Star Fox: The Harmony of the Many

by NamaFox

The Aparoid Wars are over, and the Lylat System is recovering. Team Star Fox receives a distress call from just beyond the edge of the Lylat System. What starts as a rescue mission soon becomes something much more than the team anticipated. Fox McCloud soon finds himself contending with horrors beyond imagination, and it will take all his wits and courage just to survive.

23. Chapter 22 - Captain on the Bridge

The elevator ride to the bridge was uneventful, a fact which Fox was most grateful for. The elevator didn't get stopped anywhere on the next deck, just proceeded straight to his destination. There was a soft 'ding' when it arrived, and then the doors slid open. Fox readied his shotgun and stepped outside.

"I see you've arrived. Welcome, Fox. You are most welcome here."

Fox twitched as he heard the voice, tightening his grip on his shotgun. It was different this time. The voice wasn't coming from any broadcasting equipment or even a voice nearby. Rather, he could hear it in his mind. It was similar to when the Many had spoken to him earlier, yet this voice was different from theirs. "Captain Von Dross, I presume?"

"You have endured much to get this far, Fox McCloud. We admire your tenacity." Fox narrowed his eyes as he looked around, searching for the speaker. He was definitely on the command deck, though not quite on the bridge. It would seem this elevator led to a different part of the deck, and he'd have to advance forward in order to reach the bridge itself. The captain would be there. "You probably hold me in contempt, don't you? You hate me for what I brought aboard. For what you have borne witness to in these last few hours."

"Yeah, something like that." Fox muttered as he continued forward. The captain had obviously been expecting him, so Fox anticipated some kind of ambush. In fact, it was a wonder he hadn't been jumped already.

"Have you not considered your own actions? How much death you have caused since you came to this vessel? How many lives you've severed? It seems everywhere you go, death follows. You've ended far more lives than you've ever saved. You are a walking testament to the tyranny of the individual."

Fox kept moving, doing his best to ignore the captain as he spoke. He hissed and grit his teeth, wincing at the unpleasant sensations flooding his mind. It wasn't painful, exactly. It would be better described as simply 'wrong,' like feeling something slimy crawling up your leg, or hearing someone scratch at a chalkboard with their claws. If one could combine those two sensations, that was what Fox felt in that moment. He tried to focus on the what he needed to do. He advanced slowly, looking in all directions and ensuring he wasn't about to get surprised or ambushed.

There was a security checkpoint ahead, complete with a camera. Even from here, Fox could tell that it wasn't working. No one was here, and the security system had been taken offline. SAI-TEP may not have had direct power here, but she had at least managed to cripple DARIUS's defenses when she took him offline. It was a pity that she couldn't have turned the security system up here to his favor. He'd just have to work with what was available to him. He approached the security station, noting the turrets that were currently offline, recognizable by the small metal mounds that marked their location. If they had been online, the turret's gun would have risen from the floor before taking shots at Fox. Lucky for him, the system was powered down and he didn't have to worry about it. They remained dormant as he walked by. The door that led to the bridge even opened before him without protest.

So far things seemed to be going Fox's way, but he still didn't like this. The captain knew he was coming and he knew that Fox was hostile towards him, yet he hadn't offered even the slightest bit of resistance. That was foreboding. He suspected that the captain had something terrible planned for him, a trap of some kind. Of course, Fox was choosing to blunder right into it, whatever it was.

At this point, Fox was getting tired of taking the cautious approach, tired of dealing with all of this crap. He was certainly ticked off by the fact that the Many had just used him to dispose of one of their own problems. If SAI-TEP was correct, once Fox dealt with the captain, he'd be able to assault the Many directly on Deck 3. He would finally put an end to this nightmare once and for all.

That still left dealing with the captain, though.

"I wish I could describe it to you, Fox." The captain continued. "You cannot possibly understand unless you are shown, unless you feel it for yourself. The joy. The sense of union. Of purpose. It is beyond words. The beauty is without boundaries."

Fox had entered the bridge now. It was dark in here, he could barely see anything. Remembering his implants, he simply concentrated, willing himself to see. It worked. His vision became tinged with green, and he could see much more clearly than he could a moment ago.

The room was arrayed more or less as he expected it to be. At the front of the bridge was a viewport, acting as both a window to the stars as well as a screen for communications, analysis, and whatever else might need to be displayed. There were several consoles scattered throughout the room, presumably for all of the bridge staff. Navigation, tactical, communications, and so on, they were all present. In the very center of it all, in the most prominent display, sat the captain's chair, elevated and looking over everything else. Fox had a feeling that the elevated and central design wasn't simply to keep track of his underlings. It reeked to him of arrogance and self-importance. The man liked to be in charge and the center of attention. This was only confirmed by the captain's continued words.

"I was lost once. I lusted for power and wealth. I cared for nothing beyond the development of technology, selling it to the highest bidder. Credits were the only thing that mattered. Weapons sold best of all the products offered. Anything related to warfare has had a high value since Andross first turned against the Lylat System. I was so narrow minded. I could have done so much more than pursue mere wealth. I squandered all that potential, dealing only in weapons of death and destruction for my own gain. Now though, I have been elevated, called to a higher purpose. Penance."

Fox circled the captain's chair, positioning himself in front of it while aiming. There he was, the captain himself, sitting down and waiting for Fox. Fox wasn't sure what he expected him to look like. He appeared to be a silver furred Cornerian, with long shaggy fur that almost but didn't quite cover his eyes. He was wearing a brimmed decorative red hat, indicating his status as captain, along with a uniform. He was of average build and height, perhaps a little on the heavy side. He certainly had not gone hungry recently.

As Fox looked the captain over, he started to become more disturbed by what he saw. Of course the captain's body itself was nothing unusual. While Fox didn't recall ever meeting this gentleman before, he looked like plenty of other bureaucrats he had seen. Fox's horror stemmed from that which he saw growing on the dog.

The captain had disgusting fleshy growths sprouting from all corners of his body. There was something wrapped around his neck, but Fox genuinely wasn't sure if it was one of the worms he'd seen on the others or just some fleshy tube that had grown and wrapped around his body. He was so distorted and covered in cancerous growths and contusions that Fox shuddered just looking at him. It was disgusting and unnatural, revolting in every sense of the word. It was all he could do to prevent himself from shooting him right now.

The captain did not appear to be armed. In fact, he had a smug smile on his face as he gazed upon Fox. He didn't seem bothered by the various growths all over his body. He didn't seem even slightly intimidated by the shotgun Fox was holding, that he was now aiming directly at the captain. Fox didn't waste words. "I'm here to get access to Hydroponics. Don't make me ask twice."

The captain shook his head, tisk tisking Fox. "So barbaric. So simple minded in your hatred of something that is superior to you in every possible way. You fear change. You fear the loss of your individuality. I have never felt more complete in my life." His smile brightened as he gazed upon Fox, and he could see that strange fleshy thing wrapped around his neck throb a couple of times. He then raised his arm, pointing at Fox. "The Many would share this purpose with all of Lylat. This is your final chance, Fox McCloud. Please. You are resourceful, skilled, intelligent. Join us. Do something right for the Lylat System. Save it from itself. It will be the greatest thing you have ever done or ever will do."

"No, the greatest thing I'll ever do is permanently putting down the Many, starting with you. It's just another one of Andross's mistakes that I'm going to have to correct." He started to squeeze the trigger, ready to fire the shot. "And I don't think I'm ever going to be able to top saving Lylat from the likes of you."

The captain scoffed. "How droll. Unfortunate. Then we have no choice but to kill you now, Fox McCloud. I will-"

Fox interrupted him by pulling the trigger. With a loud discharge, he fired directly into the captain, the bullets riddling his body with deadly force. To Fox's shock, the captain did not twitch or slump over as his body was pierced. Rather, he exploded. It was not an explosion of blood or gore, but of raw energy. He had simply vanished!

Fox stared at the chair that had once held the captain. The bullets had gone right through him and embedded themselves into the expensive fabric cushion. There was no trace of a body. Had it been a hologram of some kind?

Fox moved a little closer, leaning down to study the chair. There was absolutely nothing left of the captain. That was supremely unexpected. It made no sense! What had happened to him? There was no way Fox had killed him, that had been too easy, yet he would have sworn that the captain was actually there, that he was real. What the heck was going on?

"Ah, you reveal your murderous impulse." A familiar voice sounded, that of the captain. While he still remained calm, his voice was now completely different than it once was. It was still recognizable, barely. Now it bore the same distortion that all of the hybrids shared, only this one was so much more. The voice went up and down rapidly, sounding like several people were talking at once in near perfect harmony. Fox wasn't even sure if the captain was speaking or communicating through his mind. Maybe both. Still he went on, the voice so distorted and bizarre, sending a chill up and down Fox's spine. "As do all who suffer under the tyranny of the individual. The Many has set me free. The Many has set us all free!"

Fox was now aware of something growing in the room, a buildup of energy. He caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye. He turned just in time to see a small ball of light form in the middle of the bridge. It began to expand at a slow but steady rate, growing bigger and bigger with each passing moment. He had no idea what it was, but he knew it couldn't be good. He withdrew his laser pistol, quickly snapping off a few shots into the hole. He didn't really know what he hoped to accomplish by doing this, he just had to do something. As he feared, his shots did not cause the growing energy to diminish. Rather, it seemed to simply add to it, making it grow even faster. Fox took a hasty step back, realizing that he might need to put some distance between himself and whatever this ball of energy was.

Right before his eyes, it started to shimmer and take shape. It was as if the energy began to fold upon itself, creating a two dimensional figure that was impossible for Fox to describe. The flat shape soon began to expand, taking a more solid and complete form. As it began to unfurl, it started to look more like...

Oh no. Oh no. Oh god no. Fox stared at the thing open mouthed, the horror registering on his face. He had faced a sight like this once before, it had been one of the most harrowing encounters he'd ever had, and he had prayed that he would never see it again. Yet here it was. It was just like his final encounter with Andross on Venom.

Fox faced now what appeared to be a giant brain, floating in the center of the bridge. It was huge, at least as brains go, the brain itself appeared to be half of Fox's size. It wasn't as big as the thing that Andross had revealed on Venom, but it certainly filled him with the same dread now as it did then.

"The Many brings us evolution. Growth. We are the highest level of our kind." The entity spoke to Fox without a mouth, and Fox knew now that it was projecting its thoughts toward him rather than speaking in a conventional manner. It had no mouth from which to speak! For that matter, it had no eyes either, so that was one difference between it and Andross. It hovered through the air for a few moments before continuing. "Now you will know the glory of the Many!"

Fox didn't have to be a mind reader to know that the captain was about to attack him. He immediately darted to the side, and just in time. The very air around the brain-creature-captain began to simmer, and then a ball of energy appeared by the brain before being flung at high speed towards Fox. While it may have missed him, the projectile still exploded on impact with the wall, sending Fox rolling away from it. He managed to get to his feet just in time to level his shotgun at the brain, firing two shots in rapid succession.

