Transit of Cerinia Chapter 10: The Depths, a star fox fanfic

Author's Note: Cornerian-Venomian dictionary can be found on my profile.

Mission No. 10

Venom
Laboratory Level 5

…

Level 6

…

Level 7

…

Level 8

…

Level 9

…

Level 10

"The Depths"

ㅤ⨶ㅤ

The wind rushed past Fox's ears, tearing through his clothes and fur. Meanwhile 28 clung tightly to him, the hem of her borrowed jacket whipping about her legs.

Fox felt his stomach flop into his throat. Without enough light for a reference point it felt like they were completely weightless, floating aimlessly in an empty, black vacuum.

Then at once the moment passed. Their feet struck what seemed like hardened concrete, only to stab right through. They sank deep into the cold liquid, their legs ringing and going numb from the impact. After the shock their grip on each other loosened, and they began drifting apart, stunned.

Fox was first to recover. The water rushed into his eyes, stinging them. He forced himself to keep them open, peering through the depths for any sign of light, but he could see nothing: the water was darkness incarnate in liquid form, probably what the inside of a black hole looked like.

He felt the girl slipping away, so he wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her closer. Kicking his legs and scooping with his free arm, he headed towards his best approximation of the surface.

Finally their heads broke free, and both foxes gasped for air. Fox treaded water, snapping his head around to identify the closest solid ground while the girl tried not to weigh him down. Spotting a faint red glow close by, Fox kicked towards it. It turned out to be a concrete barrier circumventing the reservoir, rising only a foot above it.

Fox helped pull 28 to the side, where they both clung to the smooth rim for support. Suddenly the vixen yipped in fright, and Fox felt it too: something brushing the underside of his boots. Whatever it was, it was quite long and fleshy, as he felt his feet being dragged to the left by the friction as it passed beneath them.

Freaking out at the unknown creature, Fox helped the girl climb onto the edge before shoving off the rubbery flesh and joining her. Blood pumping, he grabbed onto her and they scooted away from the giant reservoir on their tails, eager to get as far away from the black water as possible.

While they fearfully studied the surface, Fox noticed the ripples from their splash were completely overpowered by a subtle riptide travelling along the tank's edge, hinting at a much stronger current passing underneath. Soon however, the ripples subsided, and the surface of the water grew eerily placid again.

The pair of vulpines scooted their backs against the wall, holding each other. While they gasped for air, Fox carefully peered up the side of the atrium, breathlessly watching the underside of the observation deck above them. No matter how long they waited, however, the monster never showed or peeked its head over the side.

"I… I think we're safe," he gasped. "At least for now."

Though Fox's water-tight flight suit kept his interior high-and dry, 28's jacket was now soaking wet. She struggled to her feet and turned away from Fox, dejectedly bundling the white folds in her hands and squeezing them out on the floor. Fox meanwhile scanned the nearby wall, hoping to find a clue to their present location. He stumbled across a placard, though it looked more like a diagram than a map. The red light fading down from the upper balconies of the atrium was minimal, but he could still make out the black silhouette of a primate printed on the chart. However, it was dwarfed by several larger splotches depicted next to it. He couldn't make out their forms in the darkness, but whatever they were, the largest shape was big enough to swallow both of the foxes at once—with room for many, many more.

This wasn't a reservoir at all. It was a tank: a football field-sized aquarium.

Shivering, Fox grabbed 28 and pulled her farther from the edge out of fear for her safety; the last thing he wanted was for her to fall back in.

"Alright, we gotta find some stairs to the surface levels—preferably skipping the floor we just came from."

Wordlessly the strange vixen followed, her wet feet slapping against the concrete floor. She even let him hold her hand while she anxiously glanced at the water beside them. If Fox had focused on her eyes, he would've noticed how they seemed to pierce through the black water, tracing something in the depths.

Fox scanned the walls for an exit or stairwell—anything to get them away from this haunting atrium. But every door they passed was sealed off or locked. Once they reached the rightmost wall, they came upon a dead end and had to double back; the tank ledge just met the wall with no way to cross.

Their stroll to the other side took twice as long. Sure enough, there was a door in the leftmost wall… but when they reached it Fox's heart sank. Unlike the others, it remained open—but the hall it led into was collapsed with steel beams, boulders, and other debris, completely impassible.

