A Krystal Encounter Ch.6 The Return
Story © 2010 Kira Kitanya
Chapter 6: The Return
"32...Damn I hate this!...33... uuugh!..34..." Sweat was pouring from my forehead like a shower nozzle as I struggled to continue. Working out isn't usually my idea of fun, nor is it something that I do often. But now that I was part of a team of pilots, I had to stay in shape no matter how pointless it seemed. My back tightened against the now soaked leather pad of the bench-press as I exhaled furiously, my ears picked up the sound of rock n'roll from a nearby jukebox, I was determined to finish.
"Come on, come on...one more!" I barked in frustration.
Using the remainder of my strength, I hoisted the 180-pound weight above my head and made a loud _"CLANG!" _after setting them back into place. Thirty-five reps seemed like a good workout to me, though envy replaced pride when I overheard Fox counting to 50 reps. I shrugged it off and stepped up from the machine trying to find the towel rack.
"Done already? You need to step it up a little Justin." Fox teased as he set his weights into positon.
"Yeah, yeah."
I dabbed my face with a plush cloth and took a look around the room. It was a sizable area with exercise machines of all kinds strewn about in clusters. The room itself was about 30x30 feet in length and width, not surprisingly considering it was located just below the ship's main corridor. As I checked myself in one of the large mirrors, I noticed that I was close to getting six-pack abs for the first time. Before joining Star Fox I pretty much possessed no abdominal muscle in the slightest. I wasn't athletic nor was I an aggressive person, so I saw no need to be toned like my brother. The most I did was stretch and flex with a medicine ball every once in a while, nothing too fancy. My face cracked into a slight grin as I outstretched my arms on either side of me; with each flex of the forearm, my sense of accomplishment grew.
"You call those muscles? Check these babies out!" Fox walked up beside me and flexed his arms in a dramatic "Atlas" pose, showing off every inch of his muscular frame. Despite wearing a tank-top, I could faintly make out abs protruding from his stomach.
"Pfff...show off. You should pose for 'All Muscle, No Brains' monthly." I snickered as I rotated my upper body in the mirror.
"Ha, is that jealousy I sense?" Fox chuckled with a coy smile.
"Nope, just relief." I retorted.
"Why is that?"
"Because I wouldn't want to be the idiot that hires you."
I could hear Falco and Krystal laughing hardily from the other side of the room,
"Ha ha ha ha ha! 'All Muscle, No Brains.' Good one!" Falco said in between laughs.
"Hey you with the ugly face, shut your beak." Fox ordered.
Falco suddenly froze midway through his weight-lifting for a few seconds and the room became eerily silent. He casually set the dumbbells on the floor and turned to face Fox, his eyes burning with anger.
"What did you just say?"
"_Oh God, here we go again." _I thought.
Falco got so close to Fox's face that the end of his beak made contact with his nose, yet the orange fox didn't even flinch. Falco began to speak in a low and furious voice that kind of reminded me of Wolf,
"If you EVER... say that again, I'll knock you out and toss you through the airlock myself!"
"Heh, you and what army?" Fox challenged.
"_Big mistake." _I mused regretfully.
I noticed Falco's clenched fist began to shake rapidly, and his gritted teeth only added to the flame within him. I could only pivot my feet in such a position that would lend me a head-start in breaking up the fight. Suddenly he let out a very labored breath and relaxed his muscles,
"Pfft, whatever. This ain't worth my time. Just watch yourself from no on Fox." Falco said with an extended finger to Fox's chest.
Without drying himself off or acknowledging anything else, he stormed out of the room; leaving only the faint sound of the jukebox to keep the place alive. Fox, Krystal, and I exchanged wide-eyed looks in his absence.
"You shouldn't test his anger Fox, he looked ready to explode." Krystal warned.
"I'm not afraid of him. I knew he wouldn't try anything." Fox retorted casually.
"Maybe so, but it was still out of line."
"Krystal, don't worry so much. He'll just sulk for the rest of the day and the next thing you know...bam! He's back to the lone wolf we all know and love."
