Author’s Notes: I would like all to know that Star McCloud is Kay Twilight’s Character.

Cyberax is borrowed from the TV show, Bugs, and has been adopted by the SA Corporation. Andrew Kyron is a SA Corporation character. Russell Talbot is a SA Corporation Character.

Now for the story.

During the War against Andross, the Cornerian Government worked on an AI (Artificial Intelligence) Program called Cyberax. It was designed to think on its own and become self-sufficient. After the War against Andross ended, and Andross was thought to be dead, the project was not scrapped.

Andross, who was much alive, managed to hack into the Cornerian Army’s Military Base. He offered Cyberax a better proposition. It agreed to go with Andross and expand on the Internet. It soon had enough memory and knowledge to make itself far more superior than the humanoid animals that created it. Andross planned to use Cyberax to infect the defence systems of Corneria and Lylat, making it easier for him to invade. Thanks to a Cyberax Biofeedback Headset, which allowed people to actually interact with computers using their minds as if the machine were a part of their body, Cyberax managed to skip the species barrier, and became biological.

Luckily, the Star Fox Team destroyed Cyberax, and killed Andross with it. Everyone thought the worst was over. The reboot disks had been destroyed. However, they were wrong. Cyberax was very much alive, revived by Andrew Kyron, a former Lieutenant under Andross’ command. With his HQ in Banepolis, the Capital of Venom, he created an army of robots controlled by the Cyberax Program. They started to invade Lylat, much to the surprise of Lylatians everywhere.

All people that got in the way of the new Phalanx, as Cyberax’s and Kyron’s Empire was called, were assimilated; they were made a part of Cyberax, and were practically turned into biological robots. Now, the combined Star Fox and Star Wolf Team, under the new name of Star Ace, have to defeat Cyberax, before all of Lylat is wiped out by the Phalanx.

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Kyron was a white tiger. He wore a General’s suit, black trousers, black boots and a purple cape, which was held up by a green lapel. He stared out of the window that overlooked the city. He was in a secret location, and no one knew where he was currently. Cyberax was also in a secret location. Behind him was a desk, that sat underneath the green dome ceiling of his office.

On it was his personal computer, and it had Cyberax on it. The display on the screen was the name, Cyberax, done in a metallic aquamarine colour. To either side of it, were double helix, DNA strands made out of 0s and 1s. Kyron went up to the computer and sat down in his big, leather chair.

" Go Cyberax," he said, the activating words for the Cyberax program.

As soon as Kyron activated the AI program, the words swivelled round and curved into the top of a head.

Cyberax’s face appeared on the screen. It was like a robot’s face, with a square jaw. It opened its mouth to speak. Whenever it spoke, its mouth opened and stayed open, while the forehead rippled in time to the voice. The ripples looked exactly like the ripples on the surface of water, when a stone is dropped into it.

" Ah, Kyron, I see you have begun to enjoy your now fully functioning body," said Cyberax. Kyron nodded.

" Yes," replied Kyron. " Now I can finally show the Star Ace Team what I’m really made of." Cyberax zoomed in.

" Do not do that," said Cyberax firmly. " I have a plan for Star Ace. Titania. Lure them to the testing grounds on Titania. We will show them the meaning of true terror." Cyberax’s mouth remained open in an evil grin. Kyron raised a hand.

" There is one problem," said Kyron. Cyberax’s eyebrows raised up in an expression of surprise. " Star McCloud. I have reason to believe that she is still hiding in the Phalanx and still spying on us. Being partially assimilated, she will be able to access any files with ease." Cyberax nodded in agreement.

" She will be dealt with accordingly," replied Cyberax. " I may control the entire system, but people can still outwit me. You have known her longer than I. Lure her out of hiding and destroy her."

The squirrel ran through the pouring rain of the streets of Macbeth’s new Capital, Technopolis. He looked back at the tower, which overlooked the entire city. A group of five Sentinels came running after him. Since they were galvanised, they would not rust in the pouring rain.

" Damn it," he cried, as he saw them advancing towards him. A camera watched him past, as he ran out of Quadrant T90.

" Subject D06221996E210: Russell Talbot, male red squirrel, aged 23, leaving Quadrant T90 and heading towards Quadrant T84," announced Cyberax. " All available units pursue Subject, capture and assimilate."

Talbot heard Cyberax’s orders from a nearby Sentinel, which barked it out as soon as it heard it. That was the one problem with the Phalanx. It could not keep a secret well. If one Sentinel received a message, it would immediately say the message out loud, and any other units that receive it will do the same.

He ran through the soaked and quiet streets of the city as quickly as possible. He had to find some kind of transport. Something to help him get out of Technopolis and out of the Phalanx. Russ, as Talbot would like to be called, skidded to a halt. Five Sentinels were in front of him, and five more were coming after him. He looked around and spotted a drain cover.

