See end for AN. Sorry for the delay, but the chapter needed a lot of editing.
Chapter 3:
Isaac slowly crept down a dark hallway, one he was sure he'd seen before. His footsteps echoed off the walls, the only sound aside from his nervous breathing. A roar sounded in the distance behind him, making him jump. He whipped around, raising his plasma cutter. He moved the flashlight's beam from left to right, searching for anything roaming the halls. Seeing nothing, he turned around and continued his trek down the hall. He stopped a moment later, hearing a scratching sound further down the hall. The sound came from a doorway twenty feet away, a flicking light casting shadows into the hall. With his grip tightening on his plasma cutter, Isaac moved cautiously toward the doorway. A shadow of a figure appeared on the hall floor, quickly moving from one side to the other. Isaac paused, raising his cutter. He kept his finger away from the flashlight to hide his presence. He shuffled to the wall, pressing himself against it, moving as slowly and as quietly as he could to the doorway. When he arrived, he took a peek inside. The flicking light was emanating from a sign on the wall, the words on it horrified Isaac: USG Ishimura, Medical Deck.
"No," Isaac said under his breath. Was anything real? Was he still on the Ishimura? Rapidly pounding footsteps from behind shook him from his mind. He turned to see a slasher leap into the air, its arms raised high above its head. "Fuck!" Isaac shouted, diving out of the way.
The slasher's blades slammed into the floor, sending a metallic screech echoing through the hall. Isaac sat up from the floor and fired his cutter, severing the slasher's leg. It slammed onto the floor with a cry of agony. It slid across the floor toward Isaac, using its arms to move. Isaac raised his cutter again and fired another bolt of plasma, severing an arm. The slasher jerked from the force and let out a gurgle before going still. Isaac stared at the slasher for a moment, then fired another bolt to make sure it was dead.
Another roar echoed down the hall, followed by loud screeching. "Come on!" Isaac groaned and quickly ran back into the doorway.
He took a left and ran down another hallway. After five minutes of running, Isaac found himself in the Surgery Wing. He walked slowly down the wing, the beds on each side soaked in blood. A few had badly mutilated bodies on them. Isaac pointed his cutter at each one as he passed. A metal container rolled around the corner ahead of him. A lurker scurried into the hall, letting out a hiss when it spotted him. He raised his cutter, pointing the laser sight at its face. Before he could shoot, another slasher appeared around the corner and charged him. Isaac turned his aim toward it, firing a bolt into the ceiling as the slasher tackled him to the floor, the impact sending the plasma cutter flying from his hand. He jerked his head to the side a split second before the slasher's blade slammed into the floor next to his head. Isaac grabbed on to the appendage with one hand and grabbed its neck with the other. The slasher snarled with anger, thrashing around in Isaac's grip. The slasher lifted its other blade, Isaac pressed his foot in its torso and kicked it off of him. He quickly got to his feet and grabbed his cutter, pointing it at the slasher.
A screech from his left made him realize his mistake; he forgot about the lurker. The mutant infant jumped onto his chest. Isaac grabbed onto it, trying to pull it off. The lurker extended its tentacles and stabbed into the back of Isaac's suit, writhing in his grip as he struggled to tear it free. Finally, with one strong push, Isaac ripped the lurker from his chest before raising high above his head.
"Fuck you!" Isaac screamed at the lurker before slamming it into the floor, delivering a powerful kick to its gut, sending across the room. The lurker struck the wall with a shriek, twitching a few times before going still.
Isaac turned back to the slasher, now standing in the center on the hall, a light behind it hiding its features. Isaac raised his cutter, the three lasers centered on its chest. "Isssaaaac," a voice from the slasher hissed.
Isaac froze, that voice, he knew that voice, "Nicole?"
The slasher took a step forward, "IIIssssaaaac," it hissed again.
"No. No. No!" Isaac said, stumbled backwards. The slasher moved forward again, stepping in the hall's light, fully revealing it features; it was Nicole. Isaac stood in shock.
"Make us whole," Nicole hissed, stepping closer.
