FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

A/N: lol, I wrote this back in August. It's now December and I realized, oops, I have two finished chapters just waiting to be posted. My bad. Lol.

Chapter -21-

Unstoppable Force

Macbeth...

"Wait! I'd like to make a deal with you. Don't just leave me here."

Krystal groaned. She pivoted at the door at the end of the hall with a sigh. "Let's hear out the sodding prat. He did visit us ump-teen times, after all. And he told me why I've been craving foods that no longer exist, from my childhood, and why I have sensitive spots. I guess we should hear'im out."

Fox turned and walked back up the hallway. "All right, Shears. Make it quick. We have to put Andrew into a cage not very different from this one. Just, you know, more guards."

The two foxes approached Shears' cell.

"What are you going to do, now, you idiots?" Reggie Shears drew his round-rimmed glasses from his muzzle, held them up, and gazed at the lenses. He blew a bit of dust from them and put them back over his eyes.

Shears' question seemed too irresistible for Krystal to ignore.

Krystal turned to him and approached the softly glowing bars. "You can't possibly_think I saw _you as my only option, Reginald. I told you, I'm telepathic, governor."

Shears blinked at her. "Why do you keep calling me governor?"

"Never-you-mind that. I knew you fancied Fox defeating Andrew for you."

"Yes, and?"

"And if he failed, you were going to stab Fox in the back and present him to Andrew as some sort of ... proof of your 'loyalty.' You churlish git."

"So, now what?" asked Shears.

"I'm going to verify what you told me, earlier. Once I have my second opinion, and I have verified what your scan suggested, I am going to commandeer your ship, shut down your operation, and sever your employment with Andrew. Not necessarily in that order."

Shears clenched his paws into fists. "Just because I had a backup plan if Fox failed _doesn't_mean it was going to happen. I have faith he was going to get the job done, because he and I already have history."

"Too right, you have history."

"Perhaps your little boyfriend is just angry with me because he couldn't kill me the first time."

"Oh, come off it, you."

"Look, lady, I didn't survive this long by making the same mistake I made with Andross, back when I severed ties with Corneria."

Fox opened his mouth to speak but found himself interrupted by Krystal.

"Wrong!" She took a step closer to the bars, glaring at Shears, and said, "Corneria didn't know you were Andross' spy until after Fox defeated you and exposed your treachery. And you hold that against him."

"So, what if I do?!"

"Typical bloke, you want revenge. I don't even need a sixth-sodding-sense to know that. I'm not daft, it's as plain as your face."

Shears ground his teeth. "So, what is it you think I want?"

"Easy peasy! You want Fox to defeat Andrew, then you were going to backstab Fox. I'm not having any of that."

"Why would I backstab your precious boyfriend if he helps me?"

"Because you're afraid of him, mate! You smarmy todger, I told you, I know what you're thinking. You want to manipulate Dash to follow in his grandfather's footsteps. You want Dash to lead Venom to take revenge on Corneria, because you are upset you were banned from returning to your ancestral home. In your older age, you miss Corneria more than you know how to admit aloud."

"How dare you?!"

Krystal raised her voice. "Oh, bugger off. You can take that fake offense and shove it up your arse."

"I_left _Corneria, not the other way around. How could I possibly miss it?"

"You keep telling yourself that load of rubbish, but I'm done listening to you prat around. You want to be back on Corneria'r, ya bloody-well miss it, and you sure as hell wouldn't admit that amongst your mates, because you plan on backstabbing them, too. Why? Because you're racist as all-hell. You hate lizards, apes, monkeys ... doesn't matter! You fancy yourself superior amongst Andrew, Dash, your crew ... they're all_victims in your blag ... your scam. It's why you think you can manipulate Dash ... you see yourself smart. Well, if you're _so clever, how is it, then, that you're not already running things? Eh? You've been on the run for years. Get it through that thick bonce. You've bodged up your entire life, Reginald!"

"No. You want me to think that you're telepathic. But you have good intel, and you're trying to play me. Tell me something no one else knows about me, then maybe I'll believe you."

"Not that I have to prove myself, but I just want to see you cringe." Krystal ground her teeth in frustration, took a slow, relaxing breath, then, in a softer tone, she said, "You were the triggerman behind the 'accident' that killed Andross' android pig folks. You covered it up by threatening some IT boffin, uh..." she waved her wrist, looking for the Cornerian word. "...IT, you know..." She snapped her fingers three times, then exclaimed, "...nerd! Anyhow, you had this kid at sword-point, and made him change information in the computer, suggesting that you had the area marked for government compulsory purchase, and that the only thing the explosion killed was a field of coriander." A pause, then, she said, "...Cilantro. Whatever you call the bloody leaves on Corneria!" She threw her hands outward for emphasis, adding, "And then? You had the goolies to try and befriend Andross, after being the twit that broke him!"

Shears stared at her with a blank expression, his maw agape and eyes wide.

"You thought you were destined for greatness, guv, and now? You're barely higher than a grunt. Cerinia had a term for that ... ironically, it was being a 'dogsbody' and you fit that description to the letter, literally and figuratively." She turned away from Shears and took a moment to compose herself.

"There is no record of that hack."

"No," said Krystal, still facing away. "Because you killed the boy. That was the first time you'd murdered an innocent in cold blood. Slipped it right in between 'is ribs from behind. You realized how easy it was, and you didn't feel a damned thing after."

Shears gawked. He removed his rounded sunshades and stared at her in complete shock. "There's no body, so you have no proof."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to tell the procurator fiscal. We're mercenaries, not the authorities."

"The ... what?" Shears eyed her backside. "The what fiscal?"

Krystal sighed. She turned around to face him again. "The..." She waved her hand, looking for the Cornerian word. "The ... sodding ... public prosecutor ... district attorney! That's it, that's the word. Look, I'm tired, and I've been using Cerinian terms as of late, apparently part of my new pregnancy, so ... sod off."

Fox came alongside of Krystal, arms crossed over his chest. "We told you she was telepathic. Yet you were still in shock hearing your darkest secrets thrown back at you. I saw the look on your face a moment ago."

"I..." Shears grimaced. "...May have had my doubts. Until now."

