Part a of the second chapter of BHS and Napalm

    Blue rolls over disturbed slightly in his sleep by the knocking on the door. With a tired groan he slips back into a state of semi-slumber.Napalm opens his eyes shortly after, as the knocking continues. Grumbling at the good dream that was just interupted, he stands up, glances over at the dog to ensure he was resting well, and decides to let him sleep a little longer. After yestarday, he could use the rest. He walks over to the door, sensing out the body heat of one figure on the other side. Well, if its just one it can't be too dangerous, he resonded. And just before another knock was imminent he unlatched the door and opened it.
    "Yes?" he said cheerfully, despite his annoyance at being awakened. Standing in front of him was a young skunk lad, clad fully in a bellhop's red suit, the hotel insignia showing clearly on his vest. The skunk stood about a foot shorter than Napalm, but that wasnt unusual for skunks, so that made him about average hieght. The wolf did not recognize him, but this was a big hotel. The only thing that stood out on him, in fact, was the rather large cardboard box under his left arm.
    "Package for Mr. SunFire," the bellhop said with a smile. "It was left at the counter this morning."
    "I'll take it," The wolf replied sleepily. "Do I need to sign anything?"
    "No sir. Oh, and the manager wanted me to tell you that it's safe."
    "Ok, thanks." He continued skeptically, "Thats good to know."
    Napalm took the package from the black and white stiped bellhop and looked around for something to give as a tip but recalled suddenly that he never carried money, nor did he believe his traveling companion had any either.
    "Goodd'y, sir.
    "Uh, Good day to you as well. And thanks."
    Napalm closed the door and sat the package on his bed. He debated opening it now, but decided it could wait.
    Blue moaned slightly and rolled over on the bed.
    Napalm walked over to the small kitchen area, glad for the deluxe room, and put on a pot of coffee, chuckling softly at the thought of using electricly powered heat. After a short while, the sleepy canine began sniffing, the aroma of coffee filling the room. He awoke slowly, blinking his eyes and sits up on the bed.
    "Good morning," the wolf said cheerfully, "Sleep well?"
    "Like a rock."
    Napalm laughed, "How do you take your coffee?"
    "Black."
    "Your funeral," the wolf said with a cheerful smile. He set about preparing two cups of coffee. Meanwhile, the canines eyes began to clear.
    "What's that?" Blue points at the box.
    "It came for you, the bellhop brought it just a few minutes ago. The manager said it was safe, whatever that means."
    "Huh...well..it's marked for me so...."
    Blue picks up the box...looks at the wolf...then pops a claw and opens the tape. Napalm hands the dog a cup of steaming coffee and makes one for himself, loading his with sugar and creamer.
    "Thanks" Blue looks in the box and starts pulling things out.
    "What's in there?" Napalm asks.
    "Well..we don't have to worry about money."
    "Wish I'd have known that, I would have tipped the bellhop."
    "Here's a note saying that this room is reserved for me whenever I need to use it..in gracia."
    Napalm finishes preparing his coffee and downs it, still steaming.
    "In gracia? Whats that?"
    "Means its free," Blue sips his coffee. "ACK! Is there any water in this? Hand me the sugar."
    "I've built up a tolerance to it over the millenia, needs to be strong for the effect to get me anywhere," he says as he hands the dog the sugar. Blue pours some in, then drinks it down.
    "Refill?"
    "Yeah. Hmmm...sissors...be right back..time to change," Blue walks into the bathroom with the sissors, closing the door behind him.
    Napalm fixes two more cups of coffee. He sighs then turns on the T.V and catches up on some local news. A short while later, he sees a flash of light on the other side of the door and smells the familiar (and to him usually pleasant) smell of smoke.
    "You ok in there?"
    Blue steps out of the bathroom."Yeah...just doing a little hair cutting."
    "But what was that flash? and the smoke?"
    "Just burning the remains...you know what they can do these days."
    "Hmm..yeah, I wonder what they might do with some of mine....DANG! Thats kinda scarey." He laughs. "Glad I don't shed. Oh, by the way, nice hair cut, shorter, a little fluffy on top, but nice. Why the change though?"
    "Different style of life now...turning the leaf as I say. You ready for breakfast?"
    "Sure, why not? I'm sure you're hungry. Lets see what kind of continental breakfast we get."
    Blue picks up the money, putting it in a sack tied around his waist and walks out the room. Napalm stops long enough to down the two cups of undrinken coffee and follows. Blue walks down to the main room, looks at the offerings and takes some bagels and donuts..with two very large glasses of OJ. Blue downs one glass immediately and sets the rest down on a table. Napalm follows behind grabbing one of the donut trays and looks around for some caffine based drink other than coffee.
    "Hmm...dang it."