"No," Isaac muttered, "This can't be real!" The Nicole slasher continued moving closer to him, Isaac backed away until his back touched the wall. Nicole stopped a few feet in front of him. A burst of static echoed from video monitor on the wall. A few seconds later, the screen cleared, and Nicole's face appeared on it.
"Isaac, are you there?" she asked.
"Nicole," Isaac said softly. He remembered this: it was a rig call she made on the Ishimura, thanking him for helping her follow her dream of serving onboard, it was the last time they spoke.
"You were right Isaac," she continued, "The Ishimura is a great ship. I'm so lucky to be serving aboard her. You made stick with it." At those words, the Nicole slasher's eyes and mouth began to glow. Isaac's blood grew cold, his hands shaking.
Suddenly, the Nicole slasher charged up to him, shrieking in his face: "YOU MADE ME DIE!"
Isaac screamed and tumbled onto the floor from his bed. He quickly sat up, his eyes darting around the room. He relaxed when he realized he was in the bedroom on the Great Fox. He rubbed his forehead, finding it drenched in sweat. Isaac climbed to feet and walked into the bathroom. He took off his shirt and wiped the sweat off his chest with a towel. A knock on the door startled him.
"Isaac?" Krystal's muffled voice sounded from the other side, "Are you alright?"
Isaac stood motionless for a moment. Krystal struck him as odd, the way she looked at him, almost as if she could read his mind. He wondered if he should talk to her or just go back to sleep.
"Isaac?" Krystal's voice came again from outside his door. Making his decision, Isaac sighed and went to open the door.
Krystal stood outside of Isaac's door, writhing her hands nervously. She had been dreaming of her time on Sauria. She was flying through the light blue sky on the back of Kyte, her cloud runner friend. Krystal was happier than she felt in a while, the wind flowing through her fur was a feeling she missed. She was almost to the Ground Walker Temple when something strange happened. The sky began to turn from its beautiful light blue to a dark orange, with a screeching sound seeming to emanate from it. Krystal covered her ears from the sound, the wind now howling around her, kicking up dust and debris from the forest below.
"You were right, Isaac," a female voice echoed through the wind.
"What? Isaac?" she said, her eyes straining to see through the dust. The wind grew stronger, the noise deafening her.
The voice came again, but the wind blocked out most of the words: "You...The Ishimura is...You made me..." Then a loud shrieking voice echoed across the sky: "YOU MADE ME DIE!" Krystal nearly jumped from her skin at that. Isaac! She was sure her dream was a warning and Isaac was in danger. She quickly left her room and knocked on Isaac's door.
After a minute of waiting, she began to pace, fear welling up inside her. 'What's taking him so long?' she wondered. She thought back to the voice she heard in her dream, how angry it sounded. 'Please be okay.'
Finally, the door opened, and Isaac appeared in the doorway, shirtless. Krystal stopped her pacing and turned to him; her eyes widened when she saw his state of undress. Despite nearing fifty, Isaac had a muscular physique. Her eyes wandered up and down his torso, looking over his muscles and the various scars that covered his skin.
Isaac cleared his throat, "Hey, Krystal."
She realized she'd been staring quite intensely. She felt her cheeks grow hot, her blush visible through her fur.
"I'm so s-sorry!" she said with embarrassment, "I, uh...I heard you scream and wanted to see if you were okay."
"I'm fine," Isaac replied, "It was, uh...just a bad dream."
Krystal nodded in response. They both stood silently for a moment, unsure what to say or do. "Well," Isaac began, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm gonna go back to bed, now."
"Oh! Um...okay," Krystal replied awkwardly, "I'll uh...be in my room if you need anything."
"Okay. Thank you, Krystal," Isaac said, slowly stepping back inside his room.
"Goodnight, Isaac," she replied. "You too," he said before closing the door. He looked at the clock by his bed: 6:57 a.m. he sighed, thinking back to Krystal. It was clear she had been eyeing him up and down, but he wasn't sure if it was his body or the scars she was staring at. "I'll deal with that later," Isaac muttered as he climbed back into bed.