Krystal looked around furtively, then leaned in close enough that she could feel the intense warmth radiating from the bars. Their emitted energy caused her eyes to glow from proximity. She spoke in a soft, personal tone. "I may let you live so you can one day see your estranged child again. The one whose identity you covered up, so that Andross wouldn't find out about them. I can understand being afraid they would be harmed to force your compliance ... after all, that sounds like something Andross Bowman would do if he disliked your performance."

Shears suddenly looked deflated. He brought a paw to his muzzle, covering his mouth. "When I returned to Corneria, after I decided to help Andross, I spent most of my savings on having a grey-hat hacker edit the birth certificate to show that I was not the father, and gave the rest to my child's mother. We were better friends than lovers, so she accepted the money and kept the secret. She didn't want to be embarrassed by the fact I would eventually wind up caught. It took a few years before I was, but ... she never told anyone, even our child. I..." He trailed off with a sigh and shook his head.

Krystal stole a glance at Fox, then cut her gaze back to Shears. "I have a feeling they both assume that you died in the Lylat War; John Pepper did not disclose your treachery publicly. He only issued an order to reach him if you are ever contacted or spotted, nothing more."

"Wh..." Shears blinked his eyes a few times, staring at her. He eyed her with scrunched brows. "That's not..." He shook his head in disbelief.

"The unredacted file is only accessible to head military leaders and the prime minister. Star Fox is the only other group of people that know the truth about you."

"Why would Pepper keep that a secret?"

McCloud scoffed. "Why would Pepper spare Corneria with your defection? That's easy, Reggie. It's because you were thought to be missing in action and presumed dead. Pepper is a good man - he won't drag your name through the mud without first giving you your day in court. That won't happen unless more persons can verify your work alongside Andross."

Krystal continued, "So far, it's only one man - Fox. That made it 'hearsay' under Cornerian law. Rumors aren't legal proof. Pepper spared your estranged child; yes, he knows about your child, by the way, even though the paperwork was changed. But he has kept it to himself."

Shears eyed her. "How could you know that about Pepper? He's not here for you to, uh, telepathically 'read,' right now."

Krystal gestured to Fox. "No, Reginald. But he is here, and John Pepper swore Fox to silence on the matter, so ... your child was never bullied growing up due to _your_shite-decisions."

Shears backed away from the bars and slumped onto the wall-mounted bed. "Oh."

She turned to Fox. "Y'know, originally I was going to reach through and give him a sound pasting, but..." She shrugged. "A belting. I meant to say I was going to deck the daft sod. God, I haven't spoken Cerinian phrases in years, and it comes back just like that."

Fox gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "You've taken the wind out of his sails more so than any punch could ever do."

"Actually," she began.

Shears said, "She's humbled me. Do what you must. It was only a matter of time before my child would be used against me."

"I would never dare," Krystal said in a firm tone. "I mean to tell you that their existence has saved your life. That is why I mentioned them to you."

McCloud blinked. "But, Krystal..."

"No Fox, he was truthful in his claim ... he really is convinced Andross was the only one capable of defeating the incoming alien race. The destruction of Lylat means the death of his offspring, and he simply doesn't believe Star Fox can 'andle it ... only a united Lylat."

Fox turned to Shears, moving closer to the cell bars, at Krystal's side. "Why not return to Corneria or reach out to Pepper after the death of Andross? Why work with Andrew Oikonny?"

Shears kept his head tilted down but glanced up from where he was slumped on the cell bed. A soft sigh escaped his maw. "Because, McCloud..." Another defeated sigh. "Because ... Fox ... I made my bed, and now I must lay in it. I threw myself into the role. I buried myself in it, really. I would have killed you, all those years ago, simply to protect the clone of Andross."

"You're not the first to try and clone that idiot, you know."

"No, Fox. I'm not. The second build of Herbert Dengar, the android, was the first, and he was successful. When I learned that there were two clones made from that batch, one with compassion and the other a psychopath, I tried to emulate the exact cloning experiment in hopes I could create another emotionally-healthy version of Andross. But I could not recreate that mistake a second time."

Fox scoffed. "No offense, but that was dumb."

"What would you know about it? I'm the one who is educated in genetics, not you."

Fox shook his head with a roll of his eyes. "You wanted to make a pushover version of Andross. Pushovers don't beat enemies or unite star systems. Granted ... the psychopath version of Andross was worse than the original sociopath, but karma punished him; he was stepped on by a goddamn dragon."

Shears cringed.

Fox continued. "Andross was said to be broken by his experiences with emotional trauma or whatever, right? Well that is the only version of Andross that could have made good on fighting off an enemy alien race."

Shears stared at Fox for a moment.

Krystal said, "He means that all psychopaths are sociopaths, but not all sociopaths are psychopaths. However, the sociopathic Andross ... the original ... was far more capable in saving Lylat than either of the clones. One would have been steamrolled by the enemy, the other would have destroyed Lylat, himself, before these ... locusts ever arrived. Be glad you didn't copy Herbert Dengar's cloning experiment."

Shears looked down. "Oh. Very well."

Fox gestured for Krystal by hooking a thumb over his shoulder. "Ready?"

"Too right, I am."

Fox cut his gaze back to Shears. "I'd love to stay and talk all day, but we have work to do. You're our prisoner. Even if someone finds you and lets you free. Don't forget that. If Krystal says you get to live, then I'm going to stand by her judgment on that issue. You get to live."

"But I tried to kill you, Fox."

"Yeah, so has Falco after a few drinks. Just accept it and stop trying to talk me out of sparing you. I'm doing it because she said to."

Krystal added, "Reginald, listen mate ... I'll make this real quick-like. You had me convinced you were a misogynist troll. Especially when you all-but-called me Fox's quim." She shook her head with a frown.

Shears fidgeted, briefly. He wondered what a quim was, but he was able to figure out the basic meaning based on how she used the term, after reflecting on how he treated her, earlier. Shears realized he was fidgeting and put both paws at his sides. "But...?"

"But..." She sighed softly. "But, well, now I see that you were method acting to be some sort of stereotypical antagonist to survive in this ... this life you've made for yourself. It probably didn't help that you were beat by a girl and her squad-mates. Tell you what, I'll check in on your grown child next I'm on Corneria." She thought better on her wording and corrected herself. "Next time_I'm on Corneria. I'm speaking tosh, far as you're concerned. I know I am. Anyhow, I won't approach them. But I'll make sure their life is sorted. If you fancy a few snapshots, I ... _might find a way to manage it."

