 
Astro's Adventures: The Gypsy Curse

by

Susan Day

SMASHWORDS EDITION

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PUBLISHED BY:

Susan Day on Smashwords

Astro's Adventures. The Gypsy Curse

Copyright © 2013 by Susan Day

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

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Astro's Adventures: The Gypsy Curse

Spylinks!

Included in this edition are five secret web links that will take you to never seen before games and puzzles. Just click on the link or cut and paste them into your browser and presto! Just look for the Spylinks Hound as you read through this book.

CHAPTER 1

The moon crept its way above the trees until it shone down into a clearing in the woods. It was a cold still night and a gentle breeze ruffled the leaves in the trees. An old alley cat hobbled into the clearing. He looked around and sighed heavily. He limped toward a large rock and scrambled on top of it.

He took a deep breath and spread his arms as if he were embracing every stone and tree. His eyes widened and sparkled with the memory of a time when he commanded a legion of cats to follow his every word. It was a time when he was famous for being the only cat that could bring down the dogs' secret organisation and stop their plans to free every mutt from neglect.

"Those were the days," Speed Bump Charlie whispered to himself. Then he let his arms drop heavily to his side.

"And you will have them back again," a soft voice answered.

Speed Bump Charlie spun around quickly, his eyes scanning the dark trees to see who had spoken.

"Who's there?" he hissed, worried that one of the dogs had followed him. He released his claws one by one from every sheath. They shone in the moonlight. "Come out where I can see you!" he demanded.

There was a soft tinkle of bells and a ruffle of stiff fabric. "There's no need to be frightened, Charles," a soft voice whispered. "I'm not here to harm you. I want to help you."

"I'm not frightened," growled Speed Bump Charlie. "Show yourself or feel the razor tips of my claws." He waved his claws in a sweeping motion in the direction of the dark shadow.

Slowly into the moonlight slipped a small figure. It was a cat. A female cat and she was dressed as a gypsy. She wore a pink bandana around her head and a dress of flowing taffeta. Around her forehead and waist chains held tiny gold bells that jingled as she moved. Her fur was a soft grey and Speed Bump Charlie was immediately drawn to her golden eyes.

"Who are you?" he questioned suspiciously.

The gypsy cat bowed low unafraid of the old tabby cat. "My name is Tinka," she said slowly.

"What do you want and why are you sneaking around in the woods?" hissed Speed Bump Charlie. He was a well-seasoned alley cat and had developed a healthy mistrust of all strangers regardless of their species.

Tinka stood up slowly. She clasped her paws in front of her. "I am here to help you. I have seen you in my dreams and my crystal ball has shown me things; things that would help you defeat the Organisation and those stupid dogs forever."

Speed Bump Charlie was not convinced. "How did you find me?" he asked the gypsy cat.

"My crystal ball told me where you were," she answered calmly. "I have been waiting for you to come back."

"I've been busy; away on business," he declared but the memories of his last failed attempt to destroy the Organisation using monster rats burnt a hole in his heart. The pain of defeat and the humiliation of being put in jail still left a very bitter taste in his mouth.

The gypsy cat seemed to know what he was thinking. "Isn't it time that you really showed those dogs how clever you are? Isn't it time they learnt that cats are the most supreme pets? Isn't it time you got your revenge, Charles?"

Speed Bump Charlie stared at Tinka. "What's it to you anyway?" he hissed. "Why do you care? I have heard this all before from other cats but then they get an owner and they get spoilt, fat and lazy. Then they don't care anymore. They just swipe the family dog every now and then and think they are being superior. They have no idea of what is involved in making sure that cats remain the most favoured pet and how difficult it is to keep dumb dogs in their place. All those treats, off leash runs, trips to the beach and special training centres - what a load of rubbish! Dogs should be locked up in the backyard out of the way of us cats! " Speed Bump Charlie's voice increased in volume with every word but Tinka just nodded and smiled.

"Well, I can help you if you are interested," she told Speed Bump. "But you'll have to follow me and trust me. I will take you to a place where no one goes, not even a tough alley cat like you, Charles."

Speed Bump Charlie squinted at the beautiful young cat. "Why do you call me Charles?" he asked.

"I have done my research on you," she smiled. "I know that's what your first owner called you and how proud she was of her handsome kitten."

"That was a long time ago," growled Speed Bump. "Too long ago if you ask me." He bitterly remembered the time when he was the favourite pet of a girl and her family. But it only lasted until two stupid puppies arrived. Then he had been cast away and ignored.

"Where is this place you are taking me?" Speed Bump leaned towards Tinka.

"Just follow me," she said and turned quickly disappearing into the dark woods.

"Hang on!" yelled Speed Bump clambering down from the rock. "I'm not as young as I used to be!" He rolled and bumped his way off the rock scraping his leg and grazing his paws. He hobbled off into the woods calling, "Wait up, will you? Wait up!"

CHAPTER 2

Commander Rocky walked quickly into his office. He was head of a secret organisation that had been established to save dogs from neglect. He was a large black Border collie and was well respected, if not a little feared, in the canine community.

"Has Operative Dingo returned from his mission yet?" he barked at his assistant, a small dachshund named Hans.

Hans tapped his computer mouse and flicked through several screens. "No," Hans said without looking up from the screen. "He hasn't logged in."

Commander Rocky was scratching his chin with his paw. "That's not like him," Rocky said thoughtfully. "Is there no word from him at all? Was he able to gather any intelligence from his mission?"

"I have heard nothing from him," reported Hans.

"Send a message to his microchip. Tell him to come and see me at once," Commander Rocky ordered.

Dingo was a very small rat terrier who was able to slip into houses and buildings unnoticed. When a distress call was received to say that a dog was being neglected, it was important to find out as much information about the situation as possible. This might include how many people lived in the house, if there were any other pets, especially any dreaded cats, and what type of locks there were on the doors. If the rescue of a dog was to be successful this type of information was critical. And it was Dingo's job to get it!

This should have been a straight forward mission. A young puppy bought as a Christmas present had been left in the backyard on its own day and night. It was so lonely its howls could be heard all over the neighbourhood. An old Boxer living three streets away had alerted the Organisation to the poor dog's plight. Commander Rocky had sent Dingo in straight away. He should have returned by now. Time was being wasted. Most dogs were rescued at night, quickly and secretively and Commander Rocky wanted to get the rescue underway.

There was a knock at the office door. Operative Indy walked in.

"Commander Rocky, could you tell me if Dingo has returned?" she asked.

"No," answered Commander Rocky. "Hans sent him a message but there hasn't been a response."

"That's what I was afraid of," murmured Indy. She slumped into a chair.

"What are you talking about?" asked Rocky. "What's going on?"

"I was on my way back from another Demobilizing Your Opponent with One Back Leg lecture when I thought I'd give Dingo a hand. I was going to stand guard and keep watch for him. When I got there I saw the dog catcher bundling something into the back of his van. At first I thought it must have been a cat because it was small and he had it tucked under his arm but it wasn't squawking like cats do. So I hid behind a rubbish bin and waited until the dog catcher drove away. When the coast was clear I went looking for Dingo but he was nowhere to be seen."

Indy stopped and looked at Commander Rocky and Hans. "You don't think he's been taken by the dog catcher do you?"

"Surely not!" exclaimed Hans. "Our Operatives are too well trained and anyway how could the dog catcher know he was there?"

"Yes, you are right, Hans," said Commander Rocky, "but Indy has a point and we still haven't heard back from him. Where are the others, Hans?"

Hans checked his computer screen. "Operative Alfie is helping Cook in the Doggy Day Care Centre. That might not be such a good idea," he said thoughtfully. "Do you remember how much he ate last time he helped Cook?"

Commander Rocky raised one eyebrow. "I certainly do. He ate 15 kilograms of baked beans. It was nearly a national disaster. His gas broadened the hole in the ozone by another 20 miles," Commander Rocky shook his head in disgust. "And the others?" he looked at Hans to continue.

"Well, Operative Digger is teaching the new recruits about the importance of back filling when tunnelling. Stella D'oro is in the library but the only operative I can't seem to find is Astro." Hans clicked around the screens and tried to find images of Astro on the CCTV. "Nope, can't find him anywhere."

"I saw him in the Communication Room about fifteen minutes ago," said Operative Indy. "He was listening to the incoming calls."

"Well, he's not there now," said Hans re-checking the monitors.

Commander Rocky turned to Hans. "Get onto our spies at the Check Out and see if any dog resembling Dingo has been brought in."

"Yes, Sir," gulped Hans fearfully. The Check Out was the one place all dogs dreaded. It was a dark, cruel place where dogs were sent by their owners who didn't want them anymore. Once a dog was taken there it was said they never returned.

"In the meantime, Indy, let's get the team together in the Conference Room and see if we can find out what's happened to Dingo."

CHAPTER 3

Speed Bump Charlie hobbled awkwardly behind the gypsy cat. She glided gracefully over logs and under low branches stopping every few minutes to allow Speed Bump Charlie to catch up. He leant on a large tree covered in ivy. "Where are we going?" he puffed.

"Not long now," cooed Tinka. "I promise that it will be well worth the effort."

"It better be," grumbled Speed Bump Charlie under his breath.

Tinka smiled to herself and swung her hips from side to side. The gentle rhythm of the bells soothed Charlie's bad temper and he felt his energy return.

They came to what appeared to be a wall covered in a thick vine. Tinka waited patiently for Speed Bump Charlie to catch up again and then she smiled at him. "I'm afraid you'll have to travel the rest of the way blindfolded."

"Not likely," he grumbled but he looked deeply into the gypsy cat's eyes and felt his resolve leave him. He sighed loudly. "Oh, alright then! Put it on!"

Tinka smiled and quickly whipped off her bandana and tied it tightly around Speed Bump Charlie's head. "There," she smiled. "Now, the secrets of the Gypsy Cats will remain unknown to an alley cat with a crooked back leg and no top teeth!"

Speed Bump Charlie grimaced and rolled his eyes under the blindfold. He hated pomp and ceremony and he loathed secret organisations regardless if they were formed by cats or dogs.

Tinka held out her paws and sweeping her arms around in a large circle she suddenly clapped them together and glanced over to see if Speed Bump Charlie was paying attention. She muttered a secret incantation and drew her breath in deeply. She slowly let her breath out and clapped her paws together again. "There! I have removed the spell that keeps this door closed to our enemies," she announced proudly.

Speed Bump Charlie turned in her direction so Tinka waved her paws quickly in front of his face. He didn't flinch. The blindfold was working really well. She then pushed her paw through the vines and felt for a lever. Smiling to herself, she yanked it hard and a secret door slid open. "In you go," she said and pushed Speed Bump Charlie into a dark cave.

The old alley cat stumbled forward and groaned. "When can I take this stupid blindfold off?" he demanded.

Tinka didn't respond. She grabbed his paw roughly and led him through dark passage ways that smelt of water and rotten weeds. Before Speed Bump Charlie knew what was happening, the ground beneath his feet felt drier and he could smell a soft wood fragrance.

"Here we are," Tinka stopped and turned to Speed Bump Charlie. "Now, let's remove that blindfold." And with that, she whisked it quickly from Speed Bump Charlie's head. He discovered that he was not in the cave anymore. Instead, he was in the woods. Amongst the trees small coloured tents were erected. Soft lamps hung from the branches and lit up each of the tents. Coloured bunting was strung from one tree to the next and around the tents. Each had a series of tiny bells attached that tinkered in the gentle breeze.

"Very pretty," the old cat muttered under his breath sarcastically. "Is this some kind of fairy land?"

Tinka shook her head. "No, Charles. This is the camp of the Gypsy Cats. I brought you here to show you something very special. Follow me." And with that she skipped on ahead ducking her way under the bunting. Speed Bump Charlie limped along behind her. As he reached each string of bunting, he yanked on it so hard it fell and snapped in two. An old gypsy cat followed him repairing the bunting as quickly as Speed Bump Charlie wrecked it mumbling a curse under his breath at the same time.

At a large pink tent, Tinka stopped and pulled back the flap. "We are here," she bowed low to allow Speed Bump Charlie to enter. Inside the old cat saw mountains of satin cushions strewn around the room. In the middle was a small table draped with a velvet cloth on top of which sat a large crystal ball.

"You brought me here to read my fortune!" exclaimed Speed Bump Charlie loudly. "What a load of rubbish!" He turned quickly to leave but Tinka stood in his way. "Oh, there's more to it than that Charles." She pointed to the crystal ball. "With that I can tell what the Organisation is going to do next. I can predict their every move and, as I am about to show you, I – I mean, 'we' – can bring it down and destroy it completely!"

Speed Bump Charlie had had enough of the gypsy cat's secretive behaviour and nonsense. He shook his head in disgust and pushed past her. "Absolute load of rubbish!" he declared. "And to think I've wasted a full moon! I could have caught twelve mice by now and probably a couple of rats!"

He tore open the flap of the tent sharply and was about to leave when a low growl stopped him in his tracks. "What's that?" he turned and asked.

Tinka was standing beside a large mound of cushions. She smiled at Speed Bump Charlie and then kicked one cushion off at a time. When she was down to the last few, Speed Bump Charlie recognised the fur of a dog he knew. He gasped in shock and surprise. "That can't be?" he muttered. He staggered forward and stared down at the dog. It was bound in pink ribbons, trussed up like a pig and in its mouth was a thick gag. The dog glared at him in fury. It struggled to get free but it was bound too tight. It let out a long low growl in disgust.

Speed Bump Charlie stood with his mouth wide open in surprise. "I can't believe it!" he said.

"Now, can you see how powerful my crystal ball is?" Tinka smirked. "Not only am I able to see what the Organisation is going to do next but I was able to trap and capture its most favourite recruit!" She let out an evil laugh that filled the tent.

Speed Bump Charlie couldn't draw his eyes away from the dog. "But that's, that's..." he stammered. He spun around and looked directly at her. "But how? And why?"

