Author's note:
It's been a week and a half. Let's see how Dash is doing.
Chapter 35: Mayday
"…And so, my father found himself virtually penniless with a warehouse full of stock that no one was buying. His market value sank like a stone, and his competitors were closing in on his business. Now, a lesser man might have given up and sold for whatever he could get, but not my father! No, sir! For you see…"
At that moment, Peppy's mind drifted from the Great Dane in front of him, as it had done intermittently throughout this story that he voiced no interest in hearing. Would that Peppy have concocted some excuse to slip away. Unfortunately, the boastful dog had approached him and Lucy to enquire about the Bring Home Fox McCloud Foundation. If Peppy bailed in any fashion that might come off as rude, it could impact Lucy's work in a bad way. There were only so many times one could say that they needed the restroom before people caught whiff of a pattern.
"…And with Mister Salt's support, Father was able to transform his worthless goods into profit. It was slow going at first, but as they say: good things come to those who are patient." The Great Dane chortled. "Well, perhaps that's not exactly what they say, but the meaning is quite close enough."
'God, save me,' Peppy begged. A fire evacuation. A bomb threat. Heck, Peppy would even accept a sudden heart attack if it got him out of this gala as soon as possible.
His phone vibrated in his trouser pocket. God worked in mysterious and beautiful ways. Peppy fished the device out. Falco's number displayed onscreen. "Beg your pardon, but I need to take this."
Despite some odd looks, no one said anything against it thankfully. Peppy pushed through the crowd and stepped out of the function room. The sudden freedom and noise reduction was like ambrosia to Peppy's soul. Fortunately, Falco was still ringing.
"You have no idea how glad I am you called," Peppy exclaimed when he answered.
"I wish I was calling for a nice chat then," Falco replied, sounding tense. "Bad news. Dash sent a distress call."
Peppy's blood ran cold. "What?! Was he hurt?! Where is he?!"
"That's the thing. We don't know. We just got pinged with an SOS message. None of us have been able to get a hold of Dash to find out more. Slippy reckons that the bad weather down there is affecting the signal."
Buck teeth bit into Peppy's lip. He paced wildly around the hallway. "Do you think Andrew caught him?" There was a worse alternative that he dared not think about just yet.
"Could have, but I don't think so. We peeked over the base just a minute ago. Oikonny's goons are swarming all over the place. That probably means they're still searching for him. I reckon Dash managed to avoid them for the time being."
"Thank God," Peppy sighed deeply.
"Slippy and Katt are heading planet-side to see if they can reach him. I'm about to join them, but I really needed to pick your brains on this one first. ROB says there's a cyclone on its way to the base's location. If Dash is somewhere outside when it hits, he could wind up in a whole new world of trouble."
Thus, Peppy went full circle to his initial dread. He had felt this terrible, sick feeling in his gut too many times for too many people in the past. "How long do we have?"
"A few hours. But that doesn't give us a lot of time to rescue Dash if he's in a bad place." Falco's breath shuddered over the line. "I feel like this is all my fault, Pep. If I had just told Dash to wait until after the storm passed, I…"
"It's going to be okay, Falco." Dad-mode overrode Peppy's own feelings. "Go and help Katt and Slippy find out what's going on. Then work from there. I'll call Pepper and request an immediate search and rescue."
"What hour is it on your end?"
"Doesn't matter. If Dash uncovered Oikonny's secrets, then that makes saving him essential to the Cornerian Army. Not even a tropical storm is going to stop them."
A pause hung between them. Peppy imagined Falco running his hand over his face. "Thanks, Peppy. I'll let you know if we find anything."
"As soon as I get off the phone with Pepper, I'll fetch my Arwing and head straight over."
"Aren't you in the middle of the city? Getting out to the airport is going to take at least an hour."
"Don't worry about that. Just look for Dash and let me worry about my own business. I'll call back once I'm airborne."
"Sure thing. Good luck, Peppy."
