Chapter Text
Star Fox: Brave New World
Chapter 1:
"The Arrest"
10:37 PM
East Corneria Trading Company Docks
Corneria City
The clap of thunder tore the night sky apart. A flash of fire and lightning lit up the darkened and neon-lit Corneria City for a brief moment. With the intermittent claps and flashes came a gentle rain, coating the city in a pitter-patter of wet raindrops. The vertically-built city had become one of the most densely packed cities of all on the planet Lylat, with the towering skyscrapers and buildings making fifteen million people call it home.
While most people were out partying at one of the city's clubs or going home to rest up for the weekend ahead, two police officers sat in an unmarked van with varying degrees of attention. The setup was meant for long stakeouts and came equipped with a litany of high-tech equipment. A computer tower was hooked into multiple monitors, displaying a view of a dingy and dilapidated alley. The rain had drenched the forgotten corner of the city as the wind howled through the narrow corridors. Headphones and empty coffee cups were laying around on the van's desk, along with a box of pizza left ajar on a nearby table.
Leaning in close to the monitor setup was a remarkably tall deer, keeping his ears open and eyes peeled for any type of illicit activities. Right now, all he could see was a white tiger standing in a suspicious manner all by himself in an alleyway, as if he was waiting for someone. The constant fidgeting and head on a swivel was a clear giveaway. He was wearing a crisp grey suit and leaning up against a small wooden table, the tarp he was under providing enough shelter from the rain.
The deer was dressed in the typical Corneria City police officer uniform. Blue button-up shirt, black dress pants that could also stretch, and dress shoes with extra grips on the soles to help chase down criminals without an officer losing their footing. His belt was equipped with all the necessary belongings for an officer of the law. Handcuffs, first aid, flashlight, and just in case, a small semi-automatic pistol.
A short chuckle caught the deer's attention, the cervine turning his head and looking down at his partner to the right. The partner in question was a similarly dressed cheetah with his feet up on the PC built into the van and leaning back in his chair. Leaning over, the deer saw that his partner was laughing at some random image that confused him. He had hoped it would not turn into something that would distract from the mission again as he rolled his eyes.
The cheetah suddenly received a light shove, recoiling in his chair a bit as he snapped to attention and began to stare at the monitors like he was paying attention all night. "What's up? Did we catch him?"
"No Dean, I'm still watching him. I was wondering if you could get off your phone and help me?"
Dean scoffed, putting his feet back on the PC tower and looking up at his partner. "Aw relax, Haskell. It's two guys. Once this Fox McCloud shows his face, we're golden!"
Haskell only huffed, returning to watching the monitors. It looked like the tiger had gotten a bit jumpy, checking over his shoulder while fidgeting with the case. If he was innocent, he was doing a bad job of showing it.
After a few more minutes of mind-numbing boredom, Haskell suddenly noticed a vulpine in nothing more than an opened hoodie, track pants with a small squared-shaped holster on the right thigh, and sneakers. Haskell had seen enough photos to know who this was and turned towards Dean. The cheetah received another smack on his shoulder, and he sat at attention once more. "Okay, now we got him?"
Haskell shook his head as Fox approached the tiger. "Not yet. Once we see money and the merchandise, we take him down." A hungry smirk grew on Dean's lips as he leaned into the monitors, watching with intent as the van's surveillance equipment picked up the conversation.
The rain was beginning to let up, however, Fox still decided to keep his hood up just in case anyone watching would not be able to notice him. The tiger seemed to recognize Fox instantly through the shadow of his hood, his twitch calming down just a bit, now settling into a slight smile as he set the silver briefcase down on the nearby table. "Ah, Fox McCloud! Welcome back to Corneria City! I trust you had safe travels?"
Fox only let out a curt nod, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he eyed the briefcase. "You got what I need?"
The tiger nodded, tapping the case as he made sure he always had a grip. Looking over his shoulder one last time, all worries almost left the tiger entirely. "Sure do! But, do you have what I need?"
