Author's note: Hi. Yeah, it's been two years. What happened? Life happened. I don't want to go into detail about it, I'll just let you know that this whole adult thing is pretty difficult. I can't promise that this story will ever be completed, but I find myself returning to read through it every now and then. It's only right that I continue it for as long as I can.

Damn, that guy was driving fast, at least as fast a black muscle car like that could take him, who even drives those antiques anymore? Whatever the case, wherever he were going, he was certainly in a hurry. I tried to keep my distance, staying always at least four cars behind him, pedalling as fast as I could. I had already memorized his plate. 281-KRZ5. That way, if I ever lost him, I could track him as well.

I had no idea if he had seen me in his rear mirror, but the guy drove like the police were on him. Now, Corneria City always had bad drivers, but this one drove as if he were trying to get the award for the worst driver in the entire planet.

I couldn't help but also notice his direction. He were going out of downtown and going straight to the docks. Ah yes, the docks, where every action movie showdown takes place. Except, I was no action hero and this were no movie. I had no idea what I was doing, tailing a guy like that. At any moment, a blast could come flying out of that rear window and straight into my dome.

I had to stop, eventually. I parked my bike right behind a warehouse as the dingo's car drove up to the container port's security barrier, with a guard stationed inside of its booth, distracted with a newspaper. The car's horn honked, startling the guard judging by how he dropped the newspaper. Him and the dingo seemed to have a brief discussion, before the security barrier was lifted and the car drove straight through, entering the docks. From the distance I was at, I could watch him make a turn and disappear behind the many shipping containers.

Speaking of shipping, there was a ship docked there. A gigantic blue container ship. I could see its name on the side of the bow, "Benjamin". Who names a ship that? Whatever. I had to focus on the task at hand, which was...well...break into the docks?

I was no saint, I had trespassed and broken into many places before. I loved urban exploration, it was in my blood. My grandfather, when I were younger and he used to be more talkative, used to tell me stories about how he used to break into some of the city's military bases to visit his girlfriend, who later became my grandmother. Grandma was an army colonel, hell, she knew General Pepper himself. She also knew Star Fox personally. May the stars rest her badass soul.

What was I doing? Oh yeah, the port. I had to break into it and find that dingo. There was no way I could just walk up to the security checkpoint and waltz in without a care in the world. Mounting my bike again, I started riding along the big chainlink fence that surrounded the port, looking for any possible oversights I could exploit so I could get into the port. Security was rather light around here. The only people I could see around were workers, operating vehicles to carry cargo, as well as cranes and the like. And I had to do it fast, I could already feel some of the workers' weird looks at me, this really were no place for somebody to ride a bike on, at least not without a hard hat.

Man, my heart was pounding. This was so intense, yet, so fun. I was no private investigator, I had no idea what I was doing, but this, this just felt right. A mystery, one involving the Star Fox team no less. I really was way in over my head. I don't know what I was expecting to find trailing that guy, but the curiosity was what was keeping me going.

To my luck, I'd find a pretty big security oversight in the form of a massive hole in the chainlink fence. One could easily pull it apart and go right in. That's what I did, riding my bike right into it, pulling it aside and going inside. Thinking back, it'd probably have been smarter to find somewhere to hide my bike and then sneak in on foot, but I was barely thinking straight. Those teenage hormones of feeling like a detective were clouding all sensible thoughts. If I could get answers, if I could find out what this dingo was up to, I could redeem that awkward moment at the QnA.

Being careful, I would stick close to the massive towers of shipping containers scattered around the port. I wouldn't ride out in the open, sticking to weaving between containers, staying out of sight, hoping to not accidentally run over some poor worker with my bike. Soon enough, I'd see the dingo's car again, just as it were about to pull up to some red warehouse's garage. I immediately noticed how the garage had a number written on top of it on the wall, the number 4. Five other garages were present in that red warehouse. And just across the street, a white truck was parked.

I quickly parked my bike across the street from the garage, hiding behind that write truck and peeking out from behind it. The door to that garage did not come back down. The dingo stepped out of his car. Everything about him was so ominous. The suit he wore, a completely black two-piece suit, was if he were dressed for somebody's funeral, it looked completely out of place in a dockyard. He wore a pair of shades that completely hid his identity. His fur color was yellow and I could see two red earrings in both of his ears.

