Chapter 2: Realizations

Chase was the first to wake. Only the faintest glow of light could be seen through Rachel's living room window. If Ryder said they would be up and ready before sunrise, Chase was going to stick to his word. He got up and stretched. Rocky, Zuma, and Rubble were still curled up on beach towels adjacent to his. He walked over to each and nudged them awake calling the pup's name at the same time. He knew that as soon as Ryder woke up and was ready to go, he would call them, but Chase decided he should take the initiative. There was no time to lose when it came to the mission they had on their hands.

"Is it time to get up alwready, dude?" moaned Zuma.

"Yeah. Now, c'mon, we don't want to wake up-"

"Mornin' guys!" Blizzard chanted as he walked around the corner of the hall that led to Rachel's room. "So what's the plan? Oh! I know! Chase, you're going to go all super spy and send your drone out after Marshall and Amber, right? Oh, and I bet Skye's gonna be all supersonic and speed around town asking if anyone's seen them and-"

Just then, the pup tags sounded and Ryder's voice came on, "PAW Patrol, to the Air Patroller!"

"Ryder needs us!" the four pups said together. Before they even took a step toward the door, Blizzard was already waiting there.

"C'mon pups. What are you waiting for?" Blizzard unlocked the door, something he had just recently learned to do, and scampered outside, with the group of dumbstruck pups right behind him.

Breakfast was waiting for the pups onboard. Skye and Everest had just started eating when Ryder saw the other pups racing over. He wasn't sure what Blizzard was doing with them, though. "Good morning, pups," he said from the top of the boarding ramp.

"Good morning!" Blizzard responded chipperly.

"Hi… Blizzard. Did you need something?" asked Ryder. Blizzard dashed up the ramp and then sat in front of Ryder wagging his tail.

"Nope. I'm here to help!" Blizzard said with a large grin on his face.

"Oh, I see…" Ryder searched for the right response in his mind. He didn't know Blizzard very well and honestly hadn't a clue as to what help he could offer. On the other hand, he never liked to turn anyone away from the chance at doing something good. He knew it would mean a lot to Blizzard to participate in the search for his friend. "Does Rachel know you're here?"

"Well… not exactly. She's kinda still sleeping… But, you can just call her and tell her I'm with you, Right?" he answered with a nervously hopeful smile.

"Sure, but we've got to get moving. So, if she doesn't answer or says you can't come, I'm going to have to leave you, okay?" Ryder pulled out his pup pad and Blizzard gave Ryder her number. It rang a few times before a groggy Rachel answered.

"Hello?" she yawned.

"Hi, Rachel. It's Ryder."

"Oh, Ryder, hi. What's up?"

"Well, actually. I'm calling to ask if it's okay for Blizzard to tag along. He really wants to help and it's okay with me if it's fine with you."

"Oh, that pesky pup. I'm so sorry, Ryder. He's probably keeping you from you work-"

"Rachel, please! I know I can help. I'm sure I know things about this city that Ryder and the pups don't know. No offense, Ryder." Blizzard interrupted.

"Like I said, I'm totally fine with Blizzard helping just as long as he promises to listen and stay out of danger," Ryder said with a sideways glance to meet Blizzards pleading eyes.

It was silent for a while before Rachel sighed, "Alright, if you think he'll be of use in bringing Amber and Marshall home, I give him permission. Be safe out there."

"We will!" Ryder and Blizzard responded. Rachel hung up and Ryder looked at the now fully assembled team.

"Sorry I didn't bring breakfast for you, Blizzard. I didn't know you were coming," Ryder said noticing the unbalance between pups and bowls.

"That's okay. I ate already. Rachel doesn't know this but I keep a secret stash of kibble under her bed," Blizzard said with a sly smirk and a tilt of the head. Some of the pups couldn't resist a small chuckle.

