Rocky, Marshall, and Everest were being escorted into the unknown by the enemy soldiers, until one of them suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway. "Sir," said one of the Archline soldiers, speaking to another. "There's something in the ceiling."
The entire escort came to a halt, the four enemy soldiers spiking with alarm and turning their guns high.
"Impossible," Rocky's fur stood on end, realizing how exposed they were. "Did it follow us...?"
"It should've been distracted with the other squads," said an Archline soldier. "How did it find us so fast?"
Rocky expected the stench of rotting death to hit his nose, the trademark signal of a ferox warrior. The scent was stapled to his memory long ago thanks to Feroxmalis, likely never leaving his mind any time soon. He braced himself, subtly motioning for Everest and Marshall to get behind him, waiting for the sounds and smells he knew.
They never arrived; he smelled not bloodstained gore and adrenaline, but something entirely different. It was something calmer, more familiar, even Marshall had his confused nose in the air. They could smell gunpowder and worn metal, and it took him a second to realize what was actually approaching.
"Guys," he whispered to friends. "Get... down."
"What?" Everest said, raising an eyebrow.
"Get down," the captain backed up from the distracted enemy soldiers. "Get down!"
The next few seconds came as a blur, happening so quickly none of them had any time to register what was happening. The sky fell, rupturing from above in miniature, organized explosions, staggering the entire group as a husky and two Labradors descended into the hallway. They landed before anyone could face them, peppered from above by veiling debris and bent shrapnel. A quick succession of gunfire rattled through the Archline soldiers, their bodies dropping before Rocky could even recover from the blast.
When his vision focused, he stood up to the new presence with a softened expression. An elated smile brightened on his face, as did Marshall's as well, overjoyed at the new dogs standing before them.
"Strap," Rocky said, mere seconds from vigorously hugging his squad mate.
Burton and Paige looked over the dead Archline soldiers to confirm the kills, while the husky approached his leader. "Captain Rocky sir... it's good to see you alive."
"You got my message?"
"Course we did, sir," the husky smiled through his mask. "You didn't think we were really gonna leave you down here, did you?"
They were all dressed head to paw in full riot gear; only the sturdiest, most tightly layered armor the ACG produced. It was no wonder the three of them alone had come so far, the armor itself had probably absorbed dozens of bullets by now.
"Who- who are you?" Everest took a nervous step back, tense at the new presence.
"Assault and Containment Guild, ma'am," Strap said, looking at her. "We're here to rescue you."
Marshall spoke up, his voice filled with joy at the reunion. "How did you even get down here?"
"Well it wasn't easy," Burton said, walking over to join them. "Once we learned of Archline, we had to go on a whole other mission just to get the schematics for this damn place; almost lost Strap in the process. There's an elevator shaft a little way away from here, it's not the main entrance, but it's certainly an exit."
"Good work, soldier," came Rocky's relieved breath. "Good... work."
"So where's Chase?" the Lab cocked his head.
"He-" the captain hesitated, looking over his shoulder. "I... don't know. We got separated, I have a feeling he's still alive, but..."
"Should we go find him?"
Erupting suddenly from an intercom, Dutch's voice rang out through the facility. "Attention all Archline security personnal, this is Dutch, your overarching executive."
The team stopped quickly, taken aback by the message.
"Site 16 is now forfeit, the contingency charges have already been activated. If you are still inside, you have one final objective," Dutch said, speaking into the microphone.
"Contingency charges?" Burton said aloud, looking around in confusion.
The CEO continued, growling into the intercom. "Do not allow the ACG rouges to escape; either shoot them dead or trap them to die in the detonation. You have all been incredibly useful to me, farewell."
"Detona- ... captain, he's gonna blow up the site!" Strap's fur spiked with alarm. "With everyone still in it!"
"Good, maybe it roasts the Omnihive in the process." Everest said.
Strap turned to her, "yeah, aside from all the soldiers and civilians still in here! Whoever this dog is, he's fuckin' crazy!"
A low hiss came through Rocky's teeth, "oh you have no idea. We have to get out of here, you said there was an elevator shaft?"
"Well, yes, but what about Chase!?" Strap said.
Everest jutted in, appearing at Rocky's side. "We can't leave him behind!"
The captain flattened his ears, "do we... do we have time?!"
"If we do, we will not be in a safe distance if those charges go off!" Paige said, his fur bristling under the body armor.
