Fox pulled himself up the ladder, wrapping his freezing and numb fingers around each cold rung. He squinted at the beam of Katt's flashlight, bright enough to hurt his eyes even when pointed away. His friend didn't seem to mind though, keeping the light pointed upwards as she climbed awkwardly up the shaft.

"We're almost at the top… You doing okay back there?"

"Cold."

Katt hummed in acknowledgement, resuming her climb. Fox did his best to keep up, leaning against the back wall of the tiny shaft to rest every few rungs. He was exhausted, going on barely any food and sleep at this point, the 'bread' he ate earlier providing him with little in the way of calories. The two continued to slowly climb, Katt coming to a stop soon enough.

"Okay, this thing better not be jammed."

Katt placed both of her hands on the bottom of the manhole, giving it a heavy push upwards. The manhole gave way after a shove, popping out of it's ring and sliding over onto the pavement above.

"Come on!"

Fox grunted, following Katt up through the hole. The shaft let out onto a rough sidewalk, built alongside the same road the two had sped down just minutes ago. The distant glow of the intersection's traffic lights told Fox they'd gotten out further down the street, the same cold breeze from before still residing. He looked to Katt, noticing her open up her smartphone as the two stood in the rain.

Fox shot Katt a look, not sure what she was doing with the device. He was about to pipe up before she beat him to the punch.

"Okay, there's an abandoned metro station just down the street, we'll pick up a ride from there."

"How do you… Oh, right." Fox said, remembering the benefactor the two had. He wasn't sure as to how far their power extended, but if they had been able to break into a Cornerian airbase's security system, controlling the city's automated train network was probably trivial.

The two began their walk down the street, Fox doing his best to stay warm in only his tank top. His jacket had been taken before he was locked up earlier, and the thin fabric offered effectively no protection from the cold night air. Hypothermia was a real possibility he hadn't planned for, and as they walked the concern it created grew on him.

"...How much further?"

"Should be close, think you can make it?" Katt teased.

Fox rolled his eyes, rubbing his hands together to keep them warm.

The roar of a low-flying aircraft broke the relative silence of the rain, long panning spotlight beams coursing the road behind them. Katt's attention snapped away from her phone, grabbing Fox by his right arm. The vulpine let out a small yip as Katt dragged him into the alleyway between two warehouses, the spotlight passing over the spot on the sidewalk the two occupied moments before.

"Crap...Looks like they're still on us." The cat said, poking her head out after the craft passed over. It was hard to see in the dark, but she recognized the model just from the tail alone.

"Can't we just hide inside? Getting pretty damn cold out here…"

"Oh, believe me, I'd love to. But unless you want to let Peppy and Slippy spend longer in a cell I recommend we keep moving."

"Hey, Peppy can handle himself, and… Uh... No, good point."

"Exactly!"

Katt didn't need to say anything to keep Fox following her, the two stepping out onto the street as the aircraft circled around in the distance. She broke into a sprint, kicking up splashes of rainwater as she ran through the puddles. Fox made sure to keep his distance again, internally cursing himself for not working out as much as he should've after Katt got slightly further away.

The searching craft approached again, shining its light on the rooftops nearby. It didn't matter if the beam caught them or not, whoever was flying would've picked up on two figures running along an otherwise deserted street. Fox turned his head as he ran, getting a better look at what was exactly chasing them. It wasn't anything heavy like a gunship, but the blaster cannon under the nose coming into view via streetlight told Fox all he needed to know.

"Katt!"

"In here!"

The cat reached down to the sidewalk, fingers wrapping around a large metal panel built flush with the concrete. The joint groaned as Katt picked it up, her going into a squat for more leverage.

"Help me out here!"

Fox caught up, grabbing one corner of the panel and lifting. The thing was easily many times his body weight even with Katt's help, Fox putting his numb limbs to work before the craft passed over. The panel lifted up far enough for Katt to slip under, stepping out onto the staircase the metal covered.

"I'll hold it, just hurry!"

Fox let go of the panel, hearing Katt struggle to hold it before he slipped underneath. The cat let it drop, sending a horrible bang ringing down the stairs and beyond. Fox had sworn his blaster was quieter.

