(Author's note: I tried to keep this chapter short. I failed. I had to cut the chapter in half just so it is the same length as my other chapters. XD)

Half-Breed

Chapter 8: Dog Days Gone Bad

By Emilou

The morning after the Girl's Night Out, Colleen awoke early, which was unusual for her. Even with less sleep than usual, she still felt refreshed and aware. Quickly, she brushed her hair and fur, dressed and went to the kitchen, thinking that she would be the first one up that morning.

She was wrong, but wasn't surprised. Gretta was already up and preparing a breakfast. Instead of the usual neutral look she would have, the rottweiler smiled when the collie entered.

"Good morning," she greeted in a cheerful voice.

Colleen repeated the sentiment, wondering if Gretta's new attitude had to do with last night's events. As she played through everything, she winced as she remembered the fight Mira had with Sonia. That couldn't be the reason, could it?

"Would you like some fruit salad and an egg white omelet?" Gretta offered as she diced a green pepper.

"Sounds jolly good," Colleen answered, although she wasn't sure. The healthy breakfast was a long shot from Shag's usual culinary masterpieces. However, the collie was never one to turn away offered food.

"Thank you, for last night," Gretta said as she pan-fried the vegetables, her voice soft as if embarrassed. "I had a good time with you girls. At least, most of the time." She looked down at her nails. They were still pink from Mira painting them.

"Yeah, I was hoping it wouldn't be awkward around here," Colleen grinned. "But I haven't seen Sonia yet."

"Yeah. . .I don't know how she'll act. She and I weren't very close on our team."

Colleen was glad for that. She would have hated to set two mates against each other.

"I'm not close to anyone. I'm not very good at making friends," Gretta continued, confiding in the collie. "In some way, I'm ashamed of my past. Except for the Captain, nobody knows that I was used by Parvo and. . .about my miscarriage. I don't think they would understand."

Colleen nodded. The boys weren't shy about sharing who they were before becoming Road Rovers. Exile, the sled dog. Blitz, the junk yard dog. Shag, the sheep herder. And Hunter, the shelter dog. She had only told the others that she had come from the streets, a stray. There were things from her past she didn't want them to know.

"But I feel as if you understand," Gretta said. "I think we have a lot in common, including keeping things to ourselves. I wanted to know. . .if you would tell me your story."

Colleen swallowed, but didn't say anything.

"It's okay if you don't want to," Gretta added. She took the vegetables out of the pan and started making the omelets.

"No, it's only fair. I know your story," Colleen reasoned, her voice low. "I've never told anyone. Not even the Master."

Gretta's eyes widened at that. It was strange to think there were some things even Shepherd didn't know.

"I was born on the streets. As soon as I could fend for myself and find food, my mother abandoned me," the collie started in an impassive voice. "I think I was the only pup that survived from the litter. I don't remember any brothers or sisters.

"After that, all I did was find enough food to survive each day. That and fighting off other dogs who wanted to steal my food."

"I remember that," Gretta said sadly. "Most of the time, I would just run away. I was so frightened."

"If I had run away every time, I would have starved," Colleen said, her voice serious. "I had to learn quickly how to fight so I could survive. If that was all to my life, I think I would have made it longer than others."

"But it's never that simple," Gretta said with understanding.

"No, it's not," Colleen said, swallowing over the lump in her throat. "Like you, I found myself pregnant with puppies. I delivered them in a dirty ally, four of them, a boy and three girls. And one by one, I watched them die. One froze to death so early in life; I hadn't noticed that he had wandered away from me. The second was run over by a car while I was off looking for food. The last two both died of sickness, probably the parvo virus."

Gretta had walked over and grabbed Colleen's hand by this time for support, tears forming around her brown eyes. It wasn't until then that Colleen realized she was crying too.

"It isn't your fault," Gretta said adamantly. "I felt responsible for my own puppies for so long. I had to keep telling myself that as a dog, I couldn't help myself. Animal instincts are what they are. Now that I'm a cano-sapien, I know better. I-I do want puppies again, but I get to choose when and with whom. In this, the Master's machine is a blessing. It gives us more freedom."

Colleen rubbed her eyes, trying to rid herself of the salt water leaking from her eyes. She hated crying, especially in front of others.

There was a creak, and both the collie and rottweiler turned their head to the kitchen doorway where Mira was standing.

"I'm sorry. I was listening. I couldn't help it," Mira quickly apologized.

Colleen wondered how much Mira had heard, but then remembered Mira's psychic abilities. Did she overhear with her mind? If that was the case, Mira had no choice but to hear.

"I'll come back later," Mira said, starting to leave.

Colleen called to her to join them. "It's alright. I actually feel better knowing someone else knows about my past," she told the two.

"Keeping stuff on the inside isn't good," Mira agreed, sitting next to the collie. "I can't relate exactly, but I've been in situations where I feel guilty even if it wasn't my fault. I regret certain actions, wishing I could go back and change them. But you can't keep thinking like that. It'll eat you up."

Colleen sighed, letting the words wash over her. "The worst part is that I remember moving on from their deaths so quickly. In fact, it took me some time as a cano-sapien to remember my puppies at all. I want to go back so badly and take care of them the right way. They deserved better than I was able to do."

Mira put her arms around her. "You were young. Only a puppy yourself," Mira said gently. "It was amazing that you survived to adulthood yourself. It was a slight chance that all of your puppies would survive."

Colleen looked down sadly.

Grimacing, Mira tried again. "I'm sorry. That didn't help. I volunteered at a few animal shelters, so I have seen a lot of what street dogs went through," Mira explained. "Um. . .my mother had a few miscarriages. She once told me that the only way she was able to get through those losses was thinking that even though she couldn't carry the baby to full term, the baby's spirit would stay with her and come the next time she was pregnant."

Gretta and Colleen had a confused expressions on their faces.

Mira went on explaining. "My mom's really religious. She believes the baby's spirit went back to heaven after the miscarriage, then came back for the next pregnancy. I. . .believe the same. Some spirits are meant to be with you, in your family. Maybe the spirits of your puppies are up in heaven, waiting until you're are ready to start a family. They'll be with you again."

Gretta's ears were low. "I have never understood the concept of religion. Humans are. . . complex in all aspects of their culture. But the sentiment you have just expressed. . . I hope is true. I remember feeling my puppies move inside me. I still feel love for them. I want to have them in my family." Gretta smiled warmly at the thought.

Colleen merely shook her head. "I'm not sure if I want to have puppies again," she said. "I didn't miscarried. They died from neglect and because I was a stupid dog. I don't know if I deserve to have puppies again."

"Give it time," Mira told the collie. "You feel that way now, but maybe if you find the right guy, then you might feel differently. "

The image of Hunter popped into Colleen's mind. Sadness gave way to embarrassment, and she quickly banished all thoughts of the male.

Mira gave her a quizzical look. Did she know? Did she see with her mind? Please say she didn't.

Colleen gave one loud snort, clearing her head of the emotions. "Wow, crying makes me super hungry," she said, trying to make the atmosphere lighter. "Is breakfast ready?"

"Oh," Gretta said, jumping to her feet and running to the stove. "Oh, good. They didn't burn. Do you want one, Mira?"

Mira accepted the offer. "Thank you again, Colleen, for the party last night. It was really fun."

Colleen nodded, happy to change the subject. "I'm just sad that things didn't go as planned." She pouted. "It wasn't an ideal slumber party."

Laughing, Mira shook her head. "It never is. There's always some sort of drama at a slumber party. Although, I'm kind of regretting loosing my temper with Sonia. I could have handled that better."

Gretta spoke up from the stove. "No, you were just voicing your opinion and standing up for Blitz. That was really brave of you."

"It needed to be said," Colleen added. "And for the record, not all of us bitches agree with her love life." She smiled sneakily at her word choice.

Mira laughed too, glad that the cano-sapien could joke like that. "Nonetheless, I'm not looking forward to running into her. I don't particularly like confrontation."

"Who does?" Gretta asked rhetorically. She finished the omelets and brought plates over to the table plus a bowl full of freshly cut fruit.

