A chill pulled Cody out of the dark; the cold, and his memory flashing back to the moment he'd fallen into the dark.

The virus had grabbed him, and then whipped around, and Cody couldn't do anything as Heatwave had a blade shoved into his stomach.

The shock, the pain, the fear, it all flickered in Heatwave's optics as he still tried to protect the boy. Cody could see the light in his optics going out, just like they had before... when they'd all passed away.

Cody...Run...!

The shudder of that moment pulled him out of the dark enough to feel the cold all around him, and his eyes opened, closing again tightly as they were met with a blinding white. "Ah!... Augh...!"

He brought a hand to his eyes to rub them, wincing as he rolled over onto his stomach. As he did so, there was the unmistakable feel and crunching sound of snow under his body. He opened his eyes again- that certainly explained the blinding whiteness of his surroundings. "Ergh..."

He pulled himself up into a sitting position, wincing at the brightness around him, trying to make sense of it. There were several inches of it all around him, but as he looked up, he found a large, protruding rock blocked the majority of it from hitting him directly, leaving a small space under the rock that had only a light dusting from the wind blowing flakes inward. Beyond the rock, the snow was still falling steadily, and he scooted back a bit away from the edge where he laid to keep flakes from hitting his head.

He tugged on the sleeves of his coat and looked around; where was he? And how did he get here? He remembered being grabbed by the virus, Heatwave... the virus fleeing the scene as he heard the other bots cry out in horror, and then... nothing past that.

He couldn't be on Griffin Rock. Snow was possible this time of year, but incredibly unlikely, and if it were another weather machine event, he figured others would be out and about in it... another thing about that. It was too quiet, and he couldn't make out any buildings out amidst the falling snow. The ground would have to be sloped for it to be natural snow on the mountain, and this ground felt relatively flat.

But then the silence was broken by the sound of a loud, enraged roar. Cody looked out into the snow, and his eyes caught sight of a shape- no, two shapes- engaged in combat. Four-legged, their long tails lashed, their heads butted together and short horns locked like stags in a duel, and their wings... wait, wings?

As one of them broke free of the headlock and smashed its horns into the other's chest, Cody saw them more clearly- dragons. One was mostly gray- the other, smaller and blue with patches of white and red. The gray one had been the one to attack, knocking the other backwards towards the boy. The victim stumbled for a few steps, coughing as the wind was knocked out of their lungs.

"Give up! You tire, while I remain fully combat capable!"

Cody's eyes widened a bit as he heard the gray dragon speak; that voice... it was the same one that had been cackling and mocking Heatwave in the entry... It couldn't be! If that dragon was now the Morocco Virus, then who was he fighting?

The blue dragon coughed hard again, standing up straight on shaky legs and spitting red into the white snow. Try as they might, they were knocked off of their feet again and into the snow, pressed down into it by the virus.

"I...I will never yield...!" They rasped.

Cody gasped as he recognized their voice, "Chase!"

Chase's head seemed to prick at Cody's voice, and the virus looked at the teenager with hunger and excitement. It started towards him, but was unprepared for Chase to reach up and snap his jaws into its back leg. The virus howled in pain, trying to shake itself loose as Chase held on like a python, refusing to let go of its prey.

He did let go for a moment, but only to adjust position quickly and plant his teeth into the virus' left wing, claws scraping into its side. "Augh! Fighting dirty!" It screeched.

Chase snarled, releasing again and then rushing forward to block it from getting any closer to Cody. Cody could now see long cuts and scrapes on the officer's flank and left shoulder, showing he wasn't unscathed either. How long had they been at this?

The officer's head tilted towards the boy a bit, "Cody, run!"

Cody was frozen. Those were the last words Heatwave had spoken to him as well... the last thing Cody had heard him say before-

"CODY!"

Chase's sharp tone snapped the boy back out of his panicked gaze, and the boy started to pull himself to his feet. He didn't want to run, to leave the officer alone, but what could he do? He had no way of protecting himself here other than getting to safety...

...but as he took a step and then crumpled again from the pain that shot up from his right ankle, he found that even getting to safety wasn't going to be so easy.

Chase saw it as well, and seemed to find his strength and resolve renewed.
"I fight to protect my family... You fight only because some heartless man programmed you to do his bidding!" He snapped his jaws at the virus, teeth dripping red from the blood he'd drawn.

The virus hissed right back at him, and then launched into the air.

Cody jumped back, and then the pair of dragons exploded with electricity. Cody curled up into a ball, head tucked between his limbs as the air sparked with the energy, and then after a few seconds... it was gone.

