Greetings, and welcome. I wanna play a game. JK, but on that chilling note, happy Halloween 24 hours early from the main event begins here in the UK.
So before you jump into the third chapter of the story, there's a few things I need to point out:
1) Upload Times - So for those not living in the UK, our clocks will be going back an hour tomorrow, so if you wonder why I'm uploading the new chapters every hour early then you'll know why.
2) Quotes from Miniseries - As some of you might know from the previous chapter, this story does contain some mention to the HBO/Sky miniseries. Just to confirm but I've somewhat tweaked around with them so they're not kind of similar.
3) Location of the begging of the chapter - I did a little geography hunting for my "weirdly-insane-alternative-timeline-story-set" thing and found out there's a town that shares its name with the Nova Scotia city, specifically known for its explosion. A little detail of what I found out about that town is in the story and I might do the same for other towns over the world when it comes to my next "weirdly-insane-alternative-timeline-story-set".
Well anyways, on the orders of my own brain, I will shut my noise hole and deliver chapter three for you.
P.S. Enjoy.
Chapter 3 – Operation P.A.C.
Elsewhere in the world, the world was living on its own. The Soviet Union was around, the British Empire was bigger and stronger than Vietcong ambushes, and the Americas were on their own. But deep in the heart of the British Empire, in the country of Great Britain, lies a town that shares its name with the famous explosion in Canada. Though it's not massive in land size, Halifax was home to many wealthy owners, the birthplace of a landowner who became the first-ever modern lesbian and the famous 'Quality Street'. Dean Clough, once known as the world's largest carpet factory, was converted into a weapons factory in support of the empire's strength. In a grand Edwardian building, where most of the chairmen and commanders of the mills were based, news was brought to them that something had happened in the South West of Canada in Adventure Bay. A woman entered an office of a member of the chairmen.
"Mr Davies, there's been an accident in the South West of Canada, specifically nearby a town known as Adventure Bay." The woman said as she came in. Mr Davies was handed a paper whilst having the incident described to him. "Call in the administrators over the country, and invite the head professor." Mr Davies ordered as he handed the note back to the woman. "Yes, sir." She said and left.
4 hours since the explosion and the meeting had begun at mills. Inside one of the buildings, a young man walked into the building and up to the reception desk. He made a halt before the desk and waited for the receptionist to look up. "I'm here for the chair's meeting." The suited man stated. The receptionist checked his computer. "Name please?" The receptionist asked.
"Professor I. Legasov." He spoke.
As the fingers stopped typing, the receptionist slowly turned his eyes to the man. Pure shock swelled from his face. The receptionist shook his thoughts off and returned his eyes to the screen before the professor noticed he was staring.
"Room 815." The receptionist informed and the professor nodded. As the professor left the desk, the receptionist kept his eyes on the prof until he disappeared into the elevator. His mind was still left in the void. On the upper floors, as the professor walked down a corridor, other workers began to notice the professor walking by. He then knocked on the door which had a sign 'Room 815' engraved in gold on it. By the sound of silence coming from the other side of the door, footsteps grew louder toward the door, then a guard dressed in an army major's uniform opened the door and greeted the professor inside.
Stepping inside in conference room, there were other gentlemen sat around a long table. Around the room were other counties' flags, fully showing their colours. The professor sat down as the gentlemen continued to talk.
"Well, I can inform you, gentlemen, that the situation in Chernobyl is under control. The plant's director stated that the level of radiation is 3.6 roentgen per hour. It's an equivalent of a chest X-ray." Mr Davies stated. "But what about the citizens? Should they be concerned about the dangers?" Another younger gentleman asked. "No. We don't want to cause panic within the nearby town, which I was informed about, known as 'Adventure Bay.' Until the dangers and hazards have been contained, we'll then inform the people." An older gentleman informed. The older gentleman sat in the grand chair, seen by the other officials as the head, or director, of the chairmen.
"Any more questions before I call the meeting to an end?" The head asked. "There've been calls from Cambridge to send scientists, along with the World Health Organisation, over to the power plant to assess the situation there and declare immediate action after the investigation." A third gentleman stated.
The professor stopped in his mind of what he was doing and raised his pupils at some of the chairmen. "Cambridge will have to wait, but in the meantime, the empire will assess the situation. Anymore?" The other members and the professor sat in silence and was still.
"Meeting is now adjourned." The director declared. The other members got up, but the professor shot up.
