(A/N: I do not own Paw Patrol, enjoy!)
Hatching a Plan
Augie was awakened by the gentle vibration of an alarm going off. He tried to move but found himself pinned in place. Then he remembered the events of the day before. Augie shuddered as he remembered the pungent odor of natural gas filling the cafe, the fear in everyone's eyes as they evacuated. He remembered the explosion throwing him to the ground, knocking him out briefly. He remembered waking up to teeth sinking into his scruff and dragging him out of the fire. With with those sharp teeth was the faintest trace of lavender; the signature smell of a pup who seemed to know no fear.
Cinder. Augie was in awe of how she had kept her head about her and calmly overseen the evacuation. How she had rescued everyone inside after being thrown out the window by the explosion. Even now the hint of lavender was present, relaxing him.
But that wasn't who pinned him down. Augie felt the soft, but slightly bushy fur of his sisters surrounding him on all sides. Jan and June had him fully pinned to the hospital bed. And it was June's alarm which was now vibrating, trying to wake the youngest Belgian Shepherd without much luck.
Augie nudged his sleeping sister, who let out a quiet groan, tacitly begging for more sleep. But the alarm was persistent and after a few more moments June's eyes finally opened and she let out a quiet yawn.
"Early shift today?" Augie quietly asked.
"First shift, 0400 to 1200" June sleepily replied.
"Why are you on that shift if you dislike it so much?" Augie inquired.
"I had a disagreement with Jeremy over something non-work related" June replied evasively.
"Isn't he the one you said was quite handsome?" Augie questioned.
"Yeah, turns out that didn't extend to his brain" June replied, "and he didn't like hearing that from me."
"I keep telling you, avoid those workplace romances" Augie replied with an amused shake of his head.
"Maybe one day I'll listen" June replied with a shake of her head to clear it. "When you follow that rule yourself."
"There is nothing going on between me and any of my co-workers" Augie replied.
"What about between you and your partners?" June pressed.
"Absolutely nothing" Augie replied, but a hint of wistfulness in his voice betrayed what he really wanted.
"Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts" June replied with a playful smirk. "I have to go, you be safe out there."
"I'll do my best" Augie replied, giving his baby sister a quick hug. As June quietly slipped out, Augie took stock of his situation.
Jan was pressed up against his other side, with Cinder on the opposite side of Jan from himself. Not exactly where Augie wanted her, but it would be adequate for the foreseeable future. He laid his head back down to catch a few more hours of sleep.
Several hours later, Augie and Jan woke at the same time as a delicious smell filled their nostrils. "What is that appetizing smell?" they asked each other at almost the same time.
"Bacon, sausage, eggs, blueberry muffins" a soft voice replied from the foot of the bed. Both Belgian Shepherds' eyes met those of a Dalmatian gently pushing a tray of food towards them. "It's not as good as Marshall or I cook, but it is nourishing" Cinder softly added.
Augie's stomach grumbled hungrily. "I didn't realize how hungry I was" he said abashedly as he immediately started devouring bites of everything.
"I think he means thank you for bringing us breakfast" Jan giggled as she too started to eat, albeit at a much slower and dainty pace.
"There is no need to stand in ceremony nor call to impress" Cinder softly told Jan, "you must be hungry."
"Hungry yes" Jan replied, "but also not interested in eating so fast I that I make myself sick."
"No problems with that here" Augie quipped with a smile between bites.
"You are a mobile garbage disposal" Jan informed her brother, eliciting a soft giggle from Cinder.
"Marshall and Everest can be the same way around food" Cinder softly admitted, "especially Everest around liver."
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me" Jan replied with a laugh.
Right as the pups finished eating, the doctor came in and cleared Augie for discharge and return to duty. The pups walked outside, chatting quietly.
"So when do you work today?" Augie asked his sister.
"I actually have to head in now" Jan admitted, turning towards the metro station, "I have the middle swing shift."
"I'm assuming you know June had the first shift" Augie noted.
"It's her own fault" Jan replied, "she needs to learn to keep her paws to herself."
