Prologue
An eerie feeling struck the air. The WAF emergency alarm went off, which meant just one thing. It made me snarl. Vigorous had escaped, which meant - the end was upon us, all of us.
Chapter 1- Monday
7 days earlier…
It was a Monday evening in Los Angeles, California. All the marine animals were blissfully swimming in the fresh, calm waters of the Pacific Ocean, which reflected the warm light of the setting Sun. Everyone was preparing to celebrate the 4th of July, for it was only a week away. The city's malls and stores were packed with thousands of people because of the super sale for America's significant occasion. Planes were flying across the country to get people to their families. The streets and houses were filled with patriotic banners, posters, and every other kind of decoration. Extra-large-sized fireworks were being sent to the launch site. The mood was light, and the air was filled with American pride. Even though the atmosphere was joyous, the city of LA held a dark, confusing secret.
Chapter 2
"Hey Jack, how was your day today?" Susanne asked.
"Hi Mom, it was good. " Jack said.
"That is great. Are you excited for the 4th of July?" Susanne questioned.
"Yeah, I can't wait for the fireworks."
"Why don't you go up and finish your homework? I will be done with supper by then."
"Okay," replied Jack with an annoyed tone.
Jack was a 13-year-old boy in seventh grade. His eyes were a deep green, and he was 5ft in height. His hair was the color of dark chocolate, and his skin was a tan color. Sussanne, Jack's mother, had blonde hair with dark blue eyes. She had light orange skin with nails painted a hot pink color. I never understood why people like to paint their nails.
Jack and his parents lived in a suburban area near the bay in Los Angeles, California. His house was a modest 3-story, 5000 square foot home with a vast backyard, my favorite addition. The siding is made from Red Wood harvested from California's ow forests. The front yard consists of a path leading up to the door with gardens and other fauna on each side. The main centerpiece in the back is a vast marble fountain with water spewing out of many spouts. A fun fact about that place is that birds spend most of their time there. Just the other day did, I see a bird bathing in it.
Jack headed up the stairs to his room. It was a large square room with two panoramic windows. The walls were painted a bright aqua blue, and the window liners had a dark cedar finish. The floor was a soft and plush twilight-colored carpet. Jack's twin-sized car bed is in the farthest corner of his room. Next to it was my dog's bed. On the farthest left-hand side of the room was a small gaming set consisting of a gamer pc with a large, curved desktop. A spruce oak wardrobe was on the opposite side of the room with bag hangers above. The last corner was a study area with a gray rug in the middle.
As Jack entered the room, I got up from my bed to greet him, my tail wagging and my teeth flashing.
"Hey buddy, how are you? Did you have a good day today? Yeah, you did. Jack said while rubbing my belly.
"Yeah, you're a good boy Max? Yeah, you like that." I bark happily at this statement.
Jack suddenly got a weary and dry look on his face.
"Well, I got to go to work. I just remembered that I have an ELA essay due tomorrow." Jack states with a groan in his voice. Of course, I wasn't painting attention, for I was in my happy place, my tummy being content.
"Mom says that if I do not get my grades up, she will cancel Wednesday's plane tickets to Disneyland," said Jack.
I then came out of my near coma and realized something. I needed the Thomas family out of here on Wednesday. I decided to write his essay for him in the dark of night. There was only one downside to this plan. If Jack found out that I could type, write, and talk, along with many other things I would not like to disclose, it could endanger all the animals of the WAF. I had to be very silent with this operation. About 30 minutes later, a metallic blue Subaru SUV pulled into the driveway, and the garage door thrummed while opening. Jack's dad was home. I came to the door to greet him as he walked in. I liked him since he was always the one to give me bacon or something else under the dinner table.
Jack's dad, named Ronald, was a 40-year-old man with orange hair and a short orange beard. I am pretty sure his family comes from England. He has the accent and everything. Even Jack's Grandpa used to yell at me when I chewed on a shoe in a solid English accent when he came over. He's dead now, but I am sure he loved everything I did. He always let me be outside for hours when I ripped a pillow or something. Alice disagreed, though. Ronald was very buff and owned a successful company. Ronald is the CEO of the R&S Firm, which specializes in the legal industry.
After the greeting, I headed back upstairs when Jack was called down to dinner. I was about to make my strike, but Alice stopped me.
"What are you doing, Max? Are you crazy?" screamed Alice.
