"Sure, I think Fox and me have a lot in common. Both of us grew up together. We went to the same school. We both graduated near the top of our class. We share the same interests, and both our squadrons were wiped out on the same planet at the same hidden enemy base."
-Bill Grey, Commander of the Husky Squadron
21.
Light... brightness... calm, soothing light... warmth... cold... stone.
Fox awakened where he least expected to. The first thing his eyes met was a cold rock floor. He sat up, shook his head wearily, and looked around.
Something was amiss. Fox was inside of an ancient temple or something of that sorts. Everything was made of coarse, cream-colored stone. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, even the giant pillars that stood like guards near the doorway at the far end of the room. Lit torches lined the walls, and all over the place were strange carvings written into the rock.
Behind Fox was an unusual statue that he had once seen, but didn't recognize right away. It took him a moment to recall seeing a similar figure while he was last at Titania. It was uncannily similar to the giant monument that stood within the valley where his team was ambushed.
In retrospect, both the statue he was looking at and the stone figure in the valley resembled the exact same thing. They looked like a...
"Yoshi..." he breathed.
"Welcome, StarFox," an echoing voice bellowed. Fox spun around and hopped to his feet.
"We've been looking for you... for a LONG time..." the voice hissed. Whoever was speaking sounded like a lizard. Fox frantically glanced back and forth, but he couldn't find the source of that hissing sound. It sounded like it was coming from everywhere.
"Sssurround him, boys!"
Dozens of uniformed Lylatians poured from the curvature pockets in the walls. Most of them appeared to be reptilian, and all of them sported laser machine guns held level at their shoulders. The group hastily circled the fox and cut off any route of escape. Interesting for Fox to note was how each of the soldiers bore a patch on their left shoulders that carried the insignia of the former Venom Empire.
'Waitasecond... Venomian uniforms?'
"We've got you ssurrounded now, StarFox. No use ressissting us," the strange voice hissed again. Fox scanned everywhere he could in search of the source. He caught a glimpse of a tall shadow gliding along the far wall. Fox quickly turned to it, and witnessed a dark figure reveal itself underneath the orange glow of the nearest torch. As it turned out, it was a lizard. An ugly one, at that.
Fox growled and bared his teeth at the Venomian troopers. He was sure he was back home now, but the fight wasn't over yet.
The lizard gave a raspy chuckle, then delivered the order to his underlings.
"Sssieze him."
Three of the guards stepped forward and rushed at Fox. He quickly slid out of their way and met one of the guards with a high kick, sending the soldier barreling over backwards and into his two comrades. A one-sided brawl soon erupted between the fox and a handful of armed soldiers.
"Don't just stand there! Get him!" the commanding lizard barked over the din at the idle troops.
Five more of the guards took a charge at Fox. One of them swung his weapon wide, gambling on one powerful hit. Fox rolled to his right and dodged the attack, then swung out his foot and fell another of the guards. He jumped up and threw a quick punch at the soldier dead ahead, just before another wrapped his arms around Fox and squeezed him from behind, his bear grip nearly strangling the life out of his captive. Fox slammed his foot onto the guard's toes, granting his release after a pained grunt.
Fox rolled out of the way again to catch his breath, but soon another guard was upon him. He grappled with the soldier for a moment, trying to pry the gun from his hands, but then Fox was caught off guard with a kick to his back. He stumbled forward and was caught on the arm by a large tiger. A wolf guard took his other arm before Fox could react, and then three more soldiers helped to force the fox up against the nearest wall. Any subsequent struggling on Fox's part was sorely in vain.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." the leader hissed as he calmly approached the restrained fox. "I told you not to resissst. You are vastly outnumbered. Naughty, naughty fox..."
Fox growled again and spat in the lizard's face. "I'll never surrender to you, or whoever you're working for. What do you want from me?"
The lizard laughed as he wiped the saliva from his face with a claw. Oblivious to the question, he proceeded to tease his captive. "My my, aren't you the sstubborn one? Perhapss that's why you've evaded us for so long... but wait! Where are your three little friendsss? Did they run away, like the cowardss they really are?"
"We're not cowardsss..." Fox hissed, mocking the lizard's strange accent.
"Well, we'll see about that," the lizard remarked. He turned to leave, but then hesitated and shot the fox a strong glare. "Oh, and by the way..."
The reptile swung out an arm, striking Fox on the snout. Satisfied with the snapping noise he heard once he broke the fox's nose, the lizard began to walk away.
"Don't ever spit at me again. It's very rude."
That said, the Lylatian turned his back and strolled away. As he turned into one of the room's exits, he stopped a soldier and whispered a quick message behind his ear.
"Lock him up in the dungeons."
"But sir," the soldier objected, "We have only one cell, and it's already occupied."
