Hallo! Hej! Gooday! Salaam! Marhaban! ¡Hola! Cou-cou! Óla! Привет! How's it going? I have some notes before you read this. First, I got the idea of Rocky's "Man Cave" from SwarmX's story A Night to Remember, which I read about a week ago. I steal from the best! (JK) Secondly, why does it seem all the huskies fall for Marshall? Everest, Snowflake, Gasket...? Thirdly, I am not up to date on all the Paw Patrol episodes. I have barely watched Jet to the Rescue and have no idea about Al, Rex, and have little general knowledge of the Ruff-Ruff Pack. This story may involve Liberty (whom I know a good amount of her personality) at some point. Who knows? Lastly, look at the important thing your left hand is covering.
.
.
If you looked, I win.
Disclaimer: I don't own Paw Patrol.
6:58 AM, Adventure Bay.
"You killed Ryder!" Marshall screamed.
Chase was in a stunned daze, lying on the floor with a throbbing pain in his side and covered in Ryder dust, facing a pair of crumpled pajamas atop the apparently cremated remains of the boy. Things had escalated so quickly, and Chase had allowed his fighting instincts to take over in the end. The disintegration was a twist the Police pup hadn't foreseen.
Chase looked up. He met Marshall's terrified gaze and instantly he knew what was about to happen.
"Heeellll-gah-umph!" Marshall had made a mad dash for the elevator, beginning to call for help. Chase intercepted him before he could enter, tackling him despite his own injury. They rolled on the floor, ending up Chase on top of Marshall, paws clamped on his muzzle, holding it shut.
The Dalmatian bucked and kicked, muffled yells and cries barely audible. Chase held him fast. Despite being nearly the exact same size, Chase was stronger than his spotted brother, allowing him to prevent Marshall from escaping.
"If you want me to let you speak, stop fighting!" Chase hissed, gripping tighter. Marshall glared up at him with his crystal blue eyes, but stopped struggling. "I'll let you speak, but only if you promise to stay quiet." Chase could almost see the thoughts running through his eyes. The Dalmatian nodded, and Chase relaxed his grip, taking his paws from his brother's mouth to press down on his chest.
Marshall took a deep breath, then scowled. "You killed Ryder! I never knew you wanted to be leader so much that you'd assassinate him!" He accused quietly.
Chase shook his head. "Marshall, stop being ridiculous. You're gonna have to trust me on this one. That wasn't Ryder." He shifted, wincing at the sting in his side. "Anyway, how the heck do you expect me to have vaporized him?"
Marshall thought for a bit. "I'm… not sure." He sighed. "You're right, Ryder would never have struck one of us. Who was that then?" Chase picked himself off his brother, helping him up. He let out an involuntary hiss at a sharp pain in his side. Marshall looked at him with concern.
"I should probably check that out. Let's go to my pup house," Marshall suggested, carefully stepping over the ashes and into the elevator. Chase obliged, following him in. They descended, still rattled from the fight.
When they reached the bottom, they surveyed the room. Nobody else was up. They snuck out of the Lookout, keeping an eye open and an ear on alert. Only the cold breeze was heard, and all the pup house doors remained shut. The pair entered Marshall's house, closing the door quickly and quietly.
"Make yourself comfortable," Marshall waved Chase towards the bed before diving into his cabinets. Chase examined it, noting the messed up sheets and crooked pillows. Remembering Marshall's moans about a certain Husky, Chase sat on the very edge, chuckling.
'Oh, Marshall. Why dream about her when she lives right across town?' he thought. 'Then again, Skye lives next door and I have trouble with telling her my feelings. What is with us guys?'
"Okay, bro. Here we go," Marshall emerged carrying a small white kit with a red cross on it. A smaller red caduceus was in the top right corner. "Where does it hurt?" He set it down on the bed.
"Here," Chase indicated his right side. Marshall clicked open the med kit and withdrew a small screen like an IPad or PupPad. He probed Chase in several spots on his side, varying in the amount of pressure he applied. Chase clenched his teeth at one touch, growling slightly. Marshall held the screen over that area for about eight seconds before putting it down. "Okay, nothing bad or broken. You'll be sore though. You good with some Arnica?" Chase nodded.
Marshall dug through the kit, placing various articles on the bed. Finally, he retrieved a thick white tube covered with green and blue patterns. Uncapping it, he parted some of Chase's fur and applied a medium glob of the clear gelatinous salve. Setting it aside, Marshall began rubbing it in with a paw in rounded, deft movements. At first, Chase hissed in pain, but soon it felt more like a soothing massage than anything.
"So, what now?" Marshall asked as he packed up his gear.
"I'm not exactly sure," Chase confessed, scooting over as his brother sat right next to him. "This changes everything, Ryder being… not Ryder. I'm guessing these doubles are some sort of spies, and by the looks of it they're not above getting physical," he motioned to his freshly treated wound. "What I think we need to do is ascertain who is on our side exactly, and then figure out where our real friends are."
Marshall nodded. "Where do we start?"
Chase scratched his chin. Suddenly, brilliance struck him and he snapped his right paw.
"Show off," Marshall muttered, trying and failing to do it.
Chase chuckled. "Keep practicing, bud. I know who we should start with; Rocky."
"I agree. If anyone can help, it's Rocky. How do we figure out if he's real Rocky or just a small pebble?"
"Let's go over recent Rocky related events," Chase said, thinking back. "Firstly; I think of dinner last night."
"Yeah, only Rocky can cook like that, and he was astonished when Rubble ate so little… for a Rubble," Marshall snickered.
Chase tilted his head. "When we went out on the Turbot Rescue, he was the only one to say his catchphrase. He also referenced his dislike of water. His Xbox dismantlement operation last night was definitely something he'd do." Chase then remembered something from sometime before that. "When we were getting ready to leave Barkingburg, I started picking at my scar from the moose, and he told me if I didn't leave it alone it would never heal."
