The Search begins

    Napalm. suddenly appears in a small swirling column of flame, decked out in his usual crimson robe, the hood pulled up. He looks around then leans back into a corner and waits for the others to arrive. Blue pads around the corner, seeing Napalm, heads over towards him.
   "Heya," the canine waves, "Nap, you all ready?"
   Napalm looks up, smiles and nods. "I was ready yestarday to be honest, but yes, I still am."
   "Good"
   "By the way, I have some news from home."
   "Oh? What's the news?"
   "It appears the've gotten a lead already the location we're searching for. They still would like us to gather information on the connection between the Awardings and Morlong, but they have another following up on the location."
   "Okay, that's good."
   "Yes, it puts us one step closer to the final conflict, well, lets hope its the final conflict."
   Felinar arrives casually. He is dressed in an all black, unmarked sleeveless jumpsuit with a belt of equipment strapped around his waist. "Good morning, Blue."
   Blue looks at Felinar, looking him up and down. "You look all ready."
   "Hello Felinar" Napalm states.
   Felinar nods slightly at Napalm. "Yes, of course I am."
   "Well, are we all set?"
   "Looks like it." Blue says as he heads out the door. Napalm nods then walks out the revolving door of the hotel and explodes into his usual transformation. As he completes he lands, stretching and preening a bit before turning back around. Felinar pulls a file from one of his pouches and begins to idly sharpen a claw as he follows the other two out the door.
   "Where are we headed?" the lion asks casually.
   "The townhome." the canine says.
   Napalm winks, "All aboard!" He dips a wing to allow easy access.
   Blue climbs up, "Make sure you don't burn Felinar."
   Felinar looks at Napalm dubiously. "I'm supposed to ride you?"
   Napalm appears honestly hurt, "No phoenix has ever burned a passenger, and it would make things alot quicker. I'm a very safe method of travel I assure you."
   "I see." Felinar says causiously.
   "Oh come on Nap, you know I was kidding." Blue says with a pat on the side. Napalm gives a stange avian grin. Felinar climbs onto Napalm's back and grips two handfuls of feathers.
   "Okay, everyone secure?" Napalm asks before leaving.
   "Yeppers.." the canine replies.
   "As secure as I'm going to be. Unless you've got a saddle." Felinar says the last sentance with a hint of sarcasm.
   "Hmm....a saddle....perhaps I'll mention that to Elen when I get back...."
   "Just fly, silly" Blue states with a laugh. The wolf-cum-Pheonix then launches himself into the area, climbing to a great enough hight to make the buildings appear as tiny dots. He flys around for a short while then dives in low behind a building and lands in an alleyway. Felinar tosses his head, letting the wind blow his nearly waist-length mane back.
   Felinar drops off of Napalm's back and looks around. "Where are we?" Blue hops off as they land..and dusts himself off.
   "Afraid I'm not clean?" The wolf says with a smirk.
   "Naw, it's those bugs that hit me..next time, Felinar, you're in front."
   The dog points over to a walled in compound two streets over. "That's where we're going."
   "The, bugs....." Napalm rolls his eyes.
   Felinar glances at Blue as he begins to braid his mane. "Very well." Napalm transforms back quietly and walks up to join the other two without making a noise. Blue leads the way over, carefully skirting around again,quietly.
   "How many are in there, Nap" he says whispering.
   Napalm follows slowly, scanning the area. "114."
   Felinar says quietly, "I'm going around the other way. See you two inside," as he heads around the building in the opposite direction.
   "In the entire compound" Napalm looks over to Blue. "Are you sure we want him with us?" he says as he watches the lion move around the corner.
   Blue nods. "Okay, how do you want to do it this time?"
   "Let's do it the easy way, we can teleport in since I've been there before, and no building is air tight."
   "Okay, I"m ready."
   Napalm smiles and places a paw on Blue shoulder. A few moments later they appear in a very cramped area, lit only by the wolf's dim glow. "Ugh, I don't recall this closet being as cramped last time we went through here."
   A muffled crunch is heard from outside the close. The canine sniffs and listens, putting a paw against Napalm's muzzle. Napalm makes a muffled erfing noise but remains otherwise slient. Blue listens and sniffs again.
