this story is called boredom, and playing to much zombie games, lol.

On a serious note, i think i may have fun trying to write in a whole new genre for me, although it is nice to be using characters i know and love for it. i hope you guys enjoy and please, tell me if you all want to read more of this!


Deep Space

Fox sighed as he guided his Arwing away from the Great Fox, headed toward the deep space station far ahead of him. The speaker on his HUD rig buzzed to life as Peppy spoke.

"Fox? Good luck. I hope you find what you're looking for." Fox sighed, one of his clawed fingers tracing the side of a deep blue vixen's face in the photograph pasted to his dash.

"Yeah, I hope so. Tell Falco and Slip to kick ass while I'm gone. Should only be for a few weeks." He heard Falco grunt over the comms.

"Since when did we not? Worry about your own tail Fox. You're gonna have your own problems if you actually find her, cause I highly don't he will just let you have her." Fox sighed as the station drew closer in his canopy.

"I'll be fine Falco. Fox Out." He clicked his radio off as he approached the station. It was a massive affair, designed to be an exquisite stop for cruise liners, as well as a deep space resort for those who had the money for it. the station looked like twin half sphere's, connected by a long central hub that was simply covered in docking ports. There were also hangers along the rim's of the globes, one of those being Fox's destination. Thousands of windows were visible along the white skin of the station, with at least three liners docked next to the docking hub. His range finder put the station at thirty clicks out when his radio cracked to life again, an unfamiliar voice on the other side.

"Ares control to unidentified fighter craft, please state your business here." Fox quickly keyed his comm up and spoke, slowly and calmly even though he was almost bouncing in his seat with nervousness.

"This is Fox McCloud of the Star Fox team, simply looking for some rest and relaxation." I wish. I cant rest until I've found her. The thought crossed his mind as he spoke, nearly causing him to say it instead.

"Ah, Mister McCloud, we've been hoping you would one day visit, we have a seventy two hour pass waiting for you, on us. Our way of saying thank you for your efforts in protecting us from destruction." Fox smirked, having been aware of the pass since the end of the Lylat war, almost a decade ago. He had been planning to bring his girlfriend there, but her mysterious abduction just six months after the Aparoid threat had cut that plan short.

"Why that's very generous of you guys. I'll make good use of it." he tried to sound happy over the comms, feeling himself already cracking. Damn, this is going to be harder than I thought.

"We thought you would. Please pilot your vessel to hanger nine, residential, our staff will meet you there. Forwarding flight data to you now. have a pleasant stay Mr. McCloud." Fox sighed as the radio cut, setting the nav data they sent him into his computer, letting the autopilot on his third gen Arwing handle the approach. His eyes dropped once again to the picture of the beautiful vixen, speaking quietly to himself.

"I will find you Krystal. I swear I will."


Passenger Liner Icarus, Deep Space

William Hawkins fiddled with his side arm as he sat in one of the seats of the small passenger liner, his partner glancing at him and rolling his eyes. They were newly made partners, even though they were actually long time friends, having served together in the U.S. military before joining the I.B.T.T.F., or the Interstellar Biological Terror Task Force, the grandson of the earth born B.S.A.A..

"Why do you still carry that thing anyway? You know Cornerian blaster's are still better suited to this job, right?" the blaster in question was a human military issue weapon, using depleted uranium in a ceramic casing as it's source of plasma, limiting the weapon to only eight shots per magazine, unlike the hydrogen based blasters from Corneria, capable of firing hundreds of shots without a new magazine. Will smirked as he finally left the weapon alone, crossing his arms.

"Tell me that again when you've fought an Aparoid, or one of the other tough ass BOW's. Cornerian weapons lack the power needed to knock them down in one shot, Ramirez." The heavily muscled Hispanic smirked, having heard that reason a hundred times over.

"I'm sorry about Amanda by the way. Cant be easy what you are going through." Will just grunted, his mind drifting off to what happened just a few weeks ago, walking into his small New York apartment to discover his high school sweetheart with his best friend. A dull ache still echoed from his chest, nowhere near as powerful as it had been when he walked out of that door, but it still remained as painful as it was that day.

"It's fine. It's not like you could have done anything anyway. Some things just have to happen." They were both actually new Agents, having originally been members of Tactical BOW teams. But, Will had been stationed in the Lylat system, Ramirez being light years away during the Aparoid invasion. Ramirez had plenty of experience hunting down the people behind bio terror attacks, whereas, Will had plenty of experience fighting BOW's, and both had assumed that this was why they were made partners.

