The werefox examined his revolver and rubbed the wolf grips, sitting within the empty dining room. The table held various gun cleaners, sword cleaners, the holster belt, and the sheathed katana. A rod with a brush as its tip dipped into a cleaning solvent. It was then removed before brushing the gun’s barrel with it, pushing it all the way in and pulling it out several times. Then, after cleaning the brush up, he dipped it back into the solvent and brushed all six chambers with it several times each.

The brush was detached and was replaced with a hook where the werefox slipped in a cleaning patch, dipping that into the solvent before rubbing it within the barrel several times. The wet patch was replaced with a dry one, removing the excess solvent within. He repeated the process with the dipped cleaning patch and the dry patch in the chambers. Finally, he picked up an old toothbrush and, after dipping that into the solvent, he rubbed it against the revolver’s muzzle, rear cylinder, the outside of the cylinder, rod extractor, and, after pulling the hammer, he cleaned it and the part behind it.

The werefox, after grabbing a rag and dipping it with lubricant, rubbed the revolver all over aside from the wooden part of the handle, the interior of the barrel, and the interior of the chambers. He picked up a clean rag and wiped away the oil until it was shiny, then placed the revolver back into the hoister. He stood up, wrapping the belt around his waist, and snapped it on before picking up the gun cleaners and putting them into a cabinet.

The werefox sat back down, now facing the katana, and he picked up an oil cloth along with Choji Oil, applying the oil onto the cloth. He put down the cloth and unsheathed the sword from its steel Saya. He tapped the koiguchi against the table edge and watched the debris fell from the Saya before putting it aside.

Picking up the wiping cloth and, making sure his fingers weren’t touching the high-frequency edge, the werefox rubbed the cloth from the bottom to the tip twice, removing the old oil from the sword. Afterwards, he picked up the uchiko ball and spread its power over the sword on both sides and its back before picking up one of the Nuguigami and rubbing the powder off. Finally, he picked up the oil cloth and rubbed the sword with it once, watching it gain a reflective shine.

The reflection held a human with his eyes and hair.

He shuddered, putting the katana back into its Saya.

The werefox twitched, hearing footsteps from outside, and he pulled out the Colt Peacemaker, loading it up. He leaned against the wall, pulling the hammer as the footsteps got closer. Soon, he heard a knock and a familiar voice from outside.

“It’s me. Mr. Tolle.”

He twitched before he said, “West of the Moon.”

“East of the Sun,” came the reply.

The werefox relaxed more, lowering the hammer and putting it away before opening the door. Mr. Tolle stepped in, his hair shaggier than normal and his neck and arms covered in sweat as he panted. He tilted his head, leading Mr. Tolle to a chair and setting him down. “What happened? Only two days has passed, and something already happened? And besides,” he pointed at the bookshelf where, sitting between the books and hair clip, was a flip phone, “didn’t you leave me one of your old phones for emergencies such as this?”

“Sorry, I forgot that I left you that phone,” Mr. Tolle answered, the werefox sensing a tone of fear in his voice. “But General Bulhond contacted me not too long ago. He said that he was contacted by someone who is looking for you. In fact, they've already guessed that you’re in Australia. And when I heard, I came rushing over here to see if you’re OK.”

The werefox’s ears folded back, his tail twitching. “How did they guess so accurately? This world isn’t a small place after all.”

“From what he told me, they traced the last known location of Mr. Consilium to Geraldton two and a half years ago before he went missing,” Mr. Tolle explained. “Even though you hid the body, you can’t so easily remove his traces.”

“So,” the werefox said, turning to the window and glaring out into the desert, “they’re basing their theory on a man that went crazy after his arm got chopped off? That seems like a stretch, but still. Did the general admit that’s where I am?”

“No, he did not. But,” there was a pause that lasted for several seconds, with Mr. Tolle swallowing, “it’s not how they guessed where you are, but who are tracking you. That’s what making me nervous. Enough that we should find another place to stay at—”

“Mr. Tolle,” the werefox said with a cool tone, “who are you talking about? And why should I be afraid of them?”