"We can't leave him behind!" Strap faced his brother-in-arms. "We've never left someone, and we aren't starting now!"
"Strap, we're all going to die if we don't leave!"
"Well we certainly will if we sit here arguing!"
"Enough!" Rocky snapped, having to bark over the blaring alarm ringing through the site. They couldn't leave Chase, that was the last thing in the whole world he'd ever want to do. His brother, one of the only survivors of the PAW Patrol massacre, in what world could he be simply abandoned? Rocky's heart stung, battling with his mind for the right decision. In breaking emotions, he wanted to spring into the hellfire for the shepherd, but another part of her looked over his team. He didn't want to doom his family, but he couldn't doom his other family either.
"Okay... here's the plan," the captain said, addressing his group. "Chase undoubtedly heard the alarm too, he'll most likely make a run for the elevator."
"How would he know where it is?"
With no warning, Ryder suddenly rounded the corner of the hallway like a bat out of hell, stumbling on his feet. "Rocky, I- woah!"
The ACG soldiers immediately pulled their sidearms and held him up. "Hands up, don't move!" Strap barked at him, aiming his sights directly at the boy's eyes.
"Woah, wait wait, he's with us!" Rocky jumped in front of their weapons.
"I am?" Ryder said, raising an eyebrow.
"He is?" came Marshall's confused echo.
The mix gave a sigh, turning around at their old owner. "Well... are you?"
Looking aside for a moment, Ryder let his arms fall with a defeated expression. "I guess I am. Listen, Dutch is going to activate these explosives under the facility. He's trying to bury all this so he can start over somewhere else!"
"Yeah no shit, we heard the alarm," Strap lowered his weapon, signaling the others to do the same. "How much time do we have?"
"Well he hasn't turned them on yet, but it's a five-minute countdown."
Rocky turned to his second-in-command, "how long did it take you to find the elevator?"
"Around ten minutes."
"Ryder, please tell me you know where Chase is."
"No, I haven't seen him," the boy gave an apologetic shrug. "I'm sorry."
"Shit, there's no time to go find him," Rocky's heart sank, realizing the only options he had. "We- ... we have to make a run for the elevator and just... pray he meets us there!"
Running with his new gadgets on his person, Chase threw himself through the decontamination sprinklers and charged through the doors. Coming before the Gates of Heaven, the shepherd spotted something he wished he hadn't. The doors were still open, just by a crack, yet perfectly enough to let loose a flood of scampering creatures. He had to shut it, his eyes and mind raced between the towers constructed at each side. How did this thing open anyway, weren't there dual switches? He heard Dutch's warning over the intercom, further angering him in his move.
"Why does everything have to be so complicated?" he said to himself, grumbling as he sped inside the left tower. Good, no one here, although Chase wondered if the ferox infection within him was enough to tank live bullets. Now was not the time to test things, Chase scaled a flight of stairs and cane before a large glass window overseeing the gates. There were radio collars sitting on a desk, likely the property of Archline soldiers left behind, Chase wasted no time grabbing one. Although he had no way of contacting Rocky or Everest without them wearing one also, best to keep it just in case. A control panel, one of many, stood before him with waiting levers and buttons.
"Okay, gotta be one of these," Chase said to himself, putting both paws on the machine. "Surely something here can-"
A ferox warrior lunged out of nowhere, latching onto the outer side of the window and climbing up the tower, startling the shepherd backward. Two more warriors followed behind it, then two more, then four more. Dozens of them began spilling in from under the gate, singing their battle cries in a relentless charge of red gore and vicious snarling. They came like a cataclysm, barreling through lab equipment and scampering along the walls, swarming deep into the facility with infesting prejudice. Their horde was so violent in its spill that the Gates of Heaven were getting pushed open even wider, shoved and fought against by the assault.
Chase ran to the window in disbelief, looking over the now hundreds of warriors invading the site. "Dear God..."
"The time is now, my child," Genesis said in his mind. "Don't be afraid, the unworthy will be devoured and you will stand beside us."
Chase shook his head, "Quiet! I am not your-" his body suddenly stumbled, a foreign control briefly seizing his mind against him. For a few seconds his body didn't obey him, shaking erratically as the faintest drop of red oozed from his nose.
"No..." he knocked himself against the wall in a panic, hunching his body to fight it. "Not... now! I'm not your... puppet!"
"We will see," the mother gave a layered, echoed laugh.
