Fox stepped onto the small glass lift following Cecilia, Wolf, and a new addition to their small crowd of three, Lance. Fox eyed him carefully. He was an interesting fellow, chatting it up with Wolf and always holding a slight smile on his lips when they weren't moving. And even while he talked there was still a hint of a grin there. He was one head shorter than Wolf, not including his antlers. As he continued his conversation with Wolf, his eyes kept glancing back to Fox's, those bright blue eyes. Fox just smiled back and watched. Cecilia was glued to the back window, watching as the lift stopped at a floor and started moving horizontally with increasing speed.
"So..." Lance looked over at Fox crossing his arms over his lab coat. "Not that's it any of my business, but what's the story between you two? For years it was known you guys were mortal enemies and now..."
Fox blinked a bit, glancing over at Wolf who surprisingly seemed ready to tell their entire history to Lance. "It's quite simple," Wolf started, tightening his white gloves. "We merely got into circumstances where we had to depend on one another, and from there the cards fell in place."
Lance nodded with the same smile as always, "I guess that happens, especially in times of conflict." The deer kept nodding, looking between Fox and Wolf several times. "It's gonna sound weird, but I always knew you were a good person." He paused looking for another word. "Really."
"I wasn't always good." Wolf's uncovered eye glinted mischievously.
"Well..." Lance started, moving his hands to his coat pockets. "There's always a little bad in all of us." They both laughed.
Cecilia turned around from the window, "What's so funny?"
Fox smiled but from the looks of it, it appeared a little forced. He didn't bother to answer her. Lance's eyes shifted toward the window. "Oh! We should be entering the hangar any second," he said. "It's coming up." They all gathered around the window as the lift's shaft blurred past. . It was still traveling horizontally; unusual for a lift, but Arspace's massive facilities were known for their bizarre layouts. Fox made sure to casually put himself next to Wolf as they waited. Suddenly bright lights filled the small glass elevator as it glided across the top of a great hangar. Everyone pressed against the glass and looked down to see an equally massive ship that seemed to barely fit its confines. They all were glued to the glass to see.
The vessel was shaped like the old Great Fox, staying true to the original design except it was a little bit larger, and more streamlined from what they could see. Slippy was truly genius thought Fox as they continued on, the lift coming to a stop at a catwalk and opening its doors. "Isn't this exciting!" stated Lance as he backed out of the lift, one of his antenna like antlers barely missing the edge of the doorway. He kept walking backwards down the catwalk as he spoke. Wolf, Fox and Cecilia followed. "The exterior of the Great Fox-A is 90 percent complete, the interior is about 60." Lance swiveled around, his lab coat flaring out as he was now walking forward at a brisk pace. "I'm sure everyone wants a much more personal tour since you can't get the full scope from way up here." Wolf glanced over the catwalk's guardrail, looking down toward the ship. They were at least 100 feet above the floor. He quickly got vertigo and returned his attention to Lance. The tailfin of the Great Fox came up past the catwalk nearly touching the girders on the ceiling. There were four large engines that swooped under the catwalk, shorter than the original three but still large enough when up close. There were a few scientists on the scaffolding casually analyzing some of the plating as though used to being high up.
Lance stepped onto an open-sided lift that took them to the floor. Wolf looked at the contraption uneasily as Fox got on after Cecilia. Lance reached out taking Wolf's paw. "Don't be scared, it's perfectly safe." Wolf stared at the small hand in his then back at Lance, whose eyes seemed to grin.
Olivia sat in her office scrolling through messages on her computer. She thought about what she had done making her brow furrow. Things were going to get complicated real soon she thought. Not just with the meeting of planetary leaders but handling damage control with the Akun situation. Ok so she fired the guy. He was an asshole. Olivia smiled at the thought because it was true, but she had let her personal inhibitions get the best of her. Do politicians let their personal feelings sway their decisions? Of course they do. How could she think otherwise? Perhaps the most successful and powerful politicians were the ones who were the most passionate. She had no experience to tell for sure, she was just going to do things her way. Just an hour before she had made a statement on the capitol steps after being pestered about the issue enough. She told how she felt but made sure the people knew how it was for the better and how things in the government were still stable. A message from the Kani Hotel orbiting Zoness popped up. Falco must have already let them know she mused. They were requesting her to reserve a date. She cracked her knuckles and began to type.