The reptilian arched one scaled eyebrow at his flunky. "What? Why?"
"We're still renovating the underground, sir. It'll be at least three weeks before the ruins are restored to full capacity. The incident last week handicapped our efforts, as well."
The lizard grumbled something quietly to himself, then waved off the soldier with a frustrated gesture. "Then just have them lock him up with the other one. It makes no difference."
"Yes sir," the guard complied to his superior's wish and took off into an adjoined hall. The lizard started on his own way again, but caught himself mid-stride and spun back around.
"Oh, and one more thing," he called back, thus acquiring the departing soldier's attention. The lizard drew up a sadistic grin as he added, "Tell them they can have a little fun with him, first."
There didn't seem to be anything he could do now. Bands of light chained his wrists, and even if he could undo the spell and free himself, there were few places to hide from the Council of Yoshian Elders, the elite mages of Yoshi's Island. Still, there must have been something...
"The elders will have me banished for good this time, I just know it!" the prisoner yoshi whimpered underneath his thick robes. The snug cloth wrapping offered a fickle sense of security against the fate that loomed outside.
He had to escape. There must have been a way...
"The Council will see you now," a deep voice called out to the prisoner. If the yoshi was right, the voice belonged to one of his closest companions, Charbok, otherwise known as 'the snake.' He was being turned in by his closest friends?
Charbok snatched the prisoner's arm and escorted him across the room... or rather, what looked like a room. The Chamber of the Elders was little more than a spacious void with only a floor. The walls and ceiling were obscured in blackness, and the only light provided shone from above like a hovering spotlight. The obscure surroundings provided a atmosphere that the elders felt was appropriate for conducting business.
'Think, think, think!' the prisoner consorted with himself. 'There's got to be a way to get out of here!' Then, a thought came to him.
"Hey Charbok..."
The purple yoshi turned his head and glared at the prisoner with deep red eyes, his grip still fixed to his captive. The prisoner tried to reason with his friend.
"Charbok, why are you doing this? You know me. I can straighten everything out, if you just let me go!"
The purple yoshi simply scowled. "I cannot do that. You've had your second chance, Raiquoo. You have tried the patience of the Council long enough. It is time to deal with this situation as is proper."
"Charbok, just lis--"
"Silence!" Charbok roared. A dead stillness fell over the "room."
The purple yoshi shied his gaze away from his friend and closed his eyes, briefly considering the situation. Raiquoo felt a slight wave of hope wash over him. Would Charbok perhaps let him go? Surely he must understand his companion's anguish. Surely he must understand what it's like to be put to trial in front of your own brothers. Surely their friendship means more to Charbok than his loyalty to the elders.
...Doesn't it?
"There is nothing you can do now. There is no use resisting your fate," the purple Yoshi rasped. That said, Charbok continued to drag the accused across the chamber.
"Then you leave me no choice..." Raiquoo murmured. Like a flash of lighting, he pounced on Charbok and pulled his handcuff-like restraints over the purple yoshi's neck. Charbok fell forward to his knees, stunned by the sudden attack. Raiquoo swerved around to his back, planted a steady foot on Charbok's shell, and sharply yanked his head upward by tugging on the handcuffs that now served like a choker.
Raiquoo shrugged the hood off his eyes and pressed his pasty yellow nose against the back of his captor's cheek, whispering, "Move and I'll strangle you to death right here."
"You can't do this."
"Watch me. My specialty is electricity, remember?"
Raiquoo leaned back and squinted his eyes. An electric charge surged from the yoshi's hands, to the handcuffs, and into Charbok's neck. The purple dinosaur writhed in pain, but suppressed any outbursts.
"Don't make me kill you, Charbok!"
"You're making a mistake, friend! You can't kill me!"
Charbok rolled forward, pulling Raiquoo along with him. The purple yoshi slammed the yellow one onto the floor, then jumped up and backed away.
"What are you doing, Raiquoo? You know escape isn't possible."
"It never hurts to try..." the yellow one growled.
"The other elders will find you! They can banish you. Or worse."
"They can't do much more than what they've already planned for me anyway!" Raiquoo argued.
Charbok shook his head. "This won't be as bad as you think! If you just cooperate, everything will be fine! You don't have to do this!" he pleaded.
"You don't get it, do you, Charbok?!" Raiquoo cried to his companion. "This is the end of the line for me. It's run or bust. I hope you understand, otherwise I'll be forced to get aggressive with you."
"I'm not letting you out of here! I'm doing this for your own good, Raiquoo! You can't flee from the council. And even if you do manage to get past me and leave the chambers, there's no way you'll be able to avoid the council's wrath once they get their hands on you again! Don't YOU get it?? This is your fate! The chances of escaping are practically non-existent!"
"I'll take my chances."
