Ryder merely stared forward, not meeting anyone's gaze as he surveyed the three prisoners. No one knew what happened to the ACG pilot, an uncertainty that filled Rocky with dread. He was just a driver, barely trained in holding a sidearm, with what slim chance there was, the captain prayed for the pilot's safety. Chase wouldn't stop glaring at Ryder, a look he hadn't yet dropped, and Marshall had shut his muzzle, falling silent.
What would the others say? Rocky knew his friends would be looking for him, their own captain suddenly vanishing off the face of the Earth. He already had Bella's blessing mere hours ago, only suddenly to hit failure in the worst way possible. They'd be waiting, occasionally sending out a few messages, only for radio silence to reply back. A pit formed in his stomach; would he ever see the ACG again?
A sound of impact filled the air, a cloud of dust kicking up as a body hit the floor. Rocky turned at the noise, locking eyes with Chase's unconscious frame. "What-" He started to say, glancing at Marshall just as the soldier came up behind him. The stock of his rifle slammed against the Dalmatian's skull, buckling his legs and sending him to the floor.
Bristling with alarm, Rocky bared his teeth to lunge. "Hey! What're you-" He was silenced quickly, as Ryder pulled his handgun and whipped the mixed breed sharply on the head. A quick groan spilled out of him into the dirt, his vision blurring over until it faded away.
"Tie their paws and load them up." Ryder commanded. "They're elites, we can't take any chances."
As Ryder led the soldiers, now carrying their knocked-out cargo, back the aircraft for home, the smallest frown appeared on the boy. He was quick to turn his head away, not letting the Archline soldiers witness his brief hesitation. There was no time for this, he knew, what had to be done, was going to get done. Thoroughly paralyzed, the three ACG soldiers were dragged along, hoisted up on the backs of the Archline troopers. Not even one could move, yet their minds ran wild within the subconscious, especially the German shepherd. While his body struggled to fix the damage, Chase's mind placed him in a sleep-like state.
His mind wandering from reality, he found himself in a quiet town.
Chase arose from the concrete road, his body feeling lighter than usual. His memories fogged, leaving him completely unable to place how he arrived there. The street was completely empty, stretching far on the horizon with nothing but idle leaves and papers blowing in the wind. Thick fog drifted through the town, surrounding all that existed with gentle, yet all-consuming mist. Cautiously walking to the sidewalk, Chase dreaded even opening his mouth. "Hello?" He called out, looking around the greyed, lifeless buildings and shops that lined the streets. "Anyone there?" His ears flattened in his confusion, an odd feeling poking up in the back of his mind. Had he been here before? He already felt as if hours had passed, quickly turning to days, months, years, a lifetime of endless wandering in the infinite nothing. Even the smallest blink of his eyes seemed to whisk the time away. His breath caught in his throat, paws beginning to shake as his field of vision shrank. Legs shortening as he walked, as if his body was slowly pushing itself into the ground. By the time he had crossed the street, he stepped onto the sidewalk as an infant puppy.
"Hello?" His voice was higher, the canine's age winding backward.
Booming words echoed across the town, as if the city itself had spoken. "I warned you. But you didn't listen." Chase shuddered as he heard of them, a sharp vibration traveling through the ground.
The puppy backed up against one of the abandoned shops. "Who is that?" He called, looking around fearfully. "Who's there?"
A grisly tone met his ears. "I gave you so many chances." Black shadow began to leech up through the street, wriggling free like worms in the dirt. Chase watched with frozen terror as the creatures straightened up, squirming tendrils growing from their heads. They kept going, getting longer and longer, until they fell upon one another and tangled into a gruesome spiderweb of nightmares. Folding and wrapping itself in many directions, the combined shadow twisted into a shape, standing on four legs and opening its fierce, lifeless eyes. "So many chances to leave while you still could, but you didn't listen."
"What..." Chase breathed, his body shaking. "What are you?"
