Chapter 6: Great Fox, one hour after Venomian boarding:

The last of the bags were placed by the airlock, joining the other bags that were waiting to be jettisoned. Dried blood covered the surface of each bag, giving away their contents. Isaac and Carver were against this at first, believing the bodies should be returned for proper burial, but they gave in when Fox explained that Venom couldn't be negotiated with, nor would they accept their fallen brethren.

Falco opened the first set of airlock doors, and the others moved the bodies inside. Once they were clear, Falco closed the doors and opened the second set. Through the door, they could hear the pressurized air being sucked into the void of space. After waiting for about a minute, Falco closed the airlock doors. With the deed done, they returned to the hangar to prepare for their next battle.

"Okay," Fox began, "The cleaning droids will take care of blood. In the meantime, I want everyone to arm up and report to the shuttle."

"You don't want Arwing support?" Falco asked.

"Not this time," Fox said, "Venom's hunkered down now, so we'll have to take the fight to them."

"As per usual," Miyu said.

She, Falco, Krystal, and Fox broke off and headed to the armory while Isaac and Carver continued to the hangar. Isaac brushed his fingers along his plasma cutter before replacing the battery with a new one. He would have to check with Slippy to see if he could make more for him since he was running low with his stash. Carver had put away his pulse rifle and armed himself with a Venomian rifle. His expression was cold, his eyes locked forward.

"Hey, you good?" Isaac asked.

"Yeah," Carver replied as they entered the hangar, "I just...that fight was pretty intense."

"It was," Isaac said, "They were more organized than the Unitologists."

"Well, the Unitologists aren't exactly stable," Carver said. Isacc gave an amused huff in response.

They walked towards the shuttle, its hull now bearing some scorch marks from the battle. Above them, Fay and Slippy were on the catwalks, making repairs on the Arwings. Sparks fell as Fay installed a new panel on Falco's Arwing. An impact wrench echoed through the hangar, coming from Slippy while he worked to remove the damaged engine from Krystal's Arwing.

Isaac and Carver walked inside the shuttle and sat down in a couple chairs behind the pilot seats, waiting patiently for the others to join them. They sat in silence, mentally preparing for the mission. This would be the first time in a while they entered a space station that wasn't filled with necromorphs. They were afraid the tight corridors would bring flashbacks and compromise the mission. As such, they spent the time calming their nerves, convincing themselves that with the Moon dead, the necromorph threat was over.

The silence was broken by the sounds of voices. Isaac looked out of the shuttle door and saw Fox, Falco, Krystal, and Miyu entering the hangar, each carrying a large rifle. Falco also had a rocket launcher strapped to his back. Each of their vests had several grenades attached.

"That's alotta fire power," Carver said when they arrived at the shuttle.

"We don't know what's inside the structure," Fox said, "So we're not taking any chances."

He and Falco stepped inside the shuttle and sat down in the pilot seats. Krystal and Miyu took their places behind Isaac and Carver. At the front, Fox and Falco began prepping the shuttles instruments. The door beside the shuttle opened, revealing another smaller hangar. The shuttle slowly began to move inside the room.

"Slippy, we're ready for launch," Fox said through the shuttle's radio, "Get ready to open the door for us."

"Copy that, Fox," Slippy replied.

Once the shuttle was fully inside the smaller hangar, the door to the main hangar closed and Fox started the shuttle's engines.

"We're in position," he said, "Open the door, Slippy."

"Opening the door," he replied.

A red light flashed above the door. A white mist appeared as the hangar depressurized. Seconds later, the door in front of them opened. Fox powered up the engines and the shuttle slowly rose from the hangar floor. He guided the shuttle out of the hangar and into the blackness of space. He carefully steered around the wreckage of the Venomian boarding ships and turned towards the moon. Passing the burnt-out hulls of the Venomian fighters, Fox slowed the shuttle to stop.

"Falco, arm the turret," he said. A loud clunk was heard from the ceiling, followed by mechanical whirring.

"Turret's armed and ready," he said.

"Alright, I'm taking us in," Fox said, "Keep an eye on the scopes."

They continued towards the moon, weaving in and out of debris fields. The closer they got to the moon's surface, the easier it became to spot the structure. From where they were, they could see a massive hangar and several more buildings, all connected by enclosed hallways.

"That thing's huge," Miyu said, "What do you think they're doing?"

"I don't know," Fox replied, "But given the large number of fighters and the frigates, it must be something important."

"Speaking of fighters," Falco began, "I'm surprised they haven't any out."

"How many did you guys destroy?" Fox asked.

"About twenty of the thirty that were present," he replied.

"And by the size of that hangar, they should have more than thirty," Miyu pointed out.

"Well, let's keep our fingers crossed and hope they don't spot us," Fox said.

He angled the shuttle downward and continued towards the structure. As they approached, Isaac studied the structure. Most of the buildings seemed rather mundane, except for the tower in the center. The blue metal struck a chord of familiarity in his mind. It took a few moments for the memories to come back, but when they did, a chill ran down his spine. The tower resembled the Government Sector of Titan Station.

Isaac couldn't believe his eyes. His grip on his seat tightened, a cold sweat covering his skin. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He told himself it was just a coincidence, like the Waste Management building. But something was telling him this time was different.

Before he could dwell on it more, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Krystal giving him a concerned look. He smiled at her and gently took her hand, giving it a soft squeeze. She smiled back and lightly scratched his suit with her claws. Isaac rubbed her hand with his thumb, taking a glance at Carver.

He was sitting completely still, staring blankly out of the shuttle glazing. Isaac wondered if he recognized the tower as well. Though, he'd been acting strange since they jettisoned the bodies of the Venomian boarders. While Isaac had been against that as well, Carver was the one who took it the hardest, as anyone with a military background would. Isaac knew he'd have to talk with him, make sure he was alright. For now, he would leave him be. Carver, meanwhile, was rather troubled by his thoughts, just not by what Isaac assumed.

After their meeting on the bridge, Carver pulled Fay aside to see if she was okay. The battle had clearly been hard on her. He remembered when he entered the generator room, she'd wrapped him in a tight hug, crying her eyes out. Carver overheard Miyu saying Fay had never been in combat before, so it was clear she'd been traumatized by the experience. As such, he needed to make sure she was okay. It should've been a quick talk, one he'd used on fellow soldiers before. But what happened at the end, played in his mind over and over:

The bridge door opened, and everyone departed the bridge.

"Alright," Fox began, "We need to gather the bodies of the Venomians and bring them into the hangar."

"What are we gonna do with 'em?" Carver asked.

"I'll figure it out when we're done," Fox replied, "But let's this done so we can strike before Venom regroups."

"Alright," Carver said.

They continued towards the hangar, walking in silence. The battle had been intense, several of them having a brush with death, and all of them were tense. Fox himself had not fully recovered from his injury, but he insisted on leading the attack on the structure. Miyu and Krystal were walking close to Isaac, one on either side of him. The sight reminded Carver that he had someone to tend to.

In front of him was Fay, walking with her head and shoulders down. He could tell by her slow steps she was still distraught over the earlier battle. He knew what he needed to do. He tapped her on the shoulder. She turned her head, a small smile appearing on her muzzle. He motioned his head to the side, and she understood what he meant. Both stepped away from the group. Fox noticed and stopped walking.

"You two okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," Carver replied, "We just need to talk about something. We'll catch up in a sec."

"Okay, but don't be too long," Fox said, he and others resuming their trek to the hangar. Once they were alone, Carver began his talk.

"How are you holding up, Fay?" he asked.

