Dog Gone (14)
Dog Gone (14) By Roofles
Biscuit looked around the corner before I followed him out. He had told me the layout of the place and I had picked out the quickest way for us both to escape. The closest exit was directly under us and following his lead we jumped off the third flight onto the second. I landed on all fours as he braced himself on two. He slung the bag onto his back again.
"What the- Biscuit?" The dog next to us asked. We both looked at him before taking a step up onto the rails and jumping down to the next flight. He went first and I followed seconds behind. Again he slung the large bag onto his back. He pressed a paw against the wall and push off landing back on one of the cargo bays and hopped down. What a show off...
It took me a second before I followed still trying to get my sea legs, heh. He was far more accustomed to his body. Yet no matter how slow I was he waited for me. Us jumping around like a pair of rabbits did seem to draw everyones attention though. In this dystopia of a utopia anything out of the normal would seem odd. Anyone not a mindless drone would stand out like a sore thumb. Yet it was clear they didn't understand what was going on and didn't know what to do or how to react to it.
The door in front of us was like a bank vault. The Alpha wasn't kidding. There was a guard standing at the side with body armor on and a helmet. Behind him was a panel that most likely controlled the door. It wouldn't be so hard. And just like we rehearsed (after drilling Biscuit for more information and practicing several, several times) we walked forward.
"We need to go out. Another supply run. Taking the newbie with me to show him the ropes." Biscuit was a horrible actor. His voice kept going up and down and he elongated certain syllables as he formed each word out. I tried not to cover my face in shame watching the horrible show. I heard drunk frat boy karaoke singers act better.
The dog, thankfully, seemed not to care. He was a stout looking bulldog. So we smiled innocently and I nudged Biscuit in the side hard to get him moving having frozen in place after his line. We dressed in a simialr body armor they had laid out on the table next to it. There was a helmet and knee pads, arm bands and half boots that worked rather well. I fully dressed down and felt like a swat member looking myself in the reflection of one of the metal bars. A k-9 swat member. Lovely. I took two pistols an several clips. A grenade and a semi-assault rifle. Stuffing other supplies into the bag while Biscuit followed.
"You know your suppose to only take what you need." The bulldog said. "Can I see your papers." He asked Biscuit. Again something I had planned for. Biscuit would've left all the important details out if I hadn't grilled him mercilessly. It had taken a good half hour or so to get everything I needed.
The paper was an older one that had already gone through processing but with a slight adjustment here and there it looked realistic as long as he didn't really look it over. I was at the panel looking investigating it as the dog read the paper over. It wasn't too complex and they even had a manual attatched to it on a metal chain. So I flipped through it not carrying about any of the finer details until I found the one I wanted. It was a chapter on how to open and close the door. It looked as if a kindergartener wrote it.
"It checks out. They reusing the forms again?" He asked handing the paper back to Biscuit who kept his muzzle shut tightly and nodded.
"Reuse and recycle." I said having figured it out. "We're ready to leave when-,"
A loud speaker sounded above us like a school intercom. "Gravy and Biscuit, please report to the Alpha's room. Nobody is to leave the Society until everything is cleared up."
The bulldog looked at us and we both grinned rather guiltily. Before I could come up with any logical thing to do or plan to get this out Biscuit acted like a real karate master and judo chopped the dogs throat who gagged stumbling back before getting a palm to his face knocking his nose up. It looked more like street fighting but whatever, karate sounded cooler... Blood flew through the air as he fell back over the table behind him. I blinked several times watching. How the hell did he do that?
"Well?" Biscuit asked flexing afterwards. "What do you think?"
"I think we should leave." I said turning back to the panel and flicking the sequences as it read in the book. The door gears turned and it tilted onto its side about to roll over for our escape but it stopped not even opening up. "The hell?" The door rolled back shutting and locking. So I tried again. The red light in the corner flashed. It had turned green before when I typed the code in. Again I tried. And again. "Shit, shit, shit." I looked behind us at the crowd of dogs.
They looked like zombies. Blankly staring at us. They really didn't know how to act in this situation. Not like I really would either being in their shoeless feet.
