Today is Saturday. The mail has come, and it's more bills I can’t pay.
“Being laid of really sucks,” I said as I walked to the family room.
I spent most of the morning lounging around the house playing on my Xbox. Ever since I was laid off my life has been in a downward spiral. I can’t even muster the cash to pay a plumber to fix the leaking pipes in the basement.
I sighed and stared at the home screen of my Xbox.
“I just don’t know what to do with myself,” I said aloud.
I got up and turned off the Xbox before I walked over to the deck doors and looked out.
“Snow,” I said softly as I put my hand on the door handle. I realized before I slide open the heavy old door that I was not properly dressed to go out in the cold. I put on my coat, hat, snow pants, and gloves and then I pulled open the door and stepped out. The snow was deep; almost up to my knees. I made my way down the steps to the backyard and looked out at the trees remembering adventures from the past. I got to the edge of the hill at the end of the backyard when I stumbled on something buried beneath the snow and rolled down the hill. I looked up at the trees. All bare except for a few pines. The trees reminded me of the event that changed my life those 30 years ago. I thought for a moment and sighed.
“Those were better times,” I said to myself.
"Well, no sense dwelling on the past," I thought as I stood up.
I continued further in and stopped in front of a small snow covered hut. I dug out the small door and walked in. Lining the walls were framed pictures of Lyra my dog, Diamond my fox, and me. I felt a sudden sadness come over me looking at those pictures. I picked up a picture of the three of us together and started crying.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you,” I said softly through the tears.
I stuck the picture in my coat pocket and walked out. I dried the tears and continued on.
I walked through the isolated woods for a few more minutes until I reached a river; the place that it all began. I sat down as all the memories came flooding back. My eyes began to water again. As I sat in the snow thinking I didn't notice the girl walk up behind me.
"Hey, are you ok? You look upset," she said softly.
"Oh, um, hi...I didn't notice you," I said confused.
I stood up to look at her. She was wearing a fluffy pink hat with a picture of a sylveon printed on it, a rose colored jacket, purple snow pants, and white boots.
"Um...who are you?" I asked realising I had no idea who she was.
"My name is Jess," she said, "I came out for some fresh air. I didn't think anyone would be by the river."
"Oh, well, my name is Jay," I said.
"Why were you crying?" Jess said.
"This river brought back some fond memories from my past," I said.
"Mind telling me?" She asked.
"Well, its a long story," I said.
"I've got plenty of time," she replied.
"Well, ok then. It was 10 years ago. I was walking through these same woods," I started.
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30 years earlier742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuf6KlCtyS4
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"I wish mom would let me play games for longer," I said as I ran through the woods.
I wasn't running away, just wanting to be alone. There was a lot of snow. It was up to my knees.
I ran deep into the woods and when I grew tired of running I slumped to the ground against a tree.
"I was almost done with that level," I said while punching the snow.
I sat back, and took a couple deep breaths to calm myself.
"It's just a video game," I told myself, "it isn't that important."
As I sat in the snow I heard a faint yelping. It sounded like it was coming from the small river near by. I listened closer. It sounded like it was in a lot of pain, and scared. I knew that whatever it was needed help.
I got up and started running toward the river. I was 40 feet away when I hit a patch of snow that went all the way up to my stomach. I pushed on knowing whatever was yelping, needed help. I was near the edge of the river when I saw a small yellow fox trying to pull itself out of a hole in the ice. I thrusted myself forward toward the shore, but tripped on a stump. I landed with my entire upper body on the ice. I could feel it cracking beneath my weight. I reached up and grabbed an overhanging branch to try to lift myself off the ice so it wouldn't break. Using the branch I shimmied out to where the fox was. I looked into the water and saw that the fox had slipped beneath the surface. I reached in and grabbed onto the fox. At that moment the ice beneath me broke. The water was frigid. I could feel my joints freezing up as I moved to the shore of the river. Luckily the river wasn't very deep so I could walk across the bottom. When I got to shore I took my jacket and wrapped the fox in it. I was cold and wet too, but the fox was in a worse condition than I. I ran home and burst through the door.
"MOM!" I yelled, "I NEED SOME HELP!"
"Yes dear?" She asked as she walked in from the other room.
Then she noticed the bundle I was holding and the little fox that was wrapped in it.
"Oh!" she said surprised.
My mom ran to the phone and made a call. A few minutes later a vet arrived to examine the fox.
The fox finally woke up while the vet examining it. It growled, but quickly grew too tired.
"She needs to rest," said the vet.
"Ok," I said.
I loosely wrapped her in a blanket and carried her to the fire.
The vet left and my mom went up stairs. I was left alone by the fire place with the fox until a hatch opened in the wall, and a small golden retriever walked out.
"Oh, hello Lyra," I said
"What's that little bundle next to you?" Lyra asked.
"Well, I rescued this fox at the river," I replied.
The fox looked at Lyra confused.
"Wh-what?" the fox said wearily, "where did you come from?"
"It's a long story," said Lyra, "I'll explain when you're feeling better. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some...work to attend to."
Lyra went back through the hatch, and the fox looked up at me, confused.
"So, you know we can talk?" she asked.
"Oh, I've known for a few years now, but I'll let Lyra explain how it happened. She loves story telling," I said.
"Oh, well, I guess it must be safe to talk to you then," she said.
We sat in silence for a couple hours watching the fire die. The fox had become much better.
"Hey," I asked, "do you have a name?"
"No. My parents were killed by hunters before they named me," she said.
"Oh, that's said. How about Diamond," I said.
"Oh I like it," she replied.
"Good," I said.
We sat together watching the warm glow of the coals until they finally went dark giving way to slow moving swirls of smoke that drifted up the chimney.
Diamond asked, "So, where did that dog go?"
"You mean Lyra? She went to the International Dog Communication Agency, or INDCA for short," I replied.
"Can I see it?" Diamond asked.
"I don't see why not," I said.
I went over to where the hatch was and put my hand on the wall. There was a quiet buzzing sound and the hatch opened. I stepped in carrying Diamond. The hatch closed and the lift descended. When the doors opened at the facility Diamond's jaw dropped.
