Part 18
Fox and Fara took the next few days to rest and work on their cover as a married couple returning to Cornerian space, when they felt confident their act would work they returned to Io station and Norman began modifying Fara's headset to look as alien as possible. When he had finished, Fox and Fara went toward the docking bay and found the freighter returning to Lylat. They were greeted by a friendly Cornerian dressed in a CDF uniform, he began to look over the documentation Norman had given Fox and Fara.
"Welcome aboard Mr. and Mrs." He looked at his data pad again. "McCloud. I hope you enjoy your trip home, courtisy of the Cornerian government."
"Thank you." Fox said. "We enjoyed our time here."
"Is that right? This is my second time outside Lylat." The Cornerian looked at Fox. "I can't stand being here any longer than necessary. These things scare me."
"They take a bit of getting used to." Fara told the Cornerian, who shrugged his shoulders and waved them on board. Fox and Fara followed the directions of the crew and the lines painted on the floor to the freighter's cargo bay which was stacked full of containers with narrow stairways leading up to the doors on the containers above. Each container had a number on the door, Fox and Fara found theirs at the top of a stack toward the front of the cargo bay. A periodic announcement over the ship's intercom counted down the time to departure, at one hour thrity minutes all passengers were asked to be seated in their designated containers as the crew began sealing the doors. Fox and Fara rushed out of their container only to be met by several armed crew members who quickly ushered them back inside and locked the door behind them.
"What's going on?" Fara asked Fox.
"I don't know. I guess this is our private room for the trip."
The deep rumbling of the ship's engines echoed inside the lightless container, drowning out any attempt to speak below a yell. Once the ship had reached cruising speed the noise died down, leaving Fox and Fara's ears ringing as they stumbled around in the darkenss. A voice over the intercom announced the ship would be docking shortly.
"Docking?" Fara said to Fox. "That didn't take long."
"Great, I want out of here." Fox replied.
"We're caged in here like animals. I can't believe the Cornerian government would treat its people this way."
"While we were boarding the ship, did you get a look inside any of the other containers?"
"No, I didn't think to look."
"They had chairs, lights, and video screens." Fox told Fara. "We don't."
"So they singled us out already?"
"This type of freighter loads from the top so it can dock to the bottom of a station. We're at the top so we get off at the first stop."
Fox and Fara's conversation was interrupted by a metallic clang followed by the sound of groaning hydraulics, another clang shook the container. Fox braced himself in one corner while Fara did the same across from him while the container shifted wildly from side to side before stopping suddenly with an ear splitting boom. The abrupt stop knocked the pair to the floor, they didn't have time to regain their footing before the container doors were opened. Blinding white light burned their eyes as they were dragged blinded and with ears ringing out of the container. Fox was the first to his feet, he helped Fara up before being restrained and pulled away from her. Fox watched as a Cornerian approached Fara, he looked her over, checking her legs, feet, arms, and hands before turning his attention to her head the the device attached.
"Where'd you get that?" The stranger asked Fara, tapping on her headpiece.
"It's to help me with," Fara thought a moment. "My motion sickness and seizures." The stranger turned and spoke to one of his subordinates.
"It's too bulky to be theirs. If they're altering brain activity they put it at the back of the head under the skin. Whatever it is, its been in their hands, so Dr. Waytus is going to want to see it."
"What about these two?" The subordinate asked, pointing to the pair. "They were the only ones on this shipment and he doesn't have anything."
"I have this." Fox said while pulling something from his jacket. It was the interface device Fara used to communicate with the Prospect's computer. The Cornerian's eyes widened as he studied the device in Fox's hand, tracing the lines etched into its surface with his finger, taking care not to touch it.
"That's interesting." He told Fox. "Where did you get it and what does it do?"
"It's a ship interface." Fara said. "It lets the ship's computer communicate directly into the mind of the user and the user communicate with the ship through thought."
"And it's yours?" The Cornerian said to Fox. "You were in command of a human ship?"
"Yeah." Fox told him. "Some kind of small carrier."
