(A/N: I do not own Paw Patrol, enjoy!)
A Chance meeting?
"I'm sorry," Cinder said softly as she picked herself up and Marshall stood up beside her, "who are you?"
The black Labrador retriever cleared his throat before introducing himself. "My name's Gizmo. I'm a self-employed scientist and inventor, and I'm always on the lookout for things that are outside the current realm of scientific knowledge. I recently learned that you two shared a psychic link, and with your permission, I'd like to study it."
The twins gasped in shock. Marshall could hear his twin's voice in his head. How does he know?
I don't know! Ask him, he responded nervously.
I don't really want to, Cinder mentally shied away, leaving it to Marshall to ask.
"How did you find out about that?" Marshall demanded. Their shared link was one of their best-kept secrets. To have a complete stranger approach them about it was entirely unexpected and set both of them on edge.
"I have my sources," Gizmo responded cryptically, "but suffice it to say that I overheard a conversation, and it piqued my interest. I'd like to figure out how your telepathy works and why. If I'm able to figure out the science behind your ESP, it could be a major breakthrough."
"And what if there isn't a scientific explanation?" Marshall pointed out. "What then?"
"When it comes to nature, I believe in two things: Science and the Divine. Science is a normalized, structured rule set whereas miracles are God's exceptions. Miracles usually can't be explained by science, but your telepathic link seems to have structure and order. Some may call it magic, but magic is simply science that normal people don't understand," Gizmo explained calmly.
"I see…" Cinder softly replied with a thoughtful nod. "You say you're an inventor. What are some of your inventions?"
At the mention of his inventions, the Black Lab turned his head sideways, as if trying to hide a blush, displaying the first visible emotion since he had approached them. "Oh… um… well, I actually can't talk about most of my inventions with the general public. For both personal and public safety," he hastily clarified.
The two Dalmatians looked at one another inquisitively, not entirely sure what to make of Gizmo's new revelation. "So, what are some of your inventions you *can* talk about?" Marshall prodded.
After a moment of thought, the black dog answered, "Well, for example, I've invented polymimetic nitinol, hivemind nanotechnology, and a few other miscellaneous things like a cloud seeder for making snow."
Cinder looked the Black Labrador up and down. He made her uncomfortable. He knew things that he shouldn't have known, and he came out of nowhere. She pressed herself up against Marshall for comfort.
Her brother ventured a question, "If we were to agree, when would the tests start, Gizmo?"
"The tests can start whenever you'd like," the scientist replied as he returned his gaze to Marshall. "Depending on the results and external factors, they'll probably go on for two or three days. It shouldn't take any longer than a week at most. How does that sound?"
Cinder and Marshall looked at each other. "We need to talk about this, if you don't mind giving us a minute" Marshall requested.
"Sure thing, I know this is a lot to take in without any warning" Gizmo replied understandingly. "Do you need me to give you some space?"
The Dalmatians shared another look. "No," Cinder softly replied, "even if we say no to your overall project, I suppose you can watch it up close in action at least once."
"You won't even know I'm here" Gizmo replied thankfully with a nod of his head.
Cinder turned to Marshall, I'm really not sure about this. He shouldn't have known about our link in the first place.
Marshall responded without batting an eye, I know, and that makes me nervous as well. We don't actually know him. How do we know he's telling the truth about any of this?
We don't, Cinder mentally sighed as she shook her head.
Him not being able to tell us about his inventions is also suspicious. And I don't know if the inventions he listed are real or not, though Everest would love that snow seeder thingy, Marshall added. But… he seems sincere which could translate to him being trustworthy, if for no other reason than to stay on our good side. It's not like he went to a newspaper or anything to spread more gossip about us. I think he's genuinely interested in how our neural link works. And I'm curious too. We've always just accepted it as a fact of life without ever trying to figure out why. Aren't you just a little bit curious?
Maybe… To be honest, I'm not sure if I actually care. I do know I'm not in the mood to do tests. Especially considering…recent events, replied Cinder looking at the ground somberly.
Marshall sighed as he followed her gaze. I know, and I'm not saying it is a good time. But will there be another?
If he can't come back at a convenient time, does he actually care or is he just looking for something from us? Cinder mentally shot back.
Also, a fair point, Marshall mentally conceded. What if we put some conditions on it, ways out so to speak, so we can do this at our pace and stop at any time?
Maybe, Cinder replied hesitantly. There was a pause before she looked up and continued, If anything feels even the slightest bit hinky, we are done.
"Gizmo," Marshall softly said.
"I just have to say, that was fascinating to watch," Gizmo stated, a slight smile showing on his face.
Marshall snorted in amusement while Cinder shook her head. "We'll see if you feel that way as this goes along" Marshall said, "because we are at least willing to give this a go, assuming Ryder says it is ok."
"Awesome, thank you!" Gizmo yipped happily as Marshall held up a paw.
