A Cage for Satan

A Part of the "Phalanx of Cyberax" Series.

Created by Renard Vulpez.

Author’s Notes: I would like to thank everyone who contributed to his fic. Andrew Kyron and Cyberax are copyrighted by the SA Corporation. All other characters are copyrighted by Nintendo. Star McCloud is copyrighted by Kay Twilight.

Hey look, I managed to find a picture of Cyberax! It’s a shame that he’s squinting, probably because of the flash. It’s not a very good quality picture either, but at least it gives you an idea of what it looks like.

Ugly, ain’t he?

Prologue

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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Andrew Kyron was a white tiger, and disabled by the maniac, Andross. He despised Andross ever since, and the Cornerian Government for not taking proper actions in getting rid of Andross in the first place. His wheelchair hovered thanks to a new hovering technology, and had been fashioned by his company. His head was tilted to one side, as his neck could no longer support the weight. He could not smile, he could not speak, he could only move his eyes, and his right arm. His right arm, was placed next to a keyboard, where he typed in commands and used a control stick to move his wheelchair. On his head was a special retractable VR (Virtual Reality) visor, which allowed him to explore files and other programs in virtual reality. He also had weapons installed into this wheelchair. It was the perfect vehicle.

" Go Cyberax," said Kyron. His voice was simulated through speakers, and he spoke much in the same way that Stephen Hawking does. However, his voice sounded remotely human, even though it did sound as if it was being played from a bad quality tape.

He was within the Kyron Dome, situated on top of the Phalanx HQ. The Kyron Dome itself had a back-up generator inside, a Sentinel robot manufacturing plant, and a few Drone Refuelling Stations. It also had a gigantic computer, on which Cyberax was stored. 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. 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.

" Kyron, I have been spying on the performance of the new Star Ace Team," announced Cyberax, in its almost emotionless, electronic voice. The Star Ace Team, consisted of the Star Fox and Star Wolf Teams, joined together, to form a formidable fighting force.

" And are they doing well?" asked Kyron.

" You know they are," replied Cyberax. " They have thwarted all attempts to assimilate the rest of the Lylat System. We must crush them, somehow. They also seem to know when we plan to attack, and when we plan to delay the attack. There must be a spy somewhere in the Phalanx." Kyron attempted a nod.

" Obviously, but how do we go about this?" asked Kyron. " It’s obvious that this spy is good, otherwise you would have detected him/her." Cyberax nodded its head.

" Yes, I would have," replied Cyberax. " Obviously, this spy is picking up all signals that I send out to the rest of the Phalanx. That means, he must have found a way to crack the codes. Either that, or Star Ace has reprogrammed one of our High Security Level robots, so that it would send information to them, without me knowing." Kyron attempted a sly smile.

" Don’t worry," replied Kyron. " I will see to it that the spy is destroyed." Kyron turned round and pressed a few buttons on his wheelchair. His VR visor immediately slid into place. " This is Kyron, prepare my transporter and 6 Sentinels. Six maintenance drones are to report to the landing pad on the top floor, for further instructions."

" This is Cyberax," announced Cyberax. " There is a spy in the Phalanx. If any unit comes across the spy, retrieve it and bring it to the Kyron Dome. All Sentinels to be on full alert. End of Mission Statement."

Chapter 1: Live to Tell the Secret

Star McCloud, Fox McCloud’s sister had been assimilated into the Phalanx a long time ago. However, thanks to her brother, she had managed to retain her humanity and regained her free will. Although she was now a part of Cyberax, she could still fight against the computer program. Every now and then, she would spy on Cyberax and leave vital information for her brother and his allies, in secret contact points all over the Phalanx.

At the moment, she was hacking her way through the Cyberax files. The program was ingenious. It had a system. It moved itself and its files every half-hour, making it almost impossible to detect the files. However, Star had managed to counteract Cyberax’s cleverness with some methods of her own. She had an early warning alarm on her computer and her secret hideout, to tell her whenever Cyberax approached.

" So, what are you hiding here?" muttered Star, as she hacked through the files. " Come on… Bingo!" she exclaimed, as she managed to hack through all the layers of security. What she saw began to frighten her. Cyberax was trying it again. It made her stomach churn. " No, not again," she cried. "I hate you, Cyberax. I hate you! Compared to you, Andross is like Santa Claus!" It was true. Cyberax had become a second Satan.

Kyron hovered over to the screen. His wheelchair turned round, giving him a full head-on view of the rest of the Kyron Dome. There in front of him, were a row of what looked like glass coffins. They had wires and Biofeedback Headsets in them. Each one had a bottom made out of neon lights, that glowed a pure white. He turned back round to face the huge computer screen. On it was displayed Cyberax’s evil face.

" Well, it is almost ready," said Kyron. " Soon, you will have a large enough motherboard and fast enough computers to give you unrivalled power."

Cyberax opened its mouth into an evil grin.

