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Krystal and Chase: Iron Sight

Part one: Return

The colony was in ruins. Crumbling buildings still remained after the twenty years since the attack. Although most of the bodies had been removed shortly after the slaughter, the stories the destroyed walls told were still of that bloody evening twenty years ago. Craters and wreckage still remained; the dust, dirt, and age starting to wear the materials down. The dirt and walls were still stained with the blood of the long dead, although it was much less apparent now. The colony had never been used after that assault, a ghostly reminder of that bloody day, and a warning for times to come. Colony 341 'Iron Sight' was now a crumbling ghost town. But it was through one of the devastated streets that a convoy of transport vehicles was moving. With the robotic Reaper units flanking each side to protect the transports cargo, the robotic drivers had no reason to fear an attack. But just to be sure, a robotic unit had been revived from the ruins of a previous war. As they crawled on four legs, the silvery, scorpion-like bots kept an easy pace with the rest of the convoy. Suddenly, one stopped. Turning to face, what had once been, a large clock tower, the main cannon on the end up its upward curved tail trained up at the destroyed face of the clock. Suddenly, with the thunderous crack of a rifle, a bullet passed through the bot's head! As the now headless bot thrashed for a second before crumpling to the ground, the rest of the convoy went on high alert. Frantically, the Reapers tried to locate the shooter and protect the cargo. Metallic cries went up, calling any other Reapers in the area to their position for assistance. Three more shots rang out! Two shots pierced through one of the hover vehicle's windshield, taking out the robotic drivers. Without anyone to control it, the transport veered wildly from side to side, eventually barreling through a small group of Reapers and into the remains of a crumbling apartment complex. The third shot penetrated a remaining Reaper's chest and shot through the energy reserves for its rapid-fire pulse cannon near the base of it's navigating tail. Before the bot could react, it exploded into a brilliant blossom of red, orange, and gold. The other Reapers began scanning the area again as more units arrived, looking for the shooter. Suddenly, a fifth shot rang out from a slightly different location. This time, the supersonic bullet dug into the crashed transports exposed fuel containers. The sparks caused by the bullet's ricocheting against the heavy metal of the fuel tank caused the vehicle to explode into a violent fireball. The force of the explosion pushed the nearest vehicle into another ruined building nearby, effectively disabling it. As the bots scrambled to protect their remaining two cargo transports, a tiger slipped out of a nearby building, running down an alleyway and into another building before the bots realized she was there. With a quiet sigh, she crouched down under a window. She breathed deeply, the rush of the adrenaline to her system starting to fade. "Those bots are just too predictable." She said quietly to herself, "With a little luck, I can stop the rest of that convoy before they get wherever they're going." But as she peeked out of the window, a loud roar made itself known. Startled, she pulled back behind the wall, peeking out just in time to see a black drop ship speed over head. It wasn't a large craft, but it didn't have to be in order to transport weaponry, supplies, or even new robots. Quietly she cursed to herself. If that ship was what she thought it was, her mission was about to get a lot harder. * * * Krystal was worried. Ever since they had left the carrier, the blue furred vixen had noticed that her partner wasn't himself. As she adjusted one of the three bands on her tail, Krystal tried to think of anything that would make Chase act like he was. She had a bad feeling it had to do with the ruined colony they were now landing in. "Dirt in five." The pilot called to them, "Get ready, it might be hot." Krystal watched as, without a word, the red fox beside her got up and pulled on the newest generation armor they'd been given to test. A much lighter version of their assault armor, the dark red and black armor felt better as Krystal slipped hers on. The vixen had to admit, the way the new armor complimented her well built body felt much better than the bulkier version she had worn on their last mission. Her every curve felt comfortable inside the armor, including her breasts, which were usually somewhat cramped in other versions of the armors. After making sure she was snug inside it and locking it down, the vixen picked up her heavy assault rifle, the S-32. After loading her rifle and picking up a sniper rifle, the vixen noticed that her partner was looking her over. "You like