Feeling his mind recalibrate, he shook the invading thoughts away and turned back to the control panel. There had to be something, anything to communicate to his brothers. At least the warriors were ignoring him, otherwise doing anything here would be absurdly difficult.
"Intercom," Chase said, spotting a familiar button and microphone on a nearby wall. He jumped and grabbed the small phone in his teeth, yanking it down from its wall hanging. A low buzz flickered across Site 16, the distant radio cutting out as Chase connected to the loudspeakers. He looked down at the radio collar he collected, spotting the frequency number etched on the back of the tag.
"Hello?" He spoke into the phone, and quickly he heard his own voice echoing out across the facility. "Rocky, if you're still alive, and God I hope you have a collar on, tune it to 99.1!" Was it even worth it? No doubt his message was well heard by not just his friends, but every other living being in the area, but it would all be pointless if they had nothing to call back on.
"You have made a valiant effort, but I'm afraid it's in vain," Genesis spoke to him, muttering as if she were amused.
"Shut up, you!" Chase snapped at the voice in his head. "He heard me, I know he did... I just need-"
A familiar voice emerged from the radio collar, "Chase? Hello?"
"Rocky!?" the shepherd snatched the collar up and held it close. "You heard me?!"
"Of course I heard you, the entire building did."
"How are you talking back to me? Do you have a radio collar too?"
"It isn't mine, it's Strap's."
"Strap-" Chase's voice trailed off, initially confused at what he was hearing. Softly his gaze shifted to surprise, "he's... he's here?"
"Roger that, you crazy bastard," Strap took hold of the microphone, speaking to him. "Good to hear you alive and well, Chase. Where are you?"
"I'm at the Gates of Heaven, an entire army of ferox warriors just broke through! You need to get out of here as fast as you can!"
"What about you? I think we meet up if you just-"
"No!" the shepherd barked, cutting him off. The joy faded from his face, "I... I can't do that."
"Wha- why not?"
"Put... put Rocky on the line."
After a few seconds his captain's voice came through. "Chase?"
"Rocky... there's something going on," his voice choked, great shame piling onto him. "I... I don't know if I can come back."
"Chase, what are you talking about?"
"I'm... infected, Rocky. I've been infected since the beginning, since Feroxmalis, maybe even farther than that. I don't have a whole lot of time left. Something is going to come out of me... and it'll be unlike anything we've ever faced before."
"Chase," the betrayal in Rocky's voice was deafening. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"
"Archline has eyes and ears everywhere, how do you think Dutch found out about Genesis!? But most of all I- ... I didn't want to face you with this... not after everything we've already been through."
It was a moment before his captain spoke again, his voice accepting but completely drained of hope. "So... how much time do you think you have?"
"Not enough... what's this device I grabbed? It's kinda glowing, geometric shaped?"
"That... that's Dutch's bio-saturator. Apparently, it's a high-powered explosive, and there should be a detonator with it."
"Then that's all I need."
"Chase, what are you-"
"Put the others on the line."
Marshall's voice quickly joined the call, speaking through Paige's collar. "Chase, are you okay?"
"Nope," came the shepherd's sigh. "Marshall, listen. I'm... sorry, for coddling you all these years. I tried to control everything and I hurt so many people, it's about time I actually fixed a problem instead of starting another."
The Dalmation could instantly pick up on his tone, "Chase, what are you doing?"
"Just stay strong for me, okay Marsh? Never look back."
"I... I will."
Everest was the last to join the call using Burton's radio, a parting conversation Chase dreaded the absolute most. She hadn't even said anything, but he knew she was there on the line, he could practically sense it.
"I'm sorry," were the only things he could say to her.
"What are you doing?" she said softly, trying to quell her trembling voice.
"I'm fixing this, I lov-" he caught himself, hesitating to speak. "Go with the ACG, Everest. They'll take care of you, Rocky will take care of you, just as he did me."
"I'm... not going to see you again, aren't I?"
Chase looked up from the call, disdainfully looking through the window at the Gates of Heaven. "No... I don't think you will."
A sigh of defeat came from the husky, "I see... I love you, Chase."
It was like a serrated knife tearing into his chest, "I... I love you too."
Rocky spoke up on the line, audibly trying to keep himself from breaking down. "Godspeed Chase... you're... you're a hero to us all."