" Argh," cried Kyron as he spat the wine out. " This tastes like beetroot!" he exclaimed. " It tastes like bloody beetroot! Everything here tastes like f***ing beetroot!" Cyberax opened its mouth out into a smile.

" That would be because this city used to be built on a field of beetroots," replied Cyberax, with a knowing grin. " You should know that. All food here is synthesised from the beetroots that you ploughed up to make this place. The wine, the seafood, the meat, the vegetables, the bread… all is synthesised from the stuff." Kyron sighed.

" I know that," cried Kyron, banging his fist on to the desk. " But do I have to suffer this beetroot food? Couldn’t you import something better?" Cyberax tilted its head forward and zoomed in, so that only its eyes and forehead were visible.

" Would you rather I feed you liquid nutrients like before?" asked Cyberax. " The same liquid nutrients that all other biological organisms take in?" Kyron shook his head. That stuff tasted horrible. Besides, he didn’t want to eat like a Drone. " Then I suggest you stick with the synthesised food. As for Subject D06221996E210, Russell Talbot, he has escaped." Kyron growled angrily. " Starwing units are currently pursuing him, but at his current velocity, he will be outside of the Phalanx before any Retrieval Units catch up with him." Kyron was furious.

" How could this be?" cried Kyron. " He must be stopped, before he blabs about our secret location!" He didn’t want Star Ace anywhere near his pride and joy. He had helped build this city, working on its plans and on its construction, way before he and Cyberax came to power. " I helped build this city and I will not let them destroy it!"

The entire Star Ace Team were sitting down at the table.

" Not sea-potatoes again!" exclaimed Falco. " All we’ve had are sea-potatoes; sea-potato pot pie, sea-potato pancakes, sea-potato mash, sea-potato this, sea-potato that. And everything that wasn’t sea-potato is so poor quality, you begin to wonder whether school food is any better."

" Well, it’s war," exclaimed Fox. " What do you expect? We have to rationalise."

" Well, I’ve never had to live through this during the War Against Andross," exclaimed Falco. Wolf shook his head.

" Well, I did," replied Wolf. " During the War Against Andross, we didn’t have anything but cactus-potatoes and beetroots, and trust me, that is a lot worse. We had to eat only food grown on Macbeth and the cactus-potatoes grown on Titania, ’cos we couldn’t import anything for fear of the convoys being blown up."

" Yeah, be grateful for what you’ve got," said Andrew. Pigma’s stomach growled loudly.

" Okay, let’s dig in," cried Pigma. Slippy tried to break up the ice.

" Did you remember those sausages we had last week?" exclaimed Slippy. " I guess it’s really appropriate to call them ‘Bags of Mystery’. You never know what’s in them. My one had so much bread in it, I didn’t know whether to put mustard or marmalade on it." There came a little alarm. Fox excused himself from the dinner table and went to the bridge to answer a call from Gen. Pepper.

He went into the empty room and switched the lights on, before walking over to the control panel. He switched the screen on. Gen. Pepper’s face appeared on it.

" Did I catch you at a bad time?" asked Gen. Pepper. Fox shook his head. " Well, okay. Fox, I have a mission for your team. A Russell Talbot has escaped from the Phalanx and is trying to make his way out of there. However, he has run out of fuel and is currently on a deserted base in Sector X. He gave us a distress signal, moments before being cut off by interference, probably from cosmic rays."

" And you want us to rescue him," said Fox, as he anticipated the General’s actions. Gen. Pepper nodded.

" Yes, Fox," replied Gen. Pepper. " But remember, Mr. Talbot is vital to our war effort. He knows where the Niobium-115 Manufacturing Facility is and the location of Cyberax’s back-up home." Niobium-115. Fox knew about that material. It was supposed to be the best material for making a processor, producing the fastest processors in Lylat. If they destroyed the Phalanx’s Niobium-115 supply, Cyberax’s memory and plans would be severely compromised.

Talbot looked around the deserted space station. It floated in the midst and on the edges of a thousands pylons, and the ruins of its former self. He was afraid. He was afraid of Cyberax and the debris that might hit the station at any time. He was still thankful that it was operational, even though it was barely operational.

He walked quietly through the corridors, exploring the depths of this former Venomian Base. It had been disused for several years and would stay that way.

" It’s a bit too quiet," he said to himself, just to break the eerie silence. " I don’t like it one bit." His foot stepped on something, which was not joined to the floor, and he immediately slipped over.

" What the hell?" he exclaimed, as he got up. It was a Cyberax Biofeedback Headset. " So, it’s right here is it? I thought it was somewhere else in the other Sector X Base. Look out Cyberax, your Niobium-115 supply’s gonna go." He pocketed the headset in his coat pocket. It wouldn’t harm to just have on around. Who knows? It could be useful to him later on. He continued exploring the space station, unaware that something was approaching.

The Great Fox blasted away some of the debris as it floated outside the regions of the base. Four Arwings flew out of the Great Fox and towards the base. They were piloted by Fox McCloud, Wolf O’Donnell, Leon Powalski and Falco Lombardi.

