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Mission No. 24

Sector Y
Bolse Station Fallout

"Warmth in Another"

Σ-γ

Fox fled from the bathroom, retreating into his room. He didn't even bother to dry off or dress; he hunched naked and dripping in front of his dresser, shivering.

Reluctantly he faced himself in the mirror. Who was this staring back at him? Stooped over, misshapen and awkward, fur mussed and soaked, hair already faded to white, trembling, and barely able to make eye contact with himself; he was only brave enough to meet the other person's turquoise irises for a few moments at a time.

That Cerinian didn't want him. She didn't want… this. How could anyone? She saw nothing in him; only what he could do for her, and any affection or intimacy she offered was just a bargaining chip—just like everyone else.

Fox inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself and focus on anything besides the memory of 28 coming onto him. Understanding what she'd just tried to do made him feel sick. But he wasn't like her; he was stronger than some broken, malnourished girl, and he could hold his food and his tears.

His eyes flitted to the bathroom door, and he wrung his hands, wincing when the bite marks stung. How long would she wait in there? He didn't want to face her when she eventually came out—especially not like this. Or maybe she felt like she couldn't escape until he left the room first.

Saving him from his thoughts, the intercom beeped, followed by Navigation ROB's voice.

"Fox, we have received a transmission from an unknown source."

The todd's ears perked up, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to answer right away; he was still too occupied with trying to calm down.

"Fox, do you copy?"

Swallowing, he raised his voice. "Yeah ROB, I hear you. Is the message video or text?"

"Text with an image attachment."

He wrapped his arms around his chest, shivering as he dripped on the floor. "Read it to me."

"The message appears to be an image accompanied by four separate text strings: one containing numbers and letters, the rest solely numbers. It would not help for me to read them."

Finally Fox's breathing began to subside; he appreciated having something else to get his mind off what happened.

"Alright, I'll… be on the bridge in a minute. Have the message pulled up for me."

Anticipating that the Cerinian might wander out any second, Fox hurriedly dried off with a sheet and dressed. He rushed up to the bridge, still wrapping a bandage around the stinging hand 28 had bit. Only, it didn't sting so much from the bites as it did from what the hand itself had done.

He found Navigation ROB waiting for him, the message pulled up on the holographic display. Fox flinched when he saw the sour green glow of Sector Y outside the viewscreen, swiftly closing the blast shields so he wouldn't have to look at it.

"Alright," he sighed, studying the hologram. "What've we got here…"

As ROB warned, it wasn't much to go off. Just a tiny image file and four separate strings of code. But the image did catch his eye: a scribble of a circle-shaped labyrinth made from one unbroken line. At least, he interpreted it as a labyrinth.

"It's the same symbol as before…"

The image file was small and grainy, but to Fox it was unmistakable. It made him furious. This was the same person who'd sent him the photo of his mother and Andross; they were responsible for driving a wedge between him and Peppy; they were to blame for his literal death in Venom's labs; they were the reason he betrayed his former allies, and ended up with a starving alien girl in his possession.

What was this? Another sick joke to them? Were they laughing about him being so desperate he'd sleep with the first agent they sent his way? Had they intended all along to ruin his alliance with Corneria? …Or had they meant for him to die back in the labs, and this new message was sent because they didn't finish the job the first time?

Fox dropped into the captain's chair, clutching his head. None of it added up. Maybe they wanted him to find 28 and do something with her, or maybe they did mean for the other Cerinian to kill him. It was too much of a coincidence that the note led him straight to Section 9, and the monster just "happened" to break out as soon as he arrived in the labs. But then again, the note had led him right to 28, and she was the only Cerinian left in the room at the time…

"Shall I attempt to enhance?"

Fox nodded, and ROB used an AI program to bring out more details in the image, but to little avail. He could tell the image was a photo now; someone had physically scribbled the symbol in black ink on a piece of paper, but it didn't tell him much more.

