SFFF Chapter 3

Clubbed to Death

Fox burst out of the elevator like a madman, scrambling for the front door of the building, his teammates trying their best to keep up. As he exited the doorway he frantically scanned the area, looking for any trace of the blue vixen.

'Where is she, where is she' he thought as he continued to look around 'my wristcom says she should be right here'. Then he saw it, wedged between the building and a trashcan. He quickly walked over and picked up the abandoned wristcom, seeing his face reflected in the device's cracked screen.

"She's gone huh?" Falco wheezed as he and Slippy finally caught up to their vulpine friend.

"Fox…I have…an idea" Slippy said in between gasps, the day's unexpected exercise catching up with him. Slippy had spied a wireless camera on the building's exterior, part of the building's security no doubt. After a few moments of input to his wristcom, he was able to access the recorded video feed. As his teammates leaned in to watch, they soon identified a familiar blue vixen getting into a limousine with Lexi and three others, time-stamped 30 minutes prior.

"What now?" Fox asked

"Almost got it….THERE" Slippy said triumphantly. "I've got the license plate…now a few more tweaks" the frog continued, punching into his device. A holographic map soon appeared with a blue dot moving along the roadway. "There they are" Slippy said "looks like they're passing a hospital".

"How do you know its them though?" Falco asked, eyeing the map in confusion.

"Easy, I tracked the license plate to the rental company. They keep tracking devices in all of their vehicles. As long as they stay in that limousine, we've got them."

"They won't get away" Fox said resolutely, his hope now restored "We won't catch them in a car, I'm calling General Peppy to get us a skyshuttle and some backup."

'Hang on Krystal' Fox thought, hoping the vixen could hear him 'I'm on my way.'

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"Pull over here." Flurry said to their corgi driver, as he pulled into the emergency drive-in of a nearby hospital. A lynx in a nurse outfit quickly rushed over to the side of the car.

"Sorry but there's been a mistake" Flurry said to the confused cat as he opened the passenger door. "Please take this girl to her mother, wing B, room 274, nurse on duty named Clarice". The vulpine promptly shoved the kit the confused cat's arms before slamming the door shut. Before the lynx could gather her senses to ask a question, the car had already sped away.

"Not bad eh Krystal" the white fox laughed he got comfortable in his seat.

"Who are you?" Krystal asked, glaring at the fox and his canine henchmen.

"Oh, where are my manners" the fox feigned shock before taking a mock bow. "Flurry Sharana, at your service. You met my brother earlier on the rotunda."

Krystal's eyes went wide, she tried to telepathically get a read on them, but as with Lexi, she couldn't access their thoughts. The realization turned her cold. 'What do these guys want?'

"Ah ah ah" Flurry said wagging his finger "No mind tricks little lady, it's impolite to snoop."

'How did he know?' Krystal thought, dumbfounded. A few seconds later she decided to try a different approach "…what do you want" she asked directly.

"Oh…me?" Flurry rubbed his chin seemingly deep in thought "I dunno…my brother wanted you though. I suppose that's as good a reason as any."

"Wanted me…why?" Krystal shuddered to think what they meant by that.

"You can ask him yourself later" Flurry replied nonchalantly "Honestly you should be flattered. I sent him three girls hotter than you last week for his birthday, and he barely touched them." the teenage fox crassly said.

They traveled in silence for the next few minutes before Flurry asked their driver to turn up the radio.

"…breaking news, we have just received word of a Venomian terrorist attack at Daren Tower, in downtown Corneria City. Details are still coming in, we will keep you informed as the situation develops.

The white fox couldn't resist letting out another laugh "Venomians, hahaha, what a bunch of idiots. It's a good thing we're going to Papetoon babe, because the Cornerians are gonna to tear up everything between here and Venom." The car ride was silent after that, everyone taking in the news bulletins, with Krystal begging her gods that she wouldn't hear Star Fox's names among the dead and missing.

