"Outlaw whelp!"
He closed his eye and waited for the staccato of machine gun fire. Suddenly, he felt a strong pair of arms encircling him and picking him up.
"Damian! Myrna! C'mon!"
He could hear wreckage being shifted, as well the mechanical whir of a tank turret.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Damian and Myrna O'Donnell? Quite ironic that Katina's most infamous bandits won't have enough of them left to bury."
"Mike! Take Wolf and go!" a male voice called out.
"Goodbye Wolfie!" a female voice, sounding on the verge of tears, screamed.
He could feel his saviour running and heard someone wailing.
It was his own voice.
"Don't look back, kid."
There was a deafening blast.
Wolf shot up in bed, panting heavily. After his breathing slowed, the lupine sat on the edge of the bed and ran his hand through the white fur on his head.
For the life of him, Wolf could not remember the last time he had slept in an actual bed. Having existed in very basic circumstances for just about as long as he'd been alive, the wild dog was content with a mattress on the floor, or in the most extreme cases, piles of old clothes.
The lupine eventually put his musing on hold and stood up. Several sounds reached his ears. The first was the sound of waves hitting the break wall. Sanders' so-called safe house was located in the Eastern Waterfront District of Torzan. It was a modest two-storey with three bedrooms on the second floor and one on the ground floor. It also had a deck that overlooked the Kewian ocean.
As the dingo had explained the previous night, it was the last place anyone would look for a rogue agent, let alone three outlaws.
After Wolf had gathered up his clothes and boots and went into the hallway, he heard snoring from the rooms Panther and Leon had taken along with movement downstairs. He could also smell coffee brewing and food cooking.
"Well, she's nice enough to make us breakfast." he thought as he headed for the bathroom.
As the lupine stood in the shower and let the water run through his fur, he thought on the events of the previous night and him and his team's current situation.
"God fucking damn it. Can't anything good in my life fucking last?"
After washing up, Wolf activated the blow dryer feature and dried off. After getting dressed and belting on his blaster, the lupine headed downstairs. Entering the kitchen, he soon spotted Sanders. The dingo was intently watching a pan on the stove.
"Morning."
Her ear twitched, but she didn't turn around.
"Morning."
Raising an eyebrow, Wolf poured himself a coffee and sat down at the round table. The black jacket that Sanders had been wearing the other night was draped over the chair across from the lupine.
Sanders herself was wearing a black tank top, black leggings, and a silver belt and holstered blaster. Not much was left to Wolf's imagination.
After a few minutes, the dingo put a plate containing a toasted western in front of Wolf.
"Thanks." Wolf replied before taking a bite.
"You're welcome."
Carmen crossed her arms and frowned at the lupine.
"Listen, O'Donnell. I didn't pull you and your pals out of that deathtrap just so you could ogle me all day. So do me a favour and knock it off."
"Yes dear." Wolf mockingly replied.
Carmen rolled her eyes.
"Hardy har har." she scowled as she returned to cooking.
Leon and Panther soon joined them and were also given toasted westerns. After making one for herself, Carmen sat down and the four ate in silence. At least until Panther started reaching towards Carmen's thigh under the table.
She seemed to notice, for she shot the jungle cat a glare and said "You wanna keep that hand, Caroso?"
Panther promptly withdrew his hand and smiled sheepishly. Wolf wasn't sure why, but for some ungodly reason, he really wanted to punch the wildcat.
After they finished, Carmen put the dishes away and stood before Star Wolf.
"Okay, I know you didn't ask for my help."
"Beats a Kewian necktie." Wolf interjected.
"Indeed it does." Carmen said before continuing. "If you boys wanna take your chances out there, I understand."
Leon narrowed his eyes to yellow slits.
"The choice you are giving us is not really a choice. We know your name, we know a little about you, and we know the location of this safe house."
The chameleon finished off his coffee.
"Loathe as I am to admit it, if the Remnant caught even just one of us, these are all details that they would eventually find out. Everyone has their breaking point."
"He's speaking from experience." Wolf put in.
The lupine looked to Leon and then to Panther. Seeing them both nod in agreement, he met Carmen's gaze.
