The crowded departure hall of Liszt Ferenc International Airport was filled with the usual hustle and bustle: the monotonous squeak of luggage wheels, the incomprehensible words of the announcer, and the nervous bustle of the passengers filled the air.
But this usual buzz was split in two by a sudden, hoarse, ominous bark. Rex, the experienced, seven-year-old German Shepherd, who had been lying calmly next to his companion, the security chief, now jumped up like a raging storm and rushed forward furiously.
“Rex!” Rex, stop! – Maxim, a security guard in his mid-thirties in a tight uniform who had worked with the dog for several years, called after him.
However, the dog did not seem to have heard. His path led straight to a young woman sitting on a bench, one hand resting on her stomach and the other trying to stay warm under her thin fur. His face was pale and fear was reflected in his eyes. The woman was… pregnant.
“Please take this dog away from here!” he shouted. “What are you doing?” Why… why are you barking at me?
Rex didn’t widen his eyes. He stood in front of her in a tense posture, growling and occasionally jumping up and down, as if he wanted to attack or warn someone. Those around them froze. Some people took out their phones, others stepped back.
“Call the zookeeper!” – the voice of an overzealous passenger was heard.
But Maxim just stood there, gripping Rex’s leash with sweaty palms. The dog has never, never reacted like this before.
“This is not normal,” he muttered to himself. “Rex is never wrong.”
He went to the woman, who was trembling like an aspen leaf.
“Madam, please stand up,” he said firmly but politely. “You have to go through a short security check with us.” Nothing serious, just… protocol.
– But I… I’m just going home to Szeged! Look at my ticket! the woman protested. – My name is Veronika Kiss, I am eight months pregnant! I did nothing!
– I understand, Veronica. Please don’t worry. «We just have to make sure,» Maxim replied, while another guard was already calling the security room.
Rex continued to growl, now not only at the woman, but also at one of the suitcases lying next to him. Maxim looked at the suitcase and then back at Veronica.
«Is this your package?»
«Yes…» the woman nodded uncertainly. «I only have some clothes in there and my test papers.»
«Okay,» Maxim said, motioning to his colleague to take them into the search room.
The room was cold, sterile, all objects made of brittle metal. Veronika sat on the edge of the chair, her hands still on her stomach.
«Tell me, why is this dog behaving like this?» he asked. «I… I really didn’t do anything.»
«It’s not for me to decide, ma’am.» But the dog is trained. Explosives, drugs, dangerous substances… – Maxim replied while his colleagues had already searched the bag. Nothing was found.
However, Rex did not rest. He scratched at the door, whined and pawed at the floor as if something was holding him in.
“Something is wrong here,” Maxim whispered to one of his companions, Eszter.
“I agree. This is too strange.”
Veronica suddenly bent over.
“My stomach… something… is wrong!” – he whispered painfully. “The baby… God, it hurts!”
Maxim immediately called for medical personnel. When they arrived, Veronika had already slipped to the ground, her face drenched in sweat.
“Stand aside!” the paramedic shouted as he knelt next to her and touched her stomach.
Rex barked at that moment as loudly and fiercely as he had ever barked before. His face was snarling, he was going crazy.
The doctor’s gaze darkened. He slowly removed his hand from Veronika’s stomach.
“This… this is not childbirth,” she said, her face pale. “This… is something completely different…”
“What does it mean not to give birth?” – Eszter asked in shock as Veronika gasped for air.
The doctor quickly gestured to his assistant.
– Bring a mobile ultrasound! IMMEDIATELY!
Maxim literally felt his blood freeze in his veins. Rex’s progress, Veronika’s increasingly desperate expression, and now this medical reaction… It was becoming increasingly clear: something was very wrong.
Veronica shook her head with teary eyes.
«Please… I don’t know… I just… I thought the baby was moving, but… it’s so strange.» Sometimes it feels like… like something is pressing inside…
The assistant rushed in with the ultrasound, and the doctor immediately turned on the machine. Black and white spots flickered on the small screen, and the ultrasound probe tightened on Veronika’s abdomen.
Rex suddenly fell silent. He just stood there, looking with his dark eyes, his ears pricked forward. The room became so quiet that even the hum of the neon lights seemed loud.
The doctor’s face turned even whiter.
“This… this is not a fetus,” he whispered.
“Where are you going?” – Maxim stepped forward.
“There’s a foreign body in the abdomen.” Something that was being implanted. An object. I think… a remote-controlled device.
The room exploded in an instant.
– Call the fire department IMMEDIATELY! – Maxim shouted. “Everyone leave the building!” Evacuation! Full alert!
Rex barked again this time, but not in panic – as a warning.
Veronica’s face contorted.
– Nehm… I didn’t know about that… I swear! – he sobbed. – They said it was just a medical intervention to protect the baby, to stabilize the pregnancy… they said it was a special protection… I didn’t know what it was!
«Who said that?» – Eszter asked with a sparkling look. «Who did you talk to?» Where did this happen?
– In a private clinic in Óbuda… it wasn’t cheap… but they said everything was sterile, everything was professional… – his voice trembled.