"Okay, well, the rest of you pups, finish up quickly so we can get down to cracking this case. I know you would rather skip breakfast, but we're not sure how long this is going to take us," Ryder pointed out.

"Hopefully not too long," Everest said vocalizing what everyone was wishing.

It only took about five minutes for the pups to be lined up and at attention. Blizzard took Marshall's usual spot. After a quick questioning glance in Blizzard's direction, Chase spoke up, "PAW Patrol and Blizzard ready for action, Ryder, Sir!"

"Okay, pups, it's time to make some progress today. I know we can do this. It's gonna be all paws on deck again. Chase, I'm going to borrow your drone and monitor it here from the Air Patroller while you use your megaphone to search the parts of the city near the beach," relayed Ryder.

"Chase is on the case!" he called out.

"So cool," exclaimed Blizzard to himself. He was trying his best not to seem overexcited even though that word could not even begin to explain how stoked he was feeling to be on an actual mission with the PAW Patrol.

"The rest of you pups will be searching in different parts of the city making sure to be careful," Ryder emphasized. "Those pupnappers are still out there. They must know how your puptags work or they wouldn't have taken Marshall's off. We don't want that happening to you too. Skye I'd like you to search the East part of Cape Catfish. That's the more suburban part of town. It'll be easier for you to get around with your jets. Zuma you take West Cape. Rocky, you take North. Rubble, you take south. Everest you'll be searching downtown, and Blizzard and I will help you as soon as we pay a visit to the police station." After Ryder finished giving assignments, the pups answered in compliance.

"This pup's gotta fly!"

"Let's dive in!"

"Green means go!"

"Rubble on the double!"

"Off the trail, Everest won't fail!"

"Blizzard is the wizard!"

That last statement caught everyone off guard.

"What?" asked Blizzard sheepishly with all eyes on him. "Okay, so it might need a little work, but you've gotta admit it was clever!"

Laughter seeped through the cracked smiles on everyone's faces. Ryder then took his spot in the cockpit and proclaimed, "Alright! PAW Patrol is on a roll!"

Marshall and Amber were startled awake by a kick to the cage that rattled the metal bars and themselves.

"Wakey, wakey, pups!" Trevor said shortly before unlatching the door to the crate and turning to Mike. "Mike, take care of the pups while I finish up something in the other room."

Trevor walked over to the cage. The two pups were still trying to figure out what just happened and remember where they were. When Amber saw Mike's figure approaching she instinctually backed into the corner and whimpered. Marshall stood up abruptly and took a firm stance blocking Amber from Mike. Unfortunately, Marshall's legs weren't as awake as he thought they were and they wobbled under the sudden tension causing Marshall to slip back onto his belly. Mike laughed a bit at the sight, but to the pups' surprise, it wasn't a cruel laugh. It was a sincere… gentle laugh.

"Poor pups. Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to give you some breakfast," he said with a welcoming smile. "Come. I have your bowls set out in the kitchen. I'm sorry Trevor woke you up like that."

The gesture seemed honest enough. Marshall was the first to take a step through the door. He looked back to urge Amber to follow him. She slowly uncoiled from the corner and followed Marshall out into the living room. Mike then took hold of the leash that was still attached to Marshall and then clipped a leash to Amber's collar. He noticed Amber stop moving and could see the concern in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, girl. Trevor doesn't want you runnin' loose. I don't see why I have to leash you to walk a few feet away, but you can't really argue with him," Mike said with a shrug of his shoulders. He led the pups into the kitchen and waved his hand toward the two small bowls of dog food that were waiting in the middle of the floor. "Go on. It's the good stuff, not the cheap kind. I think it's chicken flavored. I've heard from the other dogs that it's pretty good."

The other dogs? Amber and Marshall looked at each other with the same thought.

"What's wrong? Don't like chicken? I can try and see if I can get you a different kind for lunch," Mike suggested sincerity in his voice.