The goodbyes had been painful, he was nearly on the verge of breaking once the line went dead. Chase looked back at the odd device dropped in his surprise. Rocky said it was a bomb, a creation of Dutch's own twisted plans. A new idea suddenly came to his head, an idea he wished he hadn't, one that spiraled him with hopeless disdain. Perhaps Mother Genesis was right, the time really was now.
Taking the bomb in his teeth and the remote tucked in his collar, Chase sprinted out of the tower and came before the Gates of Heaven. The charging blood splatters of ferox warriors ignored him like he wasn't there at all, weaving around or jumping over him with their sharpened legs.
"Chase is on the case," came his determined growl.
Without another thought, Chase sprinted through the gates, making a desperate run for the Omnihive.
The ACG had maneuvered their way through the facility, a sorrowful aura encompassing them as they moved. Chase was gone, his final words spoken directly to their ears, Marshall didn't speak a word and Rocky utterly refused to look at anyone. Everest was the most detached of all, running slightly off from the group and following quietly. A hollow pit had formed in their stomachs, but there was no time to address the mournful feelings, they had to escape before the charges went off.
Burton looked back at his grieving soldiers, then looked up at Ryder. "You didn't say anything to Chase, I notice."
Clearly Ryder heard him but averted his gaze in the other direction, trying to hide the potent guilt flashing through him. What could he even say? What difference would his words have made? Chase was more of a hero than he could've ever dreamed of being, he had no right to say anything anymore.
They approached a large, metal tunnel drilled into the wall. Strap quickly announced that it was a path to the exit, just through its expansive, stretching road. It was allegedly a vent shaft, according to Burton, the quickest shortcut to the exit without all the winding hallways and turns. Chase's early words were quickly confirmed, the fierce roaring of ferox warriors echoing all around Site 16. They were swarming in every possible room, shredding through the labs and dropping through the ceilings. Citizens, scientists, and military soldiers were helpless against all of them at once, marking the start of a brutal slaughter across Archline.
Stepping back to scan the corridor, a detail caught Ryder's eye and sent a wave of dread through him.
"We won't make it," Ryder said disdainfully. "This whole tunnel is just one long passage; if the warriors find us in here, our fates are sealed."
To drive home his point, a loud crash from afar echoed through them, mixed with panicked screams and blasting gunfire. Rocky wanted to argue, but the ferox warriors were many and relentless, rapidly approaching their position. He hated to even consider the idea, but Ryder was right; they were very well teetering on the brink of death. It was a lose-lose situation; enter the vents and be cornered by the horde or take the long way and run into the warriors swarming the hallways.
Marshall spoke up, "what if we distract them somehow? Turn their attention away from the tunnel? Even for just a little moment, that could be our window."
"With what, Marshall?" Rocky spun around, stress pulling the anger from his body. "We're out of tools! Unless one of us personally goes out there, which isn't survivable, we have no chance!"
"Let me go," Strap came forward, meeting Rocky's gaze. "I can draw them off and-"
"Don't even think about it, I'm not sending you off to die!"
Silence befell the group at Rocky's defiance, each one looking at the other. The captain was quick to shut down any mention of leaving a dog behind, a trait usually respectable, but none of his companions shared his thinking.
"Uh..." Strap glanced around, scanning each of the team members with a solemn look. "Permission to speak freely, captain?"
"Fine."
"Rocky, if we don't-" Strap said, hesitating in his voice for a moment. "If someone doesn't go out there and distract the horde, the rest of us are doomed."
"He... has a point, sir," Burton spoke up.
"I don't care who has a point, we're all staying together!" Rocky said with a sharpened growl, his fur sticking up. "We'll find a way through this, we always have-"
Everest put a paw on his shoulder, "he's right," she said softly. "Rocky, if we can't deter them, we're done for."
"That's- that's not-" he stammered, trying to face her with the same intensity. Everest didn't respond to his orders; she wasn't one of his soldiers, free of any official allegiance to align to.
"I... I can't let anyone do that," Rocky fidgeted his paws, his voice breaking under Everest's compassionate eyes. "I need... you all. I need you all to stay here, no one goes off alone!"
"Rocky-"
"I said no! I'm not losing someone else!"
"I'll do it," Ryder crossed his arms with a nod. "I'll lead them away."
Rocky whipped to face him, emotion cracking his expression. "Not on your life, you are not walking away from us!" His voice lowered to a desperate whisper. "Not again."