"You know what I am." The dog walked forward. "I was the one supposed to fix everything, I was the one who was going to save your lives and everyone else in that tower." Bleeding color into its malformed body, the animal's appearance took a familiar, haunting shape. "Only for 'someone' to fuck it all up, and now look what's happened." It leaned to Chase's face, snarling its teeth. "You've ruined everything."
"Cyrus, please." Chase pleaded, his tail shooting under his legs. "I tried, okay?! I really tried; I gave it my best shot!"
The living nightmare hissed, his face beginning to contort. "Oh... I'm well aware." He released a sickened roar, his skull splitting down the middle with a snapping crack. With nowhere to run, cornered by the vicious creature, Chase could only scream. Black liquid poured from the wound as Cyrus's head split pulled itself open, forming a gut-wrenching crevice that two small paws were already clawing out of.
A cockapoo dragged herself up Cyrus's gaping throat, hanging outward like a dangling appendage. Half of her head was missing, violently blasted off with bits of exposed brain and skill. "Why did you do it, Chase?" She snapped, voice echoing far and back through the town. "Why did you do it!?" Chase couldn't even answer, shrinking down with his broken voice. The floor suddenly broke under him, the puppy screaming as he was dropped into a blackened abyss. Tumbling in freefall, Chase flailed his limbs in a terrified panic, shrieking as thousands of eyes opened in the darkness, staring him down.
He roughly landed on an unseen ground, body colliding with a squishy, raw surface. His landing splashed color in all directions, red and pink flying out to paint the world around him, forming a sagging cavaran made of gorey, dripping muscle. Shards of bone poked out all across the walls and ceilings, clear fluids dripping down and coating the floor. The whole cave gurgled, moving under his paws and bellowing out a low moan. Trying to stand, difficult from the slippery floor, Chase quickly stiffened as a feral, bear-like growl sounding behind him. Shaking in his step, heart pounding through his chest, Chase gulped and turned around, facing the creature on its throne.
The monster was almost invisible at first, its degloved body perfectly blending in with the red biomass around it. The whole body was a bone cage of organs and bleeding muscles, strung up together with worming tentacles. It was perched on a massive boil, easily the size of a human car. Its spindly, intestine-wrapped legs were straddling the sides, holding its gorey body in place. Several thin tubes extended out of its groin, burrowing into the boil underneath it and pulsing with flowing liquid. The front arms, wrapped with blood-soaked veins and tentacles, idly rested at the creature's sides, rhythmically moving its claws. Picking up its head, the vicious face of the creature hidden under a skinned dog mask, leered up at Chase with a knowing, malicious growl.
"Feroxmalis." Chase breathed, staring at the animal before him.
Dozens of tentacles danced off its back, reaching far out to give the creature an almost regal appearance, a display of superiority. The longest tentacle of all, its very tail, idly waved behind it, the tip smeared with glistening blood. A voice emitted through its teeth, not its own, but stolen words from an old victim. "Don't think we're finished, Chase." It curled its lips, releasing a long, drawn-out hiss. "You will bring us our messiah."
"You're dead!" Chase barked, a fit of terrified defiance coming over him. "I watched you burn alive years ago!"
"Maybe I did," Feroxmalis snarled. "But do not be so quick to take your victory. You will see Genesis, whether you like it or not. And we will meet again."
The shepherd shook his head with an agonized expression, trying to back away. "I don't know what you're saying, and I don't care!"
Snarling into the rancid air, the creature leaned forward to its prey. Chase instantly moved farther away, enough for his back to collide against the slimy wall. Feroxmalis bellowed a layered roar, its tail curving over its back and pointing forward. "This is not a dream Chase. This, is not a dream." Its tail shot forward in a flash, spearing through Chase's body like a brutal weapon of war. The puppy screamed from the attack, an electric shock blasting up his veins with each snapped tendon.
Then he awoke.
