fox in a white coat rushed up to him.

"General glad to have you back on base," he glanced to the retreating forms of the other scientists, "my team will begin work on the human immediately."

"Very good Hyman, when you remove the core memory bring it to me"

"Yes general," Hyman said as he gave a quick salute and headed off.

"Hyman," Pepper yelled.

"Yes general"?

"If the core memory is damaged in anyway, well lets just say you won't be in the best of health in the near future."

Hyman's ears drooped slightly and he visible trembled before he answered, "Yes, general."

Pepper turned to one of his aided that had walked up and said, "I want the base on lock down mode, no one in no one out."

"Yes general I'll get right on it."

Pepper turned and headed inside as the base personal scrambled to comply with his orders.

Bill sighed as he watched his crew scramble over the bridge as they made last minute adjustments necessary to exit slip space. Bill sighed as he watched his first officer shout orders over the chaos.

"Check the calculation again, increase shield output, begin warm up of sub-light engines, anything can happen at any moment be ready for it," Alex continued to yell but was mostly ignored. Bill smiled as he stood and walked over to Alex and placed a paw on his shoulder.

"Hey calm down ok everyone knows what they're supposed to do."

"I know admiral but they need to be ready for—"

"I know and they know so chill we'll exit slip space in just a few moments and I don't need you hoarse when Admiral Crowe contacts us to discuses our course of action."

"Of course admiral," Alex bowed his head slightly, "please forgive."

"Hey cheer up," Bill said with a smile, "I need you at one hundred percent for what's ahead of us, so I order you to calm down and take it easy."

Alex's head shot up as he gave a quick salute, "Yes sir." He turned back to his post and continued the preparations to exit slip space. Bill returned to the center of the bridge and waited. After a moment the ship shuttered slightly as the ship tore itself from out of slip space. "Give me full visual," Bill ordered and after a moments pause the gray panels in front of him turned translucent and the black void of space took their place. Gazing out Bill was unsurprised to see the long sleek metal hulls of Fortuna's 8th fleet. What surprised him were the large aqua blue dome ships of Zoness and Aquas, Macbeth's heavily armored gun ships, and ships whose appearance had once sent shivers down everyone's spines three Venom heavy cruisers.

"What on Katina," muttered Alex and Bill couldn't help put agree.

"Admiral, the Nexus is hailing us," the communications office said which broke Bill's focus on the strange assortment of ships.

"On screen."

An ancient jet-black raven filled the screen. "Admiral Grey good of you to join us. We need to meet and discus this situation."

"Agreed, I will be on a shuttle to your ship within the hour."

"Very well, Crowe out."

Back at an alleyway in Corneria city a large dog twitched in a fevered dream. He suddenly shot up as his head twisted around looking for some unseen enemy. When he realized that he was alone he gave an angry howl and started to shout, "Damn it the monkey and the cat got away, I swear when I get my paws on them I'm gonna rip them limb from limb." The dog began to stand but waves of nausea washed over him and forced him back down. "Grrr… guess I've got to rest for a bit," the dog growled as he pulled himself over to the alley wall and propped up against it. "Just need to rest a bit more," he muttered as he fell back into a fevered dream.

At the military base the Star Fox team was herded deep into the base complex and tossed into separate dingy cells. Krystal began to explore her cell and found the only way out was the force shield door. As she reached for the rainbow colored exit one of the foxes on guard duty gave her a stern warning. "I wouldn't touch that if I were you."

"And why not," Krystal asked as she gave the guard a playful smile.

"Well several thousand volts of electricity would zap you."

"Oh," Krystal said in a somewhat ditsy voice as she gave the guard another smile, "thanks for the warning."

"My pleasure," the guard replied as he returned her smile with his own.

A voice from echoed from down the cell rows, "Henderson your on call to med bay for the new injections."

"Alright I'm on my way," he leaned close to glowing edge of the shield and whispered to Krystal, "Look McCloud has saved this planet more time than I can count so I don't know why the general's got you locked in here. I think I owe it to you guys for saving the planet to help you escape."

"Henderson"!

"I'm coming," he yelled back up the hall, "listen after my med shot I'll be back to help you ok."

Krystal gave the guard a friendly smile, "Ok."

Henderson turned to walk away and muttered, "Don't try to flirt with any other guard to escape, you're not too good at it."

Krystal frowned indignantly as Henderson walked away. She then reached out to Fox with her mind.

Fox I just found a way out.

How Krystal.

On of the guards has agreed to help us escape.

Can we trust him?

I was reading his mind dear.

Sorry I'm a little pissed right now.

I know but we'll be getting out of here soon.

