A/N: Neat. I've got people still interested in this. I re-read this chapter today and found a ton of typos and brain-farts, but the chapter itself was satisfactory and I really enjoyed the re-read. Hopefully I can deliver this story in a way that will find it's way to the fans of VixenDreams, once more. And to miss J.G., herself. I've been working on a lot of my stories but it's been parts and pieces because I've been in a bunch of different moods, back to back. Anyhow. For those of you who read… thank you.
Kit / KenWeaver
Chapter: An Eraser to Sink Ships.
Four quiet days. Fara and Fox were allowed to spend them with one another, without rest. Iliria went so far as to implant memories within their dreams to paint a picture in their mental canvas. They now thought that more time had passed then four simple days. In this perversion of reality, the two of them were married and deeply in love. This was Iliria's manipulative way to fulfill a promise to create a bond of trust that was far stronger than the last time she'd ensnared Fox McCloud.
Every day that the two of them came from Fara's bedroom, they would thank Iliria for providing such a wonderful wedding and helping them to complete such a perfect marriage. Their past days were gone and re-written. Worse yet, every emotional kiss shared between the foxes became Iliria's way of writing a new history between the two mates. It became far more conducive to Iliria's alternative universe, in which they now lived, which made her twisted spin on things look more like real reality. That way, they would never question or reject a reality that wasn't with her.
Her plan was to cause them to reject a real reality. That way, it would be next to impossible for someone to bring them out of her grasp. Andross still remained but she knew she had to take her time with that trophy. Most didn't realize that the original intent of getting Fox under her control was over Andross and his empire, anyhow. He had the power of a group of planets and a military that people feared. She knew she had to have it.
Fox was her ticket to get him to open up to her. Fara was her way of getting both Fox and Andross back but her desire to pull Fox back into her clutches had become personal. Beyond having a good pilot bodyguard and a man to enjoy, her main reason for enthralling him under her will one more time was simple: He insulted her; it was time to pay and ruining his life with his mate wouldn't make it anything more than a personal victory for her.
Fox and Fara went for their typical afternoon walk together. It had become traditional over the last four days and they seemed to be following the exact same pattern. As soon as the clock struck noon, Fara's door opened into the hallway and she stepped out. Fox stepped out and shut it behind her, then took her paw and the two began to walk down the hallway.
Their conversations mirrored the conversations of a newly-wed couple. The past wasn't a topic; the future was, however. They spoke about the possibility of children, names, how much fun it was to play a board game together, yesterday morning. They spoke about how happy they were to have a friend like Iliria and decided to head passed the bridge to, again, express their appreciation. It was a fairytale romance with a fictitious, storybook history. Steven and Steren were forgotten. Falco, Slippy and Peppy didn't even exist to them.
The bridge double doors slid open and the couple stepped in, approaching a quiet Iliria, who stood at the view screen, gazing out into the high-definition rendered-visual of space. Iliria sensed their proximity and turned to face them, offering a brilliantly plastic smile. In four days, she'd given them everything right down to remembering that the wedding napkins were white with a red rose on the corner of each one. It was nearly time to erase Fara before she developed a fresh sense of identity.
"Good afternoon, Mister and Mrs. McCloud," She said to them, approaching to hug the two, as if they'd been long-time friends. "How has your honeymoon been?"
"We were thinking of spending three days on a Phoenix-Enterprises sponsored cruise to all the exotic hotspots in Lylat," Fara mused, trying to stifle a dazzling grin. Iliria nodded slowly. She'd have to do some research on those cruises, see what they offered, and give them their honeymoon in their sleep, tonight. There was no way she was letting them out of her sight, especially for three days.
"That sounds great!" Iliria blatantly lied. "Leave first thing tomorrow morning if you like. I've got one little thing I need help with, before you leave, Fara."
"It would be an honor and a pleasure," Phoenix replied, inquiring, "How can I help you, Mistress?"
"I was hoping you could help me find that friend you know, to help me talk to Doctor Oikonni again," said the Hare, with a soft smile. Fara nodded in compliance then Iliria turned back to Fox McCloud. "Be a darling and command the bridge while I'm gone. This will be a test of whether I give you a promotion, Fox. We'll be back shortly."