"Quit screaming. The Thomas's could hear us, you stupid cat."
"Don't call me stupid, stupid." Alice angrily whispered.
"So why are you writing Jack's essay?" Alice continued with a calmer tone.
"Alice, you and I have simultaneously been tasked with the Thomas's. We know that Jack's grades aren't the best since he has to go to summer school this year, so I tried to get his grades up by doing it for him. I overheard Susanne saying that if he did not, they would not go for their trip to Disneyland, which would ruin the WAF Meeting."
"Oh, that makes sense, but I think it is still risky at the time currently. We should go downstairs with Thomas and wait until nightfall to complete this task." Alice confidently states.
"You and me both know the consequences we will face if Jack and his parents find out about the WAF," Alice whispers as we slowly head down.
Once Alice and I reached the bottom of the stairs, we headed for our food bowls to eat dinner while Thomas continued chatting about their day while eating supper.
"So, Jack, Sussanne sternly asks. How is your essay going?
"It is going okay, I guess." Jack timidly answers with a sense of worry in his tone.
"And how was your day, sweetie? Sussanne asks Ronald.
"It was great, honey, but boring, as you, all would think. A total of 6 conferences today, each 1 ½ hour long. By the way, I must say this soup is something else."
"Thanks," Sussanne says as she blushes.
After another 30 minutes of their family talk time, dinner, and Ronald secretly giving me a pork chop, Jack finally got ready for bed.
"Jack!" Sussanne hollers all the way upstairs. "Brush your teeth. I don't want you getting another cavity. You remember what happened last month, right?"
"Yes, Mom," Jack replied reassuringly.
Last month, Jack got a massive cavity in one of his right-side molars and had tooth surgery to get it out. His face was all puffy by the time he got home. That was the most challenging day of my life, not what you think. It was hard to keep myself from bursting into a cyclone of laughter! He was just so funny-looking!
After brushing his teeth, he called me into his room to complete the daily nightly routine that we always have done. Look out to the stars using his telescope and read a Garfield comic strip before bed. I saw a few constellations as we gazed up at the stars today. We saw Ursa Major and Minor, and even Orion. Once Jack finally finished laughing at the comic, he told me good night, and we would go to bed. But today was different. Instead of going to bed, I had to write an essay in the dead of night. I should now be known as SCHOOL DOG MAX.
Chapter 3
As soon as I confirmed that Jack was asleep, I sprang into action with lightning speed. I worked hard and efficiently through the night and was about to finish and submit it for him when I suddenly felt a cold tap on my back.
"Who goes there?" I worryingly question.
"It's just my scaredy-cat, or should I say scared dog," Alice responds with a slight chuckle in her voice.
"Please stop making fun of me. I worked on my essay for an hour, and I was exhausted. It is 1,234 words long! That sure to get him an A." I proudly boast.
"Okay, good. That means that the meeting can go on schedule, correct?"
"Yup, I believe so." I confidently reply.
"We should be in the clear," I say reassuringly.
Chapter 4 – Tuesday
Today went like any other day. Jack left for school on the bus at 8:00 in the morning, and Jack's dad left for work only 15 minutes later. Sussanne spent the day at home taking care of Alice and me while working in her home office. At lunchtime, Ronald came home on his lunch break to eat with Sussanne. They had sushi today, so I was drooling the entire time. A quarter after noon, Ronald headed back to his office. At 3:30, Jack burst open the front door and screamed:
"Mom, I got an A+ on yesterday's essay!" Jack yelled with excitement.
"I told you so." I brag to Alice.
"Max, when did I say you didn't do a good job on it?" Alice argued.
Ronald came home at about 5:30 in the afternoon, and Jack told him all about the essay.
"Great job, son. I am so proud of you."
Ronald whispers, "I am also so happy we get to go on this vacation. I need it."
The Thomas's eat Sussanne's special homemade Cowboy Nachos. She even let me and Alice have some, and I must say, I had a happy tummy that night.
Jack and I dived into our beds and read the day's comic.
Before going to bed, Jack mumbled to me, "Max, the days just get more tiring each day."
Before realizing what, I was doing, I replied in English, "True dat."
Jack jumped out of bed. "Wait a second. Is it just me, or did you just talk?!"
I then realized that I had messed up and would have to initiate safety protocol 1.1. I got out of bed and shot Jack with my secret tranquilizer gun.
