Chapter 3: Upgrades and cargo ships
"I'm not so sure about this anymore" Tyson said, sweating bullets.
"You are being a baby. This won't hurt a bit" GLaDOS replied.
"Are you sure we shouldn't stop this?" Katt whispered.
"Even if we wanted too, we can't" Fox whispered back. "The doors are locked and look pretty reinforced. All I can say is better him than us."
"Can't we a least use some painkillers?" Tyson pleaded watching the blades get closer.
"I told you, all medical supplies are no longer safe to use" GLaDOS hummed.
"But what about those supplies right there?" Tyson asked.
GLaDOS extended an appendage and smashed the case. "What supplies?"
Tyson's eye twitched before trying to make a run for it.
"Now where do you think you're going?" GLaDOS asked as clamps wrapped around his arms and legs. "You two may want too look away."
Fox and Katt knew that they should've listened but kept watching as a saw slowly descended towards the connection of his shoulder and prosthetic arm.
Tyson tried to hold in the screams of pain but as soon as the blood hit the window, he let it all out.
A few hours later, Tyson was testing his new arms. They were black in color with a few gold lines along it and smaller than his old arms, making them 'normal' sized. He could no longer shoot out his hands but now had a retractable blade in the forearms. The blades themselves were odd as they had no point, just a flat tip. GLaDOS assured him that would work like normal blades.
"Now these arms were crafted out of a very rare metal called vibranium. Only a few deposits were found on several planets and even fewer were successfully extracted. These arms were originally developed for a wealthy business man who lost his arms in an accident but died of a heart attack later. The arms were given to the military who saw potential in them and customized them for combat purposes. However, all who tried to use them died."
"What happened?" Fox asked.
"No one knew, all who wore those arms died after a month of usage. Doctors and scientists could not find the answers to the mystery. So they were eventually given to me for safekeeping."
"Meaning if anyone wanted to steal them would have to get past you" Tyson muttered.
"They could have gotten the arms, if they survived testing" GLaDOS said.
"And no one save a few survives your tests" Tyson said.
"You were a wonderful test subject, unlike the first one who killed me twice."
"Chell wouldn't have done that if you weren't so insistent on killing her" Tyson retorted. "And as I recall, you keep a picture of her close by."
"Preposterous, I would never keep such a picture" GLaDOS said.
"Regardless, can I have my ship now?"
"Yes, please head back to the hangar."
"Do you think we can trust her?" Fox whispered.
"No way in hell but that doesn't mean you can't count on her" Tyson said walking to the hangar.
When they arrived, Tyson walked towards the two robots he brought in earlier.
"Alright you two, time for your wake up call" Tyson muttered as he kicked them both over.
They slowly whirred to life as they stood up. The shutters over their eyes, or eye, opened and closed making it look like they were waking up. The shorter one had a blue glowing optic while the taller one was orange.
They looked around curiously before noticing Ty. Their lower shutters raised giving a happy expression before hugging him around the waist and leg.
"It's nice to see you too guys" Tyson said smiling softly. "This is Atlas and P-Body, say hello you two."
The two looked at Kat and Fox before raising their hands and waved.
"These two were the replacements for human testing when GLaDOS decided to move into co-op testing."
"And they were very good testers too" GLaDOS said, descending from an opening in the ceiling.
"That's because no matter how many times you broke them, they were reassembled."
"That is not important, what is however is leaving this facility."
"So where's my ship?" Tyson asked furrowing his eyebrows.
"Just withdraw my chip and you'll have it."
"What does removing your chip have to do with getting my ship?"
"This way you cannot leave me behind. Don't deny it, I know how you think. You spent a year in my tests, remember?"
"Worst year of my life" Tyson muttered, shivering. "Alright, I'll do it."
"Excellent." GLaDOS lowered herself down to Tyson's level and a small chip protruded from the back of her head.
"So now what?" Tyson asked taking the chip.
"Wait" GLaDOS instructed.
