June 19th, 2000

Five months have passed since Max and Kai's commemoration. The Road Rovers are in the Sky Rover, returning to HQ after saving hostages at Israel. As they are flying back to base, a female news reporter speaks on the Rovers' heroic deeds.

News Reporter: Hello. This is Olivia Peru, reporting live here in Israel. As you can see behind me, a crowd is praising for what the Road Rovers have done today. About two hours ago, they had infiltrated a base located on the outskirts of Israel, where they had rescued a group of Jewish prisoners who were about to be executed by a firing squad of terrorists. Fortunately, thanks to the Road Rovers, they have been brought safely back to Israeli officials unharmed. It won't be long until they return safely to their families. The terrorists who were hired to kidnap and kill the prisoners claim to be affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Israeli officials have yet to confirm these claims. The heroic canines have proven yet again that they can continue to fight for truth, justice, and peace for the world. Olivia Peru, WPBT Eye-Witness News. Back to you James.

Watching the news report from the monitor on the Sky Rover, the Rovers give their signature howl of triumph, except for Max, who is staring at the window he's sitting by.

Hunter: Whoo! It is great to be out there saving again!

Colleen: (smiling) It sure was, Hunty.

Exile: Da! I always feel pleased when we go out to save other comrades!

Blitz: And I always feel pleased when I bite the tushies of our enemies!

Kai: I suppose you won't quit being weird, will you, Blitz-san?

Max is not paying attention to what the Rovers are saying. There's something that he is going to do, something that had been bothering him since the day he went to the Shepherd's residence to steal the files he kept there.

Kai: Max-san?

Max keeps looking at the window, gazing at the clouds they pass through.

Kai: (touches his shoulder) Max-san!

Max: (alerted) What? What?

Everyone looks at him.

Max: Uh...

Max howls.

Kai: No, Max-san. It's not that.

Max: Then what?

Exile: Did you had good time during this mission, comrade?

Max: Yeah. I did. It was nice to save people again. It's just, um...

Hunter looks at Max. He switches the controls of the aircraft from manual to autopilot and walks to Max.

Hunter: Something bothering you, Max?

Max looks at Hunter, staring at his brown eyes.

Max: There's something I've been thinking about for a while. I think it may have started when I got to South America on my first mission with Kai.

Hunter: Well...

Hunter takes a chair and puts it near Max. He sits on it.

Hunter: ...do you want to talk about it?

Hunter sees that Max is worried, seeing it by looking at his expressions.

Hunter: Go on. You can tell us.

Max looks around at his surroundings, looking at everyone who looks at him. Eventually, he sighs. Not wanting to tell anyone around him the truth, he looks at Hunter with a smile on his face.

Max: I'm just thankful to have met all of you. When I lost my owner from Parvo, I had nowhere else to go. If it weren't for Groomer, I wouldn't have come to you guys. Ever since we left South America, you guys gave me hope and a new purpose in life. I can't wait for all of this to be over. I'll go find a home somewhere and live a peaceful life with another human being. Every time I think about this, it will bring me back. Bringing me back to all things that happened; the good and the bad. Those who survived and those who didn't. An honor to be a Road Rover with you guys. But most importantly, how lucky I am to be alive and to tell the tale.

Hunter smiles.

Hunter: That's good. Thank you for sharing that with us.

Hunter returns to his seat where he switches off the autopilot and resumes operating the Sky Rover back to base. Max looks back at the window, gazing again at the clouds.


The Rovers have arrived at HQ. They are standing in a room, with Master standing on a balcony behind a gate of white light. Max is seen petting Muzzle.

Master: Great job, Road Rovers! You're good dogs. Good, good, dogs. I'm pleased to see you have successfully saved the hostages in Israel.

Hunter: Yes, Master. It's an honor to fight a good cause for the world again.

Master: (smiles) Nice hearing that from you, Hunter. Well, since we haven't heard of anything from Parvo again, other than he's making a new army, I think that it's time I gave you guys your annual summer vacation.

The Road Rovers howl, followed lately by Max.

Hunter: Alright, Master! We all deserve a vacation after the number of butts we kicked!

Master: (chuckles) Yes, you do, Hunter. Oh yes, before I forget, a feast has been prepared for you guys before you go on vacation tomorrow.

The Road Rovers see a long table with a long white table cloth has been set nearby, layered with platters of food, along with bowls of delicious dog treats. Seeing this filled the Rovers with glee, as they race to the table to enjoy their food. Everyone sits at the table, except Hunter, who dived under the table. Exile lifts the white cloth.

Exile: Um, comrade Hunter, you're not a dog now. You don't need to do that.

Hunter pokes his head out.

Hunter: Yes. But you know, Exile, some habits die hard.

Colleen: (holds a treat temptingly under the table) Oh, Huuuuuunterrrrr.

Hunter: (smiles) That's my cue, Exile. Gotta go!

Hunter goes back under the table. Max takes his food, making them float with his telekinesis, walking out of the room. Master notices this.

Master: Max! What's wrong?

Max looks at the Master with a kind smile on his face.

