It took a while, but Herbert was able to get into a recovering state. As he wheeled around in a tiny wheelchair, Kitty thought it would be appropriate to avoid him until he chilled a little. He was still upset about Dudley after all. Herbert wheeled his chair over to Kitty's desk and with a little help, got up on it.

"Kitty, you need to find a way to get to Dudley out of Donnagon's influence range."

"How can we do that? Donnagon's been playing with him these past few weeks and he hasn't shown any sign of trickery."

"Playing with him, or playing him with temptation?"

"Temptation? Of course, didn't Donnagon say one time that a father knows his kids like the back of his hand?"

"I believe he did, this is how Donnagon plays people. First he'll start off with a friendly image, then when someone trusts him, he shows his true colors."

Kitty was now worried. If what Herbert said was true, Dudley was in grave danger. She had to find him, and fast. She didn't know what she was gonna do, but she had to try something.

"Where was Dudley last seen?"

"Last time I checked, he was heading out to think about what Donnagon was mentioning to him. But we can't wait for that. We need to find Agent Puppy NOW! Kitty, you're going to have to suspend your responsibilities as chief, and find your ex-partner."

"Got it", Kitty informed and was already down the chute.

Just then Herbert realized that Kitty forgot to help him back down off the desk. Fortunately Keswick was around, so he had the honor of helping Herbert back to the medical ward.

Dudley was now walking back to TUFF while trying to figure out what to do. Donnagon claimed he had some errands to run so he left early which left Dudley to walk home since they used Donnagon's car this time.

"Jeez, what's up with me?", he asked himself, "First I get denied a promotion I wanted really bad, then a newcomer comes along and steals my glory, then Dad shows up, and now I just hurt someone on purpose."

That last one made him feel pretty low. He sometimes hurt his boss physically, but those were accidents. Was being denied the chief's position all it took to make him do all this trouble? It seemed like the whole world was going wrong. At least he had somebody who understood what he was going thru though. Dudley didn't know it, but he had just wondered around near a lamppost and decided to pause a minute and think things over.

"Is there anything I can do to fix all this?", he sighed.

"Actually there is", a voice answered although it sounded like two people instead of one, "So we finally meet."

Dudley pulled his blaster out and cautiously looked around.

"Who's there? Who just said that?"

"Behind you."

Dudley turned around fast to see two German weasels wearing dark trench coats and wide brimmed hats with dark gray gloves and black boots. It seemed all their clothes were dark. As they slinked closer, Dudley tried to be brave, but somehow found it difficult.

"Who exactly are you?", he asked still holding on to his blaster.

"Byron Gemini", one said revealing to be male.

"Glacia Gemini", the other added revealing to be female.

"The Gemini twins", they said in unification.

"And what brings you here?", Dudley asked.

"We're operating for our boss who-" Byron started.

"Is very interested in you sir", Glacia finished.

"Me?", Dudley asked, "Why is that?"

"We've been watching you all week long", Byron started, "And we must say-"

"That we are quite surprised", Glacia added, "What if we told you-"

"Our boss could fix anything you could name?", Byron finished.

Dudley's caution started to wane. Could these weasels really mean what they say?

"Could your boss really fix anything?"

"Within reason", Glacia stated, "Although it is a suggestion and if you're-"

"Content with the way things are, then forget we said anything", Byron finished.

With that the weasels turned to leave.

"It was only a suggestion," they said over their shoulders.

Dudley now had gotten past his fears and now thinking of this opportunity. If this worked, he could have this copycat that was stealing his glory out of date, be the new chief of TUFF, and prove to everyone that he did have what it took to be the best.

"Hold on", he called and the weasels stopped and turned so that they could see him, "where do I meet you're boss?"

The weasels grinned devilishly as each pulled a small device from their pocket.

"Follow us", they said in unification.

They pointed their devices forward, and in less than a moment, a flaming red portal opened. The outer rim was lined with charred bones, and was very ominous to see. Dudley cautiously stepped closer and the weasels stood on each side.

"Just step through", they instructed.

With a gulp, and a breath, Dudley did with the weasels following. For an instant, Dudley felt like he was going through a large pipe and exited in a place that made his spine shiver. The place he now was in was dark with wild plants growing all over, such as thorn bushes, pitcher plants, and a lot of trees of all sorts. The ground was desolate and lifeless, and the air seemed to be chocked with ash. The smell of something dead filled Dudley's sensitive nostrils and he almost cringed.

"Yech! Where are we?"

"Where do you-", Byron started.

"Think you are?", Glacia finished.

"I have no idea. It's like it's a place of darkness."

"You're in Hades", the weasels answered.

"Hades? Is that what this place is?"

"It is, shall we proceed?", the weasels asked as they started walking down a charred path.

Dudley felt like he should be following so he pocketed his blaster, and followed the weasels. Hades was more evil than he realized. The skies were heavily shrouded in dark clouds that rumbled every so often with the occasional lightning flashes, but no rain fell. And the further the went, the more things he saw. Giant towers of pure iron with large spheres on top that looked more like eyes, mountains spewing endless streams of magma, and an enormous plain as bare as a desert. When they came near one spot near some trenches, the sound of moaning came up.

