Chapter 6 - Preparation
Shadow's POV
I reached the common area, where the lone wolves usually go to hang out and where the packs have made their home, and stepped out into the huge cavern. The common area was a huge cavern within the earth and had tons of glowing crystals on the ceiling which illuminated the entire cavern as bright as daylight. An underground river snaked its way through the ground towards the cavern and entered as a huge waterfall, feeding a river that ran to a large lake in the center of the cavern. Which in turn, fed another river that flowed out of the cavern. Below this cavern was a large magma chamber that let out small amounts of lava into the bottom of the lake, heating it and the whole cavern around. Since the lake was near boiling, animals would go to the river that entered the cavern for a drink and the river that exited the cavern for washing. It was warm enough in this cavern, that vegetation grew, forming huge forests and fields where herds of caribou and other animals roamed.
As I passed through a forest to where I was headed, I spotted two wolf pups play fighting. I always liked watching pups play, it made me forget the world's troubles. "What are you doing in our territory?!", a voice growled.
I looked ahead of me and saw a big wolf staring me down, "you forget your place, Alpha", I growled, "need I remind you what you are doing here?".
The Alpha narrowed his eyes, "who are you to talk to me like that?!", he growled.
"Let him pass", another voice said.
"But Sir, he-", the Alpha said, but was cut off.
"He is one of the five", the wolf said, as he stepped out of the bushes, "show some respect".
The Alpha widened his eyes and turned towards me, "I'm sorry, uhh, Sir", he said, "it's just I've never seen you around here before".
"How old are you?", I asked.
"Three years, Sir", the Alpha answered.
I nodded, "that explains it", I replied, "the last time I was here was about five years ago".
"Continue with your duties", the Pack Leader ordered.
"Yes, Sir", the Alpha replied, then walked off.
The Pack Leader turned towards me, "long time no see, Shadow", he said, "what brings you down here?".
"We've almost succeeded and we now have everything that we need", I said, "I'm sure all your Alpha's have been trained properly?".
The Pack Leader nodded, "as per your brother's instruction", he said, "...I take it it's time?".
I nodded, "gather your Alphas and meet me in the hangar bay", I said, "you have two hours".
"Understood", the Pack Leader said, "we'll meet you there".
The Pack Leader made his way towards his pack, while I turned around and headed back the way I came. As I walked, I saw the same two pups still play fighting, but then another one came in and started bullying one of them, which I recognized as an Omega. I approached them and they didn't notice me, "what are you doing with her, Omega?", the bully pup asked, angrily.
"We were just playing", the Omega pup answered, "that's it".
"I think there was more going on than just playing", the bully pup said.
"Leave him alone", the girl pup said.
'I think I should step in before things get out of hand', I thought to myself, then walked up behind them. The girl pup and the bully pup didn't see me, but the Omega pup did, "b-behind you", he stuttered, "big wolf!".
The bully pup chuckled, "I'm not going to fall for that trick", he said, "there's no wolf behind me".
"You're right", I said, taking the two pups by surprise, then they quickly turned around and their eyes widened in fear as soon as they saw me, "you shouldn't fall for that trick, but you should always be aware of your surroundings".
"W-Who are y-you?", the Omega pup asked, slightly shaking in fear.
I smiled, "a friend", I said, "now what seems to be the problem?".
The girl pup was about to answer, but the bully pup cut her off and tried to growl at me, even though it sounded more like he was having stomach pains. "None of your business!", the bully pup growled, "you better leave before my father finds out you're here!".
"Who's your father?", I asked.
"The pack's leader", the bully pup answered.
"So, you think that just because you're the Pack Leader's son, you can do what you want without anyone telling you otherwise?", I asked, "I hate to break it to you, but until you're the Pack Leader yourself, you have to conform to your father's rules, just like any other pup does".
"Who are you?", the girl pup asked, "really?".
"Son!", the Pack Leader's voice shouted, "where are you?!".
"Now you're in for it", the Pack Leader's son said to me, "I'm over here, Dad!".
The Pack Leader came out of the bushes and saw me standing there, "oh, Shadow, you're still here", he said.
"Wh-Whaaa?", the Pack Leader's son stuttered, "Dad, you know this wolf?".
The Pack Leader chuckled, "he's not a wolf, Son", he said, "he's a dog".
"What's a...dog?", the Omega pup asked.
"I'll explain later", the Pack Leader said, "I just came to get my son before I announce to the pack what we're doing".
The Pack Leader took his son away, but before he got anywhere, I spoke up, "just one minute", I said, then the Pack Leader stopped in his tracks and turned around.
"What is it?", the Pack Leader asked, "Sir".
"Sir?!", the three pups exclaimed in unison.
"I came across these two…", I said, gesturing to the girl and Omega pups, "playing, until your son started bullying the Omega pup".
"Is this true?", the Pack Leader asked his son, "were you bullying that pup?".
"Of course not!", the Pack Leader's son exclaimed, "he's lying".
