Act 2

Chapter 14

"Intake"

~::::~

TJ didn't know where he had to go, only that he just had to drive. The one saving grace was that the roads in the sticks were near abandoned, allowing him to take the hilly corners and empty straights as fast as he could. Each corner he slammed the Viper around managed to subdue his anger at the avian for a short minute before it returned as soon as TJ was able to gain a clear thought. The pain stung it back into his mind, forcing him to wince in pain. Falco packed a mean punch and a meaner kick.

Each time his eyes would get misty, TJ growled and hit the gas, shifting up a gear each time. The roar let loose by his V10 was a wail of anguish and anger, letting him vent his rage to whatever could hear him. Looking over the interior of his car, TJ grew even angrier as he thought about what he could have done to beat Falco, either with words or fists. It pissed him off. He only wanted to go faster. Speed was his therapy as he kept his foot to the floor, whipping around the corners in a partial attempt to give himself whiplash and blackout, hoping to wake up back home or in a jail cell and realize that this was a dream. But it wasn't. He knew it wasn't. It was too real. He got his ass kicked.

All he knew was that he needed to go somewhere alone. His thoughts led him to the highway, abandoned this late in the evening. He kept driving for a while, before pulling over to the edge of the highway and parking up. The road overlooked Downtown Corneria City, its bright lights and lively noises acting as the foil to his gloomy attitude. The buildings touched the sky and towered over the freeway, modern symbols of the planet's wealth and opulence. He kept his engine idling for a while, trying to reign in what emotions were running wild. It failed, as his deep breaths turned into tear-stained rage as he punched his steering wheel. The car gave off a honk, echoing throughout the empty freeway. The Viper was abused some more, regurgitating more honks from TJ's fists as he kept venting his rage.

After wearing himself out, TJ only softly cursed, before stepping out of the Viper and slamming its door shut. His eyes fluttered over the horizon as he tried to take his thoughts away from the avian that shattered his ego in front of everyone.

A few minutes later, TJ took a pause from some self-moping to notice the sound of a car slowing down by him. It appeared to be a simple blacked-out sedan, like the one diplomats would use for trips in foreign countries. A few silent seconds later, the door slowly opened as a pair of polished dress shoes hit the pavement.

"How are you enjoying that cesspit of corruption and politicking?" A sophisticated voice came from behind the door. TJ let out an exasperated sigh before he turned to face the voice. "You are a difficult person to track down, Mr. Koen. Even with a vehicle as… flamboyant as that, you somehow seem to lose any tails that my friends place on you." The voice came from some form of deer dressed in an elegant black suit as he approached TJ. His dress shoes clacked against the pavement before he stopped in front of the street racer, clasping his hands over his waist as he did so. His face read mild amusement and interest. "Oh my, it looks like you have taken quite a beating. It looks quite painful."

TJ rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the stings of pain that his swelling face was quickly zapping him with. "What are you, some kinda cop?"

The cervine shook his head. "I am no longer a slave to this regime. No, I now work for someone who wishes to upset the apple cart as it were."

TJ raised a brow at the comment. "What?"

"These Cornerians," the cervine began, spite quickly coating his voice. "They lie and delete and revise history as they go along. They care too much about their bread and circuses to ever care about where they come from. And the government will use all their power to keep it that way."

TJ's brow dropped back down to a blank glare as he looked back out at the city. "Hey, dude? I damn near flunked my politics class last quarter. I'm goin' home in a week or so anyway, so I really couldn't give a shit about everythin' you just yapped about."

"You are not going home in a week."

TJ's eyes went from bored observation to wide open and alert. His head snapped to the smirking dog as he tilted his chin skyward. "Why not?"

"Because Space Dynamics no longer has the disk. We do. And if you wish to see your home again, you will do as we say." To accentuate his point, the cervine snapped his fingers. The sedan's rear door opened, revealing a familiar-looking female canine with blue-spotted fur dressed like a Space Dynamics employee with the hat to match. As she walked over to the duo, she lifted the hat off her head to reveal the disk that had been in the Viper just over a week ago now sitting on her messy brown hair.

