Here we are... The midpoint of the story. Just a note that this doesn't mean it's exactly half way through. The second half may be a bit shorter or longer, I'm not sure. But if there was an 'Act 1' and 'Act 2' to the story, this would be the end of Act 1. Just a note that the clues I gave you a few chapters ago are not all gonna come into play this chapter. Some will be coming at the start of part 2. I'm not sure how I'm feeling about the build up, I'm not sure if it was as effective as I wanted it to be... And I'm scared that this chapter won't be as great, either. Honest feedback, please. I'd feel kinda guilty if you were to read this chapter and be all 'oh, is that it?'

But we'll see!

Previously... Portia and Goldie were brainwashed by the Organisation, and plan to lead Laura and Louis to them. Josh was taken by the deputy leader of the Organisation, while Wolfgang, Bones and Tank escaped with Kapp'n. Mystery's plan to get rid of Nikita has hit an obstacle after running into the three animals.

I'm going for something a bit different this chapter, and I hope it works.

And now...

unicorn246 - Sorry, I love cliffhangers ;P Any sinking of ships is unintentional ;\

DaBraxMan - I apologise ;\ At least this gap wasn't as long! :D Right? Idek when the next one will be. And haha :P Next it'll be Nibbles! And your answer for Goldie and Portia is right here - I apologise :p. What did Bones say? Thank you :)

Guest - Who is this? ;\ It's been bugging me - I can't work out who this could be Dx Thank you, anyway! ANd welcome if you're new :)

KoolKid - I have no intention of making Wolfgang a main character here, but at the same time I don't want it to be a case of where you know nothing about a character by the end of the second book - everyone should be familiar to readers by that point, IMO. If I do decide to write a third book, I am intending to go further into Wolfgang's past. Thank you :)

cloudcookie - I'm not intending to make this story a hard read for you ;P Your favourites seem to be the ones I'm being meanest to right now xD And as said above, Wolfgang may get his time in the spotlight if there's a book number 3 :3 (I need a name for that if I choose to...) Thank you very much C:

bonesreturns - You're right xP Lol, well that's a unique prediction! Not quite right though, I'm afraid ;\ And interesting guess for cliffhanger... How good's SSB? Glad you had a good birthday! :)

dillduck - Glad you've caught up, and welcome... again! :D Please stick around, and thank you :3

Here we go... -drumroll-

Race Against Time (Part 1 Finale)

Josh

I had never really known physical pain. I'd had my fair share of emotional agony, but everything hurt. And as I looked down at the darkness beneath me, I realised that none of it mattered. No matter the pain I felt right now, it would all cease to exist in the next few minutes. Everything would cease to exist. I would cease to exist.

I had never really thought about what death would be like - I never truly thought it would happen until I was old and ready to face it. But now it was meeting me early, and I was far from ready. I may act more mature and responsible than I really am, but the truth is that I am still only a teenager. I was annoying, boring and quite bossy, and no-one really liked me. But I'm not even an adult. Life wasn't fair. I imagined now how Jenny felt in her last few moments, while she was barely hanging on to her life. Did she have time to feel scared? Did she feel pain? Did she even have a clue what was happening?

Maybe she had it easy.

The rope above me creaked worryingly, and I opened my weary eyes again. They were kind enough to have put us in a lit up room, so we could see clearly before we died. I couldn't help but look down, and my stomach did a somersault, and my heart rate increased drastically. The drop was huge, and the bottom was invisible to me. As soon as that rope gave way, we would plummet down for possibly ages, before... Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

I felt movement behind me, and the chair attached to the back of mine creaked in time with the rope. It seemed Mystery was finally awake, not that this was a good thing. Of all the people I had to die with - why him? It was certainly who I least expected, yet... It felt comforting. I knew he had come to rescue me, along with all the others. Yet that had failed, obviously, and now Mystery was to share the same fate as me.

Death.

Mystery

My head was pounding as consciousness returned to me. For a moment, I thought I had woken with a particularly bad hangover, but as my thoughts slowly began to process - I realised that the truth was much more regrettable than too much to drink. I opened my eyes, and flinched in shock as I saw where I was - the uncomfortable chair I was sat on creaked, and I went to grab hold of something, only to find that my arms were bound.

