The Return of General Evil, part 2

The robot that had captured Sawyer landed behind a large abandoned building and carried Sawyer inside. Sawyer struggled to free himself, but the robot was too powerful. General Evil was waiting inside.

"I have the beast, General." said the robot

"Very good, Sergeant." said General Evil "How was the flight over?" He mockingly asked Sawyer who growled in response.

"I know that you understand what I am saying, but I can't understand you." said the General "Not a problem. I prefer to do the talking around here anyways."

Sawyer made a rude gesture with his paws.

'You understood that, didn't you?' he thought to himself

"Disobedient." said General Evil "But that will change."

"Bring him with us, Sergeant. Let's show this beast his new home."

Sawyer glanced around the abandoned building as he was carried around by the robot. General Evil explained what the various floors and rooms were for as they went. It appeared to be an old abandoned train station. The first room Sawyer saw was very large and filled with robots, all standing in formation. Just like the ones he and Ryan had destroyed in Romoskovia. The next room was just as big, but instead of completed robots, an assembly line was making more.

"You and your pathetic friend made such a mess of my last army, I was forced to make more." explained General Evil "Not to worry, though. You'll make it up to me soon enough."

Finally, General Evil showed Sawyer a smaller room with just one robot being put together. Sawyer was surprised to see this robot's features. It wasn't like the others...

"This is why you are here, beast." said the General "I will have many more of these built later and you will command them."

Sawyer felt uneasy. He could never command a robot army to destroy innocent people, but General Evil seemed sure that he would, anyways. Then the General took a metal collar from out of his pocket.

"I want to give you this collar, beast, as a way to... convince you to cooperate." said General Evil as he approached Sawyer

Sawyer struggled as hard as he could to free himself, but it was no use. The robot held him down even tighter as the General put the collar around his neck. Then, the robot released him. Sawyer made his move. He ran away as fast as he could, glancing back to see if he was being chased. To his surprise, General Evil was laughing. Suddenly, he slowed down and stopped. Sawyer tried to keep going, but his body wouldn't listen.

"What has he done?" thought Sawyer

Then Sawyer's mind started to cloud over. He couldn't even think for himself.

"Come here, beast." said General Evil

Sawyer turned and walked back to the General, then sat beside him. General Evil showed Sawyer a picture of Ryan and Annie.

"These are your enemies, beast. You will hate them." said the General

Sawyer looked at the picture and tried to fight it. How could he hate Ryan and Annie? All those good times, they had... then Sawyer growled at the picture. He felt uncontrollable rage as he grabbed the picture with his mouth and shredded it. If he ever saw Ryan again, he would destroy him upon command of his new master, General Evil.

* * * * *

Ryan loaded his shotgun and Sawyer's rifle into the back of their Malibu. The car wasn't finished yet, but it ran great. It just needed a coat of paint, but they hadn't decided what color to paint it. Ryan climbed in and started the engine, then pressed a button to reverse the car. He and Sawyer had decided to take out the steering wheel and pedals and replace them with a video game controller, so Sawyer could drive if needed. According to Barney's instructions, Sawyer was being held at Michigan Central Station in Detroit. It was an old abandoned train station; the perfect hideout for General Evil.

After a few hours of driving, Ryan arrived at the abandoned building. It was eerily quiet around the old train station. Ryan knelt down next to the fence that surrounded the building and began cutting a hole big enough to fit through. After cutting the hole, he carefully made his way to the entrance of the building and inside. He kept close to the walls, trying to stay in the shadows. Debris littered the floor, making it difficult to walk quietly. Ryan walked down a long hallway and slowly opened the first door he found. Inside, he found many of General Evil's robots all lined up in formation. He closed the door, then made his way to the next. Behind that door was an assembly line, making more robots. Ryan closed the door and continued down the hall. The next door he opened revealed a smaller room with only an empty table in the middle. Then Ryan saw Sawyer's collar on the ground. He picked it up and put it in his pack, then continued down the hall. At the end of the hall, was an open area with pillars holding up the ceiling. Just as Ryan stepped inside, a door slammed behind him, locking him in! Then General Evil revealed himself. He was standing behind a ticket counter, holding a microphone.

"So glad you came, Ryan." said General Evil "You saved me a trip to your pathetic home."

"Where's Sawyer?" Ryan demanded

"He's with me." said the General "And I don't believe he is interested in being rescued."

Sawyer stood up from behind the counter. As soon as he saw Ryan, he growled and barked, trying to claw through the glass to get after him.

"Sawyer? It's me..." said Ryan, confused by Sawyer's hostility "What did you do to him!?" asked Ryan

"I told you, he is not interested in being rescued." said General Evil "But since you are here, perhaps you would like to meet my... other pet?"

A door across the room opened slowly, then out stepped a robot dog. It looked like Sawyer, but was made of dark metal. The Mecha-Sawyer stood on it's back legs and waited.

"Meet my newest creation!" said General Evil "I call him, MAX. Multi-Arms Exterminator. He is the first of many, and your beast will command them for me."

"He'll never command an army for you!" said Ryan

"He will, but you won't live to see it." said General Evil "MAX, kill the intruder."

MAX's eyes glowed red as it activated. It found Ryan and aimed it's front paws at him. His paws dropped down, revealing machine gun muzzles. Ryan ran for cover just as MAX fired at him. He hid behind a pillar and checked to see that his shotgun was loaded. Seeing it was, he side stepped the pillar and hit MAX with a round of buckshot. The bullets hit their target, but had no affect as they bounced off.

"You can't stop him, fool!" General Evil laughed

"Sawyer! Help me!" said Ryan

Sawyer continued to watch the battle as Ryan dove back behind the pillar. MAX approached the pillar and opened it's mouth. Ryan peeked around the pillar and saw a small flame inside MAX's mouth. Suddenly, a huge flame surged out of MAX's mouth, hitting the pillar. Ryan could feel the heat increasing around him as the flame thrower in MAX's mouth burned the pillar. Ryan picked up a brick from the floor and threw it to the side. MAX saw the brick, stopped the flame and fired his guns at it. Ryan used this chance to run to another pillar, arriving just as MAX realized his error and fired at Ryan. Ryan fired at MAX a second time and again the bullets did nothing.

"This isn't going to work." thought Ryan "Maybe if I could get a shot inside it's mouth, but I can't get close enough without it shooting the flamethrower."

MAX fired the flamethrower at the pillar again. As soon as MAX stopped, Ryan charged. He got behind the robot dog before it could turn around, wrapped an arm around it's neck and held it's mouth shut with his free hand. MAX struggled to open it's mouth and point it's guns at Ryan, but he couldn't reach behind. Ryan couldn't let go or else MAX would fire his flamethrower and burn Ryan's arm.

"Give up, fool!" said General Evil "You can't win!"

"Sawyer!" said Ryan "I'm sorry I made you leave!"

Sawyer listened, but did not respond. Deep in his mind, he struggled for control, but the collar prevented his free will.

"Help me, Sawyer!" said Ryan "We'll watch hockey again! We'll order pizza!"

Sawyer shook his head slightly, as he almost gained control, but the collar overpowered him.

'I can't believe I'm going to do this...' thought Ryan

"Remember your favorite song?" said Ryan "Friday night and the lights are low. Looking out for the place to go..."

Sawyer remembered that song. He used to sing it all the time when he was alone. He first heard it on TV during a commercial for greatest hits from the 70's, but who was this guy singing it?

"Anybody could be that guy!" Ryan sang as he struggled with MAX "Night is young and the music's high!"

'That's Ryan.' thought Sawyer 'He's singing my favorite song. He hates that song, why is he singing it?'

Sawyer was starting to overcome the collar as Ryan continued.

"You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen!" Ryan sang

'Why is Ryan fighting with that robot dog and... why am I standing next to General Evil?' thought Sawyer

Then he remembered everything. He stepped behind General Evil and removed the collar as the General cheered for MAX. General Evil glanced back just as Sawyer broke the metal collar over the General's head, knocking him out. Sawyer hurried out of the ticket booth to help Ryan.

"See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen!" said Ryan as he saw Sawyer charging "Finally! Either kill me or help me! I don't care anymore!"

Sawyer grabbed Ryan's shotgun and pointed it at MAX's face.

"Open it's mouth!" said Sawyer

Ryan let up on his grip as MAX opened his mouth. Before it could react, Sawyer shoved the barrel of the shotgun into MAX's mouth and fired, knocking MAX and Ryan back. MAX's eyes flashed, then went out.

"Sawyer, you're back!" said Ryan as he climbed to his feet.