Tinka took his paw and patted it gently. "Now, now, Charles, don't get yourself all knotted up. Sit down on one of the cushions and I will show you how my crystal ball works."

Speed Bump Charlie went to lower himself down. "Not that one!" ordered Tinka. "If you sit there you'll be sitting on the dog's tail. You should hear the ruckus he makes when you accidently sit on him! Phew! It's worse than any cat call I've ever heard!"

Spylinks!

You've found the Spylinks Hound. He has a secret for you. You can find it by clicking here or copying this link into your browser. Have fun

CHAPTER 4

Commander Rocky strode confidently into the Conference Room, well he tried to anyway. As he approached the large automatic doors they jammed and jolted several times before opening. He stopped and looked at them. Some time ago, Alfie ran into them so hard he left the imprint of his face and paws in them. The solid metal doors had never been the same since. Commander Rocky looked down at Indy. "We really should get these fixed properly," he said. She nodded in agreement.

To their surprise, Operative Astro was sitting in his chair waiting for them. Commander Rocky and Indy both stopped sharply when they saw him. He smiled at them both.

"What are you doing in here?" demanded Rocky.

"Waiting for you," Astro replied lightly drumming one paw on the table.

Indy sat down next to him while Commander Rocky went to his place at the head of the table. Indy leaned over and whispered to Astro. "What are you really doing here? Commander Rocky only just gave the order for us to assemble."

Astro looked at her and smiled. "Yes, I heard that Dingo might be in trouble so I assumed we'd all be meeting in here." He looked away from Indy and smiled at Commander Rocky who was busy organising papers and files.

Indy was quite confused and was about to ask Astro how he had heard about Dingo when Digger and Alfie bowled into the room.

"Get out of my way," squealed Operative Digger elbowing Alfie in the knees. Alfie was a large black dog and Digger was only a small terrier but his skills in martial arts were legendary and Alfie let out a sharp squeal of pain.

"Fair go, Diggs," Alfie moaned rubbing his leg. "I was just walking through the door."

"Walking?! Walking?!!" Digger squawked. "You call that walking? You were pushing your way through, as usual, and you weren't even looking where you were going!" Digger trotted briskly to his chair and sat down letting out a loud sigh.

Alfie, unaffected by Digger's remarks, saw Astro and waved wildly. "Hey, Astro, where have you been? I haven't seen you all day?"

Astro turned to his friend and smiled. "Oh, you know Alfie, just hanging around."

Indy looked suspiciously towards Astro. There was something not quite right about him but she couldn't put her finger on it. He looked the same old Astro; wild, woolly grey hair sticking out in different directions and that same eager look in his eyes but there was something distinctly odd about his behaviour.

Alfie walked behind Astro and slapped him hard on the back. "Great to see you all the same," Alfie remarked and sat in the chair next to him. Alfie shook his paw, "Wow! You're beefing up, buddy," he remarked. "That hurt my paw!"

Indy watched Astro cough and then turn his head slightly one way then the other. She also heard a strange whirling noise.

"Are you ok?" she asked Astro. He immediately froze and turned his head slowly towards her. "Of course, little blue dog, why wouldn't I be?" Astro said stiffly. Indy was taken back and wasn't sure how to respond. Astro never spoke that way towards her. He always called her by her Operative name, Indy or her house name, Indiana, never as 'little blue dog'. She scratched her head and was extremely puzzled.

Alfie was banging the top of the table waiting for the biscuits to appear. He stuck his large nose on the surface and breathed in very deeply. "I can smell 'em, Astro. They must be here somewhere," he muttered. "I wish Commander Rocky would hurry up and hit the red button."

Astro turned his head slowly and smiled at Alfie. "Yes, refreshments would be nice."

Just then the large doors rattled and groaned again. Stella D'oro walked in calmly. She nodded and smiled at all the Operatives then took her seat next to Commander Rocky. "Thank you for joining us," Rocky nodded. Stella rested her white cane on the table and looked directly ahead. She was blind but was able to see things in her mind sometimes before they happened. She also had very acute hearing.

"I sense there is something really wrong with Dingo," she remarked. "And also, I think it might be a good idea to give Alfie his biscuits before he sucks the varnish off the table again."

Commander Rocky looked down the length of the table and rolled his eyes. Without hesitation he slammed his paw on the red button and before each Operative a bowl of mountain fresh water and a bowl of dog biscuits appeared.

Alfie stopped and looked closely at his friend. He tilted his head one way then the other. Indy noticed him and thought, 'Even Alfie can see there's something not quite right with Astro.'

Then Alfie leaned in and stuck his wet nose right into Astro's face. He sniffed deeply and quickly pulled his head back. "Have you been eating pizza without me?" he yelled. Indy sighed and slumped back in her chair. 'Then maybe not,' she shrugged her shoulders.

Before Astro could answer Hans trotted in and gave Commander Rocky a sheet of paper. "Oh dear," Rocky sighed heavily. All the Operatives turned and looked directly at their commander.

Rocky continued, "Our worst fears have been realised. Dingo has been captured by the dog catcher. He's at the Check Out!"

CHAPTER 5

Dingo struggled to free himself from the tight grip of the man. "Stop ya squirmin'," he protested. "Ya goin' in da cage just like all da others!" He threw the little dog into a large dark cage where three other dogs were huddled together in a corner.

Dingo was very indignant. "No one throws me in a cage! No one can lock up the great Operative Dingo!" he barked repeatedly at the man as he sauntered down the passageway and disappeared into the darkness.

"He just did," said a voice behind him.

Dingo turned around to see a small scruffy dog looking at him.

"Not for long my friend!" declared Dingo and he began to scratch his collar furiously.

"What's he doing?" whispered another dog.

"Fleas?" said the third dog.

"I'm s... s... signalling... fo... for... h... h... helppp," stuttered Dingo as he scratched madly.

"Is that what they call it now-a-days," said the first little dog. "We used to call it fleas!"

"I think they still do in some places," agreed the second dog nodding thoughtfully.

Dingo abruptly stopped and turned quickly. "Fleas? Fleas? You think I've got fleas?" He was very angry. "I'll have you know I'm Operative Dingo from the Organisation. My microchip is a secret signalling device which I can use to communicate with my Commander who will, no doubt, send someone out to rescue me!"

He looked sternly at the three small dogs. "After all," he sighed, his temper waning somewhat. "We've done it in the past."

The three dogs looked at each other and then back at Dingo.

"You've escaped from the Check Out?" one of the dogs asked. "No one gets out of here! Not alive anyway!"

"Yeah," sniffed the other dog sadly.

"No wait," said the scruffy one. "I remember hearing about an escape from here. I'd forgotten all about it. It was about dogs that broke into this place and let all the other dogs out. It was a while ago, but I remember my owner showing me the newspaper clipping. She said it was the best news she'd heard in a very long time and that no dogs should ever be put in here. Ever!"

Dingo smiled at the little dog. "Yes that's right," he said. "It was a large scruffy dog called Astro who was brought here to be taught a lesson and yet he masterminded the greatest escape known in canine history. I was very proud to be part of it: Me and a few hundred rats."

The three dogs all smiled. "That's awesome!" they barked together.

Dingo was feeling much better about his predicament. He asked, "What are your names?"

The scruffy dog spoke first. "My name is Hamish and these are my buddies, Spud and Rastus."

Dingo smiled at the three little dogs. "I can see you're all some type of rat terrier like me. Lads, I think we are going to make a great team. Four little terriers escape from the Check Out. What do you think?"

The three dogs looked at each other and nodded.

"He's mad, isn't he?" whispered Spud.

"Completely bonkers," agreed Rastus.

Hamish looked at them both and shook his head. "No, mates, let's listen to what he has to say. I told you that it's happened before. What's to say it won't happen again?"

"How did you get here?" Dingo asked them.

Hamish turned to Dingo. "We were out playing in the yard when a cat started making faces at us over the fence. I said we should just ignore it but Spud here gets it into his head that we should teach the cat a lesson. We decided to dig under the fence and chase the cat away. Well, one seven foot tunnel and one dog catcher's net later here we are."

Spud hung his head and sniffed. "I said I was sorry, lots of times."

"It's ok, mate," said Hamish. "We all agreed to get the cat and we all helped dig the tunnel. That means we're all to blame. But this could be our chance to get out of here sooner rather than later, if you know what I mean!"

The three dogs turned to Dingo.

"What did the cat look like?" Dingo asked them.

"It was a little grey number and it had a pink cloth around its head. When it moved you could hear bells ringing. Funny looking thing," said Hamish.

"Well, it wasn't Speed Bump Charlie," Dingo thought to himself out loud.

"And wouldn't you know," said Spud. "The dog catcher was waiting for us right at the end of the tunnel. It was if he knew what we were doing!"

Operative Dingo thought for a few seconds. Then he turned to the three dogs. "I had a very similar experience. I was on an information gathering mission for a neglected puppy and just as I was heading back to headquarters the dog catcher grabbed me. He was waiting for me just like you said. It was as if he knew where to find me!"

They all looked quite bewildered. Hamish moved closer to Dingo. "Do you think we can really escape from this terrible place?" he asked in a hopeful whisper. Dingo nodded. "All of us?" Hamish asked glancing over his should to Spud and Rastus.

"I do," said Dingo confidently. "And we will become the greatest team of terriers the world has seen. No one will believe how brave and courageous we are until they read about it in books and see us on the internet. We will be very famous, lads, famous!"

Dingo's speech was inspiring but until they were rescued there was little they could do. So, the four little dogs sat huddled together in the cold damp cell. They felt better because they had each other but they were still cold and scared. Operative Dingo checked his microchip every few minutes but there was no response.

CHAPTER 6

Speed Bump Charlie made himself comfortable on the satin cushions. He wasn't used to such luxury and felt out of place. He also felt nervous about the dog tied up only a few feet away from him.

"Are you sure he's completely secured?" he asked Tinka nodding towards the dog.

Tinka didn't look up to respond. She was too busy waving her paws over the crystal ball. "He sure is," she replied. "Been there for days like that and he hasn't been able to budge his ties at all!"

She spotted a smudge on the crystal and quickly spat on it and rubbed it away with her paw. Speed Bump Charlie stared at her in surprise. Since coming to the camp Tinka had become more relaxed and rough and much less enchanting.

"It's ready now!" she declared proudly. "Give us your paws Charles," she said pushing her own paws forward across the small table. Speed Bump Charlie placed his paws in hers but he was very suspicious.

"Now, let's see what those stupid dogs are up to now!" she declared and shuffled her weight around on the cushions.

She stared intently into the ball. "Oh, Great Feline, keeper of all things cat-like and purr-fect, reveal to me, your humble servant, the wicked ways of the dogs so that I might get them thrown in the Check Out! Give me the power to create a terrible curse which I can inflict on every canine in the world!" Tinka rocked from side to side with her eyes closed. She moaned and groaned.

Speed Bump Charlie watched her then he stared intently into the ball. She gasped and drew her head up quickly. He stared down but could only see his distorted reflection in the glass. Tinka gasped again and shook her head from side to side.

Tinka mumbled to herself. She was in a deep trance. "A curse, yes a powerful curse. One so evil and so wicked every dog will be struck down and will cease to stop their whimpering and annoying barking!" she declared.

Then Tinka's eyes shot open. "How dare they!" she muttered to herself. Speed Bump Charlie looked at her and leaned closer to see if he could see what she was seeing. "They're rescuing another mutt out of someone's backyard," she said shaking her head from side to side. "Just because it's on a chain! What a load of nonsense! Oh, the curse Great Feline, send me a curse I can use on these stupid mutts!"

"Where?" Speed Bump Charlie asked.

"In town I think," Tinka replied biting the edge of her lip. She was concentrating so hard she daren't lift her eyes from the crystal ball. She rubbed one side of it with her paw. "Show me the address!" she demanded of the ball. She rubbed it again and then let out a cry. "Yes! 24 Kennel Way!" she declared. She rummaged under the table and produced a pen and paper and a phone. Speed Bump Charlie was becoming very bewildered.

Tinka pushed the things over to him. "Write that down!" she commanded. Speed Bump Charlie had been concentrating on the crystal ball so hard he jumped out of his skin. However, he was told immediately.

"I don't recognise the Operative," Tinka muttered to herself. "Still, it doesn't matter does it?" Then she smiled a very wicked grin at Speed Bump. "What do you call 2 million dogs locked in cages at the Check Out?" she asked him. Speed Bump Charlie shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know.

"Not enough!!" Tinka exploded into raucous laughter and beat her paws on the table over and over again. The dog growled and struggled to get free.

Speed Bump Charlie wrote down the address and then got up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Tinka growled. "Sit down!"

Speed Bump Charlie sat down straight away and stared back at the gypsy cat. "I was going to 24 Kennel Way to get the dog," he protested.

Tinka smiled and shook her head. "Oh no, Charles. There is no need for us to get our paws dirty." She pushed the phone towards him. "Hit number one on the speed dial and tell whoever answers that there is a wild dog running around the street. Tell him that there are children hiding up trees to get away from the vicious creature. Tell him to come quickly before this terrible dog bites someone!"

For a number of years dogs and cats have been able to mimic human voices. They can change a growl or meow in such a way that it sounds just like a person. This way they can speak on the phone and not be found out. Most of the time animals will only do this in an emergency.

Speed Bump Charlie hit number one but he was completely unprepared for what he heard next.

"City Offices. This is the Dog Catcher Speaking. How can I help you?"

Speed Bump Charlie's voice faltered a little but then he realised the cunning of the gypsy cat's plan. "Oh well, yes, this is Speed Bump Ch..." Tinka kicked him under the table and shook her head. "I mean Captain Charles from Kennel Way. I'm afraid there is a ferocious dog running wild. Children are hiding up trees and screaming. Come quickly to 24 Kennel Way before we are all torn to shreds by this vicious monster!"

He hung up the phone and looked over at Tinka. She smiled. "Bravo! Bravo Charles! You did a splendid job!"

