Disclaimer: See the Prologue

Chapter 10 – Warped Machine

The Arwings begun their descents towards the planet, passing through it's atmosphere. Each of their pilots thought happy thoughts as they braved the heat that was warming up their Arwings.

Sorry if it has to be like this, you guys, Peppy's voice came over the coms, We just can't risk the Great Fox.

"No harm done," Falco said, eyes almost closed as if in deep focus, and that was staying sane during his descent towards the craphole of a planet.

Soon the brownish mountainous ranges greeted them as they scoured across the planet, their target: The Venomian Fortress.

Remember, Peppy said, You should strike from the West Side of the fortress, seeing that the AA defences on that side are down. Make one pass and let Fox and Jacques finish up.

"We let them have all the fun?" Falco asked, irritated.

Get used to it, Peppy replied, Good hunting.

Falco mumbled to himself, before he focussed on his piloting.

Krystal however, could sense nothing but dread. Ever since that encounter with Andrew and his charged energy beams, she could only think of one thing:

The Warp.

'Venom could not have found a way to control it,' he thought, 'Only they could wield it.'

Krystal? Slippy said over the com, Are you there?

"Huh?" Krystal said, snapping out of her thoughts, "Oh, I'm fine. Just thinking…"

Which you seem to be doing a lot of, Falco cut in, And not what should be doing right now. Try not to crash, all right?

Krystal frowned, before shaking her head slightly.

"Right," Krystal replied.

Jacques and the Landmaster moved into the fort through the hole in the wall, where infantry and tanks were the first to greet them.

Take cover, Jacques! Fox exclaimed over Jacque's earpiece.

The enemy begun firing at the human and the vulpine, encased in their armour. Jacques fired off his boltgun as he dove roughly behind the tank, which Fox begun firing at the Venomian tanks, quickly totalling them.

'Dammit, guys,' he thought, 'I could use some help down here.'

As if on cue Falco, Slippy and Krystal came down from the clouds, flying in from the west.

Take cover Fox, Jacques, Krystal said over Fox' com, This is going to be hot!

Jacques kept behind the tank as it slowly backed up out through the hole in the wall, still firing off his boltgun.

The Arwings swooped in and launched off their bombs, which decimated everything caught in their radius, scattering shrapnel and charred body parts everywhere.

Alright, let's get out of here Falco cried, Before this AA chews us up.

The other AA sites fired wildly at the Arwings, letting loose laser fire and lock-on missiles. They kept spinning and barrel-rolling to avoid the anti-air death.

Unfortunately, Slippy was struck in the left wing, which blew most of it off.

"Darn!" Slippy exclaimed.

The Arwing flew as fast as they can away from the fort, shrugging off the last of the homing missiles.

"Jeez Laweez, Fox!" Falco exclaimed into the com, "Next time, take out all the AA guns, why don't you?"

Suddenly Krystal her ship around.

"Where are you going?" Falco asked, suddenly.

Helping out Fox and Jacques, Krystal replied calmly, First, I'm going to take out those AA sites.

Falco sighed, "Hang on, I'm coming too."

Wait up, Slippy cried, turning his craft as best he could, considering he only had a wing-and-a-half left.

Soldiers and vehicles laid on the glassed ground smouldering, whilst Fox and Jacques surveyed the area.

"Looks like the guys finished our job for us," Fox said humorously from within the tank.

Not exactly, Jacques pointed out, That capital cruiser is still intact…

The command ship docked at the starport, begun to move slowly away.

…and is trying to flee.

Fox gritted his teeth and growled, "Oh not IT'S NOT!"

Fox begun firing off laser blasts at the ship, varying between bursts ad charged shots, surprisingly causing large amounts of damage.

Jacques noticed Venomian troops emerging from the still intact Control Centre. He breathed slowly and raised his boltgun.

"My aim shall be true," he said to himself.

He squeezed the trigger and begun firing off rounds at the soldiers from long range, scoring chest and leg shots.

One lizard felt boltgun tear though his legs, causing him to fall over, where suddenly he felt a round go through his chest and out the other end.

"THAT HUMAN-FREAK IS A DEADEYE! TAKE COVER!" one Venomian cried, turning back towards the Control Centre.

Jacques fired off another bolt, which tore though the monkey's head, splattering his brains on the door of the building.