"I'm sorry, it was the collar." said Sawyer "Nice singing though..."

"You had better not tell anyone!" said Ryan

"General Evil is in the ticket booth!" said Sawyer "Let's get him!"

Ryan and Sawyer ran into the ticket booth, but General Evil was gone.

"He got away!" said Sawyer "We'll never catch him in the truck."

"I didn't bring the truck." said Ryan "Let's go! We still have a chance."

They ran outside and jumped in the car.

"I'm driving!" said Sawyer

"There he is!" said Ryan as he pointed at General Evil who was climbing into a jeep.

Sawyer mashed the gas button and steered the car towards the jeep. Ryan reloaded his shotgun and leaned out the car window as Sawyer closed in on General Evil.

"Hit him!" said Ryan

Sawyer rammed the jeep and revved the powerful engine. General Evil looked back in surprise as Ryan fired his shotgun, shattering the back window.

"Get me along side him!" said Ryan

Sawyer increased the speed and got Ryan next to the jeep. General Evil swerved towards them, causing Ryan to duck inside the car. General Evil hit them, but Sawyer kept control of the car.

"Finish that prick off!" said Sawyer

Ryan leaned out and fired a round into two of the General's tires. General Evil struggled to control his vehicle.

"Hit him again!" said Ryan

Sawyer turned hard and hit the General's jeep, causing it to flip over and roll down the highway. Sawyer stopped the car.

"Is he dead?" asked Sawyer

"I don't know." said Ryan "He's hurt, that's for sure."

Just then, one of General Evil's flying robots landed next to the jeep, ripped the door off, grabbed the General and flew away.

"Dang it." said Sawyer "I don't suppose this car can fly?"

Ryan shook his head.

"Let's go home, Sawyer" said Ryan

* * * * *

That night, Ryan, Annie and Sawyer went to Starbucks and relaxed on the patio seating.

"So the car runs good, then?" asked Annie

"Yeah, it's really fast." said Ryan "Not too good on gas, but really fast."

"What color are you going to paint it?" asked Annie

"I think we're going to leave it as it is for now." said Ryan

"Primer?" said Annie

"I've seen worse." said Ryan

Annie stood up to get a refill as Sawyer leaned over to talk to Ryan.

"Do you think General Evil will come back again?" Sawyer asked

"Yup. I'm sure of it." said Ryan "But I'm also sure that when he finds us, he'll have one heck of a fight on his hands."

The Return of General Evil, part 1

Flames flared up as Ryan flipped a patty on the grill. He was grilling at a local park with Annie and Sawyer. Annie threw a ball as Sawyer sprinted after it like a black bolt of lightning.

"Almost done over here." said Ryan

Annie got a plate for herself, as Ryan put a couple patties on a plate and placed them on the ground for Sawyer.

"Sure is a great day." said Annie "I can't imagine how it could end badly."

Just then, there was a rumbling sound in the distance, as if a jet were approaching. Sawyer's ears perked up as he and his owners looked up at the sky. It wasn't a jet making the noise...

"Run!" yelled Ryan as a robot flew over them, firing machine guns.

The robot landed and chased them as they ran for their truck.

"Let's split up!" yelled Sawyer

Sawyer made a sharp turn as Ryan and Annie kept running for their truck. The robot stopped firing and chased after Sawyer. Ryan and Annie jumped in the truck and drove after Sawyer.

"Load this!" said Ryan as he handed his shotgun to Annie

Sawyer looked back at the robot who was closing in fast. The robot reached for Sawyer's tail and was about to grab him, but it was hit by Ryan's truck. The robot rolled into a heap and stopped moving. Ryan and Sawyer cautiously approached the robot.

"Be careful." said Sawyer "It could still be operational."

Suddenly, the robot powered back on and swiped at Sawyer! It was too damaged, however, and could only move it's one arm.

"Who sent you?" asked Ryan

"The General will have the beast." said the robot

"What General? General Evil? What does he want with Sawyer?" Ryan demanded

"He will have the beast. Others will come in my place." said the robot

Ryan shot the robot with his shotgun, destroying it.

"Let's go home." said Annie

"Yeah, let's go, Sawyer." said Ryan

Ryan did a lot of thinking as they left the park and drove home. The robot had said that more would come until they had Sawyer. He remembered seeing how huge General Evil's army was and could only imagine how far he would go to get his pet. As long as there were robot's coming after Sawyer, Annie was in danger. He was going to have to make a painful choice.

* * * * *

When they got home, Annie went inside, while Ryan took Sawyer for a walk.

"Why so quiet, Ryan?" asked Sawyer as they walked "Robot shook you up pretty bad, huh?"

"Yeah..." said Ryan

"Is there something wrong?" asked Sawyer

"Sawyer..." said Ryan "I'm sorry, but you can't come back home."

"Huh? Why not!?" asked Sawyer in shock

"It's too dangerous." said Ryan "General Evil isn't going to leave us alone until he has you and I can't risk Annie getting hurt."

Sawyer lowered his head. He knew that Ryan was right.

"But..." said Sawyer "We beat him before. We can do it again."

"We got lucky, Sawyer, and you know it." said Ryan

"Please, Ryan!" begged Sawyer "I don't have anywhere else to go! We're best friends!"

"I'm sorry." said Ryan, fighting back tears "I have to go."

Ryan turned and walked away. Sawyer watched, hoping Ryan would turn around and let him come home, but he never did. A cold wind blew as Ryan disappeared from sight. Sawyer suddenly felt alone as he turned and walked down the sidewalk. He glanced at a house as he walked and saw another dog and it's owner watching TV. Sawyer thought back to when he and Ryan used to watch hockey together. He remembered how happy they were when their team won the championship. How they celebrated by ordering pizza. Those days were gone, and so was his best friend.

* * * * *

Ryan walked back home, trying not to think about Sawyer. Then he saw a sign posted on a light post, advertising free puppies. He recalled the day he met Sawyer. Sawyer was one of the last puppies in his litter who didn't have a home and Ryan couldn't understand why. There was this little black puppy trying to look up at him. He remembered seeing something in the puppy's eyes that convinced him to pick Sawyer.

Annie greeted Ryan at the door when he got home.

"Where's Sawyer?" asked Annie

"He's gone." said Ryan

* * * * *

Sawyer sniffed a pile of garbage behind a pizza shop. He pawed at it until he found half a slice of pizza. Sawyer sighed heavily as he chewed the stale pizza, then stopped suddenly as he heard the same noise he had heard earlier. It was another robot.

The robot landed in front of Sawyer and aimed a weapon at him. Sawyer growled as he prepared to attack, but was too slow. The robot fired a tranquilizer dart that struck Sawyer and soon knocked him out. The robot picked him up and flew away.

* * * * *

That night, Ryan struggled to sleep. When he finally did fall asleep, he was met with sad dreams about Sawyer. He saw Sawyer being captured by General Evil and forced to serve him. He saw Sawyer being experimented on. He saw him locked in a small cage with little food or water. Then the dream about Sawyer stopped and Ryan saw another dog that he had not seen in years. It was a large dog, though not as big as Sawyer. Tan and white colored fur.

"Barney?" said Ryan "Is that you?"

Barney was a stray that Ryan had met while he was overseas with the Army. Everyone in Ryan's unit adopted Barney and took care of him. In return, Barney watched out for Ryan and his friends.

"Hello, Ryan." said Barney "It's nice to see you again."

"You can talk, too?" said Ryan

"It's a dream." said Barney "Anything can happen."

"I heard that you were..." Ryan's voice trailed off

"I'm here to tell you that you made a mistake." said Barney "You should not have left Sawyer."

"But, Barney..." said Ryan "I was worried about Annie. General Evil was going to keep attacking us until he had Sawyer."

"And he will continue to attack you." said Barney "You and Sawyer stopped his invasion of Romoskovia, costing him millions of dollars and ruining his reputation."

"But if he had Sawyer, he wouldn't need to keep attacking." said Ryan

"His name is not 'General Evil' for nothing." said Barney

"You're right!" said Ryan "I need to get Sawyer back before General Evil finds him."

"It's too late." said Barney

"Why?" asked Ryan

"Sawyer has been captured." said Barney "The dreams you had about Sawyer were real. I can tell you where he is, but that's the only help I can give you."

Barney told Ryan where General Evil's hideout was located, then started to disappear.

"Barney, wait!" said Ryan

"Yes?" asked Barney

"I'm sorry we left you behind." said Ryan

Barney smiled, then vanished, causing Ryan to wake up. There was a note by his clock.

