Why do they always put it on the bottom level

   "The bleeding seems to have stoped, I think you got them all." Blue says looking.
    Felinar sits up a little, wincing. "I'm okay."
    "All what?" Napalm asks.
   "The bleeders..." the canine starts to explain, then lets it drop. "Anyway, are you okay enough to move on? Do you know the way?"
   "Uh...sure...as long as he isn't bleeding now you can call it what you like." the wolf replies.
   The lion stands slowly, "Of course. I have an eidetic memory."
   Blue watches, as he knows better than to try to help. "Okay, then, lead the way"
   Felinar points to the northeast. "The secure storage area is just up that way. Sorry about leading you to the wrong door last time...I was a little groggy from the fall."
   Napalm shrugs, "Oh, no problem. It happens." as he walks off in the direction indicated. The dog nods and heads towards that door. Felinar follows the canine and the lupine.
   Napalm arrives at the door. "This the one?" Blue sniffs the door, and inspects it carefully.
   Felinar looks at the label on the door: "CLASSIFIED -- AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY" "Yes, I'd say so."
   "I wouldn't open it right now, there's something on the door." the dog says after he finishes inspecing.
   "Oh goodie....let me see if I can find my authorization.." Napalm pats himself down, as if searching for something that should be in a pocket.
   Blue sniffs again. "Don't blow up the door, might bring down the entire place on us."
   "Hmm...that might sting...." He continues to search, checking some inner pocket in his robe.
   Felinar says dryly, "Maybe this will work." He produces a small electronic device from a belt pouch and attaches it to the keypad. They watch as a combination appears on the device's display.
   "Well, yea, that would work too." Blue says with a smile.
   Felinar removes the device and shows the number to Blue. "Try that." The canine punches in the number, then hears a few clicks, then opens the door
   He peeks in the room. "Looks all clear." Napalm seems very absorbed in searching for whatever it is he was looking for.
   Felinar shrugs. "You know what to look for better than I do, Blue. I'm just the cannon fodder on this joyride."
   Blue tugs on Napalm, and enters the room. "We're looking for, information linking the Awardings and Marlong."
   "Huh? Wha?" the wolf says blinking as he's tugged, "Oh..."
   Felinar stands watch at the door.
   "You're getting as bad as your friend, you know that Nap." as Blue starts looking trough files.
   Napalm follows into the room, looking around. "Morlong"
   Felinar's voice sounds from outside the door, "You guys want to hurry? I don't want to stick around here longer than neccessary."
   Blue searches more, grabbing a few documents from here and there. Napalm doesn't respond, having his muzzle buried in a box of files. The canine moves to another file drawer and starts rummaging around more, as the wolf picks up a small metal box in the back of the room. He tries to pry it open, finding it impossible.
   "Uh....maybe I'll take this one with me." Napalm dumps out a large file box, places the smaller one inside and then takes it around with him. Occasionally tossing a few documents in with it. Felinar glances at the far end of the corridor and sees some shadows approaching from around a corner. He tips a nearby crate over and crouches behind it, leveling his stolen laser rifle over it. The dog moves to a locked drawer, melts the lock , then looks in; and pulls out some metal tags.
   "Hurry up...!" the lions fearce whisper warns. Blue sits down, not hearing Felinar as he reads the tags, and the folder he pulled out of the drawer.
   Napalm sets down his box. "Watch this box for me Blue." then darts off to the doorway. The canine again, doesn' notice, as he keeps reading the file. Felinar sees the first of the figures move around the corner, a wolf dressed in an Awardings uniform. He presses the firing stud on the rifle, the red pinpoint beam burning a hole through the lupine's skull.
   "Blue, HURRY UP!" the lion yells out.
   Blue blinks, and looks up. "What?" Felinar takes cover as they begin to return fire.
   "Nice shot." the wolf says as he imitates a gun with is right paw and points it at the guards, firing a red beam from his fingertip.
   "Ack," Blue surprisedly states as he grabs the files he was reading, shoves them in Napalm's drawer and grabs the drawer. Felinar burns a weasel in the throat with another shot, then takes
cover again. Napalm scans the the hallway they seem to be coming from.