Katt let out a sigh, sitting down on the cold, damp stairs. She rubbed one of her legs, feeling it ache from what she had just done.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, just give me a minute here."

The stairwell the two found themselves in was dark, the only light peeking through the tiny gap in between the panels sitting above. There might've been signs somewhere on the walls in the dark, but for now Fox had no idea where the stairs exactly led.

"Didn't you say this was a station?"

"Yeah, got closed off a few years back. Stairs should lead right down to the platform…" Katt paused for a moment, looking down the stairs. "...I think."

"You'd better have a light then, I don't wanna trip down here."

The cat nodded, pulling out her phone again. Its camera flash flicked on moments later after a few taps, her pointing it down the stairwell. The tunnel was partially cylindrical, walls covered in old white tile and worn metal. Old posters for years-old advertisements decorated the walls, some of which Fox recognized.

"Wow… They've let the place fall apart," Fox said, taking his first steps downward. Katt did her best to keep the light pointed to the ground, not wanting herself or Fox to step on a rusty nail or something equally unpleasant.

"Yep… It's like something out of a movie down here, right before the monster picks off everybody."

Fox shot back a small glare, Katt only chuckling in response as the two went further down. The stairway wasn't too deep thankfully, Fox passing through what remained of a turnstile gate before getting to the platform itself. Katt panned the light around the platform, it being in no better shape than the stairs.

The station platform was fairly small, only serving a single track on their right. The tile pattern repeated itself here too, keeping what was left of the architecture consistent. Fox looked around, spying an intact bench sitting on the wall opposite of the tracks. He took a seat, hearing the bench complain with a metal creak as Katt joined him.

"So… We're waiting again?"

"For a bit."

Fox leaned back on the bench, feeling the flat wall tiles press up against the fur on the back of his head.

"...Katt?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you helping me? Didn't you only really help us all those years back just to get with Falco?"

Katt smiled slightly, leaning forward. "Well, the whole 'Falco' thing was true back then, yeah. I think I mentioned before though; my contact's got a lot of interest in the deal with this recorder mess."

"Still won't tell me who, huh?"

"Heh, not yet. Don't wanna spoil the surprise."

"How'd you two meet? I didn't think you'd be into working for someone for this long. You know, 'free mercenary' and all that."

Katt paused, perhaps in thought. "...This was a bit, well, a lot different. My contact isn't just some soulless employer from some big corporation, or whatever… It's a bit more personal. Plus, I… Ehhhh… Sorta got dragged into something, too."

"Let me guess; You aren't gonna tell me?"

"I would but…" Katt stopped for a second, thinking again. "Oh hell, you'll find out eventually… Or, more like it'd find you first."

"It?"

"...Long story really, my contact can tell you more than I'll manage right now."

Fox hung his head, rubbing his hands together again as the wind in the station picked up from a standstill. Bits of loose trash kicked along the floor, pushed down the platform by the breeze.

Katt stood up, watching the opposite end of the station. She patted Fox on the shoulder, seeing the distant glow of headlights peering around the bend in the track.

"Ride's here Fox."

Fox stood up himself, watching the front of the train come into view. It pulled into the station shortly after, coming to a halt with the screech of its brakes. The doors along the side parted, letting the two step inside the train's relatively toasty interior.

"Good, I was hoping this thing was heated," Fox commented, quickly finding a seat onboard, Katt taking her own across the aisle.

"So, you got anything else to say about how you made it on Corneria's most wanted list in a few hours?"

"Yeah, I guess…"

Nora stabbed the small chunk of meat with her fork, shoving the last piece into her mouth. Even with the cheap seasoning it was bland, yet it still tasted better than anything she'd find in a ration. Richard sat across the table on the other side of the diner's small booth, poking a small plate of pancakes he'd ordered.

"Meat any good?"

"Good enough to eat."

"Hm, should've gotten those then, pancakes are a little…" The husky leaned in, lowering his voice. "...Stale."

"Yeah, I didn't expect whatever printers they have here to be top-notch."

"...Mind if I have some of yours?"

Nora grunted. "...Go ahead."

The two continued to eat, Richard quickly gobbling up the portion Nora had offered him after pushing the mediocre pancakes aside. The husky felt around his uniform's pockets, looking for something.

