Different Horizons-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Twenty-One

Dave drove the van into the city. As they entered, Ryder and the others looked out the windows. It looked like the one they were just in, which they found out was named Crystal Coast. Dave told them it got its name because the water in the river was crystal clear year-round. Even when it froze over in the winter, the ice was thick to walk on but see-through. The buildings in Crystal Coast reflected the war, so everything shone like a giant crystal chandelier.

Thor City, however, had one distinct difference. Crystal Coast was swarmed with people day in and day out on the streets. People were walking, enjoying a good time, hanging out, and living their lives. In Thor City, however, almost no one was on the streets. The empty streets were absent of the noise of voices, music, and anything someone would expect to hear downtown. The occasional person would walk on the sidewalk, see the van, and turn around.

"It seems so empty," Zuma commented.

"It wasn't always like this," Dave explained sadly. "It used to be as beautiful as Crystal Coast, but ever since those two bloody drongos took over, the entire city has fallen into despair and trouble."

"Where is everyone?" Ryder asked.

"In their homes," Dave replied. "With the coppers and diggers twisted, no one wants to leave. They only go out when they have to."

"That's horrible," Everest expressed.

"Yeah, it ain't too pretty now," Dave said. He turned a few streets before slowing down in front of a building. It was four stories tall and took up the entire block. Dave turned into a ramp in front of a large garage door. A black box with a monitor stood out on the concrete wall near the van."

"Identification," a man's voice called out from the box.

"It's me, Dave," he replied. "ID 33004. I got the team with me."

"One second, Dave," the man said. The garage door began to rise. "Welcome back."

"Thanks," Dave replied as he drove into the garage. As they passed through the floor, they noticed a lot of different cars. The cars near the entrance were cars they would commonly see on the streets. But as they went further, the vehicles got more luxurious, eye-catching, and expensive. There was a Camaro Zl1, a Mark V Supra, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, a Lamborghini Aventador, a Hellcat Charger, and a 1969 SS Chevelle, to name a few.

"That's a lot of nice cars," Ryder said in awe.

"Gabriel is a man of simple tastes," Dave replied. "But he likes to go over the top with these beauties. I reckon these aren't his only ones."

Dave parked the van between a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and a Porsche 991 GT2 RS. Everyone got out of the vehicle and followed Dave into an elevator. "As you saw, that was the garage," he explained. The doors to the elevator opened up, and they walked out.

"That was the first floor. It's the second floor if you count the garage," Dave continued. "Here, you'll find a library, kitchen, dining area, and living room." He checked his watch for the time. "They're going to serve dinner in twenty minutes, so we better get a move on."

Dave led Ryder and the others up a flight of stairs to the third floor. They exited the stairs into a hallway. Doors lined the walls like hotel rooms. "This is the residence floor. It's usually bare, so you guys can use it." Dave checked his pockets until he pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. "They told me you are to choose a room, and I will mark it down for Gabriel."

Ryder and the others spread out and stood in front of the doors. Chase chose the first one to the right, followed by Marshall, Rubble, and Rocky. Ryder stood in front of a door on the left side of the hallway, next to Skye, Everest, and Zuma. Dave wrote down the names next to the door numbers. "Right-o, That's it for this floor."

Dave led them up some more stairs onto the last floor. They entered into an open floor with rubber flooring, like the kind in a gym. Along the west wall were dumbbell racks, weight-lifting machines, treadmills, and large inflatable balls. A couple of punching bags lined the east wall. Mirrors covered the south walls, and two doors were spaced evenly on the wall. A man was using a punching bag. He wore a white shirt, black shorts, black boxing hand wraps, and red sneakers. He was well-built, like a soldier who just returned from war.

"This is the training area. That room in the back is the conference room. You'll see inside that soon enough," Dave said.

An alarm went off in the room, followed by a man's voice, "All personnel, please report to the dining room for dinner."

"Are there other people here?" Ryder asked.

"Not many right now," Dave replied. "Most members are from this city, so they just go home when they aren't needed here. Whenever there's a meeting, though, there's a heap of people here. Come on, let's see who's here while we eat."

As they left, Chase turned back to look at the man using the punching bag. The man kept punching the bag, uninterested in the dinner announcement.

"Chase, you coming," Skye asked.

"Uh, yeah, in a second," Chase said. "You go ahead. I'll catch up." As the other left, Chase walked over to the man. When he got close enough, Chase realized that he was wearing some earbuds. That must be why he didn't react to the announcement, Chase thought. Chase got closer and cleared his throat. The man kept punching the bag, so Chase cleared his throat louder.

This time, the man turned his head towards Chase. He pressed his earbud, and Chase could hear the faint music quieting. "Hello," the man said in a firm tone. "Can I help you?"

"Hi," Chase said. "Two things: One, the dinner announcement just went off, in case you didn't hear it."

The man took out his earbuds and put them in their case. "I did not," he confessed. "Thanks for telling me, uh ..."

"Chase," Chase responded.

"Well, nice to meet you, Chase," the man replied, shaking his hand. "I'm Bruce."

"Nice to meet you as well," Chase said.

"Did you have something else you wanted to tell me?"

"Yes. Well, more of a question. What were you doing? Punching the bag repeatedly."

"Oh, I was practicing my boxing."

"Your boxing?'

"Yeah, it's a combat sport between two people. But it can also help you fight in the real world."

"Is it hard to learn or practice?"

"Not really, but it is draining, mentally and physically. It takes time, but once you do, you can preserve it your entire life."

"Oh, okay," Chase said. He wanted to know more. But Chase didn't know how to ask. Luckily, Bruce was a step ahead.

"If you want, I could train you," he said. "I can teach you boxing and martial arts."

Chase thought about it. With his new human form, he wanted to learn to do as much as he could and be as proficient as possible. Chase felt that it was necessary for the team. "That would be awesome," he replied at last.

Bruce smiled. "Well, then, let's set a time. But first, let's go eat because I'm starving."