'DATE TO RESERVE 3/4/PX'
She stared at the characters in the input box. The date was just a four weeks away. Surely that would be enough time to prepare. She had thought of pushing it back further for she knew by the end of the day the media was going to explode over Akun's firing and the whole meeting of planetary leaders itself. She knew what they were going to say 'She can't do that!' or 'Who's really in control of this government?' As she thought more and more over it, the less and less she wanted to deal with it. 'Maybe I could just stay in my office all day' she considered. When she had gotten back from lunch with Max the photographers hounded her during the 3 second mad dash from the restaurant's entrance to the limo's door. After news starts to break about her, Max, the meeting of leaders, those photographers are going to change into reporters, and reporters hound. They hound like wild dogs. Not that she had anything against canines. It was just an expression. She sighed and folded the computer screen into her desk.
Falco took in a deep breath as he and Katt waltzed toward their car. Falco hated spaceports, spaceplanes or anything that involved hordes of people in cramped spaces. He was thrilled simply to be back on Corneria. The walk through the parking lot was the best walk he had had in days. Katt on the other hand was tired. Zipping around Lylat working diplomatic magic wasn't as easy as others perceive and the scary part was she hadn't even dealt with Chancellor Leto of Zoness yet. That was going to be a nightmare, but at least it wasn't her job. Olivia was going to let herself and Wolf handle that. She still had the odd feeling she'd somehow get pulled into it. It was definitely going to be a multilateral effort. And then what about Xavier Zan? Would he agree to meeting? This is a guy who heads a terrorist ring and a rogue province. Her faith in Olivia's ideas was definitely being questioned. And then what happens when you get everyone together? Would it work? Or would it fall apart?
"What's the matter with you?" Falco buzzed as he hopped in the driver's seat of their hovercar. Katt shook her head and took her seat next to him, idly pulling the seatbelt over her.
"Tired." The one word response was almost grunted. Falco shrugged. "And what about you?" she asked. "You look like you just won a million credits."
"Ah, I feel like a million credits. No more stuffy spaceplanes, no more crying hamster babies. Nothing like being back home, that's all."
"We're in the spaceport's parking lot. Home is a forty minute drive away."
"Then let's make it a good one!" He turned the radio up high, loud rock music suddenly booming out. Katt rubbed her forehead, making an inaudible sigh that was drowned out by the blistering noise that invaded her eardrums. She folded her ears against her head.
"This is truly incredible work Lance." Fox found himself surprised to say that out loud as his eyes glazed over the bridge. It looked similar to the old one except much cleaner, less industrial, more modern if there was such a thing. Cool blue fluorescents lit the stations and consoles which were buzzing to life with indicators and interfaces. Wolf met up beside him, putting his hand on Fox's back and joining his view. He didn't have much of an emotional connection to the previous Great Fox. It wasn't his. The only thing he really noticed was how this looked much better. Cecilia nodded in agreement, and quickly hopped into the command chair amused by all the technology around her.
"Thank you Fox." The deer gave a meek smile and quickly turned toward the consoles going over each one. He went on about technical details that would concern Slippy more than him. But he had to give the guy credit. He enjoyed his job and he enjoyed talking about what he was talking about. There was a strange passion in his voice as he spoke. A lot of emotion was going into the making of this ship. A lot of the components were Lance's doing.
"This console, which I personally designed," Lance started, pointing to several displays next to where Cecilia sat, "Allows from the command chair to launch one or several Arwings automatically, manned or unmanned with remote control." Fox nodded, somewhat surprised again. Wolf looked over the little control panel on the armrest of the chair.
"You can do all that from here?" Wolf said trying to sound smart but interested in what Lance was doing.
"Yup, you sure can." The deer smiled. "But check this out." He pulled Wolf by the arm a few steps over toward another console. "This station is where Peppy Hare sits as science commander. Now each station is for a specific function. This one is for science intelligence, that one," he pointed across the room where Fox stood, arms crossed, "is for weapons and defense and that one is for communications." Wolf's eyes scanned over the console, seeing just as what Lance said. Science controls to launch probes, radar interfaces, the usual. It seemed fairly routine. "Looks pretty normal right?" added the deer. Wolf nodded. Lance reached across the console, his arm brushing slightly against Wolf. "If there was ever a situation where one console went out, each interface is interchangeable, like so." He pressed a button and the blue hued information on the panels suddenly changed from radars and scanners to red hued inputs on weapons and armor. Wolf hardly noticed though. His mind was discerning Lance's closeness, a red glow illuminating him. His nostrils caught the deer's scent as their eyes met. They were so vibrant, full of life, making him feel younger just by watching them. Lance found himself just as entranced. There was something mysterious about the man before him, some hidden story perhaps? What was behind that eye patch? Was he content? Alone? Happy?
Fox grabbed Wolf by the arm. "You know, I think we should go look at the Arwings."
Lance shifted away and blinked. "Yes, of course...the Arwings." He glanced back at Wolf who was shaking off the dazed look on his face. Fox tilted his head at him.
