Hey, everyone! Long time no update, right? I know, things have slowed down tremendously because of everything that's been going on in the tiny little pathetic life that I do have as of right now. There's family matters being sorted out, things I'm trying to keep sharp in athletically as well as musically, but most important, I'm doing pretty miserably in terms of my grades.

In a nutshell, I've been pretty braindead lately, and I encountered one of the worst cases of writer's block I've ever had while writing this stupid chapter... In fact, I got caught up in writing out a long chronicle meant to be added much later in the story instead of continuing from my previous leave-off. Why? Because I'm a big ole' moderately impatient procrastinator who gets himself distracted too easily.

And so, I apologize for the huge delay. I present to you the next part of A Destiny Entwined, open for reading and reviewing and so on, if any of you would care to (you know the drill, blah blah blah). Anyways, thanks for your patience and patronage. Oh, and one more thing... I also posted another story. It's a haunted gaming creepypasta about Mario, to be exact. If you wanna take a break from this crap and read a good campfire tale that I wrote eight months ago, look for "A Golden Memory" in my profile and you should see it. Again, thank you all, and happy reading to ya! Many more expressions of gratitude towards my reviewers thus far for giving me awesome feedback.

CHAPTER 11: Into the Frying Pan

"Cadavera… He's changed locations."

"I know. Regardless, we shall proceed normally."

"How so?"

"I'll see just what kind of potential he possesses…"

…

General Peppy stroked a few of the hairs on his chin as he sat hunched over in the chair of his office desk. His brows were furrowed while he stared at the mounds of papers in front of him, engrossed in heavy contemplation over the entire course of the conversation he had been having with his former teammates and with this mysterious new face. A small and low-toned 'hmmm' sound came from the old hare every now and again throughout the whole five minutes of utter silence that ensued after the three in front of him had finished explaining their case.

So there apparently was a new threat… As Sky had mentioned, this was much worse than Andross, the Aparoids, or the Anglars. Of course, it was hard to even imagine such a cataclysm considering how the Lylat was still in its recovery phase, but he knew from the lynx's honest tone that he couldn't just discard his theory and cast it as rubbish.

There was an army out to cause destruction… and their gigantic forces would soon impact the Lylat if enough time had passed. Peppy finally let out a thoroughly exhausted sigh and decided to wrap things up.

"So this… Siva…" He began, "How would you propose a method of defense for us Cornerians?"

The lynx blinked down at the ground with a concerned frown, but both Fox had spoken up in response, "Sky's the only one who can put a stop to them. Taking it to the skies wouldn't be so effective in this battle, I don't think… And from the way we saw everything, Siva's got a lot of pretty nasty foot soldiers on his side."

Sky looked up at everyone solemnly and spoke in a soft tone, "I… I can hold them off, or find some way to retard their progress… Fox is right: their methods of combat are stellar and hard to contest. I would only need your help to find enough time for locating a weakness."

Fox sat up straighter and nodded quickly towards the general, "I'm gonna take Sky in as a new Star Fox team member. In the meantime, I think our best strategy would be to prepare our own forces as much as possible for when Siva's here-"

At that moment, an alarm from Peppy's desk along with a brightly flashing red light caused everyone in the room to almost jump as the conversation was interrupted. The general flipped a switch that triggered a megaphone-toned voice from a speaker on the surface of his work space. The alarm ceased as the voice drowned over it excitedly with an urgent message.

"This is Peppy, what's the emergency?" The hare firmly responded.

The voice on the other end crackled with static, but each word that dribbled rapidly from the speaker's lips could still be distinguished, "Sir! It's Zoness!"

"Speak up, my friend. I'm gonna need more info than that."

"There's been a temperature spike in the planet's core! The amount of heat being generated is insane! Oh, and there's this… purple mist that's engulfing the atmosphere. There's been no major damage dealt yet, but we'd like to request permission to gather highly-ranked officials for investigation, Sir!"

"It would be easier if we sent in the Star Fox team. They've got the right tools for the job, and I just finished discussing some rather peculiar terms with the squadron over the past hour or two."

"But… Correct me if I'm wrong, Sir, but hasn't the team been reduced down to just two members?"

"They've actually acquired a new team member that might be a big help towards locating the source of the problem. I'll handle the transportation and supplies, they'll be deployed to handle things. In the meantime, while they're down there digging, there's something I need to announce to the whole of the Cornerian military from the headquarters building…"

"Yes, Sir."

"Peppy out." The static clicked off as the hare hung up his transmitter. He immediately stood up from his desk and looked around the room at Fox, Falco, and Sky as they were all on edge and bristling with anxiety and anticipation over their upcoming task. "I assume you heard everything. We'll pick this up later. For right now, I need you to prepare for some pretty rough conditions. You'll be travelling by one of our government aircrafts to the Zonessian atmosphere, and from there I'll give further instructions… Star Fox team, get ready."

With that, the three squad members stood up and made their way to the door. The last to leave was the lynx as he stopped at the exit and turned to face the hare with a final question.

"By the way, General… Where did you say my sword was again?"

