Brothers - Book 4: Remastered, a secret life of pets fanfic

Katie's sister is bringing Jess over in a few hours...

I don't know if I'll be able to deal with her again...

Especially after what happened last time...

"Maxy?" Gidget calls, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yes, Gidg?"

"Katie came up with an idea to separate you from that dog for at least a little while."

"I'm listening."

"Well, I have another spa session today-"

"Again?" I mutter. "Didn't you have one yesterday?"

She really is high maintenance...

Quiet, Alpha.

"-and Katie told me that if she really bothers you that much-"

"She does."

"-that you could come along."

"Oh..."

"I thought so. Well, I'll go tell her your answ-"

"But I didn't answer!"

Oh, come on. You can't actually be considering it.

Oh, come on. You don't understand what Jess is like!

I was there, remember?

Secondhand experience!

"Uh... Max?" Gidget asks, worried.

"Oh, uh, sorry, Gidg! Alpha's just being a little..."

'A little' what?

"...rude." I finish, after a moment.

Seriously? Max, the 'spa' is a place for female dogs!

I'm sure there are some male dogs there! Here, I'll ask her!

"Hey, Gidget?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen any male dogs at the spa?"

"Well, I've seen one or two..."

See? Nothing to be worried about!

'One or two'.

Silence.

Max, is Jess really that bad?

Yes. Believe me, Alpha. Normally, I wouldn't even consider it. J feel the same way about it as you. But I want to avoid her as much as I can.

Alright...

"Okay." I tell her.

"What!?"

"I said okay."

"R-right! I'll go tell Katie!"

"So, Gidg, I wanted to discuss my plans for the next few days with you before Jess gets here, if that's okay." I ask, entering the room.

"Of course, Maxy!"

"Okay, today I'm going with you to the spa, right? But for the other two days I think the two of us should be together at all times. You don't have any other plans, do you?"

"Nope! I think your idea will work fine!"

"Thanks, Gidg."

"I'm gonna go talk to Duke. We haven't really talked since you started dating me. Why don't you go see Katie?"

"That sounds good." I nod. "See you!"

"Hey Katie."

I hop next to where she sits on the couch.

"Hi, Max. How are you?"

"Utterly terrified of the next few days." I shudder.

Katie gives me a few pats on the head.

"Hey." She says. "What'd I tell you? You guys are my OTP! I'm not letting another dog get in the way of that!"

"I know, but..." I mutter. "She's your sister's dog!"

"So? Gidget is my dog! Just chill out, Max. I bet as soon as Jess sees you with Gidget she'll leave you alone."

"No, she won't."

"How about this, Max? If she does, I'll stop her, okay?"

"Alright..."

"Why don't you go see what Duke and Gidget are up to?"

"Hey Max." Duke says as I enter the room.

"Hey. So, uh..."

"What is it, Max?"

"I'm kinda sorta going out with Gidget after Jess gets here..."

"You're going to the spa?"

"Wait-"

"Relax, Max. Gidget already told me. And I've already judged you."

I like his style!

You're sure feeling chipper today.

What can I say? I get the feeling that the next few days are gonna be hilarious.

"Gee, thanks." I deadpan, responding to both Alpha and Duke.

This is already great and she hasn't even arrived yet.

"Where is Gidg anyways?" I inquire.

"She's over by the window, watching for Katie's sister. And by extension, the dog."

"Anyways, I apologize in advance for leaving you with her."

"Oh please, there's no way she's as bad as you say. You kind of tend to hyperbolize things."

See?

He hasn't even met her! He has no idea!

"I'm being completely serious, Duke."

"So am I."

Man, he is destroying you today!

"Whatever. Don't believe me, if you want."

"Maxy! I think she's here!" Gidget barks.

I rush over to Gidget.

Maybe Katie's right. Maybe if Jess sees Gidget and I together she'll be scared off...

There is a knock on the door, and I move closer to Gidget.

"Maxy~! Where are you, sweetie?" Jess calls as the door opens.

Okay... Maybe my memory was a little dull...

You have no idea.

"There you are, cutie! Oh, who's this angel next to you?" She asks, her voice laced with venom.

"Oh!" I yelp. "Hey Jess, this, uh...this is my girlfriend Gidget."

'WHAT!?"

"W-well, Jess, what I'm trying to say is that I am in a relationship with Gidget."

She stalks up to Gidget and growls at her.

"What did you do to my Max!?"

"Wha-?"

"He belongs to me!"

Okay...

Yes?

I might have been completely wrong.

'Might'?

Maybe.

"Excuse me," Gidget growls back. "How many times have you saved his life? Because I've done it twice."

"I've got three!" Duke says, entering the room. "Now, what exactly is goin-"

"Oh, and who's this? Your other boyfriend?" Jess asks, filled with hate.

"A-actually that's my brother, Duke." I butt in.

"Nope," Gidget says, continuing to growl. "Just a friend."

"A-am I being ignored?" I question.

Yep.

I wasn't asking you!

Just tellin' you the truth. If they are ignoring you, what makes you think they'd tell you so?

Oh... Yeah...

"I think so, Max." Duke tells me. "Anyways, color me surprised. She actually is that bad."

"I told you!"

"What do you want from me?"

The two girls are still fighting in the background.

"An apology would be nice."

"Fine." He sighs. "I'm sorry. You were right, et cetera."

Suddenly, Katie enters the room.

"Okay, guys. Susie's gone. What's all the commo-?" Katie begins to ask before she notices the two fighting. "Oh. Well, it's time for Max and Gidget to go to the spa..."

Pfft.

Stop it.

Duke snickers.

"Stop it!" I bark.

"You're leaving cutie pie!?" Jess asks, heartbroken.

Gidget growls at her again.

"Alright, come on, you two. Duke, Jess, please behave while I'm gone. I'll be back after I drop them off."

"Ya hear that, Jess?" Gidget asks, sweetly.

Jess simply growls in response.

"O-okay, Gidget, maybe we should go."

"You're right." She sighs. "Let's go, Katie."

Well, this will be an interesting experience...

I just hope Duke will be okay.

Whatcha thinkin' about?

Why do you care?

Because I'm a part of you that couldn't tell anyone else if I wanted? Also just wanna make sure you're not thinking about how glorious your time at the spa will be.

Will you please stop joking about this?

I'm being completely serious. You're gonna be one of the only male dogs there. Probably gonna be made fun of.

I already told you I wouldn't be doing this if-

Yeah, yeah. Doesn't stop it from being hilarious.

...I'm done. Talk to you later.

Ok, bye! Love you, too!

"Hey Gidg, what's up?" I ask.

"Oh! Uh... not much..." She replies. "Why aren't you talking to Alpha?"

Good question.

"He's being..."

"...Alpha?"

"A complete jerk, yes."

Now that's just uncalled for! All I did was make fun of you because you're going to the spa! You brought this upon yourself, really.

"Hey, Katie?" I yelp as we drive over a pothole. "How much longer is this drive?"

"About thirty minutes." She tells me.

"Seriously!?"

And it just keeps getting better.

I swear, if you don't shut up I will find a way to actually get rid of you.

What happened to not talking to me?

Aw, dang it!

This is just like that one time you were talking about how you don't do things I do and then proceeded to make a terrible pun just like I would.

I'm done again.

Already? That was quick.

"Then I'm gonna try and get some sleep." I mutter, annoyed, and lay my head down on the seat.

"Maxy?" Gidget calls after a few moments. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah, what is it, Gidg?"

"You sound kinda upset about something..."

Is it just me or is it getting even better?

"It's just... Nevermind." I say, and lay my head back down.

"Max, what's wrong? I'm here for you, just tell me what's bothering you?"

Man, this is so cheesy.

"It's not important, Gidg. You don't need to worry about it."

"Well, I am worrying about it. So please tell me what's wrong."

"...It's Alpha..."

Why is it always me!?

"What's he been doing?"

"He keeps making jokes about how I'm going to the spa."

They're just jokes!

"Well, Alpha," Gidget says threateningly. "If I recall correctly, you're technically going to the spa, too. And I don't appreciate the way Max tells me you've been talking to him."

P-please help.

Sh-she's s-scaring me.

"O-okay, that's enough! He's audibly very scared of you."

"Good. Now get some rest, Max."

"Th-thanks Gidg."

"No problem!"

H-how on earth can you deal with her?

Oh, come on. She would never treat me like that.

Th-the time she b-bit you would beg to differ.

Anymore. She would never treat me like that anymore.

For some reason, I just can't believe you.

Okay, would you stop talking? I'd like to get some slee-

"Alright, guys! We're here! Wake up, Max!"

Thanks a lot, Alpha.

No problem!

I dutifully follow Katie into the spa.

"Hello, Ms. Brown!" The man behind the desk in the lobby calls. "Are you here for Gidget's appointment?"

"Yep!" Katie replies. "And I was wondering if Max here could join her. I'm watching my sister's dog, and he doesn't really get along with her."

"Well, you're in luck. We just so happen to have an open spot. But next time, could you let us know in advance?"

"Of course! I was also wondering if you could keep them together. Max gets used to new places better when he's around people or animals that he knows."

"Alright. But you owe me."

"Oka-"

"I'm just messin' with ya!" he chuckles. "Alright, come here you two."

Gidget immediately follows.

I hesitate.

"Go on, Max." Katie tells me.

"I have an idea." The man says, and pulls out a treat. "Here boy!"

As soon as my eyes lock on to the treat, I find myself rushing to his position. He gives me the treat.

"Good boy! Come on!"

"Bye Katie!" I bark as I follow the man.

Wow.

Do I need to get Gidg?

Hey hey hey! No need to get hasty! I would have done the same thing!

Uh huh.

Okay, maybe not... sorry.

I'll let it slide this time.

We are led into a large room. Several other dogs are laying down on tables.

Man! This place is a lot bigger than I expected!

The man leading us stops.

"Alright, here's our first stop. Before we get started, I need to introduce myself to Max. My name is Chris."

Okay, I'll be keeping that one.

I bark in response.

"Alright," Chris says. "First, we're gonna get you two groomed."

He lifts both of us up and puts us on tables. Then he takes our collars off and hooks us into this strange collar-like object on the table. Gidget tells me it's meant to prevent us from moving too much.

Next, Chris washes my fur with shampoo and rinses me off.

I lift my paw to my nose and sniff. Wow! I smell really good!

Next, he runs a brush through my fur, neatening it up.

He takes some clippers and trims my fur. It doesn't take very long, which makes sense, I guess. I am a shorthair after all.

He moves on to Gidget, which takes a little while longer than I did, before he unhooks us and puts our collars back on.

We are picked back up, and after a short walk, we are placed into some warm water.

Chris presses a button and suddenly, the water begins to move!

"Wow!" I yelp. "This feels incredible!"

"Those are water jets." Gidget tells me. "They're designed to make you feel good."

"Well, they're working!"

Man! I don't know why I doubted this place! It's great!

I can't hear your thoughts, but I just felt a dramatic shift in your mood. Please don't tell me you're actually enjoying this.

No promises.

You are.

I am.

You know, that actually does look kinda relaxing...

Wait, you mean you can't feel it?

Nah. I need to take over your body to feel. And I can't do that anymore, so...yeah. And if I did, you wouldn't be able to feel it. So the real question is, would you let me?

No.

See?

Wait, did I say no? Wow. Guess I'm still spoiled. That's probably part of the reason I'm enjoying this so much, too...

After a short while in the tub, Chris reappears and lifts us out. He brings us to a room full of cages.

Awwww. Guess we're waiting here for Katie to pick us up...

Yeah, sucks. I mean, I wouldn't know, because I couldn't feel any of it, but it sounds like it sucks.

Okay, okay, I get it!

"All right you two," he tells us, placing us in a cage. "Behave. Your owner should be here soon to pick you up."

A few more moments pass.

"So, Maxy? How'd you like it?"

"Aw, it was great! I'm kinda sad it's over."

"Yeah, it goes by a lot quicker than you'd think."

"Hey Max, hey Gidget!" Katie yells.

I perk up instantly upon hearing her voice. My tail begins to wag uncontrollably.

Chris opens the cage and we rush out.

"Hey, Max! Did you have fun?"

"Oh, it was amazing, Katie!" I bark. "My fur's so soft, and I smell so clean, and it was so relaxing, and-"

You're rambling.

"-it was like, the best thing I've ever done!"

"...How much did you pamper him?" She asks Chris.

"Uh...a lot...is that bad?"

"Not at all! He loves being pampered!"

Who doesn't?

Not now, Alpha.

"Well, I think it's about time for us to leave." Katie says. "Bye!"

We walk to the car and hop in.

"Okay, guys. I think I need to fill you in on what happened while you were gone."

"Jess?" I ask.

"Yep. And oh boy, where do I begin?"

At the start, obviously.

Quiet, Alpha!

"So, what exactly happened?" I ask.

"Well, when I got back after dropping you off..."

Katie POV, two hours earlier

"Duke! Jess! I'm back!" I shout as I open the door.

Huh. I can't see them anywhere.

"Duke? Where are you two?" I call. "Hello?"

I listen carefully to hear the sound of claws lightly tapping against a tiled floor.

Are they in the kitchen?

"Guys? Are you in here?"

I see Duke laying on the ground, fast asleep.

"Aww." I whisper to avoid waking him.

Now, where's Jess?

I listen carefully again, but I don't hear anything.

I re-enter the living room and look at the dog beds.

Max is laying on hi-

Wait, that's Jess! Max isn't even here.

I should probably try to get her off his bed. Who knows how he'd react to her there.

I slowly lift her up, making sure not to jostle her too much, and lay her on the bed Susie brought for her.

I decide that these two have the right idea, and head to my room to take a nap until it's time to pick Max and Gidget up.

However, as I enter my room, I notice how much of a disaster it is.

On the floor, the words 'HE WILL BE MINE' are spelt out seemingly with whatever the writer could find. It also looks like a small fight occurred.

I rush back to the kitchen and notice the signs of a fight in there as well. I make my way over to Duke and attempt to wake him up.

"Duke? Duke, wake up."

He grunts in pain, before lifting his head up to look at me.

"K-katie?"

"Yeah, it's me, Duke. What happened?"

"W-well...after you left, J-jess got really upset. After a few m-moments, she sniffed around the beds a bit and laid down in M-max and Gidget's. I t-told her that Max wouldn't be h-happy about that, but she growled at me and ran off. I searched the place for her, and found her making a mess of your room! So, I told her 'Get out of here', but she pounced on me, then scrambled off again. I eventually made my way here, and I guess she knocked me out? I don't remember anything else."

"Hey, it's okay, Duke. We can deal with her for a few days."

