A/N: Thanks to Black Friday. Now I have another Toshiba Satellite, although I got one of the lowest-end models to write on. I had to give my mom her Sony Vaio back SOME time. Muwahahaha. It's so plain and normal and not-fancy… a huge plus for my ADD, it's not got a busy, distracting design, lol. So.. uhm.
So I can't think of anything for this story… Then I'm sitting there, chillin' like a villain, listening to Blind Guardian's NIGHTFALL. Yeah, they're an epic rock band that does for me what queen's 'night at the opera' used to do for me as a teenager. And they're kicking out the jams like, all the time. It friggin' rules, but anyhow. Then I'm like, "God; I just need DRAMA!" We all know that Drama sells. I'd buy it. Night fall in middle-earth is the album that song is on. They're a pretty pro German Band. They're touring the US next year, from what I've heard. Anyhow. Then, honestly, I put on Linkin Park. Should I duck all the things you guys are about to throw at me?
Hey it's generic, it's not distracting, it's plain and rhythmic. I can write to it pretty well. I usually do. I try to find music for that one reason, sometimes. I love The Blood Hound Gang, but their lyrics are usually too funny and therefore distracting for me to write to it. ;) So anyway, yeah. May I suggest you guys download Demons & Wizards: The Immigrant Song. They did a version of Led Zeppelin's infamous tune and from what I understand, Hans, the lead singer of Blind Guardian, does the vocals for it. It rocks.
This chapter has been brought to you by the above mentioned and… Megadeth, fear factory, 311, Dynamite Hack, Chevelle, Stabbing westward, our lady peace, Wheatus, tonic, incubus, trapt, eve6, the presidents of the usa, cake, smashing pumpkins, toadies, and daft punk. 90's in your eye! … :Runs away:
Yes, I'm hyper.
This chapter is dedicated to a particular wuffie, Wulf51. For amusing me and stroking my 'testicularly fortuitous' egowith her dedication, and for saying "you should have them fight" when I already had it planned, then saying, "Don't go with my suggestion, write what you want!" when I was already looking at a way to do exactly that... Thanks! Hope you didn't get my Bird Flu from being in my brain, there. I hope you really enjoy the fight scene. ;)
-Kit
Chapter 10: Where women walk, Drama is sure to follow.
"I don't think any of us needed this new Drama," Mac said, turning to face his Military doppelganger. "You know what I mean, Junior?"
The military McCloud shuttered at his hated nickname. It helped identify them and so he let it slide but hated it just the same. "Yeah, Mac. You should have seen her. It was like looking at mom, only more muscular, from… you know, Physical Training. Obviously she is either very fit or military."
"I wonder if she's a dyke," The mercenary wing commander mused aloud.
"Fox!" Junior snapped. He couldn't help but gawk at his other half. "That's beyond crude, man. And we don't even know where she is, now." The leaner of the two vulpine frowned thoughtfully then added, "She does, however, have the attitude of a Mercenary."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mac chuckled. "Don't say that around my Falco. He'd take offense, some how. Actually, he might not. He'd probably just sit there and shrug, half slouched. So where do we go from here? We've got to find out where that ship is going and get the damn Spell Stone."
Fox Junior nodded slowly. He may have been the one now native to the universe they were both in, but having come to trust his other half implicitly, he wanted only to make the Mercenary and his team feel welcome. The femme Fox, however, was a different story. She was an enigma in the equation; she was never mentioned by the Krazoa AI, back in Mac's universe.
"This is all complicated," McCloud Junior muttered disdainfully. "But worst of all, it's all crap. I didn't need this stress." From his seat by the communication terminal on the bridge of GreatFox, he seemed slightly alienated from his other half, as well as where his mate, Fara, was standing. The three of them were here, alone right now, trying to think of how to talk to the other Fox; the newly arrived vixen already proved to be a handful. It was quickly determined that Krystal would be required before continuing.
"Do you really think Krys will be able to help this situation?" Asked the Mercenary.
Fara was the next to speak, telling the boys, "Sometimes a woman feels empathetic or at least trusting, towards another woman in times of stress. With a telepath on the team, we're sure to also find out what she's gone through, what's wrong, and will know how to approach the situation from there."
"Fara's right," Mac agreed before Junior could even reply. "Krystal should be the diplomatic solution to our 'plight', I'll see if I can fill her in on the situation so that when we find this vixen, Krys will be able to address the problem and repair it."
"No disagreement here," McCloud Junior replied, reaching a paw outwards to Fara. Phoenix approached her mate and slid down onto his knees, hooking an arm around his neck. "Fara and I will find her. Papetoon is a world I know fairly well and if she's got any similarities with me in her life, I know where she'd have gone. If she's not there, then we'll get the whole team involved. Have Krystal meet us down there."
