Chapter 5: Lost and Found
(Cornerian Academy)
The blue avian walked into the Academy, wiping the tears dripping from his eyes. He held out a sheet of paper in front of him, it described his class schedule.
Room 203: Cornerian History.
The avian proceeded down the halls, looking for his classroom. When he walked past the water fountain, near the bathrooms, he heard the sounds of breathing close behind him. He turned around, expecting to see someone. He only saw the empty hallway he had just passed through.
"You've got sharp ears, dontcha?" a voice called out.
Falco turned around, looking at the direction of the voice. He could see a figure standing in the entrance to the girl's bathroom. The figure walked out into the light, revealing a young feline around his age. She was a brownish-gray color, and had penetrating blue eyes. She wore the school's female uniform, indicating she also went here, or stole the uniform off some unsuspecting girl.
"You new here, too?" the feline asked, walking closer towards the avian. "Most people are out today. You know. The tragedy and all that. I wouldn't be here myself, it's just that my mom made me come. You know, parents."
"Yeah, I know." Falco responded, remembering the subject of the fight in the car only moments ago.
"You're not much of a talker, are ya?" the feline asked, nearly rubbing against his shoulder as she circled him.
"Not to you." Falco said coldly.
"Ouch. And they say I have claws…I'm Katt, how 'bout you, handsome?" the feline said, holding out her hand.
Falco wasn't quite in the mood, but something about this girl made him start to forget his previous concerns.
"I'm Falco." he said, cautiously holding out his hand to meet hers. She took his up immediately, glad to have made a friend.
"Ok, Falco, where are ya headed right now?" Katt asked, snatching his schedule out of his hands. She pulled her schedule out of her shirt pocket and compared the two.
"Hey, give me that back!" Falco yelled, trying to grab his paper out of the feline's hands. She deflected him until she finished.
"Looks like you got the same classes I do! I think this school system groups all of us newbies together." Katt explained. "Come on, we can go together!"
Falco was then dragged by the hand, by Katt, all the way down the hall.
(The Great Fox)
Falco and Katt walked down the halls of the Great Fox, neither talking to each other. Falco had connected her ship to their onboard fuel cell pump and asked ROB to start repairing her ship.
Only Fox knew about the presence of the other ship, and the actions Falco took. The others had remained in the living area throughout the whole time Falco was in space. When Fox saw that Falco's ship had docked, he ran down to meet him.
"Falco, you didn't-" Fox stopped short.
"Hey, Foxy." Katt said. "How've you been?"
"Katt!? What're you doin' here!?" Fox asked, surprised to see her.
"Is that any way to greet a lady? First stupid here tries shooting me down before I even board, and then I'm questioned for my being here, as if I don't belong. You're just a bunch of savages out in space, aren't you?" Katt asked in response, acting prim.
"But, what are you doing out here?" Fox asked.
"I was sent by General Pepper to help you guys out. He remembered that I was helpful during that fiasco with Andross, so he called me in." Katt explained, a pleasant smile on her face.
"Oh, ok." Fox said, calming down. "So, you said Falco shot at you, huh?" Fox asked, shooting a glare at Falco.
"Hey, hey. It was an honest mistake. How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" Falco asked.
"Since when do you say 'sorry'?" Fox joked.
"I think a couple hundred more times will suffice." Katt laughed.
"Uugh." Falco sighed.
"It's good to see you again, though, Falco." Katt said with sincerity, looking at Falco with her large, blue eyes.
He stared back, and just as he was about to say something, Slippy walked out of the living area, looking drowsy.
"Oh, hey, here you guys are. I was thinking I'd start to head for bed now." Slippy said, his eyes drooping. The top of his eyelids prevented him from seeing the extra figure present in the hallway with them.
"Hey, there, Tads." Katt said, her attention now focused on Slippy.
"I thought I told you to stop calling me that, Falco." Slippy said, looking up. "AAAGH!!! Katt!!!"
"It's good to see you, too." Katt said for him.
"What're you doin' here?"
