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Chapter 2: Captured
"So how'd you get captured?" Krystal asked Falco. It felt strange to be talking to someone who she thought had been dead for 6 years. She was glad though that her friend was indeed alive, and that it had not just been another dream. She'd had too many of those.
"Ah, I let myself get caught." Falco shrugged. Krystal gave the avian a quizzical look.
"What? I don't understand, Falco. Why would you let yourself be captured. Falco took a quick look out into the corridor before answering, lowering his voice to a mutter.
"You know that old adage: "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer? Well, that's what I do. Star Falco has people on the inside of Wolf's operation." Falco did another look around to make sure they weren't being overheard. "A few weeks ago, one of our contacts on Sargasso didn't make a scheduled report. We got to thinking that they'd discovered the leak, and we sent someone in after our informant." Falco's eyes dropped to the floor. A forlorn expression touched his face. "She never came back."
Krystal felt for Falco. Losing a teammate was always hard, even for the toughest of mercenaries. "I'm sorry."
Falco shook his head. "Thanks, but I wouldn't write her off just yet."
Krystal gave Falco a enquiring stare. "Write who off?"
Falco paused for a moment. He sighed then answered, "Katt."
"Katt?" Krystal couldn't believe her ears. 2 friends back from the dead in one day? "She's alive? But she was the first of us to go down! I thought for sure she was dead!"
"Who? Katt? Nah. She's tougher than that!" Falco chuckled a little. "She was the one who got me out of my fighter that day!" Falco's emotions fluctuated oddly as his mind remembered that day. "We had to lay low for a while on Katina. Until things settled down, ya know? Then we stole some fighters and made for Corneria, Of course, when we got there it was crawling with Venom's troops."
"Venom troops? That was at least 10 months after our battle with Star Wolf! I had time to go through an entire pregnancy, and childbirth, and an entire month after that!"
Falco raised his hands defensively. "Hey, Hey! We had a really rough time just avoiding patrols on Katina! I can't help it was so heavily manned!" Krystal took a deep breath to cool down. She had let her anger get the better of her.
"Sorry. I'm just a little upset that even though you were alive you couldn't help out." Falco nodded sympathetically.
"I understand. I was really steamed about it myself." The avian scratched his head a little ashamedly. "I flew off the handle a couple of times. Sometimes I wonder how Katt ever put up with me." Again at the mention of her name, Falco's emotions did an odd twist. Krystal was confused. The emotions she was sensing were oddly akin to Fox's feelings for her. Her mouth parted and she gave her friend an amazed stare.
"Falco? Are you in love with Katt?" Falco's face reddened and he began to stutter sheepishly. "Well– pht– uh— I...well...it's not really a– a–uh–a secret...anymore." Krystal saw him enclose his left hand in his right.
"Anymore?" Krystal amazement became full blown astonishment as she let out a small cry. "You got married, didn't you?" Falco's face became even redder and he began to deny it, but eventually he gave a defeated look and held up his left hand. A thick gold band enclosed his ring finger. Krystal let out a joyful laugh and hugged Falco around his neck. "Oh, Falco that's wonderful! When? I want to know everything!"
Falco gave her an annoyed look, than gave an exasperated sigh. "It was very quietly done on Aquas. It was about 2 years after you left."
"I thought you didn't like the idea of being tied down?" Krystal teased. Falco gave a shrug.
"Well, losing everything you cared about tends to reorganize your priorities."
"I'm happy for you. Any kids?"
Falco snorted amusedly. "Hell no! Things are way to hellish right now for us to even consider kids!"
Krystal shrugged. "I understand. Trying to start a family with so much going on does seem rather silly." Krystal felt a wave of sorrow touch her heart. 6 years ago, she'd have given her left arm to hear she was pregnant. Ironic that when she got her wish, it felt like the worse possible news.
"Well, I suppose I can't make fun. You had to go through all that alone. And so soon after..." Falco let his voice trail off, not wanting to upset his vixen friend. "I never got to say this before, but I'm sorry for your loss. It must have been hard."
"Thanks, Falco." Krystal said feeling a wave of let down wash over her. Falco's tale of survival had made her hope that, by some miracle, Fox had survived as well. She didn't know the exact details of his death, just that he'd been shot down. "It was hard. It was hard on everyone." Picking up the conversation, Krystal raised her eyes to Falco again. "So, what did you do after you returned to Corneria?"