"There will be some caveats" Marshall qualified, "Rescues come first, so if we get called away in the middle of any test, you just have to deal with it. You also have to understand that this is not really the best time for us in general, as I expect you know. Towards that end, we may not be able to meet your timeline because of needing to take breaks or having to stop early, so please be patient and understanding. Lastly, we reserve the right to terminate at any point, either in a specific test, discussion, or anything else we are doing. It may just be for the day or we may decide that we are completely done. Is this acceptable?"
"Completely," Gizmo nodded in acceptance. "And don't worry about messing up a timeline. Time is irrelevant."
Cinder cocked her head curiously at that. Something about the way he said the last phrase struck her as odd, but she couldn't tell why. She decided to make a mental note and add it to the steadily growing list of things that made her feel suspicious about Gizmo.
"Ok, let's go talk to Ryder then," Marshall said as he turned to lead the way inside.
I have a bad feeling about this, Cinder thought as they walked towards the door.
If it turns out to be bad, we can stop at any time, Marshall reminded her as they entered the Lookout and got in the elevator.
I just want to curl up in Everest's soft fluffy fur right now, Cinder mentally whined as the elevator rose.
You and me both, Marshall said with a mental laugh as the elevator reached the top and they stepped out.
"Hi Marshall and Cinder, who is your friend?" Ryder asked, turning around as they approached.
"This is Gizmo," Marshall replied.
"He wants to study us," Cinder softly added.
"Study … you?" Ryder asked curiously.
"Yes," Gizmo replied. Gizmo briefly explained what he wanted to do. Ryder nodded as he followed along, asking a few questions here and there.
"You two agreed to this?" Ryder asked, looking at Marshall and Cinder, slightly skeptical.
"For now," the Dalmatian twins replied with one voice.
"Fascinating," Gizmo mused as he looked at them in wonder.
"Ok, Gizmo," Ryder turned back to the black Lab, "What support do you need?"
"I should be fine. I've got all the equipment and rooms I need. Thanks though," Gizmo politely declined.
"You're sure? You don't want a place to sleep or anything? We can set up a place inside the lookout without much trouble," Ryder offered.
"Well, a place to sleep would be nice," Gizmo admitted.
"Easy enough, I'll set something up for you inside," Ryder replied.
"Thanks Ryder," Gizmo responded happily.
"Let's go introduce you to everyone," Marshall said as they walked out of the control room. "After that, we'll let you get set up."
"I'm already set up and ready. Do you want to start tonight?" Gizmo asked.
"No," Cinder softly replied, "we can start tomorrow." There was no mistaking the firmness in her voice.
"Alright. Works great for me," Gizmo affirmed.
Most of the other pups seemed dubious when Marshall introduced Gizmo to them. Rocky did seem interested though, and he asked several questions about Gizmo's inventions. The questions and answers were above everyone else's heads but Rocky's acceptance of the answers made Marshall a little more comfortable about Gizmo's authenticity.
After dinner, Cinder pulled Everest aside in her pup house to talk. "This feels weird to be the subject of a series of experiments," the Dalmatian softly said.
"Yeah, it is kind of surreal," Everest replied. "You said he just appeared?"
"Yes," Cinder softly confirmed, "to be fair, though, we were play-wrestling, so we weren't paying that much attention. And yes, we were being careful."
"Good, because I would have to smack Marshall if he let you get hurt and slowed your recovery," Everest giggled.
"You don't want me here?" Cinder softly whined.
"I would love for you to stay with us forever," Everest replied longingly, "but I also know you need to get back to doing your thing. Moping around here isn't good for you."
"I'm not moping, I'm grieving," Cinder softly corrected.
"Fine line separating them," Everest gently said, wrapping her paws around Cinder. "And yes, you do need to grieve. But I worry that these tests will distract you from that."
"I worry about that too," Cinder softly replied, "and something about Gizmo just makes me nervous. I can't put my paw on it though."
"All you can do is pay attention then," Everest concluded. "If he is telling the truth, it will become apparent in his work. If he is lying, it will become clear eventually too. And I'll be glad to take care of things when that time comes."
"I knew I could count on you to have our back," Cinder softly purred as she nuzzled Everest's cheek.
"Always," Everest replied with a smile. The girls kept chatting for a bit before Marshall joined them and they snuggled down to sleep. Cinder had difficulty falling asleep at first, playing out different scenarios in her head until her brain finally ran out of gas and she passed out.
The next day, the rest of the pups all awoke at their normal time and did their yoga and exercises. Cinder was glad for the delayed start as it gave her more time to think. After breakfast, Marshall and Cinder went to find Gizmo. They found him waiting outside for them, making adjustments to a purple helmet they didn't recognize.
"Are you two ready to go?" Gizmo asked as he looked up, his tail already wagging.
"As ready as we'll ever be," Marshall replied. Cinder nodded in agreement.
"Great. Then let's go," Gizmo responded as he put the helmet on his head. His pointed ears poked through the holes in the top of the helmet, and a purple visor slid down over his eyes. "I'll direct you to the lab," Gizmo stated. They hopped into Marshall's fire truck and drove down the hill. Gizmo guided them out of town, towards Jake's mountain.