Krystal stared at Isaac's door, inwardly cursing herself. 'Real smooth, Krystal,' she thought, 'Way to go and make things awkward.' She sighed heavily and turned to her room.
Once inside, she sat on her bed, thinking about what she saw in her dream: the dark orange sky, the howling winds. Krystal felt chills rush down her spine. Somehow, it all seemed familiar to her. As she pondered what it meant, an image flashed in her mind. The same orange sky, and something in the center of it, long tendrils extending from its body. Krystal gasped and grabbed the sides of her head as searing pain surge through it.
"Ugh! What was that?" she grunted through clenched teeth. Taking a moment to compose herself, she focused her mind back to the image. The thing in the sky was something she didn't recognize. She then focused on the ground level. A large temple loomed in the distance. The surface was damaged, large chunks ripped from it, being pulled into the sky by an unseen force. Krystal looked closely at the temple; the spiraled pillars, the round symbols, the large monuments of...she gasped at the sight.
"That can't be!" she said, "Is it?" Though she had little memory of her childhood, she remembered that temple. "Could it be," she muttered, "Cerinia?" She thought back to the voice she heard. She didn't recognize the voice, but it said Isaac's name.
'Who could that have been?' she wondered. Krystal let out another sigh and laid down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She hadn't thought much about what happened to Cerinia, with her being so young. But something brought back the memories she thought she lost.
'Isaac,' she thought, 'Maybe what happened to him and Cerinia are connected, somehow.'
She climbed out of bed and headed to the door, she needed figure this out while it was still fresh on her mind. She opened the door and nearly collided with Miyu.
"GAH!" Krystal shouted in surprise jumping back into her room, the fur on her tail puffing out.
"Whoa!" Miyu said, putting her hands up, "Didn't mean to scare you. You alright?"
Krystal flattened the fur on her tail and cleared her throat. "Yes," she said in her usual dignified tone, as if nothing happened, "I'm fine."
Miyu cocked her eye, "If you say so."
"Do you need anything?" Krystal asked.
"Yes," Miyu replied, "I overheard you and Isaac talking earlier. Did something happen?" Krystal glanced down the hall, then motioned her inside. Miyu sat herself down in Krystal's desk chair while Krystal sat down on the edge of her bed.
"Ok," Krystal began, "I was dreaming of Sauria, when the planet's sky started to turn orange-"
"Sauria?" Miyu interrupted, "Was it, like, on fire or something?"
"No. No," Krystal continued, "It was...like the color of the sky had changed." Miyu nodded, taking in her story. "Then, the wind started howling, taking up dust and debris with it. Then..." she paused.
Miyu leaned forward with interest. "What happened?" she asked.
"There was a voice," Krystal replied, "It was so loud, it echoed across the entire land."
"What did it say?" Miyu asked.
"It was female voice. It screamed: You made me die," she replied.
Miyu leaned back in the chair, "Was it like a vision or something?" she asked.
"When i spoke to Isaac, he told me he had a nightmare," Krystal replied, "Maybe, somehow his dream merged with mine."
Miyu nodded and placed her hands behind her head in thought. "And the voice, could it have belonged this Ellie person he thought you were?" she asked.
"I don't think so," Krystal replied, "The voice didn't have an accent like mine. I believe that was why Isaac thought I was Ellie."
"Are sure it was the accent?" Miyu asked, cocking an eye at her.
"I'm sure," Krystal replied, "I don't know what else could have caused the misidentification."
Miyu hummed in thought. "Maybe," she began after a moment, "Maybe Isaac had someone else before her, someone he didn't mention."
"It's possible," Krystal replied, "I could tell he was hiding something, but I couldn't get in his mind to see what is was."
"And in the interrogation room?" Miyu asked. "He was hiding things there as well," Krystal replied, "I wasn't able to read his mind there either."
"What about that friend?" Miyu asked.
"What friend?" Krystal questioned.
"You know, the one from that ship. The one Isaac went to fix," Miyu replied.
