CHAPTER 14

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Dr. Lynn collected bowls from another room and set out two each for Max, Rocky, and Gizmo, so all three dogs had their own portions of fresh kibble and water.

While they ate their fill next to the examination table, the doctor dripped a tiny amount of each of their blood onto glass slides, then viewed the red splotches under a microscope. She combined the blood with various chemicals, shaking them together and holding the vials up to the light. As she worked, she recorded her findings both in a notebook and on the computer.

The doctor worked in silence, so the room was filled with the crunching of kibble and slurping of water. Just as Max, Rocky, and Gizmo finished their meals, Dr. Lynn closed her notebook and said, “I don’t know how, but you three completed the Praxis project.”

“Let’s sit by her feet so she knows we’re listening to her,” Max said.

The three dogs sat side by side in front of the woman’s white shoes. They looked up at her and offered a wag of their tails.

Biting her lip, Dr. Lynn looked at each of them. “I certainly didn’t expect this. Did another human do this to you? Please bark once for no, twice for yes.”

Max, Rocky, and Gizmo all barked once.

“Hmm,” Dr. Lynn said. “But you were at the laboratory, right? Please bark once for no or twice for yes if you were at the laboratory.”

All three barked twice.

Dr. Lynn sighed, reaching down to scratch behind their ears. “I was hoping there might be some other solution, but I see I still have my work cut out for me. A few more questions. Was it my dog Madame Curie who took you to the lab?”

One bark: No.

“Did you see Madame? Did you travel with her?”

Two barks: Yes.

“Then why isn’t—” The old woman’s hand flew to her face, covering her mouth. She asked, “Did you leave Madame behind?”

None of the dogs barked at first. Max’s chest felt tight, and his tail drooped. He finally barked twice to say yes.

“Did you want to leave her behind?”

No.

Dr. Lynn’s hands trembled now, and her eyes watered. She took a shaky breath and asked, “Did Madame… pass on?”

Max whimpered and lowered his head. Rocky and Gizmo curled against each other, sniffling. They didn’t have to bark in response. Max could tell that Dr. Lynn knew.

A tear fell down the old woman’s pale, wrinkled cheek, then another. She looked up from the three dogs, not bothering to wipe away the tears.

“I’m so sorry,” Max said. He rose and set his head on the woman’s lap. “She was a very good friend. I miss her, too.”

Absently, the woman rubbed Max’s head, but she still stared off into the distance, lost in memory.

“This is so sad,” Gizmo said. “She never got to say good-bye.”

“I’m starting to wish we hadn’t figured out how to talk to her, after all,” Rocky said.

Max licked Dr. Lynn’s hand, then nuzzled her leg with his head.

Shaking her head, the doctor swiped the back of her hand across her cheeks and eyes. She looked down at Max and rubbed the sides of his head, offering him a sad smile.

“Something tells me that you loved Madame, too, Max,” she said. “I wouldn’t put it past her to send you to find me. I know she must have come looking for me, too, even if she never…”

Gently moving Max aside, Dr. Lynn climbed off the stool and began cleaning up the examination room. The dogs watched and listened.

“You know, I named Madame after one of my idols,” she said, her back turned to the dogs while she placed the vials in a cabinet. “Madame Marie Curie was a brilliant scientist at a time when women were not so highly looked upon. Now I would never dare to compare myself to her, but the real Marie Curie and I have something in common.” She looked at the dogs with serious eyes. “Her work led her to be fatally sickened by the radium that she discovered. And I myself am afflicted with the Praxis virus, which now lies in every animal in much of the country. My creation, which was meant for good, has instead done much harm. And it’s up to me to fix it.”

Dr. Lynn leaned back against the counters and crossed her arms. “I don’t know who finished the Praxis process with you. Perhaps you stumbled upon it yourselves, or maybe one of our other enhanced animals helped you. I wonder, do you know the full story of why you’re smarter now, and why all the people left?”

The three dogs each barked once for no.

“I’ll tell you, then,” she said. “You deserve to know why you were left behind. Your families never wanted this. You were not abandoned. You are still loved.”

She crouched down in front of the dogs and petted them one by one. “They had no choice in leaving you, and even now they miss you. Do you understand? You are loved.”

