CHAPTER TWO - PROJECT PHOENIX
THE PLANET ZONESS – AN UNCHARTED ISLAND
"Amanda wasn't kidding! It's scorching out here!"
Krystal fanned herself with one hand. They stood on a tiny island, facing a thick rainforest. Although the island was small, the search for Project Phoenix would definitely be hindered by all that foliage. They had agreed to split up and search the island in teams of two.
"If you're hot, Krystal," Panther purred, "I'd be happy to–"
"Panther," warned Fox, "what did I say?"
"What? I was just going to offer to get her some water. You think too poorly of me, Fox. Sometimes I can just be a gentleman."
"Oh. Well… sorry." He turned his back on them to scan the island a little further. When he did so, Panther winked at Krystal. As much as she tried to scowl at him, she suddenly found herself unable to keep from smiling as she rolled her eyes. She hated to admit it, but Panther was starting to grow on her.
"Alright," said Peppy as he and his daughter joined the rest of the group. "Lucy and I took the liberty of drawing up maps for everyone. Here's one for Fox and Krystal, Slippy and Amanda, Wolf and Panther, and Tricky and Falco. Lucy and I are headed this way." He pointed somewhere into the forest. "Now, I want you all to stay together. And be alert. There's no telling whether or not Oikonny's little spy knew the location of Project Phoenix all along."
"Sounds like a plan," said Fox cheerfully. "The island's not very big; we should be able to find this thing in no time. Let's head off!"
He and Krystal began walking in the direction indicated on their map. As took their first steps into the dense, fragrant rainforest, he heard Tricky's muttered complaint: "What's the point of being partnered up when your partner won't even acknowledge you?" A slow smile spread across his lips – there probably wasn't a more unsuitable match in their party than the chatty, exuberant young EarthWalker and the aloof, brooding falcon. They'd have a hell of a time together, that much was certain.
They set off feeling confident in their ability to find Project Phoenix. Their spirits high, they joked with one another and admired the scenery. But, after twenty minutes of searching, the rainforest began to feel smaller and more humid. It got harder and harder for them to breath, and they were constantly swatting mosquitoes from their sweating necks.
"I now understand why this island is uninhabited," Fox grumbled. "I'm getting eaten alive."
"You have to admit," said Krystal. "The initial effect is breathtaking."
"Yeah, sure, it's nice enough to look at for a few minutes. But initial effects don't exactly sell vacation homes, do they?"
Krystal laughed. "I guess not, but look on the – damn it!" She nearly tripped on a concealed rock, stubbing her toe in the process. Fox caught her before she could fall.
He sat down with her on a nearby fallen tree. "You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just startled me, that's all." She scanned their surroundings hopelessly. What had at first been one of the most awe-inspiring thing she had ever seen was slowly turning into an endless, nauseating labyrinth of brown and green. "God, this sucks!"
"Tell me about it," Fox agreed. He studied her face briefly, brushing a leaf from behind her left ear. "Your hair's getting long."
She touched it self-consciously. "Yeah, I dunno, I was thinking of getting it cut…"
"No," he said quickly. "No, I like it like this." A slow smile spread across her face. He could feel his own getting warmer.
After all this time we've been together, he thought dizzily, every time I see her still seems like the first.
He leaned in and kissed her then – tentatively at first, then more passionately. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he pulled her closer to him as she folded her hands on the back of his neck.
At least I don't have any trouble in this department.
The duration of the kiss was cut infuriatingly short. She broke away, laughing softly. "As much as I'm enjoying this, we've kind of got something to take care of," she reminded him. He swore under his breath.
"You're right," he said reluctantly. "We should probably get back on track."
"It shouldn't be much longer, though," she said, frustratingly cheery. "I'm sure we'll find it in no time."
"I'm sure," said Fox dully, following her deeper into the trees. "I wonder if Slip and Amanda are making any progress."
They weren't.
"Slippy," panted Amanda, "this is hopeless. I feel like we're going in a circle." She rested against a tree, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.