" I know, Kyron," replied Cyberax. " You can’t hide that information from me. I control all and know all that happens in the Phalanx. I am God!" Cyberax’s eyes were hollows in its shiny, metallic face. It squinted, turning the face into one of anger. " The spy has done a good job of hiding himself. He or she has also managed to destroy a few of my files. Now, I have too much self-confidence. I want my files repaired, Kyron." Kyron attempted a nod and a smile, but couldn’t because of his injury inflicted upon him by Andross.

" And so it shall be," replied Kyron. " However, I think I might know who the spy is." Cyberax frowned. After gaining so much territory and assimilating so many people, destroying their free will, Cyberax had managed to learn a few facial expressions.

Fox received the message from Star, and was soon in General Pepper’s office, with Wolf O’Donnell. As they were the team captains, they were the ones speaking to Gen. Pepper.

" Gen. Pepper, I’m beginning to be really pissed off by the Cornerian Government’s inability to do anything against Cyberax," shouted Fox, as he slammed the printed copies of Star’s stolen information on Cyberax’s newest project. " Where are the Montague Committee’s Minute Files on Cyberax?"

Gen. Pepper was not used to this.

" Fox," he started in an attempt to calm down the leader of Star Fox. The Montague Committee was a committee set up by the Government in order to investigate the after-effects of Cyberax, which was lead by a Lord Montgomery Montague. Wolf butted in.

" Look, I don’t know much about Cyberax, but I suggest you hand over those files," started Wolf. " Or at least tell us how we can get our hands on them. It’s necessary in order to defeat Kyron and that AI Program." Gen. Pepper gave in.

" Alright, alright," exclaimed Pepper, as he submitted to the angry fox and wolf. " They’re in the Cornerian Central Records Archive. You’ll need special passes and to fill out special forms." Fox shook his head. Not the CCRA. He dreaded that place. It held all the important Government records. He had been there more than once, and embarrassed himself there more than once too. Gen. Pepper pulled out a drawer and handed them two forms. " Hand these forms in at the Lobby Main Desk and they’ll give you the special passes," he said, as he signed both forms, before handing them over to Fox.

" Is all this formality necessary?" asked Wolf, as he looked at the form. Gen. Pepper nodded.

" Yes," replied Gen. Pepper. " There is only one copy of the Montague Committee’s Files on Cyberax, and they’re very important. If I’m correct, they’re locked away in the innermost part of the CCRA." Fox sighed. Great. That was all he needed, a long trip inside the CCRA.

The bodies were attached to wires and a Biofeedback Headset that would connect their minds to the computer main frame, upon which Cyberax was stored. They were in a glass like coffin, almost like the one that Lenin’s body was stored in. Light illuminated their bodies from below. They were in the midst of a huge, black room, which had even more of those coffins, most of which were empty. Cyberax and Andross had intended to use the bodies as gigantic biological microchips.

Fox shook his head, as both him and Wolf entered the room. He had to get that memory out of his mind. That was a long time ago, when Cyberax first tried to become all life’s superior. Now, Cyberax was trying it again. The archivist led them down the hall. He stopped and brought out a thick looking file.

" Here we are, the Montague Committee’s Files on Cyberax," said the archivist. Fox thanked the archivist, as he opened it up and took a look at the contents.

" Wow, there’s a lot in here," exclaimed Wolf, as they looked through the files.

The Soldier Robots of the Phalanx Army were standing as still as a statue, as they received new orders from Cyberax.

" New orders from the Kyron Dome," said every entire robot and Drone (assimilated person) in the cruisers that received the new orders. " All Soldier Units and Starwings to launch an invasion of Aquas. All units to assimilate all living organisms, and check brains of all those who are to be assimilated. Those with healthy and big brains are to be sent to the Kyron Dome."

The news reached the Great Fox, as Star managed to send the message through. The news eventually reached Gen. Pepper. Star Ace had to be called into action, and they had to defend Aquas, before the people were all assimilated into the Phalanx.

Chapter 2: Invasion of Aquas

The nine members of the Star Ace Team were split up into two groups, the former Star Fox Team, and the former Star Wolf Team. The members were Fara Phoenix, Slippy Toad (who was once infected by Cyberax), Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, Pigma Dengar, Leon Powalski, Andrew Oikonny, Wolf O’Donnell and Fox McCloud. They were thinking about letting in a tenth member, but they were having enough troubles coping with nine members as it was.

" All aircraft report," commanded Fox and Wolf simultaneously. Former Star Wolf members were to report to Wolf, while former Star Fox members were to report to Fox. It was simple. No one had any real problems, so they flew straight into the midst of the battle.

The Phalanx Starwings flew around like a swarm of bees, as they attacked the Cornerian Army. (Aquas does not have an army).

" Okay, let’s take them on," cried Wolf, as he swerved to his left, in order to level his laser cannons with a group of Starwings. He fired, and the lasers managed to tear through the Starwings.

