This Seppuku Tale is safe of Parts 1, 2, and 3 spoilers. This is, essentially, an episode from a hypothetical "Part 0" or "Part -1".
== Imposter =
It was the birthday of Chiya Flower and Earl Bendek alike, two people who had yet to meet in this day and age. As of this day, Earl was a war criminal who had fled from Korea and now brought himself to Mute City. At the age of 18, Chiya had escaped Mysteria and found herself in the Lower City of Mute City—as a bum. Both future companions had destinies ahead of them, but on the planet of Port Town, a major event was about to unfold; one that had been prepared for years by none other than Black Shadow—the Emperor of Brutality.
On the planet of Port Town, where major shipping, prostitution, and construction occurred, the universe's most renowned superhero isolated himself from the public. Captain Falcon was a man of great fortune and strength, he possessed the blood of Dark Million—specially mutated blood cells created by Black Shadow, this offered the victim of this tainted blood a key to the powers that all beings in the universe are unable to unlock within their body. Captain Falcon was, supposedly, the only being in the universe who possessed this special blood and fought for humanity. Ever since Black Shadow had murdered his father, many years ago, Captain Falcon had sworn his allegiance to justice.
A war was being waged between Black Shadow and Captain Falcon. Black Shadow was well aware of the fact that Captain Falcon had honed his strength, and had thus become more powerful than the dark emperor could ever withstand against. Destroying Captain Falcon was the greatest priority to the Dark Million emperor, for when the day comes that Captain Falcon falls, Black Shadow could unfold his master plan, seeing as to how there would be, essentially, no opposition to stop him. But alas, the fact remained; Black Shadow couldn't beat Captain Falcon, nor could Falcon find Black Shadow. As time stood, fate would lean on Captain Falcon's shoulder and declare him the current leader of this war. Black Shadow had nothing to fight Captain Falcon with, or at least, this was to Captain Falcon's knowledge.
Little did the captain know, Black Shadow had been preparing an experiment for years following the Great Accident—a climatic F-Zero Grand Prix event that left many racers greatly injured. Captain Falcon had healed from the accident over the years, but what he didn't know, was that the Great Accident was more so a 'Great Opportunity' for Black Shadow. Captain Falcon would, after many years, realize the repercussions that followed his great injuries so many years ago.
The legendary F-Zero racer walked through a hallway in his secret Port Town hideout. While most of the city was rusty and dirty—most buildings being made out of scrap metal—Captain Falcon's hideout was magnificently built. The walls were made of extremely durable metal, coated in white pearlescent paint. The reflection of the tall man was everywhere he walked, as if he were walking around a building of mirrors. The reasoning for the paint job was simple, yet, egoistic: He enjoyed seeing his own image.
Fully suited up, Captain Falcon opened a large door and entered a massive round room. Within this room were many things. A bed, desk, television screens of varying sizes, gaming console, trophies, weapons, and a master computer. Beside the master computer was a set of screens, all displaying live feed of various locations within Port Town. This was his way of watching for crime. He was a bounty hunter and racer, but a crime fighter before both. He served and protected not for self gain, but rather, to ensure that no one is cheated in life like he had with his father.
Falcon walked up to the master computer and grabbed his waist with both hands, "Gladius," he called.
A round blue screen momentarily flashed on with a displayed rippling sound wave, "Welcome back, master," the computer spoke back.
"Gladius, perform a statistical analysis on the Falcon Flyer."
The primary computer monitor switched on, very quickly, thousands of results were displayed on every piece of the Falcon Flyer. Captain Falcon calmly leaned over his keyboard and entered five lines of code, which upon entering, returned less, but more interesting, results. He reviewed the engine power, fuel capacity, weight, shields, weaponry, and all other things pertaining to the ship's vitals. When traveling between systems, Captain Falcon was very cautious of space pirates—like Samurai Goroh. Fortunately, the Falcon Flyer was well equipped and conditioned to fend off any attacks.
Without another word, Captain Falcon closed the statistics and backed away from the computer. He turned while reaching up for his helmet. Gladius proceeded to ask, "Were you satisfied with the results Gladius presented?"
The F-Zero legend popped off his helmet and nodded, "Yes, thank you."