   Felinar knocks on the closet. "You can come out. I know you're in there." Muttering, "Don't ask me HOW you got in there, though."
   Blue pads out looking where they are.
   Napalm whispers with a wink, "Well, don't worry, neither do I."
   Felinar stands in the center of the room next to two dead stoat bodies bearing Awardings markings.
   "Okay this is the first floor, should we try the office again?" Blue asks the wolf.
   "I would imagine they haven't repaired it yet...it did blow up last time."
   Felinar cleans some blood off of his claws. "What exactly are we looking for?"
   "To be specific, any information what-so-ever connection the Awardings to our ancient enemy Morlong."
   "So it's off to the offices upstairs..maybe they have a file room downstairs." the dog ponders.
   "To make this easier, he's a very powerful and evil wizard with no morals to speak of. He should be pretty easy to recognize if he's mentioned. Lead on, I can watch the rear."
   Felinar raises an eyebrow. "Wizards are a bother, but they can be handled."
   "Upstairs first...remember there are traps on the tile floor upstairs as well as some eyebeams on the stairs." Blue motions.
   "Yes...they can be." the wolf agrees.
   Felinar touches Blue's shoulder. "I'll come with you this time."
   "And we had best hurry, it wont be long before someone realizes that these guards are quite dead." The canine nods and starts out into the hall, and heads for the stairs. He carefully moves up each step, sniffing and looking, then avoides one, looking back to make
sure the others saw him avoid that step. Napalm seems caught up watching the path they came down, but is floating a few inches off the floor anyway. Felinar steps unfailingly in the spots where Blue does. The canine stops and bends low to the ground and crawls up to
the mid-landing. The lion looks at the canine irritably. "This better not be a practical joke."
   "It isn't" the wolf replies.
   Felinar follows Blue up in the same manner. He then skirts around the entire outside of the mid-landing and skips the first two steps of the next flight of stairs. Napalm waits until the two have cleared the laser field then does a quick teleport to join them.
   "With this many traps," Napalm mumbles, "you'd wonder how they ever get any work down."
   "They're probably smart enough to turn the field OFF before they go up the stairs." Felinar mumbles back.
   Blue then jumps and lands at the top, missing the last four steps, and stops, moving only enough to let the other two up.
   "Hmm....turn it off. Why didn't we think of that?" the wolf retorts. The dog glares at Napalm. The wolf looks back with an expression or pure innocence.
   Felinar jumps to the top of the stairwell. "Because it's logical and it makes sense, which means we will do exactly the opposite."
   "HALT" two guards yell running down the hall, "stop where you are and identify yourselfs."
   "Hello, my name is Napalm, this here is Blue, a good friend of mine...."
   Blue tosses a mini sun at the guards, momentarily blinding them. Felinar sees his opportunity and rakes one of the guards across the face, permanently blinding him. Blue pounces and hits the other guard, knocking him out. Napalm follows behind the other two silently. The lion wraps a hand around the blinded guard's throat and lifts him with one arm, as easily as he might lift a rag doll.
   "What do you think? Should I kill him?" he says casually.
   "Naw, just make him be quiet" the dog replies.
   "He's hardly worth the effort and he's harmless enough now." the wolf says offhandidly. Felinar considers for a moment, then bashes the weasel's head against a wall, then drops him to the floor, unconscious.
   "Whatever." the lion says.
   Napalm picks up a laser rifle from one of the guards and looks it over. Blue snatches the laser away from him.
   "I don't much need one," the wolf says, "but it might not be wise to leave these lying around."
   "Remember what happened last time you played with something like that." the dog cautions
   Napalm shrugs. "You could have just asked for it."
   "Give it to me." Felinar asks.
   "Well, then melt them" Blue offers.
   Napalm picks up the other one. "Here have this one."
   Felinar holds his hands out for the rifle as Napalm hands it over.
   "Anyway, are we set now?" Napalm asks.
   "You want this one too? I don't need it." Blue asks.