Raiquoo charged at Charbok and sprang into the air. He hovered briefly, then shot another bolt of electricity from his palms towards the purple dinosaur. Charbok held up his arms and conjured a glasslike plate as a shield. The yellow yoshi's shot deflected into the black abyss.
"Don't make things any worse than they have to be!" Charbok warned. The purple yoshi flung his shield at Raiquoo like a frisbee. The yellow one leapt out of the way, then bounced back with another electric shock. Charbok mimicked his friend and dodged the shot.
"Don't fight me, Raiquoo! You can't win!"
"Don't resist me!"
"I'm NOT letting you leave!"
"Then so be it!"
Raiquoo brought his arms up in front of him and collected his willpower and concentration for another spell. His palms glowed with the energy that was being drawn into them. A ball of white light collected at his fingertips, and with a great heave the yoshi drove his fists into the ground, squeezing out a shockwave of electricity that raced outward towards oblivion. Charbok's jump clung to the air for refuge, but Raiquoo swiftly attacked again with another lightning bolt. It nailed Charbok in the chest and the yoshi was forced backwards into the darkness.
Raiquoo bought his chance. A soft-spoken chant dispelled the handcuffs. The yellow one took off running, with Charbok's voice echoing from the background.
"Raiquoo, you fool! You can't escape!"
"Watch me," the yellow one muttered once more as he ran as far away as he could from the Chamber of Elders, and his last ally.
A corroded pipe crawled over the exposed ceiling. Where rust had eaten a hole through the iron alloy, dribbles of water squeezed into the outside air and plummeted to the floor in steady beats. The specks of murky liquid drummed onto the cold floor, where a growing puddle filled out and tainted the concrete a darker, wetter shade of gray.
Stuffed into this damp, dingy cell, a Lylatian canine wearily ran his claw along the stone, chalking up another scratch to represent another day spent in jail. The dog's fur was matted and greasy, the same effect could describe his clothes, and his eyes reflected the dreariness that clogged the air like mist. Not much in Lylat compared to a Venomian detention cell. They were purposely devised to make their occupants as uncomfortable as possible. The dripping wet darkness, the stiff (and often too small to fit into) cots, the spider webs in the corner...
Bill Grey, a well-respected Cornerian squadron leader, wondered how he could have ever gotten himself into this mess. It all started around two weeks ago, whenever he was assigned a brief scouting mission on the planet Titania. Next thing he knew, his squadron was ambushed and shot down, and Bill was taken prisoner. Now he awaited rescue, but as each day passed, escape seemed less and less likely.
Had Corneria forgotten about him already?
As this thought weighted his optimism, Bill noted the sound of a heavy metal door creaking open. Footsteps then drew closer. 'Oh no,' he thought, as the fur on the back of his neck stood at attention. 'They're coming back... What do they want now?'
It was a wonder to Bill why whoever or whatever had taken him prisoner was even keeping him alive. If he were to be some sort of bait, wouldn't a rescue have been attempted by now? What was Corneria waiting for? Or perhaps such a rescue already failed...
The padding of feet on stone grew louder, and a shadow loomed over the spot of floor in front of Bill's cell. The raspy voice of a Venomian lizard dismissed much of Bill's anxiety. "Lookss like you're getting a new friend today," he hissed.
What? Another prisoner? A grim idea fell over the mutt. Maybe this prisoner was supposedly his "rescuer." Or perhaps this person was just another member of his squadron that survived the ambush, but was eventually captured.
A second lizard pried open the door to Bill's cell, then assisted the first in roughly tossing a furred figure inside. They laughed in a horrible fit of hissing then slammed the barred door shut and left Bill alone with the newcomer.
The new prisoner looked to be in nearly as bad a condition as Bill was. He had been beaten fiercely, and was still a little dizzy, from a cause unknown to the dog. Initial examination proved he was a male red fox, around Bill's age. The Lylatian struggled to sit up, but could hardly move. Bill crawled from his cot and helped the fox sit up. The newcomer immediately fell limp against the nearest wall, and released a deep sigh.
"Hey," Bill whispered to him, "You okay?"
The fox groggily pulled his eyes off the floor and stared back at Bill with a blank expression on his muzzle. It was then that Bill recognized him.
"Fox?!"
He had done it. He escaped.
Raiquoo slipped out of his heavy robes and discarded them on the sandy ground. He stretched his arms into the air and sighed with relief. He was safe. Back on Yoshi's Island. Back on the west beach. Safe...
For now. Few fleeing yoshies ever managed to elude the Council of Elders for very long. On the other hand, never before has a case arisen wherein the elders would have to track down one of their own kind.
Raiquoo would not make it easy for them. The yellow yoshi understood that his newfound freedom would not last if he could not find a place to hide, so among his first priorities was to seek a decent hideout.
