[Author's Note: My apologies for the delayed update, the holidays were pretty busy. This chapter's a bit shorter than the others, but don't worry, it's just as important as the others, if not more so. Updates should be back on track now, expect chapter 8 within a week. Thanks for reading and enjoy!     Foxmerc]
 

CHAPTER 7
The True Enemy
The next day
Macbeth City, Macbeth
0746 hours
 
 
 
 

 
     The howling wind echoed in Gage’s ears and rippled through his fur as he stared at the sparkling lights and immense structures of Macbeth City. He hadn’t re-visited the city since the battle there, but not because he was afraid; he just had no reason to. But now, staring across the city, the old emotions pushed and pulled at his stomach, the sounds of combat still echoing in his mind through the streets far below, the horrific sights mingling with the normal flow of civilian life.
     “The wind’s acting up a little.” Fox’s voice in his ear snapped Gage out of his daydreaming. “You sure it’ll be safe to rappel down?”
     “Safe or not, it has to be done,” Gage replied into his headset. “God knows when Overlord will be done, it’s now or never.”
     “That’s not what I asked.” Fox was edgy from having to stay on the Great Fox, not being able to give backup in a heartbeat. If Gage slipped up, not only were their chances of discovering Overlord shot, but he would be alone in a Venom-controlled skyscraper.
     “Trust me,” Gage said absently, securing the tough cord through the carabiner on his belt and triple-checking the knot connecting it to the roof. “I once got stuck in training and had to dangle upside down three-hundred feet up for ten minutes while I worked the tangle free.”
     “That’s reassuring. I see you’re a real pro at this.”
     “Hey, I said it was back in training,” Gage retorted with a grin. “Just be ready to get me on the roof.”
     “No problem. Looks like it’s about time, the meeting’s in five minutes. Take it Falco, you’re the eyes now.”
     Falco yawned and stretched at his position across the street from the target, on the roof of a slightly smaller building. He had a clear view of the entire side. “’Bout time.” He picked up the detached scope of a sniper rifle and looked through it, counting up the windows until the thirty-second floor. Most of the windows were dark, the workers gone home, but three were lit. One showed an ovular table flanked by ten or so people. They all wore green or blue uniforms.    “I think I found the party. Start down; I’ll direct you when you’re there. Don’t slip, Hotshot.”
     Gage snorted and backed slowly over the roof, keeping his legs stiff. The distant glowing and motion of the street far below made him momentarily nauseous, but he swallowed it continued to shuffle down the side of the building. Once he was a few feet from the roof, he bent his legs and hopped outwards, sliding down the rope a few yards and silently landing against the side of the building again. He repeated the process for another couple dozen floors, careful to keep away from the vertical line of windows, until Falco’s voice sounded in his ear.
     “Ok, stop. It’s two more floors down, to your left.”
     Gage shuffled down and slid over until he was right next to the said window. “Here?”
     “That’s it.”
     “Alright, starting the recording. Stand by.” Gage clipped the rope again to free his hands and dug the laser-microphone from his left thigh holster. Flicking it on, he shuffled a bit more towards the window, careful to keep in the shadows. He held it by its pistol grip and pointed towards the window. Immediately, his headset filled with light static and the sound of man unfamiliar voices, apparently in a heated discussion.
     “—on schedule! My men are losing morale with all this inactivity.”
     “Overlord IS on schedule, General, as the commander said. Are you questioning his word?”
     “I’m not questioning anything, I’m just saying that the men need a victory.”
     “Well, maybe YOU would like to attack Corneria with the forces we have? We don’t stand a chance!”
     A calm, stern voice interrupted the bantering, its authority silencing the room immediately. “A frontal attack will not be necessary anytime soon. Overlord is on schedule, I assure you all, and there will be a demonstration next week. For this, I highly recommend that none of you remain in this city. It’s going to get a little hot.” A low chuckle followed, accompanied by nervous laughter from the generals.
     That voice…Gage knew that voice, but he hadn’t heard it in a long time and couldn’t place it. So familiar…