A loud rumbling filled the hangar as a hatch opened up. A platform rose up with a rusty red and white ship on it. It was circular in design, with the ramp being on the right side next to the cockpit and two main engines on the back. It had a small turret on the 'chin', right beneath the cockpit. On the top and bottom were quad turrets for repelling fighters.
"GLaDOS, where the hell is my ship?" Tyson grated.
"Why, I have no idea what you're talking about" GLaDOS said.
"This is not my ship, this is just a cargo ship! In fact, this is a smugglers ship!" Tyson shouted, recognizing the design from a few schematics of pirate vessels. "It won't even need you too fly it!"
"This is all that I have available, take it or leave it" GLaDOS replied.
"Why should I not just crush you right now?" Tyson growled.
"Because I have linked myself to the base's self-destruct mechanism. I am currently broadcasting a signal that prevents this facility from exploding. If that signal were to vanish, then you all would vanish along with me."
"I guess he was right when he said we couldn't trust her" Fox muttered, feeling nervous.
"Maybe when we went on our date we should've gone to Papetoon" Katt whispered.
"Fine, we'll take it" Tyson said. "What's the name of the ship?"
"If my databanks are correct, this ship's designation is the Ebon Hawk."
"Have you found Fox yet?" a shadowy figure asked.
"Not yet sir, but I have my best men on it he won't escape" the lion said, kneeling on the ground.
"See that he doesn't, I have not come this far just to have my plans ruined by that damned boy."
"They're on foot, the fleet is watching the skies, and everyone wants his head sir, it's not a question of if we'll catch him but when" the lion smirked.
"General, that new one is full of surprises. He helped them escape the army, your army I might add, went into the old ruins and opened a door that we ourselves could not open, brought out strange machines that were on par with our Mech Troopers, and then escaped into the mountains. Your men do not fill me with confidence."
"Do not worry sir, I will be joining them shortly" the lion replied, now sweating profusely.
"See that you do" the figure said, dismissing him with a wave of his hand.
'Fox McCloud, you will fall just like your father and that fool Andross' the figure thought, chuckling darkly.
"So how are we going to get past the blockade?" Tyson asked.
"I know those ships well enough to get past them, only in my Arwing though" Fox said, studying the ships on the holographic display. "The shields will need to be tough enough to absorb a round or so from the dreadnoughts and the engines will need to be fast enough so we can outmaneuver them and get be able to escape."
"The Ebon Hawk fills both those capacities and exceeds them" GLaDOS said, her avatar projecting from a nearby pedestal. She looked the same species as Tyson except for the obvious fact that she was modeled after a female. She had black hair done up in a ponytail that went down to her shoulders, tanned skin, and was wearing what appeared to be an orange jumpsuit.
"You even modeled yourself after her, I'm sure Chell would be touched" Tyson smirked.
"If you must know, this is what I looked like before Mr. Johnson put me into the computer" GLaDOS huffed, crossing her arms.
"Focus" Katt said. "We'll need to be on our toes for this. As soon as we're in the air, the fleet will be all over us."
"GLaDOS, what are the main offensive capabilities of this ship?" Fox asked.
"Besides the two quad turrets and the small gun up front?" GLaDOS shook her head. "Nothing at all. This was a smugglers ship for the pirates. It was actually one of the few capable of outrunning our military forces due too its speed and shielding but it was very rarely engaged in actual combat. The one time it was we managed to disable the engines with a concentrated EMP blast. After that, it was kept and studied to help develop tactics to stop other smuggler vessels."
"So then our best shot is too try and outrun the fleet then" Tyson muttered. "But then what? Where do we go after that?" Tyson looked expectantly at Fox.
"What?" Fox asked.
"This is your home, your system. I've been gone for so long everything's changed. I got us up too here, but you'll need to lead the rest of the way."
"We could try contacting Falco" Kat offered.
