CHAPTER SIX

The Truth Comes Out

June 2nd, 2047

Cornerian Elementary

Marcus, Chase and Anna were now each ten years old. And ever since the locker incident four years ago, Chase and Anna had become Marcus' closest (in fact, his only) friends. They literally went everywhere together. They hung out about every weekend, and if they ever got into a "sticky situation", they worked together to get out of it. (Kind of like a certain commando-for-hire unit from the past, am I right?)

Anna's best subjects were geography and physics, because Lucy was an astrophysics teacher on the planet Fichina, and Peppy had been a great cartographer before he became the general. Chase was good at everything except gym, because he was slow and was somewhat skinny. He made up for it with his construction skills. He could build or fix anything that he set his mind to. Marcus was a B+ student in everything except History and Gym, because for some reason, when someone famous in Lylatian history was brought up, he knew who they were instantly…almost as though he were psychic (Hint, hint). Not only that, but he was usually picked to be the captain in sports because he was good at giving orders.

Right now, it was 3:20 p.m. on Friday, and the gang had just left school.

"So, what do you guys wanna do today?" Marcus asked.

Chase shrugged. "Dunno. You wanna go to the movies later? I got my allowance yesterday."

"That depends on what's playing there right now." Anna said.

Chase pushed up his fedora (which oddly still fit him after four years) and thought for a second. He got a smug grin on his face as he started listing every film he knew Anna would hate. Sure enough, the two were locked in a match of petty insults within moments and Marcus was forced to break it up, though not before rolling his eyes and hoping he wouldn't have to put up with this for the rest of his life.

"Hey, you two, don't start! Look, we'll go home and think about what we wanna do, then we'll call each other later and talk about it. Sound fair?"

"OK." Anna replied, running off in the direction of her house. "See you later, boys!"

"See ya!" the boys shouted after her.

Marcus and Chase said good-bye to each other, and then split off in the directions of their houses.

Marcus slowed down and waited a little bit to make sure no one was watching, and then he slipped into a nearby alley. He slipped off his backpack, hung it on a hook sticking out of the wall, stretched a little bit, and groaned.

"Man, I've been sitting on my butt all day. Time for a little exercise!"

He bent his knees and performed a few nimble flips of the walls. He jumped off a dumpster, grabbed a pole jutting from the wall, did a loop-de-loop on it, and released it. He landed on another dumpster, side-flipped off of it, and when he landed, he ran up the wall and grabbed an iron rung hanging from the balcony above. With another nimble flip, he landed right side up on the ground.

Marcus always enjoyed exercising after a long day at school. It made him feel fast and light on his feet. When he asked his mother, she said that she had once been extremely flexible and could do all kinds of nifty tricks.

That gave Marcus an idea: try something Mom did.

He ran at a wall, jumped and kicked himself off it. The propulsion from the kick sent him flying toward a window sill on the opposite wall. He reached up and was just about to grab the sill when he realized he was too low.

"Oh, shi…"

He smacked into the wall and fell into an open dumpster. With his clothes covered in skins from rotten fruit and pieces of discarded paper, Marcus sat up and groaned.

"What did Mom and Dad do that makes the McCloud name so special? To me, it's a good-for-nothing curse."

It was true. Ever since the kids at school figured out his last name, they treated him like a parasite, running at the mere sight of him. It made him feel lonely…or rather, it would if Chase and Anna weren't his only two friends. Sometimes, however, he wished someone else would come and be his friend…someone from another world if they had to be.

But not a girlfriend! In his and Chase's opinion, having a girlfriend was as bad as having a bug for a face. He even said to his parents that he'd never get married, but Fox assured him that when he hit puberty, he'd change his mind.

Suddenly, he heard a crash and a girl shrieking in terror. Marcus climbed out of the dumpster, grabbed his backpack off the hook in the wall, and peeked around the corner. A young wolf girl about his age with gray and white fur, a spiky ponytail and a black and white sweater, was being cornered by three really big guys.

"Leave me alone!" the girl screamed.

Where had Marcus seen this before?

"You can't diss one of us and expect to get away with it so lightly, you little bitch!" one of the guys said angrily.

If he was using profanity, this had to be serious.