"Better," she replied, "Thanks for what you did back there, John. I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

"It's okay," Carver said, "I overheard Miyu saying it was your first time in combat."

"It was," Fay said in a whisper.

"I can tell you from experience, the first time is the hardest," Carver said. Fay sighed, casting eyes to the floor. Carver wrapped an arm around her.

"How long till it goes away," she asked.

"It never does," Carver replied, "It sticks with you, but it gets easier as time goes on."

"But it was...," Fay began, her voice breaking, "I killed some of them!"

"You did what you had to do," Carver said softly, "Sometimes you can't do anything else. It's not your fault." Fay wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Thank you, John," she said.

"You're welcome, Fay," he replied, "If you need to talk some more, don't hesitate."

"Okay," she said. Carver huffed in response.

"Come on," he said, patting her back, "Let's join the others." He removed his arm from her shoulders and turned to walk away.

"John," Fay said, stopping him in his tracks.

"What's up?" he asked.

Instead of responding, Fay stepped up to him and wrapped him in a hug. Carver was surprised but returned her hug. Fay raised her head and looked into his eyes. Then, she stood on the tips of her toes and planted her lips on his.

Carver was stunned, not reacting at first. He was not expecting such an intense display of affection, but he welcomed it. He squeezed Fay tighter and leaned into the kiss. Though a little awkward due to her muzzle, he pushed through the feeling and rubbed his hands down her back, Fay doing the same.

A full minute later, they released themselves from the kiss, staring into each other's eyes. They stood in silence, their minds catching up with what'd just happened. After a moment of awkward silence, Fay cleared her throat.

"I uh, think we should..." she began.

"Join the others?" Carver asked.

"Yeah, let's go," Fay replied.

They turned and headed to the hangar, not a word said between them.

As the memory looped in his mind, Carver tried to make sense of what he was feeling. There was no doubt now that Fay was in love with him, but he didn't know how he felt about it. On the one hand, despite their differences, he found her attractive, and her friendly demeanor was good company. But on the other hand, he still wasn't over Damara.

The loss of her and Dylan still weighed heavily on his shoulders. Despite several years passing, he remained so cold to the world around him, refusing to let anyone in. But that started to change with Fay. He remembered the way she looked at him the night he arrived, the blush on her face clearly visible when she looked away. He brushed it off, thinking she was just fascinated by the fact he was an alien.

That changed quickly, however, as she became more open and affectionate. And he himself started to open up, coming to enjoy her presence. Then, he started to notice her figure. He'd pondered it the day before, but seeing her in the gym, dressed in her tight bra and shorts, made him stare. He tried to push it from his mind, but it kept coming back, making him question how he felt. Now with the kiss, his mind was all over the place. A hand shoulder pulled him from his head.

"You good, Carver?" he heard Isaac ask. He turned to look at him, seeing the worry present on his face.

"I'm good," he replied, "Just thinking about the mission." Isaac accepted that, turning back towards the shuttle's glazing, the structure nearly filling the entire view now.

Carver let out a sigh. He was not ready to talk about what happened. Instead, he tried to clear his mind, running his fingers across the smooth metal of his rifle while a new feeling crept along his nerves. He soon recognized it, the feeling of being watched. He turned around and saw Krystal staring at him, a knowing look on her face. She gave him a nod before moving her gaze to Isaac.

Carver turned back around, his mind racing once again. He thought back to the talk with Fay after they left the gym. There, she had mentioned that Krystal was a telepath. With that thought present, he could easily assume she knew exactly what had happened between them. Hopefully, she wouldn't say anything about it, giving him the time he needed to sort out his emotions. He stared out the glazing, watching them slowly approach the structure.

"I'm gonna put us in there," Fox said to Falco, pointing towards the hanger, "Once we're inside, shoot anything that moves."

"Oh, I can do that," Falco said, flexing his feather on his control stick.

Fox activated the shields and carefully maneuvered the shuttle over the top of the hangar and towards the force field that protected its interior from the vacuum of space. Through the haze, they could see parked fighters along with their crews attending them. A couple boarding ships, and some troop transports were housed near the back of the hangar. Lines of soldiers were walking up their loading ramps, armed to the teeth. Numerous others were standing guard amongst the hangar floor.

Moving down to the center of the force field, Fox slipped the shuttle inside. Immediately, Falco aimed the turret downwards and opened fire upon the oblivious Venomians. Several fighters burst into flames and their crew's crumpled to the floor. The survivors opened fire on the shuttle, the bolts of plasma absorbed by the shuttle's shields. Across the hangar, one of the transports fired up its engines and slowly rose from the floor.

"Falco! The transport!" Fox exclaimed.

"I got it!" Falco replied, aiming the turret at the transport ship.

Green lasers tore through its hull, turning the metal into molten slag. The Venomians bellow it scattered to avoid getting burned, ducking behind any cover they could find. The hangar's fire suppression system had activated, covering the floor in foam. Thick, black smoke filled the bay, making it hard to see the remaining Venomians. With that, Fox decided to set the shuttle down.

"Everyone, don your helmets," he said, unstrapping himself from the pilot's seat.

Isaac and Carver activated their suit's helmets while the others went to nearby lockers and pulled out their respective helmets, quickly slipping them over their heads. Fox moved to the door, the others readied their weapons and took their place behind him. He opened the door, and they funneled out into the hangar.

The Venomians were in frenzy from the surprise attack that they didn't notice them, and they used that to their advantage. Fox, Falco, and Carver split off towards the remaining fighters while Isaac, Krystal, and Miyu moved to the boarding ships. The smoke had grown thicker by the minute, and they had to rely on their suit's pingers to see their locations.

Fox and Falco gunned down a Venomian who had spotted them. His body fell to the floor, his flesh smoldering. Carver used the stock of his rifle to knock out an unarmed engineer. A soldier stumbled out from behind a burning fighter, aiming his rifle at him. Carver dodged the plasma bolts and put several plasma bolts into his chest. He crept to the Venomian's body, checking his vitals. Finding he had passed, Carver moved around the fighter, looking through the smoke for Fox and Falco. Passing another burning fighter, he spotted an injured mechanic dragging themself away from the wreckage, a rag pressed against their face. Their left leg had several pieces of shrapnel stuck into the flesh, and another rag was tied just above their knee.

Carver ran over and crouched down by their side. The mechanic, a female leopard, scurried away from him. He set his rifle down and held up his hands, showing he meant no harm. The leopard stared at him, her body trembling. Carver produced a small health pack from his RIG and pointed at her leg. She stared at him for a few moments before giving him a nod.

Setting the pack down beside her, Carver examined her wound. He winced at the sight of the jagged metal protruding from her skin, knowing it would be painful to remove. The smaller cuts that were present had stopped bleeding and would require little attention. Carver looked the leopard in the face.

"I'm going to remove the shrapnel," he said, "It's going to hurt."

The leopard's eyes widened, but she nodded. Carver opened the pack and pulled out a pair of tweezers and a packet of Quick Clot. Blaster fire nearby made him look over his shoulder. He could see several figures moving through the smoke, but he couldn't tell who was who. He needed to work quickly.

He tore her pant leg open and began to remove the shrapnel. Her cries of pain were muffled by the rag, her claws scratching the metal as she forced herself to remain still. Once the shrapnel was removed, Carver opened the Quick Clot and poured the powder into the wounds. The leopard groaned in pain, her vision beginning to fade. Seeing this, Carver quickly bandaged the wound and injected a pain killer.