   "Thank you." the lion nods to Napalm, then looking at the dog,
   "I just need one." Felinar shoulders the weapon. Blue concentrates on the laser in his paw and watches the trigger melt, then he tosses it down and pads off towards the office. Napalm follows behing in his usual manner, smiling and looking around, still watching for any movement from the rear. Felinar follows behind Blue, apparently not paying attention to anything at all. The canine stops about 5 feet from the door, and looks.
   "Okay, you want to do this the smart way, turn the trap off." he says as he looks at the other two.
   Felinar smiles slightly. "I'll go in the back way," he says quietly as he points to a ventilation shaft.
   "Okay, do it that way."
   "We might as well stick together," the wolf says indicating that Blue should precede him into the shaft.
   "Just don't slow me down." Felinar says pointedly. Blue sighs, and follows him.
   "Don't worry, I'll keep up." Napalm says. Felinar pokes at something just inside the vent, and sparks erupt from a tiny hole just inside. He climbs inside the shaft and begins to crawl around towards the office. The dog follows quickly. Napalm hops in last, replacing the vent and doing a quick weld job to keep it in place. He then turns and flies down the shaft to catch up. Blue moves on his pads very quietly. Felinar doesn't make a sound as he moves through the tunnel, and eventually arrives over a vent leading down into the office. He peers down into the room. Napalm comes to an abrupt stop just behind the blue canine and waits. Blue looks ahead at Felinar.
   Felinar whispers, "I don't see ANYONE."
   Napalm glances downward at the bottom of the tunnel. "No, there isn't anything warm blooded in there." Blue nods and points down, to indicating to go in.
   Felinar shakes his head. "Not yet. There's something down there, I can sense it."
   "Probably a few traps, there's one about 3 feet in front of the desk." the canine mentions.
   Felinar watches through the grate for a few more moments before his eyes narrow. "Clever..." He points to the rear of the office. "Kimono Dragons. Cold blooded."
   "Ohh, those are cool. I had one as pet once." Napalm remembers.
   "And me without any steaks for them." Blue remarks.
   Felinar glances dryly at Napalm. Napalm` whispers back, "Well I did."
   "There's only five. I think the direct approach will work fine." Felinar speaks as he returns to the task at hand.
   "Well, I would rather not have to hurt them..." Blue says.
   "I won't....much." the lion replies with a grin.
   "I don't guess you thought to bring any sleeping gas or anything with you eh Fel?" the wolf asks.
   Felinar snorts quietly and pulls a tiny blowgun from a pouch along with five tiny darts.
   "Well, let's get it over with then" the dog says with resignation.
   "Nothing so crude." Felinar replies.
   "Gas...poison" the wolf says with a shrug.
   "Hmm, the Awardings, using cold blooded animals, never." the dog says with sarcasm. Felinar aims the blowgun and quickly fires all five darts, quickly dropping the lizards to the floor. He kicks the grate in and drops twelve feet to the floor.
   "Perhaps things have changed a bit since the younger Awarding has taken over." Napalm muses.
   Blue tumbles quietly to the ground landing in a crouch after Felinar.
   The lion glances at the dog. "They'll be awake in a few minutes."
   Napalm floats down into the room after his two compainions and begins looking around the room. "Understood, we had better look quickly then."
    Blue points to a spot in front of the desk, "Don't step there." then starts rumaging through the desk. Napalm heads to a filing cabinet and begins rapidly thumbing through the myriad documments it contains. Felinar retrieves his darts from the necks of the lizards and drops them into a pouch. He glances at a closet in the corner of the room and hoists two of the dragons onto his shoulders, eventually pulling all five into the closet before closing and locking it with them inside.    Blue melts a lock on one of the drawers and opens it, then feels somethign prick him. "ouch!" He shakes the finger, and grabs the files out of the drawer, putting them all in a sack.
   Felinar glances up at Blue, and walks quickly over to him. "Shit. That was a needle, wasn't it? Let me see your finger."
   "You okay Blue?" the wolf says not looking up from the files, pulling out several folders.
   "Don't worry bout that. I'll be fine." the dog replies.
   "You'll be fine until the poison takes effect, let Felinar look at it."
   "Keep searching, we dont' have too much time. And we have to find their main vault."
   "You're not going anywhere, Blue." the lion states firmly.