Shears' eyes widened.

"But I'll want compensation. It's a job, and I'm a mercenary; I don't work for skint."

"I would ... appreciate that, Krystal."

"Ta, then. We'll be back for you before we sink the remains of this base into the network of tunnels beneath us. What's the quickest way out of the brig area?"

"Head through the door I came through. The next hallway is a large circle. You'll want to go counterclockwise and take the first intersection on the left. The elevators will take you wherever you want to go."

Krystal nodded firmly. "Anti-clockwise, first left turn, and take the lift. Got it. And, if Fox and I have grown too old to beat these aliens, I assure you, they will be no match for my child."

"Are you sure you'll want your kid tangled up in that?"

Krystal replied with a look of confidence. "Just imagine it, Reginald. Someone with Fox's instinct and reflexes, and then add my telepathy and my clever sensibilities ... just imagine it, yeah? They'll flatten anything that threatens Lylat. Of that, you can be rest assured, mate ... my son will be brilliant."

"How ... do you know you'll have a son? The scans said you'd only recently conceived. The AI based its assumption on development. There's no way you could know the sex of the child."

Krystal feigned a wry grin. "My race had access to an oracle. Her prophecies always_came true. _I was the last person she saw'r a'fore she retired from giving prophecies, because she'd learned the end of our world was imminent. She_wanted_ to give me my future because I was fated to be a survivor. She told me that I would have a son who'd one day save my home and the entire star system. As a child, I assumed he would somehow save Cerinia, and for years after the destruction of my world, I wondered why she told me my child would save my home. But in recent years, I came to accept that she meant Lylat, because Lylat is now my home."

Shears remained silent, listening to her.

Krystal continued. "Rest assured, I'll train this boy to be a posh pilot, bloody brilliant as you like, and prepared to take on whatever comes 'is way. He'll sort these enemies, Reginald. Bet on it, yeah? Now, stay seated until we return for you. If somethin' 'appens to us, this ice'll melt. Eventually."

Shears nodded. He leaned back against the bulkhead and folded his paws in his lap.

Fox turned away from the bars and Krystal fell into step alongside of him. They headed back up the hallway, through the doors, and made their way around the circular hallway, counterclockwise. They made a left at the first intersection and called for the elevator.

The doors opened.

The hallway was eerily silent.

Across the hallway was an open door, leading to a room of weapons mounted to racks on the bulkheads. A digital tablet was on a workbench.

Fox touched a button, turning on the screen. He glanced at the clock at the top, then turned the screen back off and said, "Inventory from one of Shears' people."

"Have a quick gander. Nick what'cha need, then let's leg it. I don't trust Shears' crew of jossers to find him, but I expect them to be armed, because they don't know what's down here."

Fox armed himself with a premium blaster rifle and extra batteries. He studied the design and smirked. "This is a _Cornerian_rifle from the war. They were stealing and stockpiling Cornerian weapons because they were better build quality than Imperial Venom gear. It wasn't until Andross' second attempt on Lylat that he armed his people with weapons that were decent."

"I thought Andross was in weapons' research and development for Corneria?"

"Yeah, he had great designs, but the infrastructure was rushed, and the lizards didn't understand quality assurance in fabrication. At least not until later. Their ground troops used garbage gear early in the war. But Corneria designed weapons that were way more powerful than they should've been ... at least during the Lylat Wars. That's where Falco's Dragon Sniper Rifle came from, but they're not made anymore. Anyway, this_is a _great rifle. Think I'll keep it."

Krystal grinned. "Can you find battery cartridges for a weapon this old?"

"I wouldn't call it 'old,' I would call it a 'classic.' And, uh, yeah. They take standard battery packs - the standard battery interfaces haven't changed since, like, my father's heyday."

"Let's pop off, then."

Fox nodded in agreement.

The two mercenaries headed off down the silent hallway.

Fox decided to break the silence. "So, all these Cerinian words are coming back, huh?"

"Heh, yeah. Sorry about that, love."

"No, it's kind of cool. What did your people call ... uh ... shoes?"

"What kind of shoes you mean?"

"I dunno, uh ... like ... sneakers? Did your people have sneakers?"

"Daps. We called'em daps." A smile then she said, "Go on. Ask me another."

The conversation continued this way to pass the time as they moved through the base.

X

X

Meanwhile...

Topside, Macbeth...

Falco tucked in his rumpled A-frame shirt and reached for a button-up shirt at the edge of the bed.

"I can't believe you actually care about your appearance now, Falco. It's refreshing to see you wear clothing that isn't wrinkled."

Falco grinned at Katt. He adjusted the lay of the top shirt's fabric, but he didn't button it. He fluffed his feathers at the collar of his A-frame to accentuate his chest, just beneath his neckline. "Yeah, well ... speaking of wrinkles..." he trailed off and stole a glance at the wrinkled sheets on the mattress. "I can't believe we used another woman's mattress to do ... yanno ... what we just did."

"It's called sex, honey."

"That was a lot more than just sex, Katt."

"Mm, true. Well, it's not like we can hide it from a telepath. And for the record? I can't believe it took you this many years to treat me the way I want to be treated. My patience is legendary to have waited this long for you to grow into a man."

"Yeah, yeah. Well..." He tried to think of something to argue in response. His mouth spit out the words before he could filter the thought. "...Well, I can't believe you used to date some dude named 'Cool.' And, for the record, I started taking my fashion sense serious around the time I was on my ... uh, whatever that word is for being on extended vacation."

She frowned at Falco's mention of the blue-furred cat she used to date a few years back. "You ... still think about him, huh?"

"What? Oh, uh, I just..." Falco frowned. He realized right away he'd put his foot into his mouth. "What was that word again? The one where you take a break from everyone?"

Katt sighed softly. "Sabbatical. For the record, lover boy, I put Cool out of my mind years ago. Maybe I just had a soft spot for blue boys. I live the trope ... pink princess, blue boy."

"Right, sabbatical. Uh, and your pink is dye."

"Yes, and same for Cool. There's only one_mammal in Lylat with _naturally blue fur ... and we just sullied her stow-away bed because we're awful friends. I was thinking with my hormones. Pretty sure we both were, honey." She cut her gaze to the mattress and cleared her throat. "Um ... do you think this is a full or a queen mattress?"

