Disclaimer: See the Prologue
Chapter 26 – Possessed
It was a few days later after the destruction of the Ork presence on MacBeth. Things had become reasonably quiet once again, with Andrew Oikonny missing in action along with the remainder of his forces and superweapons. The Orks were now believed to have gone now, so there was no more cause for alarm over outside hostilities.
The Cornerian Psychiatrical Care Institute, better known as 'The Cage' or the 'Cesspool of Lylat's Filth', had housed thousands of mentally disturbed denizens over hundreds of years. Andross himself had been an inmate, before his exile to the planet Venom.
They say it's what went on at The Cage that drove Andross further around the bend, and many people could see why; as illegal treatments and experiments went on down there, ranging from frowned upon forms of medication to downright illegal physical practices. Before they were shut down by General Pepper and most of the previous staff and caretakers were imprisoned for 'denying liberty to those under their care.'
Today would be a day that those who dwelled within The Cage would never forget.
"You checked his medication?" Dr. Phillips asked another lab-coat wearing dog as he pushed a small medical cart down the hallways where they walked, past several other numbered cells.
"Mm-hmm," the other replied, "And I don't understand this one bit. They should be at least calming him somewhat down."
"Maybe we should triple the dosage, Irvin," Phillips suggested, "Just to keep him at least silent. He's keeping the other inmates awake at night with his near-Satanic rambling. They're starting to give me nightmares."
Irvin nodded, "Yes. They're starting to get out of hand, it's like as if there is two different people in Bill Grey."
"Alright, we're here…"
They stood outside cell #368, where surprisingly it was quiet behind it's door.
"He must be asleep," Irvin said, "That'll make out jobs a lot easier."
Phillips nodded, before taking out a syringe and filling it with some sort of medication.
"Here we go," Phillips said softly.
He inhaled softly, before pulling out a keycard and swiping it near the door, where a couple of locks clicking later, it opened slowly.
They stepped in, where they're eyes widened in terror at what they saw.
"Oh dear God…" Phillips managed to say, seeing before him something religiously unnatural.
Irvin quickly made the cross to his chest, before they stepped back some. Phillips moved to the close the cell door, before he felt a clawed hand grab his arm.
"Argh!" he cried, "NO!"
He was then dragged in, where the door finally closed, leaving a panicked Irvin standing there.
"SECURITY!" he cried down the hall, "CALL SECURITY!"
Meanwhile en-route to Corneria, on board the Great Fox, everyone was in the dining area, sitting at the table…well, at least Falco, Peppy and Krystal were. Fox, Jacques and Slippy were missing in action, which was highly unlike them.
"Where's the other guys," Peppy queried.
"I don't know," Falco replied, "But Slippy said he'd cook, so we better expect the worse."
Krystal noticed that Falco looked like death incarnate, as his eyes were red and strained and he kept yawning. Falco noticed her staring at him.
"What?" he begun heated, "Never seen a guy only sleep for two hours last night?"
"Sorry," Krystal said softly, "Just wondering. You always sleep like a log."
Fox chose this moment to step into the room, where everyone turned to greet him.
"Good morning Fo…oh," Krystal begun, before being cut off at the sight of a rather large bump on his forehead.
Falco eyes were wide in amusement and he smiled sharply.
"What'd you do, Fox?" he asked cynically, "Tried to walk through the wall? Fall out of bed?"
Fox narrowed his eyes at the avian in a glare, before exclaiming, "Hardy-ha-ha, birdbrain. Yes, I did fall out bed for your information!"
"Ok...ok, jeez laweez!" Falco said, "Just yanking your chain, goddamn."
'That's unlike Fox to get up at Falco,' he thought, 'Even though 'birdbrain's' annoying as hell.'
Fox sighed, "Sorry, you guys. I didn't sleep much last night."
Falco nodded, understandably, "I see that, Fox."
"We can tell," Krystal said, before asking, "Have you seen Jacques and Slippy?"
Jacques, clothed in grey hand-sewn gym slacks, was in the simulator; the gymnasium simulation loaded up, where he laid flat on his back and lifting 200lbs worth of weights, all the while taking count of how many he's going for.
"One thousand and one…Courage…one thousand and two…Honour…," he said, sweat rolling down the side of his face, "One thousand and three…Terra."
His 'sprained' arm was all but healed, thanks to his Larraman's Organ gene-seed. He sighed and tossed he weights aside, it disappearing before it hit the floor. The gymnasium also faded away, revealing the circular interior of the simulator.