"Wait!" He called. The members shot their heads around to the professor. "Sorry. I'm sorry, but we can't adjourn there." The professor said.
"Would you care to identify yourself?" The director ordered.
"Apologises, Mr Director. This is Professor Igor Legasov, head of the military power for the Great British Empire and radiation harness of human control." Mr Davies explained. "Professor now's not a good time." But Igor was too busy trying to find words.
"I know. Can everyone turn to page three: section of casualties. 'A fireman was severely burned on his hand by a chunk of smooth, black mineral.' Smooth, black mineral, anyone?" Igor said as he gave the question to the other members. "Graphite. It's graphite." Igor stated.
"But why is naming this mineral important?" Mr Davies asked. "There's only one place where you'd find graphite, and that's inside a reactor core. So the only possibility is the core exploded. It's open." Igor said. Mr Davies raised an eyebrow at the words coming out of the professor's mouth.
"Professor, I think you are mistaken. The plant director, Bryukhanov, stated in his report that it was a tank explosion. And the levels of radiation were recorded at…" Mr Davies assured him until he was cut off. "3.6 roentgen. Yes, which is not the equivalent of one chest X-ray, it's four hundred chest X-rays. That number's been bothering me for some time now, and it's also the maximum reading on low-limit dosimeters. They gave us the number they had, but if I'm right, this fireman was holding the equivalent of four million x-rays in his hand!" Igor explained. Mr Davies leaned forward. "Professor Legasov. There's no need of alarm of hysteria in this room." Mr Davies warned with a low tone in his voice.
"It's not an alarm. It's a fact." Igor answered back with the same tone as Mr Davies. "Well, I don't hear any facts." The director stated.
Both gentlemen turned toward the head director. "All I hear is a man that I have no idea who he is or what he's talking about." The room was dead silent. Legasov hung his head in embarrassment, knowing his professional standard had dropped. "I apologise. I didn't mean to cause any alarm amongst all of you." Igor said.
The rest of the chairmen sat down, but Igor remained on his feet. He wanted to take a seat as he felt his legs tremble with anxiety. His skin swelled with the sweat that he tried to hold back. The pressure built up on the young professor like a ship slowly pushing him against an ice-burg.
"Now, the reactor used at Chernobyl is an RBMK 1000 type. Created by the soviets who managed to plant four in the north of North America. An RBMK reactor uses Uranium-235. Every atom of U-235 is like a bullet, traveling at the speed of light. It will penetrate through anything. Wood, metal, concrete, flesh, and living tissue. There are over billions of millions of bullets, but that's in one gram. Chernobyl holds over three million grams of U-235, and right now at this moment, it's on fire. And I for one, believe it's exposed. The wind will carry the radioactive particles over the entire continent of North America, and three-quarters of South America. And the rain will only bring that down on the people down below. In the food they eat. In the water they drink. In the air they breathe. All of these bullets are capable of bringing sickness, cancer, and death. Most of these will stop firing for thousands of years to come, but some of them will not stop firing for fifty thousand years." Igor explained. Silence had completely dominated the room.
"And this, concern, is all because of a description of a rock?" The director asked. Igor nodded, with fear and terror.
"You'll go to Chernobyl and take care of the situation." The director ordered. Igor got up and walked towards the door. Only to be stopped by the director. "Do you know how an RBMK reactor explodes?" The director asked. The worried professor slowly turned around. His eyes met with the director's own eyes. He felt his trembling increase its own rate. Just before he left, he gave his answer in a low toned voice, which sent shivers down some of the chairmen's spines.
"My father knows how one explodes."
Hours after the meeting, Igor Legasov rod on a helicopter to the Americas after the meeting concluded. He landed in Vancouver and he rode in a convoy to Adventure Bay, where he was escorted by the British army. Another man, African American, dressed in an American British commander's outfit, which was bluish red and had both the American flag and British flag.
"You must be Igor Legasov. British American Chief General, Edmund Richardson, at your service." The chief introduced. The gentlemen shook hands. "Who's the leader of British operations here in the Americas?" Igor asked. "That'll be me, sir." Edmund responded.
"Do you know anything about nuclear reactors?" Igor asked. "Not really. I will state that I have strict intentions on orders to follow and when to make the right decisions." Edmund stated.
"So I hear." Igor replied. The vans and trucks of the convoy rushed into the border of Adventure Bay. Already in the grey skies, Igor saw a massive rise of smoke coming over a hill. Outside on his face, he showed nothing; inside, his blood began to rush and boil.