The Landmaster kept on firing at the underside of the ship, where slowly it begun to descend from the air. Fox's eyes widened in surprise.

'Not a really durable ship,' he thought, then argued, 'It doesn't matter. Not one of these bastards is getting off this foul-smelling rock.'

By this time, the Arwings were headed back to the fort…

"Slippy," Krystal begun, "You should be back at the Great Fox."

No way, Slippy replied bluntly, Not until this mission is done.

You really are persistent, froggy, Falco chided.

The AA was unaware of them coming their way, as they were striking once again from the west. Krystal charged up her laser and swooped towards the north side of the wall.

She quickly targeted and fired at the nearest AA site, destroying it. Falco wiped out the next one.

Two more sides to go, Slippy informed, The south and the east side.

"What about the cruiser?" Krystal said.

Fox's got it under control, Falco replied.

Suddenly, something struck her mind cold, and it's source came from within the hull of the stricken Venomian cruiser.

"Something…isn't right?" Krystal said softly to herself.

In the Control Centre, the Commander's finger hovered above a red button on his automated chair.

"Didn't think I'd have to activate this," he said, smiling, "But they're askin' for it."

He pressed it, and at that moment both Jacque's and Krystal's minds and senses went berserk. The Marine suddenly clutched his chest, grunting in pain.

"In the name of the Emperor!" he exclaimed, "This can't be what I'm feeling!"

Something from within the cruiser's hull begun to claw it's way out, alarming everyone especially Fox.

"What the hell…?" Fox said.

Krystal felt breathless and gripped the controls of her Arwing. She closed her eyes and focused…

'Jacques?'

…reaching out in mind to Jacques.

'Jacques!"

His eyes opened suddenly, a moment ago focussing on the pain in his chest, which slowly faded away.

'Krystal?' he thought back, surprised.

'It can't be,' she said telepathically, 'The power of The Warp! They've harnessed it somehow!'

The hull of the ship bursted open to reveal…

"Ohhhhhhhhh crap," Falco said cynically.

It was what appeared to be a huge mechanical humanoid whose head was that of a bull, which was armed with an axe in one hand, a large plasma cannon for another hand and missiles launchers attached to the shoulders. It was also equipped with a large jetpack.

It's eyes were glowing crimson as it drew it's power from the entity lurking within it.

"What treachery is this?" Jacques cried out, completely in disbelief, "A robotic daemon that is somehow possessed by the powers of The Warp?"

He saw that the mecha-daemon resembled a Bloodthirster, one of the many millions of creatures to come from the Other Side.

"Yeah, that's it!" Fox exclaimed, hearing everything that Jacques said as if he was reciting poetry.

The mecha-daemon looked over the Landmaster and roared, before charging. Fox gripped the controls of the Landmaster and begun firing at the beast.

WATCH OUT, FOX! Slippy cried.

The daemon then gave the tank a wallop with it's axe, sending it flying across the base.

"ARGHHHHHH!" Fox screamed.

It landed on the asphalt.

"McCloud!" Jacques cried.

He then saw he was out of cover. He glared and raised his boltgun.

"DAEMON!"

The mecha-daemon turned his way.

"EAT BOLTGUN!"

He begun firing at the beast's head and chest, which the bolts harmlessly bounced off. Jacques cried out and charged, swinging his chainsword against the leg, cracking the blade. The Marine's eyes widened, before he received mighty kick, which sent him flying smack against the fortress wall, knocking him out cold.

"Oh God," Krystal cried, "Fox?" Jacques? Come in!"

Neither of them replied.

"What are we doing flying around here?" Falco cried, "The AA's destroyed, now let's go blast that thing!"

Krystal and Slippy nodded, before diving towards the mecha-daemon, firing their lasers at the beast. It in turn raised it's cannon and charged up…

"Aw crap!" Fox exclaimed.

…then fired.

"BREAK!" Falco cried.

They swerved to avoid the blast, which blew off Slippy's other wing.

"No!" Slippy cried, spinning away from the blast.

"That's it slip!" Falco exclaimed, fearing for the frog's safety, "Get back to Great Fox or you're fried."

"Alright," Slippy said defeated, "Sorry you guys."

Slippy spun around and flew away from the fortress and into the sky…for good.

The mecha-daemon began firing missiles at Falco and Krystal, who barrel-rolled to avoid the resulting explosions. They still continued to attack the beast.