"You too, Falco. Let's bring Dash home safely."
As soon as Peppy hung up, he punched in General Pepper's personal phone number. Being old friends with the military's top dog came with useful perks like this one. Pepper understood the situation quickly and promised a rescue team ready to go within 15 minutes. He also offered to send Peppy a helicopter to carry him to the airfield. Peppy could have hugged him in that moment.
Afterwards, Peppy dived back into the ballroom. He barged past the Great Dane from earlier and spoke to Lucy and Vixy. "I need to go now."
"What's happened?" Vixy asked, immediately sensing his urgency.
Fara stepped forward and touched Peppy's arm. She glanced to the Great Dane. "Please excuse us." Fara then shepherded the others through a back door into an empty hallway. "What's the situation?"
"Dash is in trouble," Peppy explained. "Falco and the others are looking for him, but so are the Androssians. We also only have a few hours before a cyclone tears through their location."
Lucy blanched. "Oh my god!"
"I've called General Pepper. He's sending over a rescue team to help. A chopper's coming to pick me up in 20 minutes."
"Wherever you're going, I can get you there in 10," Fara stated. She pulled out her phone and flicked through it.
"That would be helpful. Thank you," Peppy nodded. "I'm heading to the airport to grab my starfighter. I'll ring Pepper back so he can give your pilot clearance."
"I'm coming with you," Vixy said.
"That's not necessary."
"To hell it is! I'm not going to stand by and drink champaign while one of our crewmates is in danger. If nothing else, I can at least keep an eye on the weather while the rest of you focus on finding Dash."
"I want to come to!" Lucy then exclaimed.
Peppy turned to her crossly. "Now that is absolutely out of the question!"
"Why?" she asked in kind.
"Did I not say that a cyclone is about to plough through that place?! The rebel forces alone are far too dangerous for you!"
"I am not a child anymore! I am not helpless!"
"That is not the point I'm making!"
"Then what point are you trying to make? I don't plan on fighting your enemies. All I want is to help search for Dash and save him!"
"We have the army helping us," Peppy reasoned. "We have enough people."
"How is there such thing as having enough people when you're searching for someone in trouble?" Lucy countered. "If you do find Dash, how do you expect to get him out of there? Last I checked, your Arwings are all single seaters. At least my ship has a passenger seat."
If it had been anyone else, Peppy would have taken that as a strong point. However… "Lucy, I understand, but…"
"Peppy!" Vixy interjected. "We do not have time for this! Let her come for now. You can argue about this on the way to Fortuna."
He opened his mouth but remembered Dash. Sighing forcefully, Peppy closed his eyes. "Fine." He directed a stern look to Lucy. "But you will do exactly as I say the entire time. Are we clear?"
"So long as we save Dash, I'll do whatever I have to," she declared. Goodness gracious, who did she take that stubborn streak after?
High heels clicked as Fara returned to them with her phone in hand. "The helicopter is ready for you on the roof," she said. "I wish I could help more. But if I disappear, it could alarm the guests."
"What you've done already is more than enough," Peppy smiled. To Lucy and Vixy, he became the veteran. "Let's move."
As Fara escorted them to the helipad upstairs, Peppy's thoughts focused on Dash and the worry that he harboured for the boy. He hoped that Falco and the others would find him quickly. He prayed that Andrew Oikonny and his criminal mercenaries would not. And he pleaded to God that Dash would return home unharmed.
"God, help me! God, help me! Oh God, please help me!"
Dash's lungs burned. His muscles ached. Small cuts from branches and thickets stung whilst they bled. The wind and rain nearly tore Dash from his feet. A patch of mud almost fell him. He was tired, soaked through, and dirty. Yet Dash did not stop running. He could not stop. He mustn't.
After driving the cart as far from the base as he dared, Dash abandoned it and fled into the trees on foot. The tiny vehicle could only manage 20 kph. It wouldn't take long for Oikonny's soldiers to catch up to him by following the tyre tracks. At least under the jungle's canopy, he was hidden from pursuing starships.
