Fox, Black-wing, Leah, Becky and a few other highly ranked members Fox had never seen before were gathered round the Commander's area, waiting to hear Renegade's information.
"Ok, you that our little raid against him has sent him into a frenzy, attacking everyone constantly," he said, "But he also seem to be scared of someone, the guy has become so paranoid that if a door was slammed close, he would shit himself."
A small smirk edged its way across Fox's lips, imaging if Nova would die just by looking at him when they meet.
"But if we're gonna take this Bastard out, we need to move fast. He's arranged for transport off world for the day after tomorrow, so that gives us over a day to get to him."
"Where is he hiding?" asked Becky, her voice saying she was already planning.
"The one place that he feels is secure, Nova-Corp Tower."
"Nova-Corp Tower? Bit of a give away, don't you think?" Said Fox, adding a small chuckle at the end. No one laughed.
"It might be a give away, but that's the point. If you were tasked with killing a company's CEO, you obviously go to the heart of the company. The security there is tighter that the hull of a star ship, perfect bait for an assassin with no hope of escaping with their life." Explained Renegade, understanding Fox wasn't aware of the situation.
"Then why is he using it now? If he wanted to bait the other gangs."
"A year ago, he made massive alterations to his tower, in case one gang became too powerful. That place is now a heavily armed fortress, and because of our raid, it has forced him to use it."
"So, we go there, kill his security and rip him apart. Job done."
"Are you FUCKING INSANE!" roared one of the other Lieutenants, a golden Lion. "If we attacked that placed we would be killed at the door."
"WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN A CHANCE TO RID LYLAT OF THIS BASTARD, AND YOU WANT TO LET HIM GO?" countered Fox in a louder tone, his green orbs became red. The Lion stepped back, but wasn't going to let himself be pushed around.
"You need to know your place, McCloud." Said the Lion, cracking his knuckles.
"You have no clue what you're in for." Replied a sneering Fox.
"ENOUGH!" Roared Becky, both Fox and the Lion backed down, "I am the one is in charge here and I give the orders, is that understood?"
"Yes Ma'am." Replied the pair, sending glares at the other.
Becky placed her hand on her chin; her eyes were locked in a cold hard stare. She was processing all the information her brother had revealed, thinking of as many ways possible that would allow them to achieve victory. If they won, Nova would be killed and the Death Bringers would crumble, but there were severe consequences, she risked losing the lives of a lot of good men and women, and that could lead to their downfall.
However, with the high tech equipment they had obtained, the new recruits they had got from the freed slaves, and with Fox's 'abilities', they did have a chance. Beside, they did owe Fox for his help, and what better payment than Nova's life.
"Fox is right; we can't afford to let him go." Finally speaking up, "With him gone, the Death Bringers would be leaderless and easy targets."
"But...but the Death Bringers are better equipped and outnumber us 10 to 1." The Lion put in; clearly shocked that commander would even consider such reckless plan. "There is no way we will be able to win and Nova will most likely escape."
"No, he, won't!" growled Fox, he was close to ending that miserable bastards life, and he was NOT going to let him escape.
"Calm down, both of you! Now, we have equipment that belonged to the Death Bringers, and our numbers had increased thanks to careful planning. If we plan this attack well, we will achieve victory."
"And what if we fail, we will lose all that we achieved!"
"It's a risk we will have to take. DON'T say another thing; I have made up my mind." Said Becky, in a firm voice, the Lion shut mouth his realising he wasn't going to win this argument.
"Now, inform all other garrisons, I want everyone to be ready and all equipment in operational condition. Tomorrow night, we attack Nova-Tower and the Death Bringers." Commanded Becky in a hard voice. "Dismissed!"
Everyone began to walk away, except for Renegade, who was stopped by his sister.
"Not you!" she said with an evil smirk across her lips, Renegade gulped, "You have to clean out the toilets, remember. Get to it!"
-x-x-x-
Nova stood in front of the large, horizontally curved window of his office on top of his tower. His office had glossy black walls and ceiling, with a plain black floor. Behind him was a black desk and swivel chair. Ahead was a step before a large glossy black conference table, on the left hand side of the exit.
He stared over the tops of all the other towers at the night sky, the few stars that could be seen faintly twinkled over the city. It had been three days and still no sign of Fox McCloud, whether this was good or bad, he didn't know. Fox was still out there, prowling the city, like a predator hunting its prey. However, there was some relief, he would be here for only one more day and his thugs had been eliminating all of his rivals.