"Now you're gonna pay for it!" another one shouted.

He grabbed the girl's shirt collar, lifted her off the ground and raised his fist. The girl screamed.

Hey, wait a second! You couldn't hit a girl.

Marcus had seen enough. He ran out of his hiding spot at the one who had the girl and kicked the guy in the groin. The guy fell on the ground and dropped the girl.

"You've got a lot of nerve attacking a defenseless girl, you jerk!" Marcus shouted with his fists raised.

The guy Marcus had nailed turned around, still covering his groin.

"It's you!" he shouted.

At first, Marcus had no idea what he was talking about. But after a few seconds of looking at him and his cronies, it hit him. These were the same guys that threw Chase in the locker four years ago! Only now they had to be at least seventeen!

"Uhh…well, haven't seen you guys in a while. How've you been?" Marcus stammered like an idiot.

"You've messed with us for the last time!" the lead punk said. "You're getting more than a smack in the gut this time, bub!"

"The things I get myself into…"

Marcus prepared himself as the goons came at him. A heavy blow aimed at his head was countered by a duck and an uppercut to the jaw. One of them tried sneaking up behind Marcus, but he was dealt with by a back kick to the chest.

It had only been four years since he last saw these guys, but since that day he messed with them, he trained hard in both agility and strength in case he ever ran into them again. Fox and Krystal had kept a close eye on him while he trained and occasionally popped by to help him out. Krystal had even considered teaching him how to use her staff.

But getting back to the fight going on at that particular moment, Marcus rolled between one's goon's legs, cart-wheeled toward the girl and landed in front of her with his fists raised.

"Who ARE you?" she shrieked.

Marcus didn't have time to answer. He pulled a thin lead pipe out from the dumpster behind him and swung it at the goons. He managed to thwack them in the face with it and send them flying back into a wall. Marcus panted, threw away the pipe and turned to the girl

"Come on!"

He grabbed her hand and they started running down the alley. The goons had recovered from the severe blows to the face and started running after them.

"Man, this kid's gotten a hell of a lot tougher." one of them said to their leader.

"I know that! I ain't stupid!"

"Oh, yeah? Then why did you threaten a sophomore to do your homework or he'd 'wake up with no head'?"

"Shut up, dumbass! I just…had better things to do, that's all!"

Marcus noticed an iron ladder leading up to the roof of one of the buildings.

"Up there!" he said to the girl. "Quick!"

The girl jumped onto the ladder and began climbing as quickly as she could. Marcus grabbed the bottom rung and began to climb up after her, when one of the goons grabbed his ankle. Using his free foot, Marcus kicked the goon several times in the face, then wrenched his ankle free and kept going.

Marcus managed to reach the roof. The girl stood there staring at him when he got to the top.

"Uhh…hi?" he said stupidly.

He heard a growl behind him. He looked back and saw the goons hoisting themselves onto the roof.

"You're goin' down, twerp!" the lead goon said.

"Maybe, but not today!" Marcus shot back.

He raised his fists as they drew closer. A spinning back kick to the groin threw one off balance, while a swift uppercut to the jaw took out another. The third one pulled himself up onto the roof when the other two stood up again.

Grabbing the girl's wrist, Marcus ran across the rooftops.

Now that he thought about it, who the heck was the girl, anyhow? He was pretty sure he'd never seen her in school before. If he had, he would have known her in an instant. He had a photographic memory, so there was know way he could forget a face.

The two stopped at the edge of the building and looked down. A dumpster lay directly twenty feet below them. They looked at each other. Marcus mischievously grinned. The girl's mouth dropped open.

"You've gotta be kidding!" she shouted.

"Too bad. I'm not."

The girl looked down, then back at the goons fast approaching then down again, then at Marcus.

"NO WAY!"

Marcus tightened his grip.

"Way."

He jumped, pulling the girl along with him. They landed in the trash heap. Marcus sat up and shook the stars out of his eyes before climbing out. The girl climbed out, then doubled over panting.

Marcus laid a hand on her shoulder.

"You OK?" he asked.

She glared at him, then stood up and pushed his hand away

"Don't touch me, you creep!" she retorted.

