Different Horizons-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Ryder and the others got led towards the entrance of the building by a squadron of soldiers. They wore full kevlar armor, a black face covering, and held guns to their side. Ryder looked around and counted six soldiers around them.

Ryder looked down at his hands. The soldiers handcuffed them together. Ryder looked back at the others, who also got handcuffed. Chase was inspecting the cuffs as if he was trying to figure out how they worked. Marshall was next to Everest, whispering something in her ear. Rubble and Zuma seemed tense about the situation, while Rocky and Skye were emotionless. All in all, they were reacting better than Ryder anticipated.

Ryder counted a couple dozen more soldiers as they walked to the entrance. The men and women were split into pairs, each patrolling a different street. At one point, a pigeon flew onto the street, and the two soldiers patrolling it raised their weapons to the small bird until it flew away.

Ryder noticed movement on top of one of the buildings. It was Gabriel and Ainsley. They were watching from above, observing what was going on. Luckily, they stayed out of sight, so none of the soldiers saw them.

"Hey, you," the soldier exclaimed to Ryder's right. "What are you looking at?"

"Oh, uh," Ryder turned to the building, but their allies were gone. "Nothing," he replied.

"Hmm," the soldier thought. "Face forward."

"Yes, sir," Ryder replied.

They made it to the entrance. The soldiers guarded the double-door entrance to the tower. They stopped the group before entering the building. "State your id and business," one of the soldiers said.

The soldier in front of Ryder pulled out an ID card and showed it to the guard. "Staff Sargeant, ID two zero zero four with Squadron Eagle, and I'm taking this cosplay group to the holding cells."

The guard took a moment to check the ID. "Why do they need to go to the cell?"

"They were launching fireworks, according to their testimony. When we arrived, I noticed they had burned part of the tower. I wish to hold them until we figure out what to do with them."

"Okay," the guard said. "You're free to enter."

The Sergeant led the team inside. He led them up an elevator to the conference floor. When the doors opened, the scene shocked Ryder. A walkway led away from the elevator. Holding cells lined the walls. The cells were steel cages roughly ten feet high, fifteen feet long, and fifteen feet wide. Heavy metal doors enclosed the prisoners.

Ryder noticed people across the room. Some people were in groups inside cells, while others were alone. Guards walked through the walkways carrying weapons to their side.

The Sergeant called a guard over. "Take these people to holding cells twelve and thirteen."

"Sir, yes, sir," the guard announced. The guard took the team to their cells. He put Ryder, Chase, Marshall, and Rubble in one cell, placing Skye, Everest, Rocky, and Zuma in another.

When the guard walked away, leaving them alone. Ryder said, "Okay, we're in the clear."

"Good," Gabriel's voice said. "By the way, great thinking with the hidden earpieces. They didn't have a clue that you set up a communication."

"If we had these earpieces the entire time," Rocky asked, "why did you use the radio?"

"The radio was supposed to get confiscated," Ryder explained. It has a sonar scanner, which will help Gabriel and Ainsley know when and where we are. Also, it prevented them from suspecting earpieces."

"Oh," the others said.

"Great thinking, Ryder," Chase commented.

"Thanks, Chase," Ryder replied. "Now, let's get out of these cells. Rocky, use your magnetic powers to break the doors off their hinges."

"You got it, Ryder," Rocky said. He raised his palms, and they began glowing green. The metal doors shuddered and groaned under the pressure of Rocky's power. The door slowly broke off their hangers and leaned against the cell walls. They walked out, and Rocky repeated the process in the other cell.

In a matter of seconds, the team was outside of their cells. Rocky placed the cell doors back in their place. They all turned to Ryder. "Okay," he said to the others. "We have to head up. Gabriel, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Gabriel said through the earpiece.

"What floor do we need to go to?"

"That would be the war room. The villains will have the override button there but have it guarded. Head down the hallway and turn right." The Paw Patrol followed Gabriel's instruction. They turned right twice and left once. They almost reached the stairs, but two soldiers guarded the door.

"How do we get past them?" Everest asked.

Ryder thought about it. "You will freeze them in place, and Chase will take their radios and weapons before they can react." Ryder signaled to Rocky to give her the crystal, which he did.

"Ryder, my power wasn't working," Everest said. "I tried on the street, but nothing happened."

"I believe in you, Everest," Ryder said. "Just take a deep breath. You'll know when you're ready."

Everest looked at the glowing crystal in her hand. "Okay," she said as she walked forward.

"You got this, Everest," Marshall called out. Everest turned back and gave him a half-hearted smile.

Everest stepped out into the hallways. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. With the crystal in her hand, Everest felt her body drop in temperature. She felt the same feeling she had on the street. That made her wonder. What if Everest fails at using her powers again? She pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the present. Everest felt her core temperature, especially in her hands. Her palms were significantly colder than anywhere else. It dawned on her what that meant.

Everest walked towards the two guards. When they saw her, they pointed their weapons at her. "Stop right here?" one of the soldiers said, but Everest kept walking forward. "I said freeze!"

Everest stopped in her tracks and tilted her head slightly. "Freeze?" she asked.

"Yes," the soldiers said, inching closer to detain her. "Freeze."

Everest shrugged. "If you insist." He faced her palms towards their feet. Beams of freezing water shot out of her palms and encased their legs in ice. They looked down at the legs in disbelief.

"We need backup," one soldier told the other. The second soldier reached for his radio.

"No, let's not get ahead of ourselves now," she said. She tossed the crystal up, which Chase caught midair. Using his super-speed, Chase took their radios and guns before they could do anything.

Chase dropped the radios and guns in a trash can and raced to the team. Ryder held the door open as the team walked into the staircase.

"That was amazing, Everest," Marshall exclaimed.

Everest blushed lightly. "It was nothing special," she said softly.

"Are you kidding?" Zuma exclaimed. "Dude, that was like a movie scene." The others agreed and complemented Everest.

"It was a nice job. Everest," Ryder concluded. He looked up the center of the stairway. "But now it's time to go up."