Procrustean Maelstrom
 
 

           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;   Prologue
 

 "The trouble with guys like you.....is that.... you are completely...NARCISSISTIC!!!!!" "I'm completely narcisWHAT?!!" Iaz Min slapped his girlfriend.  She winced and covered her face with her wing.  She was beautiful white Crane with a temper as bad as her attitude.  She had shoulder length hair that was blacker than night and it looked as if there was a bluish-purple shine in it.  Her dark pink eyes narrowed as the throbbing of her cheek seemed to disappear.  She took her wing off her cheek.  Balling it into a tight fist as she turned to Iaz.  "No one hits Ora Cull!!!!!!!!" Running at him, she belted him in his neck.  Making another fist, Ora plunged it into his right eye.  "You're nothing but a filthy stinkin' alley cat.  And that's exactly where you're going to be buried.  In some..... unknown, dark, ugly alley!"  Iaz pushed her off of him.  He grabbed her by her beak and pushed her backwards.  He hated it when she called him an alley cat.  Though he wasn't brought up in the richest neighborhood in the world, he did make his living as a child in the alley.  Selling drugs and stealing.  He was ashamed of his past, and Ora knew it!

 Cull slammed into a hefty, tall man.  "Are we having trouble keeping our balance, Miss Cull?" Andross caught Ora before she fell.  "n..n..n..No Sir!" glaring at Iaz.  "Well now, since you are one of my best assassins, I'll let this go.  Get back to work." Andross left the room and slammed the door.   "Your time will come Iaz, you'd better set your watch for it!"
 
 
 
 
 

Chapter one           &nbs p;             ;               The Zonessian  Summer, vacation in Sovereign City
 
 

 The soft, light pink sand of Zoness welcomed the beach towels that were thrown down on it.  The air filled with laughter of little children and the sound of the waves crashing into the surf.  Who would've known that in three years, Zoness' beauty would be forever lost? That the sea would be contaminated with garbage and pollution?  That no longer would it be the worlds most beautiful vacation spot? Andross knew it!  He knew it well.
 

 All of them friends, all of them the same age, 12. Yet not one of them could prepare for the future."Hey guys!!  Look at Bill!" Slippy screamed as he surfaced from the water.  Fox looked around the waves for his friend.  Wiping salt water from his eyes, he spotted Bill on what seemed to be the hugest wave he had ever seen.  "Hey, cool! How'd he do that?!"  "Hey Fox watch this one!" Grey cried from his blue and yellow surf board.  He flipped around and and did a handstand on his board.  "Cool Bill! What do you think Fox?!  Fox, Hey FOX!" Victor Strauss, a hyena tried to get Fox's attention.  "Forget it, he's lost.  She's a poison to him." Terrence Strauss, Victor's half brother said as he waved his paw infront of Fox's face.  He was talking about Corneriette.  Fox had a crush on her since he was 6.  Fox had not been lost.  But he was truly in a daze as he saw Corneriette and Katt, and Luna Polegun set down their belongings next to their friends.  When they were finished, they headed towards the water.

 Luna was first to greet the waves as the water splashed around her and soaked her fur.  She was white Skunk.  She had completely white fur with no black strpes like a normal Skunk would have.  She was often mistaked for a Weasle or a Ferret.  Her light purple bathing suit hugged her body as she moved towards Bill.  "Hey guys.  What's up?" Corneriette, a Catox(half cat..half fox) smiled at them but especially Fox.  He smiled back and started to say something but she spoke what he said before him.  "Bill did an incredible somersault on his surfboard and you forgot that my family was also vacationing at the same hotel as you."  Neri, as she liked to be called looked at him triumphantly.  The two were just as close as if they were brother and sister.  James McCloud and Corneriette's father, Jason Priyme went to the same highschool.  As did Corneriette and Fox's mothers.
 

 "Fox, you weren't lookin' dude." Bill whined as he pushed Fox playfully.  Slippy proceeded to go back under the waves as before.  Using his transparent third, eyelid he spotted Katt's legs.  Smirking, he grabbed onto her left leg and pulled her under.  Seconds later she emerged, gagging and sputtering as she splashed water in Slippy's face.  He only laughed and returned a small man made wave of water to her face as she did his.  'Let's go to the hotel and dry off Fox.  I can't help but to hate this water.' Neri said to him telepathically.  'Why, this is the best ocean in the Lylat System.  What don't you like about it?' Fox questioned her.  They were both telepaths, though they rarely spoke to each other without words.  'I don't know.  It just feels so dirty, it just doesn't feel right. I keep thinking it's polluted or something.  Like everytime I accidently swallow some water, I think that there's some kind of poison in there.'  Fox couldn't understand what she meant.  There was nothing in the water.  It was a clear crystal torquoise for miles around.  He agreed to go back to the hotel but first made her promise to go to the restaurant to get a bite to eat.
 