"Alright Sanders, you've got yourself a deal. But I need to know, what's in it for us?"
"The same thing as me. A fresh start. What I'm doing could get me landed in prison for a long time. If we gather enough evidence, we may be able to secure a pardon."
Wolf nodded.
"Okay. Now do you mind telling us what the hell's going on?"
Carmen hooked her thumbs onto her belt.
"As I said last night, I used to be an agent. I ended up coming across some scraps of evidence. Taken separately, they didn't mean much. Together though, they suggested that Marshal Koates was alive and well."
She let out a sigh.
"I kept pursuing the lead, even though most of my superiors thought it was nonsense. It ended up costing me."
Her gaze fell to her tail. It was then that Wolf noticed there were a couple of burn scars.
"Why didn't I see that before?"
"It cost me a lot." Sanders said, bringing him out of his thoughts.
A pained expression passed over the dingo's face before it reverted to neutral.
"Long story short, I was declared dead three years ago. One of my superiors recruited me for this off the books operation."
"Off the books?" Panther asked.
Sanders nodded.
"No one in the government knows about this. Not even General Pepper."
"And just what are you guys up to?" inquired Leon.
"Trying to figure out what Koates is planning. Thanks to Oikonny, nobody in Lylat takes the Remnant seriously, especially the Cornerian government."
Wolf shrugged.
"So what? The second that jackass sticks his head out, the CDF's gonna land on him with both feet."
At that, Carmen crossed her arms and shook her head.
"Between the losses sustained in the Aparoid invasion and the Senate cutting their budget to fund reconstruction efforts, the CDF is a shadow of it's former self."
Wolf was taken aback. He came to a nasty realization.
"And now that the Remnant has a competent leader, they could pose a serious threat."
"Exactly."
"Something I don't understand." Panther put in. "Why didn't Koates join up with Oikonny?"
Carmen tilted her head.
"I hate to ask, but were you under a rock during the war?"
"I was living in the northern part of Papetoon." the jungle cat replied.
"Okay, that pretty much is under a rock."
Wolf shared a glance with Leon and then turned to Panther.
"There were talented officers in the Imperial Army, and there were those who got their jobs through connections. But they all had one thing in common; They despised Andrew."
The lupine laced his fingers.
"None of them more so than Koates."
Titania
Ten years ago
The Star Wolf team was assembled before a nine-banded armadillo in Venomian desert fatigues. A man they all knew to be Marshal Kalman Koates.
"I'm almost afraid to ask, Marshal. But what do you need us for?"
Koates met Wolf's gaze and grinned.
"There are no bad questions, O'Donnell. Only bad answers."
The marshal turned and began walking towards a headquarters tent, the Star Wolf team following.
"To answer your question, O'Donnell. Intimidation. Simple as that."
"I see."
"We're being paid for this, aren't we?" asked Pigma Dengar.
Koates stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder at the swine.
"Dengar, not every friendly fire accident is actually an accident." he said, voice laced with contempt.
Wolf saw Pigma go rigid and wondered if there was any truth to the rumour that Koates had once threatened to have the former Star Fox member thrown into an incinerator.
The lupine then turned his one-eyed gaze to the smoking city of Gedrick. The siege was entering its fourth month, still ongoing even with the surrender of the Titanian government. With the ring of iron Marshal Koates' Fourth Army had thrown around the city and Admiral Zoran Payne's Eleventh Fleet blasting any relief ships, the defenders and the citizens trapped in there were at a breaking point.
Everything was quiet right now, the result of a negotiated ceasefire. Wolf brought his gaze forward and entered the tent. Within, he saw two familiar figures.
One was Rena Mouradian, a female coywolf with grey and brown fur, while the other was Algy Hoffman, a grey-furred primate who was short in stature. More than one person had run afoul of him by making fun of his height.
Wolf felt a pang of regret as Mouradian nodded in his direction and Algy, cigarette dangling from his mouth, gave him a small wave.
They had been his first choices for the team, but Andross had overruled him and instead forced him to take on Pigma and his nephew Andrew Oikonny. While the former was a slightly above-average pilot, Andrew was completely hopeless and would have been shot down long ago if not for his teammates.
