Disclaimer: I am obligated to warn you that I don't really own anything presented below. It's pretty much all others' ideas being run through my twisted mind.
I'd like to thank XxSanitariumxX for actually bothering to read the beginning of this story! He left some valuable reviews, and I tried to listen, so see if you can't spot a difference from my previous writings. Other than that, I'd like to point out that this is the first thing I've uploaded to break 7000 words, assuming authors' notes are to be counted. So there's that.
"So, this is it," Fox said, gesturing to the Great Fox. He, Falco, Miyu, Bill, Relics, Krystal and I all stood just at the end of the entry ramp, staring up at it in awe.
The entire ship, as big as it was, was covered in a silvery metal that seemed to shine, even at night. Its four massive wings sat at what seemed like a great distance away, ready to carve the air in flight. Underneath the Great Fox's protruding cockpit, which sat several stories above our heads, were a pair of cannons, easily capable of blowing a tank to pieces. And on the side of the ship was emblazoned the Star Fox symbol; the winged fox.
"Whoa!" I said slowly, not even bothering to hide my amazement. "It's...it's more than I expected."
"Yeah," Fox said, scratching his head. "Home of Star Fox. And my dad says I'll have a spot there, if I keep working hard at it."
Falco cleared his throat much louder than necessary, elbowing me.
"You okay?" Relics asked.
"He's fine," I said, scowling at the bird. "Maybe he's just jealous of Fox, here."
"Well, you never know," Fox said, finally getting everyone to enter the great ship. "If you do good enough in the simulator, you might impress my dad. But...don't count on it."
"Why not?" Falco asked.
"Come on," I said. "It's James McCloud, leader of the fabled Star Fox team. I wonder that anything would impress him."
"I don't know about 'fabled'," someone said from nearby.
I know that voice, I thought, turning toward it. I barely managed not to call the hare by his name as he approached.
"Peppy," Fox said, giving him a salute.
"Relax, Fox, this isn't the time for that. Who are your friends?"
"Oh. Uh…you know Bill, Falco, and Miyu. This is Ditto, Krystal, and Relics," he said, gesturing toward us. "Guys, this is Peppy Hare."
Peppy approached Relics and looked him up and down, before offering him a hand.
"You're the exchange student, right?" he asked as they shook hands.
"Yeah," Relics replied. "Er, uh...yes sir."
"Relax; this isn't the military."
"Yeah, tell that to James," I heard from a different direction. I watched Pigma move to stand beside Peppy, and barely managed not to draw in a breath through my teeth; I assumed hissing at Star Fox was a bad idea.
"Something wrong?" Krystal asked silently as he struck up a conversation with Peppy.
"Yeah," I replied. "Pigma would sell his mother to the devil for a quick buck."
"You don't trust him?"
"Not on his life," I replied darkly. "Let's just go."
"Wait, hold on," she called when I abruptly turned to continue down the hallway. I stopped, and nobody else seemed to notice my escape attempt.
"Hmm?"
"You can't just leave."
"Krystal, I don't like him," I said, trying to keep my voice down.
"I know. I know just how much you hate him. But you can't just leave everyone. Relics will be asking why."
I took in a sharp breath, before scowling at Pigma. I softened my expression and glanced at Relics, then back at Krystal. "I know," I said, letting my head hang slightly.
"And you know he can't be asking too many questions."
"I know that, too. Alright, I'll suffer through this. But I'm not going to talk to him. Or, if I do, I won't be calm."
"As long as you don't bite him," she said humorously.
"We'll see," I said, trying to lighten up as we took the few steps back to the others.
"So, what's goin' on? What are they doin' here?" Pigma asked.
"We're using the simulator," Falco said.
"Oh, ho ho, so ol' James is letting you blow each other to bits, huh?" he asked. I couldn't help another scowl at his too-familiar laugh.
"Yeah, and we should get going," I said.
"He's right," Fox agreed. I almost sighed my relief.
"Good to meet you, Peppy," I said, beginning the goodbyes. I was a little upset that I hadn't had much of an opportunity to properly meet Peppy, but because it meant getting away from Pigma, I got over it. And as I said goodbye, nobody seemed to notice when I ignored Pigma again. Everyone else finished their goodbyes, blissfully unaware of the well-renowned pig's true loyalties, and we eventually continued on our way, with Fox leading the group.
I thought the Great Fox had looked big when I'd seen it before, but as Fox led us through it on the shortest possible path to the simulation room, I got a whole new perspective on just how enormous it was. I found it hard to believe that only the members of Star Fox lived on it, but according to Fox, that was the case. I tried to figure out what all of the space was used for, but I had quite a hard time. I knew that they spent indefinite time aboard the ship, so I assumed they had a way to get clean water from various sources. They had to have a garden of some kind, for both oxygen and food. They probably had some way to clean their clothing. And there had to be a room for all of the arwings and landmasters that must have been stored on the ship somewhere. I shook my head. Even if I took all of that and multiplied it by ten, it wouldn't fill all of the space.
