The Associate
"Are we there yet?" asked Spike with annoyance.
He and the other dogs had been following the German Shepard through the building's massive network of a/c vents for almost an hour. Behind the German Shepard, Friskett and Buttons had to crouch down in order to fit through the vent. Blue, Enrique Jr, Porkchop, and Santa's Little Helper were small enough to walk normally through the vents on all fours. Spike was, uh, bringing up the rear.
Their search for a way out was not going as planned. Every exit they came to was an exit into another room. The dogs didn't realize just how big the place was.
The German Shepard was worried that they may have to return back into the warehouse, when suddenly, the scent of pollen and salty sea air brushed his nose. There must be a way outside, he thought. The other dogs picked it up too. They grew antsy as the smell became stronger and stronger.
At last, the German Shepard came to a vent that had grass leaking out of it. A soft breeze blew against everyone's fur as the leader unlatched the grate and tumbled out onto the ground. One by one, the dogs emerged from the building. They were surprised to see that it was night. The edge of the cliff lingered nearby like it was the edge of the world.
"Whew," grumbled Spike, who was the last one to step out of the building. "I think I've seen enough butts for one night. Can we just go now?"
The German Shepard nodded. He motioned everyone to follow him and be quiet. They made their way slowly towards the front of the building.
Everyone was thinking different thoughts at this point. The German Shepard wanted to get off of the property as quickly and as quietly as possible. Friskett wished he could attack the person responsible for kidnapping everyone. Buttons began wondering if his little girl, Mindy, was alright. Blue wondered why there weren't any clues now that they were out. Porkchop wished he could have something to eat, and Santa's Little Helper wished he could have something to drink.
Spike began wondering why Enrique Jr.'s head was so huge, when the German Shepard suddenly stopped at the corner of the building. All of the dogs got on each other's shoulders and peeked around the complex.
A white van was driving up the long, winding driveway. It stopped in front of the front doors. A man got out of the van and walked over to a door on the far end of the building's façade. Tom looked around and then walked through the door, slamming it behind him.
The German Shepard gave Spike a look that asked, "Who was that?"
"Beats me," said Spike. "He probably works for whoever runs this place. C'mon, let's scram!"
The dogs only took a few steps before they suddenly realized that they had no clue where they were or where their homes were! Everyone looked at the German Shepard. He looked worried for a moment, but then his eyes traveled to the white van. He turned to Spike, who immediately knew what he was thinking.
"Whoa, there, big guy," he laughed. "Are you telling me that we're gonna ride outta here in that van?"
The German Shepard abruptly turned and headed toward the vehicle.
"…okay," muttered Spike as everyone followed him.
When they reached the van, the dogs were shocked to hear pounding coming from inside! Spike wandered to the rear of the van and sat in front of the rear bumper. He was just about to ask the German Shepard who could be inside, when the rear doors suddenly flew open with a 'BANG'! Scooby and Astro landed hard on the ground as the other dogs in the van peered out cautiously.
Courage caught sight of Spike and the other canines. "What are you all doing out here?!" he asked shakily.
Spike sat up. "We were gonna ask you the same thing."
"Long story," said Talking Dog, who hopped out of the van. "Right now, we've got to save the dogs that are trapped in there." He pointed at the building.
The German Shepard nodded. Even though he planned on leaving them all here, he now reconsidered. Nearby, Spike sighed. As much as he hated that place, he remembered telling the other locked dogs that they'd come back for them. "Alright. But this time, we go through the front door. I don't think I could stand another minute in that metal rat maze."
So, the sixteen canines made their way to the front door. As they walked, most of the dogs sniffed each other out. It was the quickest way to find out who they were and where they were from. Goddard and CatDog startled some of the escaped dogs by their appearance alone, but not too badly. And Gir, once again, received mixed reviews from the newcomers.
The canines finally reached the door that Tom entered. The German Shepard and T.D. peered inside. It was only a small, deserted office. The room soon became filled with dogs trying to figure out where to go from there. Scooby suggested to go through the only other door in the room, which went deeper into the building (it took a moment for everyone to understand what he was saying, especially when Astro tried translating it.) A couple minutes went by as the dogs tried to open the door (no one could turn the knob.) Finally, Courage managed to turn the doorknob hard enough to open the door. A long hallway greeted their eyes. The dogs formed a line as they cautiously crept down the aisle. If anyone came, Friskett was to attack at once, said T.D.
At the end of the hallway was a T-intersection going left and right. The dogs jumped when someone ran by, but the person didn't see the advancing canines down the hall.
Once at the intersection, the dogs soon saw a door to the left that read, "Observation Room 1". The German Shepard had a gut feeling that the imprisoned dogs were very close by, so he stood by as he allowed all the other dogs to go before him. The German Shepard felt it was best to let everyone else see the hundreds of dog cages before he did.
To everyone's surprise, the door actually opened up into a large dark room with a large window on one wall. On the other side of this room was a figure who sitting in a chair, not paying attention to the dogs at all!
Before the canines could identify this silhouetted person, the door (on some automatic trigger) slammed shut…with the German Shepard still outside! He clawed at the door for a moment before he turned and dashed down the aisle, trying to find the control room.
It was pitch black in the room, but only for a minute. Then, small spotlights shined down on the terrified dogs. Then, the silence was broken when an old, booming voice said smoothly, "Hello there, little doggies."
"Who are you?!" shouted the dogs who could talk.
The voice showed much amusement to that remark. "So you all can talk! At least, some if you. I see big things for those who do."
"Why are you doing this?!" yelled T.D.
"There there, dog. All will be revealed in time. But first," Hank reached for the light. "Let me introduce myself." The dog catcher's room lit up. The two rooms were divided by a panel of glass, so the dog's room became illuminated. The dogs could see an old man sitting in front of a desk on the other side of the glass. "My name is Hank Michelson, and I am responsible for you all being here."
Most of the dogs growled at Hank's smiling face. T.D. tried to remain calm as he asked, "And you did all this alone?"
"Of course not!" laughed Hank. "I have guards and henchmen working for me. Then, there's my associate who handles all my business affairs."
"Yeah," said T.D. "We figured Tom would be working for you."
Hank looked surprised for a moment. "Tom?" he asked. Then he grinned as he reached for a switch and said, "You mean, this Tom?"
A light fell on the person sitting in the chair nearby. Spike and the recently-escaped dogs were surprised to see a man whom they had never seen before being tied up with a rope to the chair and looked like he was just waking up.
The other dogs did a double-take as they recognized the person immediately. It was Tom!
"But…why?" asked T.D., who was quite confused by this twist in plot.
"Well," said Hank. "It's kind of hard for me to explain, so I'll let my associate do the talking."
And so, on cue, Hank's business associate hastily entered the room and stood behind Hank. The associate looked at Tom and the canines and smiled slightly. Runt, Gir, Courage, CatDog, Goddard, Scooby, Astro, and Talking Dog gasped when they saw who it was.
It was Wanda.
(What'll happen next, you ask? Only 2 exciting chapters to go!)