Fox shot down at least five more Starwings, spraying the lasers into them. They were ripped apart and crashed into the calm waters of Aqaus.

" That’s 5 down," exclaimed Fox.

" Do you really think that you can defeat the Phalanx Army?" asked Cyberax over the com-link. " The Phalanx is perfect, whereas you are not. Your imperfections shall be cleansed after you are assimilated. Surrender now!"

" Never, Cyberax," cried Falco, as he shot down a Starwing. Five more followed close after him, firing at his Arwing. " Geez Laweez, am I getting slow?"

" You are," said Cyberax. " That is why you should be assimilated."

" Ah, shut up," cried Fara, as she locked on to her target. The smart bomb was armed and she fired. The bomb exploded, taking out ten Starwings, including the 5 that chased after Falco.

" Er… thanks… Fara, I guess I owe you one," thanked Falco, as he flew past several Cornerian Jetfighters. " Hm. It is just me, or do the Cornerian jets look more crappy than last time?"

" I think the same goes for the Starwings," said Leon, as he shot down four more Phalanx Starwings. " Although they are pretty good."

" I need some help here," squealed Pigma.

" Hold on," cried Peppy, as he banked to his left, in order to avoid a Starwing, and shot at the Starwings behind Pigma. " There, that’s taken care of them." Pigma thanked Peppy, before he veered off to his left, in order to take out a few Starwings that were shooting at a Cornerian Jetfighter. " Oh no! Bogey on my tail!"

A few lasers hit the Starwing, and it crashed into the Aquas Ocean.

" Guess we’re even now, eh, Peppy?" exclaimed Pigma over the com-link.

" Yeah, I guess we are," said Peppy almost with a smile. A transporter passed him. He knew that it was full of Soldier Robots. They had to be destroyed, or trouble would follow. He locked on to the transporter. " Don’t worry, Andrew. I’ll take care of the transporter."

" Oh no you won’t," protested Cyberax, as a Starwing suddenly began tailing Peppy, firing at his tail. " You shall all be assimilated or you will die. Your brain will be very useful to me, Peppy Hare. It is telepathic, and will perfect for my new motherboard in the Kyron Dome. I haven’t forgotten the time you killed me, Peppy. You are my greatest enemy, and I want revenge." Peppy began to sweat. Five more Starwings joined the first. Five more Starwings joined the six.

" Hold on, I’ll save you," cried Andrew, as he managed to fly behind the eleven Starwings that pursued Peppy. He locked on to the targets and fired a plasma bomb at it. The explosion ripped the Starwings apart.

" Thanks, Andrew," thanked Peppy. " I guess you’re not the Slippy of the Star Wolf Team after all."

" Hey," cried Slippy angrily. " Whoa!" he cried, as four Starwings hurtled towards him, shooting violently at his Arwing. " Er… a little help here?" Fox sighed, and barrel rolled in order to avoid an onslaught of lasers, before banking to his left. He fired his jet boosters and shot ahead of Slippy, firing furiously at the four Starwings. One by one, they were shot down.

" Enemy mothership approaching!" exclaimed Wolf. Fox looked to his left. It looked like the same mothership that he had once fought on Katina. It was like a mothership from the movie, Independence Day, and was pretty much built like it. Four hatches opened up, and Starwings gushed out of them like water. " Take out the four hatches!"

" What does it look I’m doing?" exclaimed Falco angrily, as he fired at the southernmost hatch. " Chopping potatoes?" The hatch burst into flames, rendering it useless. Falco U-turned and flew away from the mothership, as the rest of the hatches disappeared back into the ship.

Starwings swarmed over the place like flies. They almost managed to blot out the entire star, Solar. Fox locked on to a group of Starwings and fired a plasma bomb at it. A Cornerian Jet got in the way and was torn to shreds, its pilot managing to escape.

" Geez Laweez, is the training budget getting slashed or something?" exclaimed Fox angrily. He couldn’t believe how incompetent the pilots had become.

" The hatches have appeared," announced Andrew.

" You guys deal with the Starwings," exclaimed Wolf. " Me and Fox are gonna deal with the mothership."

" I’m coming with you!" exclaimed Fara, as her Arwing shot after Fox and Wolf. They were determined to take out the hatches. A few bombs and lasers were fired, and soon all hatches were up in smoke. The enemy core appeared.

" I know exactly how to deal with this," smirked Fox.

" Do you really?" exclaimed Cyberax over the com-link. " Kyron has ordered these motherships to be modified. For one, they do not emit lasers but electronic signals. These signals override computers, and infect them with Cyberax. They are then under my control, therefore I can make the entire defence system go down. The second and last difference is that the core is protected by a bombproof and laser-proof shield. I’m sure that you won’t be able to detach the shield in time." Fox and Fara saw it. It was a huge bulge at the base of the upside-down cone.

Wolf flew straight to the core, aiming at the bulge. The lasers seared through it, as the countdown continued.