While they ate their breakfast, the three females talked and laughed as if they were old friends, a connection having formed from last night's events. Colleen, for one, felt warm inside, now realizing that this was what it was like to be part of a gender group. She had girlfriends. Because she knew that no matter what happened in the future, she would try to keep them as friends. Even if the future was a little cloudy at the moment.

They were almost finished with their meal when a noise at the kitchen door announced more cano-sapiens were entering. The three females turned to see Hunter coming in with Sonia, holding onto his arms and laughing. At the sight of the three females, Sonia hesitated.

"Hey Hunter, I'm not hungry right now," Sonia said, changing her mind quickly. "How about you show me around HQ? I'd really like that." She gave them him beseeching eyes, a seductive smile on her muzzle.

Hunter seemed immune to her feminine wiles. "I'm kind of hunger. And the food smells really good," he said with a smile, unaware of her ulterior motives.

Pouting with disappointment, Sonia abandoned the golden retriever, retreating from the kitchen.

When Sonia was in view, Colleen's hackles had raised. But she felt no hatred toward Sonia. It was mainly feeling protective of Mira.

"Good morning, ladies," Hunter greeted, oblivious of the exchange between the girls. "What is that delightful smell?"

"Gretta made us omelets," Mira responded.

"Gretta? I thought Shag was the only chef in HQ," Hunter said with a smile.

The rottweiler blushed. "Oh, I'm not a chef. I just can cook some simple things. Would you like me to make you one?"

"I would be very grateful. Even more so if you made me two of them," Hunter said, sitting down at the table.

"Right away, sir," Gretta said politely, having finished her own meal.

"Please, call me Hunter," the golden retriever said, embarrassed by the formal address. He was not used to being treated by his rank. His own team was very informal.

As Gretta prepared Hunter's breakfast, as well as another round of omelets for the girls, the chatter went back to cheerful. Hunter easily fit in with the three girls, joking with all of them in his light-hearted way.

Once again, Colleen felt warm and cozy inside. She only admitted to herself that it was because Hunter was there, having easily detached himself from Sonia's grasp. And it wasn't likely that the poodle would return.

The collie was jolted out of her thoughts when the Australian shepherd that had joined their midst only a few days ago entered the kitchen.

"Oh, good. Most of you are here," Rabbit said, looking relieved. "I have orders from the Master."

The Road Rovers all came to attention, their ears perked to listen better. Mira, on the other hand, hunched in her chair trying to look small.

"First, Zachary Storm was sighted once again in Europe. More teams have been called into the field, and everyone is on standby. Once Exile and Blitz return from the field, Shag and Colleen are to replace them. Hunter, you will be the instructor for the special training today," Rabbit quickly rattled off. "Colleen, you'll make sure that Shag gets that information."

"Sure, luv," Colleen agreed.

Gretta, then, spoke up. "Are you sure continuing the special training is wise?" she asked respectfully. "Zachary Storm's terrorist activities have harmed thousands. This should be Priority One."

"Unfortunately, Storm is continually moving throughout Europe. Although he was last seen in Milan, there is no guarantee he's still there. Not to mention, Parvo is still at large in the US. The Master thinks it is wise to not spread ourselves too thin," Rabbit answered.

The Road Rovers nodded in understanding.

"I'll go get Shag," Colleen said, quickly leaving the room. She felt disappointed that the wonderful morning had to end.

As she was leaving, she heard Rabbit's last announcement. "As for you, Mira. The Master would like to see you right away in his lab.

Mira groaned.


Obligingly, Mira followed Rabbit back to the lab where Shepherd was bustling about with his equipment and chemicals. The Australian shepherd had to clear his throat for the human to realize they were there.

"Oh, Mira. Thank you, Rabbit. If you could start taking vitals. . ." Shepherd instructed Rabbit before turning to the human turned dog.

Mira sighed before hopping onto the exam table. "How many tests do you want to do today?"

Shepherd was quick to answer. "Just vitals and draw some blood."

"That's it?" Mira asked, surprised.

Shepherd's expression said that that wasn't a good thing. "I don't think they're necessary today," he began. "Your last blood sample showed that your DNA is still fluctuating. In fact, the molecules are changing so quickly, we were able to see it in the microscope."

Mira's heart beat at an irregular pattern. She clenched her hands. "And there is nothing you can do?" she asked, remembering the conversation they had the day before.

Shepherd shook his head. "I've run your blood sample through several simulations, but none were successful. Either we find a way to stabilize your DNA synthetically or wait until it does so on its own. I will continue to run the simulations until I find something that will help, but realize that it will take time. There are millions of possibilities.

"We'll continue to take blood samples twice a day to keep tabs on your progress. In the meantime, I suggest relaxing. I understand your situation is stressful and being away from your life in new surroundings don't help."

Mira felt cold with disappointment. But she was used to it by now. As Rabbit took the rest of her vitals and drew blood, Shepherd left the lab.

With nothing to distract her, Mira felt Rabbit's thoughts come unbidden into her mind. She tried to concentrate on blocking them, but it didn't work. Luckily for her, Rabbit's thoughts were running a million miles a minute and were hard to figure out. Yet, a single phrase kept popping up. "Transdogmafier."

"You mentioned yesterday that machine. . . the transdogmafier?" Mira began, trying to remain vague to hide her psychic powers. "You said it could maybe help me."

Rabbit perked up at that. "Oh, yes. It's my own theory. But the Master says it's too dangerous," he replied quickly.

"But you don't agree with him?" Mira asked, hoping for more information.

"No, I don't. By my calculations, the risks are low. But the Master still thinks that we shouldn't do it. At least, not until the risks are worth it."

"Wait. Worth it?" Mira repeated, confused.

Rabbit's eyes widened as if he said something he wasn't suppose to. He clamped his mouth shut.

"Tell me, Rabbit. Is there something that Shepherd isn't telling me?" Mira pleaded.

"I shouldn't say," the multicolored dog said, his ears down. "It would only upset you."

"I'm already upset," Mira growled. "Tell me. This is my life, not his. I have the right to know."

Rabbit sighed. "There's a problem with your DNA continuously changing. Right now, part of your DNA is canine, part human. The percentage tips back and forth to being more human, then more canine." With this explanation, he used his hands much like a scale weighing something. "However, each day, it seems that when it tips back to the canine side, the percentage gets higher and higher, and the human side gets lower and lower."

Chills ran down Mira's back. "If it gets to one hundred percent canine, will I permanently be a dog-person?"

Rabbit grimaced as if telling her was painful. "No. You would become a dog. I'm not sure if the Master could reverse it if you completely became a dog, but it was be unlikely."

Mira put her hands to her mouth, covering her muzzle. She hated how familiar her new nose was beginning to feel. "And when is Shepherd willing to risk using the transdogmafier?"

"Not until your DNA is eighty percent canine, which is when you'll be experiencing more physical changes," Rabbit told her. "But that might take weeks. Maybe months. We do have some time."

"But what about my life," Mira said sadly. "My family probably thinks I'm dead. The police, I'm sure, are looking for me." Thoughts about all she was missing flooded her emotions. Her job. Her friends. Her audition to be a dancer. Her dream. That would be all gone by then.

"I'm sorry. But isn't being cautious with your life more important?" Rabbit asked, tilting his head.

Mira bit her lip. "Sometimes risks are worth it."

As if he had been scolded, Rabbit's ears lowered, his bright blue eyes looking surreal with his face. "I won't go against the Master's orders. I'll work hard. I'll keep the simulation computer going 24/7. I'll find the solution as fast as I can."

Feeling grateful, Mira reached up and scratched Rabbit's ears. She had done this without thinking if it would be weird or some sort of dog-person taboo. But the Australian shepherd leaned into the touch, closing his eyes.

"Thank you, Rabbit. I'm sorry. I'll try to be patient."


With a jolt, Dr. Saraaf sat up. He had fallen asleep, waiting to see if the next serum had changed the animal. He looked at the table where a coyote was strapped down. He sighed.

