Foreword: Sometimes, surprises tend to be a mixed bag. Either they could be the best gift you've ever seen or the worst you've wished you'd never receive. When faced with an unexpected gift, what would Elliot do? Read and find out! Enjoy!

Canonicity to be determined by readers

K9 Woes

The crashing of waves filled his ears as he gazed out towards the horizon, taking in the glistening expanse of the ocean from his secluded hideout on the Island. The occasional croaking of seagulls broke the tranquil ambience of nature in motion, calming his perpetually frayed nerves.

Elliot stretched out his back, feeling his muscles and joints popping from stiffness. Groaning in relief, he leaned forward on his chair admiring the view, letting his mind empty from all the senseless thoughts that plagued him.

'Phew…. Hard to get some time off for myself… Another hectic week coming to a close.'

Sighing with relief as he felt tension melting away in the peaceful atmosphere, his mind began to wander. As by habit, such moments of peace and quiet tend to let those small inane thoughts to sneak to the forefront of his consciousness like worms, hard to miss yet hard to deal with.

But today there was a particular concern that had been bothering him. The daily tedium of dealing with obsessive fangirls and training didn't permit any time for him to address this problem. It had been gnawing at him throughout the entire week and now it had become a pressing issue too important to push back any further.

'Urgh…what the hell am I going to do now? Getting three dogs that can fight and serve as bodyguards sure is nice but how the hell am I going to hide them?'

Elliot couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose in exasperation. The sudden introduction of 3 robotic drones in the form of dogs was a rather abrupt surprise from Hecate when she told him about it during class. It took a lot for him not to let surprise show on his face during Chifuyu's lessons as to avoid getting yelled at for not paying attention. Ichika had made that mistake once in class and got an earful for that blunder.

Once class was dismissed and night arrived, Elliot had crept out of his room and made for one of the many parks dotting the Academy. Hecate didn't spare any subtlety in showing the new changes. Just like Perry, the three dogs were spawned the same way as the avian drone. Once the extra nanites dispersed into thin air, he was left staring at 3 canine drones armed and armored to the teeth.

Though a bit taken by surprise at the introduction, Elliot wouldn't admit to Hecate that her handiwork was superb. The 3 hounds were covered in armor, solid and thick yet didn't impede their impressive mobility their sleek frames afforded them.

Their claws just as sharp as the jagged maws of steel that was their 'mouth', set on an angular head that evoked the image of metallic wolves. Their looks alone were enough to make anyone think twice before messing with them.

But their offensive capabilities were just as impressive as their armor. Bristling with a smorgasbord of weapons that could pose a threat even to an IS, each hound was a walking arsenal. Whip-like tails and grenades completed their assembly, making them a veritable wolf pack with firepower that could give personal ISs a run for their money.

The thrill of having potentially new drones fighting by his side was exciting. But as the exhilaration died down and the cold grasp of reality settled in, there were several glaring problems with their appearance.

Mainly how would he conceal their presence. Like Perry, they can't dematerialize like IS weaponry. At least the avian drone could hide in the trees and fly. The dogs were an entirely different matter altogether.

'Fuck sakes…Academy Island's only so big and there's so many ISs around here. Gotta figure out a way to hide them from everyone. Otherwise, someone would mistake them as hostiles and starts shooting without asking any questions.'

For now, the hounds were scampering around the Island, concealed in the surrounding vegetation. Elliot had given them strict instructions not to reveal themselves unless it was at night. It was the only time they could run freely, though caution was still warranted in case of unexpected situations so they were warned not to be careless.

At least letting them loose at night could help in keeping watch. The last time he'd walked in the night and it almost got him killed. A few drones patrolling the island would become his eyes and ears, helping to prevent the same incident from happening again.

Elliot leaned back on his chair, pondering what to do with the dogs. The rustling of vegetation and soft whine of servos soon broke him out of his musing.

The brush partly extending out onto the path leading to his hideout soon parted and a wolf-like head popped out. Then 2 more drones, each differing slightly from the first in their appearance walked out to gather themselves on the small clearing in front of him.

All 3 hounds sat at attention, posture alert and ready for combat. The exception of the rule was the launcher equipped hound that he named as Boomer, who opted to lie down.

The leader of the pack, a sleek hound with gauss guns mounted akimbo on its back which he named Nyx, peered at the its lying compatriot. A growl emanated from the hound, no different from a real dog. No doubt the taciturn hound was displeased at the Boomer's lax behavior, if the voice streaming through his mind didn't reveal it.

'Get up, you lazy dog! Master's right in front of us!'

Boomer yawned; its tail stretched out like an antenna. 'Eh, not like master minds. Don't be so uptight.'

'At least put in the effort to look good in front of him. Just because he doesn't mind you lazing doesn't mean its ok.' The 2nd dog known as Flint commented.

Boomer yawned again, its mouth opened to reveal razor sharp teeth. Then it plopped its head down on its forepaws and went to sleep.

'Zzzzz….'

Elliot didn't know whether he should laugh or sigh. Boomer's antics were par for the course for its personality. But considering its synthetic nature, its organic-like behavior was a bit surreal that Elliot still found it hard to get used to the sight.

Nyx wasn't none too pleased by the sight. The lead hound stalked towards the sleeping drone and clamped its jaws down on Boomer's neck.

The result was a very loud yelp from Boomer, its whines intermixed with pained yelps to form an ear-splitting call as it struggled to free itself from Nyx's maw. The dog tumbled on the ground, wrestling with the scout drone in a fierce fight.

'Ow, ow! Let go of me, idiot!'

'This is what you get for not listening to me!'

The two drones were tangled in a fight, with Flint wisely staying out of it. The quiet hound had taken up position beside him, its sitting posture gave off the impression of a loyal dog guarding its master.

