The site was swiftly cleaned up as the rest of the ultranationalists were flushed out of the area. With their leader fallen, the terrorists had become unorganized, some demoralized entirely, providing easy pickings for the ACG. Once the palace had been cleared, Rocky made the call for another airship to pick them, the only word he had spoken since Kolechi fell. The others were puzzled at his silence, also taken aback by the sheer anger emitting from Chase's fur. The shepherd wouldn't answer a single question floating his way, forcing Strap to take the initiative in clearing out the vermin. They were picked up within after a few hours, the soldiers collecting into the vehicle and setting off for home, the ultranationalists declared a threat no more.

Everyone went their own ways upon returned to the warship, Chase and Rocky were about to hit their barracks when they were stopped in the hallway by a white retriever.

"You two," Bella cornered them, holding a cross expression. "Follow me."

Rocky hesitated slightly but uttered his response emotionlessly. "Yes, general." Chase however, merely grunted, his ears still flattened with silent anger. Not responding to a superior was a severe mistake for any soldier to make, but oddly, Bella didn't call him out for it. She merely made sure they were following and led them away, taking them deep into the ship.

"Is this about Kolechi?" Rocky asked her. "I know the employer wanted him captured, but we didn't kill him-"

"Not about him." Bella said flatly, her eyes narrowed forward.

Tilting his head puzzled, Rocky flashed a look toward his brother, who was still trudging along with his glaring eyes. He was nervous even speaking up to Chase, the sight of him alone sparking a level of ferocity that made even him quiver. Not like he'd ever tell him that, though.

The general pulled open the door to the mission briefing, gesturing with her head. "In." She let the soldiers enter the room nervously, before entering herself. The room was completely empty, usually filled with whatever squad was being briefed for the next mission. Chase and Rocky walked to the center, both watching the general with shared confusion.

"We need to have a chat." Bella walked in, locking the door behind her. "I read your mission report."

Rocky nodded, unsure of where this was going.

"I couldn't care less about Kolechi." She said dismissively, approaching them. "He's dead, I know, but we have bigger issues now. I explicitly remember what you told me about Ryder."

Chase bristled at the name, boiling under his fur. His brother was expressive, although his claws briefly flexed on the floor. "We belong to the ACG now," Rocky said, cooling his tongue. "He means nothing to either of us."

"Are you sure about that?" Bella raised an eyebrow, pointing her paw at Chase's demeanor. "Looks like he does."

The shepherd growled through his teeth. "I'm... angry."

"I have eyes, soldier." Quipped the general. "This is what concerns me. You both already have a history of getting too attached to your squad mates, it's caused problems before, and it still is now." She hissed, staring both of them down. "I need to know right now; can I trust you both to be mentally stable enough to deal with this?"

Chase answered before his captain could. "Yes... I'll just, need a bit to-"

"You have no time, Chase!" Bella said, her patience thinning.

"Well maybe I need it!" The shepherd argued. "That bastard left us all to be bioweapon food, do you even realize what he-"

Bella suddenly lunged forward, baring her teeth at him. "I was there Chase, did you forget!?" She snapped. "I was literally a part of the fucking squad that rescued you! You think I didn't see any of that?! I was in the burning forest, I watched Feroxmalis tear apart dogs that I knew for years. My closest friends, gone! Don't think you're the only one that's lost something!" She barked in his face, challenging his already angered demeanor. Rocky was terrified a fight was about to break out.

"I know every little thing Ryder did, you don't need to tell me again!" She snarled. "Didn't you say he had connections to the company that released the creature in the first place?"

Chase grumbled. "Liberty told me."

"So if we find Ryder, we can find the bastards who dumped that monster into Adventure Bay." Her anger died down, her voice softening just a hair. "And maybe... you can get some closure. That's why I need to know if you're both sane enough to see him again,since you're the one's going after him!"

"After him?" Rocky echoed.

"First of all, three hours after Kolechi was declared dead, we suddenly got a new job offering from an unknown contact." She explained. "No name, no info, but a massive reward for the capture of a certain target: Ryder."

"Well that's... convenient." Said the captain, putting a paw to his chin. "A little too convenient, actually."