The two pups hesitated. There was not one bit of this situation that felt comfortable. What if Mike was trying to trick them into eating bad pet food or something? Every pup was taught from very young to never accept food from strange humans. Mike then noticed the fear the pups were feeling.

"I promise the food is alright. We need you to help us, remember? We wouldn't want to do anything that would keep you from being able to work. I don't want you to go hungry, but if you don't get on your breakfast, you might just have to miss it. Trevor really wants to be on time today," Mike persisted.

Amber really didn't like the idea of helping these guys out, but against her determination to not comply, she was feeling hungry and who knew what would happen if they failed to do whatever it was Trevor was going to have them do just because they're tank was running empty. She looked at Marshall again and he seemed to understand what she was trying to say. They both walked forward into the kitchen and cautiously took a few nibbles at the food. It tasted alright. In fact, Mike was right. It was some of the best food they had ever savored. The door to the study was open just a crack and the pups could hear Trevor picking up some keys. This sound cued the pups to finish up quickly. Mike then took the empty bowls, rinsed them out, and filled them with water.

"Sorry we don't have separate bowls for water. We weren't expecting to recruit two pups," he said placing the bowls in front of the pups.

"Mike! Are you done over there? We've got to move it out of here before any of the neighbors start making their way to work!" Trevor demanded as he walked through the door of the study.

"Just about, Trevor," Mike replied calmly. "You're right. It's almost six and we do have some early risers on this floor. Oh, like that cute little old woman down in 510. She-"

"Mike! I don't want to know about that little old woman. I want to know if the pups are ready to go!" Trevor said with a snarl.

"Sure thing, Trev. See, they're all done with their water," Mike said gesturing to the two pups who were sitting next to Mike now taken aback by Trevor's less than amiable attitude.

"So, then, what are you doing standing around here for? Let's get them in the car!" Trevor snapped as he swung open the front door and headed down the hall. Mike followed right behind making sure to turn the lights off and lock the door.

The lights in the hall were still dimmed as they always were between eleven o'clock at night to seven o'clock in the morning. Amber, despite her best attempt, was having trouble walking down the hall because of how dark it was. Some doors had welcome mats that she would trip over and others had decorative vases or flowerpots adorning the entrance that she would graze of stumble into. Marshall quickly notice and had Amber stay close to him the rest of the way down. However, Marshall wasn't the only one who noticed, not that it was hard to anyway. As Trevor was leading the trudge down the hall by several feet's distance from Mike and the pups, he had no idea; but Mike started building concern for the pup. Had he hurt her legs the night before when he put her in the trunk of the car? She seemed to be walking just fine in the apartment. Was she just so tired that she was still getting a grip on walking far distances? He had no idea. He put the thought away for the moment and watched for the elevator doors to open.

When the elevator arrived, everyone filed in without a word, much like their walk down the long hallway. And, they remained silent until they reached the gray five-seater that had been their transport into this mess. Trevor spun around and pointed a demanding finger at Marshall and Amber.

"No nonsense. Do you hear me? Two pups like you are no match for Mike and I. The only thing you'll gain from fighting us is getting yourselves tired. We can't have you running out of juice or you won't be able to work as efficiently, and if you don't do a good job… well, let's just say, things are not going to be pretty either for you or us," Trevor said furrowing his brow.

Marshall knew it wasn't a good time to make an effort at escaping. He was a pretty fast pup, but he couldn't leave Amber in the dust. Also, there was hardly anyone on the streets yet which would make it hard to find someone who could help them keep Mike and Trevor off their trail. There was the chance that they would run into a police officer or even Ryder while they made a run for it, but it was not the opportune time to take that chance.

With grudging compliance, the two pups let the men pick them up and put them into the trunk. Whatever light that had begun to seep its way into the parking garage was shut out with the harsh metallic slam of the hatch. The pups sighed in exacerbation at their current situation.

Soon the rumble of the engine could be heard and felt through the floor of the trunk and their bodies could feel the car backing out of the parking space and make its way out of the parking garage.

