Chapter Eighteen

Pulling a Houdini

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Fox or Blade McFallon, or the FN-20 and its various non-lethal rounds.

Krystal McCloud was currently in a bad spot. She had a traitor's gun at the back of her skull, a pencil in her hand, a blank notebook in front of her, and an idea on how to escape. She had been betrayed, along with the rest of her group – in a similar state – by one Jeffery Wilson. The latter had his gun at her head, and was threatening to pull the trigger if she didn't write.

Directly in front of her, Fox had his head bowed. "I'm sorry, guys. I didn't know this would happen."

The guard standing behind Krystal's spouse took his AK-47 and slammed it's butt into the side of Fox's head.

"Shut up and start writing!" he barked.

Wolf snickered. "Wake up on the wrong side of your Dad today?" he laughed. The way he saw it, they were all going to die, and he was going to die happy.

While the two guards busy using Wolf as a temporary punching bag for a second, Krystal took her pencil in her hand, smashed her elbow into Wilson's stomach, winding him, and drove the pencil dead-center into his right eye ball.

Wilson screamed in extreme pain, his hand instinctively clenching. His aim had flown when he first felt the literally blinding pain, and when he accidentally fired the gun, it hit one of the guards in his jugular vein. The guard dropped, his crimson life-fluid spurting in every direction. Blade tackled the other guard, while Fox took the man's gun and fired some lasers into the aged General's chest.

After the carnage, the group got their bearings.

Blade cleared his throat. "Guys, we're N.O.C. agents, we can't afford to have that happen again."

Although it was pretty obvious, the others silently agreed. Krystal grabbed the group's weapons, tossing them to each member.

A lone guard crashed through the door, hearing the shots. Seeing the team, he held his hands over his head, dropped his gun, and surrendered. Blade shook his head and shot him in the stomach with a Sticky Shocker, dropping him.

The group hurried, a bit faster to the room's exit. Once outside, they noticed a closed door, labeled CONFERENCE ROOM.

The light was on above it, meaning a conference was taking place right now. Krystal nodded towards the door. Blade crept forward, quickly placing an Optic Cable under the door. He examined the room's insides for a second, then pulled the 'snake' out.

"It looks like battle plans. I'll pay them a little visit," he grinned. The jet-black husky opened the door six inches, squeezed in, and took refuge in shadows. The remaining group outside took refuge in the same thing, and waited for the man to come out.

Five minutes later, he did. The group burned their trail onward, trying to get to the exit without being seen. It was a little harder then before, though, because not only had someone discovered the security guard, but another group of guards had come in after the small skirmish in the General's quarters, and discovered the corpses. Obviously, the place was on high alert.

"McCloud," Blade hissed after awhile. The orange vulpine turned his head to the speaker, ears perked up.

"Did you know Falco Lombardi's here? I saw him in the meeting room. He seemed right at home, though."

"I'll have to report that, then," he said, darkness flickering across his already grim features.

"We're almost to the exit, guys," Wolf noted, seeing a fire escape. After doing a quick sweep of the area, Krystal pushed open the metal door. Predictably, the fire alarm went off, alerting each and every guard to their position.

"No! I turned that thing off back at the security booth!" Fox said angrily. Stealth was now their second priority. Their first was now getting out alive. The group just prayed that fate would look their way again. The posse scrambled noisily down the red, metallic steps, trying to get down as soon as possible. Guards just a floor above them opened their fire exit door, saw the group, and began firing freely.

The team returned fire, blood dripping down the steps, as well as quite a few spent metal jackets. Thirty seconds later, the four stopped, turned, and began sprinting down the ladders again. Once they got to the lowest level, they vaulted over the railing for a few extra seconds, which could be the difference between capture and death, or freedom and life.

The group landed hard on the cement, but kept pressing on until they got to the end of the base's walls. Now they were wide in the open. The whole team was still in black, and there was snow as far as the eye could see. On the good side, it was dark, but that still wouldn't make being discovered very hard.

Now all they had to do was get through the town, and up into the mountains for extraction. Fortunately, they wouldn't have to go on foot, because there was a parked hovertruck outside. Three of the four crawled in back, while Blade took driver.

He put the pedal to the metal, much to the discomfort of the rear riders. The truck glided over every pothole, but the gravity suspension still went down and up pretty fast. Suddenly, something broke the one of the truck's side mirrors. Blade swore, turning to look back. No less then four patrol cars, sirens blaring, were chasing after him, complete with guards shooting out of the sides.

Blade slammed on the brakes, and one car went swerving past him, onto an icy road. The driver lost control, and slammed into a nearby telephone pole. The speed was so immense that the car was cleaved in two. Somehow, though, all five animals got out of the new exit, dazed, but alive.

That's two to worry about, he thought, as a bullet pierced into another driver's chest.

Blade slammed on the brakes again, ignoring the three individual thumping noises that came from the back. Another car flew off into an iced-over pond, next to a five star hotel. It broke through the ice, and into the frigid waters beneath. If the water didn't get to them, hypothermia would.

The other car simply skidded ahead of the truck. Blade pulled a grenade off of his vest, and threw it, watching it roll, stopping as it hit the car's tire. Five seconds later, it didn't explode. Must've been a dud, Blade thought, and took out his pistol. He aimed for a second, and fired a careful shot. The men in the car weren't so lucky that time. The grenade exploded, throwing the car the car over a few feet.

Blade calmly pressed down on the pedal and continued driving. Fire trucks and ambulances were already on their way to the scene. Blade stopped when the truck's grill came to a steep, rocky hill, the beginnings of the mountain. He pondered a second, and then continued upwards a little farther.

No use getting out until I really need to, he thought wryly.

About four minutes later, the hill became too steep, and the truck began whining as it fought against gravity. Blade stopped, but on the parking brake, and stepped out. He walked around to the back, and found the trio sprawled on the truck's bed, looking more then a little worse for wear then they had been when they stepped in the back.

Fox got up gingerly, nursing a tender spot on his forehead. No doubt about it, he would be stiff in the morning. The three got out of the truck slowly. They walked up the mountain-side, low to the ground, until they came to the spot where they had spent the previous night. The group stopped for a quick breather, and then continued briefly on. Wolf stopped to dig around a large mound in the cold, white powder.

He exhumed the corpse of Scott Frye. Fox took out a flare and lit it in the clearing. Ten minutes later, the entire team was back in the Osprey helicopter, en route to Corneria City. Fox glanced over at Krystal, wearily rubbing his eyes. His wife grinned, and leaned in for a kiss.Five seconds later,he leaned his head on her shoulder, and, like the rest of the group, save the pilot, fell asleep.

End Chapter 18