He placed the red helmet between his arm and approached his bed. After a day of training, he was prepared for the beginning of the annual Grand Prix—a set of five races held each year, the endgame reward being a strong one billion Federation credits. Captain Falcon was rich and had no need for such money, but at this point, he was obligated to make annual appearances due to his massive fan base. Missing as much as a single race would critically scar his reputation as the face of F-Zero. The first race, fittingly, was to take place in Mute City—formerly known as Tokyo on Earth.
Captain Falcon collapsed onto his bed and threw a pillow over his face, he then clapped his hands—which turned off all the lights. It was time for a new set of races, but most importantly, Captain Falcon had five opportunities to kill Black Shadow on the track. True, this was an ambition he had that was lacking in morality, especially since children watched F-Zero. But fortunately, he and everyone else in the universe were on the same page. Black Shadow had to die.
For many minutes, the man tossed and turned in his bed, unable to slip away into slumber. This was a common practice before the annual Grand Prix, for even the greatest racer of all time fretted over the dangers that came with F-Zero. Though he had just as much of a chance to kill Black Shadow, the fact remained, any race could result in Captain Falcon's demise at the hand of not only Black Shadow, but any potential racer seeking 1st place.
He continued in his quest for sleep, but little did he know, the entire room had suddenly been illuminated blue by the round screen of Gladius.
"Master."
Falcon grunted loudly and sat up, "G- Gladius? Why have you exited sleep mode?"
The computer screen remained silent for several moments, then turned purple, "Master..."
Captain Falcon grabbed his helmet, put it on, then stood back up. He dropped his jaw slightly in shock, having never seen Gladius turn purple before. The computer hesitated to finish speaking, as it was simply trying to calculate exactly what was going on. The answer was momentarily revealed.
"Gladius?"
"The security entrance... has been opened."
Captain Falcon gasped and took a step back, "Wh- what!? Impossible! You mean the entrance?"
"Affirmative. Eye scan identification has been matched."
The man dropped his jaw and took another step back in disbelief, his first reaction was to reach for his handgun—as strange as this situation was. "Impossible! The scanning mechanism permits entrance to only my eyes, correct?"
"Master!" Captain Falcon approached the main computer after gulping, a shock went down his spine as the screen then turned red. "...the door to this very room has been unlocked."
An emotional anvil had suddenly been dropped onto Falcon's chest. He trembled for a brief moment, then immediately took aim at the door he had come walking through not even twenty minutes ago. If this was a true report on Gladius' part, then the intruder was just beyond this very door—having cracked the password on their first try.
The captain's handgun was firmly trained on the door, the very first glimpse of his intruder would result in bloodshed—but surely anyone would accept the risk of getting shot after breaching two layers of security. The lights remained off in the room, as he didn't want the intruder to become aware of a live presence. Sooner or later, though, Falcon had become impatient—so he made the move.
Very carefully, he crept toward the door. This was, either fortunately or unfortunately—depending on the situation, a door that would open upon approach from the inside. Captain Falcon took slow steps forward, then very gently lowered his foot down ahead of the door, where the motion sensor would pick up his presence. He tapped his foot down, and so the door opened. But to his surprise, not a soul was present beyond the door.
The man grit his teeth and scanned the hallway carefully. Apparently, someone had entered the password to this door, yet there was no sign of human life. The man lowered his handgun and licked his lips.
"Gladius, perform a virus scan on yourself. I'm led to believe that-"
But before he could finish, a horrifying sight had emerged. The entrance door had opened, but seemingly, on its own. Captain Falcon dropped his jaw again and gazed out the opened door. It wasn't shutting, only the sight of heavy rain and lightning could be seen past the door. The captain remained standing with a dismayed expression. He was clearly being played with, and unfortunately, he had no idea how to avoid any potential trap that was set for him. Because of this, he remained standing, gazing out the entrance.
He couldn't see a thing past the darkness and heavy rain, though the sound of metal footsteps from outside had become clear to his ear. These footsteps only lasted for seconds, though. Aside from the rain, silence ensued. The captain swallowed once more while continuing to gaze forward, his heart beat rapidly, knowing that he was completely vulnerable to any attack at the moment. A small lightning bolt struck, which very briefly dimmed up the outside, but no one could be seen. Captain Falcon slowly resumed walking forward with his gun drawn, his eyes remained perfectly still on the outside. Of course, he was skeptical of why the door wasn't closing, this would normally signify that a human presence was keeping it open—but he saw no one.
