Ring! Ring! Ring!

It was almost sunrise when the phone began ringing out of control. Rubix was already up, he was a bundle of energy all the time, but none of the humans were there to answer the phone. He gently tugged on the phone line until the receiver fell to the floor. He got down near the ear part and listened carefully to see if he could identify who was calling. 

Woof Woof!

Rubix barked at the phone to answer. There was a human on the other end, Rubix could tell by the words, it surely was not a dog on the other end. He wasn't sure what to do, he could wake up Ellie but how would that help. Rubix left the phone on the ground giving another bark to tell the caller he was going to go get a human. He didn't stick around to hear the reply, it wouldn't have mattered anyways as Rubix wouldn't have understood it anyways. A heavy snoring sound was coming from Kaeden's room but there did seem to be movement in Lydia's room. 

Rubix turned around and thought of something very exciting, his tail began to wag back and forth, wrapping gently on the door to Lydia's room as if it was his own way to knock politely without waking up the whole house. Lydia cracked the door, still wiping her eyes, she scanned the hallway left and then right before finally looking down and seeing Rubix standing there. Woof Woof Woof, Rubix barked quietly, attempting to get her to follow him to the kitchen. She opened the door and slowly made her way to the kitchen. Rubix was always full of energy at this time of day, and all times of day, but the humans were not. 

Lydia headed straight for the coffee pot, putting some grounds in the top and filling it with water while Rubix stood by the phone on the floor making pitiful noises, he looked at the phone, then at Lydia, then back at the phone. Lydia hit the button to start the brew then came over to Rubix to see what the fuss was all about. She saw the cord to the phone hanging down to the floor and bent down to pick up the receiver. She spoke in human to the other person, mission accomplished. Rubix wagged his tail hard, he did good, he was a good boy. Lydia continued to talk to the phone until finally hanging up. 

The coffee pot began to make its noises and was quickly followed by the smell, it was always a good smell but Rubix had no idea what it tasted like, he never felt the urge to try it because he was always full of energy and it seemed to be some sort of alternate fuel source for humans other than their normal water. The sound of snoring from down the hall stopped as soon as the smell started on the coffee pot, it was mere moments later that Kaeden shuffled slowly out of his room and made his way towards the coffee pot's sounds and smells. Rubix waited patiently as the morning ritual commenced. The two humans grumbled as they sat down, passing the pot and pouring coffee into their mugs. Rubix stood on his hind legs, his large front paws clung to the table for stability as he sniffed the coffee from their mugs. Lydia pushed her mug towards him to give him a better smell, Rubix leaned in and nearly fell over at its strength, he wagged his tail, not quite sure what it was or what it might do. 

Lydia stood and grabbed an empty water bowl, she made her way to the freezer and cracked the ice cube tray into it then set it in front of Rubix and held up the coffee pot to see if he wanted to have some. Woof Woof Woof! Rubix was full of energy already and eager to try anything, after all, humans made such good food, maybe this was as good. The ice cubes danced around the bowl as Lydia poured some coffee inside, the cubes swirling around and around as they slowly shrank and became one with the coffee. Kaeden looked over with half awake eyes, his gaze bounced between the already energetic dog, the bowl of coffee poured for him, and the kind human that knew not what she was doing. He tried to speak but was just too tired, he lifted his own mug of coffee to his lips as it would be his only defense for what he had expected might happen next. 

It was early, really early or at least it seemed like it. She didn't actually know what time it was, the clock in room was kind of broken. Well it wasn't completely broken, it did tell the correct time twice a day. That was better then nothing, right? It was a ray of sunshine that shone through her blinds that woke her up. It was something that happened every morning, she kept telling herself she needed to move her bed to the other side of the room but always seemed to forget. Needless to say every sunny morning she would wake up the same way, the brightness of the sun shinning through her eyelids.

This morning was the same as always, that was until she heard the soft knocking at her door. Though it didn't sound like a normal knock, was definitely not knuckles against the wooden door. At first she ignored it and rolled over in her bed to avoid the sunlight, she figured it was too faint to be her door perhaps it was just someone down the hall. She was just about to close her eyes when the sound appeared again, this time it was a bit louder and it for sure sounded like her door. With a sigh Lydia rolled over and swung her legs off the bed, with a stretch and a giant yawn she pushed herself off the bed and to the door.

She wasn't sure what or whom was at her door but figured it was only proper to see who it was. She reached out for the door knob and turned it but the knob didn't move. "It would help of I unlocked it." She said to herself as she yawned again. Yes her brain was on but it surely wasn't functioning properly yet. She turned the lock on the door then turned the knob once more, the locking mechanism opened up as the door released itself from the door jamb. Slowly she opened the door a crack, enough to peek her head out.

There was no one there, she looked to the left and then the right and still no one was there. She could have swore she heard someone knocking at the door, that's when it hit her she didn't look down. Tilting her head downward and giving a look is when she saw him, it was Rubix. He was standing there looking at her with a tilted head. It may have been the first time he had seen her when she had just waken up and it wasn't the look he was expecting.