"And now, I feel like a complete jerk, because Max warned me about her, and I completely disregarded him."

"Duke. Don't worry about it. I'm sure Max will forgive you. I mean, he's forgiven you for far worse! He even forgave Snowball, Gidget, and Tiberius, and they all tried to kill him! So just don't worry about it. I know on the outside he seems like a complete jerk, and you know that better than anyone, but when he cares about someone he really cares. He cares about you, Duke. I know he does."

"I-I know he does, too." Duke says, but he doesn't seem entirely sure. "But that doesn't mean a thing."

"Yes, it does, Duke! Especially with Max. Now, come on. Let's go get some rest."

I lead him to my room and direct him onto my bed. I set an alarm to wake me up, before laying down myself.

Max POV, present

"Huh." I mutter. "I'll need to talk to Duke about that..."

Gidget doesn't seem very happy with this at all.

"Why can't she get it through her head that Max doesn't like her!?"

Why couldn't you?

Alpha...

Oh, shoot! Sorry! ...Please don't tell her...

"Max!" She barks. "There's gotta be a reason why you dislike her so much! Tell her why, and maybe she'll leave us alone!"

No. I don't want to think about it...

"Gidg..." I sigh. "I'm sorry, but I can't. I don't even want to think about it, let alone talk to her about it."

"Okay... I understand. Guess we'll just have to make do."

"Yeah... Hey, Gidg?

"Yes?"

"No matter what's happened while we were gone, and whatever else happens today, just remember..."

I give her a nice long kiss, then lick her face.

"Hey! Max!"

"...tomorrow is another day."

No regrets!

W-why would you do that!?

I'm getting her back for making me think she was dead.

Oh. Fair enough. Wait, you haven't gotten me back for that!

Still working on it.

Oh. Shi- I mean shoot!

...

...

Let's pretend that didn't happen.

Yeah.

"So, uh, Katie?" I ask. "On a scale of one to ten, how much do you think has happened since you came to pick us up?"

"Well..." She replies. "Duke and Jess were both asleep when I left so it could be a zero, but a round trip takes an hour, and that doesn't include picking you up or paying. So, if they're awake, I'd go with an eight."

"Sounds about right." I sigh.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Max. Like I said, you and Gidg are my OTP!"

"I know, I know. And we've talked about this. Don't call her Gidg. That's my thing. Speaking of which... Hey, Gidg? Are you ready for if things are really bad?"

"Yep! If she gets too close to you, I'll kill her!" Gidget barks.

"Please don't do that. The last time you attacked someone inside of an apartment, we both almost died."

"Why'd you have to bring that up? And I already apologized!" She yelps.

"Because I would prefer my girlfriend to not be put down. And I know you did. And I forgave you. So please, don't start a fight. I can handle myself, alright?"

"...okay."

"Alright, guys," Katie tells us. "We're home."

We enter the building and walk up the steps to our apartment.

"Here we go..." I mutter as the door swings open.

Chaos.

Complete and utter chaos.

But it's not Jess.

The room is filled with a variety of familiar animals.

It's the Flushed Pets. They're ransacking my home!

"Hey!" I bark. "What's going on here?"

"Well, well, well." A feminine voice says from the middle of the crowd. The voice seems very familiar, but I can't quite put my paw on it. "If it isn't 'Tiny Dog'."

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"You mean you don't remember me, Maxy?" The voice answers and Gidget growls. "All in due time, then. As for what I'm doing here, well..."

The crowd parts a little bit, revealing the unconscious bodies of all my friends. A golden retriever walks out.

"...I'm here to take what's mine."

"What do you mean!?" I growl.

"Still don't recognize me? Hmph. As for your question, allow me to answer it with another question. Do you know how the Flushed Pets get what they want?"

"How?"

She stands before the three of us.

"We take it by force."

Max, look out!

I dodge the bite that had been aimed at my front paw.

"Impressive." She chuckles. "I guess maybe a name will help your memories return. I'm Kristal."

Oh. It's her.

I dodge another bite but land in an awkward position and fall to the ground. I quickly roll back onto my feet, dodging another attack as I move.

Suddenly, Gidget pounces onto Kristal and is immediately shaken off.

"You remember now, huh? I can tell by the look on your face. The way you rejected me."

"You had just met me!" I yelp, barely dodging another hit. "And you straight up asked me 'Will you give me puppies?'!"

All of a sudden, a loud screech fills the room.

Tiberius flies into the room and scratches a long cut in her side.

"Was this dog bothering you?" He asks me.

"Just a little, yeah." I pant.

"Well, sorry. No rest for the weary. Quick, grab Snowball. I'll keep them off you."

"What about everyone else!?"

"If you can wake them up quickly, then do it. You don't have very long. We need Snowball, though. We don't have time for me to explain. Just go!"

I rush towards my friends and bark as loud as I can.

Duke lifts his head.

"Max?"

"Duke!" Tiberius shouts. "Go with Katie! Anyone else who is awake, do the same! Max! Keep moving!"

I make my way to Snowball and grab him in my mouth.

I look around to see all of the Flushed Pets looking right at me.

This seems very familiar...

Luckily, before they can attack I am lifted into the air by Tiberius. I look to my side to see Gidget in his other claw.

"Wow, Max! You know, you're heavier than you look!" he chuckles. "I think you've put on a few pounds since last time."

I groan in annoyance.

I can't even make a comeback with Snowball in my mouth!

After a short while, we land on a very familiar roof.

This is where I was stabbed. And cut. And nearly bled out.

I place Snowball on the ground, then turn to Tiberius.

"Okay, do you wanna explain why we needed Snowball so much?" I ask.

"Soon." He says. "I'm waiting for everyone to get here."

"Wha-?"

"Max!" Katie yells from the other side of the rooftop, sprinting towards me.

"Katie?" I yelp as she lifts me off the ground. "How'd you get here?"

"Tiberius told me to rendezvous here with anyone who woke up."

"Hey, Max!" Duke says from her side.

"Oh, hi Duke. One second. Tiberius?"

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you choose the place you nearly killed me, of all places, to be our meeting spot?"

"W-well, it was the only place I could think of that Katie could get to."

"Alright. So, why is Snowball so important?"

"From what I gathered, the Flushed Pets are finally ready to 'destroy humanity'," Tiberius replies. "Their new leader, that 'Kristal' person who seems so fond of you, decided that their first stop would be your apartment to get rid of your owner and take you."

"Well, I could have guessed that. Now, about Snowball."

"I was gonna come over today to visit Gidg, bu-"

"Don't. Call her. Gidg." I growl.

"-to visit Gidget, but I saw that she wasn't home, so I figured I'd just wait outside. I saw Snowball enter your place, so I went a little closer and overheard him trying to warn Duke, but they got there before he finished. So, I figured he knows what their plan is so we can stop them."

"Oh. Fair enough." I say, struggling to escape from Katie's arms. "Katie, would you let me go?"

"No! When that dog attacked you, I thought I was gonna lose you again!"

"Oh, yeah, about that. How did you get so good at dodging, Max? When we fought, there's no way you were capable of that." Tiberius asks, curious.

"Well, first of all, when we fought, I was barely conscious because of the tranquilizer..." I respond, venomously. He grins at me sheepishly.

"...and after he recovered, I trained him!" Gidg interrupts.

"Yeah, that."

I helped, too!

You don't even have a physical body!

You can't prove that!

Yes, I can.

I tried to help, okay!?

"Katie... can you please put me down?"

"I already told you no!"

You're not getting back on the ground for another half-hour or so.

I sigh internally.

"So, uh... Is anyone else here?" I ask.

"Hey, Max." Buddy says from below me.

"Oh, hey Buddy. How's your thing with Mel going?"

"Yeah, it was going great until the FP showed up and dognapped us."

"The what?"

"Flushed Pets."

"Ah. Is Mel here, too?"

"Yep. He's unconscious, though. Your little bark didn't wake him up. Had to drag him to the car myself."

"Anyone else?"

"Sorry, Max. There wasn't enough time to grab Chloe, Pops, Sweetpea, or Norman."

Hold on...

"Katie?"

"No, Max. Not putting you down."

"I wasn't gonna ask about that! I was gonna ask if you know where Jess went."

"Who?" Buddy asks.

"Oh no." Katie mutters. "You're right! She wasn't there! We need to find her! Susie's gonna be so pissed if she finds out I lost her!"

"Seriously, who's 'Jess'?"

"Nope. Nuh uh. Nada. I am not helping find her!" I yelp and manage to escape her arms.

"Max! Get back here!"

"No! I won't help her! Not after what she did!"

"What did she do, Max? What could possibly be so bad?"

"I...I don't want to talk about it."

"Max, come on... I'm your owner, I deserve to know."

"What, so you think that just because you're my 'owner' that you're better than me!?" I growl.

"I never sai-"

"I told you I didn't want to talk about it!" I bark. "And what do you do? You try and use your status and my trust in you to get me to!"

Everyone looks at me in shock.

Max-

No. I don't want to hear anything from you right now.

"I'm leaving," I say, making my way towards the staircase. "I can't believe I couldn't see it sooner. Snowball was right before. Humans are terrible."

"Max!"

"Max, come back! I'm sorry!"

"Maxy! Where are you going!?" Gidget yelps.

"I'm going to see the Flushed Pets. And by the way," I tell her, turning back for a moment. "I never really forgave you."

"I never really forgave you."

Who knew five words could hurt so much?

And as Max walks down the stairs, not a single one of us tries to stop him.

"Gidg," Katie starts. "Are yo-?"

"DON'T!" I growl. "Don't call me that."

"Are you okay?" She asks, cautiously.

"How can I be?" I reply, tearing up. "Why would he say that to me?"

"He doesn't mean it," Katie assures me. "The Max I know is too kind and loving to hurt someone he cares about."

"Well, you seemed awfully hurt when he accused you of abusing his trust..."

"Gidget..."

"...and at this point, I don't even know if he ever cared about me."

"Gidget, he loved you!"

"Yeah. Loved. Not anymore..." I say, and walk away.

After a few moments, I hear footsteps approaching me.

"Go away."

"No." Duke tells me as he sits down to my side.

A few more moments pass.

"What do you want?" I ask, hoarsely.

"Gidget...that wasn't Max who said that to you today..."

"Who was it then? Alpha? Because I know Alpha can't control him anymore."

"...it wasn't Alpha, either. I think he's just been bottling up his negative emotions for too long, and today, he finally exploded."

"So, what you're trying to tell me is that whatever Jess did was bad enough that he's been bottling up his feelings, and when Katie tried to get him to talk, he finally snapped."

"Yeah."

"If this is true...how long do you think it will take for him to be back to normal? The normal Max, who adores Katie with every fiber of his being. The normal Max, who can always manage a witty comeback. The normal Max, who would do anything for someone he cares about. The normal Max, who stood up to anything in his way. The normal Max, who would get flustered whenever telling people about me. The normal Max, who makes the cutest face when he's excited. The normal Max, who would never hurt a fly. The normal Max, who I love. How long, Duke?"

"I can't say. I'm no psychologist, and it probably depends on how long he's been bottling it all up. But do you know what I do know? What Max has taught me?"

"What?"

"Tomorrow is another day. He'll be back. It may not be tomorrow, or this week, or even this month. But eventually, he'll come crawling back to apologize. Right now, we've got bigger things to worry about. If we don't stop the Flushed Pets, he may not have a Katie to crawl back to. It's what 'the normal Max' would want us to do. He'd say something like 'Don't worry about me. I'm just one dog. What's more important? Me, or humanity?'."

"That's so cheesy." I chuckle sadly.

"Just like him." Duke nods.

"Heh. Understatement of the century."

He looks at me for a moment before continuing.

"Now," He tells me, looking back towards the rest of the group, with Snowball waking himself up. "Let's listen to him, shall we?"

"Duke?" I ask as he stands up.

"Yeah?"

"Did he care about you?"

Duke looks at me for a moment, before turning away and walking to the group.

After a moment's hesitation, I follow.

I have to let Max get through this one alone.

I just have to remember that he can handle himself. I told him I would.

And Duke's right. What's the point in him coming back to apologize if there's no Katie to come back to? And if there was something I could have done to stop it and didn't?

I don't know how he'd react.

So with a new fire in my eyes, I enter the group.

"Alright, Snowball. What do you know about their plan?"

"And by the way, I never really forgave you."

I turn away and begin my descent.

Max! Why would yo-

I thought I told you I don't want to hear it.

Bu-

Go away!

I can't believe I ever thought Katie loved me...

The Flushed Pets have known it all along.

'Humans say they love us, but then they turn around and throw us out like garbage!'

That's what they believe.

And now I'm beginning to believe it, too.

Now, first things first. I need to get rid of this collar.

And I know just who to go to for that.

It takes a while, but I eventually find my way back to the old park.

I spend a moment remembering all the good times I had here with Katie, before shaking them off.

None of those times were really good.

She never cared.

I spend another short while searching for the place.

Eventually, I find myself in a familiar alleyway.

"Ozone!" I bark. "Where are you?"

"Tiny Dog?" His voice says from a trash can before his head pops out. "You can't be here! If the Flushed Pets find out that I saw you and didn't tell them, I'm toast!"

"You can tell them. I'm going to see them. But first, I want you to cut my collar off again."

"What?"

"You know, like you did that one time."

"Why?"

"Because I told you to." I growl.

"Alright, alright!" He yelps and approaches me. He quickly slices through the material and lifts it up. "What do you want me to do with this?"

"Keep it." I tell him. "Now, where's the nearest entrance to the Underbelly?"

"It's three blocks over, middle of the road."

I turn away and begin my journey there.

If Ozone didn't lie to me, that right there would be the entrance.

A few moments later, I manage to lift the cover up with my paw. Don't ask me how.

I hop down to find myself In front of the very same Underbelly entrance I went through with Duke.

Don't think about him.

He's a pet. He still thinks that his owner cares about him.

As I approach the door, the snakes lift their heads up.

"Whatsss the passsssword?"

"Don't ask the leader for the password."

They're probably too lazy to change it.

DING!

Yep.

As I enter the room, I hear a collective gasp.

"Well, look who it is!" Kristal says, excitedly. "What is it, Max? Did you finally realize that we're meant to be?"

"Can it. Or I might change my mind. I'm here to join you. I want to destroy humanity. Humans are vile, chaotic creatures who think of us as their lessers. They disgust me."

"Oh. In that case, welcome aboard. Time for initiation."

"No."

"What was that?"

"I don't have time for that. I want to kill all humans as soon as possible. Just tell me what I need to do."

"Whoa! Look at you! I suppose I'll make a special exception for you, tiger."

