Chapter 13

Fox groggily awoke in a jail cell, finding himself totally alone. There were a few other cells in the room, but they were all were vacant. He immediately wondered to himself where Slippy and Amanda were, much more concerned about them than himself. Why wouldn't they be here, in another cell?

What did they do with them?! Fox fearfully thought to himself.

The door to the room swung open, and two of Bowman's (armed) guards entered the room. They approached Fox's cell, smirking wickedly at the mercenary. Fox looked back at them with disgust.

"McCloud – Bowman wants you," one of the guards said.

The other guard opened the cell door and came in to grab Fox. Fox, too tired to struggle, let the guard grab him by his collar and haul him out of the cell. The two guards took Fox down the jail hallway and out of the gloomy room.

The guards escorted Fox through a few more hallways – each with differently colored walls. There was a red one, a blue one, a purple one, and a green one – all incredibly vibrant-looking. Fox didn't know what to make of the wacky building, walking through a different-colored room in every hallway and having been kept in an empty jail room. He hadn't seen anything like it.

Eventually, the three stopped at a door in the green hallway, and one of the guards opened it up. The other shoved Fox inside the room, and walked him over to a metal chair in the center of the room. The chair had a handcuff attached to each arm and on the front legs – an ideal instrument for torture. Fox was thrown into the chair by the guards, and his hands and legs were cuffed. Once Fox had been cuffed, the guards exited the room, slamming the door behind them.

Why did they leave…? Fox wondered.

This room was quite simple; besides the chair Fox was sitting on, there was only a dimly-lit lamp on the ceiling and a long table with beakers of liquid on it. It was a mostly bare room overall, like the jail Fox had been in. A bright light suddenly switched on, revealing Dash Bowman behind the table. He had been hiding in the shadows near the table, and had changed the dim room to an incredibly bright one. The monkey took a few steps toward Fox, smiling, and began to talk.

"Welcome, Fox McCloud, welcome," Bowman said. "It's been far too long."

"Far too long since you fought on Corneria's side," Fox spitefully responded, referring to Bowman's days as a Cornerian Army pilot. "What did you do with Slippy and Amanda?"

Bowman chuckled. "Don't worry, they're not dead yet! And I'm afraid I don't share your view on where I should be. It was pretty miserable, faking my life all the time. Having to pretend I enjoyed fighting for those scumbags. Pretending I was alright with how my grandfather was treated. Pretending to you… now that was the most annoying part."

"So why did you?" Fox asked.

"Simple; I had to get by," Bowman answered. "There was nothing I could do at the time! I had to wait for my opportunity. And I got that opportunity, when you and your team took down those Anglar fools. Venom was all mine for the taking. Of course, it took some time, but I was able to bring greatness to this planet, and make it better than Corneria. I built a better army, too. I admit your dreadful little team did some damage to my army - and Star Wolf, of course - but it won't be enough."

"You seem pretty confident," Fox said, staying calm. "I wouldn't be so sure. You didn't capture all the team, and the Cornerian Army is more resilient than you think."

"Don't be stupid, Fox," Bowman retorted. "My army has overpowered Corneria's in most of the conflicts your team wasn't involved in. And with three of you in my custody, what's left of your team won't be able to do anything! Face it, Fox - you're finished. And so is your precious Corneria. The galaxy will be mine, and it is headed for better times."

Bowman paused for a moment, expecting Fox to say something in protest. Fox stayed silent, simply glaring at Bowman. Bowman continued, "It was all too easy to get you down once you came to my planet. You see, I had radars set up! I knew it was a matter of time before you'd march right in, all heroics like usual. You should consider yourself lucky we weren't able to capture all five of you. Eventually I'll have them too, and they'll suffer for assisting you. You're going to pay for taking Andross from me, Fox. For trying to destroy his vision. Iwill carry out his vision, and anyone who defies me will perish."

"Why bother with all this talking anyway if you're just going to kill me?" Fox asked tiredly.