   "No, the poison won't affect me, much." the dog replies,
   "Thanks to my mom's genes." Felinar begins to suck at Blue's finger, and spitting the poison out onto the floor.
   "You'll slow us down." the feline retorts.
   "No I won't"
   "Don't argue, you've been outvoted." Napalm says as he takes his stack of folders and stuffs them inside is robe, closing up the cabinet. Blue snatches his finger back.
    "That's right, you won't, once I get most of this poison."    Felinar says as he suckes more of the poison out. Blue cuaterizes the wound himself.
   "I think thats about all thats in here." Napalm says. Napalm mutters something to the effect of "stuborn canine" as he looks around.
   "I told you, my mom's gene's have some healing factor in them." the canine says more forcefully.
   "Fine! You want to be an arrogant, idiot mongrel who won't even let someone reduce the risk of poisoning, be my guest!" Felinar says angrily.
   "Plus," Blue drinks a vial he pulled out of a pouch, "I picked up some precautions from my brother."
   Napalm looks over at the two, "We don't exactly have time to argue about this hear. Those lizards may be stuck in the closet but they still aren't going to be happy when they wake up. Felinar stalks back to the ventilation shaft and climbs up onto a chair, leaping up and grabbing the edge of the hole in the ceiling and pulling himself in. Blue puts the empty vial in his pouch and follows the feline back up, jumping up and pulling himself in.
   Felinar growls, "As soon as this mission is done, I'm out of here." Napalm grabs the grating, flies up and secures it back in place.
   Blue mutters some about lack of trust, and follows the lion. "Basement is next."
   Felinar crawls back to where he entered and drops out of the shaft, landing solidly on his feet. "Fine. You've been here. You lead." The dog looks at Felinar, sighs, and heads back to the stairs, stoping at the railing. Felinar hands a keycard to Blue. "Try this. One of the lizards
had it." He points to the slot near the stairs as the canine takes the card.
   "YOU THERE!" voices call from down the hall, "Stop or you will be fired on."
   "Not this again." Napalm turns around points at the group of figures. "No, YOU don't move...or you'll regret it." A thin red haze appears in front of them as well as behind them.
   The guard snorts, "I see that I have the gun, wolf, you better listen."
   "Go ahead. Shoot me. I dare ya." the wolf grins evilly.
   "Fire!" Lasers fire out, but hit the wall, and reflect back striking the guards.
   "Oohhh, that looked painful."
   Felinar shakes his head. "That was obvious. Why don't you try something original next time." Blue pads over and puts the card in the slot, watchign a little light turn green and pads down the stairs.
   "Well, as we pass the suggestion box, ask them to hire more creative guards next time." There is some moaning from behind where the fire wall was as the wolf waves his paw eliminating the wall, and one of the guards tries calling out. Felinar walks towards the remaining guard and kneels next to him.
   "I'll make it fast."
   Blue waits at the bottom of the stairs. Felinar grips the guard's head in his arms and twists savagely, breaking the stoat's neck. He stands and walks back towards Blue and Napalm.
   "Anyway," the wolf continues, "before we were so rudely interupted...." indicates to the lion to proceed him.   Felinar again places a hand on Blue's shoulder to stop him, walks past the canine, and smoothly and quietly rounds a corner to grip a weasel by the head, throwing it into the opposite wall where it's head cracks open.
   "Oops. Too hard." Felinar says with almost an after thought.
   Napalm looks at the colorful red smear on the wall. "Eww...I hate it when that happens."
   "You'd hate it more if it was you."
   The canine starts up again and heads to the basement door, at least what he thinks is the basement door, it does take a couple of tries.
   "Well," the wolf talks as they walk, "I've never actaully had my skull cracked open, but I'm sure it wouldnt be pleasant. Blue stops at the fifth door that he tried and sniffs, then puts his finger to the keyhole and pulls it back, a few seconds later a flash of light leaks out the gaps in the door, followed by some yelping.
   Felinar glances at Napalm emotionlessly. "My former....partner didn't seem to enjoy it. She was shot in the back of the head by an Awardings rogue."
   Blue yanks open the door. Felinar turns back towards the door.
