The Green Statistic
By H1storyMaj0r
Intro: Space is a hard thing to wrap the mind around, to say the least. Traveling into the abyss on a mission with a 47% chance of success is just plain insane. A forgettable yet familiar green recycling pup only wants some validation, when he's called upon to fix the unfixable. It's not just rocket science, it's existentially dreadful engineering.
[My Debut fanfic : Please let me know how I did].
Chapter 0• Intro
Perspective: Rocky
I remember the exact day it happened.
My alarm clock woke me up at 8am, bright and early. Just like every day, me and the pups ate breakfast together with Ryder at the lookout. Afterwards, we'd head outside to play for as long as we could before we got that awaited call.
*Bleep-Bleep* (Our Pup-tags)
"Ryder Needs Us!", we'd somehow manage in unison.
Our beloved Adventure Bay was in a new and unfamiliar time at that point. It was growing, slowly but surely.
Houses were being built further and further up the hills and massive apartment began to dot the downtown area. Small businesses increased foot-traffic, crime plummeted to near-zero (not like it was ever astonishingly high), and before you could notice the population was pushing on 3,000.
Mayor Goodway even had a ribbon-cutting ceremony. (She's really into those).
There was even talk of acquiring a major league sports deal for one of our local clubs. Although, I can't remember whether it was for Baseball, Soccer, or Football (American football).
The formerly sleepy town under the protection of the PAW Patrol had grown up.
This day was not unlike the countless days I'd spent on duty before. The circumstances were…. different.
It had been an unusually hot and dry September, so we were concerned that the higher quantities of people outside could correlate to more emergencies and problems for the PAW Patrol to fix.
It was business as usual, Marshall crashes into the elevator late, everyone laughs, elevator takes us to the top floor, and I muster up the best game-face in the line-up.
"Ready for action, Ryder Sir", Chase asserts.
Just like always. I remember this particular emergency in vivid detail, it's the way my mind works these things out; very methodically.
"We've got some trouble pups", Ryder said in a serious tone.
"Oh no, what happened Ryder?", Skye asked.
Marshall and I glanced at each other worriedly, as did Rubble and Zuma.
"How bad is it, sir?", Chase said in a tone meant to re-establish the calm.
The massive lookout display came to life, strewn across the bottom of the screen were our pup-tags (including those of our auxiliary members Everest and Tracker).
Ryder elaborated, "Well, a yacht moored just off the coast of the bay hit a reef at low tide. It looks like the stern is breached and the owners aren't exactly in a capable condition to help themselves, or swim to shore- This one's gonna be all paws on deck!"
We all took part in our usual displays of approval, barks and growls and flips and whatnot.
I had instinctively shuddered at the mention of a water-related rescue, but it had always been that way. When I looked at the others, however, it clicked just how well we understood the potential for loss of life in the situation. Aside from some close calls, we'd all kept a perfect record when it comes to keeping people alive. We'd never encountered a beachgoer too adrift for Zuma to reach, or a biker too injured for Marshall to assist, or a scenario that Skye couldn't diagnose from the air.
For the first time since I Joined the PAW Patrol, Ryder had to cut a pre-mission speech short. He pointed as he sprinted towards the fire pole.
"Chase the beach is packed, crowd control is priority #1"
"Chase is on the case!", he replied already at the edge of the slide.
"Skye! I'll need eyes up high to see the extent of the damage"
"*Yip-yip* This puppy's gotta fly", she responded.
"Rubble, we'll need to build a better docking port to make sure this doesn't happen again. Concrete this time!"
"Rubble on the double!", Rubble barked.
"Marshall, by the time we get there the boat may be a blaze waiting to spark, but no matter what we'll need Medical support for sure."
"I'm Fired Up!", Marshall replied.
"And Zuma-", Ryder stopped and smiled.
"You got it dude", Zuma smiled and winked.
This was Zuma's area of expertise, no question about it.
That left me without a job.
I remember the way I intensified my gaze in anticipation, waiting for my role in this "APOD" (All Paws on Deck) affair. I got my answer.
"Rocky, hold down the fort, I may need you later", Ryder concluded before sliding down the pole to his ATV.
My fellow pups had already descended the slide to their vehicles.
It wasn't a big deal then, I had been left behind tons of times before, so had Zuma, and so had Rubble.
It became a running joke that nobody wanted to address. Painful, yet obvious. The whole A-team vs. B-team truth that no-one felt compelled to discuss.
That was the September day that it all started. The 15th. The first time in a series of times that I realized that I was not essential. Nobody needed me.