"Rubix, what is it boy?" She said while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

It was funny, she always talked to him like a human but wasn't completely sure if he fully understood what she was saying. Well there were those key words he had to have understood. Food, treat, play and more importantly squirrel. The squirrel word was his favorite, once said he would always go on alert. Lydia even on occasion would shout out squirrel randomly just to get his attention, it always made her laugh. Rubix on the other hand never seemed to find it funny. 

After a brief moment Rubix remembered why he woke her up. It was the phone, he needed a human to man the phone. "Woof Woof Woof" he barked in a soft tone trying to get her attention and for her to follow him. She wasn't completely sure what he was trying to tell her but knew that she was up and if she was up she best get some coffee in her.

Lydia pushed her door opened fully and took a step out, Rubix dashed down the hall and into the kitchen. Lydia slowly followed behind him and finally made her way to the kitchen. The first thing she did was set up the coffee pot then hit the brew button. Almost instantly the aroma of the brew emulated throughout the headquarter. It was an amazing smell and she couldn't wait for the first sip of the day. That's when she caught herself in the midst of a day dream, the morning coffee daydream. Rubix was fussing about something just around the corner and it ruined her day dream for the moment.

"Rubix! What are you doing over there?"

She hooked the corner to see the phone on the floor, she could hear a voice on the other end. Lydia bent over and picked up the phone and gave Rubix a pat on the head. After a very brief conversation Lydia hung up the phone.

"We don't need another newspaper subscription, do we Rubix?"

By the time she turned around Kaeden was walking around the corner into the kitchen. Obviously the smell of the coffee summoned him to the kitchen as he pulled up a chair at the table. Lydia grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and poured the proper amount in each mug, she slide one over to Kaeden and placed the other in front of the seat she was going to sit. She sat down and the moment she did Rubix placed his paws on the tables to get a look at what they were doing. He always seemed to love the smell of coffee but to her knowledge no one had ever let Rubix try any.

She slide her mug over towards him giving him a better smell, he instantly started licking his chops.

"You want some coffee boy?"

His tail began excitedly wagging and without hesitation Lydia got up. She went over to the counter and grabbed an extra water bowl, then to the freezer for some ice. She couldn't let him drink it as it, it would have burnt up his mouth pretty bad. An experience Lydia has gone through herself a couple of times. She poured the fresh brew into the bowl and let the ice cubes fully melt before placing the bowl on the floor.

Kaeden gave her a funny look but decided that his coffee was too important to actually say anything. She picked up her mug and took the first sip of the day, an instant sensation of euphoria went coursing through her body as she looked over at Kaeden then down at Rubix.

"Go ahead boy, it's cool enough to drink."

Kaeden sat up abruptly in his bed, not fully awake and still a bit confused it took him a few moments and several eye rubs to figure where he was. You would think by now he would expect to wake up in his bed, but he still wasn't really used to this whole 'having a bed and a room' thing yet and he had only been here in Chicago for about a week. Once he was awake and had his bearings though it didn't take him long at all to discover why he was awake.The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the HQ and it smelt so damn good.

He literally rolled out of his bed and onto the floor, before reaching for his pants, socks and a shirt which he had left in a pile on the floor the night before. He slid them on and then sat there for a few more minutes on the floor. A shower and change of clothes would have to wait... he needed this coffee. Kaeden had always hated mornings and didn't function like a proper human being until he had some caffeine. With a groan he used the nightstand to pull himself up onto his feet and hobbled his way down to the kitchen. 

He perked up more and more the stronger the smell of coffee got, but he was still barely awake as he entered the kitchen. Lydia was already up and making coffee, and Rubix was sitting near by watching intently. They must have both known by now that trying to interact with Kaeden before coffee was a waste of time, because Kaeden made his way past the pair and flopped down at the table without any of the three saying a word, or a woof in Rubix's case. 

Lydia came over to the table with two cups of coffee and the pot of coffee, she put one cup in front of Kaeden and the other at her seat before placing the pot on a table cloth in the centre of the table. 

"Thanks" Kaeden managed to mumble before he turned his focus to his coffee. 

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lydia lower her cup a little bit so Rubix could get a good wiff. This was actually pretty normal, it was when she got up from her seat and grabbed a bowl and some ice cubes that Kaeden really began to pay attention to what was happening. He was pretty sure that giving a dog coffee was a terrible idea, especially a dog who was already as energetic as Rubix. He opened his mouth to object but changed his mind and went back to his coffee instead. He didn't want to ruin Rubix's fun... and he looked really excited to find out what the big fuss was about coffee. Besides, what was the worst thing that could happen? 

Lydia poured the coffee over the ice and let it sit for a few minutes to cool off completely. At least she wasn't going to burn the poor dogs tongue off. She returned to her seat and after a few minutes of petting Rubix and sipping her own coffee she got back up and grabbed the bowl of ice-coffee. She placed it down in front of him and returned to her seat before turning back to Rubix and the bowl. 