'Leave the rubber bullets at home.'
-Barney


To be continued...

Keeping up with the Jones'

Annie poured herself a cup of coffee as Ryan tried to decide between Crunch Berries and Frosted Flakes. Sawyer ignored them both as he stared out their backyard window.

"Is Sawyer doing alright?" asked Annie

"I'm not sure." said Ryan "Why do you ask?"

"Well, he's been spending a lot of time looking out that window." said Annie "Normally, he'd be in the kitchen with us, waiting for his breakfast."

Ryan shrugged. Annie grabbed her books and headed out the door. Ryan brought his bowl of cereal with him as he approached Sawyer.

"What's up, dog?" said Ryan

"Nothing. Just hanging out." said Sawyer without turning his gaze away from the window.

"What is it you're looking at?" asked Ryan

"Oh, nothing." said Sawyer "Like I said, Just hanging--"

Sawyer stopped talking and wagged his tail as the neighbor's poodle pranced out their back door.

"Ah, I see what it is you've been staring at." said Ryan

Sawyer sighed happily as the girl of his dreams exercised. His smile quickly faded as he came back to reality.

"Her name is 'Buffy'." said Sawyer "And she's totally out of my league."

"Why?" asked Ryan

"She does shows and she was on the cover of 'Dog Fancy' three times." said Sawyer "And look at her! She's gorgeous!" exclaimed Sawyer

"Well, you're a good looking dog, too." said Ryan "Strong, athletic..."

"That's true..." said Sawyer

"Let's go outside and throw a football or something." said Ryan "Let her see Sawyer in action."

"OK!" said Sawyer

* * * * *

"Go long!" yelled Ryan

Ryan threw the football as hard as he could as Sawyer sprinted after it. He leaped into the air and caught the ball, then looked over at Buffy and saw that she was watching. Sawyer kept staring at Buffy as he ran with the ball in his mouth... and ran right into a bush. Sawyer quickly picked himself up and looked over at Buffy, who put her nose in the air and trotted back inside her house. Sawyer was humiliated as he walked back inside with his head down.

"She thinks I'm a loser!" cried Sawyer

"No she doesn't!" said Ryan "That was an awesome catch!"

"Shut up!" snapped Sawyer "It was your idea to play catch. Did you see the way she looked at me?"

"It wasn't that bad." said Ryan "Maybe we could--"

"No!" said Sawyer "No more advice from you!"

Sawyer went to his room and slammed the door shut. He picked up his MP3 player and sat on his bed, looking at pictures of Buffy on Dog Fancy. A short while later, Sawyer heard sirens approaching. He left his room and found Ryan just as he was headed out the front door.

"Is that the police?" asked Sawyer

"Yeah, they stopped at the Jones' house." said Ryan

"That's Buffy's house!" said Sawyer

* * * * *

"Oh, it's just terrible!" said Mr. Jones "My Buffy has been kidnapped!"

"Calm down, Mr. Jones." said Officer Culver "We'll get to the bottom of this. Did you see or hear anything?"

"All I heard was her cry for mercy as the two thugs showed up and took her!" cried Mr. Jones "I ran outside just in time to see their van drive away."

"Can you give us a description of the vehicle?" asked Officer Culver

"It was white. No windows. I didn't see a license plate." said Mr. Jones

Sawyer was making mental notes as Officer Culver wrote everything down. Ryan could tell what Sawyer was thinking.

"It's too dangerous." said Ryan, under his breath.

"Then stay home." Sawyer whispered back.

Ryan thought for a minute. He couldn't let Sawyer go alone and there was no way he could stop him.

"What's your plan?" asked Ryan

* * * * *

Sawyer sat at the computer and logged onto the internet.

"Why can't the cops take care of this?" asked Ryan "They have access to more databases than we do."

"Of course they do." said Sawyer as he typed "But they won't spend resources on finding a dog."

"So where do we begin?" asked Ryan

"The large white van." said Sawyer "According to this site, there are 37 white cargo vans registered in this county. Now we'll narrow it down to vans with no windows. 12."

"So we have to search all of those 12?" asked Ryan

"Nope." said Sawyer "Now we take the owners of the vans and check for criminal records."

Ryan and Sawyer watched as the computer checked each profile against the criminal records database. Then they got a hit.

"Here we go." said Sawyer "Guy named Mike Samsonite. Breaking and entering, robbery, kidnapping..."

"That would be a good place to start." said Ryan

Sawyer wrote down Samsonite's address, then he and Ryan put their weapons in their truck and headed out. Once they arrived, Ryan parked the truck a block away from Samsonite's house. Using a satellite image, Ryan found an alley they could follow all the way to the criminal's house. After agreeing on a plan of attack, Ryan and Sawyer bumped fist-to-paw, then left the truck.

"Hold on." said Sawyer "I forgot something."

Sawyer pulled a stocking from out of his pack and put it over his face.

"Sawyer..." said Ryan "What are you doing with that thing on your head?"

"I don't want them to see our faces." said Sawyer as he handed a second stocking to Ryan.

"Yeah but, you're a dog." said Ryan

"And we all look the same?" demanded Sawyer, still holding the stocking with his paw.

* * * * *

Ryan and Sawyer approached the house with their guns drawn.

"I can hardly see through this thing." said Ryan as he adjusted the stocking.

"Quiet, you'll give us away." said Sawyer

Ryan peaked through the back window, but couldn't see anything.

"Nothing in this window." said Ryan

"The basement." said Sawyer as he looked through the basement window "I see movement down here."

Ryan pulled out a screwdriver and quietly removed the window. Sawyer climbed down first, then Ryan followed. Sawyer focused in on a blanket that appeared to be covering something. The blanket seemed to rise and fall slightly as if someone was breathing underneath. Sawyer approached it and, with his weapon ready, pulled the blanket away.

"Buffy! Shhhh..." Sawyer said in hushed dog.

Buffy looked up at the gun and the stocking covered face with terror in her eyes. Sawyer slung his weapon over his shoulder and pulled off his mask. Relief swept over Buffy as she recognized Sawyer.

"Do you know why they took you?" asked Sawyer

"I heard them talking about meeting with potential buyers." said Buffy "They were going to sell me."

"Not if I can help it!" said Sawyer as he held out an open paw. "Let's go."

Ryan helped Buffy out the window, then heard footsteps above them.

"They're here!" said Buffy to Sawyer

"She says that's them." said Sawyer "You go ahead. I'm going to give them a surprise they won't forget."

Ryan climbed out and handed Sawyer his shotgun. Sawyer pulled a pen and paper from his pack and quickly wrote something down, then jumped under the blanket that had covered Buffy. Soon, the basement door opened and Sawyer heard voices and footsteps coming down the stairs. He attempted to count the number of people that stepped off the steps. 'One, two, three... four.'

"Gentlemen, thank you for coming." said one of them "We know that you have expensive taste and a desire for the finer things in life."

"And we have everything we want." said another "What could you possibly offer to us that we can't buy ourselves?"

Sawyer heard the sound of magazine pages being turned.

"This is 'Buffy'." said the first voice "She is the most prized animal on the Dog Show Circuit. She's cute, cuddly, friendly, house trained..."

'One out of four ain't bad.' thought Sawyer

"Let us see her." said another voice. Sawyer flexed his paws and gripped his weapons in anticipation.

"Very well." said the first voice as he grabbed the blanket "I present to you, Buf--"

Sawyer sprang up and howled with fury as he aimed the guns at the four men.

"What the heck is this!" said Samsonite

Sawyer recognized him from the computer picture. He pointed one weapon at the note he had written and motioned for Samsonite to pick it up. Shaking, Samsonite picked up the note and stuttered as he read it.

"I- I- I'm supposed to tell everyone to take off their pants and throw them into the corner." said Samsonite

Sawyer growled at Samsonite until he removed his pants as well.

"Now I have to tie everyone up." said Samsonite

He took ropes from Sawyer's pack and tied up the other three men.

"You did a poor job of describing this dog." said one of the men as Samsonite tied him up.

After tying up the buyers, the criminal read the next line of the note.

"Now I'm going to call the cops on myself, because I'm a jerk..." said Samsonite

* * * * *

The phone at the police station rang as Officer Culver reached across his desk and picked it up.

"Police Department, Officer Culver speaking." said the officer

"Hello, I'm a criminal who steals things that are not mine. I am bad and look forward to being in prison where I belong..." said Samsonite

"Who is this?" said Officer Culver "Where are you calling from?"