"Are you ok?" he asked. Wolf looked back at him and a sudden guilt washed over. Was Fox threatened? He didn't know. Fox probably knew what Lance was too. It was obvious, he mused. He probably did see him as a threat. Was he a threat? A threat to what? A threat to me? He rambled inside his head. It was a bad habit, this rambling. It allowed for uncomfortable silences to form between him and other people. Fox was now drilling his glare into him. It looked like a mix of concern and castigation or maybe Wolf was just being paranoid. Years of being the biggest jackass in Lylat will do that to you.
Lance was well ahead of them now as they walked down the half finished corridor toward the Arwing bay. Fox was gently tracing his claws down Wolf's back, just discreet enough as they continued forward. Wolf felt even guiltier as Fox's touch almost taunted him. Memories of the night before flooded back. They were good memories, very good.
Lance turned a corner ahead and without warning Wolf swung around pushing Fox against the wall. He moved close at first, unsure whether to go all the way, just bringing his nose to his, gripping Fox's sides at the same time. Fox smiled and pushed his lips against Wolf's. For a moment they kissed, bringing their paws together, until Fox ceased and pulled away just slightly to look at Wolf's face. He was excited, happy, and suddenly it didn't feel so bad to be what they were. Besides, relationships are supposed to be fun right? There were other people possibly close by. Fox loved danger, and he had courage. Wolf had passion and emotion and couldn't care less either. Footsteps on the metal floor could be heard as Fox turned his head. His eyes met two canine scientists in lab coats who had just turned the corner behind them. They saw Wolf in Fox's arms pushed against the corridor's wall. The technicians both stopped in surprise. Wolf came near a laugh and stepped out of the embrace. He and Fox glanced one more time at the two canines before continuing on hurriedly, both their tails swishing from side to side. Both the technicians looked at each other, unsure of what they had just seen.
Wolf thought about it as he walked with Fox and saw the encounter as harmless. Technicians never got involved in social politics. They were more like hermits. Wolf snickered at the thought. Fox, however, as he continued on, his pleasure in the situation faded and the sudden realization of what had just happened washed over him. He was much more of a figure in Lylat than Wolf. Hell, Wolf didn't even care about his job, no one did. Fox on the other hand had a career that was directed by General Pepper. Was he being reckless? Could there be consequences? He was reminded of what had happened in the morning with that reporter. What would happen with that too? Fox suddenly found his conscience pressured by questions of 'Will this come back to haunt me?'
He and Wolf both entered the Arwing bay which was open to the larger hangar the whole Great Fox was in. A ramp led up into the small bay with scientists moving supplies around. "There you are!" cried Lance from across the bay. "I thought I lost you two." He was already walking toward them. "If you want, we have three of the prototype Arwings complete for you to look at." He led them to the three fighters that were sitting in the center of the bay with technicians in lab coats prodding at the components.
Fox looked around for a moment, "You know Lance, all of this looks great and I want to thank you for the tour but me and Wolf have to go." Wolf glanced over at him.
"Certainly," Lance looked up from his data tablet and smiled. "If you want you're always welcome in this hangar to view our progress. We expect 100 completion in four to five weeks."
"Excellent."
Several minutes later they made their way toward the exit in the main atrium. They saw Cecilia and Slippy chatting away, both laughing and enjoying each other's company. Fox had to hand it to them; they did go together in a strange way.
"I'm not sure who can do better," Wolf said. "Her or Slippy."
"Aw come on," begged Fox. "Slippy is a great guy...just not exactly..."
"A looker?"
"Yeah."
"Hey guys!" Cecilia quickly noticed them standing beside them. She and Slippy had been so absorbed with each other they didn't realize they were right there.
"We're heading out. Mind if I drive this time?" Fox asked.
Cecilia laughed.
There was a ring on the doorbell as Katt continued typing into her laptop on the couch. Falco was sitting next to her watching a gameshow on TV, completely unmoved by the doorbell. She glanced at him as the doorbell rang again. "Gee...I'll get it!" she said in mock sarcasm, snapping her laptop shut. He shrugged.
Katt opened the door to find a feathered woman with a scarf wrapped around her head and sunglasses sitting on a yellow beak. She wore a large black coat the came up to her neck.
"Hey," said Olivia. Katt blinked a few times. "What, a Chancellor can't go over to a friend's place or something?"
Katt shook her head, "No no, of course she can. I'm just surprised to see you here. Don't you usually have to have bodyguards with you to go anywhere?"
Olivia scowled. "Nah, they think I'm at the office, besides I got Max to protect me."
A shorter calico in a brown leather jacket appeared beside her after glancing around at the other fancy apartment doors in the corridor. "Nice place."