Jack fell into his bed once more and his eyes droopily closed. My mind was racing; what had I done? The only thing I could do was run to Alice, which I did.
Chapter 5
I rushed downstairs and ran as fast as my four legs could to Alice, who was sleeping on the leather couch in the living room. I jumped in the air and landed on the couch with a thud that woke Alice up.
"What in the world, Max? What are you doing? I am trying to get my beauty sleep here."
"Your sleep can wait. I messed up super bad." I franticly murmur while hyperventilating.
"Well, what did you do?" Alice questions.
I worryingly reply," I may or may not have talked to Jack on accident and may or may not have initiated Protocol 1.1.
"You what?!" Alice screamed.
"I didn't mean to, Alice," I argued defensively.
"Of course, you didn't mean to, but you did, so instead of arguing, let's go confront him with the truth and explain who we are, preferably without his brain turning into mush and the WAF finding out about this incident." Alice scoffs.
"Okay." I embarrassingly reply.
We then head up the dark oak stairs to Jack's room.
"Give him the antidote," Alice commands.
The antidote was a purple, lavender-colored liquid. Tiny specks of sparkly, glossy pieces of thin metallic fiber resided there. Alice poured the antidote into a clear plastic syringe. As soon as it was filled with 5 milliliters of gooey liquid, I pressed the silver needle into Jake's thigh, drawing red blood from the impacted area. Jack started twitching but stopped after we put on a bandage.
Chapter 6
Jack suddenly awoke out of his deep, drowsy slumber. He looked around; his vision hazed. Once he remembered his surroundings and recent events, he was about to yell when I stuffed a sock in his mouth.
"Jack, calm down. Let us explain what is going on." Alice states with a comforting tone.
After about a minute, Jack only started to settle, his eyes bulging in shock.
"As you know, I am Alice, and he is Max, correct?"
Jack nodes with his head still with a sock in his mouth.
"Well, we both are part of a secret animal organization called the World Animal Force, or WAF. We specialize in keeping every species safe, including you humans. Why do you think you got an A+ on your most recent essay? Max did it. And the only reason we did it in the first place is that we need you to leave tomorrow so we can have our special WAF Meeting."
Jack interrupts with a question, spitting out the sock. "What is the meeting for?"
I quickly answer his question with a simple answer. "It's confidential. You already know too much anyways."
Just before Alice finished talking, we heard footsteps nearing the bedroom door.
"We have been a secret organization not known to you humans until now, so you better keep us anonymous and don't talk to anyone about WAF. If you have questions, too bad, deal with it." Alice whispers as we creep under his bed to hide.
Susanne and Ronald walk through the door seconds later. "Jack, why is your light on? I told you to go to bed. We leave for Disneyland early in the morning, so get rest." Susanne caringly says as she closes the door to the room. Moments later, Alice and I got out from under the bed and slowly sneaked out without speaking to Jack. As we closed the door behind us, I only thought of one thing: whether Jack would keep the secret or lose our trust forever.
Chapter 7-Wednesday
At 6:00 in the morning, the Thomas's left for the airport. They had scheduled a pet sitter to come over for Alice and me, but we canceled that immediately. If you are wondering, it was quite an awkward call with Edna since I had to impersonate Jack's parents. The meeting would start at 3:00, so we had 9 hours to prepare.
I asked Alice, "Can we trust Jack?"
Alice replied, "He is a friendly kid, and I trust him, but keeping this big of a secret is honestly quite hard, I believe, for a 13-year-old.
After a few hours, it was finally time for the meeting. Tommy and Sal were both there as representatives for our Boss. Tommy is a Great Pyrenees dog, and Sal is a Bengal cat. By the way, I forgot that I am a hefty, 120 pounds Labrador Retriever, and Alice is a Persian cat.
"Hello everyone, and welcome to our Meeting," I announce proudly. Scones or quiche, anyone?
As the others proceed to ignore me, Alice starts the discussion.
"Alice and I have been informed that we have been tasked with a mission, correct?"
Yes, and a critical mission at that, Tommy states.
"You and Alice must infiltrate Vigorous base, arrest him, and take his weapon. Our agency believes that Vigorous has a hand on a weapon of mass destruction that could harm many species. A freeze ray that stops time. Our top technician intercepted this information when he hacked into one of Vigorous's phone calls. We can infer that he plans to take down the world and put it on reigns under his supreme control. The whole world's freedom would be forever lost. "
"You are overly dramatic, but how are we supposed to get in?" I say, stating the painfully obvious question.