"As we head to the place I've prepared, I'd like for you to tell me what the extent of your psychic link is. Are you limited to telepathy, or are you able to physically see what the other person is seeing? Is there a range limit? Things like that," Gizmo requested.
"Well, it is both slightly complicated and simple at the same time," Marshall said carefully. "We can share images, including moving ones, with each other. We can share thoughts as if we were having a normal spoken conversation. We can feel exactly what the other is feeling, both physically and emotionally. We can see the world from the other's perspective, as if we are looking through their eyes."
Cinder discretely nudged Marshall to stop there, out of Gizmo's line of sight.
"In terms of range, walls or having other things between us don't matter, but the distance definitely matters, as does time spent apart," Marshall changed the subject deftly. "The farther apart we get, the weaker everything is as well as less clear. And eventually we can't hear each other at all. Again, it doesn't matter what is between us, just the distance. If we spend a lot of time apart, when we get back together, we have to re-acquaint our minds with each other. There isn't really anything we do for that, other than being together."
Marshall deliberately left out being able to control each other's movements to an extent when the other allowed them to, as well as how most recently they had actually tried to speed up the reconnection process; mostly because they didn't have any idea of what actually helped or not. They hadn't needed to prior to that, so it wasn't scientifically relevant.
"Very interesting," Gizmo drawled. "So physical matter doesn't impact anything, but distance does. What's the farthest away you two have been from each other while still being able to hold a normal conversation under normal circumstances?"
"It's probably one time when Cinder was coming to Adventure Bay," Marshall replied after a moment of thought. "I think we were about 50 to 75 miles apart."
"And am I correct in assuming that you've never been able to add anyone else to the link?" Gizmo verified.
"That would be correct," Marshall replied, "but we also have never tried. Given that we don't know how it works, just the limits, we haven't really talked about how we would even try to do that."
"Fair enough," Gizmo conceded. "If we can figure out how you do it, maybe, just maybe, you could learn how to do that."
I'm not sure I want anyone else in my head, Cinder thought to Marshall, laying her head on his shoulder. I'm happy with just you.
Not even Everest? Marshall inquired back.
Not until you make your attachment to her permanent, Cinder teased with a mental smirk. And I definitely don't want to be in the crossfire when you two finally have a real argument. Then you'll both want me to take your side and instead I'll make you both kiss me and hug me until you make up.
Marshall laughed out loud at that, causing Gizmo to look at him in curiosity. "Sorry, we were just considering if we would even want to add anyone else."
"I assume you're referring to Everest specifically?" Gizmo questioned with a grin.
"Well, yes," Marshall admitted. "But how did you know?"
"It doesn't take a genius to deduce who you would have been considering," the Labrador pointed out.
"You're not wrong," Cinder conceded.
"Well, depending on how things go, we might be able to find a way to let her join you. After all, the more we understand about it, the more things become possible," Gizmo elaborated.
"Just because something is possible doesn't mean it is a good idea," Cinder softly noted.
The Labrador nodded solemnly. "Never has a truer word been spoken," he agreed, catching Cinder by surprise. She had expected Gizmo to want to do anything that was possible, even if just to prove that it was possible in the name of science.
After a fifteen-minute drive, they stopped at what appeared to be an abandoned log cabin deep in the woods. Marshall didn't remember there being one there and made a mental note to ask Everest about it later.
"Sorry to make you come out all this way. Being this far away from the city helps me get work done. Come on inside," Gizmo invited. "I promise the inside is much better than the outside."
When the Dalmatians followed Gizmo into the cabin, they both gasped. The interior looked vastly different from what the exterior suggested; the walls and ceiling were constructed from a white plastic while the floor consisted of concrete coated in a smooth, light grey epoxy. Several bright LED lights illuminated the entire area. Shelves full of electrical components lined the far wall of the room, and a couple countertops in the center of the room held what looked to be inventions in progress. Gizmo walked by them all and led his guests through a door on the right into another room. It looked a lot like the first one, but it was empty except for a control panel on the wall and two white squares on the ground in the middle of the room. The room also had two more doorways in it, but they were closed.
Gizmo strode over to the control panel in the wall and started making adjustments as he addressed them. "While I get the monitoring systems ready, I'll tell you what these tests are going to consist of. Most of my tests will simply be you two talking to each other while I monitor changes. I'll be trying to detect any possible connection between you. If I can find your means of communication, that will be a huge breakthrough. None of my tests will ever physically put you in harm's way, and if something *does* come up, you'll both be able to stop the test. One thing to note is since you're the only ones to have this psychic link, you have to play the part of both the control group and the experimental group. That being said, I can't promise that I'll be able to tell you the full truth about everything that's happening in these tests, but I won't directly lie to you about what's happening. Do you agree to these terms?"
That doesn't sound shady at all, Cinder dryly thought.