"I don't know. I used a twin until Star Fox made it big, then I upgraded to a King mattress. Heh heh. Look, we're rich mercenaries. I'll get her another friggin' mattress to pop into the bed frame. Stop stressing."

"If you don't, I will."

Falco abruptly said, "Katt, I uh ... so, hey, look, I'm sorry I brought up that guy. He seemed like an okay-kat. Y'know, for a cat."

"I could have married him. He even brought up the topic. We talked about it."

"Shit. Sounds serious. What happened?"

Katt sighed again. "The Space Hot-Rodders happened to him, Falco. You were right. I should've left sooner. You said it was a messy business, and it was. Let's just leave it at that."

"Oh. Damn. I didn't know. I didn't mean to make fun of his name."

Katt reached up and cupped Falco's beak. She was always surprised at how soft avians beaks were, considering their smaller feral counterparts had such rigid beaks. She rubbed her thumb gently along the seam where his top and bottom lip came together. "Oh, Falco, you didn't know. And the sad part is ... he knew I was with him because I couldn't be with you at the time. And, for some reason, he was totally okay with being the second choice. It was unfair to him. But, now that he's gone, I _can't_think about him. It hurts my heart because he deserved more from life, even if it was from someone other than me. I mean ... it should have been. He'd still be alive. He deserved a girl that wasn't thinking about a cocky avian. He deserved to be someone's first thought. He deserved more from the life he was handed."

"We all do, but none of us were blessed with a perfect life."

"Falco, do you love me?"

"Where's that coming from?"

"I finally caught you. Things are serious. I'm really happy in our new relationship. But you never say the words to me. You show it, and I appreciate that - it's enough. I just ... you don't have_to _say it. You can just say 'yes' ... I just want to know for sure. The validation helps."

Falco ran his fingers back through his hair. "What is love to you, Katt?"

"It's when you feel lust, but also get sentimental over someone."

"Well, by that logic, I love my favorite blaster. I love my Sky Claw. I love being a mercenary, and I love getting paid even more. But, like, I don't have chemistry with my job, or my ship, or my gun, or my paycheck. What I feel for you? That's chemistry. Like, you know, like a connection. We have a thing. It goes both ways ... there's a word for that, right? ...where I feel a thing and you give it back and I can really, you know, tell that you're giving it back."

"Reciprocation."

Falco snapped his feathery fingertips. "Yeah! That's it. You reciprocate the chemistry. Actually, I think that's what chemistry really is. When two people reciprocate all the good stuff, and they overlook the bad stuff, as if they're blind to the bad stuff. It just ain't even there."

"Falco, that's what love is."

"Love is, well, it's like..." Falco shrugged. "That's what a mom feels for her kid, you know? That kid can be the most annoying little shit in town, but mom loves that kid, right? I mean, I know not all moms love their kid, but, I mean, after the hormone bonding thing ... that mom's go through when the kid is first born or whatever ... after all that stuff has worn off, and the mom still wants what's best for her kid? _That's_love."

"I'm talking about romantic love." Katt bit her lip.

Falco suddenly asked, "Hey, you remember Fara Phoenix?"

Katt dropped her shoulders and stared through Falco's chest when he asked about the fennec that died years ago. "I ... vaguely ... remember her."

"Yeah, her dad loved the shit out of her. He was happy that Fox made her happy. He didn't like her flying in warzones, but he supported her and all that. That's love..."

"Well, yeah ... I agree that's love..." She exhaled slowly, so as not to sigh aloud at him.

Falco continued. "...But people don't have the same connection with their kid ... I mean, yanno, not like you and I have. What we_got? It's chemical. I knew that years ago, but when I saw you with that dude on Titiania, back when you hired me to help with that Shears guy ... I was _jealous, yeah, but I saw he made you happy, so I was happy or whatever. I mean ... I was happy you were happy. It made me feel less guilty about not wanting a thing between us at the time. But now? I guess my balls dropped, I don't know. What we got now? Like, that's chemistry. That's chemical. That's a connection. That's what we got, you and I."

"Falco, that's what love is. You can say it. You don't have to, but it's okay. Hearing you say these things? It proves you are in love with me, and ... it also sort of proves that you loved me longer than I realized. You just didn't know how to handle your insecurities and your feelings. And that's okay. I waited for you to come around and it finally happened. Why did I wait so long? Because I respect you."

"Aw, gee. I got your respect. How swell! Nah, though, like ... what I mean, Katt, is that you and me? We're good. We could do a thing. We could fly together or have kids or ... whatever, you know what I mean? And, I mean, I could see that life for myself."

She smiled. "You want a family with me?"

Falco feigned a slight smile, so that it didn't come off looking cocky. He reached up and put a hand on the side of her face. "Look, since we're being real with each other right now...?"

"Yes?"

He ran his thumb over the side of her face, tracing her cheekbone. "I don't know why I didn't grow the hell up before, but ... shit, I'm glad I did. I like having you as my girl."

"So, I'm your girl, huh?"

"You might be right about what you said before..."

"Regarding what, honey?"

"About me when I was young, dumb, and a dipshit. I've always had feelings; I just didn't know how to be me ... _and_still be reliable for a girl." He cleared his throat, trying to make things a bit less awkward, then nodded firmly. "So, yeah, you're my girl. I'm good for it."

"Good for what?"

"You know. Being reliable or whatever. Don't make me say it."

"Make you say what?"

"That I could see us married with kids 'n all that stuff."

She lit up like a ray of sunshine over a flower.

"Yeah, yeah, I know ... I just said the 'm' word."

"I won't make you 'say' anything ... I'll take this ... this version of you, right here. Right now. This is good enough." She loved seeing him balance 'vulnerable' and 'bad boy' and her eyes glistened, but she did everything in her power to keep from crying happy tears. She wanted to dance away from the topic so she wouldn't cry. She knew that would confuse him. She cleared her throat as if she was about to change the topic, but, instead, she said, "Hey, listen Falco ... going back to what you said, earlier ... is it true? Could you really see us having kids and flying together?"

"Not, like, fifty kids. But, you know, I think I got the patience, now, to handle a little squirt crying all the time for the first few years of their life. I get something outta that. I get to teach the kid how to shoot, how to fight, how to beat someone's ass. How to survive a bar fight."

