Act 1

Chapter 3

"It's A Whole New World"

~::::~

The sound of boots stamping on metal filled the hallways of the Great Fox as the vulpine leader of the Star Fox mercenary team made his way to the bridge. Dressed in his typical green flight suit, Fox McCloud rolled back the sleeves on his cream-colored Star Fox jacket and checked the time on his watch. 0900 Corneria Central Time. 9 A.M. The thought of breakfast at one of Corneria's finest restaurants occupied his thoughts as he scanned his paw for entry to the bridge. The door slid open with a pneumatic hiss to reveal a usual sight during long trips back home. The crew buzzed around the bridge, each one doing their own thing. A tall brass-colored robot stood at the helm of the spaceship to control the massive vessel, seemingly aware of the vulpine's entry with a sixth sense. "Good morning, Fox. We are passing the Beltino Orbital Gate as we speak, we should land at Fort Dresden within the next two hours. Be advised, Captain Bill Grey has informed me that a large crowd is gathering to greet us."

"Of course they are…" The vulpine's comment came with a smile as he chuckled, surveying the bridge. To Fox's left was a red couch littered with sodas and energy drinks. Buried in the mountain of the cans was the one and only Falco Lombardi, hotshot flyboy and muscle of the team. His bloodshot eyes were still glued to the flat screen as he was still playing one of his games, still in his orange flight suit while he let his own Star Fox jacket hang off the back of his chair.

The sound effects from the game and occasional swears from the blue avian did little to awaken Peppy Hare, a friend to Fox's father and veteran of the group, who was asleep at his desk, drooling on the ground. Fox chuckled to himself as he shook the older rabbit awake, causing an abrupt snore and an adjustment of glasses as he checked to see if any drool fell onto his red flight suit. "Wake up, old-timer, we're almost at Corneria," Fox said, causing a small grin to break out on the face of the old rabbit.

A high-pitched voice broke out from the front of the deck, which belonged to none other than the ship's resident mechanic, Slippy Toad. "Good morning, Fox!" Slippy shouted, to which Fox grinned. Slippy's attitude somehow was always able to remain positive, even in the most dire of situations. Now, the morning wasn't really a life-or-death situation, but nonetheless, it was always nice to have someone as chipper as Slippy around. His blue flight suit and mechanic's hat were still stained with numerous mechanical fluids and chip crumbs, causing the vulpine to chuckle.

"Slip, you ever feel… dirty in that?" The question caused Slippy to wave his hands dismissively as he tapped the holographic display monitor at the center of the bridge with a wrench he pulled out from his jacket.

"A technician is supposed to be dirty, Fox! If I was clean, that would mean I didn't do any work!"

"You still don't do any work! The targeting system in my Arwing is all messed up after you said you fixed it!" The intrusive shouts came from Falco, his eyes still glued to the TV as he continued to play his game. "If you two are gonna talk, go to the opposite side of the bridge so you don't distract me!"

"Um, actually Falco, if you paid attention to me as I asked you to, you would remember that you can switch from gyro controls by going into your settings tab and running the targeting diagnostics." Slippy's response made Falco shout in frustration as he clenched his beak.

"Don't you hit me with that 'um actually' crap! Why don't you do it?! You're the mechanic!"

"I'm not gonna do everything for you, bird-brain!"

"What did you just call me?!"

"Boys, boys, please! My head's poundin' like a drum right now! The last thing I need is you two startin' another shoutin' match before breakfast!"

"He started it!"

As the ace and mechanic glared daggers into each other from the jinx, Peppy shook his head while Fox stifled a giggle. "Almost thirty years old and those two still act like a buncha' children…"

Fox put his arm around Peppy's shoulder and gave off a classic vulpine smile. "Oh, what would we do without Uncle Peppy here to step in?"

"You'd still keep playin' with blocks like a buncha toddlers?"

Fox went silent, tapping the rabbit's shoulder twice as he walked off to greet the final member of his team.

