Bark was more than stunned. He stepped back in horror and shook his head madly. “No, it can't be.”
“Oh, boo hoo. Face it, everyone is out for themselves in this universe.”
Bark became angry. “I trusted you! I let you dig into my mind and see my most intimate thoughts.” As his collar spoke, he actually let out a few barks.
Josiah shuddered in disgust. “A thoroughly unpleasant experience, I assure you.”
Bark was enraged. “I’LL KILL YOU!” He ran right at Josiah with his nunchaku, ready to deal a deadly blow.
Suddenly a yellow flash hit Bark in the side and sent him tumbling across the floor. Spark stopped and stood over the fallen dog. His eyes were vacant and his neck was secured by a collar.
Josiah smiled, having not even flinched at the attack. “Did you really think I wouldn’t have security?? I could sense you coming the entire way up. I may not be able to control your mind, but I can still sense its presence. Though the smell of sweaty dog was announcement enough.” He waved a hand in front of his face.
“Sense this!” Toshi surprised Josiah with a perfect hit to the side of his head. She sent the doctor to the ground with one blow. To his knowledge, she had not been standing next to him seconds before the strike.
Josiah sat up and held out a hand to direct a telepathic blast at her. She stood still and smiled as the energy just bounced off of her. He was more than angry. “THAT’S NOT POSSIBLE!”
Toshi looked at him with confidence. “I am a millennium-old master. Your tricks are child’s play to me.”
Just then Spark ran at her, but was taken down quickly by her skill. She side-stepped his approach and planted a hand in his back with precision. Spark went head-first into a control station, flipping over the desk and computer and smashing into a chair.
Bark seized the opportunity and jumped to strike Josiah down.
“WAIT!” Josiah held up a small hand-held control. With a single press of a button, the entire view screen was focused on Snow as she walked toward the shuttle.
Bark stopped in his tracks, his eyes falling upon the image of his love. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
Josiah stood up and re-attained his commanding posture. “One false move, dog, and she’ll fry. One step to attack me from either you or your little old lady, and that pretty neck will be filled with more electricity than even Spark can handle.”
Bark was growling and bearing his teeth so hard that the air going and coming from his mouth was hissing. “What do you want?”
“You.”
Bark held his position, the desire to decapitate this man boiling in his belly. “Me?”
Josiah picked up a shock collar and handed it to Toshi. “Put it on.”
Toshi looked at Bark and then at the screen. She could not sacrifice a student’s life; she had to obey. With a snap, she placed the collar around her neck.
Bark stood still, waiting for his collar. “Well?”
“Don’t be so impatient. The man searching for you wants you unspoiled. I cannot injure you without losing a lot of money. But, I believe that the lives of both your sensei and your girlfriend will keep you in line.”
“Who wants me so badly?” Bark was confused.
Josiah smiled evilly. “Oh, I'm going to be a rich, rich man. Between the forty million the Alliance is paying me for the students, and the fifty million that the man offered just for you, I'll become wealthy beyond my wildest dreams.”
“Why is anyone paying that much for me? Who is it!?”
Josiah shook his head, “I don’t know. He said something about Korea and wanting revenge. I really don’t care, he’s loaded and paying.”
Bark gasped, “The dark suited man? He’s still alive?”
“Obviously. And he wants you bad enough to orchestrate all of this. Without his help, I would never have had the means to accomplish this. Now, if you'll follow me, we're going to make a delivery to the surface.” Josiah pointed his controller at the door, sort of like he was holding a gun to them. He looked at Spark, who had gathered himself from the master’s attack, and gave him a mental command. Spark took Toshi’s arm and directed her out of the room.
Bark and Josiah walked quietly and directly to get down to the docking port. Once down there, Bark saw the lone shuttle waiting for him and his captor. The port doors were open, and the force field was the only thing keeping everyone from being sucked into space. It was obvious that the station was moving toward a ship that would meet up with them eventually.