"Analysis on the numbers? Can you decode them?"

"I have had no success decrypting the first string, but the other three already seem unencrypted. They appear to be a set of three numbers, but I do not know what to make of them. They are too large to be Lylatian coordinates."

"Could the message have been corrupted?"

"Negative. The transmission was not affected by Sector Y."

Fox rested his elbows on the armrests and steepled his fingers over his mouth. He was too distracted by why they would lead him around like this to try and solve the riddle in the message they'd sent.

Maybe they just wanted to meet up somewhere and steal 28 from him, using her powers for their own purposes. He'd rather Space Dynamics take care of the Cerinian rather than risk some third party gaining control of her—especially when it could turn out to be Eladard, Macbeth, or a Venomian remnant. In that case, maybe it was best to cut his losses and ignore the message while he still could turn back. They had caused him enough trouble; it was time to own up to his mistakes while they were still reversible. As long as he returned 28, no harm was ultimately done, like de Pon had said.

…But what if they really did have the answers to his mother?

Fox's knuckles shook. That damn photograph—if only Peppy or his father had shredded all the copies years ago, he wouldn't be in this mess. He wished he could go back to a time where he didn't know his mother had worked with Andross—but there was no going back.

He deflated, clapping his hands over the armrests. "I'm at a loss too, ROB. If you can't figure that code out, there's little chance I could."

"The usual, then?"

Fox sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah."

"Forwarding message to Slippy. Any note?"

"I'll dictate one real quick. But I'm not confident he'll get back with me soon; he still hasn't followed up on my last request. He's probably still trying to use AI to predict the lower half of Liza's image…"

Fox wandered back through the Great Fox—anywhere but his own cabin again, or 28's. He ended up returning to the rec room, poking his head into the kitchen to see if, on the off-chance, the Cerinian had eaten something. He allowed himself a small spark of hope, assuming her clumsy seduction would be her last attempt at changing his mind, and once that had failed she'd finally give in and eat.

His hopes were dashed when he found what was left of the food.

Fox stood stock-still, jaw lowering as he found the mess in the kitchen. Red velvet icing was smeared over the walls like drying blood. The cakes and other food he'd left on the table were completely destroyed. Far from eaten, they were shredded, mashed, and splattered all over the floor, cabinets, and ceiling, spread like entrails after a violent slaughter. On top of that, the plates were shattered, and the electronic scale lay crushed and mangled on the floor.

Fox gulped down the saliva pooling in his mouth. Somewhere on this ship, the person who had done this was still hiding—

And he felt terrified of what she'd do the next time she met him.

ㅤ⨶ㅤ

"Kaistör sores," a sharp voice echoed from the darkness.

28 sat on the stone-cold floor facing a skull-sized rock. A bright light blinded her from every angle if she tried looking anywhere else. The light completely covered her, exposing her every side to the Watchers. They were little more than black, faceless figures: silhouettes standing against the light. Unlike her, they could hide their bodies behind their cloaks of white.

The young vixen reached out with her mind, trying to feel the stone without physically touching it. Even though she stood six feet away from the object, she was able to trace its harsh borders and sharp edges with her eyes closed.

"Kaistör sores!"

This time the voice seemed to stab through the shadows and bright lights. Flinching, she threw all of her might against the rock.

It didn't budge.

"Kaistör sores, siekim meinsau!"

28's body convulsed as painful sparks raced through it, originating from a metal collar around her neck. She grit her teeth and curled over until the punishment stopped, falling to her knees.

She tried harder this time, imagining herself crushing the rock with her bare paws, but it wouldn't flinch.

"Arawied," the voice spat in disgust.

Again the shock came, stinging her every nerve ending and capillary. This wave left her crumpled on the floor, but she still tried desperately to crush the rock.

Why, why would they do this? What had she done to them? Couldn't they see that she was trying? That every fiber of her being wanted to destroy that damned rock?

Each second the stone didn't move filled her with increasing anxiety that the shocks would return.