   "Guys...." the wolf says matter-of-factly, "I think the whole building is onto us. We've got lots of warm bodies heading our way."
   Felinar fires again, missing. "I don't know another way out of here!"
   "I do." Napalm says. "You two hold them off just a little while longer."
   Blue sniffs around, and grins. "There's a sewer under us."
    Napalm runs back into the file room, out of sight of the others.
   "Huh? A sewer?" he says as he hears the dog.
   "If you could get there."
   "Oh, well, I was thinking of going the other direction, but if you prefer the sewer."
   Felinar topples another weasel with a shot to the head. "Dammit, not a sewer! I might get infected!"
   "Whatever, do it quickly." Blue tosses a mini-sun at the guards blinding them momentarily. Napalm doesn't bother to talk further and there is a sound of something burning inside the room.
   Napalm appears behind them. "Now might be a good time to go."
   He gestures toward the room, and the large hole in the center. Blue punches some numbers on the entrance keypad. Felinar begins to back into the room, firing his last rounds and then tossing the rifle down and heading through the hole.
   "Watch that first step, its rather steep." the wolf says with a smile.
   Blue closes the door behind him, hearing some clicks, and grins. "We have to leave now, if they try to blast that door, the whole place will come down."
   "Then you two better get down first, and hurry." Napalm motions. Felinar drops down the hole carefully. Blue hears the guards starting to shoot against the door, and dives down the hole, tumbling through. Felinar moves out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed by Blue. Napalm floats gracefully down the hole even as he hears the door, and building give way above. As he lands he smiles and looks around, then gets hit on the head by several bricks that that come through the hole after him. He falls down, splashing in the muck in the sewer.
   Blue looks around, "Okay which way now?"
   Felinar looks down at his bandage. "I don't know, but I'm bleeding again, and I don't want to get sewage on an open wound."
   Napalm shakes his head and slowly sits up, "Uhh...that way I think" as he points in two directions at once.
   "Guess you didn't cauderize all those bleeders." the dog says.
   "Well a cauterization doesn't hold if you start hopping around. You just open the wound again."
   Blue sniffs then stops and coughs some. "Well, that wasn't good"
   He looks to his right, "Guess this way is as good as any."
   Felinar shrugs. "It's not bad. I'd just prefer to get out of here fast."
   Napalm takes a moment to engulf himself in fire, cleaning the muck off his robe, which is amazingly untouched by the fire. "Okay, then, I'm pretty sure there's a manhole 55 yards north of here."
   "I think we would want one a little farther, but that would work." the canine says as he looks at the feline with concern. Felinar waves the canine off and begins to walk north.
   "As soon as we surface I can get us to the hotel in a matter of seconds." Napalm hurries ahead, "I'll get it open and wait for you there."
   Blue follows, watching the feline intensely. Felinar continues to walk, searching the ceiling for the manhole. The dog hears something, and speeds up. "We have to get out now. Where's that exit."
   Napalm calls down the tunnel, "Heeellllllllllllllllooooooooo down there!" Napalm calls down, "Not much farther, I'm right around the corner."
   Felinar blinks and walks a little faster. Blue turns around and loosk back down the sewer, as he slowly backs up. "There's somethign here, and I don't want to meet it."
   "Just...wait...I'm coming...."
   Napalm waves at you from the manhole, "Come on, I'm right here"
   Felinar holds his side, panting quietly as he begins to climb the ladder one handed. Blue stops at the bottom of the ladder waiting for Felinar to climb up, as he watches the tunnels.
   The lion crawls out of the sewer and sits down heavily. "Come on, Blue..."
   The dog starts to climb up and feels something tugging on his leg. "Ack," as he starts kicking the leg, slowly climbing more.
   "Did you find something down there Blue?" the wolf calls down.
   "Yes, and it found me."
   "Oh thats nice. What is it?" Napalm looks down, seeing a long warm shape but having trouble distinguishing its exact shape.
   Felinar bends over and reaches down into the hole. "Blue, I'll pull you out. Grab my hand." The canine pulls up a few more rungs, until he can reach out his paw. He shakes his legs more, then thinks and moves his paw down, and yells, "BLACK" then two seconds later, fires a mini-sun at whatever is there.