"No…"

Fox activated his flashlight and shined it across the water to the far bank. There were many more halls and facilities on the other side, some even with their own white lights glowing within. It became clear they had washed up on the wrong side of the tank.

And there was only one way across it.

Tentatively, Fox stepped towards the ledge again. 28 tugged his hand urgently, but he paid her no attention.

"It looks like we don't have a choice," he whispered. "We have to cross here."

Fox walked right up to where the tank ledge met the towering left wall. To his relief there was a thin indentation stretching its length to the other side: probably a track for a cover panel to slide through when Andross was done observing his monsters. It meant Fox could hold onto it the entire length and not have to keep the two of them afloat himself—but they'd still be half-submerged during the journey, a prospect he didn't much care for.

Heart pounding, Fox lowered himself over the side and sank back into the water, shivering. He grabbed onto the ledge and turned around, facing the girl. "Come on 28, we need to cross."

Her face looked terrified, and she shook her head vehemently. "No!"

"It's the only way we can get back!" he insisted, though his outward confidence was a farce to hide his own fear. He turned around again. "Here, climb onto my back—and don't let go."

Reluctantly she crept towards the edge and carefully slipped over the side. She grimaced when the black water came up to her chest, shivering. Then, pushing off the side of the pool, she made the jump to Fox. When she reached him she tightly wrapped her arms around his neck—as if her life depended on it.

Gulping, Fox began slowly shimmying across the short side of the aquarium. The vixen on his back was quite light, which wasn't surprising given how skinny she looked. In fact, the water-logged jacket seemed to be heavier than her.

Progress was unbearably slow: the distance appearing insurmountable. At any second, Fox thought for sure a hulking sea monster would emerge from the depths and swallow them whole. Paranoid, he anxiously studied the surface of the water, looking for telltale signs like bubbles, ripples, or striations from underlying currents. He wished he'd studied the diagram more closely to know exactly what creatures lived in the aquarium. Knowing Andross, it probably wasn't just overgrown tuna, but maybe it was better not knowing at all…

28's grip around his neck slipped, and the vixen sank abruptly. She thrashed about for a moment before clawing her way back up. Grunting, Fox paused till she could get better situated.

"Careful!" he urged. "Don't move so much! Without light they have to rely on movement in the water. As long as we stay still enough they'll ignore us."

Worried her thrashing had alerted the monsters, Fox proceeded with increased caution, scanning the water with more paranoia. Every ripple that seemed larger than the rest he thought heralded a sea creature beneath it, and even the slightest of currents seemed to indicate a beast passing right beneath them.

Suddenly 28 panicked on his back, trying desperately to perch as high up him as she could.

"F-Foxsu!"

"Hey, easy there! What's wrong now?"

"It here!"

The water swelled against their side of the tank, making them rise with it. A current swept them back, but Fox dug his claws into the concrete lip so it didn't wash them away. Meanwhile 28 whimpered on his back, trying to climb higher.

Noticing bubbles surfacing all around them, Fox narrowed his eyes and peered down through the water at their feet. The red glow from the emergency lights high above made it look like blood. It was so dark however he could only see down to his knees; he couldn't even make out his boots. Then, to his horror, he saw a series of pale triangles pass by, as well as a milky, donut-shaped circle with a black pupil.

He nearly pissed himself right then and there.

This has to be a nightmare. Wake up… wake up, dammit!

Trembling uncontrollably, Fox pressed on, bearing 28 on his back the rest of the way. When only a few more yards remained between them and the far ledge, Fox threw caution to the wind and shoved off the wall, swimming as fast as he could the rest of the way. He pushed the cerulean vixen up onto the deck, then hurriedly climbed out after her.

Once on the ledge they shook themselves off for the second time. 28 was so frightened she dragged herself to the back wall and curled into a ball right then and there, not bothering to dry off. She looked so wet and miserable, hair draped over her face while Fox's soaking jacket clung to her thin frame.

Joining her against the wall, Fox tore her hand free from her knees and clenched it in his. "It's alright 28," he said. "The worst is over. You won't have to do that again."

Comforted by his reassuring grip she stood and began walking with him—but still kept herself tightly pressed against the wall, staying as far away from the pool as possible.