Raiquoo scanned the beach before him. Nothing but sand for as far as the eye could see, with a vast ocean to his left, and a dark jungle to his right.
The yellow yoshi headed off towards the jungle. Best to use the thick vegetation as a cover, he figured. Raiquoo slipped through the thin grove of palms guarding the edge of the forest and entered the shady sanctuary. He wasn't sure of where he was going exactly, but he had an idea of which general direction to head in.
Deeper into the jungle.
"Holy stars... Is it really you? Fox, what happened to you? Are you okay?"
Bill waved his paw in front of the battered fox's eyes, hoping for a response. "Fox, say something!" he pleaded.
Fox blinked twice in an effort to clear his head and earn his bearings. He was completely disoriented, and it took the fox at least a minute to recognize the Lylatian speaking to him.
"...Bill?"
"Yeah, it's me. Are you okay?"
"...Uh..."
"You're in pretty bad shape. What did they do to you?"
Fox shuffled through the puzzle of memories in his head. Bits and pieces came back to him, and very slowly, the fox put it all together.
"...Miya..."
"What?" Bill withdrew from the dazed fox, now baffled himself over this utterance.
Once Fox finally regained his senses, he bombarded Bill with questions. "...I mean... Erm... What happened? Where did those lizards go? Where am I?"
Last came first. "Heh. Hell, simply put. Apparently there's a Venomian base here, too."
"Apparently," Fox echoed under his breath. He scanned his surroundings. The two were trapped in a very simple three-walled stone cell, with the fourth wall consisting of tough iron bars. Not a single window or light bulb was provided--only a flaming torch posted just outside. The floor was as bland and cold as rock, as were the walls. A skeletal imitation of a bed consumed a third of the already scarce floor space, and a grated floor drain lingered beneath it.
The only evidence of a third inhabitant was the spider's web hanging in a corner opposite the bed. Next to the barred door was an array of curious-looking scratches in the rock, toward which Fox lifted a curious eyebrow.
Bill noticed the gesture. "My handiwork," he informed with slight grin, as if he were proud of a bunch of crude scratches.
"How long have you been here?"
"Oh, two weeks or so sounds about right. It's hard to keep track anymore. I thought no one would come to save me..." Bill's grin faded, and he added rather despondently, "I guess I was right."
Fox held a tired paw up to his face and rubbed his eyes. "I can't believe this..."
"I know, I know, this whole thing seems unreal, doesn't it? I know how you feel," the dog offered sympathy.
The fox shot his friend a glare that could only say for itself, 'You have absolutely no idea how I feel.' Not ready to debate it, Bill bit his tongue and quickly veered off to another question.
"So... um... How did you end up here?"
Fox considered his answer for a moment. The truth? Yeah, that would make a lot of sense. Bill would never understand. He'd probably think Fox had completely jumped off his rocker. Whoever said it was right: truth was often stranger than fiction.
A strangled answer forced its way out. "I... I mean, we... That is, my team came here looking for your squad... And we were ambushed... And I... um... I mean..."
He stopped and quickly looked away. Fox couldn't finish the story. It wasn't that he couldn't lie, or even lie to his best friend, but he just couldn't speak. It was too much. Fox felt like crying, but he couldn't do that, either.
"Aw crap..." Bill groaned. "I can guess the rest. I'm really sorry, Fox. The same thing happened to my squad. Everything was fine, and then... Aw, man..." The hound let his head fall miserably into his paws. "We've lost everything..."
A long, miserable silence settled over the cage. Both Lylatians sat through the quiet, dwelling in their own reflections. A heavy empathy between the two relieved the need for long explanations or far-drawn stories. All the same, the fox longed to tell Bill about everything. About the ambush, the island, the yoshies and the dragons and Sara, and, and... But he could say nothing of that sort. At last, words did come to the fox.
"...No. Not everything is lost, and we're not finished yet. Maybe I couldn't get you out at first, but that doesn't mean we have to stay here."
Bill stared at the fox for a while, trying to pick a guess at the implications behind his friend's statement. Fox's attention, meanwhile, was fixed on the hallway outside the locked bars. He was frozen with the kind of meditation that naturally wrought new ideas. Bill finally broke into his thoughts.
"Just what are you getting at, Fox? If you have an idea to get us out of here, I'd love to hear it," he urged dryly. It wasn't as if he hadn't dreamt up a million or more futile plans for escape, himself. What convinced the fox that he could succeed in less than a day where Bill had failed for days on end was far from the canine's guesses.
Fox's focus snapped away from the outer hall. He quickly glanced to the cot on the other end of the room, then back to Bill. A mischievous spark lit his eyes, and a sly smirk crossed the fox's snout.
"I... just might have a plan."