The coyote was still just a coyote. It was unconscious, breathing heavy and the scent of vomit was strong in the air. Just like the other failed experiments, the serum merely made the subject sick. This coyote was lucky. A couple had even died from the shock of their DNA trying to change.

With heavy steps, the professor moved to the table. He checked the heart rate and temperature of the coyote, which were both high. He gave the animal a pain killer as well as a shot of vitamins. He may have the heart of a scientist, but he did not want to add to the animal's pain on top of the experiments.

He carried the coyote back to the animal cages, putting it in an empty one. He made sure there was fresh water to help with dehydration. Once it was strong enough, it would be fed and put back with the others.

With that chore out of the way, Dr. Saraaf went back to his data, his notes over the experiment with the human girl as well as what he found out from the sample of Hunter's blood. He went over and over the information, confused as to why he was failing.

In his first few experiments, he had used his own blood. When that didn't work, he tried Hunter's. But that killed the subjects. Then he tried a combination of both, hoping that whatever was in the cano-sapien's DNA would work as a catalyst to help the change along. But again, it only made the animals sick.

Frustrated, the professor decided that the best thing was to take a break. He realized he was in the middle of a mania where he did nothing but concentrate on a single idea. Forcing himself to back away from the experiments, he dipped into his stash of food. He ate a packet of beef jerky and an apple with mechanical chewing, quickly washing it all down with a bottle of water. He didn't taste the food, but merely ate for the nutrients and energy he needed.

Although his mind and body ached to return to the cano-mutating problem, he turned a different problem that needed to be solved.

On the other side of the warehouse, another lab was set-up, this one filled with mechanical parts instead of chemicals and animals. On the table, lit by a single lamp, was the crude blueprints of a device he had previously sketched out on the ship. He studied the pages, squinting as he tried to read his own barely legible scribbles.

Constructing the hypothetical device was a long shot, not only because the blueprints were so messy, but also because Saraaf's specialty wasn't with machines. He knew chemicals. But he had also studied with Professor Shepherd, who was a genius in this field. Saraaf had picked up a few things from his friend in the old days.

Friend. No, that wasn't the case anymore. Shepherd was looking for him. So was Parvo. Saraaf had enemies he had to protect himself from. He needed this device to fight against those canine monstrosities. If he couldn't make his own cano-mutants to protect him, this device would have to do.


All through the night, Exile continued to read through Mira's journal. It was slow going since his English wasn't that advanced. It was easy reading at first, but the older the entries were, the larger the vocabulary Mira would use.

The journal, in general, wasn't very interesting. Mira mainly recorded events that happened in her life, such as holidays, birthdays, vacations or dance recitals. She wrote about friends and family that had done something nice or mean to her. It was mostly happy moments. There were a few sad parts, such as her grandfather dying, and her family moving to a different state, leaving all her friends behind.

All through the book, the person Mira mentioned the most was Shadow, the German shepherd. From these entries, Exile was able to get a feel how Mira's psychic powers worked and her relationship with her dog. The two were very close since Mira wasn't allowed to share her secret with her friends, and she only shared her thoughts with Shadow.

Throughout the years, Mira had been diligent when it came to her journal; she never let a month pass without making at least one entry. The book was the size of a novel with most of its pages filled with the childish scrawl.

But then a different kind of journal entry stopped the usual pattern. Around the time Mira was fourteen, she wrote this entry:

I HATE THEM!

Why don't my parents listen to me? Shadow wasn't doing anything wrong. She was just protecting me. Shadow told me that guy was bad. She could tell. They believe me, but they won't do anything. They said they can't tell the police for my own protection.

They're not protecting me. Shadow is the only one who cares about me. And now Shadow is locked up.

I HATE THEM! I'll hate them forever if they let Shadow die.

The words screaming Mira's emotions startled the husky. He had a hard time believing that the girl from the pages before could hate anyone. But it was even more disturbing reading that last line in the entry.

What had happened? Why was Shadow locked up?

Needing to have his questions answered, Exile quickly turned the page. In his hurry, he accidentally ripped the page with his paws since he lacked the dexterity of his cano-sapien hands. However, he was disappointed to find that the next entry was dated over a year later. He quickly read it, finding no mention of Shadow at all.

After that, the journal entry dates were months apart. They mostly talked about Mira's days in High School and her dance classes. If Shadow was mentioned at all, Mira was writing down a memory or saying how much she missed the dog.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened to Shadow. But it was the why that Exile wanted to know. But he now understood why she was wearing the dog tag around her neck with Shadow's name engraved on it.

"Exile."

The husky jumped as his name was called out. It was only then he remembered he was underneath his doghouse in Russia.

"Exile, your shift is over. Return to HQ," the Master's voice called through his collar.

The only way he had to respond was giving out a low bark.

Was it already morning? Had he been reading Mira's journal all night. He felt embarrassed, both for reading so much of Mira's personal thoughts and because he did it while on duty. He hoped that no harm would be done.

Gently taking the journal in his mouth, he slipped down to the next level of his spy doghouse. Already his replacement was there.

It was common procedure for the Road Rovers to have doubles. Unlike the Road Rovers, these were just ordinary dogs, in most respects. They were trained to watch for danger, and if it appeared, to engage an emergency button on their collars to contact HQ.

It was a strange sight to see a husky that looked almost exactly like Exile, so much so that humans couldn't tell the difference. This dog would also be called Exile by the Russian leaders, sleeping in his bed, eating his food and getting his treats.

Well, that's all in the day of a Road Rover.

With his duty now over, Exile entered the tram to return to HQ. It was a long trip. His post was the farthest away of all of Alpha Team, but it still was under an hour. Once there, he quickly hopped into the transdogmafier.

Blitz was already back to his humanoid self when Exile came out again. Colleen and Shag were also there, preparing to turn back into dog-mode and starting their shift.

"Hold on a moment, Road Rovers," the Master called, running into the large room. He looked tired, his hair more messy than usual. Bags hung from his eyes and there was a smudge of ink on his cheek. "I've just received intel that Zachary Storm isn't in Europe. We've had visual confirmation that he's been in China for weeks."

"What? But I just stayed up all night gathering information," Blitz complained with a yawn. "That was all for nothing?"

"It seems that we've been duped," Shepherd said with pursed lips. "I wonder if the so-called sightings weren't Parvo's way of spreading us thin. He's working hard to keep us from concentrating all our resources on him."

"Then what do you want us Euro-dogs to do?" Colleen asked.

The Master rubbed his head, a sign of fatigue. The Road Rovers weren't the only ones being spread thin. "I think its a good idea to keep one of the Alpha Team in the field. If something happens over there, I want to know about it immediately. You'll all go in day-shifts. Shag, you take the next shift."

Exile also felt the fatigue of staying up all night. But it wasn't just that, but turning from cano-sapien to dog to cano-sapien in little over a day, it wore on the body.

"I apologize for the unusual schedule. But with Parvo still at large and all the teams on high alert, I'm using different tactics," Shepherd said, sounding uncertain. "I'm afraid of sending too many of you in the field since you won't have your powers. And when Parvo does strike, I'm sure it'll be fast and hard, so I'd like to have you close. But I cannot neglect the rest of the world."

"Rah rara rah rah rara," Shag said, patting the human on the shoulder.

"Shag's right. We're with you, no matter what orders you give us," Colleen agreed, giving her full support.

"Thank you, Road Rover. Now I have to return to the lab," the Master said, running back the way he had come.

Exile wondered just how long the Master had been working in his lab, and whether or not he'd had a break. He would check with the others later.

In the meantime, he had to return Mira's journal before she noticed it was missing.


Distressed by what Rabbit had told her, Mira headed back to her room once her blood had been drawn. Although she was glad that she didn't have to go through so many tests again, it didn't calm her mood. In fact, the lack of tests left her feeling antsy since she had the whole day to herself. A whole day of nothing to do.

