Chase and Skye sat in her helicopter. He thought about the night before, how he had asserted himself to Skye and felt more than guilty. "Hey, uh..." he started. "How are you?"

"Fine," she said. "You?"

"Yeah, same here." Silence filled the cabin once more. He shook his head. "Actually, I'm not fine."

She turned her head. "Wanna talk about it?"

"It's about last night."

"Oh." Skye nodded. She flipped a switch, sending the helicopter in auto pilot. She turned towards the shepherd, sensing his nervousness. "Chase, I-"

"Listen. I never should've done that. I hate doing it to any teammate, but to you?" He whined. "I feel so guilty."

"You're a German Shepard and the leader." Chase was shocked to hear her bring the 'breed' card into the conversation. Sure, his breed, was dominant. Sure, he was the leader of the pups when Ryder wasn't around. But did that really give him the right to bark orders at them? "I should've listened to you in the first place."

"But that's not how you should treat your m-" He stopped himself, ears splayed as he looked away from her. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Treat your what?" she whispered. Chase sat in complete silence. "Chase?"

"Let's..." He cleared his throat. "Just focus on the rescue," he finally said.

"But-"

"That's an order." She nodded, turning autopilot off. The amount of tension that had filled the small helicopter could suffocate. He forced his ears to stay upright, although his heart was breaking inside. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Skye simply nodded. They didn't speak for the rest of the ride.

Redpaw howled excitedly once they arrived at Mr. Porter's. Alex, who was outside being carefully watched by his grandpa, looked up and smiled. "They're here!" he squealed.

Mr. Porter smiled, watching his grandson run up to the pups. "Good to see you again Rocky and Redpaw. Thanks for saving Alex yesterday."

"It was no trouble at all," Rocky said. He looked over at the two younger ones. Alex was preoccupied with the wolf pup. "How's he doing?"

Mr. Porter gestured for him to come inside. "I'll be right here, Alex, alright?"

"Okay, Grandpa!"

"I'll watch him," Redpaw said. Rocky rolled his eyes, knowing full well it was he that would be watching him from the window.

Shutting the door behind them, he walked Rocky over to the counter. Rocky hopped up and together, they watched the two through the glass. "He had some nasty nightmares last night."

"Has he said what happened?"

"I asked him over and over, telling him he could tell me anything and that he was safe. All he would say was 'He didn't touch me.'" He groaned, rubbing his temples. "I swear if that man touched him-"

"He can't hurt him anymore. Mayor Goodway made sure of that." Rocky looked back outside. They were sitting on the ground, talking to each other. Tears flowed from Alex's eyes, as did Redpaw's. Rocky was about to rush out when they embraced each other. He sighed. "I think he'll be okay," Rocky said with a smile.

"I thought you pups were supposed to be out of town?" Mr. Porter asked, changing the subject.

"Well, once we heard about Alex, Chase, Skye and I rushed back to help. Chase and Skye went back this morning."

"Where are they headed?"

"Ryder's got a suspicion about Redpaw's origin. They went to investigate." He purposely left out the fact that they were technically missing. Don't start a panic, he thought.

"I hope they find the answer. He's a really special pup, isn't he?"

Rocky nodded, watching Alex and the wolf pup resume their playtime. "Yeah. He really is."

The man who identified Ryder was carrying Katie in his arms while the other two women held Zuma and Rubble. Marshall walked alongside Ryder as the followed them. "Where are we? Who are you and how do you know my father?"

He smiled. "Be patient, young one, and all your questions will be answered." They continued on, deeper and deeper into the cave. Ryder looked to the pups for any signs of distrust, but there was none. It relieved him somewhat, but he still didn't like the situation. He didn't know their names. The women hadn't even spoken yet.

Ryder studied the mans features, thinking about his familiar face. Did he really work with Dad? His short brown hair was spiked, similar to his. His blue eyes contrasted his tan face. They have to be contacts, Ryder thought. He was clean shaven, not a blemish in sight. He had looked down at Katie a few times, face scrunched up in thought.