And return they did.

28's back arched and she let forth a scream.

"Kaistör sores!" the voice bellowed.

With no other option left, the vixen crawled forward and grasped the rock in her hands. Sobbing, she smashed it against the cement floor, again, and again, and again. Only then did she manage to chip away at it, but her thin, shaking arms could barely lift it.

It was no use. She heard the disappointment in the Watcher's voices, and the chain around her collar suddenly jerked her back. She did her best to scramble in the direction it pulled to alleviate its choking vice.

"Yamalt sores, yamalt!" she pleaded. "Tashich seinsu gomenshuld!"

The leash ripped free from her collar, and arms flung her across the floor. She landed in a frigid puddle, elbows and legs scraping on the jagged ground. By the time her weak arms managed to lift herself up again, the Watchers had disappeared, along with their bright lights. Besides the dim glow reflecting in the puddle around her, the room was dark—but she noticed the cell door still rested ajar, beckoning.

Struggling, she lifted herself out of the cold water and stood hunched over, hugging herself. She glanced left and right, but she was alone. If they'd left her, why leave the door unlocked?

"H-hakon?" she asked, voice climbing in pitch—but no one answered the greeting.

Sniffing, and feeling cold, the vixen wandered out of the cell.

The halls outside were dark. Frigid metal stung her feet. Besides the clack of her footfalls, and a deep, ever-present humming, all was silent. The only voice she had for company was the one inside her head.

"Dokowo siekim?" she whimpered.

Why was it so empty? Where was everyone? She peeked in each of the rooms, but they were empty and dark. She listened for the thoughts and voices of others, but heard none. The loneliness was unsettling. She would even take the Watchers over this. Where were they hiding?

28 staggered through the maze of tunnels, holding herself and leaving wet footprints on the steel floor. She needed someone—anyone—to prove she wasn't alone with herself again. Was this just a dream? Had they put her back in the long sleep again? Would she be alone in the prison of her mind for another year?

28 blinked. She found herself staring down at Fox's sleeping form. The vulpine lay on a foldout couch, blankets pulled over him as his head rested on a throw pillow. She realized he'd been trying to get away from her; unable to sleep in his own bed while she lay passed out on his shower floor.

She cursed herself. How had she ended up here? Why had she come crawling back to him again?

28 shivered, clutching her arms around her wet-furred torso.

Of course. He was the only place on the ship that was warm, and the only place she could hear someone else's thoughts. After all, he was the only other person on the ship. It was him, or no one.

…But Fox didn't want her, either. She'd tried everything to make him stay, but nothing worked. He'd eventually seen through her every trick, stripping away her veils till she had nothing left to hide behind.

She loomed over him in the dark like a statue, still except for her trembling. She felt frozen: trapped, between wanting warmth and knowing he'd probably reject her again if she came on too strong. She didn't know what to do…

Σ-γ

Fox's ear twitched, and his eyelids snapped open; he was no longer alone. His eyes darted to the foot of the foldout couch, and his pulse spiked when he saw a dark figure hunched there. He realized it was the Cerinian girl, but that did nothing to allay his fears. Instead, it only increased them, as if she was his personal night terror.

But rather than let 28 know he was alerted to her presence, Fox closed his eyes again, pretending to sleep. Silently, he prayed she would just go away and not hurt him, nor try to read his mind and discover his ruse.

What was she doing here? Why was she waiting so long and just… watching him? She looked naked… had she come to seduce him again, or… kill him this time?

Don't be ridiculous. She'd never—

The makeshift bed creaked, and Fox tensed. He could feel 28's weight settling as she crawled atop it, slipping beneath the covers beside him. Only, she lay as far away from him as she could, huddling over on the left side of the bed. She was careful not to wake him, moving as quietly as possible. She wanted to share the bed, he realized, but not let him know she was there. He hadn't felt her brush up against his mind to check if he was awake, either.