Peppy, who had taken the rear of the pack, continued onward and led Sky out of his office in the direction of the elevator in the process, "Oh, my apologies. I'm gonna contact one of the officers here and they'll deliver it at the front desk of the headquarters on the double."

"Thank you, kindly," The lynx replied in relief. "It's a rather important item to me that I'll most likely need for this mission…"

"So, Sky! How does it feel to be a member of one of the most famous pilot squadrons in history?"

"Oh, um… It's…" He widened his eyes while an enthusiastic grin spread on his face as he searched for the right words, "It's really an honor! I'm greatly happy to serve and assist Fox and Falco."

"That's good. They'll definitely need you there," Peppy smiled while giving the lynx a brief and encouraging pat on the back. They took the elevator down to the first floor and stopped by the front desk in the main lobby of the headquarters, and Sky was very thankful to have Aegis's Tail in his possession once again after an officer carefully handed it to him as though it were a sensitive time bomb.

They have never witnessed black matter before… I am worried that there could be a mishap or looming tragedy in this reconnaissance.

The three-man squadron was escorted to an open hangar not far away from the main center, still within government precincts. Sky was brought into the spacious aircraft bay a bit later than his teammates as he decided to take things slow and note how much civilization had changed over the course of a decade compared to his former lifestyle… Or had Zelenoa and Div Sablast really progressed so primitively? He hadn't considered it at all primarily, but as he made his way outside, even if it was only a half mile to the transportation craft, the frighteningly evolved and state-of-the-art technology that surrounded him from all sides began to make him feel small and insignificant. He swallowed and focused his sight ahead of him, quickening his walking pace towards the giant bulky ship, Mercury III, designated for the team's journey to Zoness.

After everything was in place, once Fox, Falco and Sky were all situated comfortably, the ship's engines roared while its powerful thrusters proceeded to slowly lift the craft into midair. It exited its dock and blasted away from the Cornerian atmosphere into outer space on its way towards Zoness.

…

Fox's boots crunched onto the sand as he made a smooth landing from a two-story jump off the deck of the ship. Falco's pair of boots thudded a bit more softly a short distance away, then the small noise of squeaking rubber was made audible every time the two flexed or stretched any part of their body. The vulpine and avian were fully clad in suits that somewhat resembled the hazmat, but had qualities that were more weather-resistant and also contained very tiny air conditioning and heating units inside small control panels located externally on their stomachs so that they could easily cope with whatever temperature in almost any area imaginable. It was very recently developed by the science department of the main Cornerian military facility, and the Star Fox team was honored with getting to test them for the first time on their mission in Zoness.

Falco's voice sounded over the suit's intercom machination and echoed into Fox's helmet, "Hey, where's our flurry friend?"

Fox replied, "Let him take his time… I think some of this stuff might be a bit new for him."

As if on cue, a louder thud vibrated the sand around them as another figure in the same model suit made a rather sloppy entrance while rushing to catch up with his teammates. The lynx from within the third suit stood up quickly, regaining his posture and brushing a bit of sediment off his control panel as he shakily switched on his speaker, "Sky h… m read…"

"Wuzzat you said, Sky?" The pheasant turned around and tilted his head slightly in confusion. He then realized the problem, "Oh, wait a sec… You're not holding down the intercom button for long enough. Try it again."

The skin underneath the fur of Sky's face turned red from embarrassment as he fumbled around on the bottom of his electrical box on the outside, finally locating the small transmitter key and firmly pressing down with his gloved index finger. He spoke again, chuckling nervously, "Sky here, I'm ready."

"There ya go. Alright Fox, let's move."

The three began a small ascent up a sloped, sandy Zonessian shoreline. Mercury III had landed close to the waters, which reflected a sinister violet glow due to the dense particles spread throughout the atmosphere. Small beams of light broke through cracks in the dark clouds at almost a horizontal angle, indicating by their bright orange tint that it was most likely sunset in their current location. The heat index was absurdly blistering, most likely because of Zoness's core spike, which would have made surface conditions incredibly difficult to navigate without proper protection. Indeed, it was quite strange to see the normally placid planet swallowed spontaneously inside its current sphere of darkness, but the Star Fox team was undeterred and fully focused on locating the disturbance's source.

Sky, thoroughly uncomfortable, tried to become used to the drastic changes around him—the monstrous vehicle that had transported the lynx along with his teammates, the well-constructed and perfectly cubical edifices in Corneria that towered stories above him, the incredible amount of polished chrome and steel that every piece of seemingly exquisite technology possessed, the jolts and beeps of holograms and translucent lighting along with endlessly snaking limbs that surged with electricity to power the environment to life, the overall transition he was forced to make between walking upon soft earthy grounds teeming with wildlife to experiencing excessive aching in his feet from solid, perfectly flat surfaces… It was all a massive electrical tumult that would probably take a lot of time to adapt to for the primitive Zelenoan.

However much his new surroundings made him uneasy, Sky knew that he had to continue onward… He could somehow feel the heat radiating strongly from within Zoness's crust pulling him down like a second field of gravity… calling out to his spiritual essence.

This must have something to do with the black matter… I can feel its ominous presence. It's almost sickening.