Finally, at long last, Captain Falcon had nearly been knocked to his feet as a very loud and monstrous lightning bolt ripped the sky apart. The entire city had been briefly illuminated by the flash, and to Captain Falcon's horror, the sight of a tall man in red had been revealed standing about five meters away from the door. Once the flash disappeared, and all had become dark again, the intruder had revealed himself—but in an all too threatening way. Two glowing white eyes had now emerged through the rain, much like that of Captain Falcon's electronic helmet visor.
"You! Stay where you are!"
The intruder chuckled loudly, his bright white eyes swished from left to right constantly, signifying that he was shaking his head. Now, without fear, Captain Falcon charged across the hallway and leapt out into the rain with his weapon still drawn. The first moment he stepped outside, the white eyes had vanished. Captain Falcon dashed toward the man's position—but he had vanished. The blue suited man to an immediate stop, but slid an extra few inches due to the slippery metal platform, along with his metal boots. The man came to a stop and looked around frantically. His confusion was soon met with additional chuckling.
Captain Falcon swallowed as the intruder chuckled, he remained perfectly still and facing the opposite direction of his hideout. Secretly, he was trying to coordinate exactly where the chuckling was coming from. He knew it was coming from his right ear, in an upward position. And so this is where he aimed his gun and turned. Miraculously, he was spot on with the intruder's location. But the appearance of the intruder sent even Captain Falcon aloft in shock.
"Wh- what!?"
Standing upon two shipping crates, was a man of incredible resemblance to the captain himself. Silver boots, a red suit, yellow scarf, spiked silver shoulder pad, and a purple helmet with silver metal falcon insignia—much like Falcon's golden falcon insignia. The man looked precisely like Captain Falcon, but with skulls on his boots, two narrowed white eyes, and a seductively devilish grin.
"Captain Falcon!" the tall man barked in a deeper tone.
Captain Falcon dropped his jaw in disbelief, even the voice of this man was alike—but deeper. Regardless of the situation, Captain Falcon aimed his gun up and demanded, "I- imposter! Who are you!?"
A lightning flash lit up the immediate area, easily revealing much more of the man's figure. With the same devilish grin, he responded, "I am Blood Falcon—your exact replica!"
This couldn't possibly be a bluff, yet, the blue suited man viewed it as one. "You lie! You're just a pretender!"
Blood Falcon slowly tilt his head left and shrugged with extended arms, "If you speak the truth, then, show me your moves and make quick work of my pretending person!"
Many thoughts bounced around the captain's head. He was contemplating what would be the moralistically correct option to take. He was in a position to shoot the pretender dead, however, this wouldn't be a very just move to make. For all he knew, there could be a realistic explanation behind this man's motives. The fact remained, though, he had breached through both the eye scanner and code protected door. Something was surely wrong.
Ultimately, a very reasonable initiative action was taken. "What are your motives?"
Blood Falcon smashed his fists together, "To crush you!"
At that very moment, before Blood Falcon could breathe after speaking, a shot had been fired. Simultaneously, Blood Falcon had dashed forward—leaving a transparent trail of figures behind him. Captain Falcon gasped as Blood Falcon came over him, quickly stopped in midair, and proceeded to kick downward. His foot blazed with fire—a Falcon Kick.
The captain ducked and spun, the slippery surface aided him in his escape from a near critical hit. Blood Falcon had hit the floor, leaving a large dent on the platform surface. He spun himself around and chucked five sharp objects—each with a ghastly purple substance. Captain Falcon ducked his head down and blocked one of the oncoming metal spikes with the metal of his gauntlet. Finally, Blood Falcon sprinted forward and dropped down to his knee. He slid forward quickly with one foot out, then roughly kicked Captain Falcon's right shin. The captain collapsed to the floor, but rolled back onto his feet. The slippery metal terrain made this especially difficult.
Blood Falcon stood back up and faced his adversary, Captain Falcon planted his feet down firmly and holstered his pistol—having not been granted a second opportunity to fire. With only three performed attacks, Captain Falcon was at a loss for words. He could say nothing but the truth.
"So, you are more than just an impostor..."
"I'm a clone."