   "I'm sorry to hear that, the Awards have wronged many."
   Blue looks at the blinded canines. Felinar narrows his eyes.
   "So now they have your kind working for them, Blue. What next...Tarraisian Lions?"
   "I do believe I read of one or two being employed in other areas."
   Blue steps in and hits one in the head, knocking it out, then slams the other into the wall, holding it there. "Now then, What's down here?"
   Felinar watches Blue and snorts. "My people are certainly pigheaded and ignorant enough to be fooled into working for the Awardings."
   "I didn't read the particulars, but that wouldnt surprise me, though honorable in many ways, they do have those downfalls."
   The guard replies shakely. "T-there's nothing down here...j-just storage!"
   Blue presses more against the throat, "Why would they need guards for storage? ..and special guards at that."
   The guard kicks at Blue's shins and coughs "I d-don't know a-anything!"
   Blue slams the dog against the wall again, "Don't kick me or you will be blinded for life. Now tell me what's down there." Napalm takes a seat idly in midair and watches the interrigation with mild interest.
   "I'd advice you to do what he says." Felinar states, "Blue hasn't taken his prozac today." Napalm smirks. Blue stares right into the dogs eyes, the grey of Blue's piercing.
    The guard looks nervously between Blue and Felinar and sighs. "T-the records' v-vault."
   "and what type of traps are there?" Blue states calmly, but with force. The guard hesitates. Blue growls some heating his paw up.
   "Uh oh," Napalm says with a grin, "I think you've made him angry."
   "All right, a-all right...!" the guard says gasping for breath. "L-laser turrets a-and p-poison gas m-mines with l-laser trip w-wires!"
   "and how do you turn it off?" The heeler questions.
   "D-d-don't k-know...O-o-only p-patrol h-h-here..." the guard gags out. Blue tosses the dog against the other wall hard enough to leave a dent and knock him out as Blue heads down the stairs. Felinar follows Blue. "You should be able to smell the ozone from the laser wires and Napalm can see the laser turrets easy enough..."
   "Well," Napalm says, "I can't see the turrents, but the handy infra-red beams stick out like christmas lights
   Blue looks down the long narrow passage, "hmm, think it's trapped?"
   Felinar says dryly, "The turret power generators will be putting off more heat than Blue's mother when he was conceived. You'll see it."
   Napalm shrugs, "I can't see anything."
   The dog glares at the lion, and sniffs. "They've masked the scents."
   "Oh those things. Well, assuming they've been turned on for any amount of time yes. And still, there's nothing just yet, I'll point out anything I find though."
   Felinar looks at the minefield. "Follow me. I'll get us through." He looks up at the ceiling, which is covered with tiny holes. "Can't fly through. Those tripwires are vertical. I believe I can find a safe path though."
   "I can 'port through, if you'll consent to it."
   "And if the structure is airtight...?"
   "Then I'll know and have us reappear here."
   Felinar shrugs. "If that's the best way, then so be it.."
   "Okay." Napalm places a hand in the shoulder of both his companions and a few moments later they matterialize in front of a large metal door. He paw is still clamped firmly to each,
suspending them all above the floor. "It is air tight, but if you can open it we can still get in."
   "Not from here I can't. I'd have to be standing, and I think there are mines right under us."
   "It would take me a while to even think of trying to heat that up." the dog replies looking at the large doors.
   Felinar points to a spot about five meters away from the door. "Put me down there."
   "What is the problem? If you'll forgive me, I think I can get the door." Napalm shifts Blue to his shoulder and places his palm firmly against the latch area. A soft red glow emanates and then a few moments late he removes his paw. "Are we ready?"
   Felinar sighs. "I hope this works."
   "Makes three of us" Napalm kicks in the door and rushes in, setting down his two friends. Blue gets down as he hears laser cannon fire shooting in through the doors. Felinar turns around, and slams the door shut as he sees white gas begin to pour from the ground.
   "Damn it. We're pinned down."
   Blue looks around, and then starts digging near one wall. Felinar waves the small amount of chlorine gas that managed to seep into the room away from him as he kneels next to Blue.
   "They really ought to hid the service tunnels better." the dog says with a slight smile.
