Dog Gone (17)
Dog Gone (17) By Roofles
My mind wasn't clear. It couldn't focus as my body was flooded with a surge, a tidal wave of emotions that boiled up inside and made me lose my voice. My palms grew sweaty as my heart raced around in my chest. There he was before me and my mind couldn't even grasp the situation at hand. Yet the feeling inside was clear enough...and I finally understood how a baby knew its mother even if it couldn't think. This overpowering feel of-
"So like who the fuck are you two?" The dog in front of us asked. His fur was on end but he wasn't snarling or anything. His uncropped ears were up and his tail stood proudly behind him, even being the thick mass that it was. It was kind of clear why most people shortened their tails.
"Brutus." I said the words like an idiot and Biscuit came to the rescue.
"I'm B. B. Biscuit an this is my good pal Gravy Biscuit." He slapped a paw on my shoulder the pain snapping me back to my cognitive faculties. The hell did he use his name for my last name?
"Right." I rolled my shoulder to make Biscuit let go. Why I did it? I wasn't sure. But he held on tighter looking at the dog in front of us. His ears were back and even though he had a smile on his face and was playing it off casually, his tail was just as high as it was when he realized I was checking out his ass, proudly so. Challenging the dog in front of us. "I'm Doug. Douglas. I know I don't look right but-,"
"Well yeah you don't look right." The rottweiler pointed out jabbing a stubby finger at me. "What cha' suppose to be anyways?" He frowned as if the info he had gotten on me wasn't correct or something.
"He's a border collie, bub." Biscuit said his voice deepening a bit with a slow steady growl that vibrated in his chest. "So back off before you find my bite is far worst than my bark."
That made his fur stand up, his lip quivering into a snarl. "You want to go mutt?"
"Please don't make this into some kind of whos dick is bigger pissing contest." I stepped between them eyeing Biscuit down before turning towards the other dog. "Tell me one thing, please. Do you or do you not know someone named Douglas Coldsteen." He shook his head and I lowered mine as my ears fell. "What's your name at least." I asked trying to grasp at straws.
"Name?" He scoffed at that and shook his head. "I'm number 519. I don't got or need a name." He said as if the idea offended him.
"He's not...Brutus?" I looked away. I thought there was only one rottweiler in this whole damn place. I've been searching everywhere just for one dog and the one I happen to find, after all this time, isn't him? Its not fair... It just wasn't fair.
"We're looking for a dog that goes by the name of Brutus." Biscuit said. "You might know him as 612. He's a rottie just like you. We...he's been looking for him this whole time." Biscuit lowered his ears as he put a hand on my back. I rolled my shoulders and let out an even breath. I came this far I couldn't stop now.
"If you know anything at all please tell us." I asked but it came out without much hope or energy as if I didn't believe he could even help us. Could help me with this. It was a beg, a plea without any aspiration of anything coming from it. I might as well have been on my hands and knees kissing his feet. Or at least that's how I saw myself coming off right now as I asked for the info.
He looked at me without much amusement, thankfully. He wasn't getting some sick thrill out of this. "My name's not Brutus." He said coldly as if I had insulted him. "But there is another dog that may be him." My ears perked at that. "He was annoying. Whining on about this human dogtoy of his. Really got on my nerves so we split ways back in that town." My tail began wagging. "He said he was following his scent or something. I wasn't paying any attention by the end of it." He shook his head. "What a love sick puppy, pathetic." He looked over shoulder with a frown.
"So you have a rough idea of where he might be at then?" Biscuit asked seeing as how my voice seemed to have failed me.
"Frankly? No. I came here to deal with this piece of jerky." He thumbed over his other shoulder at the locker that had led to the room behind the blackboard. "She had it coming. Calling me an in-your-amus," he sounded the words out scrunching his brow and was really having trouble thinking it over. What an ignoramus.
"No you can't be in my amus." Biscuit laughed rolling his eyes and the other dog growled.
"Don't be mean Biscuit, besides he wanted to be in my amus. Apparently everyone does," I laughed a bit joining in. The other dog didn't seem to grasp it but he got the idea that we were picking on him. I had just got caught up in the mood with Biscuit. We were really close is all. Good friends...