"We'd have no way of knowing, would we?" said Slippy sullenly, joining her. "The whole damn forest looks exactly the same everywhere you turn."
"And, is it just me, or does it seems like we've been walking uphill ever since we started?" Amanda lowered herself into a sitting position on the forest floor. It wasn't very comfortable; she squirmed, trying in vain to settle into a comfortable position.
"It's not just you." He sat beside her, rubbing his sore ankles.
"It's so humid in here," said Amanda. She grimaced. "Ugh. I'm all gross and sweaty – I probably look disgusting."
Slippy looked at her, mildly amused. "That's not possible. You look beautiful. A little… shinier than usual, maybe, but beautiful. As always."
She grinned fondly at him, kissing him lightly on the lips. "How did I get so lucky?"
"You didn't" he assured her. "I did."
"I gotta tell you," Amanda sighed, "as terrible as this little excursion has been so far, we couldn't have picked a prettier location."
"I'll agree with that. It's funny…" He twiddled his thumbs a little. "I was starting to think we could finally just… settle down. I was really looking forward to it. Or, at least, I thought I was."
She met his gaze quizzically. "What do you mean?"
"This is what I live for," he said, and his eyes sparkled. "I mean, yeah, I complain about it sometimes, and sometimes I wish I could just lead a hassle-free life. But being thrown into this whole thing makes me realize that I'd never really be happy with that kind of a life."
"Where does that leave me, then?" Disappointment was clearly etched in her face.
"With me, obviously. Along for the ride. If that's what you want, of course."
"Oh." Amanda rested her head on his shoulder, reassured. "Of course it is. I feel exactly the same. Do you think…" She stopped short, biting her lower lip. Why do I always blurt things out like that?
He looked curiously at her. "Do I think what?" She shook her head.
"Nothing. Forget I said anything."
"Amanda…"
"I…" she began, then stopped again. "I just don't wanna freak you out."
He tweaked her chin. "I've seen a lot of freaky things, honey. There's probably nothing you could say here that would top any of them."
"Slippy, I don't know."
"Just say it already."
"Oh, alright," Amanda said diffidently. "Fine. I was going to ask… whether or not you thought our kids would want to do what we do. There. I said it."
Slippy blinked for a moment, seemingly astonished. Then, his face broke into a grin. "You were afraid to ask me that?"
"Yeah," said Amanda, halfway between puzzled and defensive. "I mean, I don't want to be the girl that looks so far ahead into the future that it freaks you out."
"Amanda," laughed Slippy, kissing her on the forehead. "Amanda, you're my wife. You're supposed to be looking into the future. We both are."
Amanda's eyes brightened. "Really?"
"Absolutely. And as for our kids… Well, part of me hopes they have the good sense to stay out of all this. But the greater part of me hopes they don't."
"They won't," said Amanda, smiling fondly. "They'll be like you."
He snorted. "Hopefully not too much like me."
"There's no way they could be too much like you – you're the only damn thing that's keeping me from pulling my face off. This heat is unbearable. Peppy and Lucy decided who went where – they probably have it good right now."
They didn't.
"Dad," said Lucy. "Dad, stop."
"What? What is it?"
She stood in the middle of a clearing, one hand on her hip. "Look at that rock."
Peppy followed her pointing finger and stared. "What about it."
"It's the butterfly rock," said Lucy impatiently.
"The what?"
"Dad, don't tell me you forgot again!" She rubbed the bridge of her nose. This is a hell of a time to get a headache, she thought impatiently.
Peppy blinked at her. "What are you talking about?" He stooped down to look at the rock. "What's a butterfly rock?"
"Dad," fumed Lucy, "we've passed this rock three times. The first time we did, I said 'Hey, look! That rock looks like a butterfly!' and you said 'Yeah, it does!' And then we passed it again and I said we were going in circles because we passed the butterfly rock again and you'd forgotten all about it! Don't tell me you forgot again!"
"Oh, yeah!" Peppy said vaguely, standing. "The butterfly rock. Of course I didn't forget, Luce! Honestly!" She raised an eyebrow.