"Holy..." I gasped, staring down at the impressive drop beneath me. I stared around in confusion, wide-eyed. I then looked up, struggling to focus on the wooden platform high above me, that the rope was attached to. I was lucky to be quick-minded, and my brain immediately began putting together a plan on how to escape this predicament.

"Morning." A familiar voice spoke from behind me, and I frowned as I struggled to look over my shoulder. I had no idea I wasn't alone until now. "Rough night?"

"Josh." I stated with a sigh, facing forwards again, "Fancy seeing you here. Don't suppose you ever liked those drop zone rides at theme parks, did you?"

Josh snorted in disbelief, "No, not really. But not being funny, we're not really in the situation to small talk right now. You're the supposed survival expert - how do we survive this?"

"How did we even get down here...?" I muttered in wonder, looking back up at the platform. I couldn't tell if anyone was up there or not - there must be, surely? Someone who would be ordered to cut the rope at the right time, probably when there was an audience watching on the ledge to the side of us. It was empty right now, but there were two tunnel entrances leading further into the cliff. My heart froze at the thought of Laura being there to watch - would she have forgiven me, as she watched my final moments? Or would she be happy to see me die? I wish I could've had the chance to make things right before this happened. I'd done nothing wrong... Or had I? Doubt flooded me and I fidgeted in discomfort.

"You don't remember?" Josh answered, his tone not really showing any surprise despite the question, "You came to rescue me, bringing half the town with you. Then, just as we were about to escape, none other than Goldie and Portia brought the Organisation down on us. We were betrayed, and now our lives are literally hanging."

The memories came flooding back, and I remembered the betrayal.

Nikita

Earlier...

My heart leapt in excitement and relief as we saw Josh up ahead. He looked badly injured, and barely conscious, but he was alive... That was the main thing. I wanted to run forward and just hug him and tell him how much I'd missed him, and how happy I was that he was back. But now wasn't the time. Mystery was at the front of our group, looking around warily. The entire rescue had been easy - very easy. Besides two half asleep guards, Josh had been simple to find.

I examined my friend closer, and I felt queasy looking at the blood covering him. He had several stab and slash wounds all over his body, worst on his arms and legs. Torture. Yet they hadn't bothered to kill him - why? It all seemed too convenient and suspicious. Mystery advanced slowly and carefully towards the injured boy, examining each step ahead of him closely. He got closer, and closer, until he was right in front of Josh.

And nothing happened.

"Tank, help me with him." Mystery whispered, and the rhino hurried ahead to join him, taking no care in his steps like Mystery had. But still there was nothing. Together, the human and rhino released Josh's loose bounds, and supported him together. "Let's go - quick!"

As Josh came closer, supported by the two, I reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. His eyes opened slightly, and he seemed to recognise me in his barely conscious state. I felt him squeeze back, and I felt tears reach my eyes as we stared into each others' eyes. "Josh..." I whispered shakily, but then he was carried past me. I took a deep breath, watching them go, before joining Louis, Mitzi and Laura at the back of the group, heading after them.

I missed him.

Laura

I gave Nikita a weak smile as she joined us, heading after the rest of the group. An hour ago, I wouldn't have been interested in talking to the girl - not after what I'd seen. But now I knew the truth - and although I could somewhat understand Mystery's motive, I felt like I knew the boy even less. I felt scared and vulnerable, and I couldn't help it - I had no idea who he was, and I had no idea the boy I thought was kind and generous could do something like that. He snuck into someone's house in the middle of the night and literally kidnapped her - no matter the reason for it, it was still creepy. And terrifying.

I was afraid of him, and I felt horrible for it. I saw him constantly looking at me pleadingly, searching for any sign of forgiveness. But I could give him none - I looked away instead.

