Disclaimer: Garfield and all related characters are the intellectual property of Paws Inc. and Paramount Global/Nickelodeon at the time this story was written.
Chapter 5: What Even is Loyalty?
"Y'know, when I said I'd come over for dinner, I didn't mean going somewhere that only has cat food on the menu." Garfield said, severely disappointed by the lack of alternative repasts as he watches all the other cats around him fighting amongst each other to get their share of the meal.
"What's the matter, Fluffy?" The old lady asks, concerned. "I thought you loved cat food."
"Well, hate to break to ya lady, but I'm into a more etiquette palette than whatever garbage you're serving here." The orange cat explains. "So, you got any lasagna around here?"
"Well, maybe some milk will make you feel better." The woman said, heading over to the kitchen to grab a bowl.
"Milk?" Garfield asks. "*SIGH* You people don't give us cats any credit, or consideration for our lactose intolerance."
"Hey, you might wanna take it easy on her, fella." One of the other felines said. "She's 'bout to hit that big cat house in the sky."
"I don't care how old or senile she is, I just want my-" Garfield stops himself as he recognizes that voice. "Wait…Guido!?"
"I told ya before shorty, it's Fast Eddie!" The thinner cat insists.
"Heh, still the sensitive-tough type, I see." Garfield said. "Never thought I'd see you here."
"Guess it's a small world after all, eh old friend?" Guido asks, the two cats shaking hands.
"Indeed." The orange cat replies, letting go of their handshake. "So, what brings you here, Eddie?"
"Well, after escapin' the pound*, I found myself, once again, survivin' alone in the streets." Fast Eddie explains. "That was, 'till the old broad here found me goin' through her garbage can and brought me inside her home, and I've been livin' here with all these other guys since."
*Look Out, Here Comes Garfield!*
"I see." The orange cat said. "But, don't you get tired of eating nothing but cat food all the time?"
"Sure is better than eating raw fish, I'll say that." Guido replies.
"Well, you go on ahead and enjoy that gunk, old pal, and I'll just go to the kitchen and make myself some lasagna." Garfield said, heading for the kitchen. "I hate it when restaurants go self-service."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Garfield. The broad may be gettin' senile, but she goes nuts if one of us steps out of line." Guido warns him.
"Ha, like I'm really gonna be afraid of some little angry old lady." Garfield said. "What's she gonna do, bonk me in the head with a rolling pin?"
"Don't say I didn't warn ya." Guido mumbles to himself, returning to his meal.
Odie limps his way through the city streets, for his body remains injured after making his narrow escape from that madman's laboratory. Believing him and all his test subjects to be dead, the dog does all he can to erase the traumatic event from his memories, for it's something he'd much rather forget about.
Not that he felt guilty for inadvertently killing the professor. After all, it was his actions that got a truck driver killed, and turned a bunch of people into his mindless slaves. While his unwilling human cronies were beyond his capability of saving, he wished he could've at least done something to save the poor animals that were trapped inside.
Regardless, the only thing we wants to think about right now is finding out where Garfield is and bringing him back home, praying to the heavens that the Claws hadn't already got a hold of him…
…for his injured state would leave him helpless to save him…
*BANG BANG BANG*
…that is, if he can even save himself right now, for he hears the sound of yet another deadly shooting.
Terrific, as if barely surviving one shooting this year wasn't already bad enough**!
**Garfield Quickies - Season 2 - Chapter 6 - Reigniting an Old Flame**
As all the people run for the hills, the dog's eyes survey the area for any sign of the Claws. However, he soon realizes that the gunshots didn't originate from a cat's firearm on the ground…
…but rather from a drone's firearm in the air.
*UH OH!* Odie limps as fast as possible as the two automatic drones follow him, knowing full-well they've been sent by the professor's dog, no doubt thirsty for revenge for killing his owner.
