Note: Last chapter was brutal, wasn't it? And with Krystal becoming unconscious, it was left ambiguous as to whether she was still alive or had died. The attack was enough to cause her great pain and agony. If she isn't dead, then it would be a surprise. If she did die, then Star Fox would probably go on a manhunt for her rapists, eager to shred them into pieces with their weapons. Either way, Corneria, let alone the Lylat System, might need to keep an eye out for them.
Before we move on, I want to say something to two reviewers.
Big Bossk Man 92: Yeah, it was not pleasant to write, and I doubt that it would be pleasant to read. Considering what Krystal went through, it's a given that her rapists will be dealt with in a brutal fashion. If Krystal is dead, then either one of her teammates or Leon will do it. If she's still alive, however, then she will be the one to do it. Either way, none of the attackers are going to have a pleasant time. Stay tuned for when it happens, though.
Guest: I probably should have done that, but I was so busy writing, I didn't think about the dialogue. Thanks for the review, though. If you want to continue reading, then go ahead. I hope that you like this chapter.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, it's time for chapter three.
Chapter 3: A Broken Vixen
The sound of beeping filled Krystal's ears, being loud enough for her to become annoyed with it. She let out a moan, hoping that it would stop. Pain surged through the cobalt vixen, making her moan louder. Her voice was blocked by something in her mouth. It was as if there was a plastic tube in the Cerinian's mouth, almost preventing her from breathing out of the orifice. Not only that, but she felt something in her arm, primarily in the middle of it.
Struggling to open her eyes, Krystal saw that she was surrounded by light. Once her eyes were open the cobalt vixen saw that she was in a hospital room. Looking around the room, she saw that she was now on a bed, dressed up in a patient's gown and under a blanket. The Cerinian had an IV in her arm, a heart monitor hooked up to her, a bedpan underneath her, and had a ventilator inserted into her mouth. With all of that, she was practically immobilized. Even if she tried to move from side to side, there wasn't much for Krystal to do. It seemed like she would be stuck on the bed for a while.
Only being able to move her eyes, Krystal continued to look around the room. In front of the room, near the door, was a TV, so that a patient could watch it when they got bored. Next to the bed were a few chairs, likely meant for those visiting. The door soon came open, causing Krystal to look ahead. Standing in the doorway was Doctor William Granger, a snow leopard who was one of the finest doctors on Corneria. He was holding a clipboard in his hands, looking up after writing in it.
"Miss Bodimead, you're awake!" Dr. Granger greeted.
Krystal tried to say something, but she was muffled by the breathing apparatus in her mouth.
"Hold on, let me get that for you." Dr. Granger said, carefully approaching her.
Walking near Krystal, Dr. Granger slowly removed the breathing apparatus from her mouth. The cobalt vixen flinched as this happened, feeling afraid to be around anyone. Once she could use her mouth, she could taste blood and semen. In addition to that awful taste, her mouth was almost dry. Seeing that, Dr. Granger got out a flashlight and took a look. After that, the snow leopard put his flashlight away.
"Do you need a cup of water?" He asked.
Krystal nodded, finding herself unable to speak at the moment. Finding her answer satisfactory, Dr. Granger left the room. Once she was alone again, the cobalt vixen sniffled. While she wasn't in pain, how she got in the hospital made her feel humiliated and ashamed of herself. A few new tears ran down the Cerinian's cheek, with her eyes stinging as she quietly cried. She hung her head, knowing full well what was going to happen when she eventually recovered and got out of the hospital. Being grabbed, injected with a harmful fluid, taken to the forest, and having her virginity painfully stolen was bad enough, but she felt that the aftermath would be worse.
The moment Dr. Granger returned, Krystal wiped her eyes. She took the glass of water out of the snow leopard's hands, getting a drink. Putting the glass down, the cobalt vixen sat up in bed. However, her head began to hurt. Wincing, the Cerinian put her hand on her forehead and let out a moan of pain. This didn't go unnoticed by Dr. Granger, who immediately went to her.