He seemed to adjust his suit. He rolled his head, as if popping his neck's joints. And then, he pulled out that PDA again and made another call.

I wish I could say that I bravely snuck up to him and heard what he were saying. However, instead, what happened was that the truck I was hiding behind was not as empty as I thought it were. The door behind me swung open and my blood went cold. Somebody stepped out of the truck, jumping to the ground with a thud and shut the door, "The hell you doin' here, boy?" A voice would ask.

I turned my head towards the voice. The trucker, a tall, intimidating looking black panther, now stared me down with a stern look on his face. His arms were covered in tattoos. He wore a jean vest with a white tank top underneath, wearing also brown khaki cargo pants and brown boots. I swallowed dry, looking up to him. This guy could snap me in half if he wanted to, "Hm...just...you know, looking around."

"Oh yeah? Looking for what? Cargo to steal?" He would ask, I could smell the booze off his breath, "We been havin' problems around here with thugs coming into the port looking for crates to steal. Last week, somebody made it out with a whole truck full of TVs."

"N-No, no, no, no, I'm not looking to steal anything!" I'd exclaim, taking a step back. Had I not gone to the bathroom before, there was no way I wouldn't be voiding my bowels about now, "It's just...well, I was looking to buy, er, rent out one of the garages across the street over there. For my, uh...my car importation and exportation business." I was lying like a complete moron, I don't even know what I was talking about and the panther knew that.

He grinned at me. The massive tall guy in front of me let out a hearty laugh, "Oh kid, you have no idea how any of this stuff works, do you?" He'd say, "Those docks across the street are owned by Bale Domino only. And me? I'm his personal delivery man."

"B-Bale Domino? Isn't that the guy who owns and hosts that one TV show? Ballad of Domino?" I would ask. I hated that TV show, but mom loved it. It seemed like she'd only turn the TV on to see that fox, Bale, sitting there and interviewing Corneria's next famous celebrity. Guy was a total hack, yet, I felt like I was the only one that felt that way. I had bigger questions in mind though, "...Why would Bale Domino need his own warehouse here, though?"

The panther, for a moment, seemed to choke up. He would smile, awkwardly, then lift his shoulders a few times, as if trying to come up with an answer, "Well, what do you think, kid? All that equipment's gotta come from somewhere. You think he just gets it all offloaded at his doorstep?" The panther would say, "Look, why don't you get your bike and ride on outta here? This is no place for you. You gonna be crushed by a container or something. Ain't you got school?"

"It's...It's Sunday, sir." I would remind him, not like it mattered, since I had long finished high school and didn't have money to pursue college.

"Ah, shit, you're right. Look, just get outta here, alright? You can't be here." With that, he picked up my bike and placed it right in front of me, "Hop on and get movin'."

I dunno about you, but when a 6'8" foot tall panther built like a mountain tells me to do something, I do it. I hopped on my bike and I pedalled. I pedalled as fast as I could out of that port, straight out of the same hole I came in from.

Bale Domino. What would that dingo want with Bale Domino? Who was he calling? These questions were running through my mind constantly. I just kept pedalling. I wouldn't stop until I was back in the city. And damn, it was getting dark already. If I got home late, mom would chew my ear out.

I was thirsty however. And I knew that purchasing a can of Zone Punch wouldn't take too long. The first vending machine I saw, I'd hit the brakes and my bike screeched to a halt.

Bale Domino...something told me I wouldn't be wanting to watch his TV show again anytime soon. But I sure as hell wanted to meet the man personally now. Hell, I'll shake the answers out of him myself if I have to.

Aw, hell, who I am kidding? I can't even remember the last time I got into a fight.

I pushed the credits into the vending machine. Soon, I got myself a can of Zone Punch, the most refreshing carbonated drink in the market, or so the slogan wanted you to believe. You could taste the sugar off the can.

With a burp, I tossed the can into the nearest trash can. I took a moment to look over the downtown skyline once more. The holograms above me looked even more beautiful at night. The mish-mash of colors, digitally dancing over me...it was always a strangely relaxing sight to look at. But I couldn't waste more time. It was time to go home.

