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Mission No. 26

Venom
Interplanetary Criminal Courthouse

"Enemies…"

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"Good morning, General," Bill said.

The gold-furred hound looked up from his breakfast. He didn't exactly smile upon seeing Bill; it was more that his scowling face lightened slightly.

"Pshh, morning." He jerked his head towards the window. "You could hardly call that morning. It's always that blasted twilight out there. Except when it's pitch black, and then it's just night!"

Pepper glanced around, ensuring none of their Venomian waiters were on-hand in the dining area. He lowered his voice. "Well, now that we're free of those blasted lizards, have a seat! Let's you and I talk dog-to-dog, eh?"

"Thank you, sir."

Bill sat across the table from Pepper. Their booth was positioned next to a window overlooking the ruins of Andross's central complex. The bulldog shivered as he looked outside, recalling what it was like to traverse that wasteland on foot. While Pepper continued slicing his food, Bill lost himself in thought, mentally climbing through the canyons and valleys crisscrossing the land. Up here in the courthouse cafeteria, he felt strangely safe and removed from the dangers outside, as if in the eye of the hurricane, or floating above the clouds beneath which a storm raged.

Pepper noticed Bill's fixation, so he switched the setting on the smart window. The scene changed to the Corneria City skyline, edited to look pristine and unmarred. But, in the same manner it merely covered over the nightmare outside, so too did it hide the actual destruction to their beloved capital.

"Please, I find the view spoils one's appetite. Help yourself."

Bill glanced down at the plate of eggs and hash browns before him. "Oh… thank you."

Pepper wiped his jowls. "You seem distracted. Ever since the incident two days ago, your mind hasn't been fully on the trials or your guard duties. You have that thousand-yard stare that's become so common nowadays… Tell me, this business of McCloud kidnapping the Cerinian has you confused, doesn't it?"

Bill merely scraped at his food. "To tell you the truth sir, it has. I just can't see Fox doing something like that. It's not like him at all! Sure he may have dropped out of the Academy, but it wasn't out of disdain for Corneria. At the time, Fox just needed room to do things his own way."

Pepper smiled. "Please, you don't have to defend Fox's record. The boy served loyally during the war, and, barring some exceptions, went exactly where I needed him to. Nor do I hold it against him that he took payment for his services; he needed it."

Bill clutched his head in his hands, feeling safe to bare his emotions and weakness to Pepper, if no one else. "Then why would Fox turn against us all of a sudden? I just can't figure him out."

His superior merely shook his head, ears flapping. "To tell the truth, I was hoping you might have the answer. I've been keeping in close contact with Peppy Hare, and he seems to think it's Fox's emotional state. Leading up to and during the war, he distracted himself from the deaths of his parents by throwing himself at his work, and now that he has no enemy left to fight, the weight of it all caught up to him. It's… doing unpleasant things to his psyche."

"But kidnapping one of Andross's experiments?!" Bill pressed. "What is he trying to do?"

Pepper rubbed his temples. "I suspect he's grown paranoid. Buying into certain fringe conspiracy theories about Corneria. Perhaps he's committed to sabotaging our reclamation efforts. Like the purists, he's deluded himself into thinking that any scientific progress from Venom is inherently evil and beyond salvaging."

Bill looked down at the cafeteria food. "That sounds reasonable enough. I mean, your theory, sir—not that opposition to the reclamation program has any merit. This research is vital to the recovery effort." He finally forced himself to scoop up a forkful of Venomian-manufactured eggs into his mouth.

"Oh I understood what you meant, don't worry. But we have to face the facts. Regardless of our personal—and I assume, mutual—esteem for Fox, we must accept that he's gone rogue. Over the past year that McCloud boy has made an utter fool of himself and a laughing stock of the administration he's served. Unfortunately, Corneria can no longer hold Fox up as its shining hero. I've been told Arspace and Phoenix Corp have cut ties with him as well."

"Space Dynamics," Bill mumbled, wondering if it was even appropriate to correct him.

The hound snorted. "Oh. Yes, well, it's General Dynamics now, isn't it? They merged with Phoenix Corp yesterday. But I'm getting off track…"

Pepper looked him straight in the eye. "Bill Grey, Lylat needs a new hero. Someone who has the passion to serve his people no matter the cost or the obstacles in his way; someone who is committed to the reconstruction effort; someone who is committed to keeping the peace; someone… who can take Fox's place."

Bill stared back at the general, his jaw agape. It took him a while before he managed to stutter, "You mean… me?"

"I didn't call you up here just to eat this sorry excuse for breakfast with me—though I do appreciate the company."

