My Dog is Chase Devineaux
Chase is transformed into a dog after wishing he understood Carmen Sandiego and why she tried to save him. Carmen finds him and adopts him. Chase becomes a part of the team as a dog and slowly develops feelings for Carmen. Maybe she is not the villain he thought her to be or maybe he's just falling in love. Oh help, he's in trouble now. Julia is worried about her partner and V.I.L.E hates Carmen's new ally. Chase/Carmen
Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Thank you to everyone who reviewed and faced.
Chapter 3: Training, Stealing and Rio
It was officially one week since Chase had turned into a puppy and joined Team Red. He and Carmen had left the vet in Poitiers a little while ago. Dr. Greeth had given him the green light, his muscle was no longer sprained. They were back at the hotel and Carmen was packing her things now and he wondered where they were going. He watched her pack his stuff away, to think he had a whole bag to himself, Carmen had bought some extra toys and several packs of dog treats and biscuits and lots more dog food. He sighed, he had a feeling that he'd eventually start being trained to do tricks, at the very least he'd be trained in basic behaviour which made him grouchy. He would not be a circus dog, he would not bend to La Femme Rouge's will and learn silly tricks to please her. He had his pride damn it!
Carmen clipped on his lead making him blink and he looked at her. "Let's go, Chase, Player has booked a flight for us to Prague, a V.I.L.E. agent has been seen there, we're going to find out what they're up to."
"Finally, something to do," he barked, he was restless, the entire week had been spent on resting his sprained muscle after the disastrous pizza night and he was sure he was going mad. Zack and Ivy always seemed to want to play with him, even though he didn't want to play with them. So he stuck close to Sandiego, whom he found was actually in a very bad place, though she tried to hide it. It seemed to him that she was overthinking something that a person called Shadowsan had told her, something to do with her past from what he'd gathered. He sighed, she couldn't afford to be distracted and yet he knew that whatever it was, it was bothering her tremendously, he would know, he heard her wake up in the night, mumbling about Shadowsan and her family. He remembered last night…
Flashback
Chase was fast asleep, dreaming that he was human again and he was just about to catch Carmen Sandiego when she started pleading for her family. His ears twitched and then he heard her moans, causing him to wake from his dream. He looked up at the bed. La Femme Rouge was tossing and turning again, mumbling a lot. He whined, no matter if she was his enemy or his friend or even his owner, she should not suffer like this. He let out a sharp bark and she woke up with a start, breathing heavily.
"That dream again," she muttered.
"Red, you ok? Is it the same dream?" Chase heard Player ask over the link in her earrings. "Did Chase wake you up again?
"The second question first, yes he did. The first question, it was worse this time, Brunt was torturing my family and Devineaux," she admitted making Chase sit up in surprise.
'She had a nightmare about me being tortured alongside her family? But I am not her family, why should it affect her if it's about me?' he was genuinely puzzled. He had not been a friend to her before this, she didn't even know his true identity right now, let alone know him as his usual self.
"Try and go back to sleep Red, you'll need it," advised Player.
"I'll try Player, thanks. You get some sleep too," said Carmen.
"Sure thing Red."
Chase sighed, knowing that she would not be able to sleep, she was stressed. He carefully hopped onto her bed and licked her face gently.
"Oh Chase," and she hugged him, just like she did every time he did this.
"Yes, yes, now go back to sleep, you need to rest," he barked softly, nudging her into lying back down. He curled up next to her, giving her a final lick on her hand before he felt her gently pat his head.
"Thank you, Chase," she mumbled, he sighed but he stayed until her breathing was deep and steady. He carefully wriggled out from her arm and gently hopped back into his basket, he didn't want to get close to her by staying next to her the whole night, that would be a bad idea. A very bad one, he wouldn't be able to catch her if he grew fond of her. He went back to sleep but he didn't dream of catching her, just of being human.
End Flashback
Carmen was gently tugging at Chase's lead, "Chase, let's go, it's a two-hour flight to Prague. While we're walking I'm gonna try and teach you to walk to heel."
'Shoot, I knew it. Teach me to walk to heel. Hah! As if, I am not a show dog and I am not a dog,' thought Chase.
"Alright, now, when I say, 'Heel' you're going to simply walk alongside me, with no pulling on the lead or anything ok?"