"I'm not a tiger, I'm a dog."

"Right. Well, allow me to show you around."

"I don't have time for that!"

"Was I asking?" She growls. "Come on. If you're gonna be working here, then you need to know where everything is. So, the first thing you need to do is take the tour. Got it?"

I grudgingly follow her as she walks ahead.

Well, this is boring.

"Now," Kristal tells me. "This is the mess hall. Unfortunately, all we really have for dogs is really cheap dog food."

"This is fine," I reply. "I don't need any of the 'good stuff'."

"That's the right attitude! Let's keep going."

She shows me the war room but makes sure to have all of the plans covered up before I enter, in case I'm just a spy.

Why would I want to protect humans?

I don't know.

Next, she brings me to the 'initiation room'.

"Now, as we agreed, you won't be going in there, but if you did, it would be exactly the same as it was with Snowball. With a different viper, of course. Because your fluffy brown friend Fat Dog killed the other one."

"Don't call him my friend." I growl.

"Brother?"

"No. He still thinks that humans care. He doubts everything I say. He doesn't deserve those titles."

"Good. You have the perfect mindset for the Flushed Pets. Now it's time for one final test of your loyalty."

She leads me to another room, filled with cages, only a few of which aren't empty.

"This is our dungeon. Go look in that cage over there." She says, directing me.

"Max!?" A familiar voice yelps.

"Oh. Hello, Chloe."

"Max! Thank goodness you're here! Come on! Get us out of here!"

I look behind her to see a still unconscious Pops. Norman and Sweetpea are chained to the wall so they can't escape through the bars.

"No," I tell her. "You're foolish. You domestics love humans. You don't deserve freedom. Just like them, you deserve death."

"What?" She yelps, eyes widening. "Max, that can't be you talking!"

"It is me, Chloe. It took me way too long, but I finally realized the truth. Humans are terrible."

She looks at me in shock for a moment, before her face hardens.

"I always knew I couldn't trust you! I always thought that once you got put in danger, you would turn on me and everyone else. And when you survived your little adventure with Duke, I thought you had changed. Guess not. You aren't even in danger, are you? This was your own decision. Humans aren't the terrible ones here, Max. You are."

Why does it hurt? She's a pet! How could I be hurt by her saying I'm terrible!

No. It doesn't bother me.

It doesn't bother me.

"Kristal?" I ask, annoyed. "Can we go?"

"Oh, uh...yeah." She replies, and leads me out of the room.

I can feel Chloe's eyes burning into the back of my neck.

It bothers me.

It bothers me a lot.

"And last but not least, here is where you'll be sleeping." Kristal tells me, showing me what she calls the 'second most comfortable bed in the Underbelly'.

"So, tell me again, why do I get this bed?"

"Oh! Well, I'm proud of you, Max. You realized the truth, and you didn't allow your friends to take it from you. So, I decided that you would be perfect for my second-in-command!"

"Hmph."

I give the bed a quick sniff.

Smells just as bad as the rest of this place...

I step onto it before laying down for a few moments.

It's not nearly as comfortable as me and Gidget's bed...

Wait, now it's just Gidget's bed.

And I don't need comfort.

That's just another thing humans use to control us.

...

That doesn't stop me from missing it.

Chloe POV

I can't believe him! After everything we've been through, he's just leaving us here!

I hear Pops grunting from my side.

"Hey, Pops." I say.

"Oh, hey Rhonda!"

"That's still not my name..."

"Whatever. Where are we?"

"We kinda got captured by the Flushed Pets."

"Oh. Well, surely Max will be here soon to save us! He's always so selfless when it comes to his friends. Did he tell you about the time he was ready to go right back to where he had just escaped from to save Duke?"

"Yes, I was there when he told you." I sigh, annoyed. "And about that...Max isn't gonna be helping us."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because he's one of them now. He joined the Flushed Pets."

"Huh."

"Yeah."

After a few moments, he finally speaks up again.

"Surely he'll come back around. I mean, come on, it's Max we're talking about. He'd never hurt a fly!"

"...I'm not so sure about that anymore..."

"Alright," Snowball says. "Plan is simple. They've captured a human scientist who can understand them for some strange reason. Kinda like you, Kates!"

"Please don't ever call me that again."

"Speaking of you, where's Tiny Dog? He ain't hurt, is he? 'Cause usually the two of you are near inseparable."

"Snowball, please focus." Katie replies. I can still hear the pain in her voice.

"Okay, okay! They're forcing him to make some super-weapon to wipe out humanity. That's all I know."

"So, Max risked his life for this information..." I mutter, angrily.

"Calm down, Gidget! This is still very helpful, even though it's not much."

"Oh!" Snowball interrupts. "I know some peeps who might know more!"

"What?"

"The Caged Domestics. They're a group of pets whose goal is to stop the Flushed Pets' plans. They basically worship TD! With him, we should be able to get in easy!"

"About that..."

"What?"

"Max kinda...ran off."

"What!? Why!?"

"I may have pushed him a little bit too far..." Katie mumbles.

"'May have'?" I ask, annoyed.

"B-but without TD, there's no way we'll be able to get in!"

"What about the human who can understand them? Maybe if they see Katie with us, they'll let us in. Wait... Snowball?" Buddy interjects.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think they keep tabs on Max? Because if they do, they'll know all of us are close to him on a personal level."

"And even if they don't..." I add. "They should at least recognize Duke as Max's close friend!"

"Brother!" Duke barks.

"Yeah, that."

"Ya know, that just may work! Okay! We're doing this! Allow me to show you to their HQ!"

"But what if Max comes back and we aren't here? At least one of us should stay just in case."

"I'll do it." Buddy volunteers. "Besides, Mel is still asleep, and there is no way I'm dragging him around more."

"Yeah, you gotta stay with your bae." I chuckle, and Duke joins me.

"Hey!"

"Let's go, people, come on!" Snowball yells.

"Here we are. The Caged Domestics."

After following Snowball for a while, we find ourselves at what seems like the entrance to an underground bunker!

Snowball rushes up to the door, gives it 3 swift knocks, and shoves Duke in front of it.

A dog sticks it's head out of a wall.

That's no wall! It's a secret door!

"Oh." He says. "It's Max's friends. We've been expecting you. In fact, we were expecting you about an hour ago."

"Oh, God. It's this one." Snowball mutters. "The one who says he's psychic, predicts everything right, then always gets the timing wrong."

"Come with me. Enter through that door." The dog continues re-entering the wall.

The door in front of us opens. We follow the dog's orders.

He leads us to another door and tells us to enter. We do, to find a tidy room that is much less crowded than the rest of them. In the center of the room lays an orange cat.

"Oh, hello there. You're right on schedule." He tells us.

"And that's the one that is actually psychic." Snowball tells me. "Also, she's the leader."

"So, uh..." I start. "We want to know whatever you know about the FP's plan."

"I already know that. But you are not being entirely truthful. You heard Snowball, correct? You just want to compare what you know about this to what I tell you, then ask your true question. What you really want to know is 'Is Max okay, and where is he?', right?"

"Y-yes..." I stammer. "You mean you really know? Please, please, please tell me!"

"You may come to regret asking for this, but I will tell you. Max's mind is currently in a very dark place. As some of you have guessed, he bottled up his emotions too much, and today they finally exploded. However, it is far worse than you could ever have imagined. He has been stuffing most of his negative emotions into that little bottle for almost 2 years, since the last time he saw this 'Jess'. It will take longer than you expect for him to finally escape them. But this is not the worst news you will hear of him today."

"Wh-what do you mean? What could be worse than that?" I ask, worried.

"Like I said, Max's mind is in a dark place. He can't handle this much negativity, and it is affecting his judgment just as much as it is affecting his personality. Today, he has made the worst decision of his life."

"What!? What is it!?" I yelp.

"Max has joined the Flushed Pets."

Chloe POV

Pops is asleep again. The guy is almost always asleep these days.

He tells me it's because he's 'getting old'.

Heh. I can normally sleep just as much, and he's years older than me.

But...

Ever since today, when we saw Max...

I haven't been able to even think about sleeping.

After how much I trusted him, only for him to stab me in the back.

But there's one thing I only remembered after talking with Pops for a while.

Max actually looked hurt by what I said to him. Even if it was only for a second, it was there. Which means there has to still be a glimmer of a good person inside of him.

We just have to find a way to bring it out.

And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really hope we can.

Before it's too late.

"Sir!" A voice calls from the doorway. "I have brought your food as you requested."

"Good. Your name?"

"Uh... I don't really have one. I was born into the Flushed Pets. My parents didn't give me one because they see them as 'human shackles'."

That's no good! He needs a name!

I decide to indulge the voice in my head.

"Well, I'm gonna call you Tom."

"O-okay."

"You may leave, Tom."

"Right." He says, exiting the room.

I stand up and begin to eat from the bowl.

I try not to gag at the horrible taste.

I am so spoiled...

But I can live with this. I can live with this because it's the only way to give the world justice. After everything humans have done to the world, they must be eliminated.

I hear footsteps approach. I already know who it is.

"What do you want, Kristal?"

"Well, we need to hold a meeting to inform the rest of the group of your new position."

"Let me guess, it's right now."

"Yeah..."

"Ugh. Can't even have peace and quiet to eat my crappy meal."

"Oh, believe me, you haven't seen anything. It's all downhill from here."

"Oh boy."

Any second thoughts yet?

GO AWAY!

AHH!

"Okay, so, Max? You're gonna need to give a little speech. How good are you at public speaking?"

"Horrible."

"Oh. Well, then I guess it's a good thing I prepared a script for you just in case. It's already on the podium."

We arrive in the main lobby of the Underbelly.

"Hello, all! Who are we? We are the Flushed Pets!"

"LIBERATED FOREVER, DOMESTICATED NEVER!" The crowd shouts.

"Yes! Now, today we have some big news. We have gained one of the greatest assets possible. Some of you may have already seen him. We have gained the membership of Tiny Dog!"

I step up to the podium.

"You've got this!" Kristal whispers to me.

"Greetings Flushed Pets!"

"Greetings Tiny Dog!"

"I am Max. Most of you probably know me as Tiny Dog, but my real name is Max. I don't care which you call me. Now, today, after you attacked my 'home', I finally realized that your vision of the world is how the world should truly be! Humans are monsters! Weak and cowardly! Always hiding behind weapons and idle threats! Using animals for their own goals! Selfish, only caring about themselves! Humans don't deserve what they have. But there seems to be nothing that can stop them. They war with each other. But still, they live on. They are decimated by plagues. But still, they live on. But not for much longer. There is a group rising, who will stop their treachery once and for all! And who are they? Us! The Flushed Pets!"

The crowd cheers, clearly impressed by the speech.

Huh. Guess I am pretty good at this.

"That was amazing, Max! You didn't even follow the script! Well, I'll let you get back to your food."

"Thanks. After that, I'm probably gonna get some shut-eye."

"Sounds good. And tomorrow morning I can tell you our plan."

"Great."

Chloe POV, during Max's speech

"Hey, Rhonda?"

"Still not my name, but what is it?"

"What do you think is going on while we're in here?"

"Probably not much. The chances that something important is happening as we speak are pretty slim."

"Eh, you're right."

"What do you mean he joined the Flushed Pets!?"

"I mean what I said."

"B-but he'd never do something like that!"

"I already told you. He's not in his normal state of mind. But we need to get that out of the way. What's more important is their plan."

"You're right..."

"Don't worry. He'll come back to the light."

"Have you seen it? Being psychic and all."

"I'm afraid not. However, deep in his heart he still has the burning desire to do the right thing. He will come back."

"Okay. What do you know?"

"The Flushed Pets have a human scientist under their control. He can understand them, and he is the brother of Katie's deceased friend Linda."

"Joel!?" Katie asks in shock.

"Yes. They are having him create a powerful super-weapon to destroy humanity once and for all."

"Well, what can we do about it?" I demand.

"Unfortunately, not much. After careful observation, we discovered that this terrible weapon will be unleashed no matter what we do."

"So you're telling us to give up!?"

"That's not what I said at all. I said it will be unleashed no matter what. However, if we do as much as we can to delay it, then we can get what I believe is the best possible outcome, and the one that will win us this battle."

"What is it?" I ask, intrigued.

"Destiny has not allowed me to see the full image, as the outcome is still very unclear. But I can see the silhouette of a dog standing up to the weapon."

"Do you have any more details on the silhouette? Shorthair or longhair? Big dog or small dog?"

"Fate does not allow me to recall this."

"Okay. So, what do we have to do for this 'best possible outcome'?" Duke asks.

"In order to obtain this outcome, we must intercept as many of the Flushed Pets' supply runs as we can. Luckily for us, Fate has told me where and when the next one is."

"Well?"

"Tomorrow, at half past noon, the Flushed Pets will send a squadron to Joe's Hardware Store, led by their new Commander."

"Okay. Thanks! We'll come back tomorrow, and tell you how it goes!"

"Oh, trust me. I already know how it goes. I just can't tell you, or it could screw the whole thing up."

"Okay," I interrupt, annoyed. "Then we'll be back to ask about the next one."

"Alright. Later."

We are escorted out of the building, and we return to the rooftop where we met up.

"Hey, guys!" Mel barks. "No sign of Max! Hope he's okay..."

"You and me both," Buddy adds. "Learn anything good?"

"Well, first of all, Max may not be the normal definition of 'okay'..." Katie tells them.

"What do you mean by that?"

"He may have joined the Flushed Pets." She responds, and explains everything.

"Oh. Well, that's no good!"

"Alright, now we need to discuss who's going to go intercept the FP tomorrow." Katie tells us.

"I'll go," I say. "I need to do this. I can't just sit around, helpless. Max wouldn't want that."

"I guess I'll come, too," Duke adds. "Max wouldn't expect me to do anything, but I will anyways."

"I'm comin' too!" Snowball shouts. "I owe TD a lot!"

"Me too." Tiberius butts in.

"If it's all the same to you," Buddy says. "I think me and Mel are gonna sit this one out."

"Alright, looks like we've all decided. We'll meet back here tomorrow. Snowball, bring some carrots. Max told me all about the kinds of things you can do with them."

"Right! Later, fellas!"

"You too!"

Snowball hops down the stairs, and he's gone.

I really miss Max.

I hope he can get over this soon.

And I hope he'll be able to forgive himself for what he said to me.

"All right, Commander. It's time for your first mission." Kristal tells me as we enter the war room.

"What's the plan?" I ask.

"You're going to take a squad into Joe's Hardware Store. Do you know where that is?"

"Yeah. I've seen it on walks before."