She decided that she would try to do what Shepherd had asked: lower her stress level. Perhaps she could take a nap, read a book or watch a movie. Hunter said something about a rec room. And she had been neglecting her exercises. After eating a lot of pizza the night before, she felt conscientious of the extra calories she hadn't burnt off. She couldn't let her body get out of shape, even if she didn't make the dance audition.

When she turned down the hall where all the sleeping quarters were, she was excited to see that Exile was back from his latest mission. Although they hadn't had a lot of one-on-one interaction, the husky was calm and more serious than the others. Perhaps talking to him would help her get her mind off her situation.

She was just about to call to Exile when he went into her room. Thinking that he had come to see her, she rushed to her bedroom. However, when she quietly opened her door, she saw him with a book in his hands, putting it back onto her shelf.

"What are you doing?" Mira said, more curious than mad. After all, she couldn't tell what book he had. Maybe he was browsing her novels.

The husky jumped at the sound of her voice and dropped the book.

Now that the volume was on the floor, Mira could tell what it was. "What were you doing with my journal?" Mira asked, now using an accusing tone.

"I. . .er. . .it. . ," Exile stuttered, his face turning a faint pink under his fur.

She can't know I read it.

The sentence came unbidden to Mira's thoughts.

"You read my journal!" Mira exclaimed, shocked that the husky would do such a thing.

"I explain," Exile told her, in his nervousness his English became even more broken. "Yesterday. . .you were not in room, and I saw it on bed. I accidentally. . .read it."

"Yesterday? Then why are you back in my room?" Mira asked, snatching the book from the floor.

Sighing as he realized he had to confess his entire sin, Exile replied, "I took your journal. I'm sorry. It was not. . .right." He lowered his head and his ears.

"You're right, it wasn't. How dare you?" Mira shot at him. "This is personal, and you took it. Just get out of my room." She was so mad, she couldn't think of anything else to him. All she wanted to be was alone.

Exile did as he was told without another word, closing the door behind him.

Sinking down on her bed, Mira allowed the anger to burn within her. Once she had cooled down, she browsed her journal, remembering old entries of her life that now was privy to Exile. This quelshed her anger more than anything. There weren't any big secrets written down in the journal. Oh, there was her crush in the 6th grade on Jeremy Smith as well as a teenage obsession with Christian Bale because he had mad singing and dancing skills on Newsies, but other than that, nothing she was concerned about.

There was what happened to Shadow, but after reading the entries near the end of Shadow's life, there wasn't any specific details. If Exile didn't ask, then it would be left at that.

And it wasn't like Exile was the first to read it. Several of her brothers had sneaked a read as well, looking for blackmail or teasing material, which is why only Jeremy and Christian were mentioned. All other crushes were purposefully unpublished.

The more she thought about it, the less mad she became. After all, she didn't expect to stay with the Road Rovers for very long. If Rabbit was correct, she might be going home in a couple of weeks, maybe a month. Not to mention, Exile was a Road Rover. A mutated dog. Who was he going to tell? The other Road Rovers? Not that she cared.

Mira put the journal behind her other books, to prevent other curious dogs from finding it. After all, dog noses tend to lead them where they shouldn't go.

Still feeling the need for comfort, Mira longed to talk to someone, one of her friends or her mom, but she was sure that even a phone call would be forbidden. Who else could she talk to? As much as she liked the collie, Colleen was too silly to listen for long. Gretta was in special training with Hunter.

And the others? She wasn't speaking to Exile. Blitz would be back, but she didn't want to risk getting into a conversation about Sonia. And Shag was on his mission, whatever super-powered dogs did in the world.

No, she didn't need to talk to a person, but to a dog. A real dog, one that couldn't talk back.

That's when she remembered the doberman from the other day. She hadn't seen him since she took a nap with him, but he must still be around.

Leaving the peaceful sanctuary that was her room (that didn't have a lock, grumble, grumble), she went in search of two things that might help with her stress. The first was a place where she could do her dance exercises. Although she couldn't do anything en pointe without toe-shoes, she could at least stretch and work her body until she felt exhausted. And if she ran into the doberman on the way, she could have some doggy therapy.

After heading in the direction of the gym where she had danced before, she remembered that she had broken all the glass mirrors with her psychic powers. She felt embarrassed that she hadn't offered to clean up the mess, but had left it to the Road Rovers to do. Hopefully it was all cleaned up, and she could use it for dancing.

However, when she peeked inside, she found that was where Hunter was teaching Sonia, Gretta and about a handful of male cano-sapiens. Hoping she didn't disturb them, Mira backed away to find a different corner of the compound to practice.

She didn't get far when she ran into Blitz, who seemed to be wandering as if bored. Although she had nothing against the cano-sapien, she just really didn't want to start a conversation with him. The stress of Sonia, her diagnosis, as well as the incident with Exile quickly came to the surface, and she was afraid she would start crying.

Swallowing down her emotions, she spoke before Blitz could open his mouth.

"Hey, Blitz," she said, glad that her voice sounded normal. "I feel like I'm living in a sci-fi, twilight zone. I'm in the need of something. . .normal. There was a regular dog here the other day, a doberman pincer. Do you know where he is?"

She let her words spill out, hoping she wasn't making some sort of faux pas by asking Blitz about the doberman pincer because they were of the same breed.

Blitz looked a little confused before his eyes lighting up. "Oh, ja. I know the dog. I think I saw him just a while ago. He's a handsome devil, isn't he?" he said jovially. "I'll go get him. Don't move, okay?"

Mira didn't have time to respond. She had no choice but to remain where she was as the Road Rover zipped back down the hallway, disappearing from sight.


General Parvo's secret base in Florida wasn't one of his more impressive ones. The base didn't have the facilities to keep any cano-mutants at hand or a hangar, but it did have supplies, weapons and the usual communication gear. There was also ground transportation; not his usual army-style trucks but something more for camouflage: a moving van.

It wasn't exactly the Ritz, but it was what Parvo had to work with.

Once he was inside the base, he sent the Groomer off with the single cano-mutant to load the moving van with supplies and weapons while he radioed a different base to summon back-up. His DC base was a mere hour away. He ordered a dozen cano-mutants to fly to a small airport just outside of Miami. Groomer would pick them up in the moving van.

He could have ordered more cano-mutants to join him, but he left most of the pack at the compound. He didn't need many to track down Saraaf. With the Road Rovers on high alert, it was more important to guard each compound. Especially DC, which was a main distribution center for more canines to supply his army. And if the Road Rovers did find it, they would be in for a big surprise.

Now, back to the search for Dr. Saraaf.

He contacted his sources within the Florida underground, hoping there was some sign of the runaway scientist. Again and again, his tempered flared as his contacts reported no sign of Dr. Saraaf.

Parvo slammed his fists against the communications console, his robot arm smashing and twisting the metal. Electricity fizzled.

"Where is he?" Parvo shouted to no one in particular. "I was absolutely sure he'd be here. He has to be here."

Realizing his anger wasn't helping to solve the problem, the general calmed down to think things through. He was still convinced that Dr. Saraaf was hiding somewhere in the city. His other senses told him so. The professor must be better at concealing himself than Parvo gave him credit.

Another part of him knew that Dr. Saraaf was trying to recreate the same experiment on the plane. He would need equipment, chemicals, and experimental subjects. Those could be traced.

Ignoring the damaged part of the computer console, Parvo typed away, finding sellers of such contraband. Once contacted, the sellers readily gave up the description of the professor, but they didn't know his exact location. Dr. Saraaf picked up the equipment himself, so no delivery address was given.

Parvo felt relieved to know his instincts were correct. Dr. Saraaf was close.

Next, he contacted the closest puppy-mills, pet shops and dog sellers. Unfortunately, this search was fruitless. Nobody had seen the professor.

"Then where would he get test subjects?" General Parvo asked, frowning at the screen. "He wouldn't. . .use humans again, would he?" The villain contemplated this for a moment before remembering the disgust Saraaf had on his face after Mira had changed. No, the professor wouldn't have the guts to do that again.

He also remembered how fond the scientist was of his dog, Dash. Even though Dash was a scientific experiment himself, he was treated with care and love. Perhaps the professor was a dog person and couldn't bring himself to use dogs in his experiments.