Bark passed the students, who were all in a sleepwalking state of mind. He felt sick knowing that they had no idea what was about to happen to them. Snow was looking straight forward as if she were a robot, Green Scream was with a group of students who were sitting on their knees, waiting to be commanded to enter another shuttle.
“What made you do this? Can you want money that badly,” Bark asked.
Josiah laughed. “Money is a very powerful motivation, but not my only one. I never liked the UCH, and now I get to destroy them. With all the students and faculty safely put away, people like me will become gods. I'll be rich and powerful. Soon, the world will be at my doorstep, begging for my blessings.”
Bark’s ears turned slightly as he noticed something different. There was an odd sound when Josiah talked. “Can I see my girlfriend one more time before I am taken away,” he asked as innocently as he could.
Josiah let out an annoyed sigh, but he obliged. “Fine, but make it quick. And don’t think I'm letting her out of the mind control.”
Bark walked back toward Snow. He paused for a moment and kissed her face, then started walking further back.
“Wait, what are you doing?” Josiah held up the control. “Don’t make me kill her. Get back here!”
Bark turned with a smile. “You know something, Doctor, you aren’t acting like yourself today.” Suddenly, Bark turned, grabbed Green Scream’s head, and slammed his face right into the deck plating.
The hallucinator wrapped around his head became visible, and the ruby stone that made it work smashed to pieces against the ground. Small parts of the crystal embedded into Green Scream’s forehead with the attack.
Josiah stumbled back, quickly putting a hand to his head “What…what happened? Where am I? What’s going… Oooh.” He clutched his head and fell to his knees. The terrific stress of mentally controlling everyone on the station at once was so great that the residual pain was unbearable. The agony caused him to fall over and pass out.
Like fresh light filling a dark room, everyone came around and found themselves in this unusual position. Some asked questions, while others felt the shock collar attached to their necks. It didn't take long for panic to grow among the terrified students and teachers.
Bark stepped up to Green Scream, hit him with a swift kick, and sent the boy tumbling across the ground. “I have wanted to do that to you for weeks.”
Green Scream stood up, his face streaming with blood from the impact with the floor. He pulled off the broken hallucinator and tossed it aside. He didn’t stand up just yet. “How…how did you know?” He slowly pulled the collar off of his neck. It came apart with ease and clinked on the floor like a tin can. Obviously he wouldn’t put a real shock collar on himself.
Bark maintained a threatening posture, “I could hear you whispering. I could hear you say something that was echoed by Dr. Stone, it was off a few seconds, and you were first. The one item they could never find from what was stolen from the museum was the hallucinator. You neglected to realize that Dr. Stone is my friend, he’s been in my mind, I know him better than I know Snow. From the moment I first saw him in the control room, I knew there was something wrong. Now, it’s time for you to give up, it’s over.”
“So smart, for a mutt. But, I’m not stupid. I haven’t lost just yet.” He took out another controller and held it up. “BACK OFF OR EVERYONE DIES!”
The general ran up, angry as ever. “What the hell’s going o
n!!! What are these shock collars doing around our necks?!!”
Green Scream pressed a button he smiled at the general and said, “They’ve been set to full shock the moment anyone here uses their powers. You have ten minutes until you all die by electrocution. Get on that shuttle or else.”
Snow looked at Bark in terror, “What's going on?”
Green Scream answered her. “What's going on is that you're being sold to the World Alliance for a lot of money, and I'm taking this dog to a man willing to pay me a mint. I'll go on a rich man, and you'll be sealed away forever. Or, you're going to die here. Your choice.”
Bark looked up. He heard something behind him and knew what to do. “You know something, green bean? I was not given a choice in being turned into a dog, or having my voice stolen, or being put into school with the likes of you. I'm tired of evil, backstabbing monsters giving me no real choice. From now on I'm making my own choices.” He leaned over and Toshi threw the chopstick she had in her hair.