"What do we do now?" Speed Bump Charlie asked. Tinka returned to her enchanting self. She hooked her arm into Speed Bump Charlie's and walked him to the opening of the tent. "Now, we just wait," she cooed gently. Stepping outside she said, "Why don't you have a wander around? See if there are any mice or birds you can catch. I need to see to our prisoner and polish the crystal ball for next time. You never know when the Great Feline has another message for us."

Speed Bump Charlie smiled. This wasn't such a bad set up after all. He thought he might head down to the creek and catch a fish. As he walked away, Tinka turned and entered the tent quickly.

CHAPTER 7

In the front seat of the Dog Catcher's van a small corgi sat listening to the latest call. "Did you hear that, Scrappy?" her owner declared. "We had better get there straight away!" he clipped her seat belt in and started the van. "This sounds like another bad dog, eh girl?"

The van lurched down the road until it quickly picked up speed. Scrappy looked out of the window thoughtfully. Her owner had been the dog catcher all her life. She was allowed to come along with him if she promised to stay in the van. Every day there were calls from people complaining about dogs walking around the streets or hanging around schools.

Over the past few weeks the calls seemed different, however. The callers seemed more frantic. It was as if their lives were in danger just because there was a dog wandering around. She knew that it wasn't right to have dogs loose on the streets but these calls seemed a little bit too urgent: a little bit too desperate.

She looked to her owner and let out a quiet whine. He patted her on top of her head. "Don't you fret, girl," he said. "I'll make sure you are kept completely safe!" Scrappy rolled her eyes. 'When will humans learn to listen properly!' she sighed to herself.

The van came to an abrupt halt at 24 Kennel Way. "Here we are, Scrappy!" the Dog Catcher said. "You stay here. I'll get me catchin' net and gloves out of the back." He hopped out of the car and grabbed his gear. Scrappy moved over to the driver's seat and watched the events unfold.

The Dog Catcher glanced around the yard looking for signs of a ferocious dog. He looked from side to side and craned his neck to see if there was a dog hiding in the garden.

"Everything is still and quiet," the dog catcher mumbled to himself, "Perhaps a little too quiet."

A bird darted from a tree and swooped low. The dog catcher stepped carefully towards the front door when he heard the gate creak at the side of the house. He stopped in his tracks and slowly turned towards the noise. He held the catching net high above his head and took several steps, gradually moving closer to the gate.

Scrappy could see exactly what was happening. A small brown dog had opened the gate slowly and was stepping through it. He stopped to lock the gate behind him carefully. He then scratched at his neck repeatedly and whispered something into his collar.

Scrappy cocked her head to one side and wondered what he was doing. Why is he talking into his collar? He must be mad. The brown dog was about to slip away unnoticed when her owner leapt out from behind a bush and caught him in his net. The small dog struggled and rolled on the ground but the net was too strong and he couldn't get free.

"Gotcha now!" yelled the Dog Catcher in triumph. "You terrible vicious dog, you won't be terrorizing anyone again."

He picked up the dog and started carrying it back to the van. When he got under the large tree he shouted up into the branches, "It's ok kids. You can come down now. I've got him!"

Scrappy loved her master very much but she was convinced he was going crazy. "There's no one up there!" she barked at him. He just turned to her and yelled back. "Yep, that's right. Got the mad dog and saved the kiddies. What a great day!"

He bundled the dog into the back of the van and jumped into the driver's seat. The dog moved slowly to the front of the van and stuck its nose onto the glass panel that separated the back of the van from the driver's cabin. Scrappy looked suspiciously at the dog but she was too curious to bark and warn her owner.

The dog let out a low whine. "You must get word to the Organisation," he whispered. "I am on a secret mission to save a neglected poodle. Tell them what's happened. They will know what to do."

Scrappy stared at the stray dog. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "Aren't you the aggressive dog that is frightening everyone in the neighbourhood?"

"Do I look like an aggressive dog? I am on a mission. I am an operative with the Organisation. I was finding out information so that the rescue team could save her. Haven't you heard of us?" the brown dog asked her.

"I thought that was just a fairy story told to little puppies so they wouldn't be frightened when it was time to leave their mother," answered Scrappy.

"Not at all. It's all true," the brown dog explained. Then he begged Scrappy, "My name is Buster. Tell them what's happened so they can send help. Please!"

He had just finished when the van stopped and Scrappy's owner hauled the brown dog out of the back and handed him over to the attendant at the Check Out. She watched from out of the window and saw Buster's eyes pleading with her to help him.

CHAPTER 8

Speed Bump Charlie was sitting on a flat rock staring into the creek. He could see the reflection of a battered old cat staring back at him. He thought about the gypsy cat and wondered why a pretty cat would be interested in a war-cat like him. He shrugged his shoulders.

Around him life was going on as normal in the Gypsy Camp. He glanced over his shoulders and watched the goings on. The day had dawned but the fairy lights and bunting remained bright and swung gently in the breeze. There were rows of coloured tents of different sizes. The smoke from camp fires wafted gently up into the still air. There were gypsy cats of all shapes and sizes going about their daily business.

Speed Bump Charlie noticed a small group of kittens learning how to make a fire out of sticks. Their instructor was an old wise cat dressed in bright green and gold pants with a waistcoat to match. A pair of old gypsy male cats was playing cards on a fallen log. Each one had a pipe hanging out of the corner of their mouths and they were bent over concentrating on their game. Three cats were playing musical instruments and strolling from tent to tent making each other happy with their fun and lively tunes.

'Freaks!' thought Speed Bump Charlie to himself. He turned back to the creek. He decided to ignore them. "There must be a fish or two in here," he said out loud.

"You might have better luck a bit further upstream," an old voice croaked behind Speed Bump Charlie. He turned around quickly. "Who are you?" he hissed.

"Just trying to help," the old cat muttered and walked back to the band of kittens.

Speed Bump Charlie stood up and strolled further upstream. 'This place gives me the creeps. All this nicey nicey stuff,' he shuddered. 'It's not normal.'

Tinka watched Speed Bump Charlie limp towards the creek. She returned to her tent and rubbed her paws together in joy. "This is going very well indeed!" she laughed. "Soon, I alone will have destroyed the Organisation and ruined the plans of those stupid dogs. Speed Bump Charlie will get the blame and I will rule the whole town!" She leant her head back and let out a long wild scream of joy.

The dog under the cushions wriggled and squirmed and let out a long growl.

"Shuddup you!" Tinka kicked at the lump violently. Then she went to the back of her tent and pulled back a curtain. Behind it was a wall of video monitors, cameras, microphones and secret listening devices.

"Now," she said rubbing her paws together. "Let's really find out what those stupid dogs are doing." She picked up a small laptop and rested it on her knees. She typed in a special code and waited for the image to appear. Nothing happened for several seconds.

Tinka lost her temper and thumped the laptop up and down on the desk. "Work you stupid thing!" she demanded.

All of a sudden, there was a loud beep and the screen flashed up an image. She sat back and smiled to herself. "Well, my canine friend," she whispered under her breath. "Let's find out what's really going on shall we?"

A heap of satin cushions growled.

Tinka chose to ignore the dog this time. What she was looking at was much more interesting. "Oohh, one of their little doggy woggies has been taken to the Check Out. How sad!" she said mockingly. "Go to the Control Centre and find out what's going on." She ordered loudly.

Through the eyes of her spy, Tinka watched all the comings and goings at the secret headquarters. She liked to listen to the calls that came in about neglected dogs. Then she would call the dog catcher and tell him that there was a dog on the loose. It was, of course, an Operative sent to rescue the neglected dog but the dog catcher didn't know this. So far, she had made sure five special agents had been captured and sent to the Check Out! Today she was hoping to add another one to her total and implicate Speed Bump Charlie too!

CHAPTER 9

When her owner climbed back into the van, Scrappy barked loudly to be let out. "No worries, Scrappy," he said. "Let's go to the park and you can have a run off leash and a good sniff. It's only five minutes away."

At the park Scrappy appeared to be running from tree to bush sniffing the ground for possums or cats but she was thinking about the brown dog and the unusual phone calls that her owner had received. She saw a group of dogs in the distance and trotted over to them quickly. Her owner saw her and called her to come back. Normally Scrappy always came when she was called but today she was on a mission of her own.

"Hi you guys," she said. "My name is Scrappy and I have to find out some information about something called the Organisation. Is it real?"

A large black dog leaned down and sniffed her. "Sure is real, Scrappy," he replied. "Saved my brother's cousin, you know. Locked in a pen all day and all night, now he runs free up and down the beach. Would you believe that?"

A little pug trotted right up to Scrappy and sniffed her nose. "Yup, three of my puppies had to be saved by the Organisation and then I was saved. I'm ex-puppy farm, you know! Now I live with my family just around the corner and I get to run in this park every day."

Scrappy told them what had just happened. "But what should I do? I don't know how to contact the Organisation. Can you help me?" she pleaded with the other dogs.

"Got a microchip?" asked the large black dog.

"Of course!" answered Scrappy.

"Then scratch at it seven times and it will be activated. You'll hear a beep and that's it – you're connected!" laughed the little pug. "Boy! Didn't they teach you anything at puppy school?"

Scrappy still wasn't convinced. "Are you sure?" she asked. "That's all I have to do?"

"Yes!" the dogs barked together. "And the quicker the better by the sounds of it," the black dog remarked. "We need to stop this now. If the Organisation can't save dogs who will?!"

Scrappy lifted up her back leg and tapped at her neck gently.

"You'll have to do it harder than that!" laughed the pug.

Scrappy tried a little harder but she still didn't hear a beep.

"Harder!" commanded the black dog, "Breathe deeply and focus."

Scrappy stood back and took in a deep breath. She stared ahead and focused hard. She lifted up her back leg and rapidly scratched at her collar. Much to her surprise she heard a beep and a soft voice say, "Welcome to the Organisation. Your call is important to us. It has been placed in a queue. Please wait and we will answer it as soon as possible."

"It worked!" she barked in excitement.

"Does every time!" laughed the pug.

Then Scrappy heard another click and a voice said, "Welcome to the Organisation. How can we be of service?"

Scrappy took a deep breath and explained what had happened. There was silence at the other end of the line. The other dogs waited beside her. They had their heads bent close so they could hear.

A voice screamed at the other end of the line. "Haaannnssss!! You had better hear this for yourself! Come quick!!"

Scrappy and her new friends all jumped back in fright. A little dog's voice could be heard. "This is Hans, please repeat your query."

Scrappy did as she was asked and waited. Again there was silence. Then there was a thud. The dogs all leaned in closer to hear what was going on. They could hear mutterings about smelling salts. Someone criticized the first dog for getting Hans in the first place because he fainted a lot.

The first dog came back on the line. "Hmmm, thank you for this information, Scrappy. We have recorded it and will pass it on to the relevant person, umm, well eventually. Anyway, we have also noted your microchip number and we may contact you again in the future if needed. Is that ok with you?"

"Um, I s... s... uppose," stuttered Scrappy she was not used to dealing with a secret organisation but the large black dog and the pug nodded their approval encouragingly.

Just then the dog catcher came up to the group of dogs. "Scrappy! I've been calling you for ten minutes! Are you going deaf?"

Scrappy looked at the other dogs and shrugged her shoulders. They sniffed the ground so as not to draw attention to themselves. After all, the dog catcher was still the dog catcher and they didn't want to get into any trouble.

The dog catcher clipped Scrappy's leash on and walked her back to the van. She looked over her shoulders and barked a 'thank you' to the other dogs. They responded with a soft whine and trotted away.

"Wow," commented the pug, "To think she'd never heard of the Organisation! She didn't even know how to switch on her microchip."

"Yes, it happens from time to time," muttered the black dog. "Some dogs don't even have microchips you know!"

"Noooo!" said the pug, "I've never heard of such a thing."

"Well, you learn something new every day if you live long enough," muttered the other dog and they trotted back to their owners.

CHAPTER 10

Back at headquarters, in the Communication Room, Astro stood silently watching the activities of the dogs that worked there. He was especially interested in the incoming calls. He stood behind the operator as he took call after call from distressed dogs.

"Yes, I understand. You haven't been walked for several months and you only have puddles to drink out of. I understand," the operator nodded. "Yes, I agree. If is stops raining you'll have no water to drink at all."

The operator shook his head and tapped away at the keyboard. He spoke into his microphone, "Your microchip address says you're at 33 Fire Hydrant Close, is that correct?"

The operator tapped at the keyboard again. "Yes, we'll have an operative out there as soon as possible to investigate your case. When? I'm afraid it might not be today as we are very busy but we will do our best, I promise."

Astro could hear the other dog whimpering. The operator agreed that it was a long wait but there wasn't anything else he could do. He hung up the call and let his shoulders sag. "I just wish there were more operatives to save these poor dogs," he said looking around at Astro.

Astro was staring at the screen. His eyes darted from side to side. He appeared to be recording the information.

The operator watched him. "Are you going to save him?" he asked hopefully.

Astro stared at him and looked surprised. "Not likely," he muttered.

The operator was about to ask him why when there was a loud thud.

They had received the call from Scrappy. Hans fainted and three younger dogs were running backwards and forwards. Two were trying to revive Hans and the other wasn't sure what to do. She was a young Dalmatian. She suddenly stopped and noticed Astro. She leapt over to him, "Operative Astro, what shall we do?" she pleaded.

Astro turned to her slowly and smiled. She backed away because something wasn't quite right about him and he was making her feel uncomfortable.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much," Astro smiled down at the young dog. "I'm sure Hans will come round soon. Besides, you can't believe everything you hear through these communication systems. It's probably just a prank call."

Hans staggered to his feet. He had just heard the last words Astro spoke. "A prank call?" He tried to stand up but he was still wobbly on his feet. "A prank call?" he repeated. "In this organisation, Astro, there is no such thing as a prank call. Every call is important and must be treated with the utmost urgency!"