"Hey! I was going to help you out but not anymore." He stuck out his chest and growled trying to be all big and tough.
I raised my hands. "Sorry, sorry. After the hell we've been through we needed a laugh. We didn't mean anything by it. Its obvious your an extremely smart individual who not only saved the two of us but single handedly brought down the crazy computer chick. That is a feat in itself, you should be very proud." I said stroking his ego and playing it off a little too much. It seemed to work as he straightened up tall before noticeably slackening as he shrugged, a smug smile cross his face.
"It was nothing really," he didn't pull the whole modesty thing off well. It was clear he was enjoying the attention. Flattery really did go far with some people I guess.
"We're hopelessly lost without you," I quickly held up my hand silencing Biscuit. "Please, will you help us? I'm sure someone as good, skillful and capable as you easily could." His ears folded back and he scratched the back of his neck and blushed...he looked identical to how Brutus looked when he blushed. When he was embarrassed or flustered. No matter how I looked at him I still felt as if it were the same Brutus that I had grown to know. And care for. Was he really a different dog? "I mean what would we do without your help?"
"Dun Dun DUUUN!" Biscuit waved his arms in my face catching me off guard. I took a few steps back and looked at him as if he truly had gone mad. "Come now. We don't need him....do we?" Biscuit shoulders slacked and he looked at me in disbelief. "We don't, do we? I doubt he could find his own tail." Biscuit said with another laugh.
"Of course you do! And of course I can." The fake(?) Brutus said walking over to us or rather me and slapped me hard on the back and I nearly face planted the ground. "This dog gets it, so why can't you?" He grinned glaring coldly at Biscuit.
However even though the two had taken a greater step from ever coming to terms with each other, Biscuit had unwittingly put the dog on our side. My side rather. His pride would make him help us if nothing else. Needing to prove to Biscuit that he could do this. I would've thought Biscuit had thought the whole thing out if I didn't know better. He always seemed to find some way of making the situation better in our favor.
I was glad that the dog was coming along with us. If it was Brutus then I had finally found him and if not then he was leading us to someone that might be him or be the next step in finding him. Even if I have to go through all six hundred and twelve numbers. We were one step closer to finding Brutus.
He walked next to me talking about all the great feats he had done an accomplished. "I tracked the chick down to this place. Well she was stupid enough to lead me here but I still tracked her down!" He said making sure to state that point again. His shoulders and body were firm, muscular and he held his head with pride. "I didn't exactly expect her to be piece of jerky in a machine. But once I found out about it I knew I just had to give her a piece of my mind." He tightened his fist and punched the air, air boxing. His scent was the same. He was roughly the same height and weight. If nothing else he could've been Brutus's twin. "I got tired of talking to a screen though so I began snooping around before finding the entrance."
This dog stretched wide and without him noticing I took a step closer. He kept talking on without minding the closeness between us. He even rested an arm on my shoulders. "So when I go in there I'm all shocked, right? Because she turns out to be a dried up mummy." He knelt down a bit getting on more of my level and waved his paw in front of us as we kept walking down the hall as if trying to paint a picture of it all. "It was clear she was hooked into that big old hunk of metal so I just began bashing on it. It worked rather well at first but couldn't get the job done. SO I unplugged her," he laughed and I smiled hearing that familiar sound of his.
He was different from what I remember. What I recall. But everything else seemed the same. His mannerisms and behaviors. The way he moved and talked. But I suppose the question that hounded me was if it was Brutus and he simple didn't remember or recall, was he still Brutus?
"Wasn't sure if that'd get the job done though. So I opened up the pod she was in. Got some fresh air in there. It seemed to have done the trick, mostly anyways. And few!" He waved that large paw in front of his nose as he nudged against me with a laugh. "She stunk something fierce!" But the only thing I could smell was him.
I looked back over our shoulders at Biscuit. He had his ears back looking away and was grumbling about something. I wanted to say something to him. To apologize. But I had made a prior arrangement already that I just couldn't break. An even though it might've hurt him I was still happy that he was here with us. I smiled and felt my tail wagged when he looked at us and for a second I saw him smile. Before my attention was forcible drawn back to the dog next to me.