Unless there's a city on-board, I thought. It seemed likely that all of Roswell High could fit on-board without taking up too much of the space. I nodded to myself; unless I figured out more about the ship later, that would be true in my mind, like the fact that Falco used sorcery to talk.
"What?" Krystal asked when she heard that thought.
"You should stop listening to my mind," I warned her. "You could easily see something you don't want to see."
"Oh? Like what?" she asked. I struggled to keep my mind from conjuring any images, specifically of unclothed humanoids, and she apparently got the general idea before helping my mind to calm down.
"But why do you say Falco uses sorcery?" she asked.
"I flipped a coin," I replied.
"What?" she asked with a laugh.
"What? It's foolproof."
"So Falco is a sorcerer?"
"No, he just uses sorcery. Just like how I'm not a psychic, but I know the future."
"That...that doesn't make sense."
"Oh, alright, then; you ask him."
"Ask him what? If he's magical?"
"That, or how he makes those sounds with his beak."
"I think that's just your translator."
"That was the other option in the coin flip. I just wasn't sure."
"Okay, please tell me you're kidding with all this."
"Yeah," I admitted.
"Good. Be careful what you say, because coming from another dimension means I'll believe you."
"Really? Because I thought being able to read my mind was a big reason you trust me."
"Well, it's a reason, but –"
"You two are doing it again, aren't you?" Bill asked, interrupting Krystal. I finally noticed that most of the group was staring at us.
"What?" I asked.
"Your weird psychic mind-talking crap. You're doing it right now, huh?"
"Uh...yeah, actually," I said. "Good guess."
"So, what were you two talking about?" Relics asked.
"Whether Falco's a sorcerer," I said with a laugh.
"What?" Relics asked. "Why would you say that?"
"Because it's what we were talking about," I replied. "And besides, she was defending him."
"So why would you think I was a sorcerer?" Falco asked.
I shrugged. "Something about your beak, and how so much sound can come from it."
"I know he's got a big mouth, but I wouldn't call it sorcery," Bill said. "He's just full of himself."
"Well, it's hard not to be, when you're as awesome as me," Falco said.
"Really?" I asked. "I bet you'll be the third one shot down."
"No way," Falco said.
"Well, I don't think Bill can outlast you..."
"Hey!"
"...and I don't think Krystal has had any experience. No offense, of course."
"You're on," Falco said.
"Anyone else want in on this?" I asked.
"I don't think he'll be in the final three," Fox said.
"Of course. The top three are Fox, his crazy – er...his zealous girlfriend, and Relics."
"What? Me?" Relics asked.
"Yeah. I saw that fight against Wolf," I lied, "and I think you can handle yourself."
"That was...uh..."
"A fluke?" I asked. "You beat the tar out of a pretty big dude. With claws. And teeth. That's an awesome fluke."
"Well...either way, I don't know how to fly an arwing."
"Eh, I think you'll have a chance to learn. Not like I'll be the ace of the skies. Or...the space."
The idle conversations continued for the next few minutes as Fox led us through, up, and around what seemed like the entire ship. I kept telling myself that it was the shortest path, but I found it harder and harder to believe as we walked more and more. I hoped Krystal would give me an update on how much longer our journey would be, but she seemed deeply involved in a conversation with Miyu, so I had to use my own intuition. Oddly enough, I had no idea when Fox turned abruptly into a nearby room, so I almost kept going down the hallway. Krystal did help me that time, grabbing my arm and forcing me into the room.
"And here we are," Fox said once inside the room. I took it in slowly.
The room itself wasn't too spectacular; it was big, sure, but its walls were a bland gray, and not much at all adorned them. There were a series of special-looking chairs in the room, which made me think of The Matrix, though I hoped we wouldn't be in life-threatening danger by entering them. There was a main console off to the side of the room, and sitting in the main chair was James McCloud, donning his shades.
"So, these are your friends?" he asked when he noticed Fox. He stood and approached us, and I wondered every few seconds which one of us he was watching under those glasses. "Falco, Bill...Miyu," he said, nodding to each one in turn. "And who are these?"
"Dad, this is Krystal, Ditto, and Relics."
"I know him," James said, staring hard at Relics. "The humans' last try at peace, or so they say."
"I am trying," Relics said, meeting James' glare.
"And beating up Wolf?" James asked knowingly.
"I...uh...well, he was..." Relics stammered. James began to laugh, though, silencing Relics quickly.