" Okay guys, you know what to do?" asked Fox. Everyone gave the positive reply, affirmative. They then made their way through the debris, weaving their way past pylons, girders and such ruins of the former space base.

" I can’t believe that no one’s cleaned up this mess," exclaimed Falco with surprise. He fired a bomb into the mess of debris; the explosion cleared his path for him. They flew ever closer to the base, unhindered by any Phalanx Starwings.

" It’s a bit too quiet here," exclaimed Wolf. Suddenly, as if to answer Wolf’s fears, several Starwing units came flying towards them. " We need back-up!" exclaimed Wolf, as the Starwings hurtled towards them mercilessly. " Fara, get the guys and your butt out here and help us!" The Starwings continued to fire at them.

Fox pulled off a somersault, letting about five Starwings fly past underneath. He levelled himself with them, and fired. The lasers tore through the Starwings viciously.

" More of them are coming at 3 o’clock," exclaimed Fox. " Man, there seems to be no end to these guys."

" Hey, that’s my line," cried Falco, as he shot down five Starwings with one shot. " Bingo!" he cried, as he saw the Starwings go up in flames and then disappear into the void of darkness. He banked to his left, thus avoiding a laser. " Oh no you don’t, pal," he grinned, as he somersaulted and aimed at the rear of the Starwing. He fired a stream of lasers at the Starwing. It shuddered, burst into flames and then exploded. " Must admit, these Starwings are getting good… not."

Russ looked out of the window and saw the mass that floated before him. It was a fully operational space station, floating in front of him.

" Do you like it, Russ?" asked a voice from behind him. He whirled round, to see Kyron standing there.

" You," he exclaimed, with a tone of pure hatred in his voice. " You sicko." Kyron just smiled and walked over to stand next to Russell.

" Please, no name calling," said Kyron calmly. " See my beautiful station. No one knows that it’s here, and no one shall. It’s going to be moved out to Titania, my beautiful Doomsday Project. It’s like a Death Star, but more manoeuvrable." Kyron looked at Russell. " So, how are you?" Russell charged towards Kyron, hoping to do at least a little bit of damage to the late-Andross’ former Lieutenant.

Russell choked, as Kyron held him by the neck in a death grip. He lifted the squirrel off the floor.

" You’re not going to get away that easily," snarled Kyron. The power suddenly switched off. " Now what?" His eyes suddenly glowed an unnatural blood red; his now glowing eyes almost completely illuminating the entire room and bathing it in its red light. His fur had turned a sickening blood red colour. He snarled, as he saw that Russell was no longer there. He cried out in anger. " Switch on the back-up power!"

The Starwings came on to them thick and hard. The lasers flew at them like hail, pounding dents into the bodies of the Arwings. The entire Star Ace Team was fighting the Phalanx’s Army.

" I’ve got one," cried Slippy, as he managed to shoot down four Starwings. " There it goes!"

" I’ve got a little problem here," said Peppy, as four Starwings chased after him.

" Yeah, you’re too old for this job," muttered Falco, as he shot down a further five Starwings.

" They’re leaving," cried Slippy. It was true. Some of the Starwings were leaving indeed, and they soon saw why. A huge space station flew up from the debris and retreated towards Titania’s direction. " Should we go after it?" asked Slippy.

" Negative," replied Wolf.

" That’s true," agreed Fox. " We came here to rescue Talbot, and we shall rescue him. The rest of you return to the Great Fox to protect it, while Wolf and I go into the base. Oh yeah, Falco and Leon, you come with us." He banked to his left and headed straight towards the base.

Kyron marched through the corridors, with five Sentinels following close behind him.

" Find him!" shouted Kyron. " Talbot must not find our Niobium-115 Supply! Get the already made Niobium-115 out of here, and the Maintenance Drones back to HQ. And get the DuPonts down here!" Kyron marched onward.

Fox, Wolf, Leon and Falco were all in the base by then, and had split up into two groups. Fox and Wolf were to search one half, while Leon and Falco were to search the other half. It wasn’t going to be easy, since the base was relatively large, but they had to do it.

" Hide!" hissed Wolf, and he pulled Fox down to the floor, behind a number of barrels. A group of Sentinels marched past. He peered back up from the barrels and checked if the coast was clear.

" Er… Wolf… could you get your hand of my…" began Fox.

" Quiet," he hissed, as he ducked back down. Two humans walked past, dressed in uniforms that were similar to Kyron’s. He turned to Fox. " Now what was it you wanted me to…" His voice trailed off, as soon as he saw where one of his paws was resting. " I’m sorry," he said, blushing and removed his paw from Fox’s crotch. " Didn’t realise that it was there." They both checked if the coast was clear and then made their way down the corridor.

" Guess that the Sentinels are also looking for Talbot," said Fox. " But who were those humans?" Wolf shrugged, but commented on the face of one of the humans.