Tilting her head down, she allowed the disk to fall into the palm of her hand, presenting it to TJ like a trophy. Instinctively, TJ lunged for the disk, only for the canine to pull it away at the last second. "Sorry, I can't give this to you just yet," she said in a gentle tone.

"I wasn't gonna ask for it," TJ growled, his hands balling into fists at his side.

The deer chuckled, catching TJ's attention. "Full of piss and vinegar, you are. No, you will receive that disk and the path back to your planet when you prove yourself… worthy."

"Bite me. You give me that disk or I'll-"

"Hit me? Shoot me? Kill me? How juvenille. No, you will do as I say, because you have no other choice in the matter."

A cocky smirk crossed TJ's glare as he tilted his head back and sneered down at the cervine. "Yeah? Why's that?"

The deer narrowed his eyes, glaring a hole into the alien as he shifted his stance. The gleam of his polished antlers reflected into TJ's eyes as the deer suddenly grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Listen to me and listen good, Tyler Koen. The people I represent are about to come into lots of power very quickly, and it would be smart to choose the winning team. Do as we say, when we say, and without any questions, and we assure you that your service will be well-paid. Refuse, and your short life will be full of anguish and grief until your final breath. Do you understand?"

The deer let go of TJ's collar, while the latter turned his grin into a scowl. "I don't like bein' blackmailed, asshole."

The deer clicked his tongue and shook his head, looking the driver up and down. "My, my, my. Such an ugly word. I would not call this blackmail. I would call it encouragement. Success is rewarded handsomely, Mr. Koen. You do good, and you will get a reward."

TJ huffed in frustration. Part of him wanted to lunge for the disk, while another part wanted to drive away again. On instinct, he ran his hands through his hair and groaned, the choices of the world swallowing him like a pit of quicksand. "Dammit man, what the hell do you even want me to do?! I'm a street racer, okay?! Back home, I can't even legally vote yet, and here you are tryin' to get me to lead some freakin' bullshit-ass budget revolution?! I don't care! I just wanna go home!"

"In due time, Mr. Koen," the deer tried to explain to the exasperated driver. "In due time. For now, you are much more useful than you realize."

"Yeah?! How's that?!"

"It would take me years of training a dedicated pilot who is loyal to our cause and can fool that cur McCloud into accepting him onto his team. Years that we do not have the time for. You however are already a member of that wretched squadron. In fact, you have Fox McCloud vouching for you personally."

"What," TJ began, scoffing in disbelief. "You want me to be some sorta spy for you?"

"My, my, my! You catch on quickly! Yes, you will feed me information about any and all operations they know of, as well as the status of each team member. I will also ask you for a few small favors here and there. Once you have done enough for our cause, then we shall allow you to return home."

TJ narrowed his eyes yet bit his tongue from uttering any snide remarks. "So how much is enough?"

"As soon as I give you the disk. Until then, be a good spy and do as we say. Our mutual friend here will contact you again shortly. When you receive her message, you will drop everything you are doing and do as she says. If you do not…" The deer let a cocky smile cross his lips. "I would hate to lose such a useful piece such as you."

The cervine turned on his heels and walked back to his limo as soon as the words finished sliding out of his lips. TJ kept his eyes on him as he walked, with the canine opening his door for him. For a few seconds, he peered past the deer and noticed a beady-eyed driver staring back at him from the driver's seat. Another body was in the limo as well, staring a hole through him. This figure was clad in a green military uniform, but he was unable to make out any other features. The staring contest was broken when TJ realized it was just him and the female canine.

A million thoughts raced in and out of his head. It would be so easy. Push her against the limo, grab the disk, run to the Viper, and drive. Drive as fast as he could. Drive back to Space Dynamics and return the disk. A smirk crossed his lips as he realized how easy it was.

"I wouldn't do it if I were you."