Wolf pushed that out of his mind and took up a position behind a table the Marshal was seated at. After a few minutes, a famished looking bobcat in the uniform of the local defence force was escorted into the tent.
"Welcome, General Oldham." Koates said.
The General swept his gaze behind the armadillo, taking note of Star Wolf.
"They will do nothing unless I tell them to." Koates explained. "Now please, take a seat."
The feline did as he was told.
"Marshal Koates, I implore you. At least allow the non-combatants to leave the city. The laws of war…."
"I am well familiar with the laws of war, General. They do not specify when I have to let them out, now do they?"
The armadillo leaned back in his chair.
"Speaking of the laws of war, I am within my rights to have you and your men shot as bandits, seeing as you did not lay down your arms when the government surrendered. The fact that I am treating with you is a professional courtesy."
The bobcat was clearly taken aback.
"Well for that, I thank you." he ventured.
Koates leaned forward.
"And now, General Oldham, you have a choice to make. If you choose to fight on, then Admiral Payne will send in a flight of bombers equipped with firebombs. We will burn you out of there and kill anyone who survives the bombardment, combatant or otherwise."
"You wouldn't!"
"I would. And rest assured, I will not lose one bit of sleep over it."
A tense silence passed before the armadillo continued.
"However, if you surrender, I will see to it that you and your men are treated as POWs. I will also see to it that the civilians are fed and given proper medical care."
General Oldham put his hand on his chin.
"You need to give me time to run this by my men." he said, to which Koates frowned.
"When has become now, General Oldham, the Emperor will tolerate no further delays. Now decide, I have a war to win."
The bobcat sat in seemingly deep thought, though Wolf could already tell what choice he was going to make.
"Alright, Marshal." he sighed. "You win."
He calmly took out his sidearm and set it on the table. Koates gained a wide grin.
"Wise choice, General."
The armadillo activated a nearby communicator.
"Admiral Payne, you may stand your bombers down."
"Copy that, Marshal Koates. Transports shall embark immediately." responded the deep voice of Admiral Payne.
After Algy and Rena escorted Oldham out of the tent, Wolf turned to Koates.
"Well played, Marshal. I can see now why they call you Andross' Fireman."
The armadillo gave a slight chuckle.
"I suppose I've earned that nickname."
Andrew meanwhile, cackled wickedly.
"Heh heh heh heh. You're just gonna bomb them anyway, aren't ya?"
Koates turned to the primate and narrowed his grey eyes.
"And what gives you that idea, Andrew?"
Looking surprised, Andrew replied "Well, it's what I'd do. Get the guy to drop his guard and surprise him."
The Marshal shook his head.
"Andrew, I realize that this is likely beyond you, but if we do that to our enemies, than they can do it to us."
Wolf could practically see the smoke coming out of Andrew's ears.
"You can't talk to me like that! I'm Andross' nephew!"
"I believe I just did." snarked the armadillo.
Andrew let out an angered scream and threw a punch at Koates. To the shock of everyone, Koates caught the punch and threw Andrew over his shoulder, sending him crashing through the table.
Koates then knelt down and grabbed hold of Andrew's throat, glaring at him menacingly.
"Understand this, boy. I don't care what you are or what you think you are. To me, you're nothing but trash. Beneath contempt."
The armadillo released his grip and allowed Andrew to stand.
"My uncle will hear about this." the primate snarled, voice still scratchy from the chokehold.
"Cry to the Emperor if you want, Andrew. I doubt anything will come of it."
Andrew stormed out of the tent, closely followed by Pigma. Wolf and Leon exchanged a grin, happy to see their annoying teammate get put in his place. Suddenly, a beeping sounded and Marshal Koates checked his data pad.
"Hmh, it seems that High Command has requisitioned your team, O'Donnell. You are to head to Fichina and eliminate the Star Fox team."
"Perfect." Wolf said with a toothy grin.
He held out his hand.
"It's been an honour serving under you, Marshal."
Koates seemed surprised by the gesture, but nonetheless, shook Wolf's hand.
"It was an honour to have you under my command."
After the process was repeated between Koates and Leon, the two mercenaries walked back to their Wolfens, where Andrew was pretty much jumping up and down as he vented to Pigma, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
Spotting Wolf and Leon, Andrew turned to them.