" Don’t know, but one of them has a face like a gorilla’s," commented Wolf, as they searched every possible room within the space base. " And… er… about that thing with the paw on your… well… you know. I didn’t mean it, honest. I had no idea it was resting on your… thing." Fox didn’t want to hear any more. He just wanted to know that a thing was not going on between them.

Both Falco and Leon found themselves spying on a bunch of humans who were speaking to Kyron. From what they heard so far, the one who had a gorilla-type face was called Jean-Daniel, while his brother was called Marc. Their sister was called Cassandra DuPont.

" I didn’t hire you for no reason," snarled Kyron. " Find Talbot and bring him to me. I’ll be at the Particle Accelerator." He turned round and walked away. From what they could tell, Jean-Daniel was the brains of the family, even though he didn’t look like it.

" We’ve got to follow them," whispered Falco.

" No, let’s split up," argued Leon. Falco agreed. " I’ll take the DuPonts, you take on Kyron." They then parted ways in order to achieve their goals. Leon looked, as the DuPonts suddenly took different paths. He decided to follow Jean-Daniel.

Talbot ran through the corridors, with the Sentinels hot in pursuit. They fired a few lasers at his legs, but Russell managed to outrun them. The lasers scorched the floor, leaving his legs unharmed. A furry arm grabbed him and pulled him into a room. He whirled round and saw the faces of both Wolf O’Donnell and Fox McCloud.

" You’re Fox McCloud right?" exclaimed Russ. Fox nodded.

" Come on, let’s get you out of here," said Fox with a smile.

" How?" asked Russ. " I was being followed by Sentinels. They’re probably outside the door right now." Wolf pointed to a back door in the room. It was their only hope of escape. " Wait!" he cried.

" What now?" asked Wolf.

" The Niobium-115 Manufacturing Facility," exclaimed Russ. " We’re in it." Fox tapped on his com-link. He looked at Wolf with a worried expression on his face.

" I can’t contact the others," said Fox worriedly. The door burst open and Sentinels burst in. They rushed for the back door. A human woman, Cassandra burst through it, pointing a gun at the trio. " Trapped!"

Leon soon found that Jean-Daniel was armed with more than a gun. He ducked behind a case of foam. The shot hit it, and the foam started pouring out.

" Come out lizard," said Jean-Daniel, as he aimed his bazooka at Leon’s general direction. He punched a few more keys in his digitally controlled bazooka and re-aimed. He fired. The shot blasted the cases apart, revealing Leon.

He fired at Jean-Daniel’s bazooka. It sparked a few times. Jean-Daniel snarled, cursed and threw it away. He went charging towards Leon, fists bared. A fist to the face and Leon was down. Jean-Daniel threw another fist down towards Leon’s stomach. The chameleon blocked this blow and kicked Jean-Daniel in the stomach. He backed off, as Leon got to his feet again.

" You’re good," said Leon.

" So are you," said Jean-Daniel, " but you won’t be a worthy adversary for long." He quickly brought out a knife and threw it at Leon. It missed and hit the wall. Leon ran towards the French human and jumped up. He kicked the human in the face and landed on the ground to face him again.

Falco found Kyron standing next to a computer terminal and talking to the AI Program.

" Fortuna must be ours, if we’re to mine Meteo," said Cyberax. Kyron agreed.

" That is why we must send the Particle Accelerator crashing into Fortuna," replied Kyron. He smiled. " The explosion will take out the entire army stationed there." Cyberax zoomed in.

" But then I will lose a vital supply of Niobium-115," argued Cyberax.

" I have made sure that all Niobium-115 has been exported to our new HQ, and that all Maintenance Drones have been transferred to Macbeth. They will start work on a new Particle Accelerator," said Kyron. Cyberax smiled.

" I will do the honours then," said Cyberax with a smile. He heard the sound of a gun clicking and then a voice.

" Get up," said Marc DuPont, as he pointed the gun at Falco.

Kyron smiled, as the three DuPont’s lined up the four Star Ace members and Russ.

" Well, well, well, what do we have here?" exclaimed Kyron mockingly. " Talbot and the Star Ace Team. Well, half of the Star Ace Team." He looked at the accelerator.

" Space station has entered Fortuna’s orbit," announced Cyberax. " At its current position, the space station will enter the atmosphere and collide with Fortuna in an hour’s time. Enough time for the Particle Accelerator to do its final job."

" What job?" exclaimed Wolf. Kyron just smiled, as he turned his back to his prisoners. He slowly walked away.

" I’ll be leaving now," said Kyron. " After all, I want to watch the fireworks from a safe distance." The door closed behind him, leaving the DuPonts with their prisoners. Cyberax opened its mouth to speak again.

