Starfox Evil

Chapter Fourteen: Sacrifices

Over on the Tranquility...

Three shuttles sat in the massive launch hangar, currently being refueled. Inside were only the pilots. The six soldiers assigned to guard them were sitting in the Tranquility's mess hall, trying to relax a little before they got sent back down. Falco was the only Starfox member with them. He was leaning back in a seat, with a small holo-emitter in his hand, the linking headset in place to keep his conversation private.

"So how're you holding up?"

The small image of Kathrine Lombardi's pink face smiled, "Alright I suppose", she sniffed and wiped away a tear, "I wish you were here."

Falco sighed, "So do I hun, so do I. But Slip estimates that we'll be out of here by tomorrow. Then it's about a week and a half trip till we're back home", he smiled, "Don't worry babe. I'll be back in your arms before you know it", he paused for a moment, "So how's the baby?"

Katt smiled, "Doc Hastings says there are no complications", and she smiled wider, "Our son should arrive soon."

Falco smiled wide, "Our son!?"

Katt nodded happily, "You are going to be the father of a baby boy."

Falco felt an enormous sense of pride fill him, "A son. I'm going to have a son."

Suddenly the intercom crackled to life, "Attention all off duty shuttle guards. Prepare for emergency drop!"

Falco rolled his eyes and flopped his head back, "Great", he looked down at the image of his wife, "I'll talk to you soon."

Katt nodded, "Bye. I love you."

Falco smiled, "I love you too."

Then he killed the connection and he left with the five marines. They arrived in the hanger and picked up their gear from their respective shuttles. Then they moved to where the chief of security stood. They walked up to the rhino and stood in front of him. Falco crossed his arms, "So what's the job?"

The massive grey man pointed towards one of the shuttles, "You're taking Foxtrot 101 down to the surface to protect a downed shuttle and extract any survivors. Do not, I repeat, do not wait around. There are thousands of hostiles converging on the area. If the shuttle starts to get overwhelmed the pilot has non negotiable orders to evacuate, and leave anybody who is not on board behind. And I stress anybody."

The seven men nodded, understanding completely. They finished collecting their gear and stepped onto the assigned shuttle. There was already a medical team standing by. Falco was the last one on and he pressed the close button for the rear hatch. He cradled his blaster rifle in his lap, his helmeted head leaned back against the bulkhead. A few minutes later they heard the pilot say, "Alright. I just spoke with the downed shuttle. Those zombies haven't reached them yet, but they estimates only three minutes from touchdown to contact. So move fast and be ready for a firefight."

About a minute later he shouted, "Gentlemen we have arrived!"

There was the sound of the landing pads crunching on stone and the hatch opened. The rear of the shuttle was facing down a wide and filthy street, abandoned and burnt out cars littering the pavement. To the left was a short, squat building. It had a massive, smoldering hole in the front, which lined up with a shallow trench. Looking to his right Falco saw a series of destroyed and collapsed buildings in line with the trench. In the distance Falco could see an uncountable number of undead shuffling and stumbling thru the rubble, trying to get to them. Falco opened a COM to the other soldiers, "Alright lets move it! I think our timeline is a little off!"

He then raised his rifle and dropped the nearest zombie. The other soldiers lined up beside him whilst the medical team ran as fast as they could over to the downed shuttle. Immediately after that every human that could get out on their own did so, scrambling thru the rubble and into the back of Foxtrot 101. Then out came Trident and the co-pilot. The young Hellraiser stepped up to the line, his LR-7 raised and ready, "Cutting it a little close aren't we Falco", he asked snidely as he fired and blew apart a zombie.

The blue avian rolled his eyes, "Yeah sorry. Traffic was terrible."

Then he looked the marine over. There was blood all over his uniform. All of the battle plates on his left arm were torn off, along with most of the sleeve, revealing a large gash across his bicep. His chest plate was buckled severely on the left side. The soldier's helmet was missing and his left ear was torn to rags. Falco gave the marine a dubious look, "Jesus Will. What ran you over?"

The mouse fired at a zombie as he said, "Two medics, three civilians, a shit load of equipment, and Corporal Yeast", then he pointed at a pair of pockmarks in his chest plate, "These are from one of the humans' weapons misfiring", he fired again and said, "About half the humans are dead."

Falco sighed, "Damn."

Then a medic shouted, "Hey we need extra hands here!"

Falco nodded, "Alright", he patted Will on the shoulder, "I'm gonna give them a hand."

He turned and ran into the rubble. He was met by a medic who shouted, "Ah good", the feline thrust a wounded human child into his arms, "Take him straight to the medi-bed!"

Falco nodded and set his rifle down…

Up on the Great Fox II…

Fox, Alice, and John had just docked. They were immediately met by Doc and Geek, who swept Fox straight onto a gurney and down towards sickbay. They also gave his PDA to Slippy so that the toad could re-insert Diana into the system. As they rushed into the room the medi-bot kicked on.

"I'm all set", came Diana's voice. As soon as he hit a bed they were prodding him with IVs and working micro sensors down to his skin. They cut what was left of his bloody clothes away.

However there was a major hitch. Doc called Krystal down to explain.

"What do you mean there's nothing you can do", the blue vixen shrieked.

The black lab shook his head slowly, "I mean exactly that. Fox has a really rare blood type. And we don't have any available in our stocks."

Krystal let out an angered growl, "No! It can't end like this", she stormed back and forth in front of the medic. Suddenly she stopped and snapped her fingers, "I've got it", turning back to Doc she said, "The humans!"

Doc blinked, "What? You think they might have a match somewhere?"

Krystal shook her head, "I don't know. But it's worth a shot!"

