Different Horizons-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Twenty

Ryder and the others finished their breakfasts and returned to their rooms. None had extra clothes, so they tidied their rooms and relaxed for a few hours before heading to the front. They all waited until Gabriel and Ainsley walked up to them. Gabriel looked at them in disbelief. "Where is all your stuff?" he asked.

"Everything we have is what we're wearing," Ryder said.

"That's not good," Gabriel said. "Ainsley, could you please get everyone's clothes and shoe sizes? And make sure their rooms have everything and anything they will need."

"On it," she replied as she began walking up to each of them and getting their information.

A few minutes later, a black 2024 Chevrolet Express Passenger Van rolled into the driveway and parked in front of them. The driver was a Caucasian man in his early thirties. He had a stubble beard and wore a blue baseball hat, aviator sunglasses, and a light blue polo shirt.

"Everyone, this is Dave," Gabriel introduced the driver. "He is one of my drivers. Today, Dave has agreed to take you to Thor City (The name of the city where the villains took over). He will also drive you to the safe house. Some of my people will meet you there, help you settle down, and show you around the property. The drive should take around seven hours, so I hope you can handle long trips. It's eleven now, so you should arrive around seven with the gas stops. I suggest leaving as soon as possible if you want to make it in time for supper."

Ryder and the others got into the van. The interior was clean from top to bottom. The silver seats blended perfectly with the black carpet, and the window had a thirty-five-percent tint with adjustable blinds. The van contained four rows of seats. The rows held two people at the front, three in the second, three in the third row, and four in the last row.

Ryder sat in the passenger seat next to Dave. Chase and Marshall shared the second row. Skye and Everest sat in the third row. Rocky, Zuma, and Rubble shared the last row. Although nine people were in the van, everyone had enough legroom and arm space to be comfortable on the trip.

Ainsley opened the side door and handed a box to the closest person, which happened to be Chase. "Here's just a couple of snacks, drinks, and other stuff for the trip," she said.

"Thank you, Ainsley," Chase said. The others thanked her as well.

"One last thing," Gabriel said. "When you reach Thor City, watch for law enforcement."

"Are they going to help us?" Chase asked.

"The opposite, actually," Gabriel replied in a sad tone. "The cops and military there are either corrupted or hired by the Copycat and Harold to do their will."

"Corrupted?" Chase asked. "How can cops be corrupted? They're supposed to keep the peace in the city. That doesn't make any sense."

Gabriel shrugged. "It's the world we live in, I guess. Stay clear of them, and they shouldn't cause you trouble." He looked around the van at the team. "Good luck, everyone." Gabriel closed the door and tapped on the side of the car. Dave shifted the transmission to D (drive) and drove away. Dave went out of the neighborhood, through the city, and onto the highway headed west.

Chase looked at the box Ainsley gave him. "Hey, Ryder," he called out. "Can we eat these snacks?"

"If you want to, go for it," Ryder replied. With that, Chase began passing out the bags of chips. There were Doritos, Cool Ranch and Spicy Nacho, Barbecue and Sour Cream/Onion Lays, Crunchy Cheetos, and Chili Cheese Fritos. Small bottles of blue Gatorade were under the chips. Chase passed out the chips to every one according to which one they wanted and drinks. Dave even got some, despite trying to say no, which was unsuccessful.

Chase looked into the box and noticed some smaller boxes at the bottom. He reached in and pulled them out. "What are those?" Asked Marshall.

"Movie DVDs," Chase said. "Man, Ainsley and Gabriel thought of everything."

"Nice," Rubble commented. "Which ones are there?"

Chase looked through them. "Shrek, Iron Man, Central Intelligence, 12 Strong, and Batman: The Dark Knight." (I chose five random movies I enjoy) They put it on a vote, and Iron Man came out on top. "Wait," Chase commented. "Do we have a way to watch it?"

Dave chuckled. "Mind if I see the CD, mate?" He asked in an Australian. Chase handed him the movie, and Dave placed the disc into the center console. He clicked a button, and a large television slid down from the ceiling and turned on. Dave looked at Ryder, who had the seat tilted back, to see what was happening on the screen.

"You know, you could hop on back," Dave casually stated.

Ryder looked at him. "Isn't standing up while the car is moving illegal?"

"In a smaller vehicle, no question about it. But we're in a commercial van. Just gotta be careful with it."

Taking Dave's word, Ryder moved to the second row between Chase and Marshall. The team watched Robert Downey Jr. play a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor, Tony Stark. Everyone felt the effects of a long road trip by the time the movie ended. They finished the film, so Dave put on Central Intelligence next. Ryder and the others laughed throughout the entire thing.

However, once the movie ended, the team began drifting off. Everest fell asleep against the window, and Skye rested against her. Rocky and Zuma held their heads pressed against their windows while Rubble fell asleep with his head tilted backward. Marshall also slept with his head against the window. Ryder put on Batman: The Dark Knight since they still had about two hours left. The only ones still awake were Chase, Ryder, and, of course, Dave.

As the movie ended, Ryder looked at Chase. He noticed that he was staring forward blankly. Ryder nudged him to shake him back into reality. "Chase, you okay?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, just thinking about something," Chase replied.

"What is it?"

Chase looked forward and took a deep breath. "Something that Gabriel got me thinking. The police in Thor City are corrupt and brutal. That means they're no better than the people they lock up. Their badge should symbolize authority, respect, integrity, safety, trust, protection, and commitment. If they are corrupt, they only use it to symbolize authority over others. How can they wear it and not feel remorse?"

"It's just how it is, Chase," Ryder comforted. "But just because these cops are like that doesn't mean all cops are like that. I'm sure there are still some good officers in the city."

Chase looked at him. "I hope you're right."

Dave pulled into a rest area and parked the van. The ones who were asleep began to stir and wake up. "Is something wrong, Dave," Ryder asked.

Dave turned around in his seat to look at him. "I figured youse would want to see this." Ryder and the others got out of the view. They met with Dave, who was putting a dollar into a soda machine. When he saw them coming, Dave pointed to his left. "That's the city right there, mate."

The group went over to the hill and looked at the city. Sun was setting behind the building, so they could only see the silhouette of the infrastructure. One tower towered over the other, with an antenna reaching higher. A river stretched between them and the city, reflecting the orange and yellow glow of the sunset. Fields of grass wrapped around the entire city. The water was calm, and the city seemed peaceful. Sadly, they had to remember that it wasn't.

"This is a beautiful city," Skye stated.

"It is," Ryder agreed. "Now, let's go save it."