Assassin's Doubt

"Dusk? Or Alaster... just cause Alaster sounds cool." Hayden chuckled and picked the pup up, nuzzling the back of his head. "I like Midas though." He nodded at Thomas.
 
"Alaster," Thomas echoes. "Yeah, that suits him. I like it! Thanks for our new dog, sir," he adds, waving to the shelter owner as they head out.

The man smiles and waves. "Have a great day, you three. Call me if you need anything."

Alaster barks and licks Hayden's entire face, tail thwapping against the boy's chest and arm. Thomas chuckles as the trio heads for home. "So, those papers I was looking over - Alaster already has basic training. Want to take him for a field test and bring him to the original crime scene?"
 
Hayden happily held their new pup close. "You have a great day as well!" He responded cheerfully before following Thomas out.

"Really? That's cool... Sure, if you wanna try it, it won't hurt anything. We'll see what this little pup already knows." He said with a smile. He looked at Thomas happily. "Do you wanna hold him?"
 
Thomas beams and nods. "You know I do. You picked a great little detective, Hayden." Alaster barks and squirms happily as he's handed to Thomas, licking his face as well.

Before heading over to the crime scene, Thomas brings the dog home to get him a full meal - and to get him in uniform. "What do you think? Just like the police dogs'. And it carries extra supplies," he adds.

Alaster is wearing a harness with pockets and zippers on it, looking for all the world like a police dog in training. He's much more interested in his food than in his harness, which is just as well in the long run.
 
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Hayden chuckled happily and followed Thomas home.

Once seeing Alaster in his uniform, Hayden nodded. "He looks just like a police pup in training." He said with a grin. He stretched a little before relaxing again. "Eat up little guy." He leaned on the couch.
 
"Speaking of eating, what do you want?" Thomas asks as he heads for the kitchen. "It is almost lunch time." He opens a few cupboards and rummages around. "I think I've got the ingredients for tacos. How's that sound?"

Alaster scarfs his food down, tail pinwheeling behind him. Then he tenses and growls at the door.
 
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"Tacos sound great." Hayden smiled, but as soon as Alaster looked at the door, his smile dropped and he turned on his heel, instinctively stepping between The kitchen and the door. "What is it pup?" He whispered, listening carefully.
 
Thomas, too, frowns and reaches for the knife in his pocket.

Alaster growls lower and flattens his ears. When someone knocks at the door, he barks and lunges forward, paws against the wood to try and fend off the visitor.

"Strange. Wasn't expecting anyone," Thomas mutters.
 
"Alaster, down boy." Hayden said quietly. He slowly pulled his own knife out of his bag on the couch before approaching the door. He hid the knife behind his back as he put a hand on the door handle. "Who is it?" He barely opened the door, just enough for the person to speak.
 
Alaster whines, but he backs off and stands at Hayden's side. His fur is still bristles.

"Ah, yes - I've been told this is the home of Detective Thomas Baker? I need to speak with him," the man outside the door says.

Thomas frowns and tilts an eyebrow. "What do you want with Baker?"

"Only that I have a proposition for him," the man says slowly. "Where can I find him?"

Alaster barks again and bares his teeth. Then he jumps toward Hayden and Thomas, trying to drag them both toward the window by their pant legs.
 
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Hayden nudged Alaster and spun the knife in his hand.
"Well Baker isn't here right now. We're just some friends of his, watching his dog. We'll let you know when he gets home. Can we get a name?" He kept himself braces against the door.
 
"Ah, friends of his?" the man asks with a chuckle. "Well, I can't give you a name, but - how about this instead?" He chucks a ball inside the room that instantly starts seeping gas.

Thomas coughs and staggers back. "Kn - knockout gas! Hayden! The window!" he bursts out. He stumbles blindly through the room, already wobbling on his feet.

Alaster whimpers and does his best to guide his two owners towards the window, nudging and tugging them whenever they stray off course.
 
Hayden slammed the door shut and turned, holding his breath. He followed Alaster, grabbing Thomas's arm and pulling him along. When they reached the window, he managed to get it open and tried to help Thomas to his feet. "C'mon! Go!" He started coughing.
 
Thomas grimaces and barely manages to drag himself out the window to the fire escape outside. He collapses to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

Alaster is right at Hayden's feet. He scrambles onto the window, yelping and tugging at Hayden's sleeve now in an attempt to pull him through the window behind Thomas.
 
Hayden bit down on his lip, the pain causing him to focus. He clambered up on the counter, crawling through the window. He barely managed to get out, collapsing beside Thomas. He felt dizzy and his eyes felt heavy and teary. Struggling to his feet, he pulled on Thomas's arm. "Let's go.. I-I know a place.." his speech was a little slurred.
 
"Uh-huh," Thomas chokes out. He staggers to his feet, almost falling over again as soon as he stands up. He grimaces and leans against the fire escape railing for support. "Is it far . . .?"

Alaster whines and sticks close beside the boys, ready to pull them to safety by their shirt collars if he has to.
 
Hayden simply shook his head. He stumbled along behind the houses, his eyes open to any signs of movement. When they reached the end of the neighborhood, he veered into some trees, opening a small hatch. "Go on down." He coughed, holding the hatch up.
 
Thomas nods numbly and climbs inside, doing his best not to fall down the ladder. Alaster simply jumps down behind him and barks, wagging his tail. After a few minutes, Thomas' head finally starts to clear. He coughs and pulls in deep breaths. "Y - you okay, Hayden? That was a close one."
 
Hayden climbed down and shut the hatch behind them. He flopped down at the foot of the stairs, holding his head. It was pounding, his vision blurry, but slowly it was clearing. When Thomas spoke, he nodded weakly. "Y-yeah.. that's stuff always.." he coughed a little. "Always gives me a headache." He looked up with a weak smile. "We made it though."
 
Alaster whines and licks both boys' faces. Thomas chuckles and ruffles the dog's ears. "Good boy, Alaster. We should've listened the first time you tried to get us out." He heaves a sigh and leans back against the rough stone wall. "Where are we, exactly? And what'd you mean by always? . . . You've had experiences with knockout gas before?"
 
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