A Second Chance

By FoxMcCloude

Disclaimer: Fox, Krystal/Kursed and all the Star Fox series belong to Nintendo.

Part II: Shall we work together?

Planet Kew, 10:45 am…

The day after the incident at the pub, Kursed had decided to start at full with the work she had been assigned, in order to get some things out of her head. Get Fox out of her head, more specifically, of course. At times, the best way to avoid the personal feelings is focusing on other things.

She had gone around the whole city since early in the morning on her motorbike, trying to find some leads. After a long ride, an informant told her about a contact of the man she was looking for who was in detention, and perhaps if she questioned him, she might find out where she could find him, so with no time to waste, she make her way to the Detention Center.

- I've decided… I'm not gonna get involved with him any longer. That will only bring troubles, to both of us. – She repeated to herself nonstop.

Thinking about that saying, that love makes you to make crazy things, Kursed decided the best thing for her would be to stay away from Fox. With no doubt having him close by she wouldn't be able to think rationally, and in the middle of a mission of this kind, that was not an option. A bounty hunter must keep their feelings at bay, since at times, they made you have fear and doubts, and a second of doubt can make the difference between life and death in a confrontation with a criminal.

- How curious, that almost sounded like Wolf. -

It was definitive. She would avoid having contact with Fox at any cost, and as soon as this was all over, she would go to any other place of the galaxy, never to see him again.

The blue vixen arrived to the detention center and left her vehicle parked. She was wearing her usual bounty hunter attire, and she carried some documents she needed, among them an order of authorization to question prisoners, which the military officers had given her. She approached the officer who was at the reception desk.

- Good morning, can I help you? -

- I need to question a certain individual who goes by the name of Manky Kong. – She gave him the authorization. – I was informed he's detained in this center. –

- Manky Kong, yeah, I know him well. – The officer said with a low voice. – We'll bring him to you immediately, for now, please go to the interrogatory chamber at the end of that hallway. -

- Thank you. -

Kursed walked towards the hallway the officer pointed before. She could see some officers questioning the prisoners, and some others even in the middle of struggles because they were not being very… "cooperative". However, shortly after she arrived the chamber she was told to go, she stopped upon seeing Fangs through a window, the very same guy who made a failed attempt to seduce her the night before, and in front of him, though he had his back facing towards her, was Fox.

- Damn it, of all places and I had to come right here to this one. – She thought in the moment. The chamber was soundproof, so Kursed couldn't hear what they were saying, although it wasn't too hard to imagine it. The night before Fox had mentioned something about needing Fangs alive, so he probably was trying to get some important information out of him. Unconsciously (or maybe not), Kursed started focusing her telepathic powers.

Inside the chamber, this was what they were talking:

- I told ya a million times, I know no guy named Furio. – Fangs said.

- Liar, I know very well you work for him, and if you know what's good for you, you'll tell me where he is and what he's up to. – Fox insisted, pounding the table with his palms.

- Why should I? – Fangs replied. – What will you do if I refuse to talk? -

- Fangs, listen, patience has a limit and mine is running out. If you don't tell me nicely, I'll have to use other methods to persuade you. -

- Oh, yeah? Like what? Show me what you got, bad-licked kit. -

Fox didn't like very much that epithet, but somehow he maintained his composure. He pulled a small disk from his pocket, and showed it to Fangs.

- You know what's inside this disk, Fangs? – Fox asked. – And before you say you don't know and you don't care, I'll have to tell you I've been following your trail for about two weeks by now, taking with me a small spy camera. – He touched the pin with the Star Fox emblem he had on the pocket of his jacket. – You've had no breaks in that time, am I wrong? -

- Ugh… - Fangs didn't like where the conversation was going.

