Canes Venatici: part 2
James
(Damn, these dogs are still chasing me!)
(How have I not managed to lose them?!)
Lacerta!
Fire more bullets into them!
The bullets continue to bounce off of them
James
(What are these?!)
(They have to be Manifestos, but how do they keep appearing!?)
!!!
Two more dogs appear
James
(More of 'em?!)
(Fuck! I've gotta figure out how they appear so I can limit how many dogs I need to deal with!)
In the office
Sinatra
With Zeta and Eta in the mix, maybe I'll have a better chance of killing that detective.
Six dogs should be more than enough to deal with him…
…and if not, then I may have to take more…drastic measures…
On the first floor
James slams a door behind him
James
(I don't know how long that will hold them off…)
(But I need all the time I can get!)
(Just how am I supposed to stop these things from creating more of themselves?)
(There has to be some secret…some trick to how they keep appearing…)
(But what is it?)
James looks up to see a dog staring him down
James
Lacerta!
Hold it still!
Lacerta grabs onto it
James
This is definitely one of the dogs…
It has an Theta symbol on it…
But how did it get in here?
I thought they might've spread from the fur they shed…
But none of them have been in here yet, they were all following me…
So what could it be?
How would it make its way in here?
?
Wait, shouldn't a bathroom have a toilet?
Even if this is an abandoned house, shouldn't there be a toilet here?
That doesn't make any sense…
I wonder, how can he afford to send so many dogs after me?
He has to know what'll happen if I destroy all his dogs…
So there must be some other secret behind his Manifesto…
Wait, the first letter on the first dog was "Beta"
Which means he must still have one dog with him!
That's why he's not scared of losing these dogs, he's safe as long as he has the "Alpha" with him!
If I want to even be able to reach the Alpha though, I need to figure out how to destroy these dogs!
Lacerta, shoot point blank at its head…
The bullet bounces off
James
(So it wasn't the distance that was the problem, it's something about the dogs themselves…)
Now, try attacking its whole body!
Get as many shots in as you can!
Lacerta launches a barrage of bullets at the dog, but they all bounce off
The dog tries snapping at James again
James
(Nothing?)
(How is that possible?)
(I didn't manage to create a single wound…)
(Could it be the armour-like substance covering its body?)
(Maybe that's why none of my bullets worked…)
(…I kept firing at the fatal spots, which are the most heavily protected…)
(But that makes me wonder…)
(…what if I were to shoot an unprotected part of the body?)
There's only one way to find out, Lacerta!
Ready…
In the office
Sinatra
That's odd, I would think Theta should've reported back by now…
I wonder what's holding it up…
First floor bathroom
James
Aim…
In the office
Sinatra
I shouldn't have to wait this long for a report…
Just what is happening down there?
Sinatra stands up from his desk
First floor
James
…Fire!
Lacerta fires off a bullet and hits the dog in the leg
In the office
Sinatra collapses
Sinatra
W-what is happening…?
W-where is this blood coming from?
I-is this MY blood!?
(How did he break past my dogs' armour!?)
First floor bathroom
James
Hm, seems like that did work…
Looks like the parts without the armour are still penetrable by my bullets.
Well then, I wonder, just how much can I do to his Manifesto before he comes downstairs to fight me?
Lacerta, clear out this dog the best you can!
With each bullet that gets fired, the camera cuts to Sinatra collapsing or writhing in pain
James
Ok, that's enough.
Hey, you. Boss, can you hear me?
I think you can, that's how you've been able to keep sending dogs after me, right?
Hey.
Answer me.
Can you, or can you not hear me.
Lacerta steps on the dog's head
James
C'mon
What?
Do you want me to apply more pressure?
Hm?
Cut to Sinatra
Sinatra
ACK!
Y-You…bastard!
I-I'm gonna kill you!
C-Canes Venatici!
Rip him to shreds!
First floor bathroom
James
Hm?
!!!
Two dogs jump at James
James
Fuck!
Lacerta!
Grab them!
Lacerta holds the dogs back
James
(I guess that answers my question…)
(I don't have any choice but to get out of this bathroom!)
?
(Where did the sink and towel go?)
James forces his way out of the room
James
Huff…huff…huff…
(W-where did those dogs come from?)
(And where did those three dogs come from?)
(Now that I think about it, where did the toilet go? And the sink, and the towel?!)
(I saw them all when I went in, but now they're gone!)
(Wait a minute…)
(The dogs keep appearing out of nowhere, and now objects are going missing…)
(In an old house, intruders wouldn't bat an eye if some furniture went missing…)
(That's it!)
(The dogs are really just objects from around the house!)
(And based on the letters on the dogs, it seems like he can't have more dogs than letters in the alphabet!)
?
I don't hear the banging on the door anymore…
Lacerta, open the door slowly…
The door opens, as the toilet, sink and towel are back
James
What?
Where did they go?
James turns around to see a bunch of furniture surrounding him
James
(H-he called all of his dogs back…)
(But why?)
(Fuck…I think messing with a mob boss might not have been my greatest idea…)
(He's already proven he can create multiple dogs at once…)
Lacerta, be ready to fire at any minute!
(I have no way of knowing where he'll attack from…)
(What's the extent of his power?)
(What can he turn into a dog, and what's too much for him?)
(He could have a whole pack of 24 dogs upstairs with him, just waiting to attack me when I get too close…)
(I have to be ready this time…)
(I need to ensure I don't act too risky and that I stay calm!)
Sinatra
Don't be such a stiff detective…
Why don't you cut back and relax every once and a while?
You really shouldn't be so on edge all the time.
It's not good for you y'know…
James
Where are you!?
I know you're there!
(Where is that voice coming from?!)
(He's still upstairs, so I shouldn't be able to hear him right now!)
(Is there someone else here with us?!)
(Is that what he's planning?!)
(No, that can't be the case…)
(This guy wouldn't have put his own Manifesto in danger if he didn't have to…)
(This is the same guy who sent hitmen, body guards, and random thugs after me!)
(He wouldn't have done anything this drastic if he didn't have to!)
(So he has to be here somewhere!)
Sinatra
I bet you're wondering where I am, aren't you?
Look behind you.
James turns around to see a dog sitting there
James
W-what is this?
(B…so that's Beta…)
How are you speaking to me?
Sinatra
You said it yourself, my dogs allow me to hear you…
…as such, I can also communicate with you.
It's like a telephone in a way.
My dogs can serve as two-way communication between me and someone else…
It's wonderful, isn't it?
To have such variety in a single ability…
A communication device, guards, assassins that can appear from any object…
But detective, we have much to discuss…
Now, why don't you follow the dog upstairs?
We have much to discuss, detective…