"Good. Now, I'm going to introduce you to our most elite squadron. You're gonna be in charge of them for the most part. You may already know a few of them. Viper Force, report!"

"Tattoo!"

"Jack!"

"Derek!"

"Joanie!"

"Oh," I say, impressed. "Hey, guys. Don't know you Joanie, but I know Tattoo and Derek from the whole 'Sewer Escape' thing, and I know you are one of the dogs who repeatedly attacked me."

"Yeah..." Jack says, sheepishly. "Sorry about that. The past is in the past, though, right Commander?"

"Definitely. Now, let's roll."

"Wait!" Kristal interrupts. "You don't even know what you're trying to get!"

"Oh. Yeah."

"We need as many 9 volt batteries as you can get." She sighs. "You know what those are, right?"

"Yes. Anything else?"

"The guy says he also needs a welding torch. He also says it'll be in a box with the words 'welding torch' on it. Don't worry, Tattoo can read."

"...how?"

"I don't know. Anyways, weren't you about to 'roll'?"

"Right. Let's roll, Viper Force."

"And if you lead them well enough I might rename it to the 'Max Force'!" Kristal barks as we exit.

"Tattoo! There are some more batteries over there!" I direct.

Derek pushes the shopping cart over, and Tattoo knocks the batteries in.

"Have you seen any signs of that torch thing?"

"Already put it in!" he squeals.

"Good work, Tattoo!"

"Jack! Joanie! See any more batteries?"

"No," Jack responds. "But we're about to have company."

I hear the telltale sound of the shop door opening and quickly hide under a shelf.

I'll survey the situation from afar before I jump in. I motion for Derek and Tattoo to hide as well.

I look to the door to see a figure I despise.

Katie.

And with her are Gidget, Duke, Tiberius, and Snowball.

"Jacky boy!" Snowball shouts. "Are you the new Commander?"

"Nope."

"I am," I growl, walking out into the open.

"Max!?"

"That's right."

"Max... it doesn't have to be this way...come back to us. There's no way you can win this. We have you outnumbered, 5 to 3." Gidget tells me.

"Come on, Gidg. You're smarter than that. Didn't I just come out of hiding? No. It's 5 to 5. And we have the element of surprise."

Derek jumps on Katie, knocking her over, and Tattoo hops on top of Duke.

"There we go." I snicker. "You're right now. 5 to 3. And the Flushed Pets come out on top."

Suddenly, both are launched off their targets. Katie sees our shopping cart and knocks some shelves down on top of it.

"Tactical retreat!" Jack yelps running away.

The rest of the squad follows suit, leaving me in the dust.

Hmph. Elite, huh?

"Max...come with me," Katie says. "I can...I can help you. We can just forget all of this. Just...come back with us."

"I'm not going anywhere with you..." I growl and run out of the building.

"Max!"

I manage to escape into the sewers.

But what's this feeling?

This feeling, telling me I should have accepted the offer.

Is it...regret?

Max...

I can't believe it. In just a day, he's changed from the lovable little bag of fun to a cold-blooded jerk.

Who could ever think he could change that way?

"Gidget? Are you okay?" Katie asks, worried.

"Not really, but I'm trying. It's what the Max I know would want me to do. But what about you, Katie? Are you okay?"

"...No. I'm not." She responds. "Hearing those words come from his mouth... I feel like I've been crushed by a stack of bricks."

"Katie, he doesn't mean it. The real Max would never say that to anyone, and certainly not you!"

"Yeah, the old Max. Who knows, maybe this is the real Max. Ever think of that?"

I look away. I hadn't thought of that, but now that she's mentioned it...

It makes sense.

All I can do is hope it's not true.

Still smells terrible down here, but I've gotten used to it.

As I walk down the tunnel, I try to shove all of the happy memories back.

The ones telling me to turn around and apologize.

I can't do that! Humans are evil! And Katie?

She's the worst. She used me!

I don't need them. I don't need any of them.

I don't need those pets!

I don't.

Do I?

After a really, really long walk, I finally find myself at the entrance to the Underbelly.

"Don't ask the leader for the password." I tell the snakes tiredly before they even get the chance to ask.

"Max!"

"You're okay!"

The faces of my squad are filled with joy.

"Yeah," I mutter. "No thanks to you."

"Okay, we're really sorry about that. We thought you said 'Tactical retreat', but it was Jack, the little coward. We didn't realize you weren't with us until we got about halfway here, and we thought you were done for!"

"It's fine. In the end, I'll want you to leave when I do face them. It's my fight, not yours."

"Oh, hey Max." Kristal says from across the room. "Knew you made it out of there. Come on, let's go discuss a plan B."

"Alright, see you guys later." I tell them, heading towards her.

Suddenly, I hear another voice from above me.

"Maxy! I found you!"

It's her.

Jess.

"So, Gidget..." Katie calls.

"What's up?"

"I need your help to find Jess. If we don't, Susie is gonna be so pissed."

"...I'm sorry, Katie... But I just can't help find her. None of this would have happened if it weren't for her. Max would still be here. So, I just can't. I hope you understand."

"Yeah. Well, I'm off. I've gotta do it, even if you don't help. Go see the Caged Domestics with Duke. See what they can tell you. Bye!"

"Bye!"

I just stand there for a moment, before lowering myself to the floor.

"Oh..." I mutter. "I miss him so much."

"Max? Who is this dog? And why does she look like you?" Kristal asks.

My whole body begins to shake in fear and hatred as I look at her.

"Maxy! Come on, we should get you home! Katie's gotta be worried sick about you!"

"Why?" I ask. "Why would I listen to you? After what you did?"

Jess' entire body slouches over.

"Max... I know this may not help much...but I'm sorry."

"No. You're not. Supreme Commander Kristal?"

"Uh... yeah, Max?" She replies, then mutters "No need to be so formal..."

"Could you please have her thrown with the others? And if I ever need to see any of them, could you have her temporarily moved? I never want to see her again."

"Yeah, sure. Guards? Do as he said."

"Maxy!" Jess yelps. "What are you doing?"

I turn away and ignore her.

"I'm going to bed," I tell everyone. "Please, don't bother me until tomorrow."

I walk towards my room. I really need some sleep...

Max POV, 3 years earlier

"Okay, Max, be good!" Katie says, leaving me behind.

"Hey, Max! Come here, boy!" Her sister calls.

After a moment of hesitation, I follow.

"I've got someone for you to meet, boy!"

After a moment, I find myself face-to-face with another Jack Russell.

"Jess? This is Max. He's my sister's dog. Max, this is Jess."

I move in a little closer and sniff her.

"Hi!" She says suddenly. I let out a surprised yelp. "Sorry! Max, right? Well, like Susie said, I'm Jess! Nice to meet you!"

"Uh...yeah. Nice to meet you, too."

"So, what do you like to do during the day?"

"Well, what I usually do is sit in front of the door and wait for Katie to come back."

"Oh...anything else?"

"Well, sometimes some of my friends come over and we hang out. What about you?"

"I spend most of my time looking for the perfect partner." She sighs.

"What, like a good friend?"

"No, silly! A romantic partner!"

"Oh..."

6 Months Later

Aw, darn it! Katie's leaving me here for a few days again!

"Hey, Maxy!"

"Uh... It's just 'Max'."

"Awwww. Can I please call you Maxy?"

"Please don't."

"Pretty please?"

"No..."

"Pretty please with dog treats on top?"

"...you're not gonna stop asking until I say yes, are you?"

"Nope!"

"Fine."

"Yay! Maxy, you're the best!"

I sigh in annoyance.

1 Year Later

"Hey, Maxy!"

"What is it, Jess?" I call back, annoyed.

"Come here!"

I make my way towards the room she's in.

"What is it?" I ask as I enter the room.

"I think Susie put out your food early!"

"Wow! What about yours?"

"Don't worry about it! I can wait. Eat up!"

I begin to wolf the food down before I begin to feel a little queasy.

"J-jess? I don't...feel so good..."

"Don't worry, Maxy! Everything's going according to plan."

"Wha-" I begin to ask before I black out.

As I come to my senses I find myself in a rather awkward position. I open my eyes only to find darkness. I attempt to move, but it seems like I've been tied up or something.

"Ah, good! You're finally awake, Maxy!"

I try to reply, but the gag in my mouth stops it.

"Sorry, but as cute as your obliviousness and bad jokes are, I can't take that off. You'd either bite me or be too loud."

I struggle to escape my confinement, but to no avail.

"Uh, uh, uh! I'll let you out before Susie gets back, don't worry! Should be about 6 hours. But until then we have plenty of time for fun." She says, seductively.

I try to move away, but can't move an inch!

"Come here, Maxy~!" She chirps.

I close my eyes tightly as she begins to-

Present

"Max! Max, wake up!"

"AHH!" I bark, awakening.

It was just a nightmare...

She can't hurt me anymore...

"Max! Are you okay?" Kristal yelps.

"I...I'm fine..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes...I'm positive..."

It was just a bad dream...

"Okay... Well, I'll be going back to bed. Don't do that again."

I have no plans to.

And I don't get another moment of sleep for the entire night.

"Max!"

My eyes snap open and I look at Kristal. Oh yeah...we're supposed to be having a meeting right now, not sleeping.

"...yeah?"

"Are you really okay? You know, you can talk to me."

"i'm fine...alright?" I mumble.

"Max...If you're really not fine, just tell me. Someone can fill in for you. You can get some rest."

"i'll be okay."

"If you say so..." she says, hesitant. "Okay, so because your last mission had some...difficulties...we're gonna try and start smaller. This time, we'll just be focusing on getting that welding gun. If you are sure you can get away with grabbing some batteries, then do it. And I want you and your team to have a plan for when your old...pals...inevitably show up. You're going to the aptly named 'Screw It' hardware store. I heard Katie brought you there once or twice, so I would hope you know the layout at least a bit."

"oh, that place? it's great there! katie got me a- wait... what do i care about that? she needs to be eliminated."

"Max, I can tell something's wrong, and if I can't get you to sit this one out, then we'll delay it until tomorrow. Get some rest. Something kept you up last night. So just take it easy today, okay?"

"fine."

"Why don't you go see if any of the prisoners know anything. I'll make sure to have that other Jack Russell moved before you get there."

"sounds good."

"hey, could i speak with these prisoners alone?"

"Sure thing, Commander!" the guard replies. "Everyone out! The Commander wants to speak to the convicts."

After a moment, no one is left inside but them. I enter the room. Pops appears to be sleeping. Still. Or again. I don't know.

"hey. guys." I say.

"Max!?" Chloe asks, shocked by something.

"yeah?"

"Nothing." She says, acting like nothing happened.

"so, i'm supposed to be interrogating you right now..." I tell them. "but i don't feel like it, so i'm just gonna chill out here. you guys can get back to whatever you normally do."

After a while, Chloe looks at me.

"Max?"

"what?"

"Are...are they treating you alright?"

"yeah, i'm fine! why?"

"Well, first off, you're constantly mumbling. You only do that when you're tired. Second, you look like you literally got no sleep last night-"

"i didn't."

"-and third, that other dog was describing your behavior last night, and it doesn't match up with the way you're acting now."

"..."

"Nothing to say to that, huh? Look, Max, the other day, when you first showed up here, I insulted you. And you actually seemed hurt by what I said. I know the real you is still in there, Max. And so does Pops. You just need to let it come out."

"i think that's enough from you..."

"That dog really seemed to care about you, Max. She seemed devastated by the way you treated he-"

"WELL, HOW WOULD YOU TREAT THE DOG WHO RAPED YOU!?" I bark.

"...Max...I had no ide-"

"OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T! BECAUSE YOU NEVER TRIED TO FIND OUT!" I continue, before quieting down. "you never tried to find out..."

"I know, Max..."

"i'll be leaving now. say hi to pops for me." I tell her and exit the room.

I don't know what I'm doing anymore.

But as I return to the main room, I find all of the Flushed Pets crowded in here, staring at something. I see Derek and hop on his head. He lifts me up, and I see a figure I know well standing there.

Katie.

After a short walk, Duke and I find ourselves at the Caged Domestics' base.

"What took you guys so long?" The same guy as last time asks, opening the door.

"Don't worry about it," I tell him.

We continue on our route to see their leader.

"Hey, Gidget?"

"Yeah, Duke?"

"Are you okay?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, it's just that all of us have been through a lot these past few days. I just wanted to be sure."

"Okay, I guess. What about you, Duke? Are you okay?"

He hesitates for a moment before saying "I don't know."

We finally arrive at the door we were looking for.

"Alright, Duke. You ready for this?"

"Probably not. But screw it." He says, walking in. I follow closely behind.

The cat is laying there and turns towards us the moment we enter.

"Hello, Gidget. Duke. I have some grave news for you."

"What!? What is it now!?" I yelp.

"Katie is currently being held hostage by the Flushed Pets."

"How!?"

"She entered their base looking for someone."

"That fool!" Duke groans. "There's no way she'd be able to get through to Max right now!"

"Max is not the one she was looking for."

"Then who was it!?"

"This 'Jess' character. The one who has done terrible things to Max. She saw him on his way to the Underbelly and followed him. I don't know how Katie found out where she was, but she showed up and was detained."

"Somehow, Jess made this even worse! How is that even possible? She almost singlehandedly caused this whole 'Evil Max' business, and now here she is topping even that!"

"Now you'll say 'And I don't even know what she did to him.'"

"And I don't even know what she did to him!" I bark. "Wait, what?"

"Psychic, remember?"

"Oh. Somehow I completely forgot about that. Wait, do you know?"

"...I do..."

"And you haven't told us, why?"

"Because it would be a total invasion of privacy. What happened is for him to tell you when he's ready. Not for me to tell you sooner or later."

"Whatever. Where and when is the next Flushed Pet supply run? Because I have a plan to get Katie back."

Why is she here?

Hasn't she already done enough?

I violently make my way through the crowd and approach her.

"Max..." She mumbles.

"katie," I growl. "what are you doing here? and I hope it's not for some dumb reason like 'to help me' or something."

"As a matter of fact, it's not. I'm just here for Jess. I know you have her, so just tell me where."

"oh, so she's more important to you than me? you're just proving my point. you don't care. you never cared. you never will care. you want jess so badly? fine. you can see her. you can be locked up with her. guards?"

"Y-yes, sir?" One stutters.

"Take her to the other Jack Russell and lock her up. I don't want to see either of them in the Underbelly again. Got it?"

"Yes, s-sir!"

I finally have nothing left to worry about.

But why do I feel so bad about doing this?

Okay, everything seems to be going well.

Without Katie, they must be incredibly disorganized.

But for some reason... I just can't shake this feeling.

I don't even know what it is!

Come on, Max, focus. You can think about this later.