"I agree, there's something weird about it and I don't like it." Said their superior. "But it wouldn't be the first time we've had a strange job offer; it's happened plenty of times before. We're taking the hit."

"What do we have to go off of?"

"We collected some data from all the enemy equipment left in the palace." Bella continued. "Most of it was erased, but we found some recorded info about a dealing they had with Ryder, a weapons exchange. We ran the numbers, and apparently there was some dog tracing Ryder's position, got pretty close too, or close enough that the ultranationalists tried to get rid of him."

His attention fully locked, Rocky tilted his head. "Who? Is he still around?"

"We don't know, but his name is Julian, and he might be able to help us. My guess is likely some other bounty hunter to cash in on the job." Bella said to him. "Hopefully he's friendly enough that'll probably be willing to work with us."

"Is this a chance we can even take?" Chase spoke up.

"It's all we have to go off." Bella shrugged. "We traced a few names, turns out he's using a rundown property as his hideout. We need someone to go out there and meet him, forming an alliance so we can combine our resources. And since you two know Ryder best, I have no choice but to send you instead of anyone else."

The shepherd nodded, briefly able to push his anger back down. "Marshall should come too."

"The medic?"

"He's still one of us," Chase said. "And we'll look less hostile if we have him there, we can't have Julian getting the wrong idea."

"I don't necessarily agree with that, but this isn't an assault mission." The general shook her head. "You know Ryder better than me, and if you believe Marshall will have a positive effect for us, then take him if you wish." She let out a long sigh, then walked back to the door, unlocking it for them. "Okay, talk over. Go grab a bite to eat, get what you need, then meet me back here in four hours. I'm sending you to Julian."

"Yes general." Rocky said, bowing his head.

"Yes... general." Chase frowned, darkened thoughts still on his mind.

Letting them both pass her, Bella thought for a moment, then called over her shoulder. "You know..."

The two stopped, looking back at her.

Releasing a sad sigh and lowering her ears, she spoke gently to them. "Cyrus would be... very proud of you two." Watching both of their expressions widen with surprise, Bella couldn't help but chuckle. "He didn't expect much from you, but you proved him wrong. To see you both taking this position, he'd never stop smiling."

"We had to take this position, though." Rocky said, a saddened look on his face. "Either that, or Archline would take us in the night."

"Maybe, but he certainly didn't expect you to become valued troopers." Bella gave him a sympathetic smile. "I know I didn't. You should be proud of yourselves, I trust you to get these things done, and you always do. You're really on track to becoming something incredible, just a little more work." She gave them a nod. "Alright, I'm gonna get back to work. You two go eat." She turned and left, leaving the two brothers alone with painful memories.

-.-.-.-.-.-

The ACG airship descended down from the sky, nearing its destination. The pilot gave a quick update through the intercom, relying to the three passengers of their estimated time of arrival.

"Okay, quick briefing." Rocky paced around the ship's small hangar. "This is operation..." he trailed off. "Uh... well it's not really an operation. Technically this isn't a mission at all. We're going to meet someone who can help us with our future endeavors."

"Why am I here?" Marshall asked, idly sitting in one of the chairs.

"Partly because having a medic with us will lessen the chance of Julian thinking we're a threat. Also... if we're dealing with something that involves Ryder, it's only fair that you're here too."

The Dalmatian nodded, taking a second to shuffle his paws. There was a notable edge in his voice. "Are we... really going to see him again?"

"If we do, I'm going to tear his throat out." Chase said, standing off at the weapon caches. "That fucker-"

"Language." Marshall glared at him.

The shepherd rolled his eyes. "After everything he did, he honestly thinks he has the right to just show up again? After he nearly killed us all?!"

"Ryder didn't release Feroxmalis, Chase." Rocky said sternly. "Archline did."

"Whatever, a man doesn't abandon his dog, especially if he knows that a company's about to drop a giant bioweapon into town. I used to know people who were inconsolable when their pets went missing. I swear, sometimes I feel like our species is too forgiving."

"Mm, you're not wrong." Rocky shrugged. "But let's focus on the now, here. What happened... happened, and there's nothing we can do to change it. This is our chance to get answers, but after we do our jobs." He made sure to say. "We can't let our personal connections interfere with our titles."

"I'm not saying it will," Chase said defensively, turning back to the weapon racks. "I just... I don't know what I'm thinking right now."

