Act 1

Chapter 5

"Rockstar Games"

~::::~

TJ kept his eyes locked on the reddish-gold planet. He truly was at a loss for words at the beauty of it. Dust clouds swirled below on the surface, the eye of certain storms visible from space as they raged on. A few patches of green and blue dotted the planet like zits, the fresh water and lush greens outnumbered by the rolling dunes. TJ had finally removed his hazmat suit while the rest of the team prepared, leaving him in his t-shirt and jeans from before he suited up. He did miss his hat and sneakers, but at least he was no longer sweating gallons. Plus, the boots looked pretty cool in his mind.

"Alright ROB, bring us down." Fox's voice snapped TJ from his solemn trance, the various beeps from the robot drawing his attention to the golden android behind him.

"Affirmative, Captain McCloud. Base Command is expecting us, and a landing pad has already been cleared."

"Thanks, ROB."

TJ found himself smiling at the two as he faced Fox with a raised brow. "So uh, what's with the robot? Is he like, your butler?"

Before Fox could respond, Rob spoke up instead. "Negative. I am a Space Dynamics Robotic Operating Buddy, serial number N-U-S-One-Nine-Nine-Seven-Six-Four. You can refer to me as ROB-Sixty-Four or just ROB. I run diagnostics on the ship and keep track of every system aboard, as well as highlight maintenance and various miscellaneous duties."

TJ narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms as he looked at ROB. "Yeah, that totally doesn't sound like a butler to me."

"It seems you are trying to be sarcastic with an android. I should make it a point that being sarcastic with an android has a point zero zero zero three percent chance of working." Fox snickered off to the side at ROB's response, before TJ raised his middle finger to ROB. "I know what the middle finger gesture means. You are not being 'slick' with it."

An audible laugh came out of Fox, TJ's face now burning a bright red as faced away from ROB. Watching as the dusty planet got closer, TJ was amazed by the lack of turbulence that came with it. Even as flames licked the sides of the Great Fox, it felt as though he was simply watching a show. "So, is this more of those G-Diffuser things goin' to work?"

Fox nodded. "Yep, I assume Slippy gave you a lecture on them?"

"More like the cliff notes, but I kinda got the gist."

Fox nodded, silence filling the air for a second before he turned back to TJ. "Look, if you don't want to do this, you don't have to. It could get very dangerous very quick"

TJ scoffed, looking Fox in the eyes with a smug smile. "Relax, I got this. Trust me, I'm the best driver in my city. This just sounds like drivin' with some extra steps."

"It's a bit more than that, TJ," Fox stated, the flames dissipating as the rest of the dusty planet's surface came into view. "This is more than running from the cops. This could very quickly turn into a live combat scenario, and you don't look like you have an ounce of military training."

"Okay, and? Look, you gave me a job, and I'll do it. What's with the second guessin'?"

Fox sighed. "I'm not second-guessing, I'm just letting you know exactly what you're getting into. If something goes wrong, you could get hurt or worse. And I might not be able to save you if things go sideways." Fox's expression was hard, his brow furrowing as he fully turned his body to face TJ. "Last chance. I'm giving you an out here. Are you sure you still wanna do this?"

TJ nodded.

"Alright then. We'll be keeping you out of most of the action. If all goes well, you'll drive to the pick-up and the rendezvous without anyone on your tail. Got it?"

"Yeah."

"Good. We've got half an hour until we start the mission, so I'd square everything away before you head out. I think Slippy wanted to see you in the hanger, too."

TJ nodded, giving the planet one last look before turning on his heels and walking off the bridge.

~::::~

TJ grabbed himself a quick bite to eat from the ship's cafeteria, nothing more than some alien-looking fruits and a few minutes of contemplation before he resumed his path. Waltzing into the hangar with his hands in his pockets, TJ looked up to notice three of the spaceships he saw from earlier up on the rails. While they all had slightly different designs on them, they all shared a uniform white, blue, and yellow paint scheme. He could only stare for so long, as the heat suddenly hit him like he was opening an oven door. The hanger door had been fully opened now that they were on the ground, letting the desert heat into the bay without and barrier. The air sizzled and wobbled in the distance, distorted lines rising off from the asphalt of the roads. The sounds of a military base filled the still air of the hanger, from distant drill instructors shouting to weapons firing and aircraft taking off.

Quickly, TJ went to locate his Viper, still sitting pretty in the hanger bay. Slippy was under the hood, tightening something with his wrench in the engine bay. Curiosity took hold of TJ as he walked up to Slippy, a smug smirk on his lips. "She all ready to run?"

Slippy yanked his head out of the engine bay as soon as TJ's words left his lips, his bulbous eyes wide in surprise. "Oh, hey! Yeah, just finished running diagnostics on the Arwings up there, so I decided to give your car here a final tune-up."

"Oh really? What else needs tunin'?"

Slippy took a big gulp of air, his hands gripping the wrench he held in a twisting motion. "Well, I was gonna tell you about this before we got called up to the bridge, but it's a bit experimental… You see, I found a way to increase your top speed using a solidified crystal shard of pure beryllium. The chemical reaction it has to the hydrogen as well as the small amount of beryllium I already put in there when activated means that it will act like a booster. By my calculations, factoring in weight, aerodynamics, and tires, a full use of this booster means you can clock ground speeds of up to almost six hundred and fifty kilometers per hour."

TJ's eyes lit up before he narrowed them with the same smug smirk. "Somethin' tells me there's a catch comin'."

Slippy chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so. "Yeah, I was just about to say that. The system is volatile. Like, very volatile. If you keep it active for too long, well, the whole engine could go… uh… boom. Grenading an engine might not sound too bad for your own safety, but when unstable beryllium meets super-heated hydrogen without any inhibitors, grenading an engine turns into nuking an engine. For now, I'd only use it unless you absolutely have to. I should be able to fix it with some more time on my hands, but for now, you're good for at least fifteen seconds of boost."

TJ nodded, opening the driver's side door and taking a seat. He quickly recognized the new yellow switch added to the cluster of switches, putting the secret weapon in the back of his mind. "Sounds good, dude. Anythin' else for me?"

Slippy nodded as he slammed the hood shut, reaching into his pocket before pulling out what looked like a small headset with a green lens extending from it. "A Space Dynamics Targeting Scouter! This interfaces with the comms systems in our Arwings as well as multiple other frequencies, along with target acquisition and other forms of combat data. If you're going to be down there, this will be your best friend!" Slippy quickly shoved the device into TJ's waiting hands, watching with a smile as he took a few seconds to fit the awkward device on.

As soon as it was powered on, TJ jumped as a call was coming through. "Uh, Slippy? How do I…?"

"Tap the first button on the right."

Running his fingers across the device for a second, TJ's index finger soon brushed across the button before gently pressing it. Fox's face suddenly appeared before TJ, causing him to yelp in surprise. "Whoa! Oh, hey… Fox? So, this is some kinda camera, too?"

Fox nodded with a smirk. "Exactly. You'll be able to see everything from a cockpit point of view. I'm about to head down with Falco and Krystal, but if you wanna get a head start now, I'd go for it."