     Gage stepped towards the window and slowly peeked in. Green- and blue-clad officers occupied the table, but the chair on the far end had its back to the rest. Gage was immediately reminded of the cartoons he used to watch, where the bad guy had his chair turned from the hero, then it spun around and there was no one there. This time, however, there was someone there.
     As the chair slowly turned towards the table, Gage noticed a tall, stern-looking cheetah standing at the far wall by the door. He was staring right at the window, but hadn’t seen him yet. Gage stayed as still as he could dangling from a rope, and his attention turned back to the chair.
     As if taking another cue from some damn movie, the chair was shrouded in darkness. The mystery didn’t last for long. Gage squinted as the chair’s occupant leaned forward into the light and said, “Overlord is our key to success. With it, nothing can stop us.”
     Gage hardly heard what was said. He gaped at the uncovered figure, the voice immediately finding its place in his memory. Time froze as he stared through the window, refusing to believe what he saw. Everything was driven from his thoughts except the impossibility of the situation…everything including his stance.
     Gravity had its effect on the weakened Gage and he lost his footing on the wall. The clipped rope stopped him, but not before flipping to the side and smacking against the window. All sounds through the microphone ceased as the officers spun towards him.
     “Smooth move, Slick,” Falco’s voice sounded distantly in his ear, but then the avian saw how bad it was. “Oh shit! You hit the window?!”
     “Dammit,” Gage mumbled. He shoved back to the side as a laser ripped through the window, another shattering it. He quickly holstered the mic and took out his real heater.
     In his confused panic, Gage’s hand hit against his carabiner and the rope began to slide through, burning his hand right through the glove. He grabbed it on the last few inches as it slipped out of the metal loop.
     “Birse!” Falco shouted. “You ok?”
     “I’m dangling on the last two inches of a fucking rope thirty floors up, how ok do you think I am?!”
     “Hold on, I’m on my way!” Fox said.
     Gage fired from his free hand at the window, making the soldiers duck back in. He hoped none of them got the bright idea to shoot out the rope.
     After a few more rounds of holding them back, Gage heard a low hum and saw a silver glint in the distance. The Arwing boosted up to him and slowed to a hover beneath him.
     “Higher!” Gage said as the ship slowly elevated. When it was a few feet under him, he let go, landing on the right wing and causing the ship to rock dangerously. “The roof! Go!”
     “What?! Why?!”
     “The commander! He’s getting away!”
     “Screw him; we got what we came for. You said only if you—“
     “Dammit, McCloud, go to the roof! I have to see something!”
     Fox squinted through the canopy at Gage’s bewildered face. “Are you ok? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
     It would’ve been funny if it wasn’t so damn true. “Just go.”
     Fox shrugged and elevated towards the roof, careful not to go too fast for his passenger’s sake. The roof came into view, revealing a dropship with its ramp down. The commander and the cheetah were boarding it.
     “Land!” Gage shouted.
     The Arwing touched down as the two spun around to face it. Gage hopped off and pointed his gun at the commander, the cheetah raising his own in a mirror image of the frantic captain. Fox quickly opened the canopy and hopped out, pulling out his own gun.
     The commander made no motion to defend himself, but instead raised his hand to the cheetah, who slowly lowered his gun. He stepped forward, shadows playing along his face, and spoke. “Gage…I was hoping you wouldn’t pursue this. I don’t want to kill you.”
     The voice spun in Fox’s memory, same as it had for Gage. He looked over at his partner and saw a look of pain and disbelief, as if he found out his wife was cheating on him. Gage slowly lowered his gun as well and said in a low voice, “How…why…?”
     Feeling like he was missing something, Fox stepped forward, his gun still at the ready, squinting at the figure as it stepped into the light. He understood in a second as he gaped at the red fox, his own senses dulled in disbelief. With a struggling, strained voice, he finally choked out the name.
     “…Ike?”
 
 

    -Chapter 8 coming soon-