The two proceeded to walk in a combat circle, both staring one another down whilst moving around in a loop of hostility. Captain Falcon appeared more serious than anything, but his clone adversary remained grinning. The grin was in all actuality, a tactic. By grinning, Blood Falcon was conveying the message that he lacked fear and held only confidence.
"Who's clone?"
"Black Shadow's."
The answer was almost obvious, of course, only the man who feared Captain Falcon the most would aspire to create an exact replica. From what Blood Falcon had already displayed in this short fight, he had succeeded greatly.
Water constantly dripped down the visors of both men, which affected visibility. Both Falcons were clenching their fists as they moved around in a series of loops, but soon, both had jolted out of the loop. Both actions were practically simultaneous, it'd be impossible to determine who attacked first. Captain Falcon performed a backflip in the air and then entered a driver attack—spinning downward with both feet lowered. Blood Falcon remained on the ground and had flipped upside down. He planted one hand on the ground and kicked both feet up toward Captain Falcon. Ultimately, the metallic feet of both men met and entered a period of clashing. Blood Falcon repeatedly kicked upside down, while Captain Falcon leapt off of Blood Falcon's feet in a continuous search for an opening to attack. Considering the boots of both men were metal, the sky was filled with the immensely loud sound of clashing metal. To the general public, this likely was interpreted as mere thunder.
Blood Falcon was the one to back out of the exchange, as he performed somewhat of a backflip and landed on both feet. Captain Falcon slammed his feet into the metal platform, leaving a second dent. He looked up and found Blood Falcon charging at him with two locked back fists, upon striking forward, Captain Falcon had caught both of his fists. Blood Falcon was thrown up into the air as a result, but to the captain's great surprise, Blood Falcon capitalized on this and kicked downward. Finally, the first actual strike had been made, as Captain Falcon immediately found himself knocked down to his back.
The clone chuckled mockingly at his downed opponent, then quickly raised his foot up to squash the actual Falcon's face. Immediately, though, Captain Falcon had bolted his foot against Blood Falcon's left shin—which forced him to fall down. The clone hit the floor, but had caught himself just in time by planting his hands down. Regardless of the save, Captain Falcon had jumped back up onto his feet and bolted both feet down upon the clone's spine.
Blood Falcon shrieked softly and rolled over, then flexed his back. The sound of bones crackling came off of him as he flexed, Captain Falcon had quickly run up to the clone, preparing to punch—but a shove was the best he could do. Blood Falcon had grabbed his fist just in time, but couldn't stop Captain Falcon's arm from pushing him back against two metal shipping crates.
Captain Falcon kneed Blood Falcon in the stomach while holding him against the metal crate, locked one fist back, then struck his knuckles toward the clone's face. Blood Falcon had tilt his head just in time, thus forcing the captain's fist straight into the steel crate. Blood Falcon ducked away from Captain Falcon and got behind him, as the man now struggled to release his fist. The clone grabbed him by the head and roughly hit his head forth against the crate. He did this many times, up until a specific point in the beating. Captain Falcon had soon grabbed Blood Falcon by the fist and shoved him aside. But alas, Blood Falcon held on.
Both men gasped and fell forward, Blood Falcon had slipped straight off the platform and now held onto Captain Falcon's hand. The captain fell to the floor due to Blood Falcon's pull, he tried to release his hand from the clone's—but Blood Falcon was simply too determined to hold on. This was especially impressive, given the fact that both men were wearing metal gauntlets in heavy rain.
Blood Falcon jerked down on his arm in an attempt to bring him over the edge with him. Unfortunately, the wet surface forced the captain to move more to the left. Worse, the shipping crate his hand was stuck in inched closer to the edge as well. Captain Falcon looked down at the clone with barred teeth, even when in great peril, the clone continued to grin. The crate was slowly coming closer and closer to the edge, as was Captain Falcon. The hero constantly swat his knee down against the metal in desperate hope for a cease to the slipping. It seemed that the closer the crate came to their bodies, the faster he began to slip.
Seconds later, the crate had moved over the very edge of the platform, Captain Falcon managed to crawl slightly behind it and turn his trapped arm in a different position. If this heavy crate were to fall, he'd literally come crashing down like a rock.