The yelps and growls from the fighting dogs combined with their incessant yelling in his mind was starting to give him a headache. This had happened a few times, far too many for his liking.

'They sure are quite life-like…probably too life-like…'

The flapping of wings reached his ears, getting louder as it neared. Perry banked right in and perched on top of Flint's head, creating an odd sight as the dog peered up at him.

'Master, what seems to be the matter here? Is it what I think it is?' Perry tilted its head, in sync with its canine perch.

Sighing wearily, Elliot nodded, 'Yup…it is.'

He could hear Perry sighed disapprovingly at the spectacle.

'They should really stop these fights. This fighting over trivial matters is unconducive to our fighting synergy. Should I go break them up?'

Perry had a point. The conflict between Boomer and Nyx were a result of their contrasting personalities. As capable as both of them were, the bad blood between them wasn't helpful in the slightest. It'd be better to nip this in the bud before it became a serious problem.

'Flint, you go and get Boomer out of there. Perry, help me get Nyx.'

The hound strolled towards the fighting pair, clamping down on Boomer's neck and dragging it backwards much to its protest. Nyx was about to dive back into the fight before it got swiped by Perry's claws and Elliot used the opportunity when it's stunned to promptly wrap his arm around its neck.

'Both of you, quit it! This quarrelling isn't doing anyone any good, so let it go Nyx.'

The scout drone stayed still; its head hung low in shame. Seeing his message got across, Elliot let go of Nyx and it sat right in front of him. Sad whines came from the mortified drone with its tail tucked between its legs.

Boomer took this opportunity to one up Nyx. The AT drone strolled up towards the scout drone and sat on its haunches beside it with a smug air.

'See? I told you master didn't care for protocol. You just don't believe me.'

Boomer yelped as Nyx snapped its jaws at it, narrowly missing its ear by inches. The sharp clinking of Nyx's teeth made the action quite disturbing with how strong the servos in its jaws were.

'Don't get smart. You're lucky that master didn't take offense to your attitude.'

Elliot had enough of their quarrel. 'Both of you, zip it. Don't you two know that every time you quarrel, I get a headache because of you two? Your conversation keeps getting into my head that it's starting to become annoying.'

The two hounds went silent under his chiding words. Boomer hung its head low, not daring to make another cheeky remark.

Elliot studied the two dogs, alternating his gaze between Nyx and Boomer. His hand instinctively came up to rub his forehead in an attempt to dispel a growing headache.

Considering how heavily armed these canine drones were, it'd be foolish to refuse their help. Yet, if the only thing they could do during normal times were trying to rip each other's' throats off, then they're more trouble than they're worth. And trouble in today's world oftentimes have a habit of becoming very big issues down the line if left unattended.

But Elliot didn't want to let go these drones, not when they could become one of his trump cards. Out of the three, Flint was possibly the most reliable. While its arsenal couldn't compare to the other two in terms of destructive power, its versatility and level-headed mindset made it his most reliable companion second only to Perry.

Boomer was the heavy weapons of the pack, yet his personality fit his name to a T. Exuberant during fights and lazy during peacetime, Boomer wasn't annoying to say the least. If anything, his personality during downtime reminded him of Ichika at times.

While uptight, Nyx wasn't malicious with its cautious personality. The scout drone was the leader of the pack so that was to be expected. It was precisely this by-the-books mentality that caused it to become inflexible, a direct contrast to Boomer's unorthodox view on problems which led to friction between the two.

Ironic that the two most capable members in his new group of drones couldn't see eye to eye with each other. Nyx's ability to scout and shoot at long range alongside Boomer's firepower made them a force to be reckoned with, if only they could set aside their differences.

'Right…time to lay down the law.'

Taking a deep breath, Elliot mentally composed himself as he complied what he was about to say next. As much as they were subservient to him, he'd rather not force them to heed him by authority. Better they knew that there was a bottom line to his sensibilities.

'Alright, let's lay out some ground rules, guys. As much as how diametrically different you all are, no fighting each other over petty reasons. I don't want any of you fighting each other when there's plenty of danger waiting for us. I don't expect you two to be the best of pals but at least don't let petty differences tear you apart. Got it?'

Silence enveloped his mind, not a word came from either hound. Nyx and Boomer glanced at each other for a while, probably conversing with each other without him listening in. Then they turned back towards him and gave their answer.

'Fine…I won't argue with him over his attitude.' Nyx muttered.

'You got it, boss.' Boomer replied.

Flint just nodded. There was nothing that needed to be said and it didn't have the habit of wasting words.

Seeing his message got across to the drones, Elliot felt a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. Hopefully this would be the last time anything so pointless would occur among his entourage.

Well, one can only hope. Elliot sincerely wished this wasn't the biggest mistake he'd ever make in this life.

Author's note: Sorry for the long gap between posting guys. End of the year tends to do that to people's schedules. In this chapter, I'm taking a swing on the idea of adding more companions for Elliot, similar in function to Perry except more combat oriented.

The idea of having 3 new drones joining Elliot's group is a way to increase Elliot's firepower and to demonstrate Hecate's capabilities as it further evolves. I've teased this in the extras story A normal day in heaven but this is the 1st story that prominently feature the hounds. Let me know what you guys think about them and tell me whether I should include them into the main story or not.

In regards to the main story, I'm still working on it. The last 3 chapters to seal Season 1 is very wordy and action packed, which means a long time writing it. I will post them all 3 together when I'm done with them. During this time I will occasionally post some side stories here. Let me know what you guys want and I'll knock em out for you all.

As always, comment and PM me with ideas, constructive criticism or just say hello. OtherJackK out!