The strike was quick and clean. The controller in Green Scream’s hand was knocked away and Bark was ready to pounce. Green Scream turned to retrieve his controller, but was hit in the back with Bark’s nunchaku and went down with the blow to the head. Bark placed a foot on Green Scream’s back and held him on the floor.
“I have had about enough of you,” Bark said. “I think the authorities will be pleased to take you into –”
Green Scream let out a massive yell that caused everyone to hold their ears. Bark was staggered by the blast and stepped off of him.
The General and several students scrambled to grab the loose controller before Green Scream could get to it, but Green Scream blasted another sound wave that was harsh enough to knock several of them down.
Just as he was about to grab the controller, Bark got him in a bear hug and tried to squeeze the breath out of him.
The General got to the controller and tried desperately to deactivate the collars.
Green Scream got enough of a breath in to let out a high-pitched shriek. It was not low enough for most people, but the more sensitive students were brought to their knees, including Bark. Bark released Green Scream and held his hands over his head.
Green Scream took in another enormous breath and unleashed a powerful blast that stopped the general in his tracks. The green-haired villain ran and kicked the general in the side, causing him to drop the controller. He went for it, but another student punched him in the face. He bellowed and burst the poor student’s ear drums.
Spark almost burst into a run, but the use of his powers caused the collar to shock him hard. More than one student attempted to step in and help, but the damned collars were too much. If they tried anything, they would be killed.
Green Scream had The General by the hands, both fighting for the device. He let out another sound-wave blast that separated them. The general still had the controller, but Green Scream grabbed a taser gun out of his holster. He was about to point it at the general when one of the students kicked his hand and sent the weapon flying. In a fit of rage, Green Scream bellowed until they everyone fell to their knees. He would not be defeated; he was so close to victory and the lavish lifestyle he thought he deserved.
The pulsing shockwave of sound coming out of his mouth was rattling the rivets loose from the deck plating. Almost every glass window around the station exploded. More than one exterior window blew out and a temporary force field went up in their place. The sheer volume was so great that several students passed out and others vomited. Bark nearly lost consciousness from the pain.
Bark closed his eyes and focused his mind on his training. He had to let go of one of his senses so that he could focus. Bark stood up and folded his ears back as much as he could and directed his eyes on the green-haired traitor. With a massive bark, he bounded across the bay at him.
Green Scream was yelling while he also searched the ground for the controller. He did not see Bark coming. Bark capitalized on this by swiftly kneeing Green Scream in the side and kicking him in the face. While Green Scream tumbled to the ground head over butt, the general grabbed the controller. Green Scream, his nose dripping with blood, jumped to his feet and took in a breath to blast Bark.
Bark crouched and ran towards Green Scream. Green Scream let out a horrible yell but, to his surprise and dismay, Bark was not deterred. Bark finally reached his target, slammed Green Scream right in the gut, and caught him with a smash of the nunchaku to the face. All the while, the soundwaves were deafening, but Bark focused hard on his training. The rest of the students were holding their heads and trying not to bleed out of their ears.
Bark reared back and used his fist to plant a final blow on Green Scream’s jaw. This ended the shockwaves and landed him on the ground. There was a bit of satisfaction at the feeling of the bone cracking under his fingers; he had wanted to break this creep’s face for months.
The general tried to find the button to deactivate the collars, but there wasn’t one; the controller was designed without markings. You had to know the combination of buttons to press at once to do what you wanted. While the general was contemplating his next steps, X-Eyes ran up to him and said, “Let me take a look.”
The general held the controller out. “What do you know about this?”
X-Eyes didn’t actually take the controller. He used his powers to see the finger prints on the buttons. He pointed to two on either side and said, “Those two haven’t been pushed. I bet they deactivate or unlock our collars.”
“I hope you’re right, kid.” The general squeezed the buttons on the sides and all around the room there were hundreds of clicking sounds as the collars’ locking mechanisms unfastened. “Good work.” But he had spoken too soon, as the collars began to beep faster. “GET EM OFF,” the general yelled, fearing the worst. Everyone yanked their collars off and threw them on the ground. The general ordered, “Spark, get them out of here.”