"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?!" Mom yelled at me, "My god, Chase, I was about to run out and start looking everywhere for you! Are you nuts, being out in the dark like that?! What did I tell you about coming home before 8?!"

"Mom, relax!" I tried to calm her down, "It's just, you know, I met Jim on the way back and hung out with him a little. It's fine, don't worry about it!"

I really hadn't realized just how much time I spent tailing that car. The dingo had taken hours to get to that pier. Coming back had taken just as long.

"Yeah? Well, I hope those Star Fox thugs were worth the damn scare you gave me!" She scoffed, "Go upstairs! To your room! You're not going anywhere else tonight!"

"Jeez, fine, it's not like I had anywhere else to go anyway..."

I made my way back to my room. Closing the door behind me, I sat down at my chair, rubbing my forehead. Something told me, however, that I wasn't gonna enjoy that silence for much longer.

Knock knock knock knock

Luckily, it was just my sister, "Come on in!" I shouted. She opened my door and stepped in.

"Where were you? It's not like you to come home so late like that."

"Jim showed up on the way back home. We, uh, we went to the arcade." I told her, though she saw through my lies. I wasn't a good liar and it didn't make it better that she could easily see through them like glass.

"You and I both know that's not true. Jim doesn't even like video games."

"Yeah, he-...okay, you got me." I palmed at my own face. Damn idiot.

"Look, you can tell me. I'm not gonna tell mom." She finally shut the door behind me and sat down at one of my bean bags. I turned myself around to face her, sitting backwards on my plastic chair.

"Okay, you wanna know where I was?" I asked, "At the docks."

She made the most confused face, muzzle scrunching up while her eyebrows frowned, "Wha-?! The docks?! The hell were you doing at the docks?!"

"It's...kind of a weird story. So, I was at the QnA, right? This guy, dingo guy...he just, stands up, says something, straight to the Star Fox team." I proceeded to do my best imitation of his voice, "'The weather sure is nice today!' Or something. Dude walks right out the door and Fox looks mortified. The whole team just walked off-stage. Then, he went to the docks."

"You...you tailed a guy to the docks?" Tara asked, bewildered, "...Are you absolutely nuts? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!" She asked, then, she took a moment, looking back at my door, before looking back at me and leaning in, whispering, "What did you find?"

Yeah, that's what I expected. Tara always had an affinity for mysterious things, just like me. Thing is, I didn't want to get her involved in this. But now, her curiosity was spiked up. I had to keep telling her the story or she wouldn't stop pestering me about it, "The guy drove into a warehouse there. Warehouse was owned by Bale Domino."

"Bale Domino?! The TV show guy?!" She gasped, "...Did you meet Bale Domino himself?"

"No, I didn't...but now I want to. I gotta find out what that dingo wants with Bale. I gotta find out what this has to do with him scaring Star Fox like that." I turned back to my computer. I opened up my browser, "In fact...let me check something."

I would always use The Cornerian Daily as my news source. Going to its site, the very first headline that jumped at me was about the QnA. Tara walked up behind me, looking over my shoulder.

"Star Fox QnA ends with Star Fox team leaving abruptly and leaving fans confused." Tara read the headline out loud, as I clicked on the article.

The article, while straightforward, seemed heavily biased against Star Fox. Whoever wrote it, wrote about how much the QnA was, quote, 'a complete rushed mess', with interviewed fans mentioning the poor condition of the convention center that it was hosted in. Now, while I could blame Star Fox for picking the cheapest convention center out of the bunch, I could also mention how this QnA was announced months in advance. The convention center should've tidied up at least a little bit before their arrival, this wasn't exactly their fault. Regardless, The Cornerian Daily slammed Star Fox, saying how their answers were 'short and unfulfilling' and 'a fan uncomfortably left the room after his question was answered poorly'.

...Whoops. That was probably me.

Towards the end of the article, they mentioned the events that transpired...though the way that it was written was off-putting. 'A fan thanked them for their service and asked what they thought of the weather. The team unprofessionaly got up and left, leaving the fan's question unanswered'.

"What the hell?" I said out loud.

"What's up?" Tara asked, looking at me.