"Go ahead boy, it's cool enough to drink." She finally said when she noticed he wasn't drinking it yet.

Rubix's eyes lit up and without hesitation he began to down the coffee as fast as his tongue could go. His tail was whipping back and forth faster than Kaeden had ever seen by the time he finished the bowl, which didn't take him long at all. He appeared to like it a lot, he inspected the bowl for a few seconds to make sure it really was all gone and then proceeded to lick up the coffee he had flung onto the floor around the bowl before sitting up and staring at Lydia as if to say thank you. 

Ellie had been having the wildest dreams...  One of the biggest ferret houses you can dream of, tunnels that crisscrossed and weaved every which way, towers with little tiered platforms all the way to the vaulted ceilings!  Ropes and nets and any number of beautiful toys that you could squirrel away to chew later...  She was just heading up the tallest tower in the room to get a good lookout when...

THUMP!  

A loud sound reverberated through the floor and into her blanket filled basket.  Instantly the tiny ferret was awake.  Bright eyed and bushy tailed, literally...  Her tail stood out on end as she looked around trying to find the source of the threat from the safety of her basket.  One of her beautiful fluffy blankets lay over her head as she peeked her nose out trying to ascertain just what was going on.  She was coming up empty pawed.  There was nothing here...  No threat...  No monster...  Not even a two legged one that she loved so much.  Now it seemed like it might be silly for a ferret to have her own room, even if it was a large walk in closet refashioned into a miniature bedroom.  But she loved it and it was hers.  They had even fixed a ferret sized pet door for easy access to the hall.  It was perfect.  She could store everything she needed in here, all her toys...  As well as other people's.  She was fairly certain that they gave her her own space so that they would know where to start looking when things went missing.  What could she say?  She liked pretty things...

But no!  The bang!  She had to discover the source of the bang!  Dashing out of her room, she headed out into the hallway just in time to see a very sleepy looking Kaeden stumbling out of his room.  She paused with one paw raised as she tried to figure out if he was alright.  This was always her first concern.  Is he upright?  Yes.  Is he breathing?  She was pretty sure.  He was groaning a bit and rubbing his eyes...  Was he a zombie?!  Wait what was a zombie...  Probably not a zombie.  No more of that flashing screen for her at night.  Anyway!  He was headed for the kitchen!  Surely games and excitement were afoot.  Off the little ferret would go at his heels curious as to what was going on.  She also smelled the coffee.  But she had picked up on the scent back in her room.  It wasn't something she knew much about, but it was a strong smell and did smell good.  Not as good as grass right after a rainfall though...  Now that was a good smell.  Anyway!  She trotted into the kitchen and was beyond delighted to see more of their family up and around.  Lydia was on the phone and Rubix was there too!  Brilliant!  Ellie ran quickly to the two and gently rubbed up against Lydia's calf, knowing that she would get plenty of cuddles if she came to see her.  Chittering eagerly to Rubix, she wondered if he wanted to play!  That bright look in his eye looked promising!  Then again he always wanted to play, so chances of this day being awesome?  Very high.  She'd simply have to wait and see.

Playtime would have to wait it seemed...  Coffee had to be first.  She knew that...  Wandering over to her water bowl, she would take a few drinks, feeling quite thirsty herself.  But it seemed she missed everything!  Before she could turn around, she heard ice hitting the sides of a bowl and something poured inside before it being set before Rubix.  Was it that good smelling stuff?  Ellie hurried over tilting her head in inquiry but he was already finishing it off and that tail!  She wondered if she could grab on and take a wild ride!  But she would refrain.  Ferrets had to have some form of decorum after all!  She wondered what would happen next as her dear Rubix seemed to fairly vibrate...  Oh yes...  There was fun to be had today!  And Ellie would be ready.

The coffee was a little warm but it went down alright, it smelled great and this was going to be a great day, every day was a great day! Trying human things was something Rubix loved to do, meatballs were his favorite, bacon was his favorite, he had so many favorites. Maybe coffee would be his favorite. He licked the bowl clean then made his way to the drops on the floor and cleaned those up too. He stared up at Lydia to thank her, his tail was making a whistling sound, he wasn't sure he had heard it before now. Then... He felt... Strange. 

His eye began to twitch, then his whole face felt like it had twitched. His head tilted to one side, then the other. For a moment Rubix thought he was going to explode. He had never felt this power before. Then the sound, that whistling sound, his tail! He always forgot he had a tail until he see's it again, but now he can hear it! It must be dealt with!