He tighened the grip around my shoulders and almost choked me as he gave me a strong one arm 'bro hug.' "So what do ya' think? Pretty epic of me right? Right?" He asked grinning from one ear to the other as his tail wagged. He really was far more pompous than I remember him being.
"Of course. No dog could've just done that. Your one of a kind." I said forcing a smile that seemed far too easy to manage. He lit up at those words.
"Yup! One of a kind. I really am just one of a kind." He grinned and wagged his tail. Every gesture was pulling at my heart strings as if playing a finely tuned piano.
We stayed close the whole time as we walked down the hallway, out the doors and headed for a different section of the facility. I smiled and laughed at his stupid remarks and he kept his arm around me. I wanted nothing more than to nuzzle against his bare chest and soak in that wonderful scent of his. I'm not sure when it was but I had decided that it was Brutus. It had to be. He was crude, rude and arrogant...but everything about him was the same. He just didn't remember was all...I was sure that was it.
Biscuit held his tongue and followed behind us without a word. I looked back a couple of times to make sure he was still there. I'd give him a smile and wag my tail. But by the time we reached this town Brutus had spoken of, I couldn't have been sure if Biscuit was still with us or not.
The town seemed vaguely familiar. Looking around it felt like I had been to this fifties style suburbia. Almost cookie cutter houses with white picket fences and perfectly trimmed yards. It really had a very...quaint feel to it. Like I had lived here before or something. Yet looking around the ghost town I felt sick to my stomach but I couldn't be sure as to why that was.
The rottweiler finally let go and offered his arms up and showcased the joint as if he were trying to sell us a house here. Us... I turned to look at Biscuit and was glad to see he was still with us. He seemed not to be really paying attention and it was kind of obvious he was trying to snub me. He'd look and then quickly look away as if he hadn't seen me only to look again to make sure I was watching and lift his nose a little higher. Yet that curly tailed wagged and for some reason I felt myself feel a high that even Brutus couldn't give me.
"We got to that middle thing there when we split." The rottie said pointing to the large tower that jutted up from the center of the town. "We heard there was some kind of god living there and was hoping to find our answers."
"Answers? What kind of questions did you guys have?" I asked looking at him but had made my way over to Biscuit. He wrinkled his nose from the new scent on me but he loosened up a bit that I had finally acknowledged him again. At least he didn't hate me. And even when he was trying to he really couldn't be a snob...unlike the dog behind me.
"Well he wanted to find his dogtoy. Find out where he was. But me," he jabbed his thumb at himself. "Wamted answered to why the hell we were here. And how to get out."
"How...philosophical." Biscuit said rather surprised the dog could feel such an emotion or thought. I shared the same feeling though even if I wouldn't ever admit it.
"No no no," he shook his burly head. "I wanted answers as to why we woke up in those damn tubes."
"Tubes? What do you mean?" I asked looking at him. Did he mean the vats Biscuit had talked about?
"Those damn...tube things," he said trying to shape one out. It looked to me more like he was telling us about this fine woman he came across, making an hourglass motion with his paws.
"We can check those out once we find this other Brutus." I stopped and mentally slapped myself. "I mean Brutus." I let out a sigh of relief that neither of the two seemed to have noticed or cared. "Once we find him we can go back to those...tube things and figure things out. As they say four heads are better than-,"
"A rock." Biscuit said with a cold laugh glaring at the dog.
I rolled my eyes. "Ignore him. Let's get going while the day is still young." The town was lit up by some artificial light source but as we made our way into it this light source began to set like a sun and twilight was cast over us.
My grip tightened on the almost forgotten gun in my hand. As I lifted it up, pointing it forward I could feel fear creeping back into me once more. Biscuit did the same, training his gun forward. The rottweiler didn't seem to have one or seem to think he needed one. So I didn't press the issue and I doubt Biscuit was going to give one up.
A set of garbage cans fell over and I jumped taking a sharp breath and turned to face the alleyway. It was too dark to see between the two houses. I caught movement though. My gut twisted as a large arm pulled its unproportional body out. Its eyes were too large and its gut was extended far beyond a normal dogs as if it had gorged itself on something. One of its back legs were too large and it had a bad limp as it crawled towards us. It sniffed the air with that furless gray skinned snout and began slowly snarling but it sounded more like a growl from a stomach than a dog. Hungry and we were the main course.