" Jean-Daniel," said Cyberax, " tie the prisoners up and join me at the Tower. As for the particle accelerator. You should know what is going on Talbot. The particles inside are flying around at an alarmingly dangerous speed. They now have enough energy to destroy Fortuna considerably. Unfortunately, this process of creating Niobium-115 creates a lot anti-matter. If the anti-matter collides with the particles, the energy they contain will be released, causing an enormous explosion that will cause damage of Biblical proportions."

Before anyone could do a thing, both Falco and Leon did the unexpected. They managed to kick the weapons out of Marc and Cassandra’s hands. Jean-Daniel fled down the corridor, with Wolf in hot pursuit after him.

Falco threw a punch at Marc and sent him flying into the control panels. Much to his dismay, Marc broke the panelling and got electrocuted.

" Great, now we can’t stop the accelerator," exclaimed Falco. Russ reached into his pockets and found the Biofeedback Headset. Perhaps there was one other way.

" I really shouldn’t hit a woman," said Leon, as he avoided her kicks and punches. To his surprise, she lunged at him and bit him. " Aaah! But the again, you’re not woman." He hit her and threw the human off him.

" Prepare to die," cried Cassandra, as she brought out a knife. She threw it at him, and then darted off down the corridor after Jean-Daniel. Leon ducked, as the knife hit the wall. He looked over to Russ, who had brought out the Biofeedback Headset.

" No," cried Fox. " Don’t put that on." Russ turned round to face Fox.

" I have to," replied Talbot. " It’s the only way to stop that accelerator from blowing Fortuna up. Even if we do steer the station away, the explosion would still be devastating and could wipe out a piece of Fortuna, if not all life on the planet. This is only our only hope." He placed the biofeedback headset on.

Wolf ran down the corridor as quickly as he could. It was going to be difficult to catch up with Jean-Daniel. Suddenly, a laser flew right past him. Jean-Daniel stopped and looked back. It was Cassandra.

" Back away from him, or you get shot between the eyes," ordered Jean-Daniel’s sister. Wolf did as he was told, since he really didn’t want to die at her hands. He let her walk down the corridor and towards her brother. " Now, back off." Wolf knew that this was his only chance. He brought out his gun quickly and fired down the corridor. The laser destroyed her gun.

" Run for it!" cried Jean-Daniel. The pair ran down the corridor, with Wolf hot in pursuit.

" The only chance we have, is for us to cushion the energy of the particles," said Russell, as he tried to manipulate the particle accelerator with his biofeedback headset. " I’ve got to send the anti-matter careering towards some rock or thick metal."

" You will not succeed, Russell Talbot," said Cyberax from a computer terminal right next to him. Fox aimed the gun at Cyberax, in order to quieten him. " There are two ways that I can destroy the brain: knowledge of my presence or knowledge of my true nature. When you realise that I am in your brain, you will kill yourself. If you realise that I am but an Artificial intelligence Program, you will kill yourself." Fox fired the laser at the computer a few seconds too late.

" Russ, you okay?" asked Fox. It was then that he saw Russ. He was trying to fight Cyberax, but with little success. " Russ. Fight it. There is a way of defeating Cyberax. It’s only a computer program. It can’t harm you."

Jean-Daniel and Cassandra were part of the way down the corridor, when Russ sent the anti-matter particles into solid metal. Wolf saw the entire corridor collapse and Jean-Daniel and his sister, crushed to death.

Russ went over to the control panel. The wires were still live and were bare. Fox rushed up to stop the squirrel but was too late.

" Cyberax is in the Technopolis Tower," screamed Russ, before he electrocuted himself. He crashed into the ground.

Fox looked at the incapacitated Russ Talbot, who lay in the hospital bed of the nearby Katinan Hospital.

" Don’t worry, Russ, there is a way of recovering," he said. He turned round and headed back to his team. " He’ll be okay. I just know it."

Kyron looked out of his office and at the city of Technopolis. This was his creation, something that he had built and designed. It was beautiful to him, a city of futuristic proportions. He turned back to his desk and to Cyberax.

" So, the plan failed?" asked Kyron.

" Yes, Kyron," replied Cyberax. " The plan failed. However, the Doomsday Project will soon be online. We already have a unit being tested out on Titania. Reports indicate that the Doomsday Station is satisfactory and will live up to expectations." Kyron smiled.

" Good," said Kyron weakly. " Good. We will bring about Armageddon to the Cornerian People." He leaned back into his black leather chair. " Now that Russell Talbot is dead or at least incapacitated, there will be no more fear. He won’t be telling anyone about our Doomsday Project’s weakness."

Star McCloud searched through the files that she could muster. For all she knew, the Doomsday Project was nearing completion. She had to stop it somehow, or at least delay it until Corneria knew more about it.

" Bingo!" she cried out. " So, you need more oil, eh? Want to drill Fortuna for more oil, and mine Meteo for Niobium? Download info." She smiled smugly to herself. It was no difficult task for her to crack into Cyberax’s files. " I hope they can get these tanks and pipes off me," she thought. " And this bloody Biofeedback Headset."