Footsteps approached their location, a figure appearing in the smoke. Carver grabbed his rifle and aimed it at the figure. They stopped and held their arms up, dropping their rifles on the floor.

"Hold your fire!" Falco exclaimed. Carver lowered his rifle.

"Falco," he said, "I need your help here." Falco came over and spotted Carver crouching next to the unconcious leopard.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"She's wounded," Carver replied, "We need to get them away here and to a med bay."

"What!? We don't have time for that!" Falco said, "Just leave her there!"

"I'm not leaving her in the middle of a battle!" Carver snapped.

"What else are we gonna do!?" Falco snapped back, "The whole damn hangar's on fire, and there's no med bay on the shuttle!"

Before Carver could retort, two Venomian soldiers stumbled from the other side of the burning fighter. One fell to the floor while the other fired widely when he saw them, he shots flying past their heads. Falco and Carver returned fire, dropping him where he stood.

Behind him, another figure appeared. Falco fired several lasers at it, the figure stumbling back behind the fighter. Falco moved in to finish them off before a frantic voice stopped him.

"Hold your fire, Falco!" Fox shouted.

"Identify yourself next time!" Falco shouted back.

Fox stepped around the fighter, the barrel of his rifle glowing orange. He looked over and watched Carver gently pick up a fallen Venomian, cradling them in his arms.

"What are you doing with them?" he asked.

"I'm getting her out of here," Carver replied.

"She's Venomian," Fox said.

"And a wounded noncombatant," Carver countered. Fox was about to object, but he relented.

"Alright, take her to the shuttle," he said.

Carver quickly made his way through the smoke and back to the shuttle. Falco and Fox watch him disappear in the haze. Falco turned to Fox.

"Are we really gonna allow this?" he asked.

"Look, Carver's right about her being a noncombatant," Fox replied, "We may be mercenaries, but we have to follow the rules."

He placed a hand and Falco's shoulder and slowly turned him around. He then pointed to several burnt bodies. Falco squinted his eyes as he focused on the bodies, realizing seconds later they were more ground crew.

"We killed enough of them today," Fox said solemnly. Falco sighed in defeat.

"Fine," he said, "Let's check in on the others." Fox nodded and tuned his suit's radio.

"Krystal, Miyu report," he said.

"Uh, we could use some help here!" Miyu shouted over the sound of blaster fire.

"Copy, we're on our way!" Fox replied, "Let's move!" He and Falco ran across the hangar, navigating through the smoke and burning wreckage.

Miyu ducked behind a fighter as a stream of red plasma flew over her head. She stuck her rifle out from cover and held the trigger till an overheat warning appeared in her visor. She pulled her rifle back behind cover, waving her hand above it to cool it down. She growled in frustration, her patience wearing thin.

She, Krystal, and Isaac had been under near constant fire since they split from the others. They'd managed to push the Venomians back, but they were now pinned down by the re-enforcements. A lucky Venomian had disabled Krystal's rifle, leaving her with just her staff. Isaac's plasma cutter had been very effective, but he'd put it away to conserve his limited ammo. Now, he was using a rifle from a fallen soldier.

"We can't hold them off much longer!" Krystal shouted, firing a blast from her staff, "Where are the others!?"

"They said they're on their way!" Miyu replied, firing her cooled rifle at a chimp.

The roar of ship engines drowned out the sound of the battle. Through the smoke, the outline of a transport ship slowly passed over them, heading towards the force field. Another transport, along with a boarding ship followed behind.

"Oh shit!" Miyu shouted, "They're evacuating!"

"Can we shoot them down!?" Isaac asked, ducking behind a large box to avoid a bolt pf plasma to the face.

"Not with our weapons!" Miyu replied.

The Venomians began pressing their attack, forming a firing line. A few of them laid down suppressive fire while the others closed in. The constant stream of plasma forced Miyu, Krystal, and Isaac behind cover. Molten slag flew through the air, missing them by inches. They clutched their weapons tight, preparing for a last stand.

Cries of pain came from the Venomians, their suppressive fire ceasing. Miyu peeked over her cover, seeing the remaining soldiers shooting at something behind them. Realizing what was happening, she used the opportunity to kill several Venomians. Krystal and Isaac soon joined in, the soldiers withering under the combined fire. Knowing the battle was lost, the surviving Venomians fled from the scene toward an open door nearby. The sound of blaster fire faded away, a heavy silence falling over the hangar. After a few seconds of this silence, the familiar shapes of Fox and Falco appeared from the smoke, stepping over the smoldering bodies. Miyu, Krystal, and Isaac emerged from cover, moving to greet them.

"You guy's alright?" Fox asked.

"We're good," Miyu replied.

"Hey, where's Carver?" Isaac asked when he noticed he was missing.

"He's tending to a survivor," Falco replied.

"What survivor?" Miyu asked.

"Some Venomian ground crew," Fox replied, "He was insistent we help her."

"We should check for more," Isaac suggested.

"We don't have time," Fox said, "We need to shut this place down."

"I know," Isaac said, "But if some are still alive, we can't leave them to die. I mean, they're people, too." Fox sighed, rubbing the visor of his helmet.

"I understand that," he said, "But we don't have the resources or the manpower to treat the wounded."

"Can't we call in some backup?" Isaac asked.

"We could," Fox replied, "I don't know if they'll get here in time, though. But I'll give it a try."

He stepped away from them, putting a call in through his radio. Carver appeared through the smoke around the same time. He questioned what Fox was doing and the others filled him in. They waited for Fox to finish his call, keeping an eye on the door the Venomians fled through. The entire time, the hangar remained mostly silent, the only sound coming from the flames. Fox turned back towards the group, his rifle draped over his shoulder.

"Alright," he began, "I got in contact with a CDF outpost planet side, and they said they'd send a few ships and some medical teams. It'll be about two hours till they get here. In the meantime, Command wants us to press forward."

"Wouldn't it be better to wait?" Carver asked.

"It would be," Fox replied, "But they want us to check things out first."

"Sounds good," Carver said.

"Right, let's move out," Fox said.

They readied their weapons and moved towards the door. Fox and Falco took point, their rifles at low ready as they approached the doorway. They took up positions on either side, the others filing up behind Falco. He and Fox slid around the wall, their rifles pointed down a dimly light hallway. They waited a few moments for any signs of life. Fox raised his arm and with his fingers, motioned them down the hall.

Falco moved first, followed by Fox. Carver took up position behind him while Isaac, Krystal, and Miyu followed behind Falco. They quietly moved to the entrance of the hall, passing numerous locked doors as they went. The walls further in had some panels missing, the toolboxes on the floor beneath them had their tools scattered around. The heavy silence of the hall made the trek even more tense.

"Where the hell did they go?" Falco whispered.

"Don't know," Fox replied, "Just keep an eye out."

They continued down the hall, eventually coming to a T intersection. Clean spots on the wall suggested there were directories, but they had been removed.

"Figures they would do that," Falco grumbled.

"Looks like we'll have to split, again," Fox sighed, "Same as before?"

"Sounds good," Falco replied. He, Fox, and Carver took the right path while Miyu, Krystal, and Isaac headed left.

"Miyu, make sure you guys' report anything you guys find," Fo radioed.

"Copy that," she replied.

She and Krystal crept down the hallway while Isaac covered the rear. The hall more brightly lit than the previous one, but it was still quite dim. Most of the doors were unlocked, but they were mostly empty rooms and storage closets. Eventually, they came to a door labeled Radio Room 2. Miyu pressed her ear against the door.

"I hear voices," she said, "There's at least three in there."

"What's the plan?" Isaac asked.