"Is anything wrong?" He asked.
"My head kinda hurts." Krystal groaned.
"You might have some trauma from last night." Dr. Granger said.
"That's not it, sir." The cobalt vixen said. "I feel sick."
"Krystal," the snow leopard said, "you're lucky to be alive after last night. You were physically and sexually assaulted so brutally, you would have died if the guy who found you didn't call for an ambulance. And there were even four men involved in the attack! Now that I think about it, would you like to hear the good news, or the bad news?"
"The good news first." The Cerinian said. "You can tell me the bad news as well."
"Well, the good news is that you don't have any severe injuries." The Zonessian said. "Even though your virginity has been taken, your genitals aren't swollen and you have no sign of a prolapse. You do have bruises from the physical harm that was inflicted by the four who attacked you, however, and you still need to stay and recover before you can leave the hospital. Other than that, you're fine."
"And I can imagine what the bad news is." The vulpine said. "The bad news is that people are either going to surround me with sympathy, or attack me and call me a whore for simply being penetrated by four men, whether or not it was consensual. The people who won't do either will probably interview me, most likely to make some sensationalist story that gets information wrong, add events that didn't even happen, or alter the story in order to humiliate everyone, victim or criminal."
"Yeah, that's bad." The feline said. "But the other bad news is that you might have nightmares about the attack. From what we could tell, your rapists were in you more than once, and we were worried that they overdid it. I injected morphine into you while you were out, hoping that it would stop the pain for a while."
Krystal let out a moan of pain, hugging herself for comfort. Dr. Granger tried to put a reassuring hand on her, but she flinched. The cobalt vixen then started to hear something echo through her mind.
She's scared of me? Dr. Granger's voice echoed through Krystal's mind. I hope she's not afraid of men after last night.
Realizing what this meant, Krystal knew that her telepathy had come back. While she would've been overjoyed in any other situation, she only let out a sigh of defeat. The drug that the cobalt vixen's kidnappers injected into her wore off too late for her to feel happy. Had her telepathy come back, she would've been able to use it to paralyze them when they had begun to undress her, or even contact someone for help when they were forcing themselves into her mouth. The Cerinian was still backing away from Dr. Granger, afraid to be approached by the snow leopard.
"It's okay." He said. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"I know, Doctor, I'm just a little scared." Krystal stated.
"You must be traumatized from the attack." Dr. Granger said. "We might need to do more tests on you, and you might need to talk to a psychologist when you get out of the hospital. If possible, we could have you go in for an ultrasound in order to see if the attack impregnated you."
"Hopefully, I didn't get pregnant." The cobalt vixen said.
"Anyway, you have some visitors." The snow leopard said. "They're a Mr. Fox McCloud and a Mr. Wolf O'Donnell. Do you want them to come in?"
"I'd rather not." The Cerinian said. "They'll flip when they see me like this."
"It might be better for them to come in." The Zonessian said. "After all, Mr. O'Donnell was trying to throw staff around in order to find out where you were."
Krystal let out a chuckle, knowing that Wolf would do such a thing. Despite how she felt at the moment, the cobalt vixen felt a little happy. Her body began to surge with pain again, so she didn't feel happy for long. With her telepathy scanning the hospital, the Cerinian decided to keep it down to the floor she was on. Fox and Wolf were waiting just outside her hospital room, intent on breaking down the door. Knowing that they wouldn't wait for much longer, Krystal sighed in defeat.
"Let them in." She said.
Dr. Granger pulled the door open, causing Krystal to see her visitors. Fox had a look of horror on his face, as if he had just witnessed a murder. Wolf had a more angered expression on his face, but his single-working eye had a look of sadness in it. Not only that, but a strange noise was escaping his mouth. It sounded almost like a sob, but had a slight wheeze along with it. Krystal couldn't believe it herself, as she often saw her father as the kind of man who never got emotional, even in situations like this.