Samsonite gave Officer Culver his address, then hung up the phone. Sawyer handcuffed Samsonite, then gathered his things and headed out the window. He found Ryan and Buffy in the truck, waiting to leave.

"You did it!" said Buffy "You're my hero!"

Sawyer's tail wagged as they drove off.

"What did she say?" asked Ryan

"I think she likes me." said Sawyer with a smile.

A car honked at them as they drove past Starbucks. Ryan waved.

"Who was that?" asked Sawyer, looking over his shoulder.

"Annie." said Ryan

* * * * *

When they returned home, Buffy ran to her house and pawed at the door. Mr. Jones opened it and joyfully hugged her. Sawyer watched from a distance as Mr. Jones opened the door for her to enter. She stopped, looked over at Sawyer and smiled. His heart pounded with excitement.

'The girl from the cover of Dog Fancy likes me!' he thought

"Are you gonna ask her out?" said Ryan

"Yup." said Sawyer, still looking at Buffy's house and wagging his tail.

"When?" asked Ryan

"I don't know." said Sawyer "I guess that will be a story for another time."

Multiple Personalities

The leaves were falling from the trees around the house, so it was up to Ryan to rake them into piles and get rid of them. Sawyer had other ideas. After Ryan finished the first pile of leaves, Sawyer got a running start and dove straight into them.

"Dude! Don't do that!" said Ryan "This is hard work and I don't wanna be here all day."

"Doesn't seem that hard to me." said Sawyer as he rolled around in the pile.

Ryan shook his head and continued raking. A car slowed as it passed their house, then stopped. Ryan looked up at the car as the driver lowered his window and pointed a gun at him!

"Look out!" yelled Ryan

Sawyer was in mid air, diving into a pile of leaves when he heard Ryan yell. POP! The man in the car fired his weapon and hit Sawyer instead of Ryan. Sawyer cried out in pain as he landed in the pile of leaves.

"Sawyer!" said Ryan "Are you alright?"

"I... I think so..." said Sawyer, checking himself over.

The car pealed out as the driver raced away, but not before Ryan got his lisence plate number.

"D-I-A-B-L-I-C, D-I-A-B-L-I-C, D-I-A-B-L-I-C..." said Ryan as he rushed back to Sawyer.

"Look." said Sawyer as he pulled a dart from his rump. "Tranquilizer dart?"

"Maybe. Do you feel sleepy?" asked Ryan

"Hmmm." thought Sawyer "No, not at all."

"Well, I have his license plate." said Ryan "Let's find out where this jerk lives."

Sawyer followed Ryan inside. He was surprised that he didn't feel sleepy or sick after having a dart shot into him. Maybe it was too weak of a dose? Didn't matter anymore. They needed to focus on finding the culprit and bringing him to justice. Ryan sat down at his desk and turned on his computer which made a beeping sound as it booted up.

"What is that!?" cried Sawyer "Is that a bomb? It's gonna blow!"

"What are you talking about?" said Ryan "The computer? It's just booting. Calm down..."

Ryan raised an eyebrow at Sawyer then turned back to the monitor. After entering the license plate number, a name and address appeared on the screen.

"The car is registered to a guy named 'Arthur Vernon'" said Ryan "He has a house a couple towns over."

"Let's call the Police." said Sawyer

"We can't." said Ryan

"Why?" asked Sawyer

"Because that would be too easy." said Ryan with a grin. "Besides, what if he gave you some virus or something. We need to get the cure from him."

"The Police would get the cure from him." said Sawyer

"Yup, but they wouldn't give it to you." said Ryan "They'd run tests on you, most likely. Like a lab rat..."

"Stop! Stop! I'll go with you, just stop telling me these things!" said Sawyer

"Fine, whatever." said Ryan "Get your machine gun and a few clips of ammo."

"Guns?" said a shocked Sawyer

"Yes, guns." said Ryan "What the heck did he shoot you with? Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

* * * * *

Ryan and Sawyer loaded up their gear and headed towards Arthur's house. Ryan tried to plan what they would do when they arrived, but Sawyer was stressing out.

"OK, when we get there, I'll go to the front door, while you go around back..." Ryan explained

"Can I just stay in the truck?" asked Sawyer

"No, I need your help. What if he has thugs?" said Ryan

Tears welled up in Sawyer's eyes as he turned away.

"Are you crying?" asked Ryan as he drove.

"No..." sobbed Sawyer

"Oh my gosh, what is the matter with you today!?" said Ryan

"You don't know what it's like, OK?" said Sawyer "That dart was meant for you but I took it! You would think you could say something nice to me, but 'Noooooo'!"

Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Stupid Arthur. The jerk made my dog a drama queen." said Ryan "Here, listen to your favorite song." said Ryan as he put ABBA into the CD player.

"I... I don't like this song." said Sawyer as he wiped away his tears.

'Well, this new dog has an upside after all.' thought Ryan as he turned the CD player off.

* * * * *

Ryan stopped his truck on the side of the road, a short distance from Arthur Vernon's house. He and Sawyer made their way towards the building, then stepped into a patch of trees bordering Vernon's backyard.

"It sure is dark in here." said Sawyer

Ryan ignored him.

"OK, let's split up." said Ryan

"No way, I'm staying with you." said Sawyer

"We have to split up in case he has traps set up." Ryan explained

"But..." Sawyer tried to protest as he walked past Ryan, but accidentally stepped on a tripwire. A hidden net sprung up and captured them both, causing Ryan to drop his shotgun as Sawyer screamed in terror.

"It's no problem." said Ryan "Try to get your AK out of your backpack."

"I... left it in the truck." said Sawyer

"Why!?" yelled Ryan

"It's scary and loud!" said Sawyer as his voice cracked

Ryan closed his eyes and sighed. Dark clouds appeared in the distance as rain drops hit their faces. Suddenly, they heard a door shut at Arthur's house, then saw a man come running towards them. The man approached the trapped friends and picked up Ryan's shotgun. He pointed it at them and started to pull the trigger, but stopped when he recognized them.

"You... I missed you earlier." said the man

"Yeah, but you hit my dog and turned him into the Cowardly Lion." said Ryan

"It... worked?" said the man

"If you intended to turn him into a wimp, then sure. Worked like a charm." said Ryan

The man cut the net down and escorted Ryan and Sawyer into his house.

"When did his symptoms first appear." said the man

"Are you Arthur?" asked Ryan

The man nodded. The rains came down even harder on the house and thunder rumbled in the distance as Arthur interviewed Ryan.

"Well, he started acting funny about 10 minutes after he was hit." said Ryan

Sawyer cowered in the corner with his tail between his legs.

"I see." said Arthur

Arthur sat down behind a table, put his head down and chuckled to himself. Ryan creeped towards his shotgun, which was still in the hands of Arthur. Arthur's laughter increased as he glanced up, causing Ryan to freeze in his tracks. Arthur threw his head back and laughed at the top of his lungs as lightning crashed! Sawyer howled in fear and even Ryan stepped back a bit as Arthur pounded his fists on the table, laughing maniacally.

"It works!" cried Arthur "All my years and it works! No longer will I be called Arthur! My name from this day forth is 'Professor Diabolic'!"

"What works!?" yelled Ryan above the thunder and lightning outside.

"My Reversalizer!" cried Professor Diabolic "With the potion that I put in your dog, I can change anyone's personality, feelings, likes, dislikes or ideals."

Ryan knew he had to get his gun back. He had to stop Diabolic. The Reversalizer was too powerful to be allowed to exist.

"But won't the effects wear off?" asked Ryan, hoping to hear that Sawyer would return to normal

"They never wear off." said Diabolic with a grin "Only another dose can alter the mind. It could take many shots to get it back."

"Why would you make this?" asked Ryan

"Imagine a government that could force it's civilians to obey by changing their will." said Diabolic "No one would be unhappy anymore. Everyone would agree."

"That doesn't sound like a happy place to me." said Ryan

"It will." said Diabolic "Once you've had a dose of my Reversalizer..."

Professor Diabolic reached for a tranquilizer gun, but turned his back on Ryan and his shotgun. Ryan lunged forward and grabbed it just as Diabolic realized his error and rushed his shot of Reversalizer. The dart missed Ryan who returned fire. Diabolic ducked just in time, causing Ryan's blast to destroy a mirror on the wall. Diabolic reloaded his weapon, aimed at Ryan's legs below the table and fired. The dart surprised Ryan who quickly pulled it out. It was too late, however, as the Reversalizer quickly coursed his veins. Ryan dropped and crawled to the corner of the room where he tried to hide. He was terrified.

"Sawyer!?" he cried "Where are you?"