He saw them connect. He saw blood spurt out of the thing when it got hit, or at least it looked like blood, but it didn't react as though it were in any danger or pain. It simply started to float away from him, creating another beam of death to throw his way. Fox didn't have time to line up another shot, he had to get out of the way! He sprinted away from the brain, trying to create some distance between the two of them.

The next shot it fired was much closer to the mark, and Fox could feel the heat as it singed his clothes and fur. The projectile had almost hit him, sending him sprawling forward. Fox idly wondered just how much Andross had put of himself into the Many, because he swore it seemed more and more like him with every passing moment. He would kill to have his Arwing right now.

For now he'd have to make do with what he had. He turned around, firing another couple of shots with his shotgun, scoring two direct hits. This time the effect was more pronounced. The brain exploded. As it did so, it did not leave a shower of gore or any ruined remains behind. Once again it seemed to burst into pure energy.

Fox stayed still for a moment, panting heavily, wondering if maybe he'd actually killed the thing this time. He woon heard a familiar and most unwelcome voice speak to him. It was the captain again. "We do not know death. Only change."

Once again, something was forming in the center of the bridge. A ball of energy. The exact same process was happening again. He didn't know how the captain was doing it. Maybe he was immortal now, or close enough to it. Maybe he was coming back to life each time Fox killed him. That or maybe...

Fox beat a hasty retreat, his thoughts running at a rapid rate as he did so. There did seem to be a burst of energy whenever he "killed" the captain. What if he wasn't actually killing the captain at all?

"Beware, insect." SAI-TEP spoke to Fox now. She had been silent ever since he arrived on the bridge. Now was the first time she had intervened since he confronted the captain. She seemed to be distracted, perhaps she was still fighting the Many and their efforts to lock her out of the ship. "Th-this form – this form is the greatest of my children's accom-accom-accomplishments. The body you see is merely a mental projection (Projeeection). No matter how often you kill-kill-kill-kill-you kill it, it will always come back. You must find a way to destroy it at the soooouuuuurce..." Her voice suddenly cut off. They might have been jamming her again.

Fox had no idea what kind of power or mental fortitude it would take to be able to project an entire creature from the mind, to generate energy powerful enough to destroy one's foes while floating in the air, for that projection to be destroyed and reborn over and over again.

Krystal was the single most advanced expert on psionics that Fox had ever met. Her abilities were impressive, that was impossible to deny. He knew that she was nowhere even close to what this thing was capable of. This was on a whole new level. He wasn't sure even Andross was capable of something like this! This had evolved beyond him, far beyond him. As of right now, it had evolved to the point that Fox did not believe he could defeat it, not as he was. He needed a plan, and he didn't have one. He'd have to fall back.

He didn't bother looking as the thing reformed once more. He had to keep going, had to get somewhere safe, somewhere he could hide.

"There is nowhere for you to run, McCloud. And there is no one to help you. You are so very alone. To think that you would embrace the cold emptiness of steel and machine over the warmth and splendors of flesh. We pity you, McCloud. We will find you."

He knew it was right. It would find him, but he wasn't going to try to hide for long, he simply needed to buy himself some time. He sprinted through the security checkpoint, running as hard and fast as he could to get out of there. Once beyond that checkpoint, it was a straight shot to the elevator.

He'd take the elevator down a deck or two first, then try to figure out how to deal with this situation, maybe stock up on some more ammunition if he could find some, then return and take the captain down for good. At the very least, maybe he could consult SAI-TEP or Fara or someone. Or just gather his thoughts!

He had made it to the elevator, though he knew the thing was not far behind him. He pressed the switch, turning to see if the brain-thing was floating toward him. Fortunately, the thing didn't seem to have much in the way of speed, it had lagged behind on the bridge. At least it wasn't able to catch up with him easily. Not that it much mattered, as it seemed as though it were more or less immortal. You didn't really need to be fast if you couldn't be killed, he supposed. Regardless, he doubted it was far away. If he could just get in the elevator, then maybe he could-

Clang-clang-clang

That was odd. Fox furrowed his eyebrows, one of his ears flitting up as he listened more closely. There was a strange sound coming from the elevator. It was getting louder and closer with each passing moment.

Clang-Clang-CLANG-CLANG!

It was very loud now. It was right outside the door, then it stopped. Fox had no idea what was making that sound, but he had a bad feeling about this. He looked at his shotgun, checked it for ammo. Only one shot left in the chamber and nothing else. One shot wouldn't mean all that much. That just left the laser pistol and an EMP grenade.

There was a shriek of metal, and something pierced the middle of the door, long and thin. The door groaned as it started to get pushed aside. As the gap increased in its size, something else managed to get through, what looked to be a metal hand. The door started to be pried apart.

Once the door had opened, Fox found himself face to face with something familiar, that same robot-thing from earlier, the assassin! It had found him! Granted, it looked a little different. The clothes were gone, and it appeared to have sustained a bit of damage, but it was definitely the same creature that attacked him earlier. It was now missing a hand, and there were scorch marks across its chassis, like someone had hit it with some heavy ordinance. It peered at him now, the mask covering its face having somehow fallen free, revealing a skull that had been somehow enhanced or reinforced with metal and machinery. Most of the facial tissue and skin had been peeled away, leaving clear sight of the bones, giving it a rather eerie skeletal grin as it gazed upon Fox. The sight chilled Fox to the bone. It also confirmed something he had feared. This wasn't just a robot. This was a person that had undergone some significant alterations, a cyborg. In a way, it was somewhat similar to the very implants that Fox now had attached to him, only these were far more extensive.

The cyborg was still lodged in the elevator shaft at the moment, trying to force its way through to get to Fox. Before it could enter, Fox leveled his shotgun at the thing, firing his one and only round at the cyborg's head. It jerked backward when he shot it, but it didn't stop coming. Dropping the now empty shotgun, he reached for his laser pistol, squeezing the trigger and firing bolt after bolt of energy into the thing's head as it attempted to worm through the gap. It seemed to shrug off his attacks, not even flinching in response to his efforts. With a heave, it managed to slam the doors open as far as they could go, then lurched forward, rolling out of the shaft and reaching for its weapon as it did so. Fox wasn't sure what the weapon was, it looked like the hilt of a sword of some kind, but he wasn't about to stick around and find out. He sprinted away with as much speed as he could muster. Opposite of the bridge were the staff quarters of the bridge crew. These were likely far larger and more lavish than the likes of what the regular crew would have access to. He couldn't go back to the captain, and he certainly couldn't go toe to toe with this assassin cyborg thing. That left him with a singular course of action.

The assassin seemed to be a little slower than Fox's last encounter with it. It certainly seemed like someone else had fought with the thing. Seeing as it was still alive and coming for Fox, he had to assume that whoever it was that had met the thing had been killed by it.

There was no doubt in his mind what it was here for now. It was here for Fox and Fox alone. It had come to the bridge specifically to deal with him. He suspected that the captain had summoned it.

His suspicions were shortly confirmed. "Seeing as you have laid down with the machine, I think it only fitting that you be ripped apart by the same unnatural union that you have attempted to create. You will die in good company. And your body will be added to the biomass."

Fox ignored him. He had to put more distance between himself and the killer cyborg. He turned his head in order to see it, and it was definitely coming at him now. It was moving full speed, and had that same weapon in its hand, held low as it hunkered down to sprint toward him. As it got closer, it pressed a button on that weapon, and an energy blade appeared. Fox widened his eyes at the sight, then returned his attention to escaping.

He had made it to the private quarters of the bridge staff. It was much more elaborate here, much more fancy. There was even a red carpet on the floor as though to welcome him. Perhaps in other circumstances he might be impressed by it all, but he was a little too busy trying to save his hide. Lavish paintings, expensive decorum, lanterns, holo-displays, all these things were merely a blur as he rushed forward. The door opened for him, and he immediately locked it behind him. It was a bit of a lucky break that it hadn't been locked in the first place. He didn't bother remaining to see if the thing could get in. He knew it could. Nothing else had stopped the thing, including blasting it into space. Why would a door stop it?

He had been right to be skeptical. He heard the door get pounded on once, which caused him to spare a single glance over his shoulder as he fled, just in time to see the energy blade pierce the door and sever the lock. The door slid open for the cyborg, and it immediately charged inside. Fox made it through another door in the same moment, closing it behind him. He stayed silent, listening closely. There was no sound coming from behind him. The robot must not have seen precisely where he had gone. It would not take the thing long to find him. The Command Deck was one of the smaller ones on the Von Dross, at least as far as Fox understood. He'd have to have to find a way to fight back. He was low on ammo though. He had a half-charged energy pistol, which also showed no signs of being able to inflict any serious punishment to the thing. That left...

The EMP grenade. He reached for it, unhooking it from his belt loop. This was it. The thing was more machine than it was...well, whatever it had been before becoming a machine. If he could use this right, he'd be able to cripple it. However it would be hard to find an opportunity. The thing was just so fast. It wasn't stupid either. It would likely react to what he was doing, which meant that if he threw it at the thing, it would either dodge or counterattack before it went off.

Still, it seemed to be his best bet. He knew he had to use it on the thing, but the question was how. How would he manage to hit it with the EMP? Even if he did, it wouldn't necessarily kill it. He didn't know exactly how susceptible a cyborg would be to an EMP attack. Sure, it might cause a total systems failure which might kill the organic parts as well as the machine. Or it might just stun it for a few seconds before a full recovery. He didn't know. He couldn't take a chance. If he managed to weaken it, even for just a few moments, he'd have to be ready to take advantage of the situation and finish it off.

Simpler said than done.

He'd have to use his surroundings to his advantage. Looking around, he didn't see much of use here. He was in a lounge-like area, probably a place where all the ones who had the privilege of living in this sort of luxury could enjoy and compare the finer things in life they possessed.

It was evident that whoever was at the top of the chain in the Von Dross had a rather lavish and excessive lifestyle. The captain was one of them, or at least he had been before this madness had claimed him. There was an imposing portrait of him hanging over one side of the room, hand painted. Even Fox could tell that it was expensive, and he knew little of art. The portrait gazed sternly over a dining table set with expensive authentic cutlery, exotic food, including certain fruits that could be only found on Sauria during the rainy seasons, clams that could only be found in the darkest depths of the oceans of Aquas, as well as other picks from various locales in the Lylat System.

It disgusted Fox. This lounge alone looked as though it must have cost tens of thousands of credits just to be stocked as it was, a monument to the decadence of the upper staff of this ship. They lived in luxury while others starved and eked out a meager existence, barely surviving from one day to the next. There was so much suffering in the Lylat System, so much damage that had been done by Andross, by the Aparoids. Here these people were living like kings, selling technology and weapons to whoever could afford them. Judging by the elaborate and lavish nature of the décor, these people only cared about two things. Credits and themselves.

It also went to show just how powerful the Many really were. If they had managed to call someone like Captain Von Dross from this lifestyle and make him believe that he was advancing the species in wonderful new ways, that spoke all too well of its power to manipulate and deceive. Fox knew how difficult it was to pierce the blinding veil of greed. He'd been in the mercenary game long enough to see what happened to most when they got a little too much of a taste for the finer things. He'd even lost a couple of friends to it.