"One person cannot hide us, not from an army" Tyson said, shaking his head. "Besides, from what you've told me he was a part of your time once, one of the good guys. For this, we'll need someone a bit shadier, someone who has experience with this kind of thing."
Kat and Fox thought for a moment before coming up with the same person.
"No way Katt, he'd never help us" Fox started, seeing the look in Katt's eyes.
"But he may be the only one who can help us Fox, you know that" Katt countered.
"After all the battles, the rivalry, what happened with the Aparoids?" Fox questioned.
"Even so, he still helped us then" Kat said. "Why not now? He knows you well enough that he would never believe that you killed General Pepper."
"Slow down you two, who are you talking about?" Tyson asked.
Fox sighed as he rubbed his eyes. "The most dangerous man around, leader of a team that's been against us since the war with Andross. The mercenary known, as Wolf O'Donnell."
"Not very imaginative on names here" Tyson muttered to himself. "So what makes you think he won't help us?"
"Back when I was still head of Star Fox, Wolf was on the opposite side with his team, Star Wolf. His first team consisted of himself, a pig name Pigma Dengar, a chameleon named Leon Powalski, and an ape name Andrew Oikonny. He expelled Pigma from the team later due to his greedy nature and Andrew left the team to get his revenge on us for killing his uncle Andross. Now it's only him, Leon, and a panther named Panther Caroso."
"So how are three mercenaries supposed to help us?" GLaDOS asked.
"He has a base called the Sargasso Station, he could hide us there if we can make it undetected. It would be a good place for a base of operations. The area is usually littered with pirates and such, the Cornerian army would have a hard time finding us there" Katt said.
"Alright, then we should head out as soon as possible" Tyson said heading towards the cockpit. "We'll have to leave the vital suits behind though, we don't have the room to store them in the ship" Tyson said, shoulders slumping.
"Don't feel bad Tyson, I have the blue prints stored in my data banks so if we ever get the chance, we can make more" GLaDOS said.
"Fine, everyone let's head to the cockpit. Atlas, P-Body, man the turrets. When we hit space we may need them" Tyson said. Both nodded their heads and walked to their areas.
"Why not us? Surely we would be better for that kind of job" Katt said.
"Both have team work most could only dream of, plus they process data faster than you can blink" Tyson said smirking. "Even if they don't look it, those two are the most dangerous robots you'll ever meet, besides GLaDOS" Tyson corrected, noticing the avatar's frown.
"Let's hope so, otherwise we won't even make it out of the atmosphere" Fox said solemnly.
"Alright GLaDOS, is everything ready?" Tyson asked.
"The ship is ready to go, and the timer has been set" GLaDOS nodded.
"You both strapped in?" Tyson asked.
Katt nodded her head and Fox gave him a thumbs up.
"No time like the present, let's get out of here" Fox said.
"Then hold on and pray to whatever you believe in because here we go!" Tyson shouted as the engines blared to life.
The hangar doors opened up to reveal the sun setting in the distance, giving the world a soft orange glow.
"Now isn't that just a pretty picture" Tyson said.
The Ebon Hawk lifted off the ground and turned towards the exit. The engines giving a loud roar, the vessel blasted off into space. A few minutes later, the mountain they had just been in was replaced with a large explosion before vanishing and leaving a crater in its place.
"Sir, thermal reading in the Ferusian Mountains!" a cat shouted.
"What happened?" the lion general growled.
"Sir . . . the mountains are gone!" the feline said, not believing his eyes.
"Impossible!"
"General Leo, we've detected a ship fleeing the mountain range!" a border collie said.
"Is it McCloud?"
"We can't find the ship in any of our records sir! It's never been seen before" the collie said, checking the readings.
"It has to be that alien" the general said, narrowing his eyes. "Get the fleet, have all ships at the ready. As soon as that ship exits orbit, I want it stopped by any means necessary!"
"But it's Fox McCloud sir, what if they make it through?" the cat asked.
"Then they are allowed to use lethal force, Fox McCloud must not leave Cornerian space!"
