FSE

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A long, straightforward hallway waited. Lining it was alcoves leaving just enough extra room to slide behind the busts they housed. Tall, simian faces looked on without comment even as Fox slipped past them.

He halted as a loud click resounded from the double doors at the far end.

Stepping into the hall were a pair of guards, dressed like the regulars they had seen except for the gunmetal gray on black bodysuit coloration of their armor. Rather than a visor, the helmets sported circular clusters of scanners. Furthermore, each sported a shoulder-mounted radome, projecting the gridded cloak detection scan lines on the floor in all directions around them.

<From the radio traffic, it sounds like Polar has placed the palace on high alert. I have to wonder if he suspects anything.>

Too preoccupied to discuss it, Fox ducked behind one of the statues which afforded just enough space between it and the walls of the alcove. Though he had to freeze up immediately. On the back side of the bust's square base, a laser line indicated a proximity mine. Pressing a hand and foot against each side, he had to shimmy up the wall. Just in time for a scan grid to slither over the floor and walls right below his feet.

The guards made a couple laps around the room, avoided in the same manner as Fox worked his way onward until the exit was in reach, which he bounded through without a trace.

-

The winged doors of the elevator opened on the bright, airy environs of a hallway apparenlty tucked very high up on the mountain. Arched windows looked directly out from the sheer cliff face and over leagues of ocean until it curved off at the horizon. A shadow crept across the outside, shading the bright windows one after the other.

Fox flickered into view, one hand holding his blaster at the ready and the other clutching a handle to the double doors. As one of Andross' direct minions, Polar would know him well enough to bypass the cloaking system anyway. Might as well save power.

The doors came flying open as Fox stepped inside the office of General Polar. The bear made no more effort to hide himself than Fox did, seated at a large desk. Samedi leaned back in his chair, arms spread and palms on the desk. Not the least bit surprised at his sudden company.

"Starfox. I was just told that you were here. No surprises these days, eh? Not like the old days back in Lylat,"

"Think I've already had enough reminiscing for a lifetime,"

The bear nodded, "Respectable. Let us cut the chase, then,"

As if it were a plastic facade, the bear stood and picked up the desk with a single hand and hurled it at Fox. The thundering crash and splinters scattering told that it was very much real. Fox responded with a pair of shots dead center on the bear's chest, both of which were handily absorbed by his personal barrier.

Polar held his hand up, the fingertips splitting and then retracting back as his fist and lower arm busily clicked and clacked reshaping itself. Fingers assumed a gattling gun formation as the bionic fully revealed itself, ripping out of his sleeve at places.

Laser fire swept across the room, indiscriminately blasting the exepnsive decorum. Statues exploded, wall rugs sported ember-lined holes as the rain of death fanned toward Fox. Short but brutal bursts drove him back toward more solid looking pillars near the far wall. From here Fox returned a few bolts of his own but was quickly pinned back by the responding firestorm.

One small mercy- Polar didn't seem to be charging headlong after him. The bear lingered near where his desk had been. Careful, waiting for Fox to reveal himself, but the heavy footsteps gave his position away.

Fox angled around him, scoring a handful of hits and met with the usual fury, melting molten scars into the walls.

"Hm. Firepower like that- got to be a big energy reserve he's packing,"

Another bout of laser fire and the general's barrier energy was being slowly whittled down. It adjusted itself to only cover the vitals once it became critically low.

A rumble came to the room and the sound of cracking stone. The ceiling of the office was domed, now displaying cracks as it started to move. Fox gasped, but it became clear it wasn't collapsing. Segments were unfolding, through which the wind and fresh air whipped.

But also, the reason for the cloudy weather became obvious. A thick saucer shaped craft hovered a few stories overhead. Featureless, constructed of dark tarnished metal and thrumming with a deep tone. That thing- it had been buried somewhere, for a long time.

<Odd. I cannot decipher the emissions coming from that craft..>

"Doesn't surprise me,"

The sound of running footfalls brought Fox's attention back to his immediate surroundings. Five of the silver armored guards were piling into the room, weapons ready.

"About time you got here!" Polar shouted, "Kill the intruder! And don't worry, I'm not going anywhere until I see it done!"

This wasn't looking good. The troopers were fanning out, surrounding him. Something bounced off the wall nearby- a grenade. Yeah, it was time to break cover whether he wanted to or not. With a shout, Fox dove out from behind the pillar a single second before a cracking explosion hurled dust and debris.

Before he could push himself up off the floor, a boot came down in the middle of his back. The soldier raised an arm and the gauntlet he wore unfolded a blade from the top of the forearm.

Only to have his head swiped off from behind. Confusion cost another of the guards their life, falling under a hail of laser fire from the rogue guard now attacking them. Polar bellowed something incomprehensible while the fighting suddenly rampaged off to another corner of the room. He sent another volley after the stranger, but Fox siezed the opportunity.

Rising to a knee, Fox unloaded his blaster. Sparks shot from the bionic arm, needling their way up the limb until the battery was finally struck. His forearm exploded with a lashing tongue of red energy, singing what remained of his uniform's sleeve- as well as the side of his muzzle.

As he stumbled back toward the window, Fox stood and pressed his attack with the momentum completely reversed now. The barrier winked off with a shimmer and then lasers were boring into Polar's chest. The blaster clicked dry and glass crashed as Polar plunged backwards through it. A ghastly snarl was on his face, showing off his fangs from gumline to tip. The black cybernetic eye alone remained stoic in the face of his fate. Then he was gone, bound for quite a long fall. Wherever he ended up, he wouldn't be in a state to care.