Max: Nothing. Nothing's wrong, Master. I guess I'm just a little tired after this mission. I'll just eat in my room and maybe get some sleep.

Master: (smiles) Alright, Max. Have a good time.

Max nods and leaves the room.


Max enters his bedroom. He sits on the bed, puts a random channel on his TV, and eats his food. After he's done eating, he gets his journal and with his black pen, he writes:

June 19th, 2000

We just saved hostages from Israel. It felt great to save people again. Master, or should I say, Shepherd, is giving us a summer vacation. Should sound relaxing. After I'm done eating, I'm going to go to Socorro to talk to Mrs. Shepherd about her late husband's whereabouts. Not so sure how she's going to take it, I just hope she doesn't think about going to him. I hope everything goes well.

Max stops writing. After a few minutes of eating, he finishes his food. He looks through his journal and reads an entry he made four months prior:

February 14th, 2000

I took a small aircraft from the docking area and left to go to the storage area where my mother stored my stuff at my house she sold. I only wanted three things from there, my PlayStation, my Nintendo 64, and the games for them. I was able to find the two boxes she put them in and took them with me back to HQ. Threw the boxes on my way there. I don't think she would care. At least I'll have something to do when I'm not on a mission. A grown adult like me playing video games... Yeah. I have a feeling that I'll never really grow up, and I don't care. I have the greatest invention on this planet in my room. I feel like wanting to cuddle these two like stuffed animals. Maybe I should do that right now.

Reading this made Max laugh.

Max: Yeah, Max. I'll never really grow up.

Max takes his empty plate and leaves the room, leaving behind a bowl with his name on it.


After taking his dirty dish to the kitchen to be washed, he goes to the docking area. He sees the Street Rover and enters it. He's about to turn the key when he hears something.

Exile: Hey! Comrade Max! Are you ready for our daily obucheniye?

Max quickly turns on the ignition and starts driving. Exile starts running to the car and tries to catch up to it.

Exile: HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! THAT CAR ISN'T FINISHED YET!

However, it was too late. Max drove fast into a tunnel, leaving Exile grunting in frustration. Max continues to drive to the Shepherd's residence.


Max is driving around the neighborhood. He sees the Shepherd's residence and parks the car in the driveway. He sits back in his seat as he looks at a red car, giving him the notion that Mrs. Shepherd is home. He glances over the files that he took with him and holds them close to his chest.

Max: (sighs) Oh, God, what am I doing? No. I've already driven here and Exile is already worrying where I'm at now. I just need to tell her about her husband and this will be over. Okay. I can do this.

Max exits the car. He walks up to the door, stepping on the 'Welcome' mat, which is laid on the brick step. He looks at the brown wooden door and knocks on it three times. A moment passes. He knocks again. He hears someone walking up to the door. It opens a little bit and sees a white woman peeking.

Max: (bows his head) Hello, ma'am. My name is Max. I'm with the Road Rovers. I came here to ask questions about Professor William F. Shepherd, your late husband.

The woman opens the door further, revealing her to be a woman in her mid 50's with short brown hair. Max looks at the hair and notices spots on her hair that are turning grey.

Woman: I'm his wife.

Max: Well, nice to meet you, Mrs. Shepherd. My team has been trying to get information on him and they assigned me to ask you some questions. I just want you to tell me everything you know about him and maybe it will give us everything we need.

Mrs. Shepherd: (nodding gently) Alright. Come in.

Max walks in and looks around the house as if he wasn't here before, despite him being involved with a robbery that took place here two years ago.

Max: Wow. Nice place. Did you build this yourself?

Mrs. Shepherd: No, it's been in this neighborhood for years.

Max walks to the fireplace and notices a family picture of Shepherd, his wife, and his son and daughter. He picks it up and looks at it as if it was his first time seeing it.

Max: Nice photo.

Mrs. Shepherd: Thank you. That's my husband. These two are my kids, Joseph and Catherine. That picture was taken years ago. They're both in college now. They'll be back tomorrow on summer break.

Max: Oh, that's good. What are they both studying?

Mrs. Shepherd: Joseph's studying science so he can be like his father was, a scientist. Catherine is studying to become a nurse.

Max: Hmm. Nice career choices.

Max sits on a blue chair while Mrs. Shepherd sits on the couch.

Max: Now, how about we just take it from the top here? Let's start with both of your early lives.

Mrs. Shepherd: Okay...


An hour has passed. Max is recording this conversation with a tape recorder in his pocket whilst he's writing answers to his questions on a notepad with a black pen.

Max: Okay. Now we're just at the end of these questions. Uh, on the day of his last known whereabouts, did he mentioned anything to you on that day?

Mrs. Shepherd: Well, he told me on the phone that some guy named Parvo took our dog, Scout, and that he was going to negotiate with him to get him back. He told me that he was going to give his blueprints of this machine that he just got developed to Parvo so that we could have our dog back. Before he hung up, he told me that he loved me.

Max notices Mrs. Shepherd's eyes starting to water.

Mrs. Shepherd: That was the last time I heard from him.