"Do you think it's true?" Will glanced at him as he spoke, one eyebrow raised, his voice much softer than it had been. "That someone actually stole a strain of the T-virus?" Will shrugged, honestly not caring all that much. Even though it had been almost two centuries, beyond the occasional genetic experiment or airborne disease, there had not been a virus that had been as potent or horrifying as the effects of the T-virus.

"I don't know. I just hope that tip about the hidden bio lab is true, otherwise, this will be one expensive wild goose chase." Ramirez grunted in agreement, the ship lurching slightly as it docked.

"Now arriving at Ares Station. Please enjoy your stay!" Ramirez and Will were the only two passengers aboard the vessel, grabbing their duffels out of the luggage area before leaving the ship, stepping off into the station beyond. The central hub was essentially a large cylinder connecting the two halves of the station, and had a large windowed sphere in the center, marking where the gravity shifted from one direction to the other. No matter where you stood, this dome was beneath you. One of the adventures advertised on the station was feeling what the original space explores would have felt, floating around in zero gravity. Each level of the hub was a terminal, with benches filling the rounded chamber, and several departure and arrival boards. The center of each floor was the main elevator shaft that ran the length of the station, able to flip the elevators over when they passed through the zero gravity area. Standalone shops, mainly novelty shops, dotted the tier, as well as a few restaurants. There had to be near on a thousand Lylattians here in this one room alone. A bouncy cheetah like feline came trotting over to us, a smile on her face. She was wearing a simple blue formal shirt and a tight button up blouse, tucked into the skirt. It made her look almost like an informal flight attendant. On her shirt was a name plate that Will could already make out. Savanah.

"Hello gentlemen, would you to be Mr. Hawkins and Mr. Ramirez?" both men nodded in unison and she practically jumped with joy. "Splendid! Come with me and I'll help get you two situated. Oh, my name is Savannah, and you'll find a wrist communicator in your rooms preprogramed with my number! If you ever need anything, feel free to call!" Will quickly cut in, trying to not sound hostile to the women, and failing spectacularly.

"Excuse me, but will you just show us to our cabins? We're here on business, and I'd like to get to it." her ears flattened to her head and she pouted slightly.

"Very well sir. Although, just as a word of advice, try to throw a little pleasure into business whenever you can." She turned toward the central elevators and stalked toward them, Ramirez already speaking into Will's ear.

"well, your chances of getting a new girlfriend just went from slim to absolutely none. Come on man, most people never even get to see this place, much less be here! I intend to enjoy myself a little as we investigate. I'm mean, the force is funding all of this, so why not?" Will groaned at him as Will slipped his duffel bag onto his shoulders, Ramirez doing the same before the two of them followed the cheetah through the crowd. Ramirez trotted up to beside her, smiling as he spoke.

"Pardon my partner there, he's in a bit of a sour mood. I on the other hand wouldn't mind the ins and outs of the local club and bar scene?" the cheetah perked up a little bit, glancing back at Will.

"Well, it depends. There are a few nice quiet bars, good for quiet couples." Ramirez's expression of mock horror got the cheetah to chuckle slightly. "But for those of us living the single life, I go to our branch of Solstice. Back on Corneria, it's a very formal restaurant. Here? It's a rowdy crazy party every night, filled with single women, if you can beat out the competition that is." Ramirez just grinned, dropping back a bit to elbow Will's arm.

"Ya hear that Hawkins, big club, loaded with single women, Always crazy…. Sound familiar?" Will glared at him and he whispered into Will's ear. "Hey, come on man, live a little. I know you just got divorced but ya gotta see the positive in that! We can hit that bachelor scene together again!"

"Ramirez, stop. Please." Will could feel tears trying to fight their way out as Ramirez's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I know you are trying to help, but it's just too soon for me. Alright?" he nodded, standing politely behind the cheetah in the elevator.

"So what agency are you boys with?" her voice sounded polite and innocent, but both men could instantly tell she was trying to get to know them for some reason.

"The Interstellar Biological Terrorism Task Force." Will's voice was just as rough and hostile as it had been before, but the cheetah seemed able to shrug it off.

"So what makes the virus police interested in Ares." Will spoke before Ramirez could.

"Classified ma-am." Ramirez elbowed Will again before he spoke.

"Just a routine inspection. The CDF asked us too, given their forces are still stretched thin after the whole Aparoid affair." She turned to face them, grinning slightly as she leaned up against the wall of the elevator.