“The agent who contacted the general is an agent of FOXWOOD.”

There was a pause that lasted for several seconds, the werefox turning back to him. “So?”

“I don’t know much about FOXWOOD myself. But what little I heard of them makes me nervous.” Mr. Tolle tugged on his hair a bit. “They’re a multinational organization founded in 2008 who handle unusual cases. Even though they’re still new and top secret, those who know of them are afraid since they took down a massive company – REA - during its first three years.”

“REA. I think you mentioned that to me once.” The werefox’s hand clenched into a fist. “They were one of the backers for that experiment where I was created, yes?”

“The backer.” Mr. Tolle said. “They had resources and money far beyond any regular company. In fact, I heard rumors that, in the very north of Canada, they had their own military and industrial complex there. Even a nuclear facility.”

“That’s impossible.” The werefox crossed his arms, his eyes half-closed. “No mere company has the power to have their own army, especially within a country with its own standing army. Plus, shouldn’t having a nuclear facility at all make the Canada government involved at the very least?”

“REA is indeed that powerful. Or rather, was.” Mr. Tolle replied before he blinked, pulling out his vibrating phone. He pressed on it, only for a metal screeching noise to emit from the speakers, with the werefox pressing his ears shut until it stopped. “Must be a signal problem. But why did the general try to call me? And on his personal phone this time?” He shrugged before putting the phone away. “If it’s important, he’ll call again.”

The werefox sat down onto a chair opposite of Mr. Tolle, deep in thought, for several seconds. “You mentioned that they handle ‘unusual cases’. What do you mean by that?”

“From what General Bulhond told me,” Mr. Tolle answered, “they do stuff like search for mystical objects and ancient technologies. They’re also organized to fight off and contain threats that defy all of our scientific understanding in one way or another. Finally, they do research and development on advanced technologies in various fields, from nuclear to medicine, far more advanced than the rest of the world.”

“What?” The werefox’s ears flattened back. “If this is a joke, it’s not funny. Especially on how you’re stressing on how much I am in danger of—”

“I am just as incredulous about it as you are!” Mr. Tolle slammed his fist on the table. The werefox leaned back, shaking his head. “I even told the general how ridiculous this all is and how it must be a cover story, but he seemed to believe it and I don’t know what to believe. All I know is that FOXWOOD caused the fall of REA and now they’re after you.”

The werefox rubbed his chin while facing the window again.

“Again, I’m begging you to get out while you can and sneak into some other refuge,” Mr. Tolle said, slamming his fist against the table. “There’s no way you can defend yourself for long once they realize exactly where you are. Even if it means bailing on our trip to the states.”

The werefox closed his eyes, thinking ever deeper through the darkness he found himself in. Several seconds passed as his mind envisioned a glowing silk thread, lowering down towards him. His eyes snapped opened, firm and confident.

“It seems that we’re lucky after all.” The werefox’s tail wagged behind him.

“Huh?” Mr. Tolle stood up, palms flat against the table. “How could FOXWOOD be after you is a good thing? Did you not listen to a thing I said about them?”

“Oh, I heard perfectly,” the werefox replied, brushing his blond hair with a hand-paw. “However, here’s the thing. The trip to the states. Their focus will be on Australia, looking for any foxes that are white like me. It’ll be the perfect time to sneak in and out, likely to another country to stay at with a little help from your captain friend. Got any in mind?”

The werefox waited for a reply, almost sensing the confusion from the other’s brain. “Are you sure it’s that simple? After all, FOXWOOD will know of me since any surviving data and witnesses from the experiments will know that I was involved. Do you think they might get suspicious if they found out that I was here, in the same continent, as you are? And wouldn’t it be an odd coincidence that the time that I went on a ship cruise is after they learned where you’re likely are?”

The werefox shook his head a bit, even knowing that Mr. Tolle couldn’t see it. “Then you can tell them that you’ve spent the last few years trying to find me, moving cautiously so that you don’t end up the same way as your boss. And that the trip is a way of you having a break from the hunt. After all, who would’ve guessed that the one who’s my kidnapper is helping me stay free from the US government?”