Then what? Cats?

Parvo shivered at that. He hoped not.

"Maybe something more exotic. Monkeys?" Parvo wondered out loud. With a new trail to follow, Parvo dived into the black market of exotic animal sales.


Once back out of the transdogmafier, Blitz's stomach heaved. After changing from dog, to cano-sapien, back to dog so quickly, he felt sick. Swallowing back the bile, Blitz raced to the nearest bathroom to get a long drink out of the toilet. The water helped settle his stomach, although the queasiness lingered.

Remembering why he had changed back into a dog, the doberman retraced his steps to find Mira waiting patiently in the hallway. He barked and raced at her, jumping up so his front legs were on her thighs.

"Oh, there you are, boy," Mira said, her face quickly changing to that of cheer. She leaned down to give him a good scratch down the back. "Oh, I don't know your name, do I? What is it? Can you tell me?"

Remembering Mira's psychic connection to dogs, Blitz panicked. He couldn't let her know she was one of the Road Rovers. He wouldn't get any more scratches!

Bingo, he quickly thought, using the first name that came to mind.

"Bingo? Whoa, somebody needs a lesson in creativity," Mira said sarcastically, moving her hands from his back to his neck, scratching underneath the itchy collar. "Well, Bingo, shall we find some place to sit so I can give you proper scratches?"

Blitz drooled at the thought. When was the last time that happened? It seemed as if he hadn't been given a good massage since. . .before he was a Road Rover. Eager for the pampering to begin, he led Mira away, taking her to the rec room.

"I've never been in here," Mira commented as she followed Blitz into the large room.

The rec room consisted of a large TV, a VHS player, a few game consoles, two couches, mini-fridge, an ice hockey table and a la-Z-boy chair. On both sides of the TV was a shelf. The one to the right held a collection of movies and games. The one on the left consisted of books. The right hand shelf looked more used than the left, which consisted of self-help, language dictionaries and the occasional bestselling thriller.

Mira rummaged through the movies, before moving on to the TV, turning it on. "Do they have cable?" she said out loud.

Feeling ignored, Blitz pawed at Mira's leg gently to get her attention.

"Oh, sorry, Bingo," she said, turning around. "I guess I'm a little out of it. It's been one of those days." She dropped the remote and sat on one of the couches.

Blitz immediately jumped up next to her and laid down with his head in Mira's lap. When her fingers started to massage his head and shoulders, he sighed and relaxed.

"I never thought being turned into a mutant dog would come with so much drama," Mira said as she mindlessly rubbed Blitz. "I never thought that if dogs became like people, some would be such jerks."

A good scratching was enough to put Blitz asleep. But once Mira started talking about the last couple of days, he couldn't close his eyes. Her description of her argument with Sonia as well as the fact that the black poodle had a boyfriend surprised Blitz. Mira was a sweet girl; he had a hard time imagining her getting mad at anyone.

And Sonia. She never mentioned any boyfriend.

Before Blitz could think more on that, Mira went on to tell how she liked Gretta and Colleen, even feeling happy that they had revealed secrets to her, making her feel like they were friends.

Secrets? Colleen had secrets? Blitz was amazed by this, since he figured the collie was an open book. She seemed to say anything and everything on her mind, no matter how weird and strange it was. He wanted to take Mira by the shoulders and demand to know these secrets. Perhaps they would be the key to making Colleen treat him nicer.

If that was even possible.

But whatever the secret was, it was forgotten as Mira described how Exile had taken her journal, read it and tried to sneak it back into her room. Her tone was filled with displeasure.

In agreement, Blitz let out a half-growl, one that wasn't threatening.

"Yeah, you get it, boy?" Mira said, rubbing Blitz's tummy. "A girl's journal is private. But I'm not too mad about that. After all, dogs are dogs, no matter their shape. They get into everything. I shouldn't have been surprise that someone went snooping through my stuff.

"No, that wasn't the hardest part of this whole ordeal. It turns out I might be here for weeks. Maybe over a month," Mira said, her tone changing.

The way Mira started speaking was familiar to Blitz. His ears perked up, aware that the girl's emotions were rising. He sat up in time to see the first tears fall from Mira's eyes, her chest trembling with a sobs.

Knowing what to do, Blitz leaned into Mira, carefully putting a front paw on her leg. He licked her face. Not a slobbery lick from chin to forehead. A gentle one, just to clean off the salty tears. He softly whined in a reassuring way.

Mira quickly threw her arms around him, and he took the weight she leaned against him.

This felt familiar to Blitz. His memories turned back to a time when another girl, much younger than Mira, would occasionally cry the same way, soaking his fur. She talked to him like Mira had, spilling all her worries and troubles on him. It had been a long time since he had thought of her.

He had been a junkyard dog, trained to guard a fenced-in area, bark and even bite intruders. But he never did that to her. Her father worked at the junkyard. She would meet him there after school sometimes. She would read to Blitz, talk to him, pet him and call him a "handsome boy". He knew it to be true. Only truth came out of her mouth.

Outside of her, he had little human interaction besides his owner; even then, it was mainly training and feedings. He felt a little guilty that he had not thought of the girl for such a long time, but even those special moments didn't create a strong bond. She had smelled of multiple dogs, so she most likely had other pets. Blitz had just been there when she needed him.

He could also do that for Mira. She didn't want to stay with the Road Rovers. She had her own life. She was going to return to being human as soon as she could. She didn't need to make a special bond with the Road Rovers, but she needed him right then and there. He could be the temporary friend that she needed.

A warmth spread through Blitz's chest. As a Road Rover, they were always helping the masses and rarely individuals. When they were working one-on-one with someone, like the reporter and the boy from South America, it wasn't very personal. This moment with Mira was. Just like it had been in Germany with that little girl. It was something Blitz missed being a regular dog.

Plus the attention. The attention and the scratches were a big bonus.

"You're such a good dog," Mira said, her crying abating. "It's like you knew exactly what I needed."

Blitz opened his mouth to give her a doggy smile.

That's what I'm here for.

Mira smiled, having heard his thoughts.

"Blitz! Blitz!" a voice out in the hallway called.

Fearing that Mira would find out his ruse, Blitz hunkered down out of sight.

Hunter poked his head into the rec room. "Hey, Mira. Have you seen Blitz? The Master wants to talk to us."

"Is it Parvo?" Mira asked without answering the question.

"No, just a rescue mission," Hunter replied.

"Um. . . I saw Blitz a while ago, but I don't know where he is now," Mira replied, unknowing just how wrong her statement was.

"I could have sworn I followed his scent in here," Hunter said, taking a big whiff.

Knowing that he would soon be discovered, Blitz decided to bolt out of there and hope for the best. Jumping over the couch, he nearly knocked Hunter down in his effort to escape an awkward situation.

As he ran out of the rec room, he heard Mira call out his pseudonym. Then Hunter added. "Bingo. That's not his name-o."

Blitz rolled his eyes as he ran. Sometimes Hunter's jokes were so lame.


"What?"

"That was Blitz," Hunter explained again. "We don't have any other dobermans at HQ."

"But. . .but he's a regular dog," Mira argued, looking confused.

Hunter tried to break this to Mira gently. "The Master has explained how we transform, right? With the transdogmafier."

Mira's eyes widened. She knew about the machine, and she knew the Road Rovers could transform back into dogs. But somehow she failed to make the connection until now.

"I feel stupid," she said quietly, gritting her teeth at her own mistake.

"Not to worry. I feel that way sometimes, too. It goes away," Hunter tried to joke.

Mira felt her anger from before return. She did not like being tricked. She did not like having her personal life snooped through. And thank goodness she didn't spill too much about Colleen. The sacred trust between girls who have had a slumber party together had not been broken.

"See you later. Some of these rescue missions can take a long time," Hunter said, waving good-bye.

"Oh no. You aren't leaving yet. Not until I give Blitz a piece of my mind," Mira said, speed-walking after the golden retriever.

"Oh, lucky Blitz. I'm sure a piece of your mind is valuable."