The jungle also sheltered Dash from the worst of the weather. However, he knew that was a fragile blessing. Once the storm grew stronger, the tree trunks could snap in half. Torrential rain would flood the rivers. If Dash got caught by either of those hazards, he'd be in huge trouble. He needed to get to high ground. He needed a proper place to seek safety.
His foot plunged into a deep pit of mud. Dash stumbled and fell. Wet dirt splashed into his mouth. He spat it out furiously and wiped his eyes clean. Everything became dark. His night-vision goggles no longer sat upon his head. Horrified, Dash fished out his cell phone and turned on its torch. He found the goggles flung into a tangle of tree roots. Desperately, he scrambled to retrieve his best means of navigating through total darkness.
Pushing onto his feet, Dash only fell again. He hunched over, his chest heaving. Dash spluttered. His lungs struggled to process enough air to keep his body going. He was exhausted. He needed to rest. But if he stopped, he could die.
Unfortunately, Dash's body rebelled against him. He slumped against the tree trunk, gasping for breath. Damn it! How did things end up this way? He thought he had it all planned out! Once he got what he needed from the hangar, Dash would have headed straight for his starship to fly the hell off from Fortuna. If he had been caught, crashing the electrical grid with his worm would have sewn chaos and confusion. That would've given him the chance to speed through the base while everyone else fumbled around blind.
The problem was that Dash assumed if he lost his cover, it would've been by accident. Yet Oikonny must have been monitoring the base more closely than expected. Even in his late hours. Something about Dash's movements tonight tipped him off, leading Oikonny to storm his secret hangar with a squad of armed killers. If he were that prepared, the whole base could have been on high alert. Dash resorted to fleeing the immediate danger as fast as he could. He didn't think about what he would do next. It wouldn't matter if he died there and then.
What now though?
Dash's wrist comm buzzed. Hoping it was his team, he answered. "Hello?"
"Dash?! What the hell is going on?!"
Dash froze. That wasn't Falco's voice. Or Slippy's. Or Katt's. It was Harvey's. The friend he made in the Androssians' research team. 'Fuck!' He thought he had crippled their telecommunications for at least a good, few hours. Oikonny never cared to invest in data backups. So, if he wanted to purge the worm from his system, he'd have to wipe everything that was in it. Either Oikonny wanted to hunt Dash down that badly, or Harvey found his own means for getting in contact.
"Everything's going crazy around here!" Harvey exclaimed. "The network's shat itself; soldiers are scrambling everywhere; and Oikonny's finally flown off the handlebars!" Dash's heart sank. "People are saying that you've turned traitor! What the hell is going on, mate?!"
Dash clutched his arm. His whole body shook, and not from the cold. "I'm sorry," he hissed. "I only did all this so I could save someone. I didn't want you or the rest of the team to get hurt."
"So… what they said is true?" He could imagine Harvey's heart breaking.
"You were a good friend, Harv. One of the best people I've met in that horrible place. But I'm not my grandfather. And I'm not Andrew either. I had to find out if he's planning to hurt innocent people. That's why I broke into his secret hangar."
"Oh God…"
"Harvey, listen! Now that my cover's blown, the Cornerian Army could swoop in at any moment! If they catch you, don't fight back! I've told them that you, Charmaine, Josh, and the others aren't bad people. If you surrender peacefully, they'll be kind to you. I promise."
"The Cornerian Army?! Oh jeez! Oh fuck!"
"Please don't run or fight them!" Dash insisted. "My friend Peppy knows General Pepper personally. They go way back. Once everything calms down, we'll find a way to help you. I promise. We'll work something out so that you guys don't get lobbed in with Oikonny and his thugs!"
Stunned silence spawned remorse deep inside Dash's chest. "I'm really sorry that things ended up this way. Take care of yourself, Harvey." Dash ended the call. He risked enough danger of the Androssians tracking his signal.
