As Rocky sat in his rig, he thought about what to do next. Redpaw saw something with Skye and Chase. Something must have happened, but what? He looked towards the sleeping pup. His paws were pulsing, seemingly to his heartbeat. He was created. That's what Ryder said. But he has parents too. Maybe they can help?

A yip startled him, causing him to slam on the brakes. Redpaw sat up in his seat, eyes wide and staring straight ahead. "What is it?" Rocky asked, looking in the same direction.

"I recognize this place..." he whispered. He hopped out of the rig. Rocky looked at him questioningly before he followed.

"Where are you-"

"Shh." Redpaw took a few more steps, then stopped abruptly. "We're here."

Rocky looked at his GPS scanner. Sure enough, they were right on top of their last known location. "How'd you know?" He took one step forward and his GPS shut off. "Huh?" A few more steps and his paw broke through the ground. Cracks formed around them. "Redpaw, run!"

Redpaw looked back towards the rig and ran for it, Rocky following. Just behind them, the ground was opening up. Redpaw tripped, but Rocky swiftly grabbed his scruff and threw him towards the rig. The ground underneath him gave way. "Rocky, no!" Redpaw yelled. His eyes turned bright red and he snarled, diving for Rocky's fur. Biting down and claws extended, he held onto the mixed breed as the shaking stopped.

Rocky looked up to see Redpaw snarling. His ears folded and he smiled nervously. "T-thanks, Redpaw." The wolf pup walked backwards far enough for Rocky to get back to safety. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I've been here before," Redpaw said, his eyes fading back to normal. He sniffed the air. "Yeah, I've definitely been here before."

"You aren't fainting or falling asleep," Rocky noted. He looked back down the gaping hole. "This has to be where they fell. The lab must be down there."

"Where I was made," Redpaw said. "Where my parents could be." He shut his eyes, focusing on one scent. "Chase and Skye, they were here."

Rocky sniffed the air. "Wow, wolves have strong senses..." he muttered.

"Anxiety, nervousness and-" His ears flattened. "I knew it..." he whispered.

"What?"

"Skye likes Chase as much as Chase likes her," he smiled. Rocky chuckled at that. "They did fall, but there's no smell of blood. There were other people too." He turned to Rocky. "We have to find them."

"We will. But we can't fall like they did. We could get hurt. That's why I brought this new rig." They walked back to the truck, Rocky helping Redpaw inside. "It's an improvement over Rubble's rig, built specifically for rescues like this one." He barked and two contruction helmets came out. The pups put them on. Redpaw's was a bit big for him and he giggled. "You'll grow into it. Now let's go find them."

Chase and Skye had been reunited with Ryder, Katie and the others. Chase's paws were raw from being scraped along the wall. They had been wrapped up in bandages, much to his displeasure. As he nibbled on them, Ryder scolded him. "They're going to cone you if you keep doing that."

"Sorry, Ryder, sir, but they're itchy!" He reached up to scratch behind his ear, only to yelp. Ryder chuckled and reached out to scratch him. Chase started panting and rested his head on Ryder's lap. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too."

"How did you two find us?" Katie asked. She pet Skye who was still a bit shaken up from the fall. "Our trackers don't even work here."

"Rocky tracked the last location," Skye said. "That reminds me, he and Redpaw are on their way."

This peaked Artie's interest. "Redpaw? He's coming here?"

"You're not laying a finger on him," Marshall said defensively. "He's not your experiment anymore."

"Marshall!" Ryder scolded. "Behave."

"I think he has a point, Ryder," Rubble said.

"Yeah. I don't want him to hurt anypup," Zuma said.

"Pups, I never planned on it," Artie said. "I'd just like to monitor his behavior."

Ryder sighed. "Then you should know the truth."

"The truth?"

"Yes. Redpaw can do exactly what you wanted him to do. He can see things before or while they happen. His paws glow and, at one point, his eyes did two. That's why I named him Redpaw."

Artie sat in silence for a while. "I understand why you lied. You wanted to protect the pup." Ryder nodded. "I can see how much you care about him, about all your pups."

"And we care about him," Chase said. "We protect and serve, not only Adventure Bay, but Ryder too!"

"Then it's settled. Redpaw is to be treated as the rest of you. As a guest."

"Sir?" A woman stepped into the room. "There's a big vehicle outside the force field approaching at high speed."

"That must be Rocky!" Skye said.

"Tell the men to stand down and open the force field. Ryder, you have to get them to slow down."

"I'm on it," he said. He carefully set Chase on his seat and followed Artie down the hall.

"Rocky, slow down!" Redpaw yelped. Miraculously, they had made it to the bottom of the sinkhole without any damage or injuries. Rocky was now driving at high speeds through the cave. "You're going too fast!"

"Relax, Red," Rocky said. "We're going to find Ryder, Katie and the pups and get the heck out of here." Suddenly, the engine shut off. Rocky lost control of the vehicle. "Hold on, pup!" The rig spun out of control and hit the wall with a thud.

Redpaw's heart was racing as he opened his eyes. His head throbbed, but he was otherwise okay. He looked to Rocky to see him slumped over the steering wheel. "R-Rocky? Ugh..." His head pounded once, a flash of light blinded his eyes. It pounded again. He saw the two white wolves in the forest. One last time. Redpaw collapsed in his seat, only his belt held him up.

He let out an ear piercing howl, one that shattered the rig's windows, sending glass everywhere. It echoed throughout the cave, causing some rocks to fall.

Ryder heard the howl. "That's them!" he yelled. He ran past the border, deeper into the cave. Artie followed behind. "Rocky? Redpaw?" he called out.