"You two saw what happened, right?"
Wolf turned to his second in command.
"What did you see, Leon?"
"I saw the Marshal attacked and forced to defend himself."
Before Andrew could go on with his tantrum, Wolf ordered "Mount up boys. We're going to Fichina to put an end to Star Fox."
The Present
"Hmh." Panther mused as Wolf finished his story. "Sounds like you guys and the Marshal respected each other."
Leon let out a loud exhale.
"We did."
Ten years ago
"There it is, Leon."
"Indeed, Boss."
The two mercenaries were looking at a small shuttle that contained three people of interest. Wolf keyed his comm and broadcasted over all frequencies.
"It's over, Bowman. You might as well come back to Venom with us."
The lupine waited for a response and was quite surprised to see the face of Renee Oikonny-Bowman, daughter of Emperor Andross.
"Really, O'Donnell? You're going to kill me and my family on behalf of my war criminal father?"
Wolf rolled his eye.
"Seriously lady, are you buying into the Cornerian's propaganda?"
Bowman shook her head.
"The Cornerians have nothing to do with this. The reason I'm leaving is because of my father blowing up Cerinia."
"Cerinia? Wasn't that planet destroyed by an asteroid collision?"
"Bullshit! My monster of a father had that place blown up."
When neither Wolf nor Leon responded , the primate said "If you don't believe me about Cerinia, than at least consider this. What has my son done wrong?"
Wolf grit his teeth. Loathe as he was to admit it, she had him in a bind. Her son, Dash, was only fourteen.
"Look Bowman, I'm under strict orders to bring you in."
"Orders?" she retorted. "Even when you know they're wrong?"
Wolf was unsure of what to do: Obey his orders and send an innocent family to certain death, or disobey and potentially get into huge trouble.
The lupine let out a huff, having made up his mind.
"You've got five minutes, Bowman."
He saw her smile.
"Thank you, O'Donnell."
The two Wolfens broke off their pursuit and began heading the other way. Some time later, Leon contacted Wolf.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Boss."
"Same here, Leon."
"You know they're not just going to buy that we didn't find them. We need to make our story as convincing as possible."
Wolf noticed Leon maneuvering his fighter behind him and quickly caught on to the lizard's plan.
"Indeed." he said and braced himself for the impact.
After Leon fired a couple of shots, Wolf banked around and returned the favour. For the next few minutes, the two continued their mock dogfight before resuming their course for Venom.
Later
Wolf and Leon were repairing the damage they had done to each other's ships when the chameleon spotted something behind the lupine and nodded his head in that direction.
"Boss."
Wolf turned around and saw Hoffman and Mouradian walking towards them. He was about to say hello when he saw their angered expressions.
"Marshal Koates wants to see you two." Algy said bluntly.
Keeping his face impassive, Wolf replied "What about?"
"He didn't say." Rena stated, though her tone suggested otherwise.
"Alrighty than." Wolf said with a shrug.
The four of them left the hanger and eventually entered a briefing room, where the Marshal was looking over a holographic map of Venom's last defence lines, his back turned to them.
After the door closed with a hiss, the armadillo asked "O'Donnell, Powalski. Do you take me for a fool?"
Wolf was shocked by that question.
"Well, no sir." he answered.
Koates turned around, a livid expression on his face.
"Than why are you trying to play me like one?"
Working hard to keep his thoughts off of his face, the lupine replied "I don't know what you mean, sir."
Koates' snout curled into a snarl.
"You know perfectly well what I mean. Your little ploy may have worked on everyone else, but I am not so easily deluded."
Realizing that there was no point in denying it any longer, Wolf retorted "You can't prove anything, Marshal."
The armadillo crossed his arms.
"You're right, O'Donnell. I can't. That's the only reason you two are still breathing."
The lupine let out a huff.
"C'mon Marshal, the kid's only fourteen."
"And a traitor to the empire, just like his parents. Tell me something, O'Donnell, what did Bowman say to you that convinced you to disobey a direct order from Emperor Andross?"
Wolf rolled his neck.