"What else? We turned tail and ran!" Falco said, undeterred by this sudden change in subject. "Aquas was the least occupied planet, so we thought any of Corneria's remnants would most likely be there." Falco gave a snort of disgust. "Unfortunately, Andross seemed to have the same idea. By the time we arrived, the place was swarming with Venom's patrols. So, we needed a new plan. If we went down there we'd be captured for sure, and neither of us wanted that. Then Katt had the bright idea to check Sector Y."
"Makes sense," Krystal mused quietly. "Sector Y is a virtual graveyard of ships. Wreckage from the first Lylat War still floats around in that area. Also, it's pretty close to Corneria. If someone wanted to hide a remnant of Corneria's military without fear of detection by Venom's patrols, that'd be the place to go. It's radiation storms and all the ionized space dust makes it a hazard to navigate safely. Either that or Meteo."
"Yes, but Meteo's not as friendly to capitol ships," Falco reminded her. "Beside's I heard Venom captured the outpost there during the war. It would have been to easy to be detected." Krystal nodded, conceding her friends point. "Anyway, I agreed that Sector Y was a possibility, and we booked. Sure enough, We found several Cornerian vessels hiding in the debris. They brought us onboard and gave us a place to say. The guy in charge was named Worthington. He debriefed us on what happened while we were away. Bill was there too, and he told me about you being pregnant. I can't tell ya how happy and sad for ya I was! My best friend's wife pregnant with his kid? That made my day!" Falco's face reddened a little and his voice became more sober. "Of course, I knew that you must have been really cut up about it, but I was still happy. I wanted to go and congratulate you, to tell you how much I was sorry for everything that happened, that I wasn't there for you." Falco gave a silly grin and twirled a finger at his temple. "I had this crazy scene cooked up in my head about when I made my "return from the dead!" The avian's blue eyes darkened a little as he swallowed and continued. "But then Bill told me about how you'd left immediately afterwards for some far away system. My wings melted at that."
Krystal felt sorry for her friend. She could sense his disappointment and desire to be a part of the life of his best friend's son. "I'm sorry Falco. I didn't know you were alive. All I knew was that I was alone in the universe. My husband and all my closest friends were dead, and Lylat was under Andross' control. The only thing I had left was my son, and I didn't want him to have to grow up under a dictatorship where we'd constantly be hunted. So, I chose the safer alternative: I ran."
"Where to?" Falco asked quietly.
"Kew."
"Kew, huh?" Falco looked at her disapprovingly. "That's a pretty rough place to raise a kid."
"You're telling me." Krystal agreed. "The whole place is an ugly industry obsessed rat hole! The air is so foul, that I had to put on a gas mask every time I needed to go somewhere."
"Then why go?"
Krystal shrugged. "It was a whole hell of a lot safer than Lylat. Andross probably thought I was dead, but still, if he found out I was alive and had a child, Fox's child no less, he'd slap a bounty on my head so big, I couldn't walk into a store without someone attacking me!"
"Then why come back now?" Falco asked confused. Krystal didn't answer. She knew Falco would disapprove of her reasons for returning. "Was it for revenge?" Krystal remained silent, but was still surprised that Falco had guessed so quickly. Falco took her silence as confirmation and his disapproval showed. "Krystal, what's getting revenge going to change?"
"Everything." Krystal spat indignantly. "Once Star Wolf's gone, I can sleep easy again. I'll be able to rebuild my life and start working against Andross! I can—!"