She only sighed and went back to stretching and curling in various poses. I guiltily did a few double-takes as she did this however. Then out of nowhere, my ears picked up the sound of crying from outside the room. It sounded just like my mother, and frightened me severely.
"Di...did you guys hear that?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"Hear what?"
I shifted my eyes to every corner of the room but found nothing. I could now officially say that I was being haunted by my nightmare; I needed to go home and see if everything was alright, I needed to see my mom.
"Justin what's wrong? You're shaking." Krystal asked, concerned.
"Dude, you look like you've seen a ghost or something." Fox added.
I shook my head rapidly in an effort to drown out the noise in my head and turned to face a window. With every soft exhale, the reality of my decision began tug at me; what an idiot I was for leaving everything I knew behind. No, I can't live knowing that my family is suffering back home, I needed to go back. A far off star twinkled in my eye, calling out to me, telling me to act fast; I nodded my head and started to walk out of the room without a word.
"Justin, what's wrong with you? Speak up." Fox said. I didn't even spare him a passing glance.
"Justin! Answer me!"
Fox grabbed my arm firmly just as I crossed the threshold into the elevator. I turned around and slanted my eyebrows,
"I'm going home."
"What? But...you are home."
I pressed a button and the elevator came to life. As the doors slowly closed, Fox's expression became very disillusioned.
"No, not yet."
The elevator ride was absolute torture as I impatiently pounded my fist against its' metal wall, demanding that it rise faster. This bore no fruit and the elevator slowly ascended. I kept repeating to myself, "Just hold on Mom I'm coming," in the strange spot I was in: alone in an elevator after you just basically told your captain to shove it. Of course, I had no intention of leaving without saying goodbye, I only wanted to depart for a day or two that's all. Easier said than done...
I jolted as soon as the elevator stopped and the shutters opened. Without hesitation I sprinted down the corridor and into the lounge, towards my room. Not even acknowledging Slippy, who was still waiting for that rematch in V.C.E.
"Jeez dude, what's got you in such a hurry?" Slippy mused.
I didn't even turn my head and leapt over the side of the large piece of furniture like Spider-Man; with my eyes on the bedroom, I opened its' door and began looking for my flight-suit.
"Ah, here it is." I said as it hung in the closet.
"Hey Justin what's up? You didn't even say 'hi'."
"Hold on a second Slippy." I called out.
Sliding the jumpsuit and gloves on my body, I only needed my head-mounted communicator. The metal device fit around the back of my head like a hat, with a small screen that extended in front of my right eye. The casing had two large openings for my ears that stuck up from the sides of my head; I gave one last nod to myself in the mirror and headed out to the other room. Soon after, Fox and Krystal emerged from the entrance and rushed towards me. Them and a very confused Slippy stood blocking my way out,
"Okay Justin...just calm down, and tell me why you're wearing your flight suit." Fox pressured.
"Look Fox, I...I really need to leave. I'm sorry."
"Why now all of a sudden?"
"You wouldn't understand it if I told you." I said looking down.
"Try me."
I exhaled profoundly and looked back up at him. I didn't know how he would react to something as childish as a nightmare.
"I got...pinged by a ghost the other night, so to speak. I saw my mom crying and...it just felt so real."
Fox raised an eyebrow and I continued,
"She was sobbing and begging me to return home. I realize now that I was selfish for leaving in the first place."
I turned to the large viewing window and saw the star again, this time it was brighter.
" I just want to make sure she's okay. Please Fox."
Fox's ears drooped,"But we need you here. I don't want to lose a good pilot."
"I could never turn my back on you guys, not after all that you've done for me. All of you have been the only friends I've had in a long time."
They all smiled and I reached down to bump Slippy's hand, who happily returned the motion.
"You're a good man Justin, I'd hate to lose you." Fox said as I gripped his hand.
"I just need a day or two, that's all. And if you need me to come back just give me a call."