"Ah, so nothing to worry about I guess?" The two men nodded in unison, Will shifting the heavy duffel on his back. "So anything other than the clubs catch your fancy sir?" her question was aimed mainly toward Ramirez, but her eyes kept glancing at Will, as if she was hoping he would loosen up as well.

"I honestly don't know. Hawkins here is the one who's heard a good deal about this place, he's been stationed in Lylat for a year and half now." Will grunted, earning him another elbow from Ramirez, rougher this time.

"Fine. I heard the theme park is one of a kind. There, I said something friendly, ya happy now?" Ramirez chuckled and clapped Will's shoulder.

"No, but you're getting me there." The cheetah rolled her eyes at the two men, gesturing at the glass walls of the elevator.

"If you two would be so kind as to hold onto the rails, we are about to enter the Zee-Gee dome. Suddenly, the cabin was filled with light from the distant star, flooding through the clear walls of the dome and into their elevator car. Will barely managed to grab the rail in time as the gravity in the car cut out, just as the thing suddenly began rotating as it drifted through the space, shooting back into the elevator shaft. Gravity suddenly returned, dropping all three individual's back to the floor, all three staggering slightly.

"I hate that feeling." Will was slightly green in the face as he spoke, earning him a raised eyebrow.

"Since when?"

"The Aparoid threat. Not saying more." Ramirez shrugged silence falling over them as the elevator raced through the residential sphere. When the elevator stopped, she led the way through a maze of hallway's, all the way to the outer ring of cabins, marking the luxurious suites usually checked out by on the richest and most famous people. Will's eyes went wide as he realized they were staying there, almost disgusted by it. Ramirez on the other hand was clearly excited.

"Here we are! Management bumped up your reservations to the space view suites, in light of your work to protect the system. Again if you need anything, my number is in the wrist communicators in your rooms, but I must be off, another guest is going to arrive shortly that I have to escort here. Enjoy your stay!" Will gulped before he turned and stepped into his room, already wishing he wasn't here.


Ares Station, two weeks later

Mira Marshall adjusted the power setting on her small carbine as the small shuttle rocked slightly, still a few minutes from the station. Her mind drifted back to the brief, remember the names of the two agents sent to investigate the station before it went dark, one in particular drawing her attention. William Hawkins was the reason she had joined the I.B.T.T.F., having saved her and her family from Aparoids during the Aparoid threat. She still remembered their last conversation just weeks ago, him informing her of the divorce with his wife. The two of them had been tight friends, primarily over calls and messages, for the past year since he saved her life, something that Mira honestly wished was different.

"Hey Marshal, you ready to go?" she was torn from her thoughts as her attention shifted to her team leader, Christopher Mills. Most of the team just called him Chris though.

"yeah, of course. You know I've fought Aparoids before, right?" the brown haired brown eyed human chuckled as one of their other team mates responded.

"I don't think stabbing a 'totter with a Kitchen knife really counts." One of her other team mates, Reece. She let her shoulder's slump as she glared at him. 'Totter was a nickname for one of the few Aparoids to spawn without a host of some sort, and wasn't technically considered a BOW. Reece was another human, with deep black hair that he kept long, by male standards at least. He specialized in long range tactics. Or in simpler terms, he was the groups dedicated sniper. Mira was the team's intrusion specialist, having a knack for tricking even the most well defended doors into opening.

"For your information, I did pick up a weapon and shoot a few after I stabbed the first one. Also squished one with a shelter door." The last two members of the small but close knit team were also both human, leaving Mira as the only lylatian in the group. Humans were the dominant race in the task force, given anti-biological task forces have never been needed until recent lylatian history. It was only about a decade ago when Corneria looked to the IBTTF for aid in dealing with the biological containments across their planet, as well as hunting down Andross's genetic nightmares around the system.

"ah, is the wee little kitty getting upset?" she just about smacked the source of the childish voice, choosing to glare at the bearded, red haired, human combat veteran. He was one of the long time veterans of the force, having fought in the Lylat wars less nine years ago.

"You should know Wilson, that I'm only half feline. Felines don't usually have this bushy tail or these ears." He rolled his eyes at her, adjusting his grip on the Cornerian squad automatic weapon he favored. He was the team's heavy assault specialist, and had a massive knack for firearms. The last quiet member of the group was the only other female, Naseeba Ayoub. She had long black hair, about the same length of Mira's but not as voluminous, light tan skin and incredibly lightly colored green eyes. She also happened to be the daughter of the human ambassador to the Lylat system, and had joined the IBTTF with Mira. She was the group's stealth specialist, favoring an old Kriss Vector sub-machinegun from earth, mounted with a silencer. It meant carrying around physical ammo, given it was a ballistic weapon, but it was surprisingly quiet.