Mac, the only Fox McCloud with a thick white tuft of fur between his ears, shook his head. "Actually, let me go with Krystal. You guys can come too, but it'd be less confusing if we went in first. I think she's already upset with you or something. So, you think I should just pull her away from the current mission?" Asked the Mercenary leader. "With both Peppy's on Corneria, my Falco with both Slippy's, out looking for the other Spell Stone, I don't want to short Falco a team mate."
"You sound like you're starting to think a little more military," Junior chuckled with a soft smile.
"Just care about my friends," Mac told them, thoughtfully. "I'll always be that way. I know both Slippy Toads' can make it happen. The problem is, will Falco need a team telepath to better complete the mission?"
"You'd better start by calling them and checking on their status," Junior said, reaching his paws around Fara's waist. "I wonder what a female version of Fox McCloud is really going to be like," The officer wondered aloud. It was a question on all their minds.
"A better question would be," Fara posed, "Do you really want to know? She seemed a little harsh, so far."
"Time will tell all things," replied the mercenary, walking to the communication controls and opening a channel. "The sooner we get Krystal involved, the sooner we tie up one more loose end, which will save us time in the long run."
The femme fatale, Fox McCloud, a young vixen of 27, turned back to Farrel Phoenix, aka the Rich-boi. She tore off a piece of tape in her teeth, handing it over to him, so that he could apply the gauze over his paw. He'd showered and cleaned himself up. Now he was far more appealing but Fox still only saw him as nothing more than eye-candy.
"We need ships, I hope you can fly as well as you pose," She noted aloud, putting the tape back into a cabinet in the bathroom. "I've been doing some research based on things I've found here and my hypothesis doesn't exactly sound normal but I thought I'd tell you anyway."
"I can handle it," Farrel said, ignoring the pretty-boy commentary. "Let me guess, we went forward in time or something?"
"If only it were that easy," McCloud replied followed by a soft sigh. "We're possibly in the wrong-," she paused. How to tell him they were in the wrong dimension?
"C'mon," Farrel said, narrowing his eyes. "Treat me with respect, I'm not an idiot." Her words made Fox grin. She couldn't exactly disrespect his demand for an equal chance. She wasn't in any situation to pass complete judgment, beyond knowing that he did crash a fighter. "My controls locked up; it's not like I'm a plebe," he said, as if reading her mind. She simply chuckled, shaking her head. What else was there to do, it was an awkward situation.
"We're in some sort of alternative dimension, Phoenix." Fox's words were serious, businesslike and honest to a fault. She did not… would not sugar coat. Even if someone's feelings were at stake. Things were hard for her, she wasn't about to make anyone else's life easier by spouting flowery verbal vomit. "And I need to know I can count on you to not be a pussy," she added in a flat tone.
Farrel felt his heart stop and his chest tighten but he did a good job of offering a poker face. He was offended by her maledictory mouth, but didn't want her to judge him any further, so he casually shrugged it off, trying his best to look casual about the remark. "Me? A pansy? Please, I shouldn't even have to earn your respect; I'm all you've got."
"Not a pansy," Fox corrected. "A pus-," She was cut off by a noise at the other end of the underground oak tree hideout. Her eyes narrowed and she placed a furry fingertip to her lips to signal for quiet. She then moved into the shadows, nearer to the door.
Farrel moved back into the nearest bedroom, peering into the hallway. His ears flickered, hearing someone coming down the ramp into the main hallway. His heart caught once he heard the masculine voice call out.
"I know you're here, McCloud. I followed your trail," Came the voice of Wolf O'Donnell. He'd used his bionic eye patch to track her bio-signs and now he was ready to 'play'. He passed McCloud, then suddenly pivoted on his heel, snatching her out of the shadows and putting her up against the wall with a Cheshire grin.
"Tag, you're it," he said, brushing his nose against her. Fox's heart was pounding now. She couldn't deny that there was something about him, but at the same time, she didn't want to lower herself by giving in. His muzzle brushed against the side of her own, his hot breath pouring across the base of her ear, giving her Goosebumps beneath her fur.
"I don't know where the hell we are or what the hell happened," Wolf continued, "But I do know that it's just us now," He told her, focusing his attention on her scent as his maw grew closer to the Vixen's neck.
"Put me down, O'Donnell," Fox whispered, clearing her throat then saying it again, slightly louder.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you," Wolf mused almost thoughtfully. "Hmm, no. Sorry, I'm having too much fun." His jaw parted and his tongue ran up against the side of her throat, causing a shiver to run down her spine.