"NO!" he barked loudly, tugging at his lead.
"Chase, stop it!"
"Then don't try and teach me tricks. I have my pride, damn it Carmen Sandiego!" he barked again, several times this time and he sat down, not moving a muscle.
"What's wrong with you Chase, you've been such a good boy the entire week. What's changed?" asked Carmen, kneeling down next to him.
He looked at her, "Nothing's changed except that I am still a dog," he barked angrily.
"Hey Red, maybe he's not listening because he doesn't understand exactly what you want him to do," said Player.
"I don't get it," said Carmen.
"Normally, when training a dog, the owner has already taught the dog in question more basic things like sit and stay first. I understand that you couldn't because you didn't want to hurt his strained muscle but, I think you're starting too fast," and Chase blinked; because he heard all of that. Carmen had a look of realization on her face.
"No, that's not it! I'm being stubborn and I don't want to and…" his bark trailed off to a whimper. He was being very prideful too. That was hardly a redeeming quality and it had gotten in his way in the past before this. He sighed, 'Great job Chase, now you've made her feel like she's a bad owner or something and she's stressed enough. I just need to accept it. I am a dog and I will stay this way until I somehow change back. So I need to learn as a dog would.'
This would not be fun for his ego. He looked up at Carmen, who was still kneeling next to him, his ears drooped upon seeing her sad expression. 'I am such an ass. She's bending over backward for me and I've done nothing except rest on my laurels and let her pamper me. What would she say if she knew it was really Inspector Devineaux she was taking care of? She'd shove me out the door for my behaviour,' his musings were interrupted when she picked him up and gently cuddled him, 'What?'
"I'm sorry Chase. I'm sorry to have such high expectations of you, to think that just because you're highly intelligent, it doesn't mean you understand what I want you to do without teaching you the other things first. We'll go slow, I promise," she said.
His heart was in agony, it was not her fault, it was his, 'No, Carmen Sandiego, stop, it's my fault, not yours. Gah, what have I done?' he thought and he decided then and there that he'd be good and learn what she had to teach him. Maybe he'd surprise her or maybe he'd surprise himself. It…might be…fun? He licked her cheek softly, letting out a whine, "I'm sorry La Femme Rouge." He really did feel bad about his behaviour.
"Are we good?" and he barked, wagging his tail. "I'm glad," and cuddled him again before putting him down and taking his lead. "Let's go, Zack and Ivy are waiting for us."
"Lead the way," Chase barked, walking to heel as they left the room.
"Hey Carm, what took so long?" asked Ivy as they came out of the hotel, to where Zack was waiting with the car.
"Just a sweet moment that's all," said Carmen, sitting down and putting Chase on her lap. He blinked, she wasn't going to tell them of his attitude towards her? Ivy blinked as well but shrugged.
"Ok, to the airport," said Zack. It didn't take long and Chase found that they'd managed to get a private plane, so no need to worry about security or how to get him on to said plane.
"So Carmen, what are we doing in Prague?" asked Ivy. Carmen told her that a V.I.L.E. operative had been spotted there for a handoff. "You and Zack are going to stay in the car, Player is going to be watching us, and Chase and I are going to do the interception but only after it's been handed off," Carmen explained.
'It's a good plan,' thought Chase, 'Will she be able to handle it though?' he was worried about Sandiego. A Carmen Sandiego off her game was a bad thing. He was jerked out of his musings by Carmen petting him. He looked up to see that she was holding a box of dog treats and wearing a smile.
"Ok Chase, we're going to start your training. Nothing much I promise, but just some basics," she said.
'Oh boy, now it's happening. I better decide whether to play a highly intelligent dog or dog who gets it after a few tries. Hmmm, I better adjust my understanding after each trick, which might be the better option.' He looked up again and barked happily, jumping towards the box of treats.
Carmen giggled and Zack and Ivy looked at each other. "Carm, how many tricks do ya think you can teach 'im, this is only a two-hour flight?" asked Ivy.
"Yeah, wouldn't it be better ta wait a bit until he's older or we're not on a mission?" asked Zack.
