Disclaimer: Bucky 'O Hare created by Larry Hama, Star Fox is copyright by Nintendo.

Mere minutes had passed, yet it felt like hours. The thought that this could have happened, while always present, was a hard pill to swallow. He was stuck, stuck here, far away from his home, his friends, his family! Had they noticed yet, they must have, had they searched for him. Did they think he ran off, perhaps he did in a way.

Guilt and worry were consuming him, as Willy DuWitt looked towards the wall where a doorway should have opened. His friends were around him, nudging him, as he kept staring at the wall, lost in thought.

Suddenly snapping out of it, he returned to the word and listened. "Wha…?" he asked absent mindlessly. "I asked if you were, okay?" Jenny told him kindly, gently holding onto his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! I', fine, perfectly fine, this is just a setback! I knew this could happen, we're in an entirely different dimensional plane, to assume it would behave in a similar matter is silly." He said in rapid succession, giggling slightly at the end. "I just need to keep trying, I can figure this out, I just need to keep trying." He said, trying to hold back the tears.

A firm hand fell upon his shoulder, turning towards he saw Bucky staring at him intensely. Slowly, yet firmly, he said, "Well figure this out, together!" as he offered him a small smile.

"You sure?" Willy responded, unsure of how to react. "You're one of us! I promise no matter what, we'll get you home!" he replied, his confidence infectious.

Willy wiped the forming tears from his eyes, looking at his friends in gratitude. "We have your back boyo!" Dead-eye assured him with a thumbs up. Willy couldn't help but smile at his friends, more than ever grateful to have met them.

"Thanks, you guys! Seems I'm going to be here for some time though! So, what do you say if we get back on track and help kick those Aparoid's butts!" he yelled out confidently, his spirits restored as his friends cheered.

Walking out of the ship, Bucky walked beside him saying, "We'll figure this out, I promise!" Willy smiled as he answered, "Thanks Bucky, I know we will!" Happy to see his youngest crewmate back to normal, Bucky couldn't help but say, "It's good to have you back!" as the two friends exited the Indignation's halls.

Fox entered the bridge, feeling well-rested after a nice shower in his quarters. Walking into the interior, he made his way towards his station before saying, "Good day everyone, anything exciting happened while I was gone?" he asked in a joking matter.

"Yeah, there was some peace and quiet," Falco responded mockingly, earning a muffled laugh from the rest of the team. "Ha-ha, never change Falco!" Fox responded, glad to hear everyone's spirits were up.

Just then, the crew from the Indignation entered the room, "Ah, Bucky! Good to see your team is all here!" he said gladly, not noting the subtle glances between the members of said crew. "Hope you found that info package helpful." He continued, getting down to business.

"It was actually quite insightful, doe it did raise some concerns," Bucky answered good-naturedly, grateful for the help he had received. "Is that so?" Fox asked intrigued, "What exactly is the problem?"

"I worry that if this Pigma is as slippery as you claim, he might have done something to sabotage the climate relay," Bucky explains seriously, letting know his concerns.

"That is concerning, we can only hope that his need to survive will keep him away from it. If not…" Fox began before he was interrupted by the monotone voice that was ROB.

"We have arrived at Fichina. This is where we lost track of Pigma." The android said as the others looked towards the window. "Calamity and Woe!" Blinky exclaimed out loud as the smaller droid looked out at the blue planet before them.

"So, this is Fichina, huh? Just like you said. There's nothing but snow and ice." Dead-Eye commented as they neared the planet.

"Uh-huh. That's why the climate control center is so important, without it the whole place would be inhabitable." Fox explained to him. "This is why it's so important that nothing happens to…" Fox tried to explain again before he was interrupted once more.

"This is a crisis team. From the look of things, the climate control generator... Well, it looks like it's been out of order for quite a while. If this blizzard keeps up, the planet will once again become barren." Peppy exclaims worriedly, franticly checking to make sure his instruments are correct.

