Paws For Effect Ch 11

Chapter 11 -- I'm Just a Dog, Sitting in Front of a Man

*****

Chief Holloway stared at Chris. "You mean to tell me that that dog is Detective O'Malley? And you want me to send squads of my men with you, and follow this dog to some random compound facility, because this dog told you that that's the secret layer for a drug cartel that he and a bunch of other dogs-that-used-to-be-humans just escaped from?"

"Yes, sir," Chris and Max both looked up at the Chief, both pairs of eyes wide in expectation.

The chief burst into laughter, his belly bouncing as he bellowed. "I've heard some crazy shit in my time, but that has to top it," he slapped his forehead, his teeth bared in a wide grin.

"But, chief-" Chris and Max exchanged a concerned glance. They'd spent the better part of two hours trying to communicate with one another. Chris had placed a chart that had the alphabet printed on it on the floor of his office. Chris began asking questions and Max spelled out his answers by tapping the letters individually, arduously spelling out a sentence letter by letter. Chris quickly realised he had to phrase them in a way that got to the point or looked for specific details so Max wouldn't be sitting there all day tapping letters. It was tough going and Max had to take breaks from both the mental and physical exhaustion of the exercise. But finally Chris had gotten the gist of Max's journey, from the abduction, to being caged in the facility, to the other human dogs, to Xander's operation.

"And you got him to just sit there and copy your expressions too. That's some party trick. Uhh detective, you're something else," the chief rubbed a tear from his eye, his laughter finally abating.

"We're telling the truth-"

"I have work to do. Get that dog outta here when you're done playing with it, detective," Holloway strode out of Chris' office. Clearly, they weren't getting help from him.

Chris looked to Max, at a loss with what to do next. "I'm sorry, Max. I tried."

Max looked down-trodden, his eyes turned downwards as his head bowed, tail limp on the floor.

Chris gently rubbed his partner's head, anything to provide a little comfort in all the uncertainty.

They sat there for a while when suddenly Max popped his head up.

"What is it?" Chris asked.

Max gave him an inquisitive look.

"I don't know what you're trying to say...?"

Max placed a paw on Chris's arm and tilted his head to the side, a knowing grin on his doggy face.

"Max... are you suggesting..." Chris knew that look. Even with his partner turned into a dog, Chris knew that wry look on Max's face. That expression that said, "We're probably going to get into trouble for this, but it's the right thing to do." If it weren't for their current predicament, Chris would've laughed at the fact that Max was still the same ol' rogue detective trying to bend the rules to save the day.

"I don't know, Max. I know this is the kind of thing we used to do, just us two without any back-up or support, going in, guns ablaze trying to catch criminals, but now it's not two of us, it's just me... and a dog," Chris couldn't stop himself before he said it.

Max looked crest-fallen, his paw slipping from his partner's arm, a whine building in his throat. He felt self-conscious. He wanted to try to convey that he was still in there, the human Max, the strong-willed, smart, quick-witted detective. But all he could muster was a doggy whine and curl his tail in like a sad dog.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I know it's still you in there," Chris brought his muscular arms around his partner, holding the dog tight. "Shhhh," he cooed.

Max couldn't help but feel soothed by the embrace of his well-built partner. Or maybe it was his doggy instincts loving the feeling of being hugged by a human. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad being stuck as a dog, he thought. No, he couldn't think like that or he'd spiral. He couldn't give up or he'd be trapped like this forever. He'd come this far, risked too much. Got so much help along the way, made so many promises to the other human dogs. He'd got in trouble for investigating the cartel, got turned into a dog, what else was there to lose, what more of himself could he sacrifice? He wasn't going to give up that easily, not without a fight. Xander had taken him down one too many times, now it was his turn to finally take Xander down once and for all.

Max broke away from Chris, standing firm on four legs, back straight, snout pointed forward, a steely look in his eyes.

Chris looked at Max, who barked, just once, but it was enough. It was filled with power and determination. Chris could hear it in Max's voice, could see the expression in those eyes, that same look his partner got every time he was determined to follow through with something. And Chris knew better than to ignore his partner, because he knew when Max got like this there was no stopping him.

"You really think we can do this?" Chris asked.

Now it was time for Max to support his partner. He simply nodded and placed a paw on Chris' hand, looking him deep in the eyes. That was all Chris needed.

"Ok, let's do this," Chris announced. They had a lot planning and prep work to do: discuss their game plan, the layout of the facility interior, how they were going to get passed the guards and guard dogs, and most importantly, what they would do when they got hold of Xander?