"You didn't?"
He grinned confidently. "You really should have more faith in your old man."
"You're right, Dad," said Lucy wryly. "I really should. You're more attentive than I give you credit for. Oh, by the way – I've been contemplating whether or not I should take up bank robbery. What do you think?"
"I think you look fine."
"I swear, Dad," Lucy said grumpily. "Sometimes I think you don't listen to a word I say."
"…What?"
"Just forget it, alright?" She sighed, then said, under her breath, "Oh, Rocky. I hope you're alright out there."
At this, Peppy snapped to attention. "Why are you so fascinated with that boy?" he asked slyly.
She hadn't meant for him to hear her – her face went furiously red. "I'm not fascinated with him. I'm just… worried, that's all."
"I don't buy it," he said firmly.
"I didn't expect you to." She sighed again. "So I kind of like the guy. Big deal. It's not like anything would come of it anyway."
His eyebrows furrowed. "Now, hang on. Why would you think that?"
Lucy shrugged. "I dunno, it's like… He could get any girl he wants. There are tons of girls out there who'd go for him – prettier girls than me. There's not really much of a reason for him to pick me over them. But it's no big deal," she added hastily. "I don't even really like him."
Her father clapped a hand securely on her shoulder. "Three things," he said sternly. "First of all, you do like him. You're my daughter. It's my job to be able to tell what you're feeling. Second of all, there's not a guy in existence who's too good for you. Rocky's a great kid, sure, but he's not Jesus or something. And, third of all, there may be all kinds of girls throwing themselves at this guy, but they've all got one major disadvantage to you."
She looked up. "What's that?"
"They're not you, Lucy."
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Dad…"
"No, I'm serious! You're the smartest, most talented girl in the whole damn galaxy as far as I'm concerned. And there's not a girl out there that's prettier than you."
"You're supposed to say that," she said. "You're my father."
"So?" Peppy was scowling slightly now. "That doesn't mean jack shit. I don't say these things because you're my daughter. I say them because I mean them."
Lucy managed a small smile. "Thanks, Dad," she said quietly. He pulled her into a tight hug.
"You're becoming more and more like your mother every day, kid," he said fondly. He broke away and patted her on the back. "We'd better get a move on, though, if we want to find this Project Phoenix… whatever it is."
"Yeah. We made a mistake not taking beach patrol. That Wolf and Panther got the easy gig. I mean, I'm sure it's boring, but…"
It was.
"What is it?"
"I dunno. It looks like a jellyfish."
"Poke it with something. Get a stick."
"I don't want it to pop all over me."
"Don't be such a scaredy cat, just do – Hey. I made a joke."
"…"
"Get it, because you're a panther… and I called you a… Oh, forget it." Wolf sat down in the sand, watching the tide come lazily in. "I can safely say this is the least fun I've had in a long time."
Panther began pacing impatiently. His tail flicked from side to side in agitation. "Seriously. I mean, we told them about the damn thing. The least they could do for us is let us look for it."
"They don't trust us," said Wolf, hurling a shell into the sea. It skipped once, then fell unimpressively into the water. "I can't say I really blame them, either. Especially since I don't completely trust them."
"I do," said Panther. "I mean, not totally. But when it comes to this kind of stuff… It's weird, I never thought I'd actually be on their side."
"That makes two of us, then." He scratched behind his right ear. "I couldn't sit through that shit without doing something, though. I've done a lot of bad in my life without even batting an eyelash. But something about this just seemed like it would end in disaster. For both sides."
"The spy," said Panther, staring out into the ocean. "They probably know it's here."
"Probably."
"Then why haven't they come?" He began to pace again. "This doesn't make any sense. I set myself up for coming here, thinking they'd show up, thinking we'd have to fight them for it. But they haven't come."
"No they haven't."
"Why?"
"Shit, I don't know. So far I'm just hoping it's luck. I know that's probably pretty unrealistic, but I don't really want to think of the alternatives. Can we talk about something else? You're starting to piss me off."
