I welcome one and all to Chapter 11. Thank you to all who reviewed, and have been reviewing this story. I love that you guys are enjoying yourselves, and this story. As for the name confusion, it is Carmen! I had another story in my mind as I was writing. My sincerest apologies for the confusion, and will hopefully never do that again! We left off at the warehouse, where Beverly introduced us to her pups, and Bolt and Mittens accepted her and Eli's offer to take Nova home with them. Morning has come!
A/N: I do not own Bolt or any of its characters. All characters are the property of Disney and its subsidiaries.
A Few New Surprises
(Back at Penny's house)
"Penny, wake up!" Catherine called from the living room. Penny jolted from her slumber as her mom called her name, and buried her face back in the pillow in frustration; wishing that morning hadn't come so soon. Still exhausted, Penny crawled out from under her bed sheets, and made her way to the stairs.
"C'mon, sweetie! There's something on TV you're gonna want to see." Catherine said again hoping her daughter would move a little faster.
"I'm coming! It's 6:50 in the morning, and a Sunday!" Penny said grumpily as she made her way to the couch to see what her mother wanted her to see.
"Authorities have arrested two men charged in the kidnapping of Kurt Gracin, founder and CEO of Gracin Genetic Enhancements as of late last night. Gordon Lamb and Russell Ferris recently kidnapped Gracin in an attempt to obtain the rights to his company, due to disagreements from their previous jobs at Greenleaf Studios.
Gracin: "They wanted me to give them the rights to the company because I turned the story for the TV show 'Bolt' into reality with the concept of genetic enhancement. I recently created a team of genetically enhanced superdogs, and they were the ones who took down those guys."
Reporter: "Why do you think they did this?"
Gracin: "They felt as though they deserved more than they got from Greenleaf Studios, so they tried forcing it out of me."
Reporter: "Which one of your dogs blew Lamb and Ferris onto the roof of the radio tower?"
Gracin: "Oh that would be Preston, my Siberian Husky. He used what's called a 'superbark', just like the TV show."
Lamb and Ferris have been rushed to the hospital, both sustaining broken necks and numerous other injuries. As the day goes on, we will have more details to this story. Reporting live from Los Angeles Int'l Airport, I'm Contessa Brewer for NBC Morning News!
Penny leaned forward in her seat on the couch as she listened closer to the story. She couldn't believe that her former agent would commit such a crime, and couldn't help but wonder if this had anything to do with Bolt's disappearance. Penny looked over to her mother, who seemed just as surprised as she did.
"You don't think…" Penny began to ask her mom, who already had some idea of what her daughter was thinking.
"I'm not sure, honey!"
"Too many things just aren't adding up. Lamb goes missing two days ago, Bolt goes missing the same night, our house is broken into, and Lamb gets arrested for trying to steal from this Gracin guy, who creates this team of superdogs, based off of 'Bolt.' Do you see a pattern, here?" Penny asked her mom, who now understood what her daughter was trying to say.
"Well, it makes sense; but, what would he want with Bolt?" Catherine asked, causing Penny to go deep into thought, wishing she had an answer to the question.
(The Warehouse)
(7:21 am)
It had been about 5 hours since the mission was completed, and the team fell asleep. The sun began to shine through the door window, landing right on Bolt's face. As the shepherd moved his head from the gleaming ray of sunshine, he opened his eyes to see Mittens lying right next to him, sleeping soundly. Bolt smiled and got to his feet, careful not to wake her up. He walked to the kitchen in search of water, and instead found Eli sitting at a food bowl, finishing his breakfast.
"I thought you'd still be asleep." Bolt said quietly not to disturb Preston and Simone, who were sleeping no more than 20 feet away. Eli turned around to see who was speaking, and smiled, seeing who it was.
"That makes two of us." Eli said
"I just came in here for some water."
"Gotcha... You know, Bolt? I can't thank you enough. I don't think anyone on the team can."
"You don't need to thank me. So what are you and Beverly gonna do, now that you have a new family?"
"Ugh… I don't know. One thing IS for sure: Beverly will be taking some time off to recuperate. After that, the possibilities are endless."
"Are you not staying with 'The Phantom Five'?"
"We still don't know. I grew up around this agency, and it's all I've ever known, but we want to have a normal life for our pups. Preston and Simone will never leave this team, just because it means everything to them, but we aren't Preston and Simone." Eli said laughing some. Bolt chuckled a little as well, before getting back to their conversation.
"Then it won't be 'The Phantom Five'. Just three!"
"Well, we can't live on forever, and Kurt wants to train some new recruits to start smaller teams. 'The Phantom Five' may not live on, but the legacy will."