Marshall jumped off the bed. "That convinces me, it's Rocky!" His tail began swishing back and forth, and a devious grin grew on his face. "But we should make one hundred percent sure. What say we get my water cannons?" he asked with fake innocence.
"It's not gonna turn out well," Chase warned, then hesitated. He grew a grin to match his brother's. "Let's do it."
7:09 AM, Adventure Bay.
"Psst! Rocky!" Chase hissed in the mixed breed's ear, not wanting to wake any unfriendly ears. Chase had let himself into the recycle truck turned pup house and moved to his brother's bedside. The inside of his pup house was… different than the others. There was some serious cluttering going on. Pieces of various devices and technology littered his nightstand, dresser, and every other available surface. Cases of tools and fridge magnets with quotes were stuck on the metal walls. A digital clock peeked out from under the mess on top of the dresser, blue display just barely visible enough to see the time. Odds and ends poked out of drawers and boxes, among which Chase spotted an old, deflated soccer ball, a crinkled flyer for the Adventure Bay talent show, a chewed up purple sandal, and even a toilet plunger.
Rocky himself lay askew on the bed, tail held high and the side of his head buried in the green pillow. His ears were both folded down, and his tongue lolled out of his mouth. His sheets were thrown about all over, and one of his feet were performing spasmodic bursts of twitching.
"Rocky! Get up!" Chase risked raising his volume a little.
The pup jerked his head up. "Wha?! Who? Why?" He yawned, eyes finding Chase. "Oh, it's just you Chas-ugh, not morning exercises already," he groaned, head smacking back down into the pillow, body lying out flat.
Chase chuckled, glad to know the morning routine was so popular. "Nah. I need your help, Sleeping Beauty."
Rocky yawned again. "Yep, okay… just give me a 'lil more…" he began dozing off. Rolling his eyes, Chase yanked him out of bed. "Yikes! Okay, no need to be pulling me 'round!" They both walked out into the chilly morning air.
Chase led the sleepy mixed breed stumbling across the front lawn and into the Lookout. After they walked through the doors, they slid shut. Chase smirked at the fact that Rocky was too tired to notice the Dalmatian lurking beside the door. He slowed his pace, allowing Rocky to pull ahead.
"Hey Rocky, just saying sorry in advance, but it's for science," Chase said, stepping away as Marshall approached him.
"Sorry for wha-?" He was interrupted when Marshall barked, deploying his water cannons from his pup pack.
"Arf! Spray!" A stream of water burst out of the red and silver dual cannon, drenching Rocky right as he turned towards them.
"Ew! Ack! Wet!" Rocky spluttered, becoming soaked to the bone. Chase barely held in his laughter watching it unfold.
"Arf! Cannon away!" The spray ceased, and the apparatus folded away into the compact red backpack.
"What the hell was that about?!" Rocky yelled at them, water dripping from his ears and furrowed eyebrows.
Marshall snorted, fighting to contain his mirthful noises. "W-we had to m-make sure-," he couldn't say anymore, chortling at the look of pure wet anger on the dog's face. He waved at Chase for him to explain.
"Rocky, there's a reason we did this, though it was partly for the kicks. You may find this hard to believe, but some of our friends aren't here. There's some sort of body doubles in their places. We were making sure it was really you." Chase waited for Rocky to scoff, but he just grunted.
"Makes sense, nobody's been acting normal lately, But wasn't there any other way you could've verified my being me-ness?" He was still huffing.
Marshall recovered from his fit of laughter. "Yeah! Tell us something wise, like your usual self!" he teased.
Rocky glowered evilly. "How 'bout this? Say your prayers, both of you, because I might just be in the mood to commit first degree murder and I know the perfect dump to hide the bodies where they'll never be found, and you better hope against hope that heaven will let you two jokers in." He said it in such a deadpan voice that Marshall choked on his remaining laughs, shrinking back.
"Okay, dude, I get it. Not fun. Sorry."
Rocky lightened up. "Eh, I'm just bothering you. What's a little water between friends?" They all chuckled uneasily. "But seriously, I'm gonna get you back."
"So wait, you believe us?" Chase checked.
"Yeah. I mean, I never thought about it myself, but the way some of them have been acting has been totally sus. I thought everyone was keeping a secret from me, which they are, in a way."
"Well, this secret is more of a mystery. A startling and sickening one at that. We have something to show you."
"So, you're claiming that pile of dust conveniently draped over by a pair of Pjs was Ryder?" Rocky asked.
Chase chuckled nervously. "Yep."
"Epic," Rocky said, examining the remains closely.
"Epic?" Marshall questioned incredulously.
"Sure. I mean, bad for him, but what you're describing sounds straight out of a science fiction movie. A Dalek attack or something."
Chase smirked. Rocky was kinda a nerd sometimes. Leave it to him to get fascinated in the disintegration of a person.
Rocky stood, looking very pensive. "Something's missing," he said, eyes drifting around the room. "Human boys don't just go poof for no reason, and a good bite on the arm isn't a reason."
"Puberty?" Marshall said with a smirk. Chase rolled his eyes, yet Rocky didn't seem to hear the sarcasm.
"No. That only causes bodily changes, no dustings. So what was the Infinity Gauntlet in this scenario?" He walked over to the large mission screen and powered it up. "I wanna see what exactly happened." He clicked a couple of buttons, navigating the various applications until he reached the security cameras. When he selected it, a padlock occupied the screen and a text bar for the password showed up.
"Well," Marshall started. "I guess that sinks- hey, what are you doing?" Rocky had begun typing in the box. Soon enough, the padlock unlocked, and the screen became filled with different video feeds.