"Maybe," Krystal replied, "Come to think of it, before the scream, a softer voice came through the wind, saying Ishimura. Isaac said that was the ship he went to repair."
"Yeah," Miyu said nodding, "You told me that he said the friend was a guy, what if it was actually a woman, someone he was close to?"
"Could be," Krystal replied, "It's something to look into."
Miyu stood up and stretched her back, asking, "Should we talk to him about this?"
Krystal shook her head, "No. He's stressed enough as it is. I'm sure probing his personal life will make it worse."
"Okay," Miyu replied with a sigh. She found Isaac as quite the mystery, one that she was determined to solve. And his looks, different but similar all the same.
Krystal picked up on Miyu's thoughts. "I know you're curious about him, too," she said, "But we have to give him time to adjust. Remember how he reacted on the APC"
"I know, I know," Miyu replied, "There's just something about him, though." She stood up and headed to the door.
"Leaving?" Krystal asked.
"Yeah," she replied, "I'm going to catch a couple more hours of sleep."
"Okay, see you at breakfast?" Krystal asked.
"Yup," Miyu replied as she left.
Once alone, Krystal laid back down on her bed. She closed her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. 'What have we gotten ourselves into,' she thought.
Her ears perked up when she heard the sound of a door opening. Krystal listened closely; hearing footsteps make their way down the hall. Krystal slowly went to the door and opened it, taking a peek outside. To her right, she saw a silhouette moving down the hall, stopping at the sign at the end, before moving toward the mess hall. Krystal knew the shape was human, but she couldn't tell if it was Isaac or John. She hesitated, not knowing if she should follow. Another door opened nearby, and Fay stepped into the hall. She yawned, raising her arms in stretch, shuffling her way to the mess hall. Krystal huffed in amusement and went back into her room. With everything on her mind, she knew she wouldn't be able to go back sleep, so she decided to get ready for the day. She opened her closet and grabbed a fresh change of clothes, then headed to her shower.
Carver slowly pushed the door to the mess hall open, peeking inside for other occupants. Finding it empty, he walked inside and sat down at one of the tables. His sleep had been wrought with nightmares. The death of his family on the Uxor colony still haunted him as if it happened yesterday. Seeing them turned into necromorphs, having to cut them apart. All because of the Unitologists. And Danik.
He slammed a fist into the table. "Damn it all!" he sneered. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Damara, Dylan," he said softly, "I'm so sorry." Carver rubbed his eyes, trying to stop the tears before they fell.
The mess hall door opened loudly, making him jump. In walked the white cocker spaniel he saw on the APC. She jumped slightly and her eyes widened when she noticed him.
"Oh! Um...hi," she said awkwardly, giving him a small wave.
"Hey," he replied.
"I, uh...didn't think anyone else was awake," she said shyly.
"I had troubling sleeping," Carver said, "So I just came here to...think about things."
"Okay, um...would you like some coffee?" she asked.
"Yes, please," he replied. She smiled and went into the kitchen. Carver sighed and placed his elbow on the table, resting his head against his fist.
A few minutes later, the cocker spaniel came out of the kitchen, carrying a cup of coffee in each hand. "Here you go," she said, offering a cup.
"Thank you," he said, taking the cup.
"You're welcome," she said happily. She pointed to the chair across from him. "May I?" she asked.
"Go ahead," Carver replied. Faye sat down and took a sip of her coffee. Carver took a drink from his cup, savoring the taste. It had been a while since he had fresh coffee.
"Um...mister...Carver, was it?" the spaniel asked.
"Yeah," he replied, "John Carver. You are...Fay?"
She nodded, "Fay Spaniel."
Carver chuckled, "Spaniel, huh?"
"Yeah," Fay replied sheepishly, "Spaniel."
The two sat in silence for a moment, slowly sipping their coffees. "John," Fay said softly.
"What's up?" Carver asked.
"You said you had trouble sleeping. Is everything okay?"
"I...uh...it was just a nightmare. Things from the past," Carver replied. Fay nodded, disappointed he didn't tell her more. "So," he began, "What brings you here this early?"