I glanced to the rest of the group in mild interest. When Mystery had returned to Honevray with Nikita, Bones, Wolfgang and Tank asking for help, Louis had been the first one to volunteer. That obviously then lead to Mitzi coming along. I saw how shaken Nikita was, and I also wanted to make sure nothing was going on with them, so I joined too. The two surprises, however, were Portia and Goldie. Both of them had seemed quite keen to come, Goldie saying that she'd been captured before and could be helpful. Portia coming wasn't quite as clear, but maybe she just wanted to help Goldie. The final volunteer was Kabuki, who had bounded forward as soon as Goldie had offered her help. Oddly enough, the Labrador hadn't reacted to his choice, when normally she'd have refused or at least looked angry.

I frowned suddenly, noticing that Portia wasn't actually anywhere in sight. Goldie was currently at the lead, followed by Kabuki, Bones and Wolfgang. Mystery and Tank were in the middle, supporting Josh. Then at the rear came Nikita, Louis, Mitzi and I. Portia had been at the front with Goldie last I had checked, but the Dalmatian was nowhere to be seen now.

I decided to raise my concerns, and spoke loudly, "Um... Where's Portia?"

As if my words were a trigger, the tunnel turned to chaos.

Louis

I flinched as Laura cut the thick, heavy silence like a knife, gripping Mitzi's paw tightly. It then registered what Laura had said, and I stood on tiptoe to try and spot the Dalmatian. But Laura was right - Portia was gone, which sent fear and concern rushing through me.

I had jumped at the chance to volunteer to help rescue Josh. When Mystery had announced the news, I immediately felt guilty - he was in this mess because of me. But at the same time, I was happy that he'd succeeded. Kapp'n was safe and recovering back in Honevray, and there was still a slight chance we could save Josh too. Maybe it'd all work out perfectly? And so far, everything was going fine. We'd found Josh, we were nearly out, but now Portia had vanished. We were so close.

But any thought of things going okay were shattered in seconds. Moments after Laura's confused question, several bodies suddenly filled the tunnel from both ends. I heard Mitzi gasp as she turned, and I turned too. My eyes widened as we saw the group of animals closing in on us. But the sound of a voice made my heart feel like ice.

"Well done, Portia and Goldie." The voice was feminine, triumphant and sinister. I glanced over my shoulder to see a pink wolf standing alongside the two dogs. Bones and Wolfgang were staring at the two traitors in shock and anger, while Kabuki was staring right into Goldie's eyes, horrified. Mystery was desperately looking anywhere for an escape route. There were none. Nikita had taken Josh from him, supporting him while whispering words of comfort. Laura stood slightly aloof from Mitzi and I, staring fearfully to the animals. "Your roles are over... We'll take it from here." Goldie and Portia made no response, staring ahead vacantly.

"G-Goldie, me-OHHH?!" Kabuki stammered in shock, taking a step towards the Labrador. "What have you done?! Why?"

"Back off, kitty cat!" The pink wolf snapped, shoving Kabuki back roughly, "We have no time for childish angst, hee hee. Now... So many humans to choose from, hmm." She looked to the five of us in the group, "Well I'll obviously be taking the nerd back. But who else? The chubster, the depressed girl, stutters or Mr. Mysterious?" She gestured to me, Laura, Nikita and Mystery respectively. My cheeks flushed red at the name she gave me, and I felt Mitzi pull me closer - protectively. "Eenie, meenie, minie, mo, catch a tiger by the toe... If he hollers, let him go. Eenie, meenie, minie, mo!" Her paw froze on Mystery, who stiffened. "Mystery! Congratulations! Bring him down for the big drop, boys! And Joshy! Hee, hee, hee!"

They surged forward, and nothing could be done to prevent them from retrieving their targets.

Josh

Later...

"We're not getting out of this, are we?" I asked quietly, my tone rather monotonous as our chairs gently rocked. The rope continued to groan above us, and I knew that even if it wasn't cut - it would break by itself eventually. We were doomed.

"Great positive thinking, boss, just great!" Mystery snapped sarcastically, squirming around constantly. I frowned in irritation - he was going to cause the rope to snap even sooner at this rate. He then sighed, keeping still for a moment as he spoke, "I don't know, boss. I don't know. Probably not, no, but I'm sure as heck not giving in so easily. Just... Keep talking. Keep yourself distracted."