"Don't get me wrong," he said once the laughter subsided, "I don't think you should have been the one to teach him that lesson. But I'm glad someone finally did."
"Well, he deserved it," I said.
"Oh, right. Ditto and...Krystal, was it?" he asked. We both nodded. "It's good to meet you both. Not every day I see a human, Ditto; much less two. You'll have to tell me your story soon. But not now; you all may as well get started."
"Alright!" Bill shouted, rushing toward one of the seats. Falco walked much more calmly toward the machines, just like Fox and Miyu, but Relics, Krystal and I were pretty much just staring at them uncertainly. I had no idea what Relics' problem was, but I was just unsure of how to use them. But Krystal quickly took my hand and pulled me forward, probably taking the little bit of knowledge from someone else's mind.
"Are these...safe?" Relics asked. I remembered how well-versed he seemed in things from the 21st century, and wondered if he was thinking of The Matrix, too.
"Of course," Fox said.
"Relax," I said. "They won't unplug you, either way."
"What?" Relics asked, looking at me wide-eyed. "How'd you know...?"
"Lucky guess," I replied, climbing into the chair at Krystal's bidding.
"Now just lean your head back, close your eyes, and wait."
"That's it?" I asked, doing what she'd said to do. "How's this work, anyway? Like, brainwaves, or –"
I felt a sudden shock shoot through my spine, all the way sown to my toes, and couldn't help taking in a sharp breath. My eyes flashed open, but instead of a white ceiling, I was looking out a bluish force field at a starry night sky. I let out the breath, trying to take in my new surroundings. There wasn't much, though; beside me was an open arwing, waiting to be flown. And in the small room, there didn't seem to be anything else; no doors, windows, or anything on the walls that wasn't necessary.
"Cool," I whispered, getting as close as I could to the force field. I couldn't get too close, because the floor suddenly dropped off a few feet before the exit. Outside, I saw a reddish planet and its moon in the distance, surrounded by twinkling stars too numerous to count. There was one dime-sized star that stood out from all the others, and I assumed it was the planet's sun. The scenic view was disrupted, though, when I saw a pair of arwings fly into view, one of them clearly at a disadvantage.
Do a barrel roll, I thought in Peppy's voice, laughing to myself. After a few seconds, where the two arwings began to circle each other to get a clear shot, I climbed into the arwing and closed the windshield. Not nearly as many buttons and switches were in this one, but once the windshield was closed, it began to initiate everything by itself. Before long, a HUD appeared, showing me who was fighting outside of my windshields, and even their shield amounts.
Poor Bill, I thought as Fox got a great hit with a charge beam, half-depleting Bill's shields. I wasn't too eager to get out there, even after Falco and Miyu showed up.
"You've got to move eventually," Krystal said.
"You can talk from this far away?" I asked.
"It's the simulator. I can talk to you halfway across the universe in here."
"Cool," I said.
"Now get out here. I want to see you scared."
"What? You think you can shoot me down?" I asked.
"I'll manage," she said knowingly. I only had to wonder what she meant for a moment, when my arms suddenly forced me to lift off, as if they had a mind of their own.
"You cheater," I said as the ship passed through the force field.
"I'm just making it more interesting," she said. I glanced around the HUD for a radar of some kind, or some way to now where anyone was, but other than Fox, Miyu, and Falco, along with Bill's destroyed ship, I couldn't find anyone.
"Head's up!" Krystal shouted. I glanced up, and saw her ship heading straight for mine. I panicked, and dove straight down, but she'd planned that. That began a game of cat-and-mouse, and I knew exactly which one of us was the mouse. I quickly wondered whether she was reading my mind still; every turn I made, every maneuver I tried, she mimicked closely. Of course, I didn't do much, because I was still getting used to the controls, but even with her only shooting every few seconds, my shields were half-gone in almost no time. After a few minutes of this game, I noticed a small yellow caution symbol in the corner of the windshield.
"What the –" I began, when a blinding flash of red filled the cockpit. The ship shook hard as the light disappeared, and I looked up, seeing Fox with a grin on his face as my shields hit zero.
Target lock warning, I realized. Got it.
Not really wanting to get shot down, I pushed both control sticks forward as hard as I could, accelerating in hopes of getting Fox and Krystal to get in a dogfight.
"You're finished," Fox said through a com, before one of my wings was shot off.
"You can talk to me?" I asked as the ship began to wobble. I wondered how, seeing as how it wasn't using the wings in space anyway, but I dismissed the thought as panic took its place.
"Duh," he replied, shooting a few times to hit the other wing. At this point, I began to jerk both control sticks in every direction, hoping to avoid death somehow. The small caution symbol returned, and I continued my frantic maneuvering, losing all sense of reason. All of a sudden, the ship spun much faster than I expected, and everything received a blue-green tint.