"Huh? Hey, I was just trying to…"

"Look, pal!" the girl said, poking him in the chest. "I don't know who you think you are, but you can't go around touching girls like that! What, were you raised in a barn?"

Marcus frowned and pushed the girl's hand off.

"Well, excuuuse ME, princess! I think I'm the guy that just saved your butt from complete devastation. You don't need to thank me or anything, but at least show a little decency!"

The girl opened her mouth to say something else, but she realized that Marcus had a point in the matter. She shut her mouth and looked at her feet.

She sighed.

"Thanks for saving me. It takes a lot of guts to stand up to someone like those guys."

Marcus rolled his eyes. "Yeah, at least THIS time I didn't get hurt." he thought.

He forced the thought out of his head, then slowly reached over and took the girl's hand. She looked up at him and blushed. His hand was very soft, and very warm as well.

"Um…if you don't mind me asking…what's your name?" Marcus asked

The girl stared into his hazel eyes. They seemed to be looking into her very soul from the way that Marcus stared at her. She felt a little scared and a little comforted at the same time.

"I'll remember these eyes 'till the day I die." she thought

"My name is C… oh, crap, LOOK OUT!"

Marcus looked behind him and saw the three goons sprinting at them.

"Uh oh!"

Suddenly, a tall figure jumped down from one of the rooftops and landed in front of Marcus and the girl. He pulled out a laser blaster and aimed it at the goons.

"You punks have ten seconds to get your butts outta here before I fry your guts onto the street!" he said in a Brooklyn accent.

The goons were scared stiff by the figure.

"It's...him!" the leader stammered.

They turned around and fled down the street. The figure holstered his blaster. Marcus smirked. One guy scared off three 17-year old thugs.

"Wuss!" he shouted after them.

Marcus looked to the side to see if the girl was OK, but she was no longer standing there. She had made a break for it.

"….She's gone." he muttered.

He looked at the figure, who turned to him. Marcus raised his fists, getting ready to fight if necessary, but immediately lowered them when he saw the figure's face.

"Hey! You're Falco Lombardi, aren't you?" Marcus asked.

Falco grinned and took of the shades covering his eyes.

"Smart kid. I shouldn't expect anything less from Fox and Krystal's son." he replied. "And let me tell ya, that was real brave what you just did for that girl."

Marcus had seen pictures of Falco before. He'd found out that Falco had been the marksman in a mercenary group before Marcus was born. (The group obviously being Star Fox, but right now Marcus didn't know that name)

"You know my parents? They never mentioned you."

"Of course! Them and I go way back. They're even more famous than me these days."

Marcus suddenly felt like he'd been smacked on the head. Famous? His parents were famous and not the ordinary people they seemed (and claimed) to be? Now was his chance to figure out why the McCloud name was so special.

"Tell me more about it!" he blurted out.

Falco was about to say something when they heard Fox's voice.

"Marcus!"

Marcus looked behind Falco. Fox and Krystal ran down the alley towards him. Krystal immediately pulled Marcus into her.

"Sweetie, where have you been?" she asked nearly hysterically. "We were about to call the police and report you missing!"

"And how many times have we told you not to talk to strangers?" scolded Fox.

"Pff! First time I've heard that comin' from him!" Falco smugly thought.

"But Dad!" Marcus whined. "I'm fine! And this guy isn't a stranger! He's Falco Lombardi!"

"What are you ta…"

Fox stopped in mid-sentence when he saw his old friend.

"Falco! Is that really you, buddy?"

"In the feathers, bro!"

The two immediately started chatting away.

"So how've you been? You got kids yet?" asked Fox.

"Nope. Not even engaged or anything." Falco replied. "But trust me, if I did…whew! They wouldn't be nearly as brave as Marcus here."

"What do you mean?"

"He saved some girl's ass from a couple of street punks a few minutes ago."

"Easy with the language. There's a kid present, y'know."

Krystal looked at Marcus with a raised eyebrow and a mixture of happiness and shock.

"You saved someone?"

Marcus nodded.

"It's true!"

Fox looked back at Falco.

"He reminds me of someone else I know." Falco said, glancing at Fox.

Marcus's ears pricked up when he heard Falco say that.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Well, kid, it's kind of a long story." Falco replied.