Together they scurried into the first door they came across, leaving the aquarium behind. While the ocean-blue vixen leaned against a wall, pausing to get her breathing under control, Fox pressed a button on his ear piece.

"It's Fox again. We seem to have fallen to a lower level. Any idea which side of the labs the stairs are located on?"

He waited for a time, but no response came.

"Sergeant Clayton, do you copy? …Is anyone there?"

Still no answer.

Tsk-ing, Fox switched off his mic. "Must be too far down—if it isn't outright busted. We're on our own for now."

Looking around, Fox spotted a map on the side of the wall. The diagram showed several surrounding floors and many rooms, but he couldn't even make out where they were; all the labels were in Venomian.

"Siekim seinsu… um… koher!" 28 exclaimed beside him, tapping her finger on a red arrow.

Fox recoiled in surprise. He looked at her, growing suspicious. "You speak… Venomian?"

28's smile vanished, and her jaw snapped shut. Her eyes widened at her mistake.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" he demanded.

She turned her head away, not meeting his gaze. "G-gomenshuld. Jaii, tashich verkaru Benomian…"

Fox couldn't believe the foul words leaving her mouth. It felt strange seeing a person so innocent using a language so hideous. The fact that her sweet, fragile voice had to utter those harsh words only made it worse.

"28… are you Venomian?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No! No Benomian!" She tapped her chest emphatically. "Kōneria! Um… Cornerian!"

Maybe she was just trying to say she was on his side, Fox considered—but he still found it worrying she knew how to speak more Venomian than Cornerian. Regardless, he patted her shoulder. "Alright, I guess it doesn't matter where you're from or what nationality you are. My job is to get you to safety." He pointed at the map, making a zig-zag motion with his fingers. "Well 28, do you know where the stairs are? Stairs?"

Suspicious that this was a trick of his, the girl carefully studied the map till she found them. "Staaairs," she repeated, pointing to a stairwell on the opposite side of the floor. It looked like it connected all six floors they'd fallen down in the atrium, with the topmost floor containing Section 9—and the original monster they were escaping. Besides a service elevator near the floor's center—which Fox knew would be out of service—it was the only way up. They'd have to risk another run through the halls the beast prowled.

The other problem was that the stairwell still lay on the far side of the lab floor, with many of Andross's "exhibits" in between.

"Thank you," Fox said, taking her hand to show he still trusted her. "Let's go…"

In contrast to the (mostly) cleaned upper levels, the aquarium floor had not been touched by Space Dynamics. Even after a year had passed, it still lay in ruins. By the look of things, the last time Cornerians had been down here was when they cleared it of Venomian holdouts. Everywhere they ventured revealed signs of battle. Doors were broken off their hinges or blown open, black laser scouring tainted the white walls, and chunks of concrete and plaster littered the floor, having fallen from the ceiling above.

Worse, Fox spotted the dead bodies of Venomians and Cornerians alike decaying in corners or beneath tables—some even trapped under the rubble. He hoped 28 wouldn't notice, or at least not be able to understand what the corpses were—but she did, and quickly looked away whenever they came across one.

Along the way they passed many more tanks, though all were smaller in nature. Some sat in the middle of large rooms, while many more were set inside the walls. Each one held some form of mutant sea creature Andross had bred. Fox recognized some as forming the basis for his Aquan invasion force, having fought much larger versions himself. There were starfish, glass columns of jellyfish several stories high, open tanks of gangly spider crabs with far more than eight legs, and aquariums housing prehistoric-looking arthropods.

Many of the tanks they came across were full of acid, dissolved organic matter, and lifeless skeletons with little genetic material left. Fox couldn't figure out the pattern they'd been destroyed in; it seemed completely random, with small creatures given the acid bath just as frequently as the larger ones. Whatever the case, he was glad the Venomians hadn't gotten the chance to kill the beasts in the tank they'd landed in, or he and his protectee would've been in for an excruciating death.

Like a felled tree, Andross may have been dead, but his roots still ran deep. His death left scars that would take time to heal—if they ever did, at this rate.

They left the sea creatures and their tanks behind, but up ahead it was beginning to feel humid. Condensation formed on the metal facets of the hallway, while glass windows looking into adjoining rooms were fogged up. Even Fox's green eyepiece soon had a film of droplets over it. Something was either wrong with the life-support system, or—

Fox pulled up, signaling for 28 to stop.

