Paws For Effect Ch 14

Chapter 14 - Bite the Bullet

*****

Max and Chris ran through the maze of corridors, knocking out and tasing guards and dogs. They'd managed to get past quite a number of the cartel's men and guard dogs. Adrenaline was pouring through them. They'd gone through too much to give up and get taken down at this point. The last hurdle. They couldn't let anything stop them from finding Xander and putting a stop to his operation. There were times when they'd almost been overpowered, but as a pair they were unstoppable. Even as a human and dog, their connection and partnership were strong as steel. The alarm had stopped beeping. Someone must've switched it off.

Around a corner they came, arriving at a fortified door. It was locked shut.

Max barked at the door.

"He's in here?" Chris asked.

Max nodded, pointing his snout.

"Ok, good boy," Chris rubbed the dog's head in appreciation, who in return lolled his tongue and moved his head into the caress, loving the petting motion. The two forgot themselves and their situation for a moment until they realised who they were and broke away from the intimacy, avoiding eye contact.

Chris cleared his throat and turned to the door. There was no handle to grab on to or key hole to fiddle with. He tried pushing it, prizing it open, sliding it, but it wouldn't budge. There was a sensor with a red light to the side of the door frame.

"Looks like we'll need some electronic card to get in," Chris surmised.

Max looked up at his partner, his head tilting from side-to-side as he thought about how they'd acquire one. Suddenly, his ears perked up and his tail shot out. He pointed his snout down the hall.

"What is it? Someone coming?" Chris held up his gun, bracing himself for an interaction.

A grumble groaned in Max's throat. He was frustrated at not being able to talk and explain his thoughts to his partner. His paws bounced on the floor, not knowing how to convey what he was thinking.

Chris just looked at him. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're trying to say."

Max sighed and bolted down the corridor, rounding the corner.

"Hey, where are you going?" Chris called after him.

Back through the maze of corridors, Max ran, looking for something. He nearly gave up until he spotted what he was looking for, nosing over to it.

"What is it?" Chris caught up to the dog, breathing heavily from the pursuit of his much-faster partner. "Why are you smelling that guard?"

Max was burying his nose in the heavy uniform of a guard who was lying unconscious on the floor. He looked as if he were a sniffer dog searching for drugs.

Chris looked on perplexed until his four-legged partner pulled his head out from underneath the padded jacket of the guard. He was grasping something shiny in between his sharp teeth. "A key card?" Chris' face lit up. "Well done, Max," he said, taking the card from Max's mouth and setting off back to where they'd been before.

They got to the fortified door and swiped the card against the sensor. The light turned green and there was a low buzz.

"We're in," Chris smiled as the door swung open and the pair moved inside. Beyond the door was a hallway with ornate furnishings: rugs running the length of the hallway, paintings with gilded frames, upholstered chaise longues, large mirrors. It was all so decadent. This was where the cartel money was going.

The pair slowly made their way up the hallway, keeping their guard up as they passed entryways to equally decadent rooms, but they all appeared empty. They came to the top of the hallway. Double doors stood ahead of them. This was it. They'd reached the end.

They pushed through the doors and walked into a large ornate room, filled with decadent furnishings like the hallway. A large walnut table was placed in the middle of the room. At the centre of the table sat a suited man, looking calm but stern. His hands were interlinked as if he had been waiting their arrival. A grin crossed his bearded face, showing sparkly white teeth. Max knew that grin anywhere. It was Xander.

"Ah, you've made it, finally," Xander said, waving his hands in a welcoming gesture.

Max growled.

"Nice to see you again, detective," Xander chuckled as he smiled at the dog.

"It's over, Xander," Chris. Pointing the gun at the suited man.

"Yes. But, not for me, for you," Xander glared as two guards strode in from side doors, brandishing guns, along with two dogs baring their sharp teeth.

Chris moved the gun to the left then the right, not knowing where his focus should land: the man on the left, the man on the right, the dogs, or Xander himself.

Max growled and lowered his head, readying himself to pounce. He also didn't know where to look.

"Come on Xander. You know you're not getting out of here. It's over," Chris called across the room to the cartel lord.

"You think you and your dog are going to stop me?" Xander chuckled.

"We've gotten this far. Plus, I've called for back-up."

"Your men don't scare me."

"Wait. Why have you just been sitting here the whole time? We set off the alarm. You must've known we were coming?" Chris was confused over why Xander was being so calm at the fact that they had infiltrated his space.

"I wanted to see both of you put to an end, once and for all," Xander nodded to the men, who moved forward with the dogs.

Both partners shuffled backwards, keeping their assailants in their view. The men held up their guns ready to fire. This was it, they needed to act. Chris aimed at the left man and fired a taser, quickly firing another at the right as the two other men shot at them. Chris got shot in the shoulder but the other two men collapsed, falling to the ground as they went unconscious. The two dogs leapt towards them, one at Chris, the other at Max.

Max collided with the dog. They grappled and tore at one another, their teeth bared and growling. Teeth and claws tore at Max's fur and skin. He could feel cuts and wounds open up as the tussle went on. He needed to do something. A surge of energy grew from deep within him, from his last reserves, and he overpowered the other dog. His jaw bared wide and shut with a tremendous force, sinking his sharp fangs deep into the other dog's flesh.

The other dog whimpered as Max could taste the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. The dog struggled at first but then became quiet.