Bolt and Eli looked over at Beverly, who was still sleeping next to the pups. Bolt was still humbled by the offer to take Nova home with them, and he knew that she would grow to be strong and caring, just like her parents.
"If anything, I should be the one thanking you. Mittens and I can't start a family, but now we don't have to. Penny and Nova will get along just great." Bolt said smiling. Eli couldn't have been happier with the outcome, and had total faith in Bolt and Mittens when it came to raising Nova.
"I'm happy we could help." Eli said. After another hour, everyone was up, safe for the pups, who were still curled up in their blankets, while Beverly helped get things ready for Bolt and Mittens' departure.
"You should be resting." Bolt said trying to help Beverly save her energy.
"You know, that's one of the first things you said to me when we first met." Beverly said getting annoyed.
"Can you blame me?" Bolt asked
"Mittens, I don't know how you deal with his stubbornness." Beverly said to Mittens as they began walking to the van.
"Sometimes, neither do I!" Mittens said sarcastically, which caused Bolt to just stare at her jokingly.
"Hey! Whose side are you on?" Bolt asked while laughing, which caused both Beverly and Mittens to laugh alongside him. Carson and Simone were finishing filling the van with supplies for Bolt and Mittens, along with a few gifts secretly hidden between the boxes.
"Well, everything's ready. Nova will need to be fed the milk formula in the box here in the front for the next few weeks, and then she can eat normal food." Carson instructed, to which Bolt and Mittens nodded.
"I'm really gonna miss you guys. This was fun!" Simone said walking up to the couple and hugging them.
"Yeah, it kinda was!" Bolt said, before Preston and Carson walked up, also giving hugs.
"Come back and visit if you can. Or maybe we'll drop in." Carson said
"Fine, but next time you come by, call first!" Bolt joked. Carson just rolled his eyes a little and smiled.
"If you ever wanna use that vest again, just let me know." Preston said to Bolt.
"I might just take you up on that!"
Eli walked up and hugged the pair as well, and presented Bolt with small, flat box.
"What's this?" Bolt asked.
"Open it and find out!" Eli instructed, and Bolt did as he was told. As he opened the lid with his nose, his mouth dropped some, amazed at the gift: a new collar, complete with a tag marked 'BOLT: GGE agent.'
"I had it printed this morning." Eli told Bolt, who couldn't stop staring at it. Bolt looked back up at Eli, trying to hold back the tears as best he could, as he walked up to the Rhodesian and pulled him into a tight hug.
"Thank you!" Bolt whispered into Eli's ear. Mittens looked at her mate and smiled happily, seeing how much he enjoyed the gift.
"Now, we're even!" Eli said as the released their hold. Bolt snickered a little as he and Mittens made their way to the van, with Nova asleep in the back of the van. Beverly walked up to the van, being the last to say 'good-bye'.
"Mittens!" Beverly called softly, to which the small cat made her way over to the Malamute. Beverly whispered into Mittens' torn ear, and smiled and nodded when she heard what was about to happen. Beverly walked up to Bolt, smiling as she did so, and kissed his lips softly as a way of saying 'thank you', causing Bolt to close his eyes and accept the kind gesture. When the kiss was broken, Bolt opened his eyes and stared at Beverly, smiling.
"Now, WE are even!" Beverly said before hugging Bolt, and having him hug her back. Mittens and Bolt jumped into the van, but seemed as though they were forgetting something.
"Hey, where's Rhino?" Bolt asked looking around.
"Up here, man! I'm runnin' this show!" Rhino said from the front seat, as he operated the van's GPS operating system, and entered the coordinates and address of their home. Bolt turned around to stare at Simone for letting him run the vehicle.
"Oh come on! I would trust that hamster with my life!" Simone said trying to defend her choice to let Rhino drive. Bolt shook his head and laughed before looking back at Eli and Beverly.
"Keep in touch!" Bolt shouted from the door as the van started.
"We plan on it!" Eli and Beverly said simultaneously. After another 3 seconds, the door to the van was shut, and Bolt, Mittens, Rhino, and Nova were heading home, where a reunion with Penny and her mom was long overdue. The door to the garage closed and the team headed back inside the warehouse.
"It seems so weird to say that it's over!" Preston said starting to tear up, which didn't go unnoticed to Eli and Beverly.
"Hey! We'll see them again." Beverly said to the husky, before Carson came up to the group.
"Alright, guys! I know that the two of you are probably gonna retire, and I don't blame you. You've got pups that need you, and a life outside of this place and this agency. I wish nothing but the best for you." Carson said to Eli and Beverly, who nodded in response to his statement.