"Nas?" she asked.

"Wait!"

Out of the darkened half of the hallway emerged a long, thin shadow. Fox freaked inside when he realized it was a massive millipede; each segment larger than a basketball. Its thousands of legs drummed against the floor, almost imperceptible to the ear. It glided along like a wraith, weaving back and forth curiously on a mission to… wherever it was headed.

28 started to back away behind him, but he grabbed her wrist; they needed to keep moving forward, and even a millipede of this size wouldn't hurt them—right?

Instead Fox pressed them both flat against the wall, giving the overgrown bug as wide a berth as possible. He placed himself in front of the azure vixen, standing between her and the creature. He waited for all of it to crawl into view, but it just kept coming and coming from the shadows, extending with no end to the creature's legion of segments in sight.

The bug tentatively brought its head towards Fox, nosing up to him.

Both vulpines caught their breath. Its long, segmented antennae curiously whipped at his boots, feeling them, but the todd hurriedly placed his foot against its armored carapace and shoved it away. The creature clacked its mandibles, but ultimately pulled off and continued down the hall. Thankfully, the millipede seemed disinterested in these poor creatures with but a measly two legs.

No sooner had its final segment scuttled into the light did Fox and his charge make a bolt for safety, eager to leave it behind.

Ahead they found where it originated from; the hallway led to another glass wall, this one housing a lush jungle habitat. The interior stretched four or five stories high, with the top crisscrossed by catwalks and steel grating. In contrast to the completely-open atrium, the jungle exhibit was partitioned by realistic rock walls stretching its entire height.

However, the glass on this side of the habitat was shattered and lay in pieces all over the floor.

Given the type of creature they had passed on the way out, Fox wasn't too keen on passing through. A diagram on the wall depicted a number of gargantuan, hair-raising arthropods, but a map beside it identified a service entrance on the far side. As most of the side halls they'd passed were blocked off or collapsed, going through seemed like their only option.

28 began to walk towards the hole in the wall, but Fox quickly raised an arm, pointing.

"Watch it," he said. "There's broken glass everywhere."

The todd stooped next to her, moving to pick her up. "Here, I'll carry you across. I don't want you cutting your bare—"

But she gasped suddenly, retreating from him.

"Nīe!"

Fox pouted. Carefully he pinched a broken shard of glass and raised it so she could see.

"This stuff's all over the floor." He made a slicing motion over his palm, then pointed to her bare paws. "If you step on it, you'll cut yourself."

For the first time 28 seemed to notice the sparkling, crystalline fragments littering the tiles. She pursed her lips, shifting uncomfortably on her feet.

Fox held out his arms again, motioning for her. "Come on, I'll carry you—just for a short time, okay?"

28 bit her lip, glancing between him and the dusting of shards on the floor.

"You've trusted me this far, right?"

Finally she nodded her head. "Verkaru…"

She approached Fox again, and the todd hoisted her up in his arms, carrying her princess-style. She sucked in a quick breath when he swept her off her feet, but ultimately she didn't fight him this time.

Gingerly Fox carried the vixen over the broken glass and through the shattered hole. She hardly weighed anything, which he was thankful for—but at the same time he wondered if it might be cause for concern.

At first 28 dug her claws into his flight suit tightly, as if worried he'd drop her—but over time she learned to trust his strength and relaxed, putting her faith in his strong arms. Compared to earlier, piggy-backing on his shoulders was a much different experience to resting in his arms, which required her to surrender a certain amount of control over herself; but the young vulpine looking out for her didn't let her down.

Once Fox stepped through the shattered pane, he carried the strange girl a safe distance from the glass and set her on her feet again, grunting. The habitat inside was covered in a thick moss that was soft to the heel—probably a relief to the vixen who had to walk barefoot on the hard floor for so long. Everywhere they walked she studied the towering terrarium in awe—and Fox found it hard not to as well. The jungle reminded him of Fortuna, with tall palm trees, leafy ferns, curtains of vines, and leathery elephant ears. Considering some of the… exotic fauna that lived on Fortuna, however, maybe it wasn't the best sign.