Upon being let in, Fox and Wolf carefully approached Krystal. The cobalt vixen cringed, but she tried not to let it overshadow how happy she was to see them. Dr. Granger was on the sidelines, waiting to see what would happen. If Fox or Wolf got violent, then he would have to call security on them. The snow leopard wanted to warn them about approaching Krystal. After what had happened to her last night, he figured that she wouldn't want any contact with the men in her life.
"Hi Fox." Krystal spoke. "Hi Dad."
"Be careful with her, guys." Dr. Granger warned. "It's only been eleven hours since we brought her in, so she might not be willing to be touched for a while. We should be lucky, too, because all four of the men used her so badly, she would've died in the forest."
Krystal sat in silence, feeling afraid to say anything. While the cobalt vixen knew that Fox and Wolf were worried sick about her, she didn't want to say anything that would make the situation worse. It didn't matter, as her attackers likely hadn't been caught yet. The Cerinian was still hooked up to an IV and machines, so she couldn't really do anything. With her father coming towards her, her telepathy was telling her that he was not going to hurt her. He took her hand, looking at her with his enraged, tearful eyes.
"What did they look like?!" Wolf screamed, sounding on the verge of crying. "I swear, I'll tear out their guts & I'll hang 'em!!!"
"Mr. O'Donnell," Dr. Granger spoke, "now isn't the time for -!"
"They were a German Shepard, a Bull Terrier, a Husky, and a grizzly bear." Krystal said. "The first three are the CDF soldiers who were dishonorably discharged and the fourth was the bastard who saved them from being arrested."
"I will find them, wherever they are, and I'll make them suffer!" Fox shouted, letting out a sniffle afterwards.
"Gentlemen, please!" Dr. Granger said, trying to ease the temper of Krystal's visitors. "I understand that you want to help Ms. Bodimead, but now isn't the time for seeking vengeance! For now, you should comfort her!"
"How long will it take for her to recover?" Wolf asked, wiping his eyes.
"Usually, victims of sexual violence stay in the hospital for a few days." The snow leopard said. "But, if she's not feeling better in a few days, she'll have to stay for longer."
"Can we stay with her?" Fox asked.
"That's up to Ms. Bodimead." The feline said.
"Do you want us to stay with you, Krystal?" The orange tod asked.
"Yes." Krystal said, turning her eyes to Dr. Granger shortly after. "It's okay, I trust them."
Satisfied with the answer he got, but still pessimistic, Dr. Granger left the room. From there, Krystal was in the company of Fox and Wolf. While she was happy to see them, she was unable to get up and do anything with them, due to being stuck in her hospital bed. Luckily, the cobalt vixen's visitors were there to help her. Wolf was in charge of getting her food, while Fox handled other tasks. They cleaned her up as well, so that her fur didn't become matted.
When it was nighttime, Wolf told Fox and Krystal that he was heading back to Sargasso. Once the one-eyed lupine was gone, Fox decided to stay at the hospital and watch over Krystal. The building was open 24/7, but visiting hours were over by 9:00. As such, Fox decided to stay with Krystal just before then. It was already 8:15, so he had plenty of time with the injured cobalt vixen. He wished that he could stay for longer, so that nothing bad happened, but it would be against the rules.
By 8:30, Krystal decided to head to sleep. The cobalt vixen rarely went to bed early, but Fox guessed that it was because she was limited in activity at the moment. Her eyes began to droop as she lie back down on the bed. After laying down, the Cerinian fell asleep. Fox watched over her, acting like a father watching over his young child. He tucked her in, so that she wouldn't get cold throughout the night.
After a few minutes, Fox heard Krystal whimper and squirm. Startled by this, he tried to poke at her in an attempt to wake her up. The cobalt vixen responded by slapping his hand away, despite being asleep. She began to murmur, muffled words escaping her mouth. Fox only stood by, trying to make out what the violated Cerinian was saying in her sleep. What he heard was something that wouldn't get out of his head for the longest time.
"No!" Krystal whimpered. "No, please! Leave me alone! Let me go! Don't hurt me! Let go of me, please!"
"Krystal?" Fox spoke, trying to shake her awake. "Krystal, wake up! You're having a nightmare!"
