(A/N: I do not own Paw Patrol, enjoy!)

A Journey Begins

Cinder sat at her desk filling out the report from their latest emergency. My desk, that is going to take some getting used to, Cinder thought with a smile. It was finally her office once a suitable computer setup had been made to accommodate her paws which were nowhere as nimble or small as fingers. Skipper had been bumped up to a bigger office at the station now that he had been officially displaced as the Training Supervisor Captain for Station 25 by Cinder and could focus on his "new" job as Chief of Command Training. Cinder had been authorized to assume the rank of Instructor Captain but wouldn't officially be promoted until she had enough time in grade as a Captain.

Typing reports was still a pain in the tail though, which made Cinder long to have a trainee under her. But for the moment, it was just the normal crew. They had just finished training a trio of new LTs the previous week and there was no backlog of candidates. There were a few who were close but it would still be a few weeks before they were ready to transfer in to Station 25. All of which meant Cinder was stuck doing her own paperwork. Cinder finished her report and sent it through the automated routing network to be filled away. And just in time too as the station alarm went off again.

"WE HAVE A REPORT OF A FIRE AT A STREET VENDOR AT THE WATERFRONT PARK, ALL UNITS RESPOND CODE 3."

Cinder jumped down and ran to get ready. She threw her gear on with practiced ease alongside Axel and Sadie, the male Dalmatian and female Australian Shepherd of the morning shift and all three of them jumped into the cab of Engine 25. Right behind them were Juan, the engineer, and LT Ken. Allison, the driver, already had the truck started and the doors of the station opened. Next to them, Mike, the driver for Medic 25, had started the ambulance as Kevin jumped in beside him. Horns honked on both vehicles before the sirens kicked in and they sped to the scene.

Cinder quickly reviewed what information dispatch had for them before she softly briefed her crew. "Ok gang, not much info so be wary. No info on the type of street vendor, but we can probably assume that it is a food vendor, which means there is likely a propane tank or two in the cart. Standard two hose deployment but keep a reasonable distance in case it explodes."

"That is a fair amount of assumptions Cinder" LT Ken pointed out.

"More than I am comfortable with" Cinder softly admitted, "but it is also our realistic worst case so we can roll with it for now."

"Light Force 25, Dispatch" crackled over the radio, "street vendor has been identified as a taco cart, two 5 gallon propane cylinders on the cart, located next to the pier, exercise caution."

"Light Force 25 copies" Cinder softly replied into the radio, a smirk spreading across her muzzle.

"I guess that settles that" LT Ken laughed.

"Just don't forget to tip the jar when we get back" Juan added with a laugh. Once Cinder had officially taken over, they had started a little game of who was right more often, Cinder or LT Ken, LT Joe and Capt Matt; loser had to put a dollar in the jar each time. When they had enough saved, they were going to throw a pizza party for the neighborhood kids. Three months into the contest, Cinder was the only one still with single digit inputs. It kept all of them sharp and thinking outside the box.

Since the taco cart was by the pier, Allison expertly guided Engine 25 onto the broad sidewalk, honking the horn occasionally to get people to move out of the way. Medic 25 followed behind them at a safe distance. Cinder could see the smoke rising and fought the urge to backseat drive or tell her to hurry up. Over the past few months, she had very quickly need to become used giving general directions and then letting her team and trainees run with those orders. But there was still a part of her that longed the be in the thick of the action. I'm still in the thick of it she reminded herself, just not with my paws on the the hose anymore.

Cinder watched the team get to work as Engine 25 stopped. LT Ken directed Allison, Juan, Axel and Sadie while Cinder went to talk to the owner who was also the operator. Learning that no one was hurt but nothing else significant, Cinder trotted over to LT Ken.

"Looks like only one of the propane Cylinders is feeding the fire" Cinder softly noted.

LT Ken nodded, "I've got them staying back just in case. We should be able to get everything cool quick enough that the second cylinder doesn't become a problem."

*BOOM!*

Preciously in cue, the second cylinder detonated. The blast knocked everyone to the ground.

"Check up!" Cinder barked as she picked herself up.

"1" Allison sounded off in response.

"2" Juan called out.

"3" and "4" Axel and Sadie barked in turn.

"5" and "6" Mike and Kevin yelled from over by Medic 25.

"7" LT Ken added.

"8" Cinder softly finished, everyone was alright. "Let's get this fire out!" Cinder barked.