"Is that all you guys ever care about? Can't it just be: 'Hello, Katt. How are you Katt? Pleasant day floating in this heap of metal, careening towards a planet we've never seen before, isn't it, Katt? Weren't we all friends before, at one time?'" she asked.
That moment, Krystal walked out of the living area, hearing Slippy's scream before.
"Slippy, are you alright?" Krystal asked as she exited the doorway. "Oh, hello. I don't believe we've met."
Katt pulled Falco aside for a moment. "Who's this dame?" Katt asked.
"This is Krystal, our new recruit. I'm sure you've heard about her before, when we rid the System of aparoids." Falco said, trying to get Katt to play along.
"Oh, so this is Krystal! It's very nice to meet you. I'm Katt, an old acquaintance of these jerks here. It's nice to finally meet someone with manners on this ship." Katt said, holding out her hand.
Krystal took it and they shook.
"Very nice to meet you." Krystal said.
"Come on, Katt, you need to see Peppy again. He's probably in the Kitchen right now." Falco said, opening the door for everyone.
"Hey, thanks Falco. You should do this more often." Slippy said, walking back into the living area.
"Eh, shut your trap and keep moving." Falco said gruffly.
"Falco seems…different, doesn't he?" Krystal asked Fox after they passed through the doorway.
"Yeah, but that's just the way he is." Fox explained, looking back as Falco held the door open for Katt.
"Thanks, Falco." Katt said, walking past him.
After she walked in, Falco let the door close and followed the rest of the team in.
"Hey, Peppy! Someone's here to see you!" Fox yelled into the Kitchen.
"Wh-wus that?" Peppy asked, coming out of the Kitchen, wearing an apron and holding a bowl filled with that night's dinner.
"Hey, Peppy." Katt said. "Nice apron."
"Wait. I recognize that voice…wait a second." Peppy said, taking his glasses from around his collar, putting them on. "Oh, my. Is that you, Katt!?"
"Yeah, it's me. Come here." Katt said, going up the stairs to the Kitchen. Peppy put down the bowl and removed the apron and gave Katt a hug.
"I haven't seen you in a while." Peppy said, moving back into the Kitchen.
"Yeah, I know." Katt said.
"So, are you just visiting, or is there something else to this visit?" Peppy inquired, raising his eyebrow in question.
"I've come here under the orders of General Pepper. I'm supposed to help you guys out on your mission." Katt said. "Although, the General kinda skimped on the details. He said I'd be helping out some mercenaries. He didn't say it'd be you guys."
"Well, we're glad to have ya on the team." Fox said.
ROB's voice perked up on the ship's intercom at that moment.
"Estimated time upon arrival into Jatria's Orbit: 7 hours, 45 minutes. I suggest that the team commence REM Sleep soon." the metallic voice clanged, echoing throughout all parts of the Great Fox.
"Yeah, it's been a pretty long day, we should get some sleep now." Fox stated.
Slippy yawned. "Oh yeah, I'm getting pretty tired right now. I might fall asleep here."
"That'd be pleasant." Falco said under his breath, looking off to a corner.
Slippy shrugged it off, not in the mood nor having enough energy to think of a comeback.
Slippy headed for the door, followed by Krystal and Fox, then Peppy. Leaving Falco and Katt the last ones in the room.
"Hey, where do I sleep?" Katt asked.
"Oh, we got a guest room somewhere in this here hunk of junk." Falco said.
He led her down the darkened hallways of the Great Fox. They checked room after room, but couldn't find the guest rooms.
"You'd think a ship this big would have a guest room within a plausible distance." Falco said, scratching his head. He turned on his wrist communicator.
"ROB, hey, ROB!!!" Falco yelled into the screen. Instead of the robotic face of ROB showing up, an animation illustrating a robot asleep in a bed with large Zs coming from the robot appeared instead.
"Great. The robot shuts down once in every two weeks, and today has to be the day he decides to take a snooze." Falco said, frustrated.
"It's ok, Falco. I'll sleep in the living area tonight. G'night." Katt said, walking away. Falco waited a moment, then called after her.
