Chapter twenty-six: Chase Off His Rocker
Chase reached the other side of the Lookout, within the last stretch of the perimeter, yet he was disappointed to find..
Nothing.. Surely the pit in his stomach wasn't just the fact that he was getting hungry.. or maybe he was just imagining things.
However as he turned toward the Lookout, he still felt drawn away from it. But he had to bite his tongue to ignore it, as he forced his paws to run from the outdoors into the shelter of the Lookout tower.
"Yes. So when we do drink soda, we're a lot more careful!" Brian said reassuringly.
"Soda?" Chase quoted, drawing attention to himself; much to his surprise.
"Yes. We were talking about my siblings and I drinking soda once," Brian explained.
"You okay, Chase? Ah! Too much green frosting!" Snowflake asked, before carefully brushing off green frosting with a brush. She then put the frosting onto another cookie.
"Uhhhm.. Ok?" Chase replied, somewhere between still confused and kind of understanding at the same time. Making his way over to the table, he found Ryder, who was peering in on the second batch of cookies baking in their small oven unit.
"Ryder, I've got a bad feeling," He mentioned to the boy quietly.
"Don't worry, I'm sure it's just the time of day getting to you." Ryder replied, turning to him.
However, the slight shift in Chase's expression made him more attentive to the pup's seriousness, debunking his half-joking statement.
"Are you sure you're not just overwhelmed by everything going on?" He asked, squatting down toward him.
"I'm sure.." Chase assured him. "What would I have to feel overwhelmed by, in here? I was just sleeping through it earlier. And these knuckleheads aren't that stressful.. Something's not right.. or about to be."
"Well you've usually never been wrong.." the boy shrugged. "But if you're right we'll be getting a call any minute."
"I get the feeling we shouldn't wait.." Chase replied. "But at the same time.. I can't predict the future.."
"Keep your eyes and ears open." Ryder shrugged. "That's all you can do."
"Yeah but.. for what?" Chase sighed. "I'm not Tracker."
"If you can sense something's wrong,.. I'll bet you those instincts won't fail to see it through." Ryder reminded him.
Chase's doubtful glance turned up to him and he nodded for lack of anything better to say or do. Then he turned to leave.
"But Chase," Ryder spoke up again, stopping him to look back again. "Deep breath.."
The pup drew in a big breath and released it slowly.
"Good,.. remember, follow the evidence.. Gotta keep a clear head in order to read the evidence right." The boy told him.
"Copy that." Chase replied, sighing a bit dryly, even though he knew he was right.
Snowflake tilted her head as she overheard Chase talk to Ryder. Confused, she kept focusing on her cookie decorating.
'Worried about what? We helped clear the town of snow and ice, we're all safe, Ryder knows how to use the oven, the snowmobile rides were fine, the tree decorating was good. What could Chase be concerned about?' Snowflake thought as she decorated a star-shaped cookie.
"Find anything on your walk outside Chase?" Ned asked curiously.
"No,.." Chase sighed, glancing at the window as he came back around the table again. "That's what I was afraid of.."
"How do you mean, dude?" Zuma wondered, craning his neck toward him from where he lay on a beanbag, next to the dance battle between Skyler and Skye.
"I don't know, I-.." Chase's gaze dropped to the floor and they could see the gears turning. And his silence made several of them look up at him, even pausing the dance for the two players to also glance his way.
"I get this weird feeling like something's wrong.. Or.. at the very least.. about to.." He finally managed to say out loud, somewhat surprised he'd found the courage to do so.
"Like what? Snowing cats?" Melody asked.
"Pigs flying everywhere?" Brian joked with a smirk.
"We need to change the light bulbs in Christmas lights?" Ned commented.
"That we forgot to do something when we helped out?" Snowflake guessed. "I mean we pretty much covered everything. If something was off, we would have been told!"
"I'm serious, you guys.." Chase replied forwardly, mostly to Brian and Melody in regards to their silly guesses. "I get the feeling something really bad's gonna happen.. The weather's fine.. and from here Adventure Bay looks fine, but that doesn't mean it is."
"Relax,.. I bet we'll get a call any minute." Chester replied. "You worry too much."
Chase just sighed, taking another moment to stare out the distant window to his right and wonder if he was right.
XXXX
The small plane juttered in the sky. Though nightfall was approaching,.. or rather.. was nearly upon them, the pilot relaxed back into the peaceful glide of his craft.
"Sure am glad it's a clear night.." he told his copilot. "Hopefully we'll make it home before midnight."
"My wife will be pleased." The copilot nodded. "All these long distance flights have kinda put a strain on things at home. If I'm not home tonight I might be sleeping on the couch for another week!"
"Aw don't worry.. she'll understand.." The pilot shrugged. "Especially when she sees the check."
"Yeah, but I got a new baby at home.. And she wants me to spend as much time bonding as we can, cause.. you know, they won't stay little forever."