"Oh, mind the Wretched", Byron warned.

"They love to moan", Glacia added.

Byron and Glacia just walked down the path though without pausing, but Dudley saw something that made his stomach churn. Working tirelessly on the heavy gears, large mine carts, and stirring the massive cauldron which produced large bars of pure gold out of the side, were countless people moaning on end. Their hair was thin and bare, barely enough muscle to get their work over with, and their clothes hung on them in tatters and were bloodstained. Their skin was covered in open sores and some were leaking puss as well as pale enough they looked sick. Through some of their mouths, Dudley saw that their teeth were broken and rotting and their tongues were slit. Just then, one of them( a basset hound) reached over and grabbed his wrist. Dudley yelped. Even though this dog had him, it didn't assault. Instead it knelt before him and looked at him with the saddest, most miserable expression Dudley ever saw. Through it's moaning, Dudley could swear it was talking.

"Please sir", it wept, "just kill me so I can finally escape this horrible place."

Dudley now felt like he had to help, until a large spiked chain whipped out, and wrapped around the hound. And with a yank, the hound went flying away from Dudley and into a large very muscular rhinoceros wearing heavy leather pants, and a metal mask that covered the lower half of it's face as if it was rabid. But instead of hands, it had a spiked chain whip, and a serrated blade. Then Byron and Glacia showed up beside Dudley.

"Warden", Byron instructed, "return the-"

"Slave to his post", Glacia finished.

The warden gave a nod, then walked away dragging it's captive behind it. Byron and Glacia then turned to Dudley.

"Well, shall we move on?"

The rest of the way seemed to go without a hitch til they came to a huge castle. The towers so creepy, walls so high, and the whole place seemed to be made out of dark iron, just like the watchtowers Dudley saw earlier. The only thing was, the wall they came to had no door. How would they get in? Byron and Glacia just stood in front of the wall and lifted their hands forward.

"Open sesame", they called.

And then there was a rumble, and a door magically materialized on the wall and opened with a creak and crash. Byron and Glacia entered with Dudley cautiously behind them. Inside was very dark, but fancy. Fine rugs lined the floors, pillars of people in agony rose all the way to the ceiling where crystal chandeliers hung. Through the halls they went and somehow Dudley lost the weasels, but as he came to a double door near the end of a grand hallway, he heard someone.

"03, 04. Oh you two are so good at what you do."

Dudley slowly entered the a fabulous room where the weasels were on one end of the room where a large throne was and swooning on who was in it like they were pets.

"Oh, and I see we have a customer", the voice said again.

The voice was dark and ominous, yet inviting. The room was too dark to see, but as Dudley came nearer, he discovered that sitting on the throne was a black dog wearing a crimson trench coat, dark gray pants, and had glowing markings on it's skin with piercing red eyes and white hair that moved like fire.

"Do come near, dear friend. It's not polite to stand there staring."

The black dog lifted off his seat, and walked over to Dudley with it's thin spade tipped tail swinging side to side.

"Let me guess, TUFF agent Dudley Puppy. Here about a reputation problem and to get even with a copycat. Welcome."

Dudley hardly believed his ears.

"How did he-"

"00 knows all", Byron interrupted.

"And sees all", Glacia added.

00 made his way around Dudley and ran his sharp claws across face.

"So, is this how TUFF dresses nowadays? Of course I would know, Now then, my advice is this, if you really want that post you're after, you need to be deployed for solo missions more often."

"You can do that?", Dudley asked wondering.

00 turned and looked Dudley right in the eye.

"My dear friend, it's what I do. I can deploy you on missions to make you the agent TUFF only dreams it could have. Successful, exalted, and very rich as well. But know this: for my services, you give something to get something."

"What's that?", Dudley asked hoping it wouldn't be too much to ask.

"I'll take...your loyalty."

Meanwhile, Matthew was at his own place working on something serious. He had gone as a gambler, as well as a retired veteran. Both disguises had worked out for both him and his partner who had gone as a seamstress, and a shopkeeper. Otto had just transported the next batch of materials on the list and now they were down to the final part. If they could pull this off, the mission would be a success. Matthew was now in his Joseph Amber disguise and was now investigating his criminal acts.

"Otto, I couldn't have committed all this evil."

"I know that and you know that. I'm starting to think somebody doesn't want us to be on the same level as they are."

"Yeah", Joseph said, "somebody who doesn't want us to intervene."

Just then Alicia came in under the guise of her shopkeeper look: Mrs. Cobble.

"Hey guys, I just found out that Donnegan's in our midst."

"Really?", Joseph asked, "he's here?"

That got Otto going.

"If you ask me, Donnegan sent one of his goons to try to put a bad rep on you Joe."

"Indeed, this is something he would definably do. We'll just keep our guard up and our eyes open in case a certain "someone" gets ideas."

"Right", Mrs Cobble said, "just this last batch and we're done with our retrieving method."

"I'll keep in touch with this activity Joe", Otto assured as Joe and Mrs. Cobble got ready to prepare their next guises.

Joseph didn't show it, but he was getting most concerned. Donnegan only ment that trouble was brewing, and he needed to get this mission done all the sooner. Otherwise the consequences would be most severe. Not just to him, but to everyone else.