"This article...this whole paragraph's wrong. The guy who made that question was the dingo. He left immediately after making that question. He didn't stay behind."

"...Huh. That is...bizarre and also extremely intriguing." She said, leaning off my chair and sitting down at the bean bag again, "What are you gonna do now?"

"I...I don't know." I said, rubbing my head, "This is so weird."

"Weird isn't even enough to put it. And you know what? I wanna find out what's going on." Tara leaned up, crossing her arms, "We should break into that warehouse you mentioned."

"What?!" I turned around on my chair, "I mean...I'll probably do that but you're going to stay right here at home!"

Tara shook her head, "Oh come on, lil bro, I gotta look after you, you know."

"I am not involving my family in this, Tara." I sternly told her.

"Chase, you just think it's all about you. I can handle myself." She rolled her eyes, "...Look, you wanna know what I've been doing these past few months, since I got my job?"

"Huh?" I tilted my head. This...This was a pretty big deal. She had never told anyone, as far as I knew, about her job, "...What were you doing?"

"Slinging dope." Oh, well, that was no surprise, I even rolled my eyes, sighing without surprise, "...With my boyfriend!"

Now that was a surprise, "Wait, you got a boyfriend?"

"Yeah! And he gave me this!" Out of absolutely nowhere, completely out of left field, Tara stands up and pulls out a goddamn blaster out of the back of her jeans, showing it off to me.

"WHAT THE-" I stand right up, knocking my chair over as I do so, backing up against my wall, "Tara, put that thing away!"

"What?" She said, holding the thing in her hand as she shrugged her shoulders, "It's just a gun, dork, it won't kill anyone unless you pull the trigger."

"Well, the least you could do is get your finger OFF the trigger!" I pointed at her lack of trigger discipline. Her finger was on the trigger, with the blaster pointing straight at me.

"Oh, uh, my bad." She just simply chose to stick it back into the back of her pants.

"What the hell, Tara?! How long have you had that thing on you? If mom finds out about it, she's gonna have a goddamn heart attack!" I said as I picked up my plastic chair and sat back down on it, luckily it wasn't broken, you know how these chairs are.

"Oh, chill out, Chase. I've had it for months now. She never found out and she won't find out anytime soon...unless you tell her, of course."

"...I'm not gonna do that." A promise we made ever since we were young, to never snitch on one another, no matter how serious, "...But you better...you better be careful with that. And what the hell are you thinking? We're not gonna go down to the docks and start blasting dudes like we're in an episode of Corneria Vice!"

"Relax, dude. Just chill." She sat back down on my bean bag chair, I had no idea how she could sit down with that thing in the back of her pants, "It's only for precaution. And you know what? I'll even bring my boyfriend along."

"Your boyfriend?! And what is he, a ten foot tall dude covered in tattoos and piercings with a rap sheet of the size of Corneria?"

"Nope. He's actually a pretty nice guy. Everybody knows him around the block as Mr. Goodnight. Wanna know why? Because he says goodnight to every single one of his neighbors every night time and watches over the block for any troublemakers."

"You gotta be kidding me." I sighed, shaking my head. I really didn't wanna bring her along to this...but now I was starting to reconsider. Her blaster, this guy...well, I don't know if I really could pull this off alone. That massive panther...if he catches me again, I'm probably gonna be screwed. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted to beat the absolute living crap out of me. I could use with some protection...but I sure as hell wasn't gonna kill anyone, "...I don't know, Tara..."

"Chase, I'll be fine. We'll be fine, specially with him. Trust me on this, my boyfriend would protect us with his life."

"You just gonna use him like that?" I inquired.

"Use him? We've been getting into trouble since we met. We love it." She'd proudly state. The hairs on my back stood. I don't know what she meant by that. Not sure I wanted to know.

"...Fine." I finally caved in, "Fine. We'll go tomorrow, Jim has given me the day off anyway. Does your boyfriend have a car or something? I don't wanna bike there again."

"Oh, he has a car alright. You'll see." With that, Tara stood up, "Meet us at Thornhill Street, just three blocks down to the east. You'll see us in front of Lady Fay's Flower Shop."

"...Deal." With that, Tara would open my door and walk out.

What in the absolute hell have I gotten myself into?