"Will it bring Fox back?" Falco cut her off. His voice was full of disapproval and anger. "Will it bring back Amanda? Slippy? Lucy? What about Peppy? Will it bring back Peppy and General Pepper? Will Andross roll over and give up control of Lylat? Will all the damage he's caused to so many planets and people be undone? Will things go back to the way they were before all this happened? No! No they won't! It doesn't work like that! The universe doesn't correct itself when a score is settled! Andross will still be in power! Families will still be damaged! In short everything will be the same as it always was! The only difference is that you'll probably be able to get a good night sleep, and there's no guarantee that you will! Hell, odds are that by the end of the whole thing, not only would Star Wolf be dead, but so would your son! I mean come on, Krystal! Think! Use that highly evolved brain of yours! You have a kid now! It's not just like before, when you were on Star Fox and you could go on dangerous missions all the time and not feel obligated to come back! Gosh damn it, Krystal, you just got done preaching all this crap about "taking the safer of 2 alternatives!" Yet you turn right around and plunge into a misconceived revenge attempt, that will most likely get you both killed! Or maybe you die and your son's alone in a strange system ruled by an insane dictator who's got a major grudge against his family! Who's going to protect him? Who's going to give him food when he's hungry? Who's going to teach him the difference between right and wrong if you're not there! And maybe you don't die! Maybe your kid dies! What do you have left without him? Nothing! Nothing but a hollow revenge that's just going to leave you feeling emptier than before, because you've been holding onto it for so long! Is that what you want? Do you think that's what Fox would want? No! He'd want you to keep yourself safe! He'd want you to raise your son big and strong like him, and give him all the love he'd ever need! And then when you died, you'd have been to walk up to Fox, and he'd tell you how proud he was of you that you'd raised your son well!"
Falco's tirade struck Krystal hard, like a thousand slaps in the face. She couldn't defend herself against any of the avian's accusations. Tears filled her eyes and she hid her head in her hands, sobbing with guilt. She had made a mistake coming back to Lylat! She'd put her hatred of Star Wolf ahead of her son's well being! He trusted her! Looked to her for guidance! He was totally dependant on her, and she had been willing to sacrifice him to her lust for revenge. Fox would be so disappointed in her! She hadn't been serving her husband's memory by taking revenge, she'd been desecrating her son's childhood! Krystal sobbed and sobbed, wanting to drown in her own tears. She didn't deserve to live!
Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her, and Falco's voice was whispering soothing words in her ear. "Hey! Hey, now. It's okay. It's okay. Shh..shh.. C'mon, it's alright. I've gotcha. What's done is done. There's no sense beating yourself up for something you can't change. I didn't mean to getcha upset. Shh...shhh.... Falco's gotcha." Krystal laid her head on Falco's chest, sobbing a little lesser now. They stayed like that for a long time, just sitting there in each other's arms.
"I'm so sorry, Falco!" Krystal sniffed.
"It's alright. You don't need to apologize to me."
"I was so stupid! I shouldn't have put my personal feelings ahead of my child's well being! I'm so disgusted with myself!"
"It's okay. You're here now. That's all that matters."
"I'll never forgive myself! I'm such a terrible mother!"
"That's not true." Falco reassured her. "I'm sure you're a great mother. You were just lonely. I'm a little bitter myself, to tell you the truth. Remember, you're not the only one who lost everything during the war. I lost my reputation as an undefeated pilot, my home, my friends, and most importantly," Falco paused for a moment and grinned. "My war hero status and booty call rights to any girl in Lylat."
Krystal laughed at his joke and smacked Falco's chest playfully. The avian winced in pain. "Oooowww! I see you haven't lost your touch!" Both friends laughed. It was just like old times again.
"So tell me about your kid." Falco prompted Krystal. "What's his name?"
"Marcus. Marcus James McCloud."
"Marcus James McCloud..." Falco mulled the name over in his head. "Good name. Fox woulda loved it."
"I think so too." Krystal smiled.
"What's he look like?"
"He's the spitting image of his father. Except for the blue fur."
"I knew it!" Krystal laughed again at Falco's conceited exclamation. "What else? Tell me more!" With that Krystal began sharing everything she could about her son with Falco, who had so wanted to be apart of his life. They talked for at least an hour about personal things. Memorable moments in each's lives for the past 6 years. Falco told her about the formation of Star Falco, and it's members: Himself, Katt, Randal Fenwick, a gray-furred fox with racoon's markings, and Balthier, the former member of Star Vixen who had escaped captivity on Venom with the help of Timed Badges, given to them by a resident of their dimension before their departure. The badges reanimated the wearer every 24 hours from their trophy state and had been key to his escape. Balthier had proved to be a valuable ally, as his piloting skills were the best on Star Vixen. Randal had once been a barkeep on Corneria at a pub called The Pig's Knuckle, but had joined the Cornerian military when Andross' second invasion began, hoping to cash in on some of the glory while Star Fox did all the work. Not that he was sleezy or anything. He was a good kid, and a decent flyer with a good head on his shoulders. After the battle above Katina, Randal had decided the military wasn't for him, and was honorably (if you could call it that) discharged. When Venom took over he laid low for a while, before starting to run illegal smuggling and bombing runs on Macbeth and throughout the Lylat system. Which is what had drawn Falco's attention.