He twisted his whole body to get to it, it was just within reach, he chomped down, as he did he was filled with excitement and his tail took off at an unnatural speed. It whizzed right out of range and he lunged again. Around and around the tail went and around and around Rubix chased after it. He was going to get it, this coffee does something to humans but whatever was happening to him was outrageous, his energy was soo much. He threw his ass to the ground and caught the tail, he was so thrilled with himself but he was stopped and the energy kept going. What would he do now!? He'd have to come up with it on the way, he jumped to his feet and began picking a direction. Ellie had just entered the room but Rubix had to go, this room was too small for him. He barked as he passed her, inviting her to come along, she always did have morning energy but no one had this energy. He turned his head only a moment to see if she was following but his feet kept going, she didn't have time to make a decision before he turned the corner, he hoped she would follow. 

The corner did not go well, the floors were recently refinished and already were sliding hazard, his four feet headed in eight directions... somehow... his body mass and momentum carried him straight even though his body had turned, he barreled for the wooden linen closet door and smashed into the side of it. Had he damaged it? Who knows, he had to get out, this hallway was so small. He took off for the front door but only seemed to get a few steps. Looking down, he noticed the hallway carpet runner was bunching at his feet, he pushed and pushed and it folded like an accordion under him. The end of the carpet was coming and as it did Rubix took off at full speed, maybe even faster than full speed, what was coffee exactly? 

Rubix shot through the front doggy door and tore through the yard, there were nine squirrels outside, that was nine more than usual by the time Rubix was through the door but this time they were caught off guard, because this time, Rubix was coffee dog! If only he had a cape maybe he could fly but he didn't, he would have to settle for chasing them up a tree. He ran after the squirrels and chased them up the trees, he barked and barked and kept all nine of them terrified. He quickly got bored, the yard was too small he began to excavate, flinging dirt everywhere, he would make the yard bigger!

The dirt was raining down on the house, falling in every direction, it was probably going out to the street as Rubix spun in a clockwise direction digging and digging. Then he heard it, a car! They don't run up trees! Rubix would chase a car, or race it! Rubix turned his head and waited for the car to get closer. He took off for the fence and jumped right over it, who knew he could do that? Rubix did! Rubix was Coffee Dog! He landed gracefully on all four paws and waited for the car to round the corner. His tail wagged really fast and he lamented having to wait. Oh good, it was the mailman. He was early today, he had been coming earlier and earlier to avoid some unfinished business they had. What a day this was turning out to be. 

The mailman turned the car immediately, the tires screeched as they picked up speed. Rubix bowed down, ready to play and made eye contact with the mailman, it was at that moment the mailman knew he was going to have a bad day. The vehicle finally began to flee and Rubix started to give chase. He might have heard a human or even a ferret squeak the moment he took off but Coffee Dog would stop for no one! He rounded the corner and saw the mailman taking a right at the end of Ruffington Lane. They would both have the advantage of the straightaway on that road. 

Rubix turned the corner and found himself three blocks from the mailman, at this point he was fairly certain he might have been being chased while he was chasing but that mattered not, no one would catch Rubix at Coffee Dog speed! He could feel the wind rushing past his face, more than ever before, he opened his mouth and let his tongue flop out, it was like sticking his head out the window, but he was running HOW COOL! The mailman was clearly panicked, he was throwing letters out of the side of the vehicle at people's mailbox vicinity. Within a block Rubix had caught up enough to catch a few of the letters as they fluttered down behind the mailmans car.  He shook them and dropped them to catch more. The mailman stopped throwing letters the moment he saw Rubix's speed, he would have to come back. He pulled into higher gear and sped his metal machine up to full power. Rubix retracted his tongue and did the same. 

Three blocks had passed and the mailman had run out of residential area, the traffic on the roads was starting to build and Rubix was not letting up. He threw his vehicle in park and ran for a small dress store on the outside of the business district. Rubix launched himself for the mailman, connecting with his pants and taking a small amount of fabric with him. He had caught him! The mailman ripped himself free and hid inside the dress store, locking the door behind him he quivered for a moment. Rubix lifted his leg and peed on the glass door. He made his way back to the mailman's metal box and took from it the dastardly mailbag. He pulled it into the street and shook it violently, the mail covered the road. He gave a final nod to the mailman, their business was now settled. He was keeping the mailbag, he was certain a certain ferret would certainly adore playing in it. 

Rubix trotted off in victory, full of energy and unsure of what to do next. Was he doing something? Was he supposed to be somewhere? Ooooh, he was chasing while being chased, he remembered. He wasn't sure where they were, they should have been behind him right? He was sure they could follow his trail, they would be along shortly. 

It was at that moment that Rubix saw a bird. Birds always got away, but would they get away from Coffee Dog? He lowered himself to the ground in pounce position and watched the bird play right into his trap. 

Romana was wandering the streets taking in a bit of a morning walk when she notices random envelopes floating by. Huh? she thought. Suddenly, a brown and white spotted blur darts past her. 

"What on Earth was that?!?" she thought.