"This must be Pigma's work... Could he be laying a trap?" Krystal wondered aloud, contemplating the situation. "He must be, there's no way this is a coincidence!" Falco responds in exasperation, annoyed with their terrible luck. "Oh! We can't fly our Arwings in this weather." Slippy exclaimed, equal parts annoyed and concerned. "There must be something we can do!" Willy joins in, already thinking of a possible solution to the problem.

After some debate, Fox intervened, "We have no choice! I go down and get the generator back up! If I can just get to the climate control center, we'll be OK!" he exclaims as he prepares to go on.

"Playing the hero again, huh, Foxie? Hey, more power to ya, buddy. Me? I hate the cold." Falco comments jokingly, glancing at his friend. "Tell me about it! Brr! It makes me hibernate!" Slippy ads, shivering at the thought.

"Well, I'm not afraid of the cold. If you're going down there, you can count on me to follow!" Bucky declared with determination, volunteering to accompany him.

"If the captains going, then so am I!" Dead-Eye declared as well, stepping forward to join them.

"Guys, I'm flattered, but you can't! You heard Slippy, the Arwings won't fly in this weather! And we don't have any other way to get you down there!" Fox informed them, keeping his resolve.

"Maybe those fancy birds won't fly, but the Croaker is a tough old girl, she'll get us down there!" Dead-Eye assured him, unrelenting in his decision. Fox bondered this, he could see the other two were determined to join him no matter what, so why bother stopping them?

"Fine! Slippy, have you overhauled the Landmaster yet?" he said, turning towards his friend. "Yep, all ready for you, Fox. Just try to bring it back in one piece this time." Slippy responded, pleading at his daredevil friend.

"You know I can't make any promises!" Fox said with a grin, much to Slippy's chagrin. "Fine! I'll have it on the ground for you in no time!" Slippy told him with a roll of his eyes, before rushing towards the hanger. "As for you two!" Fox said turning towards Bucky and Dead-Eye, "Make any preparations you need, we leave in five." Fox said, the others responding with a nod as they left the bridge. "The rest of you, make sure you're ready the second we get that center back online!" he said to the others as he prepared to depart.

"Fox!" he heard Krystal call out before he left, "Watch yourself down there," she said before pulling him into a kiss. "Always." He said as he pulled away, catching his breath before turning away and heading for the hanger.

Once on the hanger bay, Fox could see Bucky and Dead-Eye already gearing up on the Croaker. Seeing their preparations nearly complete, Fox made his way toward his craft and jumped into the cockpit.

"I thought you said they couldn't fly in that weather!?" Bucky asked, referring to the Arwing. "It can't. But hopefully, it can hold up long enough to get me to the surface!" Fox informed them with a stoic look. "Good luck!" Bucky responded, looking at his fellow pilot with sympathy and dread, for he knew the type of risk he was throwing himself in.

Fox laid his blaster on the floorboard of the Arwing and hit the startup as he put on his wrist comm and disengaged the lift locks. Making sure the final preparations were on their way, Peppy's voice stirred abruptly from the comms.

"All right team, Pigma has fled to Fichina where he's taken control of and shut down the planet's climate control center. Find a way into the center and get the climate-control device running again. Be warned: aparoids have been detected within the area around the climate control center. Proceed with caution." Peppy said, announcing the mission objective.

"Fox, Slippy should have that Landmaster ready for you shortly after you land." He said over the comm, a hint of concern lingering in his tone. "The rest is up to you guys! I'll make sure the others are ready to launch their Arwings at any time!" he instructed with conviction as they prepared for departure.

Fox nodded and hit the throttle, accelerating out of the hanger as the Croaker followed behind him. Fox looked at Fichina, looming larger by the second as they came ever closer. It was all white, one big ice cap amidst a sea of stars.

All the clouds were flickering on and off from bolts of lightning from the planet-wide storms. This was worse than anything Fox could've imagined. He was scared to see what awaited them underneath those clouds as they approached.