"Well besides her boy being innocent, she was going on about the empire blowing up Cerinia."
At that, Koates' eyes widened and the room suddenly felt a lot colder.
"What did you just say?"
"I said Cerinia was…"
Before he could finish, Koates waved his hand and Algy grabbed Wolf and jammed a blaster into his back while Mouradian did the same to Leon.
"What the Hell?!"
"Let me make something abundantly clear." Koates snarled, his index finger jabbing at the two mercenaries.
"If either one of you so much as whispers anything about Cerinia again, I will have you both killed. Is that understood?"
"Crystal, sir."
The corner of the Marshal's mouth turned up in a sneer, almost as if he wanted to say more. Instead, he turned back around towards the map.
"Get into orbit and defend Bolse Station. Dismissed."
Wolf and Leon couldn't get out of there quick enough.
The Present
"Venom blew up Cerinia? Oh my, poor lovely Krystal lost her home."
At that remark from Panther, Wolf and Carmen rolled their eyes while Leon lowered his face into his hand.
"In any case." Carmen said "I'm glad I don't have to explain that part to you guys."
"Explain what?" Wolf asked.
"About how obeying orders and doing what is right are not always the same thing."
After Star Wolf nodded in agreement, the dingo kept talking.
"Okay, I'm sure this goes without saying, but we don't trust anyone but each other. No doubt the Venomians are looking for us as we speak."
"Alright, what's our next move?"
Carmen glanced at Wolf and then took a small holoprojector off her belt and put it in the centre of the table. It showed the warehouse from last night.
"The company that owns that building is a shell firm for Vekman Industries."
The image changed to a grey-furred jackrabbit. Leon raised an eyebrow.
"Why the hell would Aaron Vekman throw in with Koates? That guy has more money than God."
"Well Powalski, when you have all the money in the galaxy, what do you crave next?"
The lizard thought on that.
"Power." he replied.
"Exactly."
"I presume you don't have a location on Koates." Wolf put in, to which Carmen shook her head.
"I'm afraid not. I tried tracing that communication last night, but he wasn't on long enough."
The image changed again, this time to a factory.
"Do you guys remember those Dragon Bombs?"
"Damn straight." Wolf answered.
"Well, I believe Vekman is building them in his factories. After all, it's a lot easier to sneak bomb components past customs officials than an actual bomb."
"Perfect. When do we move?" asked the lupine.
"Tonight. I don't want any innocents getting caught in the middle."
The four spent the day preparing for their mission, unaware that their enemies were also making plans.
Castillo Manor
Algy Hoffman stood on the balcony, looking out over the ocean. The grey primate was dressed in a black jacket, a red shirt, black pants, and combat boots.
"Your time is coming, Star Wolf. You just wait." the primate thought as he took a drag on his cigarette.
His musing was interrupted by his wristcom beeping.
"Yes?"
"Briefing time, Hoffman." came the voice of his commanding officer.
"Be right there, sir." Algy said as he threw his cigarette over the railing and went inside, eventually entering Marshal Koates' office.
Within were Algy's commanding officer, Captain Mitch Reiner, a monitor lizard dressed in a brown bomber jacket and black combat pants as well as Victor Maitland, a bat wearing a black leather jacket and black and grey camouflage pants.
There was also Rena Mouradian, Algy's colleague from the Imperial Army, wearing a green tank top and green and white camouflage pants. Next to her was Valen Capaldi, a hyena wearing a red jacket, black shirt, and blue cargo pants. He was sipping from a glass of wine.
He was also, Algy noted mentally, a Cerinian native. From what Algy had heard, Capaldi had been quick to see the strength of the Venomian Empire and pledged himself to their cause.
The primate had also heard that it had not been an asteroid that had destroyed the empire's protectorate, though he had no intention of finding out more. It would probably be worse for his health than cigarettes.
Last, but not least, there was Zachary Bandera, a brown furred monkey dressed in a denim jacket and green cargo pants. As far as Algy understood, Bandera had worked for Imperial Military Intelligence during the war, and had also been a hired lackey of O'Donnell up until the CDF raided Sargasso. He had escaped prison a few months later and eventually rejoined the empire.