"We don't have time for long stories right now." Fox said. "We'll see ya later."

Fox and Krystal were just about to lead Marcus out of the alley when Falco spoke up.

"Whoa, hold on a sec! I'll come back to your place with you and we'll talk about it then!"

Marcus breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for working with me!" he thought.

Fox's eyes widened.

"You wanna come to our house?" he asked

"Sure!" Falco replied. "After all, you two and I have some catching up to do."

"Uhh…I'm not sure…you're not busy or anything?"

Falco smirked and rolled his eyes. When was the last time he, Falco Lombardi, was busy?

"Come on, I insist! I won't take no for an answer."

Fox sighed and grinned. "Alright, Falco. You never change, do you?"

Falco decided to stay at the McCloud's house for dinner. He hadn't seen Fox or Krystal in eleven years, and he really wanted to make sure everything was going alright with them. Of course, it was, but Falco knew right away that they hadn't told something very important to Marcus.

Everyone sat at the dining room table. The adults immediately started eating, but Marcus just stabbed lightly at the plate with his fork with a washed out look on his face. Falco knew that look. It was the look Fox got when he was thinking extremely hard about something.

Krystal knew it, as well, only she knew what to do about it.

"Is something wrong, Marcus?" she asked.

Marcus put his fork down and looked up at Krystal. He sighed, then looked over at Falco.

"Falco? Is there any particular reason you came over?" he asked.

Falco put down the glass he had against his lips and looked at Fox and Krystal. He had a serious look in his eyes, one that he barely ever wore.

"You two didn't tell him, did you?" he asked.

Marcus was overcome by utter confusion.

"Tell me what?" he asked.

"If we did, he might have done something dangerous." Fox responded.

"Tell me what?"

"The kid's ten years old and you still haven't told him?" Falco retorted. "Come on! He'll be a man in a few years and…"

Something that Marcus had inherited from Fox was that he absolutely hated it when no one listened to him when he was talking.

"Tell me WHAT?" he half-shouted.

All eyes were on him. Marcus looked at his parents. He was clued in now.

"You guys are hiding something from me, aren't you?"

Fox slapped himself in the face.

"Somehow I knew you'd figure it out sooner or later." he muttered.

"Just because he's reckless doesn't mean he's stupid, Fox." Falco said, crossing his arms.

Krystal sighed.

"Yes, Marcus." she said. "We've been hiding something from you. Something that involves me, your father, Falco, and your grandfather."

Marcus sat up with his ears pricked.

"I'm listening."

Fox took Marcus' hand and began to tell him the story.

"Way back before you were born, your grandfather, James McCloud, ran a mercenary group named Star Fox. They were some of the bravest men out there. The team had three members: your grandfather, Peppy Hare and Pigma Dengar."

"Peppy? Wait, what does that have to do with you and Mom?"

'I was getting to that. But first, do you know who Andross is?"

"Wasn't he that brilliant scientist who got banished to Venom because the military thought that acid…neutralizer…thing was a weapon?"

"That's him. He got his revenge by conducting dangerous experiments on Venom, including mutating himself. Star Fox was assigned to investigate the surface for strange activity. But when they got there, Pigma betrayed them and handed Peppy and James over to Andross. Peppy managed to get away alright, but…"

A tear fell from Fox's eye. He couldn't bear thinking about his father's horrible fate. Krystal hugged him around him shoulders. She could sense his pain. It was unavoidable.

"So…THAT'S how Grandpa died? Andross murdered him?" Marcus asked.

As an excuse, Fox told Marcus that James and Vixy died in a hovercraft crash a few years before Marcus was born. He suspected that Andross had something to do with Vixy's death as well, but he didn't interrupt. His father already looked to be on the verge of tears, anyway.

Fox nodded and continued the story.

"I was eighteen when it happened. The night Peppy came to my dorm at the flight academy and told me that Dad was dead, I was so upset that I ran away from the academy and didn't go back."

"That's when he ran into me." Falco spoke up. "He was running down the street without looking where he was going and he plowed right into me. I was about to tell him to screw off, but when I saw how upset he was, I offered to let him stay with me at the motel downtown."