 "I don't care WHAT you have to do to get them! JUST GET THEM, ya hear! Those Vuenet bombs and those Donbeaton missles are all that matter to me! They are capable of mass destruction and I want them NOW."  Andross screamed into the phone.  He had already taken control of Venom, and the whole Lylat knew his name.  "Yes, but who do you want us to find to make them.  It'll take years, months at the least." a quivering agent spoke into the phone.  "There are a whole bunch of great scientist in this world.  We'll do to them what we did to the scientists on Macbeth!" Andross' lips curled back into an ugly, big smile.  "And what is that Sir?"  "We'll enslave whoever we have to.  Just get me those bombs!  I have a few people who I want to be on my new base."  "Who might they be Sir?"  "Stupid!! They're scientist fer one thing.  Get Jason Priyme and his daughter.  They ought to do nicely.  Luna Polegun should make a fine home on Karakul Base4 also.  I don't care how young or old they are, just GET them.  All we need are scientist, ya know, that sort of thing.  I've got engineers and mechanics comin' outta my......outta my....well just you nevermind! Get them and get them now!" Andross hung up the phone.  They wouldn't let him have control over the Lylat.  That's okay, he would take control!
 

 "I'll have the Troika.  She'll have the Kani platter." Fox ordered for the both of them.  Corneriette sat back in her seat.  They were at a little cafe in the lobby of the hotel.  "Thanks Fox. I'll pay ya back later."  She handed her menu to the waiter who looked at her suspiciously.  'What's wrong with him?' Fox asked as he looked behind his shoulder at the waiter.  The same waiter, was talking to the manager and pointing at Neri.  Neri and Fox looked at each other as the manager came towards their small table.

 "I'm sorry but you'll have to leave." He said solemly.  "Why, what do you mean? We just got here.  That guy just took our order.  Why should we leave?" Fox started to get agitated.  "No hybrids allowed.  I'm sorry but you'll have to leave." The manager looked Corneriette square in the face.  "But what does my species have to do with what and where I eat?" Corneriette asked in disbelief.  "I don't care what you are! No Hybrids allowed.  What are you anyway? Doesn't matter, you can't eat here.  You'll have to leave. I'm sorry."  The manager grabbed Corneriette by the hand and pulled her out of her seat.  "She's half Fox and half Cat which makes her a Catox.  And it does matter, and she WILL eat here and if you don't get your hands off of my goddaughter you WILL be sorry!!!" James McCloud said as he pulled Neri away from the manager.  "Oh I'm sorry Sir.  I didn't know she was with YOU! Heh heh....of course she can eat here.  Is that YOUR son?  Wow...heh..he's...he's..gettin' so big, starting to look just like you!  They sure do grow up fast don't they?"  "Yes, they certainly do grown up fast now don't they? Ya mind apologizing to my daughter?" Commander Veronica Priyme of the StormDrain Squadron crossed her arms and glared at the manager of the cafe.  "Commander Priyme? She's YOUR daughter?  But you have white fur and blond hair!  Your eyes are two different colors, SHE on the other hand has beige fur and dark brown hair! Her eyes are brown, yours are one blue and one green.  She has a brown tail and you have a yellow one.  Your a cat and she's a ....Catox." The manager couldn't understand that Veronica's husband was a Fox and that she was a Cat.  "Forget it...we're leaving." Veronica rolled her eyes and then looked at James.  A look that said let's hurry up and get out of here.  He responded by nodding his head.
 
 
 
 

Chapter two           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;       Gone was my everything

           &nbs p;             ;        *Money is the sweetest reward, a temptation everyone gets. When you have it, you're on top of the world, and when you don't, you fret.
           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;            ~Pigma Dengar,StarWolf Squadron
 
 