Not even the least bit suspicious, Marshall confirmed, matching his twin's sarcasm.
"I don't think either of us has a choice" Cinder softly replied.
"You want to study us, right?" Marshall added, "And we can stop at any point if we are uncomfortable. So, it is probably best that you tell as much truth as you can without invalidating your tests."
"Alright, thank you," Gizmo acknowledged, nodding his head. "For the first experiment, we're going to establish a control test and baseline measurements. The test will begin with ten seconds of silence. No talking to each other, just stare at each other. Once the ten seconds are over, I'll give you a signal and I want Cinder to talk to Marshall while Marshall stays quiet. After ten seconds, I'll give another signal. I want Cinder to stop talking and Marshall to start talking. Then Marshall will talk to Cinder for ten seconds. Once that's done, we'll repeat the experiment for image sharing."
"So, ten seconds of silence, then ten seconds of Cinder talking, then ten seconds of me talking. Got it," Marshall confirmed with a nod.
"Stand on the squares when you're ready to begin," Gizmo instructed.
As one, the twins padded over to the colored squares in the center of the room. As they took their places, Cinder caught Marshall's eyes.
This feels like a trap to me, Cinder worriedly confided.
Don't worry. Ryder knows where we are and is monitoring to make sure nothing happens to us, Marshall silently reassured her.
"Alright, silence starting in three… two… one…" Gizmo trailed off as he finished the countdown.
Dutifully, the Dalmatian twins stayed quiet, simply watching each other. Cinder felt as though she were being smothered; as if the silence was squeezing her like a boa constrictor around her neck. Then Gizmo gave the next signal.
That felt so weirdly oppressive, Cinder mentally exploded, like having a pillow forced over my muzzle, or a SCBA mask that was too small and too tight. Just, unnatural silence, instead of the normal silence.
Gizmo gave the signal for Cinder to stop and for Marshall to start.
Shhh, its ok sis, Marshall replied comfortingly, it is only ten seconds of forced silence. You can do almost anything for ten seconds. After that, we can go back to our normal just being together and not saying anything.
"Alright, thanks. You can take a break if you'd like, or we can launch right into the same thing, but with visuals."
"We can keep going. What do the measurements show?" Cinder softly inquired.
"Unfortunately, my instruments picked up absolutely nothing different between the intervals except for your heart rate, Cinder. When the test began it started to pick up, holding a peak when you started communicating, then dropped back down once Marshall started talking," Gizmo observed. "What were you two discussing, if you don't mind my asking?"
"You don't want to know," Cinder softly asserted.
"Alright," Gizmo accepted her answer with a shrug, "I'm ready for the next test whenever you two are."
"Go ahead," Cinder softly replied.
Gizmo gave the signal and they started the ten seconds of silence. Just like before, it felt like a boa constrictor on Cinder's neck. She put a paw up to her neck just to make sure she was not actually being strangled.
Gizmo gave another signal and Cinder sent an image of a python wrapped around her like she was a hot dog. Marshall just shook his head in amusement as he changed his mind on what to send her.
After ten seconds passed, Marshall sent his image. Taking what Cinder had sent, he unwound the snake and had Cinder tie it into a lasso. Then he placed a cowboy hat on her head. For the final touch, he perched her on his back like a cow pup, riding around chasing Oliver and Olivia, swinging her snake lasso.
Cinder couldn't help but let out a soft laugh as Gizmo signaled the end of the test.
"Ok, well, I'm glad that whatever Marshall sent you made you laugh," Gizmo chuckled with an amused grin.
"How'd it go?" Marshall piped up, eager to see if this test had done any better.
Gizmo let out a sigh before he replied. "I still wasn't able to pick anything up, so unless you two are communicating with dark matter, or if quantum entanglement operates differently in this universe, I don't know how your telepathy works." The black Lab seemed to be about to say something else, but before he could, another sound alerted them to a more pressing matter.
*Bleep bleep* "Paw Patrol, to the Lookout!" Ryder's voice echoed from Marshall's and Cinder's tags.
"Ryder needs us!" Marshall and Cinder yipped together as they ran for the door.
"Can I watch?" Gizmo asked as he ran after them, grabbing something along the way.
"As long as you don't get in the way," Marshall agreed as he jumped into his fire truck and started it. Cinder landed beside him and Gizmo flung himself into the back as Marshall floored it.
"Woah!" Gizmo yelped as Marshall rounded a corner, almost flinging him off. "You don't have to go so fast! We're closer than you think."
"It took us fifteen minutes to get to your cabin, which means it will take that long to get back," Marshall barked in reply, rounding another corner. To his surprise, he was already back at the edge of town. He drove up the hill and parked his truck just as the other pups got to the elevator.
"That was fast," Chase observed as the three pups ran to the elevator.
Marshall opened his mouth to reply but tripped on an errant tug of war rope. "Whoa!" he yelped as he sailed into the elevator and the other pups.