Suddenly, he heard the whoosh of his door open behind him; panic took over as he drew his blaster pistol and spun round to aim at this possible threat. His lungs tensed as he held his breath. Fortunately, it was only his Lieutenant, Reaper. He gently lowered his pistol, as an unfazed Reaper casually walked up to him.
"You need to calm down, Boss" replied Reaper in a relaxed tone, "We've eliminated nearly every prick on this planet, and..."
"'Nearly' isn't good enough," roared Nova, "If one little shit survives, then they can still be a threat. I want you to root out every hide out on this planet. I don't care how you do it, work daylight hours, capture important members, level the districts if you have to, just find every son of a bitch scumbag and remind them who control's this planet."
A menacing grin stretched across Reaper's face. "I'll get started."
He turned around to leave.
"Wait!" boomed Nova, "What about the pirate fleets?"
"Their bringing loads of good shit," said a proud Reaper, "And Boss, one of those artifacts your contact wants, has been found."
Nova's eyes nearly popped out.
"Tell whoever has found it to return to Kew now!"
"Ok boss, but why does your contact want some ancient crap?"
"It doesn't concern you."
-x-x-x-
Fox was resting on an old dirty mattress in the Protectors Head Quarters. He thought back to last night, how ripped his way through the unknown number Hunters at the slave compound. It reminded him of the facility where he had been left to rot for a year, where he was beaten and tortured, and most importantly, where he had become this abomination he was now.
He clenched his fist in anger, he was gonna make sure every last one of those bastards suffered. They had destroyed his life, and he was going to destroy them.
But...something lingered at the back of Foxes mind, what would he do if he did destroy Ghost Company? He thought of his friends, it hurt to think about each of them, but the pain was unbearable when he thought of Krystal. How could he tell her that he had been alive for over a year, and that he was a monster. She wouldn't understand.
"How can you love a monster?" he sighed sadly to himself.
He rubbed his eyes and stood up; he needed some fresh air to clear his head.
-x-x-x-
Night finally came, after what seemed like a lifetime for Fox, the entire HQ was busy as everyone was making vital last minute checks to their gear. It had been like this all day, with people trying to get whatever equipment they had into a good enough condition. The same could be said for all the other units stationed around the planet.
There had been a small stroke of luck; the Death Bringers had spent nearly the entire day attacking the other gangs. The Protectors had been fortunate to not be caught in these attacks, and even greater still, since the Death Bringers had made many successful attacks; they had gained more turf which in turn had stretched them out more than they realised.
Becky had called a meeting with her available 'lieutenants' and Fox to discuss the battle plan. Since the Death Bringers were already spread too far out, the plan was for the other garrisons to focus on attacking and crippling them, while the main force focused on Nova-Tower. Fox was tasked with getting to Nova, while the others were responsible for eliminating any and all Death Bringers.
"So, are we all clear?" asked Becky.
Everyone nodded, knowing the risks that if they lost; everything they had worked for would have been for nothing.
"Good, now get suited up," she barked, "we're leaving in 15 minutes."
-x-x-x-
Nova sat in his office in Nova-Corp Tower, constantly taping against his desk. His eyes were blood shot from the lack of sleep, fearing that Fox would kill him if he slept. Fortunately, he wouldn't have to put up with this for long, tomorrow morning; Captain Vander would be coming to collect him and the artifact he had recovered.
"Not long to wait know," he whispered to himself, "Not long till I leave this planet and McCloud behind."
Though McCloud was still out there, his thugs had been very successful in dealing with rival gangs, the Hunters had been destroyed and the Crimson Skulls were on the run. Other gangs were also falling to his 'army'; the number of dead rivals was constantly rising. However, the vigilante outfit, the Protectors, had not been seen for a while. He thought Fox would have aided them, but with no sign of him, they must have already been destroyed.
Eventually, Nova stopped tapping his desk and pressed a button on the intercom.
"Reaper! Have all units in the business district return to my tower, NOW!"
"But, boss..."
"Do as I say!"
Even though it was his last night here, there was still a chance Fox will show up and attack, and he wasn't about to gamble on the odds of that happening.
-x-x-x-
Fox stood in the now bustling yard of the factory. He watched as nearly everyone fussed around the equipment and their transport. They were going to be using seven trucks and nine armed jeeps for the assault, but first had to meet up with two other hideouts that had been selected to join in on the assault.
A majority of the Protectors had been given the older combat armour or scavenged makeshift armour, while a third had been given the well-engineered combat armour worn by Ghost Company. Weaponry however, wasn't as big an issue, the collection of weapons they had stolen, though small compared to how much there was available, was able to go a long way. While there were still a large number of people using standard weapons, the advanced weapons of Ghost Company more than made up this set back.