    Napalm contents himself with coffee and sits down, leisurely devouring donuts. Blue wolfs down his food quickly downing the next glass of orange juice and walks back up for more. Napalm finishes the tray of donuts and sighs as he drinks down yet more coffee. The dog sits back down with some more donuts and OJ.
    "So, what do we do now?" The wolf asks.
    Blue ponders as he starts to eat a bagel and crunches into a piece of paper. "Wha...What's this?"
    "Whatcha got there?"
    Blue pulls out a note. "Hmm...I guess we can go there."
    "'There' being?"
    "The WatchDog HQ."
    "Are they the same ones who sent the package?"
    "No..that's where my dad worked."
    "I know, but do you know who sent the package? If not them, then who?"
    "No..I don't know."
    "Hmm...oh well, perhaps the people at WD HQ will know."
    "Well, I'm ready, you done?"
    "As always."
    Blue and Napalm get up and walk out of the hotel, trying to determine what direction to go in. The dog humms as he looks around. Napalm, sensing his dilema, points.
    "Thats north."
    "Hmm...it's been six years since I've been here. I think it's in the center of the city, by the capital building itself."
    "Well, we can always get an arial view."
    "You lead."
    "I don't know what the building looks like, but I'll take you up so you can point it out to me."
    Napalm turns his back to the dog as we climbs aboard, holding tightly. Neither of them giving much thought to who might see them. When the wolf is sure the dog is secure, he floats up slowly and hovers high over the central part of the city.
    "See anything yet?"
    "There," The dog says, indicating a rather modern, yet nondescript, building to the northwest. Napalm decends in front of the appropriate building and looks around as he lets the dog down.
    "Might as well go in the front door, as they know we're here anyway." The dog states.
    "If not, our little flight probably attracted some attention."
    The two furs walk through the double doors and approach the reception desk. Napalm follows, looking about at the very high tech building. He realizes then that he has been out of touch with modern technology for too long.
    The receptionist looks up from her work and smiles politly. "Yes? May I help you?"
    "I need to get some help."
    "I'm sorry this is not...."
    "I believe we are expected..." The wolf interjects impatiently. They hear a buzzer sounding, watch the lady picking up the phone and after a few minutes of "Yes, sir" she hangs it up.
    "You may go in Mr. SunFire."
    Blue walks past the desk toward the door with Napalm a few steps behind.
    "I'm sorry, Mr. Napalm, your not allowed.
    The two stop and turn. Blue stares hard at the lady.
    "Look! He's with me. He goes with me. Got it?"
    Napalm stares at her unblinkingly with his glowing red eyes, baring his fangs slightly.
    "You are a SunFire." the lady says ignoring the wolf. "Oh, alright." The two walk towards the door again walks through the doors. Napalm gives the receptionist on last look and turns away, a smile playing about his face. Napalm returns his focus to the situation at hand as they walk through the door. Blue looks up and watches a figure motion them to follow. The two are led to another door and motioned to enter. Blue enters the door that the guide is standing in front of followed closesly by his companion. The dog looks around the office as an older gentleman stands up. He crosses the space between them and shakes Blue's paw.
    "Glad to meet you again Blue. And you as well, Napalm, though we haven't met before."
    Napalm stands behind and to the right of the dog, his arms folded across his chest. Such formalities had always gotten on his nerves. He nods slightly at the older man as he mentions his name.
    "Have a seat both of you. I understand that you are looking for answers."
    They take the offered seats as Blue looks back at the figure.
    "Yes, sir, we are..but first, who are you?
    "My name is Richgast. I knew your father for a number of years."
    "Really? Then you can tell me what happened."
    "I am unable to do that. I can not break the vow I'm under. Please understand that it isn't that I don't want to, I literally can't speak of it." Richgast gets up and paces the room.
    "What do you mean you can't?"
    When the figure doesn't respond, Blue stands up and walks directly in front of the figure. "Why can't you tell me?"
    "Ahhh..so much like your father. You have inherited it. Your brother got more of your mothers side. But you should know that you are very insignificant compared to who your enemy is."
    Blue's eyes flash angrily. Napalm smirks but remains silent.
    "His father started the current climb to power. Your father was to be part of that, but he escaped."
    "What do you mean escaped? He's been dead for 7 years now."
    "Ahh, my little impatient one. This was years ago. Unfortunatly, I also was part of the solution."
    Blue bristles at the condescending speach, yet cannot help but ask, "What solution?"
    "Once more, the experiments I underwent prevent me from talking, let's just say that I got away later in life, after your father had worked here for a couple of years."
    "Experiments?"
    "Yes, your abilities are inherited from your father, as well as your powers. The experi...arg!"
    The wolf clutches his chest and falls to the ground in agony.