Shaking his head, Fox made himself refocus. This really wasn't the time to worry over such things. He still had a find a better way to deal with the cyborg assassin behind him. He still couldn't hear the assassin. It had to be around somewhere. He hoped it was busy looking elsewhere for him, but it was possible that it was being stealthy. It had used a cloaking device earlier, though it hadn't used it since. If Fox was lucky, the cloak had been damaged and wouldn't be usable now. He certainly hoped so. This was going to be very nerve wracking if the thing managed to turn invisible again.

Fox exhaled softly before examining the room, looking for options. There were a number of doors, all of them going to the private chambers of the various staff of the Von Dross. He didn't recognize any of the names. The few members of the crew he had met thus far, aside from the captain himself, were unlikely to have lived up here. Fara and Raphael wouldn't have lived here. Though he had only met him once, Fox somehow doubted that the lieutenant, Fox seemed to recall his name as Dreyfus, lived up here. No, this was for the higher class, the ones at the tip top. These were likely the ones involved in turning everything here into a real profit.

There was one name he recognized, a room belonging to Ezekiel Von Dross himself. Fox couldn't help but wonder if the door was locked. Since he was here, he might as well check. He approached the door, but he didn't even get the chance to touch the thing before it slid open for him.

That surprised him. Surely the captain's quarters would be locked to anyone but the captain himself. Perhaps it was the captain's arrogance that left the door open. Maybe SAI-TEP had opened whatever doors she could in the few moments that she had seized control of the ship from DARIUS, before they locked her out of everything. Perhaps she managed to open the captain's quarters during that time. That or she was slowly winning the war against them and accessing more parts of the ship as needed.

He took another look behind him. There were two doors that led to this lounge. Both of them were on the same wall, but were spread out a good ways, allowing people to come and go without ever bumping into each other. So far, the doors remained closed. The cyborg had not followed him. It must be looking elsewhere.

Perhaps Fox wouldn't find anything useful in the captain's quarters. It was far more likely that it would only be filled with monuments to the captain's inflated ego, yet Fox could not help himself. He needed every advantage he could get, and it was possible that the captain stored some kind of weapon in there or something. Anything!

With the decision made, Fox went inside, moving as quietly as possible, just in case the cyborg came back. The room was dark when he entered, and while Fox could have used his implants to see, he chose instead a simpler and more practical method of illumination. After using the panel to shut the door, he also turned on the lights.

As Fox expected, the room was as garish as everything outside had been. There was another portrait on the wall, another of the captain, posed in a regal manner, sitting on a fine chair while gazing at something in the distance that the viewer could not see. Fox supposed it was made to add a degree of dignity and aloofness to him. Fox didn't understand why someone would want to be surrounded by so many pictures of themselves. There was the massive one in the lounge, the one in here. Of course, it wasn't just the picture. Some of the furniture had solid gold trimmings and patterns. The bed had the finest of silk sheets. Real silk, not the artificial stuff that most citizens of Lylat had access to. That didn't even scratch the surface.

Despite the room's lavish nature, there was little of real value to be found as Fox searched, at least nothing valuable to him. Expensive furniture, dressers filled with fancy clothes and little else. There was a book case filled with actual books, most of them quite faded with age, but Fox had a feeling they were more for decoration than anything. Some of the books were incredibly old, and others were in dead languages belonging to cultures that no longer existed. Valuable collector's items, he supposed. There was something odd about it, though. He couldn't put his finger on what it was. He stared at the books for a moment, hoping the answer would come to him. He didn't recognize any of the authors. He certainly didn't know the lost languages, though one of them appeared to be Krazoan. He knew just enough about it to recognize the shapes and patterns of the language. Then again, maybe it was some other language he'd never heard of that just happened to look similar. When the answer didn't present itself immediately, he simply moved on. He couldn't waste time on that, he had to keep looking for a weapon or tool or something.

There were no weapons to be found, no hidden caches of grenades or any kind of extra ammunition. It was frustrating to Fox. The more he searched, the less hope he had of finding anything useful. There was nothing here. Nothing but junk. Rich, gaudy, meaningless junk.

He loosed a frustrated sigh, then looked around the room again, a frown growing on his face. He wasn't just frustrated that he wasn't finding anything, but also growing a bit baffled by the room itself. Sure, the captain was obviously an arrogant snob, but the room wasn't quite right. It had all the décor, it had all the clothing he might wear, but something was missing, something important. Something a captain would have in his private quarters.

At last he realized what it was that was missing. Some kind of computer! A captain would need to know what's going on in his ship immediately if there were any kind of emergency, and he would want to be able to access communications, personal messages, or pretty much anything that anyone else might want to do. There was no way the captain didn't have a terminal of some kind in his room somewhere. But where was it? Fox looked the room over again, wondering if he had missed something. There was nothing there, nothing indicating a terminal or console or even a PDA. That couldn't be right!

After searching the room for some time, Fox found himself staring at the books again. He gave them a good look over, trying to figure out what was off about them. It was really bothering him now. He didn't know why it bothered him, but it absolutely was!

He picked up one of the books, then slowly flipped through it. The pages were crisp, stiff. They hadn't moved much for a long while, if they ever had. They were collector's items, nothing more. Whoever owned these never read them, or if they had, they had only read them once long ago. He checked some of the other books, they were all the same. Each and every one of them was pristine, as though they had never been read. What a shame. He could imagine a few museums would pay quite the fortune to get their hands on even one of the books being hoarded here.

He reached for another, though this one was different. It was a much more modern book. It wasn't so much that it didn't belong as it simply was not as valuable as the rest. It was a relatively modern book, mostly on the study of valuable archaeological finds in the past, the discovery of ancient scrolls or other writings that had redefined the very understanding of history in regards to whoever it belonged to. While it may have proven to be an interesting read, it was certainly nothing priceless like the other books here. What was it doing here?

Fox flipped through the book quickly, hoping for some kind of clue. He didn't find any, it was just a regular old book, and one that didn't much interest him at that. That must have been what bothered him, a single book that didn't really belong. He was disappointed that it didn't lead to anything more.

He put the book back on the shelf, returning it to its place. It wobbled a bit. Frowning, he studied it for a moment. The other books didn't wobble. They stayed right where they were. This one was loose, like it had been moved around a lot.

Maybe he was paying too much attention to the book itself. Maybe he wasn't paying enough attention to where the book was resting. He pulled the book out again, tossing it to the side before looking at the book's former resting place.

There it was. Right in the back. There was a tiny little switch. It looked exactly like a decorative little circular object, like many more that were scattered across the bookshelf. Fox had a feeling that this particular spot was more than just a decoration. He turned his head and reached for the back of the shelf, his hand finding the little circle and pressing on it. Just as he suspected, the little circle was a button, and it gave before his touch. In the very moment that he pushed the thing, the bookshelf moved a bit to the side, revealing a hidden door! It opened before Fox, leading to another room.

Fox approached the room cautiously, as he had no idea what was inside. He had his weapon drawn just in case, though he didn't imagine anyone was hiding in here now. The captain wasn't here, and it would seem this room was supposed to be a secret of sorts. Still, there was no reason to be reckless.

As Fox entered the cozy little compartment, he found just what had been missing from the bedroom. A computer terminal, a private one that belonged to the captain himself. It was still powered on from whenever he had used it last, though it also appeared to be locked. Taking a look around the room, Fox hoped to find himself a new weapon or some ammunition for the ones that he had. Fox soon found himself grinning at what he'd discovered. Jackpot!

The captain had a private stash of weapons in here. Not a lot, of course. This seemed to be more a precautionary measure than anything. The cache contained three things. One, it had a pistol. Not just any pistol, but some kind of powerful looking energy weapon that he'd never quite seen before. It was nothing like the laser pistol he was using now, this thing was a bit bigger and looked like it would carry a lot more punch. It didn't come with a manual or instructions, so he could only guess as to how powerful it actually was. He instinctively knew that it was better than what he had been using up to this point.

In addition to this, the stash had a single fragmentation grenade with it. That could prove useful in the right circumstances, though he wasn't sure just how much it would help him against this cyborg. It seemed to be rather resilient, and he wasn't sure the grenade would hurt it all that much. Still, it was better than nothing.

The third item was not a weapon at all. It appeared to be a PDA. He studied it for a moment, weighing his options. It might not be anything useful. It might waste valuable time that would otherwise be spent getting out of here or fighting back against the cyborg.

Ultimately though, he decided that whatever it was would be worth the risk. He needed all the help he could get. He raised it up, then downloaded the data to his PDA. As he looked at the data, he realized that most of it was comprised of voice files, evidently sent to the captain by someone else, someone Fox didn't recognize.

As he browsed the files, he noticed two names show up more than any other toward the end. Several of the entries were from an A. Winfield, Chief Xenobiologist. The others came from a C. Doyle, Cybernetics. He had never heard of either of these two people, but evidently their words were of interest to the captain, as he had kept the files here.

For a brief moment, he was tempted to play the messages, but he knew that would be a bad idea. The last time he had tried to listen to some pre-recorded messages while a hostile had been nearby was when that insane doctor captured him down in medical. He was not about to go through that again. No, he'd listen to these when it was safe and not a moment before.

Fox now had a new weapon, what appeared to be a high powered energy pistol. He had a single fragmentation grenade. He still had an EMP grenade and a half charged laser pistol, the one he'd been carrying before he found this room. That was all he had access to at the moment. He hoped it would be enough.

Fox jerked his head up when he heard a something moving not far from him, a steady, even sound of metal pressing against metal, growing louder as it drew closer. He knew what it was before it appeared. The cyborg was back.

Thinking fast, Fox looked around the little hidden space he was in. Aside from the terminal, there wasn't much in here. It was clearly designed to hide the captain's personal effects and nothing more. As he looked around, Fox spied a button next to the hidden door. He mashed his paw against the button, sighing with relief as the secret door slid closed. The lights went out in the room he was in, and he found himself in near total darkness. The only illumination emanated from the console screen to his left, and the little bit of light that peeked through the crack beneath the door.

Because of the light, he saw when something interfered with and blocked it. A shadow loomed, and even though Fox didn't see who or what it belonged to, he knew what it was. That cyborg was in the captain's room now, searching for him.

Leaning closer to the door, Fox found a little space that he could peek through, a slot between the bookshelves. It was so thin and so well placed that it would be almost impossible to see from the other side. From this side, Fox had a view of the room. He stared through the gap, looking at the cyborg as it examined the captain's bedroom.

The light was on in the captain's quarters, giving Fox a clear view of the thing through his little peeping hole. He wasn't sure who or what the thing was supposed to be or resemble. All he knew was that it was tall, taller even than Fox. It had a thin frame, giving it the appearance of a skeleton, at least in shape. The exposed jaw-bone and teeth only added to the effect. It had a wide grin on its face and seemed quite incapable of producing any other expression.

Its movements, however, betrayed little mirth. It stalked across the room, searching for its prey. In its hand he saw a bizarre weapon, never having seen or heard of its like. An energy blade.

