The blizzard was pounding into her as she ran outside. She heard the ski lounge fully collapse behind her, her heart breaking at the crashing sound of her life being rendered to debris. Even as she fled, great fear for Dwayne continued to pull her backward, screaming to return into the mess and dig him out. He had to be still alive, surely he wouldn't be taken from her so quickly? She'd come back, she promised in her mind, she was coming back for him, and Gasket too. After so many failed attempts to be the dog she was supposed to, it was about time she did something right.
Her dormant kennel was within view, just a couple more feet away. The husky was sprinted as fast as her four legs could carry her, the exertion pumping through her body far beyond what her muscles could do.
Without warning, her radio collar activated. "Asset Everest, stay where you are."
"What?" She faltered, bewildered that it was even still working. "Who is this?"
"My name is Dutch, Agent Dutch to you, and I'm ordering you to stop." The voice growled.
A monstrous screech emitted from far behind her, spiking Everest's anxiety with alarm. The Mentiarga wasn't far behind her, and it was moving quickly.
"You've been extremely unpredictable in the last few hours." Dutch said, a mild groan in his voice. "For your sake, I suggest you quit these theatrics and follow my orders."
"It's after me!" Everest cried, running for her vehicle.
"Of course it is, you can't just toy with such profitable bioweapons and expect to not get bitten. Now stop running."
"Wait," the husky realized. "You can see me?"
As if to answer her question, two roaring military helicopters soared through the sky, zooming above her head and flying off in the opposite direction. Dutch spoke up again once the ships vanished into the snowy fog. "As a matter of fact, we do." He said. "We have to land outside the infection zone, we'll be getting to you shortly, so stay put and wait."
She was aghast at his words, running up to the side of her vehicle. "I'm not waiting for anything! That thing killed my friends, and I don't even know who you are!"
"I already told you my name!" Dutch snapped through her radio.
Everest leapt up the side of her kennel, climbing to the top. Turning her head away from the beating icy winds, she swept a layer of frost off the kennel's upper controls. "Maybe, but how do I know I can trust you!?"
Dutch answered with a rising growl, as if the dog himself was spiking his fur. "Because I am the Executive Director of the Archline Foundation. You are speaking to the very top of the pyramid here, there is nothing above me."
"The..." Everest stopped, her paws hovering above the dormant control panel. "Archline...?"
"Yes, my foundation." Dutch hissed. "You have interfered with one of our field tests, God help you if any damage has come to the Mentiarga. And now because of your own meddling, we're taking you in as an asset. Can't exactly let the general public get word of our progress."
"You're insane! I'm not going anywhere with you!"
"You have no say in the matter, insect. Now follow my orders if you wish to stay alive!"
Everest never heard Dutch's last sentence. She pounded for her life on the buttons, activating the machines that slept within her kennel. The vehicle responded, emitting a low whirring noise as it worked, but the freezing temperatures had slowed its processes. "No! Come on already!" Everest panicked, her body stiffening at the sound of a screeching roar behind her.
The Mentiarga scampered through the snow, leading with snarling bared teeth and using the lights of the kennel as a beacon. It saw Everest long before she saw it, buying it a few seconds to ambush its prey. The husky whipped around to face the creature, watching it horror as it sprinted for her. She was exposed atop her transport, and with soaring adrenaline Everest jumped to the ground. The blizzard united with her snowy fur color, granting her invisibility within the storm. Leaping off the snow, the Mentiarga flew through the air and landed on top of the kennel, gripping its claws into the corners. With unmatched ferocity it raked its lower arms at every angle, leaving deep cuts into the metal cockpit of the vehicle. Its claws were sharpened by the metal impacts, but no blood was shed. Hissing in agitation, the creature craned its head around, scanning its blank white surroundings for any sign of its prey.
Nothing visually, but she was close. Too close, it knew. Flicking its tails in the winter air, the Mentiarga crawled to the front of the den, peering over the front side into its doorway. Everest was huddled in the far corner of her doghouse, hastily searching through her belongings for anything that could save her in this desperate moment. She heard its snarl, and turned around with horror at the sight of its face leering in. "Aaahh!" She screamed, scrambling amidst the scattered objects. The husky was completely trapped in her own home, left helpless as the Mentiarga started climbing inside. "No! Get away from me!" Everest cried with what little she had left. "Just get away!"