Walking away from the ticking time bomb of Falco, Slippy, and Peppy, Fox shifted his gaze and onto the seated blue-furred vixen dressed in a purple flight suit reading a thick book with a view to the stars by the portside window. Leaning against her was a gilded staff, made of pure gold with a bright blue jewel at the tip of the staff. She was facing away from the vulpine, one leg crossed over her knee as her fingers flipped another page of the book. The cover illustrated what seemed like the mountains of a far-off land, with two female coyotes wielding swords dressed in the attire of ancient knights and facing the distant lands.

Placing his paws over her eyes, a slight giggle was emitted from the vixen as she closed her book, pulled the vulpine's paws away from her face, and leaned her head back, staring right at his muzzle. "You're the last person I'd expect up here this early, Krystal," Fox said as he gazed lovingly into her eyes. Another giggle escaped her as she pointed to Falco, trying to shoo Slippy away as the toad hovered over his game like a gnat.

"Someone had to make sure he did not go into cardiac arrest due to all of the sugar," Krystal added with a smile.

Fox leaned on the vixen's chair, before averting his gaze into her deep emerald irises. Three years ago, the vulpine would've been a mess simply trying to talk to her. But now, all he did was gaze into her eyes. "So, anywhere you want to go when we get to Corneria?" Fox asked as he twirled a lock of her blue hair around his index finger. Krystal chuckled as she closed her book once more and began to scratch his chin, a spot she knew was one of his weaknesses. His ears began to twitch and his tail started wagging as a smitten smile crossed his lips.

"Whatever you think would be best to eat. Personally, I would prefer that new restaurant in Little Fortuna. I think it was called Minstro's?" Fox chuckled as he let her fingers work over every nook in his chin scruff.

"That's a bit pricey, Krys," he said with a quirked eyebrow. Krystal scoffed as she flicked his chin before grabbing his jaw and pulling him in close.

"I'm sure the hero of Lylat can haggle the owners for a cheaper price," the blue-furred fox fired back with a loving gaze.

Fox placed a quick kiss on her cheek as he made his way over to his captain's chair and sat down on the swiveling red leather throne at the center of the bridge. "ROB, can I get an update on Fay, Miyu, and Katt?" Fox asked his robotic assistant, who stood as stoic as ever before his head turned around one hundred and eight degrees to face the fox.

"Would you like a report or live camera footage?" The monotone voice of ROB filled the air, the brass-coated bot cocking his head as he waited for a command. He was slightly taller than Falco, the hard robotic exterior slightly scarred from the near decade of constant use and repairs.

Fox tapped his chin for a second before nodding, placing his chin in his palm as he leaned forward in his chair. "Live cams please, ROB." The robot nodded his head as he turned it back around.

"Affirmative, Fox." The sounds of beeping filled the air, before the holographic display at the center of the bridge filled with three camera feeds, all taken from live bodycam footage

For the feed labeled "Fay", it displayed two white-furred arms tending to a cougar dressed in miner's clothes, clearly suffering from Snakebite withdrawal. His twitches were wild and erratic, forcing one arm to incapacitate him as the other injected a needle into his arm. The cougar's thrashing ceased a few seconds later as his breathing became steady and bloodshot eyes faded. His veins seemingly had a black inky substance fade from them as they returned to their normal colors.

Moving on to the camera labeled "Miyu", it showcased a flurry of spotted fists and feet flying as a cavalcade of goons fell one by one to the attacks. The camera was quickly caught between two goons, each throwing punches. The camera suddenly jerked to the side and behind one goon, causing him to get punched in the jaw by his friend. A leg rose up from the camera before being swung backward, kicking the leg of the sucker-punched goon out and into the privates of the assailant, who clutched his groin in pain. The camera was then behind the keeled-over goon as a leg shot up and kicked him in the back of the head, causing him to fall onto his buddy who was dealing with an overextended leg and bruised jaw.

Finally switching to the camera labeled "Katt", the screen was fixated on another screen with code being typed in at a rapid pace. Numbers and letters flew by as the screen announced that more and more systems fell to the computer. After a few seconds, however, the typing suddenly ceased. Fox's phone buzzed a few seconds later, causing him to reach into his pocket and check it. It was a text from Katt, which read: "No spying on my work, Foxy-boy. xoxo K."