Bill mouthed a wow as he stared at the table, dumbfounded. Looking back up at Pepper, he smiled, allowing the excited boy within him to peek through. "I'll do my best, sir!" Then his expression fell, and his shoulders slumped. "But… I've failed you already. I let Fox go when I had the chance."

"Ah yes, the rascal's daring escape. Don't let it weigh too hard on you, Captain. I understand Fox forced you to make a decision between your people and your best friend, and perhaps the shock of it all clouded your judgment. All is forgiven…"

Bill breathed a sigh of relief; he was worried he might be implicated in Fox's escape, or at the very least demoted, losing his recent promotion. But he tensed back up when Pepper raised a finger.

"…However, I expect you to act without hesitation next time. For your sake and the sake of the system, know where your loyalties lie, and decide what you are willing to sacrifice."

Bill nodded vigorously. "Thank you, sir! It won't happen again."

"I'm sure it won't. In fact, you may have the opportunity to prove yourself sooner than you might think. I had a conference with de Pon and Beltino Toad, and they seem to think Fox will make a break for the Cornerian Orbital Gate."

Bill scratched an ear. "That's odd. Why would he go there of all places? He's about as far away from the gate as possible—wouldn't it be quicker to travel from Venom to any other planet in the Lylat rather than go back to Corneria first?"

Pepper steepled his fingers. "That's… rather confidential, for the time being. If things go awry we will have to raise your security clearance level, but hopefully you never have to learn why." Pepper gazed out at the artificial Corneria City skyline. "Catching Fox at the Orbital Gate is your objective now—you need not worry about his long-term goals."

Pepper went back to finishing the rest of his plate. Bill did his best to stomach his meal as well, but certain things kept nagging at his mind.

"General… if I may, what's to become of Fox? How serious are his crimes?"

The battle-hardened hound chewed for a moment, then swallowed. "Far more serious than you or likely he even realizes. As you know, he abducted one of the Cerinians—Number 28 to be precise. At first it was possible he was only trying to save the creature from a much more dangerous subject: Number 19. Somehow he managed to subdue it and keep 28 safe. But then Fox outright ran from us when the danger had passed. According to de Pon, he was more concerned about our treatment of the Cerinians rather than the dangers they pose."

He tapped his fork against his plate. "Bill, out of Andross's Cerinian subjects, Number 28 was both the most powerful and least tainted. I and many of General Dynamics' scientists believe it is the key to saving Lylat before it perishes from the wounds of war. Now 28 is just one of a few Cerinians left—and none have progressed to the same stage as it has."

Pepper sighed. "Frankly, Fox is endangering the future of the entire Lylat for his immature whims. I'm putting you in charge of tracking him down and returning the Cerinian safely—at all costs. As for Fox, he will most likely face prison. It's impossible for me to say how long, but he will certainly go to jail for an extended period. I've made too many exceptions for him already."

Bill's posture deflated. "Oh. I… I understand. And what about the other girl, number…?"

Pepper grinned. "The one you found? 19. We believe it had an encounter with Fox and 28, and, as a result, lost its psychic abilities. It seems to be docile now and has shown no sign of hostility."

"Then, if I may ask, what's to become of 19? She… it can't possibly be any use to General Dynamics now."

Pepper raised a finger. "Not quite. While possessing no latent powers of its own, 19 appears to be… receptive, to the powers of others. It will be used to track down 28." He went back to slicing his food, but his eyes flicked up to watch Bill. "You seem to have a… fascination with it, shall we say. Perhaps feelings, even?"

Bill tensed. He certainly didn't look at things the same way, but how had the general arrived at that conclusion?

"I… have a fascination with all Cerinians, sir. Finding them is the reason I'm a captain. And I lost many good men—and women—saving them."

"Indeed, the loss of life was tragic. I believe one of your lieutenants perished—the commander of Husky unit?"

Bill swallowed, feeling a pang of remorse for—what he saw as—his failure. "Yes, sir. Lieutenant Casse." He had trouble even saying her name anymore. "I'd just like to know that… the Cerinians were worth it. That's all."

"Ah, but in 19's case it goes beyond that, doesn't it? You had orders to shoot on sight—the Cerinian dismembered dozens of soldiers and Space Dynamics personnel—yet when you found it, you didn't. You spared it, at the risk of your own life. Very courageous—a little foolhardy, and insubordinate—but brave, nonetheless. You took 19 into your personal care until its handlers could return, did you not?"

Bill tried to keep his face from flushing. Did Pepper know he'd washed the blood off her, too? Perhaps "insubordination" was right. It had been the first time he'd ever defied orders, but at least the general didn't seem to mind. Still, he didn't plan to make a habit of it.