Farrel watched from the door in the hallway. He was scared to death of someone like Wolf O'Donnell but his sense of logic disappeared once he saw Wolf lowering his head to kiss at her neck. Jealousy coursed through his body and he turned his attention back to the room, searching for something that would give him a plan.
"You've always wanted this, didn't you?" Wolf said. "Tell me it's true and I'll go easy on you, Fox. Although you'll be walking bow-legged no matter how this night ends," he promised with a grin. His paws moved from her shoulders to her collar, pulling her body another inch up the wall, lifting his head once more. No sooner did he place his lips to her own, did Farrel emerge.
A piece of corrugated pipe lanced through the air, catching Wolf in the side of his head. Dropping Fox, who slid down the wall onto her tail, Wolf sprawled back, glanced off the opposite wall and came crashing to the floor. Farrel brandished the pipe again, lifting it in a threatening manner. "Back up off of her, Wolf!" Farrel demanded. Part of him was quaking inside. The other part of him was enraged that he was treating her like a sex object.
"Farrel, you do NOT know what you're getting into," Fox warned from her position on the floor. Before Farrel could respond, Wolf kicked his leg upwards, catching the fennec in his stomach. He was thrown backwards, but didn't drop the pipe. Wolf then sat up, pulling his blaster free and firing off a shot without so much as a thought.
Farrel uttered a gasp when the blaster discharge cut through the pipe just inches above his paw, sizing it down to a worthless piece of metal. Obviously Wolf didn't set his blaster for "Stun". Another inch in either direction would have surely put a hole right through his pretty little head.
Wolf came to his feet, pointing the gun at Farrel in a menacing way. The fennec, much to Fox's dismay, raised his arms over his face to shield himself from the certain lethal gunshot but it didn't happen. He peeked back between his arms only to grow upset when Wolf began a hearty belly laugh.
"You sure know how to pick'em," Wolf said to Fox, speaking of her team mates. She narrowed her eyes and kicked his ankle out beneath him, causing him to fall back to the floor. Farrel stood up quickly, taking the opportunity to change the tide of the fight and suddenly pounced the timber-wolf, raking the remainder of the pipe across his muzzle.
O'Donnell smoothly kicked his leg up, throwing Farrel down the hallway, rolling back to put his weight behind the roll-back throw. Farrel Phoenix slammed into the floor on his back, skidding to a halt with a groan. Wolf hopped back to his feet, stalked over to the fallen fennec, picked him up by the throat and held him up, pinning the back of his neck against the low ceiling.
Wolf chuckled, staring up into the small framed fennec's face. "Did that give you a thrill, pretty boy? Your first fight with a real man? I'm sorry kid, but I don't think Fox McCloud is a lesbian, and you're too much of a pussy for a woman of her caliber!"
Phoenix reached his paws out, taking Wolf's wrist to reduce the pressure against his throat. He tried to score a kick against Wolf's stomach but the lupine's torso was solid as a rock. Wolf's chuckle evolved into plain laughter at the boy's attempt.
"Who says I'm not a lesbian, Wolf? Maybe that's why you can't seem to get into my panties," Fox scolded with a smirk. She was glad that Farrel gave a good try with the pipe but in the end, she was disappointed that he couldn't seem to keep it together under pressure. She didn't need team mates that held her back. Unless he was a better mechanic than Slippy, the kid was worthless.
"Fuck you," Farrel grunted softly, half choked by the paw at his throat. Wolf grinned, reaching his other paw up to the kid's throat, beginning to squeeze. Another moment of this and his neck would be crushed. Farrel couldn't let that happen. His training instincts kicked in and he lifted his paws outwards, then palm-thrusted them inwards, against Wolf's wrists, forcing them in quickly then pulling the lupine's paws away. It was a defense maneuver.
It also worked. Wolf's paws were forced inwards then pulled away, causing Farrel to drop to the floor. Before the fennec could return to his feet, Wolf kicked his leg forward, bowling the smaller fox over like a rag doll. Farrel recovered quickly to Fox's surprise but once again disappointed her when his attempt to sweep Wolf from his feet failed miserably.
The fennec's ankle locked with O'Donnell's but stopped as if he'd kicked a brick wall. It seemed as though the lupine's leg was anchored to the floor and while he'd probably have a bruise from the kick, later on, he surely didn't budge from the attempted sweep. "Ow," Farrel muttered under his breath. It was like trying to kick a tree trunk in attempt to uproot it.
"Do you use steroids or something!" Farrel shouted. "You're not Goliath!"