"Please no more!" The cobalt vixen moaned. "It hurts! Let me go, you're hurting me!"
"Hey, Krystal, wake up!" The orange tod said, holding her in his arms.
With tears forming in her eyes, Krystal woke up and saw Fox above her. She let out a frightened yelp, afraid of being touched by a man. However, the cobalt vixen's telepathy said that Fox wasn't going to hurt her. She let out a sniffle before clinging to him, wrapping her arms around him for comfort. Pained, scared sobs came from the Cerinian, being loud enough for others to hear. Fox hugged her back, trying to calm her down.
"It's okay, Krystal." He calmly said. "They're not here. You're safe."
Krystal didn't say anything, and that's because she couldn't. She had never felt so vulnerable on her life. Even when she had been facing abuse at the hands of Opal Bodimead, the King of Cerinia and the man who pretended to be her father, the cobalt vixen managed to keep her spirits up and carry on. Now, she was unable to do that. Four men had sexually assaulted and used her, and she felt as though her life was over. It didn't help that one of them had managed to photograph her after they got done, and, given who he was, could've shared them around Corneria by now.
Dr. Granger came into the room, notifying Fox that visiting hours were almost over. With that in mind, the orange tod lie Krystal back on the bed, kissing her on the forehead. The cobalt vixen calmed down a little, but couldn't stop the tears from rolling out of her eyes. She sniffled, looking hopeless and defeated.
"I gotta go now, Krystal." Fox spoke. "The team will be here tomorrow, while I'll be working to find the perverted freaks who did this to you."
"Please don't look for them!" Krystal whimpered.
"We have to catch those guys." The orange tod said. "You weren't their first victim, but we'll make sure that you were their last. They'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
Moaning in pain, Krystal only nodded. She sent Fox a smile, despite how she felt at the moment. Once he had left, the cobalt vixen lie down. That night, she cried herself to sleep. Even if her loved ones were there for her, the Cerinian felt afraid. There was nothing that would make her feel better at the moment, and there was no way to erase what had happened from her mind.
The next day, Krystal was just watching some TV and eating breakfast. Dr. Granger had the cobalt vixen's food brought to her, as she was still on bed rest. However, she was able to get out of bed, no longer needing a bedpan when a visiting nurse took a look at her. Said nurse was the one who turned the TV on, willing to cater to the patients who were in the hospital at the moment. Krystal didn't mind, as she had no access to the remote until the visiting nurse came in. She continued eating, waiting for someone to come in.
After getting done with her breakfast, Krystal sensed that Dr. Granger was walking to her room. Not only that, but there were roughly eight people following him. The cobalt vixen knew who they were, so she felt safe. A knock came on the door, signaling their arrival.
"Come in!" Krystal called.
The door came open, revealing Dr. Granger on the other side.
"Ms. Bodimead, you have visitors." He said.
"Let them in, I know who they are." Krystal said.
Stepping aside, Dr. Granger allowed the visitors to enter the room. Looking ahead, Krystal gave a smile, ignoring the slight pain in her chest. Falco, Peppy, and Slippy came into the room first, with Slippy holding the door open. Fara, Fay, Miyu, Katt, and Lucy walked in shortly after. With everyone in front of her (except for Fox), Krystal wanted to speak with her teammates. However, she wound up not saying anything when she saw their horrified expressions.
Upon being let into Krystal's hospital room, Star Fox, Katt, and Lucy were able to see her. How she looked horrified them, and it was something none of them would get out of their heads. The cobalt vixen had a bruise underneath her eye, which ruined her fur, and some sort of pain patch was on both of her arms. Not only that, but her eyes now looked full of fear and pain, instead of being full of life and happiness. While the Cerinian didn't seem terribly injured (at least, on the outside), everyone could tell that she had been through a lot, as her hair was matted and she was dressed in a hospital gown instead of her uniform. Given the severity of what had happened to her, it didn't look like Krystal would recover completely from this.
"Hey, everybody." Krystal said, letting out a groan of pain shortly after.
