13. To the Rescue!
They just sat there in the ally for what seemed like hours, staring at the warehouse and wondering what they were about to get involved in. Well, actually, Murphy was daydreaming about eating the bone-shaped billboard when the cat finally returned. She trotted up to them and gave a full report. Murphy translated.
"The only accessible entrance large enough for humans is a door on the west side that's unlocked but unfortunately it's guarded by a rather large bangle tiger. Your friends are tied up in a room on the second floor. They happen to be guarded by a bullmastiff. No one seemed to notice me. I guess with all the other animals in there I kind of fit in. But I only saw two other humans besides your friends. I tried to talk to the tiger but it was like he had a one-track mind. He just kept saying 'must guard door. Must guard door' over and over again."
"Tell her thank you and we'll meet her back here to discuss her reward."
Murphy spoke up once more. "She says she would like to continue helping."
Mark looked surprised, but Max didn't. "Why?" Mark finally asked.
Max gave a little grunt. "What do you mean 'why'? Anybody would love the glamorous life of action and intrigue. Battling the forces of evil and rottenness and protecting the ways of goodness and niceness. There is no job more satisfying than being a spy."
Murphy interrupted. "She says that she was born in and experimental lab and has seen the cruelties and horrors that humans put animals through for the purpose of science. She managed to escape before she too was subjected to the tests but she has always wanted some way to get back at humans like that. She feels that these humans are doing similar things and they need to be stopped."
Max pouted and crossed his arms. "You shouldn't have interrupted me. I was just about to say that." After a moment of silence he changed the subject. "Well let's go. We can use these—" He pulled out a bag of the kitty tranquilizers. "—To get rid of the tiger."
"But she said he was too focused."
"We'll have her bring them in and tell him that the boss, whoever that is, said it was okay."
Mark shrugged. It was a long shot but he couldn't think of anything better. As they crossed the street Murphy explained the plan. When they reached the door they hunkered behind a pile of boxes. Max handed the cat the bag of treats and watched as she entered through an unusually large pet door that was installed in the regular entrance. It was but a moment before she peeked her black and orange-patched head back out the door signaling them to come in.
Max opened the door slowly and checked all directions to make sure the coast was clear. The only living thing he could see was the large tiger sleeping peacefully on the floor. He entered with his newfound comrades at his heels. Only after their eyes fully adjusted to the inside light did they entirely grasp where they were. The place was huge, about three stories high. It seemed twice as big inside as it looked outside. In the center was a large machine it seemed to be some kind of assembly line working away efficiently at whatever it was intended to do. Encircling that was huge vats of a boiling mixture that made the whole place reek of dead fish, rotting meat and other even more unpleasant odors that animals seem attracted to. On the floor surrounding the machine and vats were stacks and stacks of boxes, each with it's own coded label. Looking up they could see a series of catwalks made of a metal grating (similar to that of fire escapes) that lead to different rooms on the second story.
"She says they're up there." Murphy translated as the cat started up the iron steps. Max and Mark began to follow her but stopped when they realized Murphy was not.
"Come on!" Mark urged.
"I'm afraid of heights." Murphy admitted with his tail between his legs.
"Just don't look down. Hurry up!"
Murphy climbed up a few steps than stopped and whimpered. He looked below him through the grating and dug his claws deep in the holes.
"You go on ahead." Mark told Max. "We'll be there soon."
Max nodded and continued to follow the calico until she stopped at a large metal door with another pet door at the bottom. She put her paw on it to indicate that this was the entrance in question. Max nodded and pulled out his .38 and carefully turned the knob. As he opened the door he saw the Chief and 99 tied facing each other with hands behind their backs.
"MAX!!" 99 cried. Then promptly passed out. Max set his gun down and was just about to go revive her when the Chief yelled.
"Max!?" It was half surprise and half warning. But the next words were definitely warning. "The dog!" He turned around to see a larger than large dog with teeth bared and advancing on him. Now he wished he'd had the smarts just to put his gun back in the holster.
"Don't worry," Max said confidently. "I can handle a big stupid mutt like this." He tried to give the dog a karate kick but before it made contact the huge jaws clamped down on his foot and pulled him off his feet. He landed hard on his back hitting his head rather painfully on the pavement floor. As he looked up he saw the monstrous 'hound of the Baskervilles' standing over him. "Heh. I hope I wasn't out of line with that crack about 'stupid mutt'." He said meekly.
With one quick motion he grabbed a pen out of his pocket and stabbed the end into the dog's side. It made a quick yelp of pain than and turned to Max with a growl that said 'I'm going to tear you apart' (which he was planning on doing in the first place). He was just about to take a big bite when everything started spinning. He looked around the room and his vision was becoming blurred. His knees shook and he staggered to stay up but finally he collapsed in a heap on top of Max. He promptly pushed him off picked up his gun and dusted himself off. "The old tranquilizer-in-the-pen-trick. Works every time."
Max walked over to the unconscious Ninety-nine and gently petted her cheek. Her eyes opened slowly as she looked into those eyes that she thought she would never see again. "Oh, Max. Is it really you?" She wanted to embrace him so bad, throw her arms around his neck and never let him go. But his face was getting closer and she couldn't wait to be untied for a kiss that she thought had been lost forever. But just before their lips touched she looked over his shoulder and a man with a gun appeared in the doorway.
"Max!" She cried, right in his face. "Behind you!!" Her heart was pounding so hard she had just got the love of her life back and now it seemed she was about to loose him again.