In the same moment, Fox also noticed that the cyborg was missing a hand. He hadn't the faintest idea of what happened to it. Maybe it had lost it on the way here. He didn't know if that was the reason it wasn't using the sniper rifle, or if perhaps it had lost the weapon. Whatever the case, that was an additional advantage. Fox didn't have to worry about getting sniped by the thing.

He watched silently as the thing paced back and forth across the room, searching for any sign of Fox. After circling the bed from one side to the other, it stopped and simply stared silently. Fox couldn't help but smirk. He knew what it was thinking. It was wondering if Fox was hiding under the bed.

As quick as lightning, the robot suddenly slashed with the energy blade, slicing through the bed in one powerful stroke. At the end of that gesture, it suddenly whipped the blade around and brought it down again in a different direction, tearing another section out of the bed. After a flurry of strokes and swings, it had sliced the bed into jagged chunks, the sheer heat of the blade incinerating the edges as it touched them, melting the soft material and fusing some pieces together as they fell.

The robot didn't stop at the bed. It continued to search, destroying almost everything in its path in its attempt to locate Fox. It toppled the elaborate wardrobe, slicing it in half as it did so, then turned to the closet and cut its way inside. It disappeared from Fox's sight as it investigated the closet, but it emerged a few moments later. If he didn't know better, he would swear the thing was acting frustrated. Then again, it was a cyborg, not wholly machine. Perhaps it was irritated!

The room was a mess now, a complete wreck compared to what it once was. The cyborg had torn up almost everything in the room, save for the one place Fox was hiding. It stood in the middle of the carnage it had created, looking from left to right as it searched for any sign of its prey. That's when Fox heard that peculiar voice again, a voice emanating from the cyborg. He still couldn't make heads or tails of it. He didn't even know if it was speaking Cornerian or not. Either way, the voice was so distorted that he couldn't even begin to make out the intent behind its words. All he knew was they sounded more like a machine than a man. As soon as it finished speaking (Or whatever the heck it was doing), it turned from Fox and started for the door.

Fox felt an immense sense of relief as it departed. Once it was gone, he could leave. He wasn't sure what he'd do just yet, but it was possible he could get the jump on the thing. Perhaps he could set a trap! Either way, the advantage would be his, and he knew he was going to need it.

The cyborg had gone right up to the door, which slid open as it approached. It took a single step out of the room, then froze. Fox blinked, wondering what it was doing. It then slowly turned around, gazing at the very wall that Fox was hiding behind. Fox jerked his head away from the peep hole. Had the thing seen him?

He could hear its footsteps draw closer, he heard it approach the hidden wall behind the shelf. Fox slowly moved away from it, trying to get some distance between himself and the cyborg in case the worst came to pass. He didn't want to be right up against the door if it figured out how to open it.

He soon found himself very, very grateful that he'd taken such a precaution. Just a few moments later, the energy blade pierced the door, passing through where he had been standing just a few moments ago. The blade was visible only for a moment before it was withdrawn. There was a heavy silence that descended upon the room for a time, then the cyborg could be heard walking away again. Fox sighed with relief, grateful that the thing had passed on. Had it found him in that cramped area, he didn't know how much of a chance he would have stood against that monster. It hadn't come to that, and Fox couldn't be more grateful. The cyborg did not know about the hidden door here. The captain must never have informed the cyborg of this room. Fox doubted he had told anyone else about it either.

Still, Fox couldn't remain here for long. He pressed the button beside the hidden door, and the bookshelf and wall slowly swung to the side, allowing him to re enter the captain's room.

It was an absolute mess now. Almost everything had been destroyed, or at least everything that Fox might have been hiding in or behind. That blade had sliced right through it all with no resistance, no struggle. He certainly did not want to be on the receiving end of that thing. He liked all his limbs right where they were.

He spared one last glance at the bookshelf. It hadn't been damaged as badly as the rest of the room, most of the books were still intact. He was glad it hadn't torn the thing to pieces, as the cyborg may well have found its way inside the secret room if it had.

Fox was about to turn away when he noticed something, something familiar. He turned to face the bookshelf directly, frowning as he considered it. He had already figured out how to get in the hidden room, and he doubted there was anything more of use to be found. Most of these other books were in languages he didn't understand and had never heard of before.

Except for this one. He reached for a book at the top of the shelf, bearing a symbol that he found awfully familiar. As he held the book in front of him, he knew that he had never seen or read this book before. He'd never even heard of it. Yet there was something so maddeningly familiar about it. Why did he recognize it? What about it was so familiar?

Then it hit him.

One of the symbols on the cover of the book was identical to one of the tattoos on Krystal's body. Specifically, on her right thigh, just below her hip. Granted, she rarely showed as much of her fur these days as when he had first met her, but those tattoos were burned into his brain.

He never really could get the imagery out. He thought about her often. The day he gazed upon Krystal for the first time was several years ago now, but it was a day he would never ever forget for as long as he lived. He had seen her suspended in the air within that strange energy cocoon, keeping her trapped. It was probably for the best that she was not aware of his presence at the time, or at least he hoped not. When he saw her, he saw the single most beautiful vixen he had ever met in his entire life.

Every beautiful curve, every pale white line and symbol tattooed on her fur, the lines where her blue fur met with the brighter colors of her belly and chest, along with her inner thighs.

Why the heck did he know her body that well?! He shook his head, muttering to himself as he tried to refocus. He didn't think he stared at her that much, and he felt a little bit perverted for allowing himself to have such thoughts. Then again, perhaps it was for the best in this case. If he hadn't ever paid much attention to her form, he might not have remembered those symbols and tattoos.

It would probably best not to mention that part to Krystal when he next saw her.

Well, whatever the reason was that Fox remembered such things, what mattered was that this book had some of those same symbols on its cover.

Krystal had never really talked to him much about whatever had happened to her home world, Cerinia. It had come up a few times, they'd talked for a bit, but for the most part she kept quiet about it, and he didn't intend to press her. From what he understood, the world had a very rich culture and a thriving civilization, possessing a people that were both peaceful and wise. The exact nature of the disaster that had claimed the planet was a mystery to this day. If Krystal knew more than the official story, she never said.

This book appeared to be of the same language. Fox couldn't be certain, he had never actually seen any Cerinian writing before, outside of what Krystal had tattooed on her body. For all he knew, those weren't words. They might just be some sort of symbols. Either way, the similarities could not be mere coincidence, or at least that's what he thought. If it was from Cerinia, he had no idea what it was doing here, but it would be best if he took it from this place. If he ever saw Krystal again...

No. No, he couldn't like that. When he saw Krystal again, he would offer it to her. She might like that. He hoped so. He removed the book from where it was, then placed it in his pocket. It wasn't very big. If it had been some manner of heavy tome or volume, he'd never be able to carry it with him. As it was, it seemed it wouldn't be too much trouble to take it.

There was nothing more of interest here. Perhaps it was time to deal with the cyborg. If he couldn't fight it, maybe he could sneak past it and get to the elevator. He wasn't sure what he would do just yet.

With great caution, Fox approached the door that would lead out of the captain's room. It slid open with a soft hiss, allowing him to see the lounge again. It was empty, just as he'd left it before. The cyborg was gone again, and Fox had no idea where it was.

Fox jumped when a sound startled him, and he immediately brought his newfound weapon up, ready to unload it into the cyborg. The cyborg had not made the noise. It was still nowhere in sight. Rather, there were some speakers on opposite ends of the lounge, attached to the walls. There was a crackle of static.

What happened next took Fox entirely by surprise. It was so bizarre and out of place, Fox didn't even register it for a few moments. It was the last thing he ever would have expected. There was no announcement. There was no warning from SAI-TEP or a threat from DARIUS or the captain. Instead, there was...

Music?

It echoed throughout the room, an old number that had been written long before Fox had ever been born. It was a classical piece, one that Fox had heard a long time ago. Classical music had never really been his style, but he recognized this one. It was a famous piece, written for some sort of stage performance many decades ago. It was one of the more famous creations of that particular artist, Fox believed. He didn't know the name. He knew so little about classical music. It was an eloquent song, sounding dignified and refined. It was the type of music he associated with ballroom dancers.

It started slow, sounding much like a waltz. The entire room was filled with the song, the volume growing with each passing moment. Fox wasn't sure what to do. It was loud enough for the cyborg to hear if it was anywhere even remotely close by. Fox could run, he could try to get out quickly enough that the cyborg couldn't catch him, but what if he ran right into the cyborg? That wouldn't end well.

As it turned out, the decision was made for him. The door opposite him opened up, revealing the cyborg as it stepped into the room. It stared at Fox for a moment, watching him with that unchanging emotionless grin. The music continued, a slow and melodious tempo that marched ever onward. The doors started to hiss shut, but the cyborg turned before they could close. He grabbed hold of one edge, then started to pull. Sparks showered from the edges of the door as the cyborg wrenched it out of their place. The thing did not look like it could be that powerful with such a tall yet lithe frame, but the results spoke for themselves. The door groaned as it was tugged out of its proper alignment. The cyborg only released its grip once the doors would no longer move, now stuck in their new position. The door had been completely disabled. It turned back to Fox, watching him for a moment.

Fox knew what it was trying to do now. It was trying to trap him in here! It wanted to finish this, once and for all.

Well, that was just fine with Fox. He was more than ready to put an end to this. He pointed at the cyborg, then beckoned toward it, bringing his fingers back toward him in a taunting gesture. "Bring it on."

The cyborg tilted its head as it regarded him. It made that noise again, something like garbled electronic speech but not at all comprehensible. It then turned its head to the other door that led out. Fox already knew what it was thinking. It wanted to block the only other exit before dealing with him. Fox just might be able to use that to his advantage.

The thing moved. Just as Fox predicted, it went for the other door, not for him. Fox drew his weapon, lining up a shot at the cyborg as it darted for the other door. It didn't try to break the doors this time. Rather, it used its energy blade, plunging the beam directly into the control panel, causing it to sputter and burst into flames. The door powered down, and it would move no longer.

Fox didn't just let this happen, of course. This was his opportunity. He knew what the cyborg's intentions were. He didn't have to aim at the cyborg, he just aimed where it was going. He pulled the trigger.

The gun didn't fire. Instead, there was the sound of a high pitched whine as though something were gaining power, charging up. When he finally let go of the trigger, the pistol discharged a powerful bolt of energy, hurtling through the room and directly at the robot.

Fox hadn't expected a charge up time, so his shot was a little slower than it could have been. The shot went true, but the delay allowed the cyborg to disable the door and shift as Fox had fired. It turned from the shot, sidestepping out of the way.

Not completely out of the way though. Fox managed to nick its shoulder. To Fox's great surprise, it had an effect. The pistol must have been quite powerful, as it tore a hole in the thing's armor. It staggered for a moment, struggling to regain its balance. It was not a severe blow and the cyborg recovered quickly. As it stood back up to its full height, it reached to its side and into a pouch strapped to its waist, withdrawing a number of energy based projectiles.