"No, he needs to be trained now, even if only a little bit. I believe in him, besides, in order to take him on missions, he has to be trained well. Dogs don't learn half as fast when they're older either," said Carmen. She got down on her knees and took out a dog treat. Chase sniffed it and barked, it smelled good. Lamb flavour, if his new sense of smell wasn't mistaken. He was currently standing and Carmen gently pushed him to sit down, "Chase, sit," she said firmly. He blinked but then he got it, so 'sit' was the first trick, easy enough. He got up and wagged his tail. Carmen then held out the treat. "Chase, sit," she said again. Not wanting to waste time with such an easy trick and he owed her for his bad behaviour from before, he sat down without question. "Good boy Chase," she said, giving him the treat.
Chase wagged his tail, the treat was yummy. He spotted the siblings' slightly stunned looks and then he had another reason for learning tricks, their looks would be priceless. He sat down again without any order and then raised himself up on his hind legs, holding up his paws and looking at Carmen, who looked stunned. He barked once, looking at the treat in her hand, "Please," and Carmen not only gave him a treat but also scratched him behind the ears, praising him.
"Chase, sit," she said. He sat and waited, Carmen asked him to beg and bark, showing him what she wanted him to do. He mentally grinned, this was kind of fun. He did as she asked and got praised for it. "What do you guys say to that? He learned to sit and beg and even say please within less than ten minutes," said Carmen proudly.
"It's great boss, but how do you know he's gonna remember the tricks?" asked Ivy.
Chase barked at her for saying that and looked at Carmen, who looked back, they took it as a challenge. "Chase, sit boy." He sat. "Beg and bark," she said, Chase did as she asked and only stopped when Carmen gave him a treat. "Ok, next up, sit Chase." He wondered what she was going to try now. He was realizing that as a dog with a human mind but dog instincts, he knew how every trick was done, but it would take the dog's body a few tries to get everything right and to associate the actions with the words and what Carmen wanted to happen. It was interesting to him. She walked to the side of the room and held out a treat but also held her other hand out in the universal stop sign, "Chase, stay." He sat there and waited until she slowly walked over, treat in hand, making sure that he stayed until she was right in front of him, then she gave him the treat. "Good boy Chase, you are so smart, aren't you, yes you are," she said. He rolled over and barked, she laughed and gave him a belly scratch.
'Heaven!' was his only thought, the feeling was pure bliss. He'd do anything for a belly scratch. 'NO! Do not give in! She is making a fool of you, you are not a show dog, you are not a dog at all and you should not be learning tricks. You should be trying to find out everything you can about her, she is the enemy, she destroyed your career and your lucky coat! She is vicious and cruel, she is a thief, we will not be a part of this charade she is obviously putting on!' was the egotistical and career-driven side of him. He got up and shook himself.
"Ready to learn another trick Chase?" asked Carmen kindly.
He felt torn, he wanted to but…was the…the human part, right? Was he losing himself already? She was his enemy…wasn't she? 'No, she's not, I've already learned that she is not the source of my pain and troubles, it was all my fault. If I'd taken the time to stop, look and listen, then…I wouldn't have lost my job as an A.C.M.E. agent. The Chief was right, I'm a loose cannon. I need to open myself to this new life, to change my ways of thinking. I must accept this life or else, I do not know what I'll do. Carmen Sandiego is safe, she is not who I thought she was. She is trying to stop V.I.L.E. I need to help her. She's a thief yes, but, she's no ordinary thief. She only steals from V.I.L.E.' He wondered about giving the information to A.C.M.E. when he turned back. He should, it would be the right thing to do. 'Bah, the right thing, I don't know that. Chief just dropped me like an old shoe. Carmen Sandiego wouldn't do that to me. Especially since I now know that she was so worried about me and she came to rescue me.' He firmly pushed away all his preconceived notions of Carmen and looked up at her, she was looking at him with a worried expression.
"Are you ok Chase, what's wrong? Are we going too fast?" she asked him, he felt guilty about making her worry about him. He was about to bark when he caught sight of something that Zack was watching. He walked over to take a look. It was about a hyena singing a song, 'A new way to go,' it was all about making a friend from a foe and a phrase, 'Sisi ni sawa,' meaning we're the same. He felt something change in him by listening to that song. Carmen was watching him, perplexed by his behaviour.