Max barked twice, then jumped up, hugging the woman with his paws over her shoulders and his head nuzzled into her neck. She put one arm around his side and pulled him close, then reached for Rocky and Gizmo. They sat there on the linoleum, beneath the bright fluorescent lights, embracing one another with their eyes closed.

Even though Max had often told himself that his family was waiting, that they wouldn’t have left if they didn’t have to, and that people didn’t hate the animals, it still hadn’t kept some doubt from creeping into his mind.

So to hear from a human, a person as trustworthy and kind as Dr. Lynn, that everything he’d hoped for was true—it made his heart swell. He ached with longing for his family, more than ever now. But knowing for certain that they missed him made the hurt not quite as bad.

Dr. Lynn let go of the three dogs and stood up, again wiping tears from her eyes. “All right, Max, Rocky, and Jane,” she said. “I’ll tell the story from the beginning. But how about we go somewhere more comfortable first?”

Dr. Lynn exited the examination room with Max, Rocky, and Gizmo trotting at her heels. As she walked, the old woman pulled her hair back into a loose knot, and when they reached the lobby she collected her straw hat and placed it on her head. She grabbed a handful of toy mice from a basket atop the welcome desk and stuffed them in her pants pocket, then collected the box of balls that Max had dug through earlier.

That done, she led the three dogs back outside.

Evening had fallen, and the sky was streaked orange and pink. Golden twilight stretched long shadows down the pristine streets of the small town, and sparkling fireflies glittered and darted through the air.

Most of the town’s dogs and cats lounged on the lawn in front of the vet’s office, grooming themselves or chatting. Some of the younger dogs wrestled near the empty food dishes, watched over by narrow-eyed cats.

As soon as they saw Dr. Lynn, all the pets snapped to attention.

“She’s back!” shouted a small dog that seemed more fur than animal—its coat hung down to its feet. A Lhasa Apso, Max recalled.

“Is it playtime?” a brown-furred mutt asked, its tail wagging.

Excitement flowed like a wave through the crowd of animals. The cats tried to act nonchalant as they stretched and opened their mouths in wide yawns—but Max could see the excited glint in their eyes.

Two of the police dogs paced along the sidewalk, keeping watch over the crowd. Max didn’t recognize either one by name—Julep and Dixie must have been patrolling elsewhere.

“All right, all right,” one of the Shepherds barked. “Keep calm, friends.”

“Anyone who oversteps their bounds spends a night in the kennel,” the other Shepherd called out. “We don’t need another incident like with Porky.”

An enormously fat, striped tan cat flattened his ears. “That was an accident. And the name is Porgy.”

Max, Rocky, and Gizmo sat down on the porch as Dr. Lynn took in all the animals with a smile.

“Looks like you have been waiting patiently,” she said. “You definitely deserve some new toys!”

She reached into the box and tossed a ball into the crowd. A giant shape—Georgie—leaped up and caught it in his jaws. He bounded off toward the street, chased by several of the bigger dogs.

Dr. Lynn tossed another ball, and another, until her box was empty and all the dogs on the lawn were racing off to play. Then she set down the box and reached into her pockets. The cats approached now, and she tossed the fake mice at them one by one. Some of the cats tossed their toy mice in the air, to dash wildly after them and then pounce, while others were content simply to chew on the little furry things.

The two German Shepherds came to Dr. Lynn, wagging their tails. She scratched beneath their chins, then produced two bone-shaped doggy biscuits from a pocket. “You two did a wonderful job of keeping the peace,” she said as the police dogs gobbled up their treats. “If I see your human partners, I’ll be sure to tell them how well trained you are.”

Turning back, Dr. Lynn whistled. “Come on, Max, Rocky, and Jane,” she called. “My temporary home is just up the street.”

One of the German Shepherds narrowed his eyes at Max. “Where is she taking you?”

“We don’t know,” Max said. “She just wants us to follow her.”

“Don’t go too far,” the other Shepherd said. “Julep wants to talk to you.”

Max nodded. “We won’t. Don’t worry.”

The two dogs didn’t say anything further, just glared.

“Yeesh, what’s with them?” Rocky asked as they continued up the sidewalk.

Max shook his head. “You saw how Dixie acted when she learned we could understand humans. They must consider it a big deal.”