Dash looked around himself. What the hell was he going to do now? He was a couple of miles out in the middle of nowhere, in the dark of night with a crazy militia out to get him. And if the Androssians didn't kill him, the storm very well might. Dash tried calling out to the Great Fox, but he heard nothing apart from static. The weather was causing interference. Crashing the Androssians' network didn't seem like a bright idea anymore. Dash might have been able to tap into their signal towers for a boost. Too bad he was too far away to bring the system back online remotely. So, what else could he do?
What would Peppy say? "Trust your instincts," probably. Yeah, well, Dash trusted his instincts. That was how he derailed his own escape plan and wound up in this mess! Dash began with deep breaths to clear his head. Since he couldn't trust his instincts, he turned to what he could trust: a logical mind.
The hangar's runway stretched from the base's north side. Dash followed a dirt road that veered north-east from it. After he ditched the cart, Dash ran northward again to gain as much distance as he could from the base. What was out this far that he could use?
Oikonny maintained several outposts to patrol the mountain range and gather its resources. Dash pulled up a map of the area downloaded onto his phone. If he guessed where he was correctly, there should be one of those outposts just a few clicks south-east of his current position. It would mean running into the Androssian soldiers stationed there, but it was a hell of a lot safer than staying outside in the elements. If Dash used his wits, and was luckier than a rabbit wearing horseshoes, he could have a place where he could dry off, rest, and plot his next move. Maybe he could also look at what he had on his hard drive.
Panicking suddenly, Dash patted himself down. He found the hard drive still tucked into his pocket. A wave of relief washed over him. Without the drive, all of this would have been for nothing. He needed to get it back to Corneria. That meant he needed to survive. To do that, Dash needed to keep moving.
Rising to his feet, Dash set off onto his new course. He returned to the dirt road on his way to the outpost. Rainwater rolled down it like a wide stream. The wind blew more fiercely without the wall of trees. Dash checked both ways for any sign of an incoming patrol. It didn't seem like Oikonny's soldiers were chomping at the bit to ride out in this weather.
Dash took his chance. He treaded carefully through the water. It rose just over his ankles, but Dash could feel the current's might through his boots. He braced his weight against the wind, fighting to stay upright. After a minute that seemed much longer, his hand caught hold of a branch on the opposing side of jungle. It became easier to move past there.
It took another 15 hairy minutes for Dash to reach the outpost. Built to withstand a flash flood, it was a steel shack mounted on high stilts. Anyone thinking to besiege the building would have to scale the narrow stairs on either side. A radio tower nearby creaked against the cables holding it upright.
Light shone from the windows. Shadows moved behind the glass. Dash crept carefully from the undergrowth, using the mud covering him as a kind of camouflage, until he squatted beneath the staircase. There, he could somewhat make out voices from inside.
"Still no word from base," someone said. "Damn, it's been nearly an hour! Haven't they noticed this storm's getting worse?"
"Could be that it's knocked out their comms system. Happened to my grandpappy out on his farm once."
"Well, that doesn't help us at all, does it?"
Dash listened to the bickering as best as he could. So far, a traitor on the loose didn't come up as a concern for these soldiers. That could mean that they haven't yet received news about him from headquarters. Dash wondered whether he should take a gamble. The numb tingling in his cold fingers decided for him. He'd be better off talking his way in than trying to fight everyone inside all on his own. Though what would he say when the soldiers asked what he was doing all alone like this covered in mud? He needed a plan.
Once he had one – not necessarily a good one – Dash crept back to the jungle's edge where he started from. Turning again to the shack, he slipped his mind into character. One way or the other, this was going to be his final performance on Fortuna. 'And hey, if this doesn't work, the worst they'll do is shoot me. At least then I won't be buried with a tree branch through my chest.'