Fox was surprised to see the habitat so full of life even a year after its abandonment. Every five minutes sprinklers activated above them, raining showers of water down, while misters in the ground or rocks would emit clouds of water vapor, softly dampening the plants. Waterfalls trickled down rock formations or rushed over cliffs, splashing in ponds and rivers that flowed through valleys in the habitat. Apparently the Cornerian occupation hadn't interfered with the automatic processes of the labs below. But without its Venomian caretakers to keep the flora in check, the habitat became overgrown and packed with plants.

The oppressive moisture and heat made it unbearably hot and muggy. On the one hand it warmed them after their dip in the aquarium, but it did nothing to dry their wet clothes. Fox's white jacket clung to the vixen's fur, while the todd felt stifling and hot in his flight suit. He felt thankful that his arms were left bare after lending the 28 his jacket, but he took the liberty of unzipping his flight suit down his chest as well; it literally felt hard to breathe. For once he envied his companion's lack of attire.

"Ghen tashich," 28 instructed him, setting out again. She took point this time, having memorized the path to the exit and feeling eager to lead Fox for once. Still, the young mercenary didn't let his guard down, making sure to scan every bush and cave opening 28 passed. But try as he might, his eyes and thoughts kept drifting back to her.

Who was she really? An experiment of Andross's, or just a prisoner like she claimed? He'd never met someone who acted so strange before, nor had he ever seen a vulpine with blue fur like this. He considered the possibility it might be dyed, but if that were the case it would've soaked off after spending a year in cryofluid. Which also raised the question, when had Andross captured her? How long did she spend in that tank before Fox freed her?

…And, perhaps most importantly, was she even Lylatian?

Suddenly Fox realized 28 had stopped, perching on a fallen tree trunk. He looked up to see her staring directly at him, face blank. Her crystal blue gems felt like they pierced directly into his soul, scouring his mind as he thought.

Fox halted, looking at her with wide-eyes in surprise—but after a few seconds the vixen turned and hopped off the tree, continuing to slip through the jungle. Once she left him, Fox felt an unpleasant shiver rip through his spine.

What was that?

It wasn't long before they came across their first signs of life—though, not technically. They emerged from the brush into a valley littered with insect scraps: shining, iridescent pieces of bugs crunched to bits and sprinkled over the moss like eggshells. Among the carpet of exoskeletons lay the bodies of six massive spiders, each one taller than Fox—and thankfully dead. Their black-and-yellow-striped carcasses lay belly-up; their gangly legs curled inward.

Fortunately 28 didn't seem to differentiate them from the rest of the plant-life. Unabated, she crept between them, though she remained curious at the shells crunching under her foot. Wondering where their web was, Fox craned his neck back and looked up—only to wish he hadn't. Above them hung a network of white strands chaotically woven between the cliffs and treetops, so thick he couldn't see the ceiling. But in front of a sun-like spotlight at the top, he could see the silhouette of one such spider suspended between the webs—

And it moved.

Hurrying ahead, Fox grabbed the 28's shoulder and rushed her out of the valley. They entered a small cave passage that burrowed into the cliffside; according to the map the door was at the end of it.

During their last stretch to safety, Fox and his charge anxiously looked over their shoulders to see if they were pursued. This proved to be a mistake, for they did not see the web of glistening, silvery wires stretched across the tunnel ahead.

Suddenly the two vulpines ran straight into a thick netting. It clung to their clothes and fur, suspending them a few inches off the ground. 28 cried out while Fox cursed, beginning to swing his arms and stretch his feet back to the ground. Struggling only made things worse, as he just tangled himself up in even more webs.

Looking over his shoulder, Fox saw a shadow cast over the cave entrance: one wriggling with legs.

It was coming for them.

"Shit. Shit-shit-shit…"

Unable to reach his belt, Fox contorted till he could bring his hip closer to his trapped arm. His fingers closed around the knife handle and he drew it, beginning to saw through the strands. Each one he managed to cut snapped back to the cave wall, but the blade kept getting stuck halfway through the ropes; the sticky coating adhered to it like syrup.