"That's ... seriously what you'd want to teach them? How to survive a bar fight?"

"Hey, that's important shit to teach your kid. My daddy showed me how to shoot and take a hit."

"He did? When?"

"Heh. I was young. Like, before I wound up in 'the system' on Eladard. Sometime after your parents moved you to Zoness. Fourth grade, maybe?"

"Good god."

"Yeah, they had their redneck moments, heh." He cleared his throat, feeling award about the subject.

"Whatever happened to your parents? You never told me."

"Shit if I know. I wound up in the system, juvie a few years, came out and couldn't find 'em. Never did find out what happened. Then I found the Hot Rodders; you and I crossed paths again, like fate or something. Whatever. I never did find out what happened to them. What about yours?"

"Do you really want to know?"

Falco shrugged. "Only if you wanna talk about it."

She reached for her favorite jacket and pulled it on over her shoulders, then she fixed the lay of the rhinestone-studded shoulder pads. She reached for a headwrap with a bejeweled stone at the front, and pulled it over her head. Next, she guided her ears through the slits in the fabric of the headwrap. "Honey, I was abducted when I was pretty young."

"What're you talking about? We knew each other in Kindergarten."

"It was some time around first grade. So early I barely remember. Blocked it out."

"Wait, seriously?"

Katt nodded. "The Stockholm Syndrome never_kicked in. I realized I had to play it cool for a while, because this crazy couple wanted a daughter bad enough to steal one. They enrolled me in school on ... somewhere other than Zoness or Eladard for a while. But, like I said, I blocked it out. They pretended I was their kid. Messed up, right? When I was ten, I got a _really weird vibe from my stepfather. I can't explain it better than ... just ... a weird 'stranger danger' vibe."

"Shit, did he do anything to you?"

"I didn't stay long enough to find out."

Falco smiled with pride. "That'a girl."

"Yeah, I made a video confession that they abducted me. I was finally old enough to understand the basic concept of DNA, so I left a sample of my fur and a pinprick of the paw for a little blood. Don't even remember where I got the idea to do it ... probably a TV show. Anyway, I took the video and the sample, and dropped it off with cops, and told them to test my guardians, and to arrest them. Then when I wound up in an orphanage, I gave the system as long as I could endure to find my real parents. One day, while I was out with my case worker, or whatever you call them people, I got that 'stranger danger' vibe again. By then, it had been a while, so I questioned myself, whether or not I was feeling the same warning as before..."

"Shit, what happened?"

Katt shrugged. She dropped onto the end of the mattress, knees together, her paws between them. "I had just turned ... eleven, I think? But yeah ... come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that's why the case worker had taken me out, but anyway. So, there I was ... an eleven-year-old know-it-all. But I didn't know if I was feeling the same strange vibe that I got from my fairly brief stepdad. Like, I had known my stepdad for four or five_years_, and I freaked out when he started complimenting me the way he complimented adult girls. But this case worker? I didn't know him. I didn't know if he was just trying to make me feel pretty because it's an adult's job to make kids feel good about themselves when everything actually sucks ... or... if he was just being sick. It was so long ago, that, even now, I couldn't tell you if his compliments were just ... taken out of context."

"Did you tell him to knock it off?"

"No, Falco. He got me ice cream, and I asked if he could run back into the ice creamery and get me napkins. I told him the ice cream was starting to leak out of the bottom of my cone. So, he went back inside for napkins. I found a credit token in the center console of the guy's car. I let myself out the car and ducked into an alley."

"You just ... ran away?"

"Yup. I remember holding my free paw under the ice cream cone, so I wouldn't leave a trail of dripping ice cream that could be used to follow me."

"Heh, heh. Smart."

"For an eleven-year-old, sure. If I was really smart, I would have stayed longer to see if my parents could ever be located. I didn't. I have no idea what happened to them. I think I was in the system for maybe six or seven weeks."

"If you had things to do over, you'd have stayed in foster care?"

"Oh, Falco, I wasn't even placed into foster care, yet. I was still in the orphanage. It wasn't bad, but I didn't have any privacy. I mean, it wasn't as bad as TV shows and books make it out to be. The ladies that ran the home were actually pretty cool. But I just ... I was eleven, you know? I wanted to be on my own. I didn't think I needed anyone. I was a little pre-teen rebel. I dyed my fur pink and fluffed it differently than I wore it during my childhood."

"Yeah, it was weird seeing you grey and white again, like you had it during the Anglar invasion. I'm glad you decided to go back to it."

"Yeah. I had a moment and wanted to be something familiar yet different at the time, Falco. I might switch back to it. I'm trying the pink thing again. For now. Pink princess, blue boy. Right?"

"Right. Uh, what made you decide on pink?"

"I have light red hair and markings ... patches. Think calico. It was easy to identify me that way. So, I wanted uniformity. All pink and white. All grey and white. Just something uniform that doesn't stand out. The red roots started to show in my hair during the Anglar invasion, so I wore a headwrap like the one I'm wearing now."

"You ... wore that back when the Anglars invaded?"

Katt groaned. "Figures you didn't even notice."

"Okay, okay, yeah I know I am a typical dude sometimes. Sue me. Back to the story ... why would you have stayed in the child care system if you could've done things over?"

"Because now I'm old enough to wonder what my real parents went through."

"You mean, what it'd be like to be a mom worried about her missing baby?"

Katt nodded. "You ... actually get it. Mm, you really have grown up, Falco. Somewhere out there, at the far corners of Lylat, there's a man and woman who feel like they failed their daughter because she was abducted. They imagine the worst ... that I was raped, murdered, and buried in a shallow ditch. They probably have random crying spells on otherwise beautiful afternoons. God, I don't know. But I never found them. I don't remember their names, and Monroe is a pretty basic surname. To me? They were just ... mom and dad. I was just too young to know all the important stuff. The only thing I do remember is that they named me Katherine, and they called me Katt. Before you ask, yes, I tried searching the master database for anyone who reported a missing daughter with my first name and last initial."

"Is Monroe not your real last name?"

"It might be. I was a little kid. I was just getting to the age where I knew my last name, but wasn't writing it yet ... and then I was abducted, and the new 'parents' called me Katie. By the time I was about two months away from my eleventh birthday, I couldn't remember my real last name. Just my first name. When asked, I told the cops I think it was 'Monroe.' I was pretty sure. But not one hundred percent sure."

