"PAW Patrol for life!"

"PAW Patrol forever!"

Thunder shook Chase from his deep sleep. Looking around in momentary shock, he sighed, quietly barking a command to turn on the lights. He glanced over at his bedside clock. 'Five of six. Might as well get up.' The shepherd stood up and bowed in the downward dog position, the same stretch he had done every morning for the past year.

He hopped down and trotted over to his bathroom. He paused to look at himself in the full length mirror.

'Not even an ounce of puppy fat on ya, kid,' he recalled his recruiter and trained telling him. It was true. He had matured into a young adult dog. 'I wonder what the other pups look like now...'

Shaking his head, he turned on the shower, sighing in relief as the warm water washed over his body. He recalled years ago receiving the weekly baths at Katie's clinic and chuckled, recalling a certain mixed-breeds hate for water. 'Wonder what he's up to...' He frowned once again and shook the memories away.

Having finished his shower, he dried off, put on his uniform and started out the door. He gave a sharp yelp as he trotted down the hall, watching the door open automatically in front of him.

"Good morning, Agent Shepherd," the receptionist greeted him.

"Morning, Shirley," Chase smiled with a subtle wag of his tail as he walked by.

"On time, as always, I see," she chuckled. "Oh, Agent Shep-"

"Now, Shirley, I told you, you can call me Chase," he chuckled as he leaned up on the tabletop.

Shirley chuckled. "Chase, Bruno wanted me to let you know you have over a month of vacation time racked up and wanted to know if you'd be using it anytime soon."

"What, does he not want me around?" Chase smirked. He was one of the few K9 agents in the CIA. Sure, they had bomb sniffers, drug finders, etc.

But dogs such as Chase were still pretty new to the world. Despite Ryder's device causing the first round of talking dogs locally all those years ago, it was far more powerful than they originally thought. An ultrasonic wave spread around the world, causing a genetic trait to activate in certain dogs.

And the rest is history.

"Hey, a month away from desk work sounds like a dream," Shirley said. "I don't know anyone that would pass that up."

Chase chuckled. "I'll get back to you on that." He continued on to his office and hopped up on his chair, logging into his computer with a bark. A photo of him and Ryder appeared, along with the rest of the PAW Patrol. He smiles, then lowers his ears. 'I haven't talked to them in months... ignoring their calls and emails... They probably think I'm ignoring them but the fact is, we haven't done anything different. I've been stuck in this cubicle, and for what?' Chase huffed, sulking on his desk.

The agency had recruited and trained several dogs for combat and stealth missions, yet Chase and Bruno, his mentor and friend, hadn't been assigned anything.

Out of curiosity, he checked his email. 'If I'm not needed here then maybe I should go back to my-'

*PING*

He perks up as he received a message from Bruno:

-Meet me in the courtyard. We got one.-

Chase reread it several times, keeping an excited howl under control as he logged out and raced out of his office, drawing the eyes of other agents.

————————

"PAW Patrol, to the Lookout!"

"Ryder needs us!"

Business as usual in Adventure Bay. The island had recovered tremendously since Humdinger's attacks nearly 2 years ago and was now a prosperous tourist attraction for all to see.

PAW Patrol's duties were still needed and the town loved having them around to help. Six pups quickly got changed in the elevator, yipping and barking at each other. With Chase gone, however, things were a little different, yet somehow familiar.

"PAW Patrol ready for action, Ryder!" A Dalmatian spoke up.

"Thanks for coming, pups," Ryder said. "I have some great news from Mayor Goodway! Chickaletta is having chicks!" All the pups howled happily. "She's asked us to build her a pen for them, so, Rocky, Rubble, think you can handle it?"

"Green means go!" Rocky barked and Rubble nodded.

"The Fire Department has new pups in training. Marshall?"

"I'm fired up!" Marshall yipped with a wag.

"Finally, Zuma, Skye and Everest. Patrol the island for any dangers and check in with me every hour."

"Yes Ryder!" They said together. All six pups jumped down the slide, yipping and howling.

Ryder chuckled after they left. He watched them get in their vehicles. Heading to his room to get ready for the day, he paused for a moment and looked at an older photo. 'Missing you more everyday, pup...' he whispered before putting it back on his desk.

It was him and Chase on what would have been his adoption day. He wished nothing had ever happened. That they weren't dead. That he was back in his childhood home, growing up with them and Chase, living happily.

He shook those thoughts away. If any of the events in his life happened differently, he wouldn't have what he did now. Seven pups who loved him dearly. The Lookout. Adventure Bay.

Katie.

Ryder gasped as he suddenly remembered. "CRAP!" He yelled, rushing to get ready. "She's going to kill me!"

————————

At Mr. Porter's, Katie tapped her foot impatiently. "He forgot again, didn't he?" she said out loud. "Typical, he has so many things going on in that smart little brain of his. Figures he'd forget our special day."