"Alright, there's the fleet" Fox said.
"That's a lot of ships" Kat said, her tail twitching.
"If any ship can make it through a blockade, it's the Ebon Hawk" GLaDOS confidently.
"Then bring up the shields, get those turrets warmed up, and hold on tight because this is going to be one hell of a ride" Tyson said, taking the controls.
"They're trying to find our communications channel, do you wish to speak with them?" GLaDOS inquired.
"Sure, open the line" Tyson said.
"This is General Leo of the Cornerian Military, you are ordered to stand down, shut off your engines, and prepare to be boarded" the lion said, standing at parade rest.
"Very nice offer, now here's my rebuttal" Tyson smirked. He flipped him the bird and gave a salute with it. He shut off the channel before the general could say anything and charged the blockade.
The general was in no way furious, in fact he smirked. "Men, deploy the fighters. Have them bring that ship down."
The pilots looked nervously at each other. To fire at Fox McCloud, the savior of Lylat seemed wrong, but orders were orders. The ships flew out of the hangars and homed in at the cargo vessel.
"Atlas, P-Body, open fire!" Tyson barked.
Atlas and P-Body gave off a chirping noise that sounded like laughing before the quad lasers blared to life, firing at the oncoming fighters. Due to superior robotic intelligence and targeting, the oncoming ships fell like flies.
"Get us between the ships, they won't be able to shoot at us without hitting their own. It may not be much to the dreadnoughts shields but with that many ships it'll start to put a drain on them" Katt said.
"But as soon as we get into open space we'll be an easy target for the larger guns" Fox said, eyeing the dreadnoughts.
"And we can't stay in here forever, they'll eventually overwhelm us with numbers" GLaDOS said, going over the numbers. "Atlas and P-Body may be robots but even they can't stop them all."
"The ships main guns are not strong enough to get through the dreadnoughts shields, however" Tyson started bringing up a holographic display of the fleet. "If we can take out two of those dreadnoughts, that'll buy us a window to escape."
"But we can't, we don't have the firepower to get through!" Fox shouted.
"We don't, but that ship does" GLaDOS interrupted.
Coming up on the display, a ship was exiting the atmosphere with main guns charging. The large ship fired and struck a dreadnought in its side, taking out the shields. With another volley, the ships main weaponry were disabled.
"Is that the Great Fox?" Katt whispered.
"This is R.O.B, activating defense protocol seven dash four" the robot monotonously said. The Great Fox was charging up the main guns again when the dreadnoughts returned fire. Multiple rounds of fire rained against the Great Fox, taking out its shields and destroying two of its wings.
"R.O.B, get out of there!" Fox shouted, watching the oldest member of Star Fox about to be destroyed.
"Negative, the safety of Fox McCloud comes first" R.O.B intoned.
The Great Fox took out another dreadnoughts shields and main guns before even more rounds pierced the dying vessel.
"This is R.O.B, signing off" R.O.B said cutting off the channel.
"Bring him back on screen!" Fox shouted.
"I cannot, he's blocking the transmission" GLaDOS said frowning.
The group silently watched as the Great Fox ran past them, taking more blows from the dreadnoughts. With a final shove, it rammed through several ships and exploded, the shockwave sending a few dreadnoughts careening away into the other ships that had all packed close together to stop the escaping group.
"We can't let R.O.B's sacrifice go to waste" Tyson said, gunning the engines.
Fox and Katt said nothing as they held each other, watching the Great Fox's debris float by mourning the loss of an old friend. To Fox, R.O.B had always been there ever since the beginning. He remembered the first time he met the robot when he inherited the Great Fox. R.O.B had been through so much, only to fall here to help them escape the very planet they had sworn to protect.
"Goodbye, old friend" Fox said softly.
"Initiating jump in three, two, one. Jumping" GLaDOS said. A glow surrounded the ship before vanishing in a flash of light.
"Status report!" General Leo shouted as alarms blared through the bridge.