"Good evening Jay," said a gray hound that walked by.
He suddenly froze.
"Is that a fox?" he asked.
"Hello Norman. Yes, this is a fox," I replied.
Everyone stopped and stared at me.
"Why is everyone staring at me?" I asked.
"Foxes are not allowed in the facility," said Norman.
"Oh," I said, "well...um..."
"What is the meaning of this unconventional congregation?" asked a large gray husky as he walked over.
"Hi Sergeant Pontiac, I brought a fox with me, and I had not been told that foxes were not allowed to enter," I said.
"A fox? we'll talk about this later. As for the rest of you...GET BACK TO WORK!!"
Everyone started to move away, and there was a lot of mumbling in the dissipating crowd.
"Jay, come with me please," said Pontiac.
I followed Pontiac to main office.
"Why did you bring a fox down here?" he asked.
"Well, I saved this fox from the river, and Lyra wanted to explain why I know you all can talk so I decided to visit her in her office," I said.
"I was on my way to give Lyra a promotion when I saw half of the workforce staring at you," Pontiac said.
"Really? Lyra is getting a promotion?" I asked.
"In this one instance, you bringing the fox will be excused," he said.
"So, am I allowed to come back?" Diamond asked.
"Yes," Pontiac said.
"So...can I go and see Lyra now?" I asked.
"Sure, I'll um let her know you're coming," he said.
"Thank you," I said.
"Well, that was...interesting," said Diamond.
"Yea," I agreed.
I walked to the corridor that Lyra's office was in. I walked to room 189 and knocked.
"Come in," Lyra said.
I opened the door and walked in.
"Fancy meeting you here," said Lyra teasingly.
"Yea, I don't come down here too often. Kinda hard to believe all this exists," I said.
"So, Diamond, I bet you are wondering why Jay knows about all of this," said Lyra.
"You bet," said Diamond, "and how'd you know my name."
"That's easy. Spy cameras and microphones," said Lyra, "As for why Jay is allowed at our head quarters, It was one year ago,"
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1 year earlier told by Lyra742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9segZTQ3qq
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It was about 2am, and my pager was buzzed. I got up and went to the bathroom and turned on the mirror communication system to respond to the page. When I got up I most have scratched Jay or something because I woke him up and he followed me.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡev6WFRQao1
After my conversation with HQ he opened the door.
"So, who were you talking to? For that matter...you can talk?" Jay asked.
I stared at him for a minuted and sighed.
"Its the biggest kept secret of dogs and other animals," I said.
"I'm assuming that its a problem that I saw you speaking," Jay said.
"Well, we're going to have to see what HQ wants to do," I said.
I walked over to the mirror and called in to communications.
"Yes, Agent Lyra?" the respondent said.
"Please put Sergeant Pontiac on the line, this is urgent," I said.
A couple minutes later Pontiac came on the line.
"Yes Lyra?" he asked.
"I have a small problem...well actually its a big one, and its name is Jay," I said.
"Yes, what about your owner," Pontiac said.
"Hi," Jay said.
"OH MY DEAR LORD WHAAAAAAT!!!!!!" Pontiac screamed.
"Yea, he overheard me on the communications earlier because he followed me to the bathroom," Lyra said.
"Bring him down to HQ please. We'll discuss this there," Pontiac said, and then he hung up.
"Well, maybe he'll have mercy and just kick me out of the agency and not relocate me," I said.
"Lyra, its not your fault. I felt something buzzing near you and I got curious so I followed you to see. He should understand that. Sometimes accidents happen. Whatever the outcome, I'll always be here for you," Jay said.
"Thank you Jay," I said.
We walked to the wall, and I scanned my paw to open the hatch. Luckily Jay was small so he fit into the hatch. The doors closed and we descended. As soon as the doors opened in the facility 2 Scottish terriers came to apprehend me, and take me to the temporary confinement center. Meanwhile they took Jay somewhere else. When we got to the confinement center they locked me in cell 22A with a deranged old english sheep dog. He started running around the cell and shouting like a lunatic, which he was. Then he jumped on me. I tried to pull myself out from under his crushing weight, but it was an act of futility.
About a half hour later a guard came to the cell and said, "Prisoner 22AB, Lyra Harrison, please, come with me."
He wait a moment, and when I didn't come out of the cdll he yelled "LYRA HARRISON COME HERE NOW!"
"Um...I'm being squished," I managed to say despite my half collapsed lungs.
"Oh," said the gaurd, "HARRY 2 STEPS LEFT AND SIT!"
The sheep dog did as he was told immediately. I coughed a bit and stood up.
"Thank you," I said.
"Don't be thanking me. From what I've been told..." he trailed off.
I got nervous, and my legs were shaking for the entire duration of the walk. When we walked in Pontiac was sitting next to Jay who sat perfectly still, in complete silence. They were staring at eachother. The guard and I just stood there awkwardly wondering what was happening.
"you blinked, I win," said Pontiac.
"Awe," said Jay.
"You were having a staring contest?" I asked.
"We were waiting for a while because somebody couldn't find the cell you were in," said Pontiac looking at the guard.
"Sorry Sir," said the guard.
"You may go now," said Pontiac.
The guard left and Pontiac turned to me.
"As you know, we have a small problem. I'm going to take you into the other room for some questioning to see if what Jay said is true, so please, come with me," said Pontiac.
"Lyra, don't be scared and always tell the truth," said Jay.
I looked at Jay and then followed Pontiac into the other room. Once we were in the room with the door closed Pontiac said, "Please tell me everything up to when you called me on the communications system."
I explained every little detail truthfully, and when I was done he looked at me with a blank expression.
"Thank you. you may go sit with Jay for a few moments while I decide what to do," said Pontiac.
"You ok," Jay asked as I walked over to him.
"I-I don't know," I said as I put my head
"Everything will be ok," Jay said as he started to pet me.
About 5 minutes later Sergeant Pontiac walked in to the room.
"I have come to a descision," he said.
I started trembling.