She quickly runs to catch up to the blur. After a bit of huffing and puffing, she spies a medium sized dog hunting a bird. Maybe that was it? That can't be right though! I've never seen a dog run THAT fast! She watched the bird hop towards the dog, unaware of its awaited fate. I've got to help that poor bird! Birds are a bit dumb, but to have a pit bull gobble it up? Yeesh! Romana quickly looks around for anything that would help and she finds a mid-sized stick. This'll work! 

She whistles. She waves the stick in the air, calling for the dog. "Here boy! Come here boy and play fetch with me! I'd hate to play fetch all by my self!"

The bird hoped closer, just a few more hops and Rubix would have it. That is when the humans caught up. But wait, it didn't sound like his humans. He quickly turned his head and the bird flew away, oh well there would be more. There was a new human to meet! Rubix ran over to Romana_Alfonsi, she had a mid-sized stick! That was the best size of stick! Rubix got close but she threw the stick, it was a game! He ran after the stick and watched as it toppled over and bounced along the ground. Rubix got to it before it stopped, he picked up the stick and showed it to Romana, his tail wagged eagerly! He had chased the squirrels, he had chased the metal box, he had chased the mailman and he had chased a stick. 

But now it was time for a new chase. He brought the stick halfway back and dropped it. He barked a few times to taunt Romana, then he bent down and picked up the stick, he wagged his tail and turned around. He glanced back only once before taking off. He was a brown and white spotted blur!

Who's dog is this anyway? Romana thought as this 50lb. blur rushed towards her. She was a little nervous about this blur running at her. She didn't even know if he was mean! Thankfully, her gamble paid off. Well, I'll be! She thought as she watched the dog bound away with the stick, taunting her. He's just playful!

Romana takes off running after the dog, chuckling to herself. At least I'll get a workout! Every time she slowed down, that dog kept running away. After a while, she sat down on the grass panting. That dog is too fast! If I liked those dog races, I'd see what money I could get off of him! She shook her head. He's not my dog. Besides, his owners are probably wondering where he went. If he's got any owners, that is. He's too nice not to have one! I need something to drink! She spots an ice cream vendor not too far away. It's not water, but it'll do! Romana leans toward the dog. "You stay right here, ok? I'll be right back with a treat for both of us." She dusts the dirt off of her skirt and walks over to the vendor.

"Two vanilla ice creams please. Two scoops each. Can I have one in a bowl?" The vendor nods, scoops the ice cream, and takes his money. Romana walks back with a bowl of vanilla ice cream and sets it down near the dog. "Here you go, buddy!" She raises her cone. "To the best workout partner ever!"

Rubix began twitching a little as he sat in front of Lydia. He then jumped up suddenly and began chasing his tail, after a few minutes of rapid circling Rubix finally defeated his tail. He then he took off and shot out into the backyard like he was launched from a cannon. Kaeden stood up and watched from the window as Rubix tore through the backyard trying to catch one of the squirrels that were out there. Even with his caffeine boost though they proved to be too fast. He kept those damn squirrels off of his lawn for a few minutes, before turning his attention to the lawn itself. Kaeden wondered if maybe Rubix was upset with the lawn for allowing the squirrels back there because he began to rip the lawn apart and fling chunks of it right off the property. It was a few minutes later when Rubix took off and jumped clear over the fence that Kaeden started to worry.

"Ummm, Lydia?"

"Yeah... I saw..." Lydia responded, Kaeden hadn't even noticed she was next to him at the window. 

Without another word Lydia scooped up Ellie and ran out the front door. Kaeden chugged what was left of the coffee pot before following them outside. When he got outside though Lydia was sprinting down the street as fast as she could move and waving her arms around over her head like a crazy person with Ellie bouncing up and down on her shoulder. He couldn't see Rubix anywhere but it must have been him that Lydia and Ellie were chasing. 

Luckily the coffee was starting to kick in and Kaeden felt like he finally had a little bit of energy. Without any more hesitation, he took off down the driveway at full speed, just barely dodging DanTerminus and Ferocity who were in the driveway just getting out of Dan's car. 

"Sorry!" Kaeden yelled as he continued down the road after Ellie and Lydia. 

He ran as fast as he could for several blocks but could barely keep Lydia in sight, for a woman with such short legs she sure did move fast. Kaeden started to notice more and more as they ran that a lot of cars were pulled over to the side of the road parked in odd places. This had to mean they were closing in on Rubix, and more importantly that the people of Chicago were following the rules and stopping when he was in the street. 

Kaeden struggled for a few more blocks to keep Lydia in sight, at this point they were well past the residential area where the HQ was located... and he suddenly noticed Lydia come to a stop up ahead. Maybe she just needed to catch her breath? Or maybe she had actually caught up to Rubix? Either way, this was his chance to catch up and find out what the hell was going on. As he approached Lydia seemed to be pacing back and forth on the side of the road in deep thought with Ellie doing the same on her shoulder. Kaeden leaned against the building closest to the pair to catch his breath before speaking. 

'What the...?" Was all he managed to ask between deep breaths.