Fox reached into his square holster and pulled out a wad of credits, rolled neatly before putting the money down on a small barrel to the right of him. The tiger nodded and opened the case, revealing a small semi-automatic handgun to the hidden camera. "Here you go. Concealable, ten shots, comes with four extra mags. It's the most I could get you on such short notice, thanks to the gun laws."
Fox looked around the alley before stepping back from the cash and putting his hands in his pockets. Little did he know that two police officers nearby had just caught him red-handed and were now running straight toward him. "It's alright, I appreciate you doing this for me."
As soon as the credits entered the tiger's palm and were all accounted for, the tiger extended his arm holding the case toward Fox. "No problem, it's a pleasure doing business with you."
~::::~
"Freeze! Corneria City Police! Put your hands on your head and get down on your knees!" The shout made both Fox and the tiger's blood run cold, their heads snapping to notice a pair of police officers bearing down on them at rapid speed. Fox knew that if he grabbed the gun, he would be shot without a second thought, so he took off running. It was regrettable, but at least he would live to see another day. The tiger was not so lucky, as the deer quickly cuffed him before he could run, forcing him to the ground as Dean took off after Fox.
It had been years since Fox had been in Corneria City, but the vertical layout, as well as the maze-like architecture, made him aware of how to handle his situation. He just had to go up. Barging into a nearby residential building, Fox quickly ran up a box staircase, ignoring the shocked and frightened pedestrians as the cheetah remained in hot pursuit.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Fox shoved the door open as it made an explosive bang. The cheetah followed as Fox used the footbridge to run to the opposite building, attempting to get even higher up. His lungs burned as the cheetah kept on his heels, the vulpine cursing the fact that it had to be a cheetah that was chasing him. Ascending yet another staircase, Fox could feel his legs scream in pain as he pushed forward, praying that there was a roof he could jump across at the top.
Fox shoved the door to the roof access opening, only for his blood to run cold yet again. There was nowhere to jump to unless it was to his death. He could see the beauty of Corneria City from his vantage point, but he would not be able to admire the soaked neon skyscrapers for long.
Turning around, Fox saw the cheetah cop emerge from the doorframe, along with the deer cop just a few seconds behind. Fox looked around to see that he was trapped, the high mesh fence making up the square arena as the deer stepped forward with one hand on his holstered pistol. "Just give up, Fox McCloud. Don't make this any more difficult than this has to be." Both cops looked to be in a lean amount of shape as if they were ready to chase him all over the city.
Despite the deer's request and his burnt-out lungs, Fox put his hands in front of his face and took up a fighting stance. While the deer had an exasperated look on his face, the cheetah chuckled, taking up his own modified stance as the deer did the same. "Heh, your funeral, McCloud. Don't say Haskell here didn't give you a chance to give yourself up peacefully."
Without warning, the cheetah suddenly sprinted at the vulpine, unleashing a barrage of lightning-fast kicks as Fox was forced to defend, being pushed away from the center of the roof. Fox waited for an opening before retaliation with a side thrust kick of his own. The kick woefully missed the cheetah, who sidestepped the vulpine before landing a kick directly to his ribs.
Fox hissed in pain as he stumbled for a bit, just as the cheetah grabbed one of his arms and locked it behind his own back. Now trapped and at the mercy of the cheeath's lightning legs, Fox could only take the rapid-fire kicks that he shot out before a final kick to the jaw sent him reeling.
As soon as Fox regained his footing, he had a gut feeling that Haskell was right behind him. With a loud kiyup, Fox used the momentum to land a kick to the deer's chest. While it clearly stung, Haskell shrugged the attack off and used his height to his advantage. Fox tried to close the new distance, only for the sole of Haskell's shoe to slam into his muzzle, dazing the vulpine.
As Fox tried to shake the static from his brain, he could see Haskell take a short hop, spinning in the air only to bring up his rear leg into a jumping roundhouse. The cervine's foot struck Fox's temple like a freight train, as the strike managed to turn Fox around completely.
The cheetah was waiting for Haskell to kick the vulpine his way, hopping forward and bringing his rear foot up for a switch front snap kick. The ball of his foot exploded into Fox's jaw, striking like a thunderclap and sending him crumpling to the cold concrete of the rooftop. The fight was over, even if Fox's brain was unable to register anything at the moment.