"No, Katt, you take my room. I'll sleep on the couch." Falco said.
"Thanks, Falco. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to make something up to me." Katt accused Falco.
"So what if I am?"
"Well, it's very sweet." Katt said. She walked towards his room. As she passed him, she gave him a peck on his cheek. "See ya tomorrow."
Falco watched her walk towards his room, and he turned around, heading to the living area.
(Cornerian Academy)
"Now Fox, you're sure you're ok with this?" Peppy turned around, asking the young vulpine. He already had his seat unbuckled and was opening the door.
"Yeah, of course I am." Fox responded. "I'm doing it for daddy!"
"He'd be so proud, his son joining the Cornerian Academy, just like he did." Peppy said, starting to tear up.
"See you after school, Peppy!" Fox called out, dashing towards the school entrance. It was cloudy out, but he didn't mind. The StarFox emblem upon his school uniform glinted in the cloudy morning light.
"Have fun at school!" Peppy called from the car. He watched as the young vulpine entered the through the Academy doors, then pulled away.
(The Great Fox Living Area)
Falco lay strewn upon the couch, his head resting on the armrest. This tilted angle allowed him to easily gaze out at the stars that passed by.
I didn't think I'd be so happy to see her. It was me that ended it in the first place. I shouldn't care this much. I made a decision, a hard one. But I did it for her safety. But, it seems like she can handle herself now, though. I wonder if she's just playing with me now… I never did explain my reasoning to her. I just left. She probably hates me inside. And to top it off, I SHOT at her. If that's not a billboard saying 'Go Away', I don't know what is.
Falco sighed, and continued to gaze out at the stars. It was peaceful, watching all of the stars drifting through space. It reminded him of her when he first saw her, back at the Academy. His thoughts were interrupted however, when he heard the door open, and footsteps enter into the living area.
(Falco's Room)
Katt walked into the room, finally finding his name imprinted upon the door, a task not easily done in near pitch-darkness. She entered into his room, turning on the lights to see what was in the room. It wasn't much, a bed, a desk, a drawer, and off to the left, a bathroom. A window sat next to the desk, showing the endless void just outside the ship.
"At least he's not arrogant with that mercenary money." Katt said to herself.
She went over to his bed and sat down.
"I can't fall asleep on his bed like this!" Katt said, looking at her clothes. She had worn these all day, from the time she got the call from the General, to the time she was nearly shot down. All the day's excitement had gotten her a bit worked up.
"And I left my bag back in the Cat's Paw!" Katt said, knocking herself on her forehead with her palm. She contemplated whether or not she should go get her bag or not. After a while she decided. She went out into the hallway, looking for any sign that she could recognize to get back down to the docking bay. She couldn't see a thing.
"This is going to be difficult."
She couldn't think of much else to do, so she walked down the hallway. When she reached the door imprinted with the words "Living Area", she thought to herself.
Should I really ask him? He's obviously still annoyed with me. You heard him offer you his room. He's probably thinking 'What a smug bitch she is, waltzing in here, taking up space.'.
Katt sighed. She mustered up her courage and opened the door. She walked a couple of steps inward, looking for Falco was.
"Trouble sleeping?" a voice asked from the couch.
Katt jumped, her tail inflating several sizes larger.
"Uh, yeah. I didn't want to sleep on your bed in my street clothes." Katt explained. "I left my bag in my ship, too. You mind helping me out?" Katt asked.
Falco sat there, then got up.
"Sure." Falco said, leading the way. He walked down the hallway, Katt following closely behind. They then reached the green light that represented the docking bay.
"Is this the only room that has lights on all the time?" Katt asked.
"Just about." Falco said.
Katt went up to her ship and retrieved her bag. "Thanks, Falco."
"Yeah…yeah." Falco said with a yawn.
"Come on, you look like you could use some sleep." Katt said, pushing the avian ahead of her into the hallway. He led her back to the entrance of his room.
"Here ya go. G'night." Falco said.