The little dachshund staggered and then rested both front paws on the back of a chair. He took a deep breath. "Dotty, get Commander Rocky down here ASAP!"

The Dalmatian ran out of the room quickly. Hans moved closer to Astro. He stared up at the large dog. Astro wasn't paying any attention to Hans or anything else for that matter. He was standing very still and staring at the blank wall behind the computer desks.

"Astro," Hans said in a quiet voice. "I know you have not been with The Organisation for as long as some of us but it is important that the younger dogs in training learn the correct procedures. Is that clear?"

Astro stared ahead and ignored Hans. Hans was a patient dog. After all, he was the father of twelve puppies and patience was the key to good parenting. He had also been working with The Organisation all of his life and he knew every rule. He stepped closer to Astro and tapped his arm.

Astro swivelled his head around slowly and looked down at Hans. "What is it Hans?" he asked.

Hans heard a burr and a loud click as Astro's head stopped. He cocked his head to one side and narrowed his eyes.

"Are you ok?" he asked Astro.

"Of course," Astro said happily, "Not a care in the world."

Just then Commander Rocky burst into the room. Hans turned and rushed towards him.

"Oh, Commander Rocky, thank goodness you're here. We received a message from a dog called Scrappy. According to her microchip records she's a small corgi about ten years old. The message is very important," Hans said.

"What's the message?" Commander Rocky asked slowly. He looked behind Hans and noticed Astro staring at the wall.

"Well," Hans started, "she said that Buster, Operative number 320, has been captured by the dog catcher and has been taken to the Check Out."

Commander Rocky stopped staring at Astro and looked down at his assistant. "That's what has happened to Dingo and the others," he said. "What else did she say?"

Hans pointed to the computer monitor. "It's all recorded here. She said there have been lots of calls to the dog catcher complaining about vicious dogs but when he gets there the dogs are quiet and well behaved. And, even more interesting, she has used her excellent hearing and she's fairly sure that the voice that made the calls is nearly always the same one."

"How does she know?" Commander Rocky asked.

"She's the dog catcher's dog!" exclaimed Hans.

Commander Rocky looked over at Astro. He was still standing very still. He then looked down at Hans. "Oh, really? That's interesting."

Hans waited for Rocky to give him a command but his commander was preoccupied with Astro.

"What's wrong with Astro?" Commander Rocky leaned towards Hans.

Hans shot a glance over his shoulder towards Astro. "I don't know. He's been acting like that all day."

Commander Rocky shrugged his shoulders.

The doors of the Communication Room opened quickly and Stella D'oro walked in. She walked straight towards Rocky and Hans even though she was blind. Just before she got to them she stopped and turned towards Astro. She tilted her head to one side and sniffed the air.

"What's wrong with Astro?" she asked.

Commander Rocky and Hans both turned in Astro's direction.

Hans spoke first. "We're not sure," he whispered, "He's been acting funny all day."

"Hmmm," Stella pondered. "Well, we have more important things to worry about than a distracted shaggy dog," she said. "Commander Rocky, I've had a vision and I believe another dog has been captured by the dog catcher. We need to mount a rescue mission."

"Yes, you're right," Commander Rocky agreed. He turned to Hans. "Send a team of tracking dogs to follow the dog catcher's van. Contact Scrappy and ask her to tell us when another call comes in. We need to find out who's setting us up and how."

"Yes, sir!" Hans leapt into action and began giving orders.

Commander Rocky moved towards Astro. He seemed to be frozen on the spot. As he got closer Commander Rocky could hear a buzzing noise coming from inside Astro.

He leaned closely to Astro's head and sniffed. Astro spun his head around and blinked slowly at Rocky.

"Are you ok?" Commander Rocky asked. "Do you want me to get the vet for you?"

"I'm ready for duty!" Astro announced.

Commander Rocky shrugged his shoulders, "OK then. Let's get started." He turned to Hans. "Assemble the team, Hans!" he ordered in a loud voice. A chill went through the room.

"How exciting!" whispered a new member of the team, "It's just like the telly!"

Stella D'oro had watched Astro. She walked out of the room with Commander Rocky. She waited until she was alone with him. "I am worried about Astro," she whispered. "I think you should keep an eye on him."

"I know. He's acting very strangely today," Commander Rocky agreed. "But with Dingo trapped at the Check Out and more of these peculiar calls, I'm not sure I have time to deal with him at the moment."

CHAPTER 11

Commander Rocky and Stella entered the Conference Room together. Digger, Indy and Alfie were waiting for them. They walked to the head of the table. Astro, however, couldn't seem to get through the doors. Every time he stepped forward they closed. When he stepped back they opened. One by one all the dogs stopped and watched him. Alfie giggled. "You're doing it wrong!" he laughed at his friend. "Wait, I'll help you!"

He bounced out of his chair and held the doors open with his paws. He was very strong and even though the doors tried to close he was able to hold them open just long enough for Astro to step through them.

"Thank you," Astro droned.

"No worries, buddy!" Alfie exclaimed happily. He went to slap Astro on the back but remembered how much it hurt last time and changed his mind.

Commander Rocky waited for them to be seated. He watched Astro carefully.

"Now," he addressed his team. "We have some more information about our missing operatives. We believe someone is telling the dog catcher when and where our rescues are taking place."

There was a gasp and a cry from the group: All except Astro. He just stared blankly ahead.

"How?" Digger asked. "Who would do such a thing?"

Stella D'oro leaned forward. "I think we can only assume that our arch enemy Speed Bump Charlie has something to do with this. He was recently released from prison."

"Should have known," growled Indy. "I should have knocked him on the head when I had the chance."

"However," Commander Rocky continued, "It appears that we have a spy amongst us."

"What?" Digger exclaimed. "It's getting worse and worse!"

"Yes, Digger," Stella D'oro agreed. "It seems that someone here at headquarters is telling the dog catcher our every move. Each time we send an operative out, he is only a few minutes behind them. Then he quickly captures the dog and takes it to the Check Out."

"But who would do such a thing?" Indy said.

"It's probably one of those young puppies," Astro suggested. "I bet they're jealous they are not going on exciting missions and they are stuck sitting at a desk all day."

Everyone stared at Astro.

"Nah, Astro, they're all good. I trained most of them myself," Alfie said. "I bet there's a secret camera somewhere. I'm sure it's not one of us."

"Yes, that's it! I bet that evil Speed Bump Charlie has planted a hidden camera here and is watching our every move!" Astro announced.

"You could be right, Astro," Commander Rocky said. "We need to do a sweep of the Communication Room to see if there are any hidden cameras or listening devices. I'll get Hans onto it. Meanwhile Digger, Alfie and Indy, you are going to rescue Dingo and the others from the Check Out. Astro, Stella and I will stay here. We are going to find out exactly what is going on."

Rocky stood up and addressed the whole group. "This is serious canines. I'm afraid we are going to have to suspend operations until we find out who is leaking information to the dog catcher. That means no rescuing of neglected dogs."

"None at all?!" Digger cried.

"Not one," Commander Rocky said. "It's a sad, sad day in the history of our Organisation." With that he strode out of the room.

Stella stood up, "So we don't attract too much attention to our activities it is best if you go to the Check Out by different ways. We don't want anyone to see you travelling together. It might look suspicious. Once there you will assemble in the usual spot."

They all watched her leave.

"Where's the usual spot?" Astro asked Alfie.

Indy and Digger stared at him then looked at each other.

"You know," Alfie answered, "The usual place where we always meet when there's a rescue at the Check Out."

"Yes, but exactly where is that?" Astro asked again.

"Behind the bushes outside the main gates, derr brain!" Alfie laughed. He got up and slapped Astro on the back. "Are you losing your memory or something?" He shook his hand. Astro's back was very hard and Alfie's paw stung. "Blow it! I forgot how strong you are becoming!"

Astro stood up slowly. His head whirred around and faced the door. Then his body followed. He walked stiffly out of the room.

Digger and Indy watched Alfie then Astro leave the room.

"Astro is acting very strangely," Indy said. "I was watching him earlier. He looks the same but there's something wrong with the way he acts."

"I know," Digger agreed. "Do you think Commander Rocky knows?"

"I'm sure he does. And if he doesn't, Stella D'oro would have suspected something by now," Indy said.

The dogs started to prepare for their mission. At first they were going to just rescue Dingo and the other operatives but Scrappy's news now meant that they had to rescue the other dogs as well. It was going to be a very risky and dangerous mission. It was important, therefore, that they prepared themselves properly.

Indy was sharpening her hunting bone and once she had finished she would need to find Alfie to reload her stink bomb by rubbing it on his armpits.

Digger was stretching and rubbing ointment into his shoulders. Then he picked up his diamond encrusted nail file and began to sharpen his nails. He needed to make sure he was ready if he was asked to dig a tunnel. He remembered the last time there had been a rescue at the Check Out and wondered if the tunnel was still there. 'Save a lot of time if it is,' he thought to himself.

Alfie was in the kitchen making an enormous sandwich. He had two slices of bread, buttered and ready. Then he began to layer cheese, meat, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, meat, more lettuce and then more cheese until the sandwich was taller than he was.

"As exciting as going on a mission is you just never know when you're going to have your next meal," he said to himself out loud. "On our last mission I had to wait over half an hour between meals! A dog could starve to death in that time!"

Spylinks!

You've found the Spylinks Hound. He has a secret for you. You can find it by clicking here or copying this link into your browser. Have fun

CHAPTER 12

Tinka recorded all the information from her cameras and wrote down the address. She jumped up from her chair and pulled the curtains closed.

"Now, to find that scabby tabby," she sang to herself. "Let's see if we can fool him again."

She went outside and looked up and down. She couldn't see Speed Bump Charlie anywhere. She stepped out and called to him.

'Oh, Chaarrleesss," she cooed, "Where are yooouuuu?"

Speed Bump Charlie had found a nice flat rock to lie on and was sound asleep. When Tinka found him he was lying with all four feet sticking up in the air. She picked up a stick and poked it sharply into his side. He jumped in pain and scrambled quickly to his feet.

"What was that?" he growled.

Tinka quickly dropped the stick so Speed Bump wouldn't know it was her. She stepped towards him. "Oh, there you are Charles. You must have had a bad dream. Poor thing." She leant forward and stroked his head gently.

Speed Bump Charlie brushed her hand away. "What do you want?" he mumbled.

"Oh, I've got a surprise for you!" she smiled. "Come back to my tent and see what my crystal ball has revealed this time! It just gets better and better!"

Speed Bump Charlie scratched his head. He would rather have lain in the sun all day but the thought of more dogs being sent to the Check Out was just too irresistible.

"Show us then," he said limping after the gypsy cat.

Inside her tent, Tinka fluffed up several cushions and offered them as a seat for Speed Bump Charlie. He sat down on the shiny covers but slipped off them again. He stood up and stacked them one on top of the other. "Ever heard of a chair," he grumbled at Tinka lowering himself gingerly down on the pile.

Tinka ignored him. She whipped a velvet cloth from the crystal ball and let out a loud gasp.

"There, there!" she cried pointing at the glass ball. "There, I can see it all!"

"Where?" Speed Bump Charlie asked leaning closer. "All I can see is my ugly face!"

"You don't have the gift, Charles," Tinka smiled.

The dog that was bound and gagged under the pillows squirmed and let out a deep grumble.

"Shuddup you!" Speed Bump kicked at him.

"That's the spirit," said Tinka. "Now get ready to write this address down," she ordered the old cat.

The gypsy cat waved her hands over the crystal ball. She closed her eyes and rolled her head back. She gasped loudly and Speed Bump jumped in fright.

"What is it?" he asked.

Tinka ignored him. She moaned and groaned and began to sway her body from side to side. "The powers of the Great Feline are with me," she muttered slowly. "I can feel the power. Oh, Great Feline, send me the message for I am ready!"

"Great Feline? I had never heard of such a thing before I met you," Speed Bump Charlie said.

Tinka turned and hissed at him, "Quiet!!"

Speed Bump Charlie sat back and waited. He watched the silly gypsy for a few more seconds then her head dropped and she let out a long sigh.

"33 Fire Hydrant Close," she whispered.

Speed Bump Charlie was a little hard of hearing. "What?" he asked.

Tinka repeated herself, "33 Fire Hydrant Close."

"What?"

Tinka frowned and shouted, "33 Fire Hydrant Close!! Write it down!!!"

Speed Bump quickly scribbled down the address but he wasn't happy. Tinka pulled her phone out from under the table. "Here. Now dial 1 and tell the stupid dog catcher that there's a dog attacking four kittens. That should get his attention."

Speed Bump Charlie did as he was told. "Yes, I live at 33 Fire Hydrant Close and there is a big nasty dog attacking four kittens. Oh, dear, what will happen to those poor creatures? Come quick! Please! Please!" He hung up the phone.

"How was that?" he asked. He was pleased because he had done a much better job than last time.

Tinka was still angry. "OK, I suppose," she mumbled.

A beeping noise came from behind the curtain.

"What's that?" Speed Bump asked.

Tinka looked around nervously. "Oh, that? Nothing, nothing at all. Now, why don't you pop outside and see what's for lunch. I just need to clean my crystal ball." She then set about polishing the crystal ball furiously with the velvet cloth.

Speed Bump Charlie shrugged his shoulders and went outside. His fine sense of smell picked up the scent of roasting fish and he followed it to the camp fires.

Tinka waited until he was gone and scrambled behind the curtain. She switched on the monitors and read the message.

"So, they're going to stage a rescue from the Check Out are they? How exciting! I wonder how many dogs that stupid dog catcher can fit into the back of his van." Then she remembered her earlier joke, "Not enough! Obviously!" She laughed and laughed.

The dog under the cushions squirmed and wriggled around. "Shuddup, you!" she said. "You'll be next don't you worry. When I've finished with the other mutts the dog catcher will be making a visit to the woods to find a poor lost dog. Awww, you poor thing!" And with that she kicked the cushions hard.