"Alright, alright…" He turned and glared into the forest. "They let the dinosaur look. He's probably… what, half our age? If that? God knows that kid has no idea what the hell he's doing."
He didn't.
"Will you please say something?" Tricky trotted at Falco's heels. The entire time they'd been walking, Tricky had been trying to coax a little conversation out of the bird. He had been unsuccessful so far. In addition to the silence, Falco had been walking at a steadily brisk pace since they'd entered the forest. They hadn't stopped to rest since.
"Come on, Falco," Tricky pleaded. "I can't feel my feet. Can we just stop for a second? Really, just a second, that's all."
Falco said nothing. He kept walking as if he hadn't heard.
"Just talk to me! Please! You've hardly said anything for months. You've been cooped up in your room all day. We're worried about you. Really worried."
Falco's pace slowed for a split second, but then sped back up to its original speed. He remained silent.
"Will you at least tell me what happened to you?"
At this, Falco actually came to a complete stop. Tricky stood behind him, panting, seizing his chance for a little rest. Maybe I should just tell him, he thought, unaware that Tricky had sidled around to catch a glimpse at his face and was now staring up at him, puzzled. It might be good to get it off my chest… Maybe it would help to just tell someone. I mean, the kid's a little bit on the stupid side, but I don't think he'd tell anyone if I asked him not to…
But another voice spoke in the back of his mind, a voice much stronger than his own. You can't tell him. You can't tell anyone. They wouldn't understand. Especially after everything that's happened with the O'Neill family. You heard that bit about the little girls. They wouldn't forgive you. Remember, you had him right in front of your face. He was right in your grasp. You had the chance to kill him – so why didn't you take it? What happened before was bad enough. But now you've gotta face the fact that what happened to that family is your fault, too. In a cosmic way, it's your fault.
He shook his head miserably and kept walking. I don't know how much more of this I can take. I never should have come back to the team.
Tricky groaned, trying once again to keep up with his silent teammate. "You know, it'd be a lot easier if you would just talk to someone!"
Kid, you have no idea.
"Look, I get it," said Tricky. "You don't like me. But why not talk to someone else? It doesn't have to be me!" When Falco still didn't say anything, Tricky became increasingly furious. "Fine," he snapped. "Fine. You're not gonna say anything. You're just gonna be stupid, moody, new Falco from now on, is that it? Fine! Be new Falco! I don't give a damn one way or another. But you know what? Even though you used to be a dick, at least you were fun."
Falco smiled to himself. He's the only kid I know who will insult you while he's trying to get you to spill your problems. Good old Tricky.
"And you know something else?" Tricky continued from behind him. Falco waited for the remainder of his sentence. It never came.
Ran out of scathing comments, did we? Tricky was quiet behind him – so was everything else. The crunching sounds the little dinosaur's feet made when he walked across the dry leaves were absent. So were his constant grumbles. Falco's brows furrowed slightly, and he turned to see what had stopped the young prince in his tracks.
Immediately after he turned, he had to duck – someone had managed to stick a dart pretty firmly in Tricky's back, and now they were trying to do the same to him. He heard a sharp, metallic noise. A knife? A sword? Who the hell is this? And why are they trying to kill me? Rolling over onto his back, he saw, with a sudden flash of sunlight against metal, a long, sharp knife coming down quickly. In the nick of time, he leapt to his feet, drew his gun from his waist and faced his attacker – a figure cloaked from head to toe green and brown. The figure lunged at him again, but he evaded the attack pinned his enemy to the ground, knocking the knife from their hand and the hood from their head.
The face alone was almost enough to cause Falco to draw back in shock. As he had expected from the slightness of the knife wielder's form, he had been attacked by a girl. But he hadn't expected that face.
Breathtaking wasn't a suitable word for that face. In fact, he doubted there was any word in the English language that could do justice to that face. She was a bird of some sort, but exactly what kind, he wasn't sure. Her feathers were a golden honey color, except for the long scarlet ones that fell around her shoulders, almost like hair. They glistened in the sunlight. Her amber eyes glared at him from behind long, wiry lashes; they were encircled by feathers that matched the hue of the ones on her head. When those were swept away from her forehead, Falco noticed a mark on her forehead like a tiny flame.
