On the other side of Babylon, the sunlight was at it's point of almost giving up and letting the night take over. The sunset glimmered over the buildings of Babylon casting its bright reflection off of each window. It colored the skies a nice tint of orange mixed with a nice pitch of yellow.
In the gym, one group were training like it was their last day on this earth. The middle sat a normal boxing ring of average size. It's contents however consist of a little more than average sized Doberman and a brown canine that had a darker patch of brown fur around his right eye. Outside the ring sat a German Shepard that studied their ever moment and footing that the two made. Not once did he miss something to exploit when it comes around to be his turn. With him, the white dog with brown spots over himself.
"Sergent Ralph? Are you sure kick-boxing is a good way to train for the races?" Terrence asked.
"It's not all about how fast you are. The footing is very important in these races. One wrong step and it could be over. After a good three rounds for the three of us we would know each others movements and mindsets. Then tomorrow as we do "on-course" practice we would already know how the other operate." Ralph explained without taking a single glance off the two in the ring.
"That just seems to be unnecessary. By how much time you three spend together, and sometimes finish each other sentences, it's like you three already know what the other is thinking. To be honest, it's kind of creepy."
The German Shepard couldn't help but give a very small and unnoticeable smile as he continued to look at nothing but his brothers in arms.
Kevin looked at his front as his friend, now opponent stood before him. Fido was quick with his feet but at times Kevin was faster, but the Doberman had two advantages over the brown canine. One was his size. He could endure so much more than Fido. The second was his upper body strength, a big dog like him is to be expected to move slowly and have bone crushing hits but this wasn't the case. Kevin's punches, jabs especially, was quick like a speeding bullet and also had the strength of a wrecking ball. But to prevent any major damage on a person or pet he would resort to just tackling, which wasn't a very hard choice considering he loved to do that anyway.
Fido knew for sure if Kevin were to throw a punch he would be able to block it. But if he threw more than one. That would be a problem. As Fido's thoughts cleared, his concerns were realized. Kevin had reeled back his left arm, the jabs were coming. The brown dog's time was running short. Instead of side stepping out of the way Fido brought his arms to block his face. Then it began, the little onslaught of jabs that Kevin released. Even if the Doberman was pulling back his punches, Fido could only take so much.
Ralph's eyes narrowed as he was a little confused about Fido's decision. The German Shepard saw the other possibilities that he could've taken to avoid this punishment. But realization hit him faster than it did Fido. Now only if Fido could see it before it was too late.
The brown canine was getting rushed to the corner of the ring. He had to think of something. The option of side stepping out of the way was no more. His arms were starting to sting as the fist that was covered in sports tape kept hitting the surface of his forearms. Through the cracks of his arms Fido saw Kevin as if he was in slow motion. There must have been an opening. Something to give him an edge in this fight. That's when a thought occurred in his mind.
As the next jab came, Fido ducked under. Using this as an advantaged he could dodge roll out of harm's way in order to get the bigger dog cornered. But that could just go downhill as the unexpected happened.
Sargent Ralph's maw showed his fangs as he gritted his teeth. That would've worked before but not now.
It was one of those times that the link and bond they all shared had kicked in. Kevin knew exactly what Fido was planning and countered it almost immediately. As the smaller dog ducked, the Doberman threw a quick uppercut, a little quicker than his jabs were.
Fido saw the punch coming and crossed his arms as Kevin's fist connected once again with his forearms. Upon standing completely straight again, Kevin reeled his right arm back once again. Fido knew exactly what was coming. As the fist came, Fido dropped down in a squatting motion as the Doberman's fist had just missed the brown dog only brushing up against Fido's head fur.
With that the opening he wanted was in reach. Fido quickly stood up as once again, Kevin threw another punch. But this one was different. It wasn't a jab but a hook. With a quick glance to the opening that Kevin had provided him Fido put his arms up once again this time in a "L" formation in order to block the hook. While that happened the brown canine had shifted his feet for that his left was more forward than the right. All Fido was waiting for was that one quick second of cooling. Now everything was in slow motion, a fraction of a nano second late could mean failure, and failure wasn't an option. Not this time.
With the swift kick to Kevin's side made him staggered and his defenses lowered. Right before the brown canine could land another hit in the buzzer had rung the round was complete.