Fortunately, with just the right arm position and hand jerk, his hand had been freed from the crate. Seconds after releasing his hand, the crate had tipped and fell down. Blood Falcon gasped and tightened his grasp of the captain's hand—but this did him no good. The crate his Blood Falcon square in the face and forced him off the platform. Captain Falcon had nearly been sent off the platform as well upon getting hit, but he regained control of himself. Standing up, he dropped his jaw in disbelief at what had just happened. He was to waste no time in his next decision, it was time to run.
Blood Falcon roughly landed down upon another platform, leaving an intense dent where he had landed. The shipping crate landed beside him, however, collapsed upon impact. The walls of the crate fell apart, and thus, an intense amount of rice began to spew out. The clone sat up and grit his teeth, then looked up. He was only about eighty meters below Captain Falcon's platform.
The clone stood up quickly and ran toward the taxi stop, where a vessel was already waiting for customers. Within the taxi, and green and tan, very optimistic, alien sat bobbing his head back and forth to music. Blood Falcon jumped into the taxi and punched the alien's arm.
"Quickly, I need a ride up to that platform!"
The alien turned his head, "Hi, I'm PJ!" He tipped his cap, then reached his hand out, "That'll be twenty credits, pweese."
Blood Falcon anxiously nodded and reached down for his pockets, he dug around frantically in his pocket, then slammed both fists down near the windshield.
"Ur-rgh!" he shouted. The clone turned toward PJ whilst cracking his knuckles, "Could you send me a bill, instead?"
Captain Falcon ran straight from the outside, back into his living quarter, through the garage, and into the hangar bay. There sat a large private blue and gold vessel, with a falcon shaped bridge exterior. The captain rushed into the Falcon Flyer, passed the Blue Falcon, then ran straight for the cockpit of the ship. He was prepared to leave everything behind, out of fear of what was to come if he remained here.
The man strapped himself into his seat, turned on the ignition, then rolled his seat toward the bridge's main console. The first thing he did was turn Gladius on in this console.
"Good evening, master."
"Gladius, erase all records saved within the main computer. In fact, corrupt the computer afterwards."
"You wish to delete all records on the main computer, followed by the termination of the same computer?"
"Erase and destroy it all, leave nothing left to acquire on Port Town. This includes you, delete and destroy yourself."
The Falcon Flyer spun around as the hangar door opened, Captain Falcon punched in some quick coordinates, then sat back comfortably in his chair.
"You wish to also kill Gladius, master?"
"Terminate yourself, yes."
A long period of silence ensued, "Are you sure you want to perform this execution?"
"Yes, Gladius. Do it now."
Another period of silence ensued. Captain Falcon looked down at the console in puzzlement, then grunted as a text bar and various deformed letters and numbers showed up on screen.
"To proceed on with the execution, prove that you are a human by entering the following line of text."
"Oh for the love of..."
Blood Falcon leapt out of the taxi and ran up to Captain Falcon's hideout, but he was too late. Just as he approached the door, the Falcon Flyer had darted off into the sky, vanishing into the heavy rain and clouds within seconds. The clone grit his teeth and came to a complete halt. Of course, he would still ransack the hideout for possible data—which Captain Falcon had ordered to be deleted. But his ultimate mission to kill Captain Falcon would need to wait.
The clone smirked and let out a single chuckle, "I'll get him in the Grand Prix..."
Captain Falcon later found himself traveling through space, clearly, now safe from immediate danger. The ship was autopiloting to Earth, where the first race of this year's Grand Prix would take place. This was not the clear reason for his sudden destination, he was simply made homeless and would now need to choose a different base of operation. But of course, he couldn't simply expose himself to the public; he required direct assistance.
Gladius was gone, leaving Captain Falcon to tend to his own security checks. It would seem that Blood Falcon was long gone, though, perhaps not dead. In all actuality, Captain Falcon greatly doubted that he'd seen the last of the clone.
The man paced back and forth whilst tapping his chin. He was now looking at a restless night before the Grand Prix, which of course, could only hurt him in the long-run. The only good news was that in Japan, it was early in the afternoon. This would buy him the extra hours he had missed due to this unfortunate sequence of events.
"Black Shadow..." he muttered aloud.
It was only now, after the battle, that Captain Falcon finally recollect the very few words spoken by Blood Falcon. He was a clone of Captain Falcon, created by Black Shadow. The clone knew all of his moves and shared every memory, including his bank account information, fighting moves, passwords, and plans. All in all, even if Blood Falcon had perished, Black Shadow would likely create a new clone. No matter what, Captain Falcon had no choice. He was a middle-aged man who was being forced to start over from scratch. New base, new passwords, new moves, new plans. This was the only way to retain the advantage over Black Shadow.