"Huh?!" Chase flinched, his eyes opening back to reality. The horrid corridor quickly ceased to exist, transforming into the bleak interior of an airship. Feroxmalis vanished in the blink of an eye, two Archline soldiers taking its place where they absently stood. A sharp pain lingered in his head, making the shepherd squirm in his bindings. Rocky had already awakened, the mix hanging his head with drained energy, and Marshall was still out cold.
The soldiers turned to the three prisoners, pulling tactical knives and slicing through their bindings. Rocky was happy at the freedom of movement, bending down to clean his paws and smoothen down the fur. Ever the aggressive type, Chase snarled at the trooper freeing him, although his warning did little to phase the trooper. Marshall was freed too, but hadn't yet awakened, so an Archline soldier slung him onto his back.
Addressing the entire group, Ryder barked his orders. "Everyone out." He hit a button on the wall, sparking an alarm and the mechanical whirring within the walls. Rocky was expecting to walk out on another warship, maybe an outdoor military camp, or an airfield within the shadow of a massive building. The doors opened, Chase braced himself for the light to shine in, but not a single ray of sunlight appeared. Their paws stepped out onto a polished platform, holding up the airship from where it descended. The sky was gone, obscured by the fortified ceiling made entirely out of excavated stone and Earth, except for directly above them, where steel ceiling doors firmly shut above. The hangar was dimly lit, barely illuminated by the dozen light metal light fixtures hanging from the far ceiling. The entire place smelled of old soil and motor oil, mixing with the unpleasant humidity floating up from the pit underneath.
Rocky looked around the massive hangar. "Where are we?" He stepped past an Archline trooper, peering over the edge of the platform. His fur stood up on end quickly, spotting the thousand foot drop below them. The only path available to them was a long bridge connecting the platform to a far wall, where an entrance of steel and concrete was built into it.
"Underground." Ryder said. "Very, very, very far underground. We landed on a lift, and it took us down here."
"Yeah, but where is this?" Chase spoke up, glaring at the soldier carrying Marshall on his back. "Where did we land to get down here?"
"Not your information to know." Said their owner, then reached grabbed a radio on his belt. "Receiver, we've arrived. You are free to open the seal."
They crossed the bridge, moving as a caravan over the dark abyss. Their path was illuminated by blinking LED lights built into the edges, the only indicator to save a poor soul from walking over the edge. Approaching the steel entrance, Rocky gawked up at the doors. It resembled more of a giant vault, with a single, solid concrete door firmly sealed into place. They all stopped before it, Ryder crossing his arms impatiently. Chase flashed a nervous look to Rocky, who returned with an uncertain frown.
Three red lights lit up above the door, an irritating alarm echoing through the cavern. Like a gate to the afterlife, the vault began to slowly creak open, pulling itself into the wall to open the way. Light was already spilling out, painting over the entrance way and making Chase blink his eyes. At its halfway point, Rocky noted that the vault doors were at least two meters thick, sending a twinge of confusion across his face. Whatever was in here, they certainly preferred to keep it from entering and leaving so easily. Once the doors fully opened, Ryder nodded and walked through, his squad and hostages following behind.
The floor turned to polished tile, walls and ceiling transitioning to clean white. The long corridor was cleaned and well-lit, even fake plants set up in some corners to beautify the area. With another loud alarm, the vault doors closed behind them, officially sealing them in. Rocky emitted a faint whine as the world was shut away, lowering his ears as he thought of home. The ACG, he told himself, they were his home. Not the one that came before. They were led down a long path, passing by several grey doors and making turns where needed. Travelling for several minutes, the group came to a stop upon entering a large room, completely empty inside but more expansive, with another door across the area. Ryder and his squad hung behind, standing in a line that blocked the way back.
Chase and Rocky were left in the center of the room, looking back with puzzled expressions. "So what now?" Chase asked the troopers. "What, are we supposed to just wander around in here?"
"Wait." Ryder hissed, crossing his arms.