"How'd you do that?" Chase asked in disbelief. "Ryder hasn't told any of us the password for the cameras."
Rocky grinned at them. "Simple, I figured it out awhile ago. The password is 'I want to kill Luke Stars,' no spaces or caps, and the 'o' is a zero." The two stared in stunned silence at him, and he shrugged. "Remember, even though Ryder is really responsible, he's still a kid, and that means he will have his occasional bout of childishness. Do you recall the concert when Katie sang with Luke?" Chase nodded, remembering the day all too well. "Well, I heard Ryder muttering beneath his breath some not-so-nice things about the musician. As you've probably realized, Ryder has an enormous crush on Katie, though he's really good at hiding it, at least from the people in town. I like to believe that pups are more in tune with emotions… at least, most of us." Rocky chuckled. "Well, since that day, the password has been this."
Rocky clicked through a bunch of different displays, showing the living room, Rubble snoring away in his pup house, and finally the Lookout top. Chase stared at himself, Marshall, and Rocky on the display, all gazing at the Mission screen.
"Where is the camera?" Marshall asked, looking around until he was looking through the screen. "Whoa! I've never noticed that one before."
"Now, we can replay the footage from your big brawl," Rocky said, hitting more buttons. "Here we are…"
The screen showed the room they were in, except the occupants were Ryder, Marshall, and Chase himself. Rocky hit play, and began watching the recording. When he started talking about Skye in the video, Chase spotted recorded Marshall rolling his eyes. He gave the actual him a look of mock hurt, and Marshall stuck his tongue out in response.
"Ah, look. He just messed himself up," Rocky muttered, indicating Ryder who mentioned Rubble. Chase had begun to bristle in suspicion. "I've never seen you look like that, dude. It's kinda scary."
Chase, seeing himself, could now understand Marshall's outburst and fear. His ears were laid back and his fangs were bared, looking wickedly sharp. He was growling like a wolf and stalking towards the boy. If he hadn't known better, Chase would've thought the pup on the screen was intent on eating him.
The fight commenced. When Ryder kicked Chase into the chair, Rocky winced. "Now that's gotta hurt, folks," he narrated, watching Ryder make a break for the elevator. "What?! Stay and fight, coward!" Rocky called. Video Chase tackled the boy to the ground, wrestling across the floor with him.
Rocky whistled. "That's a good tackle you've got there. Maybe you should consider NFL as a career," he quipped.
"No thanks," Chase mumbled, engrossed in the fight.
Chase on the screen dodged Ryder's heel and took hold of the boy's wrist.
"Give him a left! A left!" the mixed breed giggled. They all watched as Chase was flung to the floor, and then it happened. Ryder exploded in a cloud of ashes. "Now that's kinda cool," Rocky appraised, pausing it right before Marshall freaked out. He turned to Chase. "I think I know what happened. Do you happen to recall what you removed from fake Ryder's person at the time of his demise?"
Chase thought back. "I accidentally ripped his wrist pad off, but what-?" Rocky trotted off to where Chase had fallen. Sure enough, the wrist pad still lay there, two impressive puncture marks on its surface, cracks and fractures branching across the glass.
"I bet one bowl of kibble and the tip of my tail that this holds our answers," Rocky prodded it. "You really did a number on it, Mr. Vicious."
"Hey, what would you have done if you were attacked?" Chase asked defensively.
Rocky shrugged. "I wouldn't hold back like you did until the end. You could've really torn him up if you wanted to." Rocky gingerly pulled the wrist pad closer to himself. "One thing that's for sure; that wasn't Ryder, or a real person for that matter. Real people don't turn to dust in a split second, so I say that was some sort of doppelgänger. A carbon copy of sorts, but artificial."
"So, you think he, and the other pups, are really fakes?" Marshall asked, wrinkling his nose.
"Yep," Rocky looked up at them. "How? That's beyond me at this moment in time, though I intend to change that." He gestured at the trashed device. "Guys, we've got a serious problem here. We don't know how many of our friends are gone and replaced with spies, and now we just made one of them disappear without explanation."
Chase considered the predicament. If the others realized Ryder was out of the picture, things could get ugly fast. "I'll wake everyone up for morning exercises, and pretend Ryder left for a meeting with the mayor. I'll keep them really busy and tired to inhibit questions. I'll also keep a special eye on Zuma and Skye. We need to be wary of anyone who went to the ball, that seems to be where-"
"Wait!" Marshall interrupted, a look of panic on his face. "Everyone who went to the ball?!"
"Yes?" Chase answered, surprised by the alarm in the Dalmatian's voice.
"I'll be back later!" He dashed to the slide and jumped in without his usual fumble, disappearing really quick.
Chase activated his tag. "Marshall, where are you going?"
"Jake's mountain!"
7:21 AM, Adventure Bay.
Marshall sped along the road, just barely going the speed limit. As he approached a traffic light, he hit the button in his truck to change it from red to green. He turned on his sirens, adding speed. Any and every driver that was in front of him hastily removed themselves from his path as he thundered down his usual route to Jake's mountain, which stood against the cloudy sky.
Why was he road raging? Marshall was anxious to check up on his favorite Husky. In fact, she was his favorite friend, and he was scared; scared that she wasn't really there, scared that she was in trouble. Chase suspected that whatever switches had happened with their friends and those copies had happened at the Barkingburg Ball. Everest had left his sight for a short amount of time with Zuma, and the latter was missing.
Marshall turned off the siren and lights as he began following the snaking road that scaled the mountainside. As he drove, he came to an area where the trees were scorched. Fallen logs and burned brush was on both sides; evidence of the fire they had fought a couple of days ago. Marshall slowed to a stop at the sight of a familiar red Husky standing off to the left.