The following day, he would meet Black Shadow in Mute City for the first race of the Grand Prix. Without a single doubt, both rivals would have words to exchange on the Blood Falcon matter. What Captain Falcon didn't know, was that Blood Falcon would be present on the track to hear these words. No one knew, but Blood Falcon was now a registered F-Zero racer—something the corrupt F-Zero committee kept secret.
About two hours later, Jody Summer, major of Japan's Galactic Space Federation, moved quickly toward a meeting room within the Federation HQ alongside Dr. Stewart and Dr. Clash. A serious matter had come to her attention, one that was beyond her comprehension and understanding, yet, pertained to her mutual ambition to rid Black Shadow from the universe.
The young woman pushed open a large white door and was quickly surprised to find Captain Falcon standing against a window. He stood perfectly still with one fist tucked under his chin, contemplating, on what was to happen next. The Federation major took a bow, humbled by the F-Zero legend's presence.
"Captain Falcon, it is my honor to have finally met you off the F-Zero course."
Captain Falcon turned his body and returned a very casual face, he gave her the Falcon Salute, "A pleasure to make a personal acquaintanceship with you, Major Summer." He turned toward Dr. Stewart—a longtime friend—and nodded, "Good to see you again, Doctor."
Jody walked over to the same window he was looking out of and tilt her head, "Many apologies, but, you were speaking so quickly over the phone. You were speaking of a Dark Million clone..?"
"An imposter, pretender... replica... of me."
Dr. Stewart raised an eyebrow, "A genetically replicated you? So, a clone?"
Falcon nodded, "He went by the name 'Blood Falcon', vowing to destroy me under Black Shadow's cape."
"An assassin?" asked Dr. Clash.
"Perhaps. Assassinating me was the directive of his mission, yes."
Jody's jaw was slightly dropped in awe, "Has he been vanquished or arrested?"
"That is, unfortunately, beyond my knowledge. Either way, I would expect there to be a second clone in the making... if not already existing."
Stewart grit his teeth and exhaled, "Cloning, it's been a known technology for ages. But to have successfully replicated a fully grown man in his prime, with all the same knowledge and abilities?"
"I fear so."
Jody swallowed and raised both eyebrows, "Well, I am but a mere major. This really should have been brought up with high command—which I will do myself, of course." She swat her fist into a palm and strictly stated, "If there is indeed a clone running rampant trying to kill you, we have all the more justification to take down Black Shadow without reason. He is enacting terrorism and high treason against his human brethren!"
"Black Shadow dislikes humanity, believe me when I say, if he's given the opportunity, he will strike the heart and leave humanity trembling in a sea of fire."
Jody closed her eyes in frustration and nodded, "I assure you, we'll have dealt with Black Shadow far before this occurs."
Captain Falcon looked back out the window and sighed, "Following, the attack... I was forced to abandon my hideout on Port Town and delete all existing records within the base. I am homeless and without a place in mind. I was thinking of staying here in Mute City, but..."
Jody nodded quickly, "I know just the place to build a new base. Of course, we'll all agree, as the HQ leaders, to let you stay." She turned toward her two companions, then back at Captain Falcon. "All in favor of letting Falcon stay here in the HQ?"
"Aye."
"Aye."
"Nay..."
The three widened their eyes and spun around, Captain Falcon grunted as well. And so entered the fourth Federation officer—one that Captain Falcon was completely unfamiliar with.
A tall dark figure, fitted with a visor, black fedora, black gloves, black leather boots, a long red scarf, and an intimidating black trench coat. Captain Falcon's jaw dropped at the face of the man, who's true identity was hidden behind a visor and scarf.
Jody grit her teeth and lowered her eyebrows. The tall man slowly continued his way into the room, his mouth hidden away under the scarf, and his eyebrows covered by the trim of his fedora. Captain Falcon was left with a quivering lip of disbelief, primarily gazing into the visor of the approaching man. He was left speechless at his appearance—but not his attire.
The man stopped in front of the group and dropped both arms down lazily, "He's a bounty hunter, the common scum and trickster of the universe..."