Algy brought his attention forward when the Marshal stood up from his desk.
"As you all are no doubt aware, Star Wolf has stood up to be counted among our enemies."
All of them bobbed their heads in understanding.
"However, the news is not entirely bad. Major Janek and his men were able to retrieve most of the equipment, including the Dragon Bombs, before the building was fully engulfed."
The armadillo pressed a button on his desk, bringing up a still image from a surveillance drone. It showed a hooded figure leading Star Wolf down a hallway. Algy narrowed his eyes at the sandy-brown tail.
"This better not be who I think it is."
As if giving voice to his thoughts, the Marshal stated "We suspect that this person is Carmen Sanders, a Cornerian agent I ordered assassinated three years ago. And that brings us to your mission. I'll leave the rest of the briefing to Captain Reiner."
The monitor lizard walked up to the desk as the image changed to a map of Torzan.
"Our objective is simple; Star Wolf is to be eliminated on sight. We are also to ascertain the identity of that woman. If it is Sanders, we want her alive for interrogation. It is highly unlikely that she is operating alone."
Three spots on the map were highlighted. One on the west end, one in the north end, and a third on the east end.
"We've been informed by Mr. Vekman that the ownership of that warehouse has been traced back to his company. Seeing as Star Wolf saw the Dragon Bombs, Intelligence estimates that they will attempt to hit one of Vekman's factories."
The reptile glanced about the room and pointed at each person.
"Capaldi, you and me will take the east end. Mouradian and Maitland, you take the north end. Hoffman and Bandera, you've got the west end. Any questions?"
When nobody spoke up, Reiner turned to Marshal Koates. Everyone snapped off a salute, which the Marshal returned.
"Long live the empire." they all said in unison.
"Long live the empire." Koates replied.
"Good hunting, everyone. Dismissed."
After they had all left, Koates poured himself some scotch and turned his head towards the Andross bust.
"They will pay for their crimes, my Emperor. As will all our enemies."
Later
Wolf was glad to finally set down the backpack full of explosives after lugging it from one end of the city to the other.
"Remind me again why we didn't just go for the factory on the east end?" he said to Carmen.
She let out an annoyed sigh.
"Quite simple, O'Donnell, they're gonna be combing the place for us after we get finished. We can't risk them possibly stumbling over the safe house."
"Fair point." the lupine conceded.
Wolf, Leon, and Panther kept an eye on the factory from the entrance of the alley they were hiding in. Carmen meanwhile, was typing away on a data pad.
"Alright, I've looped the footage on their security cameras. Let's move."
The quartet ran towards the factory, always making sure to stay in the shadows. They soon came up to a side door. After taking care of the alarm, Leon was able to pick the lock.
The group walked through the drab grey halls of the factory before coming up to a door locked with a keypad.
"Deja vu." Panther remarked.
Wolf noticed Carmen taking a circular device out of her jacket pocket.
"Keypad decrypter." she explained.
"Well, let's hope this goes better than last time." Leon said as the team took up overwatch positions while Carmen put the device on the keypad.
After a brief minute, the device beeped and the door slid open. The four of them entered and soon gazed upon several fully automated assembly lines.
What really got their attention was what the machines were building; the same ball-shaped bombs that Star Wolf had found the other night.
"You were right, Vekman is building these for the Venomians." Wolf said to Carmen.
"You can say that again." the dingo replied as she took a video of the assembly lines with her data pad.
"You boys get the charges planted. I'm gonna see if I can turn up anything in that shipping office."
The four of them set about doing their tasks.
Elsewhere
Algy blew out a cloud of smoke as he watched the security monitors. As he cycled through the various camera feeds, the primate noticed something out of the corner of his eye on another monitor.
"Is it normal for the production lines to shut down?" he asked while pointing at text on the screen that read Line A: Inactive.
"Yeah, that's perfectly normal." replied the bulldog security guard. "Less wear and tear on the machinery."
"Okay." Algy nodded and returned to his monitor.
He cycled through more feeds until coming to the one for Line A. Curiously, the video showed the line in full motion.
"What the?" he thought before coming to a realization.
"Son of a bitch! We're watching looped footage."
"Should we sound the alarm?" Bandera asked.