Bill squirmed in his booth. "You… know a lot about what happened that day."

"Ah, yes, well, the report was thorough. There were some who suspected you may have helped Fox escape with the second Cerinian, given your close friendship—but of course you were at the courthouse when the breakout occurred, and your men confirmed you never came into contact with Fox until the end." He raised an eyebrow. "In fact, you seemed more concerned with taking care of the remaining Cerinian than checking on Fox."

"I… I was concerned about 19," Bill admitted. "I don't want to see anything happen to the Cerinians if it can be helped."

Pepper laughed. "Yes, the Cerinians are enchanting, are they not? 19 in particular appears quite beautiful…"

Bill's face grew hot, remembering their time in the dark shower. No amount of gruesome blood could hide that fact.

"Don't be embarrassed, Captain. It's good that you have feelings for 19. That way, you'll be more inclined to protect our subject when the time comes to hunt Fox."

Pepper finished his meal and steepled his fingers. He stared into Bill's eyes.

"Maybe this time, you won't fail to save what matters."

Bill flinched. He knew Pepper had meant catching Fox, but that wasn't the way he took it…

"It will interest you to know," Pepper continued, "that Aquan provisional forces alerted us to a suspicious dreadnought-class vessel eluding them in Sector Y. The Cornerian garrison stationed at Aquas has already begun the search of the nebula. Your chance at redemption may yet present itself. We may find him sooner than you might think…"

Σ-γ

Back on the Great Fox, the atmosphere had improved substantially since Fox's promise. Krystal resumed eating, which gave her more energy and generally improved her mood. Her positive temperament proved contagious, and Fox began to feel the same way.

With the mysterious Cerinian vixen aboard the Great Fox, the young todd no longer felt lonely. His journey to Venom in solitude did bad things to his head, but with Krystal aboard it no longer felt like an abandoned, derelict ghost ship. Fox now had someone to eat with, lounge with, and even talk to. The two foxes found themselves naturally staying close to each other, going wherever the other would go. Fox kept the lights bright and cheery, the holovision going, and something good-smelling cooking at all times, trying to make the Great Fox's corridors not feel like the laboratory halls Krystal had come from.

After a delicious lunch—of which Krystal ate heartily—the vixen returned to lounge in the rec room while Fox cleaned the dishes in the kitchen sink. He tried to whistle to entertain himself, but he couldn't shake Chef ROB's cold dead stare from the back of his neck.

As he was finishing the dishes, his ear perked, picking up Krystal's soft voice between the clattering glass and silverware. It sounded like she was quietly singing Vixy's lullaby again…

Once finished, he joined Krystal outside the kitchen, where he plopped down on the couch across from her. The vixen lay on her stomach, nose buried in a Lylatian Geographic holozine as she softly sung. Eagerly she poured through the shimmering pages, kicking her legs and flicking her tail while her eyes sparkled at the stereoscopic (and award-winning) photographs. She ate up the views of Fichina's northern lights, Titania's awesome dust-storms, and Fortuna's myriads of colorful flowers.

Fox cleared his throat, hating himself for interrupting her singing. "Hey, you have a pretty voice, you know that?"

Krystal looked up from the holozine in surprise. 'I do?' she said, switching back to her thoughts.

"I never noticed it before because you talk so rarely. Your thought-speech sounds nice, too, but it's different when you talk out loud. In fact, I… I think it's special."

She looked down again. 'But I can't speak Cornerian like you. If I talk out loud, it would have to be Venomian—and you wouldn't understand me.'

"You're talking to me in Cornerian right now, aren't you? It's just in my head. Couldn't you do the same thing out loud? Find the words in my head and then say them?"

'I could, but… I'm afraid it would sound funny.'

"I don't think it will. You sing that song really well in Cornerian! It would be a shame if you never used your real voice around me."

'Well, okay; I'll try…'

She swallowed, wringing her hands a bit as she prepared. "Do you mean, like this?"

A grin tugged at the corner of Fox's mouth. Of course she still had that thick Venomian accent, and her words formed at a slower, more halting pace than her thoughts, but to Fox it was worth it just to hear her voice again.

"You're doing good! I'm amazed at how fast you can translate without ever speaking Cornerian before."

Krystal smiled, encouraged by his words. "It feels strange to speak Cornerian out loud like this, but… I think I prefer it. It's fun—like singing, even."

"With practice you'll learn the language before you know it—and soon you won't even have to read my mind to do it!"

Pleased with the arrangement, Krystal returned to the holozine, humming to herself and kicking her legs again.