Max loosened his grip on the dog, prising his mouth open and off the dog. It was still breathing, thankfully. He hadn't wanted to kill it, just subdue it. It'd be ok with some medical assistance. He turned away from the dog and looked across for his partner and the other dog. The second dog was laying unconscious on the floor, tasered. Chris himself was lying against a wall, blood spewing from his bullet wound in his shoulder.

Max trotted over, sniffing at Chris' face. He licked the man, whimpering. Please don't be dead, Max hoped in his head.

Chris laughed lightly, turning his head away from Max's ticklish tongue. "I'm ok, Max."

Max nuzzled his partner's chest, grateful he was still around.

"Only thing is," Chris gestured to his arm.

Max stepped back, assessing the situation. He stared at the man's arm, not knowing what he was supposed to be looking for. That was until he saw it: a bite mark glared red with blood on Chris's arm. He'd been bitten by the dog. The virus that had turned Max into a dog was now coursing through Chris' body.

"Looks like I'm going to end up like you," Chris laid his head back. He looked exhausted. They'd come all this way, and now the thing that had turned Max's life upside-down was going to do the same to Chris.

Max whimpered, beginning to cry. He padded over to Chris, laying his head across the man's chest and rubbing it with his cheek. He whined. It's all my fault, he thought.

"It'll ok. You're just as good a detective on all fours as you were before. It can't be that bad as a dog. We just weren't good enough this time, buddy," Chris sighed, becoming quiet.

Max gazed at Chris, the man's eyes closing as he lost consciousness. His partner was giving up. He had to be the strong one now. There still had to be a chance to get the antidote from Xander.

"Well, isn't this sweet?" A voice came from behind them.

Max spun around. Xander stood there grinning with malice in his sharp suit. All this was because of him. Everything bad that had happened was because of the evil man that stood in front of him.

Max got to his feet; his head held high. He wasn't going to go quietly. It was just him and Xander now, head to head, dog against man. He stood with defiance in the face of evil. He'd take this man down, once and for all.

"Looks like this is the end, detective. Your partner will be a dog soon and that'll be the end of your investigation. Too bad you won't be around to see your four-legged friend," Xander pulled out a gun.

Max's ears flattened as he cowered slightly.

"I don't condone killing animals. But you've been such pain in my side, almost bringing down my whole operation. I'll think of you more as a cockroach: refusing to die and coming back again and again. It'll make it easier for me to put an end to you," Xander loaded the weapon.

Max growled, letting the man know he wasn't done for. While Xander was busy paying attention to his gun, Max took his chance. He placed his weight on his rear legs and leapt at Xander, his mouth wide. He took the man by surprise. All Xander could do was throw his arms up to block the oncoming dog.

Max sank his teeth into the man's arm, feeling his fangs burying themselves in the flesh. He hung on for dear life as the man swung, taking Max with him.

Max heard Xander groan in the tussle until a loud bang split the air and he felt a sharp impact hit his torso. He fell backwards, falling to the ground by Chris. He looked down. Blood poured onto the ground from a wound; he'd been shot by Xander. He whined in pain, a daze coming over him.

In the distance, Xander was gripping at the wound in his arm. He moaned from the pain.

Max had been tactical in his move. He'd bitten Xander so now the virus that had changed him was coursing through the man's veins. Now, the cartel lord had to reveal the antidote should he wish to stop himself from becoming a dog.

Right on cue, Xander pulled a vial from his jacket. It contained a radioactive blue-looking liquid: the antidote.

"Very clever," Xander laughed. "And you almost got me, detective. Infecting me with the very virus I created. But I've got this. It'll stop the virus," he held up a shaky hand, the vial sparkling in the light. "So, looks like it's game over for you. And I'll be on my way," Xander grinned, malicious to the bitter end.

Max was breathing deeply. The pain was dulling his senses. Maybe it is the end, he thought. He'd tried everything. Come up short against a stronger force. Now their nemesis was going to stroll out of there with their only source of turning back the clock to before all this craziness had started.

Solemn, Max passed his gaze down from Xander to the floor. Sitting in front of him was Chris' taser gun. It must've dropped when he'd tussled with the dog. Max reached forward, his paw pulling it towards him. But how was he going to use it? His nimble digits weren't dexterous enough to handle the weapon. He moved the gun on the floor where it lay, pointing it towards Xander. Luckily, he had an open shot of Xander, who was busy wrapping his arm in gauze to stop the bleeding.

The gun was ready. It was pointing directly to the cartel lord. Max laid his paw against the trigger and squeezed, but he couldn't force the trigger to move. Again and again, he tried, but it was no use. He was exhausted. He felt his strength waning. With one last ounce of strength, he reached with his right paw to steady the gun and held his left paw against the trigger. Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply. You can do this, he thought. He exhaled, one long breath as he pushed the gun with his right paw and brought his left paw back against the trigger, trying to fire the gun using opposite motions. Max almost leapt to his feet as the weapon came to life and fired a shot across the room and hit Xander in the leg, causing the man to shake and fall to the floor, the vial still in his palm.

Max had done it. He relaxed, laying his head on the cool floor and breathing deeply. It was over. Before he lost consciousness, he heard the police breaking into the compound, shouting instructions but the sound was muffled. He barked softly, trying to get their attention, as his eyes shut and darkness came over him.