" I’ve got one!" exclaimed Slippy, as he managed to shoot down a Starwing. " And another! Boy are they getting easier to shoot." He flew over Falco’s Arwing, and fired at a few that pursued him.

" Don’t get too cocky," warned Falco.

" Yeah, or you’ll end up like a blue feathered freak like Falco here," said Leon, laughing as he did so. He shot down five more Starwings, but there were still enough to threaten Aquas.

" That was not funny," said Falco angrily. In his angered state, Falco shot down ten more Starwings. He flew right and shot down a further five Starwings. " I swear, when we get back, you’re gonna get a pounding."

Fara, Fox and Wolf both flew at the core, firing at the joint at the base of the core’s protective shield.

" Looks like it might give way any moment," exclaimed Fara. " Prepare your bombs, guys." Armed their bombs as they flew towards the core. The joint was destroyed, and the shield fell off, revealing the core. The bombs hit. The bombs exploded.

Chapter 3: Unrelated Chapter with a bit of plagiarism.

Fox woke up with a groan and clutched his head.

" Oh, that was a long night," he groaned. " And what a hangover." He remembered the celebration, but a few scenes were missing. First of all, he couldn’t remember anything after he drunk that cocktail. " What was it called? Amnesia? Uh…" He looked at the bed. There was a lump beside him. " What the…?" He pulled the bed covers away. " Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!" He fell out of his bed and noticed that he was stark naked. " What did I do last night?"

" Huh?" groaned Wolf as he got up from the bed. He noticed Fox on the floor, and looked under the covers. " Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!" he screamed, as he noticed that he was like Fox, as naked as the day he was born. " What the hell are you doing here? What the hell am I doing here? What’s going on?"

" I don’t know," exclaimed Fox. " Just get out of my bedroom before anyone finds us in here like this."

" Your bedroom?" exclaimed Wolf. " You’re in my bedroom." He looked around him and saw the posters and the terribly decorated room. " Hm, you’re right. This must be your bedroom. So that means you put me up to this, you sick pervert." Fox looked wide-eyed.

" Me?" he exclaimed. " You must have put me up to this." Fox couldn’t believe that they had done it. " Did we really do it, or are we just naked because we…"

" Please don’t make me think about it," cried Wolf, as he closed his eyes and tried to visualise a beach on Aquas. That didn’t quite work, as his mind slowly drifted to a scene of him and Fox on an Aquas beach. " Okay, that visualisation thing does not work." He began to whimper. " Please… please… let it be a dream. Tell me we didn’t…"

Fox pinched himself.

" Yow!" cried Fox. " Nope, I’m not dreaming. We did…" Wolf refused to believe it and pinched himself. He didn’t wake up either. They were both wide awake, and naked in the same room. " Hey, wait a minute! This isn’t my room."

" It isn’t?" exclaimed Wolf. Fox shook his heads.

" Nope, it’s one of the guest rooms in the Great Fox," he exclaimed.

" Great," exclaimed Wolf. " That means we don’t have to worry about paparazzi or tabloid newspapers… unless they’re hiding in this room... All we have to worry about is our own team... That’s about 7 people!" He began to sweat. He was not used to such pressure at all. " Oh great… Where’s my clothes?" Fox searched the room frantically, covering his genitalia and his furry rump.

" I can’t find my clothes!" exclaimed Fox. " Rob, where are our clothes?"

" They were strewn down the corridor," replied Rob. " I returned them to your room." Fox gulped. Both Fox and Wolf looked out of the guestroom and down the corridor. It was still a little bit early, so they could still get down the corridors and to their rooms before anyone woke up and saw them. But they had to hurry.

Both managed to find a robe and darted down the corridor, their feet padding on the metallic floor. They skidded in front of their room’s doors and were about to enter their rooms when…

" Hey, Wolf, Fox, what you doing up so early?" asked Peppy as he walked up to his bedroom door in only a bathrobe and slippers.

" Erm… we were just checking on Rob," replied Fox.

" Yeah," replied Wolf. They flashed a nervous grin and then darted into their rooms. Peppy shook his head and walked into his room. " Phew, that was a close one," sighed Wolf, as he leaned on the now closed door of his room.

" What?" exclaimed Fox, as he came face to face with a broom. " The closet? Oh no!" He darted back out and into his room, shutting the door closed behind him. " Wolf? What are you doing in my room?"

" Your room? This is my room!" snarled Wolf. He looked around him. " Oh, so it is your room. Hm. Wrong door." His room was opposite Fox’s. They heard the sound of Falco and Leon outside. It was too late! Fox and Wolf nearly fainted from the pressure. They were in bathrobes and in the same room.

" You’ve got to get out of here. What would they think if they caught us in here like this?" exclaimed Fox.

" Well, it doesn’t matter for you," replied Wolf. " You’re reputation has already been tarnished because of that incident with Ian."

