Bark looked around at everyone. “I don’t think they’re sick. They look like someone has them dazed by a telepathic attack, or something like that.”
Toshi shook her head. “No, it is an alien virus that spreads through touch. Don’t let any of them touch you.”
Bark’s eyes widened and he stepped back from a boy that nearly ran into him. “Alien Virus?! What do we do?”
Toshi smiled. “I have a plan. Come with me to the infirmary. We can seal ourselves into one of the quarantine tanks and wait for help.”
Bark frowned. “What about that ship out there? Are they doctors or something like that?”
Toshi seemed caught off guard for a moment, then nodded. “Yes. Of course. They’re here to help us. But, we need to be sure to be healthy when they arrive. We may be the only help they find on the station, and there will be a lot to do. Come on, the only safe place is the infirmary.”
Bark nodded. “Alright. Let’s move.”
Toshi nodded and led the way. “This way, and remember, don’t let any of them touch you.”
Bark and Toshi ran through the station, dodging people left and right. Everyone was confused and seemingly sleepwalking. Some were even using their powers. Fortunately, it did not appear to be doing anyone actual harm.
Down several corridors and past a lot of sick people, Bark and Toshi finally reached the infirmary. No one noticed them at all; even with their eyes open, they were completely out of touch with reality. Upon entering the infirmary, Bark was stunned for a moment to see The General on the floor, passed out. Could it get worse?
“There, in the back. The quarantine tank.” Toshi pointed to an area that had large cylindrical tubes of plastic surrounding bio beds. This was an area in which people were placed when they were so contagious that a quarantine was ordered. It would also protect anyone inside from an outbreak like this. The bed that she was pointing at was a very special tank that could put someone into artificial hibernation to prolong their life in case of an emergency.
Bark stopped and pressed a button that activated the computer. He frowned and tried to figure it out. “I, uh, don’t know how to activate the tank so the door will open.”
Toshi stepped up. “Don’t worry, Bark. I can do it.”
Bark stepped back and smelled the air. Something didn’t seem right. “Toshi Sensei? Why aren’t you sick?”
Without turning to look at him, Toshi worked the controls and answered his question. “I avoided the people. Like I said, the virus can spread through touch.”
Bark stepped up and sniffed Toshi. The scent was not her; in fact, it was not any person he had smelled closely before. Then, for a moment, he felt very lightheaded and everything seemed to grow blurry. “Toshi Sensei, something is not right.”
She turned with a smile. “Of course things are not right. The virus…”
Bark stepped back and took up a defensive posture. “No, you're not right. What is the name you gave me in training?”
She shrugged and said, “Bark-san.”
“Wrong answer.” He leapt right into an attack and caught her off guard, something that would never happen to the real Toshi. With a well-placed fist to the face, he sent the imposter down.
The room grew hazy and he could see now that the person he was looking at was not Toshi, but another student. Bark retained his defensive posture, but stepped closer to the boy. “Who are you!?”
A blonde-haired, blue-skinned boy lay on the ground, his eyes rolling upward in his head while he mumbled incoherently. Bark had not hit him hard enough to stagger him like this; he was under some kind of mind control. What gave Bark a cold chill was the sight of a shock collar wrapped around the poor boy’s neck.
Suddenly, Bark felt a pretty hard blow to the back of his left shoulder. He stumbled forward and twisted around to find The General looking at him with glazed eyes and a wicked smile. Bark dodged two more strikes and caught The General’s arm. He used his leverage to throw the man across a bio bed and into a wall. The General did not stand up, but he was still smiling like a mad man. He too had a shock collar wrapped around his neck.
With a voice that was not at all his own, The General taunted Bark. “I control them all. You'll die before you find me.”
Bark turned and ran for the exit, not wishing to hurt the general, or be hurt by him. After closing the door, Bark heard a fist pounding against it. Thinking quickly, Bark hit the emergency contamination switch, which immediately sealed the door and put up an impermeable force field. Only Josiah Stone and a few others in the higher command could open this door now. Hopefully, the person in control of all the madness on the ship did not have those codes.
“What the hell?” Bark turned and found a hallway full of students, maintenance people, and instructors heading for him.
Everyone looked like The General: wild-eyed and mad. Just as he was beginning to wonder if he were the only one unaffected by the mind control, the world turned foggy and the people in front of him changed. The nearest attackers now were Snow and Spark, their faces filled with anger.
Bark jumped back and, despite his surprise, tried to reason with his girlfriend. “Snow, it’s me. Please don’t make me hurt you.”
She laughed. “Oh, you are so easily fooled. This'll be fun.” It was not her voice, it was not her attitude; it was not Snow. Whoever was behind this was manipulating her body. Why weren’t they attacking? Why weren’t they using their powers? Snow interrupted Bark’s thought and said, “Run, doggy. Run away or I'm going to get you.”
Then it began to make more sense why the fake Toshi wanted to keep him from touching anyone. Josiah told Bark that his mind was resistant to mental powers, which is probably why this person is trying to scare him into cooperating. They could only affect a small part of his mind, what he saw. They couldn't make him do anything against his will. He would have to depend on his training and let go of his fear. Bark pushed the fear in him down in his belly and he suddenly kneed Spark right in the gut. Instantly Spark changed to another student who was being used. He hit the ground, but his eyes were still wide open.
