PAW Patrol: Incubus

Chapter 1- Operation Checkmate

Dreams were Rocky's worst enemy. Dreams were unstoppable, emerging from the darkness to greet him in his slumber. Dreams carried memories of trauma and fear, gleefully reminding him of the horrors left behind, and never, ever, let him forget. It was remarkable for a soldier to be so scared of nightmares; a mere mental image compared to the real bloody action he saw almost every day. Perhaps Marshall was more in that region, but he'd soon get used it to it, surely.

Rocky would never get over the nightmares.

Small powernaps were all he could use to get by, whenever he could quickly catch one. It was only way to rest without slipping deep enough for a nightmare to drag him under. Other soldiers would commonly catch him drifting in and out in the canteens or nodding off in the vehicles enroute to missions, precisely the reason Chase preferred to drive. Rocky didn't know if his shepherd brother did it out of kindness to let him sleep, or because he didn't want to die in a car collision thanks to an idiot mixed breed falling asleep at the wheel.

The only opportunity he had today was the large military van flying down the highway, delivering them all to the mission at hand. He had taken a backsight in its passenger hold, a good place to lean against the wall for a nap. That was, if his comrades were willing to shut up for even four seconds.

"I know the target, actually." Chase spoke up, caught up in a conversation with a few others. "Saw him on the news, pretty icky guy, kinda lame, no family, a loser sorta." He chuckled at his own joke, ignoring the eyes rolling around him. "Can't wait to break down some walls, hey Rocky can I-"

"No." Rocky shut him down. "You can't tase someone if they surrender, that's a war crime." He flicked his eyes over to his brother, struggling to understand his unquenchable need for action.

The shepherd waved him off. "Oh don't tell me all the authority has gone to your head. You may be captain, but you still know me!"

"I want to keep this clean, Chase. It's an in-and-out, and we won't have any explosives on us."

"Fine, fine." Chase shook his head dismissively. "But I'm still using stun grenades."

A husky sitting nearby laughed at him. "Right, because we know how effective you are with those."

"It was one time, Leo."

"You were blinded for three hours."

While his subordinates bickered with one another, Rocky had to physically turn away to restrain himself from strangling someone. Brothers to him maybe, but it was annoyingly obvious some preferred the fun of kicking in doors than actually apprehending the perpetrators. Chase had never wronged him before, at least not for a long time, surely he wouldn't start now?

"Alright, all of you shut up and listen to me." Rocky stood up, addressing the team. "We'll be arriving on scene in five minutes, target is suspected to be hiding either in the upstairs guest room or likely behind a hidden wall." He spoke flatly, shaking away the exhaustion that pulled at him. "Me, Chase, and Leo will infiltrate via the front door, Paige, Burton, and Strap will take the backyard. I do suspect he has captives around the house, so weapons tight and check your fire. I don't want to take home a horror story to Bella."

"How many captives?" Paige tilted his spotted head.

"We aren't sure, but we need to act fast before he moves again." The mix shrugged. "Again, no explosives, we don't know where anyone truly is in here."

The world around them slowed to a stop, a signal they had arrived at their location. The six quickly suited up, zipping up their jackets and strapping into their military vests. Six pup packs hung from the ceiling, black and carefully concealing their weapons within. Rocky and Chase clipped one on each, tightening its hold onto them. "Ruff, holster." Chase barked, and a metal arm extended out of the side, clamping its waiting fingers. It's hold quickly met the handles of an assault rifle, standard issue for the ACG. Once every soldier was suited up and swiftly armed with lethal weaponry, the back doors of the vehicle opened, and the hounds were released.