Calico Returns

Summary

Bolt and Penny have finally vanquished Calico, Penny rescued her father, and life returned to normal. But a mastermind never truly stays down. Calico returns once more and, this time, kidnaps Penny, her father, and her husband in one final attempt to obtain the genetic enhancement process. Now, the only ones who can save them are Penny's daughter, Emily, and Bolt's son, Lightning.


Prologue: The Last Battle

"Are you ready for this guys?" Penny asked without looking away from her binoculars, which were looking over a particularly large military base, which had a large, green, cat like eye in the center. "Guys?" she asked again looking over her shoulder to her two companions, her dog and best friend, Bolt, whom her father, Mark had altered to protect her, and a brown haired boy who was the same age as Penny, same height, with dark green eyes, blue jeans and a green shirt.

"Oh, sure. Heck yeah, I'm ready. How about you Bolt?" he said standing up and walking over next to Penny.

Bolt barked happily as he too sat next to Penny on the edge of a redwood forest in California, overlooking the base. She smiled at their enthusiasm. It had been almost a year and a half since Penny's father was kidnapped by Calico. She and Bolt had been on the run from him ever since, searching through bases and labs of Calico industries, battling henchmen, sleeping in small, out-of-the-way hotels, paying for meals with the large amount of cash Mark had left her, and doing anything to find clues about the whereabouts of him. Her other partner, Adam Hendrick, had joined her a little before the end of the first year. She had met him back in her home town of Silverlake when she came back to finish a school year. She had only told him about her journey to save her father, and he agreed to assist her, despite her protests to keep him out of it.

And he proved more than helpful to them. He knew how to hack a computer mainframe and knock out henchman just as well as Penny, and they didn't realize it, but they both a had a crush on the other. But they didn't have time to think about it now, they were about to go up against Calico for what they hoped would be the last time. Since he wasn't expecting them for once, Mark had to be there. And since Calico was completely unaware of their location, they could use that to their advantage and catch him off guard. "So..." Adam started, looking away from his own binoculars. "This is it, huh?"

"I...I guess so," Penny responded, keeping her eyes fixed on the base. She hoped so. After running and hiding from Calico for so long, she just wanted it to end, and it was finally about to.

Adam looked over at her and smiled, "Ready to see your dad Penny?" he asked.

Penny smiled as well and nodded. "If everything goes as planned," she said, pulling out a layout of the base in front of them. "Now, here's how it's going to work. Bolt and I are going to sneak in and lower the base defenses so they won't be able to fight back as quickly or as well. And then we'll attack straight to where Calico's holding dad, Bolt will take down the rest of his weapons, and you will give us any heads-ups about his weapon, and take out the rest of his defenses."

"And how, exactly, am I supposed to do that?" Adam asked, bewildered. Penny handed him her phone. "With this?"

"Calico moves around a lot, so he sometimes puts his controls on a phone or a remote, or something mobile so he can control them from wherever. And that's what I'm going to do," she explained, putting the phone into his hand. "Once we're inside the main control room, I can switch all of the functions of the weapons, including self destruct, over to this phone, and you can figure out the rest."

Adam admired how much faith she had in him. He only hoped her trust would pay off. "Alright. So...we're all set and ready then?" he inquired, double-checking everything over in his head.

"Yep," Penny responded looking at the base once again, her heart pounding with both excitement and concern. "Let's do this then."

She began climbing down the hill they were on when Adam grabbed her hand. "Penny!" he said cautiously. She looked back at him. "Be...careful. Okay?"

She smiled at him and clutched his hand . "I will. I promise," she assured, and continued down the hill, Bolt right behind her. He likes me. She thought smiling. Yes!

Adam watched her continue down to the perimeter. She likes me. Yes!

Penny slid to a halt just short of the fence. Bolt quickly tore through the fence and slowly went through it with Penny following him behind a small storage building with the main control room in sight. Here we go.


It worked flawlessly. All of Calico's helicopters and cars were in flames, Bolt was taking care of the last squadron of soldiers with one swift superbark, then turned back to Penny, who was marching straight towards the center of the base. Where she knew (thanks to the control station) her father was. "Nice work Penny!" Adam's voice came from her two way radio. "It worked."

Thanks for pointing out the obvious Adam. "Of course it did," she responded. "Thanks to you."

"Oh I just did what you told me to do," he laughed. "You going to Calico now?"

"Yep," she sighed. "Wait where you are and call the police."