- I know you were arrested specifically for the ruckus you caused last night at the pub, and for having a firearm illegally, so they might let you go in two or three months. – Fox continued. – However, if I show this to the cops, they might think about adding a few years to your sentence. The police force knows what you do, but they have no solid evidence to send you where you belong. If you do not cooperate, I'll gladly give them this so they can use it against you in court. You decide. -

- Grrr… - Fangs groaned. – Fine, let's suppose for a while what you say is true, why haven't you done it already? If you have in your hands the perfect weapon to destroy me, why don't you use it? –

- I think I didn't make myself clear with you before. – Fox said. – I have no interest in you at all, but I'm going after a bigger fish. Specifically, your boss, Fury Tiger, AKA Furio. I told you before I don't want any unnecessary casualties and if you don't cooperate now, it'll be bad for both of us, capice? -

- *Sigh*… fine, I'll tell you what I know. – Fangs finally gave up. – I guess I couldn't expect less from the legendary Fox McCloud, after all. -

- Glad we understand each other. –Fox said, going back to his seat. – Fine, start talking, I'm all ears. -

- Furio was preparing to make some… business, with a rogue military officer. -

- What kind of business? – Fox asked.

- An interchange of sorts, seemingly that guy stole from his group something which could be really handy for Furio, so much he's willing to pay 10 millions for it. -

- And what is it, if I may know? -

- I don't know the details, but I think it was a computer program called "Seraph" or something like that. –

When he arrived to this part, Kursed froze. A rogue military officer, a stolen computer program, "Seraph", or rather, and she knew it was that, Zeraph. Would it be a simple coincidence? She tried to convince herself it was, but her instincts were screaming it was no mere coincidence. That rogue military officer, it couldn't be any other than…

- Where and when will be the interchange carried out? – Fox asked.

- At the quays, in the north extreme of the city, in two weeks, exactly at midnight. –Fangs concluded. – I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything else. -

- No matter, I think I'll do fine with this info you gave me. – Fox stood up and got ready to leave. – Thanks for your time. -

- No, don't thank me, McCloud. – Fangs interrupted before he could cross the door. – You might have been able to lock me up, but you'll have a hard time against Furio. My only regret is that I won't be there to see when he ends up your miserable existence. -

- If you're trying to intimidate me with that, then you failed. – Fox said. – My life is, either I finish off the criminals, or they finish me off. End of my problems, one way or another. -

Fox went out of the room to meet outside Kursed, who gave him an odd look.

- Ah, you're the lady last night. – Fox said upon seeing her, she took a moment to reply.

- Er… yeah, what a coincidence. – Was all she managed to articulate.

- Excuse me, but I have to go. I assume if you're here then you must have things to do as well. Farewell. -

While Fox was leaving, Kursed stood still for a moment. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to use her telepathic powers to overhear the conversation, and for more than one reason. Fangs had spoken about a rogue military officer, and a stolen computer program, the Zeraph. There was no doubt, that rogue military officer was the guy she was looking for, Nathaniel Feral.

It was quite ironic, really. Just a moment ago, she had told herself she would avoid contact with Fox at any cost, but now, she didn't only run into him again, but she also found out their targets were related. A bad joke from fate, but she had to deal with the fact this wouldn't be the last time she and Fox would cross paths, whether she liked it or not.

On the other hand, she hadn't even started questioning that Manky Kong guy, and the information Fox had obtained from Fangs would be very useful to locate Feral without too many complications, and she would also have a great chance to take the disks from him in the very instant he was going to get the payment for them. Counting on Fox as a potential ally was also a score on her favor.

- Yeah, you start seeing now the positive side, don't you? –

As ridiculous it might seem, and as much she tried to deny it, in the bottom she was trying to use that as an excuse to approach Fox, even though her reasons were not totally sentimental, of course. She knew him well, he had much more experience in this kind of things, he was a great shooter, expert in hand-to-hand combat and an excellent pilot, and one of his best qualities was his ability to remain cool under pressure. She couldn't ask for a better partner, could she?

- Heh, yeah, sure. He'll be glad to help you after you deceived and used him that way. -

Even so, he had not realized (yet) who she was in actuality. And as the saying goes, "what he doesn't know, will not bother him", right? Besides, Fox was not the type who would turn down somebody who asked for his help. It sounded a bit cruel to take advantage of Fox's kindness, but what else could she do?