"Oh don't worry; you will die! But first, I want you to suffer!" Bowman declared chirpily.

Bowman went to the table and grabbed a beaker filled with a bright green liquid. Fox eyed the liquid apprehensively, apprehensive for what was coming next. Bowman approached Fox, grinning mischievously with the beaker of liquid in his hand.

"Here we have a special acid – I've had scientists developing these nasty little experiments," Bowman explained. "We figure they could come in handy, should we face uncooperative pests down the line – conquering the galaxy and all. This particular acid I'm told is the most painful one we've made. You should feel honored, being the first to receive it!"

Bowman lifted the beaker right above Fox's hand. He gingerly tipped the beaker, letting only a tiny bit out for the moment. The acid droplets hit Fox's fingers. The burning sensation made him immediately yelp and writhe in pain, much to Bowman's delight. The acid chewed deeply into Fox's fur and skin; Fox was breathing heavily, trying to overcome the intense sting.

Bowman continued baring a large grin, staring at his wounded victim. He then began to casually pace; he slowly circled around Fox, humming a happy tune. After a couple rotations, Bowman abruptly threw more of the acid at Fox, not even bothering to take exact aim. Fox jerked his head to avoid being hit in the face, but some of the droplets still found one of his arms and one his legs. The acid cut through his clothes, fur, and skin. Every single spot an acid droplet hit burned sensationally. The pain was tremendous – worse than any other physical pain Fox could recall having.

Bowman resumed circling around Fox and humming blissfully. Cuffed to the chair, Fox was completely at Bowman's mercy, unable to escape. He couldn't recall a worse predicament.

When is this maniac going to stop…? Fox miserably thought to himself.

Again, after walking a few circles around Fox, Bowman wildly threw more acid. One of the droplets clipped the side Fox's eye – the most painful hit yet. He screamed impulsively, closing his damaged eye. After a few seconds, he tried opening the eye; it was difficult, but he could mostly open it. It was fortunate it hadn't been a direct hit, or Fox figured he would have been blind in the eye.

"What's the matter, Fox-o, pal?" Bowman mockingly asked Fox. He tilted his head back and forth, observing Fox at different angles. "You don't look so good!"

Fox didn't bother replying, knowing nothing he could say would help him. He just had to suffer as long as Bowman wanted him to. There was nothing he could do.

"Not talking? How boring," Bowman said, faking a yawn thereafter.

Fox only glared at Bowman, bitter anger in his eyes. He wasn't going to let Bowman get to him. He would not let Bowman conquer him mentally as well.

Bowman smirked, still pleased with the pain he had caused Fox. He then dumped the remaining acid on Fox's leg – a large amount. Fox could not help but yell in pain; the acid completely ate away the spot on his leg, reaching Fox's bone. It was utterly excruciating.

"The great Fox McCloud – brought down low!" Bowman scoffed, anger now in his tone. "What a pathetic sight! You scum… how happy are you now that you killed my grandfather?!"

Fox sat limp, his energy totally drained. The pain continued surging through him. Bowman went on speaking.

"I'll finish what he started," Bowman declared, referring to Andross. "You will be forgotten, Fox. No one will have any need to remember you! I will be the one who is remembered! I'll control this galaxy as long as I live! And one day I will find an heir to continue my empire, and secure my legacy!"

Bowman stared at Fox once again, seeing his foe in an extremely weak state. Fox's head was drooped down, and he looked nearly dead. Bowman swiftly changed his serious tone back to a happy one.

"I'm glad we could have this time together," Bowman remarked, grinning madly. "It's been fun! It doesn't look like you have anything to say, so I'm just gonna put you back in your cage, alright? We'll get to killing you later!"

Rather than simply untying Fox, Bowman kicked the metal chair over, sending Fox backward and slamming his skull hard on the back of the chair. Any bit of energy Fox had remaining went away. And once more, with a hard hit to his head, Fox passed out.