I closed my eyes taking a steady breath bringing up the layout in my head that I had wormed out of Biscuit. The medical facility was nearby...we could hide in there for now. I grabbed his arm and we ran for it. He followed behind, lagging as he kept himself between the crowd who turned and watched us go without saying a word. Shivers ran up my spine as I banged on the door of the long white box with the medical cross on it. Before mentally facepalming. I twisted the knob and banged my shoulder against it until it opened. We didn't have time for patience.
There was a poodle that wasn't shavened thankfully, those things are just ugly, inside. So I shooed him out waving my pistol. He stood in the way though. Something was odd...he wasn't a mindless creature like the others had been. "What do you think your doing?" He asked reaching slowly under the desk. He pulled out a twin barrel shot gun making me jump back. There was a loud bang and the poodle fell over with red dying his white fur.
"You got red on you." The husky said cooly.
I turned and hugged Biscuit who was still looking over his shoulder watching the door behind us. "Close the door and block it with something. Anything." I said looking around. I kicked the body making sure it was dead...after taking the shot gun away. I picked it up and looked at it. It was rather nice, auto-matic and way better than the older gun I had. So I let the rifle hang from my shoulder, a pistol in my belt as I tested it out. Not bad at all. It was like Christmas morning.
The room was white and had an overpowering smell of bleach and cleaning supplies. The floor, the chairs, the computer, the table, counter, cabinets, everything was white and stunk of that smell. I couldn't get a proper smell or scent of anything being in here. It was eerie...So perfectly clean. It was something the Alpha would've done. I could feel my heart pounding in my throat as I looked around. Everything was a little too...bland. Even for a medical room. If this was the main, and only, medical lab why was it so...bland. If it was like the rooms on the outside that'd make sense. There were hundreds of those things if not more. But this one was suppose to be for every single citizen. But there wasn't any folders for the dogs or specimens or anything. At least not in the main room.
I inspected the table. It had plastic wrapping on it...but bending down on the corner edge underneath it there was a spot of red. I swallowed loudly in the quiet room around us. I could hear my own heartbeat and the coarse breaths Biscuit took. He was crouched down facing the door. The windows had been bolted shut but a bullet still could probably go through. So I stayed down as well heading for the back door. Biscuit followed.
"The door need a set of keys," I said quietly motioning for Biscuit to grab them from the poodle. He tossed them over and I caught them, plugged them in and turned the lock. It opened... leading down into a sub basement even under the main floor of this city. I swallowed loudly looking down; my eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. I reached around a few times on the sides until I found the light swtich. It was just a stair well that looked as if it had several flights of stairs heading down underground. I swallowed loudly as I proceeded down, Biscuit followed without a word.
I jumped down the last flight not wanting to spend another several minutes working my way down. There was another door and I fiddled with the keys before opening it up. It was a heavy set door and as I opened it up I shivered at the cold air that hit me square in the face like a horrible stench. I was glad I had semi-boots on now, as we had just walked into a freezer. Or rather I should say, a morgue.
The walls were lined with paneled doors that most likely each held bodies. They had numbers on them. Not names but numbers. Different military times and dates. I breathed heavily walking further inside. The cement floor felt cool beneath my feet as I took a few more steps in. "Shut and lock the door." I said over my shoulder and Biscuit did so. There was another door and I prayed it led to our salvation.
It didn't. It led to a kitchen with long tables and several, several knives on the walls. And once more it was almost too clean... There was another door across from us and a metal set half way in. Most likely the fridge. I motioned for Biscuit to follow and once more told him to lock the door. He did so.
I crept over to the fridge aiming the gun ahead just in case. I opened the door... "Biscuit stay where you are." I said as I shut it as those images burned into my mind. "Just...just...stay here. I need to see something." I spoke slowly. Trying to keep my cool and smiled over to him, forced my tail to wag. "Just a second. Hold the fort until I return." He saluted and I laughed. "And don't move! Don't look or touch anything." I scolded as if he were a child and he nodded.