"Hey Fox", called a voice, Fox spun round to see Black-wing walking his direction.
"What is it?" asked Fox.
"Come on, we're leaving in a minute."
Fox watched Black-wing walk over to the truck nearest the gate, before turning his attention to other matters. He tighten his fists, finally, he was going to make Nova pay for what he had done.
-x-x-x-
Fox sat in the front passenger seat beside Black-wing, who was driving the truck through Kew's (only) business district. Unlike most areas on Kew, which were abandoned ruins, the business district was a far better place; the towering skyscrapers were made from metal which reflected the silvery light from the lamp posts that illuminated the roads.
The strike force had meet up with the two outposts and now had fifteen trucks and eighteen armed jeeps. The jeeps had their armaments covered to reduce the chances of an attack by the Death Bringers. Oddly, despite being in the centre of the Death Bringers territory, they had yet to encounter a single Death Bringer.
"No sign of any Death Bringer's," Black-wing pointed out.
"Oh, really? I didn't notice," replied a sarcastic Fox.
Before Black-wing could say anything in response, the Commander's voice could be heard from the communicator.
"We're nearing the target location, go ahead and clear the way for the rest of us."
"Got it."
They drove on while the rest of the convoy waited for them. Ahead of them was a large tower that looked that was roughly forty to fifty stories high. The building was rounded at the front and back, neon white lights wrote out Nova-Corp vertically along the front of the tower. There was also a large plaza that stood before the main entrance.
"Knock-knock, you bastards," said Black-wing.
He pressed his foot down on the accelerator and drove the truck down a ramp that went underneath the plaza. The truck smashed through the large security door that protected the parking garage, parked inside were a total of seven Death Bringer trucks surrounded by crates of different sizes and at least ten shocked Death Bringers.
Fox kicked the truck door off and stepped out, XK-47 in hand. Without bothering to aim, he pulled the trigger, sending a barrage of red lasers flying towards Nova's thugs. Two were caught in the lightshow as the rest took cover. With their enemies pinned, fourteen protectors spilled out from the back of the truck and joined Fox. Black-wing disembarked from the truck and took cover behind a crate and readied his rifle.
The Death Bringers returned fire in an attempt eliminate their attackers, but they were outmanned and outgunned. Fox stopped firing and charged directly at them, ignoring the pain from the shots that made contact with his body. With his hands in their claw form, he ripped apart the nearest thug's rib cage completely out through the layers of armour. Panic set into the remaining Death Bringers, a few froze with fear, making them easy targets for the Protectors.
Soon, all but three Death Bringers had been slaughtered by Fox and the Protectors. The remaining thugs fled deeper into the tower. With the garage secure, it was time to press the attack. Black-wing activated his com-system to inform the Commander.
"Commander, this is Black-wing, the garage is secure."
"Excellent, we'll begin our attack and back you up," came the Commander's reply, "Have one of your men intercept their communications, Nova's no doubt heard our entrance and will be looking for way out."
-x-x-x-
The distant sound of gun fire alerted the terrified swine, hiding in his office high up in his tower, his fortress. Nova's reached out for the intercom on his desk with a trembling finger.
"W...WHA...T'S GO...ING ON?" yelled the panic stricken pig.
He heard a reply coming from one of his thugs, laser fire roaring in the back ground.
"One gang attacked the garage... (gunfire) ... not too many... (gunfire) ... should be able to...OH MY FUCKING GOD...KILL THAT FREAK KILL...AHH!"
The voice at other end of the com fell silent, only the sound of lasers could be heard. Nova continued to quiver; Fox McCloud had finally come for him. It was too much for him to take, he activated the intercom.
"Reaper! Contact my shuttle, tell it to collect me IMMEDIATELY!" roared Nova.
"On it boss."
-x-x-x-
In the garage, reinforcements were pouring in from the Protectors trucks. A black bat had attached a communicator to the intercom and was shifting through the communications, looking for Nova.
The communicator blurted out the different messages it picked up, "Enemies in gar...Target spot...Vehicles out front...Contact my shuttle, tell it to collect me IMMEDIATELY!..."
The bat's eyes nearly popped out at the last message.
"Sir," the bat calling Black-wing over, "I've intercepted a message from Nova."
"What is it?"
-x-x-x-
Fox was fighting the Death Bringers in the main entrance alongside the Protectors. The main entrance consisted of a white floor with metallic grey walls. Bright white lights decorated the interior, illuminating everywhere. Large glass doors lead out to the plaza, occupied by the Protectors jeeps, and were surrounded by large shattered windows; in front of the doors was a large reception desk with Nova-Corp written on the front. The edge of each floor ran up from the ground up, with each floor in the shape of an arc. Behind were a set of steps where stood a large twenty story high gold statue of a thin, muscular, fine looking swine. In Fox's eyes, it was the biggest exaggeration of someone ever.