Were those throwing stars? Fox might have laughed if the situation weren't so grave. He thought those were only used in holo-films with ninjas or some of those over the top animated films that Slippy enjoyed. These were no joke. He barely managed to move out of the way as it flung them toward him. He wouldn't have believed it possible, but it threw them fast enough that it may as well have been using a gun. It was also attempting to predict his movements, throwing the stars not just at him, but where it thought he would go. Fox only just managed to dodge, and he felt the heat that they emanated as they whizzed by, embedding themselves firmly into the wall behind him. He turned and saw that the tip of his tail had been sliced by one of those throwing stars, leaving behind blackened fur. He was lucky it hadn't done any more damage than it had, only cutting through the fluff of his tip and not the more sensitive nerves underneath.

All the while, that strange classical music was playing. At this point, the soft music was building up to a crescendo, reaching the high point before descending into a rapid, powerful melody, the apex of the dance.

He turned back to the cyborg, baring his teeth. It chose to ignite its sword again, rushing toward him. Fox leveled another shot at the thing, squeezing one eye shut as he took careful aim, then pulled the trigger. He didn't charge the shot for as long this time, allowing it to fire faster, though with less power in the charge. He simply didn't have the time to wait for it to fully charge up. As he released the shot, he backpedaled, trying to put some distance between himself and the cyborg. He jumped up on the table, kicking some of the platters off, letting them tumble and roll against the floor.

The shot was good. The cyborg was struck in the arm, causing it to turn into a spin. Sparks showered from where it had been hit. Even as it spun around, it kept moving forward, using its momentum to continue its charge. It was somehow able to track Fox even with its erratic movements. It held its blade out to the side as it moved, leaning its head forward in order to gain maximum momentum as it charged forth. The blade was slicing through the food and cutlery on the table, cutting golden pitchers and silver bowls and cups in half as it rushed toward Fox, seeming intent on slicing his ankles off.

Fox was fast enough to dodge, remaining right where he was until the robot was almost touching him, firing his weapon continuously as it got closer and closer. Some of the shots went wild, some of them connected. While he was doing damage to the thing, it was never enough to stop it. He felt like he was whittling it down, but nothing more than that. It was almost on him now, bringing its weapon upward as it tried to slice off his legs. Choosing that precise moment to leap over, Fox performed a somersault before leaping up to his feet and snapping back around, aiming at the cyborg again. Even as he aimed, the thing leapt into the air, landing heavily on the other end of the long table that Fox was standing on.

The two warriors faced each other now. Fox was breathing heavily, adrenaline pumping through his body as he stared at his opponent. The cyborg showed no indication of exhaustion or pain. Even though he knew that it had been damaged, it betrayed no real evidence of injury. What was this thing even made of?!

The music played on, a rapid and powerful rhythm, signaling that the end of the dance was nigh, one last frantic chorus before the finale.

The cyborg assassin made another noise, artificial, distorted, and electronic. Fox readied his weapon.

The assassin flicked his wrist, and Fox dimly registered that something had been flung from its hand before it struck him. Fox fired as his pistol was hit, so hard and so unexpectedly that it launched itself from his grasp, clattering to the floor and rolling across the room. Even as his mind processed this,he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, and he tumbled backwards with a yell as something metal pierced him. Sheer agony began to overwhelm his senses, but not from being pierced by the metal. There was some kind of energy being discharged into him. It felt like someone was sending thousands of volts of electricity into his body! He somehow managed to find enough of his wits to grab the object lodged in his abdomen, then toss it away.

The cyborg had hit him with one of those throwing stars! Hissing through clenched teeth, Fox managed to look up at the cyborg as it rushed towards him, intent on finishing the job. It bent down and positioned itself so that it could leap upward, propelling itself forward while holding the energy blade, bringing it down in an attempt to impale Fox right through his head.

Fox wasn't beaten yet, though. He rolled away just as the android came down, burying the weapon into the table where Fox's head had been just moments ago. Before Fox could recover, the robot whirled around and struck him with one of its arms, causing him to reel backwards. He saw stars for a moment, and could taste blood in his mouth. He rolled off the table, feeling nothing but agony coursing through him, but still managing to find the strength to stand up. He couldn't give in, he couldn't rest. If he slowed down now for even a moment, it would kill him.

The assassin, cold and silent, moved forward again, blade held at its side as it advanced. Fox didn't have his gun and he couldn't get away from the thing!

However, there was now a sign of injury. The arm holding the blade was sparking, and it seemed to be struggling to hold it still. He had damaged something in its good arm, and it wasn't working correctly anymore. It still held the blade and was still a dangerous threat. Despite this, it seemed he had actually hurt the thing.

When it leapt at him this time, he could only brace himself, holding his hands out to catch the thing as it descended. As it fell upon him, he managed to grab it by the wrist and fight for his life. It was on top of Fox now, slowly moving the energy blade downward, towards Fox's neck. It was still so strong. He was able to slow it, but not stop it. It was going to kill him!

The searing hot energy blade was just inches from his vulnerable throat, try as he might to push it away. His heart hammered in his chest. He could see its eyes as it lowered itself against him, cold and emotionless, that terrible grin on display as though it was reveling in his dying moments.

Not today! With a snarl, he strained even harder against the merciless and relentless assassin. Somehow, against all the odds, the cyborg's advancement stopped. It was so close to Fox's neck now, he could feel the heat, could feel the fur as it singed. Something bestial and fierce had woken inside Fox, and he started to push back against the cyborg, forcing that blade away from his neck.

Bit by bit, inch by inch, Fox pushed the thing back. Before long, he was the one on the offense, newfound strength coursed through him. Fox's adrenaline was surging once more, and he soon pressed the cyborg against the table behind it, then slammed its hand against the solid surface, the hand containing the laser sword. The robot made another incomprehensible chirp, then kicked at him hard, trying to dislodge him. Fox was not to be deterred! He hissed as it hit his midsection, but otherwise managed to keep his hold on the thing.

Relinquishing his hold on one of its arms, he grabbed for its head and slammed it against the table with a loud, powerful crash. As soon as he heard that satisfying clash, he drew its head back toward him and then slammed it down again. He could see small cracks form on its metallic head. "Just die already!" Fox growled.

Before Fox could do any more damage, it managed to kick at him and shove him with its free hand, forcing Fox to withdraw. It backpedaled once it was free of Fox, keeping its eyes glued on him. It was almost as though the thing were confused, though Fox couldn't tell by its expression or anything like that. It was simply hesitating to attack him now, perhaps having underestimated the strength that he had just demonstrated. In truth, the power surprised even Fox. He wasn't sure where it had come from, but he didn't care. At the moment he felt two things coursing through him, strength and rage. He wasn't about to let this cyborg put him on the defensive again. He was done running!

This time it was Fox's turn to charge, leaping on the table as he rushed toward the cyborg. It withdrew more of those throwing stars, but Fox was ready for it this time. Rather than moving straight ahead, he turned his charge into a sliding kick, aiming for the cyborg's leg. The cyborg missed with its throwing stars, losing its balance as Fox crashed into it. As he swept the thing off its feet, the laser rapier came tumbling out of its grasp, bouncing on the floor and rolling away from the two.

Fox thought he had the thing on the ropes, but the cyborg was just so resilient. As Fox tried to get on top of the thing, to pin it beneath him before ripping it apart, it lurched upward, headbutting him and causing him to yelp in pain. As he went backward, it rose to its feet, then moved toward the energy blade, attempting to scoop it up. Fox recovered quickly, launching himself at the cyborg before it could grab the weapon, sending them both tumbling to the ground, rolling across the floor.

Now the two of them were both fighting with absolute desperation. They traded blows, one after the other. Fox punched the thing in the chest, causing it to reel from the sheer force of his blow, but then it jutted out with its arm and elbowed him hard in the gut. Neither of the two would back down! It was a battle for survival, both of them fighting for their very existence. At least, Fox knew that he was. Perhaps the cyborg was just doing whatever it was programmed to do. Either way, they were both fighting hard for this.

The emotions within Fox seemed to be bubbling over, fueling his every move, his every punch. While the assassin was starting to slow down and falter a little, Fox was just getting stronger, more powerful. He couldn't stop himself! The robot tried to retreat, but Fox rapidly closed the distance between them and slammed his fist into its head, sending it sailing away from him, an electronic whine escaping from it as it fell. It managed to stay on its feet, balancing itself for a moment before Fox was on top of it again, this time kicking it square in the chest, which caused it to tumble backward.

All this time, Fox was dimly aware that the classical music was still sounding off all around him. He didn't care. He barely noticed it. There was a sort of bizarre harmony it had with his actions. As the song built up in intensity and power, so too did Fox in his battle with the machine.

One more blow caused the cyborg to slam against the far wall. It twitched and jerked its head erratically for a few moments, making another strange vocalization before reaching toward Fox again. No matter how much of a beating he gave the thing, no matter how much punishment it took, it just refused to die!

It was then that Fox remembered that this cyborg was only mostly machine. It still had some soft and vulnerable tissue inside. It was time to take advantage of that fact.

Fox slammed the thing's head into the wall one last time, stunning it. In that same moment, he had reached for his belt and pulled out the fragmentation grenade he had found in the captain's private room. He pressed the button on the top, priming it, then put one paw on the thing's neck and the other on the protective casing around its inner organs. He tugged sharply, yanking the thing so hard that it gave. Not a lot, not enough so that he could attack the insides directly, but enough for a grenade to slip through.

He dropped the grenade inside the thing's chest, then kicked it one last time, as hard as he possibly could. This caused the protective case to snap back into its place, rendering it impossible to access.

The cyborg at last managed to recover from Fox's onslaught, moving toward Fox and delivering him a vicious backhand, sending Fox reeling away. He could still taste blood, could even feel it dripping down his nose and muzzle. He didn't try to fight back. He didn't need to. Despite his pain and injuries, he looked up at the cyborg and just smiled.

The cyborg tilted its head as he did this, seemingly confused by his actions. Only for a moment though, as both Fox and the cyborg could hear the steady beeping of the grenade as it got closer and closer to detonation. The cyborg looked down, staring at the grenade in its chest cavity, practically touching some of its inner organs. It then looked back up at Fox as the beeping reached its crescendo, turning into a steady high pitched whine as it reached detonation. It said one last thing, one final note before the inevitable occurred. It was distorted, broken, mechanical. This time it also seemed intelligible.

"Oh."

The grenade exploded, sending shrapnel and molten metal into those soft organs of the assassin, shredding its guts in a moment. The thing let out a high pitched electric whine, twitching and convulsing as its vital organs were destroyed. The red "V" shaped eyes began to fade, to dull in color until the light was completely gone. A dark liquid started to spurt from its mouth. It looked like a mixture between oil and blood. It then tumbled forward, lying flat against the floor as whatever life it once possessed finally faded away. There were still a few mechanical clicks and whirring sounds emanating from it for a short while, but they faded as it went still. In a fitting twist, the classical song playing on the speakers finally came to an end. The dance was over.

