Arthur stared at the requisition form on his datapad, rubbed his eyes with his prosthetic hand, and forced himself to focus on the inventory codes again. Three hours of administrative work had left his mind numb despite the morning coffee. His omni-tool buzzed with an incoming message, providing a welcome distraction.
*Blanc: Commander! Noir says you should bet on red tonight! She had a dream about cherries~*
*Noir: I didn't say that! I said strawberries! There's a difference!*
*Blanc: Same color ♥*
Arthur smiled despite his exhaustion. The two bunny-eared Nikke sisters from Coin Rush had been texting him regularly since his visit to the casino—playful banter, gambling advice that somehow always proved lucky, and an infectious enthusiasm that brightened his days. He typed back quickly.
*Arthur: I'll keep that in mind if I make it back to the casino. How are things there?*
*Blanc: Busy! A VIP won 500k on slots and Rouge is suspicious*
*Noir: He's definitely cheating but we can't prove it yet...*
Arthur was composing a response when his office door burst open with enough force to rattle the frame. He looked up sharply, hand instinctively moving toward the handgun concealed under his tactical coat before he registered the figure standing in the doorway.
The Nikke was short—barely reaching his chest height—and breathing hard like she'd sprinted the entire distance to his office. She wore a light brown dress over a crisp white shirt, and a dog whistle hung from a necklace around her throat. Shoulder-length brown hair framed an anxious face with wide amber eyes, but what caught Arthur's attention were the distinctly canine ears atop her head, currently flattened against her skull in distress, and the bushy tail behind her that wouldn't stop twitching.
"Commander Cousland!" She gasped, hands clasped together pleadingly. "I need your help! It's an emergency!"
Arthur rose from his desk immediately, combat instincts engaging. "What happened? Are you injured? Is someone under attack?"
"No, it's—" She paused to catch her breath, dog ears perking up slightly. "I'm Biscuit. From the Happy Zoo squad. I'm the caretaker of the dogs in the shelter and they've escaped!"
Arthur blinked. "The dogs escaped."
"Yes!" Biscuit's tail drooped miserably. "All of them! Max—he's the alpha—he led the whole pack out of the shelter and now they're running loose in the Ark and I don't know what to do and they've never been outside before and—"
"Slow down," Arthur said gently, moving around his desk. He guided Biscuit to a chair and crouched to her eye level. "Take a breath. Start from the beginning."
Biscuit inhaled deeply, the dog whistle rising and falling on her chest. "I went to feed them this morning like always. But when I opened the kennel area, it was empty. Max had figured out how to unlatch his gate, then freed all the others. There's a service tunnel they must have used to reach the main Ark levels."
"How many dogs are we talking about?"
"Seventeen," Biscuit said miserably. "Twelve puppies and five adults including Max."
Arthur processed this. His omni-tool buzzed again—probably Blanc and Noir following up—but he ignored it. "Are the dogs in danger? From Raptures or—"
"No, no!" Biscuit shook her head rapidly, dog ears flopping. "They're inside the Ark, so there's no Rapture risk. And legally, pets are only allowed to upper-class citizens who've been approved by Central Government. Anyone who tries to take those dogs without authorization would face serious legal consequences. Plus the animal protection laws here are strictly enforced—you can't hurt them or you'll be arrested immediately."
Arthur nodded slowly. "So the main concern is..."
"The dogs getting hurt by accident, or causing too much trouble," Biscuit said. "None of them have ever been in the Ark proper. They were all born in the shelter, raised there, trained there until they're ready for adoption. The shelter has everything they need—food, water, exercise areas, enrichment activities. There's never been a reason to bring them out to the Ark itself."
Something in her voice caught Arthur's attention. A hint of doubt, or maybe sadness. Her ears drooped further as she continued.
"I just don't understand why they'd suddenly act up like this. Max is so well-behaved normally. He's never tried to escape before. Why now? Why would he lead all the others away from safety?"
Arthur studied the distressed Nikke carefully. She genuinely loved those dogs—that much was obvious. But there was an edge of confusion in her words, like she couldn't comprehend why her charges would want to leave what she considered a perfect environment.
"Maybe we should ask them," Arthur suggested.
Biscuit's ears perked up. "Ask them?"
"Dogs are smart. Especially if Max is clever enough to unlatch gates and organize an escape. Once we catch them, we can try to understand what they wanted." He straightened to his full height. "Where do we start looking?"
Relief flooded Biscuit's face. "Thank you, Commander! I knew you'd help!" Her tail wagged hopefully for the first time since entering. "I've been tracking reports of sightings through my network. There are groups scattered across—"
Her omni-tool chimed urgently. Biscuit's ears shot upright as she checked the screen, then her face paled.
"Oh no."
"What is it?"
"The police station," Biscuit whispered. "There's a mass of puppies causing chaos there. Multiple citizen complaints. And—" She scrolled further, tail tucking between her legs. "One of them is currently urinating on Officer Poli's shoe."
Arthur couldn't quite suppress a snort of laughter. Biscuit shot him a mortified look.
"It's not funny! Poor Poli! She's trying to maintain order and the puppies are treating the station like a playground!"
"You're right, I apologize." Arthur grabbed his tactical coat from the chair and shrugged it into place, the familiar weight settling across his shoulders. "Let's go extract your puppies before Poli arrests them all."