Taking one last deep breath, Dash advanced. "Help me!" he screamed. "Somebody, please help me!"
A ruckus responded within the shack. Dash made the effort to stagger in case anyone looked through the window. The front door burst open. A chameleon and a bear emerged fully armed. Flashlights mounted on their rifles swung towards Dash's direction. As soon as the beams hit him, Dash tripped forward across the ground.
"Who the hell's there?!" the bear growled. Dash raised his head so they could see his face.
"Is that one of our guys?" the chameleon asked. His gun never left Dash as he hurried down the stairs. "Holy shit! Is that Bowman?!"
The bear lowered his weapon and followed. "You mean the boss's cousin? What's he doing out here?"
That was good. They had no idea that Dash was on the run. "Please… help me." He struggled to his feet and swayed. The chameleon caught him before he fell again.
"It's okay, kid. I gotcha."
"Jeez, he looks like shit," the bear remarked.
The chameleon pulled Dash's arm over his shoulders. "Let's get him inside."
Up close, Dash recognised his saviours. The one carrying him was Hugh Reiner, a small-time pirate. Before Dash identified him as working for Oikonny, he was on Corneria's wanted list with a mere $1,000 bounty. The bear's name was Grizz Williams, wanted for drug and sex trafficking. They were both the sort of people who made Dash's skin crawl to simply stand next to. But for now, they were all best friends.
Reiner helped Dash up the stairs and through the door. Williams fetched him a towel, which Dash was genuinely grateful for. He dried a swamp's worth of water from his head. Meanwhile, a husky with a crooked muzzle walked forward, resting a handgun on his right shoulder. Greg Shephard, a rogue mercenary connected to more crimes across the Lylat System than Dash cared to name.
"Young Mister Bowman," Shephard drawled. "What brings you out here to our fine abode on a lovely night like this?" The way he carried himself was enough to tell Dash who called the shots in this place.
"We're under attack!" Dash exclaimed. The general mood shifted instantly. "Cornerian soldiers! They attacked the base at the same time the storm hit!"
"Cornerians?" Alarm wiped the comfortable look on Shephard's mug. Dash nodded.
"They took out communications first. Then started bombing us! Everything turned to shit straight away. General Oikonny sent me to call you back to base. We need all hands on deck!"
The initial shock wore out, and Shephard eyed Dash's muddy clothes. "You made it all the way here from headquarters. On foot. In the middle of a storm. Dressed like that?"
"It was a surprise attack! I barely had time to put my shoes on!" Dash lied. "I was driving a cart down the road. But the damn thing broke down on the way, and the Cornerians were on my tail. So, I ditched it and ran through the jungle."
Nodding, Shephard then looked to the bag on Dash's shoulders. "What's with the backpack? Were you running somewhere?"
"Yeah! Away from the Cornerians!" Dash said hotly. Thank God he prepared for that question. "I'm a spy keeping watch on Star Fox! If the Cornerians found anything in my quarters that they could identify me with, my goose is cooked!"
Shephard waved his empty hand. "Alright. Alright. Fair enough." He turned his back and paced. Two other soldiers, in addition to Reiner and Williams, watched him anxiously.
"What do we do, Greg?" another bear asked. Dash couldn't recall his name. "Are we going back to fight?"
Shephard spun. "What?! Against the Cornerian Army? With just the five of us?" He shook his head. "Nah! You know what? Fuck Oikonny! We've gambled in this casino long enough. Time to fold and make tracks while we still can."
"You're running away?!" Although that worked perfectly for Dash, it still took him by surprise.
Shephard shrugged. "Hey, don't say it like that. A good merc always knows which fights are worth the paycheque and which ones aren't."
Reiner scoffed. "Like anyone would ever describe you as 'good.'"
"You got me there!" Shephard laughed. "'Long-living' is probably more like it. Either way, kid, there's no sense in taking risks that will get us locked up or killed. So, we're taking the sensible course of action."