The bodycam suddenly went to static, prompting Fox to scoff as he stood up from his chair. "Thanks, ROB. You can kill the two remaining feeds," Fox ordered as he leaned back in his chair, content with simply staring out into the inky black of space for the time being.

"Dammit Slippy, stop hovering!" Falco's shout suddenly pierced the air on the bridge, ruining the moment. Fox let out a sigh, making his way over to Falco to see why he was so worked up.

Fox cleared a spot for himself on the couch and put his feet up on the table where the TV was bolted to. They didn't stay there long, however, as Falco was quick to push them off the table with his own boots and onto the floor. "Not you too, Fox! Feet down!" The avian had a strain in his voice as he was up to a tough boss fight. As Fox glanced at the screen, he saw that Falco was playing one of his favorite fantasy video games. Falco's character was modeled after himself, with a few larger muscles that the avian next to him clearly did not have. The boss was a giant snake with a double-edged sword hanging from its fangs, swiping erratically and powerfully.

Falco's unmoving eyes refused to budge from his screen as he kept striking the snake with powerful spells and sharp sword cuts. His movements seemed erratic on the controller but translated to fluent combat on screen. He seemingly had a pattern of attacking the monster, and it worked. He kept using his healing items frequently, as whenever a heavy blow hit him, he made sure to heal up and stay in the fight. Slippy's tips did little to help, only serving to frustrate Falco more.

With nothing better to do and still two hours out from Corneria, the three pilots watched the boss's health bar chip away ever so slightly. This was it. All Falco had to do was land the quick-time event killing blow, and victory would be his.

It seemed that the universe truly did hate Falco Lombardi specifically on this date, because the ship suddenly emitted an ear-splitting metallic bang, with warning signs popping up on the big screen in front of the captain's chair. All of this caused a misclick and certain demise for the avian. His failure to capitalize on the quick-time event caused the snake to cut him with a one-hit blow, ending the life of his virtual avatar with dramatic fanfare. A small series of twitches escaped the left eye of Falco as he sat there, beak agape with the words "cast to the shadows" blanketing the screen. Slippy very quickly backed away from Falco, not wanting to be slapped with his own hat again. He was so close. The boss fight took away most of his items and his last save was three hours ago. Whatever ruined his game had a lot of explaining to do.

Fox sprang to his feet and dashed over to ROB, standing still as if nothing just happened. "ROB, what's going on?"

The robot made a series of noises before turning around. "Intruder in Cargo Bay Four, unidentified life-form," ROB replied.

"Unidentified life-form?" Krystal politely asked as she put her book down, grabbing her ornate golden staff that had been knocked down to her feet.

"Affirmative. Intruder seems to have temporally entered at a great velocity, speeds are estimated at over three hundred and eight-six kilometers per hour, damage has been caused to the cargo bay," ROB stated. Slippy's eyes grew wide as he did the math in his head.

"Wait, ROB, are you saying that whoever this is just up and teleported right into the Great Fox?"

"Precisely."

"ROB, can you find out the species of our guest?" Fox asked with curiosity blanketing his voice. After a few beeps, ROB had his answer.

"Unknown, it is concealing itself with some sort of hazmat suit. Bio scans do show that this life-form carries no biological threat or virus to the ship. Contact is approved without hazmat gear if necessary. Intruder seems to be injured as well, they crashed into the wall at over one hundred kilometers per hour," ROB informed. With the all clear for contact given, Fox turned to his now alert team.

"Ok, Falco, Krystal, you're with me," Fox began, barking out his orders as usual. "Slippy and Peppy, make sure you know where our visitor is at all times. ROB, put the Great Fox into lockdown." As the toad and rabbit began to check the security cameras in the cargo bay while ROB began tapping away at the center console again, Fox, Falco, and Krystal were sprinting through the halls, trying to reach the cargo bay as fast as possible. While Fox and Krystal were ready to identify the threat and deal with it, Falco was ready to dole out some justice for ruining his game.

~::::~

TJ held his head, feeling a steady stream of crimson trickle down his forehead. His ears were ringing and his eyes were blurry, the driver unable to see anything in front of him except for shades of white and gray. Pulling himself back, TJ realized why those were the only colors he could observe. The airbags went off. Blinking a couple of times, TJ could not get his vision to improve nor get the ringing out of his ears. Beneath his disguise, he could feel his blood leaking beneath the mask as his body screamed in pain. One thing he needed to do no matter what was figure out just where he was.