"I always wake up this early," she replied. Carver hummed in amusement. They continued drinking their coffees in silence. Once Fay finished hers, she stood up and back to the kitchen. "I'm going to get started on breakfast," she said, "Wanna help?"
"Sure," Carver replied. He stood from his chair and joined Fay in the kitchen.
Krystal stepped out of her bathroom, the steam from the shower following close behind. She rubbed her towel behind her ears before dropping it in her laundry. A draft from the air conditioning sent a chill through her body. Krystal stood in front of the wall mirror beside her bed and looked herself over. She ran her fingers through the white fur on her chest, gently cupping her breasts, running her thumbs over her pink nipples. She then slid her hands down her stomach, through her blue pubic fur, then over the tribal markings on her outer thighs. She thought back to what Miyu said about Isaac.
'What does he think of us?' she asked herself, 'Would he even consider?' She froze; where had that thought come from? Krystal sighed and quickly pushed that thought aside, dressing herself in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. She checked herself one last time before leaving her room and walking to the mess hall.
Halfway down the hall, Krystal heard a door open. Fox left his room, typing on his data pad. He was so focused on his pad that he walked pasted Krystal without even noticing her.
She huffed in annoyance. "Fox!" she said. Fox jumped and his tail puffed out. He turned and faced her.
"Oh! Hey Krystal," he said, "I...uh, didn't see you there."
Krystal rolled her eyes, "I noticed."
"I'm sorry," he said, "I was sent an important message from CDF HQ. I was uh, reading through it."
"What's it about?" she asked.
"Prime Minister Lena is requesting to speak with Clarke and Carver today," he replied.
"Should we wait till they're fully settled in?" she asked.
"It would be better," Fox replied, "But she wanted Clarke to clarify some things from last night, and of course ask Carver a few questions."
"Makes sense," Krystal said.
"Are you heading to the mess hall?" Fox asked.
"Yeah. Fay is already there with one of the humans," she replied.
Fox raised a brow, "Clarke or Carver?"
Krystal shrugged, "I couldn't tell." "Alright, let's go." Fox and Krystal then headed to the mess hall.
Isaac laid in his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He had tried to fall asleep again, but after his dream, sleep never came. He sighed heavily then sat up. Rubbing his hands down his face, Isaac slid out of the bed and walked into the bathroom. Isaac stared at his reflection. There were bags under his eyes, his hair and beard were unkempt, his expression was one of exhaustion.
"At least it's finally over," he said softly. Turning on the shower, he stripped off his boxers and t-shirt. He climbed in the shower, feeling his muscles relax as the warm water flowed over his skin.
Isaac's mind wandered back to his dream. He couldn't understand why he saw Nicole again, why she appeared as a necromorph. Her voice rang in his mind: You made me die. 'Just like Titan Station,' he thought.
Why did it happen? He hadn't had visions of Nicole on the Lunar Colony or Tau Volantis. So why now? Isaac turned off the shower, grabbing a nearby towel. Drying himself off, a thought came to him, one that sent a sense of dread through him. Could there be a Marker here? Or a Brethren Moon? Isaac shook his head. If there was a Marker or a Moon here, he and Carver would probably know by now. Isaac left the bathroom and quickly dressed. He stopped at his door, hearing voices in the hall nearby. He pressed his ear to the door. He recognized the voices: Krystal and Fox. The wall muffled their words, and he couldn't grasp what they were talking about. After a few moments, he heard them leave, their footsteps fading away. He waited for another minute, then opened the door. Entering the hall, he found it empty and completely silent. He walked down the hall, where he heard Fox and Krystal go. A door on his right opened and Falco exited his room. They both stood motionless, staring awkwardly at each other.
"Clarke," Falco said with a small nod.
"Falco" Isaac said in reply.
"I was on my way to the mess hall," Falco said, "You're welcome to come with."
"Uh, sure," Isaac said. He followed close behind Falco, the avian walking with a confident stride.
"This is around the time everyone wakes up," he said, "We try to sleep in on our days off, but it's hard to break the habit of waking up early sometimes."