"And with that the final round goes to Kevin." Terrence announced.
"Good work in there. You sure had me on the ropes, literally." Fido said as he held out his hand offering a shake.
Kevin gladly shook hands with the brown dog. "You were great too. Maybe sometime when this is all over we could have a rematch."
"You'll get it in time." Ralph said as the duo both exited the ring one after the other. "Right now we should get our rest and prepare for tomorrow. We're out on the field and I don't want any slacking."
"Sir!" The three dogs saluted as their Sargent left the gym but not without grabbing his bag and giving a thumbs up to the three.
"I'm glad to have you around Terrence. With you as our Home Base we could really watch out for the other teams. Last year we almost wiped out on every single race." Fido said as he tapped the brown spotted dog on his shoulder.
"I hope I could be of assistance. Just looking at you guys made me tired though. I'm going to head off. I got a lot of planning to do. See ya." Terrence left the gym proud to be a member. He was always so helpful back at the Police Intel Unit, he was going to do fine.
Fido looked back at Kevin as a question came to mind. But it was quickly shoved aside as another thought had racked his brain. "Oh My Santa! I think you knocked the daylights out of Spo."
"How? Wasn't he off your scalp at the time?" Kevin asked going toward a small weight.
"He was being stubborn and I gave in. Hold on." Fido went to the ring's corner as he saw the little mouse sitting down his head tilting back and fourth. "Hey buddy, you ok?"
"I put the cat on the French Toast, marinated it, and the chicken coup came flying out of a rainbow. Look at all the chicken wings." Spo looked up causing him to fall on his back.
"Come on let's get you home." Fido lightly picked the mouse up and gently placed him where the both himself and the little mouse found a little comfortable. "I should get going Kevin, don't overdue it."
Kevin smiled and waved as his friend left the gym. "Tell the cat not to chase you too often. We need you at your best tomorrow."
Both laughed as Fido exited the gym doors into now the cool breeze of the night.
The starry sky was out and the moon quarter to being full. A normal night for a beautiful walk with a mate. But as nice as that sounds, something always have to mess it up.
While daydreaming as he walked down the street constant sirens were being echoed throughout his his. First Fido had pushed it aside as it was only a faint noise. But then it started to get louder and more irritating. His walk back home was never this loud nor did he have to fear anything. He was a K-9 police dog a very famous one at that. Who would want to tangle with him, especially at this hour? But as he continued on his walk the adrenaline started to dissipate as the pain on his arms started to sting again. Maybe he should have thought of something different in that predicament than what he had done. Maybe parry the punches but if he did that then more punches wouldn't connected.
The brown canine sighed. His train of thought and also his walk home was interrupted once again by those same sirens. But this time really close. Like they were about to...
SCREECH!
"WHAT!?" The only thing that came out of Fido mouth.
About five to six police cars had furiously turned the corner that led to the block he was on. The sound of tires burning rubber as they drifted across the granite covered road. The brown dog had covered his ears not taking his eyes off the cars that continuously came one by one. Their sirens on blast and tripping other people's alarms. A car had came to a halt before Fido. It's door flew opened to reveal Sargent Ralph in the passenger seat and a male in front of him in the driver's seat.
"Bill, Sarge, what's going on!?"
"No time to explain, we have to go now. Where's Kevin?" Bill asked as Fido jumped in the car across Bill's lap and into the back.
"He's back at the gym. What happened?" Fido asked again still confused about the situation.
The German Shepard looked a little uneasy. He didn't want to say it. He knew that if he did Fido would go crazy. But he had no choice. As he turned around to tell Fido the shock of the brown dog's face told it all.
Running along the roofs were two figures. One whose white hair flew with the wind and a fox that both the German Shepard and Fido had known very well.
Soon Fido's shocked face became the one of anger. If you haven't seen Fido angry it was the most surprising thing you ever seen. His blood boiled as his sights never left the white haired figure. Little bits and pieces of a memory that was forced to be forgotten had came spiraling back in his head. Flames and three figures standing in front of it. He couldn't decipher it but the one on the far left had his attention the most. A huge bulky figure standing very regal like. Fido could guess on his life he knew who that was. The shadows were too dark to make out the faces but the middle one was surely the one they were chasing.