Okay, I thought. I got shot down. Now comes the exploding part.
But I didn't. Actually, I heard Fox grunt as something hit his ship, and my own quickly righted itself.
"What just happened?" I asked after a few moments. I heard Fox shout more, before I heard an explosion behind me, and suddenly wished I could see behind my ship.
"Krystal?" I asked. The only response was a few shots to the back of my ship, sending it spiraling down into space for a few seconds.
Crap, I thought, before a bright orange flash sent me back into the Great Fox. I sat up slowly, once I was sure of where I was, and watched Fox, Miyu, Falco, and Bill all doing the same. It took a few seconds for the dizziness to subside, and a little longer for my vision to clear.
"How'd you do that?" Fox asked once I managed to stand.
"Do what?" I asked uncertainly.
"A barrel roll. The ship spins and gives a short burst to its shields, or what's left of them. It'll deflect just about anything that hits you. I didn't know these ships could do them until a few weeks of practice, and then only because my dad told me. How'd you do one on your first try?"
"Uhh...on accident?" I said. "I was just panicking. Looks like it worked for me, though."
"Until you got shot down," Falco pointed out. "By your own girlfriend, too."
"Yeah, what was that about?" Fox asked. "You said she wouldn't have any skill."
"Well, gee, I'm not telepathic," I told him, hoping he would catch the hidden message.
"Oh, you've got to be joking," Falco said angrily. "She cheated?!"
"No," I said, hoping he wouldn't give her secret away to James. She probably wouldn't care, but I didn't just want to assume; I wouldn't want her doing the same to me, after all.
"I bet poor Relics is getting whooped," Bill said.
"Why not watch?" James said. We walked over to the console, where a few images could be seen of the fight still playing out. I smirked as I saw what Krystal was doing; she was just toying with him, using her knowledge of several people's experiences. But as the fight stretched into minutes, Relics began to get the hang of the controls, and actually managed to land a few hits. At one point, he gained the upper hand in only a few seconds, and I wondered if he was using his unique gift of seeing things at a near-standstill. For almost a full minute, he showed near-perfect reaction time, and Krystal's ship took hit after hit. He couldn't use the gift for log, though, and he began to slowly lose the battle, despite their difference in shielding energy. Relics did continue to improve at an impressive rate, but every time he improved, she did as well, so the battle could only continue until she got bored.
"Cheater," Bill muttered as the pair returned to Corneria.
"Well, the mind is her territory," I said as she rose and walked toward us.
"You're not mad, are you?" she asked.
"Of course!" Bill shouted. I laughed him off, shaking my head.
"Of course not. I thought I'd get shot down before Bill, but I outlasted Fox."
"You got lucky," Falco told me.
"Yeah, I know, but I still outlasted you. When did you get shot down?" I asked. "Were you third?"
He bristled for a moment, before looking down. "Second."
I couldn't help but to laugh. He bristled once more, and pointed a finger at me. "Just wait 'till next round, I'll show you what's what."
"I think next round should be between Relics, Bill, and you," I said. I didn't know how I would explain it, but I just needed Relics and Bill to be gone while I told Fox the truth.
"Why?" Bill asked.
"Because..." I began, piecing an idea together. "I think if Fox, Krystal, or Miyu was in there, it wouldn't be a fair fight. And I can't stay lucky forever, so we know I'd get shot down first."
"Then how's it fair if I'm in there?" Relics asked. "I only survived because everyone left me alone."
"You almost kept up with Krystal. And she's a cheater."
"I am not," she said, elbowing me playfully.
"What's all this about a cheater?" James asked. My eyes widened, and I turned toward him abruptly.
"She's...uh...Krystal can...er..." I stammered. It sounded odd when telling someone, especially an adult.
"I can read minds," Krystal said, lowering her head. James stared at me, then Krystal, and then back at me.
"You expect me to believe that?" James asked.
"It's true, Dad," Fox said. "She...talked into my mind once."
"Hmm..." James said, looking at his own son. "Then maybe she wouldn't mind proving it?"
"Okay," Krystal said, perking up slightly.
"Prove it how?" Fox asked.
"How about this: guess what number –"
"Twelve," Krystal said matter-of-factly. I chuckled.
"Okay," he said slowly, "but anyone can do that, if they can read people. Why not tell me when...no, that won't work; anyone can find out a date."
"Why not talk into his mind?" Fox asked, mimicking my own thoughts.
"Okay," she said, nodding once. She squinted at James for a moment, before his eyes widened, and he crossed his arms.