"Is everyone else awake?" Isaac asked.
"Probably," Falco replied, "Everyone except Peppy. He's getting old and needs his beauty sleep."
"I heard that, Falco!" Peppy's muffled voice came from his room.
"Never mind," Falco grumbled.
They arrived at the Mess Hall a minute later, the scent of fresh coffee, fried eggs, and pancakes greeting them. "Someone's already making breakfast!" Falco said excitedly. He pushed the doors open, waving at Fox and Krystal at a table nearby, "Fox! Krys! What's up?"
"Falco!" Fox replied, "Surprised to see you up this early."
Falco rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah." He sat down across from Fox, Isaac sitting down next to him.
"Good morning, Mister Clarke," Krystal said, bowing her head slightly.
"Good morning, Krystal," Isaac replied. From the kitchen, Carver and Fay came out, each carrying a tray of food. They set the trays down in front of the others. Fay returned to the kitchen to grab plates, Carver sitting across from Isaac.
"Hey Carver," Isaac said.
"Hey," he replied in a bored tone.
Isaac huffed, seeing the tired look on his face. "You look like shit," he said.
"Yeah, and you look like a fuckin' grandpa," Carver replied mockingly.
They both glared at each other, Fox, Kyrstal, and Falco watching nervously, Fay standing still just outside the kitchen, holding a stack of plates. A few seconds passed, then Isaac and Carver both let out a chuckle. They others sighed in relief, Fay continuing to the table, setting plates and cutlery in front of each occupant.
"Grandpa? That's a new one," Isaac said.
"You looked at yourself lately? All that grey," Carver said with a chuckle.
"I think it looks good," a voice from the door called. They turned to the door, seeing Miyu and Slippy walk in, followed by Peppy, who was carrying his data pad.
"Hey Miyu, Slip," Fox greeted.
"Hey Fox," Slippy greeted in return while Miyu gave a small wave, heading toward Isaac.
She sat down beside him, making him move his chair slightly away from her. Krystal gave Miyu a slight glare, who just shrugged in response. Peppy sat himself beside Krystal, setting his data pad on the table, Slippy sitting next to him. Fay sat next to Carver, placing a couple eggs and a pancake on his plate. Carver cocked an eye at her.
"Um...Thanks," he said hesitantly.
"You're welcome, John," Fay replied, a slight blush on her cheeks. The others glanced between them, before settling on Carver.
"What?" he asked somewhat annoyed, not liking the attention.
"It's nothing," Falco replied, fixing a plate, the others following his lead. The members of Star Fox shared their usual banter, while Isaac and Carver ate in silence.
After breakfast, Fay, Slippy, and Falco cleaned off the table while Fox spoke to Isaac and Carver about the message he received.
"So the PM wants an interview, huh?" Carver asked.
"Correct," Peppy replied.
"What does she wanna know?" Isaac asked.
"She wants to ask you some questions." Fox replied, "She watched your interrogation with Krystal, and she wants clarification on a few things."
"What about me?" Carver asked.
"She wants to hear your story," Peppy replied, "And an explanation on the security guards that were attacked."
"Yeah, sorry about those guys," Carver said, "I was...confused and not very happy."
"I understand," Peppy said, "But Prime Minister Lena wants an explanation herself." Peppy stood up, collecting his data pad, "We should leave soon, don't want to keep her waiting."
"Is it me, you, and Carver?" Isaac asked.
"We'll all go," Fox replied, "that way we can take you guys to get more clothes and anything else you two need."
Isaac and Carver shared a glance. "Is it a good idea to have us in public?" Isaac asked.
"Maybe not at the moment, but we can't have you guys going without clean clothes or basic toiletries," Peppy replied.
"Don't worry, we'll keep you safe from prying eyes," Miyu said, this time keeping her distance from Isaac.
"Great," Carver said.
"Alright," Peppy began, "We'll get ready, and send for you when we're ready to leave."
"I'm already ready," Falco said, leaving the kitchen. Fox turned to him with an amused look on his face. "Falco," he began, "Look at yourself."
