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No Chance

Chapter 20

copyright 2017 comidacomida

The trip back up the stairs was a blur for Daryl; his mind was moving just as fast as his legs as he sprinted back to where he knew he'd find Abe and Rex. The door flew open in front of him, slamming into the wall after being pushed in and both of the laboratory's occupants looked up immediately, two sets of ears raised. The young Fox was far better at reading body language in the moment. "Daryl? What's wrong?"

"David has Courtney."

Rex cocked his head to the side, ears raising slightly. "It IS David's time with Courtney, isn't it? Are you joking? Is this a funny joke thing?"

Abe held a paw out and stood up off his stool, taking a step closer to the Panther. "Daryl... why is it a problem if Court--"

The Panther wheeled about in the lab, heading back toward the door. "David is with Division Six! He's a spy!"

The full details were far more complicated than that, but Daryl didn't really have time to elaborate. Barely pausing long enough to make sure he was being followed, the Panther headed straight for the maintenance bay, eager to collect Fred and be on the Ferret's trail. When the group got to where the Bear was normally found, however, he was missing. Daryl wasted no time, roaring out as loudly as he could in as clear a way as the bestial understanding would let him in pure wordless projection. "FRED! EMERGENCY!"

Even as he cocked his ears to listen for a response, Daryl could hear Abe and Rex enter the room behind him; although the Fox knew no more than the Dog, he was clear-headed enough to explain things in a way that Rex could understand. "Daryl says that David is not a good boy."

A confused yelp emerged from the crestfallen Dog but Daryl pushed it into the back of his mind, roaring yet again "FRED! HELP!"

A few seconds later the side door to the mechanics bay burst open so powerfully that one of the hinges on the swinging aperture broke, leaving it hanging askew. The bear was dragging a large metal pipe with a makeshift harness of some kind but his attention was fully on Daryl. "What's wrong?"

The Panther provided a very brief explanation before heading toward the stairs. "David's a spy Division Six. He's Thomas Grant."

Without even a moment's pause, Fred had shrugged his way out of the harness and caught up to Daryl. "Where's he now? How'd you know?"

Rather than answer both questions, Daryl stuck with keeping things simple and direct. "I think he's heading toward ground level. He has Courtney."

A low-toned growl reverberated up from deep in Fred's throat but his question was straight and to the point. "Hostage?"

Daryl shook his head, lowering his body forward until his fingers touched the floor and it allowed him an even greater amount of speed; despite the fact that moving about on all fours was emotionally disquieting it was nothing compared to the thought of Courtney being in the hands of Division Six. It had been a set-up the whole time and he had fallen right into the trap, bringing her along with him. He couldn't figure out whether he hated David or himself more.

Rex's questions continued behind him, but the Dog knew better than to ask the Panther direction, focusing his question toward Abe instead. "I thought you were with Division Six too and you're a good boy, Abe. Why isn't David?"

Daryl didn't bother listening for the answer, sliding to a halt on the laminated floor as he rose back up to his hind legs and sniffed the air; he had caught a whiff of Courtney and David. There was no sense of fear to it, providing him just a moment of relief that perhaps the Ferret was not threatening her needlessly; the calmer they remained the more likely she wouldn't be at risk of injury and that suited him just fine.

Rex echoed part of the sentiment from behind. "I smell Courtney. She's that way."

The Dog's nose was not only better than his own, but Rex had a lot more experience tracking by scent. Glancing back at his companion, Daryl saw which direction the Retriever was pointing and immediately bolted that way, once again moving along on all fours.

Abe continued elaborating to the Dog why it was that David was an issue and, by Daryl's estimation managed to elaborate quite effectively. As they slowed for the next intersection, the Panther finally spoke up. "Abe is open and honest and didn't trick any of us. David is partly responsible for all of us being like this. He is NOT a good person."

Rex sniffed the air then pointed to the left. "They went to the right."

Abe clarified. "That's left, Rex."

Unwilling to spend the time to deal with a lesson on directions, Daryl quickly went left, the strength of the scent had changed just enough to tell that they were getting closer to the two. They accessed an elevator Daryl had never recalled using before but, rather than assess the interior visually he spent the time testing the air, catching a strong scent of Courtney; he thanked god silently that he didn't detect any fear in her body odor.

Once the door opened, the Panther proceeded at a sprint. He remained running using just his legs, the paws at the end of his arms curling as the lengthy claws emerged from their sheathes; if David planned to hurt Courtney then he would not do so without resistance.

His attention was pulled from contemplating how he would disembowel the Ferret by a clear and concise order from Fred. "Stop."