"I'm glad you asked." Sal sarcastically answers with a smirk on her face. "Tomorrow, at 8:00 pm your time, our tactical air support plane will be waiting to pick you two up at the field next to the nearest farmers' animal barn. You will fly to the Appalachian Mountains in the northeastern USA. Vigorous's base is in the middle of this mountain range, which is embedded in one of the mountains. Once you are over the mountain, you will have a 5-second window to jump out of the plane's hatch door and skydive to the summit of the base's home mountain."
"Wait-hold up. What did you just say to us." I franticly ask.
"What all you have to do is skydive 25,000 feet of air. It's not that hard." Tommy enthusiastically says.
"These two are crazy," I whisper to Alice.
"Shut up and listen." Alice angrily says while grinding her teeth.
"Let us continue." Tommy commandingly states.
"Once you land on the summit, you must proceed to the vent shaft at the top of the mountain if you do. Once you enter the shaft and get through it, you will enter a ventilation unit. You will get instructions on your next steps from the WAF command center at HQ."
"If you are wondering, bionic robots will take your place with the Thomas's so that they are not suspicious if you are missing. The Thomas's will not be back until Saturday, which should give you two enough time to complete the mission."
"The Boss has tasked you two with this job because he believes in you two deeply and trusts you the most to deliver this assignment to completion. The world is counting on you to stop tyranny from wrecking our planet and turning it into a barren wasteland. Sal wishes us. Good luck."
At the end of the meeting, Sal stated we have intel that Vigorous plans to strike here in Los Angeles on July 4th for his first attack. After the meeting, Tommy and Sal said goodbye and entered an onyx, black limo. The car then pulled away at a tremendous speed going out of eyesight in a few seconds. Time to prepare.
Chapter 8-Thursday
Alice dragged me downstairs to the basement and directed me to the guest room in the morning. We then walked to the bookshelf in the study.
Alice, why do we need Thomas's bookshelf? I ask.
One of these books holds a secret that only I know. Start pulling them out; if you do not know, there is no point in reading them. Just pull on all of them.
Alice and I started pulling out books, and after about 27 books, I pulled on one that said, "Cats & Dogs: The History." When I pulled this one, it did not come out; it just tilted at a 45-degree angle, standing on its front bottom. Suddenly, the bookshelf opened like a door. Inside was a hall illuminated by 2 tube lights on the tunnel's ceiling. Alice and I walked through the dim-lit tunnel and came to a considerable mission base.
The walls were painted aqua blue with snow-white trims. All the lights' radiance illuminated the base. The floor of the secret base had dark oak planks with small, plush rugs spread out across the room. In front of the base was a giant built-in screen with a huge control panel. In the center of the room was a huge glass table used as a 3D planning table. The far side of the base had a miniature recreation and relaxing center. It included couches, TVs, beds, and more. The rest of the room was used to store the WAF agency's files and devices that they gave us.
"What in the world is all this, Alice?!" I question in utter shock.
"Well, this is a little something I built when we were first tasked with the Thomas's," Alice responded boastfully and beamed. "I made this base in case of an important mission such as this one. It holds all the supplies we need to be able to carry out this order."
I stood there with my jaw dropped to the ground and asked, "This is all cool, Alice, don't get me wrong, but where is the actual gear for the missions."
A smirk appeared on Alice's face as she pointed to the two sides of the room. I then noticed two buttons. When we pressed the buttons, the two sides of the room switched around to show an armory of gear and protective equipment.
"WOW. This is amazing. I compliment Alice. I think this is enough to complete the mission." As I stand there in awe, curiously gazing at the base, Alice asks, "Well, what are you waiting for, Max? Let's get to work."
Chapter 9
For the next few hours, we packed the necessary equipment. We put on our silencer suits, parachute backpacks, and sky helmets. We packed grappling hooks, earpieces, tranquilizer guns, automatic keycard openers, computers, and even Special OP Armory Gear directly from HQ for this mission. By 5:00, we were fully prepared and ready for the day's mission. I decided to take a nap since Thomas was not there. It was pretty boring around the house whenever Jack was not here. We would usually play fetch or something. At 6:30, I woke up. I saw Alice on the other side of the base on her computer.
