The rainforest was an ominous place. The wet, heavy darkness had the chance to be peaceful, but there was some underlying evil that seemed to be lurking just out of sight. The air glistened with the full spectrum wherever light managed to break through the thick canopy that hung high above Fox. It was supported by massive, ancient trees whose width was best measured in metres. Where the leaves created a complete barrier from the sun, the darkness was so unadulterated it seemed like night. And it wasn't just the trees that had grown beastly, every shrub and fern had grown to monstrous proportions, creating solid walls of colour wherever he looked, and making him feel miniscule.
Double checking his position, he confirmed this was the last place that the Aparoid had been located. Behind him, barely two kilometres away, was the Medical Centre. Krystal was there, understanding why he had to go. Even if there was anyone else who could take on an Aparoid and survive, there was no way Fox would sit back while his daughter could be in danger. Krystal had reluctantly agreed to stay behind, knowing that if something serious happened, putting both parents in the line of fire would have been madness. And, with no time to call Falco, Fox was on his own.
Something crunched not too far off. Fox whipped around, his weapon leveled at any possible danger. He was confronted by a large, brightly coloured Rixly bird. It glared angrily at him and wraaked, as if demanding an explanation as to why its lunch of fist sized, hanging vine fruits had been disturbed. Fox laughed nervously, chiding himself on being so jumpy, and continued on his slow patrol.
After an hour, his nerves began to fray. The slightest shift in the leaves made vivid patterns of light suddenly appear. The underbrush was constantly rustling, as if it had taken on a life of its own. He would have sworn on his father's grave that eyes were glaring out from the darkness at him every time he turned around. More than one Rixly had met its fate thanks to a jumpy trigger finger.
It was growing more and more clear to him that even if this tip wasn't sour, trying to find anything that wasn't looking to be found would be next to impossible. He checked his comm. signal. It was weak, but he might be able to get a signal through to Peppy, tell him there was nothing here. He was fairly close to the destroyed remains of Andrew's secret base. It was possible the energy source could have been misidentified, and was really from a haywire generator wasn't quite dead yet.
A flicker of light caught the corner of his eye. It wasn't the same as before; pale and white, not rich and golden which was usually cast through the leaves. He turned his head just a bit. There, peeking out from a crevice between two tree trunks, was his target, a pale light emanating from its body. At first he thought that maybe it was some kind of tropical lizard, but as it shifted uneasily in its hiding place, Fox became more sure of its identity.
"I thought I'd taken care of all you freaks," he growled. It did nothing in reply. If it was an Aparoid, it had adapted and evolved greatly since the last time they had met. It now sported humanoid limbs with, four long, silvery fingers on each hand that gripped tightly at the bark. From its scalp grew dreadlock-like tendrils that had to be easily half a metre long. The eyes, the only other remarkable feature on its smooth grey face besides a slash of a mouth, were little more than large white pools of empty light. If Fox had to guess at a gender, the emaciated form had just enough curve to the hips that he could say female.
It was staring directly at him, trading its sad gaze between his face and his Blaster. Occasionally, it would let out a soft, high note that Fox took to be some sort of primitive language. As it cooed at him, it slowly moved from its well hidden spot out more into the open, crawling like a lizard onto a nearby fallen trunk. Its feet were almost as dexterous as its hands, and its movements were swift and sure-footed. Fox smirked. He reached slowly for a hip holstered projectile pistol that he had brought just in case it was plasma resistant.
Its head suddenly perked, turning around to face the Medical Center as if it had heard some private frequency. Suddenly Fox was forgotten as it prepared to follow the silent call. The horrible thought crossed Fox's mind; could it be answering a signal from a Queen? He wasn't going to wait and find out. He had the pistol unholstered in a second, and managed to fire off two rounds before the Aparoid realized what was going on. One round thudded into the bark next to the creature, but the other struck home. A blood curdling screech peeled from the creature. It obviously had no natural defense, because the round ripped through the sleek skin of its shoulder like it was water. Fox was astonished when blue blood splattered on the foliage behind it. The strange, crystalline bodies that had given them such protection before seemed to have been shed for a more organic design.
It turned back to him, a look of horrified shock on its plain face. He wasn't expecting such clear and vivid emotions. It took him back so much he hesitated in taking another shot. In that moment, it had sprang from its perch and had taken off at breakneck speed. In fear for his daughter, Fox followed.
It wasn't too hard to keep track of, since blue liquid still marked every leaf that the Aparoid brushed past. He could just barely see it up ahead, catching occasional glimpses of the eerie light it threw off. It was slowing down, weakened by blood loss, he was getting closer. The pistol was brought to bear again. This time he wouldn't miss.
As if to aid in his finishing shot, the foliage suddenly ceased to exist. They had hit a wide open clearing. There was no gradual ease of plant life, just a sudden drop off that could be attributed to the battle zone the forest became during the war. The sudden clearing gave Fox a clear view of the centre. It loomed large above him, closer than he thought. If the Aparoid escaped now, it could easily get into the building.