Meanwhile, Fox led the pack further away from the shoreline and onto a vast plain of rotting vegetation… Thankfully, a considerable portion of the local population had already been evacuated and brought to neighboring planets for safety and security purposes and also to clear a pathway for the Star Fox team to proceed with their investigations. It was completely unknown what this baleful force could have the potential of doing to benefit or harm Zoness, but it seemed more reasonable to assume the latter.

Fox sighed nervously and felt a bead of precipitation creep its way down the fur of his cheek, even though conditions inside of his suit were fully normal. At first, he wasn't at all worried about the given circumstances of the task, but visions of his explorations within Sky's immense subconscious reminded him that he couldn't cast this mysterious occurrence aside as remnants of Aparoids or even remainders of Andross, which is what he and Falco were hoping would be the whole cause of Zoness's turbulence…

It could all start to fall into place if this weird cloud turned out to be related to that vortex that sucked us into that other galaxy in the first place. I wonder what this could be… The Lylat isn't really ready to be doomed by another apocalypse.

He tried to shoulder off his anxiety and keep trekking. Falco was clearly apprehensive as well, but he communicated the same determination to reach the goal. Sky brought up the rear closely behind, so the vulpine nodded and allowed himself to be instinctively guided onto the quickest route to the heat spring.

As their land voyage took the team further downward into steeply descending valleys and low elevations of more decayed plants and mammal remains, Fox generated another deliberation that left a faint trace of hope inside: if all that Sky had mentioned successfully caused everything to be connected by means of their "new threat," perhaps his team would be prepped for another exciting exploit where he could take to outer space once again in his beloved Arwing, or storm planet after planet in search of targets on land by employing his classic weaponry and combat skills that he and his former teammates had used to bring down both the Aparoids and the Anglars. It would be just like his golden days…

While the vulpine subconsciously and simultaneously kept a watch on his suit's gauges along with a three-dimensional geography plane displaying in a hologram at the corner of his helmet window to remind him periodically of his exact location, he continued to nostalgically reminisce the glorious moments he had experienced in the past regarding the victorious outcomes of his original journey from Corneria to Venom, or infiltrating the Aparoid home world, or completely exterminating and ridding the Lylat of every Anglar in existence that attempted to fathom the conquest of his galaxy. It brought a smile to his face and took his mind off the intense situation he and his current teammates were immersing themselves in.

He wanted it badly… Just once more. Fox (as well as the action-ready avian Falco) desperately wished he could relive that same experience. He ached for his long-lost adrenaline rushes and bursts of incredible action from navigating the stars to save the Lylat from destruction…

He also began thinking of his original teammates—Slippy, Peppy, but… more importantly, Krystal.

The vulpine's heart endured a harsh pang of emotional longing for his stunningly beautiful former mate. He knew throughout earlier months that he couldn't even let himself begin to imagine the times that they used to share… It all produced the same ending result every time: being brought painfully to tears. If there was anything he wished he could have done equally as much as reliving his glory days, it would most definitely have been finding Krystal and trying to persuade her to come back… to be by his side once more. He cursed himself, just as he had always done before, for acting so cruelly towards her near the end of the Anglar Wars and driving her away into a life of solitude.

He stopped himself before progressing deeper into his remorseful thinking, knowing it wouldn't provide any sort of benefit in the current state that he and his team were in. Instead, he reverted back towards the developing situation, letting his original faithful sentiments spring back into his head once he proposed the idea that perhaps this mission would create a threshold for more to follow, that it would conclude better than expected…

Perhaps Krystal could be found in the process as well. It could very well present a new and legitimate reason for her to reconsider rejoining the Star Fox team. Fox could talk to her then, and afterwards formally apologize for his previous actions when the time came.

At first, the vulpine felt a new wave of positively-charged energy pass through him as he suppressed himself from joyously leaping into the air in eager anticipation, but he was forced to refocus his attention to where he and his teammates had ventured while he was in his state of deep contemplation. A beeping noise echoed from within his helmet, and then the intercom sounded immediately after.

"Fox, this is Sky! Um… There is something up ahead!"

The vulpine swallowed and looked ahead. The three were standing near the entrance of a gaping vertical hole, almost right on the edge of the drop. Inside the top portion of the opening and around the its rim, the rocky sediment was molten and glowing red with what appeared to be boiling magma. The three, as they were located at the very bottom of a tremendous trough that stretched across the land for at least a few miles, gathered at the hole's perimeter and cautiously peered downward… Nothing was visible after a hundred feet, but it was noticeable that it didn't descend at an exactly vertical angle, but rather it progressed at an extremely steep, rocky slope supposedly deeper inside Zoness's crust.

Sky worriedly continued shortly after the observation was silently made, "I'm detecting larger amounts of heat within this gap… They're reliable readings because I can feel the presence of something gigantic in my spiritual half. I think this is the correct pathway."

Falco followed up, smirking as he turned briefly towards his teammates, "Well, are we just gonna stand here?"

"Heh, I don't think so," Fox grinned as he climbed down the ledge, sliding at a slow pace down the ashy path. "Let's heat things up, shall we?"