I opened that door again and headed inside, closing it behind me as I turned the light on. They were just cow parts...yeah...It was just a butchers shop, that was all. Those were chicken legs, yeah. Those were lean beef slabs and cow hearts. The pieces hanging from hooks on the wall were just cow bodies stripped of their skin. Yup. Yup. That's all it was. I headed towards the back where a large meat grinder was. And my breath quickened.
I had assumed it was this after everything. The cans weren't labeled or marked. Just metal cans without a sticker or wrapping or anything. And here was a fresh set now. Unsealed and empty. But from the looks of it they were also the cans that had been used from before. Just cleaned very thoroughly. There was a large scoop in the shredded meat. Used to fill the cans I could only assume. And next to it, on the far wall, stashed in the corner on a table. Was dozens, and dozens of dog collars... Placed there as if they were worthless. Meaningless things that were just in the way...
I closed the door behind me letting out a steady breath. I didn't see any with the name of Brutus on it. The chance that something happened while he was here was slim to none...I wanted to believe. He was a tough guy, I was sure. Strong and able to handle himself. And I shook my head as darker thoughts came to me. We would be needing to find a different food source.
"Well?" He asked slightly concerned taking a few steps towards me.
"No worries," I laughed smiled and wagged my tail. "Wasn't what I thought. There wasn't any sign of him. So we should get out of here, heh." I laughed. I smiled. I wagged my tail. Perfect act. Perfect lie.
The other doors shut behind us, once more locking. I was worried that the locks were on this side and not the other. Which meant the further inside we went the deeper into the belly of the beast we headed. Maybe we could catch them by surprise though...hopefully.
Several machines lay around us. They looked new and polished, cleaned up as if recently purchased or at least well cared for. I saw more cans in the metal bins. "A recycling place." I told Biscuit, only a half truth really.
"Gravy..." I felt his paw on my shoulder and I didn't answer.
"Just don't." I said after he pressed again. "Please. Just don't. We can start heading up now." I said motioning towards the stairs at the end. He kept his muzzle shut and followed. I felt horrible for lieing to him but...
"What do you like to do?" I asked forcing the subject change as we headed across the room.
"Do? Well I like to, you know." He said motioning his head between his legs. It took my a second before I laugh a little too loud and my ears flushed.
"Yeah, who wouldn't...heh." We walked in silence for a few more seconds up those steps slowly. "Anything else?"
"I like balls." He offered.
"No I meant something other then that." I laughed and he nosed my back.
"I got a sock collection." He said trying to get on the side of me as we headed up the stairs. It didn't work well and he kept bumping me into the wall.
"You don't wear socks." I laughed looking back at him. Into that brown and green eye as he smiled and I let my mind go of things from before, losing myself in those eyes.
"So? Can't a guy have a hobby? I kept your socks." He chuckled looking down. I licked the top of his muzzle and he wagged his tail looking at me with those large eyes. "It helps when your back gets tired," he laughed again and nosed at me. "I'm joking, I'm joking."
"Sure you are," I rolled my eyes pushing his muzzle away. He pressed into my paw though...and I scratched it. "I'm sure there are plenty of things you like. We'll have to test stuff out."
"I like stuff..." And with that we continued back up the stairs.
He grabbed my arm and ducked down pulling me with him. He pressed a finger to his lips and headed in front of me. He was carrying the bag in one hand and the rifle in the other. I felt kind of bad but he wouldn't let me carry the bag so what was I to do? I just watched his back, and that nice rear of his again. He looked back over his shoulder and his tail wagged in my face before he headed up. "An stop staring at my ass." He said stopping right as I followed and I ran muzzle first into it.
"Hey!" He yiped jumping a little as he looking back. I rubbed my nose.
"Then don't stop so suddenly!" I growled trying to keep to a whisper.
"Well maybe if you weren't drooling over it that wouldn't have been a problem."
"If you hadn't pressed your ass in my face it wouldn't have been a problem." I countered and his tail fur fluffed up.
"Well. I. You. This. But!" He growled turning around and grabbing himself. "You should be having your muzzle in this! Not that!"