"Damnit…"

"Forget your credit chip?"

"...Yeah… Left it back on… The Pathfinder."

"So…"

"We don't have any money. Not on us."

"Well, we can't just run, right?"

Richard chuckled, leaning back on the old booth's seat. "No, not gonna stoop down to their level here; be petty. Ironic too."

"Well, we've gotta pay this off somehow…"

"Right, I've got an idea. Stay here."

Richard picked himself out of the seat, standing for a moment before walking over to the bar. The entire room reeked of cheap alcohol and smoke, alongside other aromas Richard couldn't place, nor wanted to. The interior of the small establishment was dotted with glowing neon signs, being the only things mounted along the walls to cover up bare metal and exposed conduit; not what anyone would call 'classy'.

Richard didn't bother taking his place on a stool, not planning on staying long. The barkeep noticed him, the rather comparatively well-dressed Cornerian canid standing out among her normal customers.

"...Can I help you, Cornerian?"

The barkeep was a Weasel, dressed in only a white tanktop and sweatpants, a ploom of hair dyed bright green atop her head brushed to one side. She spoke with a thick accent, Richard not sure where from.

"Yes… Well…"

"Let me guess; you don't have any money?"

Richard started to slightly panic, his entire plan already blown. "Well, uh… Fine, yes. No, I can't pay you."

The barkeep waved him off, reaching down below her countertop for something out of Richard's sight. "Not a problem… As long as you're willing to do something for me…" She grabbed something with both hands, lifting it up to eye height and setting it on the countertop. It was a small cardboard box, poorly wrapped in packaging tape. It had a shipping label, but any sort of written detail had been inked over with marker.

Richard stared at the small box, pondering as to what could be inside. Whoever redacted the label had done a pretty good job, not wanting any glancing eyes noticing the details. It could still be read electronically, anyways.

"What's this about?"

The weasel chuckled, pushing the box closer. "Simple, really. Somebody left this at my doorstep a few days ago, said it was for someone on the station. Not sure for who, guy didn't say but mentioned it was important."

"What's in it?"

"Don't know, don't care. I wouldn't be asking too many questions here anyways, if you get what I'm saying."

"Yeah… Think so."

"Good dog…" Richard held back a glare, not wanting to show the barkeep her taunt had gotten to him. "...So, apartment block D6, other side of the ring, room 351. Drop this little box off, knock, make sure whoever's there gets it, and your pancakes are paid for… Let me know who it is, and I'll take that fuel bill off your paws, too."

Richard took a step back, unsure how to react to the barkeep's quick offer. She brought up the topic fast, it was almost suspicious when Richard took a second to think. The husky weighed his options; on one hand it seemed easy, a simple delivery that'd get him and Nora off the station. On the other though, she had brought up the job instantly, perhaps only waiting for someone to dump the task on. Not taking it though…

"You're serious?"

"Not joking, wouldn't anyways. Not with this."

"Must be pretty important in that case." Richard joked internally, knowing the type of person he was dealing with. "Especially for someone like you, and every other creep on this damn station."

"You taking it, or not? Would be a shame, hate to see a pretty little lady like the one you brought along ending up, well…"

Nora knew exactly what the weasel was hinting, moving her hand over the carbine's sling, showing some teeth.

"That's enough," Richard spoke up, voice firm. "Fine. We'll take it, if it gets us out of port."

The two headed for the door, only stopped again by the barkeep piping up once again.

"Oh! I almost forgot!"

Richard grumbled to himself, turning around. "And what might that be?"

"Simple; The arctic. She stays here."

The husky blinked. "You're serious? Why?"

The weasel chuckled again, setting another mug onto the shelf behind her. "You realllllly don't know how things work around here, do you? What's to stop you two from just running off with the box, hmm?" She placed both of her hands on the counter, looking Richard dead in the eye. "I know you don't have any fuel, but who's saying you don't try and exchange it to some idiot at the pads' for some? No, I need some form of insurance."

Richard glared back, crossing his arms. "I can understand that, but how do I know someone won't try anything with her?"

Nora still hadn't said much, watching the two argue and trying to get a word in.