“Well, it is a big deal,” Gizmo said. “I don’t blame Dixie for wanting to talk to humans, too.”

“Yeah,” Rocky said. “But I hope it doesn’t lead to anything bad. Just think, if dogs like the Chairman knew about Praxis, they’d get even more power hungry than they already are. Who knows what these police dogs might do now that they know about it?”

Gizmo’s tufted ears drooped. “Oh, but they seem so nice. I hope they stay nice.”

An iron gate creaked, and the dogs looked up to find Dr. Lynn had led them to a big home surrounded by a tall black iron fence. The fence enclosed a huge lawn with twin weeping willows.

The dogs followed the woman along the stone pathway between the flowing, swaying willows. Hidden behind one of the trees was a green lawn mower.

“You should have seen how this town looked when I arrived,” said Dr. Lynn. “Grass as tall as my waist.” She shook her head. “I suppose that’s what it will return to when I move on, but I hope it looks lovely for a little while longer.”

They reached the front porch and climbed its steps. The porch stretched around the entire first floor of the house, which was covered with white shingles and seemed much fancier than any house Max had ever been in. Even the rocking chairs next to the front door seemed lush.

Dr. Lynn opened the front door and ushered the dogs into a wide foyer with a polished, dark wood floor and a staircase. To the right was a comfortable sitting room. A couch and two chairs were arranged on a red rug in front of a fireplace. The furniture reminded Max of the time he was taken with Charlie and Emma to visit a couple of elderly humans. Their couches also had carved feet and plush velvet padding, and even though the old couple were otherwise very nice, they made it clear that if Max climbed atop the furniture he’d be a very bad dog.

Dr. Lynn didn’t seem to have any such concern, though. She patted the cushions on the couch and let Max, Rocky, and Gizmo jump up and get comfortable, then kneeled in front of the fireplace to light a fire. A tall clock ticked in the corner.

Wood crackled, and the crisp scent of smoke swirled through the room. Dr. Lynn stepped back, then sat on the couch. Warmth washed over Max as he lay down on his belly and set his head on the old woman’s lap. Rocky and Gizmo crawled over Dr. Lynn’s legs. Then they, too, rested their snouts on her thigh.

“Nice place, isn’t it?” Dr. Lynn said. “I figure since no one’s around, they wouldn’t mind if I indulged in a bit of luxury. I do pride myself on leaving my surroundings better than I found them.”

She sighed. “So, my dears, you should know about Praxis. It’s the reason we’ve all found ourselves here.

“Many years ago, my partners and I sought to create cures for mental illnesses in humans, as well as birth defects and accidents that damage the brain. Through our tests and studies we created a synthetic virus that had no harmful effect on animals, but when exposed to certain conditions—like radiation or electricity—would mutate to create new, healthy brain cells. It was incredible.”

Dr. Lynn chuckled. “I know you three are smarter now, but is any of this making sense?”

Max licked the woman’s hand. “Some of it,” he said. “But there are lots of words I haven’t really heard before.”

“Hmm?” Dr. Lynn said. “Well, I can’t tell if that’s a yes or a no, so I’ll take it as a maybe. To put it simply, my partners and I found a way to use a virus to heal brains, but only in animals. The side effect was, of course, smarter animals.”

Looking back into the flames, she continued. “We gathered test subjects from many species. Most were kept at our laboratory, but we did have a dolphin named Nixie that we kept at a facility down south. I wonder what’s become of her.”

Dr. Lynn shook her head. “Anyway, we found that if we infected the animals with the virus and then exposed them to the second part of what we’d come to call the Praxis process, the animals’ intelligence would increase by leaps and bounds. They could understand human speech and writing, even if most could not speak or write themselves. It was astounding.

“The only problem was that Praxis either wouldn’t cause any noticeable change in humans, or it would give them horrible side effects. Eventually, I gave up on ever achieving our original goal. I retired to a new home—near where you lived, in fact. I thought Praxis was over, but then… the worst happened.”

Gently pushing the dogs aside, Dr. Lynn stood up and paced in front of the fireplace. The orange light cast flickering, dancing shadows. Sorrow and guilt creased her face.

“Somehow, in spite of all our safeguards, the virus escaped our facility. Carried on the wind, it began to infect many animals. Since Praxis doesn’t hurt animals, we thought everyone was safe.