   "Hmm....I don't think its going to like that." the wolf ponders. The canine feels the thing let go as he flies up the hole and puts the lid on, standing on it. Napalm hands Blue the bolts that hold on the lid. You might try using these. Blue puts a couple of the bolts in.
   Felinar mutters, "I think I need a little rest..."
   Napalm yawns, "Sounds good to me. Then after that, we can have ice cream."
   "We need to get back to the inn now." the dog says as he looks at the lion.
   "Now? As in RIGHT now?"
   Felinar doesn't even try to get up as Blue continues. "Yes!"
   "I'm pretty tired..." the lion sleeply says.
   "Oh, okay." the wolf replies.
   Blue moves over to Felinar. "Don't sleep yet" Napalm places a paw on each of the others shoulders and a few moments later they are in Felinar's room at the hotel. Blue picks up the phone and calls for a medic.
   Felinar blinks a few times tiredly. "Why not?"
   "Ooopps, wrong room" the wolf states looking around.
   "Want to make sure you won't sleep longer," the dog says with concern. "if you catch my drift."
   "Well, for me anyway," Napalm continues unfazed by the other topic. "Hope you don't mind the intrusion Fel." Blue sits in the other bed, looking with concern at Felinar, then asks Napalm to answer the door when there's a knock.
   Napalm shrugs and walks over opening the door, "Yes?"    Felinar glances down at his bandage, which is soaked through by now. He looks a little pale.
   The concern is very evident in Blue's voice as he states, "Stay with me Fel."
   "Hello," the voice at the door states. "Is someone in need of a medic?"
   Felinar chuckles. "Just a scratch..."
   "Uh...I think he could use one" Napalm says, pointing to the bed. The cheetah comes in and moves over to the lion, and start poking and proding, looking under the bandage.
   "You should have seeked medical attention earlier," the medic lectures.
   Felinar yelps and glares at the medic. "YOU should have gone to medical school!" Napalm mutters something about ice cream and slips out of the room.
   "You be quiet, and drink this." handing Felinar some liquid.Felinar shrugs, his mood shifting, and he downs the liquid in one gulp.
   "That's better," the medic says as he removes the bandages, and starts to clean the wound up, looking up at Blue. "You ought to leave, sir, I have to work on him some."
   "No, I'm not leaving my friend." the dog stats in a serious tone.
   "This had better be organic. I reject chemical drugs." the lion says very sleeply. He looks over at Felinar with a glare, then starts working on the wound. Napalm comes back into the room with a large bowl filled with mint ice cream.
   The medic glares up at Napalm, "Kindly leave the room please, I am working here."
   Napalm shrugs. "Well fine, if you don't want any. I WAS going to share." Napalm walks back out, still stuffing ice cream into his muzzle. Felinar closes his eyes slowly. The cheetah looks up at the lion, listens to the heart, and puts a slight grin on his muzzle as he finishes working the wound clean, and starts to bandage it.
   "Now this needs to be changed every three hours, with a wetone." he says to Blue. Napalm is heard muttering something about them having too small of bowls at the hotel. The voice fades slowly.
   "You're friend had a high fever, and an infectious wound. But thanks to my care, he'll get better. Tell him he has to be careful the next few days."
   "I will, I'll be here all night, and change the dressings." the dog states firmly.
   "And here," hands the dog a bottle, "if he gets a fever or starts in convultions, give him this, then call me." Felinar shifts slightly, and mutters something incoherant. He appears to be dreaming. The cheetah looks at Felinar again, then walks out the room, and closes the door.
   Blue picks up the phone and dials his room. Felinar 's expression changes to one of pain and he reaches out in front of him. "No...Sekai, get away...." Blue reaches over and settles Felinar with a calm touch. Napalm walks back in, this time carrying two bowl, one which he sets on the dresser.
   Napalm whispers between mouthfuls, "How is he?"
   "Shhhh...he's resting but I'm gonna stay here tonight, have to change the dressing and all."
   Felinar shifts again, his expression still pained. "Kalla..."
   Blue holds Felinar more. Napalm nods. The canine makes shhhhhing and comforting noises to Felinar, to try to let him sleep.