The Mentiarga screeched at her misery, reaching its claw out to her.
In an instant, a metal hatch slammed down the front entryway, crushing onto its tails. Searing pain soared through the creature, sending it into a wild frenzy as it jumped from its trapped limb. Everest covered her head as the monster flailed like an overturned roach, swiping and clawing in all directions. The floor underneath her came to life, a small platform lifting up the husky while the roof opened. Everest was quickly risen to the cockpit, and the kennel sporadically transformed as its hull shifted and extended. Looking down at the control panel before her, triumphant elation suddenly spread through the husky at the realization. Saved by the snowcat.
The kennel fully transformed into its vehicle mode, trapping all entrances into the kennel with its alternate mechanisms until the Mentiarga was firmly sealed inside. Like a fuming storm the creature raged at its capture, slamming and pounding into the walls with such velocity that it made the snowcat rock slightly. "Alright!" Everest brightened with resolve, gripping the controls. "Ice or snow, I'm ready to go!" She stomped on the gas pedal, effectively flooring it with acceleration.
Off she went into the blizzard, driving off from the ski lounge at incredible speed. Speeding through the winter for her freedom, Everest slapped her paw on the radio controls. "Can anyone hear me!? This is Everest of..." she paused. "Uh... it's just me! This is an immediate emergency situation, I need help!" Nothing but static came from the other end, but the husk refused to give up, steering her vehicle through the blinding frost. "This is an immediate emergency situation, my owner is dead! If anyone can hear me, I have an extremely dangerous creature trapped in my vehicle! I need the authorities, I need the military, anyone! I need- aaaahhg!" Her body was violently slammed off the wall of her cockpit, the Mentiarga relentlessly teetering the snowcat with its resistance.
"Dangerous... animal!" Everest struggled to recollect herself, frantically trying to control her vehicle. "I don't know what it is, but it's lethal and-"
Another impact from within, spiraling the drive for a split-second before she could realign it. Two black helicopters descended from the fog, appearing like angels as they followed Everest like vultures.
"Asset Everest, stop your vehicle!" Dutch yelled through the radio.
She ignored him, following her instincts to where she remembered the road to Adventure Bay began.
"Stop. Your vehicle!"
The road had to be somewhere, blanketed in snow probably, but Everest knew she was coming up on it. Gritted determination coursed through her like adrenaline, she was ending this here and now.
"Stop your vehicle or we'll do it ourselves!" Dutch barked again.
Swerving the snowcat off to left, she sped through the blizzard until a road sign became visible on the distance. Not long now, just a little further to the main road.
Cracking pops loudly tore through the air, tearing into the back of the snowcat and igniting its fuel line. A fiery explosion completely toppled her vehicle, throwing it from the ground to a violent crash. It rolled in the snow for a few seconds, leaving behind bits of metal debris, before it slowly stopped in a crumpled, flaming heap. The helicopters flew overhead, disappearing into the blizzard.
-.-.-.-
Everest awoke in the snow with blurred vision, an irritating ring stuck in her ears. She blinked her eyes to see her snowcat a couple feet away, smashed on its side and burning to blackened metal. Her body stung with impact, bruised over from where she had been thrown. "Ungh-" she groaned, trying to push herself up. It took immeasurable effort to even stand, pushing through the agonized protests in her legs, and putting one paw in front of the other was an ordeal of its own.
She limped toward her destroyed vehicle, stopping before the shining beacon that was its flaming hull. Not a single thought entered her mind as she stared into the fire, only aimless static taking up her thoughts. The tractional wheels of the snowcat were either burning into seared metal or entirely torn from its skeleton and flung away. The overall body was dented and malformed, beaten from the crash and left for the blue paint to burn away. Anything still kept inside the thing was probably being used as kindling.
Everest's ears picked up as she remembered the interior. Quickly walking around to the front of the ruins, she spotted a gruesome sight: The front panel of the snowcat was completely gone, either lost in the crash or punched out from the desperate creature trying to escape. The Mentiarga had its upper body free, appearing as if it was trying to crawl free from the wreckage, but the fires had long consumed it. It's skinsuit -Gasket's stolen body- was burned away into nothing, leaving only a charred skeleton to emit smoke. To be trapped within the crashed snowcat, the creature had made a desperate attempt to free itself, but the fires were not as merciful as the blizzard.