"Does that happen every time?" Gizmo inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"It's not a real rescue if Marshall doesn't crash into us in the elevator," Chase explained.
"Don't forget he has to tell the joke too," Zuma added.
"The joke?" Gizmo asked.
"You might say that the elevator is pup pratfall powered" Marshall snickered, making everyone laugh. The elevator doors closed and rose perfectly on cue.
"Hmm… an elevator powered by the kinetic energy of Marshall's crashes," Gizmo mused, "That's actually not a bad idea."
"What makes you think it isn't already powered that way?" Rocky asked with a grin.
"But… Marshall was joking. This is just a normal electric elevator. I saw it myself," Gizmo replied, slightly unconfident.
"Did you?" Rocky inquired questioningly.
Gizmo wasn't so sure anymore, so he resolved to check it later.
The pups all hopped out to their spots, with Gizmo hanging back to watch.
"Paw Patrol ready for action Ryder sir!" Chase sounded off.
"Thanks for hurrying pups," Ryder said as he started. "We have an emergency out at sea. Two kayakers were paddling along the coast when a pod of Orcas decided to use them as toys.
The pups all gasped in surprise. "Not good, dude," Zuma said, "Owcas are not known for being the gentlest with theiw playthings."
"Right on the bone, Zuma" Ryder said as the graphic changed on screen. "The Orcas sank one of the kayaks and injured the kayaker. The other kayaker was able to haul them ashore in a cave, but now they can't get out. For this mission, I'll need Zuma." The water pup's icon flashed on the screen. "You'll use your hovercraft and life buoy to rescue the kayakers from the cave."
"Let's dive in!" Zuma sounded off.
"Marshall, you'll go with him and treat any injuries," Ryder directed.
"I'm ready for a ruff-ruff rescue!" Marshall sounded off.
"Alright, Paw Patrol is on a roll!" Ryder declared before running to his fire pole. The pups all howled as he slid down.
Marshall ran to the slide first, doing his usual slip flip before sliding down. Zuma followed him down as if he was on a water slide.
Marshall landed in his pup house and with a bark changed it into his ambulance. As the sirens wailed, he cleared the way for Zuma's house to rotate into position. The water pup cannonballed into the cockpit, changing it into his hovercraft with a bark. The hovercraft lifted off and Zuma zoomed down behind Marshall.
Ryder met them on his ATV at the bottom of the ramp. The trio raced down the hill. At the bottom, Ryder took the ramp that launched him out over the Bay. In the air, he changed his ATV into jet ski mode and landed with a splash. Marshall skidded to a stop on the beach side of the ramp, and jumped up on the side of his ambulance. As Zuma came by, Marshall launched himself into the hovercraft. Without missing a beat, Zuma launched them into the bay and accelerated until they were practically flying across the water.
"What happens now?" Gizmo asked after they left.
"Now we wait, watch, and see if we are needed," Everest replied as Rocky stepped up to the mission display. With a couple swipes and clicks with his paws, the display was configured and Gizmo's eyes widened as he watched Marshall leap into the hovercraft in real time from both Marshall's and Zuma's perspectives simultaneously.
"Does that sort of thing happen normally?" he asked.
"For one of us to ride with someone else, it's not uncommon," Chase replied, "though usually it is Skye air lifting one of us."
"And Marshall is worried about time," Everest interjected, "the longer an injury goes untreated, the higher the chance of something bad happening. Though, he rides with others more than most of us do. I would say he is pretty proficient in quickly changing vehicles."
"Why hasn't Ryder just made his vehicle able to handle all situations then?" Gizmo asked.
"For one, his vehicle already is a fire truck and an ambulance, so there isn't much room left for more parts anyway," Rocky explained, "Second, do you really want Marshall flying a helicopter or driving a boat?"
"Umm, he drives his Sea Patrol fire boat just fine," Rubble pointed out.
"And flies his Air Patrol pack just fine too," Skye added.
"Relevant tidbits, but you have to also factor in that Marshall typically is providing patient care on the way back," Rocky acknowledged, "so the question remains, do we want Marshall doing everything himself?"
"No!" came the resounding answer from the other pups.
"You know," Gizmo whispered to Rocky, "not enough space in his truck is solvable with a little dimensional manipulation."
"Do you want to see the alternate dimension in the back of my truck?" Rocky whispered back.
"You have that?" Gizmo gasped in shock. He had not expected that answer and decided to sync up with Rocky latter.
Back on scene, Ryder, Zuma and Marshall pulled up to the cave. "Zuma, time to be a rescue swimmer," Ryder directed, "get in there and get them out safely."
"Weady, set, get wet!" Zuma yipped as he barked on his scuba gear. With a splash, he was over the side and into the frigid ocean while Marshall took over the hovercraft controls.
Zuma swam into the cave, timing his approach with the waves so he didn't get smashed against the rocks. Soon, he spotted the kayakers, huddled together on the rocks.
"Hey dudes, how are you doing?" Zuma asked the kayakers as the waterlogged pup hauled himself out onto the rock next to them.