"Alright. So she can read minds," James said. "But why do you all call her a cheater?"
"She can read their minds and take their experience," I said. "And occasionally force them into doing something they don't want to do."
"She can what?" Bill asked, backing away.
"I can't normally do that," she said. "And I wouldn't do it to any of you."
Except me, apparently, I thought.
"I might need a minute to get used to this," James said. "But you kids can feel free to do another round."
"Alright," Bill said. "May as well do Ditto's idea. C'mon, Relics."
That went better than I'd hoped, I thought. Relics, Falco, and Bill got into the chairs again, obviously smack-talking the whole time, and I waited until they were in before I turned to Fox.
"Is there any way to slow them down?" I asked. "This could take a while."
"What could take a while?" James asked.
"Well, I promised to tell Fox...the truth. All of it. Why I'm here, who I am, and whatnot."
"And what about them?" Fox asked.
"I don't plan on telling Bill at all, and Relics...I think it'd be better if he never found out."
"Why?"
"I...don't really know. His help might be useful, but...he might also freak out and try to kill me. I don't know."
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Miyu asked.
"Can you slow them down?" I asked again.
"I think so," Fox said, looking at the console.
"You can," James said, going to the console. "But you'd better have a good reason for this."
"I do," I said. I waited for him to return, and then looked carefully at the people waiting to hear what I was going to say. Krystal, thankfully, was at my side, but Miyu, Fox, and James stared at me expectantly.
"Where do I start?" I asked idly. "Well, the short story is that I'm from another universe."
"What?" Fox asked.
"You're kidding," Miyu said. "Right?"
"No," I replied, shaking my head. "The longer story is that I went to sleep on Earth, a few centuries ago, and woke up on Corneria last week."
Fox and James seemed to be trying to understand, but Miyu was having none of it.
"What, do you think we're stupid? What kind of joke is this? Krystal?" she asked.
"It's true," Krystal nodded. Miyu squinted at Krystal, before looking back at me.
"It gets weirder," I said before she could say anything else. "This whole universe...it follows a story I read a little while ago. Like I was put into the story itself."
"Hang on, so you know everything that's gonna happen?" Fox asked. "Then..." he began, looking around. "Prove it. Who wins this simulation, Bill, Relics, or Falco?"
"I don't know," I told him. Before he or Miyu could complain about that, I tried to explain. "I would have known, except that this whole thing, this night, never happened. Relics was supposed to spend today home alone instead of going to school. And nobody was going to come to play with these simulators."
"So..." Fox began.
"This is crazy," Miyu interrupted him. "You can't prove it."
"No, I can't," I admitted.
"So what kind of joke is this?" Miyu asked, slowly getting angrier. "And what about you, Krystal, how'd he trick you into this? I mean, you're supposed to be a mind-reader, aren't you?"
"He didn't trick me," Krystal said.
"Yeah, maybe we should listen," Fox said.
Miyu stared at me, taking deep breaths and giving me a look that would kill if it were possible.
"Miyu?" Fox asked.
"I'll listen," she said. "But you'd better start making sense soon."
"Thank you," Fox said, before turning back to me. "Now, start at the beginning. When did...when did you get here?"
"A week before school started," I told him. "Same time as Krystal, actually."
"What's that have to do with you?" Fox asked.
"We...don't really know," Krystal said.
"Then why mention it?" Miyu asked.
"I'm getting there," I told her. "Before school even started, I found out about these," I said, rolling up my sleeve. The three marks down my arm sat there glowing dully, a constant reminder of who, exactly, I was.
"What are those?" Fox asked.
"What, you actually cut yourself just to make this joke more believable?" Miyu asked.
"How would I make them glow?" I asked, beginning to lose patience with her.
"Okay, so it's a tattoo, then?" she asked. I was almost tempted to prove, once and for all, that I wasn't lying, but I knew that the fourth Sin was the last one I could safely use, so I calmed myself down.
"Miyu, I would know if it wasn't real," Krystal said.
"So what are they?" Fox asked again.
"I call them Sins of the Unforgotten. That's...just a quote from a cartoon, but it fits pretty well. They appear right after...well, after I..." I began. I didn't quite know how to say it.
"After you what?" Fox asked.
"I don't really know what happens, but I can do just about whatever I want for a couple seconds. Once it's done, one of these appears, and I can't get rid of them at all."
"Wait, what do you mean, 'do whatever you want'?" Fox asked.
"Well, I could move a pencil across a desk..."
"That's...interesting."
"...or I could create an entire planet from nothing, complete with a native –"
"That's it!" Miyu shouted, stomping toward me. "Can you even take anything seriously? Here, I thought maybe you were actually being serious, but you expect us to believe that you came from another universe?! And you can just create planets, whenever you want?! You're insane!"