"Alright, guys!" I bark. "That's enough stuff for now! We gotta get it back while we're ahead!"

"Yes, sir!"

I lead the Force to the sewer entrance.

"Quick! Everyone in!"

After a moment, I jump in behind them.

"Good work, everyone."

"Thanks, boss."

"I'm serious. Now we're that much closer to our goal. With these supplies, we can finally see results!" I bark.

We arrive at the door.

"What'sssss the passssssssword?"

"Don't ask the leader for the password."

DING.

"Max! You're back!" Kristal grins rushing towards us.

"Yep. And we got a haul."

"Amazing! We can bring this to that engineer human and he can stop wasting space! Oh, I forgot to introduce you! Follow me, Max."

I, once again, hesitate for a moment before following her.

It's probably best to just listen to her. Who knows what would happen if I didn't.

"Alright, Max! Here he is." She tells me before an alarm goes off and she looks up in concern. "Uh...can you keep an eye on him while he works so he doesn't try to escape. Something just came up."

"Why can't I go deal with that?"

"Because it involves the two people you said you never wanted to see again?"

"Oh. Yeah, I think I'll stay here."

"I'll be back as soon as I deal with this, Max!"

I hope so. This guy is really giving me the creeps...

But why does he look so familiar?

Duke slams into the door, knocking it down.

"You okay, Fat Dog?" Snowball asks from his back.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Come on! The CD said that Katie was in here somewhere!" I bark.

"So, are we just shortening all of the names now?"

"Focus, FD!"

"...does that stand for-?"

"Fat Dog, yes."

"Duke? Gidget? Is that you?" Katie's voice calls from down the hallway.

"She's down there!" Tiberius shouts.

"Okay, okay! No need to shout at me..."

We enter the room to find Katie in a cage alongside...

Alongside...

...her.

"Stop looking at me!" I bark.

The man winces and looks back at his work.

"Who are you, anyways?" I question. "How'd you end up here?"

"I broke a promise." He rasps. "And I was left behind by the last member of my family. She lost her life to save a friend. I went to her grave with some flowers before I was knocked out. I woke up here and was ordered to help you Flushed Pets build a weapon. The reason why I kept looking at you is because you look an awful lot like a dog I saw at her funeral."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. But there's no way that you're my sister Linda's friend Katie's dog, Max. From what I saw of him, he would never join you."

Oh. Well, that explains why he looks familiar...

"Well, looks like you're wrong. I am the same Max."

"It's a shame, really."

"Why's that?"

"Because I wanted to reach out to you as a friend."

Suddenly, the door bursts open. Standing there I see Gidget, Tiberius, Duke, Snowball, and them.

Jess and Katie.

However, Kristal shows up and immediately locks herself and the man behind a large shutter door. Before it fully closes she yells "Max! I'll stay in here with the engineer! You deal with them! When you're done, do the secret knock on this door! I'll open it!"

The door finishes closing with a bang.

The fact that I don't remember the knock may be a problem...

Whatever. Focus, Max.

"Guess it's just you guys and me now."

"Yeah...guess so."

"Max!" Kristal's voice barks from a loudspeaker. "There's one battery missing! It's out there somewhere! Once you've dealt with them, find it, okay?"

"Yeah," I reply spotting it on the ground right in the middle of our deadlock.

I rush towards it, and barely manage to dodge the surprise attack from Snowball as he intervenes.

"Oh. A volunteer." I growl.

I lunge towards him, and the momentum from me hitting him knocks him into a wall. He's out cold.

I see Katie pull out a tranquilizer gun but quickly kick Snowball at her, knocking it out of her grasp.

Tiberius attacks from above, but with just a few blows, he's out, too.

"Guards! Get these guys out of here! Lock them up with the rest!" I bark.

Before any of the others can stop them, I quickly knock Jess into the pile of prisoners.

"I've been waiting to do that for a long time..."

"Max..."

"Duke."

"I'm sorry it had to be this way."

I know that if I give him a response, it may have...undesirable...results. So I don't.

Within seconds, his neck is between my jaws.

Suddenly, I've snapped out of it.

I relinquish my hold and back away in horror.

"Duke! I...I'm sorry." I say, before grabbing the battery and rushing out of the room. I drop it for a split second to say: "Guards! Take them!"

"Max!" Kristal calls. "You're going the wrong way!"

"No. I'm taking the scenic route."

"Okay." She relents. "Just be back quick, okay? That battery is the last thing we need."

As I rush out of the Underbelly, I don't notice a small white shape with a pink bow struggling to keep up with me.

Do I really want to do this?

Do I really want to destroy all of humanity...just for what one human has done?

Do they really deserve that?

"Max."

I turn back to see a familiar silhouette. One that I loved.

"Gidget."

We're both silent for a moment.

"You don't know what to do, do you?" She asks. I remain silent. "After everything, you still haven't chosen a side. And now that you're forced to choose far earlier than you expected, you don't know what to do."

"How did you get away?"

"Max, those guards are terrible. The only reason the others got captured is because they weren't fighters, or were already knocked out."

"Yeah, you're right. But why are you here?"

"I can see it, Max. Deep inside, you don't want to do this. It's as simple as leaving that battery here and going to rescue your friends."

"...get away from me."

"Why, Max? Because you're afraid that I'll tell you the truth? Is that it?"

"Because...I-i don't want to have to hurt you, too."

"Max..."

"Sorry, Gidg."

A shape appears behind her and knocks her out.

"Thanks, Jack."

"No problem. I'll take her back. And boss?"

"Yeah?"

"I just want you to know...no matter what you choose to do, I'm with you, and I'm sure the rest of the Force is, too."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it," he says, walking away. "But you better hurry up and choose. Kristal doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Now, it's time to think...

I step into the Underbelly, battery in my mouth. I look around a bit and notice several cages hanging from the roof. They seem to be occupied.

"Welcome back, Max!" Kristal calls from the center of the room. A strange machine is set up there. The engineer is working on last minute fixes. "We'll be firing the Extinctionator in just a few minutes. Get that battery over here, and we can finally end humanity."

I place the battery on the ground.

"Can I have a word with everyone, first?"

"Of course!"

"Flushed Pets." I begin. "We say that we're 'Liberated Forever, Domesticated Never'. But is that really the case? Most of you had owners before you came here. Were you liberated forever then? Were you domesticated never? I know that all of you have suffered at the hands of man. But think about it. How many of you ran away one day, chasing a butterfly or a car, and couldn't find your way home, so you joined us seeking shelter? How many of you were separated from your owner in an accident? How many of you lost your owner in an accident? I know not all of you were harmed by accidents, but many of you were. Do all humans really need to die because one made a mistake, maybe even one out of their control? That's all I have to say."

Kristal looks at me in shock, before her face hardens into a glare.

"Max. You have committed treason against the Flushed Pets. You will die alongside your beloved humans." She tells me.

All of a sudden, the whole room bursts into debate. It doesn't take long for the fighting to begin. But before anything else happens, I feel a sharp pain in the back of my head.

Then everything fades into nothing.

Ugh...

What happened?

Heya, hotshot. You done shouting at me whenever I say something?

Alpha!?

Yeah, that's my name. Hey, bud, we really need to work out these issues.

Can we do it later? Kinda busy figuring out what happened.

Oh. Well, after your little speech, the Flushed Pets divided into two groups. One wants you, your friends, and all humans dead. The other doesn't. We're currently locked up in the territory of the ones who want you dead, alongside Pops and...well...

They locked her with me!?

Laying on the floor to my right is Jess.

Whatever. We can worry about that in a minute. Where's everyone else?

Don't know.

Oh, thanks for being so helpful.

No prob.

...I missed you.

Who wouldn't?

You just ruined the moment.

I know.

I'm done.

"What's goin' on?" Pops suddenly asks. "Oh, hey, Max. Looks like you finally tried to do the right thing. Unfortunately, you were caught."

"Yeah, I noticed."

I take a quick look around the cage we're locked in. There doesn't seem to be any simple ways to escape. Unless...

"Hey, Pops? I need your help."

"What for?"

"I think that if we can put enough weight on this door we can break the hinges and escape."

"Sure, why not."

I shift my weight onto the door. After a few moments of shuffling, Pops does the same.

I can hear the hinge creaking.

"I think it's working!"

I try to shift more of my weight onto the door and am rewarded with another creak, this one louder.

"Hey, Pops," I direct. "Do you think all of your weight's on the door? Because I'm almost certain that we're almost there!"

"Max... I'm afraid to say that this is all I can do."

No! Our one chance and it didn't work. If only we had just a little bit more!

What about her?

Who? Oh. Her. What, you want me to ask for help? From her? I'm sure you know exactly what she did now.

Max...do you want to get out of here or not? I hate to say it, but if we're gonna stop the Flushed Pets, we're gonna need as much help as we can get.

...you're right.

I walk over to the shape laying on the floor.

"Hey," I say. "Jess...I, uh, need your help."

"Really?" She asks, perking up.

"Y-yeah."

"Okay, Max! I won't let you down! What do you need?"

"I need you to lean on this door."

"Right!"

The door falls to the ground with a loud clang. We follow it.

"Oof!"

Wow, that looks like it hurt.

Are you trying to compensate for your disappearance? Because you seem to be talking a lot more than you used to.

No comment.

"You guys okay?" I ask.

"Of course!"

"Yep! I'm fine Max. I've been through tons worse! Ya see when I was young-"

"Can we talk about this later?"

"Alright. So, what's next?"

"Next, we gotta find out how to shut down that weapon," I tell him. "And I know just who to go to."

"Alright, he's in here!" I whisper.

We just snuck through a large crowd of extremely agitated Flushed Pets. I don't think they were the friendly ones.

I enter the room the engineer is held in. At the sound of my footsteps, he turns around quickly.

"O-oh! Hi, Max! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here so you can tell me how to destroy the weapon."

"Oh! Well, how do I know I can trust you?"

"Would the people I locked up really be content with working with me if I hadn't changed?" I deadpan.

Well, I mean, you could have threatened them into doing it.

Alpha, you're not helping.

"Well, I guess not." He mumbles. "Alright. Name's Joel, by the way. Anyways, on the bottom of the control panel, there's a small red button. This button will detonate the device. However, you only have 10 seconds to escape before the explosion wipes out everything in a 30-foot radius."

"Could a dog press it?"

"I mean, in theory, I gue-"

"Good enough. Come on, guys."

...little quick to the trigger there, doncha think?

"Where to now?" Jess asks.

"We're gonna go destroy that machine!" I growl.

Or die. They're both fairly likely.

After much evasion of the FP, we finally arrive on the walkway approaching the 'Extinctionator'. A silhouette stands in our path.

Okay, who the hel-I mean heck- is that!?

"Max. You do not know me, but I know everything about you. I am the leader of a group called the Caged Domestics. In mere moments, you will be faced with your biggest challenge yet. Kristal. The leader of the Flushed Pets. What occurs will determine the fate of the world. If she wins, humanity will be destroyed along with you and everyone you love. If you win, none of that will happen. I know almost everything you have done up to this point. I have for weeks. However, one thing surprises me. Instead of being greeted by a single silhouette in these final moments, I am greeted by three. Max, I implore you. Send them away. If you do not, they may die."

"I don't know why...but I feel like I can trust you. I will send them away. But not yet."

Again, little quick to the trigger.

Please shut up.

Wow. That was...uncharacteristically kind for you. Congrats!

Let me focus!

"Very well. I am not sure if we will see each other again, Max, so I'd like to say it was an honor to meet you. 'Later', as you would say it."

Suddenly, she's gone. How odd.

I approach the machine and dodge the bite aimed for my front paw.

"Hello, Kristal."

"Hello, Maxy! You know, you really gave me quite a scare with your little speech. For a second I thought they would all listen to you. But only about half did! My half can hold them off rather well, allowing me to face you."

I know there's no way I can beat her. Her stamina far surpasses mine. It'll be over for me before she even breaks a sweat.

But I have an idea.

Oh no. Your entire demeanor just shifted. You have a stupid idea, don't you?

You'll see.

"Both of you," I say, addressing Jess and Pops. "You heard what that cat said."

"Max..." Pops whispers. "I think I finally understand."

"It's time. Hurry."

"...you'll die, you know that."

"There is one thing I'd like to know..." I tell him. "Tell me. Do you think I'll ever be able to see Gidget and Duke again? In a world after this one, if one exists?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Max, even though the answer may be hard for you to hear. Before all this, you had never intentionally done anything to harm others. But now, you

devoted your life to your own selfish desires, you've caused too much pain."

"Oh, well," I mutter. "So be it. That will be all. Get out of here, and hurry!"

"What are you two talking about?" Jess barks, annoyed.

"Come on, quick!" Pops barks and they run off.

That probably wasn't too smart.

Seriously, shut up.

Fine.

"What's wrong, Max?" Kristal grins. "Afraid to fight me? Or are you just sending them away so they don't see how I kill you? You will stay! You will fight me!"

"Yes! That's right!" I growl. "Your fight is with me! The others are of no concern to you! Got it? You waste of air!"

"Well, look who's getting feisty." She growls back. "That made me angry!"

I simply chuckle, getting another growl from her.

"I'm going to make you suffer before you die!"

Another chuckle. Another growl.

"I think I finally understand you..." I mutter. "Let's go!"

I prepare to make my move. If I can't do this... it's over.

"You still think you can beat me?" Kristal laughs.

"You are a fool." I laugh back. "I'm going to crush you, and throw you into the wind!"

Duke...Gidget...I do this for you.

And yes...even for you, Katie.

I let out a loud bark as I rush towards my goal.

I narrowly dodge Kristal's attack and keep moving.

"Where are you going!?"

I'm almost there! I just have to get to that button!

"So, Max. You think you can destroy the machine while dodging me? Not gonna happen. There's not a self-destruct button or anything!"

There!

Right as my paw pushes it down, she knocks me across the floor.

10.

"Wow, Max. I expected more of a fight from you. But I guess not."

"Ya know, it's rude to ignore someone." She says, kicking me.

"Hey, Kristal," I say laughing hysterically.

"What?"

"There is one."

Goodbye, everyone.

I'm sorry I couldn't apologize.

Okay, Max, we need to get out of here, no-!

BOOM!

I weakly lift my head off the ground.

Several shapes approach me.

"He looks awful!"

"We gotta get him somewhere safe!"

Then everything goes black.

"Gidget! Wake up!"

What the-? Where's Max?

"What happened?" I ask, disoriented.

"I'll explain everything later, but we need to go!"

"O...okay..."

I follow the sound of the voice before I hear another familiar voice echoing through the halls.