"You both shared the same story, and Jay has claimed full responsibility for the event. So Lyra you will be keeping your job, and you will be receiving the promotion I had planned on giving you, and Jay, you must never tell anyone of our secret and you will also be given access to the facility for being such a wonderful owner and friend to Lyra," said Pontiac.
"Promotion?" I asked.
"You are now a squad leader in the missions directive," said Pontiac.
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Back to 30 years ago told by Jay742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bIKGDdRO5
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"So that is how Jay came to know our secret...and how I became a squad leader," said Lyra.
"Most everyone here knows me now, and I'd become a member of the agency, but you have to be a dog, so I can't," I said.
"Wow, I've heard about you guys before, but I never thought this place was real," said Diamond.
Just then Lyra's phone rang. Lyra picked up.
"Agent Lyra speaking...you need what?...ok...I can do that...maybe...you want HOW MANY?...alright...I...yes sir...no I...fine fine I'll go...yes 15 minutes...ok I get it, I'm on my way...no...yes...ok bye," said Lyra on the phone.
"Apparently I'm needed at the flight deck. Space station is under attack again. I'll see you later," Lyra said as she ran out.
"I think it's time you and I got some rest," I said to Diamond.
We walked to the elevator, and returned home.
My parents allowed me to adopt Diamond, and we had lots of fun over the next couple months. Lyra, Diamond, and I played a lot of games, and when Lyra was out on missions Diamond and I would do things like play tug-of-war, and so on.
Diamond had a continued interest in the agency and always wanted to be a part of it. So when a year passed and she was finally old enough, I helped her register for the academy. Lucky for us, she was to be Lyra's pupil.
After a couple months of tough training Diamond became an official member of the rescue squad. She and Lyra were partners.
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In the present:742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEME2u8ado
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"Oh wow, that sounds amazing," Jess said.
"It was. On some of their time off we went on some exciting adventures, like the time we camped out in the woods," I said.
"That sounds like it was fun," Jess said.
"Yea, we had a great life, but 15 years ago Lyra and Diamond were sent on a top secret mission and still aren't back," I said.
“That sounds so familiar…” Jess said.
“Really?” I asked.
"Wait...Jay Rockfield?" said Jess.
"How do you know my last name?" I asked.
Just then there was a bright flash of light and the girl standing in front of me slowly transformed into a little fox.
“What?” I asked
“It would appear my transformation wore off,” she said.
"What!?" I asked surprised.
"Its been a while. Remember me?" she asked.
“What?” I asked.
“You are Jay alright?” she asked.
I just stared at her with a blank expression for a minute.
“What?” I asked.
“Jay…” she started.
"Diamond? How? What? You can transform?" I asked.
"Well, sorta...it’s part of the reason for the secrecy of the mission was because of a transformation experiment run by the tech branch of the agency," Diamond said.
"Wow, thats so cool," I said.
"Yea, except one of the agents went rogue and stole the machine. We've been trying to locate him for years. Thats why we weren't able to come back. Also, the transformation potions have a 1 time use," she said.
Just then, her collar beeped and a voice that I recognized as Lyra said "Agent Diamond, come in Agent Diamond."
Diamond hit something on the side of her collar and then she said "Yes?"
"We've pinpointed Woofwallice's location. You must come to the launch station at once."
"On my way," she said.
She was about to push the button again when I said, "Lyra?"
The voice replied, "Jay? is that you? come to the station with Diamond. We can talk then. Lyra out."
Diamond and I were left staring at each other listening to the static.
"We'd better get moving," Diamond said.
She hit another button on her collar and the human clothes folded up and slid into a small backpack.
"Wow, its amazing how far technology has come in just a few short years," I remarked.
"Yea, this collar is my favorite. When I transform into a human it fits itself to my wrist as a bracelet," Diamond said.
We walked out to the road where a small van was parked.
"You can drive this thing?" I asked.
"Well, yes," she replied.
I sat in the passenger seat and the seat belt automatically buckled itself. Diamond got into the driver seat and placed her paw on the center of the steering wheel. Then the entire area modified itself to fit her.
"Oh, so thats how," I said.
She nodded and started the engine.
"So, what happens if someone sees you driving?" I asked.
"Thats easy. This is a flying car with a cloaking device," Diamond replied.
"Oh," I said.
She pushed the accelerator and we lifted off the ground and started moving forward.
"So, how have you been these past few years?" Diamond asked.
"Well, I've managed. I had a job at a corner store, but it went out of business, and now I work at a restaurant but I've broken so many dishes. It can't be long before I get fired. I haven't been able to find any job openings in the area, and I'm planning on selling my house and moving into an apartment," I said.
"Well, if you were able to join the agency, they pay well," she said.
She pressed a button next to the radio on the dashboard and a part of the ground by the road lifted up revealing a hidden garage. We turned and went in, the door closing behind us.
"Here we are," Diamond said as we got out of the car.
We walked up to the counter by the door.
"Name?" he asked with a bored expression.
"Diamond Goldfur," Diamond said.
"Identification," the husky said holding up a microphone.
Diamond barked twice into the microphone and the machine it was connected to made a few buzzing sounds and beeps.
"proceed," the husky said.
When I walked up the husky just stared.
"Jay Rockfield," I said.
"You-you may pass...I think," he said frantically typing on a computer. "Oh, you are registered, you may proceed," he said.
Diamond and I walked down a short old looking corridor to an elevator.
"This must be one of the older secters," I said.
When we got down to the lower level we saw Lyra waiting impatiently in the lounge.
"Well, took you long enough," said Lyra.
"Well, the attendant at the desk was a bit confused when I walked up," I said.
"We're going to be-" Lyra got cut off by the intercom.
"Agents Lyra and Diamond, please report to flight deck 89B, your flight will leave in 5 minutes,"
"-late," Lyra finished annoyed.
We ran to the down the corridor to the flight deck and went through the gate to the plane.
After Lyra and Diamond passed the guard dog stopped me.
"This is for authorized personnel only," he said.
Pontiac happened to be standing near the entrance.
"Let him pass," he said.
"Uh, yes sir," said the guard.
I walked past and into the plane with Lyra and Diamond.
"So, can you brief me on your mission,?" I asked.
