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  BARK

  EPISODE III:

  Descent into madness

  DANIEL PEYTON

  BARK

  EPISODE III:

  Descent into madness

  DANIEL PEYTON

  Copyright © 2018 by Daniel Peyton.

  All rights reserved.

  BARK EPISODE III: DESCENT INTO MADNESS

  A Dark Spores Novel Book 8

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

  The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of Cosby Media Productions.

  Published by Cosby Media Productions.

  www.cosbymediaproductions.com

  Cover art: Cosby Media Productions

  Edited: Tonian Pasqueralle

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  More books by Daniel Peyton

  Chapter 1: Mud, Muck, and Radiation

  Bark readied to fight in the middle of a swamp. The murky water was almost up to his knees, and the mud was clinging to his fur. The night was dark and fog rose from the swamp waters. He pulled his foot from the muck and took a step in the direction that his nose told him to go. The scents here were atrocious, but he could determine a single scent that was unique to his target. Since this thing was hiding under the water, it was good that Bark could use his nose to find it.

  Right now, all Bark had to defend himself with was the Bo staff Toshi had given to him. He held it above the water, so as not to lean on it like a cane. If he let it become something other than a weapon for a second, he would lose the advantage.

  With a sudden burst of energy, a large, man-shaped mound of swamp debris and mud burst out of the water behind Bark. Bark leaned back to dodge the swipe of the creature’s arm and used the Bo to hit the thing in the side, sending it down into the waters again.

  The swamp monster purposefully melted down into the swamp and seemed to disperse in the muck. Bark crouched slightly to attain a more grounded posture. He used his nose to try and determine where the beast would congeal next. It was not his nose, but his ears that alerted him. The scream of energy gathering caught his attention and he turned just in time to dodge a radioactive energy blast thrown from a hole in the swamp demon’s chest. Bark could see that another blast was coming and decided to use his newfound natural talent to get the upper hand. He prepared himself for an attack and ran straight at the monster. The monster let loose another blast of energy as Bark ducked his head down, letting the energy wash over him. The energy blast did not detour his attack, and he met the monster head on with his staff at the ready. With two motions he sliced the beast’s hands off. Then, with a jump up into the air, Bark sliced clean through the monster’s neck, severing its head from the rest of its body.

  The leaves, twigs, mud, and other nasty bits of swamp melted off of a green glowing brain that was the source of the creature’s intelligence. Bark snarled at the thought of having to do it, but he knew it was the final requirement. He held his staff so that the end was pointed at the brain and, with a clean punch, he punctured it and killed the mutated thing.

  “Simulation over. Winner: Bark,” the computer announced as the holo-simulation evaporated into thin air. The swamp disappeared and the room became just another one of the simulators used on the station. He was no longer knee deep in mud, and the wet muck clinging to his fur moments ago was gone. Bark tried to resist the canine urge, but could not; he shook his whole body as though he were getting rid of the water and crud of the swamp, even though the crud of the swamp was only in his mind.

  Dr. Stone came up to Bark with a scanner in his hand. He ran it up and down the dog-man and then looked at the readings.

  Bark’s voice collar asked, “Well? How’d I do?”

  Josiah smiled and nodded. “You did well. It seems your training with Toshi Sensei is giving you a fighting chance to be a real hero.”

  Bark frowned. “Hey, I've already saved the entire UCH and possibly Earth. I think I am a hero.”

  Josiah laughed. “Okay. Sorry.” He looked at his sensors. “Amazing!”

  Bark walked with the doctor out of the training room. “What’s amazing?”

  Josiah showed him his sensors. “The simulation used actual radioactive energy to blast you. And your natural – or really, your designed – defenses blocked it. I'm not showing any detectable radiation on you that’s above normal. In fact, your radiation signature is lower than normal. My tests are right; you have an incredible immunity to energy attacks.”

  Bark shook his head, still having a hard time getting the feeling of that murky water off of his fur. “Does this mean I'm finished with all these silly swamp simulations?”

  Josiah cocked his head. “Haven’t you been paying attention in your History of Villainy class?”

  Bark nodded. “I pay attention.’’

  Josiah pressed the button to open the door to the hallway. “This simulation was designed after the actual battle with the Radiation Monster of New Orleans back in 1996.”

  Bark frowned. “I don’t think we've covered that one yet.”

  Josiah led Bark out in the hall while giving him a short history lesson. “Back on Three Mile Island, one worker was exposed to massive amounts of radiation and was presumed dead. To cover it up so that the press wouldn’t know, they threw his body in the ocean, hoping it would sink and be forgotten. Somehow, the brain absorbed larger quantities of the radiation than expected and it survived even when the body was destroyed by the waters. Amazingly, it was caught by the current and sent all the way down the coast and into the Gulf of Mexico. It wound up in the swamps of Louisiana and came in contact with the natural debris. After almost a decade of garnering a lot of hate and anger, the brain learned how to harness its radioactive properties and summon a body made up of swamp matter. It attacked several boats and a small town before Thrasher was called in to stop it. He put it down and we still have the brain remains encased in a chamber for study.”