Sawyer was also hiding, but suddenly didn't know why. He glanced down at his leg where he found the first dart. He had been shot by accident and was very... angry. He stood up on his hind legs and charged Professor Diabolic, snarling and growling as he ran. Diabolic was stunned as he tried to quickly reload the gun, but Sawyer was too fast. He grabbed the barrel of the gun and ripped it from Diabolic's grasp, throwing it into the corner. Diabolic turned to run as Sawyer howled in fury. Sawyer grabbed a chair and threw it at Diabolic. The chair shattered across his back causing him to fall forward. Before he could react, Sawyer was on top of him, grabbing him by the shirt collar and lifting him to his feat. Sawyer shook him violently and howled in his face before throwing him down on the floor.

"Please! Don't kill me!" begged Diabolic

Sawyer grinned as he reached for Diabolic's throat. The professor dodged his grip and ran for the kitchen. Sawyer was in hot pursuit as Diabolic grabbed a jar of pepper and threw it at Sawyer. Sawyer's eyes burned as he dropped to all fours and growled angrily. When his eyes finally stopped watering, Professor Diabolic was gone.

* * * * *

Sawyer stood over Ryan and sternly told him to stand up. With worry in his eyes, Ryan slowly stood to his feet. Sawyer pointed the dart gun at Ryan and fired it.

"Ow!" cried Ryan "You hurt me you... you... stupid jerk!" Ryan was suddenly very angry and pushed Sawyer. Sawyer growled and swung the gun at Ryan who grabbed it and pulled it free from Sawyer's paws. He turned it back around and fired it at Sawyer, hitting him in the shoulder.

"Watch it with that thing!" yelled Sawyer "You could have... could have..."

"Could have what?" demanded Ryan

"Nothing!" said Sawyer as he quickly grabbed the gun from Ryan and shot him in the thigh. Ryan bellowed out in pain and frustration.

"That hurts!" said Ryan "You... you..."

"You what?" said Sawyer

"You ready to go home?" asked Ryan with a smile.

"Am I ever." said Sawyer

"If we hurry, we should be home in time for the hockey game." said Ryan

"Blah. Hockey." said Sawyer

Ryan grabbed the gun and shot Sawyer again.

"Ouch!" cried Sawyer "Why did you do that!?"

"You still hate hockey?" asked Ryan as he reloaded the dart gun.

"Heck no, best sport ever." said Sawyer "Let's get some pizza and watch the game tonight!"

"I don't really like pizza..." said Ryan "I think I'd rather get some-- Ah!" cried Ryan as he pulled a dart from his rear end "What was that for?" he demanded

"What's your favorite food?" asked Sawyer as he aimed the gun at Ryan again.

"Pizza, of course." said Ryan "What did you think it was? Salad?"

Satisfied, Sawyer handed the dart gun back to Ryan.

"We're listening to 'Dancing Queen' the whole way home since I did all the fighting." said Sawyer

Ryan pointed the dart gun at Sawyer and squeezed the trigger. 'CLICK'

"What was that?" asked Sawyer

"Nothing..." said Ryan with a sigh

* * * * *

Ryan checked his voice-mail as they drove home. He shook his head and tossed the phone onto the dash board.

"What?" asked Sawyer

"Looks like we're stopping at Starbucks." said Ryan

"What else is new..." said Sawyer "Hey, do you think Professor Diabolic escaped with any of those darts?" he asked

"I don't know." said Ryan "I guess that will be a story for another time."

Bad Hair Day

"Hey Sawyer, do you have the 1/2" socket?" asked Ryan as he searched his toolbox.

"Yup, almost done." said Sawyer who was under their old Malibu. "Just need to--- BAH!"

Sawyer pulled himself from under the car and stood up, his face covered in oil.

"Nice one. Good thing you're a black lab." Ryan joked as he threw Sawyer a rag.

Sawyer wiped the oil off his face, then handed Ryan the tool he needed.

"Looks like we need a new oil pan." said Sawyer "I guess I'm done till tomorrow since it's so late."

"Why? I know of a store that's open till 11." said Ryan "We can go there and get what we need and install it tonight."

"Alright, let's go." said Sawyer

* * * * *

Ryan and Sawyer piled into their truck and headed out towards the car parts store. The street was very dark despite the lamps on the side of the road.

"What's the name of this place?" asked Sawyer

"I... don't recall..." said Ryan, clearly hiding something.

"Yes you do! What's it called?" asked Sawyer a second time.

"Crooked Joe's Junk Pile and Parts..." said Ryan

"Ha ha ha! You're buying car parts from a guy named 'Crooked Joe'?" laughed Sawyer

"Hey, he has low prices." said Ryan "And I'm careful not to buy something that's broken."

Suddenly, someone ran out in front of them, forcing Ryan to slam on his brakes. A woman was frantically trying to wave them down.

"What's the deal, lady?" demanded Ryan "I could have hit you!"

"I was robbed! Two men took my purse and ran into that alley!" said the woman as she pointed to a dark alley between two abandoned buildings.

Ryan and Sawyer looked at the alley then at each other.

"One of these days, we should really just call the police." said Ryan as he pulled their truck over.

"Do we have our guns here?" asked Sawyer

"Yeah, but all I brought was rubber bullets. The kind they use in riot control." said Ryan

"Why?" asked Sawyer

"Because just knocking people out was getting old..." said Ryan

* * * * *

Ryan and Sawyer loaded up their weapons and made their way to the alley, trying to stay close to the shadows as they moved. Ryan peaked around the corner of one of the buildings but only saw darkness.

"You see anything Sawyer?" asked Ryan

Sawyer was able to see in the dark better than Ryan.

"Nope, no one there." said Sawyer "But I see a door. Let's check it out."

Ryan followed Sawyer as they made their way down the alley. They made it to the door and heard voices inside.

"Listen." said Ryan "Sounds like there's about four or five of them in there."

Sawyer put his ear to the door and listened in.

"They're saying something about stealing Social Security Numbers tonight..." said Sawyer

"Who's?" asked Ryan

"Everyone's." said Sawyer "They heard us! Look out!"

Sawyer dove for cover behind a trash can, but Ryan had no where to go. He pointed his shotgun at the door and waited for it to open.

"Who's there?" demanded the person who opened the door.

BOOM! The man at the door doubled over in pain as Ryan pumped another shell into the chamber. He looked past the man he had just shot, saw another target and fired again. BOOM! The second man was hit in the chest and fell back. Ryan saw the opportunity to step into the building and finish off the group. He motioned for Sawyer to follow him as he stepped through the door. Ryan spotted another person reaching inside his jacket and fired again. BOOM! The third man in the building fell over in pain as Ryan advanced, looking to his right just in time to see a metal bar come out of nowhere and hit him in the head, knocking him out. Sawyer hesitated, then decided to stay behind the trash can. The three men that Ryan shot struggled to their feet. Ryan was starting to wake up just as the first one kicked him in the stomach. Sawyer was furious, but managed to keep quiet.

"Take him to Mohawk." said the one with the bar as he slammed the door shut.

* * * * *

Ryan was dragged into another room and thrown on the floor. One of the men, who brought him in, placed his weapon in the corner of the room then left, leaving only Ryan and one other gang member.

"Stand up!" demanded a voice in the shadows.

Ryan staggered to his feet, then squinted to see the figure in the shadows. A man stepped into the light and stared him down. He was about as tall as Ryan, but he had strange hair. Ryan guessed that this was the leader of this group... or gang.

"Who are you?" asked the leader

"Pizza delivery. Knocked on the wrong door." said Ryan

"With a shotgun?" said the leader, motioning towards Ryan's weapon.

"Your boys are terrible tippers..." said Ryan as the remaining goon punched him in the stomach.

"I think you're a Cop." said the leader

Ryan shook his head. "Not a Cop. Just in the wrong place at the wrong time." said Ryan

"What should we do with him, Mohawk?" asked the goon

"Your name is Mohawk?" said Ryan "You're so original. Good thing you don't have a mullet." he mocked

"Lock him in the next room." said Mohawk "We don't have time to deal with him properly. We have to focus on tonight's plan."

Ryan was lead away and thrown into the next room. The door slammed behind him and locked shut. There were no windows, no lights, no chance of escape... unless Sawyer could find him.

* * * * *

Sawyer stayed hidden, trying to think of a plan. He didn't have a phone, so he couldn't call the police, but he still had his weapon. He always had the element of surprise, he just hoped that whoever opened the door was a dog-lover. He walked over to the door and started scratching at it, whimpering as if he was cold and hungry. The door opened and out stepped one of Mohawk's goons.