TJ scoffed, resting one hand on the steering wheel. "You sure you wanna give me a head start?"

"The Arwings are capable of hitting just over Mach Six in the atmosphere."

TJ paused for a minute, his eyes going wide as he did the mental math before slowly nodding. "Good point. I guess I'll see you there."

"Copy that. Oh, and TJ? Drive safe."

With a smirk and a flick of the ignition, the car roared to life. "You know me."

Dropping the call, TJ buckled himself in before he gave Slippy a thumbs-up, who returned one in a quick motion. Wasting no more time, TJ took off like a rocket, the sounds of the Viper's new engine causing a smile to slip across his lips. TJ slammed through the gears, leaving the base in the dust as he turned onto an empty one-lane highway.

~::::~

Soaring through the clear blue skies, Fox let his mind drift as Krystal and Falco flew beside him. He always loved a chance to return to his home planet and would prioritize contracts that brought him here. The winding sandy dunes brought him back to the days of his childhood. Rolling around in them with his old childhood friend brought a wide smile to his face as he chuckled.

It seemed as though the universe shared Krystal's telepathy, as that certain friend was calling right now. With a tap on his communicator, a curt electronic beep sounded in his ear before a very angry lynx appeared in front of him. Her teeth were barred, her eyebrows furrowed, and her ears pinned against her head as she let loose a storm of rage. "McCloud! Fuwafuwa no shippo o kubi ni makitsukete shimekorosu to chikaimasu!"

Fox could barely hold back a laugh as he put one hand to his free ear and squinted. "Huh? I'm sorry, my Eladardian is a little bit rough, Miyu. Did you say that you like fluffy unicorns?"

"I said that I'm going to strangle you with your own tail, you jerk! Fay and I flew all the way to Corneria, and it turns out that you're actually on Papetoon?! What gives?! I spent a whole week freezing my tail off on Fichina!"

Another face joined in, this time belonging to a white-furred canine with a red bow in her hair and a concerned look on her face. "Miyu, relax. I'm sure it was a mistake, right Fox?"

Fox nodded. "I don't know how it could be a miscommunication. Didn't Krystal update you guys that we were headed to Papetoon?"

"No, we didn't hear a thing until we showed up alone without clearance!"

Fox's eyes shot wide as he quickly hailed Krystal, who picked up nearly instantaneously. "Krys, did you tell Miyu and Fay that we were headed to Papetoon?"

Krystal's expression froze for a second before horror overtook it. "Oh, Blessed Cerinia! Miyu, Fay, I apologize a thousand times! I swear I thought I told you, but I got distracted by our new guest."

Miyu's rage was extinguished instantly, her eyes of fire burning with curiosity instead of rage now. "New guest? What are you talking about?"

"It happened right as Fay was administering the cures to the miners that got hooked on Snakebite. Someone from a different system teleported into one of the cargo bays and crashed out. Things have been moving at a lightning pace ever since. Peppy got selected to be the General's Adviser as a cushy desk job, then we got a fat contract to free a hostage from Dust Storm."

Fay and Miyu quickly cheered for Peppy's new promotion, before Fox's final words tipped Miyu's curiosity again."Dust Storm? Isn't that Felix Amador's little posse?"

Fox chuckled. "Used to be, now he's grown it into a major gang."

"Wow, the little rockstar's been busy since no one's buying his albums. Aw man, now I'm even more pissed! I would've loved to be there to take him down!"

"Don't worry Miyu, I'll kick him in the ribs just for you."

Miyu let a laugh break her rage before she glared at Fox again. "Back up a little bit though, this new guest is from a different system? Which system?"

"All I know is his planet, Earth. No clue what system that belongs to. ROB looked up every discovered planet and found nothing related to Earth, but Krystal said he was telling the truth."

"Do you at least know the species?"

Fay's question was met with a nod from Krystal. "Yes. He says he is a human. He seems to carry a similar appearance to an ape but with much less hair and no tail. I will admit, it is quite strange."

"Fascinating! I'll have to ask to study him when we return to the Great Fox!"

"Fay, do you understand how creepy that sounds?"

"What's creepy about asking for a physical, Miyu?"

The conversation derailed further when Falco jumped in, an annoyed look on his beak. "Hey Fox, just so you know, we're coming up on Drywell. If you want us to be blown to bits, I suggest we fly right into their anti-air field!"

"Alright alright, I hear you loud and clear, Falco. Miyu, Fay, I'll see you guys back on the Great Fox."

"Copy Fox, we'll hit the Orbital Gate and be there before you wrap this mission up," Miyu promised before a wide grin overtook her muzzle. "Oh, and as an apology for this little miscommunication, I want you and Krystal in the dojo with me as soon as possible. Sayonara!"

With that final threat, Miyu and Fay disconnected from the comms system, causing Fox and Krystal to wince. "Great, sparring with Miyu. I hope your staff has enough ice magic for the both of us…" Krystal nodded in agreement, new bruises from the lynx mentally appearing as she shuddered.

The Arwings quickly began to descend to the sand dunes below. Finding a solid stretch of sand to land on, the three ships kicked up a miniature sandstorm as they landed. Spikes suddenly jutted out from the skids of the Arwings, latching them into the unstable ground as the engines powered down. Waiting for the blasted sand to settle back down on the ground, Fox popped his canopy as soon as he was sure that he would not spend an evening cleaning out sand grains from his cockpit. Soft sand greeted his booted feet as he hopped to the ground, Falco and Krystal following suit. The intense heat was felt instantly, nearly roasting the trio alive as they sought shade behind the Arwings.

Out of the oppressive rays of the sun, Fox grabbed Falco and Krystal's attention. "Alright, here's the play. We make a quick hike to the town, shouldn't take us more than ten minutes from here. TJ should arrive at the town just as we enter it. He'll keep attention on himself as we sneak in and silently take out the guards."

"Or he could screw it all up and trip at the first hurdle."

Fox took a deep breath, pushing Falco's words to the back of his mind. "Let's focus on taking out the guards. From there, we'll let Slippy hack into the doors and grant us access to the deeper parts of the base. Falco and I will do a sweep and clear while Krystal stays on topside and keeps her telepathy open. Between that and Slippy's surveillance, no one will be able to set foot in the town without us noticing. Sound good?" Falco and Krystal gave nods of affirmation in response. "Alright, let's get moving to that bunker. Double time!"

~::::~

Slowly rolling up to the dusty town, TJ took a deep breath. He saw the Arwings pass overhead a few minutes ago, at this point, they had to be here somewhere. It was like TJ had been sucked into another space-time vortex, this time in the wild west meshing with cyberpunk. Neon lights complimented wooden townhouses over a sand-coated road, reflecting off of the glossy paint of the Viper as it made its presence known. The new attention made TJ slump down in his seat, as multiple animal heads peeked out from the various windows and turned to face him rolling down the street. Shaking the dozens of pairs of eyes out of his mind, TJ continued to drive down the main street, before stopping at the first intersection available to him.