He looked at Carmen, 'We're the same, her and I. Our methods may be different but in the end, we both fight for what's right, for peace, and to stop real evil. There's not much difference between us like I once thought. Fine then. Sisi ni sawa!' he thought and ran back over to her, letting out a happy bark, sitting and pawing at her. 'I am going to make a sincere effort to work with you Carmen Sandiego!'
"I have no idea what just happened but, whatever you were thinking of seems to be no longer worrying you. I'm glad," she said, picking him up and cuddling him. He licked her, his tail wagging. He squirmed in her arms and she put him down. He sat up and begged, tongue hanging out. Carmen laughed and tossed him a treat, which he caught, inadvertently learning another trick. "Alright, let's learn one or two more and then we'll stop until after we get the handoff," she said. "Chase, sit boy," and she kneeled down in front of him, gently taking his right paw in her left hand and shaking it, "Shake," she said firmly. She let go and then looked at him. "Chase, shake," he raised his paw and placed it in Carmen's hand, shaking it with a bark. He got a biscuit this time as his reward. She did it once more with him before walking over to her chair.
'What is she planning now?' he wondered. He absently looked at the clock and noted that they only had about forty-five minutes left of the flight before they made Prague. 'Time flies when you're having fun,' he thought.
"Chase," her voice caught his attention and he began to walk towards her, "Chase, stay," he stopped, not sitting down but staying where he was. He waited to see what she wanted. She took out a biscuit and laid it on the floor. His nose twitched, he was getting fond of those biscuits. She whistled, he cocked his head, looking at her adorably and quizzically. "Come," she said, picking up the biscuit and whistling again.
"Hey Ivy, I think… she's tryin' to make Chase come when she whistles," said Zack.
"What gave it away? But there's no way he gets it that fast like the rest of his tricks," she said.
'So, she's teaching a more silent trick, rather than shouting, 'come,' she is teaching me, as a dog, to respond to her whistle,' was Chase's thoughts, absently looking around.
"Chase," she got his attention again. "Pay no attention to Zack and Ivy." She whistled again, waving the biscuit. He trotted over to her at last. She praised him, giving him his reward. She practiced that one a few more times until he decided that he'd, 'learned the trick.' He yawned and curled up on her chair afterward, much to her amusement. He'd no idea that actually learning tricks was so tiring. Then again, he had the mind and personality of an adult human but the body and instincts of a nine-week-old puppy and he was mentally fighting himself and his pride. The whole day had been tiring so far. He felt himself be picked up and he whined a bit before being set down again, on Carmen's lap this time. He sighed and went back to sleep. Carmen petted him before closing her eyes and leaning back, trying to relax for the upcoming job.
Xxxxx
An hour later
Carmen was watching the crowd carefully with Chase sitting by her feet. He yawned, they'd been waiting for fifteen minutes in Prague's Old Town Square by the clock tower and he was bored. "Target sighted, La Chèvre huh." Chase perked up at that, seeing a tall, thin man, slicked-back black hair and dark skin. He was walking casually.
"Ok Red, you're on. Remember, you're just an ordinary girl taking her dog for a walk. Don't get caught," said Player.
"I won't forget Player and I won't get caught either."
"Good, also, make sure you get the goods after the handoff, target the buyer, not Goat boy," he reminded her. Chase was hearing everything and he readied himself. He did mentally snicker at the name, 'goat boy.'
"I know Player, it was my plan after all," said Carmen, beginning to walk with Chase's lead in one hand and him walking next to her. They both knew that Red Drone was on the lookout. That was something new that Chase had learned a little earlier, it explained a lot of things.
"It's a good plan. Handoff coming, a man, beefy with a beard, hat and bowtie, northeast side," directed Player. Carmen walked forward, as casual as anything, Chase trotting beside her. They saw the handoff.
'Ok, the moment of truth, we'll see what V.I.L.E. is up to,' Chase thought, but their way was blocked by a random person walking past. Carmen looked around and Player redirected her.
"Come on Carmen, you can do this, it's just like any other time," she said to herself, only Chase heard that and he glanced up at her worriedly. He spotted the man and tugged a bit at his leash. Carmen walked in the man's direction and as they got closer Chase smelled the man and his ears flattened. He didn't smell nice at all, he smelled of sweat and drugs. Carmen's hand slowly reached out when she stopped, gasping a bit as she stared at someone.