'It's time to eat,' he thought to himself, noting that little fact that even a superhuman must be nourished.
He wiped his forehead with a towel, before exiting the simulator and walking down the hall, where along the way he banged his hand on Slippy's door, knowing he's volunteered to make breakfast for today.
"Just a minute," Slippy called from the other side, "I'll make breakfast soon."
He sat at his terminal, which in had some wire connect to ROB's head and into his Central Processing Unit. Slippy was glad he managed to remove ROB's head after his metallic frame was riddled with bullets. The CPU wasn't too badly damaged.
He begun to type away…
How are you feeling, ROB?
He was then answered.
Well, I think I'll feel a whole lot better once I get a new body.
Slippy smiled humoursly, before responding in kind…
You don't need to worry about that, pal. I'll get right on building another one for you. And this time, it'll be bulletproof. You have my word.
I've always had your word, Slippy Toad. I have never doubted you ever.
That's my pal. I've got to go right now; I'll speak with you again as soon as possible.
Wait…just a second…Slippy eyebrows crossed, seeing that ROB just stopped him from getting up from his seat.
What is it?
Things have been very…different since the arrival of Space Marine Mortensen. You should be careful. Remember that old say: Where there is one human, there a thousand more right behind his back,
I've heard that saying too. I'll keep an eye open. See ya.
Slippy logged off his terminal and got up from his seat. He took one last look at ROB's head, before opening his door and stepping out onto the hallway.
'Wonder what the guys will like this morning?' he thought, 'I know Jacques eats anything, but Falco…God that guy's fussy.'
When he stepped onto the dining hall, he was surprised to find that it was empty. His face was that of surprise.
"Hey," he begun, "Where'd they…"
Falco suddenly appeared behind him, startling him but good.
"AH!" he cried, almost jumping out his skin.
"We've got a situation here," Falco begun, "Breakfast will have to wait."
"Why?" Slippy asked, catching his breath.
"Bill's just escaped from The Cage?" Falco explained.
Slippy eyes shot open at those words: Bill, escaped and The Cage, to be precise.
"What?"
On the bridge…
"What?" Fox cried, "How…how that can be possible?"
I can hardly believe it myself, Fox, Pepper said over the holo-projector, exasperated, Grey escaped from the institute just this morning. He killed 2 doctors, including Phillips, and about a dozen guards, before hijacking a laundry van and slipping past the main gates. He then drove to the starport, where he murdered 3 base security, before hijacking a fighter and making it past planet security.
Fox's eyes were wide in both terror and sadness. His friend was not only insane, but also a cold-blooded murderer and escapee.
Peppy's eyes narrowed, I know that look Fox. If you don't believe me, watch this surveillance from the institute. And Jacques…
"Yes, sir," Jacque said, stepping forward.
I think you may know what is going on.
The holographic projector showed the camera view from inside Bill's cell. It showed the husky staring standing and staring at the door, where he was struggling in his straitjacket. He then tore what appeared to be a clawed left arm out of it, where he ripped the flimsy fabric apart.
Falco and Slippy entered the bridge just in time to see this, where Fox's eyes were still wide in disbelief, as was Krystal's. Jacques' facial expression wasn't that of fear, but of sternness.
Bill then looked up at the camera, where they could see his eyes were glowing crimson. Jacques knew what this was about.
"Mutant," he said.
"What?" Fox said, turning behind to face him.
"Wing Commander Grey is mutating," Jacques answered.
Mutating? Pepper asked, his voice over the video, which had paused, How?
"He has been possessed by an entity of Chaos," Jacques explained, "It must be the daemon that was released from the fake Bloodthirster that we destroyed those three months ago."
"How do you know this?" Fox asked, firing off questions, "How can you be sure?"
Jacques exhaled, before replying; "I can sense the taint of Chaos through this surveillance of Grey. The daemon is mutating his body to suit it's own needs."
"It's taken about 3 months to just mutate?" Falco asked, "Sure took it's time."
"It can mutate it's form whenever it wants," Jacques explained, "It was probably waiting for an opportunity to start it's phase."
I think Jacques is right, Pepper said, Watch this…
The video resumed playing. They all watched as the door into the mutating Bill's cell opened, where the 'husky' dove forward and grabbed the wrist of Dr. Phillips, dragging him into his cell, where the door closed. They then subjected themselves the sights of seeing Bill begin to claw the good doctor apart, splattering blood and gore all over the cell.