She finally decided. Abandoning her idea to question the Manky Kong guy, she quickly left the detention center to go after Fox. Meanwhile, the officers who were bringing in the convict were wondering why she asked to question him and then vanished, like so.

/--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /

Later…

Kursed had lost Fox's trail in the traffic of the turnpike. Fox's hoverbike was much faster, and because she tried to follow him to a secure distance so he wouldn't notice her following him, he disappeared from her sight after turning on a curve, and now she had no idea where he had gone.

- Why didn't I place a tracker on him? – She scolded herself mentally for having been such a fool.

Finally, she decided to forget about Fox for the time being. At this rate, sooner or later she would run into him again, so, coming to think about it, there was no hurry. She made a U-turn, and returned to the city, after all, it was about lunch time.

Upon arriving to the center of the city, she stopped for a moment to stock up on some fuel for her bike, having going around everywhere during that morning she had spent a lot. Picking up the container with the fuel, she was about to pour it, but just in front of her, as if it was a miracle, she saw Fox. He was inside a gun shop, speaking to the clerk, perhaps negotiating some weapon Fox wanted to buy.

- It's true what they say; things are found when you're NOT looking for them. I think that applies for people too. -

Discretely, Kursed entered the shop. Since Fox and the clerk were busy talking they did not spot her, she walked towards a shelf with some assault rifles on exhibition, and feigning interest on them, she kept a good distance and with her back towards them, but with her ears up to listen up to what they said.

- Do you understand what you're meddling with? – She heard Fox talking in a very severe tone. – By selling weapons to that guy, you become a criminal yourself. -

- I know, but I was desperate. – The clerk said. – I was in need of the money, if it hadn't been for them I would have gone broke long ago. –

- OK, I can understand that part. – Fox seemed to sympathize a bit. – Listen, I just need you to tell me where I can find him. If you help me, I promise I won't tell anyone about your deals with that gangster. -

- Well, I cannot tell you for sure how you can find him; he never comes here in person, but he sends some of his henchmen to pick up the orders. – He took out a photo of a Komodo; in the back it had written an address and a phone number. – I have the address and the phone number of one of them here. His name is Gregory Gargantua, but in the underworld he's known as Mr. Draco. -

- I see. – Fox said taking the photo. – Well, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to put hands to work tonight to see what he knows. Thank you very much. –

Fox got out of the shop, and immediately Kursed followed. The fox rode his bike and sped up. Kursed decided she wouldn't let him out of her sight again, she had to talk to him, one way or another.

Not much time passed before Fox realized he was being chased by someone. Convinced his chaser had no good intentions with him, he accelerated even more and entered the turnpike again, going away from his real destiny. Meanwhile, the other bike also accelerated upon realizing they were being left behind.

Kursed saw Fox was getting away, so she hurried even more, she couldn't let him escape. Fox took an exit towards a rapid way which was open in order to try and put her off the scent, but Kursed foresaw his intention and went into the rapid way as well. Seeing that his chaser was very persistent, Fox started going in zigzag as if he had lost his direction, and in the less expected moment, he jumped over the separator going back from the rapid way to the main road.

The maneuver almost worked: for a moment he could hide between the heavy traffic (load trucks, specifically) which circulated around there. Kursed almost toppled when she swerved to return to the main road while she tried to locate Fox. She barely saw him when he was overtaking the line of trucks and going into an intersection towards the road in the opposite way, he was going towards the city again; not wasting an instant she gave chase, never taking her eyes away from him.

After going through a long trail, Fox finally arrived back to the city. Looking back several times, he sighed in relief upon seeing his chaser, whoever they were, seemingly had given up. But now he had another problem. He had gone into another part of the city he still did not know well.

