17.  Planning

Max was leaning against the wall, deep in thought.  Well, he was trying to be deep in thought.  He was really only in up to his ankles.  He scratched his chin with a 'hmmm'.  "We've got to figure out how to put a monkey wrench in her plans."  He glanced at Mark, who shrugged his shoulders and immediately wished he hadn't.

"I've got it!"  99 cried.

"A monkey wrench?"

"If we had one that would work.  All that equipment is run with gears and if we can shove something in there that'll get caught then pressure will build up and ruin it.  Probably rendering it irreparable."

"That's a good idea, but it needs a few more steps."  Mark put in.  "See, everything in here, I'm sure, is run by computers.  The part of the equipment that actually makes the sensors is probably fairly small.  What you can see out there is mostly just making dog food and mixing in the sensors.  The other thing we need to do is find where the computers are and crash them.  That way she looses not only the equipment but all the information on how to make them."

"Yes," the Chief said, feeling their situation was bleak.  "But we haven't a clue where these computers could be."

"Mew?"

"What'd she say?"  Mark asked his shaggy companion.

It was Max who answered first.  "She said 'mew'."

"I meant in English."

"Well, how should I know?"  He shrugged his shoulders.  "I can't speak cat."

"I wasn't talking to you!"  Mark said through clenched teeth.

"Oh."

"Is he for real?"  Murphy asked from where he lay on the floor.

Mark ignored the comment and repeated his question.  "What did she say?"

"She wants to know how we're going to escape."

"Tell her we need to find the main computers but we don't know where they are."

Murphy nodded and obeyed. 

"Mew?"  Said the tabby when he was through translating.

"What a stupid cat!"  Murphy sneered.

"Why?"

"She wants to know what a computer is."

"Well, just tell her!  Say it's a glowing box."

The Chief and 99 watched Mark and Murphy's exchange with complete fascination.  They still weren't accustomed to the dog's speech.

After another silent conversation between the furry members of the group Murphy looked up and said, "She says they're across the bridge behind a door on the opposite wall."

Max got onto his hands and knees to peek his head out the dog door.  He could see most of the warehouse.  Below, through the grating, he could see stacks of wooden crates.  The assembly and baking machine stood in the center of the floor completely surrounded by a chain-link fence topped with coils of barbed wire.  To his right he could see the 'bridge'.  It was merely a walkway connecting the two catwalks on opposite sides of the building.  It was suspended from the ceiling directly over the dog food machine.  But a large cover of aluminum protected the section below the bridge, apparently to prevent anyone from dropping anything into the equipment.  He looked down again and could see a large bear pacing below him.  Before he could be spotted he quickly slipped back inside.

"Ask Miss. Kitty how many animal guards are out there."

Murphy was getting seriously tired of getting bossed around but nevertheless he obeyed Max's command.  "There's three."  He answered for her.  "A lion, a tiger and a bear."

"Oh, my!"  99 was amazed that one person had access to these types of animals.

"Seems like the first thing we need to do is get them out of the way."  The Chief was rubbing his hands together nervously.

"I've still got two of these tranquilizing treats with me."  He displayed the bone-shaped cakes.  "That takes care of two.  The other we'll have to trap somehow.  Maybe in one of those empty crates down there."   

"Someone should get out and call the police or something.  Your 'backup' doesn't seem to be backing us up."

"It's not the backup.  Its just Larabee.  He'll be on his break now so if you call now you'll get someone with a little more…"  The Chief seemed to be searching for the right word. 

"Brains?"  Murphy tried. 

The Chief nodded.  That was the first word he thought of but he had been trying to be tactful. 

"Okay,"  Max said taking charge.  "99, the Chief and I will distract the animals while Mark calls CONTROL.  The number is—"

Mark interrupted.  "I can't leave.  I'm the only one who can crash the computer."

"But you may have to fight to get in there and you're in no shape to even try."

"I'll be fine."  (He hoped)  "I'll have Murphy distract whoever's in there and lure them out so I can get to the console."

"Why me?"  Murphy wrinkled his nose.

"Because I ration out your biscuits."

The dog snorted in disgust.  "Why do I get all the lousy assignments?"

"Okay,"  Max said reluctantly.  "But be careful.  So Mark, the Chief and I will stay and 99 you'll ca—"

This time 99 interrupted.  "No Max!  I'm not leaving you here!"

"But it's very dangerous.  Those animals could rip a person to shreds.  You wouldn't have a chance—"

"If something happens at least we'll be together.  I will not risk loosing you again."  Max looked into her determined eyes and realized it was pointless to argue.  She would not back down.

He sighed deeply.  "You do realize that you'll be in extreme danger every moment.  Your life will be at stake 99."

She gave him a cocky smile.  "And loving it."

"Well, looks like you got the short straw, Chief.  You get to call."

He nodded.  He hated to leave his agents in a situation like this but this seemed the best way he could help.

"Okay."  Max was enjoying bossing everyone around.  "So, while the Chief calls for backup Mark and Murphy will be taking care of the computers and 99 and I will clean up the guards and sabotage the machinery."

"Mrroowwrr."

"What'd she say that time?"

"'You bulky humans can't get to the machine.'"

"Why not?"

"She says 'the fence around it is locked good and there's barbed wire at the top.  The only hole is way to small for a human to get through.'" 

"Can she get through?"

"Yeah."

"Ask her if she could stuff something into the equipment."

Murphy turned to the tabby and told her the request.  Her ears perked up and she looked up at all the humans towering above her.  She gave a quick nod and trotted over to the door.  She put one paw on the flap and was about to push it open when she stopped.  Her head turned to her companions and a quick 'mew' escaped from her whiskered mouth.

They didn't need a translation.  It was more than obvious that it was a 'Well…?'.  As in 'Well, what are you waiting for?'.