Fox kept as deathly-quiet as she did—just like he had while hiding from that other Cerinian monster in the labs. He kept his breaths shallow and tried not to move, no matter how many random parts of him began to itch.

Eventually, however, Fox felt the bed shaking slightly, as if wracked by tiny spasms. His ear pricked again when he heard the sound of… 28 sniffing? No, definitely more than that; she was whimpering softly, not allowing herself to cry full-force and risk waking him. She was trying so hard to hold it in…

Fox didn't know what to do. She wasn't trying to play the sympathy card this time—he knew that much—but did 28 really think he could help her with… whatever she was going through?

No. If she did think he could help, she would have woken him. Yet all the same, she was still here, perhaps holding onto some of that hope…

Alright, shut up you piece of shit. Stop thinking in circles. What would Fox McCloud do?

He swallowed, working up his courage.

"28?"

She flinched. At once the sniffing sound subsided, but she couldn't hide it completely.

"What are you doing here?" Fox asked.

He felt her scrambling behind him to leave, already regretting her decision to come.

'I'm sorry, I don't belong here. I'll go—'

"No, it's fine! Please, stay—at least for a while."

She exhaled a fractured sigh, settling back beneath the covers.

"I'm probably the reason you're crying, aren't I?" he asked. "Because I keep pushing you away. Because I'm taking you back…"

'No, it's not you, Fox. I just… felt so alone again—like I always was before I found you. I don't really care what you've done; I just want to know someone else is there. If I don't sleep here, I'll have to sleep alone again.'

Fox frowned, beginning to understand. It wasn't that he was special to her or that she wanted him in particular; it was that she had no one else. He was just the first person to show her any amount of care, and she had latched onto that like a life preserver. No matter how much he'd hurt and rejected her, she always came back. 28 wasn't desperate for him; she was desperate for anyone, and he was the only other person on the whole ship not made of metal—though sometimes, he certainly felt like it. But maybe, he could prove that he did have a heart.

Fox twisted over, getting a look at 28. "You're shivering," he noticed. "Are you cold?"

She wrapped her arms around herself. 'A little…'

The longer she spoke to him, the more he sensed the feelings lying beneath her thoughts. She wasn't just cold, she was sad: sad and—

"You're… scared of something. You're trembling."

'I'm not. It's nothing.'

Fox furrowed his brow. Closing his eyes, he focused on their connection.

'What are you doing?'

'I want to know what's wrong.'

'No—!'

Apparently this "linking" thing worked both ways once she opened the door. It wasn't just a matter of the Cerinian reading his mind, like a one-way mirror; nor could she scoop out his thoughts while keeping him at arm's length. To communicate with him at all, she had to overlap their thoughts. So when Fox mentally reached out to her, he found her mind already wrapped around his. And when he waded deeper into her thoughts, he was able to see every vision that was tormenting her.

Fox gasped. He found himself surrounded by suffocating darkness, till cruel figures materialized, watching him from behind blinding lights. A force constricted around his neck, while stabbing electricity coursed through his body. Their harsh words and insults jabbed him like needles, urging him to do… something. But he was too weak to do anything, and he didn't understand what they were asking for. He wanted to alleviate the pain, but he couldn't. He felt so… powerless.

Unable to handle any more, he tore himself free from the girl's mind. The experience had been fractured and jumbled together, but it felt like all the most intense moments had congealed into one, rising above the rest to assault him. But while he could cut himself off from her and simply shut out the memories, he knew 28 couldn't.

Her words returned to his head as she sobbed. 'I'm sorry, I didn't want you to see! I knew it would hurt if you tried to hold them—"

Without hesitating, Fox slid across the bed and snatched her up in his arms. He pulled the vixen into a tight embrace, pressing her back against his chest.

She tensed at his touch, ceasing her crying and trying to pull away.

'F-Fox?! What're you—'

"Shh, it's alright," he whispered into her hair. "You're not with them anymore; you're here with me. You're safe now. They'll never harm you again. I'm here—I'm here."