"Cold and wet," one replied, "and my buddy is hurt."
Zuma quickly examined the injured kayaker, who was shivering so much that he couldn't talk. "Marshall," Zuma said over his pup tag, "looks like the injured kayaker has a broken arm and is suffering from hypothermia. A little blood but nothing major. I'm going to bring him out first."
"Copy, I'll get the stretcher ready," Marshall replied. The Dalmatian hit the button to deploy the litters on the sides of the hovercraft.
"Help me get him into the water," Zuma directed the uninjured kayaker. Carefully, and minding the broken arm, Zuma clipped himself to the kayaker. Timing it carefully, he paddled out into the choppy ocean.
Marshall was watching the mouth of the cave anxiously from the hovercraft, as were the pups back at the lookout. All Zuma's tag showed was water. "Anyone see them?" Chase asked the pups. All of them nodded no.
"Marshall sees them," Cinder softly said, her eyes closed. "You should see them on screen in a moment."
"You can fully see what Marshall can, without him actively trying to send you the image?" Gizmo asked the lithe female Dalmatian.
"As clear as if I was there with him," Cinder softly said. "The survivor is wearing a dark teal green life vest, and latched onto Zuma's back, coughing up water. It is almost too choppy for this to be safe."
"There they are!" Skye yipped as she pointed. Zuma and the survivor created a wave as they approached the hovercraft. It was exactly as Cinder had described.
"Remarkable," Gizmo admired as he watched the rest of the rescue unfold. But there was a problem.
"Ryder, there is a trail of blood behind Zuma's survivor," Marshall yipped.
"Skye," Ryder immediately reacted, "spin up your copter and get out here for possible MEDEVAC," Ryder ordered.
"Let's take to the sky!" the aviator yipped before running to the slide and sliding down. A few seconds and a bark later, the whirring of helicopter blades reached its peak as the Cockapoo lifted her grey and pink copter into the air and vectored toward the scene.
On site, Marshall grabbed the injured survivor and hauled him onto the hovercraft litter. "I'm going back for the other one," Zuma barked over the wind and waves.
"Hey there, I'm Marshall, I'm a paramedic and I'm going to take care of you," Marshall said serenely as he got to work. He quickly tore open the survivor's jacket and tossed it into the hovercraft. He quickly located the source of the bleeding.
"Ryder," Marshall keyed his tag, "the survivor has an Orca tooth embedded in his broken arm. My guess is that it got stuck there during the 'playing' and was slightly dislodged when Zuma brought him out. He is also severely hypothermic."
"Skye is on her way," Ryder replied.
"ETA seven minutes," Skye updated them.
"You are going to be ok," Marshall said firmly as he packed the wound. "And you will have a nice souvenir when this is all over" he continued as he put a quick wrap on the bandage before splinting the arm into a stable position.
"This is going to get colder before it gets warmer," Marshall explained as he removed all of the survivor's wet clothes. He immediately wrapped him as tightly as he could with a dry blanket. Then he wrapped the survivor in another warm layer and stuffed it with hand warmers.
Just as he finished, Zuma returned with the other survivor. Marshall helped haul the other survivor up on the opposite side, got him bundled up and belted him into the litter.
Zuma jumped behind the controls, brought the hovercraft around, and headed toward Adventure Bay.
"Skye, we are on our way back now," Ryder informed the copter pilot.
"Got it, I see you," Skye replied as she swooped down. She brought her helicopter into a forward hover alongside Zuma's hovercraft and then slid sideways into position. "Arf, litter sling!"
The sling deployed from the belly of her copter and Skye brought it in lower. "That's good, Skye," Marshall called over his tag as he quickly clipped the sling to the litter. This was now the most dangerous part, as the helicopter and hovercraft were connected with the patient in the middle. Marshall quickly began removing the pins holding the litter to the hovercraft.
"Good to lift, Skye," Marshall barked as jumped back onto the hovercraft and held the litter in position.
"Going up," Skye yipped as she slowly goosed her copter skyward. Marshall guided the litter until he couldn't reach it anymore and it was clear of the engines of the hovercraft.
"Clear, Skye," Marshall said with a wave.
"Got it, enroute to the hospital" Skye called as her helicopter accelerated.
Marshall called the hospital to give them a turnover while Zuma drove back to shore. "Is he going to be alright?" the other kayaker asked as they rode.
"As a medical professional, I can't say for sure," Marshall replied, "but, I didn't find any immediately life-threatening injuries. That tooth definitely needs to come out though, so he'll need to have a bit of surgery. He will need time and physical therapy but I expect he'll be ok."
"That's good," the kayaker said with a sigh.
"Don't worry, I'll take you there," Marshall added with a smile, "You need to get checked out by a doctor too. You might not have gotten as cold as him, but you are still hyperthermic. So, you get a free ride in the ambulance to the same hospital."
"Thanks Marshall," the kayaker said, placing his hand on Marshall's paw.