The black-and-yellow-striped spider appeared at the cave mouth now, curiously peeking inside as it stood on gangly legs. Fox had only freed his arms and was working on his ankles, while 28 had only managed to tear one arm free. This was getting them nowhere…

Fox sheathed the knife, instead pulling out his blaster. Gritting his teeth, he fired at the remaining strands holding him. At first the red laser shots flew wide in his panic, impacting in the cave floor, but soon he focused enough to get control of his aim. The lasers burned right through the organic webbing, freeing his legs—besides a few disconnected tassels that still clung to his flight suit.

"Taskilfe, Foxsu!" 28 cried.

Looking back Fox noticed her still struggling to get free. She begged him to help in Venomian, but the spider had scuttled into the cave now, legs wriggling against the walls.

Fox fired at the strands holding her in place, surgically severing each one in quick succession. One-by-one her limbs came free, but the spider was upon them, the flashes of Fox's laser blasts reflecting in its eight eyes. Its forelegs reached out, pinching the vixen's back as she thrashed and yipped—but before it could drag her back beneath its abdomen, Fox severed the last web, and 28 fell into his arms. He fired a shot straight into the spider's face, backing away with his companion in tow. The spider flinched at the blast, its mandibles clicking loudly, but the laser seemed to harmlessly bounce off its armored carapace.

Realizing it was impervious to blasters, Fox made no further move to engage it. Instead he dropped 28 back on her feet, and together they sprinted down the rest of the clear passage.

At the far end of the cave they reached the service door waiting for them, and collectively their hopes rose. The hungering arachnid scurried after them, its bulbous body and spindly legs eclipsing the entire passage.

Praying the door was unlocked, Fox twisted the handle, and it gave. Together they pried the armored door open, slamming it behind them just as the spider reached the end of the cave.

They backed away from the doors, watching anxiously as the steel panels shuddered, and the spider's limbs scraped and clattered against it. After a few seconds however, the doors quit shaking, and the noise of its clicking mandibles died down; together, they breathed a sigh of relief.

Immediately a rush of cold, stale air hit them on the opposite side, and Fox's companion shivered. She looked miserable in his damp, insufficient jacket.

"Cold?"

She raised her eyes to him, wrapping her arms around her chest and huddling over.

"We'll get you something to wear as soon as possible. I sure don't want you catching cold down here…"

A little before the stairs Fox found a changing room used by the scientists. He ducked inside, scanning the lockers and opening them one-by-one in search of a suitable set of clothes for the vixen. Though he half-expected to unearth a few giant-sized spiders, mostly he just found scuba gear and wetsuits, and neither of them fancied another dive with the leviathan. None of the ones he'd checked so far had any clothes.

Many of the locker doors had photos and posters taped to the inside. Some were propaganda printouts of Andross and high-ranking Venomians. More personal photos depicted the scientists' family members, or perhaps dead colleagues who'd given their lives for the empire. Still others were centerfolds and pinups from "girly" magazines, making Fox's ears burn whenever he found one. He quickly closed the doors again, hoping his protectee wouldn't see.

One of the locker doors held a large poster: a travel photo of Aquas. The bright colors still popped from the faded page, with vibrant blue waves, lush green palms, and sparkling white sands. A pair of uniformed officers stretched out on beach chairs, toasting piña coladas while women in hula skirts fanned them with leaves. While Fox couldn't read the red Venomian text printed over it, the copious amount of exclamation points made it seem like some sort of travel brochure—probably circulated to encourage soldiers to volunteer for the invasion when the time came. It tided them over with promises of a tropical island paradise, making it easier to suffer the harsh Venomian climate in the meantime. Then with a shudder Fox realized the aquatic animals these scientists were working on were most likely intended to see use on the planet—and some already had.

He went to close the door, but a blue-furred paw darted in, holding it open. He turned to find 28 staring at the photo intently.

"Oh, looking at this? That's Aquas: the most beautiful place in Lylat. It's hard to believe, but it really does look like that."

"Aq-u-as," she slowly repeatedly, brushing her fingers over the poster. "Sores seinsu tsukuschön…"

He left her staring at the pristine picture, continuing to search the rest of the lockers. But while his back was turned, he didn't notice 28 quietly tear the poster from the door and stuff it into her jacket pocket.

"Ah, finally!"

Fox emerged from a locker victoriously holding a dry lab coat. Snatching a towel as well, he handed them both to the vixen.

"Here, dry off with this, then put this on."