Algy shook his head at the simian.
"No. They'll split the second they hear it. If we go in without it, we'll have the element of surprise."
"Whatever you say." Bandera replied as he drew his blaster.
Elsewhere
Wolf slapped a charge underneath one of the conveyor belts.
"Last one." he called out.
"Perfect." said Carmen.
Suddenly, a sound was heard from the door that they had entered the room from. Wolf switched his lens to thermal vision and saw several forms on the other side.
"Damn. We've been made." he whispered.
"We need to get out of here." Carmen added "I have no interest in being incinerated."
The quartet left the room and entered a loading dock. Leon walked up to one of the roll up doors and pushed the open button.
Nothing happened.
The chameleon pressed it a few more times. Still nothing.
"Damn, they must've cut the power."
"Gotta be a room nearby." Panther added.
Wolf looked around the dock and noticed a set of stairs leading up to a catwalk.
"Let's split up. Panther, Leon, take the ground floor. Carmen and I will look up top."
"As you say, Boss."
"Sounds like a plan." Carmen remarked.
The group went their separate ways, with Wolf and Carmen going to the upper level. The two paused at a corner, where Wolf once again switched to thermal vision and spotted a pair of guards.
He signalled as much to Carmen, who nodded in response. Both of them readied themselves, with Wolf eventually doing a combat roll around the corner. He put a laser in the head of a surprised guard. Before the other could react, Carmen took him down with a couple of shots to the chest.
The two wild dogs scavenged the guard's weapons and some spare power packs, figuring that they were in for a fight. Down below, they could hear gunfire, suggesting that Panther and Leon were in much the same boat as them.
Wolf and Carmen advanced along the upper level, and soon ran into a large squad of guards. The two sides exchanged fire and couple of the factory guards were felled.
After ducking behind some crates for cover, Carmen shouted to Wolf "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Yeah." he replied as he grabbed a grenade off his belt and primed it.
"They're definitely guarding something." he said before tossing the grenade towards the guards.
After it went off, the duo broke from cover and mowed down the remaining guards. They continued their advance and soon came upon a door with an electricity symbol over it. Wolf slung his rifle and began dragging a crate into the middle of the aisle.
"Go see if that room has the breakers for the doors. I'll hold them off."
"Got it."
Carmen went into the electrical room while Wolf got into cover. While gunfire sounded from outside, the dingo looked over the numerous breaker panels and disconnects. To give herself a better view, she drew back her hood.
"Come on, come on."
Her brown eyes suddenly fell on a series of breakers that were turned off. Carmen checked against the list on the panel and saw that they controlled the power to the loading bay doors.
"Panther, Leon. Meet us in the loading dock. I've got the doors working." she said into her wristcom while flipping the breakers on.
"Ah, so we're on a first name basis now. I must be making some progress with you, my sweet."
"Cut the crap, lover boy. I have no interest in you."
Suddenly from outside, there was a yelp of pain from Wolf.
"I've gotta go."
Outside, Wolf had been holding off the security guards for what felt like forever. He gunned down a pair of them that attempted to rush his position and then switched out power packs.
"Last one."
Wolf popped back up to take some more shots and spotted someone who he had thought to be dead or in prison for the last year and a half.
"Bandera?"
The lupine was so stunned that he couldn't react as the monkey fired his blaster. The laser bolt struck Wolf in the left shoulder and knocked him on his back. He yelped in pain.
"Fuck!"
To Wolf's good fortune, Carmen burst out of the electrical room and fired at the guards, forcing them into cover. After tossing a smoke bomb, the dingo helped the lupine stand.
"Let's go. I've got the doors working."
Wolf grit his teeth through the pain.
"What makes you think they won't just turn them back off?"
"I left a little surprise for them."
"Alright, let's split." Wolf said, holding a hand to his injured shoulder.
The two of them did just that, Carmen mowing down any guards they came across, Wolf helping where he could with his blaster. They eventually found their way back to the loading dock, where they could see an opened door.
"This way." they heard Panther calling.
The two of them fled the factory and into the night.
Elsewhere
Bandera and Algy had just regrouped on the ground floor and were about to round up some guards to search the streets when a message came over the comms.