Fox could see some fire lapping around the nose of his Arwing as the Croaker came into view on his right wing. "All right, I'm hitting the atmosphere. I'll contact you guys when why reach the surface." He said as he grinned and cut communication.

Fox parked his Arwing about fifty meters from the climate control center, in what appeared to be an open field according to his radar, grabbed his blaster, and jumped out of the cockpit into the harsh landscape of Fichina. The Toad Croaker parked beside him, with Bucky and Dead-Eye walking over to greet Fox, who was checking the ammo count on his blaster and looking around for the Landmaster to appear.

"Glad to see you made it fine!" Bucky greeted as he moved to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Shiver me timbers! You weren't kidding about the weather! It's cold enough to freeze my tail feathers!" Dead-Eye exclaimed, shivering at the frozen landscape around him.

"Weather's fine to me," Bucky said with a grin, earning an eye roll from Fox. Taking his digital binoculars out of his back he aimed them at the CCC (Climate Control Center) and was surprised at what he saw. A huge green and blue ring surrounded it, reaching up as far as his eyes could see.

"ROB, scan the control center," Fox said to his comms device, quietly surveying the area. "Affirmative. The climate control center is protected by a shield." ROB responded. "Oh, just great!" Fox mentally cried out, annoyed over his luck.

"Hmmm... all right. So, to get in, we must turn that shield off first." Bucky replied, having overheard the conversation. "Yeah, I guess you're right... No time for subtlety. I'm gonna have to blow up the generators!" Fox said with a serious tone.

"Now you're speaking my language!" Dead-Eye cried out excitedly, opening up a compartment on the Croaker and pulling out one of the several rocket launchers held by the Great Fox. He grinned like a madman as he handed it to Fox, as he took Fox's blaster along with his own, double-wielding them with both sets of arms.

"Don't go overboard down there," Peppy warned, heading caution on the situation. "It's under control." reassured as he casually checked the ammo on his new launcher, while the others did the same with their weapons.

"Don't worry Peppy, I'll keep them in check!" Bucky said to his comm, much to the chagrin of his companions, primarily a curtained four-armed duck.

"Then get going and do it! We're just spinning our wheels here!" Falco complained through the comms, eager for some action. "Careful what you wish for, Falco," Fox said in a joking tone, inwardly concerned over their recent streak of misfortune.

"The shield generators are being shown on your radar. There are three of them in all. It's up to you guys!" Peppy informed them as they prepared to carry on their mission. "One for each of us!" Fox said to the others, "This should be over quickly. How do we take them out?" he asked as a plan began to form.

"The shield generators themselves can't be destroyed. You're going to have to take out the power supply, once you do, head into the climate control center." Peppy explained as he went over the details from his console. "Got it!" Fox said before turning to the others, "Keep your eyes on the radar and communication channels open, call if you need help!" he instructed as the three of them split up, each going after a different generator.

Fox marched forward, constantly checking his wrist radar; one of the generators was only thirty feet away, but Fox couldn't see it or anything else for that matter. The snowstorm was planet-wide, the cold causing his eyes to burn as the snow bombarded them and his fur.

"Umm…Peppy. What do these generators look like anyway?" Fox asked into the comm over the deafening noise of the storm. He decided to keep the channel open so that Bucky and Dead-Eye could also be informed.

"Records show them to be fifty feet tall, you should see them as you get closer to them. The power supply should be halfway up the structure on the side facing away from the climate control center." Peppy told them, his voice barely listenable through the blizzard around them, but clear enough to get the point across.

"Understood!" Fox said as he jogged towards the nearest target, but stopped dead in his tracks, ears pointed back to full alert. Gently setting down the rocket launcher on the ground, he pulled out a backup pistol from his belt, his eyes narrowed as he became even more alert as he tried to see what was out there. He steadied his blaster and fired a few aimed shots of green energy into the blizzard around him.