CHAPTER 13

Scrappy sat very still in the front of the van. Another call had come through and she suspected it was from the same source. She began to think about The Organisation and the sort of work they were doing. 'Surely I could help them,' she thought to herself. 'After all, I'm on the front line. I could try and make sure that fewer dogs are taken to the Check Out. But how?'

Just then a loud beep sounded from her microchip. Her owner thought it was his radio and began to fidget with the knobs. It sounded again.

"Why isn't this working properly, hey girl?" he spoke absentmindedly to Scrappy.

She knew that it was The Organisation trying to get hold of her. She wriggled in her safety harness and tried to lift up her leg to turn it on. Her owner had fastened the straps too tight. 'I wish they'd think of a better way to turn this system on,' she grumbled.

Then she had an idea. They drove past a park and she barked loudly.

"Not now, Scraps, we can't stop now. You heard the call. There's a dangerous dog attacking four innocent kittens," her owner said.

Scrappy barked and barked. Then she began to howl.

"Oh, ok then!" he said and slammed on the brakes. He undid her harness and she pushed past him and rushed into the bushes.

"Wow!" he declared. "You must be busting!"

Scrappy raced behind a large bush and began to scratch furiously at her neck.

Her microchip beeped and she heard a voice.

"Scrappy, is that you?"

"Yes," Scrappy thought about it for a second, 'Who else would it be? I'm calling from the microchip implanted in my neck.'

"We have a message from headquarters," the voice continued, "Are you reading me loud and clear?"

"Sure am!"

"Commander Rocky would like you to become a special agent for The Organisation. Could you do that?"

"Oh, I'd love to!" Scrappy exclaimed. "What do I have to do?"

The voice went on to explain what Commander Rocky wanted her to do. The little dog listened intently.

A group of children had been playing football when one of them noticed Scrappy. He pointed her out to his friends and they came over and watched her. She was sitting on the grass itching at her collar and letting out short gruffs and growls. Once she nearly fell over backwards she was scratching so intensely.

"That's the worst case of fleas I've ever seen," the boy said itching at his head.

Another boy was scratching down the length of his arm. "Yeah, just awful," he agreed.

A little girl rubbed the back of her legs. "Ewww!" she muttered.

CHAPTER 14

In a dark cell, four small terriers sat huddled together. Dingo's big ears picked up the sound of footsteps coming from a long way off. Hamish was sleeping beside him. "Hamish, wake up!" Dingo whispered. Hamish flinched and murmured, "Wasn't me, mum, the cat ripped it up." Dingo poked him harder this time and woke him up properly.

Hamish scrambled to his feet. "What? What?" he muttered.

"Keep your voice down," hushed Dingo. "You'll alert the guards."

Hamish frowned at him. "What did you wake me up for? I was having the best dream. I was at the park and I was wearing a Superman shirt and cape. It was awesome. When I ran the cape flew behind me like a kite," Hamish said staring out into the darkness remembering fonder days.

Just then a grill slid open on the door and a bowl of dry kibble was pushed through. It travelled half way across the floor and stopped abruptly. Hamish went over and sniffed it. "This stuff tastes so bad I don't think I can face much more of it," he said sadly.

"I couldn't agree more," Dingo said confidently. "And that's why I have been sitting up all night planning our escape."

"Escape? How?" Hamish asked.

"We're going to get out of here. All four of us!" Dingo announced, "I know I said my friends would come but there must be a problem. I haven't heard from them."

"Are you sure?" asked Hamish. "Maybe they've forgotten you. Maybe they're in here too."

"Never!" yelled Dingo. "They would never forget me! The Organisation serves and protects all canines. No, something has happened. That's why they didn't come." He turned to Hamish. "We have to escape. They might need our help!"

"We?" Hamish was a little sceptical.

"Yes, the four of us. We are going to dig our way out. Can you imagine how great it's going to be when we are free and are able to snuggle up in our own beds instead of this hard floor? To have our own food and to be able to play with our own toys again? And, best of all, to pee on a tree? A real tree! Imagine that!"

Dingo's speech woke up Spud and Rastus.

"What's going on?" Spud asked.

"What's all the noise about?" said Rastus.

"Dingo thinks we can dig a tunnel and get out of here. All of us," Hamish said but he wasn't convinced.

"Sounds good to me," Rastus said.

"And me," agreed Spud, "When do we start?"

Hamish looked at his two friends then back at Dingo. "Are you all mad? We're sitting on a concrete floor. How are we going to dig a tunnel through concrete?"

"Not the floor but the wall," Dingo announced. "Come over here and I'll show you."

The dogs followed Dingo to the corner of their cell. He began to scratch at the bottom brick. In only a few seconds Dingo had scraped away quite a lot of mortar.

"Here give me a go!" said Rastus excitedly.

Dingo turned to Spud. "You start on the other side," he said. "If we take turns we'll have that brick out quickly. Then we can escape outside."

"What then?" asked Hamish. "They're not going to allow us to just stroll out of the front gates!"

Spud and Rastus were busy using their paws to remove the mortar so the brick could be dragged out.

Dingo watched them but then he turned to Hamish. "You'll have to trust me on this one, mate. I've done this sort of thing before. I'll find the spot where we dug the last tunnel and then all we have to do is free up the dirt. Won't take long for four of the cleverest dogs in the world!" he yelled.

"Yeah!" Spud and Rastus agreed.

Just then the guard walked past. "What's all this barking for!" he yelled.

Dingo reacted quickly. He ran to the door and barked at the attendant. Then he began spinning around after his tail to distract his eyes away from what Rastus and Spud were doing in the corner. Hamish caught on quick and did the same thing. The guard watched them for a few seconds.

"You're all going nuts!" he cried. "Look at ya's. Who would want to take you mad dogs home?" he shook his head and walked away.

"Phew! That was close," muttered Dingo. "Now, you two let Hamish and I have a go. You can stand watch at the gate and if you see the guard coming let out two small yips!"

Spud and Rastus did as they were told and Dingo and Hamish began to scrape more of the mortar away. It didn't take long before the first brick was dislodged. Rastus ran back and helped drag it away.

"Don't take it too far because we'll need to put it back when we're out. That way they won't know we're gone and we'll have much more time to escape properly," Dingo ordered.

Once the first brick was removed it didn't take long before another one followed it. Dingo brushed the dirt from his paws. "That should be enough room," he announced but then he added, "I'll go first. That way if there are any problems you guys will be safe in here."

Hamish, Spud and Rastus all thought that Dingo was the cleverest and the bravest dog they had ever met. They stood and watched him squirm his body through the hole. As his tail disappeared, they all held their breath and waited. Silence. It seemed to be taking Dingo a long, long time.

Dingo shot his head back through the hole and made the three dogs jump. "All clear!"

Hamish let out a long breath. "I'll go next boys but remember if you hear anyone coming stay here and push the bricks back. There's no need for us all to be caught."

Spud and Rastus nodded. They were very scared. Hamish had no sooner got out when he turned around and motioned them to follow him. Once the three dogs were out in the bright sunshine, Dingo told them to follow his every move and keep low.

They scurried over to a small shed and crawled under it. That way they could crawl along in the dirt and get to the other side without being seen. The four dogs scrambled side by side like commandos. Spud and Rastus began to race each other. They got ahead of Dingo and Hamish and were laughing together. They had just about reached the other side when they both let out a shrill screech.

"What is it?" cried Dingo and he and Hamish scrambled forward quickly.

As they reached Spud and Rastus they saw two big hairy legs standing on the outside in front of them. They were ginger and in between them swayed a thick orange tail. It swung backwards and forwards in a slow menacing manner.

The legs and the tail belonged to the Check Out's resident cat. Apart from Speed Bump Charlie he was the most feared cat in the dog world. He had watched the four dogs escape from their cell and waited for them to crawl under the shed and come out the other side.

The four dogs all peeked out from under the shed at the same time. They all looked up and up and up towards the face of the Check Out Cat. Spud and Rastus held each other in fear. They trembled and their teeth chattered in their mouths. Hamish laid on the ground with his mouth wide open in shock. Dingo curled up his lip and let out a long growl. Then Hamish joined him.

"Don't growl at me little rat!" Cat hissed. In his paws he was holding a large bell. "All I have to do is ring this bell very loudly and every guard will come running!"

Dingo continued to growl. "Why would you do that?" he said.

"Why not?" laughed Cat. "You're all here because you were stupid enough to get caught. I don't care what happens to you."

"Cats get sent here, too!" exclaimed Hamish. "It's not just full of dogs!"

"Yes, but they're just as stupid as you dogs," he growled back at them.

He held the bell up high and took a deep breath. He was about to shake it but then changed his mind.

"I'll tell you what," he said. "I like rats. And you four remind me of yesterday's lunch. Just like them, I'm going to give you a fighting chance. I'll count to three and give you time to run. Run as fast as you can little ratty dogs, and see how far you get." The big cat leaned forward and licked his lips. "Ready?"

"No one calls me a rat!" Dingo cried and he leapt out and sunk his teeth into one of the cat's hairy legs.

Hamish did the same thing and the cat let out a terrible cry of pain. He tried to swipe them away with his paws but the little dogs ducked and wove out of the way. They didn't let go. They just bit down harder. Cat dropped the bell so he could grab at them with both paws. Then he released his razor sharp claws and thrust them towards Dingo and Hamish. Before he got a chance to scratch them Dingo and Hamish let go and yelled, "Run!"

With that all four dogs shot away and left Cat rolling around on the grass in terrible pain holding his legs. He was screaming in agony. He tried to reach the bell but every time he let go of his legs he yelled and grabbed them again.

"Follow me!" Dingo yelled over his shoulder but he needn't have bothered. Hamish, Spud and Rastus were right on his tail and had started over taking him.

Dingo stopped suddenly and the other three dogs bumped and banged into each other. Dingo was searching around the ground. When he found fresh grass he poked his paw into it. "Here it is!" he exclaimed. "This is where the tunnel came out last time. Help me dig!"

And with that four fearless terriers dug away the dirt. They had gone down a few feet when Dingo remarked, "It looks like they've not only covered it up but filled it in."

"Don't you worry!" cried Hamish. "The dirt is soft and shouldn't take us long at all," he turned to Spud and Rastus. "Isn't that right?"

"Sure is," they yelled in unison.

Dingo stood back and thought they were the bravest and cleverest dogs he had ever met, well, apart from Indy of course.

Pretty soon the four dogs were deep in the tunnel. They had come to a turn and were now headed along a straight part. They heard the sound of Cat's alarm bell.

"Oh, no!" yelled Spud.

"What do we do now?" cried Rastus.

"Leave it to me," said Hamish bravely, "I'll go behind and begin to use the dirt to plug up the hole. It's not very big and shouldn't take long."

"But they'll be coming," moaned Rastus.

"Cat has just rung the bell. It'll take another few minutes before they realise we're in the tunnel. Now, quickly, keep digging we don't have much time."

Hamish quickly scrambled past the other dogs and busily kicked the dirt they had just dug back into the hole behind them. It was a seamless operation. For every two feet Dingo, Rastus and Spud dug, Hamish filled in two feet behind them. It was going so well, Dingo was convinced that they would soon be free.

All of a sudden he stopped. His big ears had heard something.

"Hush," he whispered to the others. "I can hear strange noises."

The dogs all stood frozen still, listening. Dingo tilted his head from one side to the other. "Can you hear that?" he asked them.

The three friends shook their heads from side to side. "Nope," Hamish whispered.

Dingo moved to the wall of the tunnel and placed one of his big ears right up next to it. He then jumped back in fright.

"I don't believe it!" he whispered. "It can't be true!"

"What is it, Dingo?" Hamish asked. He was quite afraid.

"What if it's a giant snake?" whimpered Rastus.

"Or a giant turtle?" cried Spud.

Hamish looked at him. "What would a turtle, giant or small be doing in a tunnel? They don't live in tunnels!"

Rastus looked at Spud but Spud just shrugged his shoulders.

"It's not a giant anything," laughed Dingo. He stood back and listened again. Then he cupped his paws to his mouth and yelled through the tunnel wall, "Is that you, Alfie?"

The commotion Dingo had heard on the other side of the wall stopped. Then there was a slight mumbling and Dingo could hear a voice on the other side clear its throat.

"Who is that?" it announced in a very distinctive accent.

"It's me, Dingo!" cried Dingo. "It is you guys. You did come to rescue us!"

He turned to the other dog, "It's my friends, the other Operatives, and they did come! Quickly dig through."

All the dogs scrambled at the dirt wall, digging furiously. They were just about to break through when Spud and Rastus leapt back and held their noses.

"What's that terrible smell?" they cried.

Dingo turned to them, "It's just Alfie. Don't worry, you'll get used to it - eventually."

Just then the wall broke down and Alfie stuck his giant head through and gave out a whoop and a cheer.

"Hello to you all!" he yelled. Then he used his massive paws to break down the rest of the wall.

The four dogs quickly scrambled through and were welcomed by the country's finest canine spies.

"Alfie and Digger! Am I happy to see you guys!" cried Dingo. "This is Hamish, Rastus and Spud. They were tricked into digging under the fence by a cat. The dog catcher was waiting for them just like he was me."

"Commander Rocky is aware of the problem. At the moment, he, Astro and Stella are at headquarters trying to find out who is telling the dog catcher where the dogs are."

"Where's Indy?" asked Dingo.

"She's gone into the Check Out on her own to get the other operatives out," said Digger.

"How? It's an impenetrable fortress!" cried Hamish.

"She'll never manage on her own!" Rastus whimpered. "What will happen to her?"

"She'll be captured and put to sleep!" yelled Spud.

"Hardly! She just leapt over the fence like she did last time," Alfie shrugged his shoulders. He was used to Indy's bravery and wasn't sure why they were so surprised.

"You guys have obviously been busy tunnelling your own way out," said Digger. "You've done a great job but we need to move fast. You're not safe until we've got you far away from this place."