The words got TJ to pause just as he was about to lunge at the canine. "Do what?"

"Try to steal the disk back. Come on, it was written all over your face. You're not that slick."

"I don't know what you're talkin' about."

"Sure you don't. Well, here's a reason to not do what you weren't thinking about. I snuck in and out of a highly secure government-funded research and development facility with nothing but a fake uniform, a butterfly knife, and a hand-held taser. You really think I can't zap or shank you before you even have a chance to start up that car?"

The words froze TJ in place, only for his eyes to sink back into his head when the canine suddenly pulled a small metal rectangle from her rear pocket. In a simple flick, the rectangle evolved into a serrated butterfly knife, with the jagged edges now tugging at TJ's neck flesh. The knife was held in place for an uncomfortably long amount of time, before the canine smirked. "See you around, Racer Boy."

With a wink, she dropped into the limo and slammed the door shut. TJ was at a loss as the limo slowly drove away, watching his way home drive off with it. A new plan was formulated in his head in his head within a split-second. Jump in the Viper, crash the limo, and get the disk back. But what would he do if the crash did not take enough of them out? What if the collision broke the disk? Why was he scared?

Looking down the road, the limo was gone. His opportunity was gone. His home was gone. Rage quickly boiled inside of him. He wanted to hit something, but there was nothing to hit. He wanted to throw something, but there was nothing to throw. There was only one thing he could do. Take a deep breath and yell.

"Fuck!"

~::::~

The drive back to the Great Fox was a silent one, much like the drive out. Rage and confusion clouded TJ's mind as he returned to the base. He began to slowly lose track of time, and wondered how much more he would lose. Old sci-fi science clogged his neural pathways, and thoughts of time dilation began to take over. What if a few weeks here were a few years back home? Did back home even exist anymore?

The infotainment screen was suddenly filled by a call request, the ringtone blaring over the Viper's sound system. TJ was snapped out of his trance, and quickly tapped the answer button on the touchscreen. "W-what's up?"

"TJ," Fox's voice replied, a somber tone behind his name. "Where are you?"

"Uh… I went out for a quick drive. Just had to clear my head for a bit."

"I heard about the fight."

"I didn't start it," TJ instantly defended with furrowed brows. "That asshole scratched my hood and kicked me in the mouth! I wasn't just gonna take that shit!"

"I never said I was going to blame you for the fight, but I do want to talk to you."

"About what?"

"It's best if I tell you in person. Come back to the medbay when you return, I'm watching over Krystal while she recovers."

Krystal. TJ's gut dropped as soon as her name was mentioned. The telepathic fox could label him as a spy for that deer instantly. And if he could not be a spy, then his way home would disappear. His mission would end before it even started. He swallowed the daggers in his throat as he opened his mouth. "Uh, I mean, if it's real important you could just tell me in private? Like, in your bedroom or the bridge or somethin'?"

"I would, but Fay wants to check you out, make sure that Falco didn't hurt you too badly." Before TJ could reply, Fox's voice became muffled slightly. "yes falco, she wants to make sure he's fine… i've seen what you do to other people with those boots, don't give me that!…" Fox's voice quickly came back in full volume, the anger gone completely. "Sorry about that. Just come to the medbay when you get back. It should only take a few minutes, okay?"

"…yeah."

"See you soon." Fox hung up as soon as his words passed through the speakers, throwing TJ back into the void of mental silence. A cold sweat broke out over his body. If he disobeyed that monkey, then his way home would be lost forever. But if Krystal found out that he was now a spy, what would Fox do to him? He could feel his body being crushed between the metaphorical rock and the hard place as he continued his drive.

~::::~

Fox put his phone back in his pocket, sighing heavily as he did so. Bags were under his eyes, between the lack of sleep, incident at the Congress, and now his little trip to Sargasso. Shears was alive and out there somewhere, while his group of rouge CDF agents made a powerful statement. It did not matter where they were. Somehow, he could reach out and touch them wherever he wanted to. He ran his finger through his greasy mohawk, remembering just a week ago. He was looking forward to a short vacation with Krystal on one of Aquas' many islands. Instead, he had to babysit an alien and fight yet another foe from his past.