"Crawlers here?" Biscuit was confused looking around us as more seemed to sprout out of the shadows. They were slow but as they caught our scent they began to speed up. Some dragged their bodies and others lumbered towards us each with gaping maws of horrible long jagged teeth, drooling on themselves as they came towards us.
Biscuit aimed and fired taking a few out with clean headshots. I had to marvel at his accuracy and precision. Every shot counted as he dropped another one. Ones shoulder got in the way of a clean head shot so he shot the arm so it'd drop down before finishing it off. It wasn't like the barrage of bullets he had unleashed on the dogs from before. It was almost...artistic. A skilled soldier could take pointers from him.
I gripped the gun tighter in my hand as one of the crawlers closed in. I pulled the trigger and took off a chunk of its shoulder. Blood flew everywhere and I found myself panting. I just killed a creature, a monster, but I took a life. And it felt even worst than I thought. Poor thing. I aimed at its head as it thrashed about and pulled the trigger again. It would've died anyways but at least this way it wouldn't have to suffer for long... the thought wasn't reassuring. The need to survive outwayed my moral problems apparently.
"They'll smell the blood and be on us in no time. We don't got the ammunition to handle a whole pack of these things." Biscuit was almost a proffessional when he spoke. He even seemed to be taking the situation serious for once. So I listened and obeyed.
"Let's move to the central location then. I'm sure we can lock it down and hold there if neccissary." We were already on the move as I spoke. One lunged at the rottweilers leg and he jumped, landing on top of it and smashed its skull against the ground. His strength made me look like a normal human. I didn't see the logic behind it but when you could punch through a skull I guess a gun would seem rather pointless.
Biscuit pulled a grenade out and lobbed it behind us. It bounced twice before going off and even as we ran I could feel it. I don't know how actors do it in hollywood. When an explosion goes off behind you, even several yards away, you feel it and react. You don't just walk all cool like away. I recaught my steps as we sprinted towards the tower; I slung the shot gun over my shoulder as we closed in on the building.
We got there in only a few minutes but I could hear the horrible mass of bodies behind us coming and didn't stop even as the doors opened. They shut behind and lights slowly turned on around us. The elavator doors were already opened and waiting which sent a shiver down my spine. I had half a mind to go back out with those things than go in there.
The metal doors slid shut as the glass walls broke down and the room was filled with those things. Snarling, biting at each other and hungering for living flesh. I kept my guard up though as the elavator rose higher into the tower.
It stopped once at one of the floors but the door didn't even open and it kept going up a second later. I gripped the gun I had in my hands tighter.
"Easy does it." The rottweiler said touching the gun in my hand. "Here, let me." And even before he took the gun away I knew I had made a mistake.
I tasted the blood in my mouth as I was hit out of the elavator. I skidded across the room sure my cheek bone had broken from the butt of the gun. I looked up to see the two pointing their guns at each other.
"Biscuit," the voice behind me made my ears drop and blood chill. "Be a good dog. And lower that gun." And he did so. I stared horrified as the dog before me, that could've made the energizer bunny give a run for his money, shut down like some robot. His eyes drooped and his arms slackened as he stood there motionless like when I first saw him.
I pulled the pistol and turned around aiming it at the low life before me. He was sitting in a chair looking out over the city not even facing us. Two dogs were with him. A korgi and a beagal form the looks of it. One stepped in the way so even if I did fire that dog would be some kind of living body armor for him. It sickened me.
"There. I did as you asked. So you going to let me go or what?" The dog with us asked finally stepping out of the elavator. He didn't seem to be lifeless, robotic and dead like the other three. He had his right mind and was willingly doing this? I didn't want to believe it if I hadn't seen it before my very eyes.
"Don't trust him you idiot!" I shouted snarling at him keeping my gun on the dog before me. One chance, one movement and if I had a clear shot he'd be dead.
He looked down at me smugly. What a vainglorious bastard this dog was.
"Biscuit, be a good dog." The good doctor said not even looking at us. "And kill him."
I saw his eyes widened and even before he could turn a bullet went through his skull. The body fell hard to the ground next to me. I crawled back a bit, breathing heavily and tightening my grip on the pistol. I reached out for the shot gun that fell from his hand but that cold voice stopped me in my tracks as it spoke.