'I don't understand,' she sniffed. 'Why are you touching me? Why are you holding me like this?'

"It's a hug, silly."

She lay paralyzed in his arms, scared to move even an inch as he held her.

'Why? What is the purpose of… this?'

"You said you didn't want to be alone. Well, I'm doing my best to show you that you aren't. I want you to forget those memories. The things you see inside your head aren't real anymore. Just… feel me, here and now. This is real."

'But, what am I supposed to do?'

Well, what was he supposed to tell her? Hug him back? Do nothing? Leave, if she wanted?

Finally, he answered, "Whatever you want to do."

28 sniffed a few more times. 'I don't know what I want. But… you are warm. You're warm like the "shower", or a blanket. I think I feel like doing… this.'

Turning over, she pressed herself against Fox and buried her face in his plush chest. He pulled her in close and rested his chin atop her head, scratching her hair with his fingers.

28 let herself cry freely now, not bothering to hold back. Soon he felt the dampness of her tears staining his white fur, and felt her cold, wet nose sniffling against his chest.

Shit. It's happening again, he realized. You're letting her get attached to you, and you're getting attached to her. It's only gonna hurt more when you have to let her go. She's just using you again; messing with your heart so you let her stay.

But… maybe he didn't mind being used again. Maybe he needed a bit of that lie; she needed to be Krystal, so she could make him feel like Fox again.

For a while she lay in his arms, gratefully eating up his warmth and firm embrace—but he knew holding her wasn't enough to fix her on the inside. He had to do more somehow.

'Krystal,' he said, reaching out with his thoughts. 'I'm going to let you in again.'

'No, I don't want you to see!' she cried.

'Don't worry about me. I just want you to feel what I'm feeling. I want you to know you're safe. The thing we're doing with our bodies… I want to do that with our minds. I don't understand your powers or how it works, but can you try?'

'But I thought you don't like it when I'm in your mind…'

'When I'm hurt, I don't, but… I want to let you in. I'm doing it for your sake.'

'You… you won't cast me out again? You won't get scared, or… angry?'

'Mm-mm. I'll hold you tight in there.'

Hesitantly, the vixen reached out again, allowing them to connect. Fox let their thoughts and memories collapse together, and their senses became one. He could feel everything Krystal felt: his reassuring arms holding her, his strong chest against her own, the tufts of soft fur brushing her face, and the warmth that seeped from his body into hers.

He felt every iota of fear, pain, and sadness threatening to overwhelm Krystal's mind. They vibrated through her consciousness like soundwaves; melancholic and discordant chords simultaneously struck on a piano. There were demons plaguing her; they could do no physical damage, but they would torment her for the foreseeable future if he didn't chase them away.

So Fox poured into her as much warmth and care and pity as he could muster. At the same time, he accepted her negative emotions, letting them drain into him so he could shoulder their weight in her stead. In the same way he used his body heat to equalize with her miserable coldness, he traded his positive feelings away for her negative ones until they reached an equilibrium, complementing each other.

Reluctantly, Krystal bared the rest of the horrors that were on her mind, letting him take them from her. He saw every grim detail of her previous nightmare playing over again, his soul a mix of pity for the poor girl in chains and hatred for the Venomians who tormented her—but he tried not to let his exposure to the memories sway his own steadfast emotions. She needed him to be unwavering through it.

Over time, Krystal's sobs began to subside, and her body shook less in his arms. She raised her cool palms to his chest, latching onto his tufts of fur. With each passing second she seemed to relax more. Gently, Fox began to rub his hand over her back. His fingers lightly traced over her shoulder blades, and through their combined senses he was able to feel what she felt; a tingling sensation wherever he touched her, chasing the pain away.

'May I ask you something?' she asked.

He blinked. 'Um, of course.'