"Enough with the games, Ryder." Said Rocky with a growl. "You can't just move us around like chess pieces! When are we going to get actual answers from you?"
"Just be patient."
The captain flattened his ears, ignoring the boy's words. "Who are we supposed to wait for, your boss? If you're not the leader, then who is?!" His question was answered promptly, the far door whizzing open for the dog crossing through it. Chase turned to face him, and quickly his expression fell into disbelief. Glancing behind at the new presence, Rocky didn't know what to expect anymore, as there was nothing left for his mind to predict.
A dark, sharpened Malinois entered the room, formally dressed in tight leather that cut him a terrifying silhouette. He walked completely silently, his tall frame stalking like death itself. His eyes were unnaturally cold, fixated on the two soldiers as he approached them.
"You..." Chase blinked, hesitated slightly. "You look... just like someone I used to know."
The jagged animal barely even blinked. "Cyrus, I presume?" Dutch said flatly. "We're the same breed, but I hesitate to share anything with that dead coward."
His words nearly sliced Chase in the jugular, the shepherd bristling at the disrespect to his fallen mentor. Rocky spoke up before an insult was thrown. "You knew Captain Cyrus?"
"Knew him? I was the one who hired him."
"Hired...?" Rocky squinted, then his eyes widened with a shaking revelation. "Wait, you're-"
"Executive Dutch." The Malinois said, a prideful grin sliding up his pointed muzzle. "Overarching, undisputed CEO of the entire company, and your new god." A dark chuckle left him, his eyes glinting with malice. "Welcome to the Archline Foundation, assets. So good to finally meet you after all these years."
The mixed breed was stunned, his eyes widened with disbelief as he truly processed who he was looking at. Never before had a single dog shot so much fear into him, he had seen a lot of graphic scenes in the ACG's missions, but a dark aura followed the animal standing in front of him. An aura that undoubtedly horrified him by presence alone.
"So it was you." Chase said, his voice shaking with rage. "You did it."
Dutch raised an eyebrow. "Did what? That's a pretty long list, you'll have to elaborate."
"You... destroyed the PAW Patrol."
"Hey now, that's a big accusation." Laughed the CEO, flashing his teeth. "From what I've gathered, you and your family did more damage than Feroxmalis itself." Dutch grinned, twisting the knife with his words. "And funny you bring that up, anyway."
"We aren't doing anything with you." Rocky bared his teeth.
Dutch shrugged at his words, taking a second to brush off his jacket. "Admirable that you still believe you have a choice in the matter, but you belong to me." He leered up at the captain. "As the only survivors of the Adventure Bay test, you are pivotal assets." A faint growl emerged under his tone. "Assets you deprived us of by fleeing to the ACG, but did you really think you could run from fate forever? You have always belonged to me, no matter what little mercenary club you run off with, we were always behind you. Maybe that bulldog ended up being the host, but the rest of you were always exposed to its infection. You are the only living traces of the priceless bioweapon you destroyed."
"It killed my family!" Chase snapped, snarling with bared teeth. "Traumatized the rest of us and left our PAW Patrol in shambles, of course we destroyed it! You actually have the audacity to value a creature like that over all the lives you destroyed?!"
"How could you?!" Now it was Rocky joining the fray, filled with more despair than anger. He was staring straight into the eyes of the very dog that pulled the trigger on his childhood. "How could you honestly do that?! Do you have any idea what that thing did to everyone?!"
Their heartbroken words merely bounced off the executive's stone expression. His gaze wandered off slightly, then took a few seconds to groom his paws. "Adventure Bay is filled with chaff, you know. Selecting it for the field test was the only bit of importance that town ever saw in its life."
Chase jumped forward, staring up at Dutch with an enraged expression. "I will tear you to ribbons if you say that again." The shepherd hissed, caring little that his enemy was considerably taller than him. "Those were our people!"