 They came in the middle of the night.  Two men dressed in black.  Andross had spread the word for all members of his army, to muster up all of the scientist they could.  It would not be JUST the bombs he wanted to be built.  Certainly not!  There were bigger plans for his empire, so to speak.  Of the two ordered to capture scientists, was Escudo Lernek.  He was one of the most outstanding officers of Andross' army.  He himself was a Cat, though he always hated being a Cat.  He wanted to be a Fish.  The man was just not all right in the head.  Who knew why he wanted to be that species, he always did have a facination with the sea.  Who would have known that in just a few years, the person who he was hired to capture, would make that wish come true.  "That's Corneriette Octamus Priyme.  She's got a screwed up species, she's been trained to fly at an early age.  She's almost a better scientist than her dad.  She was on General Salt and Pepper's Priority One List and was in the more advanced classes of the Academy.  Her mother is a commmander of a squadron that is closely allied with the 63rd StarFox squadron." the other man who was with Escudo whispered.  Escudo shrugged his massively muscular shoulders and took out a club from his backpak.  "Yeah well, I don't give a damn. I'll knock her out with this and you throw her in that sack." Lernek Swung the bat high in the air, crashing down onto the back of Neri's head.  They put her in a scratchy burlap potato sack and exited through the window.  "Let's get back to Karakul Base4!  Put her in some cell and then we go collect our pay." the other man said as he took off his black mask.  "I didn't know you were a Pig!  You'd do anything fer cash wouldn't you!" Escudo narrowed his eyes.  He hated sellouts.  "Yeah just about." the Pig took out a bag of chips.  "Like turn on your team mates?" Lernek folded his arms across is broad chest.  "Uh..no..no I would never do THAT." the pig lied and rolled his eyes when Escudo wasn't looking.  It was a shame that Escudo didn't recognize WHO the Pig was.  Lernek wasn't familiar with the 63rd StarFox team.

 "AAAAAAA!!! She's gone, they have her! She's gone.  Dad, Dad! We have to get some help!" Fox sat up screaming in his bed.  He got some telepathic vibes from Corneriette.  In his sleep he had a vision of what had happened.  "Fox, it's 3 am.  There's nothing  wrong with Corneriette.  She's asleep just like you should be." James ran into the room.  "Call them, call them and make sure!" Fox insisted.  James sighed and dialed the phone.  No answer.  Then Fox remembered that Neri was in the same hotel.  Realizing this, he ran out of the room, James at his heels.  Down the hallway they ran until they reached the Priyme's room.  Veronica opened the door before they could knock.  She must've heard them coming down the hall.  "They're both gone.  I've phoned the police, they'll be here shortly." she had tears in her eyes.  Not only her daughter...but her husband too.  James and Fox invited themselves in to keep her company, then, so did the police.
 

 "What the heck is going on?  This is not my hotel room.  Where the heck am I?" Corneriette woke up several hours later.  She was in the back of a cargo plane.  'A sack?  I'm in a SACK!' Neri said telepathically.  Sometimes she wasn't aware that she was telepathically speaking.  There were only three other people that talked to her telepathically anyway.  Peppy, Annie, and Fox.  'Your in a WHAT?' Fox asked telepathically and aloud.  "What's the matter with HIM?" a police officer asked.   "Telepathic maybe."another officer added.  'Do you know where you are?  I saw them hit you with something, make sure you're not bleeding.  You're a hemophiliac!'  Fox remembered the time when they were playing on the soccer team.  She tripped and cut her knee on a rock.  It bled for days, even with stitches.  'Fox, it's bleeding.  Only a little bit, it hurts, Fox.  What should I do?  Someone out there sounds like Pigma.  Fox they said something about Karakul4.'  Neri couldn't see.  Not only was there no light filtering in through her dark sack, her vision was slightly blurred from the blow she took to her head.

 'That's a new base that Andross built.  It's on the western side of Macbeth.  Don't worry, I'll get my dad to check it out.  Is your father with you?  He's not here with us.' Fox questioned, this time to himself.  'No, he's here with me.  I think he's still unconsious, he just fell over.' Neri sat back and quivered in the cargo section of SOME plane, going to SOME planet she had never been to before.  She had no idea what they had instore for her.  Her friends were there too.  Not all, but a good half.  Don't worry, they didn't stay there for long.
 

Chapter three           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;            Bound by stone walls

 *If there were ever to be a strike against the highest officer, it would probably come from the ones under him.  And strongest would be the infight as not one, but all compete to be the highest in rank.           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;      ~Veronica Priyme, StormDrain Squadron
 
 

 The plane came to a rugged short stop.  Inertia caused Corneriette and her father to slam into the wall infront of them.  Escudo lifted them both from the plane.  They took a long, exshuasting trip in the back of a truck.  Others were in the truck with them.  Now, they weren't in a sack anymore, they were ordered to undress and then dress again in a scratchy cloth shirt and a pair of sweatpants, made of the same scratchy material.   "Your's doesn't look like it fits none too good darling. You'll grew into it." Jason Priyme, a well respected Bio-Technician and famous weapon inventer said to his daughter Corneriette.  He created the Laser-Cannon Gun, Sylacraft Prototype, Sluggernaut, and a new wave of poisonous bombs.  Corneriette got her vengeful side from him.  She also had a good memory and quick fighting and mechanic skills, characteristics of her father.  He also gave her the traits of the Fox DNA.  The only way you could tell she was a fox would be the white fur at the tip of her tail, and the shape of her ears, and her muzzle.  Other than that you would've just thought she was a cat.  "I love you daddy." "I love you too sweetheart.  We'll be okay.  You've never been one to get so scared.  Just hang in there.  We'll both be okay." Jason hugged his only daughter.  She was not his only kid.   There were two others, Strykir and Felix.  They've been missing for years.  Everyone had already pointed the finger at Andross as the culpret.  And it was Andross who had them.