Everyone had managed to retain control of the hoses and the fire was out in less than a minute. They immediately transitioned to overhauling what remained of the taco cart.

Cinder had just finished calming down the owner-operator when she heard her name. "Cinder!" LT Ken called.

"Whats wrong?" Cinder softly asked as she trotted up.

"Take a look at this…" LT Ken pointed to a fragment of one of the two propane cylinders. It had very clearly exploded outward but in the center of one of the pieces it had just as clearly clearly melted inward. Then LT Ken showered her over to the other cylinder which was intact except what appeared to be a drill hole.

"Get the scene tape" Cinder said softly to LT Ken. LT Ken beckoned Sadie over while Cinder walked back over to Engine 25. She hopped into the cab and made sure that no civilians were hanging around before she keyed the radio.

"Dispatch, Light Force 25, fire out, overhaul complete, we need an arson unit on scene" Cinder softly reported.

"Dispatch confirms, stand by for ETA" came the reply.

Cinder sighed, they were probably going to be here awhile. She walked back over and checked to make sure that their blocked off area included all of the debris. She watched as the team cleaned up everything, released Medic 25 to return to the station, and settled in to wait.

Approximately 30 minutes later, two new vehicles rolled up. The first was Skipper in his Command SUV. Behind him came another SUV, this one black with a red stripe down the side and the fire department crest on the doors. Along the stripe were the words "Arson Investigator" written in white letters. A woman jumped out and walked up with Skipper.

"Good morning Cinder" Skipper greeted her, "this is Captain Claire from Arson, what did you find?"

"I'll show you" Cinder softly said as she turned to lead them to the scene.

"The immediate things we noticed upon overhaul of the fire were in regards to the two propane cylinders used to heat the cooking surface" Cinder softly began. "We noticed that the cylinder that exploded had one fragment where it has very clearly been melted inward." Cinder showed them the fragment. Claire took pictures and Skipper looked thoughtful.

"Then we found the other cylinder intact" Cinder softly continued. "It had the expected dings from getting tossed by the explosion but there was some damage that clearly didn't come from the explosion." Cinder pointed to the drill hole. Claire nodded as she snapped more pictures.

"So how would you describe what happened?" Claire asked curiously.

Cinder thought for a moment. "Well, the cylinders are stored next to each other in the cart. My guess is that someone drained this cylinder, drilled the hold and installed a valve and igniter in the hole. It could have been remote controlled, used a timer or activated by something else on the cart. On the cart seems the easiest to conceal but we can't prove that. When triggered, the pressure in the cylinder pushed a jet of fire directly into the other cylinder, almost like a welding torch. That is what caught everything on fire and led to the explosion."

"Not bad" Claire said with a smile, "now we just have to prove it."

"We?" Cinder softly yipped in surprise.

"Both of you" Skipper confirmed, "seems like now is when you get to start your arson training in preparation for being a chief one day."

"But what about the station?" Cinder softly balked.

"You'll still have that, think of this as added responsibility, tasking l, and learning with nothing being taken away" Skipper said with a grin.

"Don't worry, we'll be taking care of this together" Claire added with a smile. "Let me call in some helpers and then we'll head back to your station to work out a game plan."

Great Cinder thought to herself with a roll of her eyes as Claire made a phone call. I just start getting into a groove and now this gets thrown in. I won't be a Chief for awhile, why do I have to start that whole ladder of stuff now?

"Because there is a lot on that ladder and the earlier you get it done, the better" Skipper said.

Cinder whipped her head around to look at him in surprise.

"I don't need to be a mind reader to know what you are thinking, Cinder" Skipper said with a smile, "yeah it is early, but you have the opportunity now so you may as well take advantage of it."

"Ok, you got me there" Cinder softly admitted.

Skipper left, leaving Claire and Cinder to wait for the assistance to arrive. It didn't take long.

A black police SUV with a white roof and blue stripe down the side pulled up and out hopped a human police sergeant and canine police sergeant who walked right up to them.

"Cinder, I'd like you to meet Sergeant Darrell and Sergeant August" Claire introduced them.

"But everyone calls me Augie" the jet black Belgian Shepherd said with a smile.

"They are assigned to the arson unit to coordinate with the rest of Patrol Division as well as act as an on-call tactical response team" Claire continued.