Even deeper inside the base in a large med lab Zavis was strapped to a bed as doctors swarmed around him. Dr. Hyman ordered several doctors to wheel Zavis into a large oval chamber.

"Activate the scanner." The machine released a low hum as a blue light travled the length of Zavis's body.

"Amazing," Hyman muttered as the scanner projected a 3-D image of Zavis's insides. He quickly studied the image before he began to explain what he saw.

"As you all can see the human's brain is infected with the fledgling queen. It encompasses both frontal lobs and has seeped into most of the creases of the brain." He then indicated toward top of Zavis's spinal cord. "Here is an interesting note, a second aparoid seems to have appeared here and it has what appear to be tentacles running down the humans spine to all his nerve ending."

One of the younger doctors spoke up, "so the queen isn't controlling him"?

"It doesn't appear that way, my guess is that this new aparoid was always present but was just two small to appear on the first scan. My guess is that this aparoid is a guard of some sort to protect the queen until it matures." Hyman took a deep breath and continued, "if that is the case then the queen is still dormant within the human and from the looks of it it's nearing its final evolutionary stages. Now the general wants us to remove the queen's core memory for his own uses. Now the core memory should be located here," he indicated toward the middle of Zavis brain, "we'll go in with micro probes and remove the core memory. Then if possible we will keep the human alive for further testing. Any questions."

One scientist asked, "what about the bomb Pepper implanted"?

"From what I can gather it had a one time use and was placed on what appears to be a vital nerve connection for the aparoid. My guess is when it was implanted the aparoid lost a good deal of control over the human, and when it was detonated it lost even more of its ability to control. So the aparoid should have no ability to control the human unless the human is unconscious or gives up control willingly. Any more questions? Good lets get started."

Hyman wheeled Zavis out into the open and prepared him for surgery; around an hour later he released the micro probes from a tube inserted into Zavis's head.

Jr. was barely conscious when the surgery began as he tried to feel his was through Zavis mind. He encountered the familiar lump that was Zavis but he felt a second lump that surprised him but he ignored it. He continued to feel around until he brushed against the queen. As he checked the egg and was relieved to find the bomb did not damage her at all. Thank whatever god provided this mercy he thought until he felt the probes. He frantically tried to halt the progress of the probes but he was so weak it was a wasted effort.

Hyman smiled as the probes located the core memory and began the delicate extraction process as Jr. raced to take control but to his dismay and horror he discovered he couldn't. Feeling his own body he found that several vital nerve endings had been fried must have been that pain the human felt, he thought and why I had trouble taking and keeping control. He began to rebuild the nerve endings as the probes continued to remove the queen's core memory. Jr. watched as a growing sense of helplessness enveloped him as the few cords that held the core to the queen were being severed and he began to scream into the silence of Zavis's mind. Hyman's smile widened was the last strands that held the core were severed and the probes raced back to the tube. When the probes reached the tube Zavis's body convulsed violently.

"Doctor the human is going into cardiac arrest."

"Get the shock pads and try to keep him alive." Hyman shouted as he hurried from the lab with probes that carried the core as the remaining doctors started to stabilize Zavis. With in Zavis's mind Jr. howled in agony, which brought Zavis to consciousness.

Ugh… Jr. Jr. what's wrong?

She's gone, she gone.

Calm down who's gone?

The queen I've failed.

What do you mean I thought you were the queen?

No I was the guardian and I've failed.

What else is going on, it feels like I'm fading.

With out the queen your body can't survive.

So we're dieing.

Yes.

Is there anything we can do?

Why bother I've failed.

Listen there's always a reason to live.

Why I'm the last of my kin—oh. Well what's left to live for?

Revenge.

You must be kidding human.

Not if it will get you to help me.

Very well human. The only way to prolong our life is if we use some of the fur's organic parts we absorbed.

I'm on it.

The doctors continued to scramble around Zavis as bright blue-white light flashed around him and forced the doctors to fall back.

"Amazing it has a auto recover feature," one of the doctors muttered.

"Or a very strong sense of self-preservation," another doctor.

Zavis's eyes shot open and he said in a soft voice, "you have no idea." The doctors recoiled as they heard him speak as both of the arm blades unsheathed themselves in another flash of light…

Authors notes: Sorry about the absurd amount of rambling in this chapter. I was on a Dr. Pepper high for most of the chapter and I' sure it shows. Not sure why I when back and brought the dog that Zavis hurt a few chapters ago back but I'm working on a small part for him in a future chapter. Well I won't call this chapter the best I've ever written but it's ok. Next chapter will be much better, much more action. So until then please review.