As usual, Krystal detected his stress and gave his hand a gentle squeeze from her bed. The medicine that Fay gave her yesterday had repaired her shoulder, sealing new skin over the gaping wound. Despite the shaved fur over her injury, one would not be able to tell that she had recently been shot. Krystal looked at her husband with a gentile smile, sending reassuring and comforting thoughts to his brain. It managed to bring down his erratic heartbeat, making her smile. "Better?"

"A bit."

Krystal softly chuckled. "That is good to hear. So, what did TJ say?"

"He'll be making his way back here. He seemed a bit… off though. Like he didn't want to be near you."

"I wish he felt that way 'bout all of us."

Fox snapped his head over to Falco with a scowl. He was sitting on the edge of one of the sick bay beds with a scowl to match. "I don't want to hear it from you, Falco. You didn't need to start a fight."

Falco rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Look, I've got a bad feelin' about him. He doesn't belong here, and I wanted him to realize that. You're actin' like I was gonna kill him."

"He's going through a lot right now, Falco. The last thing he needs is the only people he knows here kicking him to the curb."

"So putting him on the active roster is your form of therapy for the kid? Oh, and bringing Star Wolf aboard as well? You know, I don't know how you can sit there and tell me I'm out of line when you've been makin' shit calls for a week."

"Wolf and his crew saved us at the Congress, and TJ got the Von Brunn daughter back home safe and sound as well as Peppy, Pepper, and Premiere Canis. As far as I'm concerned, those were good calls. And I don't want to hear about you starting more fights when I'm gone. It's already tense enough right now, the last thing we need are brawls breaking out."

"All I'm sayin' is Wolf and his boys have been shootin' at us for the better part of a decade, them doin' one good thing doesn't mean they're saints. And the kid's well… a kid. We ain't babysitters."

"Look, let me worry about Star Wolf," Fox sighed, looking at the avian with stoic eyes. "And don't worry about TJ. He'll be home in a week, tops. Then we can focus on dealing with Shears and his plans."

Falco rolled his eyes again. "Fine. But I don't wanna see that kid anywhere around the ship. I'm gonna go to my room before Fay keeps me here for a stubbed toe." With that, he stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets. His metallic footsteps traced his path out of the medbay, leaving Fox and Krystal alone for a few seconds before Fay walked back in. The doctor looked around with a confused glare that quickly turned into an enraged one.

"Where is Falco," Fay asked through a heavy sigh and a pinched muzzle.

Fox and Krystal traded glances before Fox spoke up. "You just missed him. He said he was going back to his room."

Fay shook her head as she walked over to Krystal, her countenance changing from annoyance to sympathy. "How is your arm feeling? Any pain or discomfort?"

Krystal shook her head. "Nothing of the sort. Thank you again, Fay."

The white-furred canine's tail began to wag again as she nodded. "It's always my pleasure. At least when people listen to me, that is."

A casual air filled the room as the trio talked for a good half-hour before a new body entered the medbay. It was TJ, his eyes looking heavy and puffy. He was covered in bruises, looking like he just crawled out of a street fight. Dried blood was splattered on his leather jacket as he stood in the doorway, letting his hands slink into his pockets. "Where's the doc?" He asked with a slight wince at the end.

"Right here," Fay announced, springing into action. Gently grabbing TJ's arm, she led him to the bed as she pulled out a small silver handheld device from her jacket pocket. It was roughly the same size as her PDA, save for the built-in laser scanner on the back of the device. As TJ sat down with another wince, she powered the device on, waiting for a few seconds before hovering it around his body, letting the green laser run all over him. With a loud beep, the device had given the diagnosis. Fay nodded to herself before walking over to a small cabinet in the corner of the medbay with a red cross on both of the doors. Opening the leftmost door, Fay's eyes examined the contents before she found a small blue bottle. Securing the bottle in her hand, Fay pulled it out and began to walk over to the sink. Grabbing a small paper cup, Fay filled it to the brim with cool water, before jogging back to TJ's side.