"Ohhhh please, she doesn't need to sit here all day getting ogled at. I already know what that used to be like. Nah, I'll have her in the back, got an old couch."

He held back a growl, hating how casual she was being with all of this. It didn't seem like the two really had a choice though with this.

"...Alright, guess we have a deal then." He muttered, looking at Nora.

"I'll be fine…" She uttered, covertly tapping her forearm. He grinned ever so slightly, knowing what the vixen meant. He still didn't completely trust the barkeep to keep her word, but what else could he really do?

"Okay…" Richard picked up the box, finding it thankfully lightweight. "I'll be back."

The uniformed husky pushed his way through the crowd, people filling Arknez's narrow "streets" past any comfortable level. He already missed the vixen's company, her being the only one he could probably trust out of anyone on the station. The worn 'road' was still lined with small shops and stalls, Richard having lost his care for the wares each shop owner was selling. Wasn't his job anyways, and running into trouble with the locals wouldn't help them get off the station.

With any luck the shuttle's still okay, but we're sure as hell doing a check before we even boot the OS. Freaks would do anything to really stick it to us, and they've got all the time in the damn system to do it.

He expected anything, really; remote explosives, sabotage, defacing the paint. It was more than clear to him the two weren't popular here.

"Faster the better, then..."

Richard continued to work his way through this district, careful not to draw more attention to himself. The marketplace eventually gave way to more open streets, yet the environment kept up its theme of mixing shabby construction and high tech. The abundance of windchimes stuck around, their tunes clanging in the recycled breeze. He'd only been strolling for a few minutes, but he already felt he'd get lost if he went much farther.

"Apartment block, uh… D6?" Richard asked himself, looking upward at one of the larger structures in the station's labyrinth of an interior and trying to remember. It wasn't actually a proper building of course, literally a large freighter grounded and gutted into what one might call an apartment block.

"Typical…"

He wasn't sure if the station's tendency to repurpose old starships into buildings was out of desperation, ingenuity or a mix of both, but the engineering effort it took to convert an entire bulk freighter into a residence wasn't lost on him.

It didn't take much more than a few more minutes of walking until Richard spotted it; a blocky, monolithic building, sticking out like a tumor of concrete among a sea of rusted metal. It was one of seven, sticking out in a repeating pattern around the station's cylindrical interior. Large, chipped yellow paint on one of the higher floors indicated he had reached his destination.

D6

"Looks like the place…"

Richard picked up the pace, getting to the front door of the block within less than a minute. The block's district was densely populated, crowds of station dwellers filling the street adjacent to the doors. Almost every species of Lylatian could be seen from just a street corner, the entire station a 'melting pot' of sorts for the whole system. A dangerous and seedy one at that of course, but still successful despite the distant orbit.

To Corneria though, Arknez was little more than a symbolic middle finger floating around the black, as were most of the freeports that called Lylat home.

Richard approached the structure's front doors, checking over his shoulder to watch his back and the steps behind him. He tried the left door's handle, the graffiti-stained glass providing no fight back as it swung open.

"Not actually locked…"

The husky reluctantly walked inside, finding himself in a lobby of sorts. Old concrete and ruined wooden finish lined the walls, it almost looked like it belonged to a hotel he'd find on Corneria, minus the illegible graffiti. There wasn't much in the way of furniture; a few vending machines and an unmanned reception desk was all the space had to offer. He hadn't expected class, after all.

A narrow flight of stairs sat in one corner of the room, being the husky's only other option besides just leaving. The colorful mess of graffiti decorated the walls here too, the entire building being a free canvas anyone needed to 'express' themselves.

Squeezing past a rather confused resident coming down, Richard started his trek up the dirty steps, climbing all seven floors to reach the top residential floor. He took a deep breath in, catching a whiff of foul air instead. He gagged, recognizing only a few parts of the smell that lingered on the top floor without much of any ventilation.

"Goddamnit… This was a bad idea…"

He choked on more air, leaning against the wall for support as he forced himself to walk into the hallway, awkwardly stumbling by another curious resident who looked to be in the process of leaving himself.

