//------------------------------// // Escaped AGAIN // Story: PAW Patrol: Equestria // by Robert Emerald Fountain //------------------------------// Location: PAW Patrol Headquarters, Adventure City, Earth ** Ryder and his pups were conducting an experiment for space travel. They had recently built a rescue vehicle designed for low orbit, but now they were starting to expand and search for areas beyond the solar system that were in distress. Tonight was when they were launching a ship with a top-secret prototype deep-space drive. They had fitted their low orbit vehicle, the Space Patroller, with this device as well, but they were not sure if it was going to work properly. This test would determine whether or not adjustments were needed. Just as Liberty had started the 60-second countdown, a scanner on the Patrol's offshore launchpad kicked in for a final sweep to make sure one last time that all systems were go. As the scanning wave moved over the cockpit, a dangerous tracking signal was picked up, which sounded an alarm at the main base. ** !BLACK ALERT! Experimental Craft: Prisoner Identification Detected ** "Black Alert" meant that the PAW Patrol's scanner had picked up the tracking signals of escapees from prisons. They had hoped to never deal with this, even though Rocky had designed tracking probes to be used by the prison guards as a precautionary measure. When the alarm sounded, Chase rushed to the computer screen since he was the police pup. Upon seeing the tracker's ID number, he yelled for Ryder in a flash. "RYDER, GET UP HERE! WE HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM!", he shouted. Ryder came running up to the viewing area and he turned pale when he saw the ID number. ** V57301: Victoria Vance ** Ryder frantically started typing in a special code to stop the countdown, but he had waited too long. The timer reached full zeroes three milliseconds before he hit "Enter" to initiate the code. The rocket engines ignited and propelled the ship into the night sky. In frustration, Ryder called out over the base's intercom. "Pups, we may have a catastrophe brewing. Suit up and equip your crystals immediately.", he said. Chase rushed to suit up with the other pups and then came running back with them. "Mighty Pups ready for action, Ryder Sir.", he said. "Ryder, what's going on?", asked Marshall. "Take a look at the screen. Tell me if you recognize this ID number.", Ryder replied angrily. When the other pups saw the identification number, they were both annoyed and shocked at the same time. This was Vance's ID. She had escaped from jail AGAIN. "You've got to be kidding me.", said Liberty. "NOT AGAIN!", screeched Skye. By this point, the rocket had cleared low orbit and the deep-space drive was about to kick in. "She has stowed away on board our experimental craft. If she dares to try and take control, there's no knowing what will happen.", explained Chase. "Even then, what's she going to do? She hasn't the foggiest idea how any of the controls work. That means she could possibly crash. Problem solved as long as she doesn't survive. We won't have to deal with her anymore.", said Skye. "That may be true, but there is still a chance that she WILL survive. If she does, we'd better be there to stop her.", said Ryder. Just then, the powerful engines kicked in and blasted the ship deep into space. For the moment, the pups could only monitor the ship's status. Minutes later, the deep-space drive shut down and the ship slowed to a glide near an inhabited planet. ** On board the craft, Vance was dragged backwards when the rocket blasted off and she got pinned against the rear walls when the deep-space drive's engine fired. She was hit with so much g-force that she passed out during the flight. After the drive had shut down, Vance was left floating motionless until she came to. After regaining her senses and putting her glasses back on; Vance made her way to the front of the cockpit and started trying to work the controls. However, as Skye had suspected, she didn't know how the controls worked. The ship was sent into a steep dive towards the ground until it splashed hard into the planet's largest ocean. Once the craft had stabilized, Vance found the switches to open the main hatch and she swam to shore after disembarking. ** "Looks like Vance survived the entire ordeal.", said Skye. "I bet she got the wind knocked out of her. She was pinned back hard when the engines fired.", said Rubble. "At this point, that's irrelevant. We now know that the deep-space drive is working properly. We need to launch the Space Patroller and chase her down.", said Ryder. "I concur.", said Chase. At once, the PAW Patrol made their way to the launchpad and boarded the Space Patroller. After launching into space, they quickly plugged in the coordinates that the experimental craft had reached and fired their engines.