The screams of the doctor and the animalistic growls of Bill were horrible to hear.
"Oh, shit," Falco said softly.
The screen then changed to the camera looking over the cellblock, where about 6 armed guards ran to the panic-stricken Dr. Irvin.
Dr. Phillips in there, Irvin cried, For God's sake help him!
Suddenly, the door was shattered off his hinges, sending splinters into 2 of the guards, where Irvin and the 4 others turned face, shielding their eyes. Bill stood in the doorway.
By now, Bill looked almost like a monster, as Star Fox could see as the camera zoomed in on him. Red veins appeared over his grey fur, which covered over his whole body, and his left arm was now a large tentacle-like claw. Bill's head was unchanged, but his eyes were crimson and alive with red fire.
And to top it if, he was smiling…evilly.
The guards quickly reacted, firing their weapons at 'Bill;' but the possessed husky swung his claw, slicing them in half. Two of which were across the side and one right down the middle. He then turned to Irvin, who was lying on the ground and trying to crawl away.
Bill stepped up to him and grabbed him by the neck with his right hand.
Please… Irvin cried, Please don't kill me.
Star Fox then heard Bill speak. But it wasn't really him speaking; it was something else.
Pray to your Gods, Cornerian. Pray, and I might be merciful.
Bill then let go of Irvin, who quickly got onto his knees and prayed, where he begun to recite passages from the good book. Afterwards…
I think I'll kill you…quickly.
He then dove forward and sank his teeth into Irvin's neck, where he let out a blood-curdling scream, before feeling the daemonic husky tear his throat out.
"ENOUGH!" Fox almost yelled, disbelief and stress raking his voice, "THAT'S ENOUGH PEPPER. GODDAMMIT!"
Fox turned away, almost on the brink of tears at seeing Chaos consume his friend. The video stopped playing, and was replaced by Pepper's image.
I'm sorry, Fox, Pepper said, But I felt it was necessary to show you that Bill is no longer a Cornerian…
"He is now a physical vessel for an entity of The Warp," Jacques interrupted, "He is not just dangerous to himself, but to all those around him. Not just be attacking them directly."
"Huh?" Krystal said.
"The Chaotic emanations from the daemon will affect the minds of those he comes in contact with," Jacques said, "Their minds will become tainted and they too will submit themselves to Chaos."
Falco mouth was left gaping, before he cried with immense sarcasm, "Oh that's great! Just swell! Bill's now a walking, talking, clawing mind-scrubber!"
'Mind-scrub?' Jacques thought, before he shuddered coldly; those very words cutting through him like an Ork's bloodstained axe.
How can we stop this? Pepper asked the Marine.
Jacques sighed, "We must destroy the daemon…and it's host."
Fox suddenly looked at Jacques, as if he was crazy.
"You mean…kill Bill?" Fox asked.
Jacques nodded, "If we can not find a way to exorcise the daemon out of the host, then the body will have to be destroyed along with the daemon."
Krystal's eyes narrowed, "I'll see to it myself."
All eyes turned to Krystal, and the look of determination on her face.
"Bill will not die," Krystal continued, "I can save him from that daemon."
Well, one way or the other, that daemon has got to go, Pepper said, Cornerian sensors are attempting to track where Grey is going, along with the remainder of Oikonny's forces, but when we find him, you're have to stop him before his spiritual parasite affects innocent people.
"Understood, general," Fox said.
Suddenly, Peppy's terminal begun to beep, where the rabbit looked at his screen.
"Incoming transmission…from the Beltino Research Facility, Sector X?" Peppy said, questioned.
Patch it through, Pepper ordered.
The transmission played, and whose voice they all recognised immediately, amidst the sounds of war and conflict
"Dad!" Slippy exclaimed, panicked.
This is Beltino to anyone out there. We are under attack by an unknown enemy forces who have snuck under our sensors. They're attacking the telescope and killing everyone they see. Please…we need help…
The transmission then cut off.
Just when things can't get worse! Pepper sighed, Fox, take care of Beltino, we'll focus on finding Grey. Good luck…Pepper out!
Pepper's image disappeared, where suddenly everyone leapt into action.
"Alright," Fox cried, "We're on our way to Sector X. Everyone, grab a gun and get ready to go in."
"No air support this time?" Krystal asked.
The vulpine shook his head, as he drew his pistol, "This time, we're going in…personally!"
Everyone nodded, except Slippy, who face was that of dread.
'Father,' he thought.