Doc nodded, "Go and wait with him. I'll see what I can do", he walked over to a wall monitor and pressed his hand to the screen, "Hey ROB. Would you patch me thru to the Tranquility's head medic please?"

The response came in the screen flashing for a second before the face of the calico medic popped into view, "Hello Corporal Steel. How can I help you?"

Doc nodded, "Hello Lieutenant Commander Hawkins. Ma'am I was hoping you could run a check in the recent human databases for a specific blood type? Type OB-?"

The feline shrugged, "This'll take a minute."

After a short while there was an audible beep and the feline said, "Ah! Here we are. Ummm. Yes! Actually we do have a single human who carries that type of blood. I assume you need some."

Doc nodded fervently, "Yes! As much as you can get as soon as you can get it. Ma'am I don't care if you have to hold them down to get it, this is an emergency!"

Krystal sat next to Fox's bed, holding his remaining hand. She ran her eyes over his mutilated form. His right arm was capped in a dome filled with dark blue bio-gel. His torso was covered in numerous wounds from where his skin had split from a punch or kick. There were several small holes in his chest and stomach from stray buckshot. His face had also been peppered with the small metal balls, which blew apart several teeth and shattered his orbital bone and causing his right eye to sag in it's socket. His breathing was assisted by an oxygen mask set over his muzzle. His uninjured eye flickered open. He jerked and looked around in fear, "Where's Wesker!?!"

Krystal leaned over him, "Shh, it's okay", she stroked his forehead and smiled softly, "You're safe. Wesker's gone."

Fox focused on her face, "Krystal?"

She smiled and nodded as tears welled up in her eyes, "Shh. I'm here Fox", she leaned down and laid her head on an undamaged part of his chest, "I'm here."

Fox slid his hand up and rubbed her back, "He's gone", he sighed and hugged her gently, "I'm home."

New York City ruins…

As Fox was being patched up, the medics from Foxtrot 101 were determining who was savable of the injured humans. One wolf sighed and shook his head as he stood up from his place next to a young boy. The boy's mother screamed, "No! you have to help him please!"

The medic gently took her shoulders, "Ma'am we can't move him. If we do he will die for sure. And even we can't revive a person who's body is as damaged as his", he looked at the barely conscious boy. When he turned back he said, "Say your goodbyes. We have to leave."

The mother sobbed and knelt next to her son, "No. I'm going to stay with him."

The wolf sighed, "Ma'am please consider…"

Suddenly one of the marines shouted over the blaster fire, "Time's up! Haul tail!!"

The medic turned back to the woman, "Madam we have to go!"

She shook her head, until the boy touched her shoulder, "Go on mom. It's for the best."

She looked him in his watery blue eyes. The medic grabbed her shoulders, "Ma'am!!"

She hugged her son and whispered, "I love you."

Then she allowed the medic to pull her away. Falco came running thru the crumbling wall and shouted, "What's the hold…"

As he started to speak a chunk of ceiling fell away. It landed on a dead human clutching a shotgun. The piece of wood and plaster hit at such an angle that it caused the weapon to discharge. At ten paces they would have no cause to worry, buckshot would be severely lacking in power to penetrate armor. However the weapon was loaded with solid shot. The twelve gauge slug tore thru the air at over two thousand feet per second. The mass of lead hit Falco just under his right collarbone. It punched thru his chest plate, shattered his top two ribs, collarbone, and shoulder blade as it blew a six inch hole out his back. The avian spun like a top and crashed to the ground. His last conscious thought was one word, "Katt."

Will came running inside, "What happened?!"

Then he saw Falco. He didn't ask how. He didn't ask why. He simply dropped his rifle and threw Falco over his shoulder as the medic and woman ran past him. The Hellraiser ran towards the shuttle, and only just made it. Behind him he could hear the shouts and pleas of several humans they were forced to leave behind as zombies overran their LZ. Tears welled in his eyes at the thought of leaving those good people to die while he lifted off, safe in an armored shuttle. He flopped Falco down on the last medi-bed. The blue feathered male's eyes stared blankly ahead as he drew a weak and ragged breath. Will stammered, "M-medic! Dammit somebody get over here!"

One of the attendants stood from the human who's arm he had just fit with a splint. He walked over and slapped a blood covered hand over his muzzle, which was luckily covered by a simple dust mask, "Good God! I can't fix that!"

Will turned around and snapped, "He is one of Lylat's heros! If he dies people will…"

The doctor raised his hands, "Yes yes. I know what will happen. But that doesn't change the fact that I can't help him", he sighed and shook his head slowly, "I give him a minute. Tops…"

In sickbay…

Fox was fading in and out of consciousness, his body so low on blood it couldn't sustain itself on it's own. Suddenly Doc came in, hauling a human woman behind him, "This is the woman with the matching blood type."

Krystal looked up at her. She blinked several times, "Alice?"

The blood haired human jerked her arm free of the lab's grip, "You must be Krystal. So Fox needs my blood to survive?"

Krystal nodded, "I'll be blunt. Are you going to save my lover or not?"

Alice sighed, "I really don't think it's a good idea. I'm a carrier remember? The T-virus flows thru my veins."

Krystal shook her head, "I don't care! He's my fiancé! I love him with all my heart and I want to show him that. And I can't do that if he's dead!"

Alice rolled her eyes and snapped, "Giving him my blood might kill him!"

Krystal snapped back, glaring daggers at Alice, "Well if we don't then he will definitely die!"

Alice and Krystal stared each other down for a moment, before Krystal sighed and said, "Alice please."

The human nodded, "Fine", she held her arm out in Doc's direction, "Take what you need…"

End Chapter Fourteen

Kinda short I know, and maybe a little cheezey. But still review please, I really do appreciate it- Undead Fox