Chapter Text
March 18th - 13:11 - Wilson Residence
Ryder peered out the window at his neighbors, one hand holding the binoculars steady, the other holding his watch next to his mouth. "The time is-" he glanced down, "-Thirteen eleven, on March eighteenth. A Saturday. I am currently observing my neighbors, the Porters, as they leave for work. The Porters currently consist of Thomas Porter and his grandson, Alexander Porter. I'm still not sure as to why Alex is living with his grandfather, but my investigation is ongoing." Well, it would be, if Ryder didn't keep getting interrupted by training missions all the time. He understood that, as a spy-in-training, he needed to keep his skills in peak condition, but wasn't he doing that now with the real spy work he was conducting? There was something going on in Adventure Bay, he knew it. He just needed to figure out what.
"The reason for my current observations," he continued, making sure to speak clearly so his watch, which was currently recording a voice memo, would pick up everything perfectly, "is because of the late departure of the Porters. Typically on a Saturday, they leave around eight for an early worship service at the synagogue, then return around ten thirty. They then leave half an hour later to open Thomas Porter's restaurant. This time, however, they're leaving two hours and eleven minutes later. That's a large time difference. Why?"
"You sound like Chase."
Ryder jumped, almost throwing his binoculars across the room and scrambling to stop his voice recording. He turned around to see an American Bulldog standing behind him, head tilted curiously. The yellow dog tag that hung from around his neck glowed as he continued with his thoughts. "Chase isn't nearly as jumpy, though. If you interrupt him he kinda just...." Rubble leaned forwards and bared his teeth slightly. Then, quickly, resumed his previous position and continued. "Like that!"
"Yeah, well, you scared me," Ryder said. "And I'm not sure anything can scare an old fart like Chase anymore."
"I heard that!" came the distant reply of the PAW Patrol's second-in-command.
Rubble giggled. "So, what are you doing?"
"Just practicing my spy work, nothing much," Ryder excused. He wasn't necessarily lying, he was practicing, it just wasn't quite his main objective. "What are you up to?"
"I'm trying to organize a tug-of-war tournament!" Rubble barked happily. "The only problem is that everyone's busy."
"Everyone? What about Rocky?"
"He and Zuma are trying some more exposure therapy in the bathroom."
Ryder grimaced, remembering how the last session went. His mom wouldn't be happy when she got home from her business trip. Maybe there would be time to clean it up, though. "Marshall?"
"He says he will, but that's only one pup. For a tournament, I'd need four!"
"Well, Chase, Skye, and yourself. Easy."
"No, Chase doesn't want to, and Skye's leaving soon."
Leaving? Ryder wondered. For what? Then he remembered. Skye had plans to go see an aerial stunt show later today with Everest and Jake. She would be flying herself up to Jake's cabin, where she'd meet Jake and Everest, and then they'd drive to Adventure City, where they'd see the show later that night. Skye had been bouncing around with excitement all week because one of her favorite aerial stunt performers, Ace Sorenson, was going to be at the show.
"Well, maybe we could ask Katie, then," Ryder said. "I'm sure she'd know some pups who'd be interested."
Rubble's eyes widened and he nodded happily, but behind him, as if summoned by the name of Ryder's maybe-crush, Chase appeared in the entryway. "Absolutely not," the German Sheppard barked.
"And why is that?" Ryder asked cheekily.
"Because, as nice as Katie is, we don't know if she's trustworthy."
Ryder rolled his eyes. Outside, he heard a car engine start, reminding him of what he was trying to do. Peering out through the blinds again, he watched as the Porters' truck pulled away from their house. If he wanted to keep surveilling them he'd need to follow them. Thinking quickly, he turned back to his pups and smiled. "How about we go see Katie right now, to get the tournament sorted out? Maybe we could do some shopping in the plaza while we're out, too."
Rubble nodded eagerly, looking excited. Chase seemed a bit more skeptical, but nodded slowly anyway. "Okay," he said cautiously. "Should we bring the others?"
"Yes," Ryder decided quickly. If nothing else, this would probably stop another mess being created in the bathroom from Rocky's exposure therapy. Or it could at least give everyone enough plausible deniability about their involvement. "PAW Patrol, let's move out!"
March 8th - 13:15 - Wilson Residence
The Wilson residence backyard wasn't really a backyard. It was a small, barren strip of land that very quickly turned into a dark, dense forest. The only signs of construction on the lot, aside from the scattering of dog toys and scrap metal, were an old tool shed and six uniquely painted doghouses. They stood firmly and unassuming in the background of the yard and the foreground of the forest. Anyone walking by would've seen nothing odd with them, except maybe wondering how one family of a mother and her teenage son could possibly handle taking care of six dogs at once. That was how it looked to outsiders. Although, as Ryder's mother loved to point out, looks were often deceiving.
The shed and doghouses, while all functional in those ways, were also secret entrances to an underground base, one where Ryder and his pups received their mock-assignments, and Ryder's mother received her real ones. There was a small tunnel system leading from the mission room to launch pads, where their specialized vehicles were stored until needed. The exits for these vehicles were hidden in the woods, making it easy for Ryder and his family to access without being spotted.
Skye was making her way across the backyard, about to slip into her pink doghouse, when she heard a gruff voice from behind. "Skye!"
The Cockapoo turned, finding Chase standing on the steps of the back door, looking as stoic as ever. "Oh, hi, Chase! What's up?"
"Ryder's getting everyone to go to the plaza. Do you want to come?"
"Sorry, Chase. I promised I'd meet Everest and Jake by two. If I don't leave now, I'll be late, and if I'm late, we might be late getting to the show."
Chase nodded once, a quick affirmative that he understood, but Skye could see, even from here, that he was a little disappointed. "Well, safe flying, Skye."
"Thank you, Chase!" Skye smiled. Then, finally, she ducked inside her doghouse and settled on her cushion, a yellow central dot with five pink petals surrounding it, mimicking a daisy flower. As soon as the door closed, she pressed her paw against a metal pedal hiding in the corner of the house. Slowly, the floor began to lower. Mechanical arms reached out and secured Skye's uniform and gear pack, then retracted as she reached the mission room. The room wasn't meant to to be comfortable. It was made of dark blue and gray metal, cold, with large computer monitors and screens hanging along all one wall. The moment Skye left her cushion, it and the platform it sat on began to rise back into the doghouse.
Skye walked down through the meeting room and to the launch pads. An ATV and a motorcycle sat idly in the bay, the former for Ryder and the latter for his mother. The pups themselves didn't have vehicles - not yet, anyway, but Ryder and Rocky had been talking. When needing to follow Ryder, most of them used specialized sidecars while others, like Skye herself, had transportation built into their gear packs. Today, Skye bypassed both vehicles and hit the button to automatically open the launch pad. As the door opened, Skye barked, summoning the wings and jets from her gear pack. Once the ramp was open enough, she leapt off the ground and took off into the sky.