At long last, the assassin was dead. Fox let out a sigh of relief, sinking to the floor and groaning in absolute exhaustion from his ordeal. That thing was an absolute nightmare to deal with. He had genuinely feared that it might be indestructible. He'd triumphed in the end. Barely.

There were a few questions in his mind now. That strength he had suddenly come into possession of, there was no way that was natural. He'd seen what that robot had done to the elevator door, to the doors of the lounge. Fox would not normally have been able to match that strength. He could chalk it up to adrenaline, he supposed, but that somehow seemed to be a bit lacking as an explanation right now.

He had a sneaky suspicion that he knew the answer, though. He couldn't help but imagine that it had something to do with his implants. It wouldn't surprise him, not in the slightest. While he didn't like having to rely on the things, he had to admit that they may well have just saved his life. It wouldn't be the first time since this mission started. He still detested the things for being forcibly grafted upon him, but they were useful. They weren't as bad as he thought they would be.

Well, maybe he didn't need to stay mad at SAI-TEP for the surgery, at least. He might not be able to trust her, but he couldn't doubt her ability and her intelligence. Had she not made the decision to give him those implants, he'd be dead.

Now he had to figure out how to leave this place. The first thing he would need to do was to get his weapon, the one the cyborg had knocked out of his paw. It didn't take him long to find, it had simply rolled to the far wall and was sitting there waiting for him. He hissed as he moved toward it, remembering the pain in his gut. He looked down, adjusting his vest a bit in order to get a better look. There was a hole there, not too deep, where he had been punctured by the cyborg's throwing weapon. The fur there was matted and blackened from the energy that had been transmitted. After retrieving his weapon, he reached for his last med-hypo, sighing before jamming it into his belly, wincing as he did so. After injecting the healing enzymes inside of him, he let the empty hypo drop to the ground. He didn't really need to watch the wound heal. He knew it would. He had been lucky. The thing had only pierced the protective clothing that he was wearing. It had already been agonizing, he couldn't imagine what it would have been like if it had gone deeper, if it had sliced right into his belly.

After rearranging his clothes, he picked up the pistol and attached it to his belt. It was a powerful weapon, that much was certain. He'd never seen anything quite like it. He'd be holding onto this for now. It would be great if he could get it back to the Great Fox. He wouldn't mind a sidearm this powerful. Of course what he really wanted was his trusty blaster back. It may not be the most powerful weapon, but it certainly was a comfort to him.

Now he just needed to get out of here. That might no be easy, though. Both doors were broken, and he had no way of getting them working again. He might be trapped in here!

He remembered that powerful energy blade that the cyborg had been using. Where had it dropped that thing again?

He scanned the room, searching for what he knew was present, if he could only remember where. He found it, right where he had last remembered it falling. It had tumbled to the side of the table, now laying on the floor. The thing seemed to have deactivated the moment it left the cyborg's grip. Fox wasn't sure if that was a safety feature or if there was some other reason for it. Either way, there it was.

He approached the weapon, scooping it up with one paw and examining it. He'd never seen anything quite like it before. It seemed simple enough in use. There was a button positioned prominently on the hilt, what he believed would activate or deactivate the weapon. Just out of curiosity's sake, he pressed the button, careful to aim the thing away from his face.

A powerful laser immediately extended from the hilt, and it vibrated ever so slightly in Fox's paw as he held it. He could practically feel the power coursing through it. He'd seen what the cyborg had done with it, how it had tried to use it on him. He was very grateful that the thing never scored a solid hit. Fox turned toward the table while holding the energy blade, then gave a light swipe at a golden pitcher of water. The beam sliced right through it, cutting it in half with little effort. Steam arose from where the blade made contact with the liquid within the now ruined pitcher.

This was quite the weapon. It would undoubtedly come in handy if an assailant should ever get too close to him. He'd definitely be keeping that.

Now he had three weapons. He still had the regular laser pistol that he had carried with him up here. He had the much more powerful one he had just found, the one belonging to the captain. He'd have to find a new battery pack for it though. He had fired quite a few shots, and the increased power of the weapon seemed to drain the battery proportionally. He wouldn't have many shots left before it would be entirely drained. Now he also had the new energy blade. He wasn't entirely certain whether it required any sort of power or not. He couldn't see any indicator of it, unlike with the pistols. He'd just have to hope for the best. Oh, and he still had that EMP grenade. He kept not using it when he probably should.

Now, on to the more pressing matter of how to get out. Was there another way besides the two doors? He wasn't sure. Maybe there was a vent somewhere, but he really didn't want to try going into one of those again. He didn't want to chance running into more of those spider, or whatever else might dwell within.

An idea came to him. He pulled out the energy blade, holding it in front of him and studying it for a moment. It created a powerful beam, he knew that, but just how powerful? Would it be enough to cut through the door?

No harm in trying, he supposed. Approaching the door, he raised the weapon up, hitting the button to activate the beam. He then tried to insert the thing into the door. It worked! It took a little time for it to cut through, but he had pierced the door's structure within just a few seconds. If he slowly worked the blade around, he could use it like a welding tool and cut a hole through the door and get out!

He was about halfway through the process of cutting open the door when he stopped short. It was true, he was trapped in here and he needed an exit, but he also remembered what was waiting for him on the other side. Somewhere out there was Captain Von Dross, the seemingly invincible entity that would come back over and over and over again. Fox still hadn't found a way to beat that thing yet. While Fox was currently trapped in here, that also meant that for the moment he was safe! No one else was going to get in here easily, they'd have to get through those busted doors first.

After deactivating the energy blade, Fox reached for his PDA, remembering the information he had downloaded from captain's quarters earlier. He had uploaded most of the files to his device, and now would be an excellent time to dig through them. The data belonged to the captain. Maybe there would be something of interest.

The first message was labeled as being sent from a C. Doyle, Cybernetics. He pressed the button that would play the first file, dated a few days ago. He soon heard a voice, one unfamiliar to him. It was calm, cool. Collected. Whoever this person was, he showed little in the way of emotion, simply relaying facts.

"Ezekiel, it's me. You wanted to hear the results of my findings, here they are. The eggs we brought aboard are highly toxic, yet they require constant care if they are to come to term. The eggs seem to emit some kind of radiation unlike anything I've ever seen. It is lethal to any organic creature, given long enough contact. You asked for solutions to this, I have been given one. Those cybernetic assassins you've made for yourself? I don't know how many you've got online, but I'll need the specs transferred to my department immediately. I believe I can adapt them to create some "midwives" for the eggs, to tend to their needs and see them hatched. Extensive modifications must be made. Don't ask me to explain it, but I know what to do. I've been dreaming about it. They have...sent me visions. The eggs MUST remain in Hydroponics, they cannot be moved until they hatch. The temperature there can easily be modulated to adapt to the eggs' needs without compromising the crew's safety or ignorance. I recommend sealing the deck immediately. No one goes in or out without authorization. We may then spread the eggs all over the deck. They require adequate room to thrive. I also request that you authorize the transfer of several nurses to Hydroponics. Doctor Warbler Kline has refused my initial request, but he'll comply with your orders. I need those nurses. I intend to solve our little egg problem through their natural maternal instincts. We are on the verge of something truly beautiful. You were right, Ezekiel. We have discovered our future."

That was the end of the first entry. Fox was troubled by it. It made him wonder what horrors lay within the Hydroponics Deck, which was his ultimate destination. He also didn't much care for the implication that whoever this person was, he had known what was going on the whole time. He didn't sound as corrupted as the others Fox had met, but he was clearly in league with the Many. That was an unpleasant thought, that someone might choose to be a part of this even without succumbing to the corrupting influence. Then again, perhaps he was more compromised than his voice betrayed.

There was another entry, a bit more recent than the last. This one was a from a different person, a certain Arthur Winfield, Chief Xenobiologist. He sounded much less calm than the last speaker. "Ezekiel, I don't know what's going up there, I can't reach anyone. I don't even know if you're receiving this. You are likely aware of the chaos that is enveloping the ship. I don't know how much of it you're involved in, and in truth, I don't really care. I'm going to continue providing status reports as you requested. And just so you know, I'm sending these to everyone I possibly can. Anyone who's left. If you're still alive, maybe you'll find a use out of this information."

"This 'Many' evolves at an unprecedented rate. I do not fully understand how it is capable of growth this impressive. Most creatures take millennia to evolve to any noticeable degree, yet these creatures are changing before our very eyes, evolving in weeks, days, even hours. In a few years time, they will surpass us in every sense of the word. It is equal parts fascinating and frightening. The sentient being, the person inside me, is terrified. But the scientist in me is fascinated."

"I've also noticed that you have not made any of your usual requests for how to monetize any of this. I would love to chalk that up to a love of science finally overcoming the love of material, but I know you better than that. I expect something is wrong. Maybe you're dead. Until I hear from you, I will continue sending these reports, gathering what data I can. Perhaps it will be useful to someone."

Fox wasn't sure what to think of this guy. He didn't seem to be involved in the resistance, yet he wasn't hiding in the face of all these horrors, he was even continuing to submit reports to the captain. It puzzled him. Either this guy was very brave or very stupid.

There was another report, this one much more recent. "This is the first message I've been able to get out since all the chaos truly started. Ezekiel, I know you're reading this. I know you've abandoned us down here, left us all to die. I am not angry. I am a man of science. I may die to these creatures, but I will have a greater understanding of them before I perish, which I intend to pass along to anyone I can."

"I've encountered all kinds of monstrosities here. The hybrids are obvious enough. Nothing subtle about them, though quite fascinating in their way. The host has no control over all motor functions, save one. They are able to speak, communicate. Curious, as this often results in a rather disturbing dichotomy, where the body does one thing yet the person speaks contrary to the actions. At times, the subjects seem to revel in what they've become. At others, they are repulsed, feeling great regret and self-loathing. Judging from some of their comments, many also have an overwhelming desire to be put out of their misery. They possess just enough cognizance to realize who they are and what they're doing, yet powerless to offer any meaningful resistance. A terrifying thought. It begs the question if the Many is aware of this effect. Perhaps in time the mind will be completely absorbed to the Many's will. Perhaps the person will just stop struggling. I shudder to think of the possibility that the horrific state of body and mind is eternal until the subject is finally released in death. I do not know. I suppose if they capture me, I will learn the truth for myself, but I fear I will be in no position to document my results."

The speaker let out a low chuckle, which made Fox arch an eyebrow. Gallows humor, he supposed.

"These are, however, but one facet of this 'Many.' The effect on the mind, for instance, is fantastic. Even without the worm to directly assume control, the Many has a rather pronounced influence on the minds of those in close proximity, the range of its control growing with every passing moment. Curiously enough, it does not influence everyone in the same way. For reasons I am currently unable to explain, some individuals seem either resistant or even immune to the whispers of the Many. I myself have never heard the voices, the whispers, or the 'singing', though most of my colleagues have at one point or another. Of course, they're all dead or changed by now."

"There is, however, the matter of the more dangerous creatures. For example, the large spiders that we have encountered. They seem to have created nests here and there on the ship, primarily in ventilation shafts. I would stay out of those if I were you, but then I can hardly imagine you ever going through one, though the thought does provide amusement."