Pushing the driver's door open, TJ glanced passed the rear of the Viper and noticed his trail of destruction. Boxes were knocked over, light fixtures flickered overhead, and he was pretty sure a small fire started somewhere nearby. Wanting to make sure his stolen car was still in working condition, he flicked the ignition switch and felt disappointed as the engine chugged and sputtered for a bit. Multiple flicks gave the same result before it died out with a final sputter, refusing to start. On instinct, TJ let out a frustrated yell and smacked the steering wheel a couple of times. The driver winced as his arm suddenly cried out in pain, the punches giving his arm a painful receipt.

With the car no longer in working condition, TJ slowly pushed the door open with a noisy squeak before stepping out and stumbling around like he was drunk. As he held onto the side wall, he noticed some letters printed on the wall. "The Great Fox? The hell is that?" He asked himself before wobbling back to the car. Sitting on the smoking hood, TJ tapped his earpiece and tried to see if anyone would respond. "Bravo? Charlie? Echo? Alpha? Anyone? Guys, you there?" No dice. Wherever he was, there was no contact with his crew. Unzipping the hazmat suit, the driver fished his phone out of his pants pocket and began trying to call his friends one by one. Each number was hung up on as soon as he pressed the button to call, even though his phone said he had an overload of service. Trying to get anyone back on the line was completely useless. TJ felt nausea kick in soon after, and the whole world began to spin around him. He held onto the car, trying to get a grip as klaxons began to blare, worsening his headache. "WARNING: THE GREAT FOX IS NOW IN: LOCKDOWN. SECURITY BREACH IN: CARGO BAY FOUR." The message played itself on a loop as TJ read below "The Great Fox" to a few more words. "Cargo Bay 4."

"Aw shit."

At that moment, a door somewhere opened up, causing TJ to jump. He quickly scrambled behind a nearby box and waited. "Alright, split up and find whoever this is," came one voice. It sounded young, but seemed in control, like it was the leader.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," another voice taunted in a sing-songy attitude. The accent on this one sounded like that of a stereotypical New Yorker, with a cocky tone. TJ had to get out of here, and fast. He darted his eyes all over the bay, trying to get a feel for his surroundings. He spotted the door, left ajar by the residents of this place, and waited for a few seconds before making a break for it.

Seeing this as his only chance, he broke into a full sprint, before tripping on something and falling flat on his face a few seconds later. As he tried to get up, he felt something push into his back, immobilizing him. "I got it!" Shouted the voice, which was much more feminine than the last two, and carried a British accent.

The sound of two pairs of boots sprinting toward him made TJ nervous. Part of him wanted to look up, but his panic kept his eyes on the floor. However, those last two words were strange. Got it? What does that mean? He's a guy, not an it. As he was looking around, he noticed a pair of boots right in front of his face. Gaining the courage to crane his neck up, the street racer traced the boots to pants, to a belt, a jacket, and a beak.

A beak. A bird's beak. On the head of a blue bird. A bird taller than him standing on its legs with a gun in its right wing. TJ turned around to see what was being jabbed in his back, only to notice a blue fox and an orange fox standing over him as well, with an ornate staff resting on his spine. A bit of nervous laughter escaped the street racer, as his mind hadn't yet caught up with the situation.

"Um... hi?"

As soon as the words left his lips, TJ's world went dark.

~::::~

By the time TJ came to, he was in a completely different room. He no longer felt blood trickling down his face, but his head was still killing him. The air gently blowing against his face meant that his gas mask had been discarded, prompting him to look down at his disguise. He was thankfully still clothed in his hazmat suit, but his eyes quickly noticed that he was cuffed to a table in front of him, making his blood run cold as he slumped down in his seat. In his mind, he quickly ran over his strategy, what Royce told him to do if he was ever busted.