"Hey there, little buddy, what's your name?" asked the goon as he pet Sawyer on the head

"Perfect!" thought Sawyer "Now just let me inside and we're in business."

"Are you hungry? Come on in and get warmed up." said the goon

Sawyer walked in and noticed a telephone and the metal bar that had been used on Ryan. The goon walked past it and reached for a bag of fast food.

"You remind me of a dog I had when I was a kid." said the goon as he pulled out half of a cheeseburger.

"I don't think so." thought Sawyer as he picked up the bar.

"Here you go... What the-- !?" cried the goon as Sawyer attacked, hitting him in the jaw with the bar.

Sawyer dragged the goon into the corner of the room and tied him up with the telephone cord. He used his collar to gag the goon just as he started to wake up. Sawyer hung the phone up, then dialed 9-1-1. He couldn't talk or even hear the operator, but he knew they could trace where the call came from and hoped that they would investigate. Sawyer turned to the goon and grinned as he took a bite of the cheeseburger. The goon fainted.

Sawyer made his way down the dark halls, keeping his nose to the floor as he searched for Ryan. The trail ended at a room with no lights showing under the door. Sawyer took his AK-47 out of his back pack and opened the door.

"Ryan?" said Sawyer

"Sawyer!" said Ryan in a whisper "Am I glad to see you!"

"Let's get out of here." said Sawyer

"We can't yet." said Ryan "If they're really trying to steal everyone's Social Security Numbers, we need to stop them now or it could be too late."

Ryan lead Sawyer to the next room over where he had met Mohawk. He kicked the door open and followed Sawyer into the room. It was empty, but they had left Ryan's shotgun in the corner.

"Now we're in business." said Ryan

They quietly proceeded down the dark hallway. Sawyer stopped at a closed door and listened for a moment.

"They're in here." said Sawyer

Ryan put his ear to the door and heard Mohawk ordering his goons around.

"Hurry up with that password!" said Mohawk

"I almost got it, boss." said the goon "There! We're in!"

"How long will it take to download?" asked Mohawk

"About two minutes." said the goon

"Sawyer, we gotta move now." said Ryan "I'll take the right side of the room, you take the left."

"Got it." said Sawyer "On 3. 1... 2... 3!!!"

Ryan kicked the door open as he and Sawyer poured into the room, guns blazing. Mohawk was behind a desk, along with a goon at the computer and three other goons throughout the room. Sawyer shot one of them with a burst of rubber bullets and Ryan took out another.

"Shoot them!" cried Mohawk as he dove for cover behind the desk.

The hacker goon grabbed the laptop computer he was using and joined Mohawk behind the desk as the remaining goon pulled a pistol out of his jacket pocket. Ryan turned a nearby table over on it's side and ducked behind it. Sawyer sprinted towards the table and leaped to safety just as the goon opened fire on them.

"We have less than a minute to stop that computer!" said Ryan

Sawyer pointed his machine gun around the table fired blindly in the direction of the bad guys. A bullet hit close to his paw as he pulled his gun back and reloaded.

"As soon as he reloads..." said Ryan

Just then, the shooting stopped and Ryan heard an empty magazine hit the floor.

"Now!" yelled Sawyer

They both stood up and charged the goon as he tried to reload. Ryan and Sawyer each hit him as he fell back in pain. Ryan ran around the desk, pointed his shotgun at Mohawk, pulled the trigger and 'click'. His gun was empty. Mohawk grabbed the gun and pulled it from his hands. Sawyer pointed his gun at the hacker, who put his hands in the air in surrender. Sawyer shot him anyways, grabbed the computer and tried stopping the download.

"30 seconds!" yelled Sawyer

"Stop the download!" said Ryan as he wrestled with Mohawk.

Sawyer clicked 'CANCEL' and was asked for a password. Sawyer looked at the hacker, who was knocked out and tried to think of what it could be. He typed:

'mohawkrules' 'PASSWORD DENIED'

'mohawk4life' 'PASSWORD DENIED'

"Less than 10 seconds!" thought Sawyer. Then he remembered hearing Mohawk yell at the hacker.

'mohawksux' 'PASSWORD ACCEPTED' 'DOWNLOAD CANCELED'

"I did it!" yelled Sawyer

"Good!" said Ryan "Now stop this guy!"

Sawyer picked up his gun and aimed it at Mohawk. The gang leader stared down the barrel, then looked up at the snarling dog and stopped fighting.

* * * * *

The police arrived shortly after and arrested Mohawk and his gang.

"You haven't seen the last of me, punk!" yell Mohawk as he was placed in a squad car.

"Don't drop the soap, Moe!" said Ryan as they closed the door and drove off.

Ryan called Annie to let her know why he was late.

"Yeah, we're fine..." said Ryan "Yeah, I'll get Starbucks on the way home..."

Ryan hung up and he and Sawyer drove off in their truck.

"From now on, we're buying car parts online." said Ryan

"Sounds good to me." said Sawyer "Do you think that was Mohawk's entire gang?" he asked

"I don't know." said Ryan "I guess that will be a story for another time."

Crazy Weather

Annie shook her head at Ryan as he stared out the window, waiting for the delivery truck to arrive. He had received a letter from the Romoskovian government informing him that they were sending him a special gift as a thank you for saving their country from General Evil and his robot army.

"Is that a delivery truck?" asked Ryan

"No, that's a moving van." said Annie "Why don't you just go for a walk with Sawyer or something. You've been staring out this window for days."

"It's not everyday that a foreign government sends you a gift." said Ryan as he continued to watch for the delivery truck.

"There! That's it right there!" exclaimed Ryan as he ran outside while Annie followed. The two drivers of the semi-truck pulled up next to their house and began unloading a huge wooden crate.

"Where do you want it?" asked the driver

"Wow, it's huge!" exclaimed Ryan "Um, go ahead and put it in the driveway I guess. What is it?"

"I have no idea, but it weighs a ton" said the driver as he lowered the crate and moved it onto Ryan's driveway with a hydraulic hand cart.

Sawyer peaked his head around the corner of the house to investigate the noise.

"Just sign here and initial here and here." said the other driver

Ryan signed the paperwork and thanked the drivers as they drove away.

"I'm going to Starbucks." said Annie "Have fun with your box."

Ryan got a crowbar from the garage and started to break open the box. Inside, they found a 1969 Chevy Malibu in dire need of restoration.

"Cool!" said Ryan and Sawyer as they high-fived each other.

Ryan and Sawyer pushed the car into the garage and closed the door. They wanted to start fixing it up right away, so they jumped in their truck and headed to the store to buy parts and tools. Ryan had to stop at a bank first to get some cash, so Sawyer waited in the truck while Ryan went inside. Sawyer watched as Ryan went inside, then he looked around to make sure no one was watching. Once he was sure there were no witnesses, he put a CD into the stereo, closed his eyes and sat back in his chair with a smile while he sang along out-loud. 'Oh, see that girl! Watch that scene! Diggin' the dancing queen!' Just then, Ryan opened the truck door, startling Sawyer.

"What are you doing!?" demanded Sawyer

"I forgot my wallet. What are YOU doing?" asked Ryan

"I... I was... Just take your wallet and get out of here!" said Sawyer with a growl

Ryan grabbed his wallet and gave Sawyer a look, then went back into the bank. Once inside, he got in line behind a woman wearing a thick coat and a knit hat. It seemed unusual since it wasn't really that cold out.

"Anticipating a blizzard?" asked Ryan

"Something like that." said the woman

Once it was her turn, the woman in the coat walked up to the teller and handed her a piece of paper. The teller read the note, then looked up in shock and surprise. The woman in the coat said nothing. She just stood there waiting for the teller to do whatever was on the note. In a rush of panic, the teller hit an alarm and dropped to the floor. In an instant, the woman in the coat pulled two very strange looking weapons from her coat and pointed them into the air. She pulled the triggers on both, but nothing happened. Suddenly, the temperature in the room began to drop and small clouds covered the ceiling of the bank. Snow began to fall and winds blew from nowhere. It was as if she had created a blizzard in the bank. Everyone started to shiver and shake uncontrollably. A security guard tried to get his gun and fire it, but the woman pointed one of the weapons at him and pulled the trigger, causing a bolt of lighting from the cloud to strike him. He slumped over and didn't move.

"As long as there are no more heroes amongst you, there will be no more harm." said the woman "My name is Terra Steel, but you will refer to me as Elementis!"