"Get them to the surface." The Cornerian told his subordinates. "Let them know we've got two worth talking to." Before they could react, Fox and Fara were rushed into a nearby transport and flown to MacBeth's battered surface. Still bearing the scars of the first war, many of the structures on the surface were heavily damaged and crumbling, Fox had forgotten Titania was under Venom's control during the war and its factories were used to build the ships and fighters that ravaged the Lylat system. The Cornerians had been slowly working to restore the planet's production lines to working order but lack of resources sidelined many of their projects. As the transport neared its destination, Fox could see through the dusty air the outlines of several structures backlit by lights on the horizon. The transport set down inside a small hangar that was connnected to the ruins of a larger structure, the brightly lit landing area was bathed in darkness as soon as the transport landed. Fox and Fara were ushered off the ship and brought to a stairwell leading to the lower levels of the ruins. They were led to a room several floors down with a sliding door along one wall and several sets of chairs scattered across the floor and left alone. After a few minutes, Fox started to walk back toward the doorway they had entered through, as he did the door quickly shut and locked. There was a hiss of air and a bright light coming from the sliding door that was opening slowly, half a dozen Cornerians dressed in lab coats stepped out followed by an older figure dressed the same way that looked frighteningly like Andross, he spoke.
"Welcome Mr. and Mrs. McCloud. I'm Dr. Waytus and I'm very interested to see what you've brought me."
"Where are we?" Fara asked.
"You're on MacBeth, have you forgotten the planets in Lylat during your time with the humans?" Dr. Waytus responded with a smile. He walked over to Fara followed by several of the Cornerians. He grabbed Fara's head and twisted it to one side while the others held her arms. Fox tried to rush to her side but was quickly restrained by the remaining assistants.
"Relax, I'm just getting a better look at your gift." He studied Fara's head for a moment. "This is Cornerian tech, at least it was before the humans got ahold of it. Tell me, what does it do?"
"It's to help with motion sickness and seizures." Fara told the Doctor.
"I don't believe that." Dr. Waytus said. "This looks like what's left of a head mounted targeting system the CDF was experimenting with that the humans have added a few basic transmitter and receiver modules to. I'm not sure it does anything other than fool those who don't know any better."
"It's permanently attached." Fox interrupted. "It's anchored to her head."
"Of course it is." Dr. Waytus told Fox. "If you're trying to get the device to be as accurate as possible you don't mount it on a helmet where it can shift independent of the pilot's head. I worked on this project before I came here, I know every pilot that was part of that program. Most had their headpieces removed when it was cancelled, only a few didn't make it back to us before we moved on to something else."
"I wasn't ever given the option." Fara yelled at the Doctor. "They told me it couldn't be removed."
"It can't be removed because I stopped removing them." Dr. Waytus said smugly. "My time is far too valuable to waste on trivial matters and failed experiments." He walked over to Fox, who could barely contain his anger, and began looking over his head aswell.
"Now, what have you brought me?" Dr. Waytus said. One of the assistants handed him the device Fox had brought with him. The Doctor smiled as he examined the device in his hand, letting his fingers glide over the surface.
"You have something very unique my friend. You can't imagine what this will do to forward our research. Where did you get this?"
"It was given to me." Fox answered through clenched teeth. "I was commanding a ship before I came back to Lylat."
"Is that right?" The Doctor turned and faced Fox. "Everything I know about the humans tells me you're lying. They guard their technology very closely and they don't hand over command of a ship to a member of a foreign species. I'd love to know the circumstances of this exchange of command."
"There was an accident on the ship and I was next in line to command." Fox told the Doctor. "There weren't any humans left to run the ship."
"I suppose it could happen." Dr. Waytus began walking back toward the sliding door. "The human ships are dangerous places, many of our fellow Cornerians have been injured trying to serve these creatures. This place was built to help them adjust to living with their own kind again and help us learn a bit more about our new space faring neighbors."
"You built this place in the sub basement of a ruined factory?" Fara asked. "Why waste the resources when they could be used to rebuild Corneria?"
"As a former member of Andross' army, I can't say I have any sympathy for Corneria. I can say I have a great interest in human technology and the humans themselves and Corneria was willing to overlook my past in exchange for any information I can give them on the humans' activities. This facility was already here and was used to research new technology for Andross. Now it's used to research new weapons to fight the impending threat." Dr. Waytus paused a moment then turned to his assistants. "Gentlemen, if you could escort our new guests inside. I want to see what else they can tell us."
"I can tell you the humans aren't a threat." Fox said. "If anything, rogues like you are a threat to the humans and to Corneria."
"You're mistaken." Waytus stopped and faced Fox. "These creatures are a great threat to the stability of Lylat."
