Author's Note : I feel this story is progressing rather quickly, the plot seems to be moving forward faster than I intended. The conversation in the previous chapter by Rain and Angel was was at all planned, but I liked the way it turned out. I am hoping to see more writing that I actually like how it turns out and to write it, so let's begin!
...
~Chapter 9~
Sypher hurried through the open hallway, walking briskly and turning his head every few moments to the talking dog at his side. He was trying to listen, formulate an answer, and then move onto whatever awaited him next so he would have enough time to talk privately to Arrow.
"And we have been having some technical issues, since Carter is nowhere to be found-"
"That is because he is helping Antrila fix the new tazer magnets on sublevel B," Sypher said, dodging to avoid a few dogs walking to their duties. "And I couldn't get Timber or Carlos to help with that because their on guard duty tonight."
"I see," said the dog at Sypher's side, Skip. "Well, then I will find someone who can fix it before ten o'clock tonight."
"What time is it now?" Sypher took a left turn down another hallway, Skip following closely behind. "I haven't had time to look yet and I am pressed for time."
"It should be close to eight," Skip said, glancing down at his paw-cam, noticing Sypher did not wear one. "Where is your paw-cam?"
"Took it off," he replied briefly, slowing down and glancing inside a room where five dogs stood a large control panals and three hanging computer screens. "Supposed to be going over to Bolt's house after his humans leave."
"Oh." Skip shrugged. "Okay, Syph, I believe that is all. I'll catch up to you later."
"Okay, thanks, Skip," Sypher didn't glance back but turned another corner and was met with a winding staircase.
One could either go up or go down, those were the two options - he was on level 2, needed to be on 3 so he could find Arrow, who, at this time of night, would more than likely be in the main control room.
He went up, but not before another dog joined his side, panting like he had been running all night.
"Sypher, honestly, you need to slow down so I can catch up to you," said the dog, taking a deep breath and pursuing him up the tall stairs. "I've been needing to ask you about your plans for tomorrow night, because Arrow went Zoral and Chaice on duty on Elms street but Chaice wont be able to work then."
"Did you see if Gates could take his shift?" Sypher reached the landing two seconds before the other dog did. "As far as I know, he is off tomorrow."
"No, not yet. I forgot about him. Thanks, Syph."
The other dog turned to leave, but before he could make a step away, the lights attached to the ceiling that casted a yellowish color onto the old wood dimmed suddenly. In a blink it was completely dark inside, and the two dogs were nowhere near a window that could provide the little moonlight that could show.
"Sypher?" The other dog said in a quiet tone, not too loud but not all that quiet either. His eyes had not adjusted to the complete darkness, nor had the Cattle Dog's.
"Something is going on," Sypher carefully turned around and cautiously took a step forward, cursing under his breath when he nearly fell down the staircase. "I don't see any lights coming from the next story, nor any emergency lights. Something isn't right."
"Start with the fact that the backup lights aren't turning on about now," said the other dog, bumping Sypher slightly as he came closer. "It's so dark I can't even see . . . well, anything."
Sypher's heart started to pound, harder than it had been, when his brain processed the situation. If the lights went off, that didn't mean that everything had gone off. But if the emergency system had to be turned on for the lights, it instantly did the computers and cameras as well. And if the emergency system wasn't going on after the lights had gone off . . . that left the possibility that the cameras were down as well. And that meant that there was no way to protect Bolt if anything came near him, since no dogs were yet on watch . . .
With this thought, Sypher raced down the stairs in the dark, jumping them by two, even though his vision was limited to an inch in front of himself. He dimly heard the other dog call his name but his mind was spinning too fast for him to register what had been said.
Out of everything that was racing through his mind, he had the simplest of steps planned out - one, head to the camera room and see if they were off. Two, if they were off, head to Bolt's house and make sure he is safe. Three, stop Volt from whatever he is planning now.
Somehow, though Sypher was not sure how he knew, he felt as though this was something that had something to do with Volt.
In half a minute, Sypher was at his destination, slowing down just enough so that he did not skid into the camera control room. He was breathing heavily, but paid no attention to it. In the little time that the lights had gone off, a few battery-operated lights had been activated on the lower levels so that he could see the hall and the room he was next to. He entered the room and instantly knew that the cameras were down - Maria was sitting with a group of dogs, all of them trying to talk over the other with ideas to get the black screened computers to turn on again.
The screens, normally turned on during every second of every day and powered by a vast amount of electricity and solar power, were off and blackened, not even the S.S.A.O.N.A symbol was in the center of the screen.