" I was drunk, okay?" shouted Fox, who remembered that well. He was teased about being gay, and many a queer basher beat him up. It hurt.

" Quiet, you want them to hear us?" snarled Wolf. " I do not want to be known as ‘the Guy who slept with Fox McCloud. Oh no!" Fox was about to protest and say that he did not sleep with Ian, which was a lie, but he thought that it would be best not to waste his breath. He just shook his head, grabbed his clothes and started to change in the privacy, behind a screen that he had put in his room. It was opaque and black, providing the necessary cover to change, even if there was someone in the room, as long as they weren’t peering round the corner of the screen. " What about me? I’ve got no clothes, and I have to dart towards my room!" He peered out of the door. " And it doesn’t look as if Falco and Leon are leaving any time soon."

" I don’t know," exclaimed Fox. " We’re friends, but we’re not that close."

" Which explains why you screwed me last night!" snarled Wolf. " My arse still feels sore!" Fox popped his head out from behind the screen.

" Well you didn’t go easy on me either," said Fox. " I won’t be able to sit down for a week. And I’ve got a girl friend." Wolf muttered something. " What was that?"

" I said, ‘You don’t have a girl friend. Fara dumped you’. Do you remember?" replied Wolf. " I guess that’s why you slept with me."

" Hey, you forced me into it," protested Fox.

" As if you could remember every detail," argued Wolf. " We were both drunk off our arses!"

" From just plain friends, to butt buddies! This is just great," exclaimed Fox. He got out from behind the screen, fully clothed. " Tell you what. You borrow a few of my clothes, and we’ll just say that you and I were just talking." Wolf grumbled something, but Fox didn’t quite hear it. He snatched the clothes out of the drawer and went behind the screen to change.

And now, back to the main plot.

Chapter 4: Wish upon a Star

Star looked around her and saw that the coast was clear. She took a comb, and brushed it through her hair. It accidentally hit the Biofeedback Headset that had been implanted into her head.

" Boy do I look ugly," sighed Star, as she looked at her reflection in the window. Tubes went in and out of her nose, which were attached to gas tanks. She herself had a gauntlet, which had some kind of syringe in it, allowing liquid food substances into her. " Ugh, that stuff is horrible," she thought, as she remembered the liquid nutrients that she was fed, through the gauntlet’s syringe, instead of food.

She sighed, as she made her way to Assimilator 27, in Quadrant 49 of Banepolis. Her friend, Brad, had been caught by the Phalanx. She had to save him from being assimilated without Cyberax or Kyron knowing. It was going to be difficult. She was one person, and besides, she was a part of Cyberax. What if he found out? Star had to send out a false mission statement through the Phalanx.

Brad was a badger, and had secretly lived on Titania during the War Against Andross. He was between 2 ESL Sentinels that were heading towards Assimilator 27. They suddenly stopped.

" Receiving new mission statement from the Kyron Dome," exclaimed both Sentinels simultaneously. " Proceed to Quadrant 20 for debriefing by Kyron." The Sentinels turned around and marched Brad towards Star.

Star couldn’t believe that it was that easy to fool the Sentinels. Her luck was certainly changing.

" Come on… I haven’t all day," she muttered. She started shivering in the cold air. A crack of thunder and a flash of lightning. " Oh great. Rain," she sighed.

Kyron watched as the Worker Drones placed the next carcass into the correct position. The Kyron Dome was going to be home to the fastest and most powerful computers in Lylat.

" One must admit, Andross came up with a brilliant idea here," admitted Kyron.

" Yes," replied Cyberax. " Using actual anthropomorphic animals as processors for my personal use. Biological material is faster than any synthetic processor available. Peppy Hare would make a wonderful processor. I want him here. Kill him, but make sure his brain is still fully functioning and alive."

Both Brad and Star ran away from the now destroyed ESL Sentinels.

" I’m surprised that you survived the assimilation," exclaimed Brad.

" Well, don’t be," panted Star, as they arrived at her new hiding place in the dumps. She lifted open a flap in the side of a huge pile of garbage, that had existed there before even Andross came to Venom. Inside, Brad found that Star had placed all of her belongings here. She turned to face Brad and smiled. " Well, do you like it?"

Brad nodded.

" Sure do," replied Brad. " It’s just like your old pad in Titania." He looked around. " But what’s this thing?" Star explained the devices that she had set up.

" Stole the parts from the factories," replied Star with a smile. However, their jubilant celebration was not to be so.

Cyberax was watching through the eyes of a Sentinel as it patrolled the city in search for Brad and the mysterious spy.

" Switch to heat sensors," said Cyberax. It watched, as it found two heat sources from within the garbage pile that Star had made her home in. " So, there you are. Raid the building, send back-up to Quadrant 12, North Side."

The Sentinels burst into her pad, surrounding them. Star and Brad looked in terror, as the Sentinels marched in to take them away.