"I'm not going to ask a question I don't want the answer to" Augie said with a shake of his head.
"Wise choice" Jan nodded before kissing her brother on the cheek. "Be safe out there, and watch her back" Jan said with a nod towards Cinder.
"I'll do my best" Augie replied.
"Same goes for you" Jan said, giving Cinder a hug, "I've gotten used to having you around."
"We've got each other's backs" Cinder softly promised.
Jan hopped on the metro, leaving Cinder and Augie alone. "So now what?" Augie asked.
"Now we figure out how to catch our arsonist" Cinder softly replied.
"And how are we going to do that?" Augie asked. "We don't have any good leads or details that would help us find a single person in this city of over 500k people."
"Oh ye of little faith" Cinder softly teased, "time to put your thinking cap on."
"While I am refreshed from a good night's sleep, I'm not sure what we can do differently" Augie said as they walked to a different platform.
"Thinking like investigators isn't working" Cinder softly agreed, "so now we need to think like arsonists."
"I'm pawsitive I didn't hear you right" Augie said as they stepped onto the monorail that wove through downtown Heartland. "We need to think like arsonists?"
"Get inside his head so to speak" Cinder softly replied. The monorail doors closed and they departed. "What is his end goal?"
"I don't know" Augie replied, "but part of it is definitely getting rid of us. I think he or she made that very clear."
"Think bigger" Cinder softly prompted, "getting caught would be a primary concern, but the arsonist isn't starting fires for the sole purpose of not getting caught starting fires."
"True, but that is the problem" Augie reminded her, "there hasn't been any kind of pattern to his attacks to give us any clue as to what that end goal might entail."
"Destruction, chaos" Cinder softly replied, "causing the maximum amount of both might be the end goal."
"Interesting theory" Augie replied thoughtfully as the monorail stopped and they stepped off. "But how does that help?"
"Because tomorrow is possibly the biggest chance the arsonist could have all year" Cinder softly replied as she walked to the edge of the platform and sat down, looking towards a major city landmark.
"The football game!" Augie realized in surprise as he sat down next to her and they both looked at the stadium. The concrete monolith was old, and needed refurbishment, but for the Heartland Hawks and their very devoted local following consisting of everyone in the city, it was sacred ground. And tomorrow would be the only game of the season that truly mattered, where they faced off against the Adventure City Ardvarks.
Which made it the perfect target for someone looking to cause chaos and confusion. Worse, the stadium was filled with natural gas pipes running to all the various built-in concession stands. And most of those had small tand-by tanks in the stalls in case there was ever a temporary interruption. It practically begged their arsonist to target the stadium. And if he succeeded, it would take the entire fire department to get the fire under control, leaving the rest of the city unprotected.
"That would be quite the statement" Augie breathed softly, "so how to we stop it?"
"Fishermen always say live bait is the best way to get the biggest fish" Cinder softly noted.
"Sure, but what kind of bait would an arsonist go for?" Augie asked, cocking his head to the side, "and where would we go fishing?"
"If I recall correctly" Cinder softly said, "Light Force 25 is overdue for a hot rescue."
"Hot rescue?" Augie asked, cocking his head to the opposite side, which Cinder found quite distracting.
"Where they have to extract a injured an injured survivor from an active fire under a time constraint before that victim dies" Cinder softly explained.
Augie's eye widened as he realized what Cinder was planning. "NO! Absolutely not, no way!" He barked fiercely, "no way am I going to let you risk your life as bait to catch this arsonist!"
"You haven't heard the full plan" Cinder softly replied, the strength of Augie's reaction making her feel warm inside. "I'm not doing this alone, and that isn't the only part of the plan. All of us have a part to play."
"As long as your part keeps you safely away from any danger" Augie mumbled grouchily under his breath.
"I could say the same about you" Cinder softly whispered, taking Augie by surprise, "but that isn't the line of work either of us are in so let's make this plan the best we can."
"I guess you are right" Augie softly acquiesced.