"ok, Woofwallace, one of the volunteers for the experiment went rogue when transformed into a human. He took the machine and ran off with it, using the blackwing jet for his escape. The Blackwing was the fastest fighter jet we had. We don't know what he's plotting to do with the machine, but it can't be good. That is why we are going in to apprehend him," Lyra explained.
"Yea, and he moved around a lot so it took us a while to find him," Diamond added.
Suddenly the intercom came on.
"Hello, I am your pilot, Scruffy, our destination today, Woofwallace's lair in the Himalayas. Estimated travel time is 13 hours. Have a nice flight," said the pilot.
10 minutes later we were in the air. I looked out the window and watched as the surrounding trees and buildings quickly shrank to mere dots.
"I've never flown before. This is so cool," said Diamond as she darted around the cabin.
Lyra was sitting by the window staring out into open space with a troubled look on her face. I walked over to her and sat down.
"Is something the matter?" I asked.
"Oh, its just...I-I'm nervous. I don't know what to expect on this mission." she said.
"Lyra, you're a secret agent. You've done missions before. Just don't let the enemy get under your skin and keep your head on strait. You'll be fine," I said.
"I hope so," Lyra said.
I turned and watched as the little fox continued to scamper around.
"Ok, Diamond, calm down," I said.
Diamond came sprinting down the isle and slipped. She slid face first into the wall and said, "I'm ok."
I just sat back laughing. "Just like the good ol' days," I sighed.
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9 hours later742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xfJNTXKSz
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"We will be flying over the drop zone in one hour," Scruffy said through the intercom.
"Ok guys, get your parachutes, and your eskimo hats," I said.
"Theres just one problem with these parachutes...how are we supposed to pull the release cords without opposable thumbs?" Diamond asked.
"I have an idea," I said.
5 minutes later Lyra and Diamond were strapped to me for the jump.
"So, you'll pull our cords?" Lyra asked.
"Just mine. We're strapped together," I replied.
We waited at the bay door for about 20 minutes. Then the intercom came on.
"We are now over the drop zone. Good luck," said Scruffy.
"Here goes," I said.
The bay doors opened and we jumped out. Diamond looked down at the ground.
"Wow, we're so high," she said.
"I just realized something..." said Lyra, "I'm afraid of heights,"
"As long as the buckles don't rip you'll be fine," I said.
As I said that, the seam on the buckle on the right side started tearing.
"That can't be good," I said.
"What can't be good," Lyra asked.
"Nothing," I replied quickly.
"Ooh look, the buckle is tearing," Diamond said as she playfully attempted to swim through the air.
"WHAT?!" Lyra screamed.
Lyra began to squirm and panic and wimper.
"10 SECONDS OUT," I yelled.
I grabbed Lyra and pulled the cord. The parachute opened instantly and ripped the right buckle.
The buckle was launched upward due to the sudden tautness of the rope and hit Diamond in the head. The impact dazed her causing her to lost control of her positioning and sail into the ropes connecting the parachute. Quickly she got tangled in the ropes and while struggling to get out of the ropes caused the parachute to close.
We were in freefall.
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Chapter 2 begin:
Lyra started screaming.
"WE'RE GONNA DIE!!" she yelled.
"Calm down. We'll be fine," I said.
I reached up to the tangled mess of a fox and using my expert untangling skills quickly freed Diamond and had the parachute open. We were 30 feet from the ground when I got the parachute to open. Lyra had fainted. I had just pulled the parachute pack off of my back when my earpiece came on.
"Scruffy to Jay, do you copy?" said Scruffy.
I pushed the button on the side.
"Yes, I read you," I said.
"Successful landing?" he asked.
"Tell mission control they need to redesigned the parachutes so that dogs came operate them," I said.
"Noted. I'm heading back to mission control. Scruffy out," said Scruffy.
I stood there listening to the static for a moment before taking out the comunicator. I looked to my left to see Lyra still passed out by the parachute.
"Mind unbuckling us?" Diamond asked.
I unstrapped Diamond and Lyra from the parachute.
"We need to head directly east to that mountain," I said pointing to the tallest peak east of us.
"So, how do you propose we climb down this cliff? We can't grip things very well you know," Diamond said.
"Well, you could always transform into a human," I said.
"We don't have the materials we need to brew a new batch of the potion, and each beaker full is good for one transformation," she said.
"Wait, then what is the machine we are trying to get back for?" I asked.
"Well, it was designed as an electric brewing machine that could make batches incredibly fast," Diamond said.
"Well, I guess we're going to parachute down," I said.
I strapped Lyra and Diamond back in and was about to jump off the cliff when Lyra moaned.
"I was hoping we could jump before she woke up," I said.
"Wh-what happened?" Lyra asked.
"The plane," I said flatly.
"Oh yea. WE'RE ALIVE" Lyra yelled triumphantly.
The echo bounced back at use and triggered an avalanche on the mountain directly left of us.
"Lyra, don't yell please. Unless of course you want to bury us in snow," I said.
Lyra nodded as I picked her up.
"We need to parachute down this cliff so we can get to the other mountain. It's not a long drop," I said.
Lyra started at me with a nervous expression.
"Come on then, lets go," said Diamond.
I walked over to the edge of the cliff with the parachute and jumped. I threw the parachute up and it opened bringing us slowly to the ground.
After unstrapping from the parachute we all ran through the snow on the ground toward the other peak. As we ran I looked up and saw, about half way up was a cave.
I'll bet that's where he is," I said pointing at the cave.
I wasn't looking where I was going when I was running so I tripped and fell. Diamond, who was running right behind me, ran into me and together we rolled down the hill laughing. Lyra kicked some snow at my face and ran away snickering. I got up and grabbed some snow, packed it into a ball and lobbed it at her. It hit her leg causing her to trip and role in the snow. Diamond jumped on me as I ran over to Lyra causing me ti face plant in the snow. We all sat up and started laughing.
"Now that, was fun," I said panting.
"yea," Lyra agreed.
We got up and continued on to the mountain. When we got to the edge I looked up.
"Looks like maybe an hour of climbing, maybe an hour and a half," I said.