"351… 351… Please be on the right floor…"

He limped his way down the hallway, holding his nose with one hand and the package in the other, only offering a slight relief to the stench that only grew worse with the farther he hobbled. Richard found the right room after what felt like ages, balling his fist and pounding on the door.

"Hello?" he wheezed out, stumbling. "G-got a package for you?"

The silence hung like the smell, nobody coming to greet him after a good minute of waiting. He couldn't hear anything behind the door, footsteps or otherwise.

"Screw it."

He reached for the doorknob, hoping to whatever he could think of at the time it was unlocked. It was, and he found himself stumbling through the doorframe sooner than he expected. The smell was worse now, and he could've sworn it was somehow visible. The husky walked past the bathroom, spotting the room's resident sprawled across the bed.

"Shit."

On the bed lay a body. Some sort of canid from what he could tell, but the blood-stained fur made figuring it out worth more effort than Richard could care for. It might explain the smell, at least.

"This was a bad idea…" Richard grumbled to himself, deciding to leave the box and run; he'd technically done as he was asked.

"Yeah, isn't it?"

Someone behind him seemed to respond to his statement, answering with a gruff voice as whoever they were started to walk inside behind him.

"The hell…" He drew his magnum, beginning to whirl around and level the gun at whoever he thought was behind him. His effort to defend himself was in vain though. Mostly thanks to the long thin shape that entered his vision, a brown rectangle of pain slamming into his forehead an instant later. He fell backwards, stunned as he landed on the room's shag carpet. He immediately began to lose consciousness, only managing to catch a few voices before he slipped under.

"...You really had to make a scene of it, didn't ya? Well shit, glad none of us are cleanin' this up…"

Fox sat idle, leaning against the window of the train, staring out at the twinkling lights of the distant Corneria City. He yawned, turning his head to look over at Katt. She looked back at him, returning his gaze with a small smile.

"Warmer?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

Katt nodded, looking out her own window on the opposite side of the train, seeing the rolling hills sitting well beyond city limits.

"Pretty big mess you're in."

"One way to put it… Katt, you need to understand I had no idea any of this would happen-"

"It's fine, Fox. I'm not blaming you for anything… Well, maybe the car, but… I sorta got that for free."

"Free? You didn't steal it did you?"

Katt chuckled. "No, more like… Requisitioned… Without asking."

The vulpine shook his head, shrugging. "Well, kinda wish you didn't do that, but at the same time… Thanks."

The cat didn't say anything, only humming as she stared out her window again. "Any idea how your team's doing?"

Fox hadn't forgotten, he would've gone back for them during his escape provided he knew more. "Probably locked up or something, more worried about Slippy than anything else. Don't think he's ever been locked up or captured, poor guy might be scared outta' his mind… Why couldn't your contact get us all out anyways?"

"Still don't really know how the whole 'hacking' stuff works." Katt shrugged, kicking her legs up on the backrest of the seats ahead of her. "You'll need to ask when we meet. But from what I've been told she…"

Fox's ears perked up slightly, now knowing whoever was working with them wasn't some faceless entity. "She?"

"...Yeah, guess I slipped there. But yeah, something about 'making too much noise' in the system or whatever."

Fox nodded. "Yep, uh, she mentioned something like that, said someone was following her or something."

"Following? Who?"

"Dunno, didn't say, dropped the call right after though."

"Hmm…"

Katt let the topic drift off, scratching her chin in thought. Fox already had questions for her contact, and Katt now supposed she did too. For now though, all the two could do was wait. The commandeered train rolled onwards, headlights cutting into the night ahead.

Two hours later.

Fox padded his soaked tail with Katt's towel, squeezing away the retaining water with a twist over the small bathroom's ceramic tub. The fluff covering his tail still didn't feel all that dry, but he supposed it was better than walking around waterlogged. He'd already gotten Katt's carpet floor wet anyways just by walking in, alongside the seat on the metro train.

He pushed the door open, stepping out into the small hallway. Katt's residence was simple; only a few whitewashed rooms on the second story of a larger building. Most of the floors were carpeted, something Fox rather appreciated. The air inside the small unit was warm, helped by the white robe he'd borrowed from the bathroom. Fox reached the kitchen, already getting a whiff of the dinner Katt had in the oven. The condo's kitchen was tiny, built into a corner and fit for only a single person to comfortably use it at once.