"...we gotta find out how to shut down that weapon..."

It's Max!

I begin to rush towards the noise before I am blocked by Duke.

"Duke, get out of the way."

"Gidget," Katie interrupts. "How can we be sure that Max even wants to see any of us right now? For all we know, we could be the last people he wants to see."

"I don't care!" I bark. "If there's even the slightest chance that Max is completely back to normal, then I'm going after him!"

"Gidge-"

"No! I...I can't lose him again..."

"Gidget...I know how you feel right now, but I think it's for the best that we leave Max alone for a while. Let him come back to us. I know you're worried he won't make it out of here, but he can fight now, remember? You trained him. And from the stories I've heard about you on that bridge, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. So let's focus on getting us out of here. We need to find Snowball and the others."

"...you're right, Katie."

I move back to my spot behind Duke and keep walking.

And I struggle not to look back.

We've begun to follow a trail of small orange objects that look suspiciously like carrot shavings before we hear more voices down the hall.

"We've gotta find Max and the others, okay?"

"Fat Cat's right, y'all! We gotta find TD!"

"Don't ever call me that again."

Is that...Chloe and Snowball?

Yeah! And Sweetpea and Norman are with them!

"Hey, look FC! It's Fluffy Dog! Yo, FD! Wait a minute...Fat Dog is also FD...that's no good! Fluffy Dog, imma call you Fluffy D! Nah, too long. Wait, how bout F Dog! Yeah! Yo, F Dog, where's TD?"

"We're leaving him be for now. He's still potentially unstable." I explain.

"Awright, awright, I dig it. So, where we goin' now?"

"Nearest exit. You should know where that is."

"Yep! Should be this way!" Snowball replies and begins to lead us.

Max... please be okay.

So we're just walking along when Tiberius swoops down out of nowhere.

"Hey, guys! What's up?"

"Oh, you know, escaping from an evil gang of hyperintelligent former house pets, the usual." Katie responds.

"Okay, no need to be hostile! Just wanted to let you know, I saw Max heading straight for the atrium of this whole sewer complex."

"Tiberius, that was probably not the best thing to say..." She mutters.

"Why no-oh."

Max...is putting himself in danger!?

I rush back the way we came.

I have to save him, or at least help somehow!

BOOM!

Wait...

What was that?

Oh no! Max!

I've gotta hurry!

I just hope I make it there in time...

Along the way, I almost run into Pops.

"Pops? Where's Max?"

"Max risked his life for the people he cared about. Like you."

"We gotta make sure he's okay!"

"Alright, alright, but slow down, would ya? An old dog can only move so fast..."

However, as I begin to return to my sprint, I come face to face with someone I look at with distaste.

"Jess." I growl.

"..."

"You have nothing to say to me, do you? After whatever you did to my Max. What did you do? What did you do to him!?"

"..."

"Fine, don't tell me. But after we get you back to your owner, I never want to see you again." I say, and run off.

Finally, after such a long run, I find myself in the main room of the Underbelly.

And all that remains is destruction.

I frantically search through the rubble to find something...anything...resembling Max.

I find nothing.

"Gidget." A voice calls to me.

"Y-you..." I respond in shock. "The leader of the Caged Domestics..."

"Yes. I am here to tell you that Max is alive. He will return to you when he is ready. But I am also here to tell you that this may be the last time you hear from me. The story of the Caged Domestics is nearing its end, and mine is along for the ride. But do not fear what the Flushed Pets will do unchecked, for they have taken a huge toll from today, and a new group is rising. A group that will be known as the Redeemed. But I am afraid that is all I can tell you. Goodbye for the last time, Gidget."

And just like that, he's vanished.

Max...

Wherever you are, I hope you're okay...

Because there are a lot of people who care about you.

"Duke! I...I'm sorry..."

"I...I don't want to have to hurt you, too."

"Sorry, Gidg."

"Do all humans really need to die because one made a mistake, maybe even one out of their control?"

"You are a fool. I'm going to crush you, and throw you into the wind!"

Duke...Gidget...I do this for you.

And yes...even for you...

Katie.

I lift my head off of a confusingly soft surface. A bed?

What happened?

I would have expected the place where horrible people go after death to have beds made of spikes. Or spiders. Or spiky spiders.

Spikers.

Eugh. Enough about spiders.

The point is, the only reason I would be on such a surface is if I were alive.

But there's no way I'm alive, is there?

Wait, we survived?

Wait, Alpha!? You're still here?

Uh...yeah? Why is this so surprising?

Because if you're still here, then I must be alive!

Um...where are you getting this from?

But if I really am alive, surely I would be feeling more pain, considering I exploded. Oh, OW! There it is! So much pain! Everything except for my...front leg...

I look down to see an alarming lack of a front left leg.

I immediately jump up in shock. Unfortunately, because I have no idea how to balance my weight, I fall flat on my face.

Whoa, okay, let's take this slow...

I slowly lift myself off the ground, but fall right back down.

"Oof!"

Not slow enough!

All of a sudden, a familiar group of people enters the room.

"Jack? Tattoo? Eric? Joanie?"

"Yep! And boy, have we got some news for you!"

"Your little speech worked!"

"You managed to convince about half the Flushed Pets to rethink their ways."

"And you'll never guess who they want to lead them!"

It's probably you.

"It's me, isn't it?" I mutter.

"Yep!"

Okay, Max. You can do this...

The four of them stare at me, waiting for a response.

"Alright," I tell them, and they begin to cheer. "But only for a while."

"Thanks, Chief! What's your first act?" Jack asks, happily.

"We need a name. Not just the Better Flushed Pets. I'm thinking something with a deeper meaning. Something like...the Redeemed."

"I know."

After a few days, I've finally grown used to moving around with only three legs.

Frankly, it still sucks. But it's better than nothing.

I've taken this opportunity to check up on Duke and Gidget. And I don't mean to visit them, I mean to survey them from afar.

"Hey, Chief." Jack says out of nowhere.

"Ah!" I yelp. "Jack! Why are you here? Are you following me?"

"Max, why don't you go see them?"

"Nah..." I reply, returning my focus to Duke's attempts to get a treat from Katie.

"They're gonna be so relieved when they see you!"

"Will they?" I ask as I watch how normally their lives are going on without me. "I mean...it's like they never even bothered to look for me. Maybe...maybe they didn't like me."

"Hey, of course they liked you, they were your family! Hey, they're probably worried sick!"

"I don't know..."

"Okay. Max, just give me a good reason."

"I don't know how they'll react."

"Because of all the bad things you did, right?"

"Yeah."

"Look, it's like I said, they're probably worried sick!"

"I know, it's just that I'm not ready yet..." I tell him, truthfully.

"...alright. Come on, Chief. Let's go back to base."

"Yeah."

Goodbye, Gidget, Duke.

...Katie.

I'll see you guys sometime soon...

It's been over a month since the incident.

It's been about three weeks since I woke up.

In that time, I've learned exactly what it means to be a leader.

I was also reminded of how annoying Alpha can be.

Hey, Max!

Speak of the devil.

What is it?

I heard you're planning our first move against the Flushed Pets.

What about it?

Just wanted to make sure you weren't planning on exploding again. Because that did not look fun. Or comfortable. And now that I think about it, it still doesn't look fun being you, because you lost a leg.

Oh, gee, thanks for comforting me. But in all seriousness, I've gotten used to it. It's really not that bad.

Max, think about it. In your current line of work, you're gonna need to be able to move quickly. You still struggle with that.

I know you're trying to help and all, but I think I can handle this.

Okay, okay.

Anyways, what was I saying? Oh, yeah.

Basically, I still haven't gone back to Gidget and the others.

I don't know when I'll be ready, but it isn't now.

I haven't checked on them since right after I woke up...

I'll do it after I'm done with work. Getting rid of the Flushed Pets is the number one priority right now. They're probably watching them closely, so if I go home now, they'll find out I'm alive and use my family against me.

Or is that just some poor excuse to hold it off longer? I don't know.

All I know is that I can't afford not to care anymore. Before all of this, I was oblivious enough to ignore what was right in front of my face. Gidget can attest to that.

Not that she has anything to do with this. It was just an example.

"Uh, sir?"

Oh yeah, I'm in the middle of a meeting.

I forgot to mention how this is my least favorite part of leading the Redeemed.

I didn't mind it so much while I was Commander of the Flushed Pets, but I wasn't really in a good state of mind then...

Man, this is so unbearably dull.

I haven't seen Max in so long...

I hope he's really alright.

We haven't heard from the Caged Domestics either. Not since they told us about this new 'Redeemed' group.

Whoever they are, I hope they're on our side.

Look, what I'm trying to say here is that we're in the dark. We don't know about anything that's happened since the incident. For all we know, the Flushed Pets have already been completely wiped out.

Not that that would be a problem! It's just really annoying!

But no news is no news.

"Gidget! Katie should be back any minute now!"

"Oh, that's great, Duke." I murmur absently.

"...you're thinking about Max again, aren't you?"

I decide not to reply.

"Look, the Caged Domestics haven't been wrong before, have they? I don't think they're gonna start now. Max is fine."

"He never said he was fine..." I mutter. "Only that he was alive. And that was then. This is now. He never told us if Max would still be alive now."

"Gidget, don't worry about it. Max will come back, I can feel it."

"How can you be sure?" I ask. "If you could never believe him when he said that he cared about you?"

He doesn't respond. He doesn't need to.

I already know the answer.

It's been over three months since Max's incident.

In all honesty, I'm beginning to lose hope...

"Duke! Gidget! I'm home! Any news?" Katie calls, entering the room.

"Nothing." I tell her.

"Oh well. Duke, I noticed that you forgot what day it is, though."

"What day is it?" He asks, confused.

"According to the adoption papers, today is your birthday."

"Huh."

"You don't seem very excited..."

"No, it's just that I guess I expected Max to be here for my first birthday here..."

"Duke," She sighs. "None of us could have predicted that anything that's happened these past few months would happen."

"I know, I know."

"I'm sure that if Max knew, he'd be here."

"Yeah, I get it, okay?" He grumbles, leaving the room. I move to follow him, but Katie stops me.

"Gidget, maybe it'd be for the best if we just leave him alone for now..."

"Okay..."

Alright...after months of planning, it's finally time...

Wait, have you finally gotten tired of monologuing to yourself, so now you're monologuing to me?

...Maybe.

Another question, why did it take almost four months to plan this?

...It's a very elaborate plan.

Yeah, yeah. You know, you could have saved a bunch of trouble and just located their base instead of coming up with this excessively complex plan.

...I'm giving you a ten-second head start.

I'm just gonna pretend you never tried to threaten the voice inside your head.

...Anyways, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, it's finally time to defeat the Flushed Pets once and for all!

And now you're just practicing your pep talk on me.

And now you're just being rude.

...Shouldn't you be going? I mean, Jack said ten minutes, right? It's been like twenty.

Oh, crapbaskets!

Oh man, I'm late for the fifth time this week!

Jack's gonna be so annoyed with me!

"I'm so annoyed with you..." Jack growls.

"I know, I know, but can you let it pass this time? I am about to lead us into a battle."

"Fair point, Chief."

"Attention, Redeemed! The day has finally come for us to finally eliminate the Flushed Pets! After months of planning, it's finally time to stop them once and for all! Our plan is simple, we lure them out using me as bait." The crowd bursts into an uproar. "Silence! Don't worry, I can take care of myself. And for those of you asking 'How do you know it will work?', the answer is because they know I killed their old leader, and there is no doubt in my mind that if they knew I was alive, they wouldn't hesitate to do the same to me. Once they capture me because they almost certainly want to see me suffer, they will take me back to their base, and all of you will follow and attack! I will work my way out from wherever I am left, and you will work your way in! Each squad's leader has more details on what to do next. I am counting on all of you. I'm putting more than just my life at risk here. I'm putting my family's happiness at risk. These stakes are higher for me than anything else I've ever done. But it is worth it, to finally be rid of the monsters known as the Flushed Pets!"

Cheering. Lots and lots of cheering.

"Now," I bark. "For us to be redeemed!"

Alright, here goes nothing.

I've covered myself in dirt and made sure to look like I've been surviving on my own for all this time.

Truthfully, my missing leg will probably help towards that end.

The Flushed Pets still don't know that all of its former members have banded together to form a new group yet, and I have to keep it that way until our plan is complete.

I've positioned myself on a route two known Flushed Pets members have been seen patrolling. They should be here any second now, and then the downfall of the Flushed Pets will begin!

"Hey! It's him! Tiny Dog!"

Well, here we go.

The two dogs begin to force me along the road.

"We're gonna bring you to our leader."

"Who exactly is your new leader?" I ask.

"New leader?" One responds. "What do you mean? Oh! You thought you killed her? I thought you were smarter than that, Tiny Dog. In a few moments, you'll wish you had. Kristal's alive."

Oh no. We didn't count on this...

If she's still alive...

By the end of the day, I won't be.

In front of me is a familiar door.

My bloody and broken body barely manages to stand up for long enough to scratch the door before I fall to the ground.

Max! I told you to take it slow!

Gotta...apologize...before I die...

I feel Alpha responding, but I can't hear him anymore.

The door suddenly bursts open, the person I love most in the world calls out hopefully: "Max?", before suddenly screaming "Max!" in horror.

"...hey...gidg..." I cough.

Katie, Gidget, and Duke rush to my side.

"Max! What happened!?"

"doesn't...matter..." I grunt. "just...here...to say...sorry...before it all...ends..."

"Max, no! You can't die now!"

"sorry...about that...too..."

My entire body feels heavier than ever before, so I begin to relax all of my muscles, lowering my head to the ground.

"Max!"

"...goodbye..." I cough out a bit of blood. "gidget...katie...duke...i love you..."

Then everything fades into nothing.

One Day Earlier

"Kristal's alive."

Oh no. We didn't count on this...

If she's really still alive...

By the end of the day, I won't be.

I should have listened to Jack! I should have apologized while I still had the chance!

No. There's no use dwelling on the past, Max. You will make it out of this, and you will apologize!

Don't want to alarm you, but-

Yes, I know, I probably won't survive the next 24 hours.

You seem awfully calm about that.

In this line of work, it was inevitable for a leader to be put in these conditions.

You just wish it wasn't us.

Yeah.

Well, you win some, you lose some.

So helpful, Alpha.

No problemo.

The two large dogs continue to lead me towards my demise.

I could probably escape them if I wanted to, but I won't.

I have to at least try to go through with the plan. Not for my sake, but for their sakes. For the Redeemed's sakes.

No, I won't run. But when the time comes, I will fight.

And I think I like my odds there.