Closing his eyes and calming his nerves, Bark took a few breaths and focused on his training. If he could take down five highly programmed ninjas in the pitch black, he could take down a few mind-controlled heroes. Without opening his eyes, Bark used his hearing and smell to defend himself. This way, they couldn’t mess with what he sees. He jumped off the walls and used the people as spring boards, flying over them to avoid their attacks. Any students who managed to land a blow on Bark were met with swift punches and kicks. Toshi had taught him well. He could disarm their attacks without doing too much harm. Fortunately for him, the controller did not seem completely capable of utilizing his victims’ super powers. Either that, or for some reason he wanted Bark to survive and only be captured. But Bark was not waiting around to find out.
***
Bark ran out of the hall and jumped over two students that were going after him. He stopped and opened his eyes to get his bearings. He did not have the layout of the station memorized well enough to fight with his eyes closed. He avoided looking directly at anyone, to keep his enemy from attacking his emotions.
“Who are you,” he asked aloud.
A dozen student speaking like a chorus with one voice answered, “I'm one who seeks vengeance against the likes of you.”
“Okay, that was cliché. Why me? Or do you just want to stop me because you cannot control my mind?”
The voices answered, “I hate the UCH. But, yes, dog, I have my reasons to want you. I know a man who will pay highly to get his hands on you.”
Bark looked around. The man behind the voices did not even try to mess with his mind anymore, as Bark’s visions were gone. “Who would even know of my existence? As far as everybody on earth is concerned, I'm dead.”
The voice simply laughed, not giving an answer.
Bark was rushed from behind by Thrasher and Red Fury. He heard
them coming, but was not fast enough to avoid both of them. Red Fury was a quick person, and he used fire like Spark used electricity. Bark skidded to a stop to avoid crashing into the red-headed instructor. Just as he did, Coach Thrasher grabbed his tail and threw him to the ground. Bark tried to jump up with his hands so that his feet could make contact with Thrasher’s face, but the four-armed coach was too strong for him. He caught a leg and held Bark at bay. Bark let out a very canine howl and then used his free leg to give the coach a mighty kick to the face. It made the man drop the dog and stumble backwards. Bark did enjoy the sensation a little, as Thrasher wasn’t a very kind man.
Before he could make a retreat, Red Fury grabbed Bark by the arm and threw him right over a table and into a wall. Bark hardly had enough time to gather his senses before the two brutes were tossing aside the table and chairs and coming after him again.
Just then a pair of nunchaku hit Red Fury right in the head. A little white blur attacked him and hit him in several locations on the body, making him go limp. Thrasher picked up a chair to throw at the new attacker but found that she was no longer in front of him, but beside him. From this angle, Bark saw who this new attacker was and smiled. Meanwhile, Toshi grabbed Thrasher’s leg and used his own weight to send him face first into the ground. Mind control or no mind control, he was knocked out cold.
Toshi nodded. “Like I taught you, Inu-chan, use their weight against them, and even the biggest enemy falls on his butt.”
Bark smiled and replied, “He fell on his face.”
Toshi shrugged. “All the same to me.”
Bark slowly stood up and walked over to her with a disbelieving face. “Toshi? Is it really you?” He leaned over and sniffed her. Suddenly, she smacked him in the side of the head, just like she did every time he was not paying enough attention. He rubbed his temple, nodded, and said, “Yup, it’s you.”
Toshi looked around and noticed that the students and instructors were starting to hobble their way. “Come with me.” She grabbed Bark’s arm and pulled him into a little room used to store the bulk foods for the vendors.
Bark closed the door and barred it with a mop handle. “That won’t hold them forever.”
Toshi nodded. “Yes, but it will do. Here.” She handed him the nunchaku she carried.
Bark took them and then looked at her with a very curious brow. “Why aren’t you affected by the mind control?”
Toshi pulled out a jade pendant she had hung around her neck, hidden beneath her simple kimono. “The Mystical Pendant of Jikan no Isihi, given to me by the dragon Watatsumi a long time ago. It was given to me so that my mind may remain clear, no matter how old I become. Unfortunately, Inu-chan, it will not work for anyone else.”
Bark smiled. “No wonder you're so talented, and so old.”
She smacked him in the side of the head again and said, “Never talk about a lady’s age.”
He rubbed his head again. “Okay, what do we do now?”
“We find out who is behind this and stop him.”
Bark shook his head. “No. We must contact the Rangers, or the military, or someone. This person is too powerful for me. I –”
“Inu-chan,” she said, cutting him off. “We don’t have time to call for help. It'll be too late. We must find a way to bring this person down, or all of earth will be in peril.”
Bark stepped back. “But I'm not that kind of hero. I'm just a new student.”
