The atmosphere dipped to freezing temperatures as Chase was carried deeper into the facility. He probably could've wiggled out at any time, but the pressing beating all over his body had left him with an agonizing soreness, enough to make movement near impossible. Escape would've been slim even if he wasn't hurt at all, as the person holding his scuff had quite the iron grip.

"Not a smart move, challenging Dutch." Ryder said, stepping off an elevator into a cold corridor. Steel doors lined the walls, each marked with a number and letter. Echoing screams emitted in all directions, complete with pounding metal and hostile yelling at every corner. Ryder paid it no mind as he walked, searching for the right door. "In case you haven't figured it out, he's different. I don't know how, or why, but he's crazy strong on levels that shouldn't be possible. He's stronger than me, Chase. If that doesn't scare you, I don't know what will."

His hostage didn't reply, his limbs dragging on the ground and collecting dust. He could hear every word being said, but the only thing he could possibly say was another pained groan.

"Look," Ryder sighed, frowning at the unmoving dog. "I get it, okay? I left you, I left you all. I fully expected all six of you to be done for, but... I guess you're stronger than you look. What do you want from me, an apology? Would that really make up for everything?" He huffed, growing agitated as he tried to find the assigned cell block. "I know there's nothing I can say to justify what I did."

He came to a door labeled "G2," pressing a button on the wall, and beeping noise came through the speaker.

"Yes?" Came someone's voice, garbled with radio static.

"Captain Ryder, badge number zero, three, two, eight, five, two, zero. Prisoner transfer!" Ryder replied, sighing as he recanted the entire number.

A click was heard, and the door unlocked. The boy grabbed its handle and grunted to open the heavy door, almost needing both hands. He stepped into a more narrow hallway that split at the end, diverting the path into dormitories. He passed by a wall of bulletproof glass, tapping on it with his finger. A dog inside looked up at him, and Ryder held up two fingers. The dog nodded and hit a few buttons, unlocking the door to the second cell block.

"Look, I know you hate me." Ryder dragged his prisoner over to the door. "But I did you a favor. There's someone in this cell block... someone you might know. It's the most I can get away with, without Dutch getting alerted." Pulling open the gate to the prisoner dorm, he tossed Chase in, the shepherd's body crumpling to the floor like an empty wrapper.

"Sorry, Chase." Came his owner's parting words. "I don't know when I'll see you again... if I will at all. But best of luck to you." Then he shut the door, his footsteps fading out into nothing.

Lying on the floor in bruised agony, Chase was oblivious to the eleven dogs staring at him. They had already turned their heads at Ryder tossing him in, and now they were approaching. Three got up from the metal tables, leaving their card game to see the new inmate. Four appeared out of the maze of bunk beds, creeping forward with their filthy, stinking fur. A couple were just standing nearby, watching Chase with intrigued expressions. Even the retriever using the shower peeked out from behind the curtain, and a doberman using the restroom in the corner, in plain view of the entire room.

"Newbie!" One shouted, announcing Chase's presence to the entire block.

"He looks like a cop." Another piped up, his voice raspy from excessive drug use.

"Damn, someone beat him up already."

"Ay bro!" A labrador leaned down to Chase's face. "You good? Who dinged you up?"

Chase was taken aback by the sheer number of attention he was getting, straining to pick up his aching head. "Wh- what? Where am I?"

"Welcome to paradise!" The lab grinned. "Three meals a day, endless television, we got it all! Hey, do you play spades?"

"Spa- what?"

"Spades! Card game, you know?" The lab gave him a playful nudge. "The name's Rome, but I got plenty of names 'round here. Some call me lab daddy, kaboom, wicker basket, but you can me just Rome."

Trying to stand again, Chase audibly gritted his teeth, pushing against his sore legs. "I... I need to get out of here!"

"Ah, true that." Rome nodded. "Trust me, man. This place is only as bad as you make it, but there's some ground rules."

Chase wasn't listening, looking back toward the locked door he was tossed through.

"Okay, take the shower curtain down when guards scan the place, that's a biggie. They give us cornbread every lunch, if you don't want it, give it to me. Third toilet is the shitter, that's very important." He pointed. "Piss in only the first two, shit in the third."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Chase whipped around.

"Look man, I get that you're in a stressful situation, but it's really not that bad in here." Rome said reassuringly. "So, what did you do to piss off Dutch? Fail an experiment?" Before Chase could even say anything, Rome kept talking. "Actually, don't tell me if you don't want to. We don't judge one another here, we're all enemies of Archline, who cares about the details? Just go find an empty bed and claim it."