For a long moment, he sat on top of her and gaped. There was nothing else he could do but stare. He had swiftly forgotten her attempts to kill him. He'd forgotten all about Tricky. He'd forgotten why he was there at all. That face…
"What the hell is your problem?" The girl's voice was melodious, even in its ferocity. "Get off of me."
This roused him from his trance. "H-huh?" He cleared his throat; even to him, his voice sounded strange.
"I said get off." Her eyes suddenly widened. "And… And don't get any ideas!" She struggled against his weight. "I'll bite! I swear to God, you get to close and I'll bite your face off!!"
Falco suddenly realized how this must look. Immediately, he jumped to his feet, helping the girl up as well. "Sorry," he said lamely. "You just scared me, that's all. Here, let me help–" He regretted helping her to her feet at once. As soon as she regained her footing, the girl dashed to recover her weapon and hurled herself on top of him, knocking him to the ground with surprising force. She lowered her smirking face within inches of his own startled one.
"The damsel in distress shtick," she crooned, pressing the cold blade into his neck. "Gets 'em every time."
"Get off me," he said. "Get off me, or you're really gonna regret it."
"Oh, I doubt that." She smirked, lowering her face so close to his that he could see every individual speck of light in her eyes. "So you're not the rapist type, I see. Well, it looks like you're the one who's gotta worry about being taken advantage of, pretty boy."
"Maybe not." Falco grabbed her wrist, forced the knife away from his neck, and rolled over again. Before she even had a minute to register what was happening, she was back under his full weight. The girl struggled, kicked, and, true to her word, attempted to bite him. But it was all in vain. Finally, she gave up, glaring and panting. "You were saying?" said Falco, savoring the enraged expression on her face. He smirked down at her, waiting for a reply. She said nothing – just focused hard on a spot somewhere between his eyes. The girl stared like that for several long seconds. The effect was unsettling.
"Hey," he said, shifting a little bit. "What are you doing?"
She blinked. "What?" she said, looking thoroughly bemused.
"Stop staring at me like that. It's creepy." The smirk returned to his face. "If you like what you see, just say so."
"Don't flatter yourself," she snarled. Then she resumed her staring, focusing harder this time.
"What are you doing?!"
"You don't feel anything?"
"Should I?" he said derisively. "What, is this good for you? 'Cause I gotta tell you, babe, I'm not feeling it."
"Shit!" she cried angrily. "I can't believe it isn't igniting! This has never happened before! This always works!"
"What, are you trying to light my head on fire or something?" He snickered.
She glowered at him. "Something like that."
Something in the look in her eyes told him she wasn't kidding. He felt suddenly uneasy again. "Who are you?"
"That," she said curtly, "is none of your business."
"Yeah, well, you just tried like hell to stab me, so I think I've got a right to know your name." A sudden occurrence came to him – what if she was the spy? It made sense. Why else would she be here if not for Project Phoenix? "Look," he growled, tightening his grip on her wrists, "if you're Oikonny's girl, tell me everything you know, or I'll blow your pretty little brains out right here and now." He put his gun to her forehead.
Her body was tense beneath his. "One of… What are you talking about? You mean – you're not one of Oikonny's guys?"
Falco stared down at her. "No," he said. "Then… you're not either?"
"Of course not. Now get that thing out of my face, if you don't mind."
He lowered his gun and loosened his grip. "Oh." He got to his feet, the girl leaping up after him, eyeing him with distaste, but not making any move to attack him again. Heaving a sigh, Falco crouched down next to Tricky's body, pulling the dart carefully from his back. The little dinosaur was unconscious, but breathing. Falco turned back to the girl, who had removed her cloak and was now dressed in tattered white rags. They looked like they had been actual clothes at one point, but had since been reduced to shreds. He wondered absentmindedly why she didn't change into something else – but honestly couldn't say he minded all that much. She was brushing the dirt from her gleaming feathers when he spoke again. "What did you do to him?"