it, Chase?" She asked playfully, slipping several magazines of ammunition into a pouch on her hip, adding in a few extra as she remember how they had run out of ammunition during their orbital outpost mission. "Well, seeing you in an armor that really compliments your body really makes me feel better about this whole thing." The fox replied, smiling a bit for the first time since they'd been sent out, "I swear, you're a double threat, Krystal." "A double threat?" she replied, her ears perked curiously, "And what exactly do you mean by that?" Chase slipped a Stinger handgun into his holster before picking up a second sniper rifle, "Well, you're deadly with a rifle and very pleasing to look at no matter what you're wearing, or not wearing." Krystal blushed, "Chase! I didn't think you had a mind like that." "I have to keep my mind off the mission long enough to stay sane right?" Chase replied with a smirk, "And thinking of you really puts me at ease." Krystal blushed deeper, turning away, "Ok, what would you have me in, then?" Chase thought for a second, glad to get his mind off the mission and his past, "How about you in a beautiful, long, black, flowing evening gown? Standing on a balcony, overlooking a placid lake with the full moon reflecting off it's surface and the playful breeze blowing through your fur?" "That...actually sounds quite nice." Krystal admitted, "If we survive this, I'll have to try that look someday." Chase smirked and slid a pair of new hand-to-hand combat weapons into two slots on his leg armor, the sharpened blades sheathed in their steel holdings. The fox felt better knowing that Krystal would be at his side. And the image of her in his mind was very reassuring. Chase hated the feelings he was getting after being told that he had to complete this mission in order to figure out exactly what happened here twenty years ago. The day the colony had been attacked and he'd been orphaned, losing everyone and everything he had known up to that point in his life. A day he would do anything to prevent from happening again to anyone, especially his partner. With a sudden jolt, the drop ship landed. As it did, the ramp at the back descended to the ground, revealing the two armed foxes. Chase ran out of the drop ship, taking a firing position behind a destroyed wall. After clipping a Recon HUD behind her left ear and pulling her assault rifle to her shoulder, Krystal followed suit, the blue furred vixen sliding down beside Chase. Once they were out, the drop ship lifted off the ground, kicking up a whirlwind of dirt and dust. With a powerful roar from the engines, the black craft shot away. "Alright, so we need to find a place to bring in our toy." Chase said as he watched the drop ship fly off, "Once we've got it on the ground, we'll see if that facility really exists. If it does...well, we have our orders." Krystal nodded. She remembered both the briefing and the last time she had seen the Frontal Assault Vehicle in action against the Apariods. The vehicle was an unstoppable machine in the hands of the right pilot. The heavy armor plating that covered it could take just about anything that was thrown at it. Although it was slow and very loud, the goliath machine was the single most powerful vehicle the vixen had ever seen. A few years ago, even the Star Fox team had been impressed by it. After the last few years, the vixen could only imagine the improvements made to the war machine. With a quick glance around them, Chase stood up and pressed his hand against the clip of his Recon HUD, "Dagger, do you read me?" "Loud and clear Ronin." A voice replied, "Go ahead." "Tell me you have a fix on the enemy locations." Chase said, "We're really going to need it." "We're picking up some major movement to the south of your position." Their mission supervisor replied, "We sent in a recon craft down while dropping you two in. Looks like some kind of convoy. We're bringing to your Recon HUD now. Bots are all over the place, but there looks like something went wrong. A major explosion occurred before you shot over that area. I'm advising caution. Plus, something's messing with our scanners. The middle of the colony isn't coming in clearly. You two might want to check that out. If it's some kind of radar jamming device, it'd be best to take it out." "Roger that, can you find an area to send down our vehicle support?" "About half a click east looks like a good spot, nice and big with plenty of space to move." "The old airfield? Figures." "How do you-? Never mind. I keep forgetting you survived that. Anyway, I don't know how long it'll take for the drop ship to bring the FAV down. Find that area and stay put until it arrives. Lethal force is authorized against any and all resistance." "On it." Chase sighed and unslung his sniper rifle. Cradling it in his arms, Chase looked at Krystal. The vixen nodded in return, she'd heard the conversation. But, unlike