   "Why are we taking a service tunnel? Aren't we were we wanted to be?" the wolf asks
   Felinar says dryly, "So we won't have to go through the main corridor."
   The dog looks over at the wolf, "You wouldn't put the files you want out int he open, too easy."
   "But how would they have any idea what files we wanted?" Napalm asks more confused.
   "The ones we'll want would be hiding from all but a few they don't but we want stuff on linking the Awardings and the mage..and that would be very very secret stuff."
   "I'll trust your judgement on this one, you know the Awardings better than I do."
   Felinar looks around. "This is a standard storage bunker, modified for data storage." Blue finishes clearing off an old looking door in the ground, and pulls it up. Napalm returns to the door and runs his paw along the inside seem.
   "I've bombed these before." the lion states matter of factly.
   "If we aren't going back this way," Napalm starts, "I might as well make sure they won't be getting in."
    "There's a high security storage area just behind the main storage area. We can get to the main storage area through this service tunnel."
   "Well," Blue asks Felinar, "would you know the way to where they would probably have the most sensitive stuff through the tunnel?" Blue climbs down the ladder with Felinar following. "Lead the way." the dog states from the bottom. Napalm starting to climb down last.
   Felinar hears a high pitch whirring noise. "Take cover, quick!"
   Blue dives to the side.
   "Huh?" the wolf questions as a turret on the far side of the room begins firing at the three. He disappears as a series of laser blasts hit the tunnel wall behind where he was. Blue scrambles up the coridor dodging the lasers. Three laser bursts strike the ladder just above Felinar, breaking it off. He yelps in surprise and falls the remaining twenty feet onto a stack of storage crates, and then onto the floor. Napalm comes into sight again, floating down the ladder, a thin red haze covering his front half. Felinar gasps for breath, the wind knocked out of him as he holds his right side, gritting his teeth. The wolf lands next to the injured lion, blocking any laser blasts that might stry down the corridor.
   "Are you okay?" he asks the lion. Blue continus to appoach the laser, dodging the blasts, then finally grabing the end of one and bending it so that it's next shot knocks out the others. He then bends the last cannon so it can't fire and leaps back off before it explodes. Felinar sits up, wincing as he wipes a small trickle of blood from his nose and looking down at his cut up right side where he landed on the corner of a crate.
   "I'll be okay." the lion responds.
   Blue pads back over and hands Felinar a vial. Napalm nods and reaches down his free hand to help the lion up.
    "Here, drink this you'll feel better." the dog states.
   Felinar waves the vial away. "My body rejects all chemicals. Including healing potions."
   "Oh." Blue puts it away. Felinar pulls a bandage out of his equipment belt and wraps it around his side.
   "Hmm...thats a handy ability. I bet you're as tough as me to top in a drinking contest." the wolf says with a grin.
   "It can be an asset and a disadvantage." the lion responds. "I don't drink." Felinar staggers slightly and regains his balance.
   "Just as well. Most alcohol doesnt taste that good."
   Felinar brushes past Napalm irritably, heading past the destroyed laser turrets. "Can we just get on with it?"
   Napalm raises an eyebrow beneath his hood but doesnt say anything.
   "By all means." Blue follows.
   Felinar points at a tiny, innocent looking door in the middle of the tunnel. "There."
   Blue pads over and listens, then holds up three fingers. Napalm sighs and nods as the lion also nods. Blue then slowly opens the door, until he slips in, and pounces on the first guard. Felinar moves gracefully over to the second and implants his claws in the weasel's jugular. Napalm rushes in last and uses his moment to grab the last one by the throat and slam him into the wall. The body goes limp.
   Felinar rubs his tender side and winces. "That was easy."
   Blue looks around at the room, noticing that there aren't any other doors. "Too easy." He hears and then sees a metal screen close over the door they entered in. He sniffs, "Gas, just our
luck."
   Napalm sniffs, "Yeah, and it smells bad too."
   Blue starts rubbing aroudn the walls, "gotta be another way out."
   Felinar sighs, "More chlorine." He pulls a tiny gasmask out of his belt. "Here, we can share this." The dog nods as he continues searching.