The Mentiarga was dead, completely burning alive as it tried to free itself.
Everest said nothing as she saw its body, but knowing the terrible threat that had ruined her life so viciously was finally disposed of was greatly relieving. There was nothing left to do now. Sighing to herself, Everest aimlessly turned away and walked out into the roaring blizzard.
The wind whipped at her fur, stinging her skin with icy needles as she moved. Her breath came out in ragged gasps, crystallizing in the frigid air before dissipating into nothingness. With each passing moment, Everest's movements grew slower and more labored, her limbs weighed down by the oppressive weight of exhaustion and cold. Every muscle screamed in protest, begging her to stop and seek shelter from the merciless storm.
As the blizzard raged on, Everest's vision began to blur and fade, obscured by swirling clouds of snow and ice. She stumbled blindly through the whiteout, her senses overwhelmed by the deafening roar of the wind and the bone-chilling cold that seemed to seep into her very soul. With each faltering step, Everest felt her strength waning, drained away by the relentless onslaught of the storm. Her body trembled uncontrollably, wracked by violent shivers as the numbness of frostbite began to creep insidiously into her extremities.
She could feel a sense of overwhelming despair wash over her, a cold, suffocating embrace that threatened to drag her down into the icy depths of oblivion. She knew that she was fighting a losing battle against the elements, that her chances of survival were growing slimmer with each passing moment. Until she saw them.
Were they angels? Everest narrowed her eyes at the three shadows approaching her from the distance. "Who-" her voice came out as raspy gasps. "Who's there?!"
The shadows came before her, walking through the blizzard until they came to a stop. They weren't angels, they were dogs. The one in front was a sleek Malinois, tall and sharp with darkened fur, his fiery eyes piercing through the cold. He wore a black jacket studded with pins and badges, all bearing symbols Everest didn't recognize.
The two dogs behind him were dressed in military outfits, their bodies obscured by vests and masks, each one with a pup pack brandishing assault rifles. They followed behind the middle dog wordlessly, both in perfect sync.
Her life hanging by threads, Everest fell before the Malinois' paws. "Help me..." she pled. "Please."
Looking down at the freezing animal, Dutch merely raised an eyebrow. "Where is the Mentiarga?" He asked coldly.
"The... what?"
"The creature." He said again. "Our property. Where is it?"
Everest looked up at him, wearing a puzzled look. "It... it died in the fire. I think it-"
Dutch immediately lifted his paw, revealing a mechanical gauntlet he was wearing. He flexed his foot in an instant, firing out a tranquilizing shot directly into the dying dog at point-blank range. Everest was helpless to resist as a metal pin stuck into her neck, discharging an overwhelming electric shock through her entire body. The husky collapsed at his mercy, rendered completely unconscious.
"Get a team into the lounge and clean up whatever you can." Dutch hissed, turning back to one of the guards. "And not a word of this comes back home. For all our investors are concerned, the Mentiarga was willingly euthanized!" He barked over the freezing wind. "Load up this husky and take her back, I'll deal with her later."
The guard bowed. "Yes, executive." He then nosed his muzzle under Everest's body, picking her up onto his back. With their new captive in tow, the Archline soldier transported her away back to their landing site.
Rolling his eyes, Dutch turned back to the second guard. "Today never happened." He growled. "We still have the Feroxmalis in Adventure Bay, anyway. Let's hope Liberty reports in with good news." Idly walking out a few steps, he observed the distant bonfire of the burning snowcat, still shining through the blizzard. "No matter what happens, we will always control everything. Archline is invincible." He narrowed his eyes, vicious resolve filling in his veins. "When one bioweapon is lost, a thousand more will be on their way." The dark Malinois turned around, trekking back to the landing site with the guard in tow.
-.-.-.-.-.-
The Archline helicopters left hours ago, but it wouldn't be the last visit the mountain would be see. A substantial while later, another helicopter would poke through the clouds of the blizzard, this one greener in color and belonging to a different faction. The letters "ACG" were painted in white, brandishing the airship to its owners.