"Don't forget free comedic relief" Darrell said with a smile.

"I try to every day" Claire groaned. "Now that they are here, let's get started." Claire, with help from Augie and Darrell, showed Cinder how they processed the scene, taking photos, measurements, making sketches and taking notes. While they were processing the scene, Cinder explained her theory one more time Augie and Darrell who were quite attentive. They needed to understand what had happened in order to inform their next task.

Next, Darrell and Augie talked to the stand owner/operator to see what they could learn from him without giving away that they thought it was arson. Cinder listened patiently, trying to pick up on how they went about asking the questions and try to get information. They also questioned a number of the bystanders on what they had seen as well but because of the transient nature of the customers, none had been there very long before the fire started. But they did establish that the fire did not start right when the stand opened and a fairly narrow window of time for the fire to have started.

When they were finally done, all the physical evidence was loaded into Claire's SUV. Then they all drove back to Station 25 to start the next phase of the investigation. Claire, Darrell and Augie invaded Cinder's office with a giant whiteboard, pulled in some extra chairs and got to work

"So, what do we know as a hard fact?" Claire started a list on the whiteboard.

"The time of the explosion" Cinder softly offered, "along with all the times associated with fighting the fire. We also know when it was reported."

"We know which propane cylinder exploded and where it was" Augie added. "And I'm going to jump the gun a bit and say we have a highly probable window of time when the first started." Claire wrote that under a different list.

"We know exactly the condition of the cylinders after the explosion" Darrell added. Cinder noted that he was very careful in how he worded that fact. They continued for a couple more minutes until they ran out of things known for certain and things that they could narrow down effectively.

"Ok" Claire continued, "what can we infer from the physical evidence?"

"That at least one cylinder was tampered with based on the drill hole. There is no way for that to have been made by the fire or to exist normally on that type of cylinder" Augie stated.

"Also, that the hole in that cylinder is what caused the other one to explode" Cinder softly said.

"Not quite" Darrel corrected her, "we have to prove that, and that the damage to the cylinder that exploded came from a fire from that hole."

"But we may also be able to to prove that the explosion shouldn't have happened based on the earliest time of ignition to when agent was applied to the fire" Claire noted, writing both down on a third list. As they continued, Claire also started drawing lines from known facts and infered facts to conclusions that they needed to test. The kept going until they ran out of facts, inferences and conclusions.

"Ok, now for the fun part" Claire said, pulling out a scratch pad. "How do we test these conclusions?"

"We get to test them?" Cinder softly yipped in surprise.

"Oh yes" Claire said with a grin. "Unfortunately, after we plan out our tests, Augie and Darrell get to go do police things while we run the tests."

"Missing the testing is the worst part" Augie groaned.

"At least we can see the video replays" Darrel offered.

"Small consolation when they get to blow stuff up" Augie said with a sigh.

"If you are done mopping about the lack of kaboom in your life, Augie," Claire said with a smirk, "let's figure out how to test these conclusions and which ones we want to prioritize."

"Can we just get two cylinders, drill a hole in one and attach a remote control valve, fill them, space them the same as the scene and time how long it takes from ignition to explosion?" Cinder asked.

"That would be the fastest and most accurate way" Augie replied.

"It would give us a good baseline time" Darrell concurred. "And if it is close, we can easily adjust to add an indirect cooling agent."

"And most importantly," Claire said, "it is small enough that we can test it at normal scale with the facilities we have. It should also be our top one to test live."

"Sweet" Cinder softly giggled, "I love blowing stuff up."

"I'm sure I should be concerned about a Fire Captain who loves blowing stuff up but I'm not" Claire giggled. The came up with test plans for their other possible scenarios as well. "Ok, now that we have that set, I'll go work out the logistics. Darrel and Augie will start asking questions and see where that takes us."

"What about me?" Cinder softly asked.

"You do your normal stuff" Claire told her. "I'll let you know when we'll be able to run the tests. Since this is part of your training for Chief, you just need to know that this stuff takes time and not the nuts and bolts of how I get the logistics together."

"Sounds good" Cinder softly replied before showing them out.

Claire called Cinder later that day to say they got the go-ahead and that their test would be in two days. Cinder remained focused on their calls but she was secretly excited to get to see a live test of her theory.

