UDCFR

Chapter 2

The evening sun fills the sky with a setting orange light. Hunter is exhausted, more than any other day. He walks to a light tan house and knocks on the dog door.

"Who's there?!" A voice calls from inside

"It's me Max, coming in!" Hunter says back.

"What's the password?" Max's sounds like he is on the other side, holding the dog door shut.

Normally, Hunter doesn't mind this playful behavior, but he is worn out from a long day.

"Max, it's me, Hunter. You don't have to do this every time."

"Password required." Max won't budge.

Hunter shakes his head and gives a slight smile. "FBI, open up." Hunter says with less enthusiasm than normal. The dog door lifts upwards to reveal a German shepherd, tall as Hunter but with more muscle. The shepherd has brown fur with a tan face, with one brown line from his forehead going between his brown eyes and down his snout. Max is wearing a long sleeve navy blue shirt with grey jeans.

"Hey Hunter." Max says. Hunter can see the shepherd's tail wagging.

"Hello to you too Max." Hunter says, calm and lethargic. Max pulls back inside to let Hunter in.

"Tough day at work I'm guessing?" Max asks.

"Nothing I can't handle." Hunter says as he enters the house. It is a small and cozy house, with a hallway as you walk in, the kitchen to the front door's right, and a living room at the end of the hallway.

Hunter looks around the living room, "Where's Jeff and Wendy?"

"Well," Max says, dragging it out, "let's just say three people will be living with us now."

Hunter whips around to face Max in shock, "You mean they're having their baby?!"

Max shakes his head, "No, they had their baby." Max's smile gets bigger, "It was born an hour before you got home."

Hunter has been looking forward to Jeff and Wendy's baby for a while. It will be like a little sibling. Until the baby grows, at least. Hunter is still trying to comprehend what Max told him.

"That is awesome." Hunter is at a loss for words.

"Yeah, Jeff said Wendy and the baby can come home the day after tomorrow." Max gets energized as he tells Hunter.

Hunter gets his words together, "Did he mention if it was a boy or girl?"

"No." Max replies in disappointment, "He wants the baby's gender to be a surprise for us." Hunter would be energetic too if he hadn't worked hard all day.

Hunter looks over at Max's police radio, laying on the coffee table, "I got to get one of those radios you and Jeff have." Hunter starts walking towards the clothes hamper.

"Sorry Hunter, they are for police dogs and police officers only." Max says, puffing his chest out in a playful banter. "Maybe you can try getting those new dog tags with radios inside."

Hunter takes off his recycling vest and puts it in the hamper. He goes outside to the backyard, where Jeff had set up an outdoor dog shower. Jeff and Wendy bathes the dogs, but Jeff made the shower for Hunter and Max to bathe themselves when Jeff and Wendy are out of town. Hunter takes off his jeans and sets them to the side. He enters the shower, closing the curtain behind him.

After his shower, Hunter went back inside, a towel covering his torso as he went. After dropping his jeans into the hamper, Hunter goes to a closet for fresh clothing. Hunter's favorite outfit to wear at home is his soft, gray, long sleeve with black sweatpants. Hunter goes to the kitchen. Max already served Hunter and himself a bowl of kibble. Hunter begins to eat.

"A letter came in today. It is addressed to you."

Hunter perks up when he hears Max, "Who is it from?"

Max goes to the kitchen table and slides an envelope onto the floor. He then slides the envelope to Hunter, "It's that tech company you keep talking about."

Hunter's heart skips a beat. For the past few months, Hunter has put his tinkering skills to the test. With his skills, he created what he calls The Dog Pack. It is a backpack for a dog with a mechanism that will allow the user to summon robotic claws in place of hands. After creating the prototype, Hunter tests his creation by using the pack to write a letter to the leading tech company of America, Oscorp. With hope, the company will accept and mass produce dog packs for the smart dogs of the world. Four times, Hunter sent letters. Four times, Oscorp rejected Hunter's letters. Maybe this letter will be different.

Hunter opens the envelope. He unfolds the letter and begins to read:

Hunter Ryder,
We have received your letter on the subject of your invention, the Dog Pack. However, we are unable to accept your offer for certain reasons. We apologize. If you are still interested in working with us, we offer many positions in one of many smaller assets in our company.
Oscorp.

Both go quiet. Disappointment is all over Hunter.

"Don't you think going straight to the top is a little ambitious?" Max asks.

Hunter looks at him, "It doesn't hurt to try." A discouraging thought crosses Hunter's mind, one he thought of many times before, "Maybe I shouldn't try at all if this is the only outcome."

"Maybe you should try a smaller company." Max says, scooping a mouthful of kibble.

"And what if the smaller companies reject me as well?" Hunter frets, "Most of them require scholarships from colleges."

Max looks up from his bowl, "Wasn't it your goal to enroll in MIT when you were a pup?"

At only six months old, Hunter showed a passion for learning any and all skills. That is one reason he invented the Dog Pack, to do schooling and bookwork. He got so ambitious, he dreamed of attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT. However, given the fact no dog ever enrolled in any school before, Hunter concluded the dream was too far out of his grasp.

"I was young then." Hunter says with a sigh, "The chances of a dog enrolling in any school is slim. I'm starting to think humans don't want dogs being as smart as they are."

Max comforts his friend, "I don't know about requirements for an education, but I know a lot about determination. Keep putting in the hard work, and it will happen. I think the dog pack is cool, and I am certain there is a group of people out there who want you to be intelligent and creative."

"I hope what you say is true." Hunter says in his mind. Max's words soothe Hunter, even in the slightest bit. He looks down at his bowl to find it empty. After cleaning up dinner, both Hunter and Max go off to the dog room. The room is located at the end of the hallway on the left. Max falls asleep fast, but it is difficult for Hunter. With thoughts of learning and completing a seemingly implausible goal, Hunter almost didn't sleep. Slow and steady, his eyes droop until he can't hold them anymore.

Hunter and Wendy are owned by me.
Max and Jeff are owned by ThreadyRumble.
Oscorp is owned by Marvel.