"Then lets get started," said Diamond.
We found a path that someone made and zigzagged our way up to the cave.
"I think this is the place," I said.
"Do caves normally have metal support beams?" Diamond asked gazing into the dark cave.
"No," I replied.
"Well, then lets go on in," said Diamond as she started walking toward the entrance.
"WAIT! there could be traps," I said.
I got out a can of hairspray that was conveniently located in my back pocket and sprayed the entrance to reveal any hidden lasers. There were none.
"It's almost as if he wants us to come in," I said.
"I never would've guessed woofwallace could be so evil," said Lyra.
"Well apparently he can," I said.
With that we entered the cave. It was dark and damp. It was nearly impossible to see where I was going. Luckily it was pretty much a strait walk to the other side. When we walked out of the other side of the cave we found ourselves in an immense lair. Menacing machines lined the walls, stored behind glass cases.
"Well hello Agent Lyra and Agent Diamond...er...and human," said Woofwallace.
"My name is Jay, use it," I said.
"Woofwallace, why did you take the machine," said Lyra.
"Ah, my dear dear Lyra. I didn't take it, I borrowed it...permanently. Also, I'm not Woofwallace, but this wimp is. I am Guilbert Von Adalwolf," said Guilbert.
"You," said Lyra, "I should've known it was you."
"Yes, it is I, and I bring with me, your fate. I reconstructed the transformation machine so I can turn whatever dog I want into any other animal. Permanently," he said.
Guilbert pushed a lever on a dashboard and a metal claw grabbed Woofwallace and threw him towards us.
"You can have your friend back. He is of no use to me now," said Guilbert.
"So, how'd you build this place without thumbs?" asked Diamond.
"Oh it's simple, all I had to do was...gah, this is completely off topic. Stupid fox," he said.
"WHAT? STUPID? I'll tear you to shreds right now," Diamond said.
"Ooh, a feisty one. Perfect a perfect test subject," said Guilbert.
He pressed a button on his control panel and a giant gun-like barrel slewed in Diamond's direction. She took a step back in defence. The machine locked onto her and was getting ready to fire.
"DIAMOND!" I yelled.
I jumped in front of her as the machine fired. The blast hit me directly in the back.
"This was meant for canines not people, but I'm interest to see what happens to you, poor boy," said Guilbert.
I felt tingling all over my body. I looked at my hands and saw fur was sprouting. I could feel myself shrinking too. The sensation I felt as my bones reshaped was painful and I laid on the ground twitching in agony as my form was changed.
"Guilbert Von Stupid, you're evil knows no bounds," said Lyra as she jumped on top of some of his equipment to get closer to him.
Meanwhile the pain I felt subsided. I tried to stand up but realized by center of mass had shifted and fell over.
"Jay...y-you're a-a-a wolf!" Diamond said in shock.
"Whuuct?" I said. I was not used to having a snout and the result was slurred messed up speech.
"Now this is interesting. A human gets turned into a canine. How...uh...interesting," said Guilbert.
"How am I supposed to explain this to mom?" I asked.
My question was not directed anyone but Guilbert answered.
"Well, you won't have to once I take care of Lyra here," said Guilbert.
"I don't think so," I said as I charged forward with a new found speed and leaped up onto the platform that Guilbert was on.
"Don't get cocky now young pup," said Guilbert.
"I'm 30 years old idiot," I retort
"Heh, like I care," said Guilbert.
"LYRA," I yelled.
She looked at me and I gestured towards Guilbert.
"when I give the word," I said.
"What are you two going on about?" asked Guilbert annoyed.
"NOW!" I shouted.
Lyra and i lunged at him. Lyra hit him from the left and caused him to stagger, and I hit him from the front. Unused to my new body I slammed him into the control panel smashing it to pieces. the laser cannon started spinning and firing out of control. Lyra jumped off the platform and landed behind a wall as a beam flew by her head. Diamond jumped behind a glass case.
"Gah, now look what you've done," Guilbert growled.
He stood up and was about to run to the control panel to try to fix it when the barrel swung around and hit him off the platform and right through the glass case that Diamond was behind. I ducked low to the platform and surveyed the circular room of a circuit braker. To my luck there was one by the door.
"Lyra, try to get to the panel on the wall over there and turn off the power," I said.
She began to crawl towards the panel ducking below the cannon multiple times. As Lyra made her way to the panel Diamond was in the middle of combat against Guilbert. I just stood there on the platform with no idea what to do next.
I crawled over to the panel to see if I could stop the cannon's out of control firing, but when I tried to grab the lever I remembered that I no longer had opposable thumbs. Defeated by my new paws, I looked over to where Diamond was battling against a foe that was twice her size.
"First the parachute, and now this? could this situation possibly get any worse?" I asked aloud.
Then the cannon swung around right over my head and fired directly at Lyra who had just gotten to the panel. The beam hit her and she fell to the floor twitching.
"That's not supposed to happen," remarked Guilbert.
I stared to hear a quiet buzzing sound coming from the base of the cannon.
"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" I yelled.
The warning alarms went off signaling that the engines controlling the cannon were overheating. I jumped off the platform and ran to Lyra, and pulled her behind another case. Seconds later the cannon detonated. A series of lasers flew out of the machine in all directions just before the entire thing exploded and destroyed most of the room. The force from the explosion blew us all against the wall knocking us out.
It was close to night when I woke up. I looked around confused and a bit dazed. I heard a moan to the left of me and saw Lyra with a large piece of bent metal on top of her. I walked over and pushed it off to find that her back leg was bent.
"Uh oh," I said.
"My leg, ugh, it hurts so much," Lyra said.
"We're going to need some assistance," I said.
"HEY! You guys ok?" Diamond shouted to us.
"Well, I'm fine, but Lyra has a broken leg," I called back.
"Guilbert is still out," Diamond said as she walked over to me.
"Now, if I still had my hands I could cary Lyra," I said.
"I still wonder what happened to you when that beam hit you," Diamond said.
"I'm more curious as to why nothing really happened to Lyra when that beam hit her," I said.
I sat for a moment staring at my paws.
"I wonder..." I began to say.