"What are you doing?" I asked Alice.
"Hacking a bank." Alice mumbles.
"What in the world?!" I shout in shock.
"Of course, I am not hacking a bank, stupid. I am emailing the HQ saying we are ready for pick up.'
"Oh, that makes more sense." I with a humiliating tone to my voice.
I then ask Alice, "Are you worried about the skydive."
"No," Alice replies. "I have done over 25 of them in my life."
"Can I borrow your computer for a second, please?"
"Sure," Alice replies with agreeance. "But why."
All I do is walk away, ignoring her question. I go upstairs and sit on the couch and open the computer. I then search, "HOW TO SKYDIVE FOR DUMMIES." Watching a 1-hour lesson on how to skydive for dummies did not make me feel any better about my capability to skydive. The tutorial said there is a 10% chance that the parachute will not open, and you will plummet and be hurled toward the ground with incredible velocity.
With all this fear rummaging inside my head, I could almost not hear Alice saying. "Max, Max, MAX, listen up, will yah!? It's time to go to the plane. Can we get going now?"
"Oh yeah, I guess," I say hesitantly.
We then left the base and headed upstairs and out the door. The farm was a short 15 min walk from Thomas's home. When we started the farm, I looked at the sky and the stars. All of them glistened with a bright white shine. The moon illuminated the jet-black night sky as we saw the constellations of the Big Dipper and Little Dipper. The air was filled with tiny fireflies letting off faint yellow spots in the town. The farm always had a unique smell. Every time we went to the orchard to pick apples and peaches with Jack and his parents, I noticed it. The atmosphere around us was quiet, with a crisp, fresh smell and the breezes that passed over us. The wildflowers smelled of strong lavender, and the previously unearthed dirt dusted under our noses letting off a dry, barren yet natural, peaceful scent. The farm smells are primarily great until you go near the barn. Those smells you can't forget for all the wrong reasons. There was a nasty stench from the barn that came from, well, you know what.
As it turned out, the only way to the middle of the field was through the barn, so that is where we were going, but what Alice and I ran into was an unprecedented event.
"Tollbooth- Pay $100 bucks each to pass." Said a giant cow.
"What do you mean? I question. Why is there a toll booth here."
"Us farm animals have to have some way of earning money. The world's economy is hard to get into if you are an animal." Chimed in a squawky chicken.
"Well, we are part of the WAF Agency and on an important mission. Let us pass." I spoke. I continued arguing with 2 cows, 3 pigs, 10 chickens, 5 sheep, and other farm animals while Alice just paid 100 bucks to pass.
5 minutes later: "Well, WHAT IF I DO NOT WANT TO PAY $100 BUCKS? WHAT WILL YOU DO THEN?!" I said with a mocking tone.
THUD! I landed outside the barn doors on the ground, whining and panting from the rough blow to the tummy. I learned never to underestimate and mock a bull that day.
"Here is $100 for him. I am sorry that he is so annoying. He is not the smartest of animals." Alice said apologetically.
As I got up and walked through the gate while brushing up the dust on my body, all the farm animals looked disgusted with me. Alice didn't talk to me until we got to the plane. The outside of the plane was painted midnight black and white to blend in with the night sky. It was a jumbo jet with 20 windows, not including the cockpit. As we neared the jet, the back of the plane opened to a large folding down the ramp to enter the plane. It turns out that the door will open midair, which we will jump off of. The inside of the plane was like your normal tactical plane. There was a row of 20 seats on either side of the plane's interior, with a second floor leading to the cockpit. In the middle of the plane were some necessary supplies to complete our mission on the build-in table.
"Look at this plane; it is huge." I point out with an outburst of excitement.
"Don't get too excited, Max. Remember why we are here."
I first thought about how ironic it was that penguins were flying a plane. Just as I told Alice she was no fun and should loosen up; the two pilots walked in. The piolets were two penguins.
"Hello and welcome to the Penguin Airlines of WAF. I am Steve…."
"And I am Rick." Said the other penguin.
Steve was a little bit taller and older than Rick was. They both had those plane microphones on their ears.
"Today's flight will be 1 hour, 23 minutes, and 46 seconds. Don't ask how we know that. When the alarm goes off, the hatch door will open, and you must jump to your destination point. You have already prepared, so I wish you good luck." Steve remarked with a calm tone.