With a full squadron of pilots and Cornerian starfighters to fly, Star Falco had begun causing as many problems for Andross as they could. They bombed factories, destroyed several outposts, liberated work camps on Corneria. Instead of being mercenaries, Star Falco was more a gang of space pirates, fighting against Andross and looting his ships and factories, helping themselves to anything and everything that caught their eyes. The prices on their heads now rivaled the ones on Star Wolf back when Corneria held all the chips. Krystal, in turn told Falco stories of Marcus' first steps, of the many nights telling him stories about the adventures of Star Fox, and especially of his very sensitive nature and compassion for his mother. It wasn't long before both friends drifted off to sleep on the floor, Krystal on top of Falco. It wasn't sexual. It wasn't even romantic. It was just two friends who had talked themselves out.
Krystal and Falco woke with a start by several pairs of hands, as they hauled the two former teammates to their feet. "What's going on? Take your hands off me!" Krystal shouted angrily at the guards, returning to her Cornerian accent. The nameless thugs grunted and began cuffing her, slapping her wrists into thick restraints.
"Don't struggle!" Falco warned her as he too was cuffed. Krystal was finding that hard to do at the moment, but resisted the urge to knee anyone in the groin as she was dragged out of the cell and down the corridor. She could hear Falco being dragged similarly behind her by two more guards. She turned her head up to the dog on her right.
"Where are you taking us?" Krystal demanded.
"Lord O'Donnell ordered you be brought to his quarters upon our arrival." The dog grunted.
"Why? What is he going to do?" The dog didn't answer, just kept walking down the hallway.
"Don't bother!" Falco shouted from behind her. "These guys can be really deaf sometimes!" There was a loud "oof" as Falco was hit in stomach by one of his guards.
"Shut up!" ordered a bulldog with yellow fangs.
Falco, never being one who responded well to threats, kept right on talking. Again, he was hit. Again, he continued to talk about nothing in defiance of the bigger animal's cruelty. The pair were dragged through the interior of the Great Wolf, it's long winded corridors already quite familiar to their feet. The hallways were filled with people, milling about, doing various system checks and repairs. Krystal had never seen so many people on a Dreadnought. The Great Fox had been crewed by at the most 6 people at one time. This new experience of a fully crewed ship might have been enjoyed if not for the situation at hand.
At last, Krystal's head passed out of the ships dimly lit corridors and into the bright lights of the Sargasso Space Colony. It was much more populated than Krystal remembered it, not that she'd ever been on the station, but all the same it was packed and loud. Music of some sort or another played in various areas of Star Wolf's hideout, and there were many colored lights and places to eat. Krystal felt confused. Why would Wolf and his team have so many places to find a good time in their hideout? Why was it so crowded? Was Wolf capitalizing on his new status as a war hero?
The group passed by many, many groups of thugs, who whistled at Krystal as she passed, trying to grope a feel of her ass, breasts, or whatever they could lay hands on. Although repulsed their barbaric behavior, Krystal took a sense of pride in knowing that even though she was in her mid-thirties, she could still be an object of desire to the males of Lylat. They passed into a much quieter area, a long glowing ramp and began to descend into the lower area's of the hideout. Krystal preferred it in here. It was much quieter, and there were no lustful pigs to grope her. And sense the ramp was so narrow she was forced to walk in front while her two guards trudged behind. It was quite a pleasant feeling to be at the head of something, even if it was just a prisoner transfer.