As the Viper's brakes brought the car to a halt, TJ took notice of a few armed guards hanging out by a wooden building, a trio of canines with matching jackets and rifles. Their tails all fell to the sandy floor in sync, each one with alert ears and narrowed eyes targeting the Viper. Just as he turned right and gently accelerated, he noticed one of the canines bring something up to his ear.

The drive only lasted a minute longer, as TJ quickly found the buildings around him disappear before being replaced by a fenced-off area. Guard towers, spotlights, and heavy munitions were all visible to him, and a lump suddenly formed in his throat. TJ stole a glance at his rear-view mirror, the road was still vacant. He could punch it and run with no problems, but he resisted those urges. With a quick shake of his head, TJ refocused him as he slowly approached what appeared to be a small wooden shack with a tollbooth barrier blocking the forward.

TJ's eyes quickly fell on an armed guard, some sort of tan lizard in combat armor, motioning him to stop outside of the shack. The rifle in his hands had a bright green light emitting from the center of the gun, a low hum audible as TJ rolled down his window. A bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck, the guard's lackadaisical manner of handling his weapon putting TJ on edge as the guard walked up to the window. As soon as the duo locked eyes, the guard took a step back, a revolting look on his face. "Whoa! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

TJ recoiled at the words, confusion popping up on his face. "Me? What's wrong with me? More like what's wrong with you!"

The guard recoiled at TJ's words, lowly holding his gun by his side as he narrowed his slits. "Hey, watch it! I'd rather look like myself than some disfigured shaved chimp! Now either you tell me why you're here, or you turn this fancy car around and get the hell outta here before I see just how laser-proof this thing is."

TJ rolled his eyes, exhaling as he rapped the steering wheel with his fingers. "Look, I heard from a guy who heard from a guy that you've got somethin' for sale."

"We've got a lot of things for sale."

"Yeah, but you know, somethin' special. Somethin' that'd get you a five to ten-year bid, y'know?"

"Such as?"

"Maybe a person? Some rich dude's daughter? Somethin' like that, yeah?"

The guard suddenly raised his rifle, poking it through the window and pressing the barrel against TJ's forehead. "Are you wearin' a wire, freak?"

"I ain't no snitch, why the hell would I wear a wire?!"

"Call it a hunch. Now get out of the c-"

TJ heard something slam the roof of the Viper, followed by Fox's boot suddenly slamming into the guard's temple. The kick hit its mark perfectly, dropping the guard and his weapon to the ground out cold. Fox remained in a crouch, dragging the guard's body behind the shack as quickly as he could. Just before TJ could audibly celebrate, a deadly glare from Fox followed by a finger to his lips got TJ to stop himself. Krystal and Falco soon appeared behind Fox, stacking up with melee weapons in hand. While Krystal gripped a golden staff with tribal markings and a bright blue gemstone by the end, Fox wielded a simple metal bo staff. Falco came equipped with a steel baseball bat, tapping it impatiently against the palm of his wing.

Fox made a series of complex hand gestures that TJ had no hope of understanding, but Falco and Krystal did. The three set out quickly and stealthily dispatching the guards outside the bunker, with Fox, Krystal, and Falco using their extensive marital arts knowledge to knock out any guard unfortunate enough to get in their way. Before long, they were the only three left standing outside of the bunker as TJ slowly drove in to observe the damage. His jaw dropped to the sand beneath his feet. The three somehow cleared out what seemed like a whole battalion armed with rifles and other heavy weapons using nothing but their melee weapons.

With all guards knocked out, the trio approached the enormous metal door that locked the bunker out from the rest of the world while TJ pulled up in the Viper behind them. Wasting no more time, Fox quickly pulled out a small rectangular-shaped device and shoved it into a keycard reader by the door. "Alright Slippy, you're up."

"On it, Fox! Just give me a minute here… aaaaaaaaand… done!"

With a thunk and a groan, the metal doors opened up to reveal the massive interior. TJ stepped out of his Viper with a wide smirk, hands shoved into his pockets as he approached the entrance. Before TJ could step inside, Fox's bo staff stopped him dead in his tracks, acting like a toll booth. "Whoa, what are you doing, TJ?"

"What? I thought we were headed in?"

"Only Falco and I. You and Krystal are going to remain topside and keep the area secured."

TJ clicked his tongue, taking a step back with his hands by his head. Krystal passed by TJ as soon as she could, quickly planting a kiss on Fox's nose. Instantly, Fox's cheeks flushed pink as Krystal shot him a wink. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, hero," she playfully taunted before stepping back, letting Fox's love-smitten smile fade as he and Falco quickly traded in their melee weapons for the respective blaster pistol and sniper rifle they had holstered by their sides.

Peeking in, the entrance to the bunker had appeared to have been abandoned for quite some time now, causing a bit of worry. It had a layout like a spaceport checkpoint with what seemed like an elevator door at the back. At that moment, the P.A system in the bunker squealed to life, with a voice on the line. "Hey Foxy Fox, long time no see, huh? Was wondering when Papetoon's Hometown Hero would show his face again," Fox rolled his eyes as the voice laughed to itself. "Well don't be shy, we're waiting for ya down here, so bring that birdy with you and we can sort this whole mess out." Before Falco had a chance to react to the birdy comment, Fox made his way to the elevators with haste.

As the elevator descended, Falco had his rifle pointed at the door, ready to blast anyone in his way. As the elevator opened with a ding, Falco aimed his sniper rifle while scoping out the room. It was a large atrium, with a stage set at the opposite end of it. Multiple amps were set up on the stage, with a blood-red fox on stage plugging the amps into the guitar slung around his shoulder. He wore a ponytail and was littered in tattoos, but apparently forgot a shirt. He didn't forget to wear a cutoff black leather jacket, however, nor the skinny ripped denim jeans or black cowboy boots. He flashed a fast sly smile before strumming a quick dirty riff.

Fox spotted the daughter, bound and gagged, locked up in a cage at the base of the stage, and set up like bait. As he ignored his better instincts and went to go retrieve her, the fox wailed on his guitar, a screeching symphony of notes pouring out while he brought his foot down on a pedal by the center of the stage. The stomp sent a pillar of flames shooting out of the ground in front of Fox, who stumbled backward, afraid that the daughter had just been burned to a crisp. Thankfully she was only startled as the fox cackled with laughter. "What do you want, Felix?" Fox impatiently asked.

The red fox furrowed his brow but still gave off a mad smile. "Oh, ya know. The ushe'. Play my axe, entertain the crowd, beat the great Fox McCloud down, etcetera." Fox held a look of confusion for a moment, before running his paw down his face.

"So you kidnapped the daughter of the Von Brunn family just to beat me up?" He asked in an annoyed tone.