" You are under arrest," announced the Sentinels simultaneously. " Receiving orders from Kyron Dome. Offenders to be taken to Ultimax Prison Facility."

Chapter 5: Making Plans

" She’s where?" exclaimed Fox, as he head the news straight from Gen. Pepper.

" In the Ultimax Prison Facility," replied Gen. Pepper. " The toughest and most secure prison in the Phalanx. We have reason to believe that Kyron wants her for something, but we’re not sure." Fox agreed. If Cyberax simply wanted to assimilate them, they would have been done so by now. Cyberax was holding them in Ultimax for some reason, and he had to know what.

Kyron wheeled across the corridors of Ultimax. There were no bars here, even though it held some of the most ruthless criminals and traitors that the Phalanx had been unable to assimilate. Their free will was to strong to be destroyed by the Assimilation Process. Here, inmates are kept in a permanent state of desynchronised sleep, making them completely unable of doing anything. They were attached to wires. Everything was maintained for them by the machines, which were run by Cyberax.

Kyron peered into one room, which contained Star.

" Don’t worry, Fox McCloud, your sister is being treated well," sniggered Kyron. " She is not being harmed, she is not being hurt. In her dreams, she is free. Although this won’t last. Soon, she will be a part of Cyberax’s computer. She’ll be faster than any Intel Pentium Processors, and any processor available."

Andrew and Slippy studied the plans carefully, as the Great Fox made its way around the Phalanx to Venom, outside of the Lylat System.

" It doesn’t look safe," said Slippy. " If we cut the power, the inmates might die or something." Andrew agreed. They had to find some other way of sneaking into Ultimax without alerting security.

" How’s it going guys?" asked Fox, as he popped his head into the room. Andrew looked up.

" Not good," replied Andrew. " There doesn’t seem to be anyway in without alerting Cyberax. Unless we cut the power to the Security Systems, but then Cyberax will know that something’s up." He collapsed down into his chair. " And if we cut the power to the entire city, then there’s a good chance that Star might suffer brain damage or die." Fox felt as if Cyberax had forced them into a lose-lose situation.

" So, the spy was Star McCloud?" exclaimed Cyberax.

" Yes," replied Kyron.

" Good," said Cyberax, as its mouth opened up into a smile. " Keep Star and her friend together. When I give you the signal, I want you to release them from Ultimax and send them to the Dome." Cyberax wanted Peppy Hare, but Star McCloud had potential. Perhaps she would make a good processor.

The rest of the Star Ace Team were sitting in the rec room in silence. Some were reading, others were staring at their feet, while others were just listening to music through headphones. Fox looked at Wolf and then at the others in turn. They were worried, and he could see it on their faces.

" Fox, there is a message for you," announced Rob. " It’s from Cyberax."

" What is it, Cyberax?" asked Fox, as he switched on the screen in the bridge. Cyberax opened its mouth into an evil grin, as the double helixes on either side of it, spun round.

" A proposition," replied Cyberax. " Funny, me saying that. That’s how Andross replied to that very same question, when I asked him. Andross came up with the idea of human biological processors, you know. And if you do not perform what I ask of you, your sister will become one. Go to Ultimax, and speak with Kyron. That is all I ask. That and do not resist the Sentinels. I promise that we will not assimilate you… at least until the war is over."

" Don’t agree to it," said Falco. " I don’t trust Cyberax one bit." Fox turned round to look at Falco.

" Nor do I," he replied.

" And bring Peppy Hare with you," said Cyberax. Fox turned round. " Yes, bring Peppy Hare."

" I knew it! He wants revenge," exclaimed Falco.

" Nothing of the sort," argued Cyberax. " I simply want him at the Kyron Dome. That is all." There was silence, as Cyberax ended the transmission, before Rob could do anything. The screen went blank. Fox turned round to discuss their future actions. Cyberax reappeared on the screen. " Fox, Wolf. I know your secret. If you don’t want anyone else to know, I suggest you do not try anything to destroy me or Kyron." Cyberax winked, and then disappeared from the Great Fox entirely.

Chapter 6: In the Hands of the Enemy

Fox and Peppy walked between the ESL Sentinels through the corridors of the Ultimax Prison, located in Quadrant 51, about a few blocks away from the Kyron Dome and the Phalanx HQ.

" Do you feel the same sense of foreboding that I do?" asked Peppy, as they saw the prisoners, sitting in chairs and hooked up to machines, in a deep sleep.

" Probably," replied Fox. " Is this humane?" Cyberax smiled from one the many screens that populated the Phalanx. But the machine did not respond. " Cyberax has always given me the creeps."

Kyron waited in the corridor, next to Star and Brad’s holding cells, as they were called. He watched, as nutrient fluids flowed through a pipe and into their blood streams through a syringe-like object. He heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

" Ah, Fox McCloud and Peppy Hare," exclaimed Kyron. Due to the speakers, his poor quality voice wasn’t very loud. " I’ve been expecting you."