"I wouldn't do that, Douglas." I heard the chair spin around and from the corner of my eyes I could see him finally look at me. There were almost amusement in those eyes. "So. How's it going?" He asked as I slowly pulled away from the gun and sat back against the wall. "Any kind of new results you would like to tell me about? Side effects to the whole...drug." He chewed the word around in his mouth before saying it as if uncertain of exactly how to describe it. "The serum," he concluded on though, "is still in the works. So any side effects your having would be appreciated."
"Oh, just the usual." I answered slowly standing up. The dogs didn't react to my movements and even looking over at Biscuit, who was still in the elevator, didn't seem to have a thought going through their head.
"Biscuit." He said again leaning against the table in front of him. "Be a good dog and step out of the elevator. Join us. We have so much to talk about." He didn't nod, only obey. Like some horrible slave. It was so cruel watching him. Once so full of life reduced to this.
"The hell did you do to him?" I asked keeping myself calm. The elevator doors were still opened but I doubt even if I could make it to them that I'd get them to shut and obey as I asked but at the same time it was my only hope.
"You don't think I wouldn't have installed a saftey switch to these things?" He spoke with a venomous tongue as if I had offended him or possible if they really did sicken him so. "The Brutus series on the other hand." He looked down at the dog bleeding on his floor. The carpet was red for a reason I guess. "Are another question. You really did an exceptional job on them, Eddie."
I froze at the name. And it felt like my skull was splitting in two. I gripped my head, closing one eye and was breathing even heavier than before. "The hell do you mean..." I couldn't even finish as I forcible took a step back as it felt like someone was drilling a hole into my skull.
"Eddie, Eddie, Eddie." Hudson shook his head as he stood up. Hudson...his name but how- I just... "You really don't remember? I didn't think the serum would've worked so well. I mean you were spouting on and on about that dog of yours and I truly thought you had lost it. Stephany really outdid herself this time around. Her last...useful thing that was." He said walking around the desk and looking down at the dog on the floor again. Hudson had his hands behind his back and shook his head sadly. "He did such a good job getting rid of her. Then again I had to spoon feed him all the details. Stupid mutt..."
Hudson turned to one of the dogs. "Be a good dog, and remove this body." He said coldly taking a handkerchief from his pocket and covering his face as if only now realizing there was a dead body in the room.
"I don't...understand." I winced and closed my eyes at the shooting pains in my skull.
"Wiping your memory, not only once, but twice will do that to you I'm afraid. No wonder why the military only use it when they must. Still experimental I'm afraid." He turned to look at me. He hadn't shaven in days. The gray stubble on his face, the unkept hair and greasy skin...he had to have been here for days from the look of it. "You really have caused me one trouble after another. Even after I so kindly let you live. Even out of the way you never stopped being a thorn in my side. Truly you were the brightest of us all." He turned and looked out the window across the town.
"Hudson..." I snarled the name the only thing I could say or get out before taking a sharp breath. "Where is...Brutus?"
"At least you remember my name, my dear old...colleague. So young too." He frowned at that. "I never understood why they put a welp like you in charge. But looking at your work. I can see why." He turned to look at the body. "Oh don't put him over there you idiots." He said yelling at the korgi who had moved the body into the corner. "Get rid of him. Get rid of him!"
The dog looked at him and dragged the body towards his desk. The korgi gripped under his arms and heaved him up over it and in the next second out the window. The glass shattered down below and I could hear the 'wolves' cry as fresh meat fell to them.
"Your so..." Hudson balled his fists and looked as if he was going to hit the dog but stopped and gripped his desk. His knuckles turned white. "This is what you left me to deal with. To put up with! One thing after another has gone downhill ever since I got rid of you." He looked at me and disdain filled those eyes. "I can't work in our old lab because you pass coded them all. Even getting your dna didn't help with your advance genetic locks. The Brutus series don't have a saftey word and only respond to force. However no matter how many I put down more just spring up." He wiped a hand through his hair truly looking mad. He wasn't even looking at me now. Just staring at the wall.
I scooted away from him towards the elevator and closer to the husky who still seemed as stiff in the head as a board.