"There is no other way, face it," said the mercenary. "It's as they said, if I can make enough noise and deter them for even a few moments, it'll draw their attention away from this area for just long enough."
"But... they'll kill you," came Rocky's concerned whine, completely betraying his hardened demeanor.
Letting out a sigh, Ryder gently bowed his head. "Yeah... they probably will, but it'll buy you the time you need."
"I said no!" Rocky stepped in front of him, blocking his way. "We're staying together, no one goes off alone."
"Rocky, there's no way we survive this if someone doesn't draw them away..."
"I'm not letting you do that!" said the captain, firmly keeping himself in place. "I... I'm captain... I order you to stay..."
His voice finally broke in that last word, the mixed breed was crumbling after his old friend, unwilling to even let his back turn. Strap came to him, touching a hesitant paw to his shoulder. "Captain-"
Rocky shoved him back, "get off me!"
Looking down at the sorrowful animal, Ryder gently got down on one knee. "Rocky... I'm not with the ACG, and Dutch made me the leader of the squad, remember?"
"The hell with it all!" Rocky barked, digging his claws into the metal floor. "You're not- I... I'm..."
Extending his hand, Ryder rested his palm on the dog's grey head, petting him with a mournful smile. "You've grown into a fantastic leader, Rocky," he said, running through dozens of old memories in his head. "Better than anything I could've been."
"I... learned it all from you."
"Not everything, the ACG seems to have molded you well. Besides," Ryder looked to the side, ashamed of his final memory with them as puppies. "You deserved so much more than the PAW Patrol; I abandoned you in the face of death..."
He looked over at Marshall, who had come to Rocky's side. His usual aggression in Ryder's presence had diminished, fading into soft reverence for their old leader. Ryder gave the Dalmatian a soft smile, petting him with his other hand.
"I'm not leaving you this time," the mercenary stood up, taking a deep breath. His expression went stiff, channeling resolve and acceptance. "I'm saving you, and perhaps that'll redeem even a fraction of my soul."
"Ryder... no!"
"Farewell, Rocky," the boy said, starting to turn away.
"Ryder- no!" The dog tried jumping forward, but Marshall and Strap grabbed him on each side. He squirmed and thrashed with emotion-choked defiance, forcing Everest and Burton to jump in to contain him. They were helpless to do anything as Ryder disappeared around the corner, walking off into the snarling maws of fate.
Loudly sprinting down the hallways, Ryder could clearly hear the sheer massacre screaming around him. The warriors were very, very nearby, just a few seconds and they'd sight the ACG, bringing the end upon their hopeless rescue mission. Was this his only option? It certainly seemed like it; if he couldn't quell the agonizing hatred he carried for himself, then perhaps he was searching for peace in the wrong place. He stopped at an intersection in the center of the facility, rampant chaos crashing in all angles in the distance. Taking a deep breath, he pulled his sidearm and fired four rounds into the ceiling, the final bullets he had. The rifle he carried earlier was depleted long ago, leaving him with nothing but a pistol.
Not that he'd really need it.
The warriors shifted in their path, he could hear it in progress, the rapid tidal waves of death suddenly changing course. They heard his call, turning away from the path leading them to Rocky, and now rushing directly to him. They all exploded in from around a corner, a tsunami of snarling, gory creatures with lashing teeth and sweeping claws. Sprinting with feral instinct, desiring only to kill and bring death to everything, the scampering creatures lunged.
He fearlessly stared down the death soaring to him, "God awaits me," he said, body relaxing. "For my sins."
His final thoughts were of only six endearing puppies he once led with joy and cheer, painting a smile on his face as the ferox warriors crashed into him.
The wave of death was distracted, the team of dogs sprinted with all the speed they had into the vent tunnel. With a heavy heart they realized Ryder had been right all along; the corridor was simply too long with nothing to hide behind. If the warriors had successfully come upon them, their fates would've been sealed. Rocky was completely silent the entire way in, maddened with grief and refusing to look at anyone.
Letting the ACG lead them, the squad made a mad dash throughout the facility, weaving around corners and blasting through doors. The entire area had gone into panic, several times they had to brake quickly and take a detour, coming mere inches away from ferox warriors feasting upon snatched victims. Thanks to Ryder's sacrifice, valuable time was bought to traverse the narrow tunnel before the warriors could, although it didn't stop the creatures from finding it. They scampered through the passage just minutes after the squad had, clawing into vents and hallways to flush out the rest of Site 16.