As his consciousness swam in a state of limbo, Fox could feel the handcuffs tightly applied to his wrists, as what he assumed to be the deer reading him his rights broke through his ringing ears.
(The Next Day)
A night in the drunk tank was not the most ideal place to sleep for Fox, but the cops were not going to let him have any luxuries. However, the cell he was sharing with drunkards, druggies, and small-time violators was traded in for an interrogation room.
The pale yellow tiles, harsh metal desk, stiff metal chair, and obvious one-way mirror added to the cold and rigid feel of the room. The harsh buzzing light hanging just overhead did not help as Fox could only sit in place, twiddling his thumbs in his handcuffs behind him and wincing every now and then at the injuries he sustained last night. Looking up from the table, Fox noticed a security camera scrutinizing his every move from the corner of the room with a mechanical whir. As much as Fox wanted to flip the camera off, it would not help his situation at all, despite how impossible that currently was.
The clicking of dress shoes echoed from just outside the reinforced metal door at the entrance to the room before a loud buzz nearly made Fox jump out of his fur, breaking his staring contest with the camera. A loud thunk echoed next before the metal door swung wide open.
Standing in the doorway was an aged bloodhound, clearly looking down on the vulpine. His grey suit jacket, grey suit pants, and white dress shirt instantly spoke of authority, as well as the badge on his hip. Closing the door behind him, the clacking of his dress shoes was even louder, towering over the cuffed vulpine as if he was trying to read him for his sins against all of Corneria City.
"Fox McCloud, aged twenty-six, charged with felony possession of a firearm, running from officers, resisting arrest, and assault." The bass to the bloodhound's voice would have made any lower criminal cower in fear, but Fox only gave him a cold stare. "Somehow, despite all of the evidence and eyewitness testimony, there is not enough for a conviction of any sort. At least, not enough that any jurors feel safe coming forward to put you behind bars. You must be one dangerous fox."
The hound slowly backed away from Fox, even as he kept his gaze locked on the criminal. Finally, a safe distance away, the hound looked at the whirring camera, as well as the red light to prove that it was still on. With a smirk and a push of a button on the device, he turned off the camera and faced Fox, who now wore his own smile. "Isn't that right, Officer McCloud?"
Fox chuckled as the canine walked over with the key to his handcuffs. With a small click, the cuffs popped off of the vulpine's wrists, Fox taking the time to massage them with a slight wince. "I see that those cuffs were on pretty tight. I trust that officers Honeycutt and Ellta were not too rough on you?"
Another chuckle came from Fox as he popped a crick in his neck. "Eh, they did pretty well against someone who was fighting like a semi-trained hoodlum, Commissioner Pepper. Haskell hits like a truck, and Dean's got some fast legs. I didn't know we trained our officers in taekwondo now, much less that effectively."
Pepper nodded, a proud smile appearing on his face. "It's a recent policy, one that I personally signed off on. Officers Honeycutt and Ellta are the two shining stars of this new initiative, and they are paving the way for a new wave of police officers in this city." The canine's smile faded, now somber as he took a seat across from the vulpine. "But there is only so much that beat cops can do, or our SWAT teams, or even someone of your specialized background. No matter how trained we are, there are too many gangs in this city for us to deal with. From small stick-up crews to deadly and highly trained organizations, we need someone to bring these groups down."
Pepper placed a photo of a cream spiral sun design on a blue background in front of Fox, letting the vulpine analyze the image before speaking up. "One of the largest gangs is the Sun's Right Hand. You name it, they are in on it."
Fox picked up the photo as if he was looking for any more clues in the background, before looking back at Pepper. "I remember this insignia. Aren't they based out of the Residential District?"
Pepper nodded with a somber glare. "They used to be until they expanded. Now they are everywhere in the city. Business District, the harbor, Residential, Sunset Parklands, even owning land just outside of the city limits." Pepper pulled out more photos, taken at candid angles and blurry as can be. Each one showed a seemingly innocent business or person, although there was clearly more to it. "The worst part about this gang is that they are fully self-sustaining."