Katt backed away to let them in. "Yeah, I got a good view, 44th floor, balcony and everything, thanks." Olivia took off her sunglasses and stepped in, Max following. Falco glanced away from the TV and saw Olivia and Max.
"Yo." He returned his attention to where it was before.
"Don't worry about him," Katt started. "He's been like that since we got back. He says he's giving himself a 'vacation' even though he does no work." She said those last words in his direction but he didn't pay any attention. She glanced back at Olivia. "So what brings you here?"
"I didn't feel like going straight home. Oh, and to show you a new invention." She walked over to the TV and yanked the control from Falco who grumbled at her but figured not to make a big deal of it.
"Invention?" asked Katt.
Olivia flipped the channel to a news station. "Yup, I call it...interactive TV." They all sat down to watch, squishing together on the couch. A squirrel reporter with green hair sat behind a desk with an optimistic look as the evening news music intro faded out and his broadcast began.
"Chancellor Cardus is, once again, in our top stories for tonight. Today the 27 year old Chancellor removed her chief advisor, Forrest Akun, from office." Her picture appeared next to his face as he spoke. Katt glanced over at Olivia who crossed her arms and raised her chin waiting to hear more.
"I love how they say my age, as though I'm some kid running the planet." No one bothered to add to that.
"It isn't clear whether the action was a result of the recent terrorist attack but in a statement, Cardus claimed it was of personal interest." The camera cut from the news reporter to a clip of Olivia standing on the steps of the capitol building earlier in the day. She was wearing her usual formal attire behind a podium with reporters crowded in front of her.
"I just simply didn't like the guy." The image cut back to the news reporter. Everyone's jaw dropped. Olivia gasped.
"No! I said so much more than that! I talked about bipartisanship and cooperation and... I can't believe that."
"Geez," Falco started. "Editing sucks."
The news reporter continued. "Forrest Akun, a long time politician on Corneria has strong ties to the conservative Pawclaw party which currently has a senate majority. Analysts say, even though, out of office, the 53 year old raccoon could still have a bite in the political pie here on Corneria. Chancellor Cardus on the other hand, not affiliated with any party specifically at this time, is showing strong support from liberal groups all across the system."
Katt grinned. "Hey I'm liberal!" Olivia was so dismayed with a horrified look she didn't even notice Katt's attempt to make her feel better.
Max sighed, "Let's turn this off." He clicked the remote and the TV went blank. Falco got up, the most energetic move he had made all night. He looked down at the group on the couch. Olivia had a hurt blank expression as Max tried to soothe her. Katt was twiddling her fingers trying to think of something supportive to say.
"You know what," Falco began. "I think we should all have drinks."
"Great idea!" exclaimed Katt. They both departed leaving Olivia and Max alone on the couch. The calico nuzzled her as she returned the embrace weakly. She felt strangely betrayed, but it was the media. She had to accept the fact they made careers out of throwing dirt and making discreet low blows at people. There were more important things on her agenda then worrying over the media. That's what they wanted anyway.
A sharp pain zapped through her as though someone just stabbed her in the stomach. Her beak came open in a silent scream. Max quickly noticed.
"Olivia?!" Her hand had a death grip on his arm. She was clenching her stomach with the other. "Olivia what's wrong? Tell me!" She shook her head, unable to speak. Katt and Falco entered with two wine bottles but quickly saw the situation.
"What happened?!" Katt tossed her bottle aside and rushed toward the cardinal.
Max shook his head frantically trying to calm Olivia who was cringing silently. "I don't know! She's in pain!"
"I..." Olivia choked. "It hurts!"
Falco grabbed the phone on the wall. "Should I call a doctor?"
"No," Olivia suddenly groaned. "It's ok." She took a few deep breaths, pacing herself. Within a moment she seemed fine. She rubbed the feathers on her head. "I think it's just stress." Everyone looked at each other unsure of what to think. "I don't know, I'm gonna head home."
Katt and Falco nodded, as Max helped her up. "Are you sure you don't want to see a doctor or something?" Falco questioned again. Olivia shook her head as Katt opened the door.
"Really it's fine, I just need some rest. I've had a long day with all that's happened."
"I can understand." Katt watched her with concerned eyes as she and Max made their way out the door slowly. She frowned at Falco after shutting the door. She was worried about Olivia. She was worried this job was draining her maybe even hurting her. Of course what just happened could have had nothing to do with her job. Maybe it was just something she ate. She sighed and got on her knees to pick up pieces of glass in the stained carpet. The wine bottle had broken when she tossed it aside. Falco didn't like what had happened either. There weren't too many things that troubled him but seeing a friend and comrade in possible danger did, especially the leader of a planet.