Despite his desire to get to Courtney before David could do anything to her, the strength and directness with which the bear spoke was enough to get Daryl to do just that. The both stopped, followed by Rex and Abe. The Dog sniffed the air even as Abe shushed him, but Daryl was more interested in Fred. "What?"

The bear scowled. "We're headed toward the comm hub."

The declaration was enough to make Daryl pause mentally as well as physically. "What?"

Abe was looking around and the Fox's body posture made Daryl do the same; he was astounded to see that the hallway had windows. The intern took over on the discussion. "This hallway leads to the comms and the satellite relay."

The Panther immediately figured the worst. "He's contacting the rest of Division Six! We gotta get to--"

The Fox interrupted him calmly. "If he was going to do that he could have done so a long time ago, Daryl... there has to be another--"

Abe was likewise interrupted by Fred. "Nah-- David said the base was in danger of collapse if anyone activated the satellite. That's why I've been workin' in the--"

Once again the teen interrupted. "If that's what he told you he was probably lying. The satellite array is more than a hundred yards from the base."

The discussion gave Daryl no useful information and he ended it with a succinct "FUCK! JUST-- LET'S GO!"

He made it all of ten strides before he turned a corner and came face to face with a door. It was locked with a keycard. He repeated his earlier statement, albeit with a roar, teeth bared and claws extended. "FUUUUUUCK!"

Abe stepped closer but remained out of claw distance. "It-- Daryl... i's a basic security checkpoint-- rated for small arms fire... I-I... maybe I could look at it and--"

Fred, not to be outdone by Daryl, simply brought a hefty foreleg across, knocking both the Panther and Fox out of the way then threw his entire body mass against the door. Despite being a metal security door sealed with who-knew-what-protection, the entire thing gave way the moment the bear's enormous bulk tested its limits. As he picked himself up on the other side of the checkpoint atop the torn wreckage of the door, Fred simply stated. "It wasn't rated for bear."

Daryl provided a succinct nod to the Bear and continued on down the hallway. Based on the scents he could tell that David and Courtney weren't moving quickly; even though the hallway's poor ventilation could account for the strength of the recognizable smells, the Panther was getting hang of his senses and he could tell that he was closing the gap between himself and David. He wasn't completely sure what he was going to do with the Ferret when he caught up but his primary concern was the safety of Courtney.

Abe reinforced that thought with his next statement, panting as he tried to keep pace on two legs instead of dropping to all fours like Daryl. "David's going to use Courtney as leverage... You need to calm down before we find em."

Rather than waste the energy or slowing down to respond Daryl simply offered a curt flick of his tail in a dismissive manner; he realized that it would be understood. His greater concern was another security door that blocked off their forward travel. Fred answered his unspoken request. "I got it."

Lowering his head and squaring his shoulders while charging, Fred hit the door like a battering ram and, like the first, it yielded before the onslaught of a half ton of bear. Having had the opportunity to come up with a workable system after the first time, Daryl sprang forward, sailing through the torn opening and over Fred, who was just starting to stand up after the latest impact. Daryl could smell the blood that indicated Fred was not impervious to the impacts but he chose to continue forward rather than check on his comrade.

It was a non-issue, as, a moment later, Fred was back in step, following along at the rear of the party, trailing Rex and Abe. The Fox had since doffed his lab coat and had adopted a four-legged running posture and had caught up with Daryl. The Panther would normally have been upset that Abe was naked but, in that moment, he was relieved that the teen was able to keep pace. What the Fox said next however was not reassuring. "This hall ends in a blast door... I don't think Fred can get us through."

It didn't take very long for Daryl to realize that Abe was right; although the hallway was long there were no twists or turns, making it very easy to see the sturdy-looking metal doors blocking their path. Daryl slowed reluctantly. "We'll need a tank to get through that."

Fred came to a stop along with the rest of them, panting heavily with blood streaming down his muzzle from a nostril and a split lip. He glanced at the Fox, Panther, and Dog, then padded past them once they parted. the bear took one paw and ran his claws down the barrier, ears perked as his every movement suggested that his mind was hard at work. After what felt like forever, Fred finally looked back at the group. "Abe. Come with me. We gotta go back to the mech bay for something I left behind."

Daryl silently calculated how long that would take. "We don't have time to--"

The bear silenced him with a grunted snort. "The doors're getting thicker, Daryl... I barely made it through that last one."

Only once Fred turned to him directly did the Panther realize just how much those impacts had taken their toll. More than just a nose and lip issue, blood was actually pouring from the bear's massive brow and a section of fur and flesh had been peeled away from his cheek; there was also a large piece of shrapnel imbedded in his shoulder. Although Daryl's anger and rage was hardly dispelled it reduced enough for him to think logically; Fred would likely kill himself if he tried to get past the blast doors. Rather than object, the Panther let out a deep breath and relented. "I'll stay here."