  Bark smirked and asked, “Did Thrasher have four arms before or after that battle?”

  Josiah laughed at the joke. “Before. Like you, Thrasher is resistant to radioactive elements. But, he isn’t resistant to all forms of radiation. You have a very valuable immunity.”

  Bark looked down at the scanner that Dr. Stone had been using. “Tell me something. Why is it that the more I'm hit by the energy weapons, the less it affects me? Am I just getting used to them? Or am I still mutating? I would hate to end up like those mindless dog soldiers in Korea.”

  Josiah looked at his readings again. “I can’t really say. Your body might be adaptive, or you may be correct and the mutations are still in process. I wouldn’t worry too much about becoming a mindless soldier, or a dog, for that matter. I doubt that is the case. And don’t worry, I'm still keeping an eye on you. If anything does show up, we'll take care of it.”

  Bark looked up and down his body to see that the feeling of wetness was just in his mind. “Fine.
I really don’t want to have to let Snow take me out on a leash each time I need to go to the bathroom.”

  Dr. Stone snickered at that notion and then looked at the clock on the scanning device. “Looks like it’s time for our class with The General.”

  “Our class,” Bark asked. “Are you coming to class?”

  “Yup, I'll be there. Now, let’s get moving. It isn’t wise to make him wait.” Dr. Stone and Bark headed off down the corridors toward the main area.

  Chapter 2: Proper Behavior

  The United Corps of Heroes training facility, operational headquarters, and mission base had been put back together after the Green Scream incident. Bark and Toshi had been honored with medals and commendations. Toshi was reluctant to receive any sort of medal, as it goes against the philosophy of humility that she embraces. Bark was a little more eager to be honored. However, Toshi helped him learn that merits and awards only bolster ego, and that isn’t what a true hero should rely on.

  After all the awards and recovery, the school returned to its normal sessions. Bark was treated better by his peers now that he had saved everyone, but that did not mean that his instructors would be any less strict with him. If anything his instructor’s expectations were greater now. The pranks also hadn’t completely stopped, but, they were less mean and more humorous these days.

  Today, he and Snow were heading for a special class. This was not a normal class that was held each day; it was a mission class. All students were given these classes periodically throughout the semesters. During these classes, the students were treated like regular members of the UCH and given missions. The missions were suited to their talents and level of training. The General taught this class and always knew exactly who to send where. This was perhaps the only class that The General would teach, as it was more of a mission briefing than a lesson.

  “What do you suppose our mission will be,” Snow asked Bark.

  Bark shrugged while his voice box answered, “I have no idea. I've been put through all sorts of tests recently and hope that this isn’t another person firing another energy beam at me to see what level of radiation I can handle.”

  Snow grinned and rubbed the dog’s ear. “Yeah, by now you would think that they wanted you to mutate or something.”

  Bark nodded. “Dr. Stone even tried basic radioactive materials on me today.”

  Snow slowly took her hand off of him. “Uh, what were the results?”

  Bark laughed. “It’s okay. My radiation signature is the same as before the tests. I don’t know what that mad scientist wanted to do with me, but he made me nearly impervious to all kinds of radiated energy.”

  Snow was surprised and happy. “So, you can take a hit then?”

  He nodded. “Yup. Two days ago, Solstice was invited to test me. She blasted me with her solar beam. It knocked me on my butt, but otherwise I was fine.”

  Snow ran her hand down his furry chest. “At least she didn’t singe any of that fur off. I would hate to not have this to snuggle up to at night.”

  Bark cleared his throat. “When are you planning to snuggle up at night with me? We can’t, you know that –”

  “I know, I know,” Snow relented. “We had a weak moment the other day. You want to wait until we are married before we…”

  Bark cleared his throat again. “Let’s not talk about it. I don’t want to get into trouble.” He knew perfectly well that their night of passion had to remain a secret. Even if every ounce of testosterone in his body wanted her, he had to restrain himself if he wanted to stay in the UCH.

  Snow and Bark had arrived at the door to the meeting room. He was just about to open it when Snow nudged him up against the wall, her body pressing against his. She ran her hand down his back, found his butt in his tight briefs, and gave him a good squeeze. “So, when will I see a ring?”

  Bark whimpered like a puppy dog wanting to play before he replied. “I….uh…don’t know.”