"Hell yeah, my mercenary friend. Knowing your boner for 'justice' and the old man's willingness to pay anything for their daughter's safety, I figured that if I knock the hell outta you, the Fox McCloud, I'd get the satisfaction of both taking your ego down a peg and a su-weet twenty mil' bonus. Plus, c'mon, me standing over your broken bodies with my axe would make for one metal album cover!" Fox groaned as he shifted his eyes to the daughter, a rottweiler with a look of fear in her eyes as her whole body shook and tears welled up. Her clothes were dingy and ragged, indicating that their treatment was anything but friendly.

"Look how much heat you brought down on Dust Storm. I'm not sure a lot of cops are gonna be taking bribes once they hear Star Fox is busting you up, and those you've been extorting are gonna start to fight back at the first sign of weakness. I don't think that daddy's gonna be too happy that you lost a whole town he practically gave you."

Fox's attempt at reason failed, as Felix let slip a low growl as he tightened his grip around the guitar, bearing his teeth. "I don't give a shit about any of that! I'm here cause of my old man, but once I finally step out of my father's shadow, I'll be a galaxy-famous rockstar!"

Fox sighed once more as he looked up at the agitated vulpine. "We're only here for the kid, Felix. So just hand her over and we'll be on our way," Fox tried to reason once more as Falco walked beside him, pistol now holstered.

Felix jumped off stage with a sneer as he strode up to the two mercs with cockiness protruding from his very soul. He took his index finger and pointed it at Falco, who was anything but happy right now. "We? What, you mean you and this birdy here, cause I'm just not gonna-"

In a flash, Falco brought his fist down on the finger of the wannabe rock star, breaking it in multiple places. It took a second for the pain to register, before Felix began to holler in pain, holding his shattered fretting finger as he stumbled backward. "You son of a bitch! How dare you break my finger?!"

"Don't call me birdy."

Felix growled as he wrapped his hand around the neck of the guitar and squeezed it. "Do you know who I am? How dare you break my finger, you mercenary shitbag... you'll pay, you'll pay, you'll pay..." he mumbled as he walked onto the stage, clutching his finger, before incoherently screaming and yelling in pain, as Fox and Falco looked on with confusion. The confusion turned into shock when a loud screech came from the amps, as Felix had snapped his shattered finger back into working order.

"You'll pay!"

Musical rage took over Felix's spirit, as his fingers rode the fretboard with surgical precision despite the musk of rage reeking from his body and his freshly broken-then-mended finger. The guitar screeched and wailed, with each note swearing violence and death on Fox and Falco. The boot of Felix began stomping on pedals, sending spires of bright orange flames into the air. Fox tackled Falco just in time to prevent flames from engulfing him, as the two mercenaries danced circles around the fires.

With one last wail, Felix looked down from the stage and whistled, ushering in a platoon of goons, each one armed with automatic weapons. Fox rose to his feet as Falco's head popped up from knocked-over guitar equipment."Ah, that felt good..." Felix said in a calm voice with a wicked grin. The two quickly met up in the center, taking note of their new situation. Noticing Felix's enraged state, Fox decided to try and use that against him.

"Falco, pop the smokes," Fox ordered, wrapping his paw around his blaster.

"I thought you'd never ask," Falco responded as he pulled out two smoke grenades and popped them open.

Blue smoke began to envelop the duo as guards readied their weapons, ready to fire. Falco pulled out two more smoke grenades and lobbed them to the left and right in front of him, before pulling two more out and tossing them to the left and right behind him. The entire room was now enveloped in smoke as Fox and Falco began to sneak away under the cover of the blinding clouds. Now hidden from the musician and his goons, it only made Felix even angrier as he kicked the walls as a way to vent once the smoke cleared and revealed an empty pit. "Damn it, Fox! Where'd you and your buddy run off to, you cowards?! Come on, be a man, and show yourself!" He was only met with silence.

Felix's scream made his bodyguards jump out of their skin, a nearby avian guard even tripped and fell over from the shock. Felix was a pile of angered sweat and rage, ready to explode on anyone and everyone. His once slick ponytail was now frizzy and hung low and limp. His cool, cocky posture was lost in a cloud of rage as he tried to find his target. His fangs were barred and his ears flattened against his head, showing his anger to the world. He turned to his guards, each one standing at attention or avoiding his murderous gaze. "Well?! Don't just stand there you useless pieces of shit! Find them and end them!"

His order sent his guards scurrying to all corners of the atrium. In an attempt to calm himself down, he began to play a quick riff, the twangs and pangs of the strings began to set his soul at ease. The world faded around him as he ascended to guitar nirvana, with each wail another worry was cast aside. Just as he began to regain his composure…

A volley of lasers emptied into the amps behind him, making him lose all of the progress that he achieved in calming himself down. He snapped his head in the direction of the light and noticed Falco near the back of the atrium with a sniper rifle, cocky as can be.

"Sorry, but I'm more of a Z-Wailers guy," Falco quipped. He quickly let loose another hail of bolts as Felix hit the deck, destroying even more of his expensive equipment. Falco kept firing before ducking behind a pile of crates and barely avoiding laser fire.

Meanwhile, Felix collapsed to his knees as he looked behind him. All of his hard work, up in literal smoke. He could barely contain his rage, as he unleashed a feral roar and began to smash the already busted equipment with his guitar. The guitar's body began to fracture and break off as strings liberated themselves from the fretboard, flying in random directions. He faced the atrium with murder in his eyes before yanking a laser rifle from the hands of one of his guards and began firing wildly into the empty room. Crates, seats, lights, and even one unlucky guard were all struck with automatic laser fire from a kid who lost all logical reasoning.

After emptying the entire battery, it looked like he was about to have all of his blood vessels burst at once. He was shaking with rage and held a broken guitar around his body, still held together with the strap. He was about to reload a new battery before returning fire forced him to take cover behind his broken stage equipment. Falco had a new battery loaded into his sniper rifle and began unloading, firing a storm of light into a trio of guards searching the room. They each scattered from multiple shots taken by the lasers let loose by the avian.

Before any other guards could react, Fox emerged from an outcove in the atrium with his blaster and began suppressing fire, tagging a few guards and forcing the rest to clump up behind a few rows of chairs. Seeing this as his opportunity, Fox holstered his blaster and dropped down from above with his bo staff in hand, ready to go to work. It was a group of four guards. A lanky wolf, a plump bear, and two hyenas of moderate build. Delivering a jumping kick to the jaw of the wolf and sending him crashing into the bear, Fox quickly knocked the blaster out of the hands of one of the hyenas before grabbing him like a laser shield. The other hyena hesitated on firing, something that Fox took advantage of. He pushed his meat shield into the hyena, who stumbled backward trying to catch his partner. It was a devastating mistake, however, as Fox brought the end of his staff down of both of their heads at once, knocking them out simultaneously. Before he could relish in his victory, the bear landed a punch on him, stumbling backward before stabilizing himself with the staff. As the bear rushed towards him and prepared to throw another punch, Fox grabbed his arm and tossed him over his shoulder, using the momentum of the punch and his running to flip him onto his back. Before the bear knew what was happening, he was put out by Fox punching one of the pressure points on his neck.