"You would like that!"
"Yes I would." He glared puffing up his chest as we argued still whispering.
"Well maybe once this is all over I will have my muzzle in that an not that!" I countered again and he fluffed up.
"Your so irritating!"
"And your thick headed." I growled back.
"What do you mean thick head?" His ears folded back and his lips stop quivering, his eyes getting a bit wide.
"I thought it was obvious! This whole time... Your just so...damn thick headed!" I covered my face in my hands.
"Wait...so then you do...like me then... In that way?" His ears slowly rose back up hopeful and he wasn't growling anymore. In fact he looked embarassed. Which only made him look cuter. I let out a long sigh and sat up a bit. And licked his nose. "Your an idiot sometimes. You'll find out just how I feel once we get out of this hellhole."
His tail wagged and he put a paw on my shoulder and looked at me. Before pushing me back down rather forcefully. Well he really wanted my head between his knees, heh.
He turned around and his tail lifted proudly now showing off his ass to me. I rolled my eyes. Great now he was going to have a big head...not that that was a bad thing. But I felt giddy as we took the last few steps up. At least one good thing was coming out of all of this.
He looked back and put a finger to his lips and I nodded. Taking the keys from me he got up enough to put them in the lock, twisted and let the door swing open. It looked like one of the back rooms for the cargo bay. But I couldn't be sure. Everything kind of looked the same here.
"This is Chep's dinery." He said slowly looking around. His ears splayed out and a whine escaped him. I still didn't have the heart to tell him as I put a paw on his shoulder.
"We're getting out of here. It'll be ok." I said hoping to get his mind away from the conclusion I had long since come to.
There was the sound of a few dogs in front of us and the door swung open. A burly beast of a dog came in sporting an apron. "Biscuit! What the hell do you-," and he fired. The husky in front of me just pulled the trigger. A spray of bullets flooded the room and I ducked down as several bounced around in the metal tubing we were in.
I heard the sound of clicking as Biscuit kept pressing the trigger. Over and over again. A horrible sound. I didn't look at the four bodies in front of us as I put a hand on top of the smoking gun. "I'm sorry. I didn't want you to find out this way. I'm so sorry." His head was bowed and he was staring at those fours dogs. Not even flinching afterwards. He unloaded the clip and slid a new one in this. I half expected him to keep firing. I would've in his shoes...
"After this is all done; your giving me the longest bj of your life." He muttered stepping over one dog after another.
"Sir yes, sir." I replied following his lead. I wanted to salute. To look funny, goofy for him. But it wasn't the time. Nor the place so I kept my head bowed. "Biscuit...the exit's that a-way." I pointed over my shoulder but he was looking elsewhere. Up at the tower. I followed as he headed up the flight of stairs.
One dog popped out, the pitbull from earlier, and even before his muzzle was opened the husky fired. Even in armor a full round will put even the biggest of dogs down. The husky unloaded the clip and slid another in heading up the stairs. He was walking but I lagged behind trying to keep up. Turning the gun to the left and right as I went. I didn't even need to fire a shot. Most the dogs here were brain dead pawns after all. They really wouldn't know what to do in this setting...and Biscuit seemed to have realized that.
I had a feeling watching him as he headed up that he had known about this far longer than he let on. He just didn't want to except it. Maybe it was exactly this...but he knew something was up. But the good hearted dog didn't want to admit it. Didn't want it to be true. And I couldn't blaim him. Ignorance was such a sweet thing to want, to have...even if it wasn't the best thing to have.
"Biscuit." I spoke up again after reaching the third flight of stairs. "The doors shut." But it didn't stop him. He slung the rifle on his arm and pulled out a grenade pouch. He wrapped it to the end of the door. He ran back and grabbed me shoving me around the corner and pressed tightly against me. I could see the pins still on his fingers.
The sound sent an uproar around the town. Strange how the shootings didn't cause much of a stir. This whole place needed to have these walls stripped and for reality to pour in. It wasn't sane to lock oneself, let alone a society, away from the world. It could be cold, cruel...but at least it was real. This was just a dollhouse.