Chase, she had her doubts. "I didn't see the FAV loaded on the carrier when we left, Chase." Krystal stated, "Are we sure it's even there?" "Krystal, I trust that crew. If they say they have our vehicle support, then they have it. Besides, we're here to stop those things." Chase replied, "FAV or not, we have our orders and we will complete them." Krystal nodded quickly before cocking her assault rifle. * * * Unknown to the two foxes, above them was a scorpion-like robotic unit. Perched atop a building, the drone watched them, transmitting data to the others in its area. When it received its next orders, the unit made its move. With a metallic cry, the robot leaped off the rooftop, landing behind the two foxes. When they heard the cry, the two had turned and watched as it had landed, the male drawing a handgun. Now, the weapon was pointed at it, but the bot was already moving. Its four legs carried it quickly sideways, dodging the first bullet from the fox as the second fox got behind him. But the second bullet tore through its leg, causing the bot to fall to its side. Letting loose another cry, the bot tried to fire, but it's main gun was on the ground, a third bullet having torn through its tail and disabling its ability to move the energy cannon. Now, a fourth bullet pierced its head, all systems inside the robot shutting down permanently. * * * Chase approached the downed bot, examining it. Krystal had her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with fear as she remembered what this bot was. "I-it can't be." She whispered, "They're defeated. We made sure of it." "Let's not make any assumptions, Krystal." Chase stated, "There's no way to be sure this is an aparoid. The Sevfel could just be using a similar design after seeing how effective they were." The vixen nodded, calming herself down as Chase patted her shoulder. But the more she examined the robot before her, the more it reminded the vixen of the threat that had once almost destroyed the Star Fox team. "No...Chase is right." She thought, turning to follow her partner, "It couldn't be them...not after we nuked their last hive." Just to be safe, the vixen checked her magazine to be sure it was still fully loaded. \* \* \* Watching the two carefully through her scope, the tiger smiled to herself. After following the black craft that had shot overhead, she had seen what the male fox could do. While she was sure these two were not Sevfel, the tiger couldn't help but wonder exactly who they were with then. As far as she knew, the ones who had hired her were the only ones fighting the Sevfel since Lylat Command refused to acknowledge their return. Reloading her rifle, the tiger slide down and pointed her rifle at the doorway she had come in through. Since it was the only way into the fifth story room, besides the window, she kept an eye on it as she activated a microphone attached to the neck of her combat vest. "Warhawk, this is Echo One, do you copy?" she asked. "Loud and clear Echo One." A voice replied, "How's the hunting down there?" "Too easy." The tiger smirked, "The bots just line themselves up for the kills. But I have a new situation." "What seems to be the problem?" "There's another team here. A couple of foxes, one male, one female. They look like another corporation team." "This could complicate things. You have your orders. If they become a threat to your objective, eliminate them." "And if we have a common goal?" "Then stay with them. They must have come from the carrier we picked up moving into orbit approximately one hour ago. With any luck, they could be useful, and we're hailing the carrier now for confirmation of objectives. Just be careful not to reveal yourself to them until absolutely necessary." "Roger that. I'll call back when I have some more information." The tiger turned off the microphone and stood up. With a sigh, she reloaded her sniper rifle and slung it against her back, drawing a handheld blaster instead. The energy weapon had been designed for a two shot kill. The first shot would disable the nearly invisible energy shield the Sevfel bots used to protect themselves from standard blasters used by Lylat Command solders and mercenaries. The second shot would strike the bot and shut it down for good, similar to an electromagnetic pulse device. With nearly infinite ammunition, drawing energy from whatever was around it, the experimental blaster was a newly created force to be reckoned with. Smiling, she ran out of the room. * * * About a block away, Chase rounded a corner, his Stingers drawn and loaded as he moved. Behind him, Krystal followed, still unsure about why Chase seemed more on edge than ever before. Usually, Chase had at least a hint of a plan, but right now, all that seemed to matter to him was getting through this mission quickly. As the fox looked around the corner of a destroyed wall, he motioned for Krystal to remain