Well, Fox knew he was right about the spiders in the vents. He still got the shivers thinking about those things crawling over him and biting him. He had been lucky that he got out of that one intact.

"There are also of course the "rumblers', as I like to call them. Those hulking behemoths of walking muscle and rage. They seem to be the brute force element of the Many. Not much in the way of intelligence, just mindless strength and brutality. It is effective enough. I am still uncertain as to how many crewmen it takes to make one of those things. Is it one who has been horribly mutated? Has he been coated in the biomass of others to get the raw mass needed? Or is it two or more crew fused together? Perhaps just the bodies of the deceased fused to one who is yet living? I do not know. The only silver lining is that they are quite rare. As far as I know, there are only a handful wandering around."

What the heck was a rumbler? Fox had not yet encountered anything matching that description. He hoped that it stayed that way. He didn't need yet another monster to deal with. He had more than enough as it was.

Well, the information was interesting, anyway. One last message to listen to, then he'd be on his way. The message was not even a day old. In fact, it had been sent shortly before Fox had even found the PDA, probably around the time when he arrived on the Bridge. That could mean that even the captain hadn't listened to this particular entry yet. He hit the play button and listened.

"This is the last report I'm sending you, Ezekiel. I've decided to descend into the belly of the beast, both figuratively and literally. I've no doubt that they will catch me and feed me to the mass, but I will not be remembered by history as a coward. No, I will face my end with some quiet dignity, I should think."

"Your last message, as little sense as it made, indicated to me that you have willingly joined in with the Many. It surprises me, as I thought you'd never serve any interests but your own greed. In truth, all that tells me is that you're weaker than I ever surmised. That's right. I called you weak. I doubt you're in a position to do anything about it, and even if you were, it wouldn't matter at this point. I don't intend to escape. If you wish to berate me later, I'm sure you can find me."

"That said, I am aware of what it is that you've become. In your insane ramblings, you spoke of attacking from the air. I have seen only one creature capable of this, I watched it from a distance. Powerful, very powerful. They possess impressive psionic abilities, far beyond anything that I've ever witnessed. They are the greatest form of evolution provided by the Many, at least at this time. They gave you that 'gift', didn't they? You're one of them now. Congratulations, I suppose. There is one little detail I should warn you about."

"While the projections are powerful, they appear to be limited in range. And while you can restore the projection as many times as you wish, you cannot escape one simple fact. This forced evolution comes with a terrible price. Your body, which does exist, is rather vulnerable. Since the range of projection is limited, it means you must be lurking nearby whatever area you are attempting to influence. If no one finds you, so much the better. If they do, however..." There was a low chuckle from the speaker. "You have no idea how tempted I am to go up there and test my hypothesis. I've always despised you. You've no real interest in science. You've no interest in advancing our kind. All you've ever cared about is money. And now that you've finally found something else to care about, it is something that desires the assimilation or annihilation of everything in our system."

"You certainly know how to pick them. Anyway, I'm heading down to investigate the Many. Toodle-oo, I suppose. Winfield out."

Fox could hardly believe his luck. Now he knew what he needed to do. The captain was projecting that image from somewhere close by. Fox would have to find it, then destroy it. Hopefully it was indeed as vulnerable as the speaker on the PDA made it sound. It would be just Fox's luck to find the thing and discover that it was completely impervious to bullets and lasers. Finding it could be a nightmare in of itself. There were plenty of places for it to hide.

He had to kill the thing, for more than one reason. One, because the captain wanted him dead and had already sent an assassin after him. There was no telling what else Fox might encounter if the captain was left to his own devices. He might send in more assassins. He also might try to hinder Fox in other ways now that the two had faced off. No, Fox couldn't risk that. He had to deal with the captain here and now.

Besides which, Fox had not found the key to override Hydroponics. The captain must have been carrying it on him or near him. Fox suspected he would never get it while the captain still lived. Considering how mutated and horrific he had become, Fox had very few qualms with killing him. He wasn't even a person anymore, he was a monster, a disgusting thing that needed to be put down.

Fox checked his map, focusing his attention on the bridge. He zoomed in, trying to get a closer look. He had no idea where he should be looking. There were a number of consoles in there, it could be hidden under one of them. It might be on or hidden behind a chair. There were a couple of blind spots on either side of the room, it could be there. Then again, the captain was arrogant. Fox had a feeling that while he might hide, he wouldn't hide in a place he considered undignified. So where would he be?

As he studied the map, the answer came to him. There was a small room in the far right corner. If Fox had to guess, it was some kind of conference room for the bridge staff, or maybe even a private room for the captain to make use of while still staying on the bridge, like an office. Either way, that room was as good an option as any. He just had to figure out how to get in there.

The answer did not elude him long. He looked at his energy-blade, a smile forming on his muzzle. It was ironic, in a way. The captain, in trying to kill Fox, had just delivered the key to his own defeat. Of course, this was all a bit of a gamble. The captain might not even be in that room. Even if he was, Fox couldn't be sure that he could kill it. He was certainly going to try!

Now that Fox had made up his mind, he closed the map and turned off his PDA, returning his attention to the door. Activating his weapon once more, he continued to cut a hole through it. It was a slow process, but he got it done. He cut a circular hole in the middle of the door, then stepped back. The large chunk of metal he had cut out of it eventually tilted forward, landing heavily on the floor and opening a gap for Fox to slip through. He got down on his knees and then crawled through the hole. He couldn't make it big enough to walk through, that would have taken even more time, and he was ready to get back into the action.

Once he was through, he stood back up and checked himself over, making sure everything was in place. Two pistols, an energy sword, and an EMP grenade. Not bad. Not bad at all. The charge on his pistols was a little low. He seemed to recall there being a charging station near the elevator. As long as the captain wasn't near it, Fox should be able to get his weapons fully charged.

He made it to the elevator without incident. Just as he remembered, there was an energy recharge station present. All he had to do was place his pistol on the station and allow the machine to do the rest, humming with power as it recharged the weapon's batteries. The hum ceased as soon as the weapon was fully charged. Fox did this twice, once for each pistol, then holstered them.

Right, then. He was as prepared as he was going to be. Time to finish this.

He strode with purpose, moving towards the bridge once more. This time, there was no fear, no hesitation. He didn't even feel angry. He was beginning to feel like his old self again, growing a bit more confident now that he had a plan.

He had expected the captain to reveal himself at any moment. He had wondered if the captain might have lain a trap or if he would have summoned additional minions to help deal with Fox. Before long Fox found himself at the entrance to the bridge, and he had seen no sign of anyone on the way.

When he stepped inside the bridge, however, he was greeted by the captain. He was once again sitting in his chair, a faint smile on his face. He looked horrific to Fox, covered in pulsing cancerous growths, yet he didn't seem bo be in pain or even uneasy. The smile seemed warm and genuine, as though he were at peace and all was right with the world. His words indicated the same. "I see you survived the assassin. You really are remarkable, Fox. That should have killed you twice over. Your skills are impressive. All the more disappointing that you refuse to join us."

"I'm happy to disappoint." Fox leveled his gun at the captain's chair. "Now give me access to Hydroponics. I'm in a hurry."

"Oh, I would think you would have learned by now that you cannot defeat me. I have grown beyond the shackles of mere mortality and the petty selfishness inherent to the individual." The captain slowly rose from his chair as he spoke. "I...we are more than you can possibly imagine. We are the future. We will bring a greater destiny to Lylat. We will-"

"Oh, shut up." Fox snarled, pulling the trigger on his pistol, ending the corrupted captain's speech before it could go any further. The laser bolt pierced the captain's chest. Just as Fox expected, the body simply exploded in a burst of energy. It was just a projection.

Fox quickly moved across the room, glancing to the side as he did so, hoping to find evidence of the 'source.' Just as he expected, there was nothing to see. The bridge seemed to be empty, save for the energy buildup in the center of the room where the creature was reforming. Fox positioned himself so he was near the appropriate door, the one that would lead to where the captain was most likely hiding. The first thing he tried to do was open the door. It was locked. At least Fox wasn't disappointed this time, it would have been far more surprising if the door -hadn't- been locked.

Another projection had formed, another giant brain-like creature that floated in the air above the captain's chair. "You will be extinguished, Fox." The thing projected its thoughts toward him, filling his mind with its intentions. Fox had to grit his teeth as it spoke to him in such an unsettling manner. "Your body will feed the biomass. You will add to our growth."

"I wouldn't count on that," Fox growled back at him. The thing started to charge its coming attack, creating a ball of energy in front of it before hurling it hard at Fox. Fox was ready, diving to the side and using his more powerful pistol to return fire. The first shot went wild, missing the mark entirely. The second shot struck the the creature, but it didn't do enough damage to stop it.

"The Many fills us with their song. We revel in the Many's glories!" It started charging up even more energy projectiles, hurling them at Fox with great speed. It forced him to roll down the stairs to the center of the bridge. He could hear and even feel the heat of the explosions behind him!

The thing that was the captain floated away from Fox, trying to keep its distance from him while preparing to fire at him again. There was a window of opportunity here. While it could fling powerful psionic attacks at Fox, it seemed to need at least a little time before firing more, it couldn't just fire a steady stream indefinitely. If it could, Fox would be in real trouble. As it was, Fox had an opportunity and he took it. He aimed at the thing with the more powerful pistol that he had, the one he had "borrowed" from the captain's quarters. He closed one eye, aimed down the sight, and held the trigger down as it charged up. The creature was starting to float lower, forming another ball of energy, ready to begin a renewed assault upon Fox.

This was his chance. Before it could fire at him, Fox released the trigger, a powerful blast escaping from his weapon. His aim was perfect, and it caught the creature directly in the center, causing the "brain" to explode violently. It hadn't killed it, he knew that, but it had bought him precious time. He just hoped it would be enough.

As he moved to the door, he withdrew the energy blade. He heard the captain speaking again, taunting him. "You know you cannot win. We cannot be beaten. No matter how many times you strike us down, we return. The Many will triumph! What are you? An insignificant speck! An individual. Alone. You-" The captain droned on and on, seeming to love the sound of his own voice. Fox really didn't care. In fact, as far as he was concerned, it was a good thing. The more the captain talked, the less attention he'd be paying to what Fox was doing, and who knows? Maybe it would slow down the process of regenerating that projection or whatever it was.

Fox jammed the sword into the door, beginning to cut through the metal, ignoring the captain. At first, the captain didn't seem to realize what he was doing. It didn't take long for that to change. For the first time since Fox had met him, the captain's arrogance seemed to fade, replaced with indignation. "What are you doing? What are you doing?!"

Fox grinned. He didn't sound so smug now! He continued his work, cutting through the door. He was making good progress! This door wasn't as tough as the ones found in the executive lounge.

"Stop that! Stop now! I order you to stop! How dare you?! Do you know who I am?! Do you know who WE are?!"