Adam obeyed as Bolt came up beside her. She bent down and scratched his head. "Good boy!" she said warmly. "Let's finish this."

They entered the tall, cylindrical building to a dark room with steps winding upward. They both carefully climbed up the steps into a large, round room. Everything was black. Until a blinding light was shown on the two of them.

"Penny!" a familiar voice cried out of the darkness.

"Daddy!" Penny cried back, shielding her eyes, trying to see anything past the light.

"Ah, young Penny!" a chilling, English accented voice rang out of the dark. "I must admit this visit was rather unexpected. But I'm so pleased you stopped by."

Then the spotlight turned off and the entire room was illuminated. She unshielded her eyes and saw a metal aisle in front of her, with rows of henchmen, cars, and helicopters, or "Calicopters" as Penny sometimes called them. Beyond them was the largest Calico supercomputer either of them had ever seen. With Mark off to the right of it, strapped to a chair, and Calico standing behind what appeared to be a podium with a microphone. Off to the left a ways was a large vat full of a strange, partially glowing, green liquid. "Let my dad go Calico!" she roared, her fists clenched.

"Oh, why of course, my dear. Right away," he said in a faked polite tone. "I was just waiting for you to ask nicely." Penny sneered at his sarcasm. "Grab her, quickly!" he ordered to his back sea of guards which lunged towards them instantly.

Penny had had enough. "Bolt. Speak," she said.

The doctor snickered. "Oh yes, Bolty, show us what you're made of, and risk igniting the facility and destroying half the forest."

"You should have thought about that when you took my dad away," she shouted back as Bolt positioned himself. Calico's confident smile quickly vanished. Bolt growled deeply as he moved his head back. The lashed it forward releasing a super bark. Which sent all of the lined up cars, henchmen, and copters flying into the air towards the supercomputer.

A small series of explosions turned into one massive wall of flame that was ripping through the dark gray walls, and spilled the green substance across the floor. Bolt quickly jumped back and shielded Penny from any of the debris. When she looked back up, though it was difficult to see anything through the thick smoke, she could make out the smoldering remains of the computer, and the area where her father was. Also in flames, but Mark himself alright, and freed from his burnt chair. "Daddy!" she cried as she ran past the injured henchmen and damaged and burning cars to him.

Mark released a huge sigh of relieve as he ran towards her. Penny felt like she was about to cry at the sight of her father again. She kept running and running, not caring how tired she was, she just wanted to embrace Mark again. Mark felt the same. The two finally met halfway through the gradually burning room. Mark kneeled down and at long last embraced his daughter. Penny nearly leaped into his arms, and began sobbing tears into his rugged lab coat. "Daddy..." she kept repeating as she hugged him tightly.

Mark pulled back looked at her lovingly, "I told you that you could find me again," he said, pulling her back into his arms. "I knew you would."

She continued to cry softly into his shoulder. "Are...are you okay daddy?" she asked, still tightly hugging him. "Did Calico hurt you at all? Did you..."

Mark chuckled, "I'm fine sweetie. Thanks to you."

"You were the one who enhanced Bolt," she reminded him.

Then his smile vanished, "I'm...sorry, about that sweetie. I knew what it would do to him, and I knew what he means to you, but I did it anyway. And I didn't even tell you, and..."

Penny laughed and silenced him, "It's okay," she said. "It saved my life on more than one occasion."

"I know, but...I should have at least told you before that call."

"You had your reasons, now..."

Suddenly they were both pushed by something and rolled over a few meters before coming to stop just before a group of wounded and fleeing henchmen. "Penny! Sweetheart are you okay?" Mark asked worriedly.

"Fine," she assured, looking back at where they were sitting to see a large chunk of flaming debris in their place.

Then they looked at what pushed them to safety. Mark smiled and scratched Bolt behind the ear. "Good boy," he said breathlessly.

Bolt smiled and wagged his tail in response. He missed him almost as much as Penny did. "Oh, good boy indeed."

They all turned to see Calico standing on what was left of his platform, pointing a pistol at Penny. Mark snarled and stepped in front of Penny. "Give up Calico," he said in a dark and angry tone. "Your base is destroyed. Your henchmen are gone. All of your cars and weapons are fried. We've won. Just give up!"

"You've won?" Calico sneered, keeping the gun pointed in his direction. "Let me explain something to you. I always win. No matter what circumstances. I will always triumph over your pitiful diminutive resistance. And not all of my weapons, by the way."