"When we got there, all I did was sit and stare out the window." Fox said. "I was so sad about my dad dying, but more than that I was furious at Andross. I wanted to do anything I possibly could to avenge my father's death. Then Falco gave me an idea: form a new team and go up against Andross. So I called Slippy and Peppy and asked them to become members of the team. Falco became the fourth member. Under General Pepper's orders, we launched a full-scale attack n Venom. I managed to get to the depths of the Venom labs…where I met that …..(Here Falco covered Marcus' ears so he didn't have to hear Fox use every curse word he knew to insult Andross) that killed my father."

"You mean…you killed Andross?"

"Shot him down in cold blood is more like it. Either way, I got rid of him."

"Okay. That explains why the name McCloud is so special. But where does Mom come into this?"

"About 8 years later, I was assigned to find relics called Spellstones to help reconstruct the planet Sauria. I met your mother in a temple called the Krazoa Palace. She was trapped in a life-absorbing crystal, but I managed to get her out."

Krystal smiled. "Your dad saved my life that day."

"So let me see if I've got this straight," Marcus said. "Grandpa founds Star Fox, Andross kills Grandpa, Dad recreates Star Fox, Dad kills Andross, and Dad saves Mom on that planet full of dinosaurs."

"That pretty much sums it up." Falco said.

"Wow! But…why aren't you in Star Fox now?"

Krystal was the one to speak this time.

"The day your dad and I got married, we were told to disband Star Fox by Wolf O'Donnell."

"The leader of Star Wolf?" Marcus asked.

"The very same."

"But…he's a wanted criminal! Everyone hates him! Why would Dad listen to him?"

"Your dad knew that he'd be putting you and me in danger if he stayed a member of Star Fox, so he took Wolf up on his offer."

Here Fox sighed again.

"But ever since I did that, the terrorism rate along the whole galaxy has gone through the roof."

Marcus slammed his fist on the table.

"So join back up! I mean, you got the job done every time, so why not?"

"Because you'd be put in danger. Besides, we were getting fed up with it anyway."

"But you're only…how old?"

"Forty-one and thirty-four. Star Fox piloting is a young man's game, sport."

Marcus angrily groaned, but grinned when he had an idea.

"A young man's game?...Then I'll do it!"

The adults choked on what they had in their mouths when those three words passed Marcus' lips.

"Marcus, you're only ten years old!" Krystal sputtered in a shocked tone. "You're not old enough!"

"Haven't you guys ever heard the legend of Soren Halen?"

Soren Halen (who was a human and not a Lylatian) had been one of the greatest heroes in the galaxy. It was said that he saved the planet Macbeth from a nuclear explosion when he was only eight years old and killed one of the two Gargantuan Eels of planet Zoness when he was ten. When he was thirteen, he had flown his ship to an unexplored sector past the planet Papetoon (where Fox had been born) and after that, no one ever saw him again. Some said he died, but most think he went back to the human home-world called Earth.

His motto had always been "Children are the key to the future."

"Besides, I'm a McCloud, aren't I?" Marcus said.

Fox grinned. To hear the words he had said four years ago used against him was awkward, yet satisfying at the same time.

"You may be as fearless as Halen himself." Fox said.

Krystal was shocked.

"Fox, don't encourage him!"

"Krystal, don't you remember when you always got worried when I tackled a mission on my own. I always came back okay, didn't I?"

"B-but he's still so young! What if he gets hurt? You don't think I want to see my only son get killed, do you?"

"Krystal." Fox said. He stared deep into her eyes. "He'll be alright."

Krystal thought, then smiled. If Marcus could save a girl from three street thugs on his own at age ten (as well as giving them a good ass-kicking while he was at it.), being a member of the Star Fox team would be a piece of cake.

She looked at Marcus.

"You're just like your father." she said to her son. "Bravery's in your blood. I could sense it even before you were born."

"Is that a yes?" Marcus asked.

His parents looked at each other, smiled, looked back at him and nodded. Marcus' face lit up.

"Yes! I love you guys!"

"Hold on there, speed racer!" Fox said before Marcus went running off. "You can form a new Star Fox team IF you can find your own teammates. After all, you can't go saving other people's lives on your own. That's not brave. In fact, it's actually really stupid."