"Krystal …" Fara tried to speak, shocked to see her friend in the state she was in.
"What happened to you?" Slippy asked.
"Mr. Toad, be sensitive to your friend." Dr. Granger said. "She doesn't have to say anything if she doesn't want to?"
"If you couldn't tell, Slippy, I was dragged out to the forest, beaten, raped, and left for dead by four men." Krystal said.
"Who were they?!" Lucy shouted. "I'll kill 'em all!"
"Calm down, honey." Peppy said. "I'm sure that they're just some thugs we can find in no time."
"They weren't random thugs, Peppy." Krystal spoke. "Three of them were the CDF soldiers who were discharged: Sargeant Johnston, Lieutenant Vicks, and Captain Wedge! As for the fourth one, he happened to be a bartender by the name of Randall Grizz! The first three were the ones who stole all those files from General Pepper!"
Upon hearing this, Krystal's visitors became shocked. It was bad enough that she had been brutalized and sexually assaulted by four men, but three of her attackers turned out to be the recently discharged soldiers from the CDF. The fourth was the bartender who worked at The Lazy Goat on the campus of Corneria College, but the group figured that he was simply roped into committing their crimes. But, for all they knew, the grizzly bear could've been the mastermind behind the attack. Krystal didn't tell them the full story, but that didn't matter to them. Star Fox grew enraged by what had happened, not only because their friend and teammate had been brutalized, but because three soldiers from the CDF had done such a thing to her.
"I'll cut off their nuts and stuff 'em down their throats!" Falco said, cracking his knuckles.
"I'd like to borrow Sabre's sword and slice and dice those assholes!" Fara shouted.
"They will pay, even if I have to kill them with my barehands!" Miyu snarled, her hands balled into fists.
"I'll scratch their eyes out for you, hon!" Katt offered, clearly planning on doing so.
"Everyone, calm down!" Krystal said.
"Krys, how can we calm down when four evil bastards with no life put you through hell for their pleasure?!" Falco asked.
"Let's not forget that they're still out there!" Katt said.
"And they stole files from the General!" Miyu added. "They could use them to bring us down, even when we're not near them!"
"This is sickening!" Lucy cried. "Don't you agree, Daddy?"
Peppy didn't say anything, he just stood by the door. He just could not believe that a soldier from the CDF could be capable of committing such crimes, let alone three of them. The hare expected such actions from soldiers in Venom's army, but not the one on Corneria. What's worse was that they had someone helping them out with their terrible deeds. Not only were they on the loose, but they could commit another crime at any minute. It was something that troubled Peppy, and it angered him that it could happen.
Fay and Slippy were just as quiet as Peppy, but they had different feelings. Slippy looked shocked, and he felt like he was going to throw up from the double whammy of bad news that Krystal had revealed to everyone. As for Fay, she felt like crying, becoming saddened by how brutally her friend was attacked. The spaniel wanted to help, but she didn't know where to begin. Slippy felt the same way, especially given how the hospital was caring for Krystal. If not for Fox telling him that she squirmed every time someone came near her, the toad would've given her a hug.
"Dad?" Lucy spoke, nudging Peppy's shoulder.
"You okay there, Peppy?" Falco asked. "You didn't have a heart attack, did you?"
"I'm fine!" Peppy said. "It's just that what Krystal said was shocking! I'm going to head back to the Great Fox. Anyone want to come with me?"
Falco, Slippy, Fara, Fay, Miyu, Katt, and Lucy shook their heads, giving their answer. Peppy then walked out of the room, leaving the others to speak with Krystal,
"So, uh, Krystal, how are you feeling?" Fara asked.
"I'm still in pain from the attack, but the medicine the hospital has been giving me is helping me recover." Krystal said.
"Are you sure you didn't get something unpleasant?" Falco asked.
"Nothing of the sort, but I might need to go to an ultrasound." The cobalt vixen stated.
"An ultrasound?" Fay spoke, feeling afraid. "Why do you need to go to an ultrasound? You're not -!"