"Marshall!" Tanya called excitedly, bounding towards him, leaping over logs and coming to a stop adjacent to his truck. "What brings our brave firefighter back to the scene of the crime?"
Marshall smiled. "I'm here to see Everest," he said. Tanya smiled.
"Of course you are," she said with a suggestive wink. Marshall felt his face heating as she hit the blush ignition switch. "She's at the cabin, Spots. She's cleaning up there while we clean down here."
"We?" Marshall noticed the devious grin she had and the fact that her tail was moving at light speed.
"See for your self," she turned and pointed into what was the trees. Marshall busted out laughing at what he saw.
Daring Danny was digging a large, round hole. He was down in there a little deeper than his waist, shoveling dirt out into a pile beside the mouth. He was caked in mud and grime, messy red hair literally messy. He looked very bored, tired, and extremely unhappy. Not far away, a birch tree stood in a big bucket, ready to be planted. Nearby, Jake sat on a stump, kicked back and drinking a Root Beer. He wore his sweater and Danny's helmet, red light on the camera indicating that it was recording. He was jeering lightly at the grumpy teen.
"That's it, Danny dude! After that, only a hundred more on this side!"
"That's Daring Danny X!" He shouted back, making an X shape with his arms and accidentally dropping the shovel. Fumbling for it, he tripped into the hole. When he stood, he was dripping in mud.
Jake snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, viewer dudes! That is Danny doing some extreme community service for causing a forest fire on my mountain!"
Tanya turned to Marshall, chuckling. "Isn't it great he finally gets some sort of reward for all the trouble he causes?" Her eyes were twinkling mischievously.
Marshall tried to put on a stern face but failed. "Now, Tanya, don't take pleasure in others' well deserved misery," he scolded.
Tanya waved him off. "Whatever, Marshall. Go have fun with my cuz, I've got some supervising to do during my break and you're interrupting it." She strolled back over in the direction of the two humans. Marshall shook his head, grinning, and pulled out and back on his way.
It was only ten minutes more before he came to the cabin. He parked by Everest's pup house and hopped down.
"Everest? You home?" he peeked his head through the open door of her house. She wasn't inside. Marshall lingered, smelling the scent of pine trees and… was that apple?
'Mmm…' Marshall grinned dreamily at the smell. The interior of her pup house neat, dominated by a good sized plush bed with teal sheets, white pillows with blue snowflake designs, and a big, white, fur blanket. A wooden chest sat at the foot. Marshall recognized it as one they'd found in a cave awhile ago. At the time, it had been filled with long johns, but doubtlessly it now held something else. Her dresser held several articles on top of it, including several snowboarding trophies, an ice pick, a couple medals, and, to Marshall's surprise, a framed photo of her and him standing side by side, cheeks rosy and smiles wide, one arm around each other, helmets on and snowboards stuck in the snow right next to them.
Marshall remembered that day last winter; they had gone out to the slopes for a fun day of boarding and play. When everyone else was going inside for hot chocolate, Marshall stayed out with Everest for an extra hour. It was purely because he wanted to spend some time alone with her, possibly to confess his burning love for her. Obviously, it hadn't happened, it was a fun afternoon though. After their last run, Jake had snapped a quick shot of them together before Marshall headed home. He had his copy stashed in a drawer in his nightstand right next to a snow cap Everest had given him last Christmas. The cap was exactly like hers, just red, yellow and white. Marshall wore it for bed more than wearing it for anything else, loving how it always smelled like her. He had privately nicknamed it his 'Dream Cap' because whenever he wore it he had amazing dreams.
"Marshall?" The Dalmatian jumped at his own name, slamming his head on the doorway. "Sorry! Are you okay?" He turned and saw Everest walking fast in his direction from the cabin.
'Great,' Marshall thought. 'If it's really her, I'm gonna have to explain my snooping around.' He rubbed his head, wincing at the slight throb. He smiled as she came to a stop right in front of him. "Hey Everest! I was just looking for you."
Everest smirked. "Well, you found me. How's the head?"
Marshall forced a laugh. "What? You think that hurt? I'm practically immune to head injuries because of all my accidents. I'm still trying to convince Ryder I don't need a helmet for my job, though it does complete the heroic firefighter look." He flexed slightly.
She giggled and smiled at him. "So, what do you need?"
Marshall froze. What was he going to say? He hadn't exactly thought of what he was going to do when he took off from the Lookout. Cursing his foolishness silently, he slightly bit his lower lip. "I was… coming to see if you needed… any help?" He tried, grinning uneasily.
She shrugged. "Jake asked me to tidy up the cabin a bit before helping with the trees."
"Well, I've got no where better to be for now."
Everest seemed to think for a bit. "Sure… the company will be nice, anyways." She turned and walked back to the cabin, fluffy tail swishing behind her. Marshall gulped, regretting his lack of planning before following the lavender Husky inside.
About twenty minutes later, Marshall was placing a vase of flowers on a table near the hearth. He had been sweeping, wiping, and tidying with Everest for a while, exchanging small talk as they worked. As far as he could tell, everything was normal with her. She seemed the same, smelled the same, and talked the same way. She even joked the same way. Marshall wanted to leave his concerns behind and tell himself this was the same beautiful pup he always knew, but something prevented him from doing so. He knew he'd only be sure if he asked Everest something only she'd know, like how Chase had talked to him.
'But what do I ask?' He mused, scratching his chin. 'What's her favorite food? No, everyone knows it is liver, or pizza, or both combined. Her favorite sport? Even worse question. Snowboarding. What about…'
"Hey, Everest?" Marshall called.
"In the kitchen!" She called back. He walked in, finding her gathering crumbs on the floor with a brush in her mouth.
"Finished the living room. Want me to hold the dustpan?"