After what felt like an eternity to Krystal but 10 minutes to everyone else, they pulled into a docking area alongside a space shuttle. Five ruffians quickly exited the shuttle to meet the passengers on the tarmac. Their matching white fur, white feathers and white scales in stark contrast to the usual colors found on the planet.

"Roadtrip's over!" Flurry shouted, everybody out.

Krystal was roughly pulled out of the car by Gustav and pushed towards one of the shuttle crew. The driver following behind. Cane meanwhile turned to Flurry with an angry face.

"You didn't tell us we would be hitting Star Fox you brat!" he barked as Gustav returned and stood next to him.

"Well, I didn't say you 'wouldn't' be hitting Star Fox…so, lets call it even huh." Flurry said raising his open paws to the pair.

"Not so fast." The husky growled "We all heard what happened on the radio, everyone else is dead! We want double the take, NOW!" As if to hammer home their point, both canines put their hands on their blaster handles, the shuttle crew quickly following suit.

"Whoa whoa, were all friends here, right?" Flurry said waving his hands to forestall any blasting "Here" he continued "….take his" he said tossing them each a bundle of credits from inside his jacket. "That's $100K each ok."

As the canines stopped to count their wads of cash, Flurry spoke up again "I trust we can keep this all a secret between friends, right?"

"Sure" Cane spat out, turning to walk away with Gustav in tow.

A pale lizard from the shuttle crew walked over to Flurry, confusion on his face. "You actually paid them boss?"

"Of course, Blanche" Flurry said looking at his shuttle driver. "After all, three CAN keep a secret…" Flurry continued, turning back to look at the dog pair walking away. In the blink of an eye Flurry drew his blaster and fired off two quick shots, each blast connecting with the back of a canine's head. "…as long as two of them are dead" he mumbled.

"Blanche, get our shuttle powered up, Blizzard will meet us in orbit. Jack, get over there and get those credits, they have my fingerprints on them, and YOU" Flurry turned to Krystal, giving her a grin "take a good look around, I don't think we'll be seeing Corneria for a while."

Before Krystal could respond the entire party was greeted with the whine of a police klaxon. All eyes snapped to the sky as a three skylift police transports descended towards them. A loudspeaker voice listing their demands.

"This is the police. Power off your shuttle immediately and remain on the tarmac. You are under arrest…"

'Dammit' seethed Flurry, grinding his teeth together. They had been so close.

"Change in plans" he barked, grabbing Krystal's hand "Everyone in the limo, NOW!"

As the rogues scrambled to get inside the limousine, the skylift vehicles swiftly landed around the car, attempting to block its escape.

"Drive" Flurry screamed at the corgi wheelman, who responded by stomping on the pedal with his foot. The limousine recklessly swerved around the skylifts, several of its doors swinging open as the pirates hadn't had time to properly latch them. Its passengers rattling around inside, clinging to anything and anyone, the car was able to clear the barricade and get back on the road.

"Where to boss?" The corgi spoke up, nervously gripping the wheel. As he looked in the driver's door mirror he saw the skylifts taking off to begin their pursuit.

"T'GLMRMAMA" came a muffled reply.

"Where?" the dog said, glancing in the rearview mirror at the wriggling pile of bodies on the floor, trying to untangle themselves.

"To Glamourama" was the reply, as the white vulpine finally stuck his head out of the mess. "There's a tunnel coming up in a quarter mile. The skylifts wont follow us through there. The club is on the other side. We'll lose them in the crowd."

"Not that I expected this kidnapping to be first class." Krystal joined in, kicking herself out of the pile to find a seat "But could you tell me what Glamourama is?"

Ignoring her, Flurry dialed the establishment's private number. The hologram of a 30-something german shepherd dressed in ostentatious party clothes quickly appeared.

"Ah Mr Sharana, glad to see you again." the shepherd quickly taking note of the chaos inside the limousine "still partying hard I see."

"Can-it Johan! I've got the cops on my ass, I need two fresh cars behind the club ready to go, NOW!"

"Of course, of course" replied the dog, eager to please one of his best patrons "Our usual fee then, I trust its nothing too serious."