"What you makin'?"

The pink cat popped up from behind the counter, previously digging around the cabinet below her. She set a can of something on the table, Fox couldn't see the label from the angle he was standing at.

"Tuna fish sandwiches, same way my mom used to make em'."

Fox licked his chops, staring at the can. "Sounds good, anything does at this point."

"Prison food sucks huh?"

Fox nodded as Katt fished a bag of sliced bread from the fridge. She set down six slices, popping the first two in the toaster. He sat down on one of the dining room's small stools, noticing the extra two slices of bread.

"You're making three?"

"Yeah, someone else's coming over."

Fox's damp ears perked up, looking over to the front door. "Who?"

"Guess. Should be here soon."

"...Your contact?"

Katt nodded, grabbing the toast and setting it down. Fox watched with hungry eyes, it wasn't the type of sandwich he'd prefer should he be able to choose, but it was certainly better than nothing. He sat for a few minutes, Katt idly waiting for the toaster to do its job.

"How's Corneria been?" Fox asked, trying to pass the time. Katt wasn't one to settle down anywhere for too long, always preferring to be on the move in some capacity. Finding her with a small condo planetside wasn't something Fox had expected.

"Fine, for the most part. Looking for work at one of the smaller spaceports around, still got plenty of creds' saved up though. Think I'll be fine."

"I'd think someplace would want you around, you've helped out with the wings' before when Slippy was busy with his family. Not like you're lacking technical skills or anything."

"Dunno," Katt shrugged. "Getting hired officially would be risky, big corps wanna know who they're hiring. Someone could do some digging, done a few things I'm not so proud of after the war. Don't really want anyone pulling that up."

"After?"

Katt sighed, idly staring at the toast. "Things got tough, had to do some smuggling between Area 3 and Macbeth… Paid the bills, not happy with it though."

Fox shared Katt's reaction for the most part, thinking of what to say. "Well… I don't think I blame you, war screwed up pretty much everything. Guessing you had no idea what you were hauling back then?"

"Who knows Fox, weapons, drugs…" Katt's ears hung low, knowing the possible implications of her actions. "I haven't told a lot of people about this, only you and a few close friends know."

The vulpine stood up, walking over to his friend to try and comfort her. "It's fine Katt…" Fox said, rubbing her shoulder. "I don't blame you, really. You don't know who's paws all that ended up in, for all we know it didn't get far out of port." It was a lie, Macbeth's population still hadn't fully recovered, let alone its industry. Cornerian and Macbethian authorities had been stretched thin, and chances were metric tons of contraband had slipped through the cracks. Katt didn't need to know, though.

Fox could've sworn he heard Katt sniffle, if only a little. "Thanks… Thanks, really."

"No worr-"

The chime of the doorbell startled Fox, breaking the two's small moment. He looked to the door, the stained glass in the door breaking up what little of the visitor's silhouette he could see.

"Should I get it?"

"Go ahead." Katt motioned to the door, turning back to the sandwiches on her counter.

The vulpine nodded, approaching the front door. He paused for a second, trying to peer through the stained glass. The figure rang the doorbell again.

"Hellooooooooo… You two home?"

Just as Katt has said, the voice belonged to a she. Fox didn't recognize it at first, but something about it felt familiar.

He reached for the doorknob, turning it and pulling the door open.

"Heya Fox!"

The vulpine couldn't react in time as a large furry mass wrapped around his torso in an almost strangle-like hug. He recognized who it was now, all right. Fox would know the fennec anywhere.

"F- F-Fara? What-what are… What happened to you? Where have you been?" Fox stammered, a wave of emotion washing over his mind. He couldn't tell what exactly he was feeling, but relief and curiosity seemed buried in somewhere. She was dressed rather casually, gray hoodie and sweatpants, complete with a duffle bag slung over one shoulder.

"Good to see you too, Fox…" the fennec mumbled, still deep with the death-grip hug. "Soooo glad you're okay."

"Uh… Fara… You're… Crushing… Me…"

"Oh, sorry!" Fara released the vulpine, Fox taking a second to catch his breath.

"W-when did you get so strong?"