"That's what I'm hoping, too, Fay." The Cerinian said. "I don't want the children of my rapists inside of me!"
"We hope they aren't, because it shouldn't be required to have children that were forced into you." Fara said.
"Yeah, and I'm not looking forward to babysitting byproducts of sexual violence." Katt said.
All of a sudden, there was the sound of a crowd chanting outside. Krystal's telepathy picked up a rally of young women and teen girls gathered outside the hospital, being led by a brown-eyed Dalmatian wearing a green jacket, brown shirt, leggings, and boots. She overheard her friends sigh in annoyance, having heard of the canine before. The cobalt vixen tried to get out of bed, but Miyu encouraged her not to.
"Ugh, is it her again?" Falco asked.
"Definitely sounds like her out there!" Fara said. "And it seems like she has an army!"
"Hopefully, she goes away, because the hospital will run out of business if there are protests outside!" Miyu stated.
"Who are you guys talking about?" Slippy asked, having not heard of the Dalmatian.
"Kelly Robison." Katt said.
"You mean the feminist leader who leads all those protests?" The toad asked.
"She's not a feminist," Lucy said, "she's a misandrist who pretends to be a feminist in order to harass men, including men who haven't done anything wrong."
"In other words," Krystal said, "she claims to want the world to be a better place, but she really wants no equal rights between men and women."
"Yeah, and she's probably here to lead a hate parade against the men who work here!" Miyu said.
"Let's hope that someone orders her out of here, because we can't get anything done with all those protestors out there." Dr. Granger said.
Krystal wanted to get up and yell at the protestors herself, but Miyu was still by her bedside. As such, Fara was the one to do so. Peeking her head out of the window, the fennec shouted down to Kelly Robison and her group, telling them that her friend was trying to nap. The crowd jeered at her, even throwing swear words up. By doing so, they were met with an angry reaction by the long-eared vixen. Everyone stood by, much to Krystal's horror, not even attempting to get Fara away from the window before things could escalate.
The chanting and jeering soon stopped. From what Krystal could tell, Fara had managed to get Kelly Robison and her followers to leave the hospital. Everyone let out a sigh of relief, knowing that it would be quiet again. Fara turned back to her friends, focusing her eyes on Krystal.
"Sorry you had to hear that, Krystal." The fennec spoke.
"It's okay, I'm no stranger to hearing people shout at each other." Krystal. "My mom and Opal did it all the time when I was growing up."
"But it's different when you're facing someone like Kelly Robison." Falco said. "Her website even shows the amount of people she's heckled, criticized, and cyber bullied."
"I've never been to her website, and I don't want to." The cobalt vixen said.
"Well, in case you do, there's plenty of stuff that would rub someone the wrong way." Katt said. "Hell, she even has a tagline that says 'If a man wants to start a relationship with you, he might as well walk around, wearing a shirt that says 'Rapist'."
"C'mon, guys, Krystal won't visit a site like that!" Miyu said, rubbing Krystal's head. "Our little puppy wouldn't do anything bad!"
"Miyu, don't do that!" Krystal squeaked.
"Come now, Puppy, there's no need to be afraid!" The lynx teased. "I'll take you out for a walk after -!"
"DON'T TOUCH ME!!!" The cobalt vixen snapped.
Frightened by the sudden change in Krystal's voice, Miyu jumped back. The lynx saw her friend and teammate with an angered, wrathful expression on her face. By looking closely, she could even see tears welling up in the cobalt vixen's eyes. Falco and Slippy were by Miyu, intent on keeping the Cerinian from attacking her. Fara, Fay, Katt, and Lucy stood back and watched, not wanting anything bad to happen. Dr. Granger didn't say anything, waiting for something to happen.
With pain surging through her body again, Krystal began to weep profusely. New tears stung her eyes and rained down on her bed. Dr. Granger approached the cobalt vixen, hoping to offer comfort. Everyone else was silent, unsure of what to say or do next. Krystal just kept crying, curling herself up into a ball. She brought her head up slowly, focusing her eyes on her visitors.