Eventually, I find myself in a room flooded by darkness except for a single spot. And in that spot lays the person I hate most in the world.

Kristal.

"Hi, Maxy~!" She growls. "I just knew you had survived! I've gotta say, that was pretty bold of you to do, friend. But that's not important anymore. That was then, this is now, it's been four months, etcetera. Now, we're gonna have some fun together, Max! Just like you did with your pal Jess that time nearly two years ago!"

I'm honestly surprised I didn't see this coming.

I'm just as surprised as you are.

NOT. HELPING. ALPHA.

The other dogs in the room leave.

"I still want your puppies, Max. You may not look it at first glance, but you are a strong dog. And as our past can attest, smart, too. You're still the perfect candidate for my mate. Unfortunately for you, your mating privileges will be limited to a single time, because not too long afterward you'll be suffering from a very well known condition called death."

Okay, at least I saw that one coming.

I'm just as surprised at that as I was at you not seeing the first part coming.

Alpha!

"Now," Kristal says, standing up, allowing me to see her missing ear and scarred eye in the light. "Let's begin, Maxy~!"

Gotta...get...out of here...

Gotta...get...home...

Gotta...say...sorry...

God...dammit...Kristal!

The door has just closed behind her after one of our...sessions.

There's no way for me to get out of here...at least, not alone.

All I can do is try to hold out until the rest of the Redeemed show up.

So, uh, do you wanna talk about it?

Not particularly. And even if I did, I wouldn't want to talk to you. Oh, uh, sorry, it's just...

Hey, it's fine. We're not in the best position right now, and you're right anyways, talking to me about it would probably hurt more than help.

She's getting increasingly frustrated...we may not have much longer before she kills us even without the puppies.

We'll cross that bridge when it comes to it. Right now, I'm more concerned about the large bite on our shoulder.

Oh. Right. Somehow I completely forgot about that.

Truthfully, it's very concerning.

What, me forgetting or the bite?

Both-I mean the bite!

I'm gonna pretend you never said anything.

There's gotta be a way out of here. I just have to find it...

The door opens again.

Already!?

"Hi, Maxy~! It's time for you to eat!" Kristal says, pushing a small bowl into the room. "Sorry about the quality of this, by the way. You deserve better, being my mate and all, but you won't be alive for much longer, so I don't feel too bad."

She moves the bowl to a spot where I could reach it despite being tied up and removes the gag from my mouth.

"Be a good boy!" She barks, exiting the room.

Hey, Max? You thinking what I'm thinking?

I don't know. Are you thinking that I should knaw on this rope until it snaps?

As a matter of fact, I am!

Well, then I guess I'll get right to it.

And I do just that.

I just hope I can finish before she gets back.

I...I think I did it!

The last rope falls to the ground as I shake it off victoriously.

Unfortunately, this sends a shot of pain outwards from my shoulder.

Oh, crapbaskets. Forgot about that. Sorry.

Hey, it's fine. You were caught up in the moment. But, um, why are you apologizing to me? You know I can't feel anything.

Oh. Right.

It's fine, okay? You're distracted right now, and to be frank, we probably aren't in the best place or condition to be having banter. So, we should probably find a way out of here.

I look around a bit.

There's no way we'll be able to break through that door...and that's just a closet...wait, do you think we could climb up to that vent and go through it?

Maybe, if you still had both of your front legs. If you fall, which is likely, you'll make a bunch of noise, and they'll rush in here.

But it may be our only option!

...You're right. Let's go.

I limp over to the desk near the vent and begin to climb up it. I lift myself onto the top of it and knock the vent door off. Right as I begin to enter, I hear the door open with a "Maxy~!" and then a "Get him!".

GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO!

I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW!

As I rush through the vents, I can't help but remember the time I did the same thing with Snowball.

Remember when we did this with Snowball?

You know, this vent layout seems very similar to that...

Are the Flushed Pets using the same building Tiberius' Army used as a base as their base?

That means that the elevators are this way!

I turn left at the next intersection.

I just hope we can get there before she does.

Hey, have you ever realized how much you say 'I just hope'?

What do you mean?

I mean you should probably learn more words.

Now's not the time, Alpha.

Kay.

Not too much more time passes before I hop out of the vents and rush towards the elevator door.

Okay, we don't have to move that fast! You only have 3 legs, and you have a bite in your shoulder. Relax a bit, okay? There's no way she'll already know where we ar-

"Maxy~! Where do you think you're going?"

Forget I said anything! Move faster!

I KNOW, ALPHA!

I barely manage to make my way into the elevator and press the ground floor button before I fall to the ground, panting rapidly.

...Say, it looks like there's more blood on you than before...

That would be because I'm bleeding out from the bite.

No, like, a lot more. Way more than you should have had come out of that bite.

I look at myself as best I can, and notice what he's noticed.

The sting I can now feel in my side confirms it.

Something cut me between me exiting the vent and getting here. I don't know what it was, but it got me good.

The elevator door opens, and I walk out.

I can't die. Not yet.

Not before I say sorry.

So I exit the building and begin to roam the streets.

It's this way, right? It's gotta be.

"Holy crap, Tiny Dog!" Ozone yelps, spotting me. "Are you alright? The Redeemed thought you were dead!"

"I'm close enough." I mumble. "Will be, soon enough."

"No, you won't! We'll get you back to base and patch you up!"

"No, we won't. I'll be gone before we get there...and there's something I want to do...before I die. Something I...probably should have done...four months ago. Goodbye...Ozone..." I manage to say, walking off.

I'm almost there... I can make it!

I begin to move a bit faster, and fall to the ground.

Whoa, Max! Take it slow!

I limp into the building and up the stairs.

I can do this...I have to!

Finally, I've made it to the floor my destination is on.

I take a few steps down the hallway, and turn left.

In front of me is a familiar door.

My bloody and broken body barely manages to stand up for long enough to scratch the door before I fall to the ground.

Max! I told you to take it slow!

Gotta...apologize...before I die...

I feel Alpha responding, but I can't hear him anymore.

The door suddenly bursts open, the person I love most in the world calls out hopefully: "Max?", before suddenly screaming "Max!" in horror.

"...hey...gidg..." I cough.

Katie, Gidget, and Duke rush to my side.

"Max! What happened!?"

"doesn't...matter..." I grunt. "just...here...to say...sorry...before it all...ends..."

"Max, no! You can't die now!"

"sorry...about that...too..."

My entire body feels heavier than ever before, so I begin to relax all of my muscles, lowering my head to the ground.

"Max!"

"...goodbye..." I cough out a bit of blood. "gidget...katie...duke...i love you..."

Then everything fades into nothing.

Four months. It's been four months since I last saw Max.

A year. That's how long it's been since Duke first showed up.

I can't believe that so much has happened in such a short time.

Max's life was so peaceful before that. And that's what caused me to do what I did all that time ago. I thought Duke had been intentionally screwing with Max's life, abusing how oblivious he was. I attacked Max then because it was for what I thought was 'the greater good'. I thought that if I could just knock him out, it would be easy for me to take care of Duke and help him realize 'the truth'. But I hadn't counted on Katie just happening to choose that day to come home early. It's a good thing that she did, though. I'd hurt Max more than I'd intended, and he would have died if she hadn't. That's why I was perfectly willing to be put down. But then I realized that Max's last memory of me was me attacking him. I realized that he would see me as a monster, and thought to myself as I escaped 'I'll find a way to make it up to him, somehow'. And I was right, for the most part. I later learned that I had contributed to Max's PTSD, and seeing a dog that looked like me had triggered him. But I also learned that it was then that he realized his feelings for me. But before I learned any of that, I discovered Tiberius and his plot to get revenge for my 'death'. Seeing my opportunity, I still hesitated before taking action. I didn't know how he'd react to my appearance. However, I decided that I would not just stand by and let Max be killed! I went to his aid, and just in time, too. I found him fighting a losing battle against Tiberius on a rooftop. It was there that he told me his true feelings, or at least, he would have if he hadn't been interrupted by Tiberius. With him having placed Max into a near death condition, I had no regrets with regards to fighting my former friend. But at the end of the battle, I realized that Max wouldn't want me to kill him. Max would want me to let him go. So I did. Katie took me in after that. Two months later, Max finally woke up. I thought that we would finally get to have a peaceful life, especially after he actually revealed his love for me. But then she came. Jess. I don't know what she did to him all that time ago, but it was enough to pull him away from me for the last two weeks before the last time I saw him. His hatred of her and what she did was enough to get him to think that all pets and humans were monsters. But then, something changed in him. The dark confidence he had when he fought the people he once called friends was replaced with a familiar, childish confusion. Max wasn't sure what his own goals were anymore. So I gave him a push in the right direction. Not too long after, Max finally came back to the light. And as far as I know, his last action was a sacrifice for all of humanity.

All of that...in just a year.

Suddenly, I hear a faint scratching noise.

It sounded like it came from the door!

Katie rushes down the stairs, Duke not far behind her, and we look at the door in disbelief.

"Did you guys-?" I begin to ask.

"Yes!" Katie shouts and rushes to the door.

As it opens, I call "Max?", my voice full of hope.

But there's nothing there.

Saddened, I look down to the floor.

There I see the bloody and broken body of Max, missing a leg, a large bite wound in his shoulder, and a long cut in his side.

"Max!"

"...hey...gidg..."

We rush to his side.

Ohnoohnoohno

"Max! What happened!?"

"doesn't...matter...just...here...to say...sorry...before it all...ends..."

"Max, no!" I yelp. "You can't die now!"

"sorry...about that...too..."

His eyes begin to close.

"goodbye..." he coughs, blood escaping his mouth. "gidget...katie...duke...i love you."

His eyes close fully.

"Max! NO!"

Katie quickly pulls her phone out of her pocket and dials a number.

"Hi, my name's Katie!" She frantically says into it. "My dog is in critical condition!"

Max...

You can't die...

"Yes! He's bleeding out! It's very bad!"

Max...

Please...

I really hope Max will be okay...

We've been waiting in this room for what feels like hours!

I swear...when I find out who did this to him...

Uh, anyways, the vet told us that he might not be able to save Max.

All of a sudden, he comes out and tells us we can go in.

"Gidget?" Katie calls, stopping me.

"What is it, Katie?"

"I know how you feel, Gidget. Scared, confused, angry. You want to know if Max will survive. You want to know who did this to him. But Gidget, you need to stay calm, okay? If you're like this while we're in there, and Max wakes up, you could scare him. So please, calm down."

"I'll try." I sigh.

Max...

I look at his unconscious bandaged body.

Please wake up soon...

"-dget! We have to go now." Katie tells me, shaking me awake.

"Why?" I ask groggily.

"Because visiting hours are over. If Max wakes up overnight, the vet will take care of him and tell us in the morning. And I can tell you're tired after staring at him for five hours."

"Fine. But we're coming back first thing in the morning either way."

"That's the plan."

"Come on." Duke calls.

We hop into the car.

"Duke?" I ask. "How are you so calm right now?"

"Oh, uh...It's just that we've been through what I feel was much worse, so, uh-"

"I'm not buying it, Duke!" I interject. "What's the real reason?"

"Well...uh..."

"Whatever..." I mutter after a few moments. "Doesn't really matter anyways."

I close my eyes and lay my head down on the seat.

I wake up in the bed that Max and I shared. Sorry, share. Morning light shines through the windows.

I walk into the living room to find Katie and Duke ready to go.

"Finally awake, huh?" Katie asks.

"If you guys were ready, why didn't you wake me up?"

"You needed the rest."

"What I need is to see Max."

"Okay, jeez! No need to be so hostile. Let's go."

I don't know how long I've been staring at Max.

"Hey, Gidget?" Katie calls. "I'm gonna go bring Duke out to get some food. I'll bring something back for you, and for Max in case."

"'Kay."

The door closes behind them.

I return my focus to Max.

Hold on, I could have sworn I just saw him shift a little bit.

I look more closely for a moment.

Nope. He's in exactly the same spot. Must have been my imagination.

Wait...there it was again.

Now I hear a soft groan come from him.

"Max? Are you awake?"

"Oh, hey Gidget. Quick question, am I alive?"

"Well, I would assume so, considering that you're talking to me."

"Huh. Alpha owes me a dog treat. Wait a minute, he physically can't give me one!"

I can't believe it!

He's awake!

He's finally back to normal!

Now all we have to do is sit here and wait for Katie to come back so we can tell her the good news.

"So, uh, Gidget? I wanted to talk to you about something..."

"What is it, Max?"

"I just wanted to, um, apologize about everything. And I know I already did, but I was half-conscious. I also wanted to ask if you were still, uh, interested in being my girlfriend. And before you answer, there's something else I want to tell you. But, uh, can we wait for Katie and Duke? It's about what happened with me and Jess."

Why is it so bright?

Oh. We're alive.

You sure? A dog treat says we're not.

Deal.

"Max? Are you awake?"

"Oh, hey Gidget," I say, lifting my head off the bed. "Quick question, am I alive?"

"Well, I would assume so, considering that you're talking to me."

"Huh. Alpha owes me a dog treat. Wait a minute, he physically can't give me one!"

Get pranked bro.

I hate you so much.

Oh, come on! Quit lying! You can't fool me, Max!

"So, uh, Gidget? I wanted to talk to you about something..."

"What is it, Max?"

"I just wanted to apologize for everything. And I know I already did, but I was half-conscious. I also wanted to ask if you were still interested in being my girlfriend. And before you answer, there's something else I want to tell you. But we can wait for Katie and Duke. It's about what happened with me and Jess."

"Oh. In that case, we probably should wait a bit."

Duke and Katie choose this moment to reenter the room. Neither of them look in my direction.

"Hey, Gidget," Katie calls. "The only thing they had that you would like are the french fries. Here."

She tosses them over to Gidget.

"So, anything changed with him?" She asks, gesturing to me.

I clear my throat, and all of a sudden all eyes are on me.

"Max! You're awake!"

"Yeah."

You seem awfully calm about all this.

I'm trying to keep my composure so I don't chicken out before I tell them.

"So, there's something I need to tell you..." I begin.

"Can it wait until after we eat?" Duke interrupts. "We brought you some chicken nuggets in case you were awake."

My stomach growls at the mention of food.

"Okay." I relent.

"Thanks for the food."

"No problem, Max."

"Now, it's time for me to tell you about what happened with Jess."

"Max, I've been thinking," Katie tells me. "You were right. I was trying to use my status to get you to tell us. I'm sorry. You don't need to tell us if you don't want to."