"Here, take this," Fay began, handing the cup to a slightly confused TJ. Before he could drink it, Fay quickly uncapped the bottle and shook out two tiny blue pills. "Take the pills with the water and swallow them whole."

"What are they?"

"They're an advanced medical steroid, meant to-"

"You're giving me juice?!"

Fay paused, raising her brow as she looked back up at the shocked speeder. "Uh, juice?"

"You know, juice! Gear! Roids!"

Fay's brow fell back in line with her other, giving her an unamused glare as she sighed. "I'm not giving you anabolic steroids. I'm giving you a medical steroid so that your bruises can heal at a rapid rate. By tomorrow, you should be fully healed up."

"Oh." TJ's voice trailed off as he took the pills, before a conniving smirk split his lips. "You know, I wouldn't be down if you've got some real 'roids. Then I could kick that oversized blue turkey's a-"

The thought train was derailed when Fay pinched his earlobe with a stern glare. "I do not want to see you back in here because of a second round, understood?"

"Yeah, yeah, loud and clear, I gotcha! Can you please let go?"

Mercifully, Fay let go, letting TJ rub the pain out. This allowed Fay to quickly apply some bandages over the visible wounds and bruises.

"So," Fox began with a small smirk on his face. "You finally go a few rounds with Falco?"

TJ rolled his eyes with an annoyed huff. He slightly shifted his stance, rubbing his bruised face with a leather-glove-clad hand. "He's such an asshole, man. Swear to God, if he didn't jump me like that, I would've laid his ass out!"

Fox was impressed by the sheer bravado and genuine delusion coming from the kid. It was almost impressive. "Anyway," he said, steering the conversation away from the brawl. "You did well at the Congress. But things are about to get a lot more unstable. And I think you should try to keep your distance from it all."

TJ cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow in the process. "What's that mean?"

"We know who was behind the attack now, and he's dangerous. Very dangerous. That was just the start. And with you going home soon, we don't want to put you in harm's way."

A rock tied to a brick in a lake could be comparable to TJ's gut as it sank through his body. He knew he was not going home any time soon. And he knew if he spilled his guts, he would never go home. He tried to hide the fear gripping him by literally swallowing it down and shaking his head. "Y-yeah, uh, I mean, if it's a straight shot home and all that, I guess I can sit on the side. But uh, right now, I'm just tired as hell. Just got a lot on my mind-"

TJ stopped himself in the middle of his sentence, nearly slapping his hand over his mouth. His mind. He kicked himself mentally for saying that word as Krystal's ears perked up. "You know, I can help put your worries at ease, TJ." Her offer was as polite as ever, but he knew what would happen if she read his mind.

The fear of being exposed was enhanced ten-fold as breathed heavily as Krystal stuck out her palm. The last thing he wanted to do was touch a telepath. Fear gripped him like he was a toy in the hands of a child. "Uh… l-look, good chat an' all, but I gotta go. Th-think something went wrong with the uh… the sway bars on the Viper. Gotta check it out, bye!"

TJ nearly sprinted out of the med-bay, leaving Fox and Krystal confused as they remained motionless. A second ticked by, and Fox turned toward Krystal with a raised brow. "Is he okay? That didn't seem like him."

Krystal closed her eyes before opening them again after a few seconds. "I do not think he is. His mind was swirling with fear. But what does he have to be afraid of?"

Fox shrugged. "I have no clue. He could still be trying to adjust himself to Lylat."

Krystal bit her lip in response. Something gnawed at her gut, a feeling that told her there was more to this. But there was not much she could do right now. The cocktail of drugs and medicine swirling in her system kept her bedridden. Speaking of the drugs, she could feel more of the morphine take effect. Her investigation would have to wait. For now, she turned toward Fox with an exhausted smile. "Well, whatever the case, can you wake me when dinner is ready?"