Fox began to fire even faster into the blizzard as he heard a rather familiar sound. "Aparoids!" he yelled, alarming everyone on the comms. "What! Here! Are you sure!" he heard Bucky ask through the airways. "Yeah, I'm sure," he said, the sound he heard being the same he heard on Katina after he had shot an aparoid's limbs off, and heard it cry from pain.

"Do you need backup?" Bucky asked. "No, just carry on with the mission, fast!" Fox replied as he took off in a run towards the generator, shielding his eyes with his arm the best he could, firing into the blizzard.

"Wow, this blizzard's something else." He said to himself, trying to break the tension as he neared the generator. He glanced up towards the sky, barely seeing the top of it.

"That's it! That's the power supply!" Peppy's voice said through the comms, earning a nod from Fox. Steading his RL on his right shoulder and flipping out the eyepiece, he looked through it until the numbers read 25.00 ft.

Gently squeezing the trigger, the rocket went towards the generator and exploded in a huge ball of orange flames, temporarily illuminating the area where he stood. "Target down!" Fox said with a grin as he admired his handiwork.

"Looking good, Fox! Only two more shield generators to go!" Krystal's voice came through the comms, earning a proud smile from Fox, while also making him wonder how the others were doing.

Dead-Eye Duck trotted through the harsh blizzard before him, the ex-pirate doing his best to march toward the location of the nearest tower.

"Come in Dead-Eye! Can you hear me!" Slippy Toad's shrill voice came from his coms device. "Oh, great!" he thought before responding, "Yeah, I'm here! What you need!" he said, voice irritated from the cold.

"I bet you can't see much, so study your radar closely! There are lots of enemy swarms, so watch your step!" Slippy warned him gleefully, wishing to be of assistance to his new friend.

Dead-Eye looked at the radar and saw that there were lots of yellow blips on it, and they were moving towards him. "Blimey!" he yelled out as he made a run for it, shooting in all directions in a vague hope of hitting something.

Fortunately for him, he had always been lucky when it came to shooting, and his luck would not fail him yet. From the flurry of snow, he could hear the anguished cries of countless aparoids out in the distance. Managing to crack a smile at his shooting skills, he looked down at his radar, seeing that he was close to the generator.

"You should see the shield generator any moment now." The old hare's voice said from the comms, reassuring Dead-Eye that he was heading in the right direction. As he got closer to the target, he could see the massive tower standing before him.

"Phweeee! Now that's a tall drink right there!" he said, whistling in admiration as he stared at the massive structure. Wishing that he had kept the rocket launcher, he let out a sigh as he aimed his two sets of pistols hallway down the structure, remembering what he had heard before.

"Alright, easy does it!" he exclaimed as he shot the pistols, aiming towards the middle. "Gosh, darn it!" he yelled out as he saw his shots miss due to the high wind.

"We can launch an attack at any time! Just need you to take that tower down!" Slippy's voice came through the airways, trying to be reassuring, but really only annoying the four-armed mallard.

"Yeah, me, too! Just get rid of that blizzard, will ya?" Falco's mocking voice was next, delivery trying the duck's patience. "You all need to stop being so awfully selfish! I know your visibility's poor but try to aim for the towers." Krystal came to his aid, trying to reassure him with her caring tone.

It worked, as taking a deep breath, Dead-Eye carefully aimed all four blasters at the same point. Calming his breathing, he listened to the sound of his own heart, as he pulled the triggers. The four bolts rushed forward, merging into a single bolt that hit the pillar right in the middle, blasting the energy source apart.

"You did it!" Slippy cheered through the comms, "Well, I'll be!" Falco followed, impressed with what he saw. "Well done, Dead-Eye!" Krystal was the last to give praise, as the old canard looked on towards the explosion with pride.

"Was there any doubt?" he said smugly as he admired his work, before turning back towards the control center.

Bucky marched diligently across the snow, his large feet acting like snowshoes as he trekked across the circumference of the center. Keeping a watchful eye on his radar, he could see the bright red dot to his right, facing Northeast. Glad to see that he was making progress, he picked up the pace as he headed toward it.