The tan fennec smiled. "Been working out, sorta."

"Right… Uh, come inside."

She happily nodded, walking past and into the dining room. Fox didn't follow her just yet, lost in thought.

My ex was missing for years… And she just shows up like it's nothing. Starting to get the feeling there's more to this mess.

Fara walked into the kitchen, greeting Katt with another hug.

"Thanks for the help, with the dam and all."

"No problem, came a little closer than I'd like though."

"Agreed… You weren't followed here, right Fara?"

"Nobody tailing me on the drive here, no. We should be secure for a bit at least."

"Good, made you a sandwich."

Fara set her bag on the dining room table, grabbing a clean plate and a now assembled tuna sandwich. She bit in soon after sitting down, wolfing down Katt's meal. Fox walked in himself finally, standing in the hallway.

"Can one of you please just tell me what's going on? You've haven't told me much Katt, and now Fara's here? I haven't - hell, nobody I know's seen her in years!"

Fara spoke up first, finishing her bite. "Sorry Fox…" Her tone seemed to be regretful. "Yeah, you deserve some explanation here… I didn't want to leave anyone behind, but I've had someone after me for almost my entire life."

"What? Why? Fara, I don't-"

Fara raised her hand, signing for Fox to stop. "It's not for any reason you'd expect… I don't want to give you many details, this is a lot more serious than you might think." Fara sighed, hanging her head slightly. Katt looked indifferent, likely already knowing.

"I've been running from home for years, left when I was 18."

"But-" Fox stammered, only having more questions to ask.

"I lied, Fox. You think we met when I was 20, but I'm actually six years older. My parents you met weren't my real ones either. I kept it up through falsifying records, a bribe here, a data edit there…" Fara's finished, sheepishly. He almost felt bad for prying now.

Fox's eyes widened, staring back at her. He wasn't sure what to say initially, but Fara could pick up on the expression plastered across his face.

"...Explains why you were able to help me earlier; you've always been good with tech." He responded slowly, trying to mentally piece together everything.

She nodded. "Yep, runs in my actual family. I've taught Katt a thing or two, but it took a while to learn things here."

"Guessing your family sent someone after you, huh?" Fox said, tilting his head. Fara looked away, hesitating in what she wanted to say while staring at the carpet. Fox was almost about to cut in with a worried face when she spoke up again.

"...You could say that, yeah. I've run into him once, barely escaped with my life… I don't think I'll get so lucky if it happens again."

"Who is this guy anyways? Bounty hunter? Another merc?" Fox pressed his questions, starting to walk closer.

"No, no… I honestly don't know who exactly, but something tells me he's not on anyone's payroll… Uh, he did mention you, last time I saw him. He probably knows who you are." Fara's expression tensed up, knowing she was only going to drag Fox further into her situation the more she told him.

"So, you have no idea?" Fox crossed his arms, staring. "Can you at least describe him? Since you've seen him?"

Fara drew out a sigh, leaning back in her chair. "...Alright." He wasn't sure why she was so reluctant to spill anything, as far as Fox knew the two had left on good terms. "I don't know his name, or where exactly he's from, but I do know he's someone you don't cross. First saw him on Fichina, told me directly he was after someone else, but once I showed up I was his priority I guess."

"Venomian?"

She shook her head. "Nope, nothing like that. We've got more pressing things to worry about right now."

The vulpine had to agree, somewhat; getting his team, and the Great Fox back and airborne would open up more options for all of them.

"Alright." Fox sat down, pulling up a chair across the table from Fara. "Guessing this is about getting my team back?"

Fara nodded, pulling up her phone. "Katt, laptop."

The feline nodded, leaving the kitchen and walking into the hallway out of Fox's sight, presumably going to grab it.

"I've got a few ideas of how to get them out." She leaned closer, giving Fox a small smile. "Not sure you'll like them though."

"...Of course."

A/N: Yep, still alive here. I was sitting on this chapter for months and it was originally going to be longer, but I wanted something to post after kinda loosing the will to write much. The project I mentioned last chapter is still on the way, and I might even be starting something new alongside that too on my own. The first chapter of that's already been written, but I need to work out the plot further and figure out a name for it.