 When everyone was out of the truck, they went in the back way of a newly taken over army base.  KARAKUL BASE 4 was printed in dark, heavy bold face typing on the walls.  The floor, made of metal, kept you from running, unless you wanted to slip and fall.  Everyone would have ran, that is, if there weren't guards standing by with their rapid fire machine guns.  Once everyone was placed in their cell, they were fed a headless fish, no bigger than a egg.  "Eat what you can or don't eat at all.  From here on in, it's nothing but sardine for everyone!" Corneriette remembered hearing the guard say to her as he thrusted the plate of fish at her.  She picked up a Nautilus and put it in her mouth.  Once she bit down on it, she immediatly spit it out.  "Yuck!!  The only seafood I like is Kani!!"  The loudspeaker turned on.  ~ATTENTION PRISONERS~ A robotic woman's voice boomed.  ~YOU ARE NOW OWNED BY ANDROSS AND KARAKUL 4~  ~ESCAPE IS NOT AN OPTION~   "Owned?  What do they mean OWNED?!!" Lisboa Diago ran to the bars that kept her in.  She pulled, pushed, even tried to chew them off, they wouldn't budge.  "I want out!  Let me out!!" She cried and struggled.  "Hey now pretty wolf.  I'll let you out." A soldier came over and pulled her up to the bars.  He held her as close to him as he could.  "Please let me out..." Lisboa looked hopelessly at him.  "I will, but what are you gonna do fer ME?!" The soldier grinned, showing his Coyote teeth.  "Freak!!" Diago pushed him back, didn't do much.  He only laughed.  She brushed back her black bangs and sat down in the dampened corner of her cell.  Just remember, that was only the begining of this story.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Chapter four           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         Five Years Later, The Maelstrom Begins
 

 "I keep going back to that base to help the others get out.  Without us, Andross is nothing.  Yet he makes it seem the other way around.  But he knows, without me, he is without power.  That's why I haven't been killed yet.  'Cause I took what he needs for power.  If he threatens me, it jepordizes his one source for annilhilation of the Lylat.  And that's probably the only thing he's afraid of."

           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;          ~Corneriette Octamus Priyme, leader of NebulaStorm
 

 "This disk, has all the things we need to operate 46 of our so far 57 bases.  Without it, we cannot operate their weapons or send coordinates, or communicate with our other bases, or even have electricity.  Mercinary Units will be lost, all data will be erased, Power outage will occur.  We're talking about completely going down the drain if this gets into the hands of a hacker."  Treelo Mhartin explained to Andross.  The golden disk was now a reality.  It was handcrafted mostly by the slaves brought to the new base.  Within those five years, much had gone on that Neri did not know about.

 For instance, James McCloud had been betrayed by Pigma on Venom.  That her bestfriend Fox McCloud had now become the leader of the 64th StarFox Squadron, Katt had been ambushed, Zoness polluted, and her father had been transfered to another base on Venom.  Her mother's Squadron, StormDrain, had gone with the 63rd StarFox Squadron and had been captured.  Her mother survived, but as a prisoner in the same base as her husband. Veronica swore revenge.

 Greg Leopold marched into Corneriette's new larger cell, which she had now shared with several other prisoners.  He grabbed Corneriette by her past waist length hair.  She was lambasted with a metal rod.  She collapsed to the floor, what had she done to make him do that to her.  He held the rod high into the air, preparing to bring down hard on her head.  She stared at him, her eyes opened wide as she looked down at her side.  It had turned a bluish purple where she had been beaten.  "Leave her tha HELL alone!!"  A blue Hawk jumped out of the corner and pounced ontop of the Bear.  With on twist of his wing, Greg had been strangled by the bird and now laid still on the floor.  "Thank you for....thank you for getting him offa me.  I..I..He did that for a reason." Corneriette choked out.  "No worries.  Why did he do that to you anyway?  Hey, you know your famous for what you've done in this base!"  "And WANTED too!" Neri massaged her sore waist.  "I stole an important disk from Andross.  If I can access it, we can shut down his bases and make him powerless.  Now all I have to do is get out of this base and find a specialized computer to access this disk on.  He almost pounded it into bits!" She staggered as she rose from her sitting posistion on the floor.  She took the disk out of her bloody pocket.  "GEEZ man!! Don't you HURT?  Can't you feel pain?" Herring Jianlos said as he came out of the same corner where the blue Hawk was.  "Did he hit you THAT hard that you can't feel it.  Are you in shock?" Lisboa said as she ran from the corner and over to Corneriette.  She put her arm around Neri's waist to give her some balance.