"Talking?" I repeated with a raised eyebrow, "What good will talking do? About what?"

Mystery was squirming again, and he seemed distracted as he replied through gritted teeth, "I dunno - about anything. Honevray, yourself, Bambi - whatever floats your boat."

I closed my eyes at his final suggestion, heart dropping. I had vague recollections of Nikita back in the tunnel before I was captured again. I was barely conscious and out of it, but I remembered squeezing her hand and looking into her eyes. I remembered how she supported me and told me how everything would be okay. I remembered her screams and cries as they took me from her, and I remembered... "Oh god, is Nikita alright?! They hurt her before they took me. I-I remember. Did they get her too?"

Mystery groaned in exasperation as he continued fidgeting, "Not what I had in mind, boss! Positive thoughts, please."

"Answer the damn question!" I snapped, now fidgeting too. "What happened?!"

Mystery cursed loudly, before snapping, "Keep still! Ugh. I'm being honest with you, boss - I don't know. I'm sorry, but I don't. I was a bit preoccupied at the time. That freaking bunny rabbit had a strong punch..."

"...You were knocked out by a bunny?"

"Say another word and it's into the pit of doom for you, boss."

I chuckled half-heartedly, before it all faded as I registered Mystery's words. I sighed deeply, worry etched all over my face. "They wouldn't kill her... They'd have put her here with us if so. She'll be fine. I know she will."

"You're worried about her." It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact. He was right.

"Yeah." I answered solemnly, staring down at the ledge to the side of us, "Yeah I am." Mystery made a prompting noise, and I frowned as I thought about her. "I don't know what it is about her, but she makes me happy. And I know you're sick of hearing it, but being with her is the only time I've been happy since Jenny died. Maybe it's because she's new here - she didn't know me before all this, so I had a fresh start with her. Everything Static's said to me has made me realise that I don't really like how I was before. I was selfish, and acted like I was someone important when really - I'm not. But I guess Nikita has made me feel like I mean something to someone again."

"And?" Mystery queried, still seeming half focussed on something else.

"And what?" I frowned.

"C'mon boss, you like the stuttering Bambi." Mystery chuckled, and I froze at the words.

Did I? I thought back to our time together - defending her from Mystery, showing her around, the party, the aquarium, our goodbye... I'd never really had any kind of romantic feelings for anyone before, and I was starting to think that it would be impossible for me. I was always quite detached from others - before I came to this world, I was the loner sitting by himself in the corner. I was the odd one out in my siblings. That's why I ran away to begin with. I was an independent person, and I always had been. Or so I thought.

Yet as I was here, injured and hanging, all I wanted to do was find Nikita and make sure she was okay. She was stuck in my mind - I barely considered my own death now. Where was she? Did they hurt her? Did she escape? Was she thinking about me too? And as I thought about her eyes, her smile, her rosy cheeks, her laugh, her fun personality... I smiled to myself, my heart growing warm and allowing me to forget all my pain and fear for just a moment. "Yeah, I do. I like Nikita. I... I really do!" My smile grew wider at my self revelation, and I felt like everything would be okay.

And then a cruel, sinister laugh echoed above us.

"Excellent, boss, that's fab!" Mystery snapped, before suddenly he was free of his binds. The two chairs rocked vigorously, and I felt him now working on my own. "Now how about you go tell her yourself?!" The ropes came free, plummeting down into the depths below.

"Holy crap!" I exclaimed, absolute terror filling my heart as I stared down at the drop. Now that I wasn't restrained, I felt more scared than before. "N-No... Help me!"

"Jesus, boss, get a grip!" Mystery yelled, grabbing my shoulder and forcing me up, "Climb! Go!"

"Oh, boooooys!" The pink wolf sang, staring down at us from the platform. The bloody knife that had caused me so much pain waved about in her paw, "Look what I've got!" She grinned maliciously, before forcing it against the top of the rope. "Go on... I'll give you a head start. Come and get me!"