"Those four bastards had their hands all over me!" The Cerinian wailed. "I tried to escape, but they didn't let me go! And now, I'm afraid to be touched by anyone or even be seen by anyone!"
"Didn't you try to call for help?" Fara asked.
"I tried, but they snatched my communicator away from me and smashed it!" Krystal cried. "They shot me full of a chemical that prevented my telepathy from working as well! I even screamed for help, but nothing worked!"
"A chemical that can stop you from using your telepathy?" Lucy said. "That's crazy!"
"It doesn't matter, Lucy!" The cobalt vixen sobbed. "I don't know what to do now! Those men were right: I'm a whore!"
"Krystal," Fara spoke, "did you willingly give yourself to those men?"
Letting out a sniffle, Krystal shook her head.
"There you go." The fennec said. "You're not a whore, Krystal. Even if they say you are, that doesn't make it true."
"Don't let anything they said to you distort how you see yourself, hon." Katt said. "You're still the same girl we know."
"I don't know everything they said to you, but they're wrong!" Miyu said. "To Hell with those creeps!"
"We know you don't want us to go after them, Krystal, but that's okay with me." Slippy said. "Besides, I've always wanted to be a shoulder to cry on."
"So have I." Lucy said. "You don't have to run away and hide, Krystal. We're here for you!"
"And we'll always be there for you, even in spirit!" Fay spoke.
With her friends all around her, Krystal's lips curled into a smile. Even if she was still feeling hurt, scared, and hopeless, she was happy that they were willing to help her out. The cobalt vixen was afraid to be touched, but she could trust everyone in the room to respect her wishes. Her visitors smiled back at her, glad to see that she was calming down. Falco in particular winked at the Cerinian, hoping to make her laugh. She didn't, but she was still charmed by the pheasant doing so.
An hour later, and Krystal's visitors had left, leaving behind a bag of clothes for her. She had begun to eat lunch, having gotten it from the cafeteria shortly after saying goodbye to her friends. The cobalt vixen was eating a bean and cheese burrito, a salad, and an apple. Hospitals didn't offer much in terms of vegetarian meals, so she had to eat whatever wasn't meat. Despite that, the Cerinian was satisfied, getting her belly full for the time being. Once she was done eating, she lie down and decided to take a nap. While today wasn't terrible for her, Krystal hoped that the next day would be better.
A few days had passed, and Krystal was being released from the hospital. Before leaving, she was prescribed two types of medicine. One was a painkiller that needed to be taken two times a day, while the other was a box of incense cartridges that would need to be put into a vapor unit. The device would turn the liquid inside the cartridges into a calming aroma, helping its user sleep better. Krystal got them from the pharmacist, so she didn't need to go out to town to get them. She was even given some pain patches, being told to put them on her arms.
Stepping outside of the hospital, Krystal sensed someone flying down, intent on landing near the entrance. It wasn't just one person, however, it was two. Neither one of them were members of Star Fox, but Krystal knew who they were. Two Wolfens landed on the ground, with their windshields opening up shortly after. While the pilots were members of Star Wolf, neither one of them was Wolf. Rather, it was his teammates: Leon Powalski and Panther Caroso.
"Hey guys." Krystal greeted.
"Good afternoon, Krystal." Panther spoke.
"Save the friendly banter for later, vixen!" Leon said. "We don't have all day, so get in one of our ships!"
Feeling unnerved by Leon, Krystal decided to climb into Panther's Wolfen. Once she was in, the two space pirates lifted off, setting a course for the Great Fox. As she was being taken home, the cobalt vixen's telepathy picked up that neither one of them knew why she was at the hospital. In fact, it seemed like they were oblivious to what had happened. It was almost as if Wolf didn't tell either Panther or Leon about it. Krystal was happy that her father protected her dignity, but she assumed that he would've at least told his teammates about it.
Once they had landed in the Great Fox, Leon and Panther had Krystal get out. Before she could even approach the elevator, they spoke with her.