Krystal's enjoyment of her position would've continued, had it not been for the awful smell emanating from below her. She wrinkled her nose and coughed as the reason for the stench entered her line of vision. A lone canine animal was half-staggering up the ramp towards them, clutching the handrail tightly. It's tail was tied in a black sack to its right leg, and its face was covered similarly by a black cloth bag, tied around the neck by a strange looking collar with 2 small eye holes cut into it. Its clothes were, Krystal assumed, that of a prisoner, and were covered with a sort of green slime, which explained the smell. Its emotions were covered over by a thick blanket of doping drugs Krystal suspected had been given to him purposefully. Smart prisoners were trouble makers. Krystal felt a surge of pity for this poor creature before her. It, she couldn't tell if it was a he or a she, was probably once a successful businessman in Lylat, ruined by Venom's rule. She would have touched it but it looked and smelled repulsing.
One of the guards behind Krystal barked at the approaching canine in a disgusted voice. "Ugh! Rasper! Did you just come from the garbage room?" The creature stopped several feet from the group, intimidated by the number of people. Krystal was pondering why they'd called it Rasper, but her unspoken question was answered almost immediately as the collar on it's neck buzzed and released a puff of smoke. The creature let out a terrifying rasping cough and clutched its throat in agony. Krystal pity increased 10 fold as she watched this poor person suffer. The collar, she realized, was the delivery system for whatever sedative like drugs he was on.
As the coughing fit ceased, Rasper straightened up and tilted its head at the group. Krystal could swear its eyes were staring at her. It made her feel uncomfortable, like lasers were burning holes in her body, as it always is when one is being watched by an unknown entity. "Rasper! Get back down to your cell and scrub yourself! You're going to make me vomit!" Rasper tried to start forward again, ignoring the grunts direction, but stopped when the guard leveled a blaster with his head. "I said go scrub yourself! Then you can go upstairs!" Rasper didn't move. "Did you hear me?" the grunt asked. Slowly, Rasper raised a gloved hand and pointed at Krystal. The guard looked from Rasper, to Krystal, and back to Rasper again, looking confused. "What d'you want her name for? She's probably gonna be dead soon anyway!" Rasper's hand remained where it was, pointing insistently at Krystal. Finally the guard looked down at her and growled. "He wants your name. What is it?"
"Kursed." Krystal lied. "My name is Kursed." She now addressed Rasper specifically. "Do you understand?" Rasper's hand lowered and Krystal felt something stir in his instinctual thought patterns. Without much warning, Rasper lunged at her, grasping her hand and trying to pull her down to the floor.
"Hey, hold it!" The guard aimed a kick at Rasper and there was another loud "ooff" as Rasper collapsed. He'd gotten the wind knocked out of him and was having trouble breathing. "No funny stuff! You know better than to torment ladies!" The guard fake chided him. Just then another puff of smoke erupted from the collar. Unable to breathe Rasper didn't receive the full dose, and with the last of his strength, pulled Krystal off her feet and onto the ramp. Putting its covered muzzle into her ear. The stench was horrible and Krystal squirmed to get free. She stopped just long enough to her Rasper's whisper. It was breathless and barely legible but Krystal discerned the words.
"Help...me! K-K-K— !" Rasper lost consciousness on the floor, and Krystal pulled herself free from its already weak grip. He had just pleaded for help!
"Aaahhh! I don't have time for this!" The bulldog picked up the unconscious canine and began walking again. "I'm taking him back to his cell! You can handle these punks, right?"
The other guards nodded assent and continued down into the bowels of the station as the bulldog took a side path that led to the prison block. Krystal watched Rasper disappear from sight, his words still whispering in her ear: "Help...me! K-K-K—!"
Wolf stared at Falco and Krystal from a large red arm chair in the corner of his front room. His one eye darted continuously between his two former acquaintances. Nothing but cold indifference covered his face and Krystal dared not look into his mind. As soon as she entered the room she yelled at Wolf. "Where's Marcus?" Wolf didn't reply to her inquiry, but motioned for the guards to wait in the hall.
"I see you've met our other prisoner. It must have been quite a thrill to learn that your former teammate was still alive."
"What have you done with my son?" Krystal snarled.
Shut up. I don't have time for this." Wolf leaned back in his seat and folded his hands. "I'm going to get right down to brass tacks." He turned to Krystal. "I really don't want you here. You're of no use to me. But I can't simply let you go. So, I have a proposition for you. We're a little understaffed right now. If you'll work here as a waitress, dancer, entertainer for 2 years, I'll let you and your son go unharmed." Krystal was taken aback. She had come expecting Wolf to gun her down, or gun Marcus down, instead he was offering her a job. She looked spitefully at the lupine. "Don't you mean as a barmaid, stripper, and prostitute?" Wolf snorted. "No. I meant what I said. You won't be obligated to do anything like that." Wolf leaned forward and locked eyes with her. "Although, if I were you, I'd keep an open mind. Some of these guys don't like being told "no". And some don't even know the meaning of the word. And when that happens.... well, they tend to get a little violent. At any rate, do we have a deal?"