"You're welcome," Marshall replied with a smile.
"Cinder," Gizmo asked quietly, "is sharing something that requires you to think about it, or does it just happen when you want it to?"
"A bit of both," Cinder softly replied. "If we want to send something specific, yes we have to think about it. But we don't have to do anything beyond wanting to send it. We can also just read what the other is thinking if we want to. Occasionally, when we are under stress, we share things without thinking about it, sometimes over much greater distances than normal."
"Like the day you got hurt?" Gizmo asked, making Cinder whip around.
"What do you know about that?" Cinder asked softly and hesitantly.
"Just the official account," Gizmo replied quickly, "in particular, how you and Marshall saved those two other fire pups. Both of you reacted faster than possible and got them out of harm's way without any sort of verbal communication. The two of you almost would have had to have some sort of shared situational awareness so that you could save both of them and not run into each other."
"I don't know about that," Cinder said softly, "we just kind of did it. Marshall might have a better idea, given that he stayed conscious throughout the entire event. But not today, he is going to be pretty worn out after this rescue."
"Marshall? Worn out? I thought for sure he had endless energy," Gizmo half-joked.
"Yeah, but he has two snuggle bugs to satisfy first," Everest chimed in as she wrapped a paw out Cinder's shoulder, "and a normal life to live, so you can wait until tomorrow for more experiments."
"Ok, maybe I'll join you guys then," Gizmo relented.
"As long as you actually play, you are welcome to," Everest replied, "but if you are bringing work to play, like Rocky tries to on occasion, no."
"Hey, I haven't brought work out to play in a while," Rocky objected.
"That you admit to," Rubble and Chase caveated with a laugh.
The next morning, once again Marshall and Cinder met Gizmo at the doors of the Lookout. Gizmo briefly asked Marshall about the fire where Cinder got hurt, but he didn't have much more to clarify; it was just something that they did on instinct, to Gizmo's disappointment. Once again, the drive to Gizmo's cabin took about fifteen minutes. This was not lost on Cinder as they walked into the lab again.
"Alright," Gizmo began as they entered the testing room again, "the first test I'd like to run today is an impedance test. You're going to try using telepathy with different types of physical barriers between you two. Cinder, you'll stay in this room. Marshall will step through that doorway and enter that room." Gizmo indicated the open doorway to their left. Through it they could see a small, empty room that looked like all the other rooms in the building. "Once Marshall is through, I'll close the door. You two will be separated by this wall. Marshall, there's a speaker and microphone on your end that we'll use for communication purposes. We'll be able to talk to each other the entire time as if you were in this room. When I tell you to, I want you to talk to Cinder. After ten seconds, I'll give you another signal, and I'll tell Cinder to talk to you. After ten seconds, I'll open the door on your left. You'll step through and the test will repeat. After four rooms, I'll open all the doors and the test will be over. If anything happens, Marshall can push the red button which will immediately open all the doors and end the test."
"But… what's the point?" Cinder softly asked.
"What do you mean?" Gizmo asked for clarification, tilting his head to the side.
"You told us yesterday that you couldn't detect us talking to each other. How will you measure any difference?" Cinder softly recounted.
"Well, that's the main scientific problem, but it can't be helped. You'll just have to tell me between the trials what differences you observe," Gizmo replied with a shrug. "Since I can't measure this, your observations are important."
"But we've already told you that having walls between us doesn't make any difference," Marshall reminded him.
"I know. But I still want to run this test," Gizmo replied. "It's important to establish a baseline for all variables, even if we already know they don't affect anything. Sometimes during these tests, we find out that what we 'know' was wrong all along."
"Alright, if you say so," Marshall replied.
"Ok then. Marshall, please step into this room," Gizmo requested with a wave of his paw.
Marshall stepped into the room, flashing Cinder a confident smile as Gizmo closed the door. "Can you hear me, Marshall?" Gizmo asked.
"Yes, just fine," Marshall's voice replied, coming through an unseen speaker.
"Good, we'll check each room as we go," Gizmo said. "Ok, go ahead and start the silence."
Cinder felt the silent python wrap itself around her neck again. She didn't know why, but this enforced silence bothered her more than anything. It didn't get better with time or the more times she did it. If anything, it got worse.
"Go ahead Marshall," Gizmo declared.
Are you doing ok over there? Marshall's thoughts echoed in her head. I know you can't reply yet, but I hope you are. Just think of it like going about your day normally when we aren't talking.
"Your turn Cinder," Gizmo directed.
No, it's not any better, Cinder whined back. If anything, it is worse because I can't see you. As soon as Gizmo says we can't talk, that is all I want to do. Like when we were puppies and mom and dad would tell us not to do anything and the first thing we did was to go do that.
"Ok, on a scale of one to ten, how clear was that?" Gizmo asked once the ten seconds were over.
"Ten," Marshall replied.
"Ten," Cinder softly replied.
