The villain's lair was not exactly subtle. An abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, with security cameras, a sign that said "DO NOT ENTER (Seriously)" and, to top it off, a watchtower on the roof that looked like it was taken from a low-budget spy movie.
— Do you really think this goes unnoticed? — murmured Carlos, adjusting his glasses while observing the place with binoculars connected to his tablet.
— What worries me is that it works — said Marta, who had already smeared black paint on her face as if she were part of a tactical squad.
Alex, meanwhile, was looking at himself in a portable mirror, adjusting a fake mustache.
— And does this help us not get recognized? — he asked, unsure.
— It helps you look ridiculous, which distracts — Marta replied without looking up.
The infiltration plan was, like almost all the group's plans, a mix of improvised brilliance and complete madness. Carlos had built a kind of fake cleaning suit that concealed a backpack with electronic devices, while Marta and Alex would be disguised as sushi delivery people.
— Sushi? — Alex asked when it was proposed —. What if they ask for a sample?
— I don't think the villain's henchmen are very concerned about fresh salmon, Alex — Marta told him —. They are more busy watching a dog that has probably already bitten them twice.
Max, for his part, was being held somewhere in the warehouse, probably planning his escape. According to what the reconnaissance drone had captured, the dog had managed to steal a pastry from one of the guards and was eating it in its cage. All a demonstration of resilience.
Night fell, and with it, the operation began. Carlos was the first to approach the warehouse, pushing a cart with a broom, a bucket, and an expression that said "I am totally harmless." Meanwhile, Marta and Alex approached from the side of the building, carrying a cardboard box with the logo of "Sushi Ninja Delivery."
— Halt there — growled one of the guards at the back entrance —. What do you want?
— Urgent delivery for Mr... uh... Villanov! — said Alex, improvising a name. The guard frowned. — Villanov? — Yes, yes — Marta quickly intervened, pulling out a supposed receipt —. He ordered a double tray of makis with extra wasabi. Very demanding, his boss. The guard looked at them suspiciously, but just at that moment, from inside the warehouse, a shrill voice shouted: — WHERE IS MY SUSHI?! The guard blinked. Marta and Alex looked at each other. And then the guard sighed and opened the door. — Get in quickly. And make it good, or someone will lose their teeth. Alex swallowed hard. Once inside, the aisles of the warehouse turned out to be more chaotic than they expected. Boxes piled up to the ceiling, cables everywhere, and a couple of henchmen playing ping pong on a makeshift table made of a toolbox and two plates. Carlos, from the other side, activated his backpack and let out a small cloud of blue smoke that smelled suspiciously like cheap air freshener. That distracted one of the guards, who ran out coughing, which left a direct route to the main office. Marta seized the moment. — Let's go this way — she whispered, pulling Alex. — But Max's cage is on the other side! — he protested. — First, we need to cut the electricity. Carlos is about to do it, but he needs us to activate the emergency generator so we can block the guards' doors. Alex blinked. — And you understand all that? — NO! But Carlos does, and that's what matters.
Meanwhile, Carlos slid through a side crack, crawling like a technological ninja, with his modified broom that was actually a signal receiver.
— Activating phase two... now — he murmured.
Suddenly, the lights flickered. They went out. And a scream emerged from one of the offices.
— WHO TURNED OFF THE LIGHT?! I FELL ON MY SPRING ROLL!
Alex and Marta slipped through a side door just as the emergency lights were activated. Carlos, from his hiding spot, connected his tablet to the building's control system.
— Door control locked... Max's cage located... and... bingo.
Max's cage opened with a slight click. Max, who had been peacefully snoring, woke up, looked around, and after a yawn, trotted out triumphantly. Just at that moment, a guard saw him.
— THE DOG! HE'S ESCAPING!
And then everything went to chaos.
Red emergency lights began to spin. A shrill siren was activated. Marta and Alex ran down a hallway, Max appeared behind them with his tongue out, and Carlos shouted from his internal microphone:
— Change of plan, change of plan! Get out through ventilation duct C 17!
— Which one is that? I'm not a human GPS! — shouted Alex, as they ran dodging boxes.
Marta opened a hatch in the ceiling.
— This one! Trust me!
Max jumped first, like a canine parkour expert. Marta followed him, and Alex climbed with difficulty, just as a henchman arrived with a flashlight and shouted:
— WHY IS THERE A DOG ON THE ROOF?!
Inside the duct, the group crawled as fast as possible, with Max leading the way as if he had already memorized the building's layout. Carlos guided them through the earpiece.
— To the right... left... watch out for the fan! The fan almost ripped off Alex's fake mustache. — I will never trust this thing again! — he exclaimed, throwing it down the duct. Finally, they reached a grate. Marta kicked it and they rolled out into a container full of bags of rice. — We did it! — shouted Alex. — Don't celebrate victory too soon — said Carlos, appearing through a side door with his cleaning cart completely destroyed —. They are still chasing us. And as if it were a signal, several men armed with flashlights began to emerge from the warehouse, shouting: — THERE THEY ARE! CATCH THEM! Max barked. Alex swallowed. Marta took a breath. — Should we run? — What do you think? — replied Carlos. And then they shot out through an alley, chased by half a dozen furious henchmen. But, for that night at least, Max was free. And although the plan had gone wrong in almost every technical aspect, one thing was certain: the team worked better together, especially when they improvised under pressure. As they ran through the shadows, laughing and panting, Alex looked at his dog, who was running happily with his tongue out. — I missed you, buddy. Max barked. And although he couldn't speak, his look clearly said: me too... but this has been too much fun to get angry.