Mr. Tolle shook his head hard enough for his hair to almost fly off, but he said, “That I’d be helping you would be a stretch, I admit. Still, if you’re that sure.”

“Understand this, if they do find out the truth and caught us in the ship, I’ll be ready.”

Mr. Tolle looked at the werefox for several seconds before sitting down again. “Very well. Though, while I’m here, mind if I help you pack?”

“There won’t be much, I’m afraid.” The werefox stood up, walking to the bookshelf and picking up The Two Towers. “Just some clothing, these Tolkien books, and the hair clip.”

Mr. Tolle stared at the hair clip, sitting on the bookshelf, and nodded before he stood back up and walked to another room. “Then I’ll get started on your clothes.”

The werefox shrugged, feeling a tightness against his stomach. Was it fear he sensed? He couldn’t believe it, believing that the experiment removed all fear from his emotions. But then, given on how things were turning out within two days, perhaps it was natural.

A phone rang and he blinked, looking at the bedroom door before realizing its origin, the flip phone on the bookshelf. He touched it, only for it to stop ringing. He flipped it open and saw that the caller was Mr. Tolle just as the man himself stepped in.

“Did you tried to call me while in there?” The werefox asked, closing the phone and putting it away.

“Did I?” Mr. Tolle pulled out his smartphone and he blinked. “I did. Must’ve been an accident. Sorry about that.”

Wild Coyote walked down the dirt road, holding onto two massive swords on each hand. The first one was as tall as he was, the other half the size, and both were a foot wide and single edged. The edge, lighter in color to the rest of the swords, glistened in the sunlight while he looked ahead, seeing a figure ahead of him. This figure was draped in shadows at first, but as the Coyote walked closer, the figure form shifted in shape while colors were added. Soon enough, the figure that stood in front of him was an anthro red fox, holding onto a longsword, with its hilt and fuller red while the blade was white in the light.

The two figures stood in front of each other, the anthro red fox’s red aloha shirt fluttering from the wind over his green shirt. The seconds passed before the fox bent his knees and charged, sprinting toward Coyote. Coyote raised the smaller of his two swords in response and the swords crashed against each other. He jabbed the larger of his swords at the fox, who leaped away and hopped to the side. Coyote turned, their eyes meeting before he charged, spinning with his swords, each clanking against the fox’s sword, with the ground breaking from the fox’s feet-paws sliding a bit.

Coyote grinned, stopped suddenly, and leaped back and slammed his swords onto the ground. It broke through, with a massive crack forming and spreading towards the anthro red fox. His opponent grunted, trying to stay steady, before he fell into the massive crevasse, with Coyote withdrawing his swords from the ground. His knees remained bent, with him walking a bit behind, waiting.

Soon enough, the red fox leaped out from the fissure itself, the fox emitting a roar that echoed throughout the man’s ears. Soon, the fox landed and sprinted towards the man, who thrusted his larger sword in return.

The fox grinned.

Coyote grunted, wondering what his opponent saw that he doesn’t. The answer hit him while trying to pull his sword back, only for the fox to leap up and land on its spine. He swung his smaller sword, only for the fox to leap again, over his head.

Coyote heard a thud behind him, and he twisted his feet and back to turn, only to feel the sword slice through his body. The upper half of his body slid off from the rest of his body, with Coyote groaning in frustration and stress. Soon, his vision turned black and he saw white letters forming in front of him.

Game Over!

Coyote shook his head and grunted as he raised his hands up and grabbed at an object on his head, feeling for a pair of switches. He pulled on them and, with a click, he saw light coming from below his chin. He pulled up and off until his helmet, covering all of his head and having holographic screens in front of the eyes, was removed.

Coyote grunted, his covered in a tight black suit from head to toe and connected to some wires. He was lifted up a bit by a ring around his waist, with springy cords connected to the cage’s ceiling. His left hand, almost on reflex, rubbed his sore left hip, feeling the echo of that violent rumble from that simulated slash. He idly wondered if he should tone the feedback down so that, if the simulator got released to the market, it wouldn’t harm any users by accident.