Iliria led Fara off of the bridge and left Fox alone with the semi-automated control panels and the abyss of space, shown on the view screen. He slowly sunk into the chair on the center of the bridge and a familiar feeling overcame him in that commanding seat. He couldn't place a paw upon it; it was odd.
Meanwhile, Fara and Iliria went into the communications den. She turned to Fara and placed her paws on the fennec's shoulders, turning the girl to face her. The fennec looked up with a wide, naïve gaze. "Now, Vixy," The Iririan said, addressing Fara as Fox's mother. "What's your name?"
"Fara Phoeni--" Iliria put a paw up to correct Fara. Iliria asked again, addressing her as Fox's mother in the inquiry just as before. This time, Fara replied with, "Vixy Reynard." A nod was offered from the Iririan and Fara smiled. The fennec then added, "I'm Fox McCloud's mother, right?" To which Iliria also nodded. Fara then pushed her ears up, using a hair-tie to get her ears to sit a bit more vertically than before.
"Did you know that Fox McCloud has taken over the NightHawk Bridge? Your son is rather desperate," Iliria mused in a sad tone. "Maybe your friend Andross can help us with him?" Iliria suggested.
Fara's eyes seemed to hold a distant, blank gaze. "Maybe I can get my friend Andross to keep Jim's son in check. Maybe Fox just needs a man to say something to him about his behavior. I mean, really, Iliria. He has no right taking over the bridge of NightHawk."
"No, Vixy," Iliria chuckled awkward, hiding a smirk. "He attacked us! He's not being a brat, he's being an enemy and Andross is quite the diplomat. Call him for help!"
"Wow!" Fara choked, under the spell of believe that she was, once again, Vixy McCloud. The fennec turned to the communications monitor and dialed in to contact Andross by his personal communicator frequency. The Ape narrowed his eyes upon showing on the screen only for his emotions and his expression to change, upon seeing the vixen. "Andross?" She asked.
He nodded in reply then asked, "Yes, of course, Miss Reynard. I'm here, how can I help, Vixy?"
"I don't know what got into Fox," She repeated over the soft whispering of Iliria in the background, reciting as she was instructed. "He's attacked the NightHawk; we're now at a nearly non-existent crew. I can't run this ship alone. I could use your help," she pleaded with shining eyes.
Andross blinked as if he was simply shocked. Finally, gathering the courage to respond to such a request from his past love, he said, "Your son is attacking your ship? You need my help?"
The vixen shook her head slowly, looking saddened. She repeated the whispered words that were fed into her ears. "He must be in a state of panic and denial! I request your assistance, Mister Oikonni. Can't we be more personal about this? Come help me find a diplomatic solution and help me with the solution of having a lack of crew and I'll owe you a personal favor, m'lord."
"Vixy, you don't owe me any favors," Andross sighed. "I've wronged you in the past; I'm honored for a chance to redeem our friendship."
"Very well. Look," Fara said, so very enchanted under Iliria's spell. She reached forward as instructed and pressed a button. Andross never heard the softly spoken instructions over his channel. Fara pressed a button, showing Andross a picture of Fox on the bridge, alone, looking somewhat smug, if not relaxed. It was obvious that the vulpine had made himself at home.
"This is an outrage," Andross growled softly.
"Now, now! He's my son, Oikonni! You won't hurt him. There's got to be a way we can all work together…" She trailed off, offering a sigh. "Help me find a diplomatic solution. Him seeing us together… him seeing me over Jim's death after all these years… will help him find acceptance so that he can move on and get his heart back in the right place."
"Where's his team or his fennec mate?" Andross asked. Iliria winced, reaching to her temple and touching a button on the side of her mind control augmentation that was wired into the Hare's frontal lobe. Fara glanced down, looking cold for a moment before raising her gaze once more to reply to Andross.