"Not enough sleep last night?"

"I blame the morphine coursing through my veins at the moment."

A gentle chuckle passed Fox's lips. "In that case, I'll leave you to your beauty sleep."

~::::~

TJ's heart was racing in his chest. He looked around his quarters, as spartan as they were. It was the best Fox could give him on such short notice, seeing as how he would not be staying for long anyway. A bed, a nightstand, a desk, and a small built-in closet. The oppressive light illuminating the room above his head reminded him of the interrogation room.

A sudden vibration in his pocket made him jump slightly. Instantly, he scrambled for his phone in his pocket, yanking it out only to come face to face with a number he did not recognize. Sliding the answer button on the touch screen, he took a deep breath before speaking. "Who's this?"

"There we go! Took me a while to crack that encryption, but I did it!"

TJ raised his brow, turning his head toward the phone as he sat down on his bed. "Encryption? What the hell are you talkin' about?"

There was a short pause before the voice came back. "Oh right, oops! We met about an hour ago by the skyline. You remember, the disk, me holding a knife to your throat, yadda yadda. All that fun stuff."

The confusion was gone from TJ's voice, now replaced with anger as his face resembled that of a snarling bulldog. "Listen here you bitch. You give me that disk back or I'm gonna-"

"Oh I'm sure you've got some scary threat lined up for me," the voice said, cutting him off. "But that's gonna get you nowhere. Right now, the smart thing to do would be to play ball with me and my employer."

"Look, I can't do this shit," TJ sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're askin' me to keep shit from a telepath. If she touches me, she's gonna see right into my mind. Then what?"

"Well," the voice began, drawing out her last letter like she was curling a phone cord around her finger. "That's none of our problem. What is our problem is a nice piece of tech the CDF is holding onto down by Aquilia Wharf. It's this small little podunk town an hour south of Corneria City, the CDF uses it as a shipping port for all kinds of neat little toys."

"Lemme guess, you want me to steal whatever it is they got there?"

Laughter spilled through the speakers, only increasing TJ's blood pressure before it quietly died out. "No, no, no, nothing like that. Espionage is best left to the pros, you'd end up tripping on your own shoelaces. No, you're gonna head down to the Wharf tomorrow and stir up some trouble. Get the cops on your tail for just long enough to give us time to lift what we need. We'll send you the signal when it's clear, and then you can get out."

The keys in his pocket suddenly felt heavier than ever before. But it was a doable task. However, the notoriety of the Viper instantly sprang to mind as a problem. "I could do that, but that Viper I've been driving ain't exactly a dime a dozen. If the cops are chasin' that thing, I'll have a lot of explainin' to do."

"Oh we know, that's why we left you a car in an empty warehouse up there. It's got enough jump to suit your needs. Hop in it, have some fun, then hop out of it again. Windows are tinted, so no worries about getting ID'd. Just think of it like a weekend drive!"

TJ sat silent for a moment, before taking in as much air as he could through his bruised nose. "When and where?"

"13:00. You'll get a text an hour beforehand with the location of the car. If we don't hear that cops are on your tail over the scanners, well, just make sure you're in a hot pursuit by then. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it."

"Perfect! Oh, by the way, you can call me Zoe. Just to make things a bit more friendly between us."

TJ snarled slightly, his hand opening and closing into a tight fist by his side. "Kinda hard seein' you as a friend with you leadin' me around by a leash."

"Well what better way to start than this, Racer Boy? I'll hear you over the scanners tomorrow."

With that, the line was cut, leaving TJ alone with his thoughts once more. He was pissed, he was tired, and he was nervous. He sat down on his bed, letting his heart slow down from a rapid beat to a dull thud as he fell backward. Sleep very quickly overcame him, the events of the day tiring him beyond belief now that he got an actual break. Slowly, his eyes fluttered shut, letting a deep sleep suck him into the cool vortex of dreams.