"Of course I am, get used to it" Cinder softly informed him, flashing Augie a warm smile before continuing, "and your part on the plan is keeping me safe while I'm the bait."
"Good, I like that" Augie replied, invigorated that he got to ensure Cinder's safety, "but how will I do that?"
"I'll show you" Cinder said as they walked back towards the monorail, "have you been to the fire training center before?"
"No" Augie replied as they hopped onto the monorail.
Meanwhile, a shadow was displeased. He had been quite happy with the cafe explosion knowing that he had injured both pups on the arson team. That had been the whole point of targeting the cafe was to get them out of the picture. And with both of them in the hospital, it had left the two humans to deal with. Two fairly predictable humans at that.
But his morning had been interrupted by an update from his spy network that Augie had been discharged from the hospital and that Cinder had never been admitted. Vexed that his explosion had not been as effective as originally reported, he had set about finding the two pups. But they had disappeared.
The shadow spent the better part of the day trying to find them. His only consolation was that neither Claire nor Darrell seemed to know either. It was all those two could seem to talk about. Which was fine with the shadow because it distracted them from his big plan.
The shadow was finishing his preparations when he was startled by a kerfuffle at the police station. He turned to look at his display and a scowl spread across his face as Cinder and Augie were the center of attention as he watches and listened.
"Where have you been all day?" Darrell asked the two pups.
"Out and about" Augie replied evasively.
"Doing what?" Claire asked curiously.
"Just talking" Cinder softly replied, acutely aware that the shadow might be listening. She was also aware of what they were implying and it made her fur flush slightly.
"About what?" Darrell asked with a smirk.
"Work" Augie replied. He was also keenly aware of what Claire and Darrell were implying and blushing even more than Cinder, not that anyone could tell under his jet black fur. But where Cinder had a suspicion that she shadow was listening, Augie was convinced and he intended to use that to their advantage. "We think we've figured out what the arsonist is going to do next."
The shadow leaned forward over his display, curious as to if those pesky pups were correct.
"Where?" Claire asked. She really hoped the pups were correct in their prediction as she and Darrell had no ideas.
"The airport" Cinder softly said. "There are lots of folks flying in for the big game tomorrow and there is a report of a jet fuel leak at the airport from one of the tanks. The tank has been drained but obviously there is residual jet fuel and vapor remaining. They are planning on fixing it Monday morning but if it caught fire it could spread to the whole fuel farm and cause a lot of damage."
"That would be really bad" Claire said with a shiver, we should put some extra units on alert or deploy them to the airport just in case."
The shadow shivered too, the pups were wrong! While the airport had been on his list and now would make an especially good target, it wasnt the one he had selected. And many of the same fire companies that covered the airport also covered his intended target and now would be out of position when he actually struck.
"Are you sure that is the most likely place?" Darrell asked skeptically.
"Very sure" Augie replied, giving his partner a covert paw signal to just go with it. "And we have a great plan to keep that leaky tank safe."
"Ok, let's hear it" Claire replied.
"Let's take a walk" Cinder softly replied, turning towards the door. "Light Force 25 has a training exercise tomorrow and I need to prepare so we'll walk and talk."
An evil smile spread across the shadow's face as he watched the team leave the precinct. He had rigged the fire training center a while ago but an opportunity had not presented itself, until now. He headed out to make his final preparations for a day that Heartland would never forget.
"So, when are you two going to tell us the truth about what you two have been up to?" Darrell said as they left the police station.
"We have been telling the truth" Cinder softly replied, "we were just talking the whole time about how to catch the arsonist."
"But you don't think the target is the airport, do you?" Darrell challenged.
"Well, no" Augie replied, "we think it is the game."
"That would make more sense" Claire said, "but why do I get the feeling you two are being tricky."
"Because we are" Cinder softly replied, "we want to prevent the fire that the arsonist has planned but also trap him. All the fire engines we communicate that we are sending to the airport will actually go to the stadium."
"Do you know how to stop whatever he has planned? More fire trucks will only be helpful in putting the fire out" Claire reminded them.