The protectors had stormed the entrance from the right, and now were receiving a beating from the Death Bringers firing from the higher floors. Fox charged across the ground floor, ripping and tearing as any Death Bringers that got in the way, leaving piles of severed limbs and organs in his wake. But no matter how many he killed, there was always more to replace. As the fire from the top became more powerful, Fox returned to the corridor the Protectors captured.
"Fox, come in," it was Black-wing on his communicator.
"What is it?" asked Fox, failing to hide the annoyance in his voice.
"Nova's planning to escape; you have to get to that bastard fast. We'll try to deal with the shuttle, you just get to him."
"How?"
There was silence for a few minutes before he heard anything, this time it was Renegade.
"Fox, listen up," began Renegade, "Behind Nova's exaggerated statue, are elevators that will go straight to the top, where his office is."
Fox walked out to the edge of the corridor and looked behind the statue; sure enough he could see part of an elevator hiding behind the statue. A near miss from a sniper gave Fox the signal to run for it, he jumped up the steps and hopped over the base of the statue, his claws leaving deep scratches in the statues left leg.
Fox smashed the glass elevator doors to pieces and pressed button 45 the highest there was. The elevator jolted before slowly climbing the building, Fox looked down at the battle that raged below. Suddenly, everything went dark and the elevator stopped with a jolt, half way below the forth floor. Fox growled, the power had been cut and he was only on the forth flour. He fired a single shot at the glass door, ignoring the shards of glass scatter across his body, and clambered out through the passage.
"There's one!" yelled a voice.
Fox looked around to see that he was surrounded by Death Bringers who had been taking shots at the Protectors. Many had already seen Fox and aimed their weapons at him. Fox leaped towards the nearest brute, his foot making contact with the thugs face, sending him backwards and falling over the railing. Fox ignored the screams and unleashed his claws against the Death Bringers.
Blood splattered as Fox ripped apart the Death bringers one by one, limbs flew and organs littered the floor. Lasers pelted Fox through his armour, which absorbed much of the damage. One Death Bringer fired a well-aimed shot that struck the left side of Fox's face. Fox felt something burning in his gut, without thinking, he charged at the Death Bringer and stabbed him in the abdomen and tore his claw up, separating his head for his body. The other Death Bringers froze with horror. They stared in horror at the severed head of their comrade, impaled on the claw like fingers of Fox McCloud, blood dripping from his destroyed mouth.
Fox stared at them with blood red eyes; rage was flowing through his body with each beat of his heart. Suddenly, he grabbed the nearest Death Bringer by the neck and chucked him over the railing. Half of the Death Bringers opened fire on Fox, not wanted to be his next victim, while the others vanished down a corridor.
Fox looked down at the ground floor; all of the Death Bringers had fled and the Protectors were slowly taking the floors. A team of Protectors, lead by Black-wing arrived on his floor and joined up with him.
"Guess you're taking the long way," said Black-wing with a hint of humour, Fox just growled in response.
"I know it's a shit task, but we need to get rid of Nova, and you'll get payback," exclaimed Black-wing, knowing it was what Fox wanted the most. "Stairwell's back there, take these guys with you."
Fox and twenty Protectors made their way to the stairwell and started to climb.
-x-x-x-
Nova was anxiously pacing in his office; he could have sworn that the sound of gunfire had gotten louder. Even with ten well armed and well experienced body-guards, there was no safety, his guards could deal with any gang member without difficulty, but...McCloud was different, he was a trained mercenary, and now a blood thirsty mutant, capable of laying waste to an entire military base in a fit of rage.
The door to his office whooshed open; his guards quickly entered their battle positions, only to stand down upon realising it was Reaper.
"Boss, your shuttle is nearly here," said Reaper, his voice tense, "We better get you moving."
"Then FUCKING MOVE IT!" yelled Nova, finally, he would be able to leave this place and McCloud behind.
Reaper was first out, followed by four guards, then Nova, with the remaining six bringing up the rear.
-x-x-x-
Outside, Leah was commanding the jeeps out in the plaza, engaging on the Death Bringers that were firing from the towers windows. Eliminating and distracting as many Death Bringers as possible, making it easier for the Protectors to take the floors. However, the higher the Protectors made it, the less the heavy support was needed.
Leah sat in the passenger seat of the centre most jeep in the plaza, analysing the building for any incoming fire. Beside her was a dark green newt as the driver, and it the back was a pale green turtle as the gunner and a golden lupine with a radio.