“Inu-chan, you're a great hero. You have potential that is far beyond your understanding. This is why I chose you as my first student in two years. You have a gift that protects you from this mind control, so use it. Destiny provided you with talent and ability, and I know you can accomplish great things. Now, prove destiny right. Go out there and put an end to this evil mastermind’s attacks on us.”
Bark closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She was right, of course; they really didn’t have time to wait for help. And, he did have a protection from this mental control. He opened his eyes and said, “Fine. I'll do my best.”
Toshi smiled at him. “That is all I ever ask of you.”
Bark thought for a moment. “Okay. Whoever is doing this has a ship outside that is getting closer by the minute. I felt the thruster system activate. The whole station is moving away from Earth.”
“He must be moving the station to get us outside of the security platforms. But why?”
“Wait, that voice that talked to me said he hated the UCH. Maybe they’re going to destroy the station, or capture everyone on board.”
Toshi nodded. “With everyone under mental control, it won’t take much to round them up.”
“Then I need to get to the controls in the command center. If I can shut down the thrusters, I might be able to keep us inside the security zone.”
“Good,” Toshi agreed. “Then we must head up to the command levels.”
Bark looked back at the door. “It would be a lot easier if I didn’t have a thousand people between me and the control center.”
Toshi stepped aside and pushed a button hidden behind the shelves. A door opened in the floor, leading to a hidden passageway. “I think we can get closer this way.”
Bark was surprised, to say the least. “How did you know about that?”
“I have been here since this station was constructed. I know more about this place than even the general. Now, let’s get moving.”
***
The view screen in the operations center was active. On the main view screen the dark-suited man sat at a desk, angrily yelling at the man in charge of the station. “WHERE IS HE?”
“Bark will be delivered to you via a shuttle from the station.”
"WHEN?!” The dark-suited man was impatient as always.
“Within the hour.”
“How can you be sure? Have you even captured him yet?”
The shadowed man in the command center shook his head. “No, my plan to put him into hibernation failed. But I won’t need to capture him. He will go willingly.”
“And why is that,” the dark-suited man sneered.
The shadowed man turned on a monitor showing Snow laying on the floor of a holding cell, a shock collar tightly wrapped around her neck. “I have an ace up my sleeve. Don’t worry, I have everything under control. Just make sure you send the money to my account.”
“Half has been transferred, the other half is on hold until that dog is in my possession.”
The shadowed man paused for a moment, a delicate smile playing on his lips. “He will be. Now, I have some work to do.” Without a by-your-leave, the shadowed man pressed a button and the screen returned to the map of earth.
“Computer, bring up the security camera on level seven of the command center.”
The screen changed and he watched a small hatch on the wall open. Bark and Toshi exited the hatch, making sure to keep their eyes out for anyone around them.
“Clever, Bark, but you're too stupid to realize that even though I cannot control you, I can still sense your presence.” He smiled at the screen and looked at Toshi. He intended on forcing her to do his bidding, but she did not respond to his mental control. “What's this?”
***
Bark sniffed the air and looked up and down the way. “I don’t see anyone coming.”
Toshi got up and dusted herself off. “Remind me to tell the general to clean his ventilation system.”
Bark shook his head. “This was hardly the time to worry about such things.” His ears perked up and he realized he was hearing something really odd. “Wait, what is that?”
They walked over to the wall where a set of windows looked down to the main docking platforms. For some reason, hundreds of people were lining up in the open docking port. Bark looked up and down the lines to see if he could find Snow, but she was nowhere to be seen. He did see several people he knew, including Rich and the general. It did not take him long to notice that every single person had a shock collar wr
apped snugly around their necks.
“What do you make of this?” Bark pointed to the people leaving the station.
Toshi looked out and scanned the people quickly with her eyes. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t look good.”
Bark frowned. “If the person behind this has the power to control their minds, why is he using shock collars as well?”
Toshi shook her head. “I don’t know, but I don’t believe that is important right now. We need to get this situation under control.”
Bark nodded in agreement and said, “Let’s move.”
They ran down the corridor toward the emergency shaft. Toshi immediately went to pull off a panel that exposed a ladder that led up between the levels.
Bark pointed at a door, “This lift goes directly to the operations center. That’s all it does.”
“I know. And so does our enemy. You set foot in there, and it will be your prison…or your tomb. Now, get in the wall and start climbing.”
Bark followed her inside and climbed up the long ladder.
***
The man in control patiently waited while he watched the students leaving the station. Everything was going according to plan, even Bark’s little counter attack.
He was startled by the sudden sound of a fist pounding against the control room doors. Bark punched clean through with his superior strength and pulled aside the sealed doors.
The man in the room hardly looked worried. He simply turned around to greet his guests. “Such a brute. Surely you know how to knock. Or do you scratch and whine like other dogs?” His tone was taunting, and not even remotely concerned for his own safety.
Bark and Toshi ran in, each prepared to battle. Bark spoke first. “It ends here!” Suddenly he stopped. It was then that he could see the person in charge of this operation. “You? No, this cannot be true!”
Chapter 6: Going Out with a Bang!
Josiah Stone stepped into the light, an evil smile on his face. “Surprised to see me?”
Enemies and Allies Page 8