"Then once you were gone the whole facility began questioning me. I had to get rid of most of the staff. The others went their own ways and began doing their own things. They wouldn't listen...so I had to get rid of them." He laughed a bit, wide eyed as he spoke. Being locked away in a tower without anyone to talk to must really wear on the whole sanity thing. And he wasn't exactly sane to begin with. "So I brought you in trying to figure things out. Yet you just went on about that dog about that whole mental trip you went on."
"You going to explain or what?" I asked frowning a bit. I wasn't getting any younger.
"I thought you had figured it out already. So slow." His lips twisted into a smile as he looked at me. "Everything you knew and know is a lie, Eddie. All just things planted into your head after I over threw you. Yes the whole ordeal was probably ridiculously excessive. But it was a good way to try out the experiment. We are always running low on guinea pigs."
"Every memory?"
"The only ones you probly remember are being in the holding cell as we quetioned you. It really was fascinating hearing what you had to say. To be honest...its partially true. Just the time, the scenery and players are different. Like you being this Douglas person? That's all a lie. Your memories of that." He waved his hand. "You might as well toss out. I don't need those, although that was amusing."
"But how?" I asked stalling for time as I crept away from him. No matter where I moved though the dog would get in my way. I never had a clear shot.
"Stephany's educational chamber really can get the job done. It'll be useful to add that to my collection once I finish fumigating the facility." I still was holding my head as we exchanged a look. "Do I need to spell it out for you? I stabbed you in the back, brainwashed you and filled your head with a bunch of useless garbage. Then I found I needed something inside your head and brought you in to see what you knew. However you were already too far gone for much use so I began another experiment in which to see how much you really believed to be true." He breathed heavily afterwards having said that all in a single breath, having rushed himself. "A sick game, yes. But amusing nontheless." He turned away from me finally. "To think you didn't remember a single thing...its almost too good to be true." He mused that over for a bit giving me time to do what I had to do.
"Biscuit," I spoke in no more than a whisper but his ears twitched slightly at the word. "Be a good dog and come with me." He nodded and turned around. The motion caught his attention.
"What do you think your doing?" He laughed a bit not even believe it at first then his brow slowly lowered. "Stop him. Stop them!" He turned towards the dogs as I jumped into the elevator and Biscuit followed me in. There weren't any panels inside or anything to use but I felt all along it trying to find something. Anything. "Oh for-, be a good boy and catch them! I need him alive! Kill the dog." Hudson covered his face and shook his head not really worried about us being in the elevator. I was beginning to see why.
There was a touch pad inside. Blended perfectly into the wall, it was by chance that I felt it. It was at the bottom at the height of a normal dog. I pressed my hand against it and it lit up. The panel turned green as it scanned my hand. "Unable to recognize." A female voice said above us. For a second I thought it was Stephany.
"Eddie Martz!" I said loudly above me as the name jumped into my head.
"Scanning. Unable to process." I pressed my hand against it as hard as I could. I felt a small prick on my palm and pulled back to see blood. A small needle slowly slid back into the panel. "DNA recognized. Heading to lab, Doctor." The doors shut and I exchanged a look with Hudson who couldn't believe what he was seeing. He yelled, calling out as the dogs beat on the door as we sunk into the earth.
The elevator headed down and down and down. I was afraid it'd open on the first landing and we'd get swarmed with those things but nothing came of it. It didn't even stop at the floors it just kept moving down. With everything I learned...I felt rather sane. Rather comfortable with it all. The idea that the dog with me wasn't Brutus made his death a lot easier. But it still troubled me about this Brutus program. But the will to survived, for the time being, overruled everything else.
I rested against the wall holding my chest not even sure how we got out of it all. That was like the third time we got caught. I looked at Biscuit who was still drooling. I snapped my fingers in front of his face. But nothing. I slapped him. Still nothing. How did I get him back again?
"Balls, balls and more balls." I said loudly groping him. His ears twitched, before he blinked. And then jumped back with a yipe covering himself.
"The hell!" He looked around. "Where are we?"
"Long story. I'll tell you another time." I rubbed the side of my head trying to retain anything. But my memories from before seemed to have fogged up even more so. And I couldn't even think straight. And as the doors finally opened I could only stare forward and feel even more confused.