"They've broken up. They were married for a while then Fara was killed in battle against Corneria at the end of their Honeymoon," Fara explained, still in the mindset of Vixy. "It was very tragic. Their relationship was short lived. He's single now. I was thinking of getting him to date a friend of mine, but that's a long story for another day. Please, hurry Andross."
Andross nodded in reply and closed the communication. Iliria then stepped between Fara and the Communication equipment. She placed her paws on the fennec's temple and whispered softly. Fara was led into a state of dreams that felt so real it was incredible. Minute by minute, the visions stole her identity. She saw herself happy on the Honeymoon. She saw herself mating her husband and on the last day of the Honeymoon, which lacked the same detail that Iliria would later offer Fox, Fara was killed by the Cornerian guard.
The dream sequence took an hour. When Fara's eyes opened again, she was Vixy Reynard. Fara Phoenix was dead. She had seen the soft light of heaven and her past memories were closed off and Fara Phoenix's self identity was erased, deeply suppressed in her mind; Fara had been erased.
"Andross will be here, soon. It takes a while to amass his troop and come to our position. Go lay down until he arrives. Please, change your clothes, Vixy," Iliria told her. Fara left the room without question and Iliria headed for the bridge. It was time to erase Fara Phoenix from Fox's memory, as well.
Iliria stood besides McCloud on the bridge. She had already explained to the pilot that Fara felt a little ill, so she went to take a nap before packing for the Honeymoon. The Iririan was showing Fox cruise brochures and helped him to order tickets via subspace, using the main view-screen monitor. They amassed all the details, which would provide her with all the memory-making details she would need to feed to his mind.
There were photos of the cruise liner; it was all laid out in different online brochures. She then turned him about, in the commanding officer's chair. She placed her paws upon his temples and began to whisper. Fox fell into a state of slumber, living the entire honeymoon in his mind. It was a dream that he would never forget.
Fara took Fox's paw and he lifted their combined hands together, kissing the top of her knuckle. Beyond her, the image of a massive cruise liner faded into view. She glanced over her shoulder, looking excited. He offered a dazzling grin, then nodded towards it.
Fara gave him a giddy giggle then jerked her head back towards the ship as if to wordlessly tell him to follow her. He did. They ran towards the ship, taking the gang plank like teenagers in love, about to get away from their parents forever. The deck sparkled with cleanliness, the way it would look in a photograph that was touched up. The dream was surreal and yet so realistic. Even dry, the deck sparkled softly. Their footsteps took them towards their room.
Fox wasted no time and Fara begged for him to consecrate their marriage here and now. The door was brushed open and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her into his embrace and her legs slipped about his waist, to hold tightly to his body. She clung to him. He maneuvered towards the bed of their cruise suite. It gave in, sinking deep as their bodies collapsed upon its soft padding. The mattress almost seemed to envelope them.
There, that moment, they began their honeymoon by making love. At the end of the lengthy, overly detailed session, they fell into slumber, Fox within his mate, buried to the hilt of his manhood. A short nap came and passed and they woke up to love making again. This was their first day.
The second day of their Honeymoon turned into an adventure. They explored the deck of the Cruise Liner then visited the recreational ballroom. There was a casino and several bars. They danced and drank until they were happily intoxicated with their own bliss. Ballroom dancing, exquisite food, living as if they were rich celebrities and finally, a passionate, romantic evening to end the second day. It was so detailed, that Fox would never forget the smells and sounds; hearing them again in the future would trigger these memories for sure.
The third and final day began with a lengthy round of ecstasy and several hours of overly detailed intercourse. Fox would never forget a moment of it. He shuttered in bliss at what he never thought possible… a third round of love making. She had the ability to draw from him, not only incredible passion but an endurance that he never knew he had. It was so real. His abs burned and his thighs ached from pushing his body in a way that the Military Gym couldn't prepare him for. The first two days were catching up with him and that third morning found McCloud aching from pushing his body's endurance to its physical limits.
And there they lie, together. It was noon and both knew they had packing to do, when the ship suddenly shuttered. "What was that" Fox asked in a soft whisper.