Abe turned to follow after Fred, calling back "Rex-- stay here and help Daryl!"

Fred and Abe disappeared back down the hall leaving Daryl standing in front of the double doors feeling as helpless as ever. Daryl almost jumped when he felt a furred head rise up under his paw and turned to see that Rex had sat down on the ground next to him. A moment later Rex's tail began wagging rhythmically against the floor. "Hi."

Daryl sighed. "Hi."

He left his paw atop Rex's head and began examining the reinforced door critically. He had no idea how Fred planned to get through it but the scent in the hallway practically screamed Courtney; it was possible that they were separated by nothing more than the metal closed before him and it was driving him insane. "She's on the other side of this door. I know it.... we gotta get through."

Daryl removed his paw from Rex's head and stepped forward, placing them on the cold metal instead. Rex followed suit, mimicking the Panther's posture. "Maybe we should knock?"

Rather than balling a paw and rapping his knuckles against the barrier Rex instead began scratching at it with his blunted canine paws. Surprisingly, the door opened. Daryl's breath was caught in his throat and he was torn between dissolving into a rage and freezing in place; David was in the next room facing the doorway, one arm around Courtney's waist and the other holding a gun, the tip of which was resting behind her ear. The Ferret greeted them as if it were a casual gathering. "Hello, Daryl. Rex."

Daryl all but ignored him, focusing on his fiancé instead. "Courtney... are you alright?"

The barrel of the gun pushed her head to the side and David's tone turned cold. "Talk to me, not her, Daryl.

The Panther felt a fresh wave of rage well up in himself but the more logical side of his mind took over and he forced himself to remain where he was rather than rush the Ferret. "What do you want, David? What's this about?"

The Ferret offered an emotionless smile. "This is about everything we've been dealing with these past weeks, Daryl. It's about humanity-- always was. Always will be."

Courtney spoke quietly, but clearly. "He's with Division Six."

The gun poked against flesh again. "Correct, Ms. Porter... but Daryl is already aware of that-- isn't that right, Daryl? Did you have a worthwhile chat with Becky?"

Daryl felt his claws sheathing and unsheathing as he was forced to stand there helplessly. He managed to keep his calm with the reminder that they'd have backup soon; Fred and Abe would be coming. Choosing to play along and keep David talking, the Panther took a step forward. "Dr. Keller said you--"

The hammer on the firearm clicked David announced authoritatively. "Close enough, Daryl... let's keep things civil."

Freezing in place, Daryl slowly raised his paws. "You don't have to hurt Courtney, David... we can talk through this."

Rex growled. "David... you ARE a bad boy."

The Ferret glanced at the Dog. "You should be back in the lab, Rex. This doesn't concern you and you will only--"

Undeterred, the Retriever snarled, lips raising on his muzzle to show his teeth. "I don't listen to bad boys."

David sighed. "Muzzle him, Daryl... he'll only get people hurt."

Wanting nothing more than to attack the Ferret right there, the Panther was required to comply. "It's okay, Rex... we'll fix this. Everything'll be fine."

Rex's hackles remained up, but he took a step back, falling into line. David slowly eased back on the trigger but he continued to hold Courtney close. "You haven't had conflict negotiation training, Daryl-- you're already making a number of errors... but, since I have, perhaps you'll let me take point on this."

Daryl had no idea what game the Ferret was playing but, so long as nobody got hurt, he was willing to play along-- especially if it bought him more time. "Just... tell me what you want."

Offering a needle-toothed grin, David smiled. "I want you and Courtney to make it out of this alive. I assume we both want that, in fact."

Daryl's eyes glanced around the room, looking for anything that would provide insight or assistance into the matter. They eventually encountered a bank of monitors in front of a small metal desk revealing a number of scenes; one of them was right outside the door. David had seen them approach. Only then did he make a connection, and it was disconcerting. "You let us in after Abe and Fred disappeared."

The Ferret inclined his head slightly. "Fred is too hot-headed to handle the situation and Abraham would only have complicated things."

The Panther scowled, whiskers vibrating in frustration. "What does any of this have to do with Courtney? Just let her go, David... we can talk this out."

David continued talking as if Daryl hadn't even spoken, moving the gun away from Courtney's head to gesture toward the Dog. "Even Rex here is an unknown variable, but I--"

The Ferret didn't get a chance to finish his statement as Courtney brought the heel of her foot right down on David's bare-pawed digits. Not pausing to register his reaction, she ducked, bringing her elbow straight back into his abdomen, then shoved her entire body up and back, leading the way with the top of her head, which connected with her captor's muzzle. Neither David nor Daryl did a thing, both too surprised at her actions to react, but Rex wasn't.