"What have they done?" Igor whispered to himself. "Sir, we're nearly there." The driver reported.
Edmund nodded and turned toward the professor. "The director that you met back in England has reported to the High Court about the situation that's going on right now. The court has stated that all advisory action is to be made by you." Edmund stated.
Igor turned his eyes back outside. He saw the climbing smoke pass by. That's all he could ever see, apart from the grey skies that yet he could see. Eventually, the convoy entered the town. Mayor Goodway stood outside city hall, alongside the plant director, Victor Bryukhanov, and Chief engineer, Nikolai Fomin. The trucks escorted the vehicle that Edmund and Igor were in. Mayor Goodway took off, leaving the two men behind. A soldier walked over to the other side of the truck where Edmund was sitting and opened the door.
Edmund and Igor got out and were greeted by the Mayor of the town. "Chief General Richardson, I'm Mayor Goodway. On behalf of my citizens, we are delighted to have you here in Adventure Bay to sort out our 'little' nuclear problem." Mayor Goodway stated. He gestured the two men behind and they approached the Chief General. "Chief General, this is Victor Bryukhanov, plant director. And Nikolai Fomin, chief engineer of the plant." The two men shook hands with the general.
"Chief General, naturally, we regret the circumstances of your visit, but as you can see, we're making excellent progress of containing the damage. We've also begun an inquiry into the cause of the accident, and I have a list of individuals we believe are accountable." Bryukhanov stated. He handed Edmund the paper and he had a look.
Then Igor Legasov approached. The plant director noticed his approach and already his eyebrows were raised. "Professor Legasov. I didn't expect you to be here." Bryukhanov said. Edmund turned to face him.
"We've heard you've been saying dangerous stuff." Bryukhanov stated.
"Very dangerous stuff. Apparently, one of our reactor cores 'exploded'. Please. Tell me how an RBMK reactor core explodes. I would love to know." Fomin asked. Legasov knew the answer, but he wasn't ready to deliver. He stood with regret and delivered his current answer. "I'm not prepared to say under this current time." Fomin leaned in toward Bryukhanov.
"Just like everyone else. No answer." Fomin whispered to Bryukhanov. "Disgraceful, really." Bryukhanov answered back.
"Anyways, I was wondering if you've met our town heroes?" Mayor Goodway asked, breaking up an increasing tension. "Who are they?" Edmund asked.
"The Paw Patrol." She answered. Then, speaking of their name, the team came rushing around the corner and headed straight for the Lookout. "Oh, there they go." Mayor Goodway said.
Igor saw them go by, but the Mayor saw something that she recognised being towed by Rubble's rig. "Is that Skye's helicopter?" She asked herself. Igor turned around to the Mayor.
"Miss Goodway, do you know if the Paw Patrol keep any record of what they do on their assignments?" Igor asked. "I don't know, but the leader, Ryder, might know." Mayor Goodway stated.
"Chief General, can you get someone to take me to this 'Paw Patrol'?" Igor asked, turning to Edmund. "Sure. Officer Martin. Get your vehicle over here." Edmund called out. "Yes, sir." Officer Martin's voice came.
Edmund walked away, leaving Igor with the Mayor, plant director and chief engineer. "Bryukhanov, why was there graphite on the ground?" Igor asked.
Bryukhanov looked at him confused and worried in the same facial expression. "Graphite?" He replied, with curiosity in his tone. Igor nodded. "Chief engineer Fomin, why did the professor see graphite on the ground?" Bryukhanov asked. "I don't know, but did you visit the plant?" Fomin asked.
"I didn't." Igor asked.
"Then how did you? Comrade." Bryukhanov asked. Igor inhaled, gulped, and exhaled whilst keeping the deadly stare off with the plant director.
"I was told that a fireman was burnt by a mineral." Igor explained. Moments later, Officer Martin drove his vehicle up to city hall and Igor got in. "Take me to that Lookout." Igor requested as he pointed to the Lookout. Officer Martin drove on and reached the Lookout. Igor told Officer Martin to keep the engine running until he came back. He slowly approached the entrance to the inside. The doors didn't open but he saw a young boy inside. Igor knocked on the window and the boy caught the sound.
Ryder walked over to the door and unlocked it, allowing Igor to enter. "Ryder, I presume?" Igor asked. "Yes?" Ryder said in a confused voice.