"By the way, what are you doing at the Appalachian Mountains?" Rick questioned.
Alice quickly said two words before I could answer his question: "It's confidential." In a cold tone.
"Oh." Said Rick. WAF never fills us in on anything. They just have us take agents' places."
Ignoring his brother's sad statements, Steve said, "Well, off we go. Next destination: Appalachian Mountains. Skydive at 9:23."
Chapter 10
After Rick and Steve left, Alice and I sat next to each other on the right-hand side row of the plane and buckled in. The hatch door suddenly started to close, and the plane moved. Right after the hatch door was fully closed, Alice and I heard a sound. PHSSSSSSSSSSS!
"What was that?!" I asked franticly, clueless.
"Don't worry, that was just the cabin air pressurizing," Alice said comfortingly.
"I hate planes. I do not do good with heights." I tell Alice.
"It is not that bad. Be quiet, for I am going to take a quick nap." Alice yells softly.
As we took off and the plane became airborne, my ears started to pop from the pressure. It did not feel that great, and it made us somewhat nauseous. Once we were about 10,000 feet high, I looked out one of the windows. Below me, I saw Los Angeles in all its beauty. The city was lit with bright yellow lights from light posts, houses, buildings, towers, and cars. The view was amazing. I noticed that the engines were silent. I realized that WAF technology was more advanced than I initially thought. As I continued to gaze out onto my home city, I no longer felt scared. All I could feel was happiness. Happiness that I had a good family and life. I got to appreciate three things more on this mission. Los Angeles, family, and the ground. Time went on. When I looked at my watch, it was 9:10, so I woke up Alice.
"Wake up, Alice," I whisper loudly while nudging her arm.
"Uh. What time is it, Max?" Alice asked, which a drowsy tone.
"It is 9:13," I answer.
"What!" Alice yells as she shoots up. "Why did you not wake me up sooner?"
"Because you are super scary when you do not get your sleep. Do not make me say what happened last year when my friends and I launched the loud confetti cannons on New Year's in the middle of the night. You started slapping us with the cannons after forcefully snatched them." I point out.
"You do have a point," Alice replies with a smirk. "But that is beside the point. Let's get ready.
We first slipped on our silencer skydiving suits again and put on our parachute backpacks. We then loaded up on our gear and put our earpieces in.
"Test 1, 2, 3," Alice said to evaluate the communications.
"Yes, I can hear you I reply."
I then look down at my watch and realize that it is 9:20.
"T-3 minutes to drop," says Steve on the intercom.
I look out the window to see the grand Appalachian Mountains in the distance. They are super big. Some of the biggest in the USA. Suddenly a rush of adrenaline goes through my body, my head in multiple places at once. I feel dizzy, and my eyesight becomes dazed and foggy. I collapse to the ground. Alice pulls me up and recenters me.
"Come on, Rocky, you got this," Alice tells me encouragingly as she hands me a water bottle.
The alarm goes off. I take my last sip of water before putting on my sky mask. The air rushed out when the hatch opened, sending me towards the hatch a few yards.
Alice then says, "I will meet you at the summit. Be brave and good luck." She jumps out and is gone within a second.
I tell myself to face my fears. That is what Jack's parents always tell Jack whenever he is scared. I remember that the world's fate hangs in the balance of what I do today and tomorrow. I was weightless before I knew it, falling from 25,000 feet above sea level.
Chapter 11
As I was falling through the night sky, I looked above me and saw the WAF plane was taking heavy fire from Vigorous's machine guns at his base. Two of the four engines failed ten seconds later, and the plane plummeted. I then saw the penguin’s bailout through the emergency hatch and yell, "Who says penguins can't fly," as they flew away with their parachutes while the plane crashed into a mountain, resulting in a fiery explosion. I looked at my watch, only 10,000 feet above my dropping point. I looked below to see Alice had already landed. When I tried to pull my parachute, it did not open. I tugged on it, franticly stretching my arm to open it, but nothing worked. I was at five thousand feet now. I reached for my emergency parachute and pulled, but nothing happened. I knew what this meant for me.