It came to a slow stop, gently descending down before the collapsed debris that was once a giant ski lounge. Landing in the snow, its engines shut off and the side doors opened. Two ACG soldiers jumped out, burying their paws in the snow as they landed. They were clad with military gear, kept warm by insulted coats worn over their armor. Their pup packs firmly attached to their backs had readied assault rifles, but the soldiers broke formation as they walked to the site.
The ruins shocked both dogs with awe, leaving them standing still in the wind as they took in the tragic sight. They looked around from their position, set up a few machines, and scanned the premises with small devices. Once they were satisfied there wasn't any direct threat, they nodded to one another and started digging into the rubble. They worked for hours, unearthing through the lobby and taking pictures of the ice-covered hallways. They documented the blood on the floor and sketched a map of the ceiling vents as they walked. The first one climbed down a set of stairs into a server room, all the machines frozen over beyond repair. He walked around the narrow passageways in curiosity, but soon left the scene.
The second ACG soldier dug through the north hallway, made difficult as the ice was extremely defiant against his tools. He made a sudden discovery as the frozen wall broke away, making him fall forward into what appeared to be the hallway's end, although showing signs of excessive ice and water damage. "Hey Tesla," he spoke with heavy panting into his radio. "I think I found something." He tilted his head at where a vending machine had been moved, exposing a hole in the far wall that led into a secret corridor.
It was then he found the saferoom where Jake had fallen, the dog nervously creeping along the metal floor until he entered the main room. He stopped in his tracks at what he saw; numerous bloodstains everywhere an eye could see, even clumps of gore and flesh that were frozen to the floor. The soldier gagged in his mask at the sight, knowing what he'd have to do.
The blizzard was coming to a peaceful end when the two soldiers reunited outside, the fog and winds beginning to clear for the blue sky. Gathering their findings together, they both set up a machine and typed in a contact number. It buzzed for a few seconds, until another dog appeared on the screen.
"What is it?" The dog asked.
"Captain Cyrus sir, we've completed our investigation." Said the first soldier. "Unfortunately, whatever happened here, we were too late to stop it. We found human remains in the saferoom, and blood belonging to both man and dog all over the place."
Cyrus paused, thinking over the information. "The only two who reportedly live there are a man named Jake and his dog Everest. Did you find any bodies?"
"We found two. A Great Dane and a French Bulldog, everything else was just gory clumps."
"Well... that doesn't match the two inhabitants, but if they're dead, and you found human remains, then it's safe to say everyone in that lounge is dead now." The captain said grimly. "Any idea of what did this to them?"
"That's what we were thinking," the soldier looked to his partner. "The gruesome nature of the killings matches Feroxmalis, we think it's possible it might've attacked this mountain too."
"That's... wait, I don't understand." Cyrus furrowed, looking puzzled over the call. "Feroxmalis is 'here' though, in Adventure Bay. When would it have been in the mountains? That doesn't make any sense."
"It's the only theory we have, sir. There's no evidence of any other creature being here, it's the only logical conclusion we can draw."
"Even though it places Feroxmalis in two places at once? That's physically impossible." Cyrus sighed, irritated at the inconsistent information. "But... that's all we have, isn't it? Alright then, just close this case for now. We need more help down here in Adventure Bay. This tropical storm's been hitting us, and we need as many soldiers as we can get."
"Yes sir. We'll head there now." Tesla nodded, and the call ended.
The two soldiers packed their things, wrote the final documents, and loaded it all into the helicopter. Taking to the sky like a soaring bird, the squad flew away from the mountain, abandoning the broken ski lounge to its secrets. Jake and Everest were written off as dead, along with the two bodies of Dwayne and Hubcap to be taken to the morgue. No record of anything or anyone else was ever found.
The declaration of Everest's death was a shock to many when it hit the public news, televisions and radios dramatically blaring about the "mountain ruins" that had appeared in the blizzard. Dogs in the extended PAW Patrol were distraught at the news, but some of them were skeptical at the information. They couldn't shake the lingering feeling that somewhere, out there, Everest was still alive, fiercely being withheld to protect the vile truth of what had occurred. With nothing left to go with, the dogs sighed and held on to their hope, believing that one day their questions would be answered. But for now, life was to continue on. Citizens would continue to get up in the morning, go to work, see their families, children would still go to school and play, dogs would still emerge outside and run along the fields.
With heavy heart their lives continued on, believing truly that Everest was still out there, battling to keep her light burning bright amidst the darkness.
THE END