Author's Note: Yessness!!!!!!! I can write again!!!!
1854 Hours, 30 April, 2439 (Cornerian Military Calendar), Great Fox Hanger Bay.
Fox slouched down further into the seat in the cockpit of the Arwing and sighed. Days on the Great Fox had gradually gotten better, thought it was still easy to tell that Falco was still tedious about having him back, Katt, well, Katt was Katt, always on the avian's side, sometimes literally as well.
"Fox?"
The vulpine looked around to see who was there, he found the black and white feline crouched next to his Arwing, "Are you alright Fox?"
He turned his head away, "What do you want Katt?"
She sat cross-legged now, "You've been in here ever since we got back from the previous mission today. And that was three hours ago. Are you sure there's nothing on your mind?"
"I'm positive. And why are you being nice to me all of a sudden?" McCloud raised an eyebrow at her.
"I was just coming to let you know that we have some leftover food from dinner, if you want to, you can come eat it, before Harrison gets to it."
Fox raised the other eyebrow, "Whose idea was it to tell me after you were done rather when it was actually ready, Falco?"
She leaned forward, "Stop being so bitter, Fox. Falco's doing what he can to make sure that he doesn't seem on the aggressive side towards you. Maybe you should do the same for him."
He looked back out the front of the cab of the Arwing, "Get out of here, Katt. I'll come out when I'm ready."
The feline stood, and he could hear her sigh loudly, "Okay Fox. But think about what I've said, please. It'll make things go a lot smoother than what they already have been like."
The vulpine wrinkled his nose.
While Katt walked out of the hanger Fox started the engines of the fighter.
"Fox, I know that's you, what do you think you're doing."
He didn't care who had said it, though it had defiantly not come from the Great Fox as the voice was not Falco's or Katt's. The vulpine grabbed the dual sticks.
"Fox, it's better for your life if you stay in that hangar," the voice was starting to clear. It was female, and it was heavily accented.
He shoved the levers forward. As soon as he exited the ship, a neon blue laser hit the wing of the jet, sending McCloud towards the surface of Venom.
"I told you not to silly boy."
"Who are you!" Fox yelled, scrambling around for the eject button. He jammed his thumb into it and shot up into the sky. Underneath him sat a Venomian fighter in idle, like it was waiting for him.
"Unbuckle yourself," the voice said into his headset, "I've had enough. I'll catch you."
Fox grabbed the ripcord, "Yeah! How am I supposed to believe you!?"
"Just do it," she was getting frustrated.
Fox yelled in frustration and undid the buckles holding his to the seat. He pulled his feet underneath him and kicked himself away from the seat.
Skydiving without a parachute, he thought grimly as the wind rushed past him. He angled his body until he was headed towards the jet, Yeah, that's safe.
The silver fighter dropped with him and the vulpine grabbed the fuselage and pulled his legs under him so his feet were planted on the wing. The jet stopped and began flying upwards again. The fox dug his boots into a groove on the wing and lowered his head, pressing his ears against his head as the air rushed past him.
"Okay, now will you tell me who you are?" he asked. Fox peered into the glass, but it was mirrored and he was unable to see the pilot. He huffed, the pilot hadn't responded yet.
"It doesn't matter who I am," she finally said curtly, "You'll find out soon enough."
The vulpine groaned, "That doesn't help you know. Why don't you just tell me now?"
"Because you'd probably jump off the wing of my fighter. Now shut up. This conversation is over."
He tightened his jaw and blinked, "How can you be so sure?"
"This conversation is over, Fox McCloud."
The fox sighed as the fighter began to land in an open field, "Why here?" he asked.
The glass opened but Fox had already jumped off the wing and started walking around in attempt to warm his chilled muscles. He started to turn around, but she stopped him.
"Don't turn around yet."
The vulpine folded his arms across his chest, "I don't care. I'm gonna find out who you are and I'm gonna do it-" He spun around but there was a dull thud in the back of his head and he was left in darkness.
--
The door from the hanger in the Great Fox burst open and Katt ran onto the bridge, "Fox is gone!" she cried.
Falco spun around in his chair, "What? How come we never found out?"
The feline gasped for air, "I went to go and see how he was not long ago, but I just went back to check on him and he was gone. His Arwing isn't showing up on radar either."
The avian stood and looked at the radar on the control deck, sure enough, he could not see the small dot signifying McCloud's aircraft.
"Maybe he's out of range," Falco suggested.
"Yeah right," Katt put her paws on her hips, "This thing's radar stretches out over thirty miles, we would be able to see him. I think he's crashed."
The falcon stood spun around and began walking to the armory, "What are we sitting around here for? Let's go find McCloud."
--
"Ouch… Where am I?"
Kursed leaned against the wall and waited as Fox McCloud slowly woke in the cockpit of her stolen fighter. She leaped up onto the wing of the stolen fighter as he opened his eyes. The vulpine's green eyes slid to meet her teal ones.
"Who are you?" he snarled. The fox reached for his blaster, but found that his holster was empty.
The vixen wagged the gun in front of his face. The fox snatched for it but she jerked it away. McCloud bared his teeth at her and the blue fox did as well.
Fox balled his paw into a fist and swung his arm around out of the cockpit. There was a slight crack as it met Kursed's muzzle and she fell back off the wing, landing on the ground with a loud grunt.