"Sir! There's bombs planted all over the production room!"
Thinking quickly, Algy ordered "Everyone out of the building, now!"
The two Venomian operatives and the security guards quickly fled the building and got as far away as they possibly could. That proved to be a wise move, for there was a series of explosions. Thanks to some of the completed Dragon Bombs being detonated, the factory was consumed in a massive conflagration. The heat could be felt even at a distance.
Bandera turned towards Algy as the latter lit up a cigarette.
"I don't suppose I could bum one of those off you?"
"Yeah, here." the primate replied and held out the pack.
Bandera took one of the cigarettes, stuck it in his mouth, and leaned in so Algy could give him a light. The simian took a drag and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"We are so fucked." he said.
Algy shook his head.
"Not as fucked as we would be if Emperor Andross was still alive."
"You can say that again. Besides, some good came out of this."
The primate raised an eyebrow.
"How's that?"
Bandera tapped a button on his wristcom, bringing up a holographic image of a dingo that the Remnant had presumed dead.
At least, until now.
Elsewhere
Star Wolf and Carmen were huddled in an alley, listening intently for any signs of pursuit. After a few minutes of hearing nothing, Carmen turned to Wolf.
"Let's have a look at that shoulder." she said while taking a small first aid kit out of her jacket pocket.
"Right." the lupine replied.
With a little help from Carmen, Wolf removed his purple flight jacket and black tank top. The dingo looked over the wound and then cleaned it with an antiseptic wipe. She then squirted a small can of medifoam onto it and applied a bandage.
"That should heal up fine, long as you change the bandage regularly."
"Got it." Wolf responded as he pulled his jacket back on.
The group rested for a bit, their gazes fixed on the light from the distant inferno.
"I wonder if you can see that from space?" Panther mused.
"Wouldn't surprise me." Leon replied.
Eventually, Carmen signalled for them to gather around her.
"Alright boys, let's split up and meet back at the safe house. Who wants to go first?"
"I'll go." said Leon.
"Okay. Godspeed."
Wolf saw an odd look pass over his second in command's face.
"Yes. Right." the lizard said in a clipped tone before activating his camouflage generator.
"What's with him?" the lupine wondered.
After a few minutes, Panther volunteered to go next. Wolf and Carmen faced away from the direction he was walking. The less they knew about which way he went, the less they could be made to tell.
Several minutes passed, and Wolf remarked "I guess this is where I get off."
Carmen nodded.
"Good luck."
All the way out of the alley and down the dark side streets, Wolf kept pondering what had gotten into Leon.
"What's eating him? All she said was Godspeed."
Godspeed? That was starting to ring a bell now that Wolf was thinking about it.
The lupine racked his brain, trying to think of where he had heard that word before. He stopped in his tracks as the memory came back to him.
"Godspeed, Star Wolf."
That had been the last thing the mysterious client had said.
"No. It can't be her."
But the more Wolf thought about it, the more likely it seemed. It stood to reason that an intelligence operative would have a voice modulator.
As Uncle Mike had often said "If it seems like it's too much to be coincidence, than it usually isn't."
Wolf snarled and his fur started to bristle, giving him a feral appearance.
"What the fuck is her angle?"
The lupine stomped through the side streets and alleyways, his body on autopilot while his mind stewed.
"Fuck, what is she up to?"
He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but Wolf soon found himself at the door to the safe house. He punched in the code for the lock and heard it disengage. The lupine went inside and locked the door behind him.
Within, Wolf saw Panther and Leon. The former looked concerned and the latter had a stern expression, the one he usually wore when he was about to torture somebody.
"So, you've figured it out."
Both of them nodded.
"I didn't want to believe it, but the evidence is overwhelming." said the jungle cat, after which Leon held up a small black object that could only be a voice modulator.
"There's something else, Boss."
The chameleon held up a communicator and pressed a button on the side, projecting an image.
The same picture of Remnant troopers that the client had sent them.
"Son of a bitch." Wolf growled.
"What in the hell is she playing at?"
Meeting Panther's gaze, Wolf replied "I don't know."
He turned towards the front door.
"But we're gonna fucking find out."