"Ma'am," called a voice, Leah spun her head round to see the golden lupine in the back seat.
"What is it?" she asked sternly, hoping that he wasn't wasting her time.
"Commander says they've intercepted a transmission from the tower and a shuttle. It's on its way to get Nova to safety and is nearly here; she wants us to get rid of it before it picks up Nova."
Leah instantly jumped out of the jeep and made her way to the back. She opened the storage compartment and pulled out a rocket launcher that had been stolen from the Death Bringers, and the only rocket inside. The rocket launcher was a long tube with a grip and trigger in the middle, with a screen and handle sticking out of the left.
"Ok, only one shot and have to eliminate a vital target, so no pressure," she said sarcastically, chuckling at her little joke.
Everyone scanned the dark skies, looking for any sign of that shuttle. With the sky only having a few faint stars shining, the sound of gunfire and the fact that the tower was 45 stories tall, it would not be an easy task. Fortunately, the screen on Leah's rocket launcher was able to give a slightly clearer view.
After about a minute or two, a bright light could be seen slowly moving towards the tower. Leah focused her launcher in its direction and looked at the screen. She could see the faint outline of a shuttle; it was three times the size of a fighter, with a pointed bridge, that was attached to the body by a rounded neck, two wings were on each side of the body, giving the wings an X formation.
"That's got to be it," said Leah as she activated the launchers lock on system.
Leah steadied her breathing; she only had one shot and needed to make it count. She pulled the trigger, and the rocket shot off like a flare, leaving an orange trail in its wake.
-x-x-x-
The door to the roof burst open, allowing Nova and his body guards to pour onto it. The roof it self was flat with a few air vents dotted around and a spire that stuck up from the middle.
Approaching the roof was Nova's shuttle, the pilots taking care to land without killing their boss. The shuttle continued to slowly creep forward. Nova watched with anticipation and a huge grin plastered on his face, safety was only moments away.
Suddenly, the rear of the shuttle exploded in bright orange inferno. The blast sent it spinning as it crashed into the roof, two guards were crushed by the shuttle as it made contact with the roof. Nova and the rest of his goons ran back towards the entrance, the burning wreck jumped and rolled in their direction. Another thug was caught and flattened by it.
Soon, the wreck stopped rolling as the last of goons fled. Nova was now in a complete state of panic, his only hope of escape was destroyed and now he was trapped. He and his guards retreated back to his office and waited. All he could do now was hope, hope that McCloud would never make it to him, that someone would be skilled or lucky enough to put an end to him, or if he did make it, McCloud would be too tired and too sloppy to defeat his guards.
"Reaper!" yelled Nova, "Contact all units, tell them to report to the Tower, NOW!"
-x-x-x-
Fox gunned down another Death Bringer on the stairwell. The team of Protectors had fought their way to the 39th floor, it had had been an exhausting exercise, and the counter attacks by the Death Bringers made it more challenging. But they had been able to push their way up this far and now were so close.
Death Bringers were firing from the corridor that leads to the 39th floor and the floor above in the stairwell. Fox and most of the Protectors were trying to hold them off.
"You three! Come with me!" commanded Fox, as he pointed at three Protectors, a black and white cat, a dark brown dog and a red parrot.
Fox lead them up the staircase to the next floor, finishing off the two Death Bringers that stood there. The bird and cat dashed past Fox to deal with any enemy reinforcements, followed quickly by the dog. Suddenly, there was a bright flash and a loud bang, sending Fox back down the stair well to the 39th floor.
Slowly Fox tried pulled up, his vision was blurry and his ears were ringing. He felt someone grab him and help him stand. His vision began to clear and his hearing began to return, every inch of his body was in pain. He could see blood dripping from his body, forming pools on the ground below. The pain began to numb, most likely due to his increased healing rate.
Soon, he had enough strength to stand by himself. He looked up the stairwell; the top had collapsed, blocking their progress. He stared at the arm of the cat that was sticking out from underneath the rubble. It had been a trap, no wonder there had been only two Death Bringers defending it.
The bird had blood splattered all over his body and shrapnel was imbedded in his body. The dog was also covered in blood and though alive, was in a critical condition. Angry, Fox activated his com, hoping there was another way to reach Nova.
"Renegade, come in," hissed Fox.
"Fox, good news, Leah shot down Nova's shuttle," Renegades reply, failing to pick up the anger in Fox's voice.
"That's not gonna help," yelled Fox, "the bastards just blew up part of the stairwell, is there another way?"
"There is," replied Renegade, "but it's on the other side, our in for a rough fight."