"What makes you doubt yourself?"

"The information I gave investigators wasn't enough to find a missing person's report or my birth parents. So, maybe _I_messed it up. But I gave the cops everything. My dental records. My fingerprints. A close-up snapshot of my ears. I gave them my birthdate ... everything. It was like I never existed. Of course, back then, well, other planets didn't share police information. Now I'm old enough to know that they probably had to cold-call multiple departments on several planets to try and find my parents. So ... now you know why I feel like I should have stayed in the system."

"Damn, girl. That's ... damn."

"Yeah. Never found them. Wound up in a gang, instead. But it was the best decision I ever made."

"Oh yeah? Is that so?"

"Yeah, Falco. It's how I met you."

"Well, shucks. Heh. Serious, though, most of the planets are connected, now. I take it you don't remember which planet you grew up on?"

"No. I remember the name of the town, but that doesn't help because it's a common town name, and nearly every planet in Lylat has several towns by the same name, in multiple countries on multiple globes. So..."

"Katt, most police departments put missing-kids' cases into an interplanetary database. Why don't you try tracking them down again?"

"Because cold cases aren't shared between all the planets of Lylat. I tried again after Andross was destroyed. I didn't put my all into it. I didn't obsess over finding answers. I just gave my information to a private investigator, who couldn't turn up anything. After that, I put it on the backburner and headed for Titania. I got serious with Cool. And, for the record, he didn't know his birthname. Cool is something other homeless kids called him, so he just ... started using it."

"Heh. I admit he was a cool dude, but so far as names go ... it was kinda lame to be called 'Cool.'"

"If you say so."

"Yeah, I say so. Heh. Seriously, though, I'm glad you were never hurt by anyone growing up. I've seen some shit in the darker back alleys of Lylat."

"Yeah, me too. Glad I wasn't victimized."

"You were, Katt. You were taken from your parents. That's hard on a kid."

"I just mean I wasn't turned into a crime scene victim ... for that, I'm thankful. And, you're not the only one who has 'seen some shit.' But, hey, maybe that's why I'm always seeking attention from people ... because I didn't get enough as a kid, after being taken."

"Damn, Katt. I've known you since kindergarten, yet I didn't know ANY of that. But try Zoness and Eladard if you ever try looking them up, because you and I met on Eladard. If you were taken in first grade, a year later, you were likely still on Eladard."

"Thanks, Falco. I will look into it more, soon. If you and I have a family, I'd want to introduce my child to their grandparents, after all."

"I can get on board with that."

Katt reached up and rubbed her face for a moment. "Anyhow, that's my ... uh ... origin story or whatever. If I were just a year older when I was abducted, I would have been old enough to remember things better. I would have learned my birth world, so I could tell police where to start their search. I would have had the mental capacity to remember my surname with a higher degree of certainty ... maybe I would have had the confidence to reach out to police sooner, or tell a teacher, or ... god, I don't know."

"Damn, sister. That's frickin' rough. No one should go through what we did as kids."

"So, what did you go through."

"My old man wasn't, like, exactly the most law-abiding dude. My mom wasn't in the picture. I never knew why. Maybe she died in childbirth? Maybe she died from an overdose? Maybe she gave me up for adoption, but I can't imagine that being the case, because my old man didn't know how to be a dad..."

"Yeah?"

Falco stood up and started pacing the small room at the heart of the Cloudrunner. His head-feathers brushed against the ceiling, which was only two inches higher than the top of his head. He held his hands outward, gesturing in a half-hearted shrug. "Like, I dunno. I was raised that cops didn't like my old man. I kinda vaguely remember him telling me that I_had no reason to distrust 'em. But I _knew that he didn't trust them, so ... eh ... I didn't trust'em, either."

"What happened to your dad?"

"He had his own gang. There was a gang rival 'thing' over turf. It got heated. The cops showed up after the shooting began. Dad never came home from that turf war. I never saw his body ... nothing like that. I knew he was into shady shit. A few days of not coming home, and I knew. I didn't have to wait long for confirmation. On the third day, one of the captains came to the trailer ... yeah, I lived in an RV. Heh. And, no, it wasn't a police captain. It was, like, you know ... one of the capos. He shows up in my dingy little shithole. I vaguely remember being so embarrassed. Like, this dude got a fly ride, all chrome and the side car had this sweet_velvet interior. It was swanky. The whole thing was plush. Anyway, there I am, dirty jeans and a day-old t-shirt, right? RV full of roaches, sneakers with a sole coming unglued from the shoe ... and this caporegime rolls up in a bike so clean you could friggin' _eat off it. And he's wearing pinstripes, a vest that matches his sport coat and pants, and wingtip shoes. You never forget seeing a guy in a fine-ass tailored suit, who has the balls to rock a motorcycle. Those two things just don't go together. But this guy somehow made it work. And I never felt dirtier."

"Is that why you started caring about your appearance?"

"Yes and no, Katt. I was a kid, so I didn't think I was worth looking like a made-man. I let my clothes get wrinkly in the old gang because I thought that was my place, back then. But that was decades ago. And, now? Now, I am a made-man. I'm a mercenary. I helped take down Andross several times. I'm rich, now. And just because I don't wear pinstripes and wingtips, that don't mean I gotta have raggedy-ass threads, right?"

"Did he give you a ride in his motorcycle sidecar?"

Falco laughed with a nod. "Haha, yeah, he did. I remember going back in the house, grabbing the cleanest jeans I could find, and checking all the pockets to make sure I didn't leave any roaches in his sidecar. I remember thinking how smooth the ride was. Not just how it looked, but the hover bike came decades before the hover car, and this thing didn't touch the ground. It was smooth. All I had to compare it to was riding the bus. Public transit didn't exactly care about smooth shocks and struts for their buses. So, after that day, I wanted a hover bike."

"Where did the gang captain take you?"

"To meet the Capo dei capi."

"I thought they were called 'capo di tutti I capi."

Falco laughed. "They didn't use either of those terms, to be honest. Big boss. That's who I met that day. And the big boss gave me money. He said my old man died saving his two sons. Never met those guys - I think they were in their twenties. My old man saved the big boss' two boys, and he wanted to make sure he could return the favor."

"So, you joined the mafia at a young age or something?"