"Wilson, when are you going to stop picking on her?" Wilson grunted, half chuckling to himself.

"When Small's stops leaving herself open for it Paki." Paki was Wilson's nickname for Naseeba, given she was from a country on Earth called Pakistan. Small's was his main nickname for Mira, given she was the smallest person in the group, and absolutely tiny compared to his massive frame.

"Alright children, cut it out. We'll be landing in thirty seconds, so charge and lock!" Naseeba cycled the bolt on her weapon, small quick whine's marking the other's Cornerian weapons powering up. Mira powered her small stockless carbine up, letting it drop to its sling as she pulled her blaster pistol out and charged it as well. She slipped it away and grabbed her carbine just as the ramp beside them dropped open, revealing the hanger bay beyond. Wreckage was scattered around the hanger, all chunks of blasted apart craft. Mira's eyebrow raised as they flooded off the ramp, weapons raised.

"Looks like someone came tearing through here with a rocket launcher. Wonder why they destroyed all of the ships." Wilson was the one speaking as a section of sky blue paint caught Mira's attention. She trotted over to it, recognizing the twisted hull before her as the wreck of a third gen Arwing. On the side of the sky blue G-Diffusers was a small white emblem, a stylized earth fox with wings. Star Fox? Here? Confused, she quickly checked what was left of the cockpit, finding no signs of it's pilot inside.

"Mira, find something interesting over there?" she dropped off the hull and back to the deck plating as she responded, headed back over to Chris.

"Yeah, that's a Star Fox craft." She continued on her own at the questioning expression on his face.

"A mercenary unit. A really famous one. They are supposed to be the best pilots in the galaxy." He glanced at the wreck again before he responded.

"Well, those flight skill's didn't help him any. Alright people, we aint gonna find out what happened to our agents here! Lets move out!" she watched as he clicked his radio on, already speaking again. "Larsen, go ahead and leave, we'll call you when we need pickup, over?" the pilot acknowledged as they moved away, toward the door marked 'terminal' along the back wall. The five man team all lined up beside the door, Mira being the last member in the line, making her the breacher. Although she preferred picking locks and hacking doors open, the occasional boom or kick was needed, and was also part of her job. Once she saw that everyone was ready, she darted along their little group to stand by the door panel on the opposite side, a simple head nod from Chris telling her to open the door. The second she hit the button, the door slammed open, Chris leading the way through, followed closely by the rest of the team. The first two to enter would clear the corners, first the close, then the far. The second two would clear the back wall and the corners, setting up interlocking sectors of fire off the two edge team mates. Mira usually would just pull rear security, unless another team was already doing so for them. Then she would simply slide in beside the third man in, sweeping roughly the same fire sector. She sat out side the door, calmly watching the hanger until she heard Chris shout clear from the room, prompting her to follow him inside. The second she stepped through the door, she was hammered with a powerful rotting smell, nearly knocking her over.

"God, what the hell is that stench!?" the room was near pitch black, the only light being from a sparking cable dangling from the ceiling. Light slowly flooded the room as dormant screens powered on. Several of the screens were cracked and shattered, marked with blaster burns. Similar burns covered the walls, and although there were blood smears and spots all over the floor, there was not a single body. Mira saw a couple of carbines just like her's amongst the rows of benches, covered in blood. The group started moving through the room, the door closing automatically behind them. The room was much like most spaceports around the galaxy, with the exception of the fact that the screens above were advertising different activities around the station, from the theme park in the recreation sphere, to the dining in the residential one. An object on the floor drew Mira's attention and she stooped over to scoop it up, recognizing it as a magazine from a human blaster. Confused, she glanced around, noticing the shattered remnants of ceramic shell casings. "Will was here. Look." She gestured the magazine around her at the shattered bits, spotting another not far away.

"who?" she looked up at Chris and sighed, realizing that although small, most people didn't know a lot about other teams in the task force.

"Sorry, Agent Hawkins. He almost religiously sticks to human blasters. Complains that Cornerian weapons don't have the power needed to get the job done." Chris raised an eyebrow at her before he spoke.

"Alright then. Mira, with me, everyone else, I want you to head to the security room, see if you can discover what happened here. Mira, we're going to try and find our field agents. Stay in radio contact at all times." The small group all nodded, the three of them heading off toward one of the booths, knowing that there were stairs leading off to the employee area's of the station. Meanwhile, Chris lead her off, deeper into the station itself.