"Damn, it's tough," Falco cried, "Peppy?"

Yes? The hare replied over the com.

How do we destroy it? Krystal asked.

I've been scanning over it since it appeared, Peppy replied, I can't find any weaknesses in it.

"Huh?" Falco replied, heated, "Oh, that's swell!"

Fox kicked the unhinged canopy off his Landmaster, which he then tumbled out and painfully landed on the ground.

"Aw, fuck!" he couldn't help but curse, not just out of falling flat on the ground, but of the unbearable stench of the planet.

He looked up to see the mecha-daemon and it's battle with two remaining Arwings. He then saw in the distance an unconscious Jacques, lying against the wall.

"Damn," he again cursed.

The daemon swung it's axe, which collided with Falco's Arwing, knocking it…

"SHIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTT!"

…out of the sky, which crashed into the compound, also knocking the avian unconscious.

Only Krystal was left in the air. She panicked slightly, realising this fact.

'Now what?' she thought.

She then fired off a bomb, which impacted with the mecha-daemon's chest, cracking it slightly. It cried out in pain, before dropping it's axe and diving forward Krystal's, jetpack roaring to life.

Krystal cried out as it grabbed her Arwing. Thinking fast, she reached for her staff in the glove box, before opening the canopy.

'Here goes,' she thought, determined.

The Cerinian Princess jumped out and gracefully landed onto the mecha-daemon's arm, which she fired off flame projectiles at it's crimson-filled eyes.

The daemon cried out in pain once again, before Krystal leapt off and landed on the ground, her Arwing crashing right next to her.

'It's all up to me now,' she thought, frowning and gripping her staff tightly.

Fox begun running towards Krystal, blaster drawn. He watched as Krystal begun firing up at the beast, dodging it's swings form it's axe.

'Look at her go,' Fox thought, amazed as she dodged the mecha-deamon's attacks through ducking, swerving and cartwheels.

Krystal noticed was Fox was alive out the corner of her alive. She stopped where she was.

"Fox!" she cried out, happily.

The mecha-daemon aimed it's cannon down at her.

"KRYSTAL!" Fox yelled, still running, "MOVE!"

She realised she was sitting ducks, quickly leaping away as the daemon fired it's cannon. She avoided the massive blast, but was knocked off her feet from the force of it.

'Stupid girl,' Krystal cursed at herself in her mind, 'Standing your ground like that.'

Her staff flew out of her hand and she landed on the ground, where Fox bent over her.

"KRYSTAL!" he cried.

"Fox," she said weakly.

The mecha-daemon stood over them, axe raised. Fox beared his blaster and fired up at the creature's head. It didn't flinch as it prepared to crush them.

Krystal reached forward and grabbed Fox by the shoulders, embracing him and preparing for the end.

"Fox," she whispered.

"Krystal," Fox could only reply, smiling lightly.

They closed their eyes and prepared for the end… that didn't come. The daemon screamed as it felt high-powered energy blasts hit in square in it's cracked chest. Fox and Krystal opened their eyes to see Jacques…

"What?" Fox questioned.

…holding Krystal's staff with both hands and firing large blasts of blue energy.

"Back you imitation monstrosity!" Jacques exclaimed.

The mecha-daemon turned his eye, before roaring at the Marine. Jacques could see through the machine and into the entity possessing it.

He gripped the staff, and focused. His eyes glowed crimson as focused his energies into the staff. Krystal could only watch with wonder.

"He's using the SOUL-BLASTER!" Krystal cried.

"The what?" Fox queried loudly.

The staff charged with incredible, elemental power as the daemon charged Jacques. The Marine cried out as he let loose once again a blast of powerful energy, which tore into the mecha-daemon…

…and out the other end.

From space, Peppy and Slippy watched from the bridge as bright, blue light shone from the planet.

"What is that?" Slippy cried, hands over his eyes.

The mechanoid daemon screamed as it was blasted into the sky, the entity within it slowly being consumed by the power. It then exploded in a mix of fire and Warp-driven energy.

Silence then overtook the planet…and Jacques fell to his knees, keeping himself from falling over completely with Krystal's staff.

The vulpine and the vixen, however, were speechless.

"That was awesome!" Fox said, trying to comprehend what was happening.

Krystal only smiled.

The Venomian Commander from the Control Centre…

"Aw nuts!" he moaned, where he buried his face in his left hand.