The man stopped abruptly, causing Ryder to bump into him. "We have arrived." Ryder looked around. There was nothing in sight. "Mary, if you please."

Mary produced what looked like a key card. She waved it in front of them. A shimmer of light rippled. A straight line extending towards the ceiling opened, revealing what looked like an office. Ryder and Marshall's jaws dropped. "I know," Mary said. "You get used to it after a while."

Ryder looked at her. She could be in her late 20s, if not, early 30s. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a pony tail. She too, like the man, had blue eyes. Must be a special contact lens. He noticed the other woman, carrying Zuma, also had similar eyes. She had placed him on a table, examining his paw.

"Ryder," the man said, lying Katie down on a table as well. Others soon appeared, attaching various objects to her. Ryder heard the familiar sound of a heart monitor. "If you and the Dalmatian would just step into my office, I'd be glad to explain."

Wary of leaving his pups and friend alone, he hesitated as he followed him. Looking at Marshall, the dally was in awe at all the scientific marvels. "Rocky would love it here," he whispered.

"You're right," Ryder said. A door opened in front of them and they stepped inside.

"I'm sure you have many questions." Ryder opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped. "My name is Artie Ryder."

"Wait," Marshall said. "That's funny. Your last name is Ryder's first." He looked at Ryder with a smile, but Ryder looked away. "Ryder?"

"Ryder... isn't my first name." He looked at Artie, tears in his eyes. "It's my last. I can't believe I didn't recognize you before." He stood up and walked around the desk, hugging Artie tightly.

Artie hugged him back. "It's so good to see you, buddy!" He stroked Ryder's hair, rubbing another hand down his back.

Marshall stared at the two, his head turning ever so slightly. "Wait, wait, wait. You're related? You know each other? What the heck is going on?"

Ryder chuckled. "This is my uncle Artie. He's my Dad's brother. Artie, this is-"

"Marshall," the pup interrupted. He saluted Artie. "I'm the fire and EMT pup of the PAW Patrol!"

"I'm aware. We've seen what the PAW Patrol has done for Adventure Bay." He looked at Ryder. "You're father would be so proud."

"I know," Ryder said sheepishly.

"What brings you to Sky Corp?"

Ryder reached to pull out his puppad and scrolled few a few images. "Do you recognize this pup?" It was a picture of Redpaw standing on top of a dogpile. All the pups were stuck underneath him. "We found him a few months back and he showed some... interesting qualities."

Artie's eyes widened. "...5299..." he whispered. "He was a pup bred for... different reasons."

"Is he naturally bred?"

"No. We took DNA strands from several different breeds." A puzzled look came over his face.

"What is it?" Marshall asked.

Artie hesitated before answering. "The experiment was ordered by the government to create a new breed of dog that could aid in war zones. It would be able to predict their movements. It was a failure and the experiment was supposed to be terminated." Ryder gulped.

"You mean..." Marshall whined.

"Yes. But, you know me," he said, turning to Ryder. "I love animals. I could never do such a thing to a defenseless creature. So, I set him free. I didn't think he'd survive on his own, but it was better than the alternative."

"Well, his name is Redpaw and I've adopted him," Ryder said. "He's very special, and now I understand why."

"Special?" This peaked Artie's interest. "Has he shown any special qualities? Visions?"

Ryder hesitated. He looked down at Marshall who ever so slightly shook his head. "No," Ryder lied. He didn't like doing it, but he wanted to protect Redpaw. "Other than glowing every now and then. He's a really sweet pup, though. Small for his age too."

"The glowing is certainly different, but not completely unexpected." Artie stroked his chin. "You're sure he's displayed no other signs, anything useful to our research?"

"Nope." Artie stared at Ryder intently. "You'd be the first to know, Uncle Artie."

