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Startled for the second time in one day, Gyasi quickly moved to Isoke and curled an arm protectively around him. His expression remained mostly neutral, although his eyes told a story of concern. "I'll go with you," he said unnecessarily; it wasn't as though he wouldn't follow the springbok even if told not to. He took the other's hand in his free one, holding it as well as he lead his partner out of the waiting room. "Let's get you somewhere comfortable..."

Before the puppy could bolt, metal bands shot out of the chair and closed over Colton's body with a harsh clang, binding him down to the cold steel. "Colton," he pronounced. "I've been waiting for you."

Anticipating a terrified "What's going on?!?!?!!?" from the dog, he called upon his assistant to explain. "See Colt," Maxwell purred. "This is an organ-harvesting operation. Naturally, the other three were just a front."

"Colton," he said again, in his Dr. Strangelove voice. "You should be honoured - we thought you were the prime specimen, and once we harvest your organs, we will see how fantastically perfect and pristine you are...inside."

"Let us begin, Maxwell."

"As you wish, master."

Thankfully for the masterminds Colt's head was safely strapped away from where his liver was [unless he had very dubious anatomy, but Maxx knew it was not so], so bitey bitey was not a danger. "I bet you wish you could have the needle instead, don't you?" It was nearly a whisper as he ran a finger across a cleaver he miraculously produced from his labcoat. "Oh Colt. I knew you would be good for something one day."

"Don't worry about 'Mena and Kuro," Maxwell said pleasantly. "I'm sure they'll get over it. I'd better get the cooler."

"What a suitable end, Colt, we brought you into the world and we'll take you from it. But cheer up la, you're doing good. I'm sure the organs will find a good home."

"I just hope everything will fit into this cooler." He hefted a dark blue ice box up. "Look, Colt! Just your colour."

"You won't need your organs soon enough, I don't know why you're making all this fuss." Maxwell said, with a raised eyebrow.

"Colt, Colt, Colt." Maxx murmured hypnotically, soothingly. "I don't - I didn't want to do this, Colt, but you leave me with no choice. Oh Colt, Colt, Colt, why? You disappoint me so.

Maxwell, get the sedative. We'll just have to knock him out for his kidneys."

"You got it." The syringe made a reappearance - and the veins in Colton's arms were bulging from his exertion against the bands. It would be simple.

Very simple.

The speed they executed the maneuver was amazing - the swift passing of the syringe and their lightning reflexes would make rugby players sigh with envy. [Though maybe it would only seem so to Colton, whose world was turning psychedelic in his terror.] It seemed that even at one period of time there was a dramatic flourish and the shine of metal as the needle spun in the air; but that was all over, over too soon. However the ball syringe travelled, it had ended up in Maxx's human hands, and with deadly precision the needle slipped under Colton's skin, through his flesh and into his vein.

"Relax Colton, and soon you will wake up to the twittering of birds, the silhoulette of your darling 'Mena and possibly the lingering shadows of to-be putties." His voice wafted and broke, akin to the waves of the sea.

"He's got an impressionable mind, doesn't he?" Maxwell scratched his head as the puppy blacked out.

"Sure does." Maxx said, withdrawing the needle and emptying the centimetre's worth of blood into a vial. "And that's why you're a cat, not a dog." A button was pushed, and the bands retracted back into the chair. The smiley-faced plaster was duly applied.

"Now we wait here for five minutes."

They waited for five minutes, then the jaguar gathered Colton's body person up in his arms. His owner clicked open the door and they emerged.

"Oh my God, would you look at him!" Maxwell exclaimed, grinning broadly. "He tried so hard, but he passed out anyway. Man, we really need to give this guy a medal. What a tough one! Boy Mena, you should be really proud of him."

"Had to dissolve a few sedatives and funnel it down his throat so his body would calm down after that," Maxx patted the retriever's head indulgently. "He might be a little hallucinary later, like a hippie, you know, but oh, he'll be fine. He's going to be a great father."

"Yeah, I agree! Great dad, definitely. Where you want me to put him, Mena?"

The collective gleam of their grins could not be brighter.

"You sleep well, ol' chappy." He laid Colton next to his S.O., and thumbs-upped 'Mena.

Now that everything had gone to...plan...shadows of putties and spiraffes were to be.

END. [I insist. wink ]