"I've got Star Fox after me too, you can kill'em or keep them busy for 10 minutes, I don't care which."

At the mention of Star Fox, the color drained from the canine's face. Cops were a fact of life in his business. Glamourama averaged at least one police raid each month, all you had to do was play dumb and 'forget' some credits on the bar. The police trouble also enhanced his club's wild reputation, pulling in more partygoers who wanted to see a ruckus…Star Fox though, that was something else entirely.

"Mr Sharana, please understand…I run an entertainment business, not a mercenary compa…"

"Oh, that's rich coming from you. I imagine that blaster in your jacket is purely for style, huh Jo?" Flurry inquired as he cut him off. "Everyone who parties' knows you deal the best smack this side of Lylat. There's probably more weapons in that club than in the cop wagons chasing us."

Johan bit his lip as he tried to wiggle out of the situation, his tail wagging in frustration.

Sensing the canine's reluctance, Flurry decided to offer the dog a carrot "Tell ya what Jo, I'll give you $2-million credits an ear for each Star Fox member you bump off. You follow me?" The white vulpine paused before repeating his words to ensure they sunk in "…two… million… an… ear!"

Credit-signs ran over the shepherd's eyes, his greed overcoming what little common sense he had. '$2-million an ear…I can finally get out of this slum and into some real business' a shit-eating grin soon appeared on the canine's face.

"As you say Mr Sharana, we'll be ready."

"You better." retorted Flurry as he ended the call, hoping the shepherd was up to the task. Those skylifts were little more than flying buses, they wouldn't have much time after leaving the tunnel.

Less than two minutes later the limousine pulled up to the curb alongside the club's entrance. As the shaken party stumbled out of the vehicle Flurry herded them all towards the entrance, cutting past the line as a panther doorman allowed them through. Though initially upset at witnessing special treatment, the whole line cheered when they saw Flurry waving his hand at them. More than a few of the females in line screamed and flashed him their chests, making him grin.

Basking in the reverie, Flurry was soon brought back to reality as a skylift shuttle made for a landing, its engine screaming down from above, silencing his fan club. Flipping-off the vehicle, Flurry then turned and ran through the doors into the club.

XXXXXXX

Fox and his team held onto straps within the skylift, bouncing around at the turbulence. They had flown above the tunnel, still tracking the limousine on their screen, now as the craft passed over the tunnel's exit they witnessed the car skid to a stop next to a neon-lit building, the size of a large shopping mall.

"Take us down there" Fox said to the pilot, as the skylift made a beeline for the street.

As they got closer they could clearly see the limousine's passengers flee towards the building door, a blue-furred figure being pulled along with them. As the skylift's camera zoomed in to get a closer look, they were greeted with young white vulpine flipping them off, before running past the doorman.

"That little prick" Falco spoke up "I'll wipe that smirk off his face."

"We go straight in after we land" Fox ordered, "have the other shuttles move to cover the east and west exits."

"Woah woah Fox" Falco replied, trying to reign in his teammate "That's the Glamourama! We can't just run around in there, there's probably over ten-thousand people inside"

"So what then?!" Fox demanded, angrily staring at his now flustered friend.

"I'm just saying, we should make a plan and…"

Falco never got to finish his sentence, the woosh of the skylift door opening and Fox leaping out; sprinting towards the door rendered it moot.

"Dammit! Slippy, you stay here and coordinate with Peppy at HQ. I'll backup Fox."

"On it" the toad replied, punching keys on shuttle computer.

As Falco ran after Fox, he saw his friend quickly reach the front door. A line of partygoers waiting to enter continued down the block. Falco caught up, just as Fox was stopped by the doorman.

"Do you have a reservation?" the burly panther said, staring down the foot-shorter fox.

Fox's only reply was to throw a punch at the cat's face, knocking him on his ass. The vulpine didn't even notice the cheers from the line as he ran into the club, the partygoers trampling the unlucky feline as they streamed in after him.

'Oh boy, here we go' Falco thought as he followed his friend into the smoke-filled den.