"Falco, if you want, you can sleep in here. I don't mind. I could seriously sleep on the couch." Katt offered.
"No, Katt, I want you to sleep here. When we find the guest room, you can sleep in there. But for tonight, seriously, take my bed." Falco said, pushing the button to open the door. When the door opened, a luminescent green light shot out into the hallway.
"What's that?" Katt asked, walking into the room, trying to find the source of the light.
"I don't know." Falco responded, walking in after her.
Katt found the source of the light when she entered. It was coming from the window. When she went up to the window, she saw the source of the light.
"Is that Jatria?" Katt asked. The Great Fox had approached a large, green planet. The sun was reflecting off its surface, causing the planet to give off a bright green light.
"It's beautiful, isn't it Falco?" Katt asked, turning around. She saw Falco, asleep, his back against the wall.
"Really tired, huh?" Katt asked his unconscious body. "Come on."
She dragged his body over to his bed. "Sleep tight, big boy." She went over to his drawer to fetch a blanket for him. While walking over to the drawer, she noticed Jatria's light reflect off of something on his desk. It was a lock, placed upon one of the drawer's in the desk. Curious, Katt went over to it.
It took her only a second to pick the lock, using a pin she had in her bag. She opened the drawer. Inside was a single sheet of paper. She pulled it out, bringing it into a better light. It was a picture of the two of them, several years back, back when they still in the Academy. She stared at the picture for a while. When Falco stirred, she put it back in the drawer and locked it again. She got the blanket and draped it over Falco. She then went into the bathroom, finally able to clean up.
(The Great Fox – Morning)
Falco awoke with a nod. He felt warm, an odd sensation since the living area couch wasn't particular the best place to sleep. He opened his eyes. He was face down in a pillow. When he got up, he looked around. He was in his room.
When did I get here?
Suddenly, the comm. link next to Falco's door turned on, showing Fox's face once again.
"Hey, Falco, time to eat." Fox announced.
Falco left the room, confused.
I thought I was sleeping in the living area?
Falco entered the living area, everyone was stirring about, plates already set, waiting for the food to come out.
"About time you woke up!" Slippy said.
"Ready for the mission today?" Fox asked.
"Sure." Falco said. "Wait a sec. Where's Katt?"
"Over here." Katt said, entering the living area. She sat down across from Falco.
"Sleep well?" Katt asked.
"Yeah. What about you? Where'd you sleep?" Falco asked.
"Huh, me? In the guest room. Why?" Katt asked, tilting her head off to the side.
"N-nothing." Falco stammered.
"FOOD'S READY!!!" Peppy roared as he exited the Kitchen, Krystal following behind him with plates of food.
"Good, I'm ready to eat!" Slippy announced.
The team ate their food as quickly as they could. They were anxious to get to the planet. When they finished, they all went to the bridge, to announce their arrival at Jatria to the General. His head popped up again.
"Ah, Team StarFox! Made it to Jatria?" the General asked.
"Yessir, General. We'll be heading to the surface immediately." Fox said.
"Good. I forgot to mention. I sent over some help. Did she reach you al-" the General trailed off, Katt had stepped into view. "Ahh, Katt! If you're there, I assume you made it to Team StarFox in one piece, then?"
"You can assume all you want." Katt said, glancing at Falco.
"Ok, good. We need you to find these terrorists. All of Lylat may be in jeopardy again. Good luck StarFox." the General said, his head disappearing.
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Author's Notes: Intimate Chapter!! So much tension in the air tonight! I really like doing this. And I totally did this whole chapter in one day!!! Thank goodness for the faulty wiring in buildings. Total evacuation! Well, since I did this chapter at relatively short notice. I wouldn't expect reviews so soon. So, just telling you, the adventure starts next chapter. Jatria!! Planet of Mysteries!!! Not really, it's kinda straightforward. Wednesday's coming up, so that means, chapter overload. I'm expecting at least 3 chapters over the course of Thanksgiving weekend. Probably more. So here's to that!
No reviews, as previously mentioned.