«What’s the doctor’s name?» – Maxim asked.
– A certain «Dr. Carver»… I don’t know his first name, that was all that was written on the nameplate… a dark-eyed, bald man… he was very convincing.
The firefighters had already arrived and with the help of the doctors they carefully lifted Veronika onto the stretcher. Meanwhile, the building was already being evacuated, and a temporary operating room was quickly set up at the back of the airport.
Rex didn’t leave her side for a minute. It was as if he felt: he wasn’t the enemy. He was also a victim.
Two hours later…
Maxim was sitting in one of the airport offices with his face buried in his hands. In front of him was a cup of cold coffee, and next to him lay Rex, now calm but alert.
The door opened and Esther came in.
“We have the results,” he said quietly.
“A mini-expl0sive ch,arge has been installed.” Remote control. The plastic cover was designed so that it wouldn’t be detected on ultrasound. Veronica would probably have been used as a living infern0… along with the child.
Maxim clenched his hand into a fist.
“And he really didn’t know about it?”
“Total victim.” The entire clinic operated under aliases, but we’re now on the network. The intelligence services got involved too. It’s not a local issue. International.
“Is the woman okay?”
– Yes. The procedure was successful, the device was removed and… by the way, she really was pregnant. With two-month-old twins. The babies are alive too.
Maxim smiled for the first time in a long time. Rex pricked up his ears and then yawned.
“You were the key, buddy,” he patted the dog’s head. “You saved three lives.” And maybe hundreds more.
Esther sighed.
“Do you know what’s most shocking?”
– Veronika told me… she didn’t apply to the clinic. An “aid organization” advertised itself as a service for expectant mothers who were having trouble coping with pregnancy. Free examination, medical packages… and he believed them.
Maxim nodded darkly.
– They were fishing. And he was the bait.
The next morning – Security Center, Budapest
Veronika sat in the interrogation room in a hospital gown. His eyes were dark, but his gaze was clear. Next to him sat Eszter, who – with a slight deviation from protocol – was present not as an interrogator, but as a person.
«I don’t know who to believe,» Veronica whispered. «I was so sure they meant well.» Everything was so convincing… they were so professional, kind, attentive.
«Behind a terr0rist organization there are often people who perfectly disguise themselves,» Eszter said. «They don’t collect victims from the street.» They build the trap.
The door opened and Maxim entered, with Rex at his side. The dog almost immediately went to Veronica and gently pressed his nose into the girl’s palm.
«Everything is fine now,» Maxim said quietly.
Veronica smiled and stroked Rex’s head.
«I can thank you for still being alive.» And so are my twins.
«The name of the organization is: The Second Chance,» Maxim continued. «It was written at the top of the website.» There is actually no civil basis behind it. An international group — they conducted «medical examinations» in several countries, and a similar case has been discovered at several airports.
«So… I wasn’t a unique target?»
«No», Eszter shook her head. «Unfortunately not.» But you were the only one whose bomb didn’t explode. And do you know why?
Rex crouched quietly at the girl’s feet. Maxim looked at him and smiled.
«Because there was a dog there that could smell not only smells but also the truth.»
Evening – airport, after closing
Maxim walked alone along the edge of the runway, followed by Rex’s footsteps.
«You know, old warrior, you became a hero today.» «Although I think you’ve saved us a thousand times, unnoticed,» he said.
Rex wagged his tail, but his gesture was more modest than boastful.
«You know, I don’t usually say this, but… I love you, you crazy one,» Maxim added, patting the dog’s side.
Eszter approached from a distance with an envelope.
“The latest report,” he said, handing it over. “We found out that “Dr. Faragó” is actually a non-existent person. His real name is Anton Leman. He was a Swiss citizen, but he traveled with false documents. He roamed three continents.
“And now?”
“Now we know what to look for.” And for whom. And thanks to Veronica… and Rex… we can be one step closer to taking down the entire network.”
Maxim nodded, took the envelope, and then looked up at the starry sky.
“A second chance, huh?” It really meant something for once.
Three months later – hospital, delivery room
“Push!” Come on, Veronica! Once again!
The doctors encouraged him, while Eszter held his hand and smiled encouragingly at him.
“Almost there!” Just need a little more!
Another conversation, and finally the room was filled with the cries of newborn babies. Then a few seconds later another voice joined in.
“Two healthy babies,” the obstetrician said. “A boy and a girl.”
Veronica’s tears streamed down her face. He laughed and sobbed almost at the same time.
“The little girl will be called… Reka,” he said. “And the little boy…” he smiled, “let him be Rex.”
Epilogue – One Year Later
In the park, a little boy tried to catch up with the dog, who was running cautiously in front of him, not too fast, but just fast enough to make it a game.
“Rex!” Wait! – the little boy laughed.
Veronika was sitting on a bench with a stroller, the little girl sleeping quietly in it. Next to him, Maxim and Eszter were chatting, coffee in hand.
“I think I really believe in miracles now,” Veronika said quietly.
Maxim nodded.
“And I think that sometimes a dog saves the world.” A loyal, sniffing heart.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.