Fox didn't reply, he picked up his gun and charged down the corridor, shoot at any Death Bringers in sight or stabbing them with claws at close range. He led the charge along the floors balcony, lasers fired from all directions, from the floors below and the floors above. The Protectors fought till they were half way across the balcony. Enemy fire coming in from all directions, but the Protectors continued to fight against the odds.
Suddenly, there was an explosion on the balcony, followed by several more, destroying the barrier at the edge. The Protectors lost their footing and fell to the floor. Fox looked around; above he could see Death Bringers with rocket launchers, all of them were firing at their location. Fox noticed that the balcony part they were on was beginning to break; they were intending to destroy the balcony.
"MOVE!" roared Fox as he staggered to his feet, all of the Protectors scrambled to their feet and began to run back the way they came.
Unfortunately, the Death Bringers fired their rockets, most of them made contact with the balcony. The Protectors fell to their feet as the section began to bend downwards, Fox along with most of the Protectors began sliding off the edge of the balcony. Fox tried to use his claws to tear into the floor to hold him in place. However, the claws were tearing through the metal until he slid off.
Fox along with most of the Protectors had fallen off the edge, falling towards the ground. The few Protectors that hadn't fallen retreated back to the stairwell, most of them were gunned down By the Death Bringers they had failed to kill.
Fox reached out to try wedge his claws into the wall, the screams of the other falling Protectors could only be faintly heard through the sound of lasers and bullets. Fox's claws failed to get stuck in the sides of the floors as they tore through, leaving large claw marks as he slid down. Fox grit his teeth and tried to push his claws deeper into the metal, only to have a worse effect.
Fox yelled out in pain, his right hand felt like it was being ripped apart and put back together, a feeling he got when his hands were changing into their claw form, and the other way round. Sparks were now flying from his claws, as if the metal walls were sharpening them.
Fox tore through another floor, and suddenly, stopped. Fox looked up to see that he was caught on the barrier of a different floor, and was now dangling over the edge. He looked down below, to see the floor, now littered with the bodies of fallen Death Bringers and Protectors. He turned around to see the back of Nova's statue, Fox cursed under his breath, he was so close and now he was back where he started.
Fox hauled himself over the barrier and looked at his hands, shocked by what he saw. His left claw was nearly unchanged, only looking a bit sharper, while his right hand had been completely altered. The black fur of his claws remained just below his wrist, but wasn't anywhere after, revealing his flesh. It was twisted and looked metallic grey in colour. But the most shocking thing was that his claw was gone, instead, at the end of his twisted flesh, was a hook. The hook was had the thickness of one of Fox's fingers and curved into a loop with a sharp point at the end.
"There's one left!" roared a voice.
Fox spun his head right to see a team of seven Death Bringers, standing over the corpses of several Protectors. Some of the dead Protectors looked young, like they were just in their late teens, early twenties. The sight twisted Fox's insides; causing a spark to go off inside him, igniting his rage, his hatred and his blood lust.
The Death Bringer team took aim at him and prepared to fire. Suddenly, Fox let out a mighty roar, a deep roar that was inhumane, like a giant terrifying monster from a nightmare. It echoed through out the building, drowning out the sounds of the battle. When Fox finished, an uneasy silence lingered, leaving everyone to wonder.
The team of Death Bringers stared at Fox, fear and horror written all over their faces. The glowing dark red eyes alone terrified them, what was this thing they had confronted?
It became too much for one Death Bringer, he yelled and fired a barrage of lasers in Fox's direction, restoring the sound gunfire to the battle. Fox charged through the line of fire, ignoring the pain that erupted from the laser shots. When in striking distance, Fox swung his hook into the left side of the Death Bringers head. The end hooks head was buried in the skull, with a strong tug, Fox ripped away the forehead of the Death Bringer, causing parts of the brain to spill out of the hole.
The other six were now terrified; two fled the scene while the others fired in a blind panic, hoping to over power Fox. However, Fox dashed to another Death Bringer, stabbed him in the abdominal, and ripped away his chest, exposing the broken rib cage and spilling the organs everywhere.
Fox then swung his hook into the jaw of another, and ripped if off in one pull. Blood spewed everywhere from the victims mouth, like a crimson fountain. The victim screamed in pain, before Fox stabbed him in the neck, causing more blood to squirt out and on to Fox.
The two remaining Death Bringers had finally cracked and tried to flee. Fox hooked onto one and sent him flying over the barrier, listening to his screams as he fell. As for the last one, Fox jumped on to his back and ripped his spine out through the back of his neck.