"Son", the Pack Leader said, in a strangely calm tone, "we treat everyone in this pack as equals, especially the Omegas".
"Why are you listening to him?!", the pup exclaimed, "and why did you call him 'Sir'?".
"Him and his four siblings allowed us to live in this paradise, Son", the Pack Leader said, "if it weren't for them, our pack wouldn't be here today".
"You've always told me that with every deal there's something that both sides have to do", the pup said, "what do we have to do for him?".
"He's trying to turn the world into a better place for canines", the Pack Leader explained, "and we're supposed to help".
"How are we supposed to help?", the pup asked, "we're just one pack".
"All the wolves in this place are supposed to help", I explained, "if I did my math right, there's about five hundred wolves here".
"Anyway, I have to be off", I continued, then turned towards the Omega pup, "you better admit your feelings before she is taken by someone else".
The pup blushed, "I, uhh…", he muttered.
I chuckled, "you better work on that", I said, then continued on my way to plan the assault on M.E.O.W.S..
Director Lou's POV
Mr. Tinkles and Kitty Galore were captured once again and currently being held in M.E.O.W.S.. My wife wasn't exactly very happy about me returning to D.O.G.S. so early, but after I called her recently, she seemed to forgive me. Butch and Diggs entered the office, I asked them to find Mark after his disappearance from the warehouse, "did you locate him?", I asked.
"No, Director", Butch answered, "we couldn't find a trace of him anywhere".
I sighed, "Shadow steals copies of all of D.O.G.S.'s files and sends them north, Ashley copies and sends M.E.O.W.S.' files to Skye, who then sends them all north in one transfer, while Mark distracts us by bringing Mr. Tinkles and Kitty Galore back for their revenge", I said, "did they even have a plan for their revenge?".
"I don't think so", Diggs said, "Mark might've faked himself having a plan, just so Mr. Tinkles and Kitty Galore would work for him".
I shook my head, "there must be more", I muttered, "what would they need the files of both agencies for?".
"It would take them years to go through them all", Butch said, "unless, they're looking for something specific".
"If they were looking for something specific, they wouldn't have copied all of the files, just the ones they wanted", Diggs said, then tilted his head, "wouldn't they?".
"Maybe they were looking for something specific and only copied all of the files, so we wouldn't be aware of their plan", I said.
"Then what would they have been looking for?", Butch asked.
Shadow's POV
I was in the hangar bay, examining the blueprints of the structure of the M.E.O.W.S. facility, "if we hit them here, here, and here…", I said, pointing to three points on the blueprints, "...the whole facility will be without power for three minutes until the backup generators kick in".
"During that three minutes, all of their defensive systems will be down and you'll be able to come in with the air support", I explained to Mark, who would be leading the team of wolves that will bomb the facility, "after the facility is destroyed, I'll move in on the ground and eliminate any survivors".
"Okay, that's one facility, but what about the rest?", Mark asked.
"This is the main facility and all the others are tied directly to this one", I said, "as soon as this one is destroyed, all the others will immediately shut down one after the other like a row of dominoes".
"Now, that's just poor planning", Mark commented.
I chuckled, "yeah, but it works in our favor", I replied, "now, D.O.G.S. will be a lot more difficult, it's designed the same way, but their main facility is at the center of the earth, so we'll have to infiltrate it one facility at a time".
"That's a discussion for a later date", Rufus said, "right now, we need to destroy M.E.O.W.S. before we even think about D.O.G.S.".
"Of course, Rufus", I replied.
"If M.E.O.W.S. is as vulnerable as it is...", Skye said, "why would they have their main facility on the surface, instead of underground like D.O.G.S.?".
"I thought you were going to be the one to answer that", Mark said.
"D.O.G.S. already has their main facility at the center of the earth", I explained, "M.E.O.W.S. owns a human company, which in turn owns the building that serves as the entrance to their facility".
"How did they accomplish that?", Mark asked, "wouldn't the humans know that their company is run by cats?".
"How do you think Mr. Tinkles used that warehouse for his evil plot?", I asked, "they fake being human and the humans are none the wiser".
"I'm here with my Alphas, Shadow", the Pack Leader I spoke to earlier said, as he approached with about two dozen other wolves.
"Good", I replied, "get them suited up, Mark".
Mark went off with the wolves to get them ready for the mission. I turned to Rufus, "I'd like to ask a favor", I said.
"What do you want?", Rufus asked.
"I know Ashley's going to Jasper to...tie up loose ends", I said, "but, I want to be the one that finishes that wolf agent".
"Why do you want to do that?", Rufus asked.
"I want the satisfaction of ending the one who beat me", I answered, "I'm sure you understand that I don't want my sister to finish what I've started".
Rufus nodded, "alright", he said, "once we've taken D.O.G.S., you can go to Jasper".
I smiled, "thank you, brother", I replied, then went off to help Mark get the wolves ready.