"Uh," Miyu said, thinking of a plan.

"Should we report it to Fox first?" Krystal asked, "See how he wants us to handle it?"

"Yeah, sure," Miyu replied pressing her suit's radio button, "Fox, we've come across a radio room, how do we proceed?"

"Is the room occupied?" he asked.

"Yes," Miyu replied, "I heard at least three inside."

"Copy," Fox said, "You cleared to engage."

"Can do," Miyu said, ending the call.

"What did he say?" Krystal asked.

"He said we could engage," Miyu replied, "So we'll, uh," she stopped for a moment before grabbing a flashbang off her suit, "When we open the door, I'll toss this inside, then we'll rush in while they're blinded."

"That'll work," Isaac said, positioning himself just outside the door, Krystal behind him.

Miyu moved to the door, resting her finger against the open button. She looked at the others, and they gave her a nod to signal they were ready. She pushed the button and the door slid up to the ceiling, catching the attention of the room's occupants. Before they could react, Miyu pulled the pin to the flashbang and tossed it inside.

"Grenade!" a voice shouted, followed by a deafening explosion.

Miyu immediately charged into the room, firing several bolts from her rifle, Isaac and Krystal running in behind her. Isaac tackled a chimp to the ground, wrapping him in a choke hold. The chimp struggled to break free, landing an elbow that nearly made Isaac lose his grip. Above him, Krystal fired her staff, killing the remaining Venomian. She retracted her staff, slipping it on her belt before helping him with the struggling chimp.

Grabbing one of his arms and they forced the chimp to his knees. Miyu searched the room, the flashlight on her rifle flowing over the various consoles. Seeing no one else, she walked over the other two, setting her eyes on the chimp. Stopping in front of him, she lowered herself to meet his eyes.

"I assume you know why we're here?" she asked.

"Stickin' your nose where it fuckin' doesn't belong!" the chimp sneered, "You Cornerians think you own Lylat! You're nothing but scum!" Miyu flicked him in the nose, making him wince.

"Temper, temper," she said, "Now, tell us what you are doing here."

"I ain't telling you shit," the chimp said. Miyu nodded and stepped away.

"Krystal," she said, "If you please."

"As you wish," Krystal said, "Isaac, keep him still."

"Right," he replied, tightening his grip.

Krystal released her hold and removed her helmet, placing herself in front of the chimp. Staring into his eyes, she put her hands on the side of his head. The chimp stiffened and groaned in pain as she peered into his mind. After a few seconds, Krystal removed her hands. The chimp went slack in Isaac's arms, and he slowly lowered him to the floor. Miyu helped Krystal to her feet, giving her support while she regained her bearings.

"You alright Krystal?" Isaac asked, joining Miyu at her side.

"Yes," she replied, "It's been a while since I had to do that."

"What did you do?" Isaac asked, staring at the unconscious chimp.

"I read his mind" Krystal replied.

"And?" Miyu asked.

"They're building a spy station," Krystal replied.

"Spy station? Thought it'd be something more grand," Miyu said, taking off her helmet and clipping it to her belt, "Anything else?"

"There's a small research team here as well," Krystal said, "But he doesn't know why they're here."

"Okay," Miyu said, rubbing her chin.

"So, where do we start?" Isaac asked.

"I'll report this to Fox," Miyu replied, "Then we'll go from there." She moved a few feet away to radio Fox.

"Fox, come in," she said. The sound of blaster fire filled her radio's speaker.

"Kind of busy!" Fox curtly replied before ending the call. Miyu sighed and turned back to Isaac and Krystal.

"What did he say?" Krystal asked.

"Apparently, he's in a firefight right now," Miyu replied, "So, we're on our own."

"Shouldn't we help Fox?" Isaac asked.

"If he needed our help, he would have said so," Miyu replied, "For now, let's disable the comms, then find the research team."

She turned towards one of the consoles and smashed the screen with the butt of her rifle. Krystal extended her staff and destroyed another console. Isaac slipped his hands under the unconscious chimps' arms and dragged him across the room, setting him down behind some crates in the corner. He strolled across the room toward an undamaged console.

The screen displayed several warning messages, a few of them requesting a maintenance team. Isaac tapped on one of the messages, reading the words that scrolled across the screen. The message stated power and communications were being rerouted to another comm station, and that encrypted messages were being transferred to a new server.

"Hey, look at this," he said, waving Krystal and Miyu over. They quickly jogged to his side.

"Huh," Miyu said, staring at the screen.

"So, we have another comm station to deal with," Krystal muttered.

"It says here they're being downloaded," Isaac pointed out, "Looks like to a portable hard drive."

"Damn. Guess they're trying to pack up and leave," Miyu said, "Can you see where they're going?" Isaac tapped the screen a couple times, going to a new window.

"It's at the second comm station," he replied, "Down the hall and to the right."

"Does it say anything about the research team?" Krystal asked.

"Uh, not that I can see," Isaac replied, "But I'll make an educated guess and say those encrypted files might belong to them." Krystal cocked an eye at him.

"Can you trust that assumption?" she asked.

"Not really," Isaac replied, "But it's all I got."

"And that's all we might get," Miyu chimed in, "Let's get at it."

She, Isaac, and Krystal left the room and returned to the hallway. They headed further down to another T intersection, going right towards the second comm station. The lack of resistance unnerved them, especially knowing that Fox and the others were under attack. They wondered if that was a distraction, something for Venom to buy some time. They hoped Fox and the others weren't in too much trouble.

But, as it turned out, they were in a lot of trouble. Fox was pinned down behind a storage crate, its structure half melted by the constant bolts of plasma striking its surface. Falco managed to get a couple lucky shots on a black bear armed with a rotary cannon but was forced back into cover. Carver was just ahead of Fox and Falco, hiding behind a cabinet. He stuck his rifle around the side and fired, hoping to force the soldiers into cover.

"Fox! We can't keep this up!" he shouted.

"I know!" Fox shouted in reply, "The CDF radioed earlier, said a patrol ship arrived! I told them we could use the backup!"

"How long!?" Carver asked.

"Ten Mike!" Fox replied.

"We may not have that!" Falco said, killing another Venomian.

"Just keep firing!" Fox said.

He peeked from cover and fired several bolts toward the advancing soldiers. He managed to drop one before being forced back into cover. He was starting to regret cutting Miyu off, he should've asked for their help. He didn't know if she and the others were still in the comm station or if they'd moved on. He doubted if they'd be able to find them in time. All he, Falco, and Carver could do now was hold out until the CDF arrived.

Across the station, Miyu, Krystal, and Isaac stopped just outside the second comm station. The three of them hide behind a storage crate, Miyu peeking around the crate. She watched a large group of soldiers walk inside the room, followed by another group in lab coats. Several more soldiers stood outside the door. They weren't very attentive, but they were heavily armed.

"What do you see?" Krystal asked.

"A group of soldiers and some scientist lookin' people just went inside the comm station," Miyu replied, "And we get six guards by the door."

"So, we can't fight our way in?" Isaac asked.

"I wouldn't risk it," Miyu replied.

"We have to get in there before Venom escapes," Krystal said, "There must be something."

"I... give me a sec," Miyu muttered, tapping her fingers while she thought of a plan.

Isaac, meanwhile, was thinking of a plan of his own. A look at the ceiling revealed several large cables trailing back down the hall. He followed the cables, seeing they went in the direction of the comm station before breaking off into multiple smaller cables. A few went into the room, one went down to the door, and four were attached to a junction box on the opposite wall.