"No," Wolf chuckled while shaking his head. The timber-wolf picked the boy back up by his throat. "You're not David. You're not even really a man. You're a sex-change candidate aren't you? You've got aspirations for becoming a man but you're just not quite there yet, huh?" Wolf sneered.
Farrel's eyes passed over the studded shoulder pads that Wolf was wearing, then down his chest and finally he shut his eyes and landed a kick square into O'Donnell's crotch. It was a low blow but to his surprise, Wolf didn't seem to be fazed what-so-ever. The fennec bruised his shin and quickly realized that O'Donnell wore more protection than just shoulder pads. Farrel simply groaned, still being held up by his throat.
"Goddammit," Fox groused, kicking off her heeled shoes and standing up. "Do I have to fight for both of us, Richboy?" She snapped, smoothing out the gown with her paw. She raised her paws into a fighting stance, shaking her head. "Goddammit, I should have told you to take a hike when you limped your sorry tail in here." Before she could get another world out, Wolf thrust his other paw out, taking her by the throat as well and putting the vixen's back flat against the wall once more.
"Don't move until I finish with him. After he's dead, we can have a little fun over the poor kid's grave." Wolf grinned then added, "I know you're excited, baby. Just have patience. I'll make you my bitch in a moment, just sit tight. Business before pleasure," he assured her, his grin returning.
Without another word, Farrel lowered his head, opened his muzzle and wrapped his fangs around Wolf's wrist, biting down as hard as he could. The adrenaline that coursed through his body was finally taking over and his survival instincts kicked in. Locked in a frenzy, Farrel not only sank his teeth into Wolf's wrist, he reached his paws up and simultaneously forced his index fingers into the pressure points on either side of Wolf's neck, causing the lupine's arms to drop.
Fox fell to the floor once more as well, but this time, she landed on her feet, immediately delivering a combination punch against O'Donnell's gut. Farrel, on the other hand, lost his equilibrium, and toppled over onto his side but was quick to recover now that Wolf's attention was back on Fox.
O'Donnell snatched the vixen by her collar and pulled her back into a kiss, placing a paw upon her chest to cop a feel. Farrel's eyes widened then his gaze immediately narrowed and he lunged at the mercenary pirate with incredible ferocity. His jaw opened, instinctively going for Wolf's throat but O'Donnell was a quick one. He made a fist and shoved it up into Farrel's muzzle, already struggling from the previous bite in his wrist.
"Get off of me, you fairy!" Wolf shouted, keeping his attention on those fangs that were inches from his face. Farrel reached down and snatched the blaster back from Wolf's holster then put the barrel to his enemy's head, flipping the safety off with a loud click. Wolf froze, offering a vacuous grin. "That was pretty slick, kid." It wasn't that he was nervous, afraid or even ready to die. He was honestly impressed.
Fox was recovering from staggering backwards after the kiss and now realized what had just transpired, with Wolf's paw between Farrel's fangs but with Wolf's blaster in the boy's paw, barrel against the lupine's head. Phoenix dislodged his fangs from O'Donnell's paw, then leaned forward to whisper, "She's mine, mother fucker." Harsh words for such a pretty face.
"I think you're wrong, Bishie," Wolf sneered loud enough for Fox to hear. There was another noise coming from further down the hallway. Footfalls of two people. Everyone froze.
Wolf took the opportunity to shove Farrel hard, knocking him back. The lupine dashed off down the hallway, using his bionic implant to find a way out in the back. There was window up near the ceiling at the end of the hall that came out along side the trunk of the oak tree which was rooted through this end of the hideout. He covered his face with his arms, criss-crossing his wrists and leapt through the window, escaping the underground dwelling.
"See ya' soon, Foxy!" He shouted over his shoulder, his voice fading in the distance.
Farrel flopped over onto his back, panting softly. He finally said, "What a jerk." Fox slumped back to her tail, keeping her knees pressed together since she was wearing a gown. At the other end of the hallway, Krystal and the Mercenary Fox McCloud appeared, with Krystal looking rather concerned, sensing the hostilities that just occurred.
"Who the hell are you people?" Fox snorted, looking back to the battered fennec who was laying on the floor. The boy looked overheated, fanning himself for a moment. He tossed O'Donnell's blaster onto the floor after reactivating the safety then rested his right arm across his forehead with a sigh. Fox turned her attention back to Phoenix and added, "Give it a minute. You'll get sick to your stomach but it'll pass, just relax."
"I'm Krystal, this is Fox," Said the azure furred vixen, motioning to a masculine version of Fox McCloud with a gesture of her paw. "I understand you two are a little lost?"