The day of the test came. Skipper was covering for Cinder so Claire came to collect her at 0600 sharp. They talked as they drove out to the test site, the police department gun range and bomb disposal training site just outside of the city. Blocked in by hills, it was perfect for containing small explosions like what they were about to create.

Claire's team was already there getting everything setup. While they worked, Claire showed Cinder around the range and talked through the technical side of how the test was setup. They had a sheet metal replica of the cart, the gas cylinders and a remote activation device that would ignite the gas into a miniature blow torch just like they envisioned. Then they were ready.

"Let's head to the bunker to watch" Claire said. They walked inside side by side. The police bomb technicians handed them both ear protection, both for in their ear and over the ear so that they had double protection.

"Ready?" the lead technician asked.

Cinder nodded and Claire replied "Ready" as she pulled out a stop watch.

The lead technician connected the detonator to wires leading to the test cart, hit the firing alarm which blared across the range like an air raid siren. "Firing in five," he started to count down, "four, three, two, one, ignition!" With the last word he pressed the button and Claire started timing.

Almost immediately, smoke started coming out of the fake cart. Cinder couldn't take her eyes off the cart, she didn't want to miss what happened, mentally following the timeline of what would be happening. It seemed to take awhile. Then, without any warning the cylinder detonated, blasting pieces of the fake cart and the cylinders all over the site.

"Clear!" The lead tech yelled as he disconnected the leads from the detonator.

"Let's go see what we have" Clair said as she removed her hearing protection and hung them around her neck while Cinder did the same. The two of them walked around looking at the damage while Claire's team took pictures, just like had been taken at the actual scene.

"Over here" Cinder softly called. She had found a piece of the exploded cylinder that matched what they found at the real scene.

"That looks pretty dang close" Claire admitted. Shortly thereafter, they found the intact cylinder. Just like at the scene, the only evidence of the igniter was the hole left behind.

"How was it on time?" Cinder asked.

"A little quick" Claire said, showing her the two times side by side. "But, we brought a second mock up to test with indirect cooling."

An hour or so later, they had reset the test with two remotely activated fire hoses. Back inside the bunker, there was now a second button that Cinder had.

"Ready?" the lead technician asked again.

Cinder nodded and Claire replied "Ready" as she pulled out the stop watch.

The lead technician connected the detonator to wires leading to the test cart, hit the firing alarm, which blared across the range like an air raid siren. "Firing in five, four, three, two, one, ignition!" With the last word he pressed the button and Claire started timing.

As the time ticked by, Clair watched the time tic up. At the earliest moment that water could have been applied by the Engine 25 crew, she nodded to Cinder who pressed the button.

Water shot out from the two hoses at the test cart. Now they waited. Almost to the moment that Cinder felt that the explosion occurred, the fake cart similarly exploded.

"Clear!" The lead technician yelled as he disconnected the leads from the detonator.

"How was the time?" Cinder softly asked.

"Right in the window" Claire replied with a smile. "We'll still test the other scenarios but I think we found it. They spent the rest of the morning testing the other possible ignition conclusions but none were anywhere as accurate.

They drove back to Station 25 with their data and video footage. Augie and Darrel met them at the station.

"How did it go?" Augie asked, his tail wagging.

"It was soo fun to watch!" Cinder softly bubbled over, "and we'll show you the video first so we don't spoil it!"

They walked into Cinder's office and she pulled up the video on her computer. Then she vacated the chair for Augie while Darrell stood behind him. Cinder and Claire stood off to either side. They boys watched with rapt attention as the cart ignited, followed by the water. Then the explosion hit, making both of them jump slightly.

"Always so satisfying" Augie yipped happily.

"Time on that was was well within the window tolerance" Cinder added with a smile.

"So, now we pretty definitively know what happened" Augie continued, "that makes our job easier."

"So now what happens?" Cinder asked.

"Darrell and I continue doing police things, we'll let you know what else comes up" Augie said. "While this isn't quite as strange as the first case you gave us, Cinder, hopefully we'll be able to take care of it just as quickly."

"I thought this was your first case Cinder," Claire said surprised.

"First arson case" Cinder softly clarified, "I had an oddball one a few months ago that required some special attention."

"I'll say" Darrell laughed, "hopefully that is the last time we drive through town with a couple crates of dynamite in the back of the car."

"Ok, this I need to hear" Claire replied.

"I'll tell you on the way out" Darrell said as he walked out of the office with Claire right behind him.