Falco looked down at his clothes; his favorite button-down shirt half unbuttoned, his jeans with several holes in them. He looked up at Fox, "I don't see a problem." Fox sighed and pinched his muzzle, Krystal giggling behind him.
"At least change your damn pants," Peppy grumbled.
"Alright," Falco said, strolling back to his room. The others headed out behind him, leaving Isaac and Carver alone. They sat in silence, listening to the footsteps of Star Fox slowly fade down the hall.
Once sure they would not be overheard, Isaac turned to Carver. "I'm guessing you didn't sleep well either?' he asked.
"No," Carver replied, "I had plenty of nightmares."
"Of people you lost to the Markers?" Isaac asked slowly.
"Yeah," Carver replied with a heavy sigh.
"I saw Nicole in my dream," Isaac said.
"Who?" Carver asked.
"She was my girlfriend, serving on the Ishimura. I wanted to see her, that's why I volunteered for the repair mission," he replied.
"Damn," Carver muttered.
"I had hallucinations of her on Titan Station. The Marker there was what caused them," Isaac said.
"You think," Carver began, looking around for anyone ease dropping, "You think there might be a Marker here?"
"I don't know," Isaac replied, "But something's causing this."
"Let's hope it's just PTSD," Carver replied.
"Yeah," Isaac sighed.
The door opened and Krystal poked her head inside. "We're ready for you," she said.
Isaac and Carver left the table and followed Krystal to the elevator near their rooms. The others were standing nearby, waiting for them. Peppy pressed the call button, the elevator chimed and hummed, heading to their floor. The doors opened a few seconds later and they stepped inside. Peppy pressed the button for the hangar, and the elevator began its decent.
"We'll be taking the APC again," he said to Isaac and Carver, "That will keep you two away from prying eyes."
The elevator dinged and the doors opened, revealing the hangar bay. They walked through the hangar to the second elevator that would take them outside. The elevator hummed as it descended, coming to a stop moments later. The doors opened with a chime, the early morning sun shining brightly over the port. The APC they arrived in last night was parked nearby, dew dripping off the frame and onto the ground. Peppy opened a panel by the ramp, lowering it to the ground. They all climbed inside, Peppy heading to the cab, and Fox turning on the lights and closing the ramp behind them. Isaac and Carver sat in the same seats they did last night. Fay sat next to Carver, Krystal next to Isaac. Miyu sat across from him, Fox and Falco on either side of her, Slippy next to Falco. The APC's engine roared to life and began its drive out of the space port and towards the city.
"Hey, Fox," Carver said.
"What's up?" Fox asked. "Where's the fennec that was with you?"
"Oh, Fara? She's still sleeping," Fox replied "She has the day off as well and gets really cranky when she's tired."
"Will she get mad that you left without her?" Carver asked.
"Maybe a little," Fox replied sheepishly, "I did leave a note letting her know what we're doing, so she'll know where we are when she wakes up."
Carver nodded in response and rested his head against the troop compartment wall. The engine roared louder as the APC pulled onto the highway. If Carver remembered right, they should reach the city within an hour. The rumble of tires on the asphalt put his mind at peace and he slowly drifted off to sleep. Isaac saw Carver as he nodded off. Isaac was tired himself, but he didn't want to sleep, afraid he'd see Nicole again. He sighed and stared into the ceiling. Krystal could fell his stress building, wishing she could say something to comfort him. For now, she'd have to wait until after they talked to the Prime Minister. The APC continued down highway, heading for the city's center and the Cornerian Government Complex.
Aurthor's Note:
Finally! Again, apologies for the long absence, but work got in the way. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter, the next chapter with explore Isaac and Carver integrating with Cornerian society. It was originally supposed to happen in this chapter, but due to trip I decide to split chapters 3 and 4 to make up for lost progress. Before working on chapter 4, I will be working on chapter 3 of Haunted, hopefully having it released by the end of the month or early July. Till then please enjoy chapter 3. It's a shorter chapter, but chapter 4 will be longer. Constructive criticism welcome.