"Believe me, she'll appreciate the extra money.." the pilot reassured him. "Welcoming a baby on top of you, your wife, and pets is kind of a lot. But when we get home. I'll see about getting you some time at home."
Suddenly a red light began to flash on his dash and he glanced down.
The engine light was flashing and the fuel light was displaying the low setting.
"Low on fuel? But we should have plenty to get us home? We filled up before we took off." The pilot mentioned.
"The engine light means there may be something wrong with the system.." The copilot reasoned. "Maybe if I check the guidance system I can determine the problem.."
However, as he shifted to his right toward the panel next to him, the plane suddenly stalled and nosed downward.
"Woah, I'm losing pressure!" The pilot cried.
"And apparently.. Altitude!" The copilot exclaimed, as the land appeared straight ahead out the windshield.
"Hang on!" the pilot called, pulling up on the yoke and veered slightly to the right.
The nose of the plane plowed through the metal cage of tower, sparking like a firecracker and began to slide down the ridge. The pilot yanked the yoke hoping he could at least keep the plane from flipping, but as he did so it seemed no good..
The tail of the plan fishtailed in a slow terrible screech, and crashed through a wall. More sparks flew and debris crashed through the windshield at them, making them lift their arms to shield their faces. The small storage unit they smashed through slowed them a bit more, but it didn't stop them from crashing through the opposite security wall with a thunderous sound that could have been considered supersonic.
XXXX
Chase had been laying quietly on a pillow, trying to rest off the anxiety when something woke him up. But he could only describe it as feeling a sound.
That doesn't make any sense! How can you feel a sound?
Either way as soon as he was awake, he popped up immediately; all four paws straddled outward.
"Ryder?" He indicated.
"What'cha got, Chase?" The boy asked, glancing at him immediately.
"I'm getting a bad feeling again.." he said. "Not that it really ever left.." Then a thought came to him..
Barking at his pup tag it responded with its usual blip, which then turned to static.
"What?!" Chase gasped, then tore for the elevator.
"Woah! Hold on!" Brian exclaimed as he hugged Chase. "You can't go off without knowing what's going on!"
"Let me go! I gotta go look through the periscope!" Chase grunted, trying to pry himself away from the husky.
Snowflake touched her own pup tag only for it to blip then go static too.
"That's not right. Ryder, is the power okay? My pup tag isn't connecting!" She said.
"Wait, connected to what? We have a power line at home plus generators. We don't know how Adventure Bay gets it's power!" Melody stated.
"Dudes, could the wind turbines be broken again?" Zuma guessed.
"That's for the town's power, Zuma. All the lights in The Lookout are working fine!" Rocky corrected his friend.
"Exactly.." Chase confirmed. "Inh!- -which-.. -means.. There's- something wrong..- iah! With the cell service." He finally broke free from Brian's embrace and dove into the elevator leaving them all behind.
"Chase, wait for-.. us.." Marshall called, the last part of his statement kind of flat as Chase was already halfway up the Lookout by then.
xxxx
Reaching the top in his spy gear, he barked his night vision goggles out, forgetting completely that the periscope already had this feature, and dove out onto the balcony. He squinted into the darkness when a breeze carried a smoky scent to his nose and turned into the wind. When the breeze became stagnant his brain internally mapped the true direction of the smell and he darted back into the Lookout, barking for the periscope and immediately grabbed it to peer through the lens.
Swiveling it just slightly to the left on the inland side of the Lookout tower, he caught sight of the sparking wreckage of twisted metal and downed power lines. Running his field of vision after a damage path to the right, down the slope of the ridge, when he came across a nose poking out over a ledge covered by a brick wall. Chase's eyes flashed and he was about to dash back to the elevator till it rose up with the remaining group in it.
"Ryder, the cell tower is down!" Chase gasped, as the boy came up to take the periscope and peer through it as he spoked. "I think an aircraft crashed up on the mountainside. And without the tower, they won't be able to call for help! We gotta do something!"
"We need to act fast! And we'll have to be in close distance since our pup tags don't work for the time being, either!" Snowflake added.
"The lights and sirens will get people's attention, but what exactly was damaged?" Melody thought aloud before turning to Chase.
"I can't tell from here." Chase replied. "Ugh, I knew something like this was gonna happen! Skye will need to fly up there for a closer look. The elevation blocks my view.. All I know is it must have crashed through some walled structure. This is an Ultimate Mountain rescue.. we need to launch my police cruiser so we can perform the extraction."
"No way,.. you're not ready." Rayla asserted, shaking her head.
"Aren't I though?" Chase replied in a more confident protest. "I got the feeling this would happen didn't I? And I've been fine this whole time.."
"Yes, but you're still not back to full strength yet," the golden lab returned sternly. "You can't be deployed to the front lines just yet."
"Then clear me for sideline duty." Chase insisted, seeming far more determined than he'd previously been.
"No! You're not ready." Rayla asserted.
However Chase just turned and ran for the slide and dove down it.
"Chase!" Rayla gasped.