'When we were still in the labs, why did you risk your life for me: someone you thought was a monster? Those people could have killed you, yet you jumped in the way of their guns for me.'

Fox floundered for a minute, unsure himself. 'I don't really know,' he admitted. 'I guess, deep down, I didn't really believe that you were a monster.'

'But I don't understand; why would you let yourself die for me to live? I'm not… I'm not worth your life.'

The todd nuzzled her forehead. 'Yes Krystal, you are.'

28 released a skeptical gasp: one that was half-laugh, half-sob. 'You don't mean that,' she insisted. 'You hate me! I fought you, I invaded your memories, I lied to you, again and again—and I failed to be that girl for you. So why aren't you running away again? Why did you let me in? Why are you giving me your warmth, inside and out?'

'Because I understand why you did those things. I don't blame you in the slightest for lying or being desperate—or even not eating. You think you don't have anything to look forward to. You feared how I would react if you revealed too much about yourself—and you were right to be. I got scared and ran when you did. I… I even lashed out at you.

'Then again, I could ask you the same question,' he admitted. 'I've done terrible things to you: I've paralyzed you, doubted you, made fun of you… even tried to shove food down your throat like some monster. Krystal, I hurt you—physically. I'm no better than those torturers in your memories. I turned you away when you needed me most. Yet you still came back to me, giving me another chance to help. Why?'

She hesitated, not knowing the answer herself for sure.

'Well… because I've never had someone care about me like you. At least, not for a long while. You can be forceful, and you can bring me pain… but you do it because you want me to live. Why you want me alive, I'll never understand. If you don't want me to use my powers, or to do what Fara did for you, what do you want from me?'

'I don't know. I think just… this.' He tightened his arms around her, resting his muzzle over her head.

For a while he felt Krystal's warm breaths puffing against him, and her voice in his head went silent. Then he felt her fingers dig into his chest fur, clutching at his tufts like she was afraid to let him go.

'…But you don't want this forever. You're still taking me back to those people, aren't you?'

He frowned, but didn't loosen his grip even a single iota. 'It won't be like before,' he promised. 'These people are nice—I know them. They'd never treat you like the Venomians did.'

Her grasp on him tightened. 'But will someone ever hold me like this again?'

Fox swallowed a rock forming in his throat, knowing what the most likely answer was, but unable to tell her. She needed this, he realized, and odds were if he returned her, he might be the last one who ever hugged her.

'I… haven't decided yet,' he relented, giving some ground. He rubbed her shoulder. 'I just want you to rest easy tonight. We still have some time together; before the coast is clear, and we're free to move again. So don't worry. We can… talk about it more tomorrow.'

'But I can't rest. It's always following me; it's always chasing me. If I fall asleep, it will catch up, and I'll have those nightmares again.'

'You won't have any nightmares—not as long as you sleep in my arms.'

'Then, you promise not to let go?' she demanded. 'You promise you'll hold me the entire time I sleep?'

He tightened his arms reassuringly. 'Of course I will, Krystal.'

She sighed, her gentle breath returning some of Fox's gifted warmth back to his chest. She began to drift off in his embrace, feeling at peace—though, not quite. She had yet to sever their mental connection, and Fox could hear her lingering, jumbled thoughts before she faded from consciousness.

'Don't let go… don't let go… you… you won't let go…? don't leave me… don't… let… me…'

When she finally fell asleep, Fox made no move to release her, holding himself to his promise even when she'd never know if he kept it or not. He hugged her firmly, feeling her breaths wash over him as her mouth lulled slightly open, and her warm chest rise and fall against his own.

Fox breathed in the natural, sweet scent of her hair. He had smelled it before, but only traces while aboard the Great Fox. Now with his nose positioned right above her head, he could take in its pure, unadulterated scent. It smelled fruity and wild—alien, yet familiar. As his eyes threatened to close, he asked himself where he'd smelled that scent before…

'Don't you leave me, too…'

Soon, he couldn't tell if they were her thoughts, or his.