"But he's a good bounty hunter, a true hero in the eyes of both the Federation and public as a whole."
The man pointed firmly toward Jody, "That's where you're wrong, Summer. Not the 'whole', if the 'whole' believed he were a good guy, I'd be in favor of the vote."
Captain Falcon finally closed his lips and swallowed, "W- who are you?"
The man very slowly turned his head and quirked his mouth hostilely, displaying nothing but biased hatred. Jody crossed her arms with two lowered eyelids. "Captain, this is Seppuku—our very stubborn lieutenant detective."
Captain Falcon swallowed again in disbelief, "...might I ask, where you are from?"
"Your mother's ass!"
Jody stomped her foot down, "Seppuku!"
"You're named after a suicidal disembowelment-"
Seppuku cracked both his knuckles and growled, "And you're named off a nearly extinct bird! But then again, the falcon is an ancient bird—kind of like your age, old man!" Without an immediate response from the captain, Seppuku turned his head toward his companions, "Again, I veto the motion for this crook to stay..."
Jody smirked, "Tough luck, it's three against one."
"Bull..."
"No, it's the rules. If seventy-five percent or more approves, it passes. In fact, you voted for that rule."
"Double bull..."
Captain Falcon finally shook off his look of surprise, and finally responded, "I assure you, Seppuku, I am merely seeking refuge for the time being. Surely, as an officer of the highest authority, you cannot refuse."
Seppuku narrowed his eyebrows, then poked Captain Falcon firmly against the chest, "Listen here, bub. I don't like you..."
"Th- that's fine... quite frankly, I don't like you either."
The Man of Darkness grit his teeth in response, "All in favor of beating this little crap into a pulp?"
"Nay."
"Nay."
"Nay."
Seppuku released his anger by simply dropping his fists down. He closed his lips and nodded at the captain, then turned a cold shoulder his way. The man momentarily turned away from the four and proceeded back toward the door.
"Fine, he can stay. But if I ever find you in my office, so help me, I'll turn you into a bowling ball for our next competition..."
Jody grasped her waist with a humored smile, "Oh, Seppuku. No one trespasses in your office..."
The man immediately turned and rushed up to the woman, firmly poking her stomach, "Everyone trespasses in my office! Even the janitor trespasses in my office! God damn, I'll be so happy come the day where I meet someone who doesn't just march into my office!"
Jody and Seppuku, two friends, continued to gaze at one another. As time passed, Seppuku turned again and marched back toward the door, before exiting the room, he stopped and looked back at Falcon.
"I'm watching you..."
Once Seppuku left the room, Captain Falcon puckered his lips and tapped his lip, "...back at you..." he whispered to himself.
"Ahem..." Jody cleared her throat and pushed her feet together, "Well, will you be participating in tomorrow's race, still?"
Captain Falcon quickly nodded, "Yes, but I must ask if you can show me to my temporary room of residence. I have yet to sleep."
Jody nodded, "Well, there's about twenty-four hours exactly until the first race. Given that you just came from Port Town, you're sleeping schedule must be very damaged." She bowed with closed eyes. "I insist, allow Stewart to inject a sleeping formula. But eat before resting, the formula will put you to rest for an extended time."
Falcon scratched his chin, considering this option, however, he thought wisely. "I thank you for the offer, but I cannot risk being stuck sleeping, knowing that a clone is out there hunting for me. I will simply take as much natural sleep as possible."
The major clapped her hands and nodded, "Very well. Stewart, please have a full report of the situation sent up to New York. Clash... make sure Seppuku's not conking around with the Blue Falcon." She inched her finger at the F-Zero legend, "I will bring you to your room, and discuss my plan for your new base."
"Very well."
The four racers dispersed. The first race of the annual Grand Prix was a day away. Blood Falcon was on the loose, making Captain Falcon very uncomfortable, but oddly enough, not as uncomfortable as meeting Lieutenant Seppuku, of whom Captain Falcon—oddly enough—knew somewhat about. At this point in time, Lieutenant Seppuku had yet to become a racer, which meant that Captain Falcon would be facing a fairly regular Grand Prix. Unknowingly to him, however, he had yet to meet the Blood Hawk—destined to be the Blue Falcon's sworn enemy.
To be concluded in 'The Blood Hawk'...