Glamourama was marketed as club where patrons could be socially promiscuous. As Fox and Falco entered the main floor, they were greeted with the sight of thousands of animals gyrating to hypnotic music blasting from the rafters. Couples of different species were common, as were bloodshot-red eyes indicating prolonged drug use. Dim blacklights provided the only source of light aside from the colorful lasers moving to the rhythm, or the many glowsticks worn by the patrons.

Fox's ears and tail drooped, he had been willing to fight an army of goons to get Krystal back, but where would he even start. Luckily for the vulpine, his feathered friend had the answer.

Leaning into Fox's ear, Falco quickly restored Fox's confidence. "My guess is they'll be running out the back door on the north side of the building. It's behind the DJ booth, let's head em off."

Nodding, Fox led the way. They quickly navigated the crowded dance floor, seemingly the only two in the club with a purpose beyond mindless revelry. They were halfway through the crowd when the club's speakers stopped them cold, the pulsating music suddenly ending. All eyes went to the DJ's booth at the back of the club.

"What's up Glamou-Ra-Maaa!" the speakers erupted, causing the crowd to cheer. "We've got coppers in the HOOOOUSE!" the speakers continued, now followed by loud boos.

Suddenly, spotlights shone down on Fox and Falco, highlighting them among the partygoers. Thousands of eyes turned to face them as display screens throughout the club projected their image. The pair soon had to raise their hands for protection as a deluge of glowsticks, drinkware and even a bra rained down on them.

"New orders from Big Daddy Jo…. Let's up the beat and kick your feet to the brand-new hardcore track…STAR FOX ATTACK!"

A fast-paced beat started thumping from speakers, the laser-light show now mimicking green shots and nova bomb blasts from an Arwing, screams of the fighter's engine intermixed with the music. Cheers erupted throughout the establishment and the dancing quickly resumed. While most of the patrons were content to toss debris or ignore them entirely, Fox and Falco noticed a fair few looking at them with bloodshot-red eyes, one was even frothing at the mouth.

"Smack Heads" Falco shouted to Fox over noise "We gotta Move!"

As they rushed towards the DJ booth they were quickly intercepted. A hyena in a leather jacket stepped in front of Fox, eyes red as a fire engine. He was smiling as if someone had just told him the world's funniest joke. The hyena threw a few quick clumsy punches at Fox before the vulpine grabbed his arm and snapped it, breaking the bone in three places. The hyena fell to the ground, laughing like a lunatic.

Falco met similar resistance, a weasel holding a beer bottle and his coyote friend slowly approached the avian, their lifeless red eyes staring into the void. In a flash, the weasel smashed the beer bottle against the head of his friend before lunging at Falco with the jagged end. The bird sidestepped the weasel, tripping him with his shoe. The weasel and coyote both fell to the floor and didn't get up.

As the pair continued towards the DJ booth, the crowd appeared to open up before them, they soon found out why. A lithe female jackal in skimpy clothes was glowsticking for the crowd. The canine twirled her two neon ropes with practiced precision. As they attempted to skirt the performer, Fox and Falco both had to duck as one of the whip-like ropes lashed out at them. A labrador soon screamed out behind them, clutching his bloody face. The smiling female gave the pair a wink as she continued to twirl, her red eyes watching, waiting for them to come closer.

"We don't have time for this" Fox said to no one in particular as he looked for a way to get through.

Remembering the weasel, Falco grabbed a discarded beer bottle off the floor and chucked it towards the jackel. The projectile smashed against the canine's face, dropping her and her glowsticks to the floor.

"Almost there" Falco shouted, as the pair jumped up and ran. As they closed within 10 feet of the DJ booth, out stepped the largest and burliest bulldog Fox had ever seen. The canine blocking their path stood a head taller than anyone else in the club, his eyes glowing red in the dim lighting.

"Outta my way" Fox yelled as he punched the bulldog in the face, to no effect. Fox had to step back as the bulldog took a slow heavy swing in return, missing the vulpine entirely and instead sending nearby chihuahua flying through the crowd.