From this, Isaac figured he could tamper with the cables and blow the junction box. It wouldn't kill anyone, but it would provide a big enough distraction for them to move in unnoticed. That was the idea, anyway. He peeked around Miyu, seeing the guards were still lounging about. He turned and quietly began shuffling down the hall. Krystal was quick to notice.

"Isaac, where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm gonna follow those cables," he replied, pointing at the cables above them, "Maybe I can cut it at the source, create a distraction."

"Wait, hold on," Miyu said, joining the conversation, "You're not gonna go on own, are you?"

"It would be better to have you two here," Isaac replied, "That way, you can hit them when the power gets cut."

"Isaac, I don't think you should do this," Krystal said, "It's a bad idea."

"Stick around," Isaac said, "I'm full of bad ideas."

He turned and continued down the hall, staying in a crouch to avoid being seen. Miyu and Krystal watched him as he went. They shared a glance, Krystal giving her a questioning look.

"Unless you've got a better plan," Miyu said in response.

Krystal sighed and looked back at Isaac, who was almost out of view. With him being an engineer, she had no doubt that he knew what he was doing, but that did little to calm her nerves. She didn't sense any resistance on their way here, and that struck her as odd. With how large the station was, there had to be more Venomians somewhere. She prayed that Isaac wouldn't walk into an ambush.

"Please be careful," she whispered.

The hall was just as silent as it was before, but now that Isaac was alone, it was almost suffocating. He could feel the flashbacks from the Ishimura and Titan Station trying to force their way in. He stopped for a moment, taking a few deep breaths to steady his nerves. Once he was calm, he continued his trek down the hall. He walked for several more minutes, stopping outside a locked door. He glanced at the ceiling, seeing that the cables led inside. He looked back down to the keypad.

"Okay, let's see what we got," he mumbled.

He raised his rifle and gave the keypad a few thumps with the buttstock, partially detaching it from the wall. He pulled it off completely and studied the various wires behind it. Isaac gently tugged on a couple wires till they detached from the pad. Touching the frayed ends together sent sparks flying towards his helmet. The pad beeped and momentarily flashed green. Isaac touched the wires again, and this time the pad stayed green longer, but turned red again.

"Come on!" Isaac said through clenched teeth.

He touched the ends a third, the pad flashing green, and this time it stayed. Isaac pressed the button at the pad and the door opened. He looked both ways down the hall before he shouldered his rifle and stepped inside.

Like the rest of the station, the room was dimly lit, with only a couple of lights and computer screens illuminating the darkness. Isaac slowly made his way through the room, following the wires on the ceiling. They eventually led to a power junction box on the far side of the room. Isaac headed to the box, sweeping both sides of the room with his rifle. The feeling that he wasn't grew more intense by the second.

Stopping at the junction box, he leaned his rifle against the wall and carefully pried the cover open. Inside was a mess of wires, as if someone had stuffed a handful inside without a care in the world. Isaac sighed in frustration and began untangling the wires. He didn't make it far before a voice made him freeze.

"Isaac," it said.

The voice. He recognized that voice. The same one he tried to save, the same haunted his dreams. He slowly turned around, seeing no one there. He reached down to his wrist and activated his plasma cutter from his RIG. He quietly stepped away from the box, flicking his cutter's flashlight on.

"Nicole," he whispered, eyes darting between the few desks in the room.

His breathing becoming heavy. No matter how many times this happened, no matter how many times he told himself it wasn't real, these hallucinations still shook him to his core. Especially when he didn't understand why they were happening. First the nightmares, and now this. Maybe he and Carver wouldn't catch a break after all.

Isaac was pulled from his thoughts by a new sound. He aimed his plasma cutter towards it, the three lasers resting on a nearby computer. The screen was flashed with distorted images, so bad in fact he couldn't make out what they were. He walked over to the computer, glancing over his shoulder as he went. Once he reached the computer, Isaac leaned forward and stared at the screen. The distorted images continued to flash across the screen, accompanied by a soft static emanating from the it's speakers. Isaac focused on the images, trying to make them out. When he did, he was puzzled by what he saw.

The images showed a jungle, with a large temple looming in the distance. Closing inspection revealed large shadows moving through the brush, took quick for identification. The next few images were angled more towards the sky, and what Isaac saw horrified him.

Above the temple was a Brethren Moon, its flailing tentacle plunging into the trees around it. More shadows, along with trees and large rocks, were being pulled up to the moon, the blurry screen again preventing Isaac from seeing what species the shadows were. He slowly backed away from the computer, his mind going in a million different directions.

"No, no, no!" he panted, his heart racing, "That can't be real! There can't be another moon!"

A loud crash from behind made him jump, causing him to fire a bolt of plasma into the computer. He wheeled around and fired another bolt, destroying a desk and another computer across the room. The plasma cutter rattled in his hands, the beam of the flashlight shifting between the remaining desks. After standing still for moments, Isaac quietly moved to the burning desk.

Grey smoke was starting to cloud the area, slowly spreading throughout the room. Isaac kept his cutter aimed on the spot, the smoldering wood never leaving his gaze. He froze when he heard a soft whimper to his left. He turned and a small figure crouching down next to a small filing cabinet. He didn't need long to know who it was, the blonde hair giving away their identity.

"No," Isaac said, "Get out of my head."

Nicole slowly stood up, staring him in the face. Her skin was grey and bloodied, and her eyes were white, glowing circles. The two of them stood motionless, staring into each other's eyes. After a minute, Nicole took a small step forward.

"Isaac," she whispered.

"I said, get out of my head," Isaac said through clenched teeth, "You're not fooling me again. You're not Nicole!"

Nicole shrieked and tackled Isaac to the floor, the impact dazing him. She pinned his arms and let out another distorted shriek, the skin on her face falling off. Her jaw split and latched itself onto his helmet. Isaac freed one of his arms and struck her on the head, knocking her off.

Isaac jumped to his feet and aimed his cutter at Nicole. Before he could shoot, he was hit from behind. He stumbled and fell back down to the floor, his helmet flying several feet away. He rolled away just in time to avoid a familiar appendage slamming into floor, putting a deep gouge in the metal. Now on his back, he aimed his cutter at the silhouetted slasher and fired, blowing off one of its arms. He scrambled to his feet and hit the slasher with stasis. He aimed at the slasher's left leg.

A force slammed into his side and pinned him against a desk. Isaac felt a hand wrapped around his neck. Nicole's face appeared in front of him, shrieking so loud it made his ears ring. He grabbed her wrist and forced her hand off his neck. He placed his cutter against the side of her head, but she grabbed his wrist and forced it away. Isaac struggled in her grasp, firing a bolt into the ceiling. Nicole forced his arm to his side, making him fire another bolt. This one struck the junction box, momentarily plunging the room into darkness.

The emergency lights came on moments later, giving the room some light. That didn't help Isaac, though, whose strength was slowly starting to fade. Nicole was forcing him further onto the desk, the wood pinching his skin through his suit. She grabbed his face and let out a shriek, her eyes glowing brighter.

Isaac felt his body seize as the room was filled with an orange glow. Marker symbols filled his vision before a blinding light consumed it. Pain filled his head, the room around him spinning. Seconds later, he fell to the ground, gripping his head. When he recovered, he saw he was no longer in the room. Around him were towering rocks, their surfaces covered in deep gouges. The wind howled above him, blowing dust in every direction. The sky was dark red and filled with symbols.

"Not again," Isaac muttered, now remembering where he was.