Like a golden streak of lightning, the Dog was on David in an instant, teeth leading the way. The Ferret quickly got his right arm up to catch the worst of the attack even as Courtney broke away and sprang forward, away from David's grasp. The two combatants were carried by the momentum of Rex's leap and they slammed against the wall, but the impact was drowned out by the echoing boom of the pistol's retort. Both David and Rex remained locked together for several seconds before the Dog whined softly, slumping to the ground.

David simply let out a sigh as a pool of blood formed around Rex. "You see? THIS is what I was trying to avoid..."

Daryl's rage boiled over and he roared, claws once again free as his paws curled into devices built to maul. "I'm GOING TO--"

The Ferret aimed the gun straight at him. "You're going to behave?"

Even half blind, seeing red in pure fury, Daryl realized there was nothing he'd be able to do. Although his breathing came swift and his body was wound tighter than a spring, he forced himself to remain still. David, cradling his bloody right arm, simply sighed, moving to the room's single window, gun trained on the Panther the entire time. Only when Daryl heard the sound of movement from behind him in the hall did his eyes leave the Ferret.

Abe, who was carrying an armload of various metal and plastic items dropped them the moment he caught sight of Rex. His exclamation was half yip and half anguished wail. "REX!"

David spoke candidly and calmly. "Daryl... I have the coordinates uploaded into a data packet I'm sending out. When the Division Six sleeper cells receive the transmission they are going to release a series of short range rockets that are going to explode in the lower atmosphere over numerous cities across the world..."

Courtney relayed the rest, even as Abe slid into position next to the fallen Dog. "They're going to turn more people into..."

She didn't finish the sentence, and didn't really need to; Daryl realized what was going on. He slowly turned back to face David, who was half out of the window. "What's this all about, David? What is this all even about?"

The Ferret disappeared, ascending to somewhere outside the room. "Meet me on the roof and I'll tell you everything."

Was it a challenge? A dare? A promise? Daryl didn't know, but he DID know that he was walking into an uncertain situation that could just as easily be an even bigger trap than the communication room. The Panther still didn't know what was going on and, while the answers would have helped him piece together the puzzle, he still had an incomplete understanding of how it all fit together. Why WAS David doing what he was doing? Why was Division Six doing it? He had a lack of information and the only way he knew to get it was to accept the invitation.

Abe's wail pulled him out of his crisis of logic. "Rex! Oh god, no!"

From his position on the ground, the Dog stirred faintly. "Abe?"

The Fox cradled Rex's head in his lap. "I'm here, Rex... I'm here."

The Retriever fidgeted, then winced, his tail hitting the ground in a weak wag twice. "David... David is a bad boy."

Tears overflowed Abe's eyes and traversed through the fur on his muzzle. "Yes... yes he is."

Courtney was beside them in an instant. "Don't move, Rex. You've been shot. You need to stay still."

Rex winced again, his tail beating out another soft tempo on the tile. "Courtney? You're okay? I'm glad you're okay."

She was the next to cry, leaning over Rex. "Oh, Rex... I'm so sorry... I'm so, so sorry... if only I--"

A golden-furred paw slowly raised, somehow managing to come to rest on her head; Rex pat her softly. "I wanted to help. I helped. You're okay... I'm happy."

Abe began looking around, almost spastically, and his words came out in the same jumble. "Wait. I can fix this... I mean-- if I-- there's got to be-- I brought some-- around here..."

Rex's tail struck the ground again in another weak one-two beat. "Abe?"

The call snapped the Fox out of his blur of inaction. "Rex... I can fix this. I just need to find out what--"

The Dog's tongue lolled out of the side of his muzzle as he smiled; it looked entirely too pale to Daryl's eyes. "Am... am I a good boy?"

Abe closed his eyes, tears hitting the floor next to the unmoving Dog. His shoulders shuddered as he fought back a sob. Rex's body slowly contorted, flexing and twisting as it shifted back into the form of a four-legged golden retriever. The Fox pulled him close, finally giving into his emotions after a soft affirmation. "Yeah... the best."

Daryl kept his distance, seeing everything through the blurriness of his own tears; his paws started shaking anew. He cleared his throat, feeling the ager well to the surface once again. "I'm going after David... this has to stop."

A deep toned growling voice spoke from the hallway. "I'm coming with."

Daryl glanced to Fred, who had an enormous metal half-pipe attached to his back; it looked like a battering ram. Although the Panther had no idea if it would have worked to get through the door, that was no longer an issue. A larger one was facing them. "Do you know how to get up to the satellite relay? David climbed out the window."

Fred nodded one time before about-facing. "You go after him. I'll join you."

Although it wasn't exactly spoken, the understanding was still conveyed between the both of them; no matter what happened, David was not going to escape.