Without any guards, Felix was speechless with anger. The old goody-two-shoes from high school just toppled his whole gang. His eyes began to twitch as he grabbed a new battery and loaded it into his rifle. He fired wildly once more while stomping on his pedals and screaming the whole time. Spires of flame shot out once more as Falco rolled out of harm's way while Fox jumped away from the flames. The flames shot up faster and faster, each one more intense than the last. Falco was having trouble avoiding the fire and lasers now while Fox gained a bit of singed fur. After a minute of this dance, Fox threw caution to the wind and jumped through one of the spires in front of the stage. The heat was intense, but he powered through it and was able to put himself out with a combat roll onto the stage.

Felix snapped his attention to him and fired shots his way, but Fox popped his reflector in the nick of time. A few lasers bounced off of the blue sphere and back at Felix, with two lasers blasting his rifle to pieces and the third one grazing his shoulder. As he growled in pain, he saw his gun was broken and switched from an angered expression to a fearful one, as he began to run away.

He crashed into the chest of Falco, who grabbed his shoulders. "Goin' somewhere?"

Falco looked back at Fox who was winding up for a kick and nodded. He shoved Felix back to Fox who struck him right in the cheek with a roundhouse, causing saliva and blood to fly from the rockstar's mouth. The kick was strong enough to launch him right back to Falco, who hit him right in the jaw with a flying knee, finally dropping him to the ground. He fell to the ground with a thud but was still conscious. He began to crawl away in a pitiful attempt to escape, before noticing Fox and Falco were towering over him.

"Hold up, wait, please!" The rocker begged with a lisp, wiping blood from his jaw. "You guys really messed up my jaw, bad! I think I need to get it wired shut!" He mewled, before flinching in pain from his broken finger. "And you broke my fretting finger! I...I can't even play my guitar properly now! By the time my finger heals, I'll be rusty!"

Fox glared down at the red vulpine before a smirk crossed his lips. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have all the time to practice in prison." He taunted, making Felix's eyes go wide. As he tried to crawl away once more, Fox's boot crashed into his muzzle with the force of a rocket, jolting the rockstar's head and knocking him out cold. Falco walked over to the body of Felix and crouched down, examining his body. He tapped his head with the toe of his boot, to which no response was elicited. He looked back at Fox, who was looking over the body with the fires of justice burning in his retinas.

"So, what do we do with the wannabe rocker here?" Falco asked, still staring at Felix, whose breathing was barely audible. Fox crouched down and looked over his handiwork.

"Well, the police can get some charges of kidnapping, extortion, and attempted murder to stick onto him. He's looking at a fifteen to twenty-year stretch in the pen if he doesn't get a good lawyer. The rest of the guards here should be okay but injured. Cops'll give them medical attention." Fox commented. "Anyway, let's get the daughter."

Walking over to the cage, and breaking the lock with his staff. The second he broke the lock, the daughter rushed out of the cage and wrapped her arms around Fox's waist before hugging him tight.

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou, Mr. McCloud!" She exclaimed in her accented voice. Fox chuckled as he pulled her arms off from around his waist.

"It's all right, Ms. Von Brunn, we're here to bring you back to your father. Are you ready to go?" He asked. She nodded with a smile seemingly on her lips for the first time in days.

"Alright, let's get moving," Fox ordered, walking out with Falco and the couple in tow as they made their way back to the surface.

"So this was everything, right?" Falco asked with his hands shoved casually in his pockets. "Cause I really need a shower now," he added, wrinkling his nose as he sniffed under his arms.

"Yeah, it should be everything. Local law enforcement can take care of it from here. Also, you smell rank, dude," Fox commented with a sly smile as Falco playfully shoved him.

~::::~

The air was still and quiet outside the bunker, save for the dragging of unconscious bodies into a pile next to the large bunker door. While Fox and Falco were cleaning up the bunker and looking for the daughter, TJ and Krystal were cleaning up the exterior, zip-tying the guard's wrists and ankles together so they could not move when they woke up. It was a boring task, but the two didn't seem to mind the peace and quiet, even if they were currently boiling in the sun. To beat the heat, Krystal took off her jacket and unzipped her flight suit by a bit, while TJ rolled the sleeves up on his t-shirt by just a bit more.

As TJ was dragging the body of a knocked-out canine, he got curious as a smirk crossed his lips. Reaching behind the dog's ear, TJ began scratching the canine. Within a few seconds, the guard had an unconscious smile form while his right leg idly kicked out. TJ chuckled as he did this, calling the dog a "good boy" over and over. Krystal looked at this display with a quirked eyebrow, before chuckling. "TJ!" She shouted, making TJ stop his scratching. "You know, doing that is seen as romantic affection," she informed. TJ's face immediately scrunched up from the comment as he kicked the dog in the muzzle before wiping his hand on his t-shirt.

TJ soon realized his mistake, and the guard woke up with a groan before trying to move his limbs. He soon found movement impossible as his brain adjusted to being conscious before his eyes locked with TJ's as a snarl grew on his lips. "Hey! What do you think you're doing here!?"

TJ began to panic as he looked toward Krystal, who only gently smirked. Without saying a word, Krystal walked over to the now shouting guard before crouching down and placing her palm on the shouting canine's forehead. Within seconds, the canine's shouting slowly ceased before his eyes fluttered shut.

"There you go, he's out now," Krystal advised. TJ breathed a sigh of relief as he continued to drag his body in the sand, before finally dumping it in the pile of bodies by the door. As the silence began to deafen the air, TJ let out a lone sigh as he leaned on the doors to the bunker, catching the telepath's attention.

"Man, this is borin'… I mean, we're just sittin' out here doin' nothin'! I feel like I'm gonna go nuts!"

Krystal chuckled before she sat cross-legged on the sandy floor and closed her eyes. "Maybe some meditation might help relax those nerves. A clear mind leads to victory in every scenario."

TJ rolled his eyes, catching a smirk on his lips as he did so. "Sorry, but I'd rather do somethin' rather than thinkin' 'bout doin' somethin'."

"So you would rather rush head-first into danger without a plan of action?"

"Nah, I always had a plan of action, but I didn't come up with it."

"Well, do you not think that whoever came up with your schemes thought them through?"

"Probably, but we were damn good at improvising."

"Improvisation can only take you so far, TJ. Trust me on this."

TJ tried to rack a response in his mind, but his brain spun in place. Without saying another word, he simply sat on the ground and began counting the clouds in the sky.

After a few agonizingly slow minutes of throwing rocks in the sand and eying his car from a distance, Fox and Falco quickly appeared from the base's doors with the daughter right behind them. TJ scoffed as he threw a final rock, standing up with a slight grunt. "Well, looks like someone got to have all the fun." TJ's comment came with a bit of a sarcastic bite as his eyes carried a telltale sign of boredom.

"If you call getting peppered by a wannabe rockstar with daddy issues fun, then yeah, we had a great time," Fox pushed back with a slight smirk.

Falco was quick to step in, smirking over Fox's shoulder. "Nah Fox, I think he'd love it. Tell you what, let's have ROB take the combat telemetry and put it in the sims. See if Speedster here can last for more than ten seconds before getting shot."