A second howl led him towards the wreckage. As soon as he saw it, he ran forward, throwing the door open. Redpaw fell limp in his arms. Artie took him into his own hands as Ryder grabbed Rocky. "He's unconscious," Artie noted.

"So's Rocky," Ryder said. "We have to get them to Katie."

"My workers can watch over Redpaw." He looked at the wolf pup's paw pads. "Very interesting."

"Remember what you said," Ryder warned him. "No experiments."

Artie smiled. "Of course not, my young nephew. I'd never cause anypup harm. Let's get back to the lab." Ryder nodded, rushing off. Artie motioned for one of his scientists. "Keep this one separated. Monitor his vitals and behavior." Before he turned away, he added. "Notify the Pentagon. Project: K9 is back online."

Fire... Smoke... Ash...

Red. White. Gray and black.

Redpaw looked at himself in the mirror, confused. "What happened?"

"This is what happens when you're bad," his reflection said. Redpaw looked at his paw, as did the mirrored image. It was stained blood red. "You did this."

"Did what?" When he looked back up, he saw Ryder instead, only there was a horrifying scratch across his face. "I didn't do that!"

"Redpaw, why?" Ryder cried. "Why would you hurt me?"

"Ryder. I swear, I didn't-"

"Red." The wolf pup turned to see Rocky, a similar cut on his chest. He was bleeding. "Why did you attack me?"

"Rocky, no, I-"

"How could you do this to us?" Redpaw's heart broke as he turned to see the other pups, cut in various places on their bodies. "We loved you."

The poor wolf pup began sobbing. "I didn't mean to! I love you all!"

"Give into instinct," his voice said. Redpaw turned back to the mirror. He saw himself with glowing red eyes. "It's only natural."

"No..." Redpaw whined. He felt his claws unsheathe. "What are you doing to me?"

"Give in..."

"No! I-I won't!"

"Give... in..." the voice whispered. Redpaw let out a frustrated whine.

"No!" He slashed the mirror, shattering it into tiny pieces. Panting, he looked at his paws. They slowly faded back to normal.

"Congratulations," the voice said. Shocked, Redpaw turned to see himself once more. The red glow in his eyes faded away. "You've learned to control yourself."

"Wh-what?" Everything began fading to black. "Wait, what does that mean?"

"Sir, the test was successful," a woman said.

"Retract the test tubes and flush his system," Artie said. "Leave no trace." He jotted a few things down before brushing his hand through his hair. "What are my nephew and his friends doing?"

"They're down in the cafeteria. The gray mixed-breed has a concussion and should wake at any moment know."

"They don't suspect anything?"

"Nothing that I've heard."

"Good. As soon as everything is finished here, page me. I'm sure they'd love to see the sub- I mean, Redpaw." He grinned deviously as he stood from his seat and walked into the hall.

Chase and Skye slept soundly on Ryder's lap as they ate. Rubble, Marshall and Zuma played with some spare wiring Artie gave them, using it as a tug toy. "How do you think Redpaw is doing?" Katie asked Ryder.

"Well, his paws were glowing. Uncle Artie said he'd monitor him."

"Are you sure we can trust him?"

"He's Dad's brother. He's the only family I have left." Ryder sighed. "If I don't trust him, who will I trust?"

Katie smiled, placing her hand on his. "Me. The pups. Every single person in Adventure Bay. We all trust you and the pups with our lives, Ryder."

Ryder blushed at the sudden contact. "T-Thanks..." He smiled at her.

"Ahem," Artie coughed. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"How's Redpaw?" Ryder asked. "Is he okay?"

"He has a concussion and at his young age, well, that's not good." Ryder frowned. "But, he'll be just fine."

"Oh, thank God," Ryder breathed.

"When can we see him?" Katie asked.

"He should be waking up soon. I'll take you down after you eat."

"Miss Katie?" someone said.

"Oh, hi Daisy," Katie said. "Is something wrong?"

"The mixed-breed is waking up. I think it would be best if he saw a friendly face first."

"Of course," Katie said. She stood from the table. "Hey pups, who wants to go see Rocky?"

"I'll go!" Marshall barked.

"Me too, dude!" Zuma said. "Rubble, you coming?"

"No, I'm hungry." The pups laughed. "I'll stay here with Ryder."

"Alright, come on, pups," Katie said. Together, they followed Daisy out of the cafeteria.

"It feels great to have all my pups under one roof," Ryder said, patting Rubble on the head. "You sure it's okay that we leave so soon?"

"But of course. We'll leave first thing in the morning." He looked around the room. "Why don't I get you some food? Pizza?"

"Sure. Rubble too, since he's got a huge appetite." Rubble licked his muzzle, his stubby little tail wagging as fast as it could.

"Alright," Artie smiled. He stood up and got in the nearest line for the food. His pager began buzzing in his pocket and he smiled. Perfect timing. Ryder will be thrilled to see his little wolf pup once more. It wasn't that he enjoyed testing the poor pup, but he did have a job to do. He had lost funding due to the failed project. If he could regain the funding, he could pursue other interests.

Once he got the food, he told Ryder that Redpaw had woken up and was eager to see him. Ryder was just as eager, accidentally waking up Chase and Skye. While carrying the injured German shepherd, Skye and Rubble walked alongside him and his uncle. As they turned down the hall, however, something didn't seem right.

The first sign were the armed guards outside Redpaw's waiting room. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

Ryder noticed the claw marks on the walls and near the door handles. "What happened here?"

"Sir, didn't you get our page?"

Artie fished out his pager. "I assumed that-" His face whitened and his eyes widened as he read the actual message.

'Subject has escaped.'