Coyote flinched at a series of taps, and his head spun to the side. He saw a lady standing there, dressed in a black suit and tie. In fact, from her black heels to her black hair, tied into a bun, there was little color other than black. He tried to recall if she was someone working for FOXWOOD, but without success.

“I don’t remember opening up for new recruits,” Coyote said, his head tilted to the side.

“That’s because I’m not one,” the lady replied, her yellow eyes skimming through him. “The commander told me that a Wild Coyote is here. I assume that is you.”

“That is correct,” Coyote said, his left hand unhooking his waist from the ring and letting it spring up.

“Agent Oserotto, CIA,” she said, walking towards the cage.

“CIA?” Coyote rubbed his chin, feeling a slight stubble on it. “Why is— Oh,” His head straightened up. “You’re here about the arctic fox supersoldier, right?”

“Correct. Zwerg Pardalis sent me here,” Agent Oserotto answered, her voice cold and professional. “He wanted someone he can trust to look over FOXWOOD’s attempts on finding our supersoldier. Given that the one FOXWOOD agent who is supposed to be leading the investigation is instead within a cage flailing around like a fool, he made the right call.”

Coyote shook his head. “You mean this?” He gestured to his surrounding cage as he unhooked the wires connected to the suit, with the wires going up to the ceiling and over to a large computer by the wall. “It’s actually a full-body VR simulator, designed to make you feel as if you’re really there. It’s something that the military would kill for, even if it is just a work in progress.”

“So what you’re saying instead is that, rather than finding our lost soldier, you’re playing some kind of game FOXWOOD created? No wonder Pardalis sent me.” Agent Oserotto lifted her chin, facing away as she rolled her eyes.

Coyote frowned, as he unhooked the final cord connected to the helmet and watched as it rolled up to the ceiling until it was leveled with the other cords, all within reach. “I wasn’t playing a game either. It was to test out my chances in a battle against the werefox if it ever came to it. I used whatever data I could find and guessed with the closest comparison we have, then set myself up with possible scenarios, from swords to guns to even if I can sneak up on him.”

“And how well of a chance do you have?” Agent Oserotto asked, her left hand pressing against her hip.

“Not even average,” Coyote admitted, putting his helmet under his shoulder as he opened up the cage and walked out. “In a bout of strength, I can easily defeat him, but he doesn’t just have strength backing him up. His senses, agility, speed, and experience easily outclass my own. The only victories I managed is when I ‘cheated’ and even then I could still lose. It’s not too surprising to me since Star Fox is the basis of the werefox and I've only won a few bouts with him.” He shrugged. “I confess that I’m far better at inventing, computers, and crowd-clearing than one vs one combat.”

“And you’re the one we’re stuck with. Great,” the black-haired lady said, gripping onto her tie with her other hand. “It’s a shame that our former agent, Solid Fox, isn’t available to work with us again. I’m sure he’d love it.”

Coyote’s expression darkened. “After the CIA tried to put him on that mission before he resigned, I’m surprised that he didn’t forbid any relations with the CIA or related parties when we founded FOXWOOD. That was dirty work you tried to have him do.”

“If that is what you and he believed,” Agent Oserotto said, her voice filled with indifference. “But that is beside the point. I should get you to look for our supersoldier instead of playing games.”

Wild Coyote rubbed his eyebrows, feeling his sweat on them. “Of course, but let me change first. This suit is getting wet and sweaty on me.”

Agent Oserotto shook her head even as Coyote skimmed around the room, small and bare aside from the cage and the computer the simulator suit was connected to. He went towards one of a pair of doors and turned the doorknob. He opened the door before he heard her heels clicking forward, then him turned towards her and shook his head. She paused where she stood while he walked into another room.

This room was just as small as the other room, around the size of a bedroom. Next to the wall were a series of bins. Coyote went over to one of the bins and put the helmet inside. Piece by piece, the simulation suit was placed within the bin until he stood with only his underwear on, the bin almost full. He pressed the button above that basket. It sank into the floor, with the basket taken away and replaced by another one.