"I doubt that, Katie," Everest said as she trotted up to her. "What's wrong?"

"Hey, Ev. Did Ryder mention anything about...an anniversary date or gift or me at all?"

"Eh...no?" Katie huffed. "But this is Ryder we're talking about! He doesn't forget. He loves you a lot!"

Katie smiled and scratched her ears. "I guess you're right. Thanks, pup."

"No problem," she said, wagging and trotting off. Katie was amazed at how easy the transition was. Ever since Jake adopted her, she'd been a huge help around the island.

But they all knew things weren't the same without Chase here.

She sighed and heard her phone ring. "Oh, hey Ryder! What's up?" she said somewhat sarcastically.

"Katie! I'm so sorry, I-I uh... I'm on my way right now, please don't leave!"

"Ryder, it's fine, it's only a few minutes."

"I know and I'm going to make it up to you. Today is just going to be us, I promise."

Katie chuckled. "Don't make promises you can't keep. I know you'll do your best, though."

Ryder chuckles nervously. "I'll be there in a jiffy!"

Katie smiles and sits back down.

————————

A black lab sat by the fountain in the center of the courtyard, reading through a holodoc, a holographic display projected from his collar that could show articles, videos, etc. His ear twitched and he sighed as he heard a familiar rush of paws and jingle of a collar headed towards him. With a short sigh, he turned off the holodoc. "What's with the rush, pup?" He grumbled.

Chase skidded past him, failing to control his speed and trotted back over to him. "Do we really have a mission, Bruno? Where is it? Germany? Spain? France? Oh! Mexico?"

"Sit," the old lab commanded and smirked when the shepherd did so. "You gonna have trouble containing yourself because if so, I can find another-"

"No, sir!" Chase sat up straight.

"That's what I thought. Now, open the doc I sent to you and listen. My unit has been tracking large shipments of electronic parts across the globe. At first we thought it might be part of the black market. They build all kinds of devices for bad guys. Nukes, missiles, bombs, you name it. But then they started shipping-" Bruno paused, scratching behind his ear. "Sh-shipping-"

"I thought you got rid of that itch weeks ago?" Chase turned his head, watching him.

"Shut it and hold on a sec- dog damn it!" Bruno growled. "Blasted paws can't reach..."

Chase chuckles. Bruno was the same dog that recruited, mentored and ultimately trained Chase into being the spy pup he was today. He admired the lab and, being the way he is, always proved himself worthy. But he could tell that Bruno was getting up there in age and couldn't do everything he used to. "Here, lemme-"

"Don't touch me, pup," Bruno warned him with a growl, but sighed with relief as Chase pawed at that stubborn itch behind his ear. "O-oh yeah, that's the spot." He even wagged a bit.

Chase smiled and wagged too. "Where are they being shipped now?"

"Right, ahem..." Bruno composed himself, giving Chase a nod of thanks. He wasn't a very compassionate dog, but Chase understood he was reserved, always kept to himself. "They started shipping west, North America. In fact, the reason I messaged you..." he sent another doc to Chase.

His eyes went wide. "Y-You can't be serious."

"I triple checked myself when I saw it. Once I confirmed, I immediately took the assignment with you in mind." The series of notes in the document listed several different locations worldwide, but only one came up more times than the others: Adventure Bay. Chase's mind filled with both memories as well as theories. "Focus, Chase. Don't fall into that head of yours." Bruno looked into his eyes. "Do you hear me?"

"Y-yes sir..." Chase nodded. "What um, what are the current theories behind the purchases?"

"They were made anonymously, shipped via cargo boats." Bruno pulled up a map of the island. "According to this, the only port on the island is on the west coast." Chase perks. "The island is much bigger than you described in your stories."

"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly leave this area," he pointed towards the town, City Hall and the Lookout. "In fact, the farthest I've ever been is out here." He motioned towards Adventure Bay National Park. "I didn't realize how big it was."

"Well in any case, that's where the investigation ended. Since the purchase was anonymous, and there's conveniently no cameras at that port, we have no way of knowing who picked up the goods. So, that's where we begin." Bruno turned off the holodoc. "Pack your bags, pup. You're going home."

Chase perked up. "I-I'm what?"

"You live there, don't you? You know the field better than anyone. So of course you're taking the lead. I'm coming to assist." Bruno stood up and stretched before walking back towards headquarters.

Chase was in disbelief. "W-what am I supposed to do about my friends? They're going to have questions!"

"You're a K9 agent on assignment. That's all they need to know," Bruno said, looking back at him. "Aren't you excited?"

Chase was conflicted. On one paw, he was thrilled to be going back home, back to his friends, his family. Ryder. But on the other, he had to keep most of his work a secret. And he would only be there on assignment. "I-I guess..."

Bruno turned his head a bit but nodded. "Well, you've got two days before we fly out. Might as well give them a heads up." With that, he trotted off, leaving Chase to collect his thoughts.