    "Sir...Richgast..."
    Blue and Napalm rush to his side, unsure of what to do. As they bend over him a voice seems to emanate from the walls, most like a well hidden speaker.
    "Your time is up, Tool."
    Blue snarls upon hearing the voice. It is an older sounding version of the robed figure they heard earlier. Napalm gives no visible reaction to the voice. He bends over Richgast and feels him for a pulse.
    "You overstepped your bounds as a WatchDog, because I hold the keys."
    Blue leans over the dying wolf as he tries to speak.
    "Blu... kee........sear....up. leav...no."
    "What?"
    Napalm lays his hand on the wolf's head and smiles as he relaxes, granting him a few moments peace in his final seconds.
    "NO, NO...dont' die...I need answers," Blue says as he begins CPR on the figure. "Dont' die..don't die."
    Napalm watches the body heat fade.
    "Its too late. He's gone."
    The dog looks around, suddenly alert. "What's that?"
    "Whats what?" Napalm says looking around in surprise.
    Blue shouts, "WATCH OUT!" He spots a window and dives through it, Napalm flying right after him. Blue tumbles and tries to land where the ground should have been finding only empty air beneath him. The wolf dives into the pit after him, catching him well above the bottom. He begins to head back up only to realize that a pair of metal doors had already closed over them.
    "Ooof!..thanks."
    Napalm smiles at the dog briefly before they both wince as a tremendous explosion is heard above them.
    "I guess we still land on the bottom, but it beats falling I guess."
    "Uh.."
    "Perhaps a minisun to light our way? My glow won't quite reach in this form."
    Blue quickly tosses a minisun down watching it illuminate a floor covered with sharp spikes.
    "Uh..I don't want to land if that's okay with you."
    Napalm makes a face at the near error.
    "Sorry."
    "Its okay. Raise me up to the doors."
    "Alrighty."
    Napalm places the dog on his shoulders and moves such that he is just beneath the doors. The dog is about to place his paws along the seam when he begins sniffing.
    "What's that smell?"
    Napalm sniffs the air.
    "What? I dont smell anything."
    Blue hears an audible rush of air.
    "Hold me...<cough> ... tight....<cough, cough>"
    "I've got you. What is it? Some kind of poison?"
    The dog grabs the door with both sets of claws and starts to force them open.
    "Sleep..<cough, cough, cough>..gas I think."
    "Then we had better hurry, I dont have to breath but you do, and I can't pry open the door and hold you at the same time."
    Blue presses harder, more desperately. Hearing the metal starting to bend, he summons up a one last burst of strength ripping the door off its hinges letting it fall to the spikes below. Breathing a sigh of relief he slumps on the wolf's shoulders and starts to slip off. Napalm catches the dog in his arms as he begins to tumble forward, before flying into the fresh air and landing on the roof of a nearby building. He lays the dog down and checks his pulse, smiling as it is strong and regular.
    Blue takes several deep gulps of air trying to clear the sleep gas out of his system. The wolf waits patiently for him to recover. Blue shakes his head a few times, then looks at the wolf.
    "Well, that's that. Now what?"
    "I'm not sure, what did you get out of that last statement?"
    "I think he want's me to keep looking, to keep digging."
    "I should say so, telling you even that much did cost him his life.
    "But who is he? He says he knew my father."
    "Based on the knowledge of another person who knows your father, that doesn't speak very highly of him, but I would say this one is...err..WAS on our side. He spoke of escaping, but long before today, long before you were born perhaps."
    "Yeah. That second voice was the high Bastard himself!"
    Blue spits angrily.
    "It would seem logical to assume so. He called Richgast a "tool", whatever experiments they were performing seems to put our enemy in control of him, to a certain extent anyhow."
    "But you remember that that bastard's son called me tool also."
    "Yes, but obviously you arn't yet under their control, certainly not nearly as much as he was anyhow. They don't seem to be able to kill you on a whim, for instance..
    "I don't think I'm under their control at all."
    "We shall have to assume that for now. If they did have any measure of control, I'm certain that some sign of it would have revealed itself by now.
    "He said I inherited this from my father. So, whatever they did to him carried over."
    "Yes, it would appear so, but they caught your father. It could be due to some failsafe they built in for such an emergency, but I dont think its very likely. " The wolf's eyes dart from the dog to directly over his shoulder. He continues with a hint of urgency. "Hmmm...I think we should move."
    "What?!"
    Napalm inclines his head in the direction of several flying craft as they rise over the WatchDod HQ building.
    "I think they realized they're trap failed to kill us."
    "Oh..yeah. Let's leave. Down that alley."
    Napalm drops off the side of the building.
    "No! Wait! That's WD's ships. They'll just do the clean up work.
    Napalm's head appears over the edge of the building.