"How about Chase and Anna? I mean, Chase can build or fix ANYTHING! He's even building a robot right now! And Anna could map the whole city in a half hour!"

"You still need a fourth teammate." Krystal said.

Marcus grimaced. If Chase and Anna weren't his only friends, making that decision would have been so much easier.

Once again, Falco decided to help Marcus out.

"I'll do it." he said suddenly.

All eyes were on him. Marcus' face was bright again.

"Really?"

"Sure! I've wanted to get back in that action for more than ten years now. Besides, you kids need some adult supervision."

The young McCloud was a little annoyed from being called a kid by the legendary Falco Lombardi (who was the most childish adult that Fox and Krystal knew) but right now, he couldn't care less.

"Alright." Krystal said. "Go call your friends and tell them to meet us at the airway in a half hour."

"Thanks, guys! You're the best!" Marcus said, hugging his parents and running to his room to grab the phone.

When Marcus was out of sight, Krystal looked at Fox.

"Do you think letting him make his own team is a good idea?" she asked him.

"Krystal, relax. Marcus is a born leader. Besides, Falco just promised that he'd take care of him, and his friends will make sure he doesn't get hurt."

"Should we have told him about the whole Kursed ordeal?"

"Believe me; he'll never wanna know about that. In fact, I don't think WE even wanna remember that."

"What about…Wolf's daughter?"

"Hopefully they never meet each other. If they do, they'll keep fighting until they're both dead...or hey. Better yet. Maybe he can call the whole thing off between me and Wolf. After all, he just convinced the two of us to get a mercenary group together."

Upstairs, Marcus grabbed his phone and called the Toad's house. Amanda picked up the phone.

"Hi, Mrs. Toad. Is Chase there?" asked Marcus.

"Yes, Marcus. He's in his room. One minute."

Marcus turned on another line and called the Grey's house. Anna picked up the phone.

"Hi, Marcus." she said.

"How goes it, McCloud?" asked Chase.

"First off, how's that robot comin', Chase?" Marcus asked.

"He's finished actually!"

"Really?" Anna asked. "Wow, I can't wait to see him!"

"What did ya call for, Mark?"

Marcus grinned.

"Guys, I know what we're gonna do today."

"Star Fox? WE'RE gonna be in STAR FOX?" Chase asked excitedly when Marcus told him and Anna his idea.

The Greys, Toads, McClouds and Falco all met down at the Grand Cornerian Airway, where Marcus told the kids about his brilliant idea. Much to their excitement, their parents seemed oddly fine with this. In fact, they looked encouraged by it if a bit concerned as any parent would be. The thing that Marcus found out of place, however, was the cybernetic being that was following Chase. But even stranger was that it seemed to recognize Fox, Falco and Krystal.

"My old friends!" it said in a monotone voice. "How wonderful to see you again!"

"Old…friends?" Fox repeated.

"Wait a minute…ROB?" Krystal asked.

"Indeed. Young Chase Toad has reassembled me!" the cyborg said.

"I found ROB 64's old memory chip, rebuilt the basic shell, then I added some…nifty extra features and Voila!" Chase said. "Show 'em what you can do, ROB."

ROB started sprinting around the room at nearly the speed of sound, then ran up a wall, back-flipped off of it and transfigured his feet into rocket thrusters. Chase flipped up a few virtual targets, and the flying ROB locked on to them with his targeting system before impressively shifting his arms into laser cannons and blasting all of them at once.

"He's just as efficient before, now with weapons and more. I call him ROB 128!" Chase said.

"Chase, you're a genius!" Anna said, taking a moment to process what she had just said and recoiling in moderate disgust. "Did I really just say that?!"

"He gets it from his father." Amanda grinned, hugging her son.

"Okay, then." Fox said. "On to business. Before you kids can start working as Star Fox pilots, you'll need to learn how to fly Arwings. Also, there's no way in hell we're letting you go after the worst Lylat has to offer when you're only ten. We're gonna start you off small and work our way from there. Sound like a plan?"

Chase, Marcus and Anna cheered in response. Amanda, Slippy and Chase hopped inside the Bullfrog, while Anna, Lucy and Bill climbed in to a spare Arwing left in the corner. Falco sprinted off to the Sky Claw. Marcus began to proceed to the vessel his father pointed out when Krystal laid a hand on his shoulder and turned him toward her.