Mira couldn't help but laugh at the silly joke. It sounded like something her dad would say.

Hunter led her back to the large room where the transdogmafiers were. Blitz was just stepping out of the machine, fog following in his wake.

Mira walked up to him, shoving a finger in his nose. "How could you do that? I told you private things. And the other day, I let you sleep with me in my bed. Didn't occur to you that what you did was wrong?"

Blitz stood ramrod straight, taking the rampage. But as Mira yelled at him, his eyes slid to the side as if looking at someone else.

Mira followed Blitz's gaze and realized that they weren't alone. The rest of the cano-sapiens, including Gretta and the rest of her team, as well as Professor Shepherd, were in attendance, all of them staring at her.

Feeling embarrassed, Mira realized her words might give the wrong impression. "Not like that. He was in dog form. Just a dog. That's what I thought he was," she rambled an explanation. "Oh gosh." With her face heating up, she grabbed Blitz's arm and dragged him away from the audience.

When they were away from the others, Blitz put his hands together in a pleading gesture, not giving Mira a chance to speak first. "Please don't be mad with me. I'm very sorry that I tricked you. I promise that I won't do it again," he said in a rush, beseeching for forgiveness.

Mira bit her lip. She was tired of being apologized to. Words didn't fix anything. "Don't you Road Rovers know how important personal space and privacy is? I confided in you only because I thought you couldn't talk."

Blitz hung in his head in shame. "I didn't know. I just. . . You seemed to need me as a dog and not a Road Rover. And I really wanted you to scratch my ears. It's been so long since anyone has done that for me."

Although Mira wanted to be angry, Blitz's words were enough to soften her heart. All he wanted was a scratch. It sounded so lonely. Could Blitz's life, which was so full of action and adventure, be that lonely? Not to mention, talking about her problems did make her feel better. But was that a good enough excuse for what he had done?

"I'm still mad at you," Mira told him, shaking a finger. "But less mad than before."

Blitz showed half-shame, half-relief. There was still a margin for redemption.

"But don't you dare do it again," Mira warned him.

"Ja, not ever again," Blitz promised, putting a hand to his heart. "Unless you want me to." He gave her a sneaky grin.

"Don't push it," Mira said, letting a smile through.

They returned to the other cano-sapiens. The others had watched them, but couldn't hear their conversation.

"Is everything alright, Blitz?" Shepherd asked the doberman and Mira.

"Oh, ja," Blitz quickly answered. "Just a misunderstanding. We cleared it up."

"Oh, misunderstanding," Exile said in a low voice. "Weird boy."

"Is it weirder than reading someone's journal?" Blitz whispered, feeling smug with his comeback.

Exile had the decency to look both shocked and ashamed by this.

All chatter among the cano-sapiens ceased when Prof. Shepherd cleared his throat.

"As you know, I've called you here for a rescue mission. Because more than one team is here, I've decided to send a mix of the two teams to assess your skills.

"Hondo, step forward."

A tall greyhound obeyed, his ears erect.

"Your commanding officer has reported that you have displayed good judgment and a cool head in the field. While it takes more than that to be a leader, I feel you have the potential to become one," Shepherd told the greyhound. "During this rescue mission, you will be the leader of the group with Exile as your second-in-command. Exile will be assessing you during this mission as well as lending you expertise if there is a need."

Shepherd then named others that would join them, which entailed Blitz, Gretta and two males from Gretta's team.

The greyhound looked surprise and eager. He saluted with a smile. "I'm honored, Master." He gave a warm smile to Exile, pleased with the selection.

"You will be going to Washington D.C. We have been watching one of Parvo's compounds for weeks, hoping that he would slip up. However, in the past hour, the compound has been evacuated of all cano-mutants for unknown reasons. Normally we would continue to watch the compound, but with the situation as it is, we have concluded that he knows about our spies.

"We also know that his D.C. compound is one of his largest distributors of dogs to make into cano-mutants. Intel says there are hundreds of dogs kept locked up in the compound. Your mission is to go to the compound, rescue the dogs and find any useful information that could lead to the capture of Parvo. There is also the possibility that Parvo's cano-mutator is there. If so, this could stop Parvo's whole operation.

"Road Rovers, although this mission doesn't sound risky, it's a high priority. Leave no stone unturned. Investigate everything. Even the smallest clue could be helpful."

Shepherd finished his speech and put his hands behind his back. "Are there any questions?"

Hunter was the first to raise his paw. "Where did the cano-mutants from the compound go?"

"Our spies were only in dog form and weren't able to follow their plane. The Beta Team is flying the area now, hoping to find them. My guess is they're heading for a rendezvous with Parvo."

Hondo then raised his paw. "You said there are hundreds of dogs in the compound. How are we going to transport them? And where do we take them?"

"Good questions, Hondo," Shepherd said. "Since the Sonic Rover cannot accommodate such a load, I am assigning you the Aero Rover, a new prototype aircraft I built. It's not as fast as the Sonic Rover, but it has plenty of room for your passengers. Once on board, you will take all the dogs to a friend of mine in Canada. He specializes in rehabilitating stray dogs, trains them to be service dogs or sled dogs, and finds good homes for them."

This made all the cano-sapiens smile, some of them wagging their tails at the thought of a good home.

Mira wasn't an exception. Since day one as a cano-sapien, all she heard about was fighting bad guys, super powers and spy missions. This mission sounded like something she could get behind. It hurt her heart thinking of hundred of dogs locked up in a compound, waiting to be turned into Parvo's monsters.

On impulse, Mira raised her hand. When Shepherd saw this, he looked surprised.

"I'd like to come, too," Mira requested.

Shepherd frowned. "I cannot allow that. You are a citizen."

"Well, to be honest, you're not really a government organization, are you?" Mira asked. She felt determination swell up inside her as she spoke.

"Uh, no," Shepherd admitted.

"So, in essence, there isn't any legal reason that I couldn't go," Mira continued to argue. "It's not like if I get hurt, I can sue you. You guys shouldn't even exist."

Some of the cano-sapiens looked offended by this, others grinned.

"You said it yourself, this mission doesn't have any risks. It's a rescue mission. I would think you'd like more hands to help load up all those dogs," Mira said logically. "And even though I'm not a Road Rover, I promise to follow directions and stay out of the way. What harm would it be if I came?"

"You. . .have a point," Shepherd said, but his expression said he didn't like it. "But I cannot. . ."

"I'll look after her," a voice interrupted.

Shepherd turned to the doberman that had spoken up. "Blitz, this is a big responsibility."

"What?" Mira exclaimed. "I'm an adult. I can take care of myself."

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Shepherd shrugged. "Alright. You can go, Mira. But you must follow all directions as if you were a Road Rover. And Blitz, you are to keep an eye on her."

"Wohoo," Mira cheered with a smile. It wasn't much, but it was a chance for her to get out of the metallic building and into some sun and fresh air. Then she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder.

"I guess that means I need to stay very close to you," Blitz told her, a wolfish grin on his face.

"Yeah, yeah. I never thought I'd get a dog to babysit me," Mira said, moving out of his grip. "But thanks. I might go nuts if I stay here another minute."

"I owed you," Blitz reminded her. "Come on. Let's check out this new plane."


The Master led them to the hanger where the Aero Rover was.

At the sight, Colleen whistled. "Coo. It's still got that new plane smell. I'm a bit jealous I don't get to fly it."

"Maybe another time, Colleen. We could test drive it later," Hunter said with a smile.

A blush spread across Colleen's face as she wondered if that was an invitation for a date. However, knowing Hunter, it most likely wasn't meant that way. She quickly banished the thought before replying.

"I get to fly her first," Colleen said happily. She tried to tell herself she was happy at the thought of flying, not because she would be alone with Hunter.

At this time, Colleen noticed that Mira was staring at her with wide eyes. The once-human's eyes darted at Hunter then back to the collie. She then pointed to the two of them, her gesture's insinuation obvious.

Oh, blimey. Does she think I like Hunter? Colleen thought.

Do you? a voice entered her mind asked. It was Mira's.