His expression darkening, he pointed his gun towards Dash's chest. "That's not a problem for you now, is it?"
Dash's heart froze. He raised his hands. "No! No! No problem at all," he stammered. "If you want to go, I won't stop you."
Shephard smiled. "Thanks, friend. Appreciate the blessing." He then lowered the gun's barrel a few degrees and shot Dash upon his leg. Dash screamed. His hands flew to his bloodied shin.
"Sorry about that, Bowman. Nothing personal. Just can't have you running back to Oikonny before we've vamoosed."
Shephard glanced over to Williams. "Cut the radio lines too, would you? Best to cover all our bases."
"You bastard!" Dash snarled. It felt like the bullet broke through his tibia.
"Hey now, come on. I said I was sorry. I mean that. At least I'm not killing you outright, right?" Shephard retrieved a white box from the back of the room and placed it on the table near Dash. He patted its lid with both hands. "Tell you what. I leave this first-aid kit right here for you so you can patch yourself up. We'll be long gone before you're done. So, what do you say? Are we square?"
Dash lifted a murderous scowl to the gutless dog. "You better fly fucking fast and hide somewhere fucking far away. Because if I ever find you…"
"Now, now. No need for that. I'm trying to take the high road here. Work with me on this." By then, the other deserters finished carrying their things out of the shack. Shephard followed them towards the door. "Say, Bowman. If you manage to slip away from the Corn Cops, I'll owe you a beer for the trouble. Good luck, kid. You're going to need it in this shitstorm."
Dash didn't waste breath calling after him. As soon as Shephard closed the door behind him, Dash reached for the first-aid kit. His immediate priority was to stop the bleeding. He looped a strip of gauze around his leg several times, making sure that it was as tight as possible. Dash heard engines rumble into the distance. The sound soon became indiscernible from the storm's thundering. He was all alone again. On the bright side, Dash was alone inside the hut with all its equipment.
"Dash to Star Fox," he grimaced into his wrist comm. "Can anyone hear me?"
"…ash?! Whe… yo…"
Static distorted it badly, but Dash thought he heard Falco's voice. He tried several more times with no better success. The signal quality was too poor. Dash needed to boost it if he was going to get through. Shephard ordered his associates to cut the communication lines. Those would need to be repaired first.
Unfortunately, there was little that Dash could do with an injured leg. He looked around the shack for something he could use for a crutch. A toolbox sat on the shelf near where the first-aid kit had been. Dash used a chair as a walker to carry it to the table. He did the same thing with a broom and a mop from the supply closet. After removing their heads, he strapped the handles together with duct tape along with a chair leg that he cut in half with a saw.
It was an ugly job and wouldn't hold his weight for long, but it would need to serve. Switching the contents of his bag with as many electrical tools as he could carry, Dash staggered towards the door. He tried his best to keep his weight off his bad leg. However, a little agony was necessary to ensure the rest of him made it off this planet alive.
If those deserters sabotaged the shack's communications, they would have done so at the radio tower five metres away from the building. Getting there in Category 3 winds was tough even for an able-bodied person. Dash fell over three times before he reached the tower. He opened the circuit box and found the wires cut inside. With a pair of pliers, insulated gloves, and some tape, Dash reconnected the circuits and looked at his wrist comm. He could see several more bars on its screen than before. Praying to God, he tried calling out again.
"Dash to Star Fox! Can anyone read me!"
"Thank God!" Falco exclaimed. His voice was sweet music to Dash's ears. "We were 10 seconds away from busting into the base! Where the hell are you?!"
"An outpost north-east of there." Dash winced as the rain and mud soaking into his bandages stung him. "I left my starship back at the base, and I've been shot in the leg. I can hardly move anymore."
"Are you in danger?!" Katt asked worriedly.
"Imminently or just in general?" Dash joked, feeling his psyche fraying at the seams. "I'm safe for now. The guys who shot me took off after I told them the Army was attacking the Empire."