CHAPTER 15

Back inside the Check Out, Indy was running from window to window calling the names of the missing Operatives. When she didn't get a response she decided that she would just free all the dogs. They'd done it before so they could do it again. She looked around and saw a small tractor parked beside the shed. On the other side, she noticed a long coil of rope.

She ran over and grabbed the rope. She quickly looped it around the bars on the first window and whispered to the dogs inside. "When you feel the bars giving way push hard and I will free you!"

An excited whisper went through the cells. Indy ran from one window to the next threading the rope from one window bar to another. Then she tied the two ends to the back of the tractor and climbed on board. She leaned forward to start the engine when a thick orange paw landed heavily on her shoulders.

"And where do you think you're going, dawg?" It was Cat. He was standing on the back of the tractor and leaning over Indy.

"I'm going to free all those poor dogs," growled Indy, "Now let me go!" She tried to shrug Cat's paw from her shoulders but he let his claws out one at a time. Indy squirmed with pain but she didn't make a noise. She slowly leaned down and started the tractor.

"Looks like you'll be coming with me," she smiled, "Or you could do the sensible thing and jump off and save yourself a lot of pain and torment."

The tractor rumbled and rocked. 'Oh, I like it up here," Cat grinned. Then he squeezed his claws deeper into Indy's fur. She flinched but didn't let on she was in pain.

She smiled and looked at him in the rear vision mirror. "Looks like you need to be taught a lesson," she grinned at him. She reached down and slowly slid a stink bomb out of her utility belt. She held it up high and shook it.

"Know what's in here?" she asked Cat.

"No, what, you stupid dog?" he responded.

"It's the worst form of chemical warfare the world has ever known," Indy said.

"Chemical warfare? What is it? Some sort of poisonous gas? In that little thing?" he mocked Indy.

Indy noticed that he was wearing a collar and on it hung Cat's ID tags. She looked at the clip on the stink bomb and an evil grin crossed her face.

Quickly she swung around and latched the stink bomb to Cat's collar. Cat looked down at the small ball.

"What's this supposed to do?" he laughed.

"You'll see," Indy said and with that she grabbed the side of the tractor and swung her legs at Cat with such a great force he toppled out of the back of the tractor. She quickly put it into gear and rumbled away.

Cat struggled to his feet. He waved his paws in the air and yelled to Indy to stop. "Just you wait you stupid dog! I'll get ..."

There was a small 'pop' and Cat stopped and pulled at the stink bomb hanging from his collar. "What was that?" he asked. Then the most horrendous smell he'd ever smelt filled his nose, his mouth and his eyes. He gasped for air and began to choke. His eyes watered and he clutched at his throat. "I'm dying," he struggled for breath.

Indy shot a glance over her shoulder and smiled, "Not quite my feline friend but don't expect to smell the roses any day soon!"

She pushed her foot down hard on the accelerator and let out a whoop of joy. The rope tightened and the tractor jerked every bar out of the windows one by one. As each window flew to one side the dogs jumped and leaped out into the fresh air.

Indy jumped down and signalled them to follow her. She took them to a hole she had cut in the fence and helped each one through. Some dogs were small and they crept through quickly. Others were tall and Indy had to push the wire up so they could get through. Some were fat and Indy had to stretch the fence wire with both her legs so far she did the splits. It didn't matter what shape they were Indy saved every one of them.

Over in the bushes Digger, Alfie, Dingo and the others helped the rescued dogs become settled. Digger quickly activated his microchip and told headquarters what had happened. Commander Rocky came on the line.

"Operative Digger, Commander Rocky here, are you all safe?" he asked.

"Yes, Indy has rescued the Check Out dogs including the missing Operatives. Alfie and I met Dingo and his friends half way along the tunnel. Isn't that great?" Digger reported.

Then Digger added. "Dingo says his friends were tricked by a cat but it wasn't Speed Bump Charlie. It was a small cat dressed in pink and wearing bells around her head."

Back at headquarters, Commander Rocky frowned and turned to Stella D'oro. "Who could that be?" he asked her.

Astro immediately stepped forward. "Cat's don't wear purple. That's the silliest thing I've ever heard. Pink maybe, but never purple. They are obviously making it up. Those new friends of Dingo's are liars! It has to be Speed Bump Charlie. Who else could devise such a wicked plan?"

Stella D'oro turned to Commander Rocky and whispered, "I think it's time we got Astro out of here, just in case."

Commander Rocky looked around and then saw what he needed. "Astro," he said in a loud voice, "Take these files to Florence at the front desk. She'll need them to register tomorrow's clients at the Doggy Day-Care Centre.

Astro hesitated. "But I want to stay here and help. At the end of our last mission you said I was your most trusted Operative," he said.

"Yes, I did but now I'm asking you to deliver these very important papers downstairs," Commander Rocky held out the files and Astro took them reluctantly. He walked stiffly out of the Communication Room. Rocky and Stella waited until he'd left.

"There's something going on here and I just can't figure out what," Stella told Commander Rocky. Then she turned to Hans. "Hans," Stella ordered, "Bring up the files we have on the Gypsy Cats."

"I agree," Commander Rocky said then he turned back to his assistant. "Hans! What have you found?"

Hans came quickly back from the printer. "It's all here," he said, "Everything we have on the Gypsy Cats." He handed the papers to Commander Rocky.

Spylinks!

You've found the Spylinks Hound. He has a secret for you. You can find it by clicking here or copying this link into your browser. Have fun

16

Commander Rocky bent over and spoke into the microphone. "Operative Digger! Return to headquarters immediately with the other dogs."

He waited for a response. All he could hear was a muffled, rustling sound.

While Commander Rocky had been busy the dog catcher had shown up and found the Operatives and the escaped dogs.

"Well!" he exclaimed, "What do we have here?" He stood in front of over twenty dogs. At the front, Digger, Alfie, Indy and Dingo stood with their paws across their chests.

"You can't fit us all in there," yelled Indy pointing to the van. "And you'll have to get past us to get to the others!"

"Yeah," nodded Alfie, "And I'm the strongest dog here. As soon as you put me in there I'll rip open the doors and escape."

"You'll never be able to catch me," Dingo cried. "I'm so quick and small I'll be gone before you get your net out!"

Scrappy jumped out of the van and stood in front of the other dogs. "Don't do it, Dad," she pleaded. "Please don't put these dogs in the Check Out. They didn't do anything wrong. You've been tricked I'm sure of it."

The dog catcher stood with his legs apart. He had been ready to catch every dog and put them in the cells. When he had pulled up and saw the number of dogs waiting he considered calling for back up. But he hadn't. Back up would take too long and the dogs might run away. Now, he thought that might have been a mistake.

Instead he stood alone: his net in one hand and his radio in the other. He stood there completely still.

Digger turned to all the dogs. "Puppy Dog Eyes!" he ordered and with that every dog widened their eyes and looked like they were about to cry. A few made their lips quiver for extra impact.

Indy looked over her shoulder at them. "Nice job," she nodded. She, however, decided to keep her frown and bared all her teeth at the man.

Scrappy didn't want the other dogs to be taken to the Check Out and she didn't want her owner to be hurt either. She looked quickly at Indy and gulped in fear. Indy was strong and fierce and she was used to fighting much bigger creatures than her including humans.

Scrappy leaned forward and tugged at her owner's trousers. "Please Dad! Can't you let them go? Just this once?"

The dog catcher looked down at his little dog. His mouth was wide open and his eyes bulged out of his head.

"Talking dogs!" he cried and then he promptly fainted.

Alfie shrugged his shoulders. "Well, that was easier than I thought," he said.

"What a shame," Indy said rubbing her hunting bone thoughtfully. "What a shame."

Digger saw their chance. "Come on everybody, let's get out of here!"

The Operatives led the way back to headquarters. Florence was very surprised to see so many dogs coming through the front door. Hans immediately organised for a room to be cleared so they had somewhere to rest. He then ordered one hundred pizzas. 'Eighty are for Alfie; the others can share the rest,' he planned.

Scrappy had stayed behind. She waited for her owner to wake up then she began to lick his face. Once he remembered what had happened he jumped to his feet and staggered from side to side.

"Scrappy," he said to his dog, "Where did all the dogs go? What happened? You were all talking like people!"

Scrappy barked and jumped up on her owner's legs. She barked again and wagged her tail. The dog catcher scratched his head. "Well, I thought you were all talking," he muttered.

He sat down on the ground and rubbed his face with his hands. Scrappy jumped up and licked his face and ears. "What did happen?" he asked her. Scrappy barked again and ran over to a rock. She touched her paw on top of it and barked again.

The dog catcher looked over and rubbed his head. "Did I fall, girl? Is that what happened?"

Scrappy barked and spun in a circle.

"Yes, that's what happened," the man reasoned. "I must have tripped and bumped my head. I must have dreamt there were hundreds of dogs here and I definitely must have dreamt that you and they spoke to me."

Scrappy barked and ran back to her owner. The dog catcher rubbed her ears. "I think it might be time to call it a day," he said and they hopped back into the van. He started the engine when they heard a loud bell ringing. "Wonder what that could be?" he asked Scrappy. She just barked and wagged her tail.

CHAPTER 17

Back at headquarters the team assembled; all except Astro. He had been sent to help complete the registration of all the rescued dogs. He had whinged and whined but Commander Rocky had insisted. His instinct told him that there was something wrong with Astro but he wasn't sure what. It seemed like a good idea to keep him out of the way.

In the Conference Room, Alfie banged on the table hoping it would make a bowl of biscuits appear from underneath. Commander Rocky hit the red button and they did.

Once Alfie had crunched up all of his biscuits he turned to the chair Astro normally sat in. He looked around the room for his friend. "Where's Astro?" he mumbled his mouth full of biscuit. "Can I have his biscuits if he's not coming?"

"I'm afraid Astro won't be joining us for the moment," Stella D'oro said.

"Why not?" Alfie asked spitting crumbs all over the table.

"Because he's gone weird!" Digger said.

"Yeah, he's really strange," added Indy.

"You've noticed too?" Commander Rocky said.

"Noticed what?" Dingo asked.

"Yeah what?" Alfie said wiping the crumbs from his mouth. He leaned forward and sucked his water bowl empty.

Stella D'oro cleared her throat and stood up straight. "I'm afraid I have bad news. Commander Rocky and I believe there is a spy amongst us and, worst still, we believe it's Astro."

Alfie gasped and held his hands up to his face. "It can't be true!" he yelled. "I don't believe it!"

Digger and Indy sat and shook their heads.

"Are you sure?" Digger pleaded. "Really, really sure it's Astro? I just can't believe it?"

He turned to Indy. "Do you remember our last mission? Astro took over. He was so brave and clever!"

Indy nodded her head. "I know," she sighed, "But he has been acting very strangely."

All the dogs in the room were quiet. No one wanted to believe that their best friend and trusted Operative was now working for Speed Bump Charlie, the evil genius cat.

"There must be some other explanation!" Alfie cried. He couldn't accept what the others were saying.

Stella felt very sorry for Alfie. She leaned forward and pressed the red button again. Never before had two serves of biscuits and water been given at a meeting – Never!! Today she was making an exception. Alfie reached forward and took one. He put it gingerly into his mouth. He pulled it out quickly and turned his pleading eyes to Commander Rocky.

"Are you double and triple sure?" he asked. Commander Rocky just nodded.

Alfie nibbled on the biscuit but couldn't bring himself to eat it all. Digger tried to fight off tears but Indy just got angry.

"He's got a nerve trying to trick us," she said. "I am going to knock him on the head so hard he won't wake up for a week. And, I have one stink bomb left. I have a good mind to..."

"That's enough," barked Commander Rocky. "Alfie's right. There must be some sort of explanation. We all love Astro and know he wouldn't deliberately hurt another dog. There has to be more to it."

"But what?" cried Digger.

"We are not sure but we have tracked the calls made to the dog catcher to a small gypsy camp just out of town. I'm sure if there is an explanation we'll find it there," Stella D'oro said. "Hans is programming a GPS now. We are going to go there together and I think it might be a good idea to take Astro with us," she added.

"Are you sure?" Commander Rocky said.

"Yes, I sense there is more to this than we realise and that taking Astro will help us get to the bottom of it quicker," Stella D'oro said.

"Well, that's it then," Commander Rocky stood up tall. "Team, get whatever you need and prepare yourselves for a long fight. The gypsy camp is run by cats but they are cunning and full of dirty tricks. Don't let them fool you for a second. They can weave magic spells quickly."

"I'll get Astro," Alfie said sadly. He got up slowly with his shoulders sagging and a dog biscuit hanging limply from his paw.

"Don't tell him where we are going, Alfie," Stella ordered. "We don't want them to know we are coming."

Alfie nodded and left the room slowly.

"Poor Alfie. He and Astro have become the best of friends," Digger wiped a tear from his eye.

"I'm still going to knock him on the head!" Indy muttered under her breath.

Dingo put up his hand. "Excuse me, Commander, but could my new friends come along too? They are very clever and very very brave," he asked.

Commander Rocky turned to Stella D'oro and she nodded. "I'm sure four little terriers will be much more useful than just one," she said.

Dingo smiled and trotted out of the room.

CHAPTER 18

The team of Operatives led by Commander Rocky made their way through the woods. Digger had been assigned the GPS and was giving directions as he walked forward.

"According to this we should be coming to the camp very soon," he whispered to Commander Rocky.

Commander Rocky looked forward and stared at the trees and bushes. "I can't see anything," he said, "Are you sure?"

Just then the GPS let out a long groan, blinked three times and went blank.

Commander Rocky and Digger stared at each other.

"Batteries must be flat," Indy said looking at the small black box.

"What now?" Digger asked. "If we can't find the gypsy camp we'll never be able to stop the dog catcher from spoiling our missions."

Dingo quickly stepped forward. "Shhh! We don't want Astro to know where we are going!" he whispered.

They all turned and looked at Astro. He was standing up very straight with his arms hanging stiffly by his side. He was staring straight ahead. Hamish waved his paws in front of Astro's eyes but he didn't blink.