"Oh, hell no. They told me I was banned from joining, because my old man didn't want that for me. He wanted better for me, apparently. Well, the big boss gave me money. I bought my first hover bike with it a few years later. I moved out of the roach-infested RV. Nothing expensive, just ... cleaner than that dump. You've seen the place, come to think of it."

Katt's eyes widened. "The house. That rancher the original Space Hot Rodders used. It had a huge garage and three bedrooms."

Falco snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "Yup! I owned that. Sort of. I bought it through an adult contact in dad's old gang. That guy wound up dying. I was too young to sell the house. I still had some money left, so I sold my first bike, and I moved half the gang off Eladard to Corneria. You and a few others came with me."

"First time I'd ever seen Corneria at that point. The gang did pretty well on Corneria, but then ... one day, you just ... disappeared, Falco. What happened to you?"

"I actually ran into Fox. I was at that age where I was obsessed with watching the fighters take off from the base in the Capital City. Fox was in his dumb academy get-up, and ... for some dumb reason, I thought it was cool. So, I missed you guys because I was bringing up the rear and there was a cop nearby, so I had to stop at a red light. By the time I tried catching up to you, well ... I stopped and asked the fox in the uniform which way you guys went. Then we got to talking. He had a video game he'd just bought, and he had some stupid bet with his academy friend that he couldn't make friends with someone ... random. Someone ... you know ... seedy. Like me. So, boom, he invites me over to play Adventure Assault 64, or whatever the hell it was called. I never caught up with you guys. I had to make a clean break if I was going to get out of that life. Sorry I never told you."

"Why did you act so surprised when you saw me over Zoness, all those years later?"

"Because I thought you'd died. I mean, I knew it was a possibility. I knew gang life was shit for a minor. At the very least, I never expected to run into you in the middle of a battlefield. Say..." Falco rubbed his beak. "Why were you flirting with Fox so hard that day, anyway?"

Katt grinned and stood up from the mattress. She smoothed her paws over her jacket, then over her pants. "The boy I had a crush on showed up out of the blue, like it was fate or something ... and what's the first thing he says to me? 'Katt?! What are YOU doing here?!" I flirted with your team leader to try and make you jealous. Did it work?"

"At the time? To be honest, I was ... uh ... annoyed, heh. I thought you were going to get in my way, or, worse, try and talk me into getting back with the old gang. I was surprised when you helped us. I was even more surprised you were flying. I was ... really surprised to learn you were pretty good in a cockpit. But my dumb pride ... I didn't know how to say that to you. And it made me even more annoyed that you were flirting with McCloud."

"Well, look at us, now. All these years later, finally together. Maybe it's not too late, after all, to have something between the two of us."

"I'm down."

"Good."

"Katt, look..."

"Yeah?"

"I like you being my girl. If I backslide or ... whatever. If I try to act like a solo act, just remind me that I ... really do lo--"

An explosion knocked both Katt and Falco to the deck of the Cloudrunner.

Katt reached over and grabbed Falco by the collar. "Oh, no you don't. You're not getting out of saying it that easily."

Falco got to his feet and opened the aft ramp. "Yes, I am! Feel that adrenaline spike? That's what I needed, girl!"

"Say it, you ass!"

"Fine, jeeze laweeze. I love you or whatever, okay? God, you already know. You don't need some sissy validation phrase, okay? Let's find our people!"

Katt groaned. She threw her paws up and got to her feet. "You didn't even help me up! And that doesn't count! You didn't say it right!" She grabbed two blasters off the bulkhead charger.

"I said it!" Falco quipped. He planted the bottom of his fist into the button that lowered a ramp to the ground, and dashed out of the Cloudrunner ship. "So sue me if explosions interrupted the mood, sister! Let's get moving!" His voice grew further away as he ran.

Katt shouted in rage at the top of her lungs. "I'm going to kill whoever caused that explosion!" She followed him off the Cloudrunner and out into the dusty plains of Macbeth. "I'll never compete with your true love - the goddamn battlefield."

"Nope. But if you want a three-way relationship, I'll share her with you, Katt."

Monroe groaned in frustration. "Let's just find our people and get them to safety." She hurried to catch up with him. "You don't even have a goddamn gun, you idiot!"

"Well, c'mon, then!" Falco glanced back at her while running through the dusty emptiness. "What're you talking about?! You've got'em right there in your paws! Hurry up and bring me one, Katt! C'mon! The base entrance is just up ahead!"

"God, I can't believe I just slept with someone as head-headed as you!"

"Twice!" Falco reminded her. "The second time started in the shower and ended in the bed!"

"Ugh! Stop reminding me! You're making me mad!"

"Hey! You're the one always chasing me! You got me, now! No take-back-sies, or whatever!"

"Slow down, Falco! You can't go running into an enemy installment unarmed, you meathead! At least not until _after_you give me a kid who knows how to survive a bar fight!"

They reached the only part of the base still above the surface and put their backs against the outer wall. They turned in two different directions to check their surroundings.

"You good on your side?" he asked.

"Yeah. My way is clear." She handed him a blaster. "Here."

"Meathead, huh?"

"Yeah. You're dense. You're a goddamn pilot, not a ground soldier. I know you guys are mercenaries, but Andrew has several ships; you're a pilot, not a commando."

"Yeah, yeah. In case you forgot, I'm a crack shot, babe. You should remember that about me. I seem to remember that I taught you how to shoot."

"You also showed me how to ride a motorcycle without having a motorcycle endorsement ... or a license of any kind."

"Heh, that's true."

"But then I grew up. I got a license. I got a motorcycle endorsement. I got my wings. Without your help."

"I still don't have a legal right to ride a hover-bike."

She scoffed in amusement. "Y'know, I thought it was funny that you got your pilot's license through the proper channels. I never told you that."

"Guess even meatheads have their moments." Falco checked the power cell, then he pushed it back into the handle of the weapon. "Okay, so, let's get on the same page here:we got this. Shears has a skeleton crew. But he also has Fox and Krystal."

"Which could mean that Shears is more dangerous than when we were younger."

"No, Katt. You got the same weird telepathic message from Krystal that I got. Seriously, if I know those two, they're the ones that caused the boom. Probably from freeing themselves because they were ready to make their move. Or, hey, maybe because Shears double-crossed them. So, here's the plan. We stick and move. Double-shot_anyone_ who goes down, then one while they're on the ground to make sure they stay down. Don't let yourself get shot in the back by an injured fighter."