An emotionless, robotic voice pinged through the loudspeakers. "Contingency charges primed, five minutes until detonation. Abandon facility. Abandon facility."
"Here!" Strap barreled through a door, opening the way to an extensively large, low-lit corridor with faint LED lights outlining the path to the end. The entire area was excavated out of the earth, with the metal path hastily bolted unto the uneven ground. The finish line stood before them, a large metal platform sitting under a colossal shaft in the Earth. Not the exit itself, but most certainly the way toward it.
"Go, go!" Now it was Rocky leading the escape, pushing Marshall and Everest through. The three soldiers stood behind, moving to the back of the line to shield them from rapidly approaching danger.
The Archline soldiers arrived last, following the trail of destruction to intercept their targets. The team was only midway on the path when the first bullet flew, sparking their attention.
Burton spun around, "contact, behind us!"
The narrow path to the platform had little cover to shield themselves, forcing the three soldiers to crouch as low as possible and form a protective wall. Archline was relentless, defying the very thought of their assets slipping away again. They could've swarmed the entire path if it wasn't for the defensive stand constantly suppressing fire at the doorway. Their riot armor bent and rattled against the fierce waves of gunfire colliding with them, the very last defense they had.
Rocky, Marshall, and Everest wore nothing but their own fur and the ashes that collected upon them. In a desperate panic they flattened themselves against the walls; the platform was right there, but making a dash for it would only bring them to death's door.
"God, there could be hundreds of them on us!" Paige shouted into the chaos, his assault rifle beginning to glow from overheating. His goggles were fogging up, spiraling with the dizziness from bullets hitting his armor.
"Keep them back!" came Strap's battle cry, his voice ever slightly breaking under tension.
Blood splatters popped around the entry doorway; progress was being made but for every dead Archline soldier, two more seemed to take its place. Vigorously an army of many battled against three, yet stagnant was their approach.
"Contingency charges primed," said the automated voice on the intercom. "Three minutes until detonation. Abandon facility. Abandon facility."
"They won't let us leave even if it kills them!" Everest had to scream over the raging noise, struggling to keep low behind Burton.
"Strap, throw me your sidearm!" Rocky said, calling to his brother-in-arms.
"But captain, you don't have a backpack to hold it with!"
"Fuck it! Just give it to me!"
Thousands of bullets flew through their air, but no bodies dropped on either side. Strap activated the sidearm in his backpack and kicked the weapon off with his leg. Unwilling to sit on the sidelines while his team took the blunt of the fire, Rocky snatched the weapon up with both paws. Holding a weapon with his actual arms and not with a mechanical grip was immensely awkward, the gun shot sloppily and was a burden to keep steady.
"Captain, you don't have armor!" Paige yelled out to him, seeing the mixed breed dart behind Strap.
"I'll manage, just keep them back!" he shouted back, firing over Strap's shoulder. He had no real idea if his shots were even hitting anything, his aim was shaking and the blasts of dust were making it difficult to see.
Archline was gaining ground; the enemy soldiers had unexpectedly collected riot shields, sending three armored dogs in front to press the advantage. Any emptied magazines or broken armor segments were easily replaced, the wounded soldiers would just slip away and be replaced by three more. Rocky's team had nothing; no spare pieces to fix their armor and no spare ammunition to refill their weapons. LED lights were shattering into glass in the crossfire, slicing through the choking clouds of dust kicking up; so blinding that they didn't see the grenades until the last possible second.
Rocky sprang backward, trying to grab his soldier by the tail. "Look out!"
Several explosions shredded through the area, tearing into the path and battering aside the ACG soldiers. They would've all been dead long ago if their armor hadn't absorbed most of the assault. The Archline troops immediately began spilling onto the path, seizing their window. One got a little too close before Burton's shot flew through his eyes.
"Go! Run to the platform!" Strap was gasping as he pushed himself up, almost blind firing his rifle into the chaos. His riot armor was beginning to tear from the ceaseless damage, the faintest of cracks weaving up his goggles.
Rocky dove against the wall, his full body aching from the explosive action. "No! We're in this together, I'm not losing you too!"
"Just run for it captain! We'll protect you as much as we can!"
"I-" Rocky tried to say something, but looked back where Marshall and Everest were cowering behind them. Both dogs were unwilling to even put their heads up, no progress could be made with a bullet catching their necks.