" Star McCloud has been detected," announced Cyberax. " All available Venomian Sentinel units proceed to Quadrant 50, Banepolis. Apprehend subject: Star McCloud." The Sentinels marched towards Star’s hiding place within the city of Banepolis.

Star heard the transmission. She had to get out of there. This time, she was prepared. Star rushed to a switch and pulled it down. Immediately, all downloaded files crashed into a suitcase. She closed it and ran for the back door, arming herself with a laser gun that she had fashioned from one Sentinel’s laser.

The door burst down, and the Sentinels marched in, much to Star’s surprise. She darted to the front door. It also burst down, and Sentinel Bikers hovered into the room. She was surrounded by all sides.

" Oh no," exclaimed Star. " Guess this means I’m gonna be re-assimilated?"

" You are to go to Ultimax Prison Facility," announced one Sentinel, as they marched towards her. They grabbed her by the arms and dragged her out of the room. The suitcase fell to the ground, as she saw dragged off. " Scanning case for disks. Scan completed. No disks." Star smiled to herself. She knew the Sentinels would try and scan her case, which was why she lined it with so many clothes, that it just looked like a suitcase full of clothes. No scanner could detect the disks she had hidden under the layers.

" Again?" exclaimed Fox, as Katt explained the situation. The feline nodded. Fox sighed. " How many times can she get caught and go to Ultimax?" exclaimed Fox. He couldn’t believe it. " I told her not to stay there." Katt leaned forward.

" Yeah, but this time, it’ll be easy," replied Katt. " I’ve got it all figured out. All I need is your help." Fox frowned. " It’s easy. All we have to do is kill Star using Ultimax’s own machinery."

" What?" exclaimed Fox. " What are you saying?"

" Hear me out first," said Katt. " We then use the CMU unit to revive her and we take her out of the Phalanx." The CMU, Cyberax Medical Unit. Perhaps Katt had a point. The CMU had been known to practically raise people from the dead, but only because Cyberax exists. Without Cyberax, the CMU would never function properly.

" Okay," said Fox. " We’ll do it."

Star was sitting in one of Ultimax’s cells. It was unlike any other cell before. Prisoners in Ultimax were kept in a constant state of desynchronised sleep, therefore making them unable to cause any trouble. The machines maintained everything for her, including exercise and nutrition. It was almost inhuman and looked as if she were in the electric chair.

Fox put the Virtual Reality Visor on. They had recently installed one of Kyron’s VR units in Katt’s ship. It was safe, as they had disconnected Kyron and Cyberax from it completely. Now they were about to try something dangerous.

" Have you connected me to the wires yet?" asked Fox.

" Yep," replied Katt. " You’re connected." Fox smiled and placed the visor on, while Slippy activated the computer. Before he knew it, he was in cyberspace and VR. He looked around him, while Katt and Slippy watched him through the monitor. " That looks almost so realistic," exclaimed Katt. Slippy just nodded.

" Okay, Fox, I’m transferring you to Ultimax," said Slippy. " Be careful of Cyberax though."

" Affirmative, Slippy," replied Fox. Fox felt himself suddenly be dragged through the wires. Before he knew it, he was within the computers of Ultimax. " Oh-oh," he exclaimed. " Slippy, you’ve gone too far and transferred me into my sister’s brain!" No reply.

Slippy typed quickly on the keyboard.

" I don’t understand!" he exclaimed. " How could we have lost him?" Katt went to Fox and slapped him on the face a few times.

" Fox, Fox, can you hear me?" asked Katt desperately. " Fox, where are you? Fox?"

Fox suddenly felt a few slaps on his face.

" Ow!" he exclaimed. " Guys, what did you do that for? Guys?" No use. Nothing could get out of his sister’s mind. He looked around him. A smile came on his face. She was dreaming of the time when they were both playing with their father. A tear streaked across his cheek. " Get a grip of yourself," muttered Fox to himself. " You’ve got to get out of here somehow." He looked around himself.

Katt began to think.

" Did you say you were about to transfer Fox to Ultimax?" asked Katt. Slippy nodded. " Where exactly to?"

" Er… Star’s cell," replied Slippy.

" Is it possible that he could be… well… transferred even deeper… into Star’s brain?" asked Katt. Slippy began thinking.

" Well, if Cyberax can do it, then I guess it’s possible," replied Slippy. " I’ll see if I can get him out." Katt frowned.

" Get him out?" exclaimed Katt. " Like removing information out of Star’s brain?" Slippy nodded, and explained that Cyberax survived their first attack on it. When the four reboot disks were destroyed Cyberax was split up into four parts by the Montague Committee. Three of the four parts fell into Kyron’s hands. He was able to duplicate Cyberax’s fourth part, through an incomplete copy of Cyberax that he had found on the Internet. " And you were able to duplicate parts of Cyberax’s codes from the fourth disk, so you could extract information out of brains." Slippy nodded.