"I can look out for myself, Falco. I'm a big girl. I wore my big girl panties, today."

"Yeah, I saw them, earlier. Heh."

"Meathead."

"Yeah, yeah. Look, Star Fox works as a team, so if shit gets hinky, or if you feel overwhelmed, or ... whatever ... then, y'know, just tell me, and I've got your back. Okay?"

"You know, the last time that I was in a jam, and I asked you to help me out, you broke up with me on the spot!"

Falco groaned and brought his free hand to his forehead. He moved close to the entrance to the base, still partially uncovered in the Macbeth soil. He put his shoulders flush against the wall and glanced back at her. "We weren't dating, so I couldn't have broken up with you. I was teaching you a life lesson - you're capable of handling yourself. And, hey, guess what? The tough-love thing worked. You did a lot for yourself."

"Yeah, I learned not to rely on a man for help. I learned white knights don't exist."

"Jeeze la-weeeeeze, Katt. That's all in the past. We can do things as a team, now, okay? I'm good for it."

"Ugh."

"Ugh what?"

"Can you just admit that you blew me off because, at the time, you didn't want anything complicating your bachelorhood lifestyle?"

"Say what? Girl, I told you. I was teaching you how to step up your game. You did. I'm proud of you and stuff."

Katt sighed. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I hate arguing with you while goddamn bird seed is running down my goddamn leg."

"What? Why is it running down your leg?"

"It's called gravity. Force of nature, doofus. That's how it works. It sucks. Didn't have time to hit the shower between sex and the explosion. Let's just keep moving."

Falco grimaced. "Okay, yeah, let's just ... kill some bad guys, or something. Jeeze."

Katt smirked. She pushed the sliding entrance door ajar by a few inches and waved a paw in front of the gap.

Silence.

She drew her foot back, put it on the metal sliding door and shoved it open on its track with a hard kick.

"Damn, girl. You become a fire fighter for a while or something?"

"What? No, Falco. Women naturally have strong legs."

"Oh, true. Right. So that chicks can walk around pregnant with a baby on the hip or whatever. Not saying all women do that, but it's like ... an evolutionary thing."

"No, you big blue dum-dum. It's so we can kick men in the balls for disagreeing with us."

"Well, find some bad guys and kick'em in the nads, then."

"You like arguing with me, don't you, Falco? It's some sort of weird turn on for you, isn't it?"

"That sounds like some sort of psychology crap."

Katt shook her head with a scoff. "I guess the old adage is right ... make up sex is worth fighting for."

"All right, all right. Enough with the girly stuff. Let's save that for locked doors, yeah? We have bad guys to kill."

Katt burst out laughing. "Are you serious? You have a complex about sex-talk in public?"

Falco cringed visibly. He looked around, cleared his throat, then shrugged. "Nah. That'd be dumb. It's just ... yanno ... banging. I'm cool with it."

Katt made her way through the entrance. Her eyes adjusted quickly. "Sex. Love making. Canoodling. Smoochy-facing. Sensual naked cuddles."

"Katt," he groaned in embarrassment. "You're making shit weird. I'm here to shoot bad guys. Cut that crap out."

She leaned in close and whispered right into his ear. "Romantic ... fucking."

"Jeeeeze laweeze, enough, already!"

She smiled brightly. "All these years, I had no idea you were bashful."

"Am not!"

Someone shouted from further up the hallway. "Sounds like it to me, Cornerian!" The marmoset opened fire on the couple.

Falco and Katt both ducked into a doorway set into the wall on the left. The door was propped open, leading into a bathroom.

Katt smirked at Falco. "See? Even the bad guys agree with me."

"Cut that crap out. You're distracting me, else I'd have seen him coming up the hallway. C'mon. Let's go clear a path to Fox and Krystal, so we can get paid, and move on to the next part of the job, yeah?"

"Uh-huh." She leaned out of the bathroom and fired her blaster blindly into the hallway.

The blaster discharge was followed by a sharp grunt and a thud.

Katt's face lit up. She brought her blaster to her muzzle and blew a wisp of steam from the barrel. "There. Better? I shot the guy who disagreed with you."

"Oh, I've been saved by Katt. How swell." He moved around her and headed back into the hallway, zapped the Venomian Imperial, and continued down the hallway. "C'mon, pretty kitty. Let's move."

"Oh! Now that the bad guy is dead, it's okay to flirt with me again, huh?"

"Oh jeeze, Katt. Just ... c'mon."

Katt fell into step behind him. "Feel free to take point, lead stallion."

"Lead what?"

"It's something I heard Krystal call Fox."

"That's just ... weird."

Katt drew her free paw back and gave him a firm slap on the rump, causing a resounding thwak against his pants. "I'm gonna have twenty babies with you, Lombardi. You're mine, now."

Falco felt flush in the face and cleared his throat in frustration. "Okay, okay. Let's keep moving."

"Let's, huh? Like a team, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah. Like a friggin' team or whatever. Stop making things weird." He saw an elevator up ahead. It was still open from the marmoset, who had used it last. "Let's move." He stepped onto the elevator, waited for Katt to follow him, and pressed a button labeled 'brig.'

Katt pursed her lips and made mock-kissy faces at him.

Falco grimaced. "I'm not looking at you."

"You're a bird of prey. You have excellent peripheral eyesight. You can see me just fine."

"I'm choosing to ignore you."

"Oh, like you ignored me in the Cloudrunner, earlier?"

"God, what's got into you, Monroe?"

"You did, duh."

Falco felt flush in the face again and hated the sensation. "Really? Cut it out."

"Nope."

The doors swished open.

There was a squad of armed men crowded around a cell, snickering at whoever was inside. They paused and turned to face the elevator at the end of the hallway, but they didn't see anyone inside.

Katt, with her back against the left elevator wall, sniffed at the air. She whispered to Falco. "I smell Shears. I'll never forget that scumbag's cologne. Four guys, I think."

Falco, with his back against the elevator's right wall, nodded in silence. He lifted his free hand and counted down from five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

They dashed out of the elevator together, with Falco dashing to the left and Katt dashing to the right side of the hallway. They opened fire in unison, mowing down the soldiers.