To further their panicked anxiety, the automated voice sounded again. "Contingency charges primed, one minute until detonation. Abandon facility. Abandon facility."
"You- you better be right behind me!" Rocky said to him, turning around to his friends. "Go! Run for the elevator!"
Strap, Paige, and Burton all suddenly stood up in unison, forming a horizontal wall in a courageous last stand. Dozens of high velocity bullets began striking them, pressuring their armor, yet defiantly they stood. It was the perfect cover to make a final move, the one and only window for the other three to make a run for it.
Fighting the ringing in his ears, Rocky pushed a disoriented Marshall onto the platform, just as Everest successfully slipped through the gunfire. The three of them huddled against the edges and covered their heads.
"Strap, it's time to go!" Rocky yelled from his cover. "Come on!"
Looking over his shoulder, Strap waved his arm. "Just go, go! Get out of here!"
"No! Not without you!"
"We'll hold them off!" The husky said, shouting over the chaos. Burton and Paige remained at his side with unyielding loyalty, firing their last round of ammunition into the Archline advance. The enemy was rapidly advancing, any farther and they'd be right on top of them and shoot the team dead.
A hail of grenades was tossed from the relentless animals, seeking to end Rocky's team no matter the cost. Shattering blasts tore up the floor, flinging shrapnel and fire into their last stand.
"Gaaahh!" Strap was staggered, dizzy from his ears ringing but tenaciously held his ground. "Get out of here! Just go!"
Several explosions peppered them on all sides; Archline was moving fast, pushing forward just meters away from seizing the platform. Strap, Burton, and Paige were the only barrier keeping them back, firing into the endless swarm of enemy soldiers even as bullets bit their shoulders and arms. They were moving too fast, their numbers too many, soon to overwhelm the defenses of three in just a few seconds.
Rocky tried to call out to them, pleading for his squad to make a run for the platform. A part of him knew they'd never make it, yet feverishly he defied his own logic, praying for a gap in the gunfire they could take advantage of.
"Go! Go!" came Strap's yell, frantically waving his arm for them to just leave. Archline reinforcements were piling in, pushing toward the platform.
Marshall darted across the platform and the button on its panel, igniting a mechanic churning noise. Fencing raised up on the edges, and the floor shifted under them.
"Noo!" Was Rocky's howl, throwing himself out of cover to fire at the enemy as if he alone could save them.
The platform activated promptly, swiftly raising up the three out of the abyss. Like an angel lifting them from danger, they were carried up to the surface of Site 16. They were well away from the explosion but could hear it nearly perfectly as if right in the center of it. The contingency charges finally went off, rupturing through the walls and tearing fiery doom through the facility. The entire platform shifted from the shockwave, stumbling in its climb but quickly realigning itself. The blast was quick, fading out back to peaceful silence after only a couple seconds. Strap, Burton, and Paige's gunfire could no longer be heard in the distance, nor any of the Archline soldiers. The hail of ferox warriors went still, their unyielding ferocity suddenly coming to a standstill. Site 16 was destroyed, burned in cleansing fire with everything inside it.
Standing still where he tried to help, Rocky stared ahead with trembling paws. His heart broke for the fallen yet boiled with rage at everything taken from him. Chase, Ryder, Strap, Paige, Burton, what more was he supposed to lose if it meant walking free? Marshall and Everest fell against the fencing to catch their breath, gasping with relief as the danger was over. The ferox warriors were distant, and Archline couldn't follow them; they could almost feel the sunlight drawing near. The air had even lightened slightly, a smidge easier to breathe.
They traveled in mournful silence, counting the passing minutes while the platform faithfully took them to the surface. For everything lost just to see the sky and grass again, was it all truly worth it?
The elevator stopped with a hiss, lifting them before a set of metal doors that bellowed an alarm and automatically opened. It revealed a long catwalk, stretching over a massive abyss that seemed to echo with the suffering of those at the bottom. The bridge was narrow and the drop deadly, but the very end of the path was the sight they had been waiting for.
There it was, the exit, standing like the very doors to heaven itself. It stood graciously at the end awaiting them, the last wall to get through. Telling themselves not to look down, the team of three hastily began crossing the bridge, only to stop midway. Marshall and Everest took a step back in fear, realizing they were trapped. Rocky sharply growled, baring his teeth and spiking his fur.
Because standing before the doors, anchored between the team and freedom, defiantly in their way with a narrowed stare, was Dutch.