 "Actually I can't feel ANY pain!  It's a disorder that often occurs in crossbreeds.  My reflexes are fine,it's just that I CAN'T feel any pain ANY place on my body." Corneriette said in matter-of-fact tone.  "Well my name is Viceroy Lombardi.  And if destroying Andross is what you want...count me in!! I've been here since I was five.  My twin brother Falco is part of the StarFox Squadron."  "I'm Herring Jianlos, I know your brothers, I'm a Catox also."  "My name's Lisboa Diago and I'm from Papetoon."  "Nice to meet all of you.I was born on Venom but I live on Corneria and...YOU KNOW MY WHAT??!!!!!"Corneriette turned to face Herring.  All he did was nod his head at her.  "He says he knows your brothers." Strykir Priyme, Corneriette's little brother,17, said.  He was standing behind her.  "Neri!! How have you been all these years?"  Felix Priyme, 21, tapped her on the shoulder.  She jumped.  When she turned around, she almost fainted.  "We've got to leave this place Neri, can I call you Neri?" "Sure Lisboa, can I call you Lis? And Viceroy...how's about I call you..Deevo?" Neri said.  "Yeah sure, I like that name, but where'd ya get Deevo from?"   "It's an old, old army code that means to make a stealthy surprise attack, like you did when you attacked that guy and killed him."  "Then I get to call you Grotto.  I just like the way it sounds."
 

 Since the cell door was open, they all ran out when the coast was clear.  Sure, the base was easy to elude.  Anyone could do it.  It was getting past the land mines, land mercanaries, cameras, robots and StarWolf that made it hard to do.  But Corneriette had escaped the base, the first one to ever do so, at least 24 times.  "Let's split up and meet at another place.  Over on that hilltop.  There's several ways to get there so we'll go in two's.  If you're not there in four hours, then there's no help for you." Corneriette looked down at the floor.  So far twentysix people had been killed when they went with her to leave the base.  Everyone, including Katt, Falco, and Bill thought she had died.  The three came to rescue her from the base when her plane exploded.  It was a plan ploted by Swan Morgen and Amytheste Jordan.  They were Corneriette's number one enemies.  Swan's brother had been killed by Corneriette.  Amytheste was just racist of crossbreeds and hybids.

 "Viceroy, you come with me.  My brothers will stay together and Lis and Herring will go west."  Corneriette had found a weapon room and they all took guns from there.  The guards would know they were gone within a few hours, hopefully they would be off Macbeth by then.  Well, at least they hoped it.
 
 
 
 

Chapter five           &nb sp;           &nbs p;             ;                         Procrustean Maelstrom
 

  "They deserved it.  All of them deserved to die like they did. No one goes against Andross!  No one!  Pepper knew that, she learned it in training camp, but on Karakul, she learned it again....the hard way.

           &nbs p;             ;                         & nbsp;           &n bsp;           &nb sp;           &nbs p;          ~Linus Tylip, Karakul Base4 hitman
 

 Viceroy and Corneriette walked for about a half an hour.  Just field.  All they could see ahead of them, behind them, all around them was the green plush grass of Macbeth.  The only things that stood out were the Karakul base and the hill were they were to meet the others.  "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!Stop, no please stop!"  Casandra Monoham pleaded with the gunmen infront of her.  She and her faminly had followed Corneriette out of the base the last time she left.  They were three of the 26 presumed dead.  They've been lost for three days until they were found.

 The guard picked up Devon Monoham's head, holding him by his ears.  He pounded his face into the ground again and again.  "So ya wanna leave do ya?" a hampster guard said.  "We'll let you leave, not alive though." another guard of the same speicies said.  "Then let me leave that way.  Just leave my family alone." Devon said.  "Now you're soundin' like Corneriette, with that spare them and take me type of attitude." a third guard said.  "Let's have a little fun with the new mommy.  Wadda ya say fellas?" one guard slapped the other a high five.  Casandra has only days before given birth to a kitten.  They were Tabby Cats, yet their newborn had no stripes.  Her name was Candy.

 "Just kill them and get it over with.  But as fer the queen(female cat) I get her first." the hampster stared her square in the face as he talked to his friends.  The couple was forced to stand, their baby well hidden in the grass.  Corneriette came to a short stop that caused Viceroy to fall onto her.  They crashed to the floor.  "What the..."Viceroy started.  "Shhhh.  Look what they're doing to those prisoners.  I know them.  They're about to be slaughtered.  Those are the Monohams." Neri hushed him.  She yelped when she heard the gunshot that ended the lives of the young couple.  Shot in their ears.  A few feet away, Candy started to cry.