The pups did not speak, but for different reasons. Marshall was wondering how on Earth he was going to get Amber and himself free of Mike and Trevor, while Amber was concerned for not only that, but other things as well. What if there were opportunities for them to escape, but because of Amber they would fail to make it? What if Marshall, Ryder, and the others were mad at her for what had happened? And on top of all that, now they were being forced to do some kind of work, and if they did not perform that task well, something bad would happen. Amber felt like crying, she really did; but she didn't want Marshall asking her what was on her mind. She also felt like she had done enough crying in the last week. She fought back the knot in her throat and took a deep breath.

After several minutes of quick bursts of speed and jolting turns, the rollercoaster ride finally came to an end. The pups were both relieved and nervous. The trunk opened and Mike helped the pups out. He adjusted his grip on both leashed in his hand and told the pups to follow him.

They had arrived at a large concrete building with a moderately sized parking lot to match. The surrounding area was highly forested with only a couple of residences visible between the tall trees. The grass was overgrown and the sidewalk they were now walking on was severely cracked and dirty with weeds sprouting up between the slabs. The exterior of the building mimicked its surroundings. Some parts of the walls were stained and others had some kind of vines growing on them.

When they walked inside, however, the view was completely different. After passing a small foyer, they walked through another set of doors that led to a brightly lit, open area where a young man was sitting at a long desk surrounded by small piles of paper.

"Good morning, Mike. Good morning, Trevor," the young man called out as they approached his desk.

"Mornin' Ben! How's it goin'?" replied Mike cheerfully.

"Not too bad, not too bad. Steve just brought in a new recruit this morning. She was a spunky little labradoodle, pretty smart too. And we've got a couple of contenders who are really close to making it in-"

"Very nice. Is the boss around? As you can see we've got two new recruits who are supposed to go on their first mission today," interrupted Trevor.

"Oh yeah, he's actually waiting for you in his office. I'll let him know you're coming," said Ben with a smile that showed all his perfect teeth. He pushed some papers aside revealing a telephone. He held down a button and spoke into the phones microphone, "Boss, Mike and Trevor are here to see you."

"Thanks, Ben. Send them in," came a voice from the speaker of the phone. Trevor wasted no time. He strode straight toward a door in the back corner of the room. By it was a glass window that reached from floor to ceiling that was made opaque by a closed curtain on the inside of the office.

"Thanks, Ben," said Mike before leading the pups quickly to the boss's office to catch up with Trevor.

Trevor knocked and a man about Trevor's height opened it. Unlike Trevor, however, this man was not lanky but muscular with brown hair multiple shades darker than Trevor's as well. He gestured the small group in and closed the door behind them. The more doors they went through in this place made Marshall feel more and more trapped.

"Hmmm," said the man thoughtfully as he circled around Amber and then Marshall. He seemed to be inspecting them in some way. "You've got a couple of nice catches here boys."

"You could say they were reward material," suggested Trevor.

"Now, don't get ahead of me Trev. We still need to see how they hold up on the field," he stared at Amber curiously. "What's with that pup's eyes? Why don't they stay still?"

Her eyes! Mike finally realized. He started to open his mouth to mention something, but Trevor cut him off.

"Nothing… She's just nervous, that's all. She's taking in her surroundings. She's very good at that." Trevor advertised. This was partially true but to Amber it did not seem that Trevor really knew about her eyes. On the contrary, he did. He knew exactly who she was. He was one of the standers by who saw the pups deploy from their mini jet and spread flyers about her throughout town. It was then that he decided to make capturing her a priority. Catching Marshall was just a coincidental bonus. Trevor hoped the boss would not ask any further questions regarding Amber. He wasn't sure how long he could keep up the charade. He just hoped that Amber was given the right circumstances to show what she was capable of and be given a spot on the boss's list before anyone noticed what was really going on with her eyes. Not that he cared what would happen to her if she didn't make it; he just wanted the money that would come of it.