With the team dead or hiding, Fox stared at the back of Nova's statue, ignoring the pain of his hook and claw turning into their normal forms. The hook spilt into the three centre fingers with smallest and his thumb grew from the twisted flesh around his wrist.
Suddenly, as if it was instinct Fox launched himself onto the statues back and began to climb. When he reached the head, he launched himself backwards, spun around in mid-air, through the constant firing of lasers and bullets from both sides towards another balcony.
Fox then launched to the left, to a balcony several floors above, where there were some Death Bringers. Grabbing one, Fox launched himself back into the centre, a few floors higher than before and slammed the Death Bringer into the balcony.
Fox continued to jump from balcony to balcony, skipping several floors with each jump, until finally; he was at the 45th floor, guarded by twenty Death Bringers. Switching to his claws, Fox began to brutally eviscerate every single one, from slicing off limbs to ripping out internal body parts.
With the last one now drowning in his own blood, Fox walked down the centre corridor, that lead to the C.E.O's office, where no doubt Nova would be hiding.
"Finally," said Fox in a deep gruff voice, "tonight, you die."
-x-x-x-
Outside, in the plaza, Leah had ordered some of the heavy equipment to be taken to the entrance. The Death Bringers in the tower had been defeated and now were hiding from Protector Search teams. The Commander wanted the entrance to be secure and had the garage sealed off, in case any reinforcements were on their way to kill them and save their boss.
As another mounted Gatling laser was being set up, Leah could here the sound of approaching engines. Other Protectors began to stop what they were doing and readied their weapons. Suddenly, driving down the front of the plaza was a large number of armoured jeeps and trucks, all of them bearing the markings of the Death Bringers.
"DEATH BRINGERS!" screamed Leah, "OPEN FIRE!"
All of the gunners let lose a barrage of lasers from their guns mounted onto of the jeeps, while the infantry dashed to cover before firing. The Death Bringers responded with their own mounted guns and deployed every gang member they had within the trucks. The sheer number of Death Bringers terrified the Protectors; Leah watched as her men killed a Death Bringer, only to be replaced by another, while when they killed one of her men, they couldn't be replaced.
"Fall Back!" commanded Leah, realising they would have a better chance if they had better protection.
All of the Protectors began to fall back towards the tower's entrance, while the gunners and those secure by the entrance lay down suppressive fire to cover their allies.
-x-x-x-
Nova stood behind his desk; he had never been this terrified in his life. First, he heard a monstrous roar, and only seconds ago he heard gunfire just on the other side of his office door, before all was quiet again. His guards and lieutenant and taken up defensive stances around the office, with their guns aimed at the door.
Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through out the office as a large dent appeared in the office door. Nova drew his own pistol and aimed it at the door; the other guards focused their aim. Suddenly, the door began to push apart, the ends being pushed into the holders revealing the one person Nova never wanted to see...Fox McCloud.
"SHOOT HIM!" roared Nova, fear gripping his mind.
Fox slit the nearest guard's throat with his claws, and apart the head of another. The remaining guards and Nova began firing at Fox. Lasers flashed and zipped towards Fox, piercing his armour and burning his flesh. Fox growled and continued his rampage against his targets feeble body guard, until only Reaper and Nova himself were still alive.
Reaper fired against Fox, not wanting to end up like all those who had already to Fox's vicious blood thirst. Fox just stood there taking in every shot, waiting for the inevitable to happen, his claws returned to their normal form.
Soon, Reapers gun stopped spewing out lasers and panic filled his eyes, his guns energy cell had burnt up its remaining power, leaving him defenceless. Quickly, Reaper began searching for another cell. Fox saw his moment, he sprinted directly at Reaper and punched him in the chest. His arm shot through the panther's chest, in his hand was his heart. Blood covered his arm and poured from the hole. Fox swiftly removed his arm, allowing the body to drop to the floor. He shifted his gaze to Nova, fear, terror and horror plastered his face. Slowly, he stepped over Reapers corpse and walked towards Nova, as he backed away from his enemy.
Nova's back was pressed against the window of his office, his pistol shaking in his hand as he tried to aim it at the vulpine. Fox grinned evilly at Nova's attempt at bravery, his red eyes sending signals that his life was about to come to an end. If Nova thought that he was going to get a quick death, he thought wrong. Fox walked around his desk, Nova quivered with each stride he took.
Nova pulled the trigger on his pistol, the laser missing the vulpine completely. He fired again and missed. Fox only a couple of feet away, and getting closer. He was about to fire when suddenly, Fox held the swine's right wrist in a death grip, crushing the bones inside. Nova shut his eyes and wailed in pain as he dropped his pistol.