"Can you arrest a dog?" Biscuit wondered aloud as they hurried from the office.
The message from Blanc and Noir caught Arthur's eye as they walked.
*Blanc: Are you ignoring us? Rude! ♥*
*Noir: Maybe he's busy saving the world again...*
Arthur typed quickly while navigating the corridor.
*Arthur: Emergency dog rescue operation. I'll explain later.*
*Blanc: DOGS?! We love dogs!*
*Noir: This explains the puppy dream! You're going to have good luck today!*
Arthur switched off the omni-tool with a slight smile. If the bunny sisters' track record held, maybe this rescue would go smoother than expected.
The AZX train ride to the Central Ark district was tense. Biscuit fidgeted constantly, tail swishing back and forth as she checked her omni-tool every few seconds.
"Five more complaints came in," she reported anxiously. "The puppies knocked over a display at a supply shop. Citizens are trying to pet them but they're too riled up. Max hasn't been spotted yet—he's probably leading the adult dogs somewhere."
"Where would he go?" Arthur asked. "If you were a dog who'd never seen the Ark before, what would you want?"
Biscuit's ears tilted thoughtfully. "I... don't know. The shelter has everything. Food, toys, space to run..."
"But it's still a shelter," Arthur said carefully. "Confined. Controlled."
Biscuit's tail stilled. "You think they wanted freedom?"
"I think Max wanted something he couldn't get inside four walls," Arthur replied. "We'll figure out what when we find him."
The police station occupied a converted administrative building near the courthouse. Arthur could hear the chaos before they even reached the entrance—high-pitched barking, officers shouting, and what sounded like something crashing.
They pushed through the doors into controlled pandemonium. Six golden-furred puppies rampaged through the lobby, tails wagging furiously as they played with stolen hats, chewed on confiscated evidence bags, and generally treated the serious institution like their personal playground. Citizens lined up at the complaint desk had backed away, some laughing, others annoyed.
And there, in the center of it all, stood Officer Poli.
The A.C.P.U. Nikke's pristine uniform was decidedly less pristine. Her white hair remained perfect, her professional demeanor intact, but her expression radiated a level of disgusted disbelief Arthur had never seen on her face before. One puppy sat directly on her boot, tail wagging innocently, while a spreading wet stain darkened the polished leather.
"Officer Poli," Arthur called out, unable to keep the amusement from his voice entirely.
Poli's blue eyes locked onto him with the intensity of a sniper acquiring a target. "Commander Cousland. How fortunate. Perhaps you can explain why dogs from the shelter has unleashed this furry violation of public order upon my station."
"They're not from the Outpost," Biscuit squeaked, rushing forward. "They're from the Central Ark shelter! I'm so sorry, Officer Poli! I'll get them under control immediately!"
She raised the dog whistle to her lips and blew. The sound was inaudible to human ears, but every puppy froze mid-chaos. Ears perked, heads turned, and within seconds all six had bounded over to Biscuit, circling her excitedly.
"Sit!" Biscuit commanded.
Six puppy rumps hit the floor in unison, though tails continued wagging.
Poli looked down at her ruined boot with an expression that could have curdled milk. "I was attempting to contain them in holding cells until proper authorities arrived. However, they proved... resistant to incarceration."
Arthur glanced at the open cell nearby. Deep scratches marked the door from the inside, and what looked like teeth marks scored the metal frame.
"They're just puppies," Biscuit said apologetically. "They didn't mean any harm! They've never been outside the shelter before—everything is new and exciting and overwhelming for them."
"I am aware," Poli said with strained patience. "Which is why I refrained from using my stun baton despite the provocation." She stepped carefully away from the offending puppy, who looked up at her with big innocent eyes. "The adult dogs, however, have not been located. I have reports of them heading toward the entertainment district."
Arthur's instincts prickled. Where Max, an intelligent alpha dog, might be drawn by the crowds and activity.
Or by something else entirely.
"We need to move quickly," Arthur said.
Biscuit nodded reluctantly, her dog ears drooping with worry. "We need to be careful with Max. He's protective of his pack. If he thinks they're in danger, he might not come peacefully."
"Understood." Arthur turned to Poli. "Can you spare an officer to help escort the puppies back?"
Poli's professional mask cracked slightly. "Commander, I have seventeen separate complaints filed about these animals in the past hour. My entire shift is coordinating the response. I can spare no one."
"Then I'll call in backup," Arthur said, already activating his omni-tool.
Biscuit gathered the puppies with practiced efficiency, speaking to them in a soothing voice that got tails wagging again. Arthur watched her work while waiting for his call to connect, noting how the puppies responded instantly to her presence despite their earlier chaos.
They trusted her completely.
So why had they followed Max out of the shelter in the first place?
"Commander," Shifty's voice came through his omni-tool. "What do you need?"
"Dog wrangling assistance at the Central Police Station," Arthur replied. "I'm heading to the entertainment district to track the adults."
A pause. "Did you just say dog wrangling?"
"Long story. Can you send someone?"
"I'll dispatch a security team. Shifty out."
Arthur ended the call and looked at Biscuit, who had successfully corralled all six puppies into a tight group. Her tail wagged slightly with relief, but her ears remained flat with worry.
"We'll bring them home," Arthur promised. "All of them."