- Well done, Mr. McCloud. – He said to himself aloud. – For not being attentive, look where you ended up. -

He took off his helmet and took a map to try and see exactly where he had ended up, and how to return to the hotel. He was about to start up again when, oh no! The same hoverbike which had been chasing him came out from an alley and placed itself in front of him. Its rider, a woman, now he could see her well, took off her helmet, and walked towards him. Surprisingly, it was the same vixen he had run into at the pub, and subsequently met again at the detention center. Resigned, Fox exhaled a sigh, and decided to face her to see what she wanted with him, while he observed her walking towards him.

- OK, Miss. – He started talking. – I'm tired of playing cat and mouse. Who are you, and what do you want with me? -

- Calm down, there's no need to go aggressive, Mr. McCloud. – She answered. – I'm just a bounty hunter, like you, and what I want with you, is to make you a little proposal. -

- Hmm, and what could it be? -

- From a reliable source, I found out you're going after a gangster who goes by the name of Tiger Fury, better known as Furio. -

- Wait a minute… how do you know that? – Fox felt uneasy, he had not spoken to anyone about that, except for Fangs at the detention center, and with the owner of the gun shop he never pronounced Furio's name for safety. The visits at the detention center were private, inside soundproof chambers so nothing of what was said there could come out for whoever shouldn't know it. – Did you spy on my conversation with Fangs this morning? -

- Well… no exactly. – Kursed tried to think fast about a credible excuse. – Turns out that… incidentally, I had a few questions to ask that jerk too. –

Fox doubted for a moment of her words, however, he finally seemed to swallow her story, after all, she was outside the questioning chamber when he went out, therefore, how could she hear him?

- He mentioned his boss, Furio, will soon make contact with a rogue military officer for a little exchange. – she continued.

- Yeah, he told me that too. – Fox said. – So what's with that? -

- I have reasons to believe that rogue military officer is the same I'm looking for. – Kursed explained. – About a week ago, I was hired by military officers of the Galaxy Federation to retrieve an experimental software which was stolen from them, by Ex-Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Feral. -

- Experimental software? -

- Yes, of the kind which would be disastrous in the wrong hands. – She said. – It's called Zeraph. It's still on test period, buy it's operable, although I was told it has a very hard-to-break protection, even for the best hackers. -

- Let me see if I understand: You believe, BELIEVE Furio is planning on making contact with that Feral guy you're after, and they're going to negotiate that software called Zeraph you mentioned. So how does this affect me? -

- Don't you se? Our targets have to do with each other, and I think our best option would be to cooperate in order to catch them. I do not doubt you're a pro, but I'm sure I can be of great assistance to you. We could kill two birds with one shot, and then split the rewards. What do you think, do we have a deal? -

- Interesting offer. – Fox said. – But I'm afraid I'll have to turn it down. -

- What did you say? -

- I'm not as crazy as to make deals with a woman I've just met, who hasn't even told me her name. – Was Fox's response. – Better work alone than with bad companies, no offense. -

- How strange, I thought the legendary leader of the Star Fox team was the type who didn't hesitate on accepting whoever wanted to join him. – Kursed said, hiding as best as she could the surprise Fox's response gave her.

- That was long ago. – The fox replied. – Team Star Fox is now ancient story, and it's a part of my life I'd prefer to leave behind… since … -

- Since what? – Kursed asked upon seeing a bit of sorrow in his expression, even though she had a good idea on what was racing through Fox mind in that moment.

- Nothing, it's none of your business. – Fox said riding back on his bike and putting on his helmet to start it up, Kursed walked towards his side to give him room to leave, but she insisted one last time.

- Think it over, McCloud. My assistance might come in much better for you than you think. -

- I don't think so, but thanks anyway. –

Fox sped up, and left Kursed standing where she was. The vixen, however, did not show any sign of disappointment or discouragement, and pulling out a small device with a radar screen which started BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, she smiled.

- Fox… we'll both work together at this… whether you want or not. -

To be continued…

/--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /

Author's Notes:

Well, perhaps you guys think this was a bit hasty to make Krystal/Kursed deal with her inner conflicts, but in order to make things more interesting, for the next encounter, she will take a more… aggressive approach, in a manner of speaking.