“But then the virus began to spread in new ways. As though they’d sensed it happening, birds in all the affected areas migrated south. Soon after, some people whose animals were infected became infected themselves, and they fell very ill. It wasn’t long before the cause was traced to our lab and our experiments. And since no one could know which animals were infected, the only answer seemed to be to abandon all the animals and evacuate until a solution could be found.

“Some have said we should… get rid of all the animals, but my colleagues and I convinced them it wouldn’t help, that there was no way to track down every infected animal. The only answer is a cure, which I intend to find. As I mentioned before, I myself am infected with the Praxis virus. Luckily, prolonged exposure doesn’t change anything, which means I am free to work with you animals. Still, I will get sick eventually. Which is why I need to solve this problem as soon as possible.”

Dr. Lynn met the dogs’ eyes one by one. “I think you three might have helped me through a stumbling block. I still have tests running in the vet’s office, but if I’m right, after the Praxis process was completed, you were rid of the virus. That means this is curable. There is still the matter of figuring out how to eradicate the virus without making all animals abnormally smart—that would certainly lead to chaos!—but thanks to you, I am closer than ever to saving the people and bringing them home.”

Gizmo’s ears perked up. “Did you hear that? We are cured. That means our families will be safe with us!”

“Even better,” Rocky said. “The doctor said she can cure everyone. That means everything can go back to normal.”

“Normal,” Max said wistfully. “I’m not sure what normal is anymore.”

Rocky waddled across the couch cushion and licked Max’s nose.

“It means, big guy, that I go back to sleeping on a doggy bed, fat and happy. And you can run all over your farm with your pack leaders again.”

Dr. Lynn gave a slight groan. “It sounds like you three are just as excited by the cure as I am,” she said. “It will be some time yet before I know what I’m dealing with. Perhaps we should get some sleep.”

She smiled at the three dogs. “If you think this room is nice, you’ll definitely enjoy the bedroom.”

Once the flames had died, Dr. Lynn led the three dogs up the stairs and into the master bedroom. There, atop a high, plush bed, all four of them lay down to sleep. Max could hardly believe how much had happened in one day—from messing around in a car wash to fleeing from alligators to finding Dr. Lynn.

It seemed a lifetime since Max had last curled next to a human, and it felt so wonderfully right. He wanted to lie there forever, inhaling her pleasant scent and feeling her hand run absently through his fur.

Max sat in the gazebo in front of the town hall. It was a beautiful day, with bright blue skies and a few wispy clouds. Birds trilled in the trees, and though he couldn’t see them, he could hear the talking and laughter of human families eating a picnic lunch.

Next to Max, Dr. Lynn sat in a flowing floral dress, smiling beneath her wide-brim hat as she scratched Max’s ears. Rocky and Gizmo cuddled together on her lap, and Georgie lay at her feet.

It’s starting, Dr. Lynn said, her voice crystal clear even though her lips did not move.

A parade of animals marched down the street in front of the square. There was a dainty Poodle leading a pack of ragged, happy dogs, followed by a swarm of cats mewing at the top of their lungs. On their backs they carried a pillow atop which mottle-furred Raoul stood tall and proud.

The subway dogs came next, blinking in bewilderment at the bright light, then a marching band of rats wearing matching red coats with gold epaulets, singing a silly rhyme.

The parade went on, an endless stream of all the animals Max had met on his journey. There were the dogs of the Corporation with Madame and the growling Chairman. The riverboat dogs danced and twirled, raising a cheer to a triumphant Boss, who was held aloft on a plush gold doggy bed. The zoo animals made an exotic display, and the beach animals were there, too, music bursting from their radio.

The possums flipped and flew over one another, a prelude to the stately police dogs, dressed to the nines in formal navy coats and black caps.

Dr. Lynn rubbed Max’s head. Here comes the big finish, she said. Pay close attention.

A grand float appeared, and the square was filled with gasping oohs and aahs. It appeared to be a cloud brought down to earth, trailing wisps of dew. Dogs of all shapes and sizes looked up at the lone figure who stood proudly atop its highest peak. It was a Collie, her head held high and her fur glimmering in the sun. A gold scarf was tied around her neck and flowed majestically as the float moved down the road.