Cinder got up to follow but Augie put his paw on hers. Cinder looked at him in surprise.

"I just wanted to say that I'm excited to be working with you Cinder" Augie said softly. Cinder noted how his tone had changed. "You may not know this, but you inspire so many other pups out there. Even in the police department, where we've had police canines for a long time, they are now talking about how we can expand the program. Up until very recently, the highest I could have ever dreamed of going was head of canine units and there are so many pup/people pairs that it would be unlikely to ever happen. You becoming the first pup Fire Captain has opened everyone's eyes to what a pup can do. One of my sisters works as an airport canine and is telling me that the same questions are being asked there. You shattered a glass ceiling just by being you.

"On top of that, you may not have wanted word to get out about your heroics, but it did. Laura, that Cocker Spaniel fire pup you saved, is dating an canine officer named Kong. We managed to convince everyone not to blair your heroics deeds across the city but every single canine officer knows how you saved her. What no one, except Kong and I, knows, and we would never share, is what it cost you…" Augie's voice dropped to a whisper. "Kong is basically my adopted brother on the force, he is a great big King Shepherd, Laura told us you had been hurt but not any details. Anyway, Kong and I were out at an Irish pub one night after work when we noticed a hero we had heard about walk in." Cinder sucked in air through her teeth involuntarily, she realized where this was going.

Augie noticed and nodded. "Anyway, you know what happened that night so I won't rip that wound open. Just know that wherever you go in the city, the entire canine force has your back. Not that you need it, if anything I wonder if we shouldn't be scared of you." The levity that Augie finished with was just right and made Cinder smile.

"Thanks Augie, I really appreciate that" Cinder said even softer than normal.

"I know your brother is back in Adventure Bay. I won't presume to be anywhere as near as helpful to talk to as he is, but if you need an ear to bend let me know. Smart goes for Kong, Laura and my sister's, though you'll have to get the girls up to speed on what happened if you want to talk to them. We didn't tell them anything about it out of respect for your privacy other than we pulled you out of a jam at the pub."

"Thanks, I appreciate that" Cinder softly replied, "and for your offer. I may just take you up on that as I don't really have any close friends here."

"That is a crime in and of itself" Augie replied, "unfortunately, I don't think I can arrest anyone for it."

Cinder barked out a laugh. "Thanks Augie, I needed that."

"Anytime" Augie replied with a smile as they got up. "See you soon hopefully" he said as they walked out. As they walked up to the police SUV, Cinder noticed that Claire's SUV was also still parked at the station. Augie turned to smirk at Cinder before he knocked on the door. It opened to reveal Clair sitting in the passenger seat with Darrel in the driver's seat, both of their faces slightly flushed. "Can I have my seat back now?" Augie whined.

"You weren't using it" Darrell replied as Claire hopped out.

"See you guys later" Claire said as she waved goodbye.

"I'd say get a room but that has only helped you two so much" Augie laughed as he hopped up. Cinder looked at him in surprise. "Best kept secret on the force is that the police arson sergeant is dating the senior fire and rescue arson investigator" Augie laughed. "Which means you are now sworn to secrecy Cinder. It is totally legal by the rules of both departments but command likes to break up teams that work too well together so what they don't know won't hurt."

"You had to spill the beans didn't you?" Darrell grumped good-naturedly, giving Augie a tussle behind his ears.

"You could have waited until you guys got back to your apartment" Augie countered.

"Then I guess I should tell Cinder about…" Darrell stated to say.

"Catch you later, bye!" Augie cut Darrell off as he waved and shut the door. Cinder laughed as they drove away before heading back inside. As she walked to her office and sat back down, she thought about Augie's offer. She knew she had an absurdly low number of close friends and she needed to open up more. It was just so dang hard for her to do that unless it was Marshall. Another instance where having the neural link with him had not prepared her to be apart from him. But that was what made Augie's offer worth considering. He just put it out there as a take it if you want, no expectations or anything, just him saying "if you want to talk, you aren't alone, I'll listen."

Cinder's musings we're interrupted by the station alarm going off.

"WE HAVE A REPORT OF A STRUCTURE FIRE AT THE CORNER OF BROADWAY AND PINE, ALL UNITS RESPOND CODE 3."

Quick as a flash, Cinder put those thoughts away as she sprinted to Engine 25. The chair in her office was still spinning when the Engine pulled out into the street and raced away.