" How else do you think we got the patients unaffected?" asked Slippy. He started hacking away through the computer files. " Mind you, this new program we created doesn’t have AI, so we’re pretty much safe." He typed away furiously on the keyboard. Suddenly, Fox’s voice could be heard. " There! It’s done."

" Hey, Slippy, you transferred me a little bit too much there," said Fox. " Thanks for getting me out, though."

" No problem," said Slippy smiling.

" Glad you’re okay," said Katt.

" Yeah," said Fox, as he started changing the programs of the machinery in Star’s cell. " There, that should do it. Pull me out!" Slippy quickly shut down the computer, and the VR visor was shut off. Fox took it off and looked at the others.

" Fox, you’ve got a black eye!" exclaimed Katt.

" Yeah, well I was in Star’s dream," replied Fox. " You know how VR can inflict actual pain on people?" asked Fox. Katt and Slippy nodded. " Well, Star’s dream turned into a fight. I got this when Star accidentally punched me." He got up. " Well come on! Let’s rescue her before she really does die on us."

The power to Ultimax was finally switched off by Katt’s decisive managing and wire cutting. They stalked through the darkness towards Star’s cell.

" Is this the one?" asked Slippy.

" Yep," replied Fox, as he shone his torch into the room. Star was lying against the chair, as limp as lettuce that has been dropped in a bowl of very salty seawater. Now that’s limp. He went over to undo the wires and tubes from Star.

Katt raised her gun and fired. The Sentinel dropped down to the floor. Fox and Slippy staggered out of the room.

" So, got her yet?" asked Katt. Both Fox and Slippy nodded. Katt took one deep breath, and then led Fox and Slippy out of the building, protecting them with her gun. " Hurry up guys," exclaimed Katt, as they staggered through the corridors, " or we’ll never get to Ultimax’s CMU before the power comes back on." Another Sentinel. She raised the gun and fired. The Sentinel dropped to the ground, dead.

Maintenance Drones walked furiously in order to bring the power back on. They were assimilated people with no free will. Kyron breezed past them.

" Something’s going on in here, and I will find out just what it is," muttered Kyron, as he pushed the doors open and walked into the Ultimax Complex.

" I think you should have a turn," panted Slippy, as he nearly dropped to his knees under Star’s weight.

" I don’t think so," said Katt. " It’s not a woman’s role to carry people." Slippy collapsed to the floor.

" Get up, Slip," said Fox. " Get up." Still no response. " Okay, get out of from under her." He rolled the body off Slippy, and then in one fluid motion, he lifted Star up with his brute strength. "Okay, where to from here?" asked Fox. Katt pointed the way. " Come on, Slip, get up before the Sentinels get you." Slippy got up reluctantly and followed after Fox and Katt.

Kyron looked down on to the floor. Two shot Sentinels. He looked to the side. One missing Star McCloud.

" Star Ace," he exclaimed with hatred. " I’ll get you this time." He walked through the corridor, following the trail of dead Sentinel robots.

Katt came to the open door. They entered and found the CMU.

" Well, there it is, guys," said Katt. " Put her on. The power will be on soon." Fox did as he was told, laying her out on the table like machine. She looked like Sleeping Beauty at that moment in time. Fox was tempted to kiss her on the cheek or on the forehead. He had always loved her as a sister, and will always.

The power came back on. Katt went up to operate the CMU.

" Slip, shut the doors and lock ’em," said Katt.

" Do you know how to operate one of these things?" asked Fox. She nodded, as Slippy tinkered away with the control panels. Kyron walked in. The door slammed shut and locked itself. " Kyron!" exclaimed Fox.

" That’s my name, don’t wear it out," said Kyron. He punched Slippy in the face and then headed towards Fox and Katt. His eyes were glowing red again, creeping both Katt and Fox out. " So, surprised? Yes, that’s right. Cyberax not only used the CMU on me, but also gave me a few cybernetic parts. Like these." Red lasers fired out of his eyes. Katt and Fox ducked. The lasers just scraping past Fox’s pointy ears, causing them to bleed.

He went for Katt and grabbed her by her jacket. Using a mighty strength, he swung her into the wall. She hit it and slid down to the floor.

" You won’t get away with this, Kyron," said Fox. Kyron smiled.

" But I will," replied Kyron. " You can’t stop us. Cyberax, the Phalanx, we are ready to defeat you Cornerians!" He swung a punch at Fox. The fist missed, and Fox punched back. It hit Kyron in the stomach, making him double over.

" As you were saying?" exclaimed Fox, before he leapt over the CMU and kicked Kyron in the face. " This is for Star." He kicked Kyron again and again. " And those were for Slippy and Katt." He swung a punch into Kyron’s face. " And that was for anything else I missed." Cyberax appeared on screen and saw Star in the CMU.