He smiled at that. "Alright, Champ." His pager began beeping. He looked at it and frowned. "They found your vehicle completely burnt to a crisp. You don't mind staying here for a few days, until we can get you a ride, do you?"

"Not at all. I think the pups would enjoy exploring what they can."

"Ryder, some of our research, including what I told you about Redpaw, is very top secret." He lowered his voice, staring into Ryder's eyes. "Just know that if anything leaks out, I'll know who did it." His eyes visibly flashed red for a split second.

Ryder gulped. "I understand, Uncle. Our lips are sealed."

"Great!" He stood from the chair and led them out of the room. "I'll need your puppad, though. Security reasons."

"That's fine. Don't get signal down here anyway." He willingly gave it up, along with Marshall's collar.

"You'll get them back when you leave," Artie said, placing the devices in a ziplock bag and into his drawer. "I think your pups and friend are in the recovery room. It's just down the hall."

"You aren't coming?" Marshall asked.

"I've got some paperwork to fill out, but feel free to explore. I'll call you over the intercom around dinner." He waved them out of his office. Once they left, he took a long look at Ryder's puppad and the picture of the little wolf. "Redpaw..." he whispered.

Redpaw and Alex were both equally tired, having run around most of the day. Rocky and Mr. Porter chuckled as they watched them sleeping under a tree. "I guess I should take him home," Rocky said.

"I'm surprised they tuckered each other out," Mr. Porter said, following the mixed breed. He picked up Alex, hugging him close. "It was great seeing you both. Thanks for coming over."

"Thanks for having us." He maneuvered Rocky onto his back, careful not to wake the sleeping wolf. He walked over to his rig and yipped quietly. A claw came out from the back and Rocky moved it towards Redpaw. He lifted him into the rig and strapped him in. Together, they went back to the Lookout.

As he drove, he thought about Redpaw, his visions. He thought about the mysterious disappearance of Ryder and the others. He decided to call Chase to see if they had found anything. "Chase, you there?"

Chase had fallen asleep, drooling a bit. Skye giggled at the sight. Her ears perked when she heard Rocky. "Rocky, he's asleep, and drooling." Both pups chuckled a bit. "What's up?"

"Find anything?"

"No. We're only a few miles away though, so it shouldn't be long n-" Her muzzle dropped. "Oh my pup..."

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"The sinkhole. It's- It's gone!" Sure enough, the last known location of the PAW Patroller was just down below, and yet, there was no sign of a sinkhole or the vehicle. "How- even- -ssible-"

"Skye? Skye. Can you hear me?"

"Rock-! May- down- flight down- gency-"

"Skye?!" Rocky tried desperately to get the signal back, but to no avail. The radio fell silent. He looked from his radio to Redpaw and back to the radio. Pulling over his rig, he decided to try one last thing. Unbuckling his seatbelt, he stood over Redpaw. Leaning down next to his ear, he began whispering. "Redpaw, I think Skye and Chase are in trouble. Can you see them?"

The wolf shifted a bit, but otherwise stayed asleep.

"Come on, Redpaw. I know you can do it. Just try. What do you see?"

To his surprise, Redpaw's paws began glowing, albeit dim. "I... I see..." he mumbled in his sleep. "Chopper... Parachute..."

Rocky hesitated before asking his next question. "Are they alive?" His voice cracked on the last word. Please be okay. Please be okay... Redpaw groaned and whined. He started pawing his face. "Redpaw? Redpaw, stop. It's just a dream! It's just a dream!" He wrapped his paws around the pup, holding him close.

Redpaw was shivering like mad, nearly rocking the rig. "Skye... Chase..."

"Shh, don't worry about them," Rocky said, nuzzling him. "I shouldn't have said those things."

"Th-th-they're..." Redpaw struggled between hyperventilating and shivering. He looked up at Rocky with wide eyes. He managed to say one last thing before losing consciousness. "They're alive."