"Sure, thanks," she replied, muffled by the tool between her teeth. Marshall maneuvered the dustpan, collecting garbage as she swept. When she finished, Marshall deposited the gathered crumbs in the trash.
Putting the pan down, he took a deep breath. "Everest?"
"Yeah?" She looked at him inquisitively.
Marshall smiled his best smile. "I was wondering, uh, where you got me my… yellow scarf last Christmas?" He was making it all up. She had never gotten him a yellow scarf for Christmas before. Surely, she'd look at him odd and correct his mistake, but she just nodded.
"How come?"
"Oh, I just love it so much and it's such good quality that I want to get a similar one as, uh, a present for someone, seeing as it's already Fall," he tried to say nonchalantly, hoping to high heaven that he was a decent lier.
Everest narrowed her eyes suspiciously, staring intensely at him. Marshall could feel his paws getting sweaty even as he grinned. Suddenly she laughed. "You planning on getting it for a certain, special pup?" She asked, fluttering her eyes.
"Uh, yes… I mean, no?" Marshall wasn't sure what to say. Dog! Chase made this look so easy sometimes, the whole acting thing. Thankfully, she was buying his indecision as stuttering after being caught.
"Don't worry, I won't tell," she said with a wink. "I can't remember right now, but we can ask Jake if you want. He'll probably know."
"Oh, no need! I, uh, it can wait until closer to the holidays, anyway!" The last thing Marshall needed was for him to be exposed by the mountaineer. "How about we just, um…"
"Marshall!" Chase's voice came over Marshall's pup tag. 'Thank Goodness! Great timing!' Marshall thought, relieved.
"Yeah Chase?" Marshall said out loud.
"Don't think you can get out of morning exercises. Your boasting earlier had got people raring to compete, and Rocky wants to show us what he's got," Chase emphasized that last part, and Marshall got the message.
"Be right there," Marshall said, seeing the light die right after he spoke, signaling that the comm line had closed.
"No where better to be, huh?" Everest smirked, walking up to him.
Marshall rubbed the back of his neck. "Yep! That's not better. My muscles are gonna suffer and die."
She shoved him playfully. "Better get going, Marshall. We can talk about the gift later." Marshall smiled grimly.
"Bye," he said, turning and exiting the cabin. As he loaded in his truck, a million thoughts buzzed about his head like a swarm of bees. He pulled away, driving down the mountain by an alternate route.
After about seven minutes of driving, he pulled over hastily. He jumped out, stumbling but keeping his footing. Finally, he let loose his pent up emotions.
Tears of misery and anger stung his eyes as he lifted up his head in a grieving howl. Everest was gone! She would know he was lying about that stupid scarf! She was captured, being held who knows where, with who knows what else happening to her. His imagination brought several horrible thoughts to the forefront of his mind, but he refused to think about them.
She and Zuma had most likely been taken when they had left the dance room to find Ryder. 'Ryder,' Marshall growled. That fake Ryder had probably done away with his friends. 'He's lucky to have been disintegrated by Chase. If he was still around here, I would do much worse than that…'
Marshall clenched his jaw, feeling the last of his hot tears trail down his cheek as he mentally scorned and blamed himself. Why hadn't he asked her out? Then he could've been there to help her! He could've saved her! Instead, he had just watched her waltz away into danger. Why had he been such a coward?
"Whoever has you, Eve, their gonna pay," Marshall vowed out loud, shaking a paw before climbing back in his truck. "I'm coming for you."
8:13 AM, Adventure Bay.
Marshall pulled up in his parking spot on the Lookout turntable. Reverting it back to the pup house mode, he hopped out and walked inside to find Chase. He was surprised to find the living room filled with groaning dogs languishing on the floor, on beanbags, and on couches, most of them near a bowl of water.
"My legs…" Zuma- Uh, fake Zuma moaned, gripping them as he lay on his side.
"Too… much… exer… cise," Rubble said between gasps and gulps of water.
"Soy un perro muerto," Tracker added, limping from his seat to a bowl, tongue lolling out.
Marshall smirked at their uncomfort. Obviously, Chase had been working them extremely hard. He spotted Rocky stumbling towards him.
"You're… lucky you missed it," he panted enviously. "I can still take you… at that race, though."
"Sure you can. Let's go," Marshall said, playing along. They both walked outside. The instant they were through the doors and turned the corner, the weariness left Rocky's step and he stopped panting. "That was a good act," Marshall praised.
Rocky shook his head. "Didn't have to act, bud. Chase ran our tails off, gave us plenty of exercises and etcetera. If I didn't participate, it would've been suspicious. The limping and panting though, that was totally faked."
Marshall followed Rocky across the driveway and onto the grass. "Sooo, where are we going?" Marshall asked.
"Just a little farther…" Rocky led him up to the big oak tree with the tire swing. The mild breeze rustled its leaves and the leaves of the nearby bushes, occasionally removing one from a branch and carrying it off captive in the wind. Rocky circled the trunk slowly, sniffing the base.
Marshall wrinkled his nose. "Dude, you're not going to…?"
Rocky looked up, one eyebrow raised and wearing a face inscribed with the word 'Seriously?' He rolled his eyes before continuing his strange act.
Marshall was about to say something again when Rocky stopped and thrust a paw in a small opening beneath a root. There was a barely audible clicking sound.
"Come on," Rocky beckoned, making his way to a larger bush. He wiggled under its limbs and became fully obscured from view. It rustled for only a moment before becoming silent. Marshall approached it cautiously.
"Rocky?" He called, unable to see through the thick greenery.
"Just come on down," a hissing whisper sounded. Marshall cocked his head, recognizing Chase's voice. Was he in the bush too?
"Okay?" Marshall got down to his stomach and performed a low, inching crawl, slithering beneath the majority of branches. A few twigs scratched him, and he knew he'd be picking leaves out of his fur.