I pictured a human and focussed hard on the image my mind had created. My body began to glow again.
"Jay, what are you doing?" Diamond asked.
Slowly my bones began to shift and the fur dissappeared. I few seconds later I was human again. The pain for the rearrangement of my bones was a lot less painful than it was when I was first transformed.
"It worked!" I said excited.
"Jay, you're human again," said Diamond.
Lyra moaned again.
"Ahem, dog in pain here. Can we please worry about Jay's transformation later. This pain is killing me," said Lyra as she grimaced.
I called into central for an emergency airlift back. I carried Lyra outside the cave and then went back to get Guilbert. I cuffed his front paws so that if he woke up he wouldn't be able to run away.
An hour later a helicopter was hovering over us. A platform was lowered for us to get on to get to the chopper. Once we were in the helicopter a group of labs wearing nurses caps put Lyra on a stretcher and got to work on her leg. Sergeant Pontiac was walked over to me.
"Thank you for looking out for Diamond and Lyra on their mission, you did a great job. I would assign you more missions but you aren't a dog, and rules are rules. I already bent them once for you," said Pontiac.
"Well, you might not have to," I said.
Pontiac looked at me with a confused expression.
"Watch," I said.
I transformed into a wolf in front of his eyes.
"When did you learn to do that?" Pontiac asked.
"I'll explain later," I said,
"Yes, and I'll be questioning Woofwallace here about what happened," he said.
"Actually, Woofwallace is in the lair still. I should go get him," I said.
"What?" Pontiac said.
"Are we ready to leave?" asked the pilot.
"I need to retrieve someone from the lair first. Mind lowering me down?" I said,
He lowered me, and as soon as I was off the lift I transformed back into a human and ran in to get Woofwallace. He was still lying on the ground where Guilbert had thrown him. Somehow he hadn't been moved by the explosion. I picked him up and went back to the helicopter.
"So, Guilbert Von Adalwolf his behind all of this?" Pontiac asked when I got back into the chopper.
"Yes. He somehow disguised himself as Woofwallace," I said.
"Oh. You can fill me in on the details later. I'd like to know how you came to be able to transform," said Pontiac.
"Well, Guilbert's machine hit me. Also, Lyra got hit but nothing happened," I said.
"Hm, I'll have to question Guilbert about this," said Pontiac.
The was a scream from the other compartment.
"What are they doing to Lyra?" I asked.
"They need to realign her bones before putting on a cast," said Pontiac.
"Oh," I said.
"Now, about your recruitment. If you're willing to go on missions...I'd like to-"
"Yes, I'd love the become an Agent," I said cutting off Pontiac, and transforming back into a wolf.
"We'll get you setup when we get back," said Pontiac.
"So, who will I be partnered with?" I asked.
"Well, you, Lyra, and Diamond worked well together, so why not them?" Pontiac said.
"That would be wonderful," I said.
"Its not very often that a new agent starts off in missions directive, no less a human," said Pontiac.
"Well, I'm glad I get to make history," I said.
Pontiac and I sat in silence for a while before Woofwallace groaned.
“ugh...what happened...where are we?” Woofwallace asked waking up.
“Good to see you're awake Woof,” I said.
“WHAAAAAA!!!! A WOLF!!” Woofwallace screamed.
“Woof, it's me, Jay,” I said.
“What? How?” Woofwallace asked.
“Uh...It's a long story,” I said.
“Oh,” said Woofwallice.
“Basically, I got it by a beam from Guilbert's invention.
“Oh,” said Woofwallace.
I hadn't realized ho tired I was. I had barely slept in the past day. I yawned and laid down on the seat and fell asleep.
About 9 hours later I was woken up by the intercom.
“We will be landing in 30 minutes,” said the pilot.
“wow, I was asleep for quite a while,” I said.
I decided to check on Lyra, so I went into the other room. I walked over to the bed Lyra was on.
“We used anesthetics to knock her out so she wouldn't have to be in so much pain while we aligned her leg...but we gave her a little too much. She should wake up within the next couple hours,” said one of the nurses as she walked over to me.
“Oh,”I said.
I went back to the main cabin and sat down in my seat. Diamond came over and sat next to me.
“So, what's gonna happen when we get back?” Diamond asked?
“I think Pontiac is going to make me an agent,” I said.
“Oh, cool. Maybe you can go on mission with Lyra and I,” Diamond said.
“That's the plan,”: I said, “I join the agency and become partners with you guys.”
“I can't wait till our next mission. It will be so fun,” said Diamond.
“It might be a while. Lyra still has to recover from her broken leg,” I said.
“Oh yea. Maybe someone can make some sort of ray gun that instantly heals whoever it hits,” said Diamond.
“That would be cool, but I doubt is even possible,” I said.
“...said the guy that can transform,” Diamond retorted.
“Good point,” I said.
“Passengers, please fasten your seat belts, we are now landing,” said the pilot.
Minutes later we were on the ground back at HQ. Lyra was quickly rushed to the agency hospital, Diamond and I went with Pontiac to his office.
Once in his office Pontiac went over to his desk and tapped one of the drawers. It slid open revealing a stack of badges, medals, and blank certificate sheets. There also a wooden plaque that was flipped upside down to hide the inscription on the front.
“What's that?” I asked pointing to the plaque.
742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywuNmNEYJ2
“That is a special award given every 10 years to the agent that excels in whatever department they work in demonstrating skills far beyond those of their co-workers. This is a year In which the award will be given,” said Pontiac.
“Oh, so who is getting it this year?” I asked.
“That has yet to be determined. Now, back to why we are here. I need you to sign some papers” said Pontiac.
He proceeded to give me a small stack of papers. One was a liability sheet, another a registry form, and finally an employment application so I could be paid. They were all government signed documents.
“How do you have government signed documents but somehow remain unknown to the world?” I asked.
“We have our own government,” Pontiac said.
“Oh. That would explain why they are signed by President Fluffball,” I said.
I sat on the chair in front of Pontiac's desk and tried to figure out how I was going to hold a pencil without thumbs.
“How do you manage to write?” I asked.