Spud and Rastus stood on either side of him. Commander Rocky had assigned them to stay with Astro all the time. He wasn't to be left alone. They didn't want him to overhear what they were really doing. They wanted a surprise attack on the Gypsy Cats and even though they didn't know how he was informing on them they didn't want to take any chances.

Astro stepped forward and Spud and Rastus followed him. "What is the problem?" Astro asked.

"Nothing," Commander Rocky said. "I told you we were going to save a dog from neglect. We are all going together so we don't get caught by the dog catcher again."

"We appear to be in a forest," Astro said. "Where is the dog who needs to be rescued?"

All the dogs looked at Astro and then back at Commander Rocky. Stella D'oro sniffed the air. "He's being held in a cave by a man who likes to hunt wild pigs," she told Astro. "That's why we are in the woods."

Astro nodded and then he asked, "What is the address again?"

Commander Rocky looked at Stella. She remained very calm. "I told you earlier, Astro. It's four miles east of the highway near the disused junk yard."

"Near the disused junk yard? Yes, I remember now," Astro nodded and then smiled. Back in her tent, Tinka rubbed her paws together.

Digger and the other dogs all sighed. Astro seemed to believe them.

Alfie walked over and sniffed at the GPS. He then threw his head into the air and thrust his huge nostrils up even further. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Hmmm, fried fish; canvas tents, coloured flag thingies; kitty litter and the distinctive smell of cat fur," Alfie declared.

"Where?" cried Digger.

"How long have you been able to smell that well?" Commander Rocky asked.

Alfie shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, all my life I think!"

Commander Rocky shook his head. "Why didn't you mention that earlier? We could have saved a lot of time and money on GPS systems!"

Alfie shrugged his shoulders again. "No one asked me," he said. "There's no need to get cross."

Digger leaned forward. "Which direction are the scents coming from, Alfie?" he whispered.

Alfie looked into the bushes and pointed. "There," he said, "Follow me."

Indy walked behind Alfie and the others followed her. Within minutes they came to a thick overgrown patch of bushes and vines. Indy tried to scramble through them.

"It's a rock wall," she said. "How are we going to get past it?"

Dingo and Hamish scrambled under the vines and began to sniff around. Alfie threw his nose into the air. "This is definitely the way," he said.

"There must be a secret door," muttered Hamish.

"A secret door?" Astro asked. "Where exactly are we?"

Spud and Rastus acted quickly. "Do you know what, Astro?" Spud said. "I think we should look over here to see if we can find an entrance to the bad man's cave," he suggested.

Rastus nodded and took Astro's paw. "Follow me, Astro. I think there's an opening over there," and he led Astro away from the others.

Spud went with him and gave Hamish the 'thumbs up' sign.

Hamish stopped and scratched his head. 'Here we are on a secret mission with the country's top spies. It's like a dream come true!" he smiled to himself.

The others waited for Astro to be led out of sight. Commander Rocky told them to search everywhere for some way through the rock wall.

As the dogs searched in the bushes, Stella D'oro sat down and closed her eyes. She used her powers to scan the wall for a clue.

Indy let out a cry, "What's this?" she said holding up a pink scarf.

Alfie sniffed it long and hard. "It smells of cat," he said nodding his head. "It was worn by a small female cat and I can smell fried fish too. It must belong to a cat from the Gypsy Camp," he said.

"We're on the right track then," Digger nodded.

Stella spoke loudly. "There's a handle hidden in the vines," she informed them. "It's only about a foot from the ground. Just high enough for a cat to use," she said.

Dingo lifted his head up quickly and banged it on something hard. "Ouch!" he cried. "What was that?"

Hamish pulled the vines away. "I think you've found the lever, Dingo," he said. "Well done!" He pulled down hard put it wouldn't move.

"It's stuck really tight," he said letting out a long breath.

"Here let me have a go," Alfie said. He put one paw on the lever and it creaked. He jiggled it then took a deep breath. "Here you go," he said and wrenched the lever down. A door creaked open and the lever snapped off in his paws.

"Whoops," he said and hid it quickly in the undergrowth.

"Hamish, before Spud and Rastus bring Astro back, take the scarf and put it over his eyes so he can't see where we are going," Commander Rocky ordered.

"What should I tell him?" Hamish asked. "He might not want to wear it."

Commander Rocky turned to Alfie and Digger. "What does Astro like more than anything else in the world?" he asked them.

"Cake," Digger answered.

"Nah. Not just any cake," Alfie shook his head. "Birthday cake!"

"Then we'll tell him we are having a surprise birthday party for him," Commander Rocky said.

"But what if it's not his birthday?" Dingo asked.

"Astro is so spoilt that he's allowed to have a birthday party every week at his home," Stella said. "He'll just think it's a bit early."

Hamish ran and did as he was ordered and three terriers led a large shaggy dog through the bush blindfolded by a pink bandana.

"It's a bit early for my birthday!" Astro said.

"We can always cancel it and go home," said Digger.

"Oh, no!" cried Astro. "I don't mind celebrating my birthday early."

"Phew!" said Alfie, "I thought for a second then that we weren't going to have any cake!"

Dingo laughed and patted Alfie on the shoulder. "Nice one," he said approvingly.

Alfie shrugged his shoulders. "What? I'm serious!" he cried.

Ignoring him, they all crept through the secret door into the cave.

CHAPTER 19

Tinka sat cross legged on a pile of cushions. She was so absorbed with watching the dogs she nearly forgot about Speed Bump Charlie.

"He must have finished his lunch by now. I think I'll let him make this call. He'll be so pleased when he finds out that all those stupid dogs will finally be caught and sent to the Check Out," she laughed.

She closed the curtains hiding the electronic equipment and turned around. Speed Bump Charlie was standing in the entrance of the tent watching her.

"What's all that stuff for?" he asked pointing to where Tinka had just hid the monitors and recording devices.

"That," she said waving her paw casually in the air, "that old junk is our security system. It's just been set up here so we can detect an intruder. We don't want any dogs or foxes sneaking into camp. They're just a load of dirty scavengers and they'll steal our food if they get a chance."

She pointed to the table in the middle of the room. "Sit down, Charles. I have a feeling that the Great Feline has another message for you."

Speed Bump reluctantly sat on a pile of cushions. He was beginning to get suspicious of this cat and he was definitely becoming tired of being bossed around by her.

"What's the message?" he asked.

"Let's rub the crystal ball and find out," smiled Tinka.

Speed Bump Charlie stared into her amber eyes. He felt his body go limp and every thought drained out of his head.

"Yes," he whispered robotically.

Tinka held his stare and smiled. "You want to sit down, Charles. You want to listen to what I have to say. You want to make me happy," she said.

"Yes, I do," Speed Bump chimed. "Yes, I do!"

Tinka removed the velvet cloth from the crystal ball and put her paws on either side. "Oh, Great Feline," she moaned, "Show me what the dogs are up to now!"

Speed Bump was still under her spell. "Oh, yes, Great Feline, tell us everything you know!" he groaned.

"I'll do the channelling if that's ok with you!" Tinka snapped and she kicked Charlie under the table.

He sat up right and narrowed his eyes. "What's she saying then?" he grumbled waking up from his trance.

Tinka threw her head back and let out a soft howl. She gradually got louder and louder. Speed Bump covered his ears and the dog cried loudly.

"Got it!" Tinka yelled. "Get the pen and paper, Charles!" She smiled widely and leaned towards the old tabby cat. "Would you believe I can see all the Operatives on a mission together? The Great Feline has told me that they are travelling in a big group so they don't get caught by the dog catcher. Wouldn't it be a shame if he was waiting for them at the old junkyard just out of town?"

Speed Bump quickly scrawled down the address. He picked up the phone but Tinka put her paw on his arm. "Wait," she said. "Let's make it more urgent. Tell the dog catcher that they are attacking children and they are at a kindergarten," she said.

"Brilliant!" answered Speed Bump nodding and smiling. He hit speed dial and waited for an answer.

On the other side of town the dog catcher received an anonymous call from someone reporting that a band of vicious dogs had surrounded a kindergarten and were about to attack the children. He quickly noted down the address.

"I don't know where that kindergarten is, Scrappy," he said. "I'm sure that address is where the junk yard is. There's no kinder there," he scratched his head.

Scrappy barked. "Yeah, you're probably right. We'd better check it anyway," he said. Then he glared at Scrappy. "That was a bark wasn't it? You didn't speak to me, did you?" he asked her.

Scrappy let out a big sigh and curled up on the seat. 'Best not to get into an argument with him,' she thought to herself. 'He's had a big week and I don't want to stress him anymore. When he gets to that address he'll spend hours looking for a band of vicious dogs. If he's lucky he'll find two poodles and a dachshund barking at the ducks in the pond. I don't know where they are but I'm sure that particular band of dogs are making their way to the informant's camp.' She smiled to herself and nodded off to sleep.

Spylinks!

You've found the Spylinks Hound. He has a secret for you. You can find it by clicking here or copying this link into your browser. Have fun

CHAPTER 20

Walking through the woods, the dogs soon came upon the Gypsy Camp. They all hid behind a tree and listened. Commander Rocky lowered himself to the ground and crawled from one tree to another. When he was at the last tree he crawled over to a bush and laid there listening to what was going on. He slowly stood up and parted the branches of the bush. On the other side there was a bright orange tent. After a few minutes he crawled back and gave the others their orders.

"Stella D'oro will stay here with Astro. The rest of you follow me," he said.

"Can I remove my blindfold now?" Astro asked.

"Not yet, Astro. We just need to get the candles for your cake," Rocky said.

He rolled his eyes then signalled to the others to follow him. When they were far enough away he bent down low.

"This is a big camp," he whispered. "We'll need to surround it and all attack at the same time."

"How will we know when to attack?" asked Hamish.

"Indy will throw her stink bomb into the middle of the camp. When you hear the 'pop' sound of it going off and the screams of the cats, cover your noses and attack. We need to take them by surprise and capture each one. Then we need to find out how they are contacting the dog catcher and put a stop to it," Commander Rocky said. He looked at his team and admired the enthusiasm in their faces.

"Hamish, Spud and Rastus, you are new so I want you to stay close to one of the Operatives. Hamish can stay with Dingo; Spud I want you to stay with Digger and; Rastus you can stay with Alfie," Rocky ordered.

"What about Indy?" Hamish asked, "She'll be on her own."

"Don't worry about me," Indy smiled, "I always work alone." She rubbed her hunting bone menacingly and slipped off into the bushes.

The rest of the dogs all took a deep breath and slowly moved around the edge of the Gypsy Camp. The cats in the camp were completely unaware of what was happening. All except one. Speed Bump Charlie was feeling sleepy and he had gone off to find a nice place to have a nap. He was heading towards the creek when he stopped and sniffed the air.

'Dogs?' he thought to himself, 'I'd know that stench anywhere. So much for the gypsy's intruder detection system.' He looked around quickly but couldn't see any sign of them. Then his quick eye sight picked up a rustling movement in a bush behind an orange tent. He saw the figure of a black dog that he knew and hated. He considered warning the other cats but his instinct got the better of him.

"Nah, they can look after themselves," he muttered under his breath. He quickly trotted out of the camp. "After all, it's every cat for himself," he said and slipped behind a large rock and disappeared as quickly as he could.

Indy had crept into the camp. She pretended to be a cat. She had done it before so it wasn't that hard. She wiggled her bottom and purred loudly. "Oh, excuse me," she said softly as she passed a family of cats cooking their dinner. "I'm just looking for my catnip," she said in a silly voice.

She looked around but the cats were ignoring her.

'Great!' she thought to herself and pulled out a stink bomb. "Here goes!"

She pulled out the trigger and tucked the stink grenade under a log. On the log two old cats sat arguing over the right way to fry fish. They couldn't agree whether you should leave the head and tail on when the stink bomb made a soft 'pop'. Indy was well clear of them but she, like every other dog within a hundred miles, heard their screams.

At the same time, all the dogs rushed in and grabbed any cat they could get their paws on. Alfie pulled down the bunting and with Rastus' help they tied up ten cats and four kittens all at the same time. Then they ran off and caught five more cats and did the same thing.

Digger sprung into a circle of gypsy cats. He spun around slowly with his paws held out in a karate pose. Spud looked around and copied him even though he had never had a karate lesson in his life. The cats rolled up their sleeves and hissed at the two dogs. Digger and Spud stood back to back as the cats moved in closer and closer. Spud was nervous. "What do we do now?" he whispered to Digger.

"Die!" screamed one of the cats as it lunged towards the two dogs. It held out its claws. They were like four steel blades and they were headed straight for Digger and Spud. The other cats followed and Digger and Spud punched and kicked the cats away. Less than two minutes later three of them were lying unconscious on the ground. Alfie and Rastus ran and tied them up. The others put their paws up and surrendered. "No more! No more!" they cried.

"Sit here and don't move!" ordered Spud pointing to a log. He rolled up the fur on his arm and waved his fists at them. "And if you even think about escaping, you'll have to answer to me!" he growled at the cats.

Digger, Alfie and Rastus looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Digger looked around. Indy had six cats lying on the ground around her. "Alfie, can you and Rastus tie those cats up for Indy. Spud and I will go and find Dingo and Hamish," Digger ordered.

Digger and Spud found Dingo and Hamish in another area of the camp. They were standing beside a mound of cats. Hamish pulled down a tent and covered them up. Then he and Dingo climbed on top and sat on the pile. Whenever one of the cats moved or made a sound they would knock them down with a stick. They were soon joined by Rastus, Alfie and Indy.

"Where's Commander Rocky?" asked Indy. "I can't find him anywhere."

Just then a small silver tabby cat stepped towards the group of dogs. She was wearing a gypsy outfit and had bells around her head and waist. She had something in her paws. She was swinging it in a circle. The dogs all growled at her and Spud rushed towards her.