"I'm not staying here." The shepherd walked past him, looking around the prison dormitory. The stench of metal, cleaning product, and urine hit his nose in an unsavory combo.

"Yes you are." Another dog spoke up, having been listening in. "I said the exact same thing when they locked me up three years ago."

"Three years?" Chase locked eyes with him.

"Yep. I tried to alert some people in my hometown about a bioweapon getting tested there." He said sadly. "Dutch really didn't like that. Stripped me of my title and threw me in here."

"I've seen the bioweapons." Muttered the soldier, trailing his paw along the ground. "Was on the receiving end of one."

Rome went wide-eyed, his attention caught like a fish on a hook. "Oh shit, really? You actually fought one of those things?"

"Well, 'fought' is a generous word to use." Chase sighed, trudging over to one of the tables. "But yeah, I... I survived one."

"So you and ol' Frost have something in common."

The shepherd looked back at him with a puzzled expression. "Frost?"

"Yea," Rome walked to him. "She battled one of those ugly mofo's, and won! I mean, Dutch locked her up, but she won!"

"Did she?" Chase's interest was piqued. "Is she in here?"

"Well yeah, but she doesn't really like talking, just to let you know. And just a little warning..." he leaned in close, making Chase twist at his breath. "She kinda rules this dorm. Beat up the last guy who opened his mouth, too. It's not like she runs things around here, but everyone agrees to respect her."

"I've seen plenty of types like that, I'm a soldier."

"Oh, are you now?" Rome said with awe. "Big, tough rifle-guy, eh? That's you?"

"I wouldn't say that..."

"So, what, you shoot people?

"There's a little more to it than that. Whatever, it's not important." Chase waved it off. "You all probably have your reasons, but I'm not staying here!"

"Ha! You're funny." Rome laughed, his cackles bouncing off of the walls. He turned over his shoulder, calling out to the bunk beds. "Hey Frost! Come get a load of our new comedian!"

Chase's fur began to stand on end, his lips slightly curling. "I'm not a comedian."

"Well ya will be if you keep talking like that! Hey, tell a joke to Frost!"

A dog walked out of the bed zone, the only inmates immediately stepping out of her way. Chase didn't see her coming, but Rome did, his smile growing wider as he anticipated what would occur. "I hope they don't transfer you," he giggled. "You'll bring some much needed light into these dead fuckin' walls." Spotting Frost approaching, Rome tapped Chase's shoulder and gestured to turn around. "Alright, here she is, say something funny!"

"I don't care who she is," Chase grumbled, notable anger in his tone. He turned around to face the new presence. "I'm not to entertain some..."

His sentence trailed off as he spotted her, every process on his mind cutting off like the electricity had been cut. Standing in place, his eyes widened in stunned silence. Out of all the things he was expecting, it certainly wasn't this. The husky standing before him was also paralyzed with disbelief, initially approaching Chase with bored curiosity, perhaps intending to introduce herself early as the leading power. It wasn't until he turned around that all the memories clicked within her, leaving both dogs silently gawking at each other in front of the prisoners.

"Uh, hello?" Rome looked at the two of them, his eyes narrowed with confusion. "Love at first sight, question mark?" He for some reason felt the need to actually say the words 'question mark.'

Chase was the first one to speak, his voice flattened with shock. "Everest...?"

Standing across from him, the husky blinked at her now-ancient name. Her entire jail persona gone in an instant, she was helpless to stop the elated smile curling up her face. "Chase." She said, already starting to brighten.

Rome spoke up. "Who's Everest?"

Ignoring the inmate, Chase and Everest threw themselves into one another, each embracing the other with pure joy. Chase's pains fell on deaf ears as he jumped into her arms, and Everest nearly tearing up at finally seeing the shepherd again. "Holy shit, I thought you were dead!" Chase exclaimed, hugging her with liquid happiness flooding from his eyes.

"Me? I thought you were dead!" She laughed, and quickly realized the shepherd's powerful form. "Holy hell, you grew up. Not a puppy anymore, I see."

"And neither are you!" Chase grinned. "You're a full-blown husky, now!"

"Hot damn, you two know each other?" Rome said, already feeling the happy mood.