"He was there...he was there when the manslaughter occurred. We have to catch that wolf!" Fido's face didn't change at least one bit. Pure hatred was plastered on it like graffiti on a wall. If he were to grit his teeth any harder the poor things would probably crack. Ralph saw this and looked to his front again.
"You heard him Bill. Floor it."
"This is for Justice!" With that the policeman slammed his foot down on the pedal causing the car to burst into it's top speed. Very dangerous but all the gloves, rules, or anything else that held them down was off.
"Looks like we have more company Zero." Karishad said as he kept running while looking back.
"Don't look back. We have to make it to the airport before that plane leaves. Heads up." Zero warned.
As the two kept running on the rooftops, not to far from the duo a bridge to the airport was coming into the view over the dark horizon. It's lights guided all the necessary cars that needed to get across to the airport.
"They're going to the airport! We can't let them get on a plane!" Fido exclaimed.
"If they were to make it they would be out of our jurisdiction. We can't let that happen. Bill take the lead. We have to cut them off before they get across. They'll have nowhere to run." Ralph assured.
"Right then." Office Bill took the walkie from the dash. "All units create a blockade at the bridge. We can't let them pass."
The radio walkie responded. "Rodger!"
The police cruisers had all sped up, sirens busting eardrums as they go past. Soon the bridge was on lock down as the police cruisers were all blocking both sides of the bridge. No one could come on the bridge or leave. All the cops had exited their vehicles armed with all sorts of guns. The heat was on and its target was the wolf and the fox.
"Hold your fire...Hold it!"
The wolf kept his speed at an all time high with the vulpine close behind him. The rooftops were running out. They had two choices and they weren't talking the bridge. It would delay their trip but the duo had time before the plane took off.
"Kari! Wall-run!" Both had lifted their feet off the horizontal surface of the roof and onto the billboard.
With that Zero and Karishad both reached the other roof using it to go over the gap between the two buildings. Not missing a step they continued onward not realizing what had appeared behind them. It's large metal blades cut through the night skies. A blinding light casted a shadow of both the lupine and fox.
"Uh..We might have more company than we asked for!" Kari yelled as a loud sound started to pierces their ears.
"Split up but stay close! They can't hit us both!" With that Zero kept moving forward along the roofs as Karishad jumped through a window continuing inside.
Down on the bridge the officers were getting antsy. Their trigger fingers were inching. Losing one target was enough for the men to just go on a bullet frenzy. Fido and Ralph on the other hand had studied their targets movements as they moved. Both knew where Karishad had resided and knew exactly when he was coming out. The brown dog looked around the bridge to find anything that would give him the advantage, as of right now, there was nothing.
"Chopper in pursuit! All ground units...Make it Rain!" The sound of the sirens were engulfed by the sounds of many bullets relentlessly being shot.
"Bring out the Mini-Gun!" One officer had ran to the trunk of his cruiser and popped it open for another gun. The brute had easily lifted the heavy machine and aimed it at the rooftops. No matter where he aimed it. He was sure that one of these bullets will hit the wolf.
Sargent Ralph had gained interest in the decision that the humans had made. "You can't do that! They're still humans in those buildings. You'll wound up killing those we serve to protect! We won't be any better than him! I'm begging you STOP!"
Officer Bill had laid his hand on Ralph's head. "We...know. We all know. Do you think we want to do this? Every single one of us knows the price we're about the pay. But it's the Captain's orders from the Commander and Chief himself. We can't disobey an order."
Ralph growled and looked away. He couldn't stand the fact that he was about the witness something so disgusting and so wrong. He would rather jump off this very bridge than to be part of this. Right then an idea hit him as hard as a freight train and everybody knows, nothing can stop a freight train, not even another freight train.
The German Shepard looked toward Fido as his "brother in arms" had kept his focus on the gray wolf. The brown dog then looked toward Sargent Ralph feeling the very eye balls of the Sargent piecing through his own skin under his fur. Fido knew. Once again he looked around but this time he saw something that might help. A power-line that was left from the construction of this bridge a few years back that reached all the way down to beach-like surface and it's power supply. The ocean waves slowly coming onto the beach. Ralph and Fido both nodded to each other and ran toward the line.