 "A baby!" "Where the hell is that coming from." "Over there.....in the grass!" Corneriette looked three feet from her.  But it was Viceroy who spotted the baby first.  He grabbed her up.  Casandra's mouth hung open as she laid on her back, dead on the floor.  Trickles of blood streamed from her lips.  Her eyes fixed upon the sky.  "Get that baby!" one guard motioned to another.  He grabbed his pistol laser and charged foward into the slightly high field of grass.  "Here kitty! Pssspssspsss!!!" he made a cooing sound.  "Cats can't stand that noise!!" Corneriette covered her ears.  He peered behind one bush...another.  One more bush left.  "He fired into it and it fell to the ground.  Smoking leaves turned into a small brush fire.  The guard jumped back.  "What the he--" Corneriette took out her father's Sluggernaut gun.  It resembled a .44 magnum, but with more power and a laser attachment.

 "Syonara!!" Corneriette said smoothly as she charged at the guard.  Instead, he caught her by surprise as he stooped down and flipped her upwards.  She countered it by doing a flip in mid-air.  "Wow...I could never do that in gymnastics!" she said as she landed behind him.  Grinning, she pressed the muzzle of her gun against his back.  "Fancy footwork darling!" a guard came up behind Corneriette.  He did what she did, pressing the muzzle of his gun to the small of her back.  "You pull that trigger, and I'll pull YOURS!" Pepper Ctuyl grabbed the guard behind Corneriette by his groins and made a tight fist.  The guard which Neri held at gun point, spun around and fired a shot.  Well he would have but Neri swung her up and knocked the gun from his hands.

  "Good move!"Pepper said as she stuck her knife through the neck of the guard.  Neri took her Sluggernaut and braced herself.  As she shot, a green, plasma like laserbeam shot out from the gun.  The only thing left of the guards were their boots.  Pepper Ctuyl was an Eagle with wide, bright orange-green eyes.  She was Ora's cousin.  "I've gotta go.  I'm not supposed to be out here, but I'm startin' ta hate Andross.  I'm like you, Neri, helping what prisoners I can.  We're heading into town.  Refugee like." Pepper said as she took out her gun.  "Yup.  Your lucky we heard those gun shots or ya would have been toast." D.W. Jorgette came from behind Ctuyl.  Jorgette and Corky Rateo were Ferrets.  Corky's brown beige fur looked glossy as if she were sweating.  D.W.'s pinkish yellow fur looked the same as Rateo's.
 

 "Uh....what about this baby?"  Viceroy came out with Candy in his arms.  "Shoot!  That's right.  C'mon we have to go guys.  Check ya later..and thanks for helping me out." Corneriette waved as she and Lombardi headed in the other direction.

 "What the hell is that???  AMBUSH!!!!!" Strykir said as he was pounded to the ground.  Landing on his stomach. Victor Strauss landed ontop of the youngest Priyme.  Strykir did a quick handstand, throwing the hyena off of him.  Victor recovered quickly.  "Strauss?!!  What the hell is wrong with you buddy?  Don't you remember me, I'm Strykir.  We're old friends! Remember?"
Victor shrugged his shoulders.  He was wearing the uniform of a Karakul employee.  "No one leaves these bases." He said calmly as if he didn't care about his old friend anymore. Victor snapped his fingers and a few men came out.  Among them was Victor's half brother Terrence and Treelo Mhartin.  Felix was shot in the tail as he attacked Victor.  Treelo slammed Strykir's face into a tree.  Victor did a cartwheel and purposly caught Felix's face with his foot.  He did another cartwheel, Strykir did a sweepkick, bringing Victor to the ground.  His face covered in mud.  Treelo was stabbed in the arm by Terrence.  "Huh? But I thought you were on their side." Strykir asked bewildered.  "I couldn't risk a friends life."  Terrence didn't see another man come up behind him and slice his face with his claw.  Terrence groaned in pain.  He was only16.  Yet he had enough strength to fight like a man.

 Felix took out a gun from his boot and shot at a tree branch, causing it to fall and knock out a hitman.  He ran maniaclly around until he was in a good range of another guard.  Terrence took out a machete.  He heard footsteps behind him.  Quickly he spun around with his large knife outstretched.  It went through the stomach of a guard.  He pulled the knife from the insides of the guard and threw it staight infront of him.  It flew through the air and found it's target.  The skull of an Ermine Karakul guard.  Terrence had to crack the skull of the guard to get his knife back.  Strykir, did a backflip and landed infront of Victor.  Victor smiled and prepared to give Strykir a punch in the face.

