Unseen Revenge: Chapter 16, Fox's Discovery
-Lylat System, On Route to Macbeth-
James was sitting in the seat next to Todd. He peeked back at Fox and Ray, the two of them still sleeping away. He had woke up from his little nap about half an hour ago. He had been sitting up with Todd since then. They hadn't said anything to each other in that time. James didn't know what his dad's relationship with Todd was. He figured they must be close because Todd was helping them. James didn't like sitting in silence, but he didn't know what to talk about with this guy. He had to try something, he was bored out of his mind.
" What's it like being a transport pilot?" James asked in a soft voice.
" It's ok." Todd said in a tired tone.
" Were you assigned to this position?" James asked, a little more energy in his voice.
" Yeah." Todd responded in the same tired tone.
" Do you like it, or would you rather be a fighter pilot?" James asked.
" Well, in times of peace it's an ok position, but I would rather be a fighter pilot in times of war. They tend to live longer." Todd said.
" What do mean?" James asked, confused.
" Well, let me ask you this. What does the enemy target more than the fighter jets?" Todd asked.
" Transport ves...oohhh, I see. Take out your enemy's supply ships and wear them down. That makes it dangerous for men in your position. Not to mention no one ever gives you the credit that you deserve for successfully delivering supplies to our troops." James said.
" Yeah, but who needs the glory now a days? I mean I'm living a great life without being a famous war hero. I have a wife and three kids, with another on the way. That's all I need, that's all most of us need in our lives." Todd said.
" Wow. That sounds pretty good if you think about it. No reporters bugging you when events come up that bring up the past with all the great things you or a family member has accomplished. It's really annoying to have to put up with them." James said.
" You have a lot to live up to, don't you? It must be hard when everyone expects so much of you." Todd said.
" Yeah, everyone kept criticizing everything I did. If I got a B on a test everyone would just shake their heads and say 'We expected better from Fox McCloud's son'. It's hard when you're expected to do great things. Emerald had it pretty easy because she didn't have so much to live up to. And then there's Ray. I don't want to see him go through all that." James said softly.
" We all have our challenges. All we can do is tackle them head on and see what happens." Todd said softly.
" Yeah." James said.
" Look, lets get some rest, we're going to need it for the search. We don't have much to worry about. This ships auto pilot will take us to Macbeth with no problems. And at the rate we're moving we should be there in about eight hours at most. Earlier was a rough guess, but we've sped up by quite a lot since then." Todd said.
He and James made themselves comfortable and soon fell asleep. Nothing happened as they slept. Several hours later Todd was awakened by the ships computer, alerting him of their approaching Macbeth. He awoke James who returned to the back to find Fox and Ray had been awakened by the alert as well.
" Did you sleep the whole time?" James asked.
" I guess. It's the first time I've really slept since this whole mess began. I've been so worried about everything." Fox said as he stretched.
" You should try to relax some." James said as he sat next to Fox.
" I know, I know. But it's hard to relax right now." Fox said.
" Listen guys, we're about to touch down. I'll get this stuff unloaded, and then I'll find out the exact location where the ship went down. You guys just sit tight for now ok." Todd said.
" Will do." Fox said.
They soon touched down and the cargo was unloaded. After about half an hour Todd returned to the ship. James was wriggling in his seat, anxious to start the search for Jessie.
" Are we leaving to look for her now?" James asked.
" Yes, we're leaving now." Todd said as he powered up the engines.
It wasn't long before they came to the crash site. The wrecked ship still sat in place, obviously unsalvageable. Fox looked around and noticed it looked familiar. After a moment he knew where they were.
" Hey, this is near where my ship went down." Fox said.
" Yeah, it is isn't it. Weird." James said as Todd's ship touched down by the wreckage.
" Man, this thing is totaled." Todd said as he looked over the wreckage.
" Yeah." Fox said as he looked into the direction where Wolfs ship rested. " You two look around here. I'm going to check over there, where Wolf's Wolfen is."
" Why?" James asked.
" If Jessie thought she was dieing, she might have headed towards there, wanting to rest with her father." Fox said softly.
" I'll come too." James said.
" No, you stay here, and keep an eye on Ray. I don't want him to wander off and get hurt." Fox said softly.
" Alright dad." James said, upset that Fox was going off on his own.