"No, Andross was a threat. The humans are trying to coexist with us." Fox replied.
"You'd be one to think that wouldn't you? You're the one who stopped him."
"I did what Corneria paid me to do."
"Of course you did. So who pays you now? More importantly, what are they paying you to do?" Waytus turned toward Fara and grabbed her headpiece. "This sloppy attempt to get inside my installation tells me the humans are trying to disrupt what we're doing here. As long as the humans honor their agreement with Corneria and keep their ships out of Lylat, there is nothing they can do."
"What are you doing here?" Fara asked as Waytus released his grip.
"Gaining the advantage." The Doctor replied with a smile. Fox and Fara were led inside and down a corridor with several pairs of armed robots standing on either side. Just past the robots was a heavily reinforced door beside a long window, Fox looked inside the room. The room appeared to be some kind of prison cell with a sectioned off area for a toilet and wash basin and several benches attached to small circular tables. A few rows of beds mounted on the far wall gave the occupants somewhere to rest but there was little else in the room. The rooms occupants, several Cornerians, were all missing limbs, hands, or ears. One Cornerian, standing in the back of the room with arms folded, caught Fox's attention, it was Miri. Her long black hair was a tangled mess that partially covered her face, hiding the scar and her missing eye. She stared blankly into the room, seemingly unaware of Fox looking at her.
"What did you do to these people?" Fox yelled.
"Nothing, the humans did this to them, and they have given us the best look at human technology we've been able to get." Waytus told Fox. "Each one has lost a piece of their body and had it replaced with a human made mechanical prosthetic. We've separated these individuals from those returning to Lylat and removed their gifts for study."
"So why keep them here if you've already got what you wanted from them?" Fara asked.
"We can't remove the most important part. Not yet." Waytus told Fara. "As soon as the Cornerian government gives us permission, we're going to remove the interface portion of the prosthetic. Unlike the prosthetic itself, which is a simple robotic assembly, the interface is custom made for each individual and allows them the same control and feeling as if their limb was still attached. The mystery is how the humans manage to merge flesh and machine, the device you brought with you will help us better understand how this technology works."
"Some of these people aren't missing limbs." Fox said.
"Yes, some of our guests have internal devices and in all cases, that is the only thing keeping them alive."
"So removing the human tech will kill them." Fara said.
"Correct, removing the human technology from these people may cause them harm." Waytus said with a smile. "I'll have to leave you now, the CDF wants a progress report and I musn't be late delivering it. My assistant, Dr. Tydic will take over from here. When I return, you and I will have an extended conversation about why you're here. Please don't attempt to leave before I return, the exterior door is locked from the outside and the guards will attach as soon as the alarm is triggered.."
The Doctor began walking further into the installation, leaving Fox and Fara standing alone in outside the window. Fox looked in again at Miri, who had not moved.
"Who are you looking at Fox?" Fara asked.
"The one in the back there, with the dark hair." Fox told her, putting his finger against the glass. "That's Miri, she's the one who left with Krystal before you came on board. When Star Wolf attacked us, she was firing the laser on their carrier and she was Jack's friend."
"Do you think she recognizes you?"
"She can't see you, none of them can." A voice interrupted Fox and Fara's conversation. A grey haired wolf Cornerian approached them flanked on either side by two large armed robots. "The glass is mirrored on the other side, we can see in, they cannot see out. I'm Dr. Tydic. Who may I ask, are you?"
"I'm Fara Phoenix."
"I'm Fox McCloud."
"Funny, my information here says you're a married couple." Dr. Tydic looked at the datapad in his hand.
"Newlyweds." Fara said nervously. "I'm still getting used to it."
"I see." Tydic replied. "Dr. Waytus has told me you're spies for the humans and I'm to show you the rest of the facility before we interrogate you. The Doctor hopes after seeing what we're trying to do here you'll be more cooperative, making the interrogation easier for us and less traumatic for you. This way please." Dr. Tydic led Fox and Fara to another room just off the main corridor. Inside were several display cases and large pieces of wreckage, each with its own information terminal.
"In here we keep all of the human weapons and ship technology we've salvaged from their territory." Dr. Tydic began. "We're not even close to understanding their ship technology but we have made some progress with their weapons."
"You're building human weapons down here?" Fox asked.