"Something abnormal for Phoenix Cruises," Fara panted softly, sitting up. She reached for a bra which hung from the lampshade then slipped her arms through the hooks and fastened it. She ran her paws under the fabric cups, adjusting her honest, humble amount of B-cupped bosom into the shapely garment, casting her gaze back at Fox. "Let's go check it out, can you walk?"
Fox looked amused. "Can you?" He chuckled, moving off the bed to fetch her pants and shirt. Just then, the cruise ship rocked again, shifting hard to the left before evening out. Fox stumbled, catching himself on the bed, so as not to tumble to the floor. He passed the clothing to her and scurried back towards the closet for his own. "It seems like we're under attack."
"Fox, I won't let these people ruin my honeymoon. Let's hurry," She said, pulling her shirt over her head, giving an upward push of her paws against her chest, then reached back to tug at the shirt, so that it was even around her waist. The fennec then tugged her pants on, pushing her paws into a set of shoes. "Did we bring a blaster?"
"Please," Fox chuckled, pulling pants on. "I've got two AND an emergency rifle in the bags. I prepare for the worst," he added, working his arms into a shirt, pushing his paws through the short sleeves, then gripping the collar and stretching it apart, to pull it over his ears and head. He gave a stern tug at the shirt, to free it of wrinkles, then tucked it into his pants, which was a military instinct. Normally, it was something he wouldn't even notice or pay attention to, but he realized he was, infact, doing it this time.
"If I found them yesterday or the day before," Fara chuckled off handedly, "I'd have been appalled, but what can I say? I love you!" She said, hopping off the bed and going to their bags. "How did you get these onboard?"
"Your father owns the company; they didn't question it," Fox explained, pushing his feet into a pair of shoes and moving towards the baggage to take a Blaster. Fara took the other blaster, handed it to Fox, then took the automatic blaster rifle, loading it.
The ship shook again and even inside their room, they could hear someone scream at the top of their lungs. Fox and Fara's gaze met and they were resolved; it WAS an attack. They both scrambled to their feet. Fox raced to the door, opening it, letting Fara through first.
She ran out into the hallway and he covered her, pointing both pistols out the door, facing away from her, so that no one could come up behind his wife. His wedding ring glinted in the illumination of the recessed hallway lighting. Another scream was heard and the two of them rushed in the direction of the distress.
A Cornerian soldier ran passed them, perpendicular in course, through the hallway intersection. Fara blinked and said, "Good to see the Cornerians are here to help!" They turned left and followed the soldier, with the intent to provide assistance.
At the end of the hallway, the Cornerian soldier lifted his blaster and squeezed off a round, in anticipation of someone coming out of an open door that led to the ballroom. An innocent patron was gunned down and to Fara and Fox's surprise, the soldier kicked the person down, who collapsed to the floor, with a hole in their chest.
Fara was horrified. Following the soldier into the ballroom, they saw him open fire on another group of afternoon dancers, mowing down another couple. Their opulent clothing fluttered upwards and the two dancers fell almost as gracefully as their previous dance, landing upon the ground in a way that seemed to hit Fox and Fara's mind so hard it was perceived as the slowest of motions.
Time sped back up to its present speed and the fall to the floor for the two dancers showed the grim reality of their unceremonious collapse in the throes of death. Another pair of innocent bystanders was executed at gunpoint by the canines of the Cornerian National Guard.
Fox lifted his pistols, causing two hot blaster shots to rip out and take out two gunners, one of which had already turned their sights upon the two vulpine pilots in the ballroom doorway. Fara put the rifle's butt against her shoulder and let rip a volley of shots that spun one of the attackers like a top. They flopped to the floor, causing their gun to skitter noisily across the wooden dance floor tiles.
A stun grenade rolled through the room's outer carpeting, near Fox's feet. He drew his left foot back and gave the object a nasty kick that sent it flying through the air much like a soccer ball. It bounced off one of the tables near the dance floor and exploded with a flash of magnesium. He and Fara had readied themselves by covering their ears and clinching their eyes.