"That is the dumbest name I have ever heard in my life." Ryan thought to himself

The bank tellers worked as fast as they could in the freezing conditions. They filled a duffel bag with money, then handed it back to Elementis. She made her way to the door, then stopped. The police had surrounded the building already.

"Looks like you're all hostages now." said Elementis "Get the police on the phone." she commanded one of the tellers

Ryan looked around and saw that everyone was freezing just as bad as he was. He preferred cold weather, but this was a bit much considering he was dressed for summer.

"Excuse me, Weather Lady?" said Ryan

"Elementis!" she shouted back, pointing one of the weapons at Ryan.

"Right, Elementis... do you mind turning the AC down a bit? It's pretty chilly in here. Unless you want all of your hostages to freeze to death before you can negotiate." said Ryan

Elementis thought for a moment, then agreed. "Very well." she said as she flipped a switch on the weapon and pulled the trigger. The snow stopped, but the cloud stayed. Then it started to rain.

"There." she said "Now you won't freeze to death."

"Wow, thanks." Ryan thought "This is way better."

"Uh... Elementis?" said a bank teller.

"What is it now?" Elementis snapped.

"The police are on the phone. They want to know your demands." said the bank teller

Elementis took the phone and started negotiating with the police.

"I want all of the police to back up about 200 yards." said Elementis "I'm willing to release a few hostages in exchange."

She listened to the officers reply for a moment then shot back:

"All of them? No. No chance. I will give you all but one, but if you don't back away within 10 minutes of the last hostage being released, I'll kill him." she said.

Elementis listened to the officer for a minute, then said:

"I already know who's staying behind." she stared at Ryan then turned her back to him.

"Aw, crap..." thought Ryan

Elementis handed Ryan the phone. "They want to talk to you." she said

"Hello?" said Ryan

"Hello, this is Officer Culver. I understand that the woman holding you hostage chose you to stay behind. What's your name?"

"Well, Officer Culver, since the crazy chick who took us hostage is standing right next to me and she can control lightning, I think I'll remain Anonymous. Just call me 'Leo'." said Ryan

"Okay, Leo, here's the deal. She says she'll release everyone if you agree to stay behind. This could be very dangerous for you since she has also stated that she will kill you if we don't back away."

"Yeah, I caught that part." said Ryan

"Now, I can't promise that we'll be able to back away like she asked because that's against procedure." explained Officer Culver

"So..." said Ryan

"So we're hoping she's bluffing." said the officer

Ryan put his face in his palm and thought for a minute, then talked to the officer again.

"Fine. I'll do it. But I have a demand of my own." he said as he looked at Elementis "When the hostages leave, I want my dog in here. He's in my truck in the parking lot."

Elementis grabbed the phone from Ryan.

"No! No dogs!" she exclaimed

"He's just a Lab. A nice dog who would never attack anyone. I just want some company before you do something crazy." said Ryan

Elementis thought about her options for a moment, then agreed.

"Send in the dog." she said

* * * * *

After all the hostages were cleared from the bank, Sawyer was let inside. He glanced around the room, found Ryan and trotted over to him.

"Good to see you, bud." said Ryan as he gave Sawyer a pat on the back.

"You say this lady can control the weather with her weapons?" Sawyer whispered

"Yeah, so be careful." said Ryan

Elementis walked over and checked her watch. "9 minutes left and the police have yet to move. Time to make our way to the roof." she said

"Why the roof? There's still time." said Ryan

"Whether they leave or not does not matter. I'll be escaping from the roof." said Elementis

Elementis led them up the stairs to the roof of the building. She had ordered Ryan to bring a chair which she sat down on and waited, occasionally checking her watch.

"So, you're the type of girl who would prefer to talk about the weather?" asked Ryan

"Shut up." said Elementis

"No. I have less than 10 minutes to live and I have questions I want answered." said Ryan as Sawyer stood and started walking to the edge of the building.

"Where is he going?" demanded Elementis

"He just has to take a leak." said Ryan "Now, how do those weapons work? Can you make any storm you want?"

"Yes." said Elementis "Extreme heat or cold. Snow, hail, rain or anything else."

Ryan had her full attention now as Sawyer circled around behind their captor.

"Hurricanes? Tornadoes?" asked Ryan

"Not with these little ones, but I have more powerful ones elsewhere." said Elementis "Sadly, I cannot let you go with this much knowledge. Goodbye, Leo."

Elementis pointed a weapon at Ryan, flipped a switch and pulled the trigger. A dark cloud formed over the bank as thunder rumbled around them. The thunder was loud enough that Elementis did not hear Sawyer charging her until the last minute. Sawyer bit her arm just as she commanded a lightning bolt to strike! The bolt hit the building, but missed it's target. Ryan ran to help Sawyer who was struggling to make Elementis drop the weapon. She kicked Sawyer, causing him to lose his grip of her arm. She pointed the weapon at Sawyer, but Ryan ran into her knocking it free from her hand. Elementis quickly regained herself and ran towards the dropped weapon as she took off her coat, revealing a parachute. In one quick motion, she picked up the weapon, flipped a switch and pulled the trigger, causing a powerful gust of wind to pick her up. The police could see her in the air from across the street and tried to take action.

"That's the suspect!" said Officer Culver "Take the shot if you have it." he said over his radio.

Elementis pointed both weapons towards Ryan and Sawyer, but was surprised when a bullet whistled past her. She saw the police firing shots at her and aimed a weapon in their direction, flipped a switch and fired it. A thick fog settled around the bank.

"Hold your fire!" yelled Officer Culver "You might hit a hostage."

Elementis lowered herself to the roof top and grabbed the duffel bag of money. She lifted herself back into the sky and pointed a weapon at Ryan and Sawyer.

"Let's get out of here!" yelled Sawyer over the howling winds and thunder.

"The door! Use the door!" said Ryan as they ran for the door they came out of.

"It's locked!" said Sawyer as he frantically struggled to open the door.

"We gotta jump! Come on!" yelled Ryan as they ran for the edge of the building.

Bolts of lightning slammed into the ground behind them, destroying antennas and satellite dishes as they sprinted to safety. They jumped off of the two story building without hesitation and landed on the ground, rolling into a heap. Elementis started to follow them, but the sounds of a helicopter in the distance made her reconsider. A gust of wind carried her off into the distance.

* * * * *

Officer Culver found Ryan and Sawyer after the fog cleared. Other than a few scrapes and bruises, they were uninjured by their fall.

"She got away with the money." said Ryan

"Don't worry about that." said Officer Culver

"I'm not, I just think she has something else planned. Something a lot bigger than a bank robbery." said Ryan

"Why do you think that?" asked Culver

"She said she had more of those weapons. Stronger ones." said Ryan

After Ryan had finished talking to the police, he and Sawyer went home without any car parts. When they returned home, they found Annie waiting for them inside.

"I heard what happened while I was at Starbucks. Are you guys OK?" asked Annie

"Yeah, but I think I caught a cold." said Ryan

"Do you think that Terra Steel will be back?" asked Annie

"I don't know." said Ryan "I guess that will be a story for another time."

Boiling Hatred

Ryan sat on the couch nervously biting his thumbnail. The news was reporting that it had been 2 weeks since Dr. Apocalypse had escaped from his maximum security mental institution. Surely he would come after Ryan and Sawyer. After all, if not for them, Apocalypse would have succeeded in his plot to take over the world. Not only that, but he also knew about Sawyer. If he was willing to kill for Ryan's hockey stick, what would he do to acquire a dog as special as Sawyer. Ryan looked at his pet who was also watching the report.

"What do you think?" asked Ryan

"I think we need to find him before he finds us." said Sawyer

"Find him? Why?" said Ryan "Whatever he's doing, that's up to the police to handle. Let them find him."

"And if they don't? What if he's scheming to take over the world again? What if he's planning to get revenge on us?" asked Sawyer

Ryan thought for a minute then answered:

"OK, so where would we even start to look for him?" asked Ryan "Surely he wouldn't go back to his abandoned warehouse and the police have checked all the other abandoned buildings and found nothing."

"Exactly." said Sawyer "He isn't hiding in the shadows, he's hiding in plain sight."

"As in..." Ryan's voice trailed off.

"As in, he's probably underground or in an unused space in the mall. He has to be right in front of us. We just need to check those places first." explained Sawyer

Ryan and Sawyer went to work on the internet searching for the floor plans of different buildings in the area. After a few hours of searching, they got a lead.

"Here's something." said Sawyer "The mall has an elevator that goes into the basement, but only if you enter a special code."