silent and take a look. When she did, the vixen's eyes widened, falling upon a small force of six of the scorpion-like robotic units. The bots were scouring through, what used to be, a small housing complex, blasting away pieces of the structure. Watching this, Chase's mind flashed back to the night he had lost his family and everyone he had known then. Anger surged through him as he did. These bots had no right to come back here. He had to make them pay for that night, for all the lives lost. "Let's turn back and find another way around them." Krystal whispered to him. Chase shook his head, a feeling of rage welling up from deep within himself, "No. Stay here and let me handle this personally." Before Krystal could open her mouth to argue, Chase had rounded the corner, both Stinger 9mm handguns drawn and pointed to the approaching bots. But what he did next stunned Krystal into disbelief. "Hey, you wastes of scrap metal!" Chase called, cocking both handguns, "Come and get some if you think you're hard enough!" The bots targeted him. With a cry of metallic rage, two of them rushed towards him, the cannons on their tails charging! Chase walked towards them, firing his right handgun quickly as he did. The first bot fell easily, the armor piercing rounds cutting through its lightly armored body. The second bot fell after a bullet pierce it's legs, forcing it to fall to the ground where a final bullet dispatched it for good. The four bots remaining opened fire, green bursts of energy flying past Chase as he turned his guns on them. Dodging to the left, the fox holstered the right handgun and opened fire with his left, strafing to the left as he did. His only thought was to eliminate the bots before they could do any more damage or, worse, hurt Krystal. Chase fired off his handgun once more, keeping the bots moving as they tried to dodge his gunfire. But something was wrong. The fox was keeping fire on three bots, but the fourth one had disappeared momentarily. Suddenly, he felt the shove of an energy round slamming into his back! The bot had managed to get around behind him, hoping for a quick kill. Turning as his shield flickered wildly from the shot, the fox growled, taking out the offending robot with a headshot that tore through its primary systems. But, when something green caught his eye, the fox leaped aside as another energy round grazed his side, further damaging his shields. With his shields dangerously low, the fox stood up and pointed his weapon at the scorpion-like unit. With another growl, Chase fired several three shot bursts, the armor piercing rounds tearing the bot apart as it's legs and tail were shattered by the rounds. Chase approached the squirming bot and fired a round point blank into it's head, terminating it. * * * Krystal continued to watch from behind the wall as the final bot attempted to kill Chase. Closing her eyes, the vixen focused, awakening her telepathic abilities. As much as she hated to do it, Krystal had to figure out what was causing Chase to act like this. She knew that years of being a mercenary had taught the fox how to physically mask his emotions. Usually, Chase never used that training. But today, he definitely was hiding something. Now, Krystal focused her power on Chase. As she did, the vixen felt a strong surge of rage come back to her. Immediately, the vixen lost focus on her partner's mind, knowing now that something was indeed very wrong. She had felt rage before, but nothing like what Chase was feeling. A primal rage had engulfed Chase, causing him to abandon his training and skill for one reason, to eliminate the enemy. "It has to be this place." Krystal thought worriedly, watching as Chase eliminated the final scorpion-like Sev`fel robot with a shot to the head, "I've never seen Chase like this anywhere else." Now, Chase stood panting, the rage that had engulfed him slowly draining away as smoke gently wafted from the barrels of the now empty handguns. The oil of the destroyed bots leaked out onto the hard ground as his rage faded. "Get...out..." Chase panted, holstering his handguns, "You will not kill anyone else..." Suddenly, the fox fell to his knees, dropping his hands to his side. Immediately, Krystal ran to his side. Worry flooded her mind as the vixen crouched down beside Chase, taking her partner in her arms before he could collapse fully. Quickly, she pulled his arm over her shoulder and walked with him to the building. Once they were inside, she laid her partner down on the ground and looked him over. His shield popped and fizzled before dissipating completely. "Chase, are you hurt?" the vixen asked worriedly, running a hand over his armor. "Krystal..." Chase replied, looking at her, "I'm sorry you had to see that." Krystal sighed in relief. Chase wasn't physically hurt; his shield had taken most of the damage, spreading the energy across itself to protect him. That would take