"M-Mystery..." I whispered, deep fear gripping hold of my heart, almost as if it was pulling me down into the drop below, "What do we do?!"

"Do you trust me?" Mystery questioned, glancing down at me meaningfully. I didn't answer, staring up at me uncertainly. "Come on, boss! I know we've had our downs before, but I need to know you trust me!" I looked past him to the cackling wolf at the top of the rope, and then at Mystery's outstretched hand. I gulped. "You are my best friend, boss!" He yelled, and my eyes widened as he snatched for me. "And I don't give a damn what you think about me, but I came here to rescue you - and that's what I'll do! So come on!"

I took a deep breath, before grabbing his hand tightly. I had no idea what his plan was, but it was this or certain death. But as we both climbed the rope desperately, my mind told me one thing. My only hope.

To win the race against time.

Nikita

"Hurry up! Come on!" I cried desperately, leading the group through the tunnels. Tears streamed down my face as I ran, sheer luck being the only reason I wasn't tripping all over the place. Laura, Louis, Mitzi, Bones, Wolfgang and Tank ran behind me. Portia and Goldie had gone with the Organisation, and despite Louis' best efforts, Kabuki went after them. The twelve of us were now separated into three - Josh and Mystery; Kabuki, Goldie and Portia; and us.

Life was horrible - I was lucky to have met Josh when I first arrived, otherwise I may have never felt happy in Honevray. Then he left me, and I found out he was captured. Then we found him again and were so close to escaping, only to lose him again. I couldn't believe that Portia and Goldie betrayed us - but in all honesty, them and Kabuki's safety was not a high priority in my mind at the moment.

"We need to think this through, Nikita!" Louis called from behind me, his heavy breaths from fatigue heard by all, "We have no idea where they are, and we could be separated easily in these tunnels! Laura - are you still with us?"

"Mmhmm." Came Laura's quiet response from the rear.

"Screw planning!" I yelled back, pulling my hair out of my eyes as I sobbed, "He got into this thanks to you, Louis! If you hadn't forced him to go by being selfish and stubborn, neither of us would be this mess! He sacrificed himself twice for your town, so why don't we do the same for him?"

"Stop..." Louis panted, lunging forward and grabbing my shoulder, stopping my mad run. He took a moment to catch his breath, before gasping, "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean for him to go. But Kapp'n would've died if not for him - if he hadn't insisted I don't go, he wouldn't be in this mess either. It would've happened to me instead. And yes, I'm sure you'd prefer that - but... Well, I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm sorry."

I looked away from him, letting the tears flow freely, "Forget it, I'm not angry at you. I'm not trying to take it out on you, either... I just miss him, and I can't stand the thought of him dying. If you want to plan, then please plan. Please."

"Can we just remember that Mystery's in the same boat, please?" Laura mumbled miserably, and I forced myself to ignore her.

Louis retreated from me, thinking hard. "That wolf seems the type that would toy with Josh and Mystery, not kill them both immediately. She'd want them to suffer." I felt sick at the thought, glaring at Louis, who quickly continued, "So where could they be? She mentioned something about a big drop, so..."

"Somewhere high, snarrrl." Wolfgang inputted calmly from the side.

"Then the next turning we find, we'll take the one that goes up." Louis summarised, before sighing miserably, "I know that's not much, but... We'll all do our best, okay?" He reached over and squeezed my hand gently, offering me a small smile. I smiled back feebly, before turning again and heading forward. We filed into order again, though Laura jogged ahead to join Tank and I at the front.

Another fork in the path came, and after examining both for a second, I took the right turning thanks to Louis' suggestion, as it went uphill. However, a scream sounded from behind me and I turned on my heel in time to see a metal door slam shut. The tunnel went dark immediately, and I quickly shouted, "Guys?! Where are you?" I ran back towards the door, only to bump into someone.

"Nikita?" The frightened, female voice asked, and I recognised it as Laura. "Is that you? Who else is here?"

"I'm here too, ker-POW!" Tank exclaimed in determination, "But no one else! Louis, Mitzi, Wolfgang and Bones are out there!"