    "Clean up? Of what?"
    "Well, the hole in the side of the building for one."
    "...Ohh..."
    "Come on. Lets go anyway."
    Napalm nods and grabs the dog about the waist, setting down in the alleyway. Blue starts running down the alley as soon as his feet hit the ground, Napalm just a few steps behind him. Blue dives over a pile of boxes in his way, tumbling up to a run in a single graceful move. The wolf mutters something that sounds vaguely like "showoff" before he teleports himself even with the dog about five blocks away. They both stop and look around.
    "Where are we?" The dog asks.
    "Not exactly sure. We are alone though. It's cold for several blocks."
    "If it's cold, why do I smell something?"
    "Oh! Silly me, forgot about reptiles."
    Napalm fully realizes the implications of what he just said and looks around quickly, standing with his back against the dog's. Blue tries to locate the smell more precisely, but it's gone now.
    "Hmmm..."
    "Has this enemy of ours been know to employ any reptiles or cold-blooded servents?"
    "How should I know? Up until a couple of days ago, I didn't even know I had an enemy." The dog sniffs a bit more to make certain before continueing. "They're gone. I think its a little too open here. though. Let's get moving."
    "Fair enough. We should be prepared from now on though. I can no longer sense their presence as before.
    "We need to find more information. Then, I'm going for them. I'm going to their compound and I'm going to pull the heart right out of that bastard!"
    Blue stalks off in a random direction.
    "Yes, and yes WE will." Napalm states firmly as he follows.
    Blue continues on, flexing his claws as he walks. Spotting a bar he stops in. Napalm follows the dog unquestioningly. The bar is empty except for the two furs and the bartender.
    Blue sits at a table and orders the strongest drink they have, making it a double. Napalm sits across from the dog and orders "Whatever is cheap". They don't speak until the drinks arrive. As the waitress sets them down, Blue downs his quickly and orders another. Napalm glances sceptically at the mug that is set before him, but keeping in mind his immunity to poison, shrugs and starts to sip it slowly. As waitress goes off to retrieve the dog another drink, Blue breaks the silence.
    "We need info." He says. "I don't know where to go any, however."
    "Ok, lets look at what we know. We have an ally, the sender of the package. He found us easily enough the first time, its resonable to assume he, or she, as the case may be, can do it again."
    "I don't think that will bear much fruit. I think I know who sent it."
    "Do tell..."
    "I have a feeling that it's from my brother. He occasionaly does work here."
    "Hmmm...thats not going to help us much if it is. Ok, next item. We could try going back to WD HQ and try to get something out of someone there, but I dont think that will do alot of good either."
    Blue thinks. His second drink is set on the table, finished, and a third one ordered before he speaks again.
    "No, as much as you may be invulnerable, I've heard rumors from my dad about what they have access to. That sphere is one of them. I broke through because they failed to reinforce it physically."
    "Just so you know, they were right about one thing. I can't teleport through it. However, the only reason I can't is because I really can't teleport. The thing of it is, when I "teleport", what actually happens is that my form is converted to fire and I move it about from that point at will. However, the sphere was air tight, unlike the doorway we passed under earlier in escaping that room with the trap ceiling. An odd technicality but one to take note of."
    Blue downs his third drink upon its arrival, then asks for the bill and pays it.
    "Lets go back to the inn. See if there are any messages."
    Napalm downs the remainder of whatever it was in the mug and nods and agreement. They walk out of the rundown bar and turn towards the inn.
    "We are going to have to go out to the compound just to find info," Blue commented, "Unless....." His voice trailing off into thought. unless..."
    "Unless?" Napalm asked casually, not giving his full attention to the canine's musing.
    "Unless they have a house here and they probably do." The blue dog increased his pace, feeling a certain urgency take over, even though had he stopped to consider the action he would have realized that there was nothing he could do when he arrived at the hotel. His crimson companion keeping pace without noticing the change in stride.
    "What kind of house?" Napalm asked, in the same absent minded tone.        Blue stops suddenly, looking up. He quickly realizes he is no longer in familair territory. The wolf, alerted by this sudden change sends a questioning glance towards his young friend.
    "Uh...hmmm..." Blue sniffs the air all about. His ears perking noticably, all his senses going into full alert.
    "What?"
    "Nothing." Blue replyed hesitantly, ".....weird."
    "What's wierd?" The flame-colored wolf responded, a slight tension creeping into his voice.
    "I just though I smelled something. Then it disappeared." Blue continued, looking around and continueing to sniff.
    "I think it would be safe to assume we are being followed." Napalm commented, quite ready to admit the obvious at this point. His own senses shifting to the battle awarness he and all his kind had been trained into since youth.
    "Not followed bu...LOOK OUT!"