time to recharge, but the sudden loss of the rage-fueled adrenaline must have weakened him momentarily. "Chase, tell me what the hell is going on with you." Krystal said, a bit rougher than she had wanted, "That was a stupid risk and you know it." Chase sighed, sitting up as his strength returned to fill the void left from the rage, "I know..." Krystal waited for his explanation, but the fox simply stood up. "It's not something you can help me with Krystal." Chase said quietly, "I have to deal with it on my own." "I want to help you." Krystal said, taking his arm, "Please..." The fox shook his head, his eyes looking more troubled than ever before, "I'm sorry, but I have to get over it over myself. It's not your problem right now." Krystal looked at the ground in defeat, her ears lowering sadly. She knew that Chase wouldn't tell her what was wrong. At least, not yet. But, she promised herself that she would find out what was wrong. "If it's making you act like this, it is my problem." she replied with a sigh, "But alright, I'll leave it alone right now if you want. But please be more careful. I don't want to lose you." Chase smirked and patted her back, "Hey, you can't lose me this easily. Now, can we go back to killing the evil robots?" Krystal nodded, knowing he was trying to change the subject. With a quick shake of her head, the vixen pulled her assault rifle to her shoulder. "Alright, let's do this." Krystal said with a forced smile. * * * Krystal looked out of the ruined building, making sure the coast was clear. But when she saw a large group of Reapers examining the remains of the scorpion-like units Chase had eliminated in rage, the vixen stepped back inside. "We'll have to find another way out." She said, "Too many Reapers are out that way." Chase nodded, looking at a mostly ruined map hanging on the wall behind the front desk, "According to this map, there should be a fire escape down this hallway." Krystal nodded, following Chase down the hallway. Luckily, the map was correct. At the end of the hallway was a door, the red paint beginning to peel off of it from the lack of service. "Think it's alarmed?" Krystal asked. "Only one way to find out." Chase replied, placing his hand on the handle, "If it is, those things will be all over us in seconds." Krystal nodded, pulling her assault rifle to her shoulder, "I'll keep this way covered." Chase pressed down on the steel bar and was surprised to find that it was stuck. But try as he might, the old door refused to budge. As his ears flattened in annoyance, the fox moved back from the door. Without a second thought, Chase rammed the door with his shoulder! The old, dust covered, slowly rusting hinges gave way as the door swung open from brute force. Luckily, the old wires had never been repair from the attack. When the door was forced open, the alarm system failed to go off, having been destroyed during the first assault those years ago. But with the support of the door now gone, Chase stumbled and fell onto the hard ground and found himself face to face with a Reaper unit. The bot let out a metallic screech that echoed through the colony, shattering the silence that had engulfed it once more. But before it could begin to attack Chase, three shots rang out in rapid response, tearing through the bot. As it fell, Krystal lowered her rifle and helped Chase to his feet. As the fox dusted himself off, he thanked her. As he did, a metallic cry went up again, this time, as a reply to the first screech. "We need to move. Now!" Chase stated. "Where to?" Krystal asked, looking back towards the now open doorway, "We can't go back in there now." Chase took two seconds to look around before spotting the remains of what was once a general store, "In there." Without hesitation, the two ran to the store, Chase launching himself in through a partially shattered window, breaking the rest of the glass as he went through it, as Krystal took an easier route by leaping gracefully over the remains of the front door. Keeping most of his body below the window, Chase peeked out as Krystal crouched down beside him, lowering her S-32 HAR. Not a second later, several Reapers came out of the building they had just exited. "How far is the airfield from here?" Krystal asked. "According to intel, not far. Probably only a mile or two." Chase replied, watching the bots. "It'll be a hard run with those things chasing us, though." Krystal stated, "Unless..." Chase looked at her, "Unless?" Krystal nodded to a tall building across from them, "I can get over there without being seen. We can pick them off from here and from there. If we can fool them into thinking there's more then just the two of us, maybe they'll retreat." Chase smirked, "Krystal, you scare me sometimes. Let's do it. These stupid bots will never know what hit them." The vixen nodded in reply, smirking quietly to herself. The Chase she knew and loved was back.