The group went silent for a while, each one trying to busy themselves as the mission really settled in. Chase wasn't even touching any of the rifles, just aimlessly staring into them like he was hunting for flaws. His eyes barely even moved; the shepherd lost in his own foggy thoughts. The only active one was Rocky, blankly pacing around the airship in mindless circles, contemplating what he would even say in the event of meeting their old owner. They touched down in an old farmland after a while, the ship powering down.

"Alright, everyone do your best to look friendly." Rocky said aloud, walking to the rear doors as they opened. "We're trying not to alarm this guy, he's our only lead to Ryder."

Chase happily jumped out into the yellowed grass. "Are you kidding? I'm naturally friendly."

"Sure you are..." Rocky rolled his eyes, letting Marshall exit before following behind him.

Rocky didn't know what he assumed he'd see, likely an old building or some abandoned military base, but a farm wasn't up there. It was in a severe state of disrepair, the crops withered black and vines overgrowing the main barn. There were plenty of enclosures in the distance, penned up with old, white-painted wood, yet there was not a single farm animal in an of them.

Chase looked around with a puzzled look. "This is the place?"

"This is the place." Nodded the captain. "Exact coordinates."

"Well, it certainly is..." Marshall blanked. "I don't know, I wasn't expecting this."

"If you don't expect it, then it's a good place for someone to hide." Said Chase, leading the front as they all approached the barn. "We should at least announce our presence. Jumping him is a good way to get shot."

"Like you have to tell me." Muttered the mixed breed, reaching out to knock on the large wood doors. "Julian? Hello?" He waited for a moment, half-expecting an actual answer. He looked at Chase with a quizzical look, who could only shrug in response. Turning back to the doors, he barked a little louder. "Julian, it's the Assault and Containment Guild. We just want to talk, I believe we have a common enemy?"

Still nothing.

"Julian?" Rocky nudged the door open, exposing its vast corridor. There was a single light in the entire structure, shrouding the entire place in darkness. "It's the ACG, we're coming in!" Taking a deep breath, the three dogs pushed down their lingering fears and entered the building.

They looked around for a few minutes, standing in the center awaiting someone to appear. "Julian? You in here?" Rocky called again, squinting around the darkness. Confused at the silence, he turned around back to the doors. Maybe they landed in the wrong place? He should probably ask the pilot to confirm the location. Leaving Chase and Marshall, Rocky peered outside, and was met with an unexpected sight.

The pilot of the airship, outside and stripped of his gear, surrounded by armored dogs with assault rifles. He had been captured in silence; the ship swiftly infiltrated by the new presence. They were swarming the vehicle, already taking things out of the inside. Rocky went wide-eyed. "What the-"

Chase called out. "We wanted talk about your affairs with the ultranationalists, we believe-"

A new voice appeared from the darkness, speaking with a somber, hardened tone. "There's nothing to believe, Chase." They said, a feel of hopelessness in their voice. "I could care less about those extremists, they served their purpose, and I'll need them no longer."

The three turned in the voice's direction, witnessing a shadow emerging from the darkness. "Julian, is that-" Chase stopped, his voice freezing as the speaker walked into the light. Rocky and Marshall stiffened, their eyes widening with alarm as they stood before in the new presence.

"Once again, human intelligence triumphs against the animal." Ryder sighed, holding his arms behind his back. "There is no Julian, Chase. I knew you were smart, but I didn't think you'd fall into the trap that easily."

Gone was his colorful jacket they had always remembered, a staple in the joyful life within their old leader. Most of his overall color was gone entirely, now replaced with a black bodysuit under military gear. This was not the boy they grew up this, this was someone else entirely. Rocky couldn't speak, his whole mind stunned at the sight of someone he once upheld with fierce loyalty. Marshall took a single step back, looking upon his owner with a heartbroken look, almost confused as if he was unable to process what he was seeing.

Chase was the first to say anything. "You bastard!" He snarled and pulled his sidearm.

"Chase, no!" Rocky quickly came to, reaching to grab the shepherd's arm.

He didn't need to. An entirely new dog, dressed head to paw in dark tactical gear, birthed from the darkness, immediately pulling a gun. "Drop it!" He barked, stalking over.