*BANG BANG* Both drones open fire so as to make it clear to the humans to stay clear of its objective, not caring if anyone gets shot in the process. After clearing the area, the drones scan the perimeters for any sign of the dog's hiding spot.
Hiding behind a bench, Odie sneaks away from behind, making sure as to not make a single hint of noise that'll instantly reveal his current position to the killer robots. Quietly making his way into an alleyway, the dog wastes no time to catch a breath as he immediately leaps onto a fire escape ladder and climbs his way up to the rooftop of the tall building latched onto said ladder.
*PHEW* Odie wipes off the sweat from his paw pads, relieved as hell that he managed to escape being captured this time, but there's no telling how long his luck will last, given how insanely desperate his captors usually are.
"Alright, let's see." Garfield said to himself, standing on a wooden chair he placed right in front of the stove. "Add the olive oil, then the ground beef. And while that's cooking, I'll go ahead and chop the onions and then add the-"
"*GASP* FLUFFY!" The old woman screams, standing right behind him with a sharp glare. "What do you think you're doing!?"
"What does it look like, lady?" Garfield asks her as if it were painfully obvious. "I'm making lasagna."
"You'd better step away from the stove this instant, young man, or else!" The lady said sternly.
"Or what, you gonna hit me with a rolling pin, or-"
"HI-YAHHH!" She pulls out a metal baseball bat and…
*WHAM*
…slams it directly at the stove, causing the frying pan to fly across the kitchen.
"Whoa, take it easy, will ya!?" Garfield swiftly leaps off the chair and runs back to the living room as the crazy old lady chases after him.
"You're not getting away from me this time, Fluffy!" The woman angrily shouts, swinging the bat back and forth like a maniac. "Especially after you nearly burned the house down last time being near that thing!"
"What!?" Garfield exclaims. "Ma'am, I have no idea what you're even talking abou-WHOA!" The cat just barely dodges an oncoming strike from the woman's metallic bat.
"Told ya she was crazy." Guido said as he watches the entire scene unfold.
"Shut up and help me, will ya!?" Garfield angrily shouts.
"Sorry, can't help ya there, kiddo." Fast Eddie shrugs. "I ain't riskin' getting my face smacked by that thing."
"Uuuugh!" Garfield groans in frustration, already starting to lose his breath as the old lady doesn't show any sign of stopping the chase anytime soon. "And I'll bet Odie's having a much easier time than I am right now."
This has not been an easy day for Odie.
Not only are there two armed drones flying around the entire city looking for him, but his injuries are significantly hindering him and his tiring journey to find Garfield and head back home. Gazing down at the streets from a roof, the dog's eyes peer back and forth, desperate for any sign of his missing friend, particularly at the restaurants down below. As he keeps looking, his eyes get caught by the attention of something else…
…or rather, someone else…
…a duo of muscular construction workers walking out of a repair store carrying a bunch of wood…
…a little girl with a stroller walking alongside a man wearing what appears to be a fancy business suit…
…an obese man casually walking his brown, floppy eared dog…
…and two hookers staring at everyone else, no doubt looking for someone to have a "lovely" evening with, one of whom holding a cat in her arms.
All of whom seem to share one thing in common that intrigues the dog…
Loyalty.
Something currently lacking in his life, as demonstrated by the strained relationship between his friend Garfield and his owner Jon. The cat is doing everything in his power to keep as much distance as he can from Jon, regardless of how much pain he's inflicting to the poor human…
…the same human who's done everything in his power to make sure they're both happy…
…all because of food.
Food can drive anyone mad, especially food that makes you addictive to its taste. You are what you eat after all…
…and all Garfield wants to eat is piles upon piles of-
*BANG*
The dog pauses his thoughts for later, for the drones have located him on the roof, both pointing their weapons directly at his face. However, the object the drone just fired wasn't a bullet, but instead a tranquilizer dart, which doesn't add up, seeing as how the only reason why they would bother to anesthetize him instead of just killing him right there and then is because…
*GASP*
…that mad scientist is still alive!