Pontiac picked up a pencil in his mouth and maneuvered his jaw so that the pencil slid gently across the paper. When he revealed the writing he had signed his name in the neatest penmanship I had ever seen.
“Oh, wow. It's going to take me a while to learn how to do that,” I said.
After a few failed attempts to write with the pencil in my mouth I gave up and transformed into a human and used my hands. A few minutes later I had signed all the documents and handed them to Pontiac.
“Everything seems to be in order, so I present to you this badge. This is proof that you are an agent” said Pontiac.
Then he handed me a slip of paper.
“This is your certificate. It is documentation that you have been admitted to the agency,” he said.
I was so excited I could hardly contain myself.
“Jay, welcome to the agency,” Pontiac said.
I picked up Diamond and ran out of the room.
“I'M AN AGENT EVERYBODY!!” I yelled as I transformed into a wolf in front of everyone.
Everyone just stared at me with blank expressions for a moment, and then started cheering. I ran to the elevator with Diamond riding on back and went up to my house. I transformed back into a human in the elevator. I went to my room and put my stuff on my desk.
“Wow, you're room changed a lot since I was last here,” Diamond remarked.
“Yea, I did some renovating. Oh, I want to show you something,” I said.
I walked over to the wall where there was a small door and opened it.
“I had a crawl space here in my room that I decided to make larger for this,” I said.
We walked in and I turned on the light. Lining the walls were pictures of Diamond, Lyra, and I playing, and hanging out. There were also a few paintings I had made of us. At the back of the room was a TV with a small love seat in front of it.
“Wow, so many pictures, and these paintings are beautiful. You even brought up the old living room furniture,” Diamond said Astonished.
“I decided to make this for you and Lyra if you ever came back,” I said.
“Well, we're back now Jay. I had no idea how much you missed us,” Diamond said.
“You guys were like sisters to me. Of course I missed you,” I said.
“Its too bad Lyra is stuck in the hospital and can't come and see this,” Diamond said.
“Speaking of Lyra, we should go see how she's doing,” I said.
Diamond and I headed back to the agency and went to the hospital wing. We asked the attendant for Lyra's room, and then made our way there. We found Lyra's room and walked in. She was lying on her hospital bed. She looked up when the door opened.
“Who's there? Go away,” Lyra said groggily.
“Uh...Lyra...” I said.
“Oh, Jay, you can stay. Sorry, I'm not myself today. First the broken leg, then the anesthetics overdose, then the nurse split water on me,” she said.
“That sucks,” I said.
“Also, I don't know how much longer I can stay here. I need to get out or I might explode,” Lyra said.
“Then let's go for a walk,” I said.
“Um...if you hadn’t noticed my leg is in a cast. I can't exactly walk,” she said.
“I know, I'll get you a...um...do dogs use wheel chairs?” I said.
“Sorta, we have wheels that we can strap on so we can get around, but its not exactly a chair,” said Diamond.
“Lyra isn't going anywhere until her leg heals a little more,” said the nurse as she walked in.
“But I-”
“No buts Lyra,” said the Nurse.
“I'm not a little kid,” said Lyra.
“Then stop acting like one,” said the nurse.
Lyra growled and then flopped her head back on the pillow in defeat.
“Now would be a good time to leave,” Diamond whispered to me.
“Yea,” I whispered back.
Diamond and I walked out of the room. As we did the agency intercomm came on.
“Jay and Diamond, please report to Sergeant Pontiac’s office,”
“Um...Jay what did you do this time?” Diamond asked teasingly.
“The real question is what did YOU do,” I replied.
We both laughed a little bit and finally made our way to Pontiac’s office. Pontiac was waiting for us when we got there.
“We interrogated Guilbert, and he gave us some interesting information that I want your team to investigate. You will have to go without Lyra because of her current condition,” said Pontiac.
“What did he say?” I asked as I transformed into a wolf.
“He told us he was working for someone by the name of Leviathan. I don't think that's his real name but that is how Guilbert referred to him. I need you guys to do a reconnaissance mission in the northeast quadrant, 47 degrees north 2 minutes, and 38 degrees east 36 minutes. We are led to believe that those coordinates are where Leviathan resides,” said Pontiac.
I walked over to the map on Pontiac’s wall and marked the coordinates.
“Those coordinates are in the middle of the ocean. Could it be an underwater lair?” I asked.
“We don't know, that's why we were send you two out,” Pontiac replied.
“We’re going to need some equipment like a sonar machine and some tools to test the water there,” I said.
“I can arrange for that. Your transport is waiting at dock 42 bay 19,” Pontiac remarked.
“Alright,” I replied.
Then Diamond and I walked out of the room. When we got to the loading dock we found Scruffy waiting for us.
“Hi Scruffy,” I said as we walked up.
“They put me on boating duty, can you believe is? I'm an aircraft pilot not a sailor,” he said.
“Oh...so where’s the boat?” I asked.
“Well we gotta go to the harbor. We’ll be using the INDCA express track to get there. It goes very fast so hold on tightly once we board,” said Scruffy.
A few seconds later a train came flying into the platform and stopped for us to board.
“Please keep your head and paws inside the cart at all times, thank you,” said an animatronic voice.
Seconds later we were flying through the tunnel taking sharp turns and going over good sized drops. The gauge on the card showed we were going 150mph down the tracks. Diamond was screaming next to me. Eventually light began to seap into the cave. Suddenly we burst into daylight at another platform. We decelerated from 150 to 0mph in under 3 seconds. The force from the stop was so hard I thought it was going to crush my lungs. There was a loud hissing sound as the hydraulic breaks decompressed.
“That was quite a thrill ride,” I said to Scruffy.
“Well, our stop is actually the next one so-” Scruffy said before being cut off by us suddenly lurching forward.
We quickly accelerated into the darkness of the tunnel and were flying around more bends. After a few minutes we arrived at our stop at the harbor. We went to a small cigarette boat and got in. Scruffy turned on the blower to expell any leftover fumes from the boats previous use. Then he turned on the engines and waited a few moments to allow for the boats water coolant system to fill up before we sped out into the great blue yonder. About 45 minutes later we were at the coordinates.