"Why no." Tydic replied. "The humans use mass accelerators in their weapons and while this technology isn't as efficient as a plasma weapon or laser, its power is devastating. We can't even duplicate the alloys used to make the barrels let alone the power cells that allow these weapons to function. The best we can hope for here is a more effective defense against them."
"You think they are going to attack us?" Fara asked.
"Eventually, they will tire of the Cornerian government's constant posturing and take some kind of action."
"That doesn't mean they'll invade Lylat."
"Have you seen a human warship up close?" Tydic asked Fara.
"No." Fara said.
"They're massive machines, some the size of a city, bristling with weapons that could punch through the shield and hull of our finest ships in a single salvo. There are dozens of them in the systems surrounding Lylat right now, just waiting for the order."
"We never saw anything like that." Fox said.
"Of course you didn't, you weren't looking for it. You had to have seen the guns on every ship in their armada."
"I haven't seen a human ship that wasn't armed with some kind of weaponry." Fara told Dr. Tydic.
"Ask yourself, Why? Who do they fight that they need guns on every ship?" Tydic put his hand on Fara's shoulder. "They won't tell you."
"I've been in some of the systems around Lylat where the humans are operating." Fox said. "They are full of pirates, smugglers, and rogue agents from Lylat's wars. I can see why every ship needs to be armed, the area they operate in is very dangerous, our own ships can't get through Lylat without being hijacked. The humans have a right to defend themselves."
"Of course they do." Dr. Tydic said, nodding his head. "Nevermind they're upending the residents of those systems as they move in and help themselves to whatever it is they're after."
"It looks like they just settle a system and move on." Fara said. "I don't think they're after any one thing."
"I know something they are after, this way." Dr. Tydic led Fox and Fara out of the weapon storage room and down the corridor to a large room with several computer consoles scattered throughout and a few large pieces of machinery. The robots that were escorting the group stopped at the entrance, at one corner of the room was a barred holding cell roughly two meters square, inside was Jack. Jack was laying on his back with one knee up and his leg crossed over, foot dangling in the air, he looked at the group out of the corner of his eye as they passed by and walked to the opposite corner of the room. Dr. Tydic began playing a recording of the interactions between Jack and the facility staff.
"Can you tell us how this weapon works." One of the researchers asked Jack and held out a human pistol.
"Give it here and I'd be happy to show you how it works." Jack said with his hand outstretched.
"That's not the answer I wanted." The researcher said. "You know our deal, you answer a question you get a meal. Let's try again. What can you tell me about your ship technology."
"It's better than yours." Jack replied.
"Oh come now, there has to be something you're willing to tell us.
"There is."
"Well, out with it."
"Of all the places I've been incarcerated, this is the cleanest by far, I'd recommend it to all my friends." Jack said with a smile. The researcher sighed and walked off camera. The recording continued to play, with the voice of another researcher citing the physical similarities and differences between Cornerians and humans while Jack added colorful commentary to his observations.
"He's really being..." Fara began.
"A jerk." Fox said with a chuckle. "Krystal warned me about that." .
"I was going to say difficult." Fara said.
"The cameras can't see us here, they're focused on watching him." Dr. Tydic interrupted. "Speak softly though, we can still be heard. I don't like or trust the humans, but they haven't given us a reason to fear them yet. We need to research as much of their technology as we can, but Waytus has gone too far with this. I have no doubt the fleet massing outside Lylat is waiting for you to return with this human, I can't imagine what will happen if you don't."
"We had no idea there was a fleet." Fara said. "We didn't know if Jack would be here."
"We're looking for someone else as well." Fox told Dr. Tydic. "A blue Cerinian, is she here?"
"No, I know who you're talking about though. We traded her for the human."
"You what?" Fox yelled.
"Quiet down. I am trying to help you but if you compromise my position here I'll have to call in the robots. We traded her for the human, he was supposed to be near death. As it turned out he was just sedated and when it wore off we had a terrible time getting him under control."
"Where is Krystal?" Fox demanded.
"I don't know where they took her. They wanted to study a Cornerian and we wanted to study a human. She was the closest thing to a Cornerian we had that wasn't staff and didn't have some kind of human installed modification."
"But Star Wolf brought both of them here didn't they?" Fara asked.
"I don't know how you knew that, but yes. Wolf O'Donnell brought your friend here along with another, then traded your friend for the human. The other one that was brought in might know more, you can ask her after we put you in the holding cell."