As he looked around while getting his story straight, he slowly began to hate everything in the room. The chair was uncomfortable, the lights were too bright, and the room felt bland. All that populated the room was another empty chair, lights, and a table, to which he was handcuffed to the center. They did not seem like any handcuffs the kid was used to seeing, seemingly made up of a much stronger metal with tensile wiring. The quietness of the room had begun to get to him as he started to think. He remembered a blue bird, possibly a falcon, standing over him. Then there were the orange and blue foxes as well. Nothing made any sense. Where did he end up? The future? The past? Alternate reality? The thoughts didn't last much longer, as the sounds of boots and muffled arguing approached.

The door slid open to reveal the same orange fox and blue falcon in the cargo bay, both still standing up straight. TJ recoiled at first, darting his eyes all over the fox before he tried to relax, slumping back into his seat as he did so. The fox was wearing a white bomber jacket with an emblem of a red fox with wings on its back. Underneath the jacket was a red scarf and green jumpsuit, with a pair of aviator sunglasses hanging around the belt. The falcon on the other hand wore an all-white bomber jacket with a red and blue jumpsuit underneath, but wearing the same red scarf that the fox was.

An uncomfortable silence hung overhead as the fox sat down at the table and folded his paws, while the falcon leaned up against the wall behind the fox, glaring a hole in the kid. The fox dug a small device from his pocket, that disk in the Viper, and placed it on the table before he clasped his paws. "State your name for the record, please." The fox said.

This took TJ aback a bit. A fox speaking perfect English? This had to be a joke. Narrowing his eyes at the anthropomorphic animal, TJ leaned back in his seat. "I want a lawyer."

The fox tilted his head. "You want a lawyer?"

"S'what I said. I want a lawyer."

The fox kept his head tilted before sighing. "Well, allow me to introduce myself first before we get any… lawyers involved. The name's Fox, Fox McCloud. Leader of the Star Fox mercenary fighter squadron. It's clear you don't know who I am, or else you would be a lot more cooperative right now."

TJ scoffed as he kept leaning back in his seat. "An' I said I want a lawyer. Look, I don't care what kinda furry costumes you guys put on, but you ain't gonna get anythin' outta me. I was just transportin' a car and got caught up in a crazy police chase. That's it. Anythin' else, you say it to a lawyer."

Fox and the blue bird traded confused glares, the latter shrugging as Fox shook his head. "You don't understand, these are not costumes. We have no clue who you are, what you are, and where you come from. As far as I'm concerned, you're a hostile combatant that teleported onto our ship and is stalling for time."

TJ chuckled, leaning back further in his chair. "Ship? Well damn, this must be a big ship then, 'cause I can't even feel the waves."

"We're not on any body of water, we're in low orbit above Corneria." A face littered with confusion from TJ made Fox release a curt sigh. "We're in space."

The driver was unable to stop himself from letting out a short laugh, pushing his chair back slightly as he did so. "Okay, come on. What is this, some sorta prank show? Where are the hidden cameras? Man, I didn't know the cops would go this far for a confession! I mean, if I had one to give anyway."

Fox did not respond, instead choosing to stand up and approach a switch near the door. With a faint click, pneumatic hissing filled the air, emanating from behind the street racer. Turning around, TJ's eyes nearly spilled out of his skull as the truth was laid bare. TJ could see a blue and green planet through a massive window that had replaced the entire wall, but it was nothing like Earth despite the similarities. Continents were wrong or missing, and it seemed to be more densely packed. In the distance, a plethora of spaceships flew around, docking at various ports or taking off from them. A massive space station took up the majority of the view, while ships departing from it entered a green circle of light before disappearing completely. Down below, TJ could see the bright lights that made up various cities, once more looking nothing like home. Looking past the new planet, TJ could clearly see more different colored planets in the distance, small but present in his field of view.

"What the fuck?"

Fox slowly made his way to the side of the confused driver, clasping his hands behind his back as he admired the planet. "You're aboard the Great Fox in a holding pattern over the planet Corneria, the fourth planet of the Lylat System."

The world came crashing down on TJ almost instantly, the young driver beginning to hyperventilate as he felt a pit of nausea grow in his stomach. "No… no no no, that don't exist… that… there's… Mom… guys… oh God… oh God!"