 Strykir moved back in a liquid movement and grabbed Victor's arm.  Then Strykir held his knee into the air and flipped Victor around so that now his elbow was on Strykir's knee.  Priyme raised his hand into the air and made a fist.  He smashed his hand down on Victor's wrist.  SNAP!!!.  A jagged crack was heard as Victor's hinge-joint broke.  He fell to the floor in pain.  He twisted his arm and then it just hung limp, loosley, just hanging there and swaying as he moved.  Blood poured out of Felix's nose as his eye closed shut.  He was getting jumped by three men, just when a gun shot went off.  He forgot he was holding his gun.  He realized it when the guard who was ontop of him wasn't breathing anymore.  Out of his puffy right eye, the oldest Catox could see what had happened.

 The guard ontop of him was a Fennec Fox.  Those type of Foxes had long ears.  Well there are some exceptions.  The guard who was ontop of Felix HAD no ears.  At least not anymore.  They had been shot off.  "I'll teach you to turn on me!!!!!!!" Victor screamed wide-eyed as he saw his brother trying to climb a tree to do a jump attack on him.  Recoil from Felix's gun shot had weaked the branch where Terrence was clinging to.  He slipped and hit his head on the tree bark.  He was falling from the tree.  So high.  The branch had broken and fell to the ground just as Terrence would have.

 He stopped short.  Terrence did not fall.  he was laying vertical on the tree.  He looked just like he was part of it.  Why had he not fallen?  The branch fell.  Why not He?  Terrence was impeled to the tree!!!!  His own machete had stopped him from falling.  His kismet was but death from his only sibling.  It was Victor that threw the sword at him.  Strykir and Felix ran at Victor and kicked him down.  With one thud, Felix had brought down a heavy stone onto Victor's head.  The skull cracked again and again as one time after another Felix held the stone high over his head and brought it down again.

 "That !@#$%^&!!!" Iaz screamed.  as he got out of car.  He was in the middle of no where.  "Never take directions from former GIRLFRIENDS!!!!" he screamed to no one.  All he knew was that he was on Macbeth.  In some grassy feild not too far from Karakul.  He was going into town to see about this new bar.  Some girl had invited him there. He met her online, her name was Listra Morgatell.  What did Iaz Min care about his girlfriend?  They were always having fights. She loved him to death.  Just remember how she loved him.  He had broken up with her and he wasn't even going to bother telling her.  "Go to hell Ora Cull!!!  Go to hell!!!"  He took out some vodka from the glove compartment.  He had asked her for directions, pretending that he was going to see about some new location for another base and that a faster way to get there was through town.

 A dark purple motorcycle blurred past him.  Almost knocking him down.  He ran over to the other side of his car. He raised one fist shouting "Damn it!! Women drivers.  You need a man to show you how to do everything!"  The same motorcycle appeared again.  This time he was well protected with his car infornt of him.

 The purple motorcycle stopped infront of him.  A female Siamese Cat got off of the bike.  She had purple eyes and her pupils were yellow.  "You should be wearing a helmet you know." Iaz found himself staring at the beautiful Cat infront of him.  "Yeah I know, but I like to take risks.  Besides, I like the wind in my wavy green hair.  You like it?  I dyed it myself.  Used to be pink but I got tired of the girlish look."  This was the kind of woman that Iaz was attracted to.  The daring ones who couldn't give a damn if the roof fell down on everyone but them.  "Ya wanna feel?" she walked up to and put his paw in her hair.  It was the softest thing he'd ever felt, besides Ora's feathers.  "I'm looking for Iaz Min. Do you thing you can help me find him?"  "I am Iaz Min.  You found me." "Hi, I'm Listra Morgatell.  Let me show you something before we go to that bar okay?"

 She wore a black mini-skirt and over that, she wore a green shirt with purple boots.  There was a yellow collar around her neck.  She got onto her otorcycle and he climbed on the back of it.  They were driving off, just the two of them.  Or was it?
 

 "We're in a mudhole." Corky cried as she splashed the mud playfully.  She didn't mind the mess.  "Great.  We're walking knee-deep through hell and she's playing in the mud!" Pepper said as she wipped mud off of her chin.  "No we're not!!  No we're not!!" D.W. remembered.  "There ARE no mudholes in these parts."  Jorgette said.  Pepper stopped dead in her tracks.  "You mean this isn't mud......it's QUICKSAND???!!!"  "Help...somebody help us!!!!" D.W. cried.  They were too far away from the edge of the death sand to get out without sinking in deeper.

 "Awwwhhhaahhhh!!" Corky slipped and fell deeper into a hole.  "Don't move Corky."  "Look...look there!!  She's NOT moving!!!  SOMETHING'S moving HER!!!!!" D.W. motioned to Pepper and a vine like thing holding onto Corky's legs.  "Help me....hheeelllppp mmeee!!" Corky cried.  Her leg was being ripped open.  "It's too tight.  Something down there's too tight on my legs.  It's hhuuurtting meee!" Rateo cried.  She pulled on her legs.  Something grabbed her arms.  It sucked her under.  She came up screaming.  "A robot.  It's got her.  Her leg must be caught on a gear.  It's designed to tear apart what ever tries to leave the base." D.W. said.