"Only one shield generator left. We're counting on you now, Bucky!" Krystal's voice came through his commlink. "Destroy the last generator and the shield will vanish!" Slippy informed him excitedly, eager to get down there. Not being able to help put smile at his excitement, Bucky spoke through his comms, "Affirmative, will do!" as he marched eagerly towards the tower.

"Just a bit further now, Bucky. Keep going!", Krystal reassured him as the remaining shield generator came into range. "And only one more to go! Keep moving and waste it!" Falco's voice cried eagerly in his ear as he came closer, but suddenly the snow in front of him erupted in an explosion.

Turning to his side, he saw a small group of aparoids approaching him. "Oh no!" Bucky mumbled in frustration. Pulling his plaster from his belt, he fired a volley of plasma shots at them.

His fire managed to hit one of them, but the others proved to be smarter. Moving out of the way, they retaliated with their own firepower. Acting quickly, Bucky used his superior agility to leap over the enemy fire. Aiming his gun, he fires at them mid-jump, hitting two of them before falling to the ground.

Getting his footing, he was quickly forced to dodge as a laser blast came dangerously close to his head. Dropping into a roll, he laid out on the snow, aiming his weapon straight toward the aparoids. He managed to hit one, but before he could hit the other his gun jammed.

"This is taking too long! Are you sure he's, OK?" Falco asked from the cockpit of his Arwing, waiting to get into action. "Bucky, do you read me?" Slippy tried through the comms, but nothing but static came. "I can't reach him; I'm getting a little nervous." He told them with worry. "We have to believe in Fox. That's all we can do." Krystal told them, keeping hope that things would be alright.

Bucky lay still in the snow, his weapon jammed and waiting for the inevitable. Steeling himself for what was to come, he closed his eyes and waited.

*BOOM*

An explosion was heard, but it had not come from where Bucky had laid but from the smoldering remains of the las aparoid. "What are you waiting for, hop on!" he heard a voice behind him, turning towards it he was met with a welcoming sight.

The Landmaster was behind him, Dead-Eye clinging from the side, ushering him to get on. Grinning at the sigh, he pushed himself from the snow and climbed to the other side of the tank. "Thanks for the save!" he said gladly, happy to see his friends were alright.

"Don't mention it, now let's finish this thing!" Fox told him from inside, grinning as they rode forward. Fox accelerated to the far side of the pillar and aimed the turret upward until the crosshairs turned red. He charged up a laser blast, and let it fly, hearing the explosion, and glancing at the Climate Control Center's shield. It slowly dissipated and as soon as they saw it, it disappeared.

"Fox... Dead-Eye…Bucky! Does anybody hear me!" Slippy jumbled voice came through the comms, trying to contact anyone. "Yeah, we're here! We can read you Slippy!" Bucky told him once his comms was working once again, "We're all alright!" he informed him.

"The climate control center shield has been disabled." ROB's robotic voice came through. "Whoo hoo! Now we can put an end to this blizzard." Slippy cried out in joy, clad to hear the good news.

"Head for the middle control center! See anything that looks like an entrance near there?" Peppy told them, relieved to hear they were ok. "The Landmaster will not fit inside the center." ROB added, his dry delivery offering some levity to the guys below.

"Affirmative! Hearing you loud and clear!" Fox told them, as he drove the Landmaster towards the center. "Let's be quick about it, the cold is killing me!" Dead-Eye complained, offering a small break from the tension as the group rode off towards the entrance.

Author's Note:

And that's a wrap! Sorry for the delay, I had some medical issues to take care of. I'm glad to see you all still supporting this story, however, I have to announce that I will be taking a short break from this story. But do not worry, it is not canceled, I just want to get back to working on my previous story "CHIMA: Rise of the Snakes" . If it sounds like something you would be interested, don't be shy about giving it a read.

Like always, don't forget to comment and hope you all have a great day! Thanks for reading, and until next time!