"You sure you want to go down there alone?" Falco asked.
"Yes." Fox shrugged into an a utility vest. "That would be best."
"Thirty people so far have disappeared Fox." Peppy interjected.
"Exactly." He checked the sighting on one of his handguns. "I'll fly down there solo. Pointman. If it's clear, the rest of you can come down, and we'll start the investigation."
Fara, watching all this, wasn't very surprised. Fox loved his team, but when it came down to the wire, he always went in alone. "Just come back in one piece all right?"
"You know I will, hon."
"We're coming out of warp in five... four... three... two... one..." Announced ROB, and the ship's massive engines quieted as the ship slowed to normal space-cruising speed.
"Actually, I agree with him." Katt said. "It'll be less dangerous if only one of us checks it out."
"I'll need twelve hours at the most, and I'll keep my radio on full time." Fox said, walking to his fighter.
"Good luck Fox."
"Hey, man, don't worry. Piece of cake." Fox saluted and launched.
Plantary weather systems seemed very calm, and as Fox made planetfall and easily skimmed the surface of the ocean toward land, he was amazed at how gorgeous this planet was. It hadn't even been named yet--Exploratory Planet 9876 was the name on the file. He read some of the information while he flew, used to doing so.
"Mainly tropical, air Cornerian standard normal, 65% water... nicknamed 'Eden' by the exploritory teams. Eden. Makes sense."
The land mass where the base was grew in his veiwports, and he pulled up slightly, skimming the sandy beaches. A blip appeared on his radar, and he realized that he was already coming up on the base.
He circled and landed, touching down easily and leaping from the cockpit. The base was already being taken over by nature; vines grew up on the sides of the building, windows were broken, grass and plants broke up the touchdown pad. The air was hot, humid, and fragrent; smelling of rain, earth, and flowers. He crouched on the already worn cement and half-closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of nature around him. He had never been anywhere so quiet, so peaceful. Not even Zoness pre-war had been as peaceful, as beautiful as this place.
He stood and started toward the base, mind clicking back over to the business. His army boots made soft, dull thumps as he walked, pulling a gun and nudging the base's main door open.
The base was dark and silent, seemingly abandoned. He couldn't hear any machinery running at all. Gun still pulled, he eased inside the building and began to carefully look around, watching every shadow.
"How's it going down there, Fox?" Peppy asked over the radio.
"Quiet. I'm at the base. Seems to be abandoned. Looks like it's been here for years." Fox tried a light swtich. "Power's out. Don't even think the generator's running."
"Hmmm." He frowned. "Base generators are always running."
"Supposed to be at least." Fox nudged the medbay door open. "Ok... I'm at the medbay. Bloodstains on the floor, and on a few of the beds. Lots of used syringes and empty bottles." He eased over and looked at the labels on the syringes. "Painkillers. Really powerful ones."
"You be careful down there." Fara said into the radio. "You have video feed?"
"Should." He reached up and turned on the minicam in his headset.
"Temp readout in almost on par with outside. No atmospheric control?" Katt frowned, looking at the list of readouts coming from the camera.
"No generators, no air conditioning." Fox replied, easing out of the medbay. "And while we're at it... no signs of life. Wait, did you guys see that?" He frowned, peering down the darkened corridor. He had seen a flutter of movement."
"Probably a bird." Falco said, frowning and watching the camera readout.
Fox eased forward, and there was a burst of movement--someone or something was running, and he saw a humanoid form. "Hey! Hey, wait!" He shouted, following. "Are you one of the scientists? Don't worry, we responded to your beacon! Wait!"
"Little late aren't you?" Demanded a caustic male voice from down the corridor. "Stay away from me and listen good kid. Leave right now while you still can. Have this planet banned."
"What happened here?" Fox slowly walked forward, holstering his gun.
"Eden got us."
"Eden?" He echoed. "I thought that was this planet's name.
"It is. Go. Now. Before it gets you too."
"I'm here to help dammit!" Fox flared. "At least have the decency to show yourself and give a viable explanation!"
Long pause, then, whispered, "Eden controls the evolutionary process of whatever is within its atmospheric range. It took interest in us. Only two of us are left. Now go before you can never leave."
"Evolutionary process? As in changing DNA codes?"
"Exactly. Leave dammit! We don't need you now. It's too late for us!"
"I don't like this Fox." Fara whispered into the radio.
"More are with you?" Demanded the voice. "Don't let them enter the atmosphere or touch down whatever you do." A dark form hovered just out of Fox's sight range, staying hidden in the shadows.
"Come into the light." Fox was getting exasperated and a little annoyed. "I still don't understand why... oh my dear god."
The form had stepped forward. He had been a coyote once, but his arms had morphed so they were closer to wings, huge feathers hanging down. The joints to extend the wings the rest of the way blended with his wrists, rather like a bat. He maintained his coyote tail, but long feathers spread out to either side like a bird's tail. Long claws extended from his fingers and toes, and his legs had been morphed so he walked on his toes instead of flat-footed. His eyes were the most disturbing--three irises in rings around hell black pupils, and the rings contracted and expanded independantly in the sudden light, gold, blue, and green.
"God had nothing to do with this." Said the pseudo-coyote thickly, taking another step toward Fox. "Leave. Now. Before Eden gets you too."
"All right all right! I'll leave my communications setup here all right?" Fox obediently backed off. "That way you can tell us more on what happened here."
The coyote shrugged. "Go ahead. But I can't tell you it will work for as long as you intend."
Fox nodded and backed out of the base, going to his plane and unloading the communications setup.
"Jesus, what happened to that guy?" Falco's voice finally asked via the radio.
"Apparently Eden did." Fox opened the cockpit of his fighter and got in.
"Fox, your video feed is showing a lot of breakup." Slippy put in.
"We'll check it once I get up there." Fox hit the engine start button, closing the cockpit, buckling in. The plane vibrated around him, and, glancing up, he saw the coyote standing in the doorway of the base.
Stall.
Fox's jaw dropped as his plane stilled around him, shivering to a halt. He hadn't stalled out since he had started flying. He stared at the readouts--all still green--and hit the starting button again.
Nothing.
As he watched, the readout lights slowly died out. The plane was dead around him.
He slowly looked up, and saw the coyote shaking his head.
"Fox?" Slippy asked quizzically.
"My plane's dead." Fox pulled the manual cockpit release, unbuckling. "I'm willing to bet I'm going to loose radio shortly."
"We'll come get you..."
"No... no. Stay out of the atmosphere until I figure out what's going on." He stood on the worn cement, staring at the arwing. "I'll make sure my engine's clear and so on, but I can't say if it'll be able to take off anytime soon."
"Be careful Fox." Fara's voice said through static.
"I will be." He turned, looking at the coyote, who only shook his head slowly.
"I tried to warn you." The coyote shook his head again. "And now, you can never leave."