"I'm Igor Legasov, head of the military power for the Great British Empire and radiation harness of human control. I heard that a nearby nuclear reactor exploded." Igor explained. "How did you know?" Ryder asked.
"I was given a report on the situation. Mind if I come in?" Igor stated, followed by the question. "Sure." Ryder said.
Igor stepped inside and saw that it was only Ryder in the room. "So, I'm told that you're the famous Paw Patrol team here in Adventure Bay?" Igor asked. "We are." Ryder answered. Igor stood proud as a general of his men who've just come back from battle and brought back, in the bag, victory for the men to toast to.
"I must say, your reputation precedes you." Igor stated. Ryder smiled. Every mission he was proud of his pups. "Thanks, but the Paw Patrol are always on a roll. No job is too big, no pup is too small." Ryder stated.
"Did you visit the nuclear plant just a few moments ago?" Igor asked, knowing the situation is going to be ugly. "Yes. One of our pups just got injured badly, so we're getting her fixed backup." Ryder explained. No words to speak, Igor nodded. Then, they heard a car drove up. Both Ryder and Igor went outside to see that Edmund had arrived.
"Ryder, this is Chief General Edmund Richardson, leader of British operations here in the United States of America." Igor introduced. Edmund saluted, and Ryder gave a small salute, feeling unsure of what was happening. "Professor, there's been word from the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. They've taken into account of the Paw Patrol. They see great potential use in them. So, they said they're initiating 'Operation P.A.C' here in Adventure Bay." Edmund stated as he handed the Professor a file with the same words that Edmund uttered, standing out in big bold letters.
"What do they mean, 'Operation P.A.C'?" Ryder asked.
"The court was advised by the US and Soviet Union advisers to initiate Political Action Committee, to receive money from the public which would be put forward to your uses, Ryder sir. But the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has stated that they will not lie to its citizens and tell the truth until the accident has been neutralised or, at some point of progress, under control." Edmund explained.
"So, they changed the initials to 'Pups At Chernobyl', thus why they've asked for the Paw Patrol to handle the crisis." Ryder stared down at the Chief General, then toward the professor. "The Supreme Court said that the Paw Patrol will deal with this crisis?" Igor asked. "Yes, sir." Edmund answered.
Igor was shocked, even Ryder. His own team being used to try and stop a monster that was invisible to the human eye, his own family. But Igor had another feeling. He made one final glance to the Chief General.
"Thank you, Chief General. I'll take care of everything from here." Igor said. The Chief General nodded his head and returned to the town. Ryder and Igor went back inside the Lookout.
"That's not the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. It's someone else." Igor stated. "What do you mean? And what's going to happen to us? To the pups? To me?" Ryder questioned as his brain's gears started to push themselves to the limit that it could blow a fuse.
"I don't know. But I promise, I won't back away from you in this crisis. I'll be at your side. No matter how stressful this thing gets, and I'm no coward." Igor assured the leader. Ryder started to feel somewhat better.
"So, what do we do?" Ryder asked.
"We fight this thing." Igor answered.
"How?" Ryder asked. "With the Paw Patrol." Igor answered. Ryder went from confident, to unconfident. His face even showed it to the professor.
"Don't worry. I won't put any of your pups in danger. Promise." Igor said. And just like that, Ryder slightly picked up a smile.
On the top floor of the Lookout, Marshall was attending to Skye's wounds, whilst Chase stared in horror and wondered if the Cockapoo would wake up. Skye herself laid on a table asleep. The other pups rested their heads as nighttime was drawing in. The EMT Dalmatian had cleaned up her nose, her chest had been covered with bandages and an icepack on her head.
"Will she be okay, Marshall?" Chase asked worryingly. "She'll be okay. I'd say a couple of days of rest should be enough." Marshall responded. Chase felt a punch in his heart. He couldn't stand seeing her like this. He felt his eyes being shoved out of their sockets by the flooding tears, he felt his heart tightening up. He couldn't stand to lose her, especially the fact that he developed a crush on her.
Chase could remember the time he first had those feelings after Skye's first month into the Paw Patrol. He denied any other feeling that spewed up in mind, as he felt it drew him away from the admirable Cockapoo. Then, the sound of the elevator rising up brought the German Shepherd back from his daydream. Ryder and Igor stepped out on the upper deck and Ryder approached the pups. Chase immediately woke the others up. The first thing they saw as their eyelids sprung open was their leader approaching them.