Instantly, TJ began to yank on his restraints, grunting as he began to attempt to tear his arms away from the table with demented fervor. Fox quickly attended to the panicking kid, who looked like he was about to burst into tears any second now. "Hey, hey listen! I need you to calm down! Look at me!"

TJ ceased his thrashing for a bit, doing as the fox said. His eyes still darted like a wild animal and his breathing was beyond erratic. "Listen, Whatever's going on right now, it's not normal. But I need you to take a deep breath and answer my questions. You're not in any trouble. We just need some information from you, then we can focus on getting you back home. Okay?"

Heavy breathing still filled the air, TJ's throat practically glued shut as he tried to calm down. He was able to nod his head, causing Fox to back away and sit down at the opposite side of the table once more. "So, let's try this again. What's your name?"

TJ took a second to answer, still reeling from reality as he took a few breaths. "It… it's Tyler. But my friends call me TJ."

"Okay, TJ. What is your species and where are you from? I need specific names and locations, please."

"I… I guess I'm a human. I'm from... from Detroit… but the whole planet's called Earth…"

Fox pulled out a tablet from his jacket, tapping away at the compact device for a minute before he raised his eyebrows. "Well, I'm sorry to say this TJ, but our charts have no data for a planet called Earth, nor any species called human." Fox could sense the panic coming over the kid and quickly intervened. "But, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. We've found unknown planets and discovered unknown lifeforms before, it's just gonna take some time. The more info you give us, the faster we can find you a way home."

TJ shifted in his seat for a bit, looking around for any signs of the law as he tapped his fingers on the table. "So… what else do you need to know?"

Fox reached into his jacket pocket again, pulling the disk that was in the Viper and setting it down on the desk. It had been burnt out, the shiny silver frame now a crusty husk. Pushing the disk towards TJ, Fox looked down before he met the kid's gaze again. "We found this in that car you entered with. We had our tech guy look at it while you were unconscious, he says it's some kind of rudimentary teleportation device. Since the concept of space travel is a shock to you, how did you get hold of a basic teleporter?"

TJ shrugged, looking back at the now charred disk with confusion. "I…I don't know. I was only gettin' paid to boost the whip, wasn't told about anythin' else."

"Boost the whip?"

Before TJ could answer Fox's question, the bird spoke up as he returned to leaning on the wall. "It means he stole the car, Fox."

The vulpine nodded, turning back to face TJ, who looked like his hand was stuck in the cookie jar at this point. "So, you're just a carjacker?"

For a second, TJ seemed offended that Fox would insinuate that, his face shifting to a frown. "Hey, I ain't some run-of-the-mill jacker, Fox. I'm the best street racer my city ever saw! There's not a single race I haven't won, and I've done 'em all! I've cut through rush hour traffic like butter an' done donuts 'round the cops! Oh, and I didn't jack some random car either. That's a concept of the Dodge Viper GTS-R, the only one in existence! Plus, oh man, you should see my actual car. Oh yeah, Nissan Skyline R-32. She's got the works bro, I'm talking a tuned-up engine, turbos, chip, NOS, and exhaust system, meanin' she's got pop for blocks that really makes her RB26 DETT sing. That ain't even goin' into the handling setup she's got goin' on under there, but once I get my hands on the R-34, oh man, that's my-"

"Okay! Okay TJ, you're a street racer with a fast car. We got it. You're starting to sound just like Slippy..." The fox chuckled at the end of his words, causing TJ to silence himself as he relaxed back into his seat. Taking a look back at the bird, Fox made a quick tilting motion with his head, causing the bird to scoff.

"Whatever you say, Foxy. Just lemme know if you need me to zap 'em again." With that, the bird quickly walked out of the room with his hands in his pockets before Fox could rebuke his purposeful slip of the tongue.

Turning back towards a confused TJ, Fox stood up with a sigh and tapped away on the table. Suddenly, TJ felt his wrists no longer constrained by the cuffs, causing him to rub the sore spots instinctively. "Since you're not a threat, I don't see a need for you to be chained up like this. Oh, we also gave these a once-over, just to make sure you are you who you said you are." Fox began to pull more stuff out of the black hole that was his jacket after he had finished his statement, emptying the contents onto the table. TJ's cell phone, wallet, keys to both cars and earpiece were all included in the pile. "I should probably mention that meathead you saw earlier was Falco Lombardi. Got a head thicker than a lead brick, but he's one hell of a pilot."