  She ran her fingers under the elastic at the leg of the briefs and traced it all the way to the front, where she took her hand out just before she reached the padded cup. “Pity.” Without another word, she opened the door and walked in.

  Bark gulped, composed himself, and followed after her.

  ***

  Bark, Snow, and Spark sat at the meeting table, with The General and Dr. Josiah Stone standing near the dark screens used for briefing missions. Usually this room could hold upwards of twenty people, but obviously that was unnecessary at the moment.

  The General gave everyone a stern look, as always. He liked to let a few moments pass before saying anything, just to let everyone know who was in charge. After the pause, he quietly turned on a screen. It showed the face of a man in a wheelchair. It was obvious that he was paralyzed from the neck down, but why he was on the screen was anyone’s guess right now.

  The General finally spoke. “Students…and Spark. This is Dr. William Ogle.”

  Snow frowned. “Ogle…Ogle… Wait, isn’t he some kind of brilliant scientist?”

  Josiah answered, “Yes. He's a genius in the fields of theoretical engineering, advanced genetics, and computer programming.”

  Spark, with his feet flopped up on the meeting desk, passively stated, “Oh, great. Another scientist gone mad. What did this one do, create a bio weapon? Mutate a few people?”

  The General calmly strolled around the table, stopped by Spark, shoved his feet off the table, and then continued. “No. Dr. Ogle is neither a target nor a threat. He is a petitioner.”

  Bark asked, “Petitioner? He's asking for help?”

  The General nodded and said, “Yes.”

  Spark scooted up to the table, now sitting in a more dignified manner. “So, are we taking personal calls now? Is he paying or something?”

  Josiah answered, “Dr. Ogle is an old friend of mine. I actually took one of his courses at the University of Tennessee. I helped him create the chair he uses to get to and from classes.”

  The General continued, “If it was not for the personal contact with Dr. Stone, we wouldn't take such a call. But Dr. Ogle is worried and asked for our assistance. I doubt it's much of anything, and that's why I'm only sending one instructor and two students.”

  “Is there any danger we need to be aware of,” Snow asked.

  Josiah smiled and shook his bald head. “I doubt it.”

  Spark frowned. “Then why send in a team of superheroes?”

  Josiah explained, “William is a nervous person. If you know his story, you know that he was not born in this condition; it was forced upon him by a car accident when he was thirteen. Since then, he has been a very cautious person, almost to a neurotic point. He cannot even cross a street without a lot of help. I would wager that he's simply overly worried, but I owe him a favor and thought it might be nice to bring him up here for a few days so he can see my work and even help me with something for Mr. Bark.”

  Bark’s ears perked up and he looked at Josiah. “Me?”

  Josiah smiled. “Dr. Ogle is a geneticist, one of the most brilliant geneticists in the world. He might be able to figure out a way to fix that voice of yours.”

  The General turned on another screen with a map of North America. It zoomed in on East Tennessee, quickly coming to Knoxville. “Your mission will be simple. Go in, check on what his problem is, and then escort him back to the station. I doubt you'll encounter any resistance or problems, but we don’t take threats lightly. If there is any crisis, it'll be your responsibility to examine it, deal with it if possible, or contact us for further support.”

  Bark, the student that he was, asked, “So, what are we supposed to be learning from this exercise?”

  The General leaned over the table and addressed both Bark and Snow. “This mission will help you with your investigative skills, and even assess your ability to respond to any unknown anomaly that you might encounter. Take every mission with the intention of learning something.”

  Spark disint
erestedly added, “And it’s a good opportunity to stretch your legs.”

  The General sighed at Spark’s attitude and said, “Get yourselves ready and report to the docking bay at 1100 hours. Dismissed.”

  Spark, Bark, and Snow got up. Josiah walked out first, followed by Snow.

  “Wait. I need to talk to you, Bark,” The General said.

  Spark smiled and whispered, “Oooh, going to the principal’s office.”

  Bark sneered at Spark and then followed The General out another door into his private office. It did, in fact, feel like Bark had been called into the principal’s office, and he was worried what this could mean. Had he done something wrong? Who complained?

  The General sat down behind a desk covered in mountains of papers and computer tablets, each filled with reports he had to look through. He looked up and immediately noticed that Bark was as scared as he could be, his tail sort of between his legs. Few people actually filled out that statement as well as Bark, but few people had actual tails to tuck.

  “Sit down and stop shaking so hard. You’re shedding all over the furniture.” The General pointed to one of the chairs in front of his desk.

  Bark gulped and sat down. It sort of hurt, but he didn’t realize that he was going to sit on his tail. He scooted around for a moment and fixed his posture. “Uh…Mr…” He looked at the desk for a name plate to see if, in fact, this man did have a name. But, the name plate only read “THE GENERAL.” “General…sir. What did you need?”