"Carmen! Wake up, the handoff!" Chase whined a bit, he was going to get away! He glanced at the man and saw the small bag in his back pocket. Carmen was too distracted, she'd never get it in time. 'Come on Devineaux, this is where you prove your worth,' he reared up, putting his paw against the car the man was getting into and gently tugged the bag out of his pocket. He then quietly hide behind Carmen as the man was driven away. Putting the bag down he barked sharply at her, snapping her out of it.
"What? Oh no," she said, realising what she'd done.
"Red, what happened?" asked Player in concern.
"I choked Player, I missed my chance. I thought I saw Shadowsan and… Now we'll never find out what V.I.L.E. is up to," said Carmen in despair.
Chase barked and pawed at her leg, "Not true," and held up the bag to her, his tail wagging nineteen to the dozen.
Her face was one he'd remember forever, one of shock and surprise, "Why you little thief," she said, kneeling down to take the bag from him.
"What do you mean Red?" asked Player.
"Chase stole the bag Player," said Carmen with a smile.
"Woah, he did? He really is your dog Red. This means that you can teach him other things pertaining to being a thief as well. But wait a minute."
"What is it Player?" asked Carmen, who was scratching Chase behind the ears for a good job.
"How did Chase know what to take? He's not trained in the thieving arts, how did he know?" Player asked.
'Uh oh,' thought Chase. 'Cover blown.'
"My hand was reaching out for the bag, he probably saw me and thought it was a game," Carmen said. Player quickly looked at what Red Drone had seen. He saw Chase following Carmen, watching her reach her hand out towards the bag in the man's pocket, and then she froze. He watched Chase glance at the man and try to get Carmen's attention before grabbing the bag himself and hiding behind Carmen afterwards.
"Well…yeah that does look like it. I guess he did think it was a game but why did he hide behind you then?"
"I'm not sure, perhaps, since he's a dog, he smelled that something was wrong or maybe he was afraid that he'd get into trouble for taking things again, he probably remembers the pizza incident," said Carmen.
"Well, from rewatching his actions, his ears did go down, he must have, as you said Red, smelled that he wasn't a good person and decided that hiding was the best option," said Player.
"I'm really proud of him. Ok boy, let's see what we got," he watched, relieved that his cover wasn't blown as he'd thought.
"What did we get?" asked Player.
Chase reared up to take a look as well. "A rock. Though, we were lucky to get anything. Chase is the real hero of this little caper," she said. "I'm sloppy. I'm off my game, Player," she sighed. Chase sighed too, he knew that she was better than what he saw just now.
"You have been distracted lately. Not just by Chase but he's the good type of distraction," said Player. "You probably just jumped back into action a little too soon."
'It's only been two weeks since Shadowsan vanished into the night,' thought Carmen. "Taking any hope I had of learning more about my past with him."
Chase cocked his head at this statement as they walked off, he was worried about her. She could not be the Scarlet Super Thief if she was off her game. He barked and she turned to look down at him.
"You did a great job today. You are getting a big reward," said Carmen as they walked towards the shops. He wondered what type of reward she meant. She first stopped to buy a wallet and then went to a jewellery store, buying a few jewellery pieces and then buying some authentic-looking diamonds and a real one before going to a butcher, and Chase's eyes widened upon seeing the meaty bone that Carmen said was for him. So that was what she meant by reward. He started to drool at just smelling it in the bag. He barked, he wanted that bone! "Not now Chase, later."
He whined but sighed, he didn't want to wait, yet he had to. 'If this is a reward then I'm most definitely going to work harder now. The praise was also nice, a good change for me. Maybe…this dog thing isn't so bad after all.'
Xxxxx
V.I.L.E. Island
The Faculty was worried, Brunt had returned two weeks ago but Shadowsan had not. Maelstrom even proposed that Brunt had done something to him, considering her antagonistic relationship with him.
"We don't get along but I wouldn't do that. He's family," she said.
La Chèvre then called in, saying that he was on his way to Rio and that the handoff was successful.
"Well done. This endeavour of ours will go a long way to repairing the financial damage done by Carmen," said Maelstrom with a grin. None of them knowing that their once prized student and adopted daughter now had the best ally on her side and would cause them even more problems.