Fox closed his right hand into a fist and punched the crime lord in the face, striking Nova's left eye. The shear strength of the fist as it made contact sent the swine to the ground, his left eye swollen and bruised. The vulpine let go of Nova's wrist, grabbed him by the neck and hauled him up, only to punch him in the right side of his face and send the swine down again. Fox continued to drag Nova up and punch him down again, each fist like a hammer to the face. Fox hauled Nova up, his eyes were heavily bruised and swollen, and blood was trickling from his nose and mouth. The vulpine prepared for another strike.
"W...wait," spluttered Nova, "No more."
Fox stared at the infamous crime lord, begging for mercy, how good it felt.
"I'll (cough) I'll tell you...everything about...Ghost Company," he pleaded, "Just don't...kill me."
Fox was admittedly intrigued by such a proposal.
"Alright then," began Fox in a deep threatening voice, "What is Ghost Company? And what did you do to me?"
"Ghost Company is a secret military unit in the Venomian Military...it is lead by the founders, each one responsible for a (cough) different field."
"Who are the Founders?" asked Fox, unknowingly loosening his grip around the swine's throat, something Nova noticed, and slowly moved his hand behind his back.
"We lead Ghost Company in hopes to carry out the plan, something in which you were apart."
"That doesn't exactly answer my question, where are your other three Founders?"
"Three? Ghost Company is far too complex to be lead by four," uttered a surprise Nova, "Ten. Ten Founders lead Ghost Company to complete its plan."
"Then your gonna tell me who the other Founders are? What is this plan is of yours? And how I fit into it?" Yelled Fox, his grip loosen completely.
"I could, but it wouldn't help you," he said smugly, Fox was confused, "You won't be alive long enough."
And with that, Nova kicked the vulpine and drew a taser gun from behind his back. The swine fired a single bolt of electricity at the vulpine. Fox roared in pain as the electricity fired through his system, it felt like being back at the facility, during those horrible experiments.
Fox's insides twisted again as he fought the pain of the taser. He force his way towards Nova knocked it out of his hands, pouring fear into the swine for his failed attempt to kill Fox McCloud.
"Please don't hurt me, PLEASE DON'T H..." he begged, before Fox kicked him.
Nova went flying through the window, the glass shattered and screams echoed as he fell to his Death. Fox just stood directly in front of the smashed window, he could see laser's and flames from the plaza as the Protectors fought against the Death Bringer reinforcements.
"This is the Commander," came a message from his com-link, "All Protectors in Nova-Corp Tower return to the main reception to reinforce defences against the Death Bringer assault."
Fox switched off his com, and looked out the shattered window. He was going to aid his allies, and he would get there fast. As if his body had a mind of its own, Fox leaped out the window.
-x-x-x-
At the main entrance to the tower, the Protectors were struggling to defend against the Death Bringers assault. They had taken the tower, but were now trapped. The Death Bringers were determined to rescue their boss and take back their main hide out.
The Commander, joined by Black-wing, Renegade and Leah fired at any Death Bringer in their sights, but no matter how many they killed, there was always more.
Suddenly, they noticed something fall into the middle of the plaza. At a quick glance, it looked like the body of a pig before in splattered into the ground. Followed, by something else, however when this made contact, there was a thunderous roar from its impact with the ground. Smoke covered the area and there were dying screams of Death Bringers, ringing in the air. Every one stopped firing to see what had happened.
The smoke began to slowly fade away, to reveal a shocking sight. In the middle of the plaza was an enormous crater, so deep that it looked like it had collapsed into the garage. And crouched in the middle, surrounded by dead bodies from both sides, was an orange vulpine.
Fox slowly stood up, much to the amazement to the Protectors, and the horror of the Death Bringers. He suddenly leaded from the crater and began slicing and ripping apart the Death Bringers, taking in whatever fire power they sent his way, it would not stop him. The Protectors in the tower broke and joined him in the plaza, as he led the charge against the Death Bringers.
Limbs were sent flying, vehicles were destroyed and bodies dropped as Fox and the Protectors fought against the once great Death Bringer Crime Syndicate. The remaining Death Bringers began to flee, either by vehicle or by foot, anyway to get away from their destroyers.
Soon, all the Death Bringers had fled or had been destroyed. Fox steadied his breathing and calmed himself down, tonight; he had done what he had come to Kew to do. Nova was dead and now he was a step closer to getting his revenge against Ghost Company.
There's chapter 6. Nova's dead, nine more founders for Fox to find and kill. That is if he can control his rage.
Well, say what you think, and whether I should continue or if you feel like it's getting repetitive, let me know. See ya.