Fox stroked the furs of his chin before a chuckle broke through his muzzle. "You know what, that's a great idea. Well TJ? You wanna give it a shot when we get back?"

Before TJ could respond, Krystal piped up as she got to her feet, a devious smile on her lips. "Oh, he would love to! He was just complaining about how bored he was out here."

TJ's face grew beet-red as the group broke out into laughter, rolling his eyes in response and shoving his hands in his pockets while mumbling something under his breath. The laughter was cut short by alarm bells ringing out, snapping everyone's attention to the sky. Slippy was soon to call a second after, his voice already panicking. "Fox, someone just triggered an alarm! You've got every gangster in the town converging on your position, get out now!"

Fox quickly turned to Krystal, who had her eyes closed and two fingers on her temple before opening her eyes again. "I count at least twenty minds in the town, an unknown amount are coming from the dunes."

"Alright, the three of us will head back to the Arwings," Fox began, before turning his head towards TJ. "I'm counting on you to get Anna back to the base safely, TJ."

TJ nodded his head before running to his Viper, with Anna hot on his heels. As Fox, Falco, and Krystal ran towards the dunes, TJ slid over his elongated hood and threw his door open before taking his seat and slamming the door shut. Anna was just opening the door as TJ buckled himself in, confused by the interior. "C'mon, we don't got all day, these guys are gonna be on top of us any second!"

The words got Anna to hurry up as she sat down and fumbled with the harness. After a few seconds, she was able to buckle herself in with a click. As soon as his passenger was secured, TJ turned the key, activating the heart of the Viper. The car roared to life, and a smile crossed TJ's lips.

(Song: Trainwreck Assault - Gustavo Coutinho)

TJ noticed the various off-road vehicles quickly appearing from every dusty alley ahead of him and punched it. The tires chirped on the pavement as the Viper rocketed off, getting a head-start on the various dune buggies and trophy trucks now in hot pursuit. As he approached the center of the town, TJ noticed the gangsters from when he entered the town earlier waiting with weapons raised and ready to fire. Quickly ripping on the handbrake and planting his foot on the brake and clutch, TJ slid the supercar to the right just in time. The massive tires kicked up smoke and loose rock, preventing the gangsters from firing as he did so.

With a snarl, TJ realized that he was headed the wrong way quickly. With no other exit from the north of the town, TJ noticed he was quickly coming upon a dead-end. None of the alleys were big enough for TJ's Viper, meaning he had to flip the car around. Yanking on the handbrake again, another flash of footwork meant that TJ had turned the car around one-hundred and eighty degrees and come to a complete stop. Revving the engine for a bit, TJ quickly took count of various vehicles approaching. A few dirt bikes, two buggies, and a trophy truck were all bearing down on him.

"They're gonna catch us! What are you doing?!"

TJ narrowed his eyes at his passenger's shriek, moving his foot from the clutch to the brake as he stamped on the gas. "Playin' chicken."

The Viper rocketed off the line as soon as TJ lifted his foot up from the brakes, sending the Viper screeching towards the line of hostiles. Singling out a dirt bike to the left, TJ steered into the path of the rider, who quickly tried to change lanes. TJ followed the rider's oncoming movements perfectly, noticing the panic rising the closer he got. In a last-ditch effort, the biker turned too hard to the left, sending his bike out of control and bucking him over the handlebars. The bike landed in front of another rider, causing him to tumble over his bike too.

TJ managed to slip through the chaos unscathed, the two dune buggies quickly swerving out of his way and reengaging him as they made sloppy u-turns. With the trophy truck left, TJ picked up the speed, his expression unchanging as the truck refused to move. With another scream, Anna covered her eyes just as TJ slammed on the brakes and ripped the clutch. Flipping the car around again, TJ reversed towards the truck before executing a j-turn at the last second, narrowly missing the truck as he flipped the car around once more in the right direction. The driver of the trophy truck was unprepared for the maneuver, and even more unprepared for his fellow gangsters in the buggies bearing down on him. The driver tried to swerve to avoid the buggies, only for his tires to slip out from under him. A mess of metal and parts flew into the air, littering the narrow road with pieces of car.

TJ chuckled as he made a beeline for the town's exit, blasting by the firing line he swerved to avoid earlier without a care in the world. The slower buggies and bikes pulling out of the small alleys were no match for the Viper at its top end as TJ raced to the outskirts of town in record time. A sudden transmission from Slippy got TJ's attention as he exited the town. "TJ, I'm reading hostiles coming from the dunes! You've got almost every member of Dust Storm in a five-kilometer radius coming back to stop you!"

TJ sneered. "No sweat, I'll lose 'em on the straight!"

Just as Slippy called, the once abandoned narrow highway was filled with buggies, trucks, and dirt bikes. Each vehicle weaved between the lanes, attempting to lock TJ in gridlock. He refused to be a passive driver, instead taking the fight to the gangsters as he came up on two trucks blocking the lanes. TJ refused to slow down, instead rear-ending the truck to his right. The sudden shunt shoved the truck forward, TJ now lined up next to the other truck. Baiting him into the trap, TJ let the truck attempt to run him off the road, only for TJ to slam on the brakes. The Viper's tires squealed and slowed as the truck suddenly jumped into his lane, unprepared for a miss. The driver of the truck attempted to regain control of his vehicle, not noticing that he and TJ swapped positions. Coming up on the left rear quarter panel, TJ executed a perfect PIT maneuver on the truck, spinning the massive vehicle out before sneaking up to the right side of the truck he shunted earlier and repeating the PIT. With both trucks out of the way, the other drivers were spaced out too far from each other, allowing TJ to weave in and out of the traffic with relative ease.

Another transmission came in from Slippy, this time sounding even more worried. "Oh man, this is bad! Comm chatter says they're trying to set up a roadblock ahead of you! You gotta get there before they close the gap!"

"Looks like I get to try out that boost, huh?"

"It's still experimental! If you go over the limit, you could blow yourself up!"

"Well it don't look like I got much of a choice!" Looking to his left, TJ noticed the hunched-over Anna and whistled, catching her attention. "You might wanna brace yourself against the seat here…"

"W-what?! Why?!"

"Cause it's about to get real fast real quick."

Doing as TJ said, Anna braced herself into her seat, whimpering as she did so. TJ pushed himself back into his seat before taking a deep breath and flicking the switch. A shrill static noise filled the air for a few seconds before it was replaced by what sounded like a sonic boom. TJ and Anna were thrown back in their seat, pinned against them as the Viper hurdled down the road, blowing by every car on the road. Some vehicles were even pushed off the road entirely by the sudden speed. Looking down at the speedometer, TJ noticed that the needle had gone past two hundred miles per hour, but the revs of the engine kept climbing. Moving his eyes to the rev counter, TJ noticed that the screaming engine had surpassed the redline, the car hurtling like a bullet from a gun down the road.