With the vixen thoroughly absorbed, Fox decided to catch up on the news. He wondered if Aquan authorities had identified his ship yet. But when he reached for the remote and turned the holovision back on, he was greeted with an unpleasant surprise. The speakers erupted in ear-splitting white noise while the screen only showed black-and-white-speckled snow patterns.

"Holy—!"

Fox nearly dropped the remote while Krystal jumped a few feet into the air. Before he could turn the volume back down, she had already dived behind the couch.

"ROB!" he called. "What the hell's wrong with the HV? Did they cancel our subscription again?"

ROB's voice droned over the ship-wide intercom. "We are passing through a denser field of ionized space dust. All electromagnetic signals are distorted except for subspace."

Fox wiped his brow. "Oh, right. That's why we're staying here." He scratched his head with the remote. "Now the question is, do I risk getting caught for some afternoon soap operas, or die of boredom?"

ROB's voice returned over the intercom. "Fox, an unidentified shuttle has landed in the hangar bay."

The pilot's ears shot up. "What?! And you just… let them in?!"

"They transmitted the proper access codes. Long range sensors failed to detect them due to local ion density. Hangar pressure plates indicate two individuals have dismounted the shuttle."

The blood in Fox's veins ran cold. "Shit… I didn't think anyone could find us this deep in."

Krystal poked her head up above the back of the couch again, eying the HV anxiously.

Fox swiped his gun belt and headgear off the counter and moved towards her. "Krystal, they've found us; someone's boarded the ship."

"The Cornerians?" she asked, eyebrows raising.

He lay a hand on her shoulder and shepherded her to the door. "Dunno. Could be Cornerians, could be the Aquans, or it could just be scrappers—but if they were friendly, they would've announced themselves! I can probably handle those two right now, but there may be more on their way. I'll go stop them—you need to find a place to hide!"

Krystal shrugged his hand off and spun around to face him. She planted her feet firmly and clenched her fists. "I… I can help you! I don't want to hide while you face them alone!"

"Absolutely not! I'm trained for this sort of thing—you aren't! If they're Cornerian they might spare you, but if they're scrappers or space pirates, they won't hesitate to shoot." He shoved her away. "Now go, hide!"

Scowling, Krystal marched off in the opposite direction—but she intermittently looked back over her shoulder at him.

The todd cinched his gun belt around his waist and took off sprinting down the hall. When he got his headgear on, he contacted ROB again.

"Got a fix on their location?"

"Sensors indicate corridor E, ascending to deck 3. They seem to possess two laser weapons."

Fox drew his own blaster and flipped off the safety. "Better keep your units out of their way. I don't want any of you getting damaged."

"Yes Fox."

The vulpine dashed through the Great Fox's metal corridors, his heart pounding. The Great Fox had never been successfully boarded before, which either meant the enemy had a skilled code-breaker on their team, possessed the manufacturer's backdoors, or had somehow stolen access codes from one of his teammates. With a guilty conscience, Fox remembered how he'd practically abandoned Slippy, Peppy, and Falco on Corneria, all by themselves. He hoped nothing had happened to them…

"Fox, my cargo unit has made contact. The situation has changed; I am leading our guests your way."

"What?!" Fox screeched, unable to keep his voice to a whisper. "Why in god's name would you bring them here?!"

Pulse accelerating, Fox skidded to a stop and ducked into a storage closet, where he knelt in the doorway for cover. He aimed his blaster at the corner in anticipation; the two intruders would round it at any second.

"Please put down your firearm, Fox; there is no need for weapons—"

The first figure rounded the corner, and Fox didn't hesitate. He obeyed his reflexes and instantly fired a stun bolt at the portly intruder, striking him square in the chest—but when he realized who it was, his jaw dropped, and his weapon lowered.

Slippy stared back at him, eyes bugged in shock. His mouth flapped silently for a second, then he tipped forward, falling flat on his face with a loud thud.

Peppy rounded the corner after him. He casually glanced down at the unconscious amphibian, then at the stunned vulpine with the smoking blaster.

"Good work Fox," the hare sighed. "If you hadn't a' fired, that kid woulda told you how much of a friend you were to him, or something else just as dangerous."

Fox swayed on his knees. He struggled to come to grips with the fact that he'd shot one of his teammates rather than the enemy he thought he was. While he stuttered out a response, Peppy marched towards him, fists clenched.

"I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't know! I thought you were… I mean—!"

Peppy swiped the blaster right out of his paw. "Gimme that silly thing before you hurt someone!" Then he planted his boot in Fox's chest and shoved him over to land on his tail. After he made sure it was still set to stun, he flipped the gun back on Fox.