Max gives Mrs. Shepherd a napkin from one of his pockets.

Mrs. Shepherd: Thank you.

Mrs. Shepherd wipes her green eyes with the napkin.

Max: What happened after that?

Mrs. Shepherd: (sighs) I was wondering why I haven't heard from him. I drove to his laboratory in the desert, except it was gone, as if it was never there at all. There were police and investigators there. They asked me if I were the wife of the person who owned this laboratory. I told them yes. They then told me that they would be investigating what happened. After months, they told me that a bomb must have caused the laboratory to be underground. Dr. Jeffery Otitus, my husband's colleague on the machine, confessed to kidnapping our dog Scout and for helping Parvo blow up the facility. He's now serving a minimum sentence of twenty years. For my husband, they told me that he was missing, presumed dead. They told me that even if he was in the building at that time, there was no way he could've survived the explosion. But I know that he couldn't have just run away. That's not my husband. Except...

Mrs. Shepherd looks at Max, her eyes begin to widen.

Mrs. Shepherd: What did you say who you were?

Max looks at her, a worried look on his face.

Max: Max from the Road Rovers. Why?

Mrs. Shepherd stands up and walks around the living room.

Mrs. Shepherd: My husband was working on something called a transdogmafier. It would turn a dog into a crime-fighting dog, who could help provide justice and peace to this world. So you have to be one of them, but who could...

She stops.

Mrs. Shepherd: (whispers) My husband is alive.

Max gets up.

Max: Excuse me?

Mrs. Shepherd: (looks at Max) That's what you've come to tell me.

She walks to Max.

Mrs. Shepherd: My husband is alive. Isn't he?

Max, now knowing to stop being secretive, nods.

Max: Yes, Mrs. Shepherd-

Mrs. Shepherd: Call me Jill.

Max: (sighs) Yes, Jill. Your husband is alive. He's our 'Master'. That's what we call him, but I'm the only one in the group that knows who he is.

Jill: How?

Max: He found out who I was.

Jill: What do you mean?

Max looks around the room, then back to Jill.

Max: I'm not a dog, I'm a human. Two years ago, I was assigned by Parvo, along with a group of other scientists like me, to come up with a new army for him. I came up with this idea. We then went here in Socorro to rob your house to get files you keep here.

Jill: Wait, what?!

Jill is about to go to the room where the safe is, but her hand meets Max's, who pulls her to face him.

Max: It's alright. They're still in there. After we took the files, I went back in here to put the real ones in while I made copies of them to take them with us back to base. We then went back to Parvo's base and made the idea into a reality. I involuntarily became the first test subject and it just went downhill from there. Parvo found out that I was in a relationship with his assistant and turned her into a cano-sapien then sent us to prison. We escaped there and on our way to our plane, she got shot. I made it to San Francisco and went to Salt Lake City to let my mother know that I was alive. I then joined the Road Rovers and now I'm here.

Jill: Wow.

Max: Yeah, it's some story to tell.

Jill: Wait, so if he's alive, then where is he?

Max: Um-

Jill: He's probably underground where the laboratory once was. You got to take me back to your base!

Max grabs Jill's shoulders.

Max: No, Jill! Don't even think about that!

Jill: Why, Max? I haven't seen him for five years! I've got to see him!

Max: I don't want you to be put in danger! I can't put you at risk! Plus, he's not how you remember him.

Jill: What are you talking about?

Max: He's- I don't know. Something like out of a special effects movie or something like that. He has long white hair and has bright white eyes.

Jill: Why should I care what he looks like now? All I care about is that he is alive!

Jill grabs her car keys off a shelf and goes to the door. She tries to open it, but can't. Max is holding the door with his telekinesis to make sure that Jill doesn't open it. Max walks to Jill, grabbing her car keys out of her hand.

Max: Listen to me, Jill. I know you want to see him, but this is not the right time to do so. If I bring you to him now, I don't think he would understand. I don't want you to be a potential threat like he is now. If you end up a target like he is, I don't think I or my team would be enough to protect you. Look, Jill, you need to stay here. When this is all over, I promise, you will see him again. Can you promise me that no matter what, you will stay here?

Jill stares at the dog's eyes. She looks around the room she's in, then back to Max.

Jill: (sighs) Okay. I promise, Max.

Max: Good.

Max places her keys on the kitchen counter.

Max: I think my work is done here. Just so we're clear, this conversation never happened. You cannot mention this to anyone, not even your kids. Alright?

Jill: Yes, Max.

Max nods and opens the door to leave.

Jill: Max?

Max looks at Jill.

Jill: Thank you. Thank you for letting me know that he's alive. You've now given me hope where there was none.

Max gives Jill a kind smile.

Max: You're welcome, Jill.

Max leaves with the door open, which he closes with his telekinesis.

Max: (sighs) Mission accomplished.

He gets inside the Street Rover and backs the car up. He then drives back to base. The next day, he and the Rovers leave for their summer vacation.


The End of Seeking Family.

The Road Rovers will return in The Vengeance of a Dog...