Cody lifted his head, looking to the pair. He hoped Chase wasn't hurt, but instead found the officer pulling himself free from the virus' still-twitching body. Chase stumbled a few paces, panting hard before collapsing into the snow.

"Chase!"
Cody started up to his feet, but winced as his right ankle throbbed. He fought against the pain, crawling over towards the dragon. "Chase... Chase, are you-"

"I... I am alright... Cody..." Chase huffed, his breath puffs of steam as he rested on the ground. "...Give me a moment... and then we'll be on our way..."

"You're hurt."

Chase huffed hard, and then grunted as he rolled over and pulled himself up onto his feet, his wounds leaving red marks in the snow. "I...I will deal with that once we find you... somewhere warm... You're my priority, I... I promised I would keep you safe..."

He bent down a little bit, offering Cody his back to ride on. Cody was uncertain, but he didn't see any severe wounds on his brother's back, so he carefully climbed onto it, feeling Chase secure him by pressing his wings against his sides and holding Cody's legs beneath them.

"Where do we start...?" Cody asked, peering out into the snow.

Chase tilted his head to the right, "...I... I smell wood smoke in that direction... As good a plan as any..."

Cody then heard the crunch of snow again, and he turned to see the virus getting up. "Chase!"

"N-Nice try...!"

Cody heard Chase hiss something under his breath, and then felt the officer's wings tighten against his legs to hold him in place. "Hold on." He ordered, and Cody barely had time to comply before Chase was bolting through the snow in the direction of the wood smoke smell.

"You can't escape me, Rescue Bot! I will have that boy!"

Cody ducked down against Chase's back, not only to keep from getting knocked off, but also to keep the wind and snow out of his face. This blizzard was getting stronger, colder. Chase was exhausted, neither of them were prepared for this kind of weather, and the virus was showing no signs of fatigue or pain from its wounds, unlike Chase, whose breaths were labored and more like coughs. "Ch-Chase-"

"Hold on, Cody... Hold...Hold on...!" Chase panted.

The virus was gaining, and Cody had a feeling Chase couldn't put out a shock like that twice in one go. He looked forward, and then his eyes widened. "DUCK!"

Chase dropped, which turned out to be a good thing, because it kept him out of the way of another dragon that launched from the other direction. Blasting off out of the snow and wind, it knocked the virus backwards and into the snow before putting itself between the virus and Chase. This new dragon was larger than Chase- even a little larger than the virus- and red as a fire engine. Was it Heatwave?

"Tap out, grassy!" They announced in an unfamiliar voice, shoving their head- which bore even longer horns than Chase's- down towards the virus and pawing at the snow with a snort. "I've got this from here. Oh yeah, nothing better than something to get the old juice flowing...!"

"Well well... the native beasts have decided to step in?" The virus jeered, "How foolish of you...!"

"Mind telling me what all of this is about, drakes?"

"D-Don't be mad at Chase." Cody begged, "He was just trying to protect me, that's all!"

They all then jumped as a firm gust washed over them... and then the snow ceased in a wide circle around them.

"Really..."
Cody and Chase looked up as more dragons began to emerge from the snowfall, including the one who'd spoken and outsized all of them. Peach-colored with a lighter peach coloring splattered across her scales, she stood on top of a nearby rock, looking down like a queen addressing a crowd from a balcony and surrounded by her court- perhaps that was what they were.

The red dragon looked back to the virus, "And you? What purpose do you seek with the boy?"

"That is beyond your comprehension. Besides, what pathetic right do you think you have to stop me from taking what is mine...!?"

"I'm not yours to take!" Cody hissed, pressing a little closer to Chase's back.

The virus made an aggressive motion towards the red dragon, obviously trying to fake him out, but their protector wasn't phased.

"Come on," he mocked, "Just try something! I haven't had a good fight in years...!"

"Give him the horns, Cliff!" One of the other dragons encouraged, getting a mild glare from their queen.

Two more dragons leapt down to either side, blocking Chase and Cody from three sides while the rock covered the fourth.

"I could've... sworn that shock would have..." Chase puffed, his body beginning to shake.

"Take it easy, Chase..." Cody encouraged, climbing off of his back to allow him to lie down and rest. "...I think we're safe for now..."

The virus cackled, "You think these pathetic beasts can protect you!? They are mindless, I was given the intelligence of the greatest man in history! What chance do they have!?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" One of the dragons asked, "How can a human give a dragon intelligence?"

"Ergh...!" Chase lifted his head, "I-It's a virