Chapter 5: Peppy's Decision

Fox hung up the phone. Everyone was looking at him.

"Well?" asked Slippy. Fox sighed.

"He wants me to come to the Academy at midnight tonight night... alone."

"No!" Krystal gasped. "You can't!"

"What was that about your father?" asked Peppy.

"Hmph, he said my father kept a secret from me, something about someone he 'gave up one.' I don't get it." He looked at the hare. "Make sense to you? Did my father show me favor over someone else, maybe a student in the Academy or something?"

"No..." He got up. "I'm going to the police station. Maybe they discovered something with the gun. And I'll report this."

"Okay, Peppy." He left.

"What else did he say?" asked Falco.

"Lost of strange stuff. He called me 'Fox the Favored' and said he was going to kill me because of something he'd suffered in the past. But I've never heard his voice before."

"Well, you're not going alone tonight." Falco's tone brooked no argument, but Fox felt he had to try anyways.

"If you guys come along, you'll get hurt, if not killed. He said as much."

"We're not coming with you," the bird countered. "We came on our own, coincidently at midnight."

"Very well. Thank you."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Peppy felt low. He hated to lie to Fox, but he had to be sure first.

"First, he went to the police station, but refrained from mentioning the phone call. Then, back at his home, he got a pen, some paper, collected his thoughts, and wrote. The letter he then sealed in an envelope, addressed it, and dropped it off at the post office with instructions to mail it if he hadn't said different in a day’s time.

Then, he prepared.

At eleven thirty he arrived at the Academy grounds. He walked into the large, open front parade grounds and shouted,

"If anyone is here, I want to talk! I am alone, and unarmed!" Since. "My name is Peppy Hare, friend to Fox McCloud, former wingman to James McCloud! I know the secret you spoke of! Please! I just want to talk!" A dark shadow, like ebony night come to life, suddenly materialized behind him, a smooth voice was saying,

"Fox was a cowardly fool to send you, old man."

Then a solid, heavy object hit Peppy in the back of the head, and all went back.