He looked around, trying to find it. Moments later, he saw it. A few hundred meters away, the Marker sat atop its pedestal, casting a red glow across the rocks. Isaac ran towards it, knowing he had to be quick. About thirty away, Nicole ran out from behind a large boulder.

"ISAAC!" she yelled, the glow from her eyes nearly blinding him.

"FUCK OFF!" Isaac shouted back.

He aimed his plasma cutter at her chest and fired several bolts. Nicole cried out in pain, her body becoming distorted. She then disappeared in a bright flash. Isaac lowered his cutter, but before he could continue to the Marker, a loud screech cut through the air.

From the darkness, a horde of small shadow figures charged towards Isaac, their shrieks filling the air. He fired bolts from his plasma cutter, killing a few of them. This, however, didn't faze the remainder of the horde. Knowing he couldn't stop them, Isaac continued running to the Marker. He could hear the shadows on his heels, but he didn't bother looking back. He needed to reach the Marker, he had to end this.

Across the station, Krystal and Miyu were starting to get worried. They hadn't heard from Isaac for nearly twenty minutes, and to make matters worse, a large group of Venomians had just arrived. They appeared agitated, yelling at the scientists to hurry up. The scientists shouted back, saying they needed more time. Krystal and Miyu could tell this was going to get ugly real soon. Fox had radio earlier that a CDF patrol had arrived, and they were enroute to their position. Though they were grateful for this, the waiting was starting to wear on their nerves.

"Should we call Isaac?" Krystal asked, "He's been gone for a while."

"I think we should," Miyu replied, "With the lights still on, I wonder if he got lost following the cables."

"Maybe," Krystal said, "We shouldn't have let him go off on his own."

"I know," Miyu said, "But someone had to keep an eye on those rejects."

"Don't think we would've missed much," Krystal said, taking a peek at the still arguing Venomians.

"Yeah, probably not," Miyu said, watching a soldier and a scientist engage in some kind of grade school slap fight.

"We should try and call Isaac, though," Krystal said, "See if he's alright."

"I'll try to reach him," Miyu said.

She checked her radio's frequency then pushed the call button. Before she could speak, the lights flickered then went out, plunging the hall into darkness. Miyu and Krystal grabbed their weapons, and the Venomians ceased their fight.

"What the hell is this?" one soldier asked.

"Someone cut the damn power!" another one exclaimed.

"Fuckin' Star Fox!" a third shouted, "We need to leave now!"

Krystal and Miyu could hear some of the Venomians scattering down the hall with the remainder carelessly dragging equipment from the room. They could hear one of the soldiers calling for some ships to be prepped.

"Damn it! They gonna get away!" Miyu whispered.

"I'll let Fox know," Krystal said.

She began tuning her suit's radio, but a surge of pain in her head sent her to the floor. She grabbed the sides of her head, trying to soothe the pain, clenching her eyes shut. She could feel Miyu shaking her shoulders and calling her name, but the sound was muffled by the screech that filled her ears. Through it, she could hear Isaac's name being screamed out. It took her, but she recognized the voice. It was the same female voice from her dream a few nights ago. Fighting the pain, Krystal forced her eyes open and climbed to her feet.

"Krystal, are you okay?" Miyu asked, "What was that about?"

"It's Isaac," Krystal replied, "He's in trouble." She grabbed her staff from the floor and ran down the hall.

"Krystal, wait!" Miyu called after her. Krystal ignored her and continued running, quickly disappearing from view.

"Who was that!?" a soldier yelled.

"Intruder!" another shouted.

From her cover, Miyu could hear several soldiers approaching. She leaped from cover and fired into the group, sending them scattering. The bolts of plasma from her rifle lit up the hall in a blinding green light, which she used to make way down the hall. When she felt she was far enough, she turned on her rifle's flashlight and ran, following the cables on the ceiling.

"Don't let them get away!" a Venomian shouted in the distance, "After them!"

Boots thudded against the floor, but Miyu kept running, glancing at the cables as she went. Hopefully Krystal was doing the same. She'd said Isaac was in danger, but nothing else. Maybe he did get ambushed. Miyu began sprinting, she needed to find them before it was too late.

The sound of blaster fire made Krystal stop. She turned and stared into the darkness, trying to make out anything in the few dim emergency lights a few feet away, but saw no one. It was then she realized she'd left Miyu behind.

"Shit!" she hissed, looking back the way she was running.

She was conflicted. She knew Isaac was still in trouble, the pain in her head telling her so, but now Miyu was as well. She could either double back to help her or continue toward Isaac. With a frustrated growl she turned and began walking back.

She could hear footsteps up ahead, followed by more blaster fire.

"They must've seen me," she muttered.

She prided herself on being cautious and levelheaded, how could she have been so reckless? Tightly clutching her staff, she began running towards the blaster fire, hoping she wasn't too late.

Miyu dove behind a stack of crates, bolts of red plasma barely missing her. She pointed her rifle around the crates and fired blindly at the Venomians, cries of pain signaling some of them had found their mark. That didn't make much of a difference though, as she was still under heavy fire. Fox should be arriving with reinforcements soon, she just had to hold it till then. Or pray Krystal realized she'd left her behind. Thankfully the latter was the case.

The familiar red sphere from Krystal's staff flew past the crates and collided with a Venomian, killing him and injuring a few others. The remaining soldiers fled, a couple taking their time to drag their injured friends to safety. Miyu peeked around the crates, watching them disappear down the hall. She turned back when she heard Krystal approach.

"Are you alright, Miyu," she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, climbing to her feet.

"I'm so sorry," Krystal said, "It's just...Isaac's-"

"In danger," Miyu said, finishing her statement, "I know. Do you know where he is?"

"I have an idea," Kystal replied, "Follow me."

She led Miyu down the hall, following the pain in her head towards Isaac's location. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she could tell it was causing him great distress. The voice she heard earlier played in her mind. That was the second she heard. She didn't know who it was, but they were connected to Isaac somehow. Finding out what that was could wait until after they found him. Krystal hoped they wouldn't be too late.

Isaac jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the claws from a shadow figure. He fired a bolt of plasma into its chest, the shadow disappearing in a cloud of black mist. Isaac turned and resumed his climb to the Marker, ignoring the shrieks from the hundred shadows that took their fallen comrade's place. Nicole hadn't shown her face in a while, which made him concerned.

Pushing that down, he climbed on the ledge and ran to the Marker's pedestal. As he got closer, the Marker began to split, revealing its golden core. Isaac slid to a stop ten meters away, aiming his cutter at the core. The core began to glow red the more it was struck, and after five shots, it near to bursting.

"Just one more," Isaac muttered, lining up his final shot.

Feeling something grab his wrist, he let out a yelp when he was thrown to the ground, feeling a weight land on top of him. With the screeching in his ears, he knew his attacker was Nicole. Using his free arm, he struck her several times in the face. In response, she began to twist his wrist. Isaac grunted in pain, struggling to free himself. He glanced at the Marker, seeing the was still glowing bright red.

"MAKE US WHOLE!" Nicole screamed in his ear.

"You won't stop me, Nicole!" Isaac shouted back, wrenching his arm from her grasp.

Nicole growled and grabbed his neck. Isaac gasped for air, clutching her wrist with his left hand. His vision began to darken, every sound around him becoming muffled. Using all his strength, he moved her hands just enough to regain some of his bearings. Forcing himself to focus, he lined up the final shot.

"You done," he said, squeezing the trigger.