The vixen turned her head away from Krystal and the supposed male McCloud and huffed, "Whatever."
"Indeed," Krystal mused with a soft frown. She sensed such incredible past pain from this feminine version of Fox McCloud. She didn't know what else to say, so with a shake of her head, she continued. "I'll be blunt, since you seem the type to prefer that. We're here to help, Miss McCloud and… Mister Phoenix."
"How do you know our names?" Farrel inquired, sitting up as the sensation of the post-adrenaline effects finally concluded.
"That's a long story," Krystal noted pleasantly. "If given the chance, I'd like to earn a few moments of your time to explain it all."
Falco, the mercenary rebel pilot of the StarFox Mercenary Squadron, pulled up the communication patch again. "Listen guys," He told them both, "Now that Krystal left to help Fox… well… both of them, we've got to change our game plan. Remember, I'm the damage plan; if you guys don't crack and hack into this ship's security systems, I'll blow a hole in the thing. So what's the plan now?"
The military Toad spoke up first, telling them, "I'm going to pipe into the computer systems of the ship while it's in dock. I'll have my 'brother', here, set up the demolitions outside of the display case, now that it's under metallic security bars. I'll shut off the energy beams that surround it and you just create a diversion so we can get out of there with no trouble."
"I can handle that," Falco chuckled softly. "Now that we don't have Krystal to tell us where the guards are and if they're asleep or paying attention, I'll make sure to have them all up on the top deck."
"How do you plan to get the bridge empty?" Asked the higher-pitched mercenary Slippy.
"Well, Slip," Falco chuckled softly, "I'll take the maintenance duct to the bridge, kick it out, shoot a bunch of holes in random, unimportant stuff, take a body shield, drag them down to the elevator, knock'em out, climb out of the elevator and jump floors. Then I'll blow something up so they'll all try to come to where I am. If I have them on the top floor, they'll try to surround me."
"Sounds g-g-great! But," The military Slippy Toad stuttered, trailing off, in his deeper croaking voice.
"But?" Interjected Lombardi.
"But," Repeated the Slippy who was from this particular version of Lylat. "If you're surrounded, how're you p-p-planning to escape when we're finished with the mission?"
"Leave that to me," Falco said. "It'd be easier to have the other Falco here, we could have me dive into a heating duct and have him run by screaming and shouting down the hall and we could confuse'em."
"This isn't a cartoon, Falco," Scolded the Mercenary Toad from Falco's own Squadron. Falco nodded in agreement then shrugged. After a pause he just smiled. "All right," Slippy continued, "My brother and I are going to trust you. Just don't get yourself arrested or shot. It's going to be hard to explain what you did to the rest of the team."
"No," Falco said, shaking his head, "I plan to get arrested."
"What?" Both Slippy's cried in unison.
"It clears you guys of blame and when they go to fingerprint me, it will clear the other Falco Lombardi as a suspect. I'll give'em some bogus name. They'll have a set of prints that won't match the Falco Lombardi that's from this universe, and you guys come get me; since unregistered people probably aren't eligible for Bail."
"And if that f-f-fails?" stammered the Toad from Junior's team.
Lombardi gave a sort of cheesy smirk. "I'll tell'em I'm Falco Lombardi's clone from Venom and they'll banish me in a tube and you guys come pick me up?"
"One small problem with that," Mused the Mercenary Mechanic. "There's a hearing, first. Following that, you get the right to appeal. Then the jury has to say your sentence. Who knows what it will really be. They might want tests done and have you destroyed as a 'clone'. Your rights will be voted on. That goes two ways. If you're a valid person, you might just sit in jail for committing a trespassing crime. Or you might be held as a war criminal since you're claiming to be from Venom." Slippy paused, took a long breath, then continued in his annoyingly soprano voice, "Or it could backfire; you would have no rights as a clone, then wind up in a lab for testing and ultimate destruction as an assumably soulless clone. So, let's think of something better than that."
"Guys," Falco chuckled, "None of that will happen. You guys get back in your ships, attack it with low-power blasters. I'll expect it, they won't. They'll be surprised and I'll make a break for it while they're still dazed and confused. So," Falco told them, suddenly changing the subject. "You guys ready to break into a high security space-faring museum and collect on a priceless Lylat artifact with a power that they can't possibly grasp… or what?"
A/N: I hate getting new word processors. This is word2003, which is as good as the 2002 version I was using, if not better… but damn… I have to re-enter all the names, objects, locations and made up words into the spelling thingy, all over again! Anyhow… DIDJA LIKE IT! Yes, I had to add 'didja' too. Lame.
-Kit