"Not so fast." Krystal said fixing Wolf with an icy stare. "What about Marcus? How does he tie into this?" Wolf sat back in his chair.
"He doesn't. As far as I'm concerned, he could be your pet. He can stay in your quarters while you work. I don't want him wandering around the station, getting underfoot."
"And what about living conditions?"
"I think you'll find "ladies" have better accommodations than most. The prettier they are, the nicer the room they get." He closed his eye and sighed. "If I were you, I'd take the deal. So, what's it gonna be?"
"What's the catch?" Krystal asked. Experience had taught her that there was always a catch. She expected Wolf to deny a catch, but instead the lupine was very honest.
"The catch is the uniform." He stated matter-of-factly. "It's a little revealing. But then what isn't these days?" Wolf chuckled at his own joke. "That's the only one I can think of. The benefits far outweigh the downsides, if you ask me. Full access to the hideout when your not on the clock, except of course for the hanger bay, Wolf's Den, and other essential areas. And you have to give your word you won't try to escape."
Krystal looked at Falco for advice. The avian shrugged. "It's only for a few years, I'd take it considering the alternatives." Krystal nodded and turned back t Wolf.
"Fine. You've got yourself a deal." Wolf smirked and pointed to a desk next to the wall. On the desktop, was laid a contract stating the terms of their agreement. She picked it up and read it over carefully. Everything seemed to be in order, and there were no tricks that she could see.
"Sign that and I'll have the guards show you to your room. Your son will be waiting there for you." Krystal picked up the pen and put it to the paper. "Just one more thing," Wolf said. "Use your real name. I hate making deals with aliases." Krystal gave him another cold stare. "I give my word I won't rat you out. I don't care who you are." Krystal swallowed and picked up the paper. She signed her name: Krystal McCloud, on the dotted line and handed the paper to Wolf. Wolf took it, glanced at the signature and began folding it up. As he did so, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an access card. "This will get you into most areas of the hideout. It'll also work on any personal quarters, but you'll have to have the access code for it to work." Wolf slipped a piece of folded paper into her hand. "This is your access code. Your room is on the third level. The guards will show you the way. And I'll make sure your personal effects are brought to your room as well. Also, your shift starts at 8 tomorrow morning. Report to Café de Panther at that time. Welcome aboard, Mrs. McCloud." Krystal was silent and began to walk out. Wolf began explaining to Falco that he needed him to lure in the rest of Star Falco, when Krystal walked out. She hoped that she hadn't just made a horrible mistake.
The doors to Krystal's new quarters slid open to reveal Marcus McCloud sitting on the red velvet bedspread of her queen size mattress. "Mommy!" He cried and she rushed forward and scooped him up into her arms.
"Oh Marcus! I was so worried!" Tears of relief flooded down her face as she petted her son's small form. "Did they hurt you? What happened?"
"Nothing. Mr. Wolf gave me something he called "soda" and told me to sit in a big chair and be quiet. Soda's really good, Mommy! Have you ever had it?
Krystal was ready to explode. All the worry and misery of separation and all Wolf did was give him a soda? Krystal realized she was being ridiculous and swallowed down her annoyance.
"Yes, I have, sweetheart." Marcus smiled and gave a small yawn.
"Mommy, I'm tired. Can I go to bed now?"
Krystal looked at the clock. It was almost 10. "No wonder. It's way past your bed time." Krystal helped Marcus off with his shoes and drew back the covers of the big bed. Nestling under the covers Marcus curled up against his mother's side and began to drift off to sleep. Krystal gazed lovingly at her whole world. "Good night, my angel." Marcus was fast asleep and didn't here her.
4:00 AM. Not bad since I started at 9. Leave a review. Sorry I haven't updated 2 Roses yet, I'm having more fun with this. I will post up a new 2 Roses chapter this weekend though.