She looked to him, then to Tricky. "Huh? Oh. It's just a tranquilizer – it'll wear off in an hour or two." She waved her hand vaguely, as though it wasn't a big deal.
Falco shook his head, turning back to the fallen EarthWalker. "Christ, lady, he's just a kid. A stupid kid, maybe. Actually, a stupid kid definitely. But he wouldn't hurt a fly. You didn't have to shoot him."
"Well, now I see that," she said disdainfully. "Obviously I should have been aiming for you."
"Very cute."
She folded her cloak and tucked it under her arm. "Oh, and by the way, don't call me lady. Ever."
"What else am I supposed to call you?" He got back to his feet and turned to face her, folding his arms and leaning against a nearby tree.
"Nothing. In fact, maybe it would be best if you just didn't talk to me at all."
Falco stared at her, incredulous. "You know what, doll face? I don't think I like your attitude."
"Likewise," she said nastily. "And doll face is not an option, either."
"Fine," he said. "Not lady, not doll face. Then just tell me your name."
She studied him for a moment. "Tell me yours first."
"Fine," he said. "It's Falco. Now yours."
The girl looked for a moment as though she would say something vicious, but she stopped before she could speak. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Wait a minute," she said slowly. "Your name is Falco?"
He frowned. "That is what I said, isn't it?"
"Falco."
"I see you have excellent hearing."
"Falco Lombardi?"
Falco froze in mid-retort. "What?"
"Is your last name Lombardi or not?" she pressed eagerly.
"Well – yeah, it is, actually…"
The girl's face split into a wide, mischievous grin. "No way," she said slowly. "No effing way. The Falco Lombardi, in the flesh. What are the odds?"
He examined her doubtfully. "What are you…What are you talking about? How do you know who I am?"
She acted as though she hadn't heard him. "I have to say, you're a lot better looking than I expected. No wonder… Still, if the stories are true…"
"Do I know you or something? Because you're starting to freak me out. Again."
"No," she said, wickedly blissful. "No, You don't know me. You do know my best friend."
"I do?" He shifted his weight from one foot to the next. This was getting stranger and stranger by the second.
"Yep. Does the name Katt Monroe mean anything to you?"
His stomach dropped to somewhere around the bottom of his feet. "Katt?" Falco was beginning to think this was some kind of practical joke. "Katt is your best friend?"
"Yep."
"You've got to be kidding me." He rubbed the back of his head.
"Nope," the girl sniggered. "We've been friends since we were sixteen. We used to spend every waking moment together, along with our friend Tundra. Consequentially, I've heard a considerable amount of dirt about you, pal."
"Dirt?" Leave it to a woman to smear a guy's name all over the pavement. "Spectacular. Tell me, what kind of crap is she spreading about me?"
"She's not spreading anything, thanks very much," the girl snapped. "You broke her heart, you son of a bitch. She used to call me in tears, going on about the terrible things you'd say to her."
"Broke her heart? Gimme a break."
"You really are an asshole!"
"Hey, she's no angel, either," said Falco angrily. "I can't believe her. Just because I wouldn't date her… Look, I told her a million times – I don't have time for girls. Especially clingy girls like her."
The girl's stare was fixed and fierce. "What, are you gay or something?"
"What?!" Falco's voice came out more like a yelp than he'd intended. "No, I'm not gay! What, because I wouldn't date your stupid friend–"
"Don't you dare call my friends–"
"Whatever! I'm not gay! I just don't have the time or the patience for relationships! Anyway, every girl I meet seems to be a complete basket case!"
"Oh, I see," the girl said in mocking realization. "So you're not gay, you just can't get girls."
"I didn't say that!"
"You didn't have to," the girl said matter-of-factly. "It's not that every girl you meet is a basket case – they just don't want to sleep with you! It makes sense now!"
"Don't put words into my mouth, alright?"
"Sorry," she said venomously, "I forgot you didn't like it when girls put things in your mouth."