As soon as the explosion happened, they were ready again, dispatching two uniformed soldiers who were dazed. "THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT MILITARY TARGETS!" Fara bellowed, unleashing another round of gunfire. Another uniformed target was thrown back, but the shots only dazed him, as they'd been absorbed by torso armor. Fox finished the target with a headshot that ended the dog.
"I can't believe Pepper would allow this!" Fox exclaimed, dashing towards the dance floor, in an attempt to route the attackers. "We've got to find out how extensive this takeover is!" He cried out.
Fara followed him, watching his back. Fox shot to the left and center, with his two pistols. One shot hit a man in the shoulder; the other scored a successful kill shit, removing an enemy's throat, bringing the dog to the ground. Shots lanced out, nearly taking Fox down. He dodged with an evasive roll. Fara leapt behind an overturned table, lying in the plush carpeting.
She picked up a small round object nearby and hurled it over the table. She shouted, "Get down Fox!" Then tucked her head down to the floor, putting her arms over her ears and face. Fox did the same, diving behind another table and knocking it down in one motion. The small thermal detonation module burst, causing flames to engulf the carpet leading into the next room. The DJ booth was covered with fire now and drapes on the wall now had flames licking up the fabric, reaching for the ceiling.
One of the chandeliers dropped to the middle of the room with a grand crash of glass and shard debris. Fragments of crystal splashed against the two side-turned tables like a wave of knives, pelting the once-polished wooden surface. "Okay," Fox called back to her, "GO!"
Fara knocked the table forward, dashing through the garden of flotsam and jetsam. Guns blazing, Fox covered the fennec as she danced through the lethal wreckage at her feet. If she fell, she'd be impaled by glass chunks but she was too graceful tonight. The glass crunched beneath her footsteps and she ran towards the east door. One of the canines sat up, covered in glass and blood but Fara kicked him across the snout in passing, to conserve ammunition.
Fox quickly jumped up, following her. The room was clear. The side hallway was less than quiet. Gunshots were heard further down the corridor and both pilots knew to head in that direction. This dream was dictated with lethal accuracy giving every detail that even Fox McCloud would not have normally noted. Iliria's words were a hypnotic lyric from a master storyteller.
Deep within this realistic reverie, Fox chased after Fara, heading for the bridge, where the captain and crew was being held hostage. They kicked the metallic sliding door off its tracks, then shoved it open, obliterating the opposition with carefully placed headshots. Once the action came to a stop, Fox turned to Fara, looking down at his pistols. One of them was out of ammunition; the other had one remaining shot left.
"We had just enough to make it," McCloud mused to his wife. Fara nodded in agreement. Mrs. McCloud glanced over her shoulder, looking about the control tower. The entire conning section had become quiet enough to hear one another's breathing.
Fara's ears flickered before Fox realized he was hearing footsteps from down the hall. Fara lifted her rifle then coughed softly. "Weapon's dry, Fox," She said softly, so that only he could hear. Her eyes lifted from the small LCD screen on the top of the weapon, staring at the door, expectantly.
Fox's heart stopped. Steren and Steven stepped into the room. Two men, one bullet. Both of them were armed. They both wore Cornerian Soldier uniforms. The Verisite pair smirked and Steren lifted his weapon, pointing at Fara while his twin brother brought his own up and pointed it at Fox.
"Where do I know you two from!" Fox exclaimed. Between himself and Fara, they only had one bullet left. His eyes narrowed, trying to remember.
Steren spoke up, "The NightHawk, Fox. You didn't kill me or my brother, Fox. We work for the Cornerian Government. Don't look at me like we're friends, McCloud. You tried to kill us both before; I don't need you being confused about who we are, now."
"The Cornerian Government is doing this?" Fara asked, seeming surprised.
"Quiet, bitch," Steren said, squeezing off a round. It hit Fara in her chest, the gunshot ripped through and burst from her back, slamming into the wall on the other end of the room, leaving a clean hole in her right lung. Her eyes went wide and she slowly sank to her knees, her jaw dropping open and her head lowering to see the hole in her own chest.