A hand came to rest on Fox's shoulder. It was one of the gray guards- at least from the neck down. Wolf had taken a disguise of his own it turned out.

"Any idea what that thing up there is doing?" Fox asked while he reloaded.

<Emissions indicate that it is connected to the weapon in orbit. Very likely to be a control pod of some kind>

The floor heaved under their feet, rose up enough that the shape of a platform distinguished itself.

<The command craft seems to be calling this lift mechanism. Curious.>

"Not an accident, I'll bet," Wolf muttered, "Watch your tail,"

As the platform rose, it pulled up the lavish carpet and draped it along for the ride. They ascended in style toward where a hatch had opened in the bottom to accomodate it. Fox found himself drawing closer to Wolf as he caught sight of a tunnel, lined with sickly green lights.

-

They were served up to the belly of the craft- a wide dome shaped space. Crowded in the ceiling, hoses and cables in an organic flow. They culminated in the center of the floor, spilling from above and below to meet in a columnal cluster. Or at least they seemed to connect there.

A beam of darkness sat in the housing. As if pure shadow was collected and poured between the jaws of the odd apparatus.

Or, was it really darkness?

Something sinister waited in that void. Just something he couldn't see coming like a big planet accurately named and wreathed in poison to advertise its horror. He was paralyzed in place, from paws to eyelids as his mind took time to resolve what really lurked there.

Something looking out from a wound in reality. One that festered with searching tentacles, eyeballs. Madness..

By the smallest bit the mind formed the shape of a biomechanical face with bat winged ears, most of the details felt rather than seen as if the darkness echoed in non-space.

"It's him- It's.."

Fox wasn't aware that he was chanting this statement until Wolf grasped him, hooking fingers down the collar of his breastplate.

"I know who it is," Wolf growled, "And what my mission is. You'll have to sit this one out,"

"Mission? What are you talking about?"

Wolf pulled Fox's face closer, "See, the big ape stuffed a crude snapshot of his mind into that mug over there. Was planning to use it on Venom. But you flew straight down to his back door, never crossed paths with it. Polar's goons got it plugged into this thing,"

A gesture around them, Wolf throwing a hand wide over their surroundings.

"All this, it's that weird technology of his. Only he can work it. They want to use those little toys he left behind. Corneria I mean. If you interfere, then...hell. I suppose that would make you the outlaw,"

"They aren't going to turn on me. Even if they want this weapon,"

"They will and they do," Wolf countered pointedly, "You were supposed to be a distraction, to tease that weapon out of hiding while I came in and did the dirty work. With this little gadget,"

Wolf presented a switchblade, opening it with a click and giving Fox a good look at the blade.

"Shadow Fang. Redesigned Aparoid tech. It'll shut him down. Tuck him in for a nap and then our comrades can come recover him,"

"It's Andross," Fox whispered then found his normal voice, "They can't contain that and you know it. It- he, needs to be destroyed,"

Fox was picked up and hurled across the floor, tumbling onto his back. But he didn't find Wolf glaring down at him as expected. If anything, Wolf's lower lip seemed to tremble at the sight. He crouched down just to make his hushed, gruff voice audible. Fully aware that the eldritch horror in question was essentially peeking over his shoulder in the very moment.

"Pepper's got Corneria polished up pretty good. Maybe a little too good. Now the dirt shows up real easy. They've got to get things done though- things they wouldn't want to admit to. I can't let you get stabbed in the back. You don't deserve it. So we're back to the good old days after all,"

Wolf turned on the likeness of Andross, shadow fang in hand. Fox was suddenly finding it harder to sit up than it ought to be. The reason became apparent- the suit was sticking in place, holding him back as it melted into tendrils gluing him to the floor.

<Please do not interfere with operative Shadow Wolf. You are on thin ice as it stands>

"Fuck. Off,"

Fully and truly pissed beyond measure, Fox fought his way through the melting nanites and pushed himself to his feet. They were locking up, making it difficult to even move.

Ahead, Wolf raised his device high. Plunged it down into a terminal before the nightmarish face. The lights went out. Except for a pair of glowing yellow points in the blackness. It wasn't the barely illuminated face or eyes, but the light behind them that searched and quickly found.

The rest of the ship came back online a moment later. All it took for dark clouds to spill out from the base of the housing, lending a sinister form of neck to Andross' head. Wolf was not happy to find himself surrounded, swatted aside with one of the curling black tendrils.

Roiling chaos rushed on toward Fox, hungry for him. No cockpit glass, not time, distance, nor even death, was between him and the nightmare now. It stretched, pulsated and seemed to pull space and distance itself closer with each contraction. Biomechanical flesh stretched in a sneer, bearing sharp teeth.

<Fox McCloud. I'll devour you at last!>

This was followed by that familiar laugh. The maw opened wide and Fox felt his feet leave the floor. At the same time, his spirit tumbled in the opposite direction. Bungee jumped into the pit. But on the rebound, a thought occurred. His team, counting on him. Among millions of others.

"I already beat the real you," Fox said, straining to speak.

Yes. Fox wasn't scared of this cheap copy. He was more scared of Falco's music. The toaster after Slippy tinkered with it. Peppy's hat collection. Each name invoked seemed to add strength and his blaster edged higher. Last but not least, Wolf. At once he could feel the lupine's arms around him.

It wasn't the power of the shot but the fully recharged spirit behind it. Straight through the eye of the demonically warped metal where it yawned, only seconds from swallowing Fox. It froze, contorted. And then flung itself into the distance. Rushing back were flames of a blinding explosion.