Coyote walked over to the second basket, which held a towel, a bottle of water, and some air freshener, and picked up the towel. He wiped away the sweat covering his body, then placed the towel back inside, drenched with it. He drained the bottle of water before he sprayed his body with the air freshener. After putting back empty bottle and air freshener into the basket, he pressed the button above that bin. It too sank into the floor and was replaced by a bin, but empty this time.

Coyote walked over to the third and final bin, filled with his bodysuit and lab coat. He grabbed them and put them on, with his boots clicking against the floor, before he stepped out of the room. He looked over to Agent Oserotto, who was leaning against the wall with her nails raised against her face.

“You took your time getting ready,” Agent Oserotto said, her head turning towards him.

“Be thankful that I didn’t shower to waste even more of your time. Of course, while I was there, I was thinking,” Coyote said. He frowned at her rolling her eyes. “While I am OK with having someone to work with me over this, I don’t get why I wasn’t warned by the commander himself that someone from the CIA will come personally to look over the mission. I wonder why.”

Agent Oserotto shrugged. “It was a recent development. Pardalis just contacted your commander an hour ago, saying that he’s sending me as his eyes and ears for the mission.”

“I’ll have to check with the commander himself to verify this change,” Coyote said, pulling out his smartphone and waking it up, with him blinking at the recorded message. He pressed it as he held it against his ear.

“Wild Coyote,” the commander’s recorded voice said, and Coyote flinched. “I got word from Zwerg Pardalis that he is sending a CIA agent by the name of Oserotto to assist and look over the mission. I had a background check on the agent, and they confirmed her identity. As such, I command you to tolerate her presence as much as possible as you two look for the werefox. Over and out.”

“That confirms that,” Coyote said, deflated as he puts the phone away.

Agent Oserotto smirked. “Good. Now then, shall we look for our supersoldier?”

Wild Coyote and Agent Oserotto entered into a lab room, and he checked on the plastic bin that held the project’s hard drives. He walked over there and picked them up, reading the labels placed on each of them. Agent Oserotto’s eyes gleamed and, when Coyote turned towards her, she had a smug grin.

“Well, well, well,” she said with a smirk, crossing one of her arms under her chest. “It seems that Pardalis was correct in that FOXWOOD would be able to crack into the hard drives, despite our attempts ending in failure.”

“When you have the right tools and mindset, it’s easy,” Coyote said as he walked over to the shelf and placed the bin in it before he paused. “We never did say that we’d be able to crack into the hard drives, so what made Pardalis think that it’s possible?”

“Oh, it’s just a hunch he had,” Agent Oserotto said, not moving away from the shelf. “He figured that FOXWOOD wouldn’t resist the opportunity to hack into the encrypted hard drives, especially if you believed that it was safe to do so.” She turned to Coyote. “So, you got everything?”

“Everything,” Coyote answered in an exhausted tone with a slight tinge of anger. “I must say, what the CIA and REA did to the werefox is unforgivable.”

“It’s all to protect the United States and everything within,” Agent Oserotto said, twisting her head away. “Of course, while Pardalis did offer 200 million for the capture of the werefox and getting a bit of his blood, he is willing to double it if you turn over the information you extracted from the hard drives.” She smirked as she rubbed her chin. “It’s a win for everyone this way. FOXWOOD gets a massive donation, the supersoldier doesn’t need to get disturbed, and the United States—”

“—will be able to shake the world’s balance,” Coyote said, gripping his hands into tight fists as the lady turned to him. “I don’t want to be some kind of accomplice to anyone who’ll use him and the research surrounding him to create an army that can subjugate entire nations. FOXWOOD was founded to protect the world from threats the average man doesn’t know or realized, not to help dictators conquer rival nations. The only reason why we’re accepting this mission is because you want a bit of the werefox’s blood, so if you ever mention wanting the hard drive data again, we’ll call off this mission. Is that clear?”