   The wolf looks at the lion, "I thought your body rejected chemicals, Fel?"
   "Chems...not gasses." Felinar bends over and grips the metal screen covering the door. He begins to strain, hard.
   "Didn't realize there was much of a difference, but I'm sure you know your own body better than I."
   The canine looks at Napalm, "you care to help look for a way out..or help him lift the door?" The wolf goes over and helps the lion in his efforts, knowing that his friends won't last long in this place.
   "I'm working on it, don't lose your cool." Napalm looks at the lion, " Together, on 2?" Felinar nods. "1...2." The lion lifts as hard as he can. Napalm lifts with all the strength he can find in
his altered form. Felinar's veins and muscles bulge as the door begins to bend slightly. The lion begins to pant heavily, and finally collapses, dazed, his bandage soaked through with blood.   The dog starts coughing some and pads over and helps lift the door, using his strength. The door moves slowly half-way up.
   "Get him out of hear, I can hold it long enough for you to get through." the wolf commands.
   Felinar rises up on his elbows..."No." The dog grabs Felinar and pulls him through. The lion gasps as they reaches the fresh air. Napalm lets the door slam shut as his friends make it through, leaving himself trapped on the other side. Blue collpases, gasping for air.
   Felinar crawls back towards the door. "Need to get it open...just...a little so...he can teleport..."
   Blue hears Napalm's voice faintly in his head. "I would appreciate it if you could find a way to get me out."
    He holds Felinar back, "wait, we're no good in this condition, let us get our breath back, he doesn't need to breath... or at least he can hold his breath."
   Felinar shrugs Blue paws off. "I'm fine..."
   The dog looks around and then remmbers the metal ladder. "Be right back." Felinar nods to Blue as he struggles to sit up. The dog gets up and limps off as a tapping starts on the door to the rythme of the William Tell Overture. He returns dragging the ladder and some rocks.
   "Anytime now, it's quite boring in here" the wolf's annoyed voice sounds in the dog's head.
   "See if we can wedge this into the door and use it as a lever." the dog states. Felinar nods and pushes the broken edges of the ladder under the door and begins to pound on the ladder with the rocks to push it in further. The tapping on the door stops. Blue situates some rockes under the ladder at the closest point he can to the door.
   "Ahh, good, just a bit further and I can make it."
   Blue looks at Felinar, "you ready." as he grabs the end. Felinar nods and wraps his hands around the ladder. "On three.....One....two....THREE!" The dog and lion pulls down with all their might. Napalm pops into the room a few moments later.
   Napalm takes a deep breath. "Ahhhh, thats much better. Thank you." Felinar sits down hard, one hand on his side and the other on his head, his eyes closed as he moans quietly.
   "Felinar.....?" the wolf asks concerned.
   "Just a little weak....Bit of a headache..."
   Blue pads over and hands the lion another cloth to cover the wound.
   "We should get you back to the hotel, you need to rest." Napalm states.
   The canine looks around.."and how are we going to do that, Nap?"
   Napalm looks up. Felinar struggles to his feet, a little unsteadily. "No. I have a job to finish."
   "It can be done" Napalm says firmly. "Well, if you can point us to the records vault we'll have it and I can get us back to the surface." Felinar unwraps the old bandage. With some of the blood already soaked up, a bit of his ribcage is visible through the torn skin and fur.
   "And pouring a potion on that wound, woudln't heal it??" Blue asks with concern.
   "No...It would just evaporate." The lion replies.
   "I can stop the bleeding for you....though it will hurt like hell." the wolf says calmly.
   Felinar nods to Napalm. "Get it over with, then...." Blue gives Felinar a stick to bite on. Napalm rolls up his sleave, the air around his paw shimmering with the heat it is radiating.
   "Brace yourself." the wolf mentions.
   Felinar nods slightly, biting on the stick. Napalm presses his paw down expertly on the wound, there is a hint of burning flesh, and then his paw is jerked back again.
   "GGGRRRGGGHH..." the lion cries out. The smell of burnt flesh and fur hangs in the air. Felinar shuts his eyes tight and shakes violently. Napalm rolls his sleave back down and waits for the lion to recover.