"So, why were you at the hospital?" Leon asked.
"I'm surprised that Dad didn't tell either of you what happened!" Krystal said. "I was kidnapped, shot with a drug that temporarily stopped my telepathy, beaten, and raped by three rogue CDF agents and a bartender!"
"Who were those men?!" The chameleon said, actually sounding shocked. "I will give them all a slow, painful death!!!"
"They were three former CDF soldiers and a bartender, I just told you!" The cobalt vixen said.
"Don't worry, Blue Rose," Panther said, "I'll find these creeps and kill them for you, and the countless people they have hurt!"
"You guys don't have to do that for me." The Cerinian said. "It IS nice of you, though."
"Look, I know that you're my boss' daughter, but I'm not terribly concerned about what happened to you." Leon said. "In fact, your attack just gave me an idea on how to torture four men, three of whom used to be CDF soldiers."
"We'll see you around, Krystal." Panther said.
"As will I!" Krystal said.
With Krystal walking to the elevator with her belongings, Leon and Panther left the Great Fox. Once she entered the elevator, the cobalt vixen felt like taking a shower the moment she entered the main room. While she had been given sponge baths at the hospital, she still felt dirty. A shower wouldn't have washed away the feeling that the Cerinian had after being sexually assaulted, but it would make her feel cleaner. Her telepathy picked up that her teammates were waiting for her, so she tried not to act excited. After all, she still felt a little sore, even after nearly a week of recovery.
The door to the elevator came open, causing Krystal to step back. She soon found herself face to face with Fox. He was happy to see her, having a friendly smile on his face. The cobalt vixen obliged, coming towards the orange tod for a hug. Their teammates walked out to them, excited to see Krystal out of the hospital. In fact, some of them joined in on the hug, wanting to give some additional comfort.
"Welcome back, Krystal." Fox said.
"Thank you, Fox." Krystal said. "And thank you all for being here!"
"Well, Peppy couldn't be here." Slippy spoke. "He said that he had to go down to Corneria to take care of something."
"But, we're glad to see that you're out of the hospital." Miyu said.
"And we got you a present." Falco said. "Do you want it?"
"Yes, please!" Krystal said.
Fay took out a box and handed it to Krystal. Agreeing not to use her telepathy, the cobalt vixen opened it, wondering what could've been inside. Once the lid was off, she saw what her present was. It was an exact replica of her uniform, but it was different. Instead of being blue, it was now silver. While she was a little surprised, Krystal loved her gift, regardless of what it was.
"Thank you, guys." Krystal said.
"We figured that you needed a new one," Slippy said, "considering how yours got ripped to pieces during the attack."
"But this one has more pockets, so that you can store stuff." Fara said.
"I'll try it on later." Krystal said. "For now, I need to get a shower."
"Go ahead." Fox said. "If you need anything, let us know."
Krystal went down the hallway, heading towards the bathroom. When she was inside, the cobalt vixen undressed and got in the shower. She was eager to get clean, even though the doctors had her take a sponge bath just yesterday. Once she was done, the Cerinian dried herself off, wrapping the towel around herself when she was done. Before she could leave the room, she felt nauseous. Opening the toilet, the vulpine vomited, flushing shortly after.
"Must've been the eggs I ate this morning." Krystal said to herself.
With her stomach calmed, Krystal wanted to grab that new uniform and head to her room with it. She wanted to try it on and make sure that it fit. If it fit, then it was like her original one. If it didn't, then the cobalt vixen hoped to work on another new one with her teammates. Before she could even leave the bathroom, she heard a frantic knock at the door, followed by a familiar voice.
"Krystal, there's been a shooting at the mall!" Fay cried. "We need to get down there and deal with the shooters before they can escape!"
Note: Oh boy, a shooting down on Corneria. Just when it seemed like Krystal could relax, something bad begins to happen. Could the shooters be the men who raped her? Are they just soon random lunatics unrelated to her attack? Will Star Fox stop them? Will they ever catch the rouge CDF soldiers and the bartender who brutalized their teammate.
Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!