Xxxxx
Julia Argent sighed, she was still with A.C.M.E. while poor Mr. Devineaux was back at Interpol as nothing more than a paper pusher, somewhere where Chief said that even he couldn't do any harm, to himself or to anyone else. That was unfair, she thought. She had worked with him and although he was forward, brash, and went in fists first, he was also a good man and a good detective, you didn't get to be an Inspector for Interpol without a lot of training and success to your name. He was a credited pilot, having once served in the army and a decorated Inspector, who, despite everything, could solve the cases presented to him. She was worried about him but she couldn't contact him, Chief forbid it, it was for his own safety and hers. She wasn't sure about that. She wasn't keen on being Zari's partner either, she held none of the warmth that Devineaux had. Despite their differences and his brushing off of her opinions regarding Miss Sandiego, Devineaux had done things that assured her that he wasn't all he made himself out to be. He had brought her coffee sometimes, remembering her preferences, he would get files too high for her off the shelves. He'd defended her from an insult regarding her sexual preferences, opened the door for her, carried things that were heavy, even sharing things like a pastry or some chocolate. He even walked her home or drove her there. She knew he was a good man, he just needed to open up his mind and admit his mistakes. She wished he was here.
Xxxxx
"So, what do we know?" asked Carmen. She was still in Prague, walking around and admiring the view while Player researched the stones that Chase had stolen.
"It's called alexandrite," he said.
"Sounds like something you take for foot pain," she commented.
Chase looked up. Since they were basically not going anywhere soon Carmen had given him his bone and he was having the time of his life, chewing all the meat off of it. It was good, he could see why real dogs adored bones now.
"It's definitely a gemstone. It's not as well-known as something like diamond but it is way rarer. Plus, it can fetch just as much per carat."
Chase looked up at that, it was an interesting fact to learn. It would be bad if V.I.L.E. got their filthy hands on even an ounce of it.
"That's big money. Enough of these gems could provide a major cash infusion to V.I.L.E.'s operations," said Carmen.
"Well, according to the data on the hard drive Shadowsan left for you, V.I.L.E. has a presence in a region known for its alexandrite," said Player. Chase looked up again, there was that name again. Shadowsan. What link did he have to Carmen? And what was this about a hard drive?
"It could be a mining operation. Where?"
"I'm afraid it doesn't specify details or exact coordinates, but it's somewhere in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil," said Player.
"Brazil!" barked Chase, they were going to Brazil to stop a mining operation to stop V.I.L.E. from getting more funds? That was right up his alley! They also had a hard drive to help them figure out where V.I.L.E. would strike next. No wonder La Femme Rouge was always one step ahead of A.C.M.E. By now Carmen had started walking again, placing Chase's bone back in the bag and he was walking alongside her, simply listening as things clicked into place for him. 'Chief would sell her soul for information like this. She made a mistake getting rid of me,' he thought. 'Well, I got turned into a dog somehow and adopted by Miss Sandiego and here I am, learning everything that A.C.M.E. wants to learn. Will I give it up if I go back to being a human?' He thought about that. He wasn't sure, holding something like this over the Chief's head would make her beg for it but…he wasn't like her, now, she would hold something like getting back into A.C.M.E. or even a promotion over his head for the information. She probably wouldn't keep her word either. Not to mention, she tossed him aside the second he wasn't useful. 'Hah, forget it, Chief can shove it. I won't tell her a goddamn thing; if only to spite her and have some minor revenge. I guess I also don't want to betray Carmen Sandiego's trust, especially since she's been so good to me.' He looked up as Carmen said the words,
"South America. Small world. It's close to home," she said and he tilted his head. What did she mean by that? He heard Player asking her if she was basically ready for this, needing her at the top of her game. In case.
"In case of what?" she asked. Player went on to say something about the hard drive being the best present ever from a former V.I.L.E. mastermind.
"WHAT!" Chase barked. He caused Carmen to jump a little.
"Red, is something wrong with Chase?" asked Player in concern.