"Sir, we've lost twenty fighters and four dreadnoughts from the Great Fox's explosion" a toad said shifting through the reports from the other ships. "Plus, three more are severely damaged and will need months, maybe years in the shipping yards. Another five were damaged but will need only minor repairs."
"Damn it!" Leo swore. "How could one small ship cause so much damage?"
"Because you underestimated them" a voice said.
General Leo snapped his head up as the screen displayed a figure hidden by shadows.
"Everyone out, now!" Leo shouted. Everyone ran for the door, pushing each other out of the way to escape their leader's ire. "Sir, please forgive me for losing them but do not fear for I shall-"
"No, you had your chance and you failed. You are lucky I consider you more useful alive then dead" the figure said coldly.
"I- yes sir" Leo growled.
"I want a bounty placed on their heads. One million, each."
"One million?" Leo choked.
"Is there a problem?" the figure asked.
"So much sir? Just for the three of them?"
"Like I said, you are underestimating them. Fox McCloud is the hero of Lylat, the man who defeated the genius Andross, the mercenary Wolf O'Donnell who was on par with the famous James McCloud before his untimely demise, he stopped the Anglar and the Aparoids even if he did have some help. Then there is Katt Monroe who remains a mystery, most information on her is false but she is very dangerous from what actual reports have stated. And what little we have on the alien is next to nothing. With a bounty that large, everyone will want their heads regardless of who Fox is. He cannot hope to escape them all."
"I understand sir" the general saluted.
"I want them dead or alive General. We will move the plans up to next week."
"Understood sir" the general said as the figure cut the connection.
On the distant planet of Zoness, a lone black furred wolf was sitting down at a bar drinking down a beer as he eyed the bounty board. Suddenly, a new trio of new images appeared on it. Walking over, he was surprised to see who it was. Fox McCloud, Katt Monroe, and some strange looking alien. What really surprised him was the price on their heads.
"That's enough to buy a mansion on Aquas and more than enough to take care of the family" the wolf muttered.
"You thinking of going after them?" a voice asked.
"Yeah what about it?" the wolf asked not turning around.
"They're mine, so don't even think about it" the voice snarled, grabbing his shoulder.
"Bad move, eh" the wolf smirked turning with the pull. A retort was heard as the wolf lowered a smoking pistol from the pigs gut. "And another one bites the dust." Turning the pig over, he checked a data pad he pulled from his pocket. Scrolling through it, he found a match. "I'll turn you in, then go after them." He easily hefted the corpse onto his shoulder and walked out.
"Hey, who do you think you are to just do that?" a raven asked, getting ready to pull his blaster.
The wolf turned back and grinned. "Ray, the Dragoon."
Elsewhere, a black ship with metallic blue stripes running down its wings sat a black fox with white fur at the top of his head. The fox sat there scrolling through a list of possible targets when three new faces appeared. The first two were interesting but the third grabbed his attention.
"Fox McCloud, Katt Monroe, and some new alien? Maybe this new one will provide some sport" the fox muttered.
He checked his two Soul Mark blasters and his jet black combat sword and sped off to find his desired prey. After all, the Fallen Angel Mark Brightstar had a reputation and taking this new alien down would definitely add to it. Better reputation meant more contracts to kill people. The big bounty certainly helped provide some motivation as well.
End of chapter. Alright, that makes three chapters so far. I would like to thank A Drunk Canadian for Ray and Zythxx for his OC whom some of you may recognize from a few of his stories. Now I would like for all who are reading this to take a moment of silence to remember the 9/11 attack. To mourn for those who died in the explosion and for the others who died in the aftermath of it all. For those who say we deserved it, let me know. I will personally send you a list of all the family members and friends who lost someone that day. Now when you get that list, here's what I want you to do. I want you to go to each of their houses, look them dead in the eye, and tell them that their loved ones deserved to die. Go ahead, tell each and every one of them that they got what they deserved, that they needed to die, that you wanted them to die. And then, you can go to hell.