Mike saw the look in Trevor's eyes, but didn't say anything. It seemed like Trevor was keeping something a secret and if Mike tried to get him to reveal it in front of the boss, he could tell that Trevor would not be very happy with him. He opted to keep his mouth shut for now.

"Well, boys, I suppose I should give these pups their briefing and send them off to work. Mike, you can just hook them up to that ring on the wall there," the boss said pointing to a small metal ring that was screwed into the wall. Attached to it were a couple of cords with clips on the end which mike hooked onto the pups' collars before removing their leashes. After hanging the two leashes on the wall above the pups, Mike turned to them.

"Good luck today," he said with a smile. "I think you'll do great!"

"Yeah, good luck," said Trevor with a slightly darker tone and a sharp look. The two men walked out of the office and disappeared behind the door. As soon as the door shut, the boss gave the pups no time for questions.

"You pups are now recruits in the Cape Catfish Canine Protectors Program," he started in an authoritative voice. "There are various training exercises and test you must pass to qualify for a spot on the elite team that I am forming. This team will serve under me as the first responders of this town, and can only be comprised of the best of the best."

This all sounded very familiar to Marshall and Amber. This man was recruiting pups to form a sort of PAW Patrol for Cape Catfish. Did he know that Marshall already had his loyalty pledged to another city and that Amber was in the process of finding an adoptive family? Did he know that the reason they were there was because they were pupnapped? His questions were partially answered when the boss continued his speech.

"Now, just so you are aware, this town does not believe in you the way I do. They've seen what the Adventure Bay PAW Patrol can do and still refuse to allow me the permission to form a similar team; but that is not stopping me. They are not aware of my little project in progress, but I know that once they see what my team is able to do they will realize what I have been seeing all along in pups such as yourselves, heroes," he said determinedly. He began pacing around the room taking strong proud strides. "Because I was denied the authority to recruit dogs publicly and there weren't any generous citizens who would donate their own pups to the program, I've had to revert to picking pups from the street. Now, I don't want you to think I'm cruel for doing this, but I do have pups here that did belong to families; but I assure you, they are better off here than with the people who didn't care enough to keep their pups from getting lost on the street in the first place."

This comment shocked Marshall and Amber. This man was keeping pups from getting back to their families who have probably been worried and desperately searching for them endlessly, and he knew this. Amber could image exactly how those pups were feeling and how their owners felt too. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. This man was intending to do something legitimately good for this city, but was going about it all wrong. Marshall couldn't let him say any more.

"You can't do this! You're going against orders and keeping all these pups from getting back home. Giving them a chance to be heroes is a great thing. Believe me I love feeling like I'm doing something good for others, but I bet some of the pups here are being held against their will-"

"You…" the man said staring hard at Marshall's face. "I thought I recognized you! You're one of the PAW Patrol pups, aren't you? Marshall, is it?"

Marshall was stunned, "How do you know who I am?"

"Oh, I've done my research. Do you think I wouldn't study everything there is to know about your team before forming a PAW Patrol of my own? This is great! Who would have thought that in looking for pups that were PAW Patrol material I would end up having one of the actual PAW Patrol pups as one of my recruits?"

"I'm not joining your team and neither is Amber," Marshall assured him.

"Amber… I thought I recognized you too! You have flyers all over town. Listen to me pups. The reason you're here is that you're meant to be here. Mike and Trevor brought you to me because they must have found you alone on the street. Apparently, your team doesn't want you anymore, but I do. And, I know they were trying to help you find a new home, Amber. Just think about it, this could be it. Well, if you pass the tests and training that is…"

Amber was done being quiet. This was all her fault and she had to at least get Marshall out of here. She didn't care what happened to her. If Marshall decided to come back with Ryder to rescue her, fine. Either way, he didn't deserve to go through this. Maybe if the man knew how it was that they ended up getting pupnapped, he would let Marshall leave. "The PAW Patrol didn't abandon us… well not on purpose. We were waiting by the street for them to come back and get us… and all because I couldn't see enough to make it to the van by myself."