Fox looked at Pepper with a glare as if he just insulted his mother, looking again at the photos. "Self-sustaining? Sir, what do you mean?"
"Exactly what you think it means. They have next to no need for any outside contacts or dealers. They have their own micro-economy. Do they want drugs? Then they grow and cook them themselves. Weapons? Their own warehouses can forge anything from a pocket knife to swords." Pepper pulled out a photo of a feline in a cream suit with yellow accents brandishing a katana with a cigarette in his mouth, looking at the camera as if he was looking at the duo himself. "As you know, the firearms ban was supposed to curb violence in the city. However, it has had the opposite effect. Over the past years, the Sun's Right Hand thrived off of using martial arts instead of guns. In fact, guns are frowned upon and heavily discouraged in their ranks. You think you've seen it all until one of your new cadets stumbles into the hospital with an eye hanging on by a few nerves and carrying his cleaved-off arm." Pepper paused, shaking his head as he adjusted his tie. A blank stare overcame his face as he let out another sigh. "It is amazing what shock can do to the body."
Fox swallowed, looking up at the canine once more as anguish took over his face. "S-sir, why not just go after them now with everything we have? We have the firepower and manpower, shouldn't take us more than a week tops."
Pepper sighed, leaning back in his chair as he ran his hands down his muzzle. "Not only would too many innocent people get hurt in the crossfire, along with that being highly illegal, remember how I said that they were self-sustaining? That means that they have covered their tracks there as well. They own shops, businesses, and any legit venue to funnel dirty credits through. Their fingers are in so many pies that roughly a tenth of the stores in this city are related to the S.R.H in some way, shape, or form. Imagine how it would look for the CCPD to start stomping on business because we only suspect them of involvement with the Sun's Right Hand. A PR nightmare, a legal nightmare, and now we would have to fight against both the public and the criminals."
The canine slowly stood up with a grunt, the metallic screeching of the chair against the tile floor filling the room. "Of course, we have determined that the best way to take down the Sun's Right Hand while having a minimum impact on both law enforcement officers and civilians is to send someone undercover. You are the lucky officer being sent in to tear the Sun's Right Hand apart from the inside out. You will first operate in the Maddington Precinct, Captain Caspian Black is in control of the station there."
Fox let out a curt chuckle as he mimicked the canine's actions, standing up to push his chair in. "So Cas is a captain now, and he's got control of the Mad Mile, huh? Is he my handler?"
Pepper shook his head, walking over to the thick steel door and banging a specific pattern on it. "Not exactly. We needed someone who keeps more of a low profile than a precinct captain." The door creaked open, revealing a pink feline clothed in a black leather jacket, a yellow t-shirt, blue skinny jeans, and black boots. The design of her t-shirt was quickly recognized by Fox as the Peripherals band before his attention was drawn to the shiny gold badge on her belt. A swirl of her platinum blonde hair danced in front of her muzzle, while another piece of gold, this time an earring on her right ear, reflected the harsh lights from above. "Fox, allow me to introduce to you Detective-"
"Katt Monroe." Fox finished Pepper's sentence, walking up to the feline with a smile. With his fist out, Fox met Katt's in a quick bump, sizing the feline up. "It's been a while, Katt. How have you been?"
Katt smiled back as she folded her arms, looking up and down the now much taller vulpine. "Fox McCloud. Still getting into trouble?"
"Not as much as you did back in the day."
"Wire fraud is a lot less serious than possession and drug trafficking charges." Pepper's brow quirked as he leaned forward and cast a stare toward the feline detective and her sudden confession. "A-allegedly, of course."
Pepper's face returned to its normal visage as put on a soft smile, patting both cops on the back. "I see that you both know each other well. So it goes without saying that I am expecting big things from the two of you, yes?"
"You can count on us, Commissioner. We'll have a report in by the end of the week." Katt gave a half salute with her response, before turning to a smirking Fox. "Well then, let's get you back on the streets, you dangerous degenerate." Reaching into her leather jacket, Katt produced a pair of handcuffs and jingled them in front of the vulpine.
