Scarred for Life
Summary: When Krystal left, she left on him the first of many wounds that would eventually destroy him. Without her, he falls. Who he once was no longer exists, and only the scars he bears tell how Fox McCloud finally died.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Fox.
Racing Scars
After two weeks had passed, Falco came to visit him. What the Avian found was not what he expected. Fox was in a deep depression, slowly drinking himself to death. After working for a week to sober his friend up, Falco had a stroke of brilliance.
"Say, Fox, why don't we forget being mercenaries," he suggested. "G-Zero Racing has always been something I've wanted to try. Why don't we turn our ships into vehicles. We'll put every racer to shame!"
Light shone in Fox's eyes for the first time in a long time, the light of adventure. Within days, the Star Fox Racing Team was on headlines all over Lylat. The rookies made a few mistakes, but corrected them quickly. Within 2 months, Star Fox was no longer remembered as a mercenary team as Lylat begged them to compete in the Grand Prix.
It would be the last race Fox would enter.
On the final lap, as Fox came close to a deadly turn, a rouge racer slammed into him, sending him directly into the wall. Fox woke up three weeks later in the Cornerian Military Hospital, blind.
Peppy came to consolidate him one day, where he confided in Fox a secret he had kept for years. "You know, your Mother was a Cerian. Your Father made me promise not to tell, for fear you or her would be targeted by Andross or his followers. I don't think it matters now, though. Any telepathic powers you have are dormant. Perhaps you can develop them, to make up for your lost sight. I'm also putting in some money to get you an artificial eye, if that's all right." Seeing Fox nod dumbly, Peppy sighed. "Fox, I've always considered you as the son I never had. Please, don't do anything stupid, not when I'm about to retire."
The surgery for Fox's eye took a long time, but soon he could see again. He shuddered in horror at how his face looked. A long scar ran over his blind right eye where shrapnel had cut it. His left eye had been able to be replaced by an artificial one because it was simply bored out in the crash. The ability to see worsened his depression.
Twice, he attempted suicide. The first time, Peppy and Bill had been visiting. Fox had grabbed Bill's army knife, and attempted to slit his throat. Working together, Peppy and Bill managed to stop him, but Fox's left ear had been cut off in the process.
As doctors prepared an artificial ear, Fox tried again. Using the bed sheets, he tied his arms in a crucifix position against some medical equipment, attempting to suffocate himself. After he had passed out, one of the improvised bands came loose, causing his left arm to fall, and sparing his life. Falco found him in that position seconds before he awoke, and pulled him away, calling the doctors. Because he had bound himself by the wrists and below the shoulders, his right arm had died from blood loss, and the doctors were forced to amputate it at the elbow.
One week later, Fox vanished from the medical ward. The only thing doctors found in his room was a newspaper, bearing a single headline.
Peppy Hare Killed by Assassin During Retirement Speech!
Authorities now searching for Weezle, who was identified as the shooter by a security camera.