"Give it an hour or so and they will be," Falco remarked. "Slippy's homed in on your signal. We can't land safely in these winds though. It's taking everything we've got just to stay airborne. But stay inside and hold tight. We'll figure out a way to come down and grab you."
Dash choked on a sob. He tried not to reveal how terrified he truly was. "Please hurry."
"Status report!"
"We've bypassed the control terminals to restore power to basic electrical systems. Communications are still down, but we're working to bring back radio channels to our regional outposts. The IT network is still locked though."
Oikonny snarled. "And the traitor? Where is Bowman?!"
The ape from the research team flinched. "The search is ongoing, but the soldiers are not keen to venture the jungle in this weather."
Oikonny advanced to glare in the man's face. To some observers, it would have looked more intimidating if Oikonny were taller than the Venomian's collarbone. "They will be keen to do whatever I pay them for!" he growled. "No one betrays my uncle's empire or me and lives to tell about it. Understand?"
The ape sighed. "Yes, General. Though if I may, sending an army of loyal followers under the current circumstances would be wasteful. So long as we hold Bowman's starfighter, he cannot get very far. Certainly not in the middle of a storm. It's possible that he won't even survive the night without proper shelter."
"Listen here… Archimedes is your name?" Oikonny jabbed a finger. "I am the one who decides whether or not deploying my soldiers is 'wasteful.' Your concern is to get our headquarters fully operational again and find that traitor!"
"What's all this racket, then?"
Oikonny seethed at such insolence. He turned sharply to where Captain Argus strutted into the room. The gorilla swept a lazy gaze across the engineers around him. "I couldn't help but notice that the wi-fi is still down. What's the hold up?"
"Finally! Someone who gets me results!" Oikonny fumed. "Bowman is still at large. I want you and every soldier you can find to fly out and kill him."
Argus crossed his arms. "Weather's looking too shitty for a manhunt. Do you seriously expect people to turn over every stone looking for the maggot in that mess?"
"I do not care about finding Bowman as much as I simply want him dead!"
"Shame, really. The runt was quite handy having around," Argus huffed. "Too bad we can't just blow up the jungle and be done with it."
Inspiration struck Oikonny. A grin broke across his face. "A brilliant idea! This is why I regard you higher than all the other meatheads in this damned place. Raze the jungles! Leave Bowman with nowhere left to hide! Either he'll perish by our hands, or he'll die to the storm. But we will not leave it up to chance."
Argus's teeth showed through his scowl. He loomed menacingly over Oikonny. "I'm going to ignore the 'meathead' remark because you pay me so well. But don't you ever think about saying that to my face again."
Stumbling back, Oikonny did his best to maintain a sense of authority. He turned to Archimedes. "Have the Mecha Emperor ready to deploy for me. I wish to eradicate that wretched parasite personally."
Shock lit up Archimedes' face. "But sir! The Emperor is still incomplete. We still have yet to…"
"I don't want any excuses!" Oikonny cut him off. "I want my flagship up in the air within the next hour! And if it isn't, I'll be throwing you into Bowman's grave with him!"
Every trace of descent fled the ape in a heartbeat. "Yes, General. It will be done," Archimedes said, bowing his head sullenly. He took his leave to commence preparations.
In Oikonny's mind, he saw the mountain range awash with flames. At its heart burned Dash Bowman's miserable husk. Would that the fires continue to sear his soul in the depths of hell. That is the only fate the treacherous deserve. For those who turned their backs on family, the torment would be much worse for them.
Argus's next words reflected his general's earnest. "It's been a long time since I last mowed down a forest to kill someone. This should be fun."
End note:
Ooh... Yeesh! Not well. Dash is not doing well at all...
As I wrote the lines for Shephard, I kept thinking of the Smuggler from Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction. Silver tongued, amicable yet intimidating, and shadier than a parasol on an Alaskan winter's night. He's now one of my favourite OCs.