" So, Fox McCloud, you have come to save your sister," said Cyberax. Fox looked up at the screen above the door. Cyberax’s face was on it, and staring down at Fox. " This time, you will all die." The CMU stopped. Star opened her eyes. " Looks as if your sister has recovered. Just in time to watch you all be exterminated." Kyron went to the door, and tapped in a few codes in the control panel. The automatic doors slid open and Kyron left, the door shutting behind him. " Door locked. Sterilisation gas released. Fox, you and your friends will die from the gas. Goodbye."

Fox and Star kneeled down next to Katt and Slippy respectively, and tried to wake them up.

" Katt," exclaimed Fox, as he slapped her on the cheeks a few times. Star did the same. They both woke up slowly, as the gas descended towards them. " Come on, we’ve got to get out of here. Slip, do you think you can unlock the door again?"

" I’ll try," replied Slippy. He set about tapping in a few codes.

" Access denied," said Cyberax. " I have locked you out. You can not use the control panel to escape." That was it. Slippy got out a screwdriver and started unscrewing the front. They all started coughing violently, as the gas descended further. The cover was off, and he started cutting wires and fusing them together. A few sparks, the door opened. They left quickly. " Security alert, Ultimax Prison Facility. Four unassimilated subjects, escaping. All available Sentinels ordered to shoot on sight."

Fox led his friends down the corridors of the Ultimax Prison Facility quickly, in an attempt to escape. A few lasers flew over their heads.

" Duck!" he cried. They brought out their guns and fired back at the Sentinels from behind a couple of crates.

One Sentinel was shot. It fizzed and then collapsed to the ground. Another was shot down. Katt aimed and managed to shoot another one. Slippy shot another Sentinel in the middle of its forehead. It sparked and then dropped down, crushing another Sentinel down to the ground. The four got up and quickly made their way down the corridor, before the remaining Sentinels could get up, or more Sentinels arrived.

Star got out from hospital 2 weeks later. Luckily for the doctors and nurses, Fox was there to keep her in hospital, much to her dislike.

" That was so mean of you," said Star, as she and Fox walked into the rec. room.

" Well, I had to keep you in there," replied Fox. " For your own good. Cyberax is more deadly than you think. It might take a long time for us to de-assimilate all the drones, but at least there’s a way. I’m glad you’re back." He gave her a hug.

" I’m glad to be back," said Star. " And glad to have those ugly things off of me," she continued. They walked into the rec. room, where other Star Ace members were talking. Katt and Bill were there too. They all hugged and said their ‘hellos’. It was a generally happy time right then.

Fox then led Star out of the room and into his office.

" Star, you know what you’re here for, don’t you?" asked Fox. Star nodded. " Okay, so tell us all that you know." Star shook her head silently. " Why not?"

" ’Cos I’m not wasting my time talking to you," replied Star. " I’ve got everything you need to know on disk. Just download the info on to Rob, and leave him to sort it out for you." Fox was about to protest about this, when she interrupted him. " Come on, you need a little bit of fun. I’m taking you guys out. My treat."

" Star," began Fox. " It’s my duty to sort out the information."

" Lighten up, Fox," sniggered Star, as she walked out of the room. " Come on. Don’t be a spoilsport. You need a break and so do we all." Fox smiled, shook his head and then followed after her. " Perhaps I could tell you about the Phalanx and a few funny things that happened there." They walked down the corridor to the rec. room, arms on each other’s shoulders.

" It’s good to have you back, sis," said Fox.

" It’s good to have you back," said Star. They embraced in a hug of sibling love. " Some day, we’ll beat Cyberax."

" We sure will," said Fox. " Come on then. Let’s go tell the others of your plans for this evening. I bet that they’re just dying to get out and about."

" What about your duties?" asked Star.

" To hell with them," exclaimed Fox with a laugh. " All that matters is family and friends, for now that is."

In a secure Medical Institute, a nurse is introducing a new physiotherapist to Russell Talbot. He been in a persistent vegetative state since his brain was infected with the Cyberax Virus over 3 weeks previously. His nurse began telling the physio of Russ’ requirements, and warns her of the faulty vital signs monitor that occasionally needs resetting.

As the physio began his work it soon became clear to him that Russ was very fit for someone in his condition. As the young woman goes to reset Russ’ vital signs monitor for the second time in so many minutes, Talbot’s eyes snap open and he stares out at the ceiling. He is awake and alive to tell the secrets of Doomsday.

I would like to thank the company, Argonaut for creating the original Star Fox Game, and the Star Fox characters. I would also like to thank Nintendo for continuing to make them a popular success.

I would like to thank Kay Twilight for lending me her character Star McCloud.

This opportunity should also be used to thank the SA Corporation for employing me.

I would like to thank the British TV company, Carnival Films, for creating the TV series, Bugs. Cyberax was inspired and borrowed from that TV series (Series 2, Episodes 9 and 10, and Series 3, Episode 10). You can learn more about this sci-fi TV show, by visiting http://www.bugs.co.uk/.