TJ quickly noticed the half-formed roadblock coming up and refused to slow down. The gangsters at the roadblock took notice of him as well, quickly diving out of the way and running to the dunes as he approached. TJ identified a small gap still in the block and aimed for him. The speed caused his teeth to rattle and bones to shake, the sensation intoxicating as he took a deep breath. Time suddenly slowed to a crawl, the world taking on a purple hue as TJ's pupils dilated. His mouth hung slightly open as he shuffled towards the roadblock, the music blaring in his car now sounding like it was coming from outside of the Viper and playing at a tenth of the normal speed as it was replaced by his heartbeat. Guiding himself towards the crack in the block, TJ passed by the obstruction without a single scratch on his car.

As soon as TJ passed the block, time resumed to the normal supersonic speed as he blinked rapidly and took several sharp breaths. Looking in the rearview mirror, the block had hindered his pursuers, causing them to slow down and carefully pass through the gaps or on the side. TJ let a chuckle slip, before remembering what Slippy said about the booster. Flicking the switch back down, TJ felt the car lurch forward, now topping out at the top of the redline instead of beyond it.

After a few seconds, TJ noticed that his pursuers had become specks in the mirror, unable to keep up with him. With a celebratory grunt and a smack on the steering wheel, TJ let loose a deep laugh from his stomach. "Haha, yeah! That's how it's done in Motown, assholes! That! Is! How! It's! Done!" A deep sigh passed his lips as he kept the speedometer pinned, now sat back in a lazy slumped posture with one hand gripping the wheel. Looking to his right, Anna held onto the seat for dear life, causing TJ to chuckle. "Ay, relax. Those guys are chokin' on dust. At this speed, they'll never catch us. We're in the clear!"

"So can you please slow down?!"

"Uh-uh, can't do that. If we slow down, they could catch us before we get you home. Relax, I've driven at speeds like this all the time, s'nothin' to me."

"Well what if we lose control and crash?!"

TJ sighed. "We won't- did you not hear me? It's an empty road with me at the wheel. What could go wrong?"

"TJ, scanners are showing three hostiles approaching you and fast. Can you see anything?" Slippy's sudden warning caused TJ to lazily look in all three of his mirrors, before shaking his head.

"Nah bro, roads are clean and clear. It's just me out here."

"Check the skies then."

"Second verse same as the first, skies are clean and cl- holy shit! What the hell are those things?!"

"TJ?! What do you see?!"

TJ's eyes locked onto three fighters flying fast and low, descending on him from the skies like vultures onto a corpse. Even with his foot pinned to the floor, TJ had no hope of outrunning what was bearing down on him. The fighters buzzed him on the ground, swooping low enough for their x-shaped wings to scrape the road in front of him. The sudden fly-by caused TJ to slam on the brakes, the tires squealing and smoking as he tried to recover. As if the laws of physics were mere suggestions, the three fighters suddenly turned on a dime and stopped in the middle of the road. With nowhere else to go, TJ swore under his breath before he slammed on the brakes. TJ had no time to comment as a shrill squeal pierced his ear, causing him to scream in pain before the faces of a one-eyed wolf, narrow-eyed lizard, and scarred panther were suddenly projected in front of him.

"Well well well, fancy seeing you out of an Arwing, McClou- uh, McCloud?" There was a tense pause for a few seconds, the three animals all wearing looks of confusion before the one-eyed wolf spoke up again. "You're not Fox. Where is he?"

TJ pondered the question for a few seconds, his heart leaping up to his throat for that brief moment before swallowing it back down. "Uh… I'm not exactly sure. What's up?"

The wolf raised a bewildered brow, narrowing his one eye at TJ as a snarl grew on his muzzle. "What's up? Do you think this is some sort of social call? Do you have any idea who you're talkin' to, boy?"

"I have never seen you before in my life, swear to God."

"You're face to face with Wolf O'Donnell."

TJ stared blankly ahead.

"The leader of Star Wolf?"

"Nah, not ringin' any bells."

Confusion filled Wolf's face, his mouth slightly agape as he paused for a few seconds. "You really don't know who I am?"

"Dude, I don't know who anyone is in this freakin' galaxy, system, wherever I am."

Wolf snapped his head to the panther in the craft next to him, a snarl on his lips. "Panther. I was told that Fox would be on the ground with the package. Does that look like Fox?"

"I know it's not Fox. I'm not a child, Boss. That kid who hired us told us that Fox and Falco were at the base before he went dark. I made a fifty fifty guess."

"Well that ain't Falco either!" Panther was unable to reply as a rough sigh came from Wolf, his one eye now glaring a hole in TJ. "We know McCloud was supposed to take the package, but you have her. So where is McCloud?" TJ silently shrugged. Wolf sighed. "I'm going to kick his ass the next time I see him on the ground…"

TJ looked to his right, noticing his passenger in the fetal position. Her whole body was shaking as she eyed the ships, sobs choking her throat as she prayed to anyone listening for a safe passage. With a raised brow, TJ opened his mouth. "Aight, look, I got no clue who you guys are, but you're freakin' the girl out. Can you just tell me who you are?

Wolf paused for a second before a rough chuckle escaped his throat. "Well then. It looks like you made a wrong turn, kid. You haven't heard of us because no one lives to tell the tales of their encounters. We're the best pilots in all of Lylat, the most feared mercenaries with the highest kill counts and bounties on every planet. We take what we want, when we want, how we want, no matter what. We are-"

"Star Wolf!"

Wolf's smile turned into one of rage and annoyance as Fox shouted his team's name, showing up with Falco and Krystal not too far behind. "And there he is, fashionably late to the party."

Fox gloured at his rival. "Back off, Wolf. This has nothing to do with you."

"Actually, it does. Y'see, we were hired to make sure that the little rockstar can hold on to his hostage there."

Fox snarled, hovering his finger over his ship's laser cannons as he lined up his hovering Arwing with Wolf's ships. "So, are we going to fight?"

Wolf pushed out his lips in a contemplative glare, before looking up to his ship's canopy. "Well… as much as I'd love to thrash you around this desert here, we were paid handsomely in advance. Plus, we've got somewhere to be, and wasting time shooting you down would make us late."

The lizard let a smile crop up on his lips, his eyes never leaving Falco's. "I don't know, Wolf. It should not take me more than a minute to pluck that annoying bird out of the sky."

"Can it, Leon! You forget about what I did to you on Fortuna?!"

"A lucky shot, Lombardi. Nothing more."

"Oh I'll show you lucky! Let's go for round two!"

Panther sighed, breaking up the squabble as everyone observed him place a red rose in his mouth. "All this violent talk in front of the fairest Krystal. Truly, do we have no shame nor class? One should not fight in front of a vixen as beautiful as her."

Krystal sighed, rubbing her temple with her thumb and index finger. "Panther, your words are very sweet, but I'm not going out with you."

"One day you will."

"No, she won't," Fox nearly chipped his teeth with his snarl, glaring daggers in Panther's direction as he did so before switching his stare to Wolf. "Last chance, Wolf. Leave, or we will shoot you down."