"You ijit! Imagine what woulda happened if you didn't have the setting changed! Slippy might be dead right about now!"

Fox glared up at Peppy from where he sat. "You think this is my fault! Why didn't you just announce yourselves?! Why didn't you tell me you were boarding?! Maybe then I wouldn't have mistaken you for pirates!"

"We couldn't send a message through the ion storm," Peppy explained. "And besides, if you knew what we were here for—in your present, unpredictable state of mind—you woulda turned us away from the hangar rather than let us board."

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

Fox tried to rise again, but Peppy primed the blaster for another stun bolt, and the todd hastily plopped back down.

"Hold it right there, mister. You just stay on yer ass for a bit."

"Geez! What the hell is your problem?!"

"This is an intervention!" the hare stated. "Pepper personally called me to explain you kidnapped some 'research subject.' Fox, just a few days ago, I literally swore to Pepper I'd make sure you didn't get in any more trouble. And then you go and pull a stunt like this? Your biggest criminal caper yet? Oh boy, are you in a jam!"

He shook his head in disappointment. "I'm sorry Fox, I can't save your hide this time. You're going to the hoosegow, simple as that. But I can help you get the lightest sentence the government can afford if you drop this foolish act and come with me now. All I ask is that you return Space Dynamic's—huff, General Dynamic's—property as soon as possible, and get your ass ready for years of community service."

Fox growled at the rabbit. "Community service for what? I'm only doing what's right!"

Peppy rolled his eyes. "I thought you'd say that. But either way, you're going to turn yourself in. The question is, will you do so willingly, or will I have to blast you full a' stun bolts and prop your body up for the holo-cam to fake turning yourself in? 'Cause so help me, I'll do it if it'll getcha a lighter sentence!" He stared down the blaster at Fox, which was beginning to tremble in his hands. His tone suddenly softened. "Fox, I'm doin' this for your own good!"

"I'm getting sick of people telling me that," he mumbled under his breath.

Peppy scoffed in exasperation. "Have you gone off yer meds or somethin'? What's gotten into you lately? You've pulled some real doozies since the war ended, but this takes the cake! Making a fool of Slippy's father, threatening Yaru de Pon, getting into an altercation with Bill, destroying a surveillance mech, causing an interplanetary incident with Eladard… And for what? All of that just to kidnap some alien research subject that Andross cooked up in his—"

The hare's words died in his throat. His eyes went wide, fixated on something behind Fox. The todd turned to look over his shoulder, surprised to find none other than Krystal standing behind him. The blue-furred vixen stood at the end of the hallway, clad only in Fox's shirt as usual. With a horrified expression, she glanced between Slippy's fallen body, Fox seated on the floor, and Peppy aiming his blaster at him.

"Foxsu!"

Suddenly Fox heard the blaster clatter to the floor. He turned back, finding Peppy clutching at his chest as he sprawled against the wall.

"Peppy!"

At once Fox sprang to the hare's side, lending him support before he could fall.

"Oh… dear lord…"

Fox slowly helped him slide to the ground. He could feel how shallow and erratic his breathing had become.

"Take it easy Unk! Breathe slow and deep…"

As Peppy struggled to regain control of his breathing, Fox looked up at Krystal.

With a horrified look on her face, the vixen took a step back.

"Nīe!" she gasped. "I, I didn't…"

Turning, she sprinted off down the corridor.

Fox reached out a hand. "Wait, Krystal! What did… ughhh!"

The todd didn't know what to do. He glanced around, first focusing on Krystal's white-tipped tail disappearing around the corner, then back at Peppy struggling to breathe in his arms, and finally at Slippy lying face down and groaning. Of the three, he decided Peppy needed him the most right now.

"Peppy, you okay?" he coaxed him. "What's wrong? Is it a heart attack? Panic attack?"

The hare shook his head slowly and rubbed his chest. "J-just shock is all…"

"Shock? From seeing Krystal?"

He breathed in-and-out slowly a few more times before answering. "I-it's nothing, Fox. I just never expected to see…"

When Peppy trailed off, Fox lifted the hare's arm over his shoulder. "Well, come on, I'll get you to the med bay, and ROB will patch you up—"

But Peppy shrugged off his help and made an effort to stand on his own. "Thank you Fox, but I'll be okay." He glanced down at the blaster on the floor, then lightly fingered the one in his own holster, but thankfully decided against drawing it on Fox. The hare's eyes drifted to Slippy, who still lay immobilized on the floor.

"Come on, let's get Slippy upright. Poor kid probably hasn't been stunned since the Academy…"