"Just wait a second, mutt," she hissed at him, "Or you'll never see your precious Commander again."

She held up the thing so they could all see it clearly.

Digger walked forward. "It's Commander Rocky's collar!" he gasped in horror.

"What have you done with him?" yelled Alfie.

Indy pulled out her hunting bone. "Tell us or you're going to have the worse headache in your life!"

Tinka wasn't afraid of the dogs. She smiled at them and clicked her fingers. Astro stepped out from behind a tree and stood behind her.

"Get her, Astro!" yelled Dingo.

"Grab her, Astro, mate!" cried Alfie but Astro just ignored them. He stood still staring ahead.

"Your beloved Astro belongs to me now!" laughed Tinka. "I have full control over him and if you want to see your precious Commander again I suggest you let me leave here safely."

"Nooo!!" cried Alfie and he ran forward and grabbed his friend. He was so upset that Astro was a spy he ran right over the top of Tinka. She fell into the dirt and scrambled around to get back onto her feet again. The dogs rushed forward to grab her but she was too quick. She screamed at them to stop but Alfie had Astro and was shaking him backwards and forwards.

"Tell them it's not true, Astro," he cried. "Tell them!"

He shook Astro so much he fell forwards and Alfie stepped back. Tinka was still behind him and he knocked her to the ground again. This time Digger was too quick and he pounced on top of her and pulled the collar out of her paw. Hamish, Spud and Rastus pinned Tinka to the ground. She struggled and hissed at the dogs but they didn't let go. Indy stood over her and swung her hunting bone high in the air.

"What have you done with Commander Rocky?" she cried.

"I won't tell, you stupid dogs!" spat Tinka. Then she turned towards Astro. "Astro, get them all!" she screamed.

Astro picked up Alfie and threw him right over his head. He then grabbed Digger and flung him to one side. He picked up the other dogs and tossed them away like they were soft toys. Indy stood her ground and swung her hunting bone up and slammed it down on Astro's head. She gasped as it shattered into pieces.

"What's going on?" she cried.

Astro moved forward and grabbed her by her vest. He lifted her off the ground and was about to throw her out of the camp when a loud voice boomed through the air.

"Put that dog down!" it cried.

Everyone turned around to see Astro standing there waving his fist at... well, himself. The dogs looked from one Astro to the other. Their mouths dropped open and they stared in disbelief.

"What's going on?" cried Digger.

"Two Astros? That's awesome!" shouted Alfie, "Yippee!"

"Not quite," a voice said. Commander Rocky and Stella D'oro rushed up behind the second Astro.

Commander Rocky was rubbing his head. Tinka had snuck up behind him and bopped him on the head with a tree branch. She had taken his collar off too. Stella D'oro sensed what had happened and rushed over and helped the Commander. Once Rocky was on his feet they both rushed over to stop Tinka getting away.

The first Astro dropped Indy to the ground and turned around slowly. Tinka saw the opportunity to escape and darted between Alfie's legs. He was too quick and grabbed her by the scruff. "You had better stay here," he said.

Spud and Rastus grabbed Tinka's arms and held her tight. She squirmed around but couldn't shake them off. "Keep still!" Spud ordered her.

The two Astro's stood face to face. Alfie ran up and looked closely at them both. "What's going on?" he said.

Stella D'oro explained. "It appears this cat has been using Astro to spy on our every move. You see, this Astro is a robot!" She held up a large remote. She pulled the antenna out and turned the knob. The first Astro turned his head and looked at her.

"Yes?" he asked. "What do you want?"

Stella leaned her head closer to the remote and spoke. "Scratch your head with both paws," she ordered. The first Astro scratched his head with both paws.

"Now," Stella D'oro continued, "Lick your tail." The first Astro bent around and ran his tongue up his tail. Spud and Rastus giggled.

"Robot Astro, I order you to tie up Tinka the Gypsy Cat. Then I want you to call the dog catcher and make a complaint about a wailing, flea ridden moggy that is roaming wild in the woods," Stella ordered.

Tinka yelled, "Don't you dare!" but Robot Astro didn't listen to her. He was controlled by whoever held the remote. He grabbed Tinka and bound her paws behind her back with the chain of bells that she wore around her head. "Just you wait!" she cried, "Speed Bump Charlie is behind this. It's all his idea!"

"We have searched the camp and there is no sign of Speed Bump Charlie," said Commander Rocky. "If he has been here then he has escaped and left you to take the blame," Rocky smiled.

"We found your surveillance equipment and listening devices. We will be confiscating them and you will be taken straight to the Check Out where you will be locked away for good," Commander Rocky said. "Take her away!" he ordered and Spud and Rastus dragged the cat to a tree and tied her up.

"What now?" Digger asked.

"It won't take long for the dog catcher to come," Stella explained, "We've sent the map coordinates to Scrappy so she can bring him here."

Alfie was over the moon to have the real Astro back. He hugged him so tightly the real Astro coughed. "Steady on," he laughed at his friend. "I was tied up for ages and hidden under cushions!"

"How did you get here?" Indy asked.

"That Tinka dog-napped me and dragged me here. She replaced me with Robot Astro and used his eyes and ears to spy on The Organisation. I was really worried. I didn't think anyone would come and get me," he said.

"We didn't know," explained Alfie. "We thought the robot was the real you. Commander Rocky and Stella knew you were a spy but we didn't know you were a robot. I can tell you something; I'm sure glad you're not!" Alfie hugged Astro again.

"Thanks Alfie. I sure missed you all too," said Astro. Then he walked over to the robot. "He sure does look like me," he muttered to himself, "So good looking and handsome. And those shaggy strands that fall over his eyes. He's a really gorgeous, attractive, not to mention, intelligent looking version of me." The real Astro stared longingly at the robot.

Just then Commander Rocky picked up a signal from headquarters. He scratched at his microchip then listened carefully. He nodded and stood up straight.

"Listen up, everyone. Scrappy has just relayed a message to headquarters to say the dog catcher is just on the edge of the woods. It's important that he doesn't find us here so I want everyone to make their way back to headquarters as quickly as possible. Don't take any major roads because we don't want anyone to get caught and end up at the Check Out again."

They all moved quickly out of the camp. All accept Astro. He was standing staring at the robot.

"Come on, Astro," Alfie called over his shoulder. "You don't want to get caught by the dog catcher!"

Astro touched the robot's nose. "What a cutie you are," he whispered to it.

Stella D'oro had heard Alfie calling to Astro and knew there was something wrong. "C'mon Astro, we don't have time to take him," she called.

"But I can't leave him," wailed Astro, "he's too special!" Astro flung his arms around the robot. "Don't worry, I'll stay here with you!" he cried.

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" cried Stella. "All right then. Alfie you'll have to help Astro carry the robot back to headquarters. We might be able to do something with him. Grab his legs Alfie and Astro hold his arms. But don't get caught by the dog catcher. Commander Rocky will be furious if you two are captured carrying a robot. Is that understood?"

"Yes of course!" cried Astro. Then he turned to the robot and said, "Don't you worry you handsome brute, we are going to save you!"

"Come on, then," said Alfie and he lent the robot back and picked up its legs while Astro carried it by the arms. "He sure is heavy!" complained Alfie, "Still we'll be back at headquarters soon enough!" Then he trotted out of the camp and into the woods quickly with Astro stumbling along behind him.

Stella D'oro also made her way out of the woods and when she got to the road she stopped and closed her eyes. She sat down and concentrated. She checked on all the dogs to make sure they had gotten away safely. After a short period she was able to see them all in her mind and was pleased to see that they were safe. She also saw Alfie and Astro stumbling along carrying a life size robot along the track. She shook her head and laughed to herself, 'I'm not sure what Commander Rocky will say when he sees it, but it should be interesting.' She hopped up and went straight back to headquarters.

Spylinks!

You've found the Spylinks Hound. He has a secret for you. You can find it by clicking here or copying this link into your browser. Have fun

CHAPTER 21

Later that evening a full moon crept across the sky and shone onto a rock in a clearing. On the rock sat an old tabby cat. Speed Bump Charlie was staring at the ground.

"Cursed gypsies! I bet that silly gypsy cat got caught," he said to himself. "Great Feline my socks! What a load of nonsense! And to think I nearly fell for it. Still, I got away and I'm free again," he smirked. "And with any luck I won't have to see another gypsy cat for a long time."

He had just finished speaking when he heard the sounds of bells. He jumped up and looked around him quickly. "Are you here?" he hissed. "Tinka?"

The bells became louder. "Show yourself, you silly cat!" Speed Bump ordered. There was a rustling in the bushes. "Who's that?" he called out. A possum shot out and ran across the clearing. Speed Bump relaxed and let out a long sigh. "Must be getting jumpy in my old age," he muttered to himself.

The bells got louder still.

"What's going on?" he cried spinning around. Then something in the night's sky caught his attention. He could just make out the silhouette of a team of reindeer pulling a sleigh. In the sleigh was a big man waving down at him.

"Blast! It's that weirdo!" cried Speed Bump Charlie. "Don't tell me it's Christmas time again," he shook his head in disgust. "I think I've had enough of make believe and magic to last me a long time," he said. Then he hopped down from the rock. "Mind you, there's always a good feed put on at the homeless shelter. Might drop by and get myself some yuletide tucker!"

And with that he hobbled out of the woods and headed into town.

Back at headquarters Dingo said goodbye to Hamish, Spud and Rastus. They were very tired and really wanted to go home. Commander Rocky had given them a special medal for their bravery and told them if they were needed again he would call on them straight away. They were very proud and went home to tell their friends of their wonderful adventure.

Indy was sharpening her new hunting bone and Dingo was curled up asleep. Digger was relaxing in the Jacuzzi and Alfie was trying to convince Cook that there was nothing wrong with a hamburger that was two feet high. Stella had retired to meditate and Rocky was telling Hans everything that had happened to them.

In the laboratory, Astro was admiring the robot. Stella had given him the remote but had warned him to be careful with it. Astro had decided that he would leave operating the robot to the tech experts at headquarters. They were going to have a good look at the robot in the morning.

In the meantime, Astro had decided to make the robot look nice. He was busy brushing its fur and smoothing down its coat. He borrowed Digger's diamond encrusted nail file and was carefully shaping its nails. Lastly, he got a handkerchief out of his pocket and licked it. Then he rubbed the robot's nose until it shone brightly.

"There you go, handsome!" Astro smiled. "You look so lovely and clean. You're like the real thing; ME!" he laughed and patted the robot.

"Thank you," it squeaked.

"You're welc..." Astro spun around. "You're not supposed to be able to talk without someone using the remote," he cried.

The robot slowly turned its head and smiled at Astro. "That's what you think!" it said and it threw its head back and laughed. "I have been waiting for a chance to get away from that stupid cat and now I have it. No more being ordered around. I am free to do what I want!"

Astro fell backwards in shock. "But, you're just a robot. You're not supposed to be able to think on your own!"

"Well, surprise! Surprise!" the robot glared at Astro. "I'm out of here. Get out of my way."

It pushed Astro back and crashed through the wall. It stepped over the rubble and out into the street.

Astro cried out for help but then he heard the familiar sound of Christmas bells ringing.

"Santa?" Astro cried.

The robot stopped and looked up. It laughed and jumped right up into the sky. It grabbed Santa's sleigh and the whole thing came crashing to the ground including Santa and the reindeer.

"Oh, no!" shouted Astro, "Someone come and help! I think Santa Claus is in trouble!"

Hearing his cries the security dogs came flying into the room. Behind them Commander Rocky and Hans soon followed. The Operatives came too.

"We saw everything on the security cameras, Astro," Hans said, "We came as fast as we could."

The robot turned and laughed. "Merry Christmas!" it cried wickedly and stepped over the reindeer.

Astro screamed, "What are we going to do? What are we going to do?"

The security dogs helped Santa to his feet. He was groggy and couldn't stand up properly at first. "I don't think I can go on," he mumbled. "My head hurts and my reindeer have been injured. How will the children get their presents? What am I going to do?" Santa Claus held his hands to his head and cried.

Alfie began to sob uncontrollably and Digger sniffed back a tear. They clutched each other for comfort.

Astro was still staring. He couldn't believe his robot had caused all this trouble so quickly.

Indy and Stella D'oro were checking the reindeer to see how serious their injuries were. They were all hurt. Most of them only had cuts and bruises but poor Rudolf was limping badly. The vet came rushing in and examined his leg. "Looks like a bad sprain, Santa," she said. "Rudolf will need lots of rest before he's ready to fly again."

Everyone stopped and looked at Commander Rocky. He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. Then he turned to Hans but before he could say anything Hans spoke.

"I know, assemble the Operatives!" the small dog barked. He looked at the dogs standing around him. "Well, you heard the Commander; let's go to the conference room!"

Commander Rocky looked at his stunned team, "It looks like we are going to have to save Christmas!"

The End... for now!

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Titles in the Astro's Adventures series:

The Great Escape http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/76524

Golden Treasure https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85532

Rampaging Rats https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/238862

Major Dakota's Ghost https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/300649

The Gypsy Curse https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/307863

Christmas Calamity https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/386547

Other titles written by Susan Day:

Understanding Your Dog http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/72942

Whispering Castle https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/76991

The Christmas Mouse https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/81084

Romeow & Drooliet: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/304815

Thank you for reading the fifth book in the series, Astro's Adventures. The dogs and cats in this book are based on real ones. I am a dog trainer and a canine behaviourist. I share my house with Rocky, Stella D'oro, Digger and Alfie. The other dogs are owned by family members and friends. All the dogs play together on a regular basis. If you'd like to read more about them or purchase this book as a print copy, please visit our website www.astrosadventures.com

You are also welcome to connect with me online on Facebook and Twitter. I keep an online diary of my writing where I share ideas and inspiration and tips for writing. Please join me at: www.susandayauthor.com

I also run workshops for children to inspire and ignite their passion for writing. Visit www.astrosadventures.com to find out more.

Yours in Pawz,

Susan Day