"And the stadium is loaded with natural gas pipes, we know" Augie replied, "but there is a way to bypass all of that without anyone knowing."
"Or at least prevent whatever makes the arsonist intends to cause" Cinder softly added. "And we need the two of you to make sure everything goes well at the stadium."
"Where will you two be?" Claire asked suspiciously.
"At the exercise for Light Force 25" Cinder softly replied.
"How does that help the case?" Claire asked indignantly.
"It is a fire entrapment exercise" Cinder softly replied.
"How does saving a dummy from a fire help" Claire shot back.
"Who said anything about using the rescue dummy?" Cinder asked.
"You are offering yourself as bait, aren't you?" Darrel said slowly.
"I still don't like this idea" Augie huffed, "you are risking too much by being the bait."
"I don't recall giving you a choice" Cinder softly and gently replied. Something in her gaze made Augie feel warm and safe inside, even though he had no reason to feel that way. This would be dangerous and there was very real chance of Cinder getting seriously hurt or even killed. But Augie steeled his own gaze as he vowed not to let that happen.
Cinder's soft gaze was focused on Augie's big brown eyes. She could see he was worried about her, about something happening to her. But she also saw the determination to not let that happen, which they desperately needed for this to work. She hopped that they had plugged all the holes in their plan, accounted for everything. But the shadow got a vote too and that was what she worried about. "We can do this Augie, we can catch the arsonist and bring him, her, or them to justice."
"Toward that end, what do you need us to do?" Darrell asked.
"We met with the stadium security chief today," Augie replied, "he knows what to do. But the short version is that we are going to cut all the gas to the stadium ahead of time and they concession stands will run off of their portable tanks. As they run low, the staff will refill them. They are also going to check all the stands themselves for any of the ignition devices tonight to make sure those are all safe. If they find any, they are going to remove the tanks and not use those concession stands."
"Which means any igniters will only have the gas left in the lines to burn" Claire finished, "and thus easier to put out."
"Indeed" Cinder softly added, "and we'll have extra fire companies on standby just in case."
"So what does your part of the plan look like?" Claire asked.
"I'm going to stage at the training facility ahead of time and start the fire which will trigger Light Force 25 to respond" Cinder softly laid out, "they come in and save me. We expect that the arsonist will try and prevent them from saving me, which is where Augie comes in and arrests them."
"How is the arsonist going to stop your team?" Darrell asked, "I would think that nothing could do that."
"Physically in some way" Cinder softly replied, "either by making the fire bigger and hotter or by actually intervening."
"I'll be monitoring various radio frequencies to see if I can figure out how to intercept his signals" Augie added.
"So that's it then" Claire said, "time for all of us the get some sleep, tomorrow will be a big day." And with that, the team parted ways and headed to their homes to sleep.
That night, Augie lay snuggled up with Jan and June, unable to find rest. His mind was plagued with what-if scenarios playing out every time he started to drift off to sleep. None of them ended well for Cinder despite his best efforts to save her.
"Can't sleep?" A quiet voice softly asked in the dark.
"No" Augie admitted. He felt a wet tongue start gently licking him behind the ears and leaned back into the comforting feeling.
"Thinking about your mission tomorrow?" Jan asked the rhetorical question.
"Yeah" Augie replied quietly, "I can't shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen and it is invading my dreams."
"You know the way to ensure that happens it to not get enough sleep tonight" Jan gently reminded him, "and you can what-if the endlessly possibilities forever. So what common theme do all these dreams have?"
"Cinder getting killed" Augie replied with a sniffle. His last dream had been particularly brutal in that regard.
"Do you like her?" Jan asked point blank.
Augie hesitated for a moment. He had never admitted that to anyone, himself included, but he couldn't deny what he was feeling just by refusing to acknowledge his feelings. "I respect her a lot" he finally said. "She is one of the smartest pups I know, a shining example to others, selflessly devoted to serving others, compassionate, and with tenacity that refuses to accept defeat. And on top of all those things that make her wonderful pup, she is stunning. Her humility would make her deny this but she is as close to perfect and I could ever hope to find."