What a bitch. At the last comment, he actually laughed. His incredulity was that profound. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"
She simpered. "I'd like to think so."
"Obviously I can get girls," he grumbled. "Look at your precious Katt. She would have thrown herself at me if I'd given her the chance."
Her eyebrows raised. "So you refused to date my sexy, available friend, who, by the way, was totally hot for you, because you didn't have time for her?" She snorted. "And you think women are crazy…"
"Yeah," he replied, "as a matter of fact, I do. And you're not proving yourself to be an exception, by the way."
"I'm crushed. Tell me, when was the last time you got laid?"
He could feel his face get hotter. Slowly, he shook his head. "I can't believe this. You tranquilize my dumb little friend, you try to kill me, you accuse me of being gay, and now you're asking me questions about my sex life?"
"Are you gonna tell me or not?" She looked downright bored with the conversation.
"Not. Definitely not."
"Why not?"
"Why not? Why n – Look, you and I are total strangers. You clearly hate me. You don't even know me, but that's not the point. And you're not making the best impression on me, either. All this in mind, if I asked you the last time you got laid, would you tell me?"
She nodded.
"You're kidding."
"Not. Definitely not."
"Alright," he said, looking at her intently. Is this girl for real? "Alright, then. When?"
She breathed deeply, nostalgically. "Three years ago."
He laughed harshly. "Three years?"
"Mm-hm."
"And you're giving me shit?"
"Well, I haven't exactly been surrounded by men, have I? The Love Boat rarely makes stops here. It's not really Fantasy Island, in case you hadn't noticed."
He opened his mouth to unleash a stinging insult, then halted. "Wait," he said. "You… you've been living here?"
She scowled again. "Very astute of you."
"You're telling me you've been living alone on this island for the last three years?"
"Your powers of perception are astounding."
"Then… you must know something about Project Phoenix."
She stiffened. The scowl was replaced by a look of guarded fear. "How… how do you know about Project Phoenix?" He saw her hand move to the knife at her waist once again.
"I'm here to find it," he said. "I mean, not just me. There's a whole team looking for you out there."
"You're talking about Star Fox, right?" She looked hopeful. "Fox McCloud's team?"
"Yeah. They're all spread out on the island. We want to take it with us before anyone else can."
With every passing second, the girl was looking more and more cheerful "Dad said they'd come… I guess I just didn't believe. This is great. I can leave! I can finally leave!" She was so excited that she looked like a little girl.
As much as he had begun to hate this girl, her excitement was contagious. "Can you show us?" he asked her eagerly. "Can you take us to it?"
And it was over in the blink of an eye. The scowl resumed its position on her face. "What're you on about?"
"Project Phoenix," he said impatiently. "Have you been involved in this conversation or not?" Her face twitched.
"No, Einstein, I can't take you to Project Phoenix," the girl countered with a sneer.
"Why the hell not?!" Falco barked. "Look, lady – I mean… You know, screw it! Lady, we need to find Project Phoenix before Oikonny does! This thing is a powerful weapon, and if he gets his hands on it… Whatever, I don't expect you to understand. But the galaxy kinda depends on the son of a bitch not getting a hold of it, so can you just step out of yourself for a second and help me out?!"
"Let me finish," she said loudly. "Shit, you talk a lot. Your team should really invest in a muzzle for you."
"Cut the crap and tell me where it is."
She gave him a withering stare. "It's right in front of your face, dipshit."
"What?!" He looked all around the small clearing in which they were standing. "What do you mean?! Where is it?! Show me where it is!!"
"I can't show you," she said irately, "don't you get it?"
He was getting more and more furious by the second. "No, I really don't! Enlighten me, will you, doll face?" He put an excessive amount of emphasis on the last two words for effect.
"I can't show you Project Phoenix," she went on, "because you're already looking at it."
He stopped trying to look around her and gawked at her. On her face was a look that was irately impatient, but calm. "Come again?"
"I can't show you Project Phoenix," she said, "because I am Project Phoenix."