The Great Eight (Temporary Hiatus)

Man's Worst Enemy

In the dead of night, when everyone and their dogs were still, the young heroes snuck back into the dog pound. Or, at least, Herry and Odie did so as Herry placed the teched out piece of machinery fashioned into a collar for Pepe as Odie stood back with a proud smirk on his face. Already he was fumbling with the transceiver for the collar in his hands as Herry cautiously delved his hands into the plastic crate and clicked the collar around the sleeping dog's neck. Unfortunately, the plan to keep the dog asleep would have worked had Herry's innate strength been toned down. The dog crate's metal facing slammed shut a bit too forcefully and awoke the beastly pet. The two boys had no choice but to rush out of the kennel area to avoid waking the rest of the resting mutts as all the while Pepe caused a ruckus in his cage. And once they made it to the parking lot, where the rest of the heroes lounged around Herry's truck, Pepe's crate was placed down in front of them for all too see the strange dog-turned-grizzly.

"Geez! That's Pepe?!" Atlanta, as well as the others, flinched back at the ravenous looking pet. It didn't help that Pepe's new favorite pastime was to rattle and bite the cage that held him. Mel's face crumpled alongside Herry's as they nervously viewed the negative reactions to Pepe's current self. Situating themselves, dejectedly, on either side of Pepe's crate.

"The hair ribbon really softens his look." Theresa chuckled dryly as she held her hands close to her chest defensively. Jay stepped up to her and placed a collapsed weapon into her hands. They couldn't help the smile that they sent to each other as he walked past her and towards Archie.

"Do you think Cronus has anything to do with this?" Archie theorized to Jay as one of his hands suddenly became occupied with a gifted weapon from Jay.

"I thought about it too. I don't know." Jay rubbed the back of his neck, "It seems too small time for him." A beeping sound interrupted any further conversation between the boys.

"The tracking device is all ready." Odie announced, "Let's see where he goes." Herry frowned at the verbal signal and leaned down further to release the cage's face. However, he hesitated to do so. Mel and Odie placed their hands supportively on his shoulder and arm, sending him patient smiles as Herry stared forlornly at Pepe.

Eventually, Herry unlatched the cage and Pepe soared out of his confinement. The other teens had to dodge out of the rabid dog's way as Pepe crisscrossed his way out of the parking lot and into the nearby trees.

"Let's hope he leads us to the source of the problem. Something is sending these dogs' hormones into overdrive . " Their fellow tech hero explained the course of action in his usual ramblings. As he did so, Herry pushed himself back up and watched his grandmother's dog race away into the night. And while Odie was never an embodiment of overt emotional empathy, his scientific and confident approach to solving Pepe's problem through his gizmo did give some modicum of comfort to Herry and those around them. Though even still, Herry's eyes never looked more somber.

And seeing that, Mel felt that she had to do something. So with darting eyes she stepped closer to her hulk of a teammate and softly pressed a hand onto his chest. A gusty sigh left Herry's lungs as Pepe's figure disappeared around a shrubbery, and only then did his watery eyes move down towards his small companion. Identically plastered smiles met the other and rapidly fell flat once their eyes met. And for a long moment the two heroes stayed that way as the others fell in behind Odie towards the side of the truck. Messing with the truck's equipment as he purposefully connected the two systems to achieve a larger signal radius capable of tracking Pepe's location within an impressive span.

" . If we can find out what it is, maybe then we can reverse the effect." Odie's voice carried to every teen in the lot. Bolstering their confidence at solving this Nancy Drew-like mystery. Even giving Herry some much needed hope that lightened up his soulful eyes. Astutely, Mel took another step closer to Herry with another attempt at a smile and was rewarded with a far more genuine one in return. So much so, that without any other social precursors Herry leaned down and slowly entangled his arms around his petite teammate. It was more of an instinct, truly, that had Mel reciprocating the hug but that didn't mean she wouldn't have done so autonomously. There was absolutely nothing Mel could complain about, briefly ignoring the whole Pepe situation, in that moment of mutual comforting. She would even go as to say it was the best kind of bear hug she had ever partook in, if she hadn't had actually hugged a bear and therefore achieved the ultimate bear hug before this instance.

Nevertheless, seeing as how they were both relatively newfound friends who had yet to have the time to figure out each other's social limitations, they each had no idea what to do next. And so awkwardly stayed in the same position, even if it was still quite nice.

So it was a blessing when Atlanta's voice beckoned them over from the truck which gave them the perfect opportunity to break away from the seemingly permanent hug. Smirking all the while at the pair of them with a refreshingly teasing air as the two's cheeks bloomed like cherry trees in the spring. Herry coughed as Mel looked at anything other than her friends as she scurried her way into the truck with no more sound than a mouse. Leaving Herry to deal with the cattish grin on the huntress's face.

"In love yet?" She taunted, earning an ever deeper hue to the Herculean teen's cheeks.

"Funny." Herry snapped back pretty pathetically and made his way to the driver seat. Playfully shoving Atlanta aside as he did so. And once their driver made it into the truck, all the while avoiding any eye contact with his rearview mirror, everyone else still straggling outside hurriedly hopped in as well. And under Odie's expert navigational skills the truck was quickly revved into life and springing onto the nearest county road and after the frenzied Pepe.