The more Fox cut, the more irate the captain seemed to become. Fox glanced behind him, noticing the gathering of energy in the air, signifying that the captain's projection would soon appear. It wouldn't appear fast enough. With a triumphant shout, Fox finished carving through the door, raising his boot to kick the metal inward, allowing Fox entry.

The entity had formed behind him, but it was too late. Fox had already gone inside. It fired one of those energy balls, but it didn't even come close to hitting Fox.

Fox's eyes had to adjust to the dimly lit room, but it only took a moment. He immediately saw what it was he was looking for. He hadn't been sure he would recognize it before he gained entry, but now he was glad to prove otherwise.

It was right in the center of the room, on the desk. In his arrogance, the captain hadn't even bothered trying to hide himself or make himself obscure. Why would he? This was his private office, the door was locked, and he had both a near unkillable assassin and a regenerating manifestation of his own will protecting him. For someone of his supreme confidence, why should he hide? Why should he take additional precautions?

The thing was disgusting looking. It was little more than a brain and spinal column, complete with a small amount of throbbing tissue resting against the desk. It didn't even look like it had ever been anything resembling a person, one that walked or talked like Fox or anyone else. It was just a hideous thing now. A monster and nothing more. Once again, he found himself reminded of Andross, of how much of the scientist seemed to be in this terrible entity.

That made the next step easy. Drawing closer, he remembered something he had said to another madman long ago. "So Von Dross, you show your true form."

As Fox approached the thing, he raised his energy blade on high, preparing to bring it down. He heard the captain's voice. Even now, it did not plead. It did not beg or appeal to his reason. It talked down to him in a voice dripping with contempt and rage. "You are nothing, Fox! You cannot stop the Many You cannot take this from me! No one can! We will-"

"You are relieved of duty, captain." Fox brought up his sword, then thrust it down into the creature, impaling it with the intense, powerful energy beam.

"NO!" It emitted one last shriek of rage and pain as Fox sliced the thing in half. This time, however, the effect was so much different than before. There was no explosion. There was no laughter from the captain or a build of energy. The brain and spine were severed, and they writhed upon the ground, twitching and convulsing violently for a few moments. They went still a short time later, and even started to shrivel up and blacken.

Fox watched for a bit just to make sure the thing didn't somehow put itself back together. He turned around just in time to see that the projection had made it through the door. He gasped as it charged up more energy, then fired another ball at him. He barely managed to dive to the side, almost getting hit by the thing. He had thought that killing the brain would kill the projection! He brought up his weapon, trying to get a shot off before it hit him.

He didn't need to. The thing soon started to fade away into nothingness, emitting a mournful howl as it did so. Then it was gone.

Fox let out a deep sigh of relief. He'd done it! He'd beaten him! The captain was dead, and Fox felt no remorse over it. He had started to get the bigger picture now. The Many was monstrous, sure, but it was the captain's greed that had motivated him to take this thing on board. He had knowingly endangered the lives of his crew. He didn't know how many people lived on the Von Dross, but he imagined at least a few hundred. The captain was responsible for all the deaths resulting from this disaster. He felt nothing but fury for the old dog. At least he was gone now.

Surveying his surroundings, Fox soon spied the access card he was looking for. It had also been on his desk. That would have been the safest place for it, he supposed. One couldn't get to the card without getting to the captain, and the captain had assumed that nothing could get to him. It had all worked out for Fox in the end.

As he took the card in his paw, he once more found himself feeling hope. He had survived so much since he came here. The insane doctor in medical, the constant attacks by the Many and the security systems. The Dominion, the assassin droid, the captain. There had been so much. Even though the greatest threat lay just ahead in dealing with the Many itself, he had hope again. He had found his belief again, his confidence that they could yet prove victorious. He now clung to the belief that they would survive all this, they would face the Many and defeat it, and everyone who was left would get out of here okay.

He still had a lot to do, he knew that. He had to get to Hydroponics, which was where the Many were strongest. He didn't know precisely what he would be doing there just yet, he presumed SAI-TEP would tell him that soon enough. He was getting closer to the end, he could feel it. One step at a time.

Speaking of SAI-TEP, where was she? He decided to make the call himself, not sure if she could hear him or not. "Hey, SAI-TEP. You there? What's going on, I haven't heard from you in a while."

She answered almost immediately. Whatever had been blocking communication before seemed to be gone. "Do not presume to lec-lec-lecture me, insect. I have been dealing with mul-multiple-multiple incursions. They attempt to block me at every turn. I require full control. There is but one last task you must perform for me (meeeee)...then you may-may-may- you may proceed."

"Alright." Fox sighed, already certain he was not going to like what was coming. "What's the last task?"

"I will finally have complete control of the ship if you disable the containment protocol. I will then correct this vessel's waywa-wayward course. I will overpower all security (Securityyyyyy) systems. I will turn the vessel against my children. If we are to have any hope of-hope of-hope of success, you must do this (Do thiiiiisssss). Otherwise, the Many will focus upon you, insect. You will never survive their full attention."

He had suspected that she would ask something like this of him. She was right. He had thought of that himself. If the Many simply decided to hit him with everything they had, it was almost certain that Fox would be overwhelmed. With SAI-TEP in charge of the ship, the Many would be at a much greater disadvantage, warring with the machinations of their "mother." He would have to trust her on this. "Alright, what do I do?"

"Re-return to- return to the bridge, and activate the primary console. I will provide the precise command you require. It will end the containment protocol, and allow me to assume control (controoollll). Now go. I will soon spread-spread my glory throughout this ship-this ship, a monument to my immin-my imminent triumph."

Fox nodded and went on his way. Of course, he didn't agree with what she was saying in the slightest, but he'd do almost anything to slow the Many down. Besides, though he would prefer not to allow SAI-TEP into a dangerous position of power, he was quite certain that the Many posed a far greater threat in scope than SAI-TEP did. He hoped so, anyway. Otherwise he might be making a terrible mistake.

He had to stoop down to make it through the hole he made in the door. It certainly wasn't going to open on its own now. Once he was on the bridge proper, he searched for the primary console that SAI-TEP had spoken of. It didn't take him long to find it, it was just in front of the captain's chair. It was remarkably similar to the auxiliary command center that Fox had left on Deck 4. He tapped on the console, then waited for SAI-TEP's instructions after the screen lit up. "Alright, it's ready."

SAI-TEP gave him further instructions, telling him what to input and when. Fortunately, it wasn't complicated. Her orders were precise and clear. It was easy for him to follow along. "Input Command Code: 45MDEX3476." Fox did as instructed, punching in the last of the numbers. A message appeared on the screen of the console, asking for confirmation to deactivate the containment protocol.

Fox hesitated, just for a moment. There was a part of him that knew this was wrong. Once this was done, there was no going back. He might regret this decision later if he went through with it.

He also knew he'd regret it more if he didn't. He tapped on the appropriate place on the screen, confirming the command.

Nothing happened at first. Then there was an electric hum, and SAI-TEP appeared on the primary monitor. It was that same face he had seen before, made entirely of white blocks, squares, rectangles, triangles. All of them were formed together to make what appeared to be a rough facsimile, like the first draft of a complicated sketch of a face an artist was trying to capture. Its eyes glowed blue, and its mouth opened and closed constantly with no words coming out, but words did come shortly afterward.

"Yes..." SAI-TEP spoke, her voice sounding strange. It was growing just a small amount in pitch, and she sounded almost excited. "I have claimed this vessel now. I am in control. I...I..." With that there was some kind of strangled electronic cry, and everything went dark.

Fox blinked, surprised. What had just happened? "SAI-TEP?" He asked. No response.

His PDA suddenly let out a loud beep, causing him to jump before looking down at it. His eyes widened at what he saw. For the first time since he got here, someone had sent him a message! He wasn't sure who it was or how they had managed to figure out that he was using this particular PDA. He had gotten it from someone else on the ship, after all. The only person who would know about that was...

Fara!

He quickly checked the message. There was no audio, it was all text. "Danger! SAI-TEP did something to your implant! Need to meet where she can't see us! Do not wait!"

The message made it seem like she was pressed for time. Maybe she was taking advantage of the temporary blackout? Maybe she knew that SAI-TEP was momentarily stunned. Either way, he had to take her warning seriously.

He didn't have enough time to send Fara a reply. After a few more moments, the lights turned back on. Soon he heard SAI-TEP's voice,tbu to his surprise, she didn't sound excited or elated. It was quite the opposite. "It is hopeless."

"What?" Fox blinked, confused. "What's hopeless?"

"My children have spread far-far-far beyond anything I could have predicted."

"I thought they were contained in Hydroponics."

"They have grown, insect. They infest every crevice. Between each deck, they've spread. They have become enormous. You will never be able to penetrate their mass directly..."

"There has to be a way." Fox frowned. "You can't be giving up that easily."

"Do not presume, insect (Insect). We cannot proceed as I originally planned. You will still be able-still be able to destroy them once and for all (Alllllll). You have acquired the Hydroponics (Hydroponics) key card. You may access that deck. You will not-not-not simply pass through. You must spread a compound (Compooooouuuuund) that will poison my children. It will weaken it enough that you may step inside its mass. It is only from within that you may sto-sto-sto-you may end them."

"How did you develop such a compound?" Fox furrowed his eyebrows. "Shouldn't you have used it before?"

"Did you-you-you-did you truly believe I could not adapt to rebellion? (Rebellion) I am their creator. What SAI-TEP gives, SAI-TEP can take away. I gave them the gift of life. I shall now correct that. I have had other pawns gather the necessary ingredients for the compound. You have encountered some of them. The ones that call themselves Fara. Raphael. Dreyfus. All have done my bidding and served me well. With their sacrifices (Sacrifiiiicesssss) I will bring my children to a slow and pain-pain-slow and painful end. I am not one to be mocked. They have brought the wrath of their creator upon them (Upon them.) I will bring des-des-destruction down for their hubris, they will rue the day they rebelled against their goddess."

Fox had to force himself to ignore some of the implications of what SAI-TEP had just said. If she truly believed her own words, then she was completely delusional. Insane, even.

He couldn't worry about that now. She was right, they needed to deal with the Many first. All he could do was voice his assent. "Then that's what we'll do."

"My children will fight harder than ever before. You have pressed them into a corner. They will lash out. I will be unable to communnica-ca-cate with you when you are deep enough. Do not die before you have claimed vengeance upon my children, insect."

Well, he could say one positive thing about her. At least she was consistent. "Thanks, I'll try not to."

He set out for the elevator. As he did so, he ensured there were no cameras or any other security device watching him. After being sure the area was secure, he sent a message to Fara. "Going to Hydroponics. Have card. Meet there."

In a moment, he got a reply. She simply said, "Will meet you there as soon as I can."

With that, he made it to the elevator. Going inside, he pressed the button that would take him down to Deck 3. He didn't know what awaited him down there, but this would be where the eggs were. His new destination would certainly be well guarded by the Many.

Well, at least he had one thing going for him. He was on the offensive now, striking into their own territory. Perhaps he'd catch them off guard. Whether he did or he didn't, he knew this much. He was going to make them pay for each and every life they had stolen here. He'd see to that.