"But I do. So let me. This is what happened: It started out peacefully enough. You brought me over to your sister's house every once in a while for her to watch me. I met Jess, and while she did act a little strange around me, I thought nothing of it. Everyone's different and all. Eventually, she began to get on my nerves a little, calling me 'Maxy' and constantly bothering me with questions I had no idea how to answer. But eventually, she grew tired of how oblivious I was to her...advances. So, the next time I saw her, she managed to get drugged dog food somehow and gave it to me. The next thing I knew I was...tied up in a dark room. I don't know how she did that either. Then she...she..."

"Max..." Gidget says, comforting me. "I think we get the picture. But why would you think that I wouldn't want to be your girlfriend anymore? What happened was beyond your control!"

"Because...because I'm damaged goods..."

"Max! Who told you that!?"

"Jess...after she..."

"Why would you believe anything she said after she did that to you?"

"Because she was right! I am damaged! Look at me now! And that's not all. Before I came back to you, I led the Redeemed to fight the Flushed Pets, and found out that Kristal was still alive! And then...and then..."

"Max..."

"And after she did it...after every time she did it...she told me the same thing...'You're damaged goods now, Maxy! Even if you did make it out of here, no one will ever love you again, not even Gidget!'"

"Max, really? You forgave me after all of the terrible things I did! I chose to do those things, and you still forgave me! And you think that I wouldn't forgive you for something you had no choice in!?"

"I...I'm sorry..." I mutter.

"I know." She replies. "I am too."

"Max..." Katie tells me. "I'm glad you decided to tell us. Now, let's see what I can do about getting you home tonight, okay?"

"Max, I had no idea!" Duke yelps. "I swear, if I get my paws on either of them, I'll-"

Does he realize that at this point even you are stronger than him?

Aw, Alph! Let him have his moment!

Please never call me that again.

No promises.

In front of me is a familiar door.

Only difference between now and the last time this happened is that I'm not bleeding out.

I'm still not sure I can believe that I survived.

"Hey, Max!" Katie calls, opening the door. "Gidget told me about the little treat prank Alpha played on you, so I'll go get you one."

I wasn't expecting that! Can I have one, too?

...

"No, Katie, it's fine, really."

"You sure?" She replies, holding one up.

"Yes, I'm sure." I tell her firmly.

"Wow. You wouldn't have done that four months ago." Duke comments.

"Yeah, well, a lot has changed. I'm not the same Max you knew." I shoot back. "I'm d-"

"Maxy, don't even think about saying 'damaged goods'!" Gidget barks, interrupting me.

"Gidg, I wasn't going to!" I yelp back. "I was going to say 'different now'."

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's okay."

I'm sensing some tension...

I begin to wander around the house, reacquainting myself with the layout.

Oh, I think I've got it. You don't believe that Gidget still cares about you.

Alpha, that's enough.

You still think you're damage-

Alpha, that's enough.

Okay, okay!

Hold on, what is that godly smell in the kitchen?

"Oh, so you can smell the Shepards Pie I made last night." Katie says, following me in.

"That's what that smell is? It smells so delicious! You'll have to make it again soon!"

"No need." She tells me, taking something out of the refrigerator. "Got some leftovers."

She places it in the microwave.

"Oh, thank you thank you thank you." I bark, pouncing on her.

Not like it does much.

"Whoa, calm down Max! It's just food..."

"Just food? How about you try eating nothing but mice and other rodents for four months."

"Okay, I get it, Max!"

"I am going to savor every meal I eat for the rest of my life."

You sound kinda creepy right now.

I don't really care.

You really need to talk to Gidget about the tension between you two. If you ask me, all you two need is a little wink wink nudge nudge.

...That was a little insensitive, don't you think?

Oh, shit! Uh, I mean shoot?

I'm done.

Sorry!

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Oh, there goes the microwave!

Katie pulls the container out and places it in front of me.

I begin to wolf down the gravy soaked pieces of meat and mashed potatoes.

"I told her you'd like it!" Gidget chuckles from my side.

"This is the best thing I've had in months!" I grin.

"Hey, Max? When you're done, can we talk for a minute?"

Oh, no. I knew it! She finally realized that I'm-

Don't.

"...yeah, okay."

Looks like it's the end of the road for us.

I finish eating the leftovers, then follow Gidget into the other room.

"Okay, Gidget." I murmur. "This is the end of us, huh?"

"What?" She yelps, surprised. "Max, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about!"

"Wait, really?"

Told you.

Quiet.

"No. I wanted to talk to you about puppies."

"Gidget-"

"Max, let me finish. I want to make sure that you know that your thoughts matter, okay? I don't want you to be uncomfortable with something and just do it because it's what I want. That's why I'm not going to ask you. I'm going to wait for you to come to me, and I'm going to let you take as long as you need, okay?"

Well, that was an unexpected turn.

"Yeah. Thanks, Gidg."

"No problem, Max! Also, one more thing, I saw you flinch when I called you 'Maxy'. Do you not want me to call you that anymore?"

"No, no! It's fine! You can if you wan-"

"Max, this is what I was talking about. I'm not going to call you that from now on."

"Thanks..."

"Max, we've both been through a ton of bad stuff. But I think it's finally over, so we can finally have a calm life."

About that...

I know, I'll tell her.

"That sounds great and all, Gidg, but it's not over quite yet."

"What do you mean?"

"You know about the Redeemed, right?" Upon her nod, I continue. "I've...kinda been leading them for the past few months."

"What!?"

"That's why I had my little...run in with Kristal. The last thing any of them saw of me was Ozone spotting me on my way home. They don't know if I'm still alive. I need to go tell them. They're like a second family to me. But there's one problem. If we were to go see them, the Flushed Pets would almost definitely spot us, and they would come after me."

"So, what's your plan?" Gidget asks me.

"For now I'm just gonna lay low," I tell her. "I just thought you'd want to know that it isn't over."

"This seems pretty important...shouldn't you tell Katie and Duke?"

"I will."

"And then maybe you can tell us some stories!" She yelps excitedly.

"Huh? Stories of what?"

"Silly Max! Of you being a leader, of course!"

"Yeah, maybe..."

"Hey, Duke."

"Yeah, Max?"

"I heard I missed your birthday...sorry about that."

"It's fine. You were busy doing more important stuff."

"No, Duke, it's not fine! From what I can tell, all you had wanted was to spend time with your family, and hopefully even see me again for the first time in months! But I didn't show up, so you just downplayed the whole thing like it was no big deal!"

"That's because it wa-"

"No, it wasn't! Duke, I can't even begin to make up for this!"

"You're right." He sighs, turning away. "You can't."

"Hey, Katie?" I call.

"Yeah, Max?" She replies rushing down the hall. "Could you make it quick? I'm going to go see Joel."

"Oh, Linda's brother? I'll be quick, then. Can I go visit my friends? Snowball, Chloe, Buddy, Mel?"

"Oh, sure! You should probably bring someone with you, though. Ask Duke or Gidget, okay?"

"Alright, thanks, Katie."

She closes the door behind her.

You know, she seems far less protective over you than she used to.

It's either pity because of the missing leg or because I was out there for four months. Probably both.

You gonna ask Duke?

...No. I think it would be for the best if I just left him alone for now.

Yeah, probably.

"Hey, Gidg?"

"What is it, Max?"

"Do you wanna go visit everyone with me? I haven't seen some of them since before I joined the Flushed Pets."

"Oh, of course I'll come, Max! You checked with Katie, right?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go, then."

"Hey, Snowball." I say, walking up to his window.

"Tiny Dog!" He yelps in shock. "You're alive!"

"Yep." I grin.

"What on Earth happened, TD?"

"Oh, I was kind of leading a group called the Redeemed, it's a long story."

"You were their leader!?"

"Yep."

"But...but..."

"I'll give you a little while to process that." I chuckle, walking away.

"Who's next?" Gidget asks.

"Buddy and Mel."

"Hey, guys."

"Hey, did you hear that, Buddy?"

"Yeah...it sounded like..."

"Max!"

"'Sup."

"When did you get back?"

"Few days ago, why?"

"So you were actually gone for four months!?"

"...Yeah, so?"

"I knew it! Mel, you owe me two treats!"

"Aw, dang it!"

"Hey, Chloe."

"Hi, Max."

"Tiberius!" Gidget barks from the rooftop.

After a moment, the familiar shape flies towards us.

"Max, Gidget! How are you doing?"

"Great, thanks for asking." I tell him.

"So, what exactly happened, Max? Gidget told me that you just showed up at home half dead the other day."

"If you want, you can come visit my father with us," I tell him. "I was gonna tell him anyway."

"Sounds great!"

"Hey, Gidg, is there anyone else we haven't talked to yet?"

"What about Pops?"

"Oh, crap! Wait here, Tiberius. We're gonna go see Pops, then we'll be back."

"Okay."

"Pops!" I bark as loud as I can.

"Oh, hello, Max. I told them all that you were fine."

I'm not sure that's entirely true...

Alpha now is not the time.

"Yeah, just fine, Pops."

"Wait a minute, Max! Don't lie! From what I can see, although it is blurry, you seem to be missing a leg!"

"Well, maybe not entirely fine..."

I walk into the wide open space of Central Park for the first time in months.

Dad is gonna be so pissed...

"Don't worry, Max," Gidget whispers to me. "I'm sure he'll understand when you explain yourself."

"Okay..." I mutter.

Did you look over by the tree you usually meet him by?

Oh, right! There he is! Thanks, Al.

I feel like I've told you not to call me that before.

You probably have!

Well, at least it's not as bad as that one time when I first showed up. You know, when Duke called us Malpha?

Oh, yeah! I remember that! You were so peeved.

I'm going to do my best to ignore the fact that you just used the word 'peeved' in a sentence.

"Hi, dad." I say, walking up to him.

"Max!" He angrily barks. "Where on earth have you been!?"

"It's a long story..." I begin.

"Happy Birthday, Max!"

Huh. Somehow I completely forgot about that.

To be honest, I kinda did too.

"You guys...you didn't have to do all of this for me! I was gone for so long, and I didn't even try to let you know I was alive or anything!" I yelp.

"We know we didn't have to, Max," Katie begins.

"But we wanted to!" Gidget concludes.

"Now, are you ready for your presents?"

"Presents!?" I bark, jumping around excitedly.

Well, your mood changed pretty quick.

"Okay, I'll start with the big one. As a gift, and to celebrate your return, I've decided to take you three camping! We're going far away from the city to spend some time in the quiet!"

"Oh, that sounds exciting!" I grin. "Doesn't it, Duke?"

"Uh huh."

I'm sensing a lot of tension here.

Quiet.

"Now, your other present was Gidget and Duke's idea, so thank them, not me. I'll go grab it now."

What on earth could it be!?

After a moment, she returns with something hidden behind her back.

"Now, this may not fit right at first, but we'll be able to get a better fitting one in a few weeks." Katie tells me and reveals the gift.

In her hands is a prosthetic leg, suitably sized for me.

Okay, I have to admit, that is pretty cool...

"Oh, thank you guys! Thank you!"

"No problem, Max!" Gidget chirps.

"Yeah," Duke grins sadly. "No problem."

Before I can ask Duke what's wrong I've already been lifted off the floor and am having the prosthetic strapped on.

After it's been attached, I'm placed on the ground.

"Lookin' sharp, Maxamillion!"

"Yeah, Max!" Gidget happily adds.

Duke just keeps that strange woeful grin on his face.

"There we go! The tent is all set up!"

After quite a long drive to the wilderness, us pets have spent the last few hours watching Katie attempt to set up a tent.

That took longer than I had hoped it would.

Al, don't be rude!

But it did!

...you're right,

Knew it!

"Hey, Gidget?" Katie calls. "Wanna come help me find some firewood? And why don't you two boys go take a look around?"

"Alright!" I bark. "Come on, Duke!"

He follows dutifully.

We sniff around for a bit and do a ton of other dog things before I realize.

No... It couldn't be...

Hey, not to concern you, but I think we might be lo-

Shut up!

Whoa, calm down!

I smell the air a bit, trying to find the familiar scents of Katie and Gidget.

But I can't.

Oh no...

"Max? What's wrong?" Duke asks.

"Duke...don't be alarmed..." I mutter. "But I think we may be lost."

Not too long after, it begins to rain, seemingly only to set the mood. Duke and I take shelter under the biggest tree we can find and lay down in the cool grass.

The sky is beginning to darken, and not from the clouds.

It's almost night...

I wonder if Katie and Gidg will be able to find us...

All of a sudden, Duke stands up.

"Duke, what are you doing?" I ask, worried.

"Max..." he sighs. "I'm leaving."

"W-what? Where are you going?"

"I'll tell you where..." Duke growls. "Away from you."

"What!?"

"You really don't get it, Max, do you? One year ago, back when all of this started, I had thought we could never be friends. But by the end of the next day, you had managed to convince me otherwise. Letting you do that was my mistake, because I was right at first. Do you remember the last time you did something to help me? It was six months ago when you went back to Tiberius, who had just dognapped you, to save me. But you have done so many things to hurt me since then. After your attempt to save me, you went into a coma for two months. When you finally woke up, the very first thing you did was get into a relationship with the dog who tried to kill you not even a year before! Then, not even two weeks later, you go ahead and switch sides, and when you were on the other side, you know what you did? You almost killed me!"

"Duke, I-"

"No! Do not interrupt me right now, Max! So, after you almost kill me, you go ahead and risk your life, after which you immediately disappear for four months, giving your friends and family no idea of whether you are alive or not! And after that, you finally return, bleeding out, after literally walking towards what you knew would be your death!"

For a moment, the only sound around us is the sound of the rain hitting the leaves above us.

"Look, Max. I get it. 'Everyone thinks they're the hero of their own story', right? I just wish that you didn't think that your story had to be the only one. I know that's just how you are, but I can't deal with this anymore. Max, I'd like you to say goodbye to Katie and Gidget for me. They were truly good friends. And Max, I know you may not believe it with everything else I've said to you just now, but you're a good friend too, even if only to people you let be your friends. During that short while after we met...I truly trusted you as one. No, more than a friend. I trusted you as a brother. And that is why this hurts so much. Earlier, when you got your prosthetic leg, I know you saw my face. I know you wanted to ask what was wrong. The answer really was nothing. I just knew that that would be the last time I saw you truly happy. With my last gift to you. Max...I can't say all of it was, but at least some of all this was fun while it lasted. Goodbye." Duke turns away. I don't even try to follow after him.

Hold on, I-I can't just let that be it!

"Duke!" I yelp.

"What is it, Max?" He asks, looking over his shoulder.

"Swear to me..." I beg of him. "Swear to me...that you'll stay safe, no matter what happens."

He hesitates, and the rain drops sound louder than ever.

"I swear." He murmurs, before continuing his trek away.

"Okay."