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scraped low, as if to be whipped. He whimpered, then scampered to the opposite side of the cage. Matty slowly straightened up, his eyes stalking the dog. |
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"Isn't he something?" the narrator said. There was no irony in the voice this time. "Look at those eyes." |
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The camera zoomed in. They blazed with excitement. |
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"Word is," the voice continued, "he got this way because a little Black Flag leaked into his water well. Kind of a pity, because it messed up his Little League plans. Not to mention what it could do to the Office of Biotechnology." |
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"There's more," Julius said. |
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The dog did a little jig of panic. Matty closed in, his mouth slack and stringed with drool. When he got to within a few feet, the dog bolted to the opposite side of the cage and slammed itself into the bars. Matty still came, and in a reflex the dog lunged at Matty, who caught him in midair by the neck. The next instant the dog went sailing across the cage into the bars. For a stunned moment he looked around, then terror-charged rage sent him at Matty, catching him by the ankle. Matt chopped the dog's head with his hand, the dog's grip went slack. The next moment Matty was on him. |
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The camera rolled for only another twenty seconds, just long enough to show Matty red-mouthed at the dog's throat. Then the picture went blank. |
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"Christ Almighty," DeVoe muttered. |
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"In case you're wondering," the voice resumed, "Buster was removed with a mop. The good news is that we won't have to feed Matty for a couple of days. As you can see from this demonstration, Matthew is quite adept at handling himself. Of course, his usual meal consists of smaller competition. We can't risk having damaged goods, can we, Dr. Wick? Which brings up the purpose of this greeting." |
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When the picture came on again, they were looking at a magazine photograph of Julius Wick shaking hands with President Morgan Reese. |
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"Need I remind you what a shame it would be if word got out about Matty and Black Flag? But that need not happen." |
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With the camera still trained on the Newsweek photo, the voice went on to the ransom. "At an agreed time and place, Matty and all |
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