"Miyu," Krystal began.
"Krystal, tell me you don't believe him," she said. "He needs help."
"Well..." Krystal said slowly, looking toward me.
"You've got to be – Fox? Please tell me you don't believe this."
He sighed, looking down in thought. After a few tense moments, he looked up at me.
"I want to trust you, as a friend, but I don't believe it. I'm sorry. Don't you have any real proof?" he asked.
I shook my head. "These Sins. That's my only proof. But I don't want to use one right now, since I'm pretty sure something really bad happens when I hit five. And because I used one to find Relics, and the other two saved my life, I have to save this last one."
"Saved your life?" Fox asked.
"I'm done," Miyu abruptly said, walking toward the exit.
"Wait, wait, wait!" I shouted, holding out my hands toward her. She stopped and sighed, before muttering something and turning toward me.
"Huh?" she asked.
"There might be proof," I said.
"What?" Fox asked.
"Yeah," I said, starting to get excited. "The first time one of these saved my life, I had to fly an arwing. A real one."
"What?" Fox asked again. James finally showed some sign of being interested, rather than lost in thought.
"It was Monday night. Remember that arwing spotted flying around? That was me!"
"Then where's your proof?" Miyu asked.
"I don't know," I admitted. "But can't these simulators give me a real arwing? The one I had before had hardly any buttons, compared to the real one."
"How many more buttons?" James asked.
"Uh...I don't know...maybe twenty, thirty?"
"Well, I'll bite; there's no way he could know that for sure," Fox said. "Not without seeing an arwing."
"Oh, lucky guess," Miyu said. "I bet he wouldn't know the difference between the Alpha and Delta interfaces."
"Maybe not," I admitted, "but I was only in it for a couple of minutes. I did find out how to steer it pretty well. And just now, I did a barrel roll."
"Big deal," she said. "You admitted that it was an accident."
"Yeah, but I still survived longer than you."
"What?! You survived longer than – of all the stupid things –"
"Calm down, Miyu," Fox said.
"Don't tell me to calm down!"
"Miyu, please," Krystal said.
"No! I've had about enough of you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!" she shouted at me.
"Enough, you two," James said. Miyu silenced herself quickly, but her claws were still bared, and I took a step away from her.
James continued. "I don't think Ditto would go through all this trouble just to play a prank on us."
"So you believe him?" Fox asked.
"Not yet. But it would explain why Pepper didn't know about that missing arwing..."
"Oh, yeah," Fox said. "What about that? Who did you even take it from?"
I blanched. "I took...er...it was...uh..." I stammered. I couldn't just tell them about the human spies. Especially not James.
"Come on, Ditto," Krystal said. "Just tell him."
"Krystal, I can't –"
"What can't you do?" Miyu asked.
"Tell you," I replied.
"And why not?" she asked.
"Don't lie," James said.
"It's..." I began.
"Just some military guys," Krystal said. "They kidnapped us after Relics' date."
"What?" James asked angrily. "Military? Who? What did they look like?"
"They were –" she began.
"Krystal!" I shouted, stopping her from mentioning it.
"They were what?" Fox asked, narrowing his eyes at me.
"See?" Miyu said. "I told you they have something to hide. He's lying."
"Okay," I said, looking down. "They were..." I began, but I couldn't bring myself to say it. Of all the people on Corneria, it would only be worse for General Pepper to hear about those three. And if I told James, he would probably find out soon.
"Humans," Krystal finished before I could say it.
I only lowered my head further as her words dawned on me. Miyu was the only one who didn't shout something right away, which was a welcome change. But I was too worried about Fox and James' accusations to care.
"What?! What humans?" Fox asked.
"Do you know who?" James asked at the same time.
"Please calm down," I said. They didn't.
"How many were there?" Fox asked.
"Where did they take you? Where are they now?"
James quickly realized that he was getting nowhere, and silenced Fox in the middle of his next question. Once everyone had taken a deep breath, he spoke.
"Tell me everything you know about them," he said.
"I don't know much," I replied. "They kidnapped me, mumbled a bunch about other agents, and –"
"Agents?" James asked. "How many were there?"
"I don't know," I lied. "Three? Maybe four? I was more concerned with escaping than figuring out what they were doing here."
"And you're sure they were humans?" James asked.
"As similar as monkeys and humans may be, yes, I'm sure. I had to knock one out, and the other...threatened Krystal."
"Hmm..." James said, looking down slightly with his hand on his chin. "I don't know about this whole 'separate universe' thing, but if you're telling the truth about these humans..."
"How'd she get out?" Fox asked after James didn't continue.
"Every man's weakness," I replied with a smirk.