Wolf rolled his eye, putting his hands up by his head with a toothy grin. "Alright alright, keep your tail on, McCloud. Far as I'm concerned, we juuuuussst missed you. But you still owe me and my boys a fight. You can bet we'll come to collect that soon enough. Panther, Leon, we're out of here." Rising off the road, the ships cleared the path for TJ to move forward before turning to the west and speeding off. Sand and dust were kicked up from the engines of the ships as they quickly sped over the horizon.

TJ took a few seconds to process everything before he faced Fox. "So, who were those guys? Sounds like they got issues with you."

Fox sighed. "They're Star Wolf, a rival mercenary pilot outfit. We have some… complicated history."

"Like?"

"I'll explain back on the Great Fox. For now, let's get Anna home safe and sound. The road should be clear, and we'll give you an escort just to be on the safe side."

TJ was not satisfied with the answer, but with a shrug he let it go and carefully accelerated. Anna looked like she was about to faint at any more excitement, and the last thing TJ needed was an unconscious V.I.P.

~::::~

Before long, TJ returned to the military base, gates wide open to receive him as Fox, Krystal, and Falco flew past him. Following the Arwings, TJ shadowed their landing in front of an armored motorcade, with a blacked-out limo filling in the gap created by the SUVs guarding. As soon as the Arwings and Viper came to a complete stop, a canine wearing a black suit with an automatic rifle stepped out of the driver's seat of the limo and opened the side door, revealing Erik Von Brunn.

"Daddy!" The daughter squealed with joy as she quickly threw her harness off and shoved the door open, nearly tripping on the side skirts of the Viper as she sprinted across the tarmac to her father.

"Anna, honey!" Erik replied, swooping his daughter off her feet and embracing her. "Oh Gods, I was so worried! Please, don't ever worry me like that again!" He choked, making Anna tear up.

"I won't, daddy, I promise!" She then proceeded to go into basic detail about her whole kidnapping while Fox and TJ stood by.

"It was so scary, first I got into this cab, then the driver pulled a gun on me and drove to this bunker and some fox guy came up to me and asked me to be his guest and then locked me in a cage and started playing his guitar. After a few days, he starts freaking out about something and leaves the room but then a few seconds later, I hear that he's taunting Fox McCloud over the intercom and I was shocked that Fox would come to save us but then he stepped out of the elevator with Falco and he breaks the fox's finger and they take on his guards before Fox knocked out the other fox and then they freed us!" Anna finished gulping down air after her run-on sentence explaining her situation. Angus smiled as he embraced his daughter once more.

"I only hire the best for my daughter's safety." He replied in a soft tone. After finishing his hug, Erik looked up to notice his daughters' saviors walking towards him. The smiles on most of their faces told him that it had been an easily completed mission. Erik walked over to Fox and shook his paw with fervor like it was the last handshake he would ever give. "Thank you can not suffice for the service you all have done for me today. I am forever in your debt, Fox McCloud." Fox chuckled as he shook his paw back.

"Your debt was already paid when you sent us the money, sir. We only wish that you take good care of yourself," he replied. Erik's eyes went wide before he smiled.

"Such a heart of gold, Mr. McCloud." He remarked, before facing TJ, who shuffled slightly in his stance. Erik quickly walked up to TJ and shook his hand with the same strength as he did with Fox, making TJ wince before sucking it up and returning the gesture. "And do tell me young man, what is your name?" Erik asked with a smile.

"TJ Koen, uh, s-sir," TJ replied, hesitation coating his tone.

"Ah. Well, Mr. Koen, I can tell that you have a bright future laid out in front of you, especially with Mr. McCloud and his band of mercenaries. I truly wish you the best of luck in all that you do."

"Oh, uh, thanks. I appreciate it."

Erik finally let go of TJ's hand, walking back to his daughter as TJ shook the stinging sensation out of his hand. Looking back up, TJ noticed Erik, his daughter, and their guards all pile back into the limo before the motorcade took off, leaving the base and disappearing from sight.

"You didn't do bad out there, TJ," Fox remarked with a smile. The smile quickly faded as Falco spoke up, leaning over Fox's shoulder with a smug smirk.

"Yeah, for movin' bodies and pissin' yourself in front of Star Wolf, you get a gold star kiddo!

TJ narrowed his eyes at the avian, his temper beginning to flare up quickly. Before TJ could open his mouth, Krystal brought the blunt end of her golden staff down on the back of Falco's head, causing him to squawk in an undignified manner.

"Manners, Falco. He did just fine."

Falco only rubbed the new bruise on the back of his head in response.

With his wingman dealt with, Fox turned back to TJ. "Like I said, you didn't do bad out there. I'll make sure that you get your fair split from this job once things settle down."

"Wait, why can't you just give me my cash right now?"

"Well, you have nothing to I.D you in the government's systems for starters, and no bank account to transfer the credits to."

"You can't even give me a few bills?"

Fox cocked his brow, looking to Falco who simply shrugged. Krystal spoke up instead, opening her eyes after closing them for a second. "He is referring to physical currency," her answer caused a small smile to appear on TJ's lips before she quickly shot it down. "There is no physical currency form for credits, TJ. It's all digital. I'm sorry."

The downtrodden expression was present on TJ's face as he sighed, but it quickly faded as Fox began to walk towards his Arwing. "Hey, Fox, real quick? Can I ask you somethin'?"

"Sure, go ahead."

TJ's mouth hung open for a few seconds, trying to find the words that would sound the least pathetic. "Look, you saw me out there. You know my words weren't all fluff 'n shit. So… I want a spot on your team."

Fox instantly raised a brow, putting up one hand to silence the outburst from Falco that he knew was about to come. "Join Star Fox? There's a long line of pilots that would trample each other just for the opportunity to join my squad for a single mission. Offer any of them a permanent spot and they'd kill the rest of the pilots with their bare hands to confirm it. Have you ever even flown any type of fighter craft before?"

"No… but I'm willin' to learn! And it looks like you need to go on the ground for some of your missions anyways, places that my car can reach that your Airwings can't."

"It's pronounced Arwings, dummy," Falco jumped in with a smug smirk, dodging Krystal's staff this time.

TJ scoffed, rolling his eyes before looking back at Fox. "Right, still though, I escaped that whole town without a scratch. I could be your guy on the ground!"

Fox narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms as he adjusted his stance. "But why do you want to join my squad?"

TJ sighed. "Usually, I would've said for the money. I mean, easy cash for a quick rescue seems like a dream. But… well, my mom told me yesterday that she wanted me to start livin' a life that'll make people happy while doin' what I do best. I messed up, and now I owe it to her to listen to her advice. Plus, with the hook-ups you guys got, you're my best chance for goin' home. Might as well pull my weight in return."

Fox's expression softened, his arms uncrossing and his eyes opening up. "Hm. I'll think about it. For now, you can stay with us. We'll try to get you adjusted to the Lylat system before we do anything else first. Get aboard the Great Fox first and take a load off, let your mind reset. You've had a rough twenty-four hours by the sound of things."

TJ wanted to say more, but he kept his mouth shut for the moment, only silently nodding in response.