"Biscuit," I said the name with a bowed head. Looking down at the padded covered chest and the fur sticking out of the top of it. He didn't move even after it had gone off. Just stood where he was pressing me against the crook of the doorway. I pulled back and rested my snout on his shoulder, under his neck and chin. He nuzzled back and I was glad for that...
"Once we get to the control room," he spoke softly and that worried me. "There should be a panel that'll open the doors. I'm going to open them all. Flood this place with the ferals from the outside." I held my tongue not sure what to say to that. "We'll find out info about your friend. And then we can track him down. Once I get some answers." He said coldly. He pulled back and for a second I thought he was just going to let go. But he lowered his muzzle and licked the top of mine all the way up between the eyes. He nosed at my hair and took a slow breath.
"You guys weren't...close friends were you," he asked as he headed around the corner. Shots rang out and one of the two bodyguards crumbled to the ground. Strange how they didn't have armor on.
"I'm not sure honestly." I replied looking past him. The second door was open for us already and as we stepped inside it shut behind us.
The desk was still there and it was only the Alpha behind the desk with the lone bodyguard directly behind him. The german shephard still picked at the spot on his table. "I really do hate imperfections." He said casually as if this was a friendly greeting and he expected us to come.
The air in here was stale...stiff. And my eyes darted around the room. There were vents in here but no air was coming from them and the door behind us was perfectly smooth on our side when it should've been the other way around. My head was screaming, "it's a trap!"
"Such a small thing." He lowered his head down even with the table glaring at the spot. A small scratch he had picked into a hole. "Yet, no matter how hard I try, I just can't ignore it. Can't just let it go. So I pick at it. And pick at it. As if that'll make things better. But of course it doesn't. Of course it wouldn't. But here I am. Still picking at it. No matter how much I clean up the rest of the room this spot is still here. Still an imperfection in the perfectioness I have created." He sat back in his chair and looked at the two of us. "And that spot would be you." His eyes centered on me. I wasn't sure why. Biscuit was the one taking all his guards out.
"Tell me. Who do you think I am, exactly?" He leaned against the desk not even flinching as both are guns trained on him. "You think they would just let us be? Or rather...would you think we would just let this be?" He spoke with a cruel laugh.
"So, what? Your one of the scientists in charge?" I asked seeing as how Biscuit was doing his best not to jut pull the trigger.
"In a sense. Yes." He looked back at the dog behind. He didn't turn fully in his chair. He stayed where he was. His legs hidden under the table. He turned back to look at us. "There was five of us...well six, technically. Oh there were dozens and dozens of scientists. But it was the six of us that changed this placed. Changed the world." He reached under the table and we both tightened are grip on the gun. He pulled out a set of dog legs though. Very realistic, dog legs and set them on top. Again as casual as ever as if it was the most common thing to do.
"We each worked on the same project, given to us by the top dogs." He laughed at that. "Sorry, a man needs his laugh." I just lowered my brow looking at him. "But the thing was...it was when we didn't have orders that things really began to happen. They told us to do this. So we did. And told us to do that. And we did. But when the orders stopped coming down to us...well we took it into our own hands. We fussed it over until finally we broke the facility into five sections. Each would be in charge of a certain one and do with it as they pleased."
"And how did the dogs come in?"
"Oh that was the main thing. They wanted us to create the perfect tool. The same old story you hear about in comic books. Do you know what it feels like to be able to engineer life? To correct the failures of those before us. Always striving for the perfect form and body? And this is what we come up with." He shook his head side to side. "Such a failure that I was stuck with cleaning up."
"In what way..." My voice was low, in almost a growl.
"The others wanted to continue the project even after this...failure. Jericho," my ears burned at the name. "Always had a horrible trust issues - so he wanted to create the perfect mindless drones he could use to fulfill his needs. Something that would always listen, never question and most of all couldn't turn on him. We both know how that turned out." He looked at me and I saw a weariness in his eyes that wasn't there before. His breathing had become labored as well. "After Cheyrl died he really wasn't the same..." He stopped looking off. "Stephany would know where he is." He said looking at us now. "Your dog. She has full access to everything in the whole facility. She won't help you but she would know."