"Dangatō, Foxsu…"

She accepted the clothes, quickly shrugging out of Fox's soaked jacket and letting it fall to her feet. The todd's cheeks flushed red, and he turned around to respect her privacy. Her lack of shame baffled him, as she never cared to hide herself; she'd only used his jacket to keep herself warm in the chilly labs. Part of Fox felt excited to visit the free-spirited society she had come from, while the other part wondered if she was just unused to such dignity, as her Venomian handlers were likely to allow her none.

Fox was so lost in thought he didn't hear the sounds of her clothes and towel stop ruffling, nor the odd crinkling of paper as she secretly pocketed the Aquan travel poster again.

"Um, hakon?"

He turned around, finding 28 bundled in the fresh lab coat—though the sleeves were much too long for her, and she didn't know how to fasten the front closed. She stood with her arms outstretched, offering his jacket back now that she no longer needed it. The vixen was looking at him funny with her head cocked, as if confused why he'd turned around and averted his gaze.

"Thank you," Fox said, gingerly accepting the wet bundle. He decided to tie the jacket around his waist rather than wear the saturated garment.

Stepping forward, he fastened a few of the buttons running down the front of 28's coat so it didn't slip open.

"There, that's better. I wish I could get you better clothes, but it'll have to do for now. Let's get going."

Together they exited the locker rooms and continued their long journey back to level 5, now having to scale several flights of stairs. Given how much they'd trekked through the labs already—and their painful fall into the Aquarium—the climb felt like it took ages. By the time they reached the top flight both foxes were winded and breathing heavily. Fox's legs felt like lead, having already done his share of walking before even finding the vixen, but he imagined she had it much worse. 28 had quite the opposite problem; her legs were weak from not having walked in a long time—assuming she'd been trapped in cryosleep since before Venom's fall. Her knees shook beneath her like a newborn calf, and Fox had to support her while she ascended the last few steps.

Fox leaned his shoulder against the heavy door and forced it open with a grunt, and the two stepped back into lab level 5. At once their ears were greeted with the distant buzzing of klaxons, not having ceased the entire time they'd made their journey through the Underworld. The red emergency lights still cast a bloody glow over the walls as well. To Fox's chagrin, the monster had still not been apprehended.

They found another map of the floor near the stair exit. Studying the layout, it appeared the only way to the main stairwell and elevator shaft was on the far side of the lab again, necessitating another dangerous trip past Section 9.

The pair of foxes wandered deeper into the complex, re-entering the dark area where the monster had destroyed the lights. Fox whipped his flashlight beam around again, noting the room numbers they passed and keeping track of their position.

It wasn't long before they heard a familiar, spine-tingling howl, and their blood ran cold. The tortured wail echoed down the hall behind them, but rather than turn to look, Fox switched off his light.

"It's our friend!" he exclaimed. "Run!" And he pushed 28 forward, lagging several steps behind to guard their rear.

Soon 28 was outright wheezing from exertion. She struggled to stay ahead of Fox but still forced herself to keep pace. At this rate Fox wondered if the beast would catch up to them before they met up with the soldiers. He hadn't seen how fast it could run, but he didn't want to take a chance and slow their pace for a breather.

Suddenly his radio crackled for the first time in an hour, giving way to Clayton's voice.

"Listen up, I've just talked with Beltino. The eggheads figured out which specimen escaped, and he's given me a description of it. The breakout occurred in block 40, Section 9, which holds a number of experimental subjects closely resembling vulpines. Most of the specimens appear female—and get this, many have blue fur! Now that would cause them to stick out like a sore tail, wouldn't it? But don't fall for their appearance; they aren't at all like us Lylatians, and they sure as hell aren't foxes. That's how she—it—tricked Aimes earlier. It lowered his guard, luring him closer before it sprang on him.

"Remember, it's kill on sight—before it kills you."

Fox's eyes widened at the revelation, and he slid to an anxious stop.

When 28 realized he was no longer keeping pace she turned towards him and doubled over, gasping for breath. "Nas? Lassuru wira ghen! Run, run!"

But Fox switched his flashlight back on, training it on her. She blinked and shielded her eyes, squinting over her arm at him.

"Yamalt!" she demanded, confused at his actions.