Suddenly, he found that his paws were no longer touching the ground. With a yelp he plummeted down the hole and bellyflopped on something big, soft, and slightly bouncy.
He rolled over to his back on the mattress, staring up into the eyes of Rocky and Chase. He also saw a hatch in the roof sliding shut.
"Welcome, brother, to the root of all my creativity; The Auto Grotto!" The mixed breed gestured proudly to their surroundings as Chase helped Marshall up.
"Wha? Did you say... Avocado?" Marshall looked at him, bewildered.
Rocky was offended. "What?! No! I said Auto Grot-!" He stopped short and did a face paw. "Drats, now I've gotta change the name. The drawback to having a secret lair is there's no feedback on the name. Whatever! Just... behold!"
Marshall was beholding.
The structure was split into two large floors connected by two staircases with iron gates at the tops. Metal railings lined the edge of the top floor, giving a complete view of the lower one. Marshall's mattress was on the higher one, adjacent to a ladder that climbed to the hatch on the roof. Two long tables occupied the center of the room, covered in computers, monitors, large systems, and enough other techie stuff to give an IT from Microsoft a heart attack. Wires ran from the tables to various wall sockets in a perfectly organized manner. Along said walls were bolted shelves stacked with processors, baskets of data chips, paper files in cases, and many other things. A one hundred-twenty inch flatscreen TV was mounted on the wall in front of a group of beanbag chairs. Beside it were two large bookshelves brimming with DVDs, Cassettes, BlueRay disks, and an assortment of Xbox, Nintendo, PlayStation, PupPlay, and computer games. Many consoles of said brands, in every generation, sat awaiting usage.
"I-I... I'm beholding..." Marshall mumbled in amazement, walking forward slowly almost like a sleepwalker just come to consciousness. He migrated to the rails and gawked over the side, giving a low whistle.
On the lower floor, shelves along the walls were covered in spare engine and machine parts for the rescue vehicles. Marshall recognized some old pieces from his truck, some pink scrap from Skye's helicopter, an extra siren from the police cruiser, and even, propped against a shelf, the blade for Rubble's rig. Tools abounded all around the room in boxes, cases, and on the shelves. A large work table was set up in the center with a lamp on top, light turned off but focused at a damaged looking PupPad- Ryder's wrist pad. The pad was hooked up to a laptop.
"Bro!" Marshall whirled to face his friends. "How is this possible?"
Rocky smirked smugly. "It took awhile and some serious discreet construction, but this is my personal space."
"Unbelievable." Marshall gestured towards the TV. "Who needs that many gaming consoles?"
"Pfft, when a dog wants to play his Halo and he don't have the newer disks, he ain't payin' a tail and a leg for the latest editions. Besides, you'll be surprised how many parts I can find in the recycle."
"Are the walls made of concrete?" Marshall asked, examining the solid grey walls.
He nodded. "Several feet. This is essentially a bunker. If you were to drop a bomb on Adventure Bay, and I mean a big bomb, you'll likely just have Ryder's garage and this place left. I have air ventilation too, with scrubbers and the best filters I could make. Add some food storage and Boom! It's a glassing shelter."
"What could you need that for?"
Rocky shrugged. "World War Three? You never know. Anyway, come on down." He padded up to the left gate, unlatched it, and proceeded down.
Marshall looked at Chase and mouthed 'Is he serious?' Chase just smirked before following the mixed breed. Marshall started after them, going down the stairs to the lower level.
Rocky approached the PupPad on the table, waiting for the other two to catch up before hopping up onto a chair. As Marshall and Chase took up positions on either side of him, Rocky began hitting some keys on the laptop. A tone sounded, and he unplugged the wrist pad from the wires.
"While you were at Jake's, I started examining this thing, and you won't believe what I found." Rocky gingerly popped the cover off the device, revealing the inner mechanisms. Hooked up inside of it was a round brown stone the size of a marble. The rock had interesting dull-yellow veins running all over its surface. Marshall cocked his head, thinking he'd seen it before. "Look familiar?" Rocky turned to them.
"It looks like a piece of the meteor," Chase said. Marshall nodded, remembering it now. The meteor had fallen to the beach in Adventure Bay awhile ago, nearly causing damage to Town Hall. When they had gotten near it, it had let out an energy burst which temporarily gave the pups super powers. Occasionally, pieces of it showed up in the hands of wrongdoers who used their powers for... well, wrong. Ryder kept the meteor in the Lookout so that they could power up and defend the town from their schemes and plots. Usually it glowed, along with its pieces, but obviously this one was a dud.
"Whoever made the clones used a piece of the meteor to make them tangible," Rocky confirmed, jostling it slightly. "When the Murder Guy here bit the copy, he damaged the device which, when it became disconnected from its host, overloaded and killed the stone."
"So, do all the clones have a bit of the meteor with them?" Marshall asked.
"Yes," Rocky confirmed. "Most likely in their pup tags. Speaking of copies; how's Everest?"
Marshall's earlier feelings returned with vengeance, and he fought the urge to growl. "She's... gone." He noticed Chase wearing a sympathetic face.
Rocky blew out air. "That makes three confirmed targets that are still... solid, leaving three unconfirmed pups; Rubble, Tanya, and Tracker. But things get worse."
"How could it be worse?" Marshall asked sarcastically.
"I went snooping around and found the meteor is missing from the Lookout."
Chase pounded the table, making the other two jump. "Of course!" He seethed. "Fake Ryder had something in the Air Patroller that he 'dropped off' with someone. That was it! That creepazoid gave away our meteor!"
Rocky shook his head. "Five bucks says it's with whoever made the clones, and that's where these tiny pieces are coming from."