"Is that so? I knew from your flyer that you couldn't see well, but if you can't make it around by yourself… well, I don't think your cut out for my program. That is, unless you have some redeeming tricks up your beautiful gold fur," said the man folding his arms.

"So you'll let us go?" asked Marshall.

"Oh no, not at all. I have a better plan," he said bringing one of his hands up to his cheek and tapping with one of his fingers. "I could use a pup like you Marshall. And, if your team is looking for you as you say, I'd like to strike a deal with your leader. I'll let them take one of you back if they let me keep the other."

"Ryder would never make that deal with you." Marshall said now become frustrated at this man's persistence in doing things crookedly. Amber wasn't sure she agreed with Marshall. She might have a day ago, but not now. Maybe the reason Ryder was working so hard to find her a home was because he didn't want to deal with her anymore. It was obvious at the beach that she was more of a burden than anything else. And, now that she got Marshall and herself pupnapped, why would Ryder choose to take her over him? Maybe this was where she belonged.

"I could just call him now, you know, and have this little situation done and over with; but I don't think I will. I want to see what you pups are made of. Who knows, maybe I'll want to keep both of you. Maybe I won't want either of you. We'll just have to see," he said with a smirk.

"You've got to at least let us call him to let him know we're okay," Marshall pleaded. The man walked over to the wide window behind his desk and seemed to ponder Marshall's request.

"No," he said finally.

"What?" argued the two shocked pups.

"I said no. You think I don't know how ingenious that boy is. He will surely be able to trace the phone signal and show up over here without warning and ruin everything I've worked so hard to achieve. He won't understand my reasons for doing this hidden from the Cape Catfish authorities. I'll have him meet with me when I'm ready. For now, you work and prove to me that you are worthy of telephone privileges."

This hardly seemed fair at all. Up until now, they hadn't even been told what happens to pups who don't make the team; but it didn't sound like they would get a chance to see Ryder that way either. The only choice, it seemed, was to do their best and hope they impressed the boss.

"Oh," he said abruptly turning his gaze upon the pups, "one more thing. If you even so much as think about planning an escape from here, I'll see to it that you have no way on this planet of finding your way back to your precious team. Do I make myself clear?"

The two pups could not speak, only nod. This man was serious and scary.

"Now for the fun stuff," he said lightening his mood but still keeping his signature authoritative pitch. "Your job today will be to search the junk yard for some supplies I need for some additions to our outdoor training course. I will have one of my men escort you there and provide you with a list. Bring back everything on that list, and you pass to the next level of training. The important thing here is to go and come back in as little time as possible and to be efficient. Got it?"

"Got it," muttered Marshall.

"Good. Oh, and before I call your escort in, there's one more thing I need to do," he went behind his desk and opened one of the drawers. He pulled to objects out and walked toward the pups with them. He came to Amber first. "There is a tracking device in this wristband. It'll let me know exactly where you are and what you're doing at all times. So, I'll know if you go back on your word and indeed make a run for it. Once it's clipped on, it's impossible to take off, unlike your collar Marshall. Only I can remove it."

He snapped the wristband into place around Amber's front leg and removed the pink beaded bracelet she had gotten at the luau. Seeing how forlorn she looked at its confiscation, he spoke again, "You'll get this back if and when you prove yourself to me." He then moved onto Marshall and repeated the gesture. Happy with his progress he stood up, dusted his hands off, and said, "There."

Soon after, another strong looking man walked in, leashed the pups up, and took them away. Thinking about nature of their job, Marshall couldn't help wonder what Rocky was doing. Was he even awake yet? Were he and the rest of the pups looking for him and Amber? They had to be.