"Before we get in, I want to give you something…because you've matured so much in so little time."

Krystal pulled a two-foot long metal stick from behind her back, and without any idea what to think of it, Marcus took it in one hand. Sensing his touch on it, the stick suddenly extended to six feet and let Marcus gaze at it in its unsheathed glory.

"Your magic staff!" Marcus exclaimed. "But…Mom, I can't take this from you! Dad used this to save you on Sauria."

Krystal stooped down and leveled her face with Marcus'.

"And now I'm giving it to you. You can have it because you're my son, and I know you'll use it well, just like your father did."

She smiled. Marcus smiled in return.

"Protect this staff and it will protect you." Krystal said.

"…okay."

Marcus stood in an empty space. He closed his eyes, inhaled, and exhaled. He snapped open his eyes, and using his own unique style, he swung the staff in beautiful movements like a flowing river.

Suddenly without warning, a fireball shot from the type. Marcus dropped the staff in surprise.

"That was just the Fire Blaster, sport." Fox said. "It's supposed to do that…of course, I haven't used that staff in 12 years, so that's probably all that works."

Marcus picked the staff up, smiled, and sheathed it.

"Okay! I'm ready!" he said.

The McClouds climbed inside the cockpit of the Arwing II. Marcus sat in front, Krystal in the middle and Fox in the took a second to figure out where the communicator was, then he turned it on.

"This is Marcus!" he said. "All aircraft report."

Falco's voice crackled on the speaker.

"Falco here. I'm fine."

"This is Chase! All systems go!"

"Anna here. I'm okay."

"Alright, team. Ignite engines and prepare for takeoff." Marcus ordered.

Marcus had no idea what he had just said, but he turned on the engines either way. He gulped and clutched the steering console. Krystal held Marcus' arms, and Fox held Krystal's.

"Hold on tight." Fox said.

The four Arwings slowly rose off the ground.

"Adjust G-Diffuser system output. Gravity: Average." Fox ordered.

The engines started burning hotter, and within Marcus' mind swirled excited thoughts. He was going to follow in his parents' footsteps. He was going to carry on the legacy of the legendary Star Fox.

He was going to be a hero.

Marcus, Chase, Anna and Falco pushed forward on the steering consoles. The four ships shot up out of the hangar door like bullets and flew up into the sky.

Fox and Krystal smiled at their son's success. He was doing it!

"YAAAAAHOOOOOO!"

Coyote ran up the hillside of O'Donnell Valley leading to her house on the planet Fortuna. Her spiky ponytail flew through the wind as she quickened her pace. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her lungs were wheezing like mad, and her forehead was lined with sweat, but she kept running.

Now that she thought about it, she never would have made it back if it weren't for that blue-furred Cornerian boy. She was grateful, but she had run away before she could tell him her name. But then again, if she did, it might have blown her family's cover.

"I gotta admit, though, he was brave…and pretty cute, too." she thought.

Coyote forced the thought out of her head. She was getting all mushy again. Those stupid dreams of hers wouldn't come true if she just kept thinking about them. Sure, the boy could make a decent knight in shining armor, but she was pretty sure it was just a one-time encounter, anyway.

Though she certainly wouldn't mind seeing him again…there she went again!

"Shut up, brain! SHUT UP!" she told herself.

Coyote stopped at the front door of her enormous house. Her father had built the whole place with his bare hands, and even then, it was almost as glamorous as the ones on Corneria.

She opened the door and stepped inside.

"Mom! I'm home!" she called.

Lori Grey stepped into the room. When she saw Coyote standing there, she smiled.

"Hello, sweetheart." she said.

Lori turned and shouted up the stairs.

"Coyote's home, dear!"

There came the sound of soft thuds coming down the upstairs hallway before an intimidating gray-furred figure emerged at the top of the staircase. To Coyote, however, it was just the man she trusted the most out of anyone.

"Welcome back." he said, smiling at the young girl looking up at him.

Coyote smiled in return as ran up the stairs into Wolf's outstretched arms.

"Hi, Daddy."