"I checked out the location monitors on the mission screen and saw that Ryder was coming from Northern Europe," Chase said.
Rocky thought for a bit. "England? Barkingburg?"
Chase nodded grimly. "I have my suspicions a certain royal pup is up to her normal tricks."
"Sweetie?" Marshall raised his eyebrows, eyes wide. "No, it can't... I mean, are you sure?"
Chase gave Marshall a look. "What other villains do we know in Europe? England specifically."
Marshall winced. "Villain is a little harsh..."
"Dude, are you defending her?"
"No! I... uh, I-"
"You like her, don't you," Rocky moaned out.
Marshall felt his face heat up. "No! Not like that! She's just a nice pup... if you get to know her a little."
"Get to know her how, exactly?" Rocky inquired, one eyebrow up high.
Chase face pawed. "My best friend is in love with a psycho villainess. Great."
"I'm not! I love Ever- I mean, I just like Sweetie as a friend." Marshall asserted, face on fire.
"Well, however you feel or don't feel, Chase has a point. Sweetie has a record for mischief." Rocky pointed out, smirking.
Marshall's ears sagged. "Maybe you're right. But what do we do?"
"We've gotta get to Barkingburg. That's probably where our friends are." Chase stated. "We kick the front gate in and-"
"With what army?" Rocky interjected. "We need to know who's on our side first, and then we're going to need help. We've never faced Sweetie with powers before, and may I remind you, we don't have our meteor. On top of that, we're already down half the team. Plus, we need to get there."
Chase seemed to be internalizing that statement. "Kay... Rocky, can you go and test Tanya? She only got here a month ago, but you went out with her and you probably know more about her than any of us. If she turns out to be actually her, fill her in on the situation and bring her back here. We need all paws on deck. I'll hold down the fort and watch the others." Chase turned to Marshall. "We may need some extra pup power. There's a guy I know in town, I need you to get him."
"Sure," Marshall responded, curiosity piqued. "Who is it?"
"He's a Border Collie named Captain. I made his acquaintance awhile ago, and he seems like a capable dog. Quirky, but capable. He lives on Jackson lane in a blue house."
"Jackson lane, blue house, Border Collie, Captain. Got it."
Rocky raised a paw. "You should probably let the others do whatever." Before Chase could say anything, Rocky waved him off. "I know, counter intuitive. We should keep an eye on them, right? But if they get the feeling that we're suspicious of them, it could all be over quickly. You can watch them from here."
"How?" Chase was genuinely interested. Marshall was too.
Rocky got that devious grin of his. "I have access to all of the city cameras, Pup tag cams, and Ryder's as well. See, I kinda hacked them awhile back. No, I don't spy on people, it was just a fun challenge."
"You know, we are breaking so many of Ryder's rules." Chase took a deep breath. "But, I guess it's a good thing right now. I'll let them all roam and watch the monitors. You guys meet back here in at latest an hour."
"Solid copy, boss!" Rocky leapt out of his chair.
"We're on it," Marshall added, headed for the stairs.
9:24 AM, Adventure Bay.
"Fifty-two. Fifty-three. Fifty-four." Chase counted as he did handstand push-ups. He was balanced on and facing towards the wall on the lower floor of Rocky's bunker, going up and down at a steady beat. He mumbled the numbers, lost in his thoughts.
'Sweetie has the meteor, that means she has powers now. We need to know what they are before we rush in to take her down. Where could she be holding our friends? Probably in the dungeons under the castle, or one of her secret rooms. I wonder if the earl or the princess have noticed anything yet. Or have they been captured as well? Why does the princess keep Sweetie around? Everyone knows how much trouble she is. We're always going there to fix some problem she's caused. If she's actually hurt any our friends this time, I swear I'm going to-'
"Look at those muscles," he heard a heavy, female sigh. He turned his head up and met the mischievous gaze of a red Husky.
"Oh! Tanya!... what are you doing?" Chase came down from the wall, standing beside his smirking friend. He noticed Rocky getting off the mattress on the top floor.
"Oh, nothing much," Tanya replied in low, slow voice. "Just enjoying the view. You've got a nice tail."
Chase blushed. "Um, thanks?" He felt his tail hide itself behind him.
"Don't blush, Good Looking. You should be flattered." She whispered, fluttering her eyes at him and stepping forward, coming really close.
He gently pushed her back. "Uh, look. I appreciate the... attention, but I'm not-"
Tanya laughed lightly. "No worries officer, I'm just bothering you," she said, brushing her tail beneath his nose before sashaying over to the table in the center of the room. She looked over her shoulder at him with a mock pout. "I know you have a thing for Skye and I wouldn't dare steal you from her. Besides, you're a little too muscly for my tastes."
"Too muscly?" Chase looked himself over, unaware there was such thing. 'Wait,' Chase's brain froze. 'Steal me from her? What-?'
"Yep," Tanya continued. "I've got my eyes on someone else." Rocky approached them, grinning.
"Is it Rocky?" Chase blurted out before thinking better of it, looking between them.
Tanya and Rocky met each other's eyes and started laughing.
"Me? And him?" Tanya said between laughs and tears. "No offense to you Rocky, but you ain't my type."
"None taken," Rocky said with a chuckle and a grin. "You're nice, and I may go out with you from time to time, but I like you as a friend and nothing more."
Chase thought a little. He seemed to recall something from when Tanya first arrived in Adventure Bay; her behavior around a certain pup. "Marshall?"
She sighed with a smirk on her face. "Once upon a time, yes. Can you blame me? Every Husky that lays eyes on him gets her heart captured instantly. I was captivated by those spots for about a week, but not anymore. He's destined for someone else." She shook her head. "Anyway, there's a reason you two called me here, and it wasn't to stare at Chase's butt or talk about feelings. Is it true? Some of our friends have been replaced with fakes?"