"That was quite the long-winded way to say 'yes' dear brother" Jan replied with a smile. "And I know you haven't told her yet and have no plans to do so, so I'm going to give you a plan to hold on to. Plan to tell her when this is all over and get it off your chest in the simplest way possible, and don't forget how wonderful you are in your own right." Jan put a paw on Augie's muzzle to forestall any argument on that last point before continuing. "Second, and more immediately, remember that these bad dreams are fear trying to control you. Don't let fear do that and instead channel those feelings of inadequacy into strength and determination. You are not alone, ask and you shall receive the strength you need."
Augie let all of that sink in. As usual, Jan made perfect sense and had a solution for everything that was plaguing him. It was just up to him to carry out those plans. "Thanks Jan" Augie gratefully replied, "I owe you."
"That is the story of your life my dearest brother" Jan said playfuly, giving him a loving lick on the cheek. Augie returned the lick and laid his head back down. The Belgian Shepherd quickly fell asleep and the dreams returned, but this time, Augie took his sister's advice and refused to let fear have control of the dream and slept quite soundly.
Across town, Cinder lay all alone in her apartment. Spartan in every sense of the word, Cinder found peacefulness in the simple beauty and lack of clutter. One photo each of her parents, herself and Marshall, and Marshall and Everest hung near her bed were the only indication of ownership. Several other nature pictures and paintings dotted the remaining walls.
Sleep also eluded the Dalmation. She knew she could call Marshall, but she didn't need to hear his voice; she needed to feel him in her mind and soul. So in the silence, Cinder strained to feel her twin. She was able to finally able to establish an tenuous link, but it was fleeting at best. But it was enough for her to feel loved despite Marshall's unconscious state.
That was the hardest part of being so close and yet so far. They weren't quite close enough to really be together, but neither were they far enough away to fully be apart. Before they had reconnected, Cinder had hopped between different fire departments and stations, trying to find a good fit. Finally she had found what she was looking for in Heartland Fire and Rescue, a chance to prove herself.
I'm a way, both Cinder and Marshall were looking for the same validation, they just found it in different ways and places. But in their hearts, they lived to serve. The prospect of that coming to fruition lay heavy on Cinder. She had prepared herself to give her life saving someone else, just like Marshall had, but this was different. It wasn't the deep personal sacrifice of saving someone from a fire or dangerous situation, it felt very impersonal how she was offering herself up to save not a person, or even a group, but the whole city. It boggled her mind how the arsonist seemed to have taken the setbacks caused by the arson investigation team so personally as to want to kill them. And now, that is what they were banking on to catch him or her and bring them to justice. It was very weighty in spite of being so impersonal.
Cinder had gone over the plan so many times in her mind with the team, with Augie. Augie, the one pup who would be close enough to help her if things went wrong. Cinder knew her team would get her out alive, but that wasn't the objective; they needed to catch the arsonist and get him off the streets and they needed Augie to do that.
Augie. It felt strange in a way to Cinder to be putting so much trust in him so relatively quickly. It wasn't that Cinder didn't trust easily, her trust was given until lost, but this was more than that. It was bigger, deeper, personal. From the first time they met, Cinder had felt something more, something special. She couldn't put her paw on it, but something about Augie made her more willing to trust him, more than anyone else outside her family.
And that was a possible problem too. She had an inkling that Augie liked her as more than just a work partner. Worse, she felt a similar inkling to like him as more too. But they needed to get past this first. Maybe, when all this was over, they could talk about something other than work.
But at the moment, it was a distraction neither of them needed or could afford. So Cinder dutifully locked all of those thoughts away and tried to sleep. Cinder felt Marshall's mind glow warm slightly, just enough to let her cocoon her thoughts within and finally get some rest.
A/N: Cue dramatic and foreboding "dun dun dun!" music. Next chapter is going to take me a bit, probably longer than two weeks so please be patient with me. You might see a chapter or two in the wiki or Marshall's ask Everest out plan in the meantime depending on what I'm inspired to write to help the waiting go better.