"I'm not going in any holding cell." Fox told Tydic.
"I'll drop my card inside the doorway, it will open the holding cell door without setting off the alarms. That card will also get you into the weapons research room, several of the weapons in there are still functional. After that you can open the human's cage and get out of here but once you do, the alarms will sound and the robots stationed along the entryway will attack. You'll have to fight your way to the surface. It's the only option you've got at this point, Dr. Waytus is upstairs right now setting up your transfer to another facility, you'll be on the outside of the ship for that trip."
"So how are we going to do this?" Fara asked.
"We'll walk outside the room and the robots will grab the both of you. Put up a fight all the way to the holding cell and I'll make sure to drop the key just inside the doorway. You have to be the one to pick it up, if one of the other prisoners gets to it, they will try to escape and ruin everything."
"What do we do about the prisoners?" Fox asked.
"The safest place for them is inside that cell until all the robots are down." Dr. Tydic said. "They'll get suspicious if we wait too long. We need to go now. Start walking out of the room or I will have to call the robots."
Fox and Fara began to walk out of the room with Dr. Tydic just behind them. As soon as they crossed the doorway the two robots standing on either side grabbed them and began to drag them down the corridor. Fox and Fara struggled, yelled, and pounded on the robots as they neared the doorway. Dr. Tydic opened the door and stepped inside the holding cell, followed by the robots dragging Fox and Fara.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have a couple of new residents I'd like to introduce." Dr. Tydic delivered his lines with an unnerving ease. "Fox McCloud and Fara McCloud will be joining you, do make them feel at home." Dr. Tydic walked past the robots as they dropped Fox and Fara in the center of the room. He stood to one side of the door while the robots walked out, Fara rushed the door while Dr. Tydic turned to walk out of the cell. As he stepped outside something bounced off his shoe and onto the floor, Fara scooped it up as the door closed infront of her. Fox struggled to get to his feet as the other prisoners helped him up.
"I never thought I'd see you again." A familiar voice caught Fox's ear. He turned and looked at Miri who had helped him to his feet.
"You tried to kill us." Fox replied, the other prisoners backed away as Fara walked up behind Fox and confronted Miri.
"I made a terrible mistake." Miri said. "There is no way I could explain my actions in a way you'd understand. I don't even understand what I did."
"Where's Krystal?" Fox asked.
"We left the Prospect and immediately returned to Lylat, I wanted to go back to Rodney, my husband. Krystal took me to see him but when we got there he had remarried. I took too long getting back to him and moved on, I was so upset."
"I don't care about your personal life. Where is Krystal?" Fox demanded, his fists were clenched and he began to slowly walk toward Miri.
"I'll get to that, you need to know this first." Miri pleaded with Fox, who stopped and waited. "Since neither of us had any place to go we decided to try and find work, Krystal visited a local bounty office she had used some time before. I stayed with the ship, that's when Wolf approached me. He told me how Krystal had betrayed him and his group, he said she would do the same to me the first chance she got, that's when I found out about this place. Wolf told me we could both profit if we turned Krystal in and I, thinking she would do the same to me, went along with it."
"I'm still waiting to hear where they took Krystal. Stop stalling and tell me where she is." Fox shifted his weight from one foot to the other as Miri started again.
"Wolf used the information in the computer on Krystal's ship to get out to the Prospect then dumped the both of us here after he didn't have a use for us anymore. A few days later he came back and took Krystal, at the same time they brought in a stretcher with a covered body."
"What about the part where you shot at the Prospect?" Fara asked.
"Wolf said if I didn't participate he'd have no use for me, I tried so hard not to hit the ship."
"You could have fooled me." Fara said. "You sounded like you were enjoying it."
"I was still upset about Rodney and I blamed Jack for it."
"So you shoot at us with a capital class laser cannon." Fox said in disbelief.
"When you put it like that, it does sound irrational."
"I'd like to smack you." Fara said.
"Back to Krystal." Fox demanded.
"When Wolf came back to get Krystal she asked where he was taking her. He said one word, Thorin.
"That's it?" Fox shook his head. "Where or what is Thorin?"
"I don't know, I'm sorry." Miri put her hand on Fox's shoulder. "It doesn't matter now, we're all locked in here."
"No, we're not." Fara said and presented Dr. Tydic's key.