"All death has a meaning, soldier." The executive said flatly, unphased by the dog facing him down. "Did billions not die in the name of God, so Noah could survive with his ark?" He tilted his head. "Did He not send the fires upon Sodom and Gomorroah, reducing two whole cities to ash just to send a message?"
Rocky flattened his ears with agitation. "You're just quoting religious texts, none of that actually means anything!"
"Humanity is filled with weakness." Dutch said, maintaining his calm demeanor. "It's the job of the superior to segregate it out, leaving the survivors stronger and better, repopulating into the truly worthy!"
"And how does releasing feral bioweapons into an innocent town accomplish this?"
"Like I said." Chuckled the executive. "A town filled with unworthy weakness who swim in luxary. Feroxmalis, our priceless weapon-in-production, gets the results we wanted... and at the same time? Another disgusting pothole of a town taken right off the map."
That last sentence was the final straw for Chase. "You motherfucker!" He lunged for Dutch, claws and teeth bared, overclocked with a vicious drive to kill. Ferocity charged in his veins, filling him with the raging desire to tear the enemy before him to shreds. Rocky's shout to back down fell on deaf ears, the Archline troopers behind raised their guns, but Ryder gestured for them to stand down. They would not be needed for this. Filled with concern for his brother, Rocky expected a bloody fight to ensure, but it was over almost instantly.
Dutch was abnormally quick, dodging to the side so fast that Rocky's eyes barely registered the movement. Further enraged, Chase faced him, attacking again with swiping claws and thrashing teeth. Every motion he made was either dodged in milliseconds, or countered with perfect accuracy. Rocky gave Ryder a desperate look, pleading for him to do something. Their owner only looked away, pretending not to see. Swinging claws were intercepted in their path, Dutch flinging the shepherd back to the floor every time. Snapping jaws were dodged, Chase's exposed neck taken swift advantage of as Dutch struck his paws with precise, deadly blows. Chase was beaten in seconds, slammed to the ground in a bruised, groaning mess. He couldn't get up, the shepherd could only contort his limbs defensively, curling up into a sad ball of traumatic memories.
"Well, that was a fun exercise." Dutch dusted off his jacket. There wasn't a hint of exhaustion on his face, his breathing still perfectly steady. The display of uneven power was a haunting thing to witness, Rocky staring at the executive with flattened terror. Something about Dutch was horribly unnerving, something that wasn't supposed to exist. No living dog could move that fast, no dog was capable of holding such strength.
"What the hell was that...?" Rocky breathed, looking over Chase's beaten body, then turning his mortified expression to Dutch. "What are you?!"
Fluffing his tail slightly, Dutch gave him an apathetic look. "I'm the executive." He said simply, then turned to the troopers beside Ryder. "The Dalmatian, is that Marshall?"
"He hasn't woken up yet." Ryder said aloud.
"Don't go killing my assets, human."
"He has a heartbeat..." The boy muttered, averting his gaze from the CEO. "He'll wake up soon, he probably just has less tolerance."
"Then leave him in the infirmary." Dutch brushed it off. "And put the shepherd in our jails for now."
Rocky's heart sank, inner panic overtaking his veins. He knew there was nothing he could do, unless he wanted to be Dutch's next punching bag. Helpless to say or do anything, he watched as Marshall and Chase were dragged off by Ryder, transported deeper into the facility. They disappeared like fading spirits, and Rocky was left alone with the dark combatant.
"I trust you're the more sensible one?" Dutch raised an eyebrow at him.
Hanging his head, Rocky spoke with a broken voice. "You... didn't answer my question. What does Feroxmalis have anything to do with your god complex? You said it was a weapon, but it was just that, a weapon, a weapon that anyone could use. What about the creature alone makes you so..." His face twisted, spitting the word. "Special?"
Walking in a circle around him, Dutch gestured for the captain to follow. "Why don't we go somewhere better suited for talking? Come with me, there is a lot to share with you." He chuckled darkly. With no other options left, Rocky obediently followed, fearing what lay ahead.