"He did not touch me," Krystal clarified. "I just...taught him a lesson."
"Good job," Miyu said. She sighed. "So...you really aren't lying, are you?"
"I need to take care of something," James said abruptly, rushing out of the room. I watched him go, and then turned to Miyu.
"I almost wish I was," I replied. "I may have just completely jacked up the storyline."
"Storyline?" Fox asked. "Oh, yeah. We're 'just a story'," he added with a hint of sarcasm.
"No, you aren't," I said. "This universe is as real as the one I come from. And with me here...everything can change. Everything is changing."
"Why do you think it's so messed up all of a sudden?" Krystal asked.
"James McCloud has serious connections with Corneria's military. With all this..." I began, before I perked up. "With all of these changes, maybe those humans will leave the planet for a bit."
"That'd be nice," Krystal replied.
"You're not related to these...'agents', right?" Fox asked.
"Of course not. Why would I tell you they were here if I was?"
"Oh. Good. And what about...?" Fox began, turning toward Relics.
"He's not either," I lied.
"Are you sure?" Fox asked. "He's the humans' ambassador. If there are spies here, he would probably –"
"He doesn't know anything about them," I said sternly. "Which reminds me, Relics can't know. Anything."
"What?" Fox asked.
"Why?" Miyu asked right after Fox.
"He's a very important person right now. If he finds out, I should be the one to tell him. And I don't plan on letting him find out."
"Don't be so dramatic," Miyu said. "What could possibly happen?"
"Probably not much," I admitted. "But he...he's more powerful than you think."
"He can't create planets, can he?" Fox asked.
"No. But like you said, he's the humans' ambassador. If something happens to him, it could start a universal war."
"You...you really think Corneria's that close to a war?" Krystal asked.
"I hope not," I admitted. "But...if those spies are found..."
"No," Fox said. "I know my dad, and he knows General Pepper. Neither one would start a war that we couldn't win."
"But would they start a war that they knew Corneria couldn't lose?" I asked. "I don't want a war to start at all."
"They –" Fox began. He stopped and looked down without finishing the statement, though.
"That's why I think I just messed something up."
"You didn't," Miyu said. "If the humans were stupid enough to send spies, then maybe we should teach them a lesson."
"Are you sure Corneria doesn't have any spies?" I asked.
"Of course we don't!" Fox said angrily. "General Pepper would never give orders to spy on the humans! We're actually trustworthy, unlike humans."
"Hey, whoa, don't bring me into this. I didn't do anything but tell your dad about the spies. According to Corneria, I did the right thing."
"And what about you?" Fox asked. "What did you just do, according to you?"
"Yeah," Krystal said. "If there's a war...Ditto, you'll just be another human. They'll kill you, too."
"Maybe," I said with a nod. "But that's why I'm doing everything I can to prevent a war."
"Nice start," Miyu scoffed.
"I'm new at this, okay? And that means I need your help. Fox, Miyu, please. This isn't about me, and whether I'm really telling the truth. This is about Corneria and Earth, Lylat and Solar."
"Solar?" Fox asked, humored.
"I don't know what you call the humans' system; I haven't exactly been taught all that's happened in the past few centuries."
"You know about Lylat, though," Miyu said.
"Yeah. There's a lot I know, generally speaking. There's more to this universe than one little story. But seriously; I need your help. Just...I don't know."
"I'll do what I can," Fox said. "I don't know if what you're saying is true, but I'll see if I can help."
"Good," I said.
"I'm not just going to blindly follow you," Miyu told me. "I still don't think you're telling the truth. But I guess I'll listen to Fox."
"That'll work," I told her.
"So, what's the plan?" Miyu asked. "I mean, if we're going to stop a war, then we'll need a good plan."
"I don't know," I said. Before they could add more, I interrupted them, "I didn't actually plan this far ahead. If I had, I wouldn't have mentioned the humans."
"Sorry about that," Krystal said. "I...guess I should have made sure you wanted to say it."
"It's okay," I said. "But you've never been shy about reading my mind; why didn't you do it that time?"
"It's not that easy," she said. "Especially when you get nervous. But I guess...I guess I just wasn't thinking straight."
"Don't beat yourself up about it," I replied. "After all, everyone here only knows that you're telepathic because I messed up."
"So you're both sorry, okay," Fox said. "I don't think you need to say it a hundred times."
"Oh," I said, looking at him with a knowing smirk, "and you two appear in the story. Together. It probably wouldn't go over too well if your parents found out just what you do when you're alone."
Fox's eyes widened slightly at those words.
"Alone?" Krystal asked. "They do it in public just as much."
"But they have their clothes on," I replied.
"Alright, okay," Fox said, glancing at the door. It was still closed, which apparently satisfied him. "Let's just…get back to the simulators, okay?"