Fox stared at the unmistakable azure fur peeking out of her lab coat. In his broadcast, Clayton said the specimen was vulpine, female, blue-furred, and an escapee from Section 9…

Suddenly, everything clicked into place: the bloody vulpine footprints leading away from the carnage, the claw and bite marks on the scientists, the other broken cryochambers in the lab, the haunting howls…

This was the species that tricked and slaughtered Private Aimes.

This was the species that could tear literal holes through doors.

This was the species that mutilated and slaughtered the scientists in the hallway.

"N-nas…?" she whimpered, concerned. "Nas seinsu sores?"

She took a step towards him.

Fox stepped back. Suddenly, along with the flashlight, he instinctively raised his blaster.

"Stay back!" he ordered.

The vixen flinched, hunkering slightly.

"You… you really are a specimen!" he exclaimed. "You're another experiment of Andross's!"

"No, no!" she cried.

"You're one of those monsters! You're just trying to escape with me to get out of these labs! You want to be free to kill everyone else! Well, how long will it be before you turn on me?!"

Tears sprang to her eyes and she shook her head vehemently. "No, no, no-no-no!"

The gun shook in Fox's hand, but he didn't move it off her. "All this time I travelled with you. I helped and protected you. But to think I was actually escorting a monster…"

The vixen—or whatever it really was—fell to her knees. She clasped her hands, pleading with Fox as tears streamed down her eyes—and all while she begged, she kept glancing nervously behind him in the direction of the other monster.

"No Andorf, no Benomian, no experiment!" she sobbed. "Please, please… lassuru tashich ghen!"

The gun felt so heavy in his hand, he could barely aim it at the sobbing mass. His head became a battle between what his eyes saw and what his mind knew. He was tempted so hard to lower his weapon; he just couldn't do this to her. He knew they were probably crocodile tears, but he still couldn't forgive himself for what he was doing to her. A lump formed in his throat, and he felt tears springing to his own eyes as well. He couldn't go through with this…

Then he shook his head and set his teeth. Get a grip, Fox. You've seen the footprints. You've heard the description. It's the same species alright. They said it could appear deceptively Lylatian. Well, it's not, no matter how much it looks like one. It's a monster that Andross engineered to be this way: a wolf he dressed in sheep's clothing. You have to do your duty…

Things were looking bad for Fox; he now stood trapped between not one, but two of the dangerous monsters. One would brutalize him, tearing him limb-from-limb from behind, while the other coiled like a serpent before him, ready to strike as soon as he turned and let his guard down. He had to deal with one of them, or he'd remain surrounded…

Keeping his gun trained on her—it—he carefully backed up against the wall, sliding past. She pivoted on the ground, continuing to face him. Her eyes widened when she realized he was placing her between himself and the other monster, "abandoning" her.

"No, Foxsu! Please!"

"I-I'm sorry," he said. "Maybe you don't mean to be this way. Maybe it isn't your fault—but I won't let you kill me and everyone else like your friend did."

In a final ditch-effort to reach Fox, the "vixen" raised her palms and held them outward to face him—like they'd both done in the lab room.

Finally he paused, recognizing their shared gesture. It had been their first communication: a universal sign of understanding and oneness. Could he really just forget that?

Suddenly the whole hallway came alive with light. He watched in shock as several flashlight beams danced over the creature, coming to focus on her face. In response, the blue-furred vixen froze like a deer hypnotized by headlights.

"There it is!" a soldier's voice exclaimed. "Don't hesitate; kill it!"

Pure terror gripped Fox. Everything was going completely wrong—and it was all happening at once. For one, the Cornerians had just come from the same pile of corpses he had passed earlier. For another, the girl was still dripping blood herself after she got cut on the cryochamber glass. Finally, they had just heard the other creature scream coming from their direction.

He knew exactly what the soldiers would assume.

On cue, a swarm of red laser sights converged on the frozen vixen.

"Wait, don't shoot!" he urgently cried.

"Fire!" the Cornerian at the lead shouted.

Fox didn't hesitate. Following instinct alone, he leapt into the middle of the hall, facing the soldiers while spreading his arms wide to shield the girl behind him.

He was just in time to save her—and doom himself.

At once the soldiers' burning lasers ripped into Fox's torso, and the world erupted in a burst of white.