"You kidding?" Everest broke the hug, but still kept an arm around Chase's shoulders. "Rome, this is Chase! He's a puppyhood friend of mine, we go like, years back!"

"Ahh that's live!" The lab exclaimed, wagging his tail with excitement. "See, I knew you'd bring happiness in here!"

"Live?" Chase asked, confused at the word.

"Jail slang, don't mind it." Everest laughed, her eyes shining. "It's so good to see you! We have to catch up, so much has happened! Hard to believe you're under Archline's radar too."

"Oh, you have no idea..."

The husky gigged, holding out her paw to the rest of the inmates. "Don't worry, Chase. Everyone in this whole room is one of Dutch's sworn enemies, you won't find better friends. Which... reminds me." She looked back at him, leaning in slightly. "Where... are the others?"

A simple question, yet one that quickly sucked the joy out of the room. His overjoyed smile quickly faded into a frown, ears lowering as a wave of hallowed remembrance flickered around him. Everest could already see the shift in mood, repeating her question, but with unease in her tone. "Where are the others?"

"Is there somewhere... we can talk?" Chase whispered. "Preferably not with a thousand lowlives listening in?"

"Hey buddy, lowlives are the cool kids 'round here." Rome spoke up.

Everest ignored him. "They're about to bring dinner, I can get a table for ourselves."

"Is the food good here?"

The husky scoffed, releasing a hearty laugh. "Chase... the food is absolute dogshit."

-.-.-.-.-.-

The two met up at one of the lunch tables, Everest using her status to clear it out for just the two of them. The seats were solid metal and the red paint was gruesomely peeling all over the structure. Chase could already count over a dozen symbols and offensive slurs carved into the paint layer.

"Eat up!" Everest chirped, pushing him his lunch tray.

"What in God's name is this?"

"Plain rice, salad, some tortillas, and a brownie that I guarantee you no one will eat. You eat enough of those and you start to question if they're even real." The husky pulled over her own tray, taking her spot right across from him. "But those cookies are always good. Some of us use them as currency around here, trading for things they want."

"Cookies are money?"

"You better believe it." Everest said, scooping her rice on a tortilla. "Oh, don't use the butter packets. Shit tastes like it's made of gasoline."

Chase looked down at his foreign meal with disdain. "I... wasn't planning on it." Eager to steer the conversation somewhere else, his eyes floated up at his companion. "I uh... I like that leather jacket you're wearing. Where'd you get that?

"Hm? Oh." The husky continued pushing her rice into place. "It... belonged to a friend. Someone who was very important to me."

"Sorry I- I didn't mean to pry."

"No, it's fine." Everest sighed, rolling up her burrito. "The leather's tearing and kinda falling apart a little, but I still wear it. It has... a lot of memories attached. Most of the people I used to know are gone now. Or so I thought, now that you've suddenly dropped in." She giggled slightly, leaning down to bite her food. Watching her eat was making his stomach growl, but every time Chase looked down at his own meal, his hunger seemed to vanish entirely.

"Which brings me back to the subject at hand." She continued, swallowing her tasteless entrée. "Where are the others?" She tilted her head, hesitated briefly before speaking again. "Are there... others?"

Fidgeting his paws, Chase looked down, refusing to meet her gaze. A wave of shame hit him like a truck, spiraling with regret that painted a clear picture on his face. "There's... only three of us now." He said, lowering his ears. "Just me, Rocky, and Marshall."

Everest leaned in, her eyes filled with concern. "What happened back there? You made me hand over classified information via call... and I never saw you again."

"Feroxmalis happened." Chase grimaced, twisting his face at the name. "Dutch dropped a bioweapon into Adventure Bay, and it made a giant fuckin' nest under our tower." It was a painful memory to recall, every sickening detail returning to him. "It killed Rubble when it burst out of him, and we lost Zuma escaping the basement."

Nodding as she followed along, Everest absently ate a cookie, gaze hardened as she processed the information.

"There was this big fiasco in the vents," the shepherd continued. "I think I almost died three times, there were just too many close calls." He shook his head, recalling the awful static that plagued his mind for hours on end. "I think I was going insane, can't believe I somehow didn't."

"Chase." Everest said simply, making Chase look up at her. She looked unsure for a moment, then asked a hard question. "Did you really shoot Skye?"

There it was: The million dollar question. Instantly Chase felt on trial, standing before a massive judge who leered down at him with freezing eyes. In his helpless state, he gave the best plea he could, only for the world to crash down around him. Horrid regret pulled at his mind, opening the floodgates for a memory he tried so hard to shove away.