"Hey, Ryder." The pups called out. "Hi, pups. How's Skye holding up, Marshall?" Ryder asked.
"She'll be fine. She'll need a couple of days off and rest." The Dalmatian explained.
Skye was lying in bed, no sound from her whatsoever. The only noise you'd hear from her would be the quiet wind flowing through her nose, and out again.
"Pups, the situation at Chernobyl is getting worse. Right now, there's a fire going on and needs putting out. Looks like this is an Ultimate Fire and Rescue Mission." Ryder declared.
"Waiting for your orders, Marshall." Chase stated.
"Actually, Marshall isn't the one giving the main orders. This is Igor Legasov, he's a professor." Ryder stated as he pointed toward the professor. All the standing pups turned towards the professor. "Thanks, Ryder. As I am aware, you've already tried to tackle this situation before we came in." Igor recalled.
"We helped to clear away debris to pave the way for the other fire service." Rubble stated. "Yes, I've heard. But the situation is very dangerous, but at these times, we're going to need brave pups to stand up to this fear." Igor admitted.
The pups were quiet. They already knew what it had done to one member; what happens to the rest of the members if they join in?
Some of them began to doubt their own bravery. "This is a big job, pups. But I know we can do this." Ryder encouraged them. "Your services, alive or dead after the situation is dealt with, will be honoured by the people of both North and South Americas. They'll make sure your names will never be forgotten in history." Igor stated. They were all silent.
The leader and professor saw that none of the pups seemed brave enough to tackle the crisis on their own. Until one of them stood up.
"I'm ready." Zuma spoke up as he stepped out. All the pups turned to the chocolate Labrador. Their eyebrows shot up as the words left his mouth. "Are you sure, Zuma? We've already seen what happened to Skye." Rocky pointed out.
"Adventure Bay is my home. I would never let this become a wasteland. And if I die, then I'll die saving the many people that are in danger right this hour." Zuma reasoned. Ryder smiled as his young brave pup, whilst Igor saw the potential in his fate but was still proud of his bravery.
"You know something?" Marshall spoke out. "Ever since we started, I've always been wondering if we'll ever get a mission that's too big for us. But we've always proven that we aren't too small for the job." Marshall spoke. The pups then turned to the Dalmatian, especially Everest. "Count me in, with Zuma." Marshall added. "Alright, dude." Zuma said as the two pups high-fived.
Everest felt the butterflies in her stomach, they started persuading her to join up by the two other pups by their side, to join Marshall by his side, to join her long-time lover by his side. The Husky recalled the moment she first fell in love with him just after the poor dally found himself in a cliffhanger last month; from there on, she'd always stick by his side and never surrender her loyalty.
But she was determined to save Adventure Bay. A place she called home, and Marshall was willing to stare in death's face to save the many lives.
She walked out of the group and joined Marshall at his side. "I'm coming too." The Husky spoke. Marshall saw her smile aiming toward his eyes, to which he did the same. One by the one, the pups stepped came forth. Tracker, then Rubble, then Rocky until Chase was the only one left.
All eyes were on him, waiting to know what the German Shepherd was thinking. He saw his best friend going on this deadly mission. He then looked back at Skye.
Still quiet; motionless; unconscious.
Chase himself only knew of his love toward the Cockapoo. But if he stayed behind and continuously heard the endless cries of help coming from his friends, then she'd probably die for nothing. Was there really a place on Earth called heaven? In his tightening brain, Chase made up his destined choice and turned around to the others. He came close to his Dalmatian friend, then drew his head to one of his ears.
"Of all the times you've been a goofball, you've been a brave fire pup. But most importantly, a great friend that I would never push away, nor erase from my mind." Chase whispered. Marshall felt a tear swelling up in his eye. "I would've said the same to you." Marshall replied.
The German Shepherd and Dalmatian hugged and both had tears coming out of their eyes. They let each other go and wiped away the tears. Then all the pups turned to Ryder and Igor.
"Paw Patrol, ready for an Ultimate mission, Ryder sir." Chase spoke in his officer tone. Ryder smiled and started to choke up. "You're all brave, pups. No matter what happens, remember that." Ryder said. They all nodded. Ryder gave himself a moment to compose himself, then turned to the professor.
"Ready." Ryder said. Igor nodded and faced the pups.
