Dual Sides

Chapter 2 - The Clash

-0-0-0-

Star Fox leader Fox McCloud entered the infirmary for prisoners. There was a ward there were Wolf alone was held. He told his teammates to fetch the other members. He would be the one to get Wolf. They agreed and split up to do their mission - convince the Star Wolf team to join them.

Fox grabbed a cloth moistened with a liquid having a foul smell. He wiped it on Wolf's head. When the lupine opened his eyes, he popped out because of the horrible stench. The vulpine simply smiled from that scene. "So, how was dreamland?" he grinned as he placed the cloth to a table just beside the bed. "I'm really sorry to interrupt, but we have a mission… and I mean the both of our teams!" His small joke didn't penetrate Wolf's solid heart.

"After treating… us like that… do you expect… us to help you?" he spoke with labor. The effect of the shock hadn't been removed, as he found it difficult in talking and in breathing. "Rats… and I thought… you fight… with dignity…"

Fox somewhat felt guilty, though he didn't do anything. "Look, I'm sorry, okay," he apologized. "If I only stopped them from doing that earlier, then you and your team would still be okay. You see, Lylat's in a state of chaos, and, well, people aren't thinking quite clearly… There's this cleaning campaign, where criminals are hunted down, and the hotspot is Sargasso Space Station…" Wolf just took it as a meaningless reason.

"What does it have to do with my team, anyway?" the lupine grumbled while he pushed his feet down to the ground. "Aren't you The Great Heroes of Lylat? Didn't you single-handedly defeat the Aparoid Queen in the scum homeland?" He crossed his arms and turned his back to Fox.

The Star Fox leader, however, took it as an offense. "Look," he furiously argued back as he forced his listener to face him, "we didn't really want to take all of the credit. In fact, we felt downed because we were taking the whole gratification while you and your team were missing, and that no one cared. We were relieved that you got back in the Station after getting our new mission." Wolf, this time, felt his sincerity. "And… we're not the only ones who knew what happened… the general knew that you did a great part. That's why he told us to ask your help in our new mission… That's why I'm asking here, right now, to help us… please…"

"Hmph… Why not ask for the defense force, like the one who caught us," he replied as if he scoffed the statements Fox gave to him earlier. However, he was simply trying to check this fox's intentions if they were down-to-heart or not.

The vulpine didn't lose hope. He urged a deal, "I remember what you said, the one that snapped me out of my weakness… Don't hesitate. When the time comes, just act… Well then, let's make a deal. I'm willing to call myself a loser to you to everybody, that is, if you help us. I'm following what you said - I won't hesitate to give anything so that you can assist the mission. It saved me once, and I know it'll save me today."

For the first time, Wolf was seen smiling, and that was because he felt some warmth. He nodded and answered, "Hmph… Looks like you're taking my advice like something that's already a part of you… And, no, I don't want my only rival to lose just like that." He then held out his hand. The vulpine smiled back and did the same. They shook hands. "Yeah, it looks like something's interesting in your mission…"

"Well then, let's get going," Fox told him in a light feeling. "Oh, and by the way, thanks…" The two then exited the room, where they met with the rest of the group.

"I will go where Lady Krystal goes," Panther proclaimed as he covered his mouth with a rose. "Wolf, don't mind me when I leave for a while, okay? Just make sure that empty spot for the three members of Star Wolf remains empty until I return."

Krystal giggled, "Panther's really nice… And he's funny too!" She then made a small whisper to herself, "And he's so good with words - romantic words."

"Make that two, Wolf," Falco reported to them as well. "Leon here, who's currently out of sight because he regrets being the person to tell you this, says that he wants to join… I dunno why though. I just asked and he simply said yes…" Wolf looked at his side. He felt some sort of entity in that empty space. It was probably Leon.

"Then it's settled," Fox concluded. "Looks like Star Wolf will be joining us. Wolf also agreed to come." He then faced at Slippy and ordered him, "Contact Peppy and tell him to load up the Wolfens."

"Okey-dokey!" he winked as he grabbed his communicator. It seemed Peppy was already onboard, waiting for them to come. "Oh, he said he had a feeling of them joining up, so thought ahead and boarded the three Wolfens. He is now waiting for us to leave."

"That Peppy," Fox grinned while placing his arms behind his head. Wolf slightly grinned as well. "Okay, let's go to the docking bay."

When they were walking towards the hangar, they were stopped by Bill and a trio of soldiers. "I am not going to let you go with them," he threatened them. "They are criminals, and they deserve the treatment in a cage!"

Fox looked at him in the eyes and replied firmly, "No. Now please, move away. We have a mission to do."

"Why? Why not other people? Why not me?" the greyhound suddenly jerked out. "I'm your best friend in the academy! I'm the one who helped you before in Katina! I'm one of the finest commanders in the defense force! Why did the general picked that scumbag instead!"

The vulpine became furious. He immediately grabbed his blaster and pointed it towards him. "Move, or I'll shoot." He commanded in a fierce tone. The soldiers accompanying the hound pointed their blasters at McCloud. Bill, however, signaled them to lower their weapons. He walked away, and the three soldiers followed.