The vulpine stood, he didn't care that this strange assailant was female. He felt the sudden need to kill.
The little blue vixen stood, she spat on the ground, soon realizing that a tooth went with it. She pulled her lips back, "Why you little…" she growled and jumped up. McCloud stepped down and grabbed the wing of the Venomian fighter. He swung his body forward, his boots making solid contact with Kursed's stomach. She gagged and fell back. Fox let go and landed heavily next to her.
Kursed slowly stood. She could feel the red vulpine's anger pulsing off him heavily. A single thought suddenly ran through his mind.
"Krystal."
"Krystal?"
"No," she bared her fangs again, feeling with her tongue where her tooth was now missing.
He stepped closer to her, "Krys… what happened to you?"
The vixen took a step back, "I'm not Krystal," she snarled again.
"Krystal…" Fox trailed off. He reached out to stroke her cheek, "What have I done to you?"
Kursed snapped, "Don't waste my time with flattery Fox! It's your fault I ended up here in the first place!"
"I was only trying to protect you!"
"No you weren't!" she almost whimpered, "You never loved me! Neither did Panther!"
"Listen to me!!" McCloud barked, baring his fangs, "I only did what I did to protect you! So I could live my life knowing that you were alive and safe! Not risking your life for me and Corneria! I don't know what I would have done if you were killed."
The blue vixen snorted, "You know that's what I wanted though!"
"I only wanted what was best for you!"
"That was best for me! Don't you get it!? I wanted to spend my life by your side! Even if it did mean risking my life for Corneria… And you!! That, is how I wanted to spend my life. Not with Panther, but I had no other choice!"
Fox dug his boot into the Venomian soil and kicked upward, showering Kursed with the dirt and began walking away, "Fine, I hope you're happy with your new life."
"You'll never make amends with me, Fox McCloud!!" she shouted after him.
He turned to face her, "That was never my intention!!!"
Kursed read he thoughts, "Yes it was Fox!!"
The vulpine waved his hand dismissively and continued walking.
--
"Do you see McCloud yet?"
"Nope."
"Okay. I've got a lot of large energy readings on radar. Be ready."
--
Fox paused in the middle of the dirt field. He immediately regretted leaving. He was tired, thirsty. And even for the setting sun, he was burning in his flight suit. The vulpine felt himself begin so shiver. He reached up and began to button his collar but stopped himself. He was beginning to overheat. The fox knelt down and began to dig.
After almost fifteen minutes, McCloud paw slipped into a hole. He wiped the sweat form his face and peered down, the tunnel was pitch black.
"Could it be?" Fox continued digging around until the hole was big enough for an Arwing to fit through.
The vulpine pulled out his PDA and scanned the tunnel.
"Analyzing Results…
Former entrance to the Androssian base…
Currently uninhabited."
The fox hmphed to himself and sat in the little shade that the hole provided. He could almost hear the ghostly laugh of the mad scientist who had killed his father so many years ago.
--
"I see him!!!"
"Great, let's get down there."
The four Arwings landed and Falco jumped out of the cockpit to run to Fox, who had fallen asleep in the shade of a large hole.
The avian sprinted forward, skidding to a halt when he realized that he was standing before a large tunnel that led into the ground.
Lombardi walked around and knelt by Fox's side, shaking his shoulder, "Fox?"
The vulpine did not respond.
The falcon slapped his muzzle a few times, "Fox, you awake buddy?"
McCloud still didn't stir.
Falco lifted the fox over his shoulder and ran back to his Arwing. He set fox in before squeezing himself in and taking off immediately.
"What's wrong?" Katt asked.
"Fox is unconscious, probably overheated. We'll get back to the Great Fox cool him down and he'll be fine."
The avian pulled into the hangar and opened the cab of the fighter. He picked Fox up again and ran to the bridge where he pulled the vulpine's flight suit off and lay him on the couch then hurried to blast the air conditioning.
--
0854 Hours, 31 April, 2439 (Cornerian Military Calendar), Great Fox Main Bridge.
Fox McCloud's vision blurred in and out. Soon his eyes fluttered open. The first thing he could hear was a fan blowing quietly nearby, soon his own breathing.
"How long have I been out?" he wondered.
The vulpine slowly pushed himself up, soon feeling the cold air on his still sweat dampened back. He sighed happily and let his head drop. As he did Fox realized he had been stripped down into nothing but his boxers. He looked around frantically and noticed his clothes lain neatly on the back of a chair. He quickly pulled them on and padded into the kitchen.
Fox grabbed a small glass from a cupboard and filled it up with water. He took a small sip, soon gulping down the rest and filling it up again when he realized how thirsty he had been, then a third.
"Whoa, take it easy McCloud, we don't have an unlimited water supply you know."
The fox froze and swallowed. He wiped his muzzle and spun around to see Falco standing at the entrance of the hall that led to the rec room. Beads of sweat clung to his thick blue feathers as if he had just been working out.
"You don't know what it feels like to wake up after major heat exhaustion," Fox fired back humorously.
The avian only shook his head and returned down the hall. The vulpine filled his glass again and took a long gulp before running to the armory. He grabbed a Blaster and a Mark II Plasma Beam Sniper Rifle, along with a few grenades. The fox shoved a plasma battery into the sniper and grabbed two extras.
Fox ran down to the hangar bay and jumped into an Arwing. He needed to find Krystal.