The wolf had came do a dead end on top of the roof, no more buildings to jump on to and no where to run. With no where to go he finally turned around. There was no turning back either. A huge chopper hovered right before the lupine. His hair flowing furiously with the wind the propellers were producing.
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do will and shall be used against you in the court of..." One of the pilots recited before being interrupted.
"Are you really stating the Miranda Rights to a feral wolf? Just fire!" The other right beside him questioned.
"Right...habit. FIRE!" The huge gun on the bottom of the helicopter revved up as the roof's door opened to the stairway. The wolf showed his fangs in a grin. At the last possible second he dashed toward the stairway, entering the building and the copter firing at nothing.
Once Karishad had saved Zero, both nodded and looked toward the glass window that led to nothing but the outside. The wolf and vulpine both laid their hands on the floor with flanks up in the air. Waiting for just the right time to burst into a sprint.
The chopper above was still firing and its bullets were piercing through the ceiling. If they didn't wait they could've messed up the dismount or exiting strategy with disastrous results.
Back down on the bridge the officer with the Mini-gun was letting the gun rev while waiting for his signal. While Fido and Ralph both went to the power line and checked it out.
"It's not on. That's good. We could zip-line down if anything. But first we have to..." Ralph said as he started looking back at Fido as he stared toward the building the chopper was hovering over. "...confirm it."
The bullets that strayed into the building had ceased. Like an impulse in their bodies the two sprinted toward the glass window. That was their cue. Fido almost pushed Ralph out of the way as he took his vest off and zip-lined down toward the beach with Ralph following.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" The windowpane shattered as the two jump through attempting to dive into the water below.
"MINI-GUN FIRE!" The many bullets started to burst out the large machine as the brute stood there laughing. He was finally getting his fill.
Many of the bullets had missed the two, some grazed them but one had caught Kari in his left leg.
"Dammit!" Zero quickly caught a hold of Karishad's arm and pulled him in closely into an embrace all in the middle of being fired at. The wolf's arms wrapped around the fox's waist as Kari's back laid on his chest. Another bullet made its way into Zero's shoulder, just missing the shoulder blade and many other places on both of their bodies. But with all that happening around the two the adrenaline that consumed their bodies had prevented them to feel pain at the moment.
But the one thing that Zero knew that was going to hurt was the impact. Even with so much bracing before this impact it was not only going hurt like hell, it was going to have its long lasting pains as well. The water had came up to a huge height as it very slightly changed from the blue hue that it had to a much more darker blue. Their blood tainting the clean fresh water that many fish resides and call home.
On the beach Fido waited patiently. His attention never leaving that one single spot where the two had fallen into. The brown dogs' eyes squinted as bubbles started to form on the surface of the water.
Right beside him the German Shepard kept his attention not much on the water but his comrade. Ralph worried for a bit. He never seen Fido so angry in his life, Usually the dog was calm and level headed when he was usually on duty but this was a totally different side of Fido he'd ever seen. Except that one time, then it hit him. He knew what was going through Fido's head now but it was too late. As soon as the German Shepard had opened his mouth the wolf emerged from under the water with the vulpine bended over his right shoulder.
"Get out of our way." The wolf said calmly looking toward the two canines.
"No." Was the one single word that came out of Fido's mouth. His body language on the other hand had made its worth more than a thousand words.
"You don't want to do this. I'm not in the mood for anything right now."
"Why don't you just turn yourselves in? They'll gladly bandage both of you up before throwing the both of you in a cell down in a ditch." Fido said as his foot shuffled forward.
"I don't care about myself, and I would if he wasn't with me. But for now I guess I'll have to fight my way through." Zero placed Karishad down on the sand gently before moving forward. His eyes darted to the bridge. "Before I do anything though, call off your humans. Or do you have no authority?"
Ralph growled. Who the hell did this wolf think he was? Although this lupine had very bad vibes, there was something off about it. He was telling the truth about turning himself in. Why would he if he was alone?
Zero saw the confusion in the German Shepard's face and his fangs showed at the corner of his smile.
"Don't shoot! We have it from here!" Fido more like screamed without looking toward the police.
Bill looked down onto the beach. With hesitation in his heart and mind he rested his gun to his side and sighed. "Good luck Fido." He said under his breath.
Both dogs lunged forward to the wolf, the fight had begun.