Hey, hello everyone. Well, I finished this chapter in almost a week, hurray! But this is still quite a long time, I think. Anyway, here we are.
LunaWolf44: Whoa, take it easy, thought I'm glad to hear that you like this story.
bsassan0378: Thanks, glad to hear you liked this story. Yes, I will finish this story and its sequel.
The Paw Patrol was forced to act immediately. News of Chase's «death» and his replacement by a machine sounded too believable for most of the residents. Ryder had to convince everyone that Chase didn't die in a car crash. However, he had no idea what his attempt to hide the truth would turn out to be.
«Skye, Rubble, Zuma, I need your help.» Ryder said. «I'm afraid that alone I won't be able to convince anyone.» The three nodded. «Rocky, Marshall, you have a special mission. You must take Chase with you so that no one can find him at the Lookout, and find a small warehouse near Foggy Bottom. In this warehouse I keep spare parts to repair Chase. Go there. And find the fur there, then you have to disguise Chase as a normal pup. After you're done, bring Chase to the main square. Chase, then you have to pretend you're not a mechanical dog. Can you do that?»
«We'll need a little time, but I think we can handle it.» Rocky answered.
«Great! Now, let's get started.»
Ryder, Skye, Zuma, and Rubble went to the main square to speak with the mayor, while Marshall, Rocky, and Chase went to the warehouse. At the moment when the four from the Paw Patrol arrived at the town hall, Mayor Goodway was very nervous and was trying to reasonably assess the situation, but her emotions didn't let her to do it. Suddenly, she heard someone knocking on the door of the town hall. She opened the door and was very surprised when she saw Ryder. She immediately hugged him, thinking that he could burst into tears at any moment. However, the boy asked her to let them pass into the town hall and talk. Going to the main hall, Mayor Goodway deigned to ask why Ryder came here.
«I have a very serious conversation.» Ryder said.
«Oh Ryder! I'm so sorry to hear that Chase died…» Mayor Goodway began to speak, but was interrupted because she didn't know what to say.
«Mayor Goodway, listen, Chase is NOT dead!» Ryder was a little nervous. «The reporter saw Chase in a special Halloween costume! You misunderstood! Chase is alive and I can prove it! Just let me tell the town.»
Mayor Goodway was delighted when she heard that Chase was alive. Of course, she agreed to let Paw Patrol dispel the myth of some kind of mechanical pup. She sent a message on TV that Ryder would be giving a speech in 15 minutes. The residents of Adventure Bay were worried. Will this speech be about the incident with Chase? Everyone wanted to know how the leader of the Paw Patrol was doing. Five minutes before Ryder's speech, the main square was filled with people worried about the Paw Patrol. Although Ryder knew what he had to say, he was a little nervous. Mayor Goodway took the stage.
«Dear residents of Adventure Bay, we all saw the terrible news that Chase died in a terrible car crush, but Ryder is here to tell us the truth!»
There was some fuss in the crowd. Ryder came out and looked around at the people in the main square. He took a deep breath and began.
«Dear friends, I have a very important message for you all. We all heard about that tragedy with Chase, we all thought that he was gone forever, but secretly hoped that he survived. However, this news… It was a lie. I didn't create any mechanical pups to replace Chase. Chase is alive! And what you saw on the news was a mistake. It wasn't a mechanical Chase, it was Chase in his new halloween costume. I wanted to make it a surprise, and I didn't want anyone to know about this costume ahead of time.»
People didn't know how to react. They were very happy, but such a statement was unexpected. However, the reporter was convinced that Ryder was hiding the existence of the mechanical pup.
«Ryder! Next Halloween will only be next year!» The reporter said. «Moreover, if it was just a Halloween costume that everyone would have found out about anyway, why did you try to hide it as if your life depended on it? Why did his eyes glow like a real robot? After all, where is Chase now?»
Ryder couldn't answer these questions. In search of help, he looked at the pups, but they also had no ideas for answers on these questions. Meanwhile, Marshall, Rocky and Chase arrived to the warehouse. Rocky told Marshall to stay with Chase while he went to get the materials. While one pup was looking for fur, the other two were sitting by the lake.
«Marshall… Do you think Ryder's plan will work?»
«…I think the plan will work.» Marshall answered.
«…What if it won't work? What if I will become an outcast for Adventure Bay? You saw Mayor Goodway react to me. I'm afraid to imagine what would happen to other people.»
«Chase, calm down!» Marshall began to worry about his friend's feelings. «Chase, you won't become an outcast, you never were. Even if people don't love you the way you are, that doesn't mean they won't appreciate you and what you do.»
The mechanical pup didn't know what to say. He just smiled. The two were talking for a few more minutes and didn't notice someone approaching from behind. Marshall was telling something, but suddenly Chase began to sparkle and twitch, his blue glowing eyes began to flicker. The Dalmatian didn't have time to figure out what was happening, when he suddenly received a powerful blow to the head, which made him hit his head on Chase's iron shoulder and lose consciousness. Chase saw many errors and glitches in his system, but he could not do anything. His system just shut down.
«Fine.» Someone said on the handheld transceiver. «Now bring the machine to me, I have some great plans for him. And the Dalmatian must be got rid of. Hmm… I've got an idea, throw him in the lake.» Someone wanted to raise an objection, but was interrupted. «Don't be afraid, if his nose is above the water, he will not drown. Now, do as I said!»
A few minutes later, Marshall was tied with ropes. The Dalmatian was still unconscious, so he couldn't offer any resistance. He was thrown into the lake. A splash of water appeared on the lake for a moment. Marshall wad in the water. Fortunately, his nose was above the water and he could breathe. Chase was loaded onto a trailer. This trailer was attached to a small self-propelled machine on tracks. Chase's tag was smashed to pieces with a hammer, and now no one could track his location. The self-propelled machine moved and took with it the kidnappers and the mechanical pup. In about ten minutes Rocky returned with fur to disguise Chase.
«Hey Chase, Marshall, I'm back.» Silence… «Guys? Where are you?»
He went a little closer to the lake and stepped on something. He heard the crackle of glass. Raising his paw, he was horrified. It was a Chase's tag. And Marshall's tag, like the Dalmatian himself, was nowhere to be found. Rocky was seized with panic.
«Well, I, uh, Chase is busy right now, I can't call him here, he hasn't fully recovered yet. What about the eyes…» Ryder was trying to improvise, but then he received a call from Rocky. «Sorry, someone is calling.» He stepped off the stage backstage and answered the call. «Hey Rocky, you saved me.»
«Ryder! I don't know what happened, but Marshall is gone, and there is a broken Chase's tag on the shore!» Rocky was very worried.
«Wait what ?» Ryder exclaimed.
«There are different footprints on the ground, these are clearly not the footprints of dogs! Ryder, Marshall and Chase were attacked!»