   "I'll look over the stuff we got then back at our room. If I find anything important I'll let you know." the wolf says in a whisper. The dog nods as he looks at the lion. Napalm walks back out with his ice cream bowls balanced on the box. Felinar 's muzzle is dampened slightly with tears as he cries softly in his sleep. The canine takes a washcloth and wipes felinar's muzzle dry. The lion whispers something quietly, almost inaudibly, and reaches out to gently stroke the canine's cheek. "Blue...?"
   "Sleep, Fel, sleep." the dog says with much care in his voice. Felinar sleeps through the rest of the night without another word. The canine makes sure he changes the dressings and sleeps a very light and slightly troubled sleep. Napalm floats back into the room. Blue hears even napalm entering the room, and wakes up.
   "Blue, do you know a Mister Blue Heeler SunFire? He left a message for you."
   "Shhhhhh...what do you want?"
   "Just wanted to let you know you had a message. Goodness knows I can't work that damned answering machine."   Felinar mutters quietly as he gets out of bed. Still half asleep, he apparently doesn't notice the other two in the room as he strips his clothes off and walks into the bathroom, closing the door. A few moments later, the shower can be heard.
   "Okay, I"ll be there in a moment, want to make sure Fel is okay."
   "Oh thats fine...what's he doing?" the wolf looks towards the bathroom.
"Taking a shower, I'll be over shortly."
   Napalm shrugs, then floats back out, shoveling more ice cream into his muzzle. Blue lays down for a second, but then falls asleep.The shower is shut off suddenly, and the sound of Felinar grooming himself can be heard from the bathroom. The dog falls into a sound sleep, after seeing that the lion was moving around. Felinar wakes Blue violently and suddenly by bringing the furdryer over to the canine and blasting it in his face.
   "Hey, what are you doing in here?" the lion asks.
   "ACK!" Blue leaps up. "watching over you, last night, making sure the dressing was changed." He looks at the injury. The lion wears a towel around his waist, the bandage gone, and the injury almost vanished, taken care of largely during the night by the lion's accelerated hearing. He tosses his silky mane over one shoulder and nods slightly.
   "How bad was it?"
   "Real bad, I was worried about you, but I'm glad you're okay now." Blue looks like he almost hugs the lion, but then just stands there, remembering the reaction to when he touched him the other day.Felinar looks at Blue strangely for a moment. "I had nightmares last night. You were in them."
   "I was?? What were they about." he yawns and sits down.
    Felinar sighs quietly and sits down on the bed. "I saw....Sekai, and Kalla die again. You died too."
   "That won't happen. and I kinda guessed what you were going through, I could hear and see what was happening."
   Felinar shifts uncomfortably. "Uh...how's that?"
   "You were tossing and turning, but finally got quiet.. and slept the rest of the night away. And now you're healed, so that's great."
   Felinar pats his muscular side lightly. "Yeah. Just about."
   "Good, cause you didn't look very good yesterday. I ... didn't want to lose....a valued hired hand." The canine says as he looks out the window at something. He looks back to Felinar. The lion shrugs and lets the towel fall as he bends over to pick up a fresh change of clothes. He slowly pulls them on, apparently still a little sore. "Are you gonna...." Blue blushes some as the lion pulls on the clothes "... be ready for more today, or should we take another day off?"
   Felinar finishes dressing and shrugs. "I'm all set, but I'm kind of hungry."
   "Okay, we'll collect Napalm and head down for breakfast."
   "Okay.." The feline brushes against the canine gently as he heads out the door. Whether it was intentional or not, can't be told.   Blue pads over to the door and opens it, then walks to his room, and sticks he head in.
   "Nap, breakfast time." Napalm peaks his head over a wall of ice cream bowls.
   "Oh good, I was getting hungry." Napalm hops over the collection of bowls and follows the two towards the dining area. The dog looks at the bowls, then just walks down the hall.
   Felinar looks over Blue's head into the room. "Godess. What a pig."
   "No, wolf." Napalm corrects.
   The dog sits down at the table and orders an omlet, while Napalm orders a large plate of scrabbled eggs and a pitcher of soft drink; and Felinar orders a large serving of raw meat.