Agent Oserotto blinked, looking up at Coyote and, seeing his face, blanched as she felt the hot anger emitting from his body. She took a step back, rubbing her chin in thought. A few seconds passed before she nodded. “Yes, that is clear.”

“Good!” Coyote walked to the side, as if he was never angry in the first place, and it took Agent Oserotto a second to follow. Soon, they stood in front of a table, not unlike the one the commander used and yet larger with the device above it larger as well. Sitting on the table was a coyote plush, which Coyote picked up and held under his arm. “What do you know about holographic computers?”

“That they give out an illusion of depth?” Agent Oserotto said, leaning against the tabletop as Coyote pressed a button on the side and the screen on the table flashed on along with the screen above. She blinked as she watched three-dimensional objects such as an apple and a flag made out of light formed in front of her, floating over the table. She took a step back, turning back and forth between Coyote and the light objects. “O. K. This is different.”

“I decided that holographic screens weren’t enough, so I decided to invent a true hologram illusion system where I can interact with the illusion at hand.” Coyote poked his finger on one of the objects, a globe with his finger on Australia, and the other objects disappeared. The globe expanded until the only thing seen was Australia itself. “What do you think?”

“I admit that this is impressive,” Agent Oserotto said, reaching out to the Australia landmass and her fingers phasing through it. “How did you interact with it?”

“It’s simple,” Coyote answered, raising his spread out fingers to her. “Nanomachines. Vix and I worked on them and we developed a few types of them. This type of nanomachines, located on my hands, are the ones that the holograms are interacting with, not myself specifically. Of course, only FOXWOOD personnel can be able to receive the nanomachines.”

“I must say, I never thought that FOXWOOD could have such genius developers such as yourself.” Agent Oserotto rubbed the side of her head. “Of course, I’m not here to explore what you and others have created. I’m here to see how you’re proceeding with the supersoldier search.”

Coyote remained silent for a few seconds, rubbing his chin. “Sorry. Just another thought had occurred to me. Since you CIA lot worked with REA in developing Project LONGE, I wondered how much you know about them.”

Agent Oserotto gave out an impatient grunt and a shrug. “Nothing personally, I admit. Of course, I know all about your troubles with them and how you eventually managed to shut them down after the Lycan City incident. A bit of shame that REA went down since they’re very good at supporting us, even if they were trying to take over the US government. But why are you asking?”

“There is one person involved with the incident that we’re still looking for.” Coyote pressed some buttons on the table's side and an image appeared in front of them. It expanded in size, in front of the Australia map, showcasing an anthro leopard-like being with long blond hair and wearing a black suit along with an overcoat. This figure’s blue eyes gave out a sense of smugness along with a grin. “Two years since that incident passed and yet we’ve yet to find out where he went off to.”

Agent Oserotto tilted her head, her lips sucked into her mouth. “Hmm. I wonder. Who is he?”

“He is Adam Incertus,” Coyote answered and Agent Oserotto blinked, inhaling a bit before she stared at him. “An anthro ocelot. He was REA's head of security and perhaps other roles, but he backstabbed REA back in the Lycan City incident. He disrupted their plans for the event regarding the missing teens with his own teenager group. They were meant to be part of it, but he saved them. They unwittingly helped with his plans to disrupt REA’s Lycan City base so that he could screw over his boss’ plans to use the kidnapped teens to create his own army. Star Fox, who went in himself, was impressed enough with the teenage group that he recruited them for FOXWOOD as the Lycan Brigade. In a way, we owed Adam one, but he never did explain why he did what he did and why he assisted with REA until he screwed them over.”

Agent Oserotto nodded a bit before she spoke up, her voice higher than normal. “This is irrelevant. I’m not here for research, technology, or even stories. I’m here to get the supersoldier and you have given me nothing about him.”

Coyote shrugged, pressing a button as the image of the anthro ocelot disappeared, with the hologram now only displaying Australia. He pressed a few more buttons, and two red dots appeared on the map, one on the western coast and the other further inland and east from it, closer to center-left. He pointed at the second red dot.

“This is where our werefox is right now.”