Fox wasn't far from the base of the mountain where Wolf's Wolfen. He could see a path that looked like an easy climb. He headed that way, thinking about each step he took. He put himself in the state of mind he believed Jessie would be in. And he considered the possibility of the different injuries she could have sustained. He picked steps depending on how easily he could reach them. After a good fifteen minute climb he came to a spot that he couldn't pass easily. A strait climb without any foot holds or hand holds. He climbed up onto a rock and tried to find a way up, but there was no way to be found. As Fox began to climb down he saw something that got his attention. It was a crack between two rocks, like a cave. Fox noticed it was big enough for someone to go inside. Fox took a chance and entered. He followed the only path to a slight slope of rocks. They made an easy climb. Fox continued on, following the slope as it turned a corner. He lost track of time as he went through the cave. After what felt like an eternity in the cave, Fox saw light. He hurried to the source and found an exit. He left the cave and noticed he had gotten higher on the mountain. Fox chanced a look over a near by cliff. He could see the uneven valley below. Fox looked ahead and was surprised to see the decrepit form of the Wolfen. He walked up to it and he placed his hand on it's cold surface. Fox suddenly realized he was out of breath and exhausted. He looked around, but no sign of Jessie. He chanced a peek over the ledge. Fox looked down and nearly fell back as he saw the long drop into a chasm that could only be seen from the ledge, or the sky. Fox looked over the edge once more, trying to see any sign of Jessie. Fox felt a strong chilling wind blow as he took a step back and closed his eye's.
" Watch that next step, it's a long way down pup." Said a familiar gruff voice.
Fox froze as he heard the gruff voice. He could swear his heart stopped and his blood stood still. He slowly turned towards where he heard the voice come from. His breath caught in his chest as he saw who the voice belonged to.
" Wolf." Fox said softly.
" Yeah, it's me Fox." Wolf said, a smirk on his face.
" But how? You're...dead." Fox said, still in shock.
" I know that already, tell me something I don't know." Wolf said.
" Where to begin?" Fox said under his breath.
" How about telling me what happened to my daughter. I know she left with you." Wolf said as he leaned on his ship.
" Jessie, is no longer with us." Fox said in a somber tone.
" What do mean? What happened?" Wolf asked.
" The ship she was on...was destroyed by the Sabers." Fox said in a somber tone.
" What? Where?" Wolf asked concern in his voice.
" Here, on Macbeth. We can't find a trace of her. We think she's dead." Fox said, sadness in his eye's.
" Impossible. If she died on Macbeth she would be with me." Wolf said.
" So, she's not dead?" Fox asked.
" No, I don't even think she's on the planet." Wolf said.
" She's not?" Fox said.
" Not that I know of." Wolf said. " You better find my baby girl, or I'll haunt you for the rest of eternity Fox McCloud!"
" I promise I will Wolf. And I'll look after her." Fox said.
" Thanks Fox. That boy of yours better not hurt her." Wolf said.
" I don't think that's going to be a problem." Fox said with a soft smile on his face.
" Take care Fox." Wolf said in an echoing voice as another strong chilling wind blew.
Fox covered his eye's as the wind kicked up some dirt. He looked up and Wolf was gone. Fox walked over to Wolf's Wolfen and said a silent prayer for Wolf to rest in peace. He turned and walked off to the path he used to get up to the ship. Fox stopped several times to rest. He was glad that the climb down was easy. By the time Fox returned to the ship, there was no one in sight. Fox carefully approached the ship and drew his blaster. He didn't like the quiet, nor the calm that was there. He entered the ship quietly through the cargo hold. Fox approached the door to the front. Just when he reached the door it opened and someone slammed into him. The force was strong enough to make Fox fall back and drop his blaster. He looked down and saw Ray practically squeezing his waist. Fox relaxed some and sat up.
" Ray, where are James and Todd?" Fox asked.
" Their in the wrecked ship. Todd said he might be able to transfer the data from the security camera on the ship to see what happened. That was a while ago. They told me to wait in here. What took you so long to get back?" Ray said, trying not to cry.
" It was quite a hike." Fox said as he gently stroked Ray's back.
Fox and Ray went up to the front and sat down. It wasn't long before James and Todd returned. Todd hurried over to a console and inserted a disk into a drive.
" I take it you were successful." Fox said as walked over towards Todd.
" Yes, and in a minute we can see all that happened that day." Todd said as he set it up to play back the footage.
" I hope she got out ok." James said as he leaned on the back of the seat as the security footage began to play.
" It started at the beginning of the day. When they made a stop at a that new space station." Todd said as the footage played through. " Well I'll be"
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Don't you just hate cliff hangers? Review please. "Bonus Credits" to any one who can guess what they saw.