He activated a control on his panel, revealing a large rack of warheads behind him. "Once I launch these missiles, they will fly all over the world and destroy multiple unsuspecting towns and cities, including Silverlake. Unless..." he said, hovering his finger over the launch button. "I won't launch them, if you give me the genetic enhancement process!"

Mark sighed, looking back at Penny, who looked at him with worried eyes. "Wait," she said looking back at the leaking vat. "Dad, what is that?" she asked.

"Uh...some sort of chemical that Calico must have put in those missiles," he said. "It's very...explosive, and he said it could destroy the entire base..."

"Calico!" Penny shouted boldly. "If you don't surrender, I tell Bolt to destroy that...liquid stuff."

Calico laughed manically, "And destroy you, your father, and your precious little mutt? I think not. Now, the process please? Mark?"

Mark looked back at her and she mouthed, "Get ready to run." Mark's eyes widened and he clutched her hand and nodded. "Have it your way. Bolt?" She didn't need to say any more. I hope you know what you're doing Penny. He shot two bright green lasers at the pool, instantly setting it aflame.

Calico shouted angrily, beginning to run from the scene, only to be pinned on the floor by Bolt.

All three of them sprinted out of the room along with the equally terrified remaining, black-suited men. Bolt dragging Calico behind him as he ran. The flames quickly ran along the trail of the leaked chemical until they hit the main vat where it came from. Then from it came a large ear splitting explosion. They narrowly made it out of the building into the center area of the base where a large number of police and police cars were waiting, capturing the fleeing henchmen. Mark and Penny finally stumbled to a rest as the center building went up in flames. They held each other close as they watched the explosion and smoke rise higher in the air. "Why do I feel like Calico was bluffing about those missiles?" she panted, finally.

"Because the explosion would've been larger?" Mark inquired. "Plus we would probably be dead."

"Probably. I thought he was getting a little desperate near the end," she said.

"Near the end?" Mark repeated, smiling. "Try the beginning."

Penny returned a smile. "Sorry about that scare. Sometimes I forget how much Bolt can..."

She stopped in an instant. Bolt? What happened to Bolt? She heard a small whimper alongside her. She looked to see her American white shepherd covered in black soot spots sitting loyally beside her. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Good boy," she said stroking his head. "You're my good boy."

They stayed in the embrace for another minute as Penny watched the struggling doctor finally being taken away to a police van with his other henchmen without helmets. She smiled and waved to him getting a large sneer in response. "You don't always win," she shouted to him.

He snarled as the door closed. Just wait.

Then she saw Adam running towards her, yelling her name. "Adam!" she cried, she released Bolt and ran back to him.

The two met in a tight embrace and Adam looked at her, a mixed expression of relief and worry on his face. "I thought you had died, Penny. I was so worried something bad happened to you and I wasn't there to help, I..." he continued until Penny put her hand over his mouth.

"I'm fine," she said calmly. "And I wanted...to thank you for everything you've done to help me get dad back. I...I don't I could've done it without it you."

He smiled at her, "Anytime..." The two simply stood there in a few moments of awkward silence until Adam spoke up again. "Uh...hey Penny. Uh...since you're free, I was wondering of maybe you and I could...I don't know...maybe..."

Penny stopped him again. "Yes," she answered, and with that she pulled his lips into hers, wrapping her arms around his neck.

His eyes widened, then slowly shut as he embraced her back. Bolt and Mark smiled at this. It was finally over. Mark was thankful that Penny could finally go back to a normal life with her father. Bolt was thankful that he had succeeded in his duty of protecting Penny. Calico had lost.


Later.

Mark had finished talking to the local authorities about the situation as the last of the fire had been extinguished. They understood, after a much explanation, and offered to transport them back to Silverlake, California via helicopter. He went to find Penny, Bolt, and Adam. It didn't take long as they were watching the sunset off to the side of the center of the base. Penny was gently stroking Bolt in her lap and was leaning against Adam who had his arm around her. He smiled at the sight and approached them. Penny hastily looked back him, at first thinking he was yet another medic who thought she had been injured. Soon recognizing him, she smiled. "Hey sweetie," he said, smiling ear to ear. "You ready to head home?"

Penny's smile grew. "Yes," she nodded, as she held Adam closer to her in excitement. "Home, Bolt," she whispered to her dog. "We're going home."

Bolt smiled as well. Home. He kept thinking. There's nothing like it. Home.

A/N

Pretty long for a first chapter I know, but I had to get this all together.