The Marker's core exploded in a bright gold light, its beams consuming the entire landscape. Nicole screamed in agony, her body becoming distorted. Beams of blue light burst from her eyes, then her body disintegrated. The rocks around them began to turn to dust, blocking out the light from the Marker's core. Isaac felt the ground disappear beneath him, a feeling of relief passing his body as he fell.

Krystal suddenly stopped, her ears perking up. Miyu stopped behind her, tightly clutching her rifle. Both of them stood motionless, an eerie silence surrounding them.

"What is it, Krys?" Miyu asked. Krystal didn't respond.

"Krystal?" Miyu said, tapping her shoulder.

"We need to hurry," Krystal said as she began running.

"Wait! What's happening?" Miyu asked, running after her.

"I'm not sure," Krystal replied, "But whatever's affecting Isaac is getting worse."

"Are we getting close?" Miyu asked.

"Yes. Just down there," Krystal replied.

They ran a few hundred feet before they spotted a door. Slowing to a stop, they noticed a keypad by the door, partially dangling from the wall. Krystal approached the pad, gently picking it up. She could see several of the wires had been torn, and that two had their casings melted at their frayed ends. Behind the door, she could sense Isaac.

"Is he in there?" Miyu asked.

"He is," Krystal replied, picking up the frayed wires.

She touched the ends together, squinting from the bright sparks. The keypad flashed green, then turned back to red. She tried a second time and got the same result.

"Come on, you bastard," she growled, touching wires a third time.

The keypad emitted a loud beep, then the screen went blank. Krystal snarled and slammed the pad against the wall. Miyu stepped beside her, gently rubbing her back to calm her down.

"It's okay. I've got a couple of breaching charges," she said.

"I don't want to risk hurting Isaac," Krystal said.

"As long as he's not near the door, he'll be fine," Miyu reassured.

"From what I can tell, he's near the back of the room," Krystal said.

"Even better," Miyu said, pulling a charge from her vest.

She placed the charge in the middle of the door and set the timer for fifteen seconds. She and Krystal moved several feet away and covered their ears, their backs facing the door. A few seconds later, a loud boom echoed through the hall. They uncovered their ears and turned back to the door, the molten metal casting an orange glow in the darkness. They ran to the door and entered the room, Miyu's flashlight cutting through the dark. Moving her light across the various desks, they grew more concerned when they saw scorch marks and a couple of destroyed computers.

"Was he ambushed?" Miyu asked.

"I don't think so," Krystal replied, "I don't sense any other presence."

Moving further into the room, they spotted Isaac lying on the floor. They rushed to his side, finding him staring blankly at the ceiling. Krystal dropped her staff and crouched beside him, placing her hand on his forehead. Miyu crouched down on the opposite side, gently gripping Isaac's shoulder.

"What's wrong with him?" Miyu asked.

"Something's attacking his mind," Krystal replied.

"What?" Miyu questioned, "What does that mean?"

"There's something in this room," Krystal replied, "Its-"

She was interrupted when Isaac stirred. She removed her hand from his head, and, with Miyu's help, she raised Isaac's torso from the floor. Though now sitting, he still seemed spaced. Miyu gently slapped his face a couple of times.

"You won't stop me, Nicole," he mumbled.

"Nicole?" Miyu asked. She and Krystal shared a glance.

Suddenly, Isaac gasped and flailed his arms. Miyu and Krystal released their hold and moved back a few feet, startled by the sudden movement. He doubled over and violently coughed. Krystal moved back to his side, placing an arm around him. Miyu quickly joined her in comforting Isaac, placing a hand on his chest to keep him steady. Isaac leaned back into their touch, rubbing his head with a pained groan.

"Are you okay?" Krystal asked.

"Not really," Isaac replied, "I feel like I've hit by a train."

"Yeah, you don't look so hot," Miyu said. She and Krystal gently helped him stand.

"What happened in here?" Krystal asked.

"I was, getting ready to cut the power," Isaac replied, "Then, uh..."

He stopped talking and looked at something across the room. Krystal and Miyu followed his gaze to a large, metal box sitting next to a desk. Isaac walked over to the box while they looked on with concern.

"Uh, Isaac?" Miyu said.

"Hold on," he said, crouching down in front of the box.

He could hear the whispers, giving him an idea on what was inside. He prayed he was wrong as he unlatched the box. Krystal and Miyu joined him, curiously staring at the box. Isaac grabbed the handle and slowly opened the box.

Inside was a large chunk of rock. It was dull grey in color, except for a few red lines that streak across its surface. Faint symbols could also be seen. Isaac reached inside and ran his fingers across the rock. The whispers were becoming louder, slowly changing from inaudible sounds to the familiar words of Unitologist prayer.

"This can't be," Isaac muttered.

"What is it?" Krystal asked, the whispers starting to affect her too.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I think this could be a piece of a Marker," Isaac replied.

"That's not good, is it?" Miyu asked.

"No," Isaac replied, stepping away from the box, "And here I'd thought I'd actually catch a fuckin' break."

"What if it's something else?" Miyu asked, "Like some other space rock or something?"

"I can feel it in my head," Isaac replied, "And my hallucination earlier. That's only happened with the influencer of the Marker."

"What should we do about this?" Krystal asked, "We hav-" A burst of static from her radio interrupted her.

"Krystal, come in," Fox said.

"Go ahead, Fox," Krystal replied.

"Finally! Thank God!" he said, "I've been trying to reach for fifteen minutes. We lost contact when the power went out. Are you guys alright?"

"We're fine," Krystal replied, "We cut the power for a distraction."

"Distraction?" Fox questioned.

"Yeah, uh, I'll explain later. What's your location?" Krystal asked.

"We're near the second comm station," Fox replied, "We sent a group down towards the other hangar. Hopefully they can cut the Venomians off before they escape."

"Good," Krystal said, "They were in a hurry to leave. Whatever they had in there must've been important."

"Most likely," Fox said, "Where are you guys right now? You and Miyu said you were gonna hold here."

"We had something, um, l-like I said, I'll explain later," Krystal replied, "But right now, we are in a computer room further down the hall. I'll turn on locator." She then pressed on small button on her wrist to activate her suit's locater beacon.

"Alright, I got your location," Fox said, "We'll be there in five minutes."

"Copy," Krystal said, ending the call.

"Thanks for not mentioning this," Isaac said, closing the box.

"Shouldn't we have told him?" Miyu asked.

"Not over the radio," Isaac replied, "If my suspicion is right, all of Lylat could be in danger. And, as of now, you guys, Peppy, and the Prime Minister are the only ones who know about the Markers."

"But if this is what you think it is, we can't keep quiet about it," Miyu said.

"I don't intend to," Isaac said, "But we don't how far this goes. Until we learn more, the less people that know about this, the better."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense," Miyu relented, "But Venom is known for using bioweapons in combat. If there is even the slightest chance that there's a Marker in Lylat, we need to find it before Venom does."

"Miyu's right on that," Krystal said, "The Venomian Government has no regard for people's lives."

"We need to approach this carefully," Isaac said, "Me and Carver are the only ones here who know what the Markers are capable of. That's why I think it should just be us and the Prime Minister who know about the box. At least for right now."

"Should we tell him when he arrives?" Krystal asked.

"I think it's better if we wait until we're back onboard the Great Fox," Isaac replied, "That way, no one overhears us."

He bent down and grabbed the carrying handles on one side of the box. Krystal grabbed the other set of handles, and they carried the box to the door. Isaac walked in between the desks, trying to find his helmet. He quickly found his plasma cutter, plucking it from the floor the moment he saw it. Another minute passed before he finaly found his helmet lying under a desk. Carrying it in his hand, he joined Krystal and Miyu by the door.