"Now, we've got to start making plans for what we need to stop this thing and prevent everyone dying from its poison." Igor explained. "The only way to do that is to know how much radiation the fire is giving off, that way we know what we're dealing with. But as far as I'm told, you're all under the control of the British Empire but I'll be advising your moves throughout the situation. However, the Great British Empire is not the one in power over you all. I believe that it's something far worser." Confusion struck the pups like lightning bolts.
"If the empire isn't controlling us, then who is?" Everest asked.
"I don't know, but I have an idea who. I can't be too sure until I have evidence to back my theory. So for the time being, I don't want to start playing the blame game. Yet." Igor explained.
And in a matter of minutes, they were dressed in their ultimate fire rescue outfits, with each one getting their representing colour. Although Tracker and Rocky had the same colour but different shades, the two weren't easily mistaken by the others. Marshall's fire truck was upgraded into a bigger truck, Ryder dressed in his fireman's outfit and hoped on his ATV. Igor rode on the back and the team rolled out.
Outside Townhall, Chief General Edmund Richardson had set up a base of operations. There were tents set up around. The entire town of Adventure Bay hadn't been evacuated yet. Soon, the Paw Patrol came riding back, without Skye who was still resting. Edmund saw the arrival of the team and immediately approached the professor. Igor climbed off Ryder's ATV and noted the Chief General's approach.
"We need to send a dosimeter near the core to check the radiation counts." Igor advised. "We just received the packaging of dosimeters a couple of minutes ago, specifically from the UN." Edmund reported.
"We can attach one to the bonnet of someone's car and pull alongside near the reactor. Have we got a supply of Lead?" Igor asked. "Just as you ordered. There's a supply of them in one of the trucks." Edmund stated.
"What's the Lead going to do?" Rubble asked. "Stop the ionising particles, but it'll only reduce the amount penetrating the truck." Igor answered.
"But who will go?" Marshall asked. All eyes spun around to each other. It was like the whole world had become silent, just to know who would go in to take the readings.
"I will." Zuma spoke out. "Are you sure? You'll only have to drive to a position a couple of meters away from the reactor. Nowhere close. Understand?" Igor instructed him. "Of course, dude." Edmund stated. Edmund then ordered the soldiers to get the truck ready.
"You seem very eager, Zuma. What's with the action?" Everest asked concerned.
"I've been sat out for nearly every single mission we've been on, dudes. I want to at least show that I'm still a team player." Zuma explained, wanting to get the job over and done with. As Zuma was geared up and the truck was covered in Lead, he left the town and headed towards the reactor.
The day became wet and dark. By the time Zuma had reached the plant, the environment was quiet and eerie. Zuma drove around the reactor block to witness the many fire trucks abandoned and left to rot in front of the exposed reactor. Hoses lying around and trailing towards the reactor, ladders suspended in the air. Even the opening of the block was quiet, but Zuma felt the worst was yet to come. The block itself was blacked out. Most of the fires were extinguished but the fire from the main core was still alive. Zuma came to a stop, peaking around the corner of a fire engine where the radiation counter had a clear view of the blown reactor. He switched on his dosimeter. The number shot to three figures, four figures, five figures. His eyes, hidden away in a gas mask, widened to the full extend, his blood turned cold and shivers raced down his spine.
Back at the base, Igor was waiting in the same tent as Bryukhanov and Fomin, while Ryder and the rest of the pups waited outside. The gentlemen inside were patient. Igor was sat down with his eyes staring off into space, Bryukhanov was stood around and Fomin was pacing back and forth. No conversation struck up between the two since Zuma's departure. Then Rocky spotted bikes coming around a corner and a truck with Lead shielding came rolling in. Rocky hurried into the tent and spoke out. "He's back."
Igor got up, and the two gentlemen walked out with Igor following. Many soldiers were dressed up in biohazard suits. Most of them were squirting soap and disinfectant on the truck, while two were disinfecting Zuma, who was presumed by the pups. He walked up to the group, taking his gloves and his mask off.
"It's not 3.6," Zuma reported. "It's 15,000."
Bryukhanov's eyelids widened by the report of the number. He turned to Edmund who stood at the side of them.
"Chief General Richardson…" Bryukhanov spoke but was interrupted by Ryder who spoke just at the same time. "What does that mean?" He asked. Igor turned toward everyone.
"It means the core is wide open. It's exposed and the fuel is melting down." Igor explained. Some of their hearts skipped beats, some of their hearts increased their rates, some of their hearts stopped.
"The fire we're watching with our very eyes is giving off nearly twice the amount the Hiroshima bomb gave off during the Second World War. And that's every single hour." Igor checks his watch, and it had been twenty hours since the explosion.