Chase nodded, and Tanya grimaced.
"Who's gone?" Tanya asked hesitantly.
Before Chase could respond, the hatch opened up over the mattress. A second later, three figures plummeted in. A collective "Oof!" was heard. The hatch shut with a whoosh. Chase, Tanya, and Rocky climbed the stairs to greet the newcomers.
"Hey Marsha- oh, not him." Chase groaned.
"Hey there, copper!" Tomissen said, standing. His eyes roved about, taking in their surroundings. "Nice man cave."
"Man cave?!" Rocky spluttered angrily. Tanya covered a giggle, and Chase suppressed a smirk.
Marshall and a black and white Collie got off the mattress. Chase turned to the latter.
"Captain," he greeted.
"Chase!" He returned the greeting with a friendly smile and slug on the shoulder. His voice had a strong Australian accent. "Haven't seen you since I moved in! How are things?"
Chase sighed. "Sadly, not that great."
Captain bobbed his head. "Your spotted mate here," he gripped Marshall's shoulder, "explained everything on the drive over. We're dealing with spies, ai?"
"Time out," Tanya made a T briefly with her arms, shifting onto her hind legs. "Who is this guy?"
"Tanya, this is Captain," Chase introduced. "He and his family moved into Adventure Bay a little before you came to stay with Jake. Captain, this is Tanya. She's a new member to the Paw Patrol and cousin to Everest."
"Good Morning!" Captain performed a sweeping bow to her. "Captain, at your service!"
Tanya simpered, tail wagging. "Charmed. At least someone has manners," she said, imitating his accent.
Chase cleared his throat. "Yeah, so, we're dealing with spies. We've narrowed down on the ones who are fakes; Skye, Zuma, Ryder, and Everest. I-"
"Everest?!" Tanya jumped, eyes wide. "Are you sure?"
"Yep," Marshall sighed. "I went to talk to her, and she wasn't her."
Tanya bit her lip, flying thoughts almost visible. "Oh, Dog," she muttered, the flames of anger beginning to spark in her eyes. "Who has my cousin? Who are we gonna tear up?" She snarled vehemently.
Captain leaned up to Chase and muttered, "I like her." Chase waved him off.
"We're sure it's Sweetie. Ryder was on his way back from Barkingburg after depositing our meteor there when I caught on."
"That lousy little-"
"I know. But I've got more info," Chase cut off Tanya's insult. He gestured to the monitors on the tables, and the group moved to look at it. Chase hit a couple of buttons. "I've had my suspicions that Rubble is a fake, but this tops all the other evidence I have." He played the recording.
The screen view bobbed up and down, showing the grass by the park.
"What are we seeing?" Rocky asked.
"Rubble's pup tag camera feed from about fifteen minutes ago," Chase replied. They watched as he waddled up to a log that was in his path. The camera hopped up as Rubble got on top of the log. Suddenly they heard him yelp, and he jumped down. The camera faced down as Rubble lifted his paw were a small red welt was forming. It whirled around to show a spider on the log, slowly crawling up a branch. They heard a ferocious growl as the bulldog lunged forward, snapping up the spider, twig and all, in one bite. A single tiny leg fell to the grass as he turned to continue on his way, whistling. Chase paused the video, and turned to see his friends various expressions.
Tanya looked mortified, Marshall had a sickly green color on his face, Rocky looked perplexed, Tomissen appeared entertained, and Captain just shrugged.
"Gross," Tanya finally said.
"Pawsome," Tomissen grinned.
"And... what's the big deal?" Captain asked.
"The big deal is Rubble is deathly afraid of spiders," Marshall said. "He would've run away screaming. Instead..."
"He ate it!" Tomissen laughed.
Chase glared at the beagle. "Somebody remind me why he's here?"
"You said we needed pup power," Marshall shrugged. "I took a quick stop at his place to get his help."
"Yes sir! Tomissen Hendrick Darian Jasher José Alexandro Di Maria Chiesa Dogsworth the third, esquire, ready for duty," Tomissen said, stiffening like a soldier.
'What the heck is with the name?' Chase thought. He just shook his head. "Fine. We can't un-tell him, so I guess he helps."
"Yes! Tomissen is on the Paw Patrol!" the beagle fist pumped.
"No you're not," Chase grumbled.
"So now we add Rubble to the spy list," Rocky cut in. "That leaves Tracker. You think María and Emily could've been switched?"
"I'm not sure," Chase scratched his chin. "And we don't know them well enough to quiz them. We're gonna have to leave them be for now. Let's focus on Tracker. I think I have the perfect thing to catch him."
"We need to get to England, right?" Captain asked. "How're we gonna manage that?" Everyone was silent for a moment.
"We can use the Air Patroller," Rocky said finally. "Robo-Dog can fly us there."
"Then you and Tomissen can borrow some of our extra gear in Barkingburg," Marshall finished. Tomissen grinned excitedly.
"When do we leave?" Tanya questioned.
"The sooner, the better," Chase said. "Tomorrow probably. If we go fast and quietly, we can slip away before anyone notices and be back with Ryder and the others. Until then, you guys can crash at the Lookout; help keep an eye on things. You'll pretend to be some new Paw Patrol recruits, waiting for Ryder to come back and train you. We should probably call Jake and get Everest down too so it's not weird that Tanya is here but not her."
"Sounds like a plan," Captain clapped and rubbed his paws together. "I always wondered what the Lookout looked like on the inside."
"Tanya and I can call Jake," Marshall said, walking away with the Husky.
"The beagle and I will get our stuff," Captain said, making for the ladder with Tomissen following closely.
"That leaves you and me on chihuahua duty," Rocky smiled lopsidedly at Chase. Chuckling, Chase and his brother went for the ladder.