"And who the hell are you?!" Chase growled at the new face, turning back to Ryder. "Who's this, is this the new PAW Patrol you slimy fuck?! You replaced me already!?"

Ryder merely raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. As if on wordless command, five more dogs, all dressed in identical armors, emerged from the darkness one by one. All swiftly armed, all aiming at the trio, and all bearing a shoulder patch with the silver tagline: "AL."

"Drop the gun, Chase." Ryder said, a tight sternness in his warning. "I raised you better than that."

The shepherd was unresponsive, his face locked in a permanent snarl. Even with the now six dogs holding him up, Chase refused to back down, his self-control only hair thin. Glancing at Ryder's belt, he could clearly see a powerful handgun holstered at his side, even he was armed.

"Chase," Rocky breathed, his voice filled with resignation. He discreetly pulled Marshall closer to him. "Just... drop it."

Clenching his teeth, the seething dog thought long and hard, and after shooting his owner a malicious glare, he slowly put the gun down. He'd comply, for now.

The boy put his hands together. "Good, we're all friends again."

"I hate you."

"I'm sure you do." Ryder rolled his eyes. "But hopefully when this is all over, we can get on more common ground with one another."

Relieved that his brother was complying for even a few seconds, Rocky looked up at the human being. "Didn't know you worked with domestic terrorists."

"Those guys? Please." Said their owner. "I only helped them because I knew they'd draw you three out of hiding. Believe me, I don't want anything to do with those brainless psychopaths." Ryder waved off the statement. "I knew you three would come for them, and I wanted to watch you in action from afar. Had to know what I was dealing with."

"That was all a setup?" Rocky flattened his ears. "And you watched us?"

"Through a sniper scope."

"A sniper-" The captain put the pieces together. "Was it you who assassinated Kolechi?"

"Yep, that was me." Ryder nodded, a flicker of malice twisting his face. "I could see him talking. Couldn't afford to let him spill anything, especially knowing that there were other soldiers around." He broke into a wide smile, approaching the three. "But now that it's just you here, there's no more need for secrecy! This has been a long time in the making." Lowering his voice to an icy tone, he hissed through his teeth. "Running away with the ACG was a clever idea."

"Yeah, and we became better than anything you could've ever made with us!" Chase snapped, growling at the boy's face.

"Yet, so cowardly." Ryder shot back at him. "Running away from those you stole from."

"Stole?!" Marshall spoke up. "We never stole anything!"

Ryder flashed a smirk. "Oh really? Because I'm looking at all three of the stolen assets right now. Just in time for the next stages of our plans, too."

Aghast at his words, Rocky stood almost paralyzed with disbelief. Chase hadn't dropped his hostile mood for even a second, with Marshall nearly hiding behind the captain as he stared at the enemy soldiers with shaking paws.

"I don't wanna hurt you, so I'm not gonna." Ryder said again. "But if you make me, I will."

Chase snarled, becoming increasingly unhinged. "You're going to hurt your own pets?"

"Like I said, depends on if you make me." The boy glared back at him. "And you aren't special, Chase. I could walk into a pet store and get a dozen of you. There's always more dogs in the streets."

His words rubbed the dog the absolute worst possible way. "Ryder, if we ever get free from this, I'm going to personally kill you."

"I'd like to see you try." Ryder hissed, then addressed the soldiers in the room. "Bound them, take away their radios and equipment, don't need them getting any ideas." Three of the dogs lowered their weapons, coming toward them while the others kept them at bay. Rocky sighed, knowing there was no hope in fighting. He showed little resistance as his gear was torn off, his radio and other methods of communication swiftly tossed away. Chase growled and snarled like an angry boar with every move they made on him. He seemed one wrong touch away from lunging, his ears flattened against his head, teeth bared for so long his own saliva was dripping out of his mouth.

Marshall flinched as a soldier approached him. "Wh- where are you taking us?" He was swiftly patted down and removed of all medical equipment and other tools he had. They had nothing now; Chase and Rocky were wearing only the black shirts they wore under their gear, but Marshall being a medic had nothing of the sort and was left in only his bare fur.

"Where you belong. It's time to meet the one's behind the magic, the dogs you really answer to." The boy crossed his arms. "The Archline Foundation."