Maria pushed her way to one of the main computers and started pressing buttons with her paws, glancing up every time to see if they would trigger a response from the dead computer. With every button pressed, she looked more and more doubtful and silence began to form around her.
"Maybe it was a connection problem?" A dog suggested from the back of the group, turning around and touching another computer on the opposite wall.
"A connection problem that both the electric lights and the cameras and computers shut off at the exact same moment?" Sypher said, turning their attention to him. "I don't think so. Maria, where is Arrow?"
"Right here," A voice from behind the Cattle Dog said. Sypher turned around to see a German Shepherd step into the room and quickly survey the blank screens. "Sypher, do you know what is going on?"
"I don't, but I don't think it has anything to do with connectivity problems," Sypher said, hoping Arrow understood what he was saying. He did.
"Go and make sure Bolt's neighborhood is safe. Take a few dogs with you and -"
Sypher interrupted him with an apologetic look. "Arrow, you know it will take longer if I find some dogs to come with me. I hate to go alone, because I know the dangers of what could happen, but the fact that it would take longer to gather up a group to come . . ."
Arrow sighed but stepped away from the door, allowing a clear exit. "I understand. I will send some dogs to follow you as soon as we're stable here, but you have to be careful."
Sypher nodded his head in reply, already taking in more air so that he could run nonstop to Bolt's house and make sure that he was safe and secure and that Volt was nowhere near him.
"If it turns out to be nothing, I'll be back soon," Sypher then took off out of the room and up the staircase again, down a long hall and into the night that was seemingly darker than the entire S.S.A.O.N.A building.
...
"No, how could you?" Rhino yelled from the couch, his mouth hanging open in disbelief as he stared at the TV. "No. How could she? She . . . she murdered her own husband!"
"He deserved it, after cheating on his wife as many times as he did," grumbled Mittens from her perch on the top of the couch. "And to think that she tried to rekindle their love, even after she knew about all of the things he was doing."
"But then she had to go and kill him off!" Rhino was practically in tears, but his eyes were unwavering from the television screen.
"Rhino, it's a TV show, for crying out loud!" Mittens stood up and streteched, then laid back down in a more comfortable position.
"I know, but it just captures the emotion and . . . it just seems so real!"
"But it isn't."
"But it seems real to me."
"That is to you, you little rodent."
"Well, if you don't like this show or those who watch it, don't sit here then!" Rhino said, giving her a glare for a full two seconds before turning around again. "I didn't ask for your opinion."
"Nobody is asking for mine," Bolt laughed and lifted his head off the edge of the couch. He had been laying on the opposite end of Rhino, hardly even watching the show that had been turned on by the hamster. "But, if I had a choice, I think she should have married Brett in Season 2 instead of getting unhappy and killing her husband in Season 6."
Mittens considered this for a moment before shrugging and looking down at him. "Or she could have just remained single."
"But she couldn't have married Brett!" Rhino protested, rolling over to Bolt's side of the couch. "Brett only had room in his wild heart for Linda!"
This was not far from their normal conversation whenever the humans were out of the house and Rhino had once again turned on some reality TV show that he insisted they watch together. He was quite involved in the series he could find, be it dark horror, romance, or anything of the sort. Bolt, not so much, but could tolerate his little friend's obsession. Mittens, on the exact opposite, did mind most of the time and preferred to make remarks on certain characters or events that happened in an episode.
While Mittens and Rhino went at it again, taking advantage of the commercial break to have a heated argument, Bolt's mind wandered.
For the past few days, Bolt had found himself thinking about the event that changed his life to what it was now. His thoughts were deep, many questions that never seemed to find answers would find their way to his mind.
The fire had been a frightful thing, every reminder made him cringe with the thought of having failed to get inside the building and rescue his beloved Penny. But he wasn't entirely certain it was a bad thing, either. It had given him the normal life of a regular house-pet, a dog who's job was simply to protect his human from normal, every day dangers and not bad guys working for an evil man.
But he felt there was more to it than he was seeing, there was more to the flames and the fear than what he had thought happened. He had been told that a dog, the one who had been used in his place for the series, had slipped on the set and accidently hit one of the tiki torches, setting the set on fire instantly. He knew that the dog lived because he remembered passing by a group of people, one of them holding the dog and running for safety, away from the building. But after that he hadn't heard anything more of that dog, nothing else was ever said about where he went or who had taken him in.
Whoever the dog had been, Bolt hoped he was safe and at home with a loving family and a life as wonderful as his was now.