It had tripped and slid, and was now floundering in the dirt on the other side of the clearing. It would have been an easy enough shot to make, if a pale coloured lupine had not been standing right next to it, listening to its cries of pain and fear. His sudden appearance through Fox for loop.
Where the hell did you come from? He wondered, but he didn't have time to ponder it further, the young man was in danger. "Hey!" he shouted, "hey! Get away from it! It's dangerous!"
"Not dangerous. Completely harmless," the lupine replied, his voice flat lined and hoarse. His wolfish head turned slowly towards him. He looked like a completely normal, albeit athletic and broad shouldered, youth; except his eyes. They held irises and pupils, but they were completely blind, and gave off a faint sickly glow.
Just like the Aparoid. With a sickly feeling in his gut, Fox realized whose call his prey had been answering to.
Fox let two more bullets fly. Two thuds, two jerks from the young man's left arm told Fox he had hit his target. Yet, the lupine did not fall, did not even falter, he just stared glaring at Fox like he was some kind of disgusting bug. He held out his hand. Two holes oozed with blood, red blood. He had taken the shots like they were nothing.
"The only danger is you."
Split second movements propelled the lupe across the barren field. Fox blinked. The dead-eyed man was nose to nose with him. He barely had time to wonder how someone could ever be that fast before an unimaginable blow to his solar plexus exploded his world into white light. Pain rushed into him where the air left him. He had the feeling of his feet leaving the ground, and about two seconds later, his head smashing into something hard. Wet heat spilled from the contact spot, and he knew his head had split open. He crumpled to the ground like a ragdoll. A hazy boot came into view as he struggled to regain his feet. A little scratch at the dirt, then a wind up kick put the cap on his pain.
XxX
His consciousness returned in pieces. The feeling came first. He was lying on something relatively soft, there was something stuck in his arm that might be an IV. Maybe someone had found him before the Aparoids had a chance to finish him off.
Then came his sight. He was in a brightly lit room that was over half glass. Out of this huge bay window he had a clear view of the overgrown foliage. Definitely still on Fortuna. The effort of turning his head was almost too much to handle, but he managed to pan the room. His sight was still foggy, but he could make out certain medical apparatus, other people in the room. A blue fox stood close by the bed, gripping his hand, Krystal. She was watching a discussion between the apparent doctor and a tall lupine figure. She was very animated, and Fox couldn't help but wonder who she was so angry at. The young man looked familiar. Dark fur, dark clothes, a static expression, and...
Everything that had happened came crashing down on him. The Aparoid and the chase. The dead-eyed boy and the bullet wounds. Fox tried to call out, to warn someone, but all that came was a hoarse croak. That first sound opened the flood gates of noise from the room into his ears. Medical equipment, the drone of air systems, and the harsh words coming from the doctor.
"You could have KILLED him! Then what would you have done? You're smarter than this, Knight!"
"Doctor Regal, he's awake," Krystal quietly broke in.
Her head snapped around so violently, Fox knew her rage was about to be turned on him. Her dark green eyes flashed behind frameless glasses. She checked her anger, however, and approached as calmly as she could, producing a small scanning device from her pocket. The Aparoid she had called Knight began to approach with her, but stopped short when he saw Fox recoil. The doctor did not miss the action, and a flash of annoyance crossed her features.
"I see you two have met. How's your head? Knight says you were thrown a fair distance," she told him as she directed him to lean forward so she could pass the scanner over his skull and the base of his spine. "You must have the almighty's ear, to come out of there without a broken neck, much less a concussion."
"He's right there," Fox growled low. Nobody seemed to hear him, and the Aparoid continued to stare at him like some kind of absorbed child. Regal made him lie back down, and ran the scanner over his face, his ribs, everything between his ears and his waist, to make sure there were not internal injuries from his little dance with Knight.
"Doctor," Fox tried again. "That man, he's an Aparoid. You need to-"
"One thing at a time, McCloud. Let me see you walk."
Fox did as she asked. It was only a few steps, but she must have been satisfied, because she took the IV out of his arm. She took his pulse, other routine things. Fox noticed as she did that she was very small, barely reaching up to his shoulder. She couldn't have been more than five feet tall. She ushered him to sit down, and he took his spot back on the bed.
"Now, about these Aparoid shenanigans," she said matter-of-factly, slipping the scanner back into the pocket of her lab coat, "You stumbled into an active research site, a site, might I add, that you've done irreparable damage too."
"An active research site full of Aparoids? Just what kind of research are you nuts doing here?" Fox asked, alarmed both at the lunacy of this woman, which was quickly becoming apparent, and the fact that he had trusted his child to her. The fact that Krystal was so calm bothered him as well.
Regal didn't answer for a time. Instead, she just leaned against a work table, studying him intently. Fox could see the wheels turning in her head, as if she was running through a complicated series of probabilities.
"Maybe we should show you," she finally said, taking Fox by surprise. "You've already placed a radical variable in the test field, I guess it couldn't hurt. That, and I've got a legal responsibility to allow you counsel on your daughter's treatment.
Fox's face froze. The incredulous look that had been there melted off, and was replaced by one of shock and terror.
"…Mia, is being, treated, by Aparoids?"