"Sounds good," I replied. "You know how to return them to normal speed, right?"
"I think so," Fox replied, looking over the console. "Here it is. And he slowed them down a lot, too. I don't think anyone's even lost their shields yet."
"Then let's speed 'em up, and get this night started," I replied.
Fox messed with the console for a few seconds, before the images across a few of the monitors sped up to real time. We watched those images, pretending that the conversation hadn't just happened, but it just made the silence awkward. After what seemed like forever with the tension in the air, Bill was shot down, and returned to the Great Fox angrily.
"It's always you," I remarked.
"Just can it, okay?" he said. "Those jerks ganged up on me."
"Of course they did," I said with a smile. "Of course they did."
The rest of that battle went by quickly, due to how much experience Relics had gotten against Krystal. He was actually a really good pilot, and since Falco hadn't had as much experience as he did in various games, Relics dominated.
Once they returned, the rest of the night seemed to fly by. Fox set up a wide variety of fight types, including things like team rounds and timed matches. He managed to give us a choice on the arwings, beyond the general well-rounded ones we flew in the first fight. And I actually managed to get the hang of it; I shot down a few of the others, including Miyu, which she got me back for. It wasn't too one-sided, either; everyone but Krystal got shot down first at least one time. Even she was the second one destroyed a few times, though she was surprisingly able to match skill with Fox. He outright refused to go against her in a one-on-one duel; he claimed it was because she could cheat, but I thought it was more along the lines of him having a crush on her.
The whole night was fun; despite it being planned by accident, and me possibly wrecking the entire storyline, I didn't regret it. In fact, I was as upset as everyone else when James returned a few hours after leaving and declared that it was time we all went home.
"Just one more round," Fox pleaded.
"No," James said sternly. "There are a few things we need to talk about."
"Oh," Fox said. "Well, sorry, everyone."
"That's fine," Relics said. "Jason probably came back an hour ago, anyway."
"Oh," I said. "Now I feel like a jerk."
"Why?" he asked as we began to make our way outside.
"We kept him waiting. Away from his wife."
"That's perfectly fine," he said. "You have no idea how they act around each other."
"I think I –" I began, before remembering that he didn't know about me. "...don't want to know," I finished. "If it's anything like Fox and Miyu –"
"No. Worse. Much worse."
"Then don't even mention it," I said.
"Just hope that he doesn't," he replied.
Fortunately, he didn't. Jason drove Krystal home first, then me, without an untoward word about the things he and his wife would eventually be doing. I would've thanked him for that, but I was afraid it would make him bring it up, and ruin the entire point of mentioning it. That's why I only did it as I was getting out of the car, upsetting Relics quite a bit.
I entered the house, ignoring Relics' fading threats, and found that Jake and Joanne were still awake, watching a movie together on the couch. After the obligatory minute or so of answering questions, I went upstairs quietly, and got ready for bed.
A/N: Well, there's a lot to say right now. First, I want to seriously thank the real XxSanitariumxX, who actually decided to read the beginning of this story and leave reviews. I tried to take his words to heart, and so this is what I came up with. In case you can't tell, I tried to make Miyu react strongly, because I almost made all three believe it as blindly as Falco and Jake did. That would've been a mistake, so thanks again, Sani.
In other news, I leave tomorrow for my 2-week mission trip. I had wanted to give you guys two more updates by now, but Skyrim is just too good a game. I'll do my best (not "fastest") once I get back, because my plans for the next few chapters have got serious potential. Let's just hope I don't ruin it. But considering I could have left everyone on a huge cliffhanger by finishing one more chapter, I think I did well.
And with that, I believe I'm done for now. The next two Sundays (maybe three), there will not be updates. And when I come back, maybe Sani will have more critiques for me. Which reminds me; if you see anything I've done wrong, or could've done better, please tell me. It's hard enough to deeply emulate three minds; it's even harder to emulate a girl's mind.
EDIT: Okay, Erdervv (if that's how it's spelled) already left a helpful review, and I tried to change the story to fit with it, since I found that I agreed with him. If you're interested in what changed, I made James McCloud less accepting of Krystal's telepathy. Thanks, Erdervv!
My bad. ERdervv. Fixed that.
EDIT2: Whew! Back from Tijuana, and "safely" in Tepic. But now my computer's acting up. I'll...er...get an update in when I can. And I have no idea how long that could take.
As a side note, XxSanitariumxX thinks I ought to end this story soon, so that I can start a more original idea. Anyone else's thoughts? Am I being a jerk and trying to steal his limelight? Am I bolstering his story? Should I end it now, or keep it going for a million more chapters? (exaggeration used)