"Ok, perfect baseline," Gizmo noted with a smile, "Marshall, go ahead through the next door and let us know when you're ready."
"Ready," Marshall said after a moment.
"Ok, silence please," Gizmo requested.
Cinder tried not to think about being able to share her thoughts. She tried distracting herself by looking at her nails and how badly she needed a trim. But she still felt the tightness in her throat, not quite as bad, but still there.
"Go ahead Marshall," Gizmo said.
Did that help at all? Marshall's thought immediately echoed in her head. I remember every time that happened, mom or dad had to race to get there before us because they knew we would go do it.
Almost as soon as Marshall stopped, Gizmo looked at Cinder. "Go ahead Cinder."
My nails need a trim, Cinder thought back. Distracting myself with that helped for maybe a second and a half. Then I wanted to tell you about it. Not because I normally would, but just because I couldn't.
"Ok, how was the clarity that time?" Gizmo asked.
"Ten," Marshall replied.
"Still ten," Cinder softly said.
"Ok, good," Gizmo commented. "Alright, Marshall. Next room. Let us know when you're ready."
"I told you this was pointless," Marshall sighed as he walked between the rooms. "Ready."
"Ok, silence please," Gizmo said.
Cinder tried focusing on breathing slowly and evenly, reflecting on how Marshall was only a couple rooms away and she could stop this at any point. She still felt the constriction.
"Go ahead Marshall," Gizmo requested.
This is silly, Marshall's thought echoed in her head, but now noticeably quieter. I know he has to "scientifically prove" things but we could spend a long time putting walls of different materials between us. Thankfully there is only one more.
"Go ahead Cinder," Gizmo directed.
Marshall, Cinder thought worriedly, this time something happened. I don't know if it is the same for you but this time you are noticeably quieter.
"Ok, how was the clarity that time?" Gizmo asked.
"Ten for clarity," Marshall said.
"But it wasn't as…" Cinder paused as she struggled to find the right word. "Volume isn't the right word," Cinder softly continued, "but it is the closest thing I have. It was maybe half to two-thirds as loud. I could still understand it, but it was like he was far away."
"Interesting observation," Gizmo mused thoughtfully. He lowered the visor on his helmet briefly, as if looking at a note. Then he raised it again and looked at Cinder. "Are you ready for the last one?"
No Cinder thought to Marshall.
Just one last test, no more than 30 seconds, Marshall thought back comfortingly. "Let's get this over with," he said out loud as he stepped into the last room.
"Ok, silence please," Gizmo requested.
There was no stopping the tightness this time, it felt like an anaconda wrapped around her throat. She could almost feel its hungry eyes boring into her soul as its tongue flicked across her, ready to devour her.
After an eternity, Gizmo spoke. "Go ahead Marshall," he said.
The silence remained.
Not funny Marshall, Cinder thought to him.
Still silence.
MARSHALL! Cinder mentally screamed as loud as she could.
The silence was all she heard. Cinder's breath caught in her throat; she could no longer breathe. "Stop the test," she frantically barked.
Before she had even finished speaking, the doors opened and the Dalmatians bounded towards each other. "What's wrong Sis?" Marshall questioned as he wrapped his rapidly panting twin in his paws as tight as he could.
"What happened?" Gizmo inquired as he took off his helmet, his voice full of concern and confusion.
"I couldn't breathe," Cinder panted, squeezing Marshall back as hard as she could to prove that he was actually there. "I couldn't hear you. I called for you and I couldn't hear you," Cinder almost sobbed.
"We're done for the day," Marshall declared as he helped Cinder to walk back through the doors. She was trembling uncontrollably and Marshall had to actually guide her paws himself. He shot Gizmo a glare as they walked past him.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. I did tell you not being able to hear each other was a possibility," the Black Lab said quietly.
"Yeah, well that doesn't mean it is any less of a shock to her knowing that something can now come between us," Marshall shot back. "If you had been watching her heart rate, you would have seen that she was having a panic attack before you even told me to say anything and should have stopped the test yourself."
"I-" Gizmo started to reply defensively when he realized that Marshall was right. He hadn't been watching any of the monitors. In worry, he opened up the monitor display. His eyes widened when he saw how Cinder's heart rate had risen exponentially from when he started the test, past a panic attack in less than five seconds, into heart attack range by the time he told Marshall to start talking. And it kept going up until she was actually holding Marshall. She could have died, he realized. He didn't even pause to wonder how Marshall had known what Cinder's heart rate was, or how he hadn't been actively watching.
"I know this is for science, but you might want to treat us as pups worth being cared about and not lab rats you can replace," Marshall added venomously. "Because you can't."
"I'm sorry," Gizmo said weakly as the twins walked out. Neither of them heard him.
A/N: Special thanks to RodentRacer for bringing his OC Gizmo into this world! What happens next? Stick around to find out! Sorry this was a day late...
A/N: Chasem, to answer your question, yes, I usually listen to music while I'm writing. You should enable PMs so I can send you a more detailed reply!