The collie nearly jumped, feeling the odd sensation of another voice inside her head. It was oddly clear, as if Mira were whispering directly in her ear.

We'll discuss this when you return, Colleen thought clearly, hoping that Mira heard.

Oh, I'm sure we will, was the reply, a laugh ringing in Colleen's head.


The flight took a couple of hours. Mira could see outside the window that they were flying over an ocean, which she guessed was the Atlantic. However, she had no idea whether or not they came from some country in Europe, Africa or an island. She didn't ask, knowing that that would be a secret well guarded.

During the ride, she and Blitz talked lightly together of this and that. Mainly, Blitz spoke of himself, telling stories of past missions and even of his time as a junkyard dog. His words were filled with bravado and half-truths that Mira could sense with her psychic powers, which was odd for her. She was not used to being deceived by canines, who tend to be absolutely transparent with their thoughts.

Her conversation with Blitz also made her realize that each Road Rover wasn't born a super-powered dog-person. They had all been ordinary dogs. Some may have had owners like Blitz. Were some of them abandoned? Or strays like Colleen? Then Mira thought of all the places that these dogs could have come from. Abused homes. Loving homes. Animal shelters. Experimental laboratories. Puppy mills. Pet shops. Dog fighting rings.

Mira cringed, knowing how badly some humans have treated dogs. Did any of the Road Rovers come from bad backgrounds? Did that affect their personality? Or how they feel about humans? Mira wouldn't blame them if they hated humans for some of those things. But did they understand that not all humans were bad? Did they hate her because she had been human?

No, was human. She'd be human again.

At that time, she gazed over at the others in the plane. They sat in silence or whispered quietly to each other while Blitz and Mira spoke loudly. Curious, Mira tried to get a sense of their emotions. In return, she felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness, their thoughts a jumble of what they might find at the compound. Hondo was especially nervous since this was his first mission as leader. Blitz, however, radiated relaxation and confidence.

The final Road Rover she scanned was Exile. She wondered if he still felt ashamed for his earlier actions. Before she did, Mira realized that she was doing just what Exile did with her journal. She was evading his privacy by trying to read his thoughts. Feeling like a hypocrite, she stopped her prying.

Soon they arrived at Parvo's compound. They landed the large plane in an empty field which had just enough room for a runway.

"Okay, Road Rovers," Hondo told the group, his voice a little unsteady. "Here's the plan. Even though the Master said the compound has been emptied of Parvo's henchmen, I would still like to play it safe. We're going to search every inch of the compound. Blitz, you'll stay here with Mira. We'll contact you once we're ready to move the dogs."

When the others had exited the plane, Mira felt itchy all over. After sitting in one place for so long, she wanted to get out and move. But she had promised to obey Hondo's orders.

Turning back to Blitz, she asked, "So, what's Exile like?" After refusing to read his thoughts, she wanted to know more about him. There wasn't anything wrong asking Blitz for more information.

"Exile? Like, what about him?" Blitz asked, sounding bored.

"Well, what was he before he became a Road Rover?" Mira asked at the top of her head. "Where did he come from?"

"He was just a sled dog. He wasn't a cool junkyard dog, like I was?" Blitz boasted, looking quite proud of his past profession.

Mira chuckled at how proud Blitz was about being a junkyard dog, but then she had to think it over. Did dogs prize certain jobs like humans did? What were the dog equivalent to being a professional lawyer or doctor?

But Mira didn't allow her thoughts to deviate too long.

"What else do you know about him?" Mira asked. "Is he a good guy? I mean, dog person?"

"Well. . .yeah. You can smell it on him," Blitz answered with a shrug.

Mira rolled her eyes. That sounded like a typical dog answer. "Sorry, but us lowly humans haven't perfected the distinguished art of sniffing each others butts," she told him sarcastically. "I just want to know a few things about him. After all, he had read my journal."

"Oh, ja. He knows your secrets, so you want to know his," Blitz said with a wink. "I have some good dirt on him. Last summer, he got fleas."

Mira frowned. Not only was she not looking for dirt on Exile, but Blitz's information wasn't even that juicy. "Really? Fleas?"

"Oh, ja. It was bad. The Master had to give us all flea baths and collars. But I didn't have any. I'm too tough for those bugs. If anyone is doing any biting around here, it's me."

Sighing, Mira took this gossip with a grain of salt. She had been hoping that Exile might not be a good dog-person which is why he was snooping through her stuff. But considering his worst sin against the world was catching fleas, that didn't seem to be the case. Mira's slow burning anger was starting to fizzle out.

Before she could ask any more questions about the husky, a voice came over the communications speaker. It was Gretta.

"Hondo says that the compound is secure. Blitz and Mira, you're free to join us."

Not needing any more encouragement, Mira headed for the exit with Blitz at her heels.

Right as soon as they exited the plane, Mira felt as if she had run into an invisible wall of psychic waves. A heaviness fell upon her, and she could barely move her feet forward.

"Are you okay?" Blitz asked, noticing her hesitation.

Mira concentrated on shutting out the emotions she was picking up. "Such sadness and misery," she said softly. "It's so strong."

Blitz looked confused by her words before he finally understood what she meant. "What can I do to help?"

"They need help," Mira pleaded, grabbing Blitz's arm. "They're calling to me to save them. We have to save them."

Blitz nodded. "That's what we're here to do. Would you like to go back into the plane?"

Help is on the way, Mira told the pleadings. As soon as she thought those words, the heaviness lessened. She was able to stand up straight; the psychic waves now only a reminder at the back of her mind.

"It's alright. I'm fine now," Mira told Blitz. "Let's hurry. A lot of those dogs need immediate help."

When Mira and Blitz joined the others in the compound, they were able to see just how drastic the situation was.

Hundreds of dogs were locked up in cages, some in the same cage, all with little room to move. The smell of filth and sickness was so strong, it nearly over-powered the cano-sapiens' noses. All were shocked by conditions the dogs were in. Some were so skinny their ribs were showing, and others too tired to even move.

If Mira had been stunned by the psychic waves, the horrible sight left her trembling in place. She wasn't even sure where to start. Which dogs did she help first? Could they save them all? There were so many of them.

It was a good thing the Road Rovers were there. Most had already witnessed this kind of depravity and abuse. They knew exactly what to do.

"We'll start on this side and move inward," Hondo quickly explained. "If any of the dogs seem violent or vicious, keep them locked up and move them to the side. We'll deal with them later. First priority is to make sure they all have fresh water. Exile, you're in charge of that. Make sure they don't drink too much too quickly. We don't want anyone to get sick on the plane."

Exile was quick to follow directions, finding water barrels that he could open up with his heat ray vision and pour into large dishes.

"Gretta, I want you to take care of those who need medical attention. I noticed there are a few pregnant ladies in the bunch, so single them out," Hondo continued.

The rottweiler nodded, her face emotionless due to the seriousness of the situation.

"Everyone else, start opening cages. Try to keep everyone calm. Those who are still healthy and can walk, direct them to the plane," the greyhound went on. "They're scared. It's going to be difficult, but keep repeating that we're taking them away from here to some place safe."

With those last words of encouragement, they all moved to comply with Hondo's instructions.

Mira and Blitz worked as a team. Even though she was the only one not a dog, Mira's gift of communications and empathy links worked to calm the dogs. With only a glance, she was able to "hear" the dog's thoughts and assess what it needed. Even those who lashed out were soothed by Mira's thoughts.

The group worked hard, their emotions becoming numb as the horrible sights didn't seem to end. The only thing that kept them going was an occasional lick or wag of a tail that showed they were appreciated.

Finally, they were coming down to the last dozen cages in the back. Everyone was tired and dirty, but felt renewed at the sight of the end.

As Blitz and Mira was helping a bloodhound out of its cage, he suddenly back away from the cage's opening, growling. The dog's fur stood up, making it look bigger. He wasn't the only one acting strange. Many of the other dogs started growling, barking or whimpering.

"What's wrong?" Blitz asked, looking worried.