So the drones weren't sent by his dog to kill him for revenge…
…he still needed him to perfect the K-9 serum!
*BANG*
Another dart flies towards the dog as he manages to duck from its path. Down below, the dart lands a direct hit at the arm of one of the hookers, immediately rendering her unconscious.
"Jackie?" The other hooker picks up the dart from her friend's arm and examines it. "Damn, girl! That must be some strong shit!" She injects the dart into her own arm, rendering her unconscious alongside her best friend.
*RAWRRRR* Her cat then grabs the dart and injects it in her paw, knocking her out with her owner.
*BANG BANG*
Odie rolls out of the way of the oncoming darts, his injury not helping him one bit. Picking up one of the sharp needles, the dog hurls it straight to one of the drones…
*TINK*
…but to no avail, for the dart bounces right off the bewildered drone.
*UH OH* Odie panics, now unsure how long he can evade these persistent machines as they continue to shoot darts in his direction.
Back on the city ground below, the business-looking man and little girl shoot angry glares at each other as they both stop in their tracks right in front of a convenience store.
"Now don't you give me that face, young lady!" The man argues as his daughter looks away from him. "That face right there, dogs are messy, dirty creatures, and I won't have one in our home! Now, I'm going to stop in here real quick for some cigarettes, so you wait right here, and when I come out, I don't want to hear another word about any dogs coming out of your mouth, do you understand me?"
"*SIGH* Yes, father." The girl grumbles, crossing her arms in anger as her father enters the store.
The dog right above the bickering family loses his breath, for the darts keep on coming. Just how many of these damn needles do these drones have!? Turns out, not very many, for one of the drones finally runs out of ammo. With a very lucky opportunity presenting itself, Odie wastes no time as he exerts what very little energy he has left and leaps right on top of the now helpless drone. The other drone considers switching over to the remaining bullets stored within him and shooting the dog with them right there and then, but quickly remembers that Professor Smith has left both the drones specific orders not to kill the dog they were sent to capture…
…lest they risk being destroyed themselves.
With only one dart left in its arsenal, the drone carefully aims at the persistent canine whilst the latter causes the other drone to frantically swerve back and forth. And then, right as the dog is about to crash the drones into one another…
*BANG* The drone lands a direct shot on Odie's arm, causing the canine to swiftly lose consciousness and lose his grip on the drone…
*BAM*
…right as the machines directly collided with each other, sending them both crashing down to the city below.
*SLAM*
The dog's unconscious body bounces right off the awning right above the convenience store's entrance and lands directly into the stroller standing below it, startling the little girl who was passing the time by playing a game on her phone.
"What the-" The girl shouts as she finds the insensible canine inside her stroller, much to her complete and utter surprise.
"Oh, look at you! Oh, the sweetest little pupsky!" The girl joyfully exclaims, for she always wanted to have a puppy of her own, and her wish has finally come true. "Oh, you are the cutest puppy in the whole, wide world! I'm gonna take you home with me, puppy. I don't care what father says."
Her smile soon fades, however, as she now has a worried look on her face upon spotting a tranquilizer dart impaled on Odie's arm.
"Oh my gosh!" The young human pulls the dart off his arm. "Who would do such a horrible thing to a cute, innocent little puppy like you!?"
"Who are you talking to, Becky dear?" The girl's father asks as he exits the store carrying a box of cigarettes, making sure that none of the weirdos they passed by hanging around the streets are conversing with her.
"Uh…just umm…umm…one of my dollies." Becky replies, carefully hiding the dart from her father's sight. "Uhh, yeah, one of my dollies."
"I see." The man said. "And what are you holding behind your back?"
"Oh, uhh…just my phone." The girl replies, wiggling her phone.
"Hmm…okay." Her father said. "C'mon dear, let's go home."
Becky quickly places the dart inside her pocket as she follows her father back home with the unconscious dog laying inside her stroller.