The coffee was doing its job, Lydia was starting to feel like a normal human being again. Well as normal as she could be, which to some or actually most wasn’t quite normal. It was ok though, normal was boring and boring was definitely something she wasn’t. She took the last sip in her mug just as Rubix finished licking up the few splatters he left on the floor. He really seemed to like coffee, for a moment Lydia thought this may be a new morning ritual. A bit of coffee for her and a bit of coffee for the pup.

That was until she noticed something a bit off, it wasn’t necessary the glare Rubix was giving her but more so the twitching in his eye. It wasn’t both eyes just the one and it was getting faster and more erratic. She glanced over to Kaeden who was already looking down at Rubix then back at Rubix. 

“You ok boy?” She said in a semi worried tone. 

Just then Rubix turned his head and twitched his tail. Instantly it was on and there was no gradual start up, it was immediately balls to the wall. Or tails to the head? However you want to consider it but one thing she knew was that he was on a mission. His determination to catch that tail triumphed anything and everything at that moment. He chased it for what seemed forever but in fact was only about a minute before he realized how to defeat it. With a sudden stop he slammed his ass onto the floor and grabbed a hold of his tail. The whole scene made Lydia chuckle, this was the first time she had ever seen him actually catch his tail. Maybe the coffee gave him super powers or perhaps it just made him think clearer, only if she could actually ask him to get an answer. Talking to a dog though and expecting an actual human response was something she could only dream of. 

She thought it was over but oh how she was wrong, just as quick as he grabbed his tail Rubix sprung up. His legs churning as quick as possible as he took off. The funny thing though, the floors had just been refinished making them super slick to the four legged members. He couldn’t quite make the turn out of the kitchen as he slammed up against one of the doors, the sound echoed through the headquarters. He finally gained his footing and headed to the hallway towards the front door. 

He was moving at a pace unforeseen to Lydia, this was something she had to keep witnessing herself. Plus on top of everything it was funny. On her way to the front room Lydia scooped up Ellie and placed her on her shoulder. She didn’t see him get outside but she heard it and saw the aftermath. The runner going up to the front door was balled up no where near the door and she could hear the barking coming from the front yard. It was a specialized bark, one she knew all too well. Actually one all the humans around here knew. It was the squirrel alarm woofing. Causually Lydia made her way over to the front window to watch. 

He had already moved passed the squirrels and was ripping chunks of the front yard up. It was his yard, perhaps he wanted to redecorate? Lydia thought to herself. She reached up to give Ellie a bit of a scratch and that’s when it happened. Rubix sported the mailman and like a heat seeking misle he was off. This wasn’t good, wasn’t good at all. 

“Oh shit....” Lydia yelled out. 

Without hesitation Lydia whipped around the corner towards the front door, she quickly opened it and was about to yell for Rubix but he was no where in sight. A panic set in and not just with her, Ellie sprung up on her hind legs on Lydia’s shoulder to get a look but her silence meant she saw nothing as well. That’s when Lydia spotted it, a small pile of letters a little ways down the road. 

Still in her pajamas and without any shoes on Lydia took off in the direction of the letters. Within seconds she was standing over the letters as she spotted another pile up ahead. There was a trail! Lydia knee that mailman was in trouble and she knew Rubix wasn’t going to stop until he got him. From a dead stop Lydia began sprinting, she followed the trail through the residential area and out of it. Block after block she ran barefoot following that trail until she came upon a scene she wasn’t all too surprised to be seen. 

Just in front of a dress shop sat a pile of torn up mail, Lydia bent down to examine it when Ellie let out a series of chirps. This made Lydia spin her head around catching glimpse of the mailman. He was inside the dress store and pointing down the way. She turned her head to look but saw nothing so she looked back at the mailman who this time was forcefully pointing. 

There was a woman standing up a little in the direction he was pointing, maybe she knew something? Lydia quickly made her way over to the woman who was holding two ice cream cones and had a stick laying in front of her feet. She could tell she was looking for something and by the pointing by the mailman Lydia put two and two together. 

“Excuse me! Yeah you.”

The woman turned towards Lydia.

“Have you seen a dog, white with brown spots. Lots of energy and possible carrying some kind of mailman paraphernalia?”

The woman looked around and then nodded. 

“Yeah I was just playing with him, went to grab some ice cream and when I came back he was gone.”

”Do you have any idea where he went?” 

“No, not a one.”

Now she was worried, Lydia began pacing back and fourth. She had no idea where to look. After a few paces back and fourth Kaeden finally caught up with her. He was out of breath and was only able to muster a couple words. 

“He’s gone! We have to find him but I don’t know where to start from here.” 

A meer second after she said that a scream echoed through the streets, that could only be one thing. She grabbed Kaeden by the arm and pulled him as she began running again following the screams.

The kind lady told Rubix to stay so he sat. She was gone for a few minutes but the energy was building, more and more he was going to explode, he shouldn't explode, people would be sad if he exploded. Rubix would be right back, his new friend would understand, it wasn't like he was going to just start running and forget to come back. 