Fox squeezed his trigger instinctively, blowing Steven away in mid lunge at the two brothers. Steren glanced over, just in time to see Fox about to deliver a flying tackle. Everything faded. All Fox could see was a deep, dark red color. His heart burned and he couldn't see or hear anything after that. The world blanked out.
When he woke up, he was staring at his own room. The entire room was destroyed. The bed was flipped over and the belongings of both Mrs. and Mister McCloud were strewn about. His paws were calloused and his chest ached hard. He glanced down at a piece of paper on the floor and for some reason he snatched it up and scrutinized it.
It was a clue. He couldn't understand what he was looking at but there was some sort of feeling in his gut that one of the Verisites was alive. He wasn't sure if it was Steren or Steven but one of them was alive on The NightHawk, a ship that seemed to be currently located at the outer ridge of Sector Z.
"How can I know this?" he asked to himself, thoughtfully. "The NightHawk? One of these men killed my wife… I cannot mourn her until she's been brought to justice," Fox growled softly. "It's clear that Corneria isn't my ally. This is something I have to do on my own. I must head to the NightHawk and level it."
"Fox?" McCloud glanced around, furtively. "Fox? Can you hear me?" He glanced about, again, shouting out in a fit of confusion.
"WHO… Where are you?" He cried out.
The woman's voice asked, "Do you remember what happens next?"
"What? Who; where are you?" Fox demanded.
"Fox McCloud, you're dreaming. This all happened last week. You came to the NightHawk to kill Steven only to find out that he was here to kill Vixy Reynard, your mother. You didn't even REALIZE this ship belonged to her, let alone that she was alive but you can't seem to find her onboard, yet. You've come to the bridge, looking for her and pray that Steven didn't already kill her. You killed Steven on the flight deck of the ship and now you're searching it to find Vixy, to see if there is any truth behind the possibility of her being alive."
"Fara's dead, Dad's dead, Mom might be dead; I feel so alone," Fox whimpered softly, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to keep his wits about himself.
"You brought your best friend, Fox." The female voice was very persuasive. "I was the maid of honor at Fara's wedding, she personally asked me to fill that position, remember?" Iliria stepped into the dream, hugging Fox gently. "Vixy has to be alive, I'm sure of it. Her friends are coming to her rescue; we just got here first. Let's search the ship until we find her."
"Iliria!" Fox said, hugging her in return. "I knew I could count on you. We've got to find mom and make sure she's all right. It looks like Steven killed everyone on the ship, I don't see any bodies. It's just us. I hope she's all right! I'm glad you're here… I appreciate the backup."
"Fox," Iliria said, leaning to kiss the pilot's cheek. "What're friends for? I'll always have your back if you have mine. Now let's find your mother; she's a close friend of mine."
Fox McCloud woke up, sitting on the bridge, rubbing his eyes with the backside of his paws. Iliria stood besides him, arms folded. "Are you all right? We were just talking about finding your mother when you blacked out. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Mistress Iliria?" Fox coughed, rubbing at his chest. "I'm fine. I must have blacked out for a minute. I've not slept well in a few days, I don't think. I'm sure I'll be fine. Sorry I zoned out, on ya there. Let's hurry and find mom. I hope she's still alive."
"I saw the computer read out," Iliria told him. "It looks like she has friends incoming. They're here to help her as well. Like I said, it looks like we arrived first. I hope they don't get the wrong idea about us. Now, let's find Vixy!"
She had Fox's complete trust. She placed her lips upon the side of his muzzle again, offering a pleasant if-not-fake sign of affection on the side of his face, again. He half-melted into it. "Thanks. I needed that. C'mon, let's find her," Fox replied with a sense of urgency.
A/N: buwahaha. A whole chapter of having the antagonist winning. She did what she said she would; erase Fara Phoenix and use her to get Andross back. Now Fara is the key to keeping Fox and Andross under her power. Manipulative little hare isn't she? She was in Iliria's Curse, she's even more set now to get the ultimate vengeance. Do Fox and Fara stand a chance? Will Fara ever get her true identity back? We now see that Iliria has complete control. Will it last forever? Am I that devious to end a story with her winning? Who knows, readers! All you can do is keep reading to find out:D