" What do you want us here for?" asked Fox. Kyron just smiled, or at least, attempted to smile.

" I don’t want you here, but rather in the Kyron Dome," replied Kyron. He turned to a few Maintenance Drones that stood behind him. " Awaken both Star McCloud and her dear friend, Brad." Kyron turned back round to Fox and Peppy. " Cyberax is expecting you both at the Kyron Dome." Fox watched as both Star and Brad were escorted out of their holding cells by Sentinels that had just arrived to take them to the Phalanx HQ.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Star Ace Team were planning a surprise power outage. They were split up into several different groups of 2 with the exception that one had 3. Each group was to take out a power plant, therefore cutting off all available power from the city.

" Wolf, Pigma, are you coming or what?" hissed Fara, as she turned round to check on her team.

" Yeah," replied Wolf.

" How much further do we have to go?" asked Pigma, as they sneaked through the streets of Quadrant 23. " My feet are starting to kill me."

" They won’t be the only thing killing you if you don’t hurry up and stop whining," snarled both Fara and Wolf simultaneously. They turned to face each other and smiled. They almost thought alike. They would make their way through the fusion power plant, cut the cables and destroy the core. That was the plan for each team, and they knew that it would work.

Andrew and Slippy were making their way towards the power plant in Quadrant 26.

" Duck!" cried Slippy, and they both dived into a dead bush for cover. A group of patrolling Sentinels marched past. Slippy’s green head popped up from behind the bush. " Phew that was close!"

" You’re telling me," exclaimed Andrew. " How are we going to get in? There’s guards all over the place, and is that a spotlight?" Slippy just shrugged.

" We’ve got to think up of a new plan," sighed Slippy. " How’s about we dig our way in?"

" Now that’s just pathetic," said Andrew. He thought for a while. " How’s about we take out two Sentinels and take out their circuits? We then slip into the empty suits and walk in." Slippy disagreed. They would need a few of the circuits in order for it to function.

Fox, Peppy, Star and Brad stood before the screen within the Kyron Dome. Cyberax’s face was clearly visible on it, and the helixes on either side spun rapidly.

" Well, here we all are," said Cyberax. " Do you see those over there? Those containers? There are four empty ones, all reserved for you. You will be turned into processors for my personal use."

" Where’s the Operational Zone?" asked Fox pathetically. He couldn’t think up of anything else better to say. Besides, if he knew where it was, he could take out Cyberax with one blow. Cyberax zoomed, so that only its eyes and forehead was visible on the screen.

" I’m not telling you, Fox McCloud," exclaimed Cyberax. " Now, prepare to become my processors." There were a couple of loud explosions, and the power suddenly went down. In the darkness, the four anthropomorphics managed to disarm the Sentinels. The back-up power for the Kyron Dome came on. " I see that your friends are aiding you. No matter. They will be assimilated."

" Yeah, right," exclaimed Fox, as he dashed round to a door that led behind the screen and into the Operational Zone. Cyberax turned round to the remaining Sentinels that were standing and to Kyron.

" Stop him," exclaimed Cyberax. The face turned to face the front again. " Copying main files to back-up system." Peppy rushed forward to what he thought was the telephone line. He had to cut Cyberax off from the rest of the Phalanx. A laser pierced Peppy’s right leg, and he collapsed to the floor. " Do not worry, Peppy Hare. Where you’re going, you won’t need that leg."

Using superhuman strength, Star managed to snap the arm off a Sentinel and rip out its laser gun. It was now in her hands.

" Cyberax, lay your Sentinels off, or I’ll teach you all about dying and staying dead," warned Star. Cyberax had a worried expression on its face, one which it had learnt from a constantly worried person that it had recently assimilated.

Brad knew that he had to do something. He went over to Peppy and helped him away from the cables.

" Kyron, find Fox McCloud and bring him out here," said Cyberax. " Make sure that he is alive and not harmed."

Star aimed for the cables and fired at them, severing Cyberax’s connection to the rest of the Phalanx. She smiled, as she looked back up at Cyberax’s face.

" Looks like you’re caged in," said Star. " We have a Cage for Satan here." Now it was Cyberax’s turn to smile.

" You fool, my files have already been transferred to my secret back-up system," announced Cyberax. " You failed to stop me from transferring them through my Sentinels. As for your brother, when they find him, he will be toast."

Fox searched the place. There were huge computer processors everywhere he looked. They were shaped like mini-towers and all had blinking lights on top of them. He had to find the main one that held Cyberax’s Critical Files. If he took that one out, he could take out Cyberax. A Sentinel marched up in front of him and aimed.

" Oh shoot," he exclaimed, and ducked, as the Sentinel fired at him. A laser hit one of the computer processors, that Cyberax used. Sparks flew from it, but it wasn’t an important one. " Wait a minute, I could trick the Sentinel into firing at the Critical Processor," thought Fox, as he wove in and out of the processors.