She was kneeling down in front of him, checking him over, "I'm not sure, he's…I…don't know. Maybe he's just tired or was startled by something when I wasn't looking," and she picked him up. He didn't resist, he was putting things together. Was this mysterious Shadowsan, who knew about Carmen's past, the one who gave her the hard drive and was like Carmen, formerly working for V.I.L.E.? Was he once a faculty member? Oh, his head hurt, it had been a long day. He sighed, putting his head against Carmen's shoulder and closing his eyes. All his energy was gone, he was only a puppy after all.
"Player, can you book us tickets to Rio?"
"Done and done Red, first-class," he said.
"Thanks."
Xxxxx
Chase woke up to the soft chatter between Carmen and the teens. He yawned and looked around, it was obvious that they were on a plane. He was in his basket and he spotted his food and water bowls near it. He yawned again, stretching and shaking his head to wake himself. Carmen noticed and smiled, "Morning Chase. Sleep well?" he gave a small bark before going over to his food and eating as well as taking a long drink. Once he finished Carmen picked him up and took him to a private spot on the plane, for which he was grateful. He walked back a few moments later and reached up to Carmen, barking softly. "You slept a long time, we've only got three more hours until we reach Rio," said Carmen, she had a pencil and notepad in her hands. Chase was surprised, how tired had he been? The flight from Prague to Brazil was ten hours after all. He'd slept all that time and perhaps more?
"Carmen, why do you talk to him like he's a human? He's just a dog, a cute one that we love having around but, don't you think you're takin' it a bit too far?" asked Ivy, who was concerned about the way Carmen treated Chase. Treating a dog like a human couldn't be a good thing.
"Aw Ivy, so what, he's cute and fluffy, Carmen can talk to him however she wants," said Zack, who was reaching down to pet Chase. Chase accepted the petting before turning back to Carmen and barking.
"Ivy, I will talk to Chase the way I see fit. He's too smart to be spoken to as if he's just a dog. He's special and I know he understands what I say. So that's that," said Carmen firmly and she finished writing her list. Chase hopped up onto her lap and took a look at what she'd been writing.
'Chase's tricks' he read.
Sit – learned
Stay – learned
Shake – learned
Come – when whistling – learned
Beg – learned
Heel – learned automatically
Please – learned automatically with beg
Hello – learned automatically with shake.
Stand – not yet
Speak – not yet
High five – not yet
Dance – not yet
Lie down – not yet
Roll over – not yet
Jump – not yet
Steal – not yet
Fetch – not yet
Hush – not yet
Crawl – not yet
There were more tricks but Chase simply couldn't believe that she was planning on teaching him all of these. She either had a very high opinion of his intelligence as a dog or she simply believed in his abilities. His heart warmed at the thought. "Chase, buddy," she said and he looked up, tongue hanging out. "You want to get rid of some of the energy with some tricks?"
"Yes!" he said with a bark, tail wagging.
"Alright then," and he jumped down, allowing her to grab his things for training. "Ok then, let's start with, speak." She held a treat out and then slowly raised it above his head and held it to where he couldn't reach it. "Speak Chase," just as he barked. "Good boy," giving him the treat. It didn't take much time to learn and Carmen taught him a very important trick afterwards. "Hush," she said, putting her finger to her lips after she got him to bark a bit. He tilted his head and barked again. He was enjoying this, all the positive attention and rewards, it was a balm for his soul. "Chase, speak," and he barked, "Now hush, ssshhh," she said, putting her finger to her lips again. Chase wanted to but he was restless, he had too much energy after his long sleep. He simply tilted his head and he began to run around the chairs and everything. "Chase!" said Carmen, diving for him but he slipped out of her grasp.
"Haha, you cannot catch me Le Femme Rouge!" he barked happily, backing away and then running under one of the chairs. He felt very mischievous, he'd definitely played along to being a 'good boy' for far too long. Besides, this playful side was what was expected of him as a puppy. It wasn't like he was going to hurt anyone or hurt Carmen's feelings. He could tell because she now had a big grin on her face as she tried to reach him. He got out from under the chair from the other side. He heard someone shifting behind him. He waited. At the last second, he jumped out of the way, turning to see Carmen hanging over the chair. He ran over to lick her face, causing her to laugh before he ran off to the bag that held his toys. He rummaged through it, pulling out his squeaky ducky and shaking it while making it squeak. It delighted the puppy side of him. When was the last time he had this much fun?