"Twenty hours since the explosion, which is forty bombs worth by now. Another forty more by tomorrow and it won't stop, not next week nor next month. Instead, it will continue to spread its poison until the whole of the west is dead." Igor explained with a deadly tone. Everyone who heard the words out of the professor's mouth started to feel their hairs stand up. Goosebumps flowed down their skins. Then, Edmund turned to two soldiers who were standing at the tent's entrance.
"You two. Escort Bryukhanov and Fomin to the town hall and have them watched over. You're relieved from your duties, gentlemen." Edmund stated. The two soldiers marched over and restrained the two men. Bryukhanov tried to talk his way out, but Edmund declared him out of order. Meanwhile, Fomin was calling out Dyatlov's name, stating that he was in charge of the destroyed reactor, calling out that it was his fault.
"What do we do now, sir?" Edmund asked. "We'll need Boron and sand to put out the flames." Igor stated.
"Why Boron and sand? Why can't we use water?" Ryder asked. "The fire will instantly vaporise it. At this point, the fire has now become the reactor core, burning over 2,000 degrees. We'll need to use helicopters to drop the material on the fire. But they can't fly directly over it." Igor explained.
"And just when Skye isn't feeling herself." Chase whimpered. "She may not be fit to fly, but she is fit for instructing. Marshall, will Skye still be able to travel?" Ryder asked.
"Should be I hope." The Dalmatian answered. "Great. Chase, head back to the Lookout and bring Skye back here." Ryder stated.
Already, Chase felt his tongue hanging over his teeth. He gave an eager howl and smiled. "Chase is on the case." The German Shepherd called out, jumped in a mini fire cruiser, and drove all the way back to the Lookout. The excitement to get Skye back into action had him pushing harder on the gas pedal than the time he rushed off to rescue the ill-fated Cockapoo from her crash. He felt the wind filtering through his fur and his tongue waving like a flag.
Back in the future, Chase had brought Lulu to the Lookout. Already, she was amazed by the size of it. The concrete of the exterior of the Lookout had eroded away, grass leaked through the tarmac that surround the building and the paint became greyer than depression.
"Wow. It's bigger than me." Lulu said. Chase quietly laughed. "Sure is. We used to live here. It's also where I met what would've been your 'first' mom." Chase explained. The younger female German Shepherd cocked her head in confusion.
"Huh?" She uttered. "Well, your mom wasn't the first I met. I met a beautiful Cockapoo, who was the team's flight pup." The older Chase remembered. Lulu could only imagine who this pup looked like if she was her mother. Chase helped Lulu off his back and slowly approached the Lookout's exterior wall. He carefully placed his paw on the wall, and a flood of memories came rushing at him like a tsunami. The two went inside and up to the top floor. Lulu was surprised by the technology she saw but hasn't been used for most of Chase's lifetime since he was forced to leave it all behind. They looked over the balcony and saw the whole of Adventure Bay. No difference was made in their view. Then Lulu saw the chimney that she caught a glimpse of in the car on the way into town.
"Hey, Dad? What's that chimney?" She asked. Chase came up to his daughter and saw the chimney that she pointed out. His eyes widened, his blood began to gush faster, claws ready to pounce but images of blood and skin decaying made his mind swollen. He took a minute to regain his sanity and already had an answer for his daughter's question.
"That? That is the reason why everything you see around us, is completely appalling." Chase said, whilst holding back his anger. Then, with a trick of his mind, he could see greyish-black smoke climbing out. Chase knew his flashbacks started to pick back up. He almost felt he was going to collapse to the ground. Then, he closed his eyes and only found himself young again, watching the disaster infecting the skyline.
Now, I know what you're saying after Zuma made that decision to go and take the dosimeter readings: 'You're still a team player, Zuma!' But I mean, he maybe relaxed but he hasn't been called out to that many missions.
And the decisions made in that 'meeting' scene don't actually depict that. I mean it's fiction, thus in the name of the site.
Chase: Sir, calm down. I think you're madness is coming back from the grave.
Me: I think you're right, Chase. And on that bombshell, it's time to close the chapter. I do as always hope you enjoyed. How the pups and Ryder will tackle the crisis and who's controlling them, is next week where chapter four will have more.
But from me, I'll see you next time, "When the pups are away, I'll Pup Pup Booogiiiiiiiieeeeee! all day."