"And why tell us this? You said he had come through here." I could feel my blood boiling just talking to him.
"Oh, that's simple." He yawned loudly. "I'm tired. Like you had been when you left, heh. So very tired of this charade. Of this mistake." He said looking at himself. "I can't even walk around. It's really a horrible mess. Disgusting horrible, horrible mess." He was looking down at where his leg's would've been and I saw something move under the desk. It wasn't human or dog... "Such is the price for failures." He noted with a shrug as if this was the fate he deserved.
"And Brutus?" That got a reaction from him. A smug grin really.
"Yes. Number 631 did come through here. He really is a...superb creature. The closest I think to perfection." He laughed at that as if the notion of a dog being perfect was the silliest thing in the world. "He came through here looking for a human, if you could believe it. I didn't think it was possible that he escaped his cell. But that dog really was...one of a kind." He noted seemingly impressed for once. "I so badly wanted to study him...but he wasn't someone you can haggle with, if you knwo what I mean. I sent him along to see Stephany as well. She would know after all. She was always a stickler for that. Knowledge."
"And this?" I asked motioning around us. "What the hell was this then!" I barked trying to keep myself from snarling.
He looked around before replying smartly. "My office." He laughed a bit before letting out a heavy breath. "My last attempt at perfection. My last hobby..." Again I saw something move under the table. It made my stomach twist into knots. "But it too was a failure too. They wanted more than what I could give them. So I got rid of the ones who resisted, using our friend here as a catalyst for it." He looked at Biscuit who growled low. "Sending them off into one of Jessica's clean up crews. Such was the price for failure. And yet...still my Society wasn't working out. I even began using Jericho's methods. Grabbing dogs that had their memories freshly wiped to become subservient masses for my world. But then the technical problems hit; water pollution - even after I got the water purifier installed - and then there was the whole fiasco with the food." He shook his head. "It seemed like such a good idea at the time. I still support that it was, an is. Several countries in the east use it as a dish so why couldn't we?"
He looked at us as if expecting us to nod along and agree. "Yet here the two of you are so again, I have made the populace unhappy. You ask and I give." He shook his head. "Now I see how God felt. No matter the solution they would still protest and ask for more. Greed was their downfall, like all societies." He looked up at us and the bags under his eyes seemed to have grown in the past few minutes. "I even became this." His arm contracted sharply to his chest and I took a step back. "What I am. For the people." His jaw dropped then sunk in as one of his eyes bulged. "And they were never happy. All I wanted...was..." his cheek swelled up. "Perfection." And like a balloon it popped blood spurting across the room. Similar pockets formed on his arms as his skin began to fall from his bones. Bursting forth an oozing like a weeping wound.
I covered my mouth looking away. Biscuit was already at the control panel trying to open the doors. It took me a second but I could hear it. Gas was pouring into the room. I held my breath as I pushed the husky to the side and looked it over. I had watched the dalmation do it and hit the bland black button that looked the same as all the others. The door swung open thankfully and after that I was able to have free reign of the controls. I typed in the sequence for the outside doors. It didn't work so I added a few things here and there to it until the light went from red to green. I looked out the window and could see the door across from us open up slowly.
"Let's go," I said heading out the door. Biscuit stayed behind and was looking at the...remains of the Alpha. The dog behind him stood as motionless and lifeless as a statue. He crumbled over as he breathed in. The gas was still releasing and I grabbed the door and pulled it shut as Biscuit finally stepped out after I shouted his name.
He didn't say a thing as we walked along the upper flight and down to the second, then first floor. We just headed for the exit. There wasn't anything left for us here after all. I looked at the masses. They may have well been blind, deaf and dumb. If this was perfection...then I wanted nothing to do with it. But what of Brutus? If he was their closest thing to perfection then would I still want to involve myself with him. I just didn't know and the question ate away at me as we stepped out the door.