Rubix started running. It was a default setting on coffee to run everywhere, he wasn't sure where he was headed but he no longer felt like he was going to explode, this was good. He crossed straight through the business district and headed towards the small apartments on the other side of town. Meow

Rubix's ears perked up, he heard his natural enemy, a cat. He stopped in place, his ears moving on their own hoping to hear it again. Meow. There was a cat in that house! It was standing at the screen door watching Rubix from the safety of its own home. Rubix growled and slinked towards the cat. The cat taunted him once more. Meow. That was just the encouragement Rubix needed to take off toward the cat. He leaped towards the screen door and barreled straight through it. The cat vaulted into the air in terror and took off up the stairs, Rubix shook off the feeling of breaking through the screen and took off up the stairs after the cat. The apartment building had an open door, probably where the cat lived, Rubix made his way for that door first. 

Entering the room the cat was perched high above the room on a bookshelf, its smug expression made Rubix angry, this cat didn't know it was dealing with coffee dog! He tore across the room and jumped toward the bookshelf, placing his paws on the third shelf, barely halfway to the cat. The weight of the dog shook the bookshelf and it began to fall, lowering the cat right towards Rubix. The bookshelf was coming right for him though so he had to dodge it! The bookshelf fell and made a really loud noise, a flying orange blur of cat leaped across the room and Rubix chased after it. The homeowner made herself known as she screamed at the top of her lungs. She was not excited to see Rubix. The cat jumped on top of the refrigerator and the old lady wielded a broom to protect the kitty. Rubix knew he was no match for the broom and the kitty was destroying this nice ladies house. It was time to go. He squeezed out the front door and down the steps, cats were still lame. 

Rubix made his way for the park next, it was a quick run to the park and there was a man sitting on a bench feeding birds. Rubix knew just what to do, he ran for the birds as fast as he could, they were everywhere. As soon as he got close they all flew away in fear, there were even some feathers that fell to the ground. The man on the bench had some really dark glasses and had no idea all the birds were gone. He threw some seeds that hit Rubix in the face. This guy was rude. Could he not see Rubix? 

That was when Rubix noticed the greatest stick ever. It was leaning up against the bench. He picked it up with his teeth and sprinted off down the path, the long stick reverberated in his mouth each time he bumped it into a bush or tree with it. The stick was turning out to be too large for him and he had no one to tug of war with it or even try to throw it to play catch. He would have to bury it. He still had so much energy and excitement so the hole did not take long for him to dig, he nosed the large stick thing into the hole and covered it up partially so that he could find it again later. He looked around and wondered if he was supposed to be somewhere or if he was supposed to return to someone. His day was so eventful he just wasn't sure. Oh he remembered, he was supposed to go see the Moo Cows at the farm! No wait, he hadn't see Moo Cows today, but he could! There was still time left! Rubix lifted his nose high into the air but could not smell any Moo Cows. He would have to run around and try to find the scent. 

Romana started to nibble on her ice cream when she realized the dog she bought the ice cream for wasn't there. Where'd he go? She wondered. 

Suddenly, a pajama clad and barefoot woman peeled around the corner.  Wait, she thought, does that woman have a ferret bouncing on her shoulder?!?

“Excuse me! Yeah you.”

The woman turned towards Lydia.

“Have you seen a dog, white with brown spots. Lots of energy and possible carrying some kind of mailman paraphernalia?”

The woman looked around and then nodded. 

“Yeah I was just playing with him, went to grab some ice cream and when I came back he was gone.”

”Do you have any idea where he went?” 

“No, not a one.”

The strange woman started pacing. Romana finally pieced it together. This must be the dog's owner.  She sighed. Well, there goes my chances at having a dog. Oh well, I don't think I'd be able to take him on a plane with me to Philly anyway. A man soon follows around the corner that the woman did. The woman turned to him, panicked.

“He’s gone! We have to find him but I don’t know where to start from here.” 

Both the man and woman take off after hearing a scream come from down the block. I should probably go help. After all, he was a good dog. Romana thinks. She follows soon after, trying not to lose the couple in front of her. The indignant screaming gets louder the closer we get. Romana stopped to catch her breath while the couple go to talk to the person screaming. She tuned out for a bit, tired of listening to the woman's invective. Romana managed to come back to reality when the couple speed off in the direction the woman pointed. I hope he's ok. That woman is nuts! She suddenly feels a wet plop on her shoulder. She looks over to see a flock of birds flying overhead. Great, that will take forever to get out! 

Holding on as tight as she could to his arm, Lydia pulled Kaeden in the direction of the scream. It was one of those loud ear piercing screams, the kind that make you wish you had some kind of earmuffs or earplugs. She wasn't running as fast as she did last time, there's no way Kaeden would have been able to keep up with her and that's even without shoes still. Not saying that Kaeden was slow but in this situation and at this time of the day he just wasn't at full capacity yet or was he?