Fox thought for a moment with a slightly hesitant look on his face.
"So I guess that rematch will have to wait huh?" Slippy asked, disheartened.
"Slippy, no matter how much I practice you're always gonna be better than me. Last night was just luck. Don't worry, you're on once I come back."
He smiled widely and nodded his head. Meanwhile, Fox looked back up and grinned slowly,
"Alright, you can leave whenever you're ready." He said.
"Heh heh, thanks Fox. This means a lot to me."
I then turned to Krystal who was still dressed in her workout clothes and took her hand. Without saying a word, we both shared a loving kiss in broad daylight. But neither of us cared what they thought.
"_I won't be long Krystal, I promise." _I told her in my mind.
"You've been so good to me. I'll miss you Justin."
"Hey look at it this way, I can finally tell my mom that I found a girl that likes me!"
I heard Krystal chuckle in my head as she hugged me tighter,
"_I hope your mother is okay. Be careful." _She said softly.
Our lips slowly pulled away and I gently stroked her cheek in farewell. I wanted to make sure she would be alright while I was gone. With that I passed through the entrance to the corridor and turned to face the group one last time.
"Good luck Justin. Keep your comms on alright? That's an order." Fox said with a grin.
I nodded to them, gave a two-fingered salute, and walked out the door. Following a set of stairs to the lower deck, I came upon the long and seemingly endless hallway that lead to the hangar bay. I paused for a moment and took in a few breaths, ready to conquer this beast. From the amount of times Fox and co. managed to run to the end of this thing, I was surprised that they weren't out of breath by the time they climbed into their Arwings. With nothing stopping me, I broke into a fast run down the corridor as each set of light's blazed past my face.
"Hold on Mom, I'm coming. Just hold on..." I panted as the running didn't cease.
Before long I was inside the massive room where the Arwings were suspended off the ground from the ceiling. There were four ships, mine was at the left end of the room. I quickly walked over to a control console and lowered my ship to ground level with a few button presses. Stepping into the cockpit, I flicked a few switches and the ship roared to life. My HUD display once again read green in every area and I steadied myself for takeoff, I was surprisingly excited to be going back, I just hadn't seen my mom in a while.
"Justin, you are cleared for takeoff. May I assist you further before departing?" ROB's voice suddenly came online through my communicator and kind of startled me.
A little shaken, I gripped the controls,
"Yeah can you give the coordinates to Planet Earth?" I asked.
"Searching...Searching...Aquired." ROB sounded.
"Planet Earth: Sol Cluster, approximately 3.2 AU's from current location. Lightspeed vector 11257. Coordinates sent."
"Thanks ROB." I said.
"Affirmative Justin, Farewell." ROB answered bluntly as the comm was severed.
With the ship powered on, I automatically jerked the accelerator forward and ignited the thrusters. That unique flying sensation enveloped my body as the Arwing rose up, and blasted off through the hangar doors. I slowed the ship to a halt beside the Great Fox as I tried to bring the coordinates on screen.
"Search, previous transmission...there we go." I muttered as the planet showed up on screen.
With what seemed to me like a mere flick of the wrist, I set a course towards the blue planet.
"I'll be there soon Mom, I promise." I told myself anxiously.
The engines were primed and the course was set, all that remained was a button press. But it wasn't just any button, it was a tempting red one that said "Caution" above it. The first time I experience hyperdrive, I felt nauseous afterwards and couldn't sleep; not to mention I felt like my body was being twisted and contorted wildly. I brought my index finger inches away from the button, and counted down...3...2...oh crap, 1...! After that, I blasted off to infinity and beyond.
"Is the target in sight?"
"Yes, I'm cloaked right behind him. He doesn't suspect a thing."
"Good, good. Just make sure you bring him to me intact. I want to see that pitiful face of his before I tear him apart."
"No problem brother, consider it done. Kale out."
Dun, dun, dun, dunnn...Aren't cliffhangers awesome? Just bear with me for now, you'll understand in the next chapter. Until next time my friends.