The barb got TJ to chuckle as he reclaimed his items, stuffing them into his pockets as he looked around the room. "So, now what?"

"Now, you're in my custody." The word custody had TJ's eyes bulging out of his head as he took a cautionary step back, making Fox silently kick himself for the word choice. "Sorry, I meant you're under my supervision. This world is apparently a lot different from what you know, and I don't want you getting lost or in trouble. We'll keep you aboard this ship for now, give you some time to adjust to the world." TJ nodded, slowly walking around the desk with his hands in his pockets. He looked like a lost puppy, causing Fox to chuckle slightly as an idea suddenly cropped up. "I could have Krystal give you a quick tour of the Great Fox. Trust me, most people would kill for this kind of opportunity."

TJ paused for a second, raising his brow as Fox walked towards the door. "Why?"

The vulpine chuckled again, tapping his PDA once more before stuffing it inside his jacket. "You'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, just sit tight and admire the view. Krystal will be here in a sec."

With a swish of his tail, the vulpine exited the room, leaving TJ alone once more. Turning around, TJ began to admire the jaw-dropping vista. Working spaceships flew all around him, carrying various goods or people. That massive space station he noticed before was ever-present, a series of lights flickering from it along with that massive green ring. Ships that entered the glow disappeared, yet no one was alarmed. Rather, a line of ships followed in an orderly fashion. TJ's eyes moved to the blue sphere beneath the space station, similar yet foreign in its appearance. While it carried the same shape and color as Earth, the land was wrong, like someone mixed up a puzzle. The continents were unrecognizable, causing a pit to form in TJ's stomach again. Maybe he did not travel through space, but rather time…

Before TJ could combat those thoughts any longer, a polite cough caught his ears. Turning on his heels, TJ noticed a blue fox similar to the one he saw before being knocked out standing in the doorway. She was clad in what appeared to be a purple flight suit with a cream-colored flight jacket. Compared to the white fauxhawk atop Fox's head, this fox seemed to have a full set of hair, mainly blue bangs that hung just above her eyes. The hair failed to conceal a red gem suspended from a gold chain in the middle of the vulpine's forehead, shining bright in the lighting of the blank room. "A pleasure to meet you, Tyler. Fox told me to meet you here, yes?" The gentle accented voice cut through the air like a hot knife through butter, contrasting the drab and cold appearance of the room.

TJ raised a brow as he posed on the desk, folding his arms as he looked the fox up and down. "I guess. So, you're Krystal?"

Krystal gave off a polite nod as she clasped her hands behind her back. "Yes, I am. I must say, it is refreshing to meet someone who is unaware of my existence."

TJ chuckled, adjusting his posture slightly as he tilted his chin up. "Y'know, that Fox guy said somethin' like that a minute ago. You guys a buncha' celebs or somethin'?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. Though, people seem to pay more attention to me over Fox these days."

"Why's that?"

"Because I am a telepath."

The gears slowly began to turn in TJ's head as he noticed a warm smile overcome Krystal's face. "Wait, telepath, like you can move stuff with your mind?"

Krystal shook her head with an amused smile. "No, that is telekinesis. Telepathy is the ability to read minds. I can read thoughts, emotions, memories, and even plant… suggestions into people's minds."

The kid stood with his mouth agape, disbelief displayed across his face. "Seriously? You're magical?"

"In a sense, yes."

"Prove it."

Krystal sighed. It was a trial she had to endure many times before. Her training and meditation were reduced to a mere party trick. Nevertheless, she nodded her head with a smile still on her lips. "Alright then, what would you have me do?"

"What number am I thinking of right now?"

"One billion four hundred and fifty-two million eight hundred and sixty thousand three hundred and thirteen."

"Whoa! O-okay, what country am I from?"

"America."

"Okay, last one, what did I keep in the glove box of my Skyline?"

"A… bottle of baby powder? Wait, why did you keep baby powder in your car?"

"Wow! You really are a telepath! That's… that's insane! I can't believe magic is real! How'd you learn to do that?"