The pair made their way through the business district, that's when the screams stopped. This made Lydia stop which in turn made Kaeden stop as well. She looked to her left and then to the right but didn't see nor hear anything.

"Kaeden, do you hear that?"

He gave her a funny look, cause he didn't hear anything or did he? She watched as he kept very still for a moment before shaking his head.

"I don't hear anything. Am I supposed to hear something?"

"Isn't that odd? In a city like this there's no sound."

She could see he was about to speak up again but realized she was right. For that brief moment there was no sound, nothing at all. It was short lived though, as not more then a couple seconds later the screams started up again. This made Lydia, Kaeden and Ellie all perk up and in one synchronized motion they all turned there heads. It was coming from straight ahead. 

"Those screams can only mean one thing, let's go!"

Lydia grabbed a hold of Kaeden's arm once more and tugged it as she began to take off in that direction.

"You don't have to pull me..."

"If I don't hold onto you I may lose you and I'm not going to search this city for Rubix and yourself."

With a shrug and a smirk Kaeden didn't comment further, she made a good point and he knew it. She led him straight ahead, then they hooked a right and a left down an alley. The alley wasn't the cleanest and was a recipe for disaster with her bare feet. She stepped on something sharp that sent an immediate sensation of pain throughout her body making her stopping instantly.

"Owe, what the fuck..."

She lifted her leg off the ground and took her foot in her hand to investigate. Right on the arch of her foot a was a bit of blood in the midst of the blackness of the dirt, from this angle it was running down her foot off of the side. Gravity working wonders making it drip to the ground.

"You should have wore shoes." Kaeden stated in a smart ass tone.

"Well, I didn't have time to sort through and find a pair but hey thanks for the advice genius."

She felt around to see if there was anything sticking in it but there wasn't, whatever it was just left a hole and that's all. She wiped off some of the blood with her finger and wiped it on the exterior of the building she was standing against but the bleeding didn't stop. That's when the screams started up again, Lydia took a step but the pain shot through her foot once more. Kaeden grabbed her arm giving it a tug.

"Come on!"

"My foot!"

He stopped for a second and gave it a thought. That's when it hit him, he had an idea. He bent down a bit and nudged his head towards his back.

"Hop on."

"Huh?"

"What don't you understand about hop on? Piggyback ride, let's go."

So that is what she did, Lydia jumped onto his back. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his chest. She then looked over at Ellie.

"Hold on tight Ellie, this could be interesting."

Kaeden pushed himself up and proceeded to walk out of the alley and towards an apartment building where the screams were coming from.

Kaeden emerged from the alley with Lydia and Ellie on his back, suddenly he didn't feel tired anymore. He felt fast, like that Zoom guy he had seen running around in Philadelphia. Kaeden started to wonder how Zoom can run so fast, maybe the noises are the secret? Whenever Zoom ran past it had sounded like lightning and wooshes, he decided he would give it a try.

Kaeden began running down the street towards the park. That was where the scream sounded like it had come from a few minutes earlier, he ran as fast as he could.

"Wooosh, crackle, zap!" He kept repeating as he ran.

Kaeden was running pretty quick, and the sound effects sounded pretty cool, he was still nowhere nears Zoom's speed though. Kaeden slowed down as he reached the park, he was a little bit discouraged. That was when he saw JaceCorso helping a blind man up from the park bench. Kaeden had met Jace at an art gallery in Philadelphia where Kaeden was going to learn how to paint! The screams must have either been Jace or the blind guy... Kaeden couldn't see anyone else around. Either that or the screamer was already gone...

"Jace! Have you seen Rubix?!" Kaeden asked as he approached with Lydia and Ellie still on his back. 

Jace looked a little bit confused and tilted his head like a dog before answering.

"Nope, I gotta help this poor man home though... someone took his walking stick."

Kaeden just nodded and started running aimlessly through the park in zig zags. Lydia was shouting pretty loud for Rubix on his back as he ran, if Rubix was nearby he would hear them for sure. This continued for a while but eventually started to feel a little bit hopeless.

"Lydia... any guesses? Where would Rubix go from here? I don't even know where I am running anymore..." Kaeden asked as he stopped and tried to catch his breath.

Before Lydia could answer Ellie started squeaking really loudly on Lydia's shoulder, right by Kaeden's ear. She was pointing to their right repeatedly. 

"Hmm, you think he went that way?" Kaeden asked.

"Squeak!" Ellie replied.

Kaeden wasn't sure how she knew, did ferrets have better hearing than humans? He couldn't hear anything and judging by Lydia's silence she couldn't either. Neither of them had a better idea though, so Kaeden began to run again. As he ran Ellie would occasionally give Lydia directions which she would relay to Kaeden. 

"Left. Right. Oh, that way!" 

They were getting further and further from downtown as they weaved in and out of the trees along the side of a highway at this point. Kaeden sure hoped Ellie knew what she was doing.