A Krystal Encounter Ch.7 Mysteriously Azure
Story © 2010 Kira Kitanya
Final Chapter: Mysteriously Azure
"Kale, Report!"
"Damn! You don't have to yell!"
"Shut up! Now do you still have eyes on the one called "Justin?"
"Affirmative. He's proceeding to a blue and green planet. And may I ask? Why is he so important to you?"
"He has a power within him. A power that's very...intriguing."
"Hmph. You always were the cryptic one little brother."
"That's 'Wolf' to you Kale. Don't make me remind you again."
Before I drew closer to the Earth, a thought suddenly crossed my mind, a thought that made me slow down my Arwing,
"Damn...if I try to enter the atmosphere now, I'll probably be targeted instantly once I pass by the satellites. Heh, how ironic, this is my homeworld yet if I try to enter looking the way I do, I'll be shot on sight."
I clenched my fist at the notion. How silly of me to forget the way humans react towards aliens...like myself. I've seen all the whacked-out theories and speculations on the existence of life beyond Earth, and now I'm the very thing they seek to expose.
"There has to be a way. I can't just sit here and risk being spotted."
As I swiveled my head around the cockpit, looking at the various displays and energy meters, something caught my eye. It was a small screen that read, "CLOAKING CHARGE" with a transparent outline of the Arwing beneath it. I satisfyingly grinned,
"I guess the answer is always staring you straight in the face. But how long will it last?"
After pressing the display, its' ten-inch long energy meter started depleting gradually. It wasn't inconveniently fast so as to render it useless but it made me realize that I could only use the ability in short bursts. Nevertheless, I had a way of getting to the surface of the planet. With some careful observation I saw the North American continent just a few meters to the left of my current heading. But my heart sank when I saw the Int. Space Station looming just above it, getting past them without exposing myself for even a second would be a challenge, despite having the cloaking device. To me, the station didn't appear to be in motion but a common fact was that the station orbited the Earth closely. The structure's large, solar panels jutted out from a white tube that spanned the station's length, with viewing windows all around it. If this is all that stood between me and seeing my family again, I could care less if they had to speculate on seeing another UFO for several years to come. With a steady hand, I revolved the ship's bow to face below the station and towards the continent.
"I'll worry about finding my house later. Right now I just need to get down there."
I sighed, pressed the cloaking display again, and gunned the throttle.
Everything in front of me seemed to blur as the engines crackled with a mighty roar. The intense speed shook me around like I was inside a blender, except wearing a safety belt. Soon I was close to the station and just about to pass under it without a trace; all I needed was just a few more minutes...but fate had other plans. Without even paying attention to my engine temperature an alarm started to wail about the cockpit, indicating that something was about to overload. Glancing at my HUD, I noticed the heat level of the thrusters was well into the red zone, and climbing fast.
"Shit, shit, shit!" I panicked. Swiftly grabbing the throttle, I pulled back on it in an effort to slow the ship down, even though my gut was telling me to speed into the atmosphere. The engines soon decelerated into a gentle hum, I wasn't about to have another burning deathwish on my conscience, let alone totaling one of their Arwings, again. To my relief, the space station was pretty far off behind me which left some room for patience,
"Alright...now to get down there." The words left my mouth lazily and seemed to bounce right off of the blue planet that was now in view. 'Out of the frying pan and into the fire' was the expression that came to mind as I stared onward with a firm grip of the flightstick. Even if I did manage to break through the atmosphere without a hitch, how the hell would I find my hometown let alone my house? It wasn't like I was looking at a Google map or something convenient like that, it was the real deal, all land and no boundaries. The sound of my mother crying continued to haunt me, even as I stood so close to my objective, my purpose. My eyes narrowed under furrowed brows wrapped in the gentle peace of the cockpit, this was it, now or never...My hand hovered over the throttle once again and remained still, couldn't say the same for my heart-rate.
"Let's see you squirm your way out of this one." Kale said, pulling his flightstick's trigger.
The Arwing rattled in a discourse of electricity, sparks danced around the cockpit's interior from every screen and switch, and my body fell forward onto the controls staining them with blood. It grew cold and dark...
"So, any plans for today?"
"I'll probably just lift some weights later and see if Slippy's up for that rematch."
"That fight was pretty extraordinary, I still can't believe you defeated him."
"Neither can I, but if Jeggei's special attack missed I would have had no chance."
I remember that morning, right after I had the nightmare. Krystal's voice was so beautiful...pulling me out of the depths of sadness, nothing can compare to it, nothing at all. But it was just a dream, slowly fading away as my eyelids peeled open. I couldn't tell where I was; some kind of holding cell maybe. The walls were steel gray and no more than ten feet in height and width. Illuminated by three fluorescent lights above me, I noticed that I was apparently floating in mid-air. My legs were spread slightly apart and my arms were extended at shoulder height, though it scared me with how motionless they both were. I couldn't move them even if I tried. They were being held down by something, yet all I could see were platinum cufflinks emitting a pale blue glow. In fact my whole self was engulfed in this light but for some reason, I could still move my head around. Whoever placed me here wanted to be sure that I could take in every disheartening detail of the cell, no windows, no food, no escape. Why didn't I just push the throttle? I could have escaped whomever was tailing me; instead I had to be a pussy and wait for something to happen. I began to think about Krystal, and my mom most of all, I let them down again, I promised them I would be back... My eyes soon dripped with tears as a hole was pierced straight through the heart, as if I'd been holding it in for years, everything came pouring out. I just sat there sobbing, unable to accept the reality as everything I loved seemed to drift away, I failed them; and now they'll suffer because of it.
"Well Wolf, is this who you wanted?" A voice from nearby suddenly asked.
I lifted my head up immediately and was struck with absolute fear, outside the barred gate of my cell stood Wolf and another dark-furred lupine with scarlet eyes. Wolf's face slowly formed an evil smile, he had plans in store for that would most likely leave me dead. I could only stare in horror as I heard his menacing voice,
"You're mine Justin. All...mine."
"What do you want from me Wolf? Just let me go!" I pleaded. He only cackled in response.
"Your power, I want your power..." Wolf began, "And nothing will stop me from taking it."
"You're wrong!" I shot back in anger. "Star Fox will come for me!"
"Heh heh heh, we'll see what happens after I tear the very flesh from your bones!"
Meanwhile, back at the Great Fox:
"Justin? Is that you?" I could sense his thoughts from somewhere. They were cold, and afraid, I could feel his sadness. I wasn't about to lose him again, so I reached for my flight suit and made a dash for the hangar. I knew he was out there, somewhere far, even if I didn't know of my true destination. But I was determined to find it, no matter the circumstance.
"I'm on my way Justin, be strong for me, be strong."
To Be Continued...