Guns And Dogs by T.A. Uner Read Free Book Online

look. “Why?”
    “It may enlighten you my boy.”
    Johnny walked towards the one-way mirror. He heard panting and noticed that Jessie and Studs were beside him. Looking through the mirror he saw a body on an operating table being tended to by hovering robots with extendable arms.
    “The man inside the surgery room; he’s undergoing a species-change, Johnny,” Argos said. “That’s why they call this facility a LifeHouse.”
    “Wait a minute.” Johnny looked at Doctor Murdoc before pointing to the patient on the other side of the mirror. “You mean to tell me that guy’s not human?”
    “He will be once the LifeBots are finished with the procedure. But to answer your question: no, he was once a native of the planet Kyrellix,” Doctor Murdoc said patiently.
    “Why is he undergoing surgery to become human?”
    “It’s the whole purpose of the LifeHouse system Johnny. These aliens help AL out by offering us information vital to Earth security. The consequences of their actions sometimes means that they need protection, and the best way to protect our extraterrestrial allies is by incorporating them into the human population. This way, their enemies will have a near-impossible task of locating them. It’s like a witness protection system for aliens.”
    Johnny watched as the “human” on the operating table was being outfitted with new skin pigmentation. He saw that one of the alien’s legs had been red and the LifeBots were configuring it to look human. Another LifeBot was using a beam to remove the scales from the patients’ spine. “And my Dad knew all about this too?”
    Both Argos and Murdoc nodded. “Indeed he did, Johnathan. Your father was one of our best Time-Healers,” Murdoc said sadly. “Having you here with us honors his legacy. Be warned though, you have tremendous standards to live up to now.”
    Johnny thought about his father and what he must’ve meant to this organization. The least he could do was learn all he could about AL. But he worried about his mother. She must be hysterical knowing that he’d been sent here.
    “What’s on your mind, Johnny?” Argos asked.
    “He’s thinking about his mother,” Doctor Murdoc said. “Quite admirable.”
    “You can read my mind?” Johnny asked.
    Argos looked at Murdoc sternly who returned his glance abashedly. “I know I’m not supposed to use my telepathy but I had to know what was on Johnathan’s mind. These are difficult times for the boy.” He turned towards Johnny. “I am sorry if I invaded the privacy of your thoughts. It was inconsiderate of me.”
    “That’s alright, Doc. You meant well.” Johnny backed away from the mirror and the surgery room disappeared. He wondered what other surprises were waiting for him inside the LifeHouse.
(2)
    “Now there is something else you should see.” Doctor Murdoc led them through another door which opened up into a long corridor. At the end of the corridor were two helmeted U.S. Army soldiers guarding the door with strange oversized rifles with mounted scopes. Much to Johnny’s relief, they were human. “Hello Gentlemen,” Murdoc said before placing his hand on a console. The soldiers gave Johnny a stern glance. Murdoc smiled. “This is Mr. Johnathan Veto. Son of our Agent Scott Veto. He’s been cleared.” The soldiers nodded and their stern glares relaxed. Johnny wondered if his father’s reputation had influenced their change in demeanor.
    The door hissed open and Johnny realized that Argos and Doctor Murdoc were patiently waiting for him on the other side. He looked down and noticed that Jessie and Studs were still with him, waiting for him to move. Johnny smiled at the dogs before glancing at Argos and Murdoc. “Sorry.”
    After clearing the door, Johnny found himself in a hangar bay filled with strange craft. For a moment he thought one was a conventional rocket used by NASA, but it bore strange markings that resembled Egyptian hieroglyphs. Something inside him told him that