"Preston, Simone?" Carson said to the last remaining members of the team.
"Kurt has had calls coming in from all over the world from people who are interested in genetic enhancements for their dogs. He wants to know if you guys want to have your own teams." Carson proposed. Simone and Preston couldn't believe what they were hearing, almost unsure if they heard Carson right.
"S-say that again?" Preston asked stuttering some.
"You'll each be responsible for training, with Kurt's help, of course. I've already accepted the offer, and now, he wants to know if you guys wanna do the same. What do you think?" Carson asked.
"This is a serious offer?" Preston asked.
"Yes!"
"Then I accept! What about you?" Preston said, and asked Simone the same question.
"Are you kidding? Absolutely!" Simone said happily, as she and Preston jumped for joy at the recently accepted offers. Overcome with happiness, Simone jumped at Preston and kissed him. Preston's eyes widened as the kiss was broken and the two of them stared at each other, both blushing wildly. Eli and Beverly both had their mouths wide open, and soon turned them into huge smiles.
"Slow down, guys! One couple at a time!" Carson said smiling and on the verge of laughing. All five dogs burst out laughing, unable to contain it and the blushes on both Preston and Simone's faces only grew. However, they were no longer blushes of embarrassment, but happiness.
(Back to the van)
"She looks so peaceful!" Mittens said as she curled up to her new daughter. Bolt followed suit and laid down right beside them both.
"I guess we didn't have to work something out, after all!" Bolt whispered to Mittens.
"I guess not." Mittens whispered back. Suddenly, a small box fell from the top shelf right behind the front seat, which made both Bolt AND Mittens jump a little. Bolt walked over to the box, which was about the same size as the collar's box, and complete with a red ribbon and a tag that read: 'Best Wishes from The Phantom Five.' Bolt grabbed the box carefully with his teeth, and walked back over to Mittens and Nova, and set it down.
"What is it?" Mittens asked
"I don't know!" Bolt said as he began to open the gift. Inside, they found a black picture frame with a note stuck to the glass. 'Press the bottom button.' Bolt tore the sticky note from the surface of the frame and pressed the glowing red button on the bottom of the frame with his nose. The screen began to change from picture to picture of everyone on the team, from Beverly after the delivery as she sat with Eli and her pups, to Preston firing his laser eyes directly at the nearest target. Every photo that passed brought more tears to Bolt and Mittens' eyes, happy to have memories of their new-found friends. As the pictures faded, a video began playing after the screen went black.
"Hey guys! We wanted to give you this as a reminder of everything that happened between us. You have changed all of our lives in one way or another, and we want to always be in your memories. Hopefully, this digital frame will help." Eli said through the video, as Beverly walked up to the screen.
"We wish all of you the best, and hopefully, this won't be the last time we'll be meeting. We already miss you guys!" Beverly said as the rest of the group walked into view.
"Don't forget about us!" the group said in unison, as the video changed to footage of Bolt, Mittens, Rhino, and the rest of them during training and preparations for the mission. While the video continued on, a song came on that was very familiar to Bolt, just because Penny listened to a lot of country music: "Whenever You Remember" by Carrie Underwood.
"That's a keeper!" Bolt said to Mittens as they listened to the song and watched the rest of the video.
"Attention all passengers! We will be arriving at our destination: 1304 Callahan Road in approximately one hour. Thank you for choosing 'GGE Transportation' and a great rest of your day!" Rhino said over the intercom, impersonating a flight attendant. Bolt and Mittens laughed silently, and Bolt got up, making his way to the front seat.
"So, Rhino! How do you plan on getting this van back to the warehouse?" Bolt asked curiously.
"Oh, my canine companion! The van has a home route. It will go straight back to the warehouse 30 seconds after we close the last door." Rhino explained to Bolt.
"Sweet!" Bolt said
"Oh, it's so 2005!" Rhino said, mimicking Beverly's remark when they first met. Bolt smiled as he made his way back to Mittens and Nova, who were both sound asleep. Back at the front of the van, Rhino was gazing at the new technology, saddened that he couldn't keep it, as much as he wanted.
"You are a great work of art, and will be dearly missed. However, I already have my love back home." Rhino said as he sat back in the front seat, daydreaming about his 'love back home'… the 'magic box.'
**End of Chapter**
Yes, I am aware that this chapter is a little shorter than the last one, but I have big plans for the final chapter, and I need that space to fill it all up. Heart-felt scenes like this have always kept me coming back to stories you guys write, and I'm happy to return the favor. I will see all of you in a few days with my next update, but until then…
Ciao for now!