"I..." he stuttered, before finally forcing the words out. "I did."

He braced himself for Everest to lunge at him, claws slashing in fury for the death of her best friend, but the husky didn't move. Looking off to the side, she let out a long sigh and returned to her food. "Alright. I just wanted to know."

"I thought it was her, okay?" Chase pressed. "I really, really thought it was her. But it wasn't! It wasn't..." He let out a defeated breath. "Never was her to begin with. It was quite possibly... the most horrible thing I have ever done in my life."

"At least you meant well." Everest muttered, her tone dropped. "You fucked up royal, but... you tried, I guess."

"I'm sorry, Everest."

"What's done is done, it doesn't matter anymore."

They sat in silence for a while, Chase eventually forcing himself to bite a small piece of each portion. The tortilla was dry, the salad was papery, and the brownie was inedible. Despite being completely bland, the rice was the only tolerable part of the tray. "Rome mentioned that you tangled with a bioweapon too." He asked after a while, watching her eat. "Can I ask what happened?"

"There's not much to say." Everest shrugged. "Dutch dropped one of his pet death machines into the mountains. The Mentiarga, he called it. Remember the Ruff Ruff Pack?"

"Vaguely."

"Well, they were around... for a while, at least." A shudder went through her body. "It assimilated with Gasket, and I personally watched it kill Hubcap. And Dwayne..." her face fell, mournfully gazing at the table. "I never saw what happened to Dwayne, but I'm sure he's gone. He helped me escape, even gave me his jacket."

"What happened to Jake?"

"What do you think?" Everest narrowed her eyes, brief annoyance leaking from her tongue. "Torn apart like the rest, nothing I could've done. The whole ski lounge collapsed, everything I had ever known, gone." She flicked a butter packet across the table. "I managed to trap the creature in my snowcat, and it ended up dying in an explosion. Fucker burned alive, I saw the body myself. Not worth it, though." She shook her head, lamenting to the listening shepherd. "Taking out the creature was just another hurdle. Dutch found me on the brink of death, and what did he say to me? Not 'are you okay' or 'we're here to help,' no! He asked me where the monster was, and when I said it was dead, he fuckin' tased me." She hissed, her fur bristling. "Then I was brought here... and that's it."

"Wow..." Chase breathed, mortified at the story. "I'm... I'm so sorry for everything that happened to you."

"I actually knew about the Feroxmalis, believe it or not." Everest chuckled at the sick irony. "Read about it on an Archline tablet I found at an outpost. Not soon enough though, because that was the exact moment the Mentiarga made itself known... and everything just went to shit."

"Don't worry about it," said the soldier, trying to be reassuring. "I don't think there was anything anyone could've done. I'm just happy to see you alive."

Staring blankly for a moment, Everest looked up at him, seemingly trying to read his expression. Her eyes softened, with all the darkness that pulled at her heart over the years, a warm feeling began to rise. Smiling softly, the husky met his gaze. "I'm happy to see you too."

"So," Chase pushed his tray away, knowing he wouldn't finish it. "Marshall and Rocky are still out there, but I'm stuck in here. What're my options for getting out?"

"There aren't any." Said his companion. "I hate to tell you this, but Rome was right... this is your new home."

He hated that thought every time it came to him. There had to be another way, Chase refused to believe it was a dead end. "I honestly don't think so. Dutch said he needed all three of us."

"He did?"

"Or... something along those lines. We were the last ones in contact with Feroxmalis's hive, even though it's been entire years Archline is still convinced there's traces left on us."

"Oh, well that kinda changes things." Everest got up, pushing her tray away. "But you'll still spend a bit of time here, that's usually how it goes. Why don't you take the bunk above mine?" She pointed over at the bed maze. "It's always empty because I never let anyone take it."

"So I get to be special?" Chase couldn't stop himself from smirking.

The husky pulled an unamused expression, slowly flashing him a glare. "Don't... don't push your luck." She quickly turned away, hiding the smile uncontrollably forming on her face. Despite Archline's early victory with their capture, it was a blessing in disguise Chase never saw coming. Everest was alive, grown and hardened, with her stories and tales. Watching her walk off to the showers, Chase now felt more than ever his burning desire to escape. He had to get out of here, he couldn't waste away and rot within these prison walls. He was getting out.

And she was coming with him.