“What now?” asked Diamond.
“We need to do some testing to see if there is anything down there,” I said.
I took the sonar out of the box and set it up. I started panning a small area sending out rapid signals. The image drawn on the screen from the data received appeared to be some sort of radio emitter. I took out my radio and started flipping through frequencies until I came to one that was receiving a rather bazzare signal. Every 15 seconds there was a short buzz, and then silence. The reader showed the signal was coming from below us.
“I found a radio emitter. Now to just figure out where its sending its signals,” I said.
I pulled out another device and hooksd it up to the radio. Another signal came in and the device decoded the encryption on the signal and displayed the location it was dispatched to.
“It's sending signals to some kind of large object in space,” I said.
742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmD55CkbfP
“What?” Diamond asked
“It appears to be a space station, but why would it be transmitting radio signals to the bottom of the ocean,” I said.
30 minutes later I had mapped the position of the object.
“We need to tell Pontiac about this,” I said.
Scruffy started up the engine and drove us back to shore. Diamond and I went back to Pontiac’s office.
“We located a radio emitter sending signals to something in space, and I have its coordinates mapped out,” I said to Pontiac.
“Give the equipment to the lab so the data can be analyzed. We will decide our next step after we know what we’re up against,” said Pontiac.
Diamond and I did as we were told, and an hour later the data had been analyzed, and 5 satellites were focussed on the spot. The screen showed a large dark ship. A UFO as some might say, or a D.A.M.R. (Dog Astronaut Mechanical Rocket) from D.A.M Technologies (Dog Astronaut Mechanical Technologies).
“Looks like we will have to chat with Guilbert,” Pontiac said.
“Wait, that insignia...that isn’t the normal insignia of the company,” I pointed out.
The insignia for DAM was a dog with a space helmet, but this ship had a dog aiming a laser cannon at a human.
“I’ll be asking Guilbert about this,” said Pontiac.
He ran a few commands on the computer, plugged in a flashdrive, and pushed a button. The entire room flashed white, and then the computer ejected the drive.
“Now I have a picture to show him,” said Pontiac. Then he walked out.
“What now?” asked Diamond.
“Well, I suppose we should wait in the lobby...” I said.
“Awe, but that’s no fun,” she interjected.
“You didn’t let me finish,” I said.
“Oh,” she said.
“...or we could watch through the one way glass,” I said.
“That sounds like more fun,” Diamond said.
We made our way to the room and found Pontiac staring harshly at Guilbert. I hit a button on a panel on the side to turn on the microphone so we could hear them.
“What do you make of this ship?” Pontiac asked.
“I don’t know,” Guilbert said.
“I think you do,” said Pontiac.
“If you don’t want to talk about the ship then explain this insignia,” said Pontiac.
“That is his insignia,” Guilbert said.
“Who?” Pontiac asked.
“You will know in due time, you will all know,” said Guilbert staring at the one way mirror, directly where Diamond and I were standing.
“I want to know now, and you’re going to give me what I want,” Pontiac said sternly.
“I don’t think so,” Guilbert said.
Suddenly the lights went out and there was a loud humming sound. Then I heard what sounded like engines firing, then the sound stopped and the lights came on. Guilbert was gone. Pontiac ran over to the door and tried to open the locked door but failed, so he knocked on the door to signal the guard. However, the guard was unconscious, so I ran over to the door and opened it.
“Jay, did you see what happened?” he asked.
“It was too dark, but I did hear a ship of some sort,” I said.
“Looks like you’ll be going on a stealth mission,” said Pontiac.
“What?” I asked.
“Go get yourselves ready then come see me,” said Pontiac.
Diamond and I looked at eachother for a moment.
“I suppose we should tell Lyra,” I said finally.
Diamond and I walked back to Lyra’s room in the hospital wing.
When we walked in Lyra looked over at us and then laid back down on the bed.
“Um...Pontiac is sending us on a stealth mission to some sort of ship up in space,” I said.
“I wish I could just heal my leg and leave this place,” Lyra said.
“That would be nice,” I said.
Lyra sighed.742Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nmNwid5DG
“Wait, you were hit by the laser cannon too right?” I asked.
“Yea, what about it?” she asked.
“Maybe it did to you what it did to me,” I said.
“Yay! I’m the only one without super powers,” said Diamond.
“We don’t know that yet,” I said.
“So how do you do it?” Lyra asked.
“Just focus hard on what you want to become,” I said.
“Ok,” Lyra said.
She began to focus and as she did she began to float.
“Nothing’s happening,” Lyra said after about a minute.
“Look down,” I said.
“OH! I’m flying. Finally, stretching room,” she said.
She stretched out her limbs and the cast on her leg cracked and fell off.
“Hey, my leg is better,” she said.
“So you can heal yourself, and fly,” I said.
“Well and apparently super strength because I broke that cast off,” Lyra said.
“Great, and what do I have? the power of normal walking?” Diamond asked rhetorically.
“Sometimes fate saves the best for last,” I said.
Then the nurse walked in. She jumped back and dropped everything she had.
“L-Lyra? Y-You’re flying! How?” the nurse asked.
“It’s a long story,” said Lyra as she flew out the door.
Diamond and I ran after Lyra down the hall. Pontiac was coming from the opposite direction looking for us to start the mission when he saw Lyra flying.
“Lyra?” Pontiac asked.
Diamond and I were so busy looking up at Lyra we didn’t see Pontiac and ran right into him. The 3 of us rolled through a door into a hospital room knocking over an anesthesia system and causing a vial of blood to fall and shatter.
“That was amazing Jay,” Pontiac said sarcastically.
The vial shattered on him and his entire head was covered in blood.
“At least you aren’t covered in sleep medicine,” said Diamond.
Lyra was just floating in the doorway laughing.
Pontiac stood up and walked through the door.
“All of you come with me,” Pontiac said.
We walked into Pontiac’s office and he got a cloth to wipe the blood off of his fur.
“We have your custom space suits against the wall over there, and here is a spreadsheet with the coordinates of the ship,” Pontiac said.
ns 15.158.61.46da2