I started breathing hard, my lungs gasping for air. My helmet fogged up from my hot, fast breath. I felt my tummy getting tossed around in my belly, making me feel like I would throw up. Just as I lost all hope of survival, I saw a thick snowbank about fifty yards from the specific drop point. I activated the wingsuit feature of the silencer suit. I knew that I had to stabilize myself somehow. After a minute, I could gain control and drift above the snowbank, for I was rolling around, doing flips and turns of every kind in the air. I looked at my watch, which told me I was one thousand feet above the summit, going more than 150 miles per hour. The last thing I heard was my smartwatch saying, "ALERT OPEN PARACHUTE, ALERT OPEN PARACHUTE, ALERT OPEN PARA" --- Boom! I was blacked out.
I quickly saw Alice rushing over to me but fainted again. I saw her stopping my body from bleeding out, but I fainted again. I woke up a whole 1 hour later. My right leg was aching and longing for relief. When I looked at it, it had a bandage on. My eyes were still hazed, and everything looked blurry, but I looked around my surroundings and realized I was in a tent lying on a small rug. A light-type lantern illuminated the inside of the tent by hanging it in the center. I saw my gear set off to the side, which was somewhat damaged but still operative. I felt a heat source outside, so I got up to investigate. I was limping a little bit but could walk off the pain. When I got outside, I saw no other than Alice next to a blazing fire.
"Hey Alice, did you see my fall from the plane?" I asked in an upbeat but tired tone.
"Good to see you are up, Max. You were pretty banged up there, and yes, I saw your so-called "epic" fall." She replied with an amused smile.
"I wanted to thank you for fixing up my leg," I say to Alice.
"To problem. Besides, the fate of the world rests on our shoulders. I don't believe I am saying this, but I need all the help." She spoke.
After, we sat there for about 10 more minutes. I had flashbacks of the fall and the impact; it replayed through my head, pushing me closer and closer to the brink of going crazy. We got ready to continue the mission, though. While Alice took down the tent. I poured snow on the fire so Vigorous's henchman would not see the gray, misty smoke rising from the warm, blazing fire. Turns out Alice had to chop down a tree for the wood. I was surprised at her great strength.
We headed to the vent Tommy and Sal told us about. It was a three by 3-foot air circulation vent 200 feet below the summit. I went to unscrew the vent out of place while Alice took out our grappling hooks. Once the vent was opened. Alice handed me one of the grappling hooks, keeping one for herself.
"Turn on Stealth Mode on your suit. We do not want to risk alerting Vigorous's staff." Alice explained logically.
"Sure thing," I say with agreeance.
We then jumped down into the vent face first. The vent had laser beams rigged to an alarm, so Alice and I had to dodge them skillfully. Once I reached an incredible velocity midway through the vent, we flipped over and shot our grappling hooks at the top of the vent to function as a rope to slow down. It worked after 2 minutes of climbing down the eerie and dark shaft. We reached the regrouping point.
"Time to send the message to HQ, I guess," I said while panting.
"Affirmative," Alice replied.
Chapter 12
Alice opened her phone and dialed the secure line to the HQ command center. The Boss answered the phone.
"Hello, Agents Alice and Max. I would like to take this time to thank you for your generosity in accepting this mission for WAF and the whole world." Said the Boss in his deep, calm voice.
"We serve to the pleasure." Alice boldly replies. "Thank you."
"Here is Stacy, WAF's best analyst."
"Very well then. Here is the game plan. You are in the south of the base. The weapon is to the East, and Vigorous is to the West. You must take out all the staff with the tranquilizer gun and arrest them, arrest Vigorous, and secure the weapon. Once this is done, a Special OP Team will sweep in for the cleanup. First, secure the weapon. Head through the ventilation system to the main hall. From there, clear the staff and head through to the safe room. Once inside, secure the time-stopper weapon and lock yourself in from the inside. Communicate back here to HQ when this step of the operation." Stacy explained.
"With all due respect, easier said than done," I remarked
"That is true," Stacy said. "But we are counting on you. I have just uploaded a link to both of your smartwatches. It is the scan AKA the map to Vigorous's base. Good luck, guys. See you later.
"Wait!" I shout, cutting off Stacy. I have one question. "Are Steve and Rick, our transport guys, okay?"
"Yes. Though their plane got shot down, they successfully bailed out. They reached our Colorado branch 30 minutes ago on our thunderbird plane flown by Polly, the parrot. So yes, they are safe. Like I was saying, see you later." Stacy replies with speed.
"Thanks." We both say.
Suddenly a ping sound goes to both our watches simultaneously. It was the map.
"Time to get going," I state.
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