"So he hacked it?" asked Ryan

"No, I don't think it can be hacked. It's kind of old looking." said Sawyer

"Well, who has the code?" asked Ryan

"It looks like only mall security has access to the code." said Sawyer

"Try to find out if the mall hired any new security guards since the good doctor escaped." said Ryan

Sawyer typed and clicked for a few minutes then found what they were looking for.

"There!" said Sawyer as he pointed his paw at the screen. "Recognize that guy?"

"Yup. That's one of Dr. Apocalypse's henchmen. The one who tried to clean up after you. Looks like we found our hideout." said Ryan

Ryan and Sawyer got into their truck and drove to the mall. Ryan had made a few improvements to his shotgun, so he was now able to hide it under his hooded sweatshirt. Sawyer hid his AK-47 that he had gotten after their encounter with Alex and Tressa in his back pack. The two walked to the mall entrance but were confronted by a security guard.

"Be cool." Ryan whispered to Sawyer

"Hold it." said the mall security guard "You can't bring that dog in here."

"We're here to get our picture taken. The photo store said they'd do it. We called ahead." said Ryan

The guard looked down at Sawyer and frowned. "Fine, but keep him on a leash and if he makes a mess, you'll be fined for littering." said the guard

Sawyer wanted to bite the guards leg off, but just wagged his tale and pretended to be ignorant. Ryan put a leash on Sawyer and led him inside.

"This is so humiliating." said Sawyer under his breath.

"Just be cool. It was your idea to come here in the first place." said Ryan "Now keep your eyes peeled. We need to find a way downstairs."

The two walked in the direction of the photo store while trying to find a way downstairs.

"Hey, there's our ticket." said Ryan as he motioned towards a security guard standing alone by the food court. He was eating a doughnut and didn't seem very interested in guarding anything.

"That's the guy on the computer. Dr. Apocalypse's guy." said Sawyer

Ryan walked up behind him and pressed the muzzle of his shotgun up against his back.

"Hey, chump. Remember me?" said Ryan as he startled the guard. "Now, don't make me make a mess of you in front of all these nice shoppers. Just bring us downstairs and we can have a nice talk."

"I don't know what you're talking about." said the guard

Ryan clicked the safety off of his shotgun and pressed it into the guards back a little harder.

"Take us to the elevator." said Ryan

The guard looked down at Sawyer, who was baring his teeth at him.

"If you insist." said the guard as he started off towards the elevator

They entered the elevator and descended into the basement of the mall. Once out of sight, Ryan and Sawyer took their weapons out.

"He isn't going to be happy to see you." said the guard. "I suggest y--"

Sawyer knocked the guard out with the butt of his weapon and began securing him with a roll of duct tape. The basement was dimly lit and dusty. It was obvious that very few people knew about this place and even fewer ever came down here. The room they were in was about half the size of the mall itself and was full of boxes and shelves.

"He must be down here somewhere." said Ryan "Let's check it out."

They walked together along the wall of the basement, checking down the many aisles of shelves and stacked boxes. Sawyer stopped and put his nose to the air.

"It smells like something is burning." said Sawyer "Not a fire, but like a boiling liquid."

Just then, the lights turned on and out stepped Dr. Apocalypse. He was wearing a pair of tinted goggles with a few small green lights that blinked on and off.

"I'm so glad you two could make it!" said Apocalypse "I've been waiting here forever, wondering if you two were brave enough to face me again."

"Yes, we are." said Ryan as he raised his shotgun. "And now it's time to put an end to whatever your scheme is."

"Scheme? I'm shocked that you would think I would plot against the world a second time." said Apocalypse "No, I am turning over a new leaf. No longer will I dedicate my incredible brain power to taking over the world. Until further notice, I have only one goal in mind."

"And what's that?" said Ryan

"Revenge, of course." said Dr. Apocalypse

Just then, Ryan felt a gun pointed against the back of his head. It was another of Apocalypse's guards. He had also freed the other guard who did not seem to happy about the bruise he had gotten from Sawyer.

"I suggest you drop your weapons and do as we say." said Dr. Apocalypse

Ryan and Sawyer placed their weapons on the ground and put their hands and paws into the air. Ryan was tied up and hung upside down by a pulley on the ceiling of the basement. Sawyer was handcuffed and placed in a chair next to Dr. Apocalypse.

"Turn that frown upside down." mocked Dr. Apocalypse "Do you know why I wear these goggles?" he asked

"Save it." said Ryan

Dr. Apocalypse ignored him and began to explain the purpose of the goggles.

"After you foiled my plans last time, I was left in a coma for two months. Once I awoke, I found that I was blind. Later, it was revealed that I was not exactly blind, but my eyes were actually gathering every last bit of light in the room, causing me to only see white. Once all light is removed from the room, I see pitch black. So, I constructed these goggles. They adjust to the light in the room and allow me to see no matter how dark or light it is." explained Dr. Apocalypse

"You know, they've been making glasses like that for years and they don't look as retarded as yours." said Ryan

"Shut up, fool!" said Apocalypse "I have grown weary of your remarks. It is time to say goodbye to this world. Your beast will watch you die, then he will follow your fate."

The pulley that held Ryan upside down began to move towards a huge box in the middle of the room. The guards hurried over to remove the box, revealing a cauldron of boiling acid. The pulley stopped Ryan just above the acid and slowly began to lower him down. Panicking, Ryan began to swing from side to side.

"There's no hope, fool. Just give in." laughed Dr. Apocalypse

Sawyer frantically looked for a way to help his friend. His gun was just a few feet away, but unless he could free himself from his cuffs, he couldn't use it. Ryan was halfway to the acid when Sawyer strained to pull one of his paws free. With a howl of pain, he ripped his right paw free, losing fur and skin in the process. Dr. Apocalypse was stunned by the howl, but quickly recovered to try to tackle the animal. Sawyer was too fast though and grabbed the machine gun, racked a round into the chamber and pointed it at the doctor's head. Sawyer yelled to the guards to stop lowering Ryan into the acid, but all they heard was an angry bark.

"Drop him now!" cried Dr. Apocalypse

The guard controlling the pulley hit the release button. Ryan swung the pulley as hard as he could. Sawyer turned towards him and fired a burst at Ryan's rope, causing the guards to dive for cover. One of the bullets hit Ryan's rope, breaking it. Ryan fell, hitting the rim of the cauldron and landing in a thud on the floor. Ryan crawled for cover as Sawyer took the doctor hostage. Once he was behind the boxes, Ryan shook himself free of his ropes. Sawyer threw him his shotgun and took the doctor towards Ryan. The guards peaked their heads over their cover. Ryan fired a warning shot, but instead of ducking back down, the guards opened fire.

"Sawyer, try to cover me!" said Ryan as he crouched down and started moving to the sides of the guards. Sawyer fired his machine gun towards the guards. They ducked this time so Ryan made his move. He got behind the first guard and knocked him out with the butt of his shotgun. "I can't believe that works every time." said Ryan under his breath as he moved on to the next guard. He snuck up behind him and pressed the gun against his head. The guard froze and dropped his weapon. Ryan ordered him to carry the other guard to where Sawyer was waiting with Dr. Apocalypse.

"You lose again, Doc." said Ryan with a smirk

Dr. Apocalypse snarled back and cried out in anger.

"Not again!" he yelled as he grabbed Sawyer's machine gun and ran for the elevator. He turned to fire it, but the stock and grip had been modified for Sawyer's paws. Unable to fire it, he threw it down and ran.

"Hold it!" yelled Ryan

Dr. Apocalypse ignored him and kept running. Ryan blasted two rounds into the side of the cauldron, causing the acid to leak out, blocking Dr. Apocalypse's escape. Apocalypse hesitated for a moment, then tried to run through the puddle that had formed. Seeing that the puddle would not slow him enough, Ryan aimed his shotgun at Dr. Apocalypse's legs and pulled the trigger. The evil scientist fell face first into the puddle. He immediately jumped back up, screaming in pain as he dove for dry ground.

* * * * *

By the time the police and ambulance arrived, Dr. Apocalypse had been burned very badly. Ryan explained what had happened to the police who thanked him for finding the escaped mental patient. They took the two guards into custody and escorted Ryan and Sawyer back to the main floor of the mall.

When they got back home, Ryan found a note on the table.

Gone to Starbucks. Be back later. -Annie

"Dr. Apocalypse survived his burns." said Sawyer

"Yeah. He's probably really ticked off at us now." said Ryan

"Do you think we've heard the last of him?" asked Sawyer

"I don't know." said Ryan "I guess that will be a story for another time."