Keeping a smirk on his lips, Fox held his wrists out as Katt quickly secured the cuffs on him. With a snap and a metallic clack, Fox was in custody once more. Pepper towered over the vulpine as if he was a common criminal, staring him down with a glare that could melt steel. "This mission is not for the faint of heart, Fox. You will have to do things that go against the oath you swore. You will gain new scars, both physical and mental. This is your last chance to back out. Once you start down this path, there's no coming back. Are you ready?"
Fox seemed to hesitate for a second, before swallowing the fear and nodding at Pepper. "I won't let you down, sir. I'm ready." The vulpine noticed a faint smile cross Pepper's lips before the sounds of a metal door opening filled his ears and he was roughly shoved out the door by Katt.
Outside the door were two uniformed CCPD officers ready to walk Fox out the front door. Fox could feel their dirty glares, obviously unaware of who he was and what he was assigned to do. With authority, Katt dug her hand into Fox's shoulder before shoving him forward, letting him stumble a bit as she put her hands on her hips. "Alright boys, let's get this low-life out of the station. I'm already sick of his face." By the teasing glare she was giving him, it was obvious that she was enjoying the power she had.
~::::~
"Do you have to do that in front of me?"
"Do what?"
"Putting your feet on the desk. It's unprofessional."
"Relax, Haskell! I still have my socks on, plus my feet are killing me. Chasing that Fox guy hurt almost as much as kicking his ass."
Haskell sighed at Dean's attitude as he resumed filling out the paperwork for Fox's arrest, obviously slightly annoyed as his partner was giving himself a foot massage while relaxing and refusing to do any of the work. "You know, this would go by faster if you actually helped out rather than show off those fish skeleton socks of yours."
Dean audibly scoffed, kneading a knot out of his sole as he sighed in contentment. "Oh, you mean like those little wrench socks that I know you have on right now?"
Dean's smug grin was countered by Haskell rolling his eyes with a slight blush. "They were a gift from Ruby, of course I'm going to wear them. I don't remember Stella buying you those."
"Didn't need to, buddy." The smile on Dean's face was as wide as it could be, the largest one in the center of the station's busy cubicles. It remained that wide for a few moments before it quickly faded from his face.
The deer quickly got annoyed with the cheetah's incessant nudging, but before Haskell could tell Dean off, he saw what Dean saw.
Their perp was being walked out the door. The two stared with mouths agape as Fox was being walked to the front door of the station by two officers and Detective Monroe. The duo tried to rationalize why their catch from last night was being walked out the door before they were approached by Pepper. Dean quickly threw his feet off the desk as the two cops stood up and saluted their commissioner.
The canine could tell both of their faces were begging for an explanation as he cleared his throat. "While it was a good bust, we do not have enough evidence to convict Fox McCloud. We got his partner, but we have to let Fox go."
Haskell raised a brow at Pepper, before realizing that Dean was about to probably say something that could get him in trouble. As soon as Dean's mouth opened, Haskell beat him to the punch, silencing his potential outburst. "With all due respect sir, we caught him in the act, as well as footage of him initiating a hand-to-hand exchange with us. How is that not enough-"
"You two did a good job, but we have to let him go. That is final. Am I understood?"
Dean and Haskell sighed before replying in the affirmative at the same time.
"Good. The bust will still count for your records if that makes the two of you feel any better." While both had varying degrees of happiness, Pepper stopped himself from walking away and turned on his heels. "Oh, and one more thing." The canine knelt down at Dean's feet, knit his brow, and picked up the cheetah's discarded dress shoes. "There is a dress code in this department, Officer Ellta. I suggest you adhere to it if you want to avoid a write-up." With a glare, the bloodhound dropped the shoes in Dean's lap, turning the cheetah's face red in embarrassment as giggles from other officers could be heard echoing around the office. Haskell simply shook his head with a slight smirk tugging at the side of his lips while Dean quickly put his shoes back on, now wishing to disappear into his work.
A/N: New project time! Been working on this for a while with the amazingly talented Groundis! We've got some really big plans in store for this story, so we'll try to update this as often as possible!