"What's with him?" Falco wondered as they continued to walk inside the hangar. "He's like a brat or something…"

-0-0-0-

"This is Lone Star flagship Galaxy Fang speaking," Lobo Kanid, the leader of Lone Star, announced in the communication link in the docking bay of Starship Glaive, the large flagship housing the UAF. "Assuming take-off from hangar… Requesting release at five seconds..."

Copy that, Galaxy Fang.

The hanger opened up, and Galaxy Fang boosted away. Lobo cut off the communication and then looked at his teammates. "Uh, no comments? Na-da? Nothing?" Everybody looked at him with a thought. Why did he ask that question?

"What do you want us to comment about?" Hanna asked him while she was creating a sphere of energy on her palm. Suddenly, it burst out, making her surprise. "Well, that didn't look right. It seems I need to readjust the capacity replication and the quantum variable of this Nanotech… Sorry, Lobo, I can't comment right away."

(Nanotech, short for Nanotechnology, is a program that manipulates atoms in order to materialize or create an energy form.)

"Hmm… I do," Verdigo replied to Lobo's question. "It's more of a question, though, amigo. Why are we going to those coordinates...? To meet new amigos and amigas, right? But don't you think it's rather odd? The area is empty space, vacio."

"Yeah, that's right," Raven added as well while trying to imitate the Gatan accent. "Nice thinking there, compadre! Anyway, who are we meeting? Are they from the neighboring system? I hope it's Terra System, and I hope it's Galaxy Wulf…" He suddenly became panicky after the thought. "Oh no… I'm going to meet Master Wulf McWolf in person! I hope he's going to teach me with his uber move, the Air Ripper!" He then fell down to his comfortable seat, smiling.

"He really idolizes him," Alieu gave a faint smile. "Um… There's nothing wrong with going to that place, since it's part of the mission, right? I mean, we trust what the UAF is giving us… right?"

"There's no doubt about that," Lobo assured him.

Suddenly, there was a communication patch. Lobo opened it, and to his surprise, it was Dagger Nimbus, the leader of another UAF elite force called Lone Meteor. The conversation, however, wasn't much of a Good Luck message.

"Well, well, if it isn't Lone Star leader Lobo doing one of the most important missions ever," a white wolf with a scar running from the upper-right forehead down to the left cheek. "I don't believe it. They're giving you a very fragile mission! Hmm... You're lucky that we were already assigned to do some investigation at Asteroid 15X2 to look for Bagdol, otherwise, we would be doing that duty of yours!"

Raven, who was startled from his daydreaming, shouted back. "Hey, will you look at the monitor, guys! It's an asshole! All right, Dog-gone Dagger, what do you want?" I'm sure a big prick like you couldn't…" Lobo covered his ears to prevent any swear words coming out from the bird's beak. He glanced at him and he saw him swore with his finger.

"Sorry, but are you done yet? I have no time for immature people like you," Dagger grunted as he looked at Lobo once more with his fearful yellow eyes. "Anyway, I only patched up so that I can tell you how wrong the chief was in giving your mission! Sure, you did capture the notorious criminal Bagdol by simply using underdeveloped technology, but that doesn't make you any better! Add the fact that he escaped prison!"

"What?" Hanna suddenly shouted. "By the way, you're the one who is acting immature! You only called us to insult our team? That's what three-year old brats do! In any case, thank you for warning us that we might fail. We'll keep our heads up, then."

"Ah, the illustrious Hanna Ansfei, daughter of the famous scientist Hare Ansfei," Dagger continued. "It's such a waste to see you meddle with the low-class team. I wish you to change your membership. I recommend you to join Lone Meteor, but if you insist, join others, but don't remain in Lone Star! Don't meddle with a leader who is known to help a criminal group just because the leader was a childhood friend!"

"Keep Rolf out of this!" Lobo suddenly exclaimed as he placed his hand near a button. "That's it. You've crossed the line, Dagger! I won't answer any transmission from you or your team! You got that! And no, I'm no great leader, but I do know who the pathetic type is." He presses the button, canceling the communication. He sighed out in relief. "I was waiting for any information he might give to us, but I realized that he was just being prick!"

"Caramba!" Verdigo wondered with a hint of surprise. "Was he like that?"

"Not really," Hanna answered as she continued to finish her work. "He wasn't like that before! I don't know, but recently, he started to act like an immature git."

"Yeah, and even swearing won't snap him out," Raven muttered as he sat back, enjoying the current issue of his favorite magazine.

Lobo just nodded and exhaled. He then told them, "All right, let's just forget about him! Let's head to the destination…" He was suddenly transfixed to Alieu, who was looking worried. "Hey, um… What's the matter?"

"I felt it," she whimpered in a low tone. "I felt his pain… that Dagger character. Something, inside of his consciousness, he was hiding some sort of wound… I'm not sure if you had anything to do with it, though… but from the way he spoke…"

"Alieu… You don't have to worry much, okay?" he smiled at her. "We'll worry about him later. For now, let's just focus in the mission."

-0-0-0-