“I’m on it!” Spark made a swift salute to the general and then dashed around the room at a speed he didn’t often use. He gathered up armfuls of the collars and threw them out the open bay. It took five trips to round up all the collars, but he did it in less than three seconds. The now-floating collars all erupted in a brilliant explosion in space. Fortunately for those inside the bay, the force field allows things to exit but not enter.
“Bark, you’re my hero!” Snow ran over to her man, surprising him with a great big hug.
Bark looked at her and shook his head. His voice collar said, “I can’t hear.”
She smiled sympathetically. “I'm sure the doctor can fix that.”
Bark shrugged, unable to read her lips.
The general looked out of the docking bay at the ship. “Solar Flare, Rocket, take care of that ship!” The two students who could survive the vacuum of space, jumped up at the general’s command and flew out to meet the enemy head on. “Spark, Ladybug, get to the command center and move this station back to its normal position.” Spark and Ladybug ran off, Spark getting there long before her. The general walked up to Bark, sighed, and said, “Young man, you saved us all.”
Bark shrugged and shook his head. “I can’t hear.”
Before the general could reply, Green Scream got to his feet. He was bloody, bruised, and hunched, but he managed to say, “You will die.” He held up the general’s gun, which had fallen loose in the scuffle, and pointed it at Bark. “If I couldn’t get you to him, I was told to hurt you in the worst possible way.” He turned the gun on Snow and pressed the charge button that would release all of its power.
Bark didn’t take a moment to consider his options. Even though he couldn’t hear what was said, all he needed to know was that Snow was in danger. He jumped and took the jolt in Snow’s place. The energy ran all over his body and sent him down. Snow immediately responded by hitting Green Scream with a terrific blast of cold. He froze solid and fell over, shattering across the deck.
Snow fell to the ground to hold her hero. �
��Bark!”
Bark opened his eyes with a smile on his muzzle and brushed his fingers through Snow’s hair. His eyes closed and his arms rested against his chest. As he faded into unconsciousness, his voice box said, “I love you.”
Snow held him with tears running down her face. The general knelt down with Snow, holding her shoulders.
Chapter 7: A Great Awakening
Bark’s Journal: Day 10. What a week. The UCH is returning to normal – well, as normal as it gets around here. The World Alliance denies having played any part in what happened here and, without any testimony from Green Scream, we really cannot prove anything. The general assures me that an investigation will be opened to find out if that dark-suited man is still alive. It worries me to know that someone is that interested in me. Could it be that man who captured me in Korea? I just don’t know. But, worrying about something you cannot change right now is foolish, so I will just have to put it away.
Dr. Stone has passed the security scans and proven he truly did not have anything to do with Green Scream’s plans. This is very fortunate for me, as he is one of the best doctors in the world. Red Fury told me that I destroyed one of the most valuable jewels in the known universe. The ruby on the hallucinator was found amongst ancient artifacts in the tombs of the Mayans. It has the ability to control another person’s mind, allowing you to literally live through them. The device amplified that to the point that Green Scream was capable of even using Josiah’s powers – an ability that most mind control devices lack. I know the ruby was worth more than all the gold at Fort Knox, but I'm glad to know it is now powerless.
The damage to my ears was permanent, but with some tissue replication the damaged parts have been replaced. My hearing isn’t totally back yet, but Josiah said that within a few weeks I will be hearing dog whistles again. A mixed blessing, I guess. As for the jolt I took, it will take a few more days for me to completely recover. Josiah told me that I should have died, but somehow my biology was sturdy enough to withstand the jolt. He gave me a complicated medical reason, but it boils down to this: the energy that was used to change me into what I am today changed my biology to be more resistant to energy attacks. This is probably part of the mutation designed to help me be a better soldier. Good to know. I may not be the strongest student, or have some kind of superpower to take down others, but I can take a blow and will do so to protect those that I love.
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