Despite not having her question answered Krystal quickly wiped the confused glare off her face and smiled once more. "It is a very long story, one that I'll tell you about later. For now, would you like me to show you around?"

TJ paused for a second, the excitement of meeting a telepath quickly wearing off as his mind wandered. Krystal could sense the change in his emotion almost instantly, shifting from a cheery smile to a concerned visage. "Honestly, I'm out of it. And with everythin' goin' on it feels like the world's crashin' down on me. Know of any place on this ship where I could crash for a few?"

Krystal attempted to piece together the slang from his downtrodden tone of voice, before nodding and motioning TJ to follow her. As Krystal turned on her heels and began to walk, TJ stopped leaning on the desk and put his hands in his pockets before trailing the vixen out the door. Almost instantly, it felt like TJ was on the set of a sci-fi TV show. Bright lights, white halls, and futuristic vibes overcame the street racer as he trodded along, trailing like a dog on a leash. As the human and vulpine rounded a corner, Krystal spoke up once more. "I apologize for the manner in which we met. Falco got slightly trigger-happy and hit you with a stun bolt back in the cargo bay. Do you feel any adverse effects?"

A raised brow from the human was her initial response, before TJ tilted his head, checking himself by tapping his body in multiple places as if he was looking for a set of keys on his person. "I… I don't really feel anythin'. Am I supposed to?"

"Not really. At least there is no nerve pain or stiffness besides your fatigue and other injuries, correct?"

TJ nodded.

"Good, then you should be fine. When Fay returns from her mission, we will have her give you a check-up and ensure nothing is out of place."

Trusting the words of the fox, TJ followed Krystal down a series of shiny silver halls that felt like they went on forever. Despite the look of a cold and cramped shell, the air was surprisingly warm as TJ kept close to his guide. Eventually, the vulpine stopped in front of a door and placed her palm on a blue device that appeared to be a tablet. After a second, the door opened with another pneumatic hiss, and the lights were turned on. Rows of neatly-made bunk beds filled the room as TJ stepped inside, looking like a military barracks rather than a guest room. Save for footlockers in front of the beds, the room had next to no furnishings. "Here you go, Tyler. Pick any one of these beds, they are all the same."

The street racer narrowed his eyes, the oppressive feel of the room getting to him as he looked back at Krystal. "So, do you guys all like, sleep in the same room here or somethin'?"

"No, we have our own rooms. This is mainly used as guest bunks for various military personnel or V.I.P.s that we have to shuttle around every now and then. I will check on you in a few hours to see how you are holding up."

TJ nodded his head along in response, before looking around the room once more and visually selecting his bunk. "Gotcha, thanks again… Christine?"

The vulpine chuckled, shaking her head. "Krystal."

"Right, Krystal, sorry 'bout that."

"No worries, Tyler. Take all the time you need. A pleasure to meet you as well." Sticking her hand out in a polite gesture, TJ gently grabbed it only to be slightly shocked at her strength, his eyes going wide as he tensed up slightly at the pressure. The vixen let go a second later, turning on her heels and walking out of the room, sealing TJ in the barracks for the foreseeable future. TJ instantly realized that he was now trapped, putting his hands on his head as his eyes bugged out of his skull. He began to pace; his footsteps giving off a rhythmic sense of isolation as they echoed throughout the still air of the room. Thoughts of a coma dream ran through his tired mind as he made up a million scenarios. Each one seemed crazier than the last, and none answered his questions. Animals standing like people and speaking his language? Space travel? Mercenaries?

The thoughts began to aggravate TJ, his hands gripping chunks of hair as he gnashed his teeth to prevent tears from leaking out. TJ wanted to stop the thoughts from leaking out of his ears and moved his pace to the bed he had chosen with his eyes. It was far away and in the back, tucked neatly into a corner that hid away from every other bunk. Staring at the freshly tucked military olive sheets, TJ face-planted on the mattress, not even caring to remove his boots or hazmat suit. The soft mattress did wonders to comfort the street racer, his worries and fatigue drifting away almost instantly. TJ sealed his eyes shut, listening to his rhythmic breathing as he slowly forgot about each trouble that plagued him. A final thought of this new world flashed through his mind before he passed out.