Mira shook her head. "I don't know. He seemed friendly at first. What's the matter, boy?" she asked the hound.

In her mind, she could sense the dog was afraid, so frightened that he was wetting himself.

They're coming.

Who's coming? Mira asked in her mind, but the hound wouldn't say. Or wasn't capable of saying with his limited intelligence. But an image formed in her mind.

"The dog monsters," she said, feeling the fear leaking all around her from the canines. "They're coming."

"But the compound was supposed to be deserted," Blitz argued, his ears lowered in nervousness.

Suddenly, several hidden doors opened up in the walls, revealing dozens of cano-mutants. From above, more dropped down. All of them were holding laser guns aimed at the small group of Road Rovers. The dogs they were rescuing scattered, some running outside, other finding safety within the compound.

The Road Rovers, almost by instinct, grouped together. Blitz stood in front of Mira, keeping her out of sight of the laser guns. Gretta stood next to her, hunched over in fear.

"It's a trap," Hondo cried out, in a battle stance. He spoke to Exile, the acting second-in-command. "My team has yet to see battle. What do we do, Exile?"

Exile's teeth bared at the cano-mutants, ready for action. "We are out-numbered, is true. But we are also Road Rovers. Choice is yours, Hondo. We will do what you say."
The cano-mutants advanced.

At first, Hondo looked as if he were going to surrender. His ears were lowered and he began to raise his paws. But then he spoke, and his voice was strong and commanding. "On the count of three, we all scatter. Don't give them a target. Disarm and knock-out as quickly as possible. Try not to kill them, but don't hold back. Our priority is to keep the dogs and Mira safe. One, two, three!"

On that last word, Hondo shouted, sprinting away from the group. The others did the same, spreading in all directions to gain a better position to attack their enemies. Except Blitz, who grabbed Mira's hand to pull her to safety.

Sensing that Gretta was too scared to move, Mira had the forethought to grab the rottweiler's wrist before Blitz yanked her away. The three dodged laser beams until they ran behind a large pile of wooden crates.

"You two stay here," Blitz ordered, gently pushing the two females as far behind the crates as possible. "Don't worry. I'll protect you." With a wild grin, Blitz turned to the fray, ready for battle.

Was it Mira's imagination, or did Blitz's claws suddenly grow longer? Was he freaking Wolverine?

But Mira couldn't watch the battle as the sound of Gretta's hyperventilating caught her attention. She sidled up to her friend and put an arm around her.

"It's okay. We'll be alright," Mira spoke soothingly to Gretta, even if she wasn't sure of the battle's outcome.

"I forgot how big they were," Gretta whispered through her wheezing. "They're so strong. But what can I do? My powers aren't useful out there." She put her face in her hands and cried.

"Not everyone is cut out to be a soldier," Mira consoled. "Nobody expects you to fight."

"But I'm a Road Rover. This is what I was made for," Gretta wept. "I can't believe I froze out there."

"It's only natural to be afraid," Mira said. "I'm afraid, too."

Gretta didn't seem to hear Mira's words. "I'm letting my team down." She took a deep breath, her tears stopping immediately. "I am a Road Rover. It is my job to protect." Standing up, she moved away from Mira.

Surprised by the change, Mira watched as Gretta stepped away from safety. Even though the rottweiler was trembling, she still ran over to one of the large cano-mutant. The creature was twice her size, but she still jumped onto its back, wrapping one of her thick arms around its neck. With the power of her breed, she pulled tightly at the neck hold until the cano-mutant passed out.

Mira was amazed at the battle going on. Even though they were outnumbered, the Road Rovers were taking down one foe after another, using a combination of their super powers, combat skills and quick thinking.

It was then that Mira felt the same desire to help the Road Rovers as Gretta had. She was useless. She didn't even have any super powers or fighting skills she could use.

Sure, she was psychic, but what good would that do? Could she command them to put down their weapons and surrender? Could she lift objects with her mind?

She wanted to deny all these questions, but her imagination wondered if the answer to all of these were "yes". What harm was there in trying?

Keeping well behind the crates, Mira peeked over. Nearby was a bulldog cano-mutant. It wasn't engaged in fighting any of the Road Rovers, but simply causing chaos with his projectile weapon. Concentrating on the cano-mutant, Mira reached out to it with her mind.

As experience taught her, the cano-mutant's mind was a jumble of thoughts and emotions as if the transformation changed it's way of thinking. But Mira wasn't trying to read its thoughts.

Stop, she thought the command.

The bulldog hesitated, looking confused before returning to firing his weapon.

Stop! Mira thought again, putting more force in the command.

Through trial and error, Mira figured out she had to continually send the command to the cano-mutant for it to remain still.

Drop your weapon, Mira repeated to the bulldog over and over until it obeyed.

With one cano-mutant transfixed, Mira felt proud of her ability. Until a second one loomed over her, its weapon aimed at her.

Don't fire. Don't fire. Don't fire, Mira shouted with her mind, adrenaline pumping through her veins.

The cano-mutant obeyed, yet its paw was still on the trigger.

Through the same process she did with the first cano-sapien, she commanded the second to drop its weapon. All this time, she was aware of sending commands to the first. Nervous at the close proximity of the second cano-sapien, she sent it to stand next to the first, telling both to remain still.

Feeling a sense of power, Mira wondered if she could command a third. Leaving the safety of the crates, she looked at the battlefield, worried about the Road Rovers. Even with so many foes out of action or disarmed, the battle wasn't going so well for the good guys.

Step by step, Mira went through the same process of sending commands to a third cano-mutant until it was standing next to the first two, harmless and out of the way. Then she tried it with a fourth. Then a fifth.

By the seventh one, she felt the strain on her mind as if a migraine was creeping through her skull, scratching at her eye sockets, pounding at her temples and slowing down her thought process.

But she had to keep helping. She reached out to the mind of an eighth cano-mutant.

"Mira, what are you doing? Get back to safety," Blitz called out. He slashed at the gun of his opponent, then slammed the creature's head into the wall, knocking it unconscious. He ran to Mira. "You could get hurt. Get back."

"No, I can help," Mira managed to say as she sent command after command to the cano-mutants. She didn't realize how hard it was to talk while concentrating.

"You don't need to. . . What the-?" Blitz exclaimed as he finally noticed the line of cano-mutants that were standing in a neat line, standing perfectly still. "Are you doing that?"

"Yes. Need to. . .concentrate," Mira said, leading the eighth cano-mutant to the others.

"I. . . I think you've done enough," Blitz said, his voice sounding strained. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," Mira said. She was too busy to worry about her body.

"No, you look sick. Stop it, Mira," Blitz told her, taking her shoulders.

But Mira couldn't. If she stopped, then eight cano-mutants would go back to fighting the Road Rovers. She had to hold on.

Then she spotted Exile in the thick of things. He was fighting off three cano-mutants, keeping them at bay with his heat and ice vision. He was so busy fighting that he didn't see the fourth one creeping up from behind, one of the metal cages in its monstrous paws.

Before Mira could react, the cano-mutant threw the cage at Exile's head. Mira didn't think. She didn't wonder if she could stop the action, if she could do anything to save Exile. She just did.

It was as if a muscle underneath her brain flexed, a muscle she didn't know was there and that had never been used before. Her body and mind strained together. She was aware of screaming the husky's name, but not much else.

The cage stopped in mid-air, hanging there as if someone had a remote and pressed pause on a scene in a movie. Yet everything else moved normally. The cano-mutant stared at the cage floating in air. Exile reacted to his name, turned around and punched the cano-mutant. When he saw the cage above his head, he quickly sought out Mira in the crowd, his eyes wide.

"Mira, you need to stop. Your nose is bleeding," Blitz's voice shouted, but it sounded far away.

Suddenly the world tilted around her, rolling sideways. She was slightly aware of falling, her face on against the concrete floor. She knew she was passing out, feeling a white blankness creeping up on her vision. But she had to remain conscious, had to keep a hold of those eight cano-mutants.

Someone was shouting her name. More than one.

She saw Exile running toward her.

And then nothing.