Sitting down on the box, he rested his head against the wall, slowly rubbing his eyes. Between the battles on the Great Fox and in the hangar, to his fight with his mind, he was exhausted. He felt Krystal and Miyu sit down beside him, both pressing against him.

"Are you alright?" Krystal asked.

"I good," Isaac replied, "Just exhausted."

"I feel ya," Miyu said, "This has been our hardest mission since the Aparoid war."

Miyu leaned her rifle against the box then rested her chin on Isaac's shoulder. He reached and scratched her ears, something she really enjoyed. Krystal pressed herself against him and leaned her head on his other shoulder. He rubbed his hand on the side of her face before scratching her chin. She lifted her head to give him better access, purring all the while. They sat content in each other's company for a few minutes before Krystal turned head to the door, her ears stiff as she stared out the gaping hole from the breaching charge. Miyu moved her head from Isaac's shoulder and grabbed her rifle while Isaac picked up his plasma cutter.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Someone's coming," Krystal replied. She remained tensed for a few more seconds before she relaxed.

"It's the others," she said. Miyu and Isaac relaxed and set down their weapons, now hearing the footsteps.

"By the way," Isaac began, "What happened to the door?"

"Breaching charge," Miyu replied. Isaac was just about to ask her to elaborate when Fox poked his head into the room.

"You guys okay?" he asked.

"We fine," Krystal replied, standing for the box. Fox looked down at the box.

"What's in there?" he asked.

"Something, uh, very important," Isaac replied, "We'll tell you about it when we're back on the Great Fox." Fox cocked an eye at him.

"It's really important," Krystal said, "Trust us."

"Okay," Fox said, accepting the explanation, "The CDF managed to catch most of the Venomians, but some did escape. We've put out an alert to all CDF in the area. There're more reinforcements inboard, they'll take over from here."

"Finally," Miyu said, "I need a nap."

"I'm sure we all," Fox said, "Let's grab the box and report back to the shuttle."

Isaac and Krystal grabbed the box's handles and carried it out into the hall. Miyu searched the room for a bit, eventually finding a hover dolly. They set the box on top of the dolly and begin their trip back to the hangar. Fox and Falco walked in front, keeping their rifles ready. Miyu pushed the dolly while Krystal walked on the other side. Isaac pulled Carver to the rear, keeping a bit of distance between them and the others.

"So, what's in the box?" Carver asked in a whisper.

"It's...I think it might be a piece of a Marker," Isaac replied.

"Are you serious?" Carver asked.

"I don't know," Isaac replied, "It had the symbols. And I had another hallucination of Nicole."

"Damn," Carver said, "Is it red?"

"It's a dull grey," Isaac replied.

"If its grey, then it shouldn't be a Marker," Carver said. Isaac was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

"When were at the labs on Tau Volantis, there were grey Markers everywhere," he said, "The machine brought chunks of the planet when it sent us here."

"Along with that Unitologist shuttle you mentioned," Carver chimed in.

"Yeah," Isaac said, "Its possible a piece of one of those Markers could've ended up here as well."

"Or a maybe the whole thing, who knows," Carver said with a sigh, "I was really hoping we were done with this shit."

"You and me both," Isaac said.

"Did you tell anyone about this," Carver asked, plucking some blue and yellow fur off Isaac's suit, "Besides your girlfriends."

"Just those two," Isaac replied, pushing his hand away, "I'll tell everyone else when we're back on the ship. The less people that know the better."

"Good call," Carver said, flicking the fur off his fingers, "But we can't keep this secret forever."

"I know," Isaac said, "And stop playing with their fur."

"Hey, I ain't judging," Carver said, "I'm sure I'll have Fay cuddling me when we get back."

"Yeah, she's quite into you," Isaac said, Carver chuckling in response.

In front of them, Krystal and Miyu listened to their conversation. The mention of the alien machine piqued their interest. The machine was supposedly what sent them here, so who knows what else it could have sent with them. Their interest turned to amusement when Carver plucked some of their fur from Isaac's suit. Hearing them go from being anxious about the box to happy about their budding relationships put their minds at ease.

The Star Fox team eventually made their way to the hangar, only getting lost once. Luckily, they had run into a CDF squad that was able to point them in the right direction. Entering the hangar, they were glad to find the CDF had set up machines to clear the smoke. Walking past the burnt hulls of fighters, they tried not to look at the piles of body bags that lay nearby. There was quite a large number, which revealed the extent of their attack. While they've killed in battle before, it was mostly space battles, where the real toll couldn't be seen.

"I still can't believe we killed all these people," Falco muttered, looking disgusted as they passed another pile of body bags.

He was feeling quite ashamed of himself, having been so eager to shoot everything that moved. Now, he was wondering why he did it without a second thought.

"We did what we had to do," Fox said.

"Did we?" Falco asked, "I mean, I get like, in the storage room, they were shooting at us, but this was...I don't know what."

"I know," Fox sighed, "This was almost a massacre."

"Probably why he did it," Falco said.

"Who?" Fox asked.

"Carver," Falco replied, "Why he wouldn't leave that leopard. And why Isaac wanted to find survivors."

"That makes sense," Fox said, "We haven't fought many battles outside of space. We don't get to see the result, the lives we take."

"I what you mean," Falco said, "This was quite the experience, I think we could use a break."

"We'll see when we get back to Corneria," Fox said.

Approaching their shuttle, they saw the white hulls of the CDF transport ships. A few near the back had a large red cross painted on their sides. In front of them were numerous Venomians lying on stretchers, each being tended to by a CDF medic. Fox and Falco avoiding eye contact with the wounded, feeling guilty about their actions. The two of them headed inside the shuttle and began prepping it for launch.

Miyu pushed the box into the shuttle and moved it to the back of the passenger compartment. Krystal joined her in the back, and they carefully loaded the box in the storage room. Isaac and Carver stood outside the shuttle, looking over the destruction in the hangar. Neither one of them was happy with what happened, but they understood it needed to be done. At least some people survived, so at least it wasn't a complete massacre.

The shuttle's engines began to rumble, the exterior lights turning on. Isaac turned and walked inside. Carver turned to walk in after him but stopped when he saw the leopard. She was staring at him from her bed, the look on her face showed she was doped up on pain killers. The two stared at each other for a moment before Carver waved goodbye. She weakly waved back then laid her head down on her pillow. Carver walked into the shuttle, the door closing behind him. He sat down in a chair beside Isaac, strapping himself in. At the same time, the shuttle rose slowly from the floor.

Fox turned the shuttle to the force field. Punching the throttle, they flew through field and into open space. He angled the shuttle upwards and headed towards the Great Fox, the ship being nothing more than a small, white dot from this distance. Isaac stared out the window, watching the ship get closer. The whole time, his mind was on the box.

He wished it would end, to finally be free from the Markers. Sadly, it seems he and Carver were forever in their grasp. At least now they had some hope. Lylat was likely Marker free before they were sent here, meaning it hadn't got a foot hold in the system. If they caught it early enough, maybe they could stop it. Maybe, with Corneria's help, they could finally put an end to the Markers for good.


Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay. If you missed the note on Haunted, I moved overseas to a new job and took a couple months off to get used to my new job. On top of that, this chapter ended up being over 12 thousand words, which took a while to type and edit. For those that stuck around, thank you for your patience. No timeline for chapter 7, as it will probably be another long chapter. The next story uploaded will either be YCKMH or Redemption, depending on which gets done first. Anyway, please enjoy the chapter. If there are still mistakes present, let me know so I can correct them.