"What's he doing?!" CiCi cried.
"Downstairs, quick!" Rayla barked, leading the charge.
The Lookout lifted and headlights flashed to life, as the giant police vehicle sped forward. However, he didn't advance further than the rounded drive as the doors opened and the team came running out.
"Chase, cease and desist! Immediately!" Rayla fumed.
"Commit me later if you want, but I won't sit back while lives are in danger!" Chase shot back, his hardened look more of a determined one rather than an angry one, though they could tell it was a bit frustrated as well.
"I'm not sending you in to put others at risk.." Rayla declined firmly. "Let us handle this."
"Chess, get in here and drive!" The younger German Shepherd demanded.
Chester didn't even hesitate, though in hindsight he would have. However, the authority of his brother's voice triggered his instantaneous response time from his K-9 background, which took effect immediately. And by the time he realized he should be protesting to this as well, it was pretty much too late, as he was now sitting in the driver seat with Chase right next to him. And given his demeanor, he sensed this was not a good time to say anything so he just maintained his military silence.
"'You coming or not?" Chase asserted. Rayla steamed a heavy breath and peered back at Ryder.
"Chase,.. we can't send you into full action until you're fully cleared." Ryder told him in a gentler tone.
"I know that,.." Chase replied a bit more harshly than he intended to be. "But I don't have to be on the front lines to save lives. Even if that's usually where I am.. But we don't have time to debate this.. That plane could go up in flames at any minute and I don't want anyone to be there when it does. Even us."
After a seemingly forever-long stare between the two, Ryder finally sighed, closing his eyes.
"Ok,.. but you don't leave this cab.. Got it?" Ryder decided sternly, pointing a finger at him.
"Copy that, now we gotta go!" Chase nodded, gesturing his head forward afterward.
"Alright pups, here's the plan.." Ryder said, turning to the group.
"Wait, we're not actually doing this, are we?!" Rayla gasped. "What if he doesn't stay put?"
"We'll have Skye fly him out.. But I don't think it'll come to that, cause I have a plan.." Ryder said. "Marshall transition your ultimate fire vehicle and send out the water cannon carts ahead of you after Chase in his police cruiser. Chase will be directing traffic from his cab to make sure we get in and out safely. He'll monitor the big picture while the rest of us tackle the smaller problems. Rocky, shut down the power to the power lines. Marshall, Rubble and Zuma watch for and put out any fires. While Skye, Rayla and I help get anyone trapped to safety."
"What about the rest of us Ryder?" Skyler wondered, all the non-PAW patrol members appearing hopeful.
"Stand by.. if we need back-up we may need you guys to supervise RoboDog in the Air Patroller if ground evacuation doesn't work." Ryder said.
"Hurry up, guys, the plane's still sparking!" Chase called out the window at them.
"Snowflake, you have some mountain experience, but I'll be calling Everest to come help so the two of you can guide us the fastest way to the crash site." Ryder said, pointing to her as the remaining team members ran for the elevator.
"Deal. But how will you call when our pup tags are static?" Snowflake replied seriously.
"Ryder, if I may, I think I know a way we can help. My brothers and I can parachute through the air to look at the paths to the plane. Skye will be busy, and who knows how many roads there are!" Melody suggested.
"I'm heading to Jake's Mountain. I can get Everest and we can help with evacuation," Snowflake suggested, her blue tracking jeep van already on with blue, yellow and white lights flashing.
"Thanks Melody, but Skye's job is to scout out the area. She'll do so with Chase's police copter and report back what she sees with the mega phone."
"And I'll keep tabs on everyone else with my megaphone." Chase said, as the team was finally nestling into position for departure.
"Plus, parachuting is not exactly a safe way to get to them since there's no real good way to control where you land in a forested mountain range." Ryder added.
"Besides.. We got this." Chester swagged, leaning on the bottom edge of the open window. "We're trained professionals, after all."
"Okay," Melody agreed, nodding her head.
"Are we ready?" Snowflake asked, a slight urgent tone in her voice.
"I'll send a message ahead to Everest to have her ready to go when you get there." Ryder said, taking his pup pad out, until he was reminded by a staticy screen. "Right,.. maybe not that way,.. but we have one other way we can reach them."
What's up y'all! We are officially gearing up for probably my favorite rescue we've EVER done! Unfortunately, since we've kinda been slacking off again with the writing, we're deciding to take another two weeks off. But fortunately I have a day off because of Memorial day so hopefully we can get some work on this story done to catch ourselves back up again!
Now as for this chapter, I think this is the best interaction between Chase and Rayla yet! The determination on both parts was amazing, but Chase's stubbornness here was the BEST! I swear you guys, even though I say this all the time, just when I think I've written my favorite moments something always seems to come up to possibly top it! XD
But enough rambling on,.. What do you guys think? REALLY curious to hear people's thoughts on this one. Cause we were laughing and carrying on as we were writing this! XD Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! Until next time! Thx!