"We're okay!" A muffled voice sounded from the other side of the door, "We'll find another way! Keep going - you're obviously going the right way, so keep it up! But stay together!"

"Good luck, you four!" I called back, before looking to my two remaining companions in the darkness, "Stay very close, alright? If either of us get separated again, at least one of us will be on our own. Come on."

I turned and continued my race against time, though our group was now separated further.

Freya

I sighed in irritation as my radio clicked to life, and stepped back from the rope that supported the two humans. I put a finger to my earpiece, saying grumpily, "What is it?!"

"Me." The voice replied cooly.

I gulped, and quickly said, "Oh. Sorry, sir! I was just dealing with Josh and Mystery, sorry for being rude... Can I help you?"

"I'm taking action against Honevray." My Leader responded, ignoring my words, "I need a status on all the humans, to make sure they can not interrupt."

I paused to think a moment, before responding, "I have my team watching all movements. Louis is with three animals, not really getting anywhere. He was separated a while ago. Nikita and Laura are together with one animal, heading up towards us - I will kill them both as soon as they get here. Josh and Mystery..." I peered down at their desperate struggle to climb, "They're a bit preoccupied at the moment."

"Good." He replied, sounding satisfied, "Then I will take control of this town once and for all. Kill or at least apprehend them all, Freya, pah."

"Of course, Apollo." I confirmed, before ending the transmission. I crouched back down, looking to the two boys come closer, "Bad news, boys. Even if you get out of here, your pretty little town is under new rule. You're all doomed! Hee, hee, hee."

Apollo

"The fact that you all stand before me right now, pah," I began in a loud, clear voice as I gazed down at the unsettled animals before me, "Implies that you are not close enough to the poison for them to matter. Otherwise, you will be out there in a vain attempt to save them. Therefore, you are all free from the Organisation's punishment. However, due to Honevray's recent infestation of poison, you will be under the Organisation's command until further notice."

I made eye contact with Purrl, who was glaring at me defiantly. Since I had found the pathetic girl crying a few weeks ago, she had thought herself close to me. She thought me to be her friend. Through her, I learned all there was to know about the humans - she was a gold mine of information. She was nothing but a tool - an oblivious tool.

"I am Apollo, as you all know." I continued, looking away from the furious calico. My eyes next settled on a purple squirrel, who seemed very distracted and lost in thought - worried. I frowned, and realised I'd have to keep a closer eye on some of these animals than I thought. But if this squirrel was so concerned about the poison, why was he still here? Was he a coward? "But what I haven't told you is that I am here on behalf of the Organisation. I have been closely monitoring this town since I arrived, and results prove negative. I have decided that from this moment, the mention or association with the poison - the humans - is strictly forbidden."

I observed the faces below me, and it unsettled me how angry and defiant they all appeared. It mattered not - with my new team now based in Honevray, any attempt at rebellion would be crushed beneath my wing.

"Forbidden on penalty of death! The time of the poison is over. With your help, this world will be under animal rule once and forever more, pah!"

I turned and marched away from them, flanked by two of my most loyal guards. It was just a matter of time now until I heard my radio click into life, and the confirmation that the poison was dealt with. I trusted Freya to get it done, once and for all.

A/N: And there we go... All of our characters are now in some kind of danger.

Josh and Mystery are climbing the rope to freedom, with Freya right at the top of it.
Louis, Mitzi, Wolfgang and Bones are going the wrong way, separated from the others.
Nikita, Laura and Tank are headed upwards to try and find Josh and Mystery.
Kabuki has gone after the brainwashed Goldie and Portia.
Everyone else is now being held captive in Honevray by the leader of the Organisation - Apollo.

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the entire first half. Now that we're here, I would like a general overview of your thoughts on the first half or this story.

So:

1. General review of the first half? What would you like to see in part 2?
2. Apollo being the leader - obvious or a shock?
3. I keep asking this, but I'm curious - how do you think this is gonna pan out?

I planned to announce like a months break here, but as said, I already had that! So I'll be back soon with the start of part 2... I may put a little interlude of some kind up, however - we'll see.

I look forward to your reviews!