 "Omigod.  Omigod help me.  Please help me!  Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with....."  That was the last thing she ever said as finally her body was pulled under once again.  The quicksand had turned crimson red with blood.  "Omigoodness!!"D.W. couldn't tear her eyes from the scene. "Did you see that Pepper?  Poor Corky.  I couldn't reach her in time.  Pepper?  Peppe--PEPPER!!! NOOOOO!!!!" D.W. saw Pepper's limp body.  Pepper reached Corky in time.  She was sucked under too.  Her body floated ontop of the waves of quicksand.  It lifelessly swayed with the occasional shifting of sand as the machines prepared to gobble up another victim.

 "I'm so sorry.  I'm so incredibly sorry my dear friends.  Forgive me.  I was in shock.  But I would have tried to save you."  She took her gun out of it's holster.  Just as Pepper's body began to sink under the waves, D.W. positioned her body under the sand until it was only her head and arm sticking out of the sand.  She felt metal against her foot as she watched Pepper's body decend into the welcoming waves.  She killed herself.  Shot herself right in the mouth.  Her head made a small splash as it hit the sand.  Her eyes, closed as she too, was sucked under the sand.

 "Where are they?  Where can they be?" Lisboa searched the valley below her.  She and Herring had reached the hill side first.  "I dunno, but if I know Neri...she'll be making an entrance last." Felix said.  He liked Lis, he didn't want her to see his swolen eye.  Strykir sat down next to Herring and massaged his elbow.  He was still thinking about the fight.  He started crying.  Terrence was his best friend.  They brought his body with them.  They were going to steal a cargo plane and head for Corneria just as soon as Corneriette and Viceroy got back.

 Felix and Strykir explained the fight. Herring and Lisboa had trouble with the landmines and Herring fell into a 6 foot hole.  That was the highlight of their trip to the mountain.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Chapter six           &nbs p;             ;                        Counter Plan

 "Viceroy, take the baby and fly to the hill.  The others are probably be there already.  I'll be fine, just make sure she's safe.  She's my adopted daughter. When I was helping her parents escape the first time, they made me sign some papers just incase something might happen."  Corneriette explained.  "All right.  Just promise me you'll be okay." Viceroy said.  He treated her like his sister.  He felt as if he knew her his whole life.  "Sure I will, Deevo.  You go to the mountain with my daughter.  Take care Lombardi."  "Take care Grotto.  See ya on the hill."  They said their goodbyes and then they were off.

 "What did you want to show me?"  Iaz questioned as Listra skipped ahead towards the edge of a cliff.  I saw that motorcycle before.  I know I have.  Or at least..I think I have.  Off in the distance Min could swear he heard a motorcycle roaring.  "Did you hear that.  It was a motorcycle."  Iaz whirled around.  "Nonsense, it's just the wind, it is windy you know."  Listra remarked.  She kissed him.  He kissed her back.  "Is this what you had to show me?" Iaz grinned.  "No there's more.  But first I'd like you to take a look at my machine gun." Ora jumped off of her motorcycle.  It was identical to Listra's.  It was Ora who had almost run him over.  The second motorcycle was Listra's.

 "Say Iaz, what time is it?" Listra pressed her lips against his and then took a step back.  "Doesn't matter.  The hour has already come!" Listra and Ora chimed together.  "What the hell is going on?" Iaz cried.  He was pushed back, over the cliff.  Ora shot him several times before he stopped screaming.  He was dead now.  His body just smashed and banged against the jagged rocks below.

 Ora sighed.  "I told him...don't MESS with Ora Cull!!" She pretended to look sad.  Listra giggled.  "He sure does bounce hard against those rocks doesn't he?" Listra smiled.  "I told him to set his watch.  I guess he doesn't know that that's army code for ~watch out for tricks~." Ora gave a ghastly grin. "I was the trap." Listra said.

 "Where are You going?" Leon stopped Corneriette by putting a firm grip on her shoulder.  "Conditions have changed Neri.  Time to get back to work my dear.  You won't be escaping this time.  And as for Viceroy...he'll be going to Venom soon.  Though, I'm not sure if he'll be coming back." Leon Powalski said as he jammed a tranqulizer needle into her left arm.  She went limp and collapsed in his arms.

 The following week...........

The wind lashed and whipped the prisoners of a base not too far from Macbeth.  The malnurished prisoners did not dare look up from their work.  They knew what fate would await them if they did.  Corneriette, once again...a prisoner.  So close to freedom.  So close to having her old life, family, friends.  Once again...enslaved and forced to do the bidding of Andross.