A laser flew past his ear, as he ran through the processors to the centre of the room. He knew that the Critical Processor had to be there. Without warning, he was apprehended by a Sentinel.

" You are under arrest in the…" began the Sentinel. It suddenly shuddered and fell backwards, taking Fox with it. He looked up.

" Hey, Fox, getting up close and personal with the Sentinels?" exclaimed Wolf with a smile. He turned round. " Hey, Fara, give me a hand, quick!" Fara rushed towards Fox. She smiled, trying to suppress a giggle. With her help, Wolf managed to get Fox free. " So, what now?"

" Now we take out the Critical Processor," replied Fox. A laser flew past them. More Sentinels were arriving in the room. " And quick!" They ran through the room, firing randomly at the processors. As lasers showered the room.

Suddenly, five Sentinels came up to Fox and Wolf. They fired at the two. The lasers went overhead, as they ducked. The Sentinels marched towards the two, firing lasers at them. Wolf fired a laser at the forehead of one Sentinel. Sparks flew and it fell to the ground, taking another Sentinel down with it.

One Sentinel swung its fist at Fox’s face. He ducked and fired a laser in to its chest. It swung again, hitting Wolf in the face, and sending him flying into a processor. Another Sentinel ran towards Wolf and swung at him again. Wolf ducked, the fist rammed straight through into the processor, the Critical Processor.

Cyberax screeched in pain, as the main files were inadvertently destroyed by a careless Sentinel. Star, Brad, Peppy and Kyron watched in amazement, as the face was twisted and crumpled up, eventually disappearing into darkness, leaving the Kyron Dome completely useless. Star turned round to face Kyron. He had disappeared.

Chapter 7: Rebirth

" So, Star, going to give up your spy job?" asked Fox, as they all sat in the rec room of the Great Fox. His sister still looked as if she had been assimilated, but they couldn’t do anything about that until they got to a hospital.

" No way," replied Star. " You guys just wait here. I’ve got a surprise for you." The other guys were not as quiet as before. Sure, they had received news that Kyron was still alive and that Cyberax was still alive. The Phalanx may still have been a large a threat as ever, but they now knew that Cyberax was not invincible.

The door of the rec room opened and in stepped a red and yellow, ESL (Executive Security Level) Sentinel.

" You are under arrest in the name of Cyberax," announced the Sentinel. They all drew their guns and were about to aim, when another voice came from within the suit. " Whoa! Hold your fire." The Sentinel reached for its head, and unscrewed it. The head came off, revealing Star’s head underneath it. " Nice disguise, eh?"

" I swear you can be so stubborn at times," exclaimed Fox with relief. She just smiled back.

" Wow that was so realistic!" exclaimed Slippy. " Do you have a voice modifier in there?" Star nodded. Andrew and Slippy went up to look at the suit. " And I bet you can fire lasers out of that thing too!"

" Sure can," replied Slippy.

" So, looks as if Star McCloud, the spy is reborn," joked Wolf. " So, I guess this means you can enter any area." Star nodded. " Then you’d better tell us where Cyberax and Kyron are hiding, or else we’re pulling you back here."

" We sure will," replied Fox. " I’m not having you endanger your life for nothing."

" Relax," exclaimed Star. " They won’t suspect a thing," she promised. Fara gave Star a big hug.

" Good luck," said Fara.

" I hope you have the same," said Star with a smile. Pigma, Leon, Peppy and Falco were just speechless. They had their last meal together, before Star parted ways and went back into the Phalanx. They all wished her a good luck, and even hardened Falco gave Star a big farewell hug.

A large white tiger walked in to the room. He was wearing a General’s outfit, with black trousers and black boots. He also wore a purple cape and a green lapel. He sat down at a desk in the room, which had a green glass dome above it, and windows that looked out on to a city. In front of him was a computer, with the Cyberax logo and double helixes on it. This was Andrew Kyron, reborn.

" Go Cyberax," he said. His voice now full and loud. He was strong and muscular, unlike his former, crippled self.

The logo swivelled round and curved into the top of a head. It then changed into the shape of a baby’s head. It was Cyberax in its child form.

" Do not worry, Cyberax," said Kyron. " I will nurse you back to your adult form. There is a fountain of knowledge out there for you to plunder."

" Revenge," said Cyberax. It was limited to only one word.

" Yes, we will get our revenge," said Kyron. " The Doomsday Project is almost completed. There will be no failures after it is. Nothing can stop the Phalanx. It is pure, it is perfect and it is everything." Kyron laughed evilly, his laughter echoing across the room. Their back-up system was in a place, within the former Venom Empire, which not even Andross knew about. It used to be a rolling field of beetroots, but now, it was a city of great proportions. No one, but Kyron and Cyberax now knew about its position. However, there is one other company that knows. If Star Ace found that company, then the location of Cyberax and Kyron would be revealed…

The End.

Acknowledgements:

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 characters Star McCloud and Brad.

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/.