"My turn" Falco said as he whipped out his knife and buried it into the bulldog's side. The canine just stood there, staring silently at the avian, before quickly grabbing Falco by the neck and lifting him off the ground. Desperate, Falco jabbed the bulldog, a second, third, and even fourth time, all to no effect.

Fox's mind raced trying to think up a plan. He quickly got behind the bulldog and jumped up, putting the giant canine in a chokehold. At first nothing happened, but Fox persisted. The Bulldog began to wheeze and slowly sunk down, dropping to his knees before releasing Falco and falling unconscious.

"You ok?" Fox said, quickly pulling Falco to his feet.

"I'll be fine" Falco coughed "let's finish this already."

Fox and Falco both quickly climbed up onto the DJ's booth, the thunderous crowd now cheering them on, enjoying the violent spectacle. Four dogs stared back at pair, glaring from across the platform, a long DJ table separating them all from the crowd. Fox quickly sized up their opponents. Aside from the collie DJ continuing to spin records and control the light show, Fox noted a schnauzer and terrier moving forward to protect a german shepherd behind them. The booth itself was long and narrow. Merely a raised walkway, sandwiched between the booming speakers, and the long table facing the crowd.

"Stop them!" the german shepherd barked "Don't let them through!" The schnauzer and terrier both produced truncheons, the weapons soon crackling as electricity sparked off of them.

The schnauzer charged Falco, swinging his baton down towards the avain's head. Falco quickly sidestepped the canine, using the dog's momentum to push the canine further behind him. The schnauzer stopped at the end of the platform, flailing his arms wildly before falling over the edge, screaming.

The terrier approached Fox more cautiously, slowly spinning his baton in his right paw. Undeterred, Fox picked up a stray record from the table and slung it towards the canine's face. The terrier quickly smashed the record away, but Fox was right behind it, grabbing the canine's right paw before slamming a knee into his crotch. As the terrier screamed and dropped his weapon, Fox then spun and flipped the dog over his own body, sending the canine careening over the table and into the crowd.

"Who's next?" Fox asked, as he and Falco continued forward across the platform. In response, the collie DJ growled and stepped away from the spin table, his eyes concealed by a reflective visor. He soon held up his paws in a martial arts stance, howling a challenge at the pair.

Falco slowly moved towards the collie, ready for anything. As he got within five feet of the dog, the collie suddenly took a step forward, spinning a kick towards Falco's chest, his speed surprising everyone on the platform.

"Gah" Falco sputtered, barely blocking the kick with his talon. Not giving his opponent time to breathe, the collie then took a swift swing at Falco's head. Again, the avian was only barely able to catch it, taking a step back. Sensing weakness, the collie snarled and went straight for Falco's throat, looking to rip it out.

SMASH! The collie went flying, soon striking his own spin table, an ear-splitting scratch forcing everyone in the club to cover their ears. While the collie was fast, his visor blocked his peripheral vision. So focused was he on Falco, he didn't see Fox pick up a folding chair and hit him from the side.

"Three down, one to go." Fox said, dropping the chair as the pair turned towards the now panicked german shepherd.

"Get out of my club!" the canine screamed, pulling a blaster out from his jacket and firing wildly at the pair.

Fox and Falco quickly took cover to their left behind one of the massive booming speakers. The sporadic shots preventing them from advancing further down the narrow walkway.

"Give me a boost" Fox told Falco, as the bird quickly complied, helping him climb up the side of the speaker. Soon, Fox was 15 feet above platform, looking down at the German shepherd still desperately blasting away. Leaping into the air, Fox brought his boot down the crazed canine's head, sending him unconcious to the floor.

"Check him!" Fox called to Falco as the vulpine hopped behind the platform and ran towards the back door. Pulling out his own blaster, Fox kicked open the door and stepped outside….

Nothing greeted him but an empty parking lot.

Tears welling up in his eyes, Fox let out a howl in despair.

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Author's Notes: Well, if you're here thanks for continuing to humor me.

Stay buckled because we're not slowing down, 3 more chapters to go.