Carmen was wondering that herself, she felt so much joy playing with Chase, it was as if all her worries had flown away as she played with him. She took the ducky away and made him squeak, making Chase bark. "Come get ducky Chase," she said, holding ducky up and causing Chase to jump to try and get it. "You want the ducky? Get the ducky!" She laughed, holding it just above his head.
"Give… me… ducky!" he barked, leaping high enough to grab it right out of her hand and run with it.
"Get back here!"
"Never!" he barked. Eventually, the two of them collapsed, Chase on top of Carmen's back, still holding ducky in his mouth. That had been a fun game.
"Ok Chase, get off me," she said. He jumped off her and chewed on the ducky, causing it to squeak. "Give me ducky Chase," said Carmen, getting up and holding out her hand. He was slightly tired after all the running around so he gave it back without question. "Good boy. Feeling better?" and he simply barked, sitting up and wagging his tail. He was in a good mood now and quickly learned the 'hush' trick. Carmen put him through his paces in learning to, 'lie down,' and to 'stand' on command. He was getting a little tired afterwards. Standing after laying down was actually tough for the puppy side to learn but he got it. "Ok Chase, that's enough. You are such a good boy, yes you are," she said, petting him and fussing over him. He got the remainder of his bone as a reward and he settled down happily next to Carmen's chair to eat it.
Zack and Ivy just stared at each other. Ivy shrugging and going back to what she was busy making for Carmen while Zack turned back to watching TV. Neither of them had been a part of the rough and tumble play between Carmen and Chase.
Carmen looked at her list of Chase's tricks and redid it, it now read,
Sit – learned
Stay – learned
Shake – learned
Stand – learned
Speak – learned
Hush – learned
Lie down – learned
Come when whistling – learned
Beg – learned semi-automatically
Heel – learned automatically
Please – learned automatically with beg
Hello – learned automatically with shake.
High five – not yet
Dance – not yet
Roll over – not yet
Jump – not yet
Steal – not yet
Fetch – not yet
Crawl – not yet
She was amazed that some of the tricks were taught so easily and some were self-taught, she just needed to make them into actual tricks by rewarding him. Player appeared on the screen of the open laptop. "Hey, guys, what's up?"
"Hey Player, Chase say hello."
He barked and then went back to gnawing on his bone, he'd pretty much accepted his fate by now.
"Hi, Chase. Red, where are Zack and Ivy?"
"We're here Player," they said, coming over to greet him.
"Hey, guys. So Rio is coming up in just a while now, I thought you could use some info on what to expect when you get there," he said, taking a sip of his drink.
"We're all ears Player," said Carmen.
"Ooh-ooh, palm trees and sandy beaches, here we come!" said Ivy.
"There's more to Rio than just beaches, Ivy, especially since Carnivaal is just a few days away," said Player.
"Oh, spinning rides and funnel cakes? Score!" said Zack.
'Does he think with nothing but his stomach?' wondered Chase.
"No Zack, it's not a carnival, it's called Carnivaal. People travel from all over the world to check it out."
Carmen looked up and spoke, "The citywide festival has its roots in both Portuguese and African traditions and feature colourful masks and costumes. It's the one time of year pretending to be someone or something else is socially accepted."
"I hope you packed your dancing shoes, Red. Thousands of samba dancers will be strutting their stuff next to insanely elaborate parade floats," said Player.
"However, if it's the beach you're after, Rio has one of the world's most famous…Copacabana. Sound like enough to make you a Brazil nut?"
"When you're done having fun in the sun, check out Rio's favelas," said Player with a smile.
"Ah, the favelas, entire communities built into the steep hillsides of Rio. But they say you won't find a better view of any city than from the top of Corcovado Mountain, beneath the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer."
"I hope you brushed up on your Portuguese, Red, it's the primary language spoken in Brazil," advised Player.
Chase was astounded at how much he'd just learned about another country. It was interesting and not overflowing with dull facts and boring things. 'Miss Argent could take lessons from these two in making things about places interesting,' he thought. He finished his bone over the course of the rest of the flight and took a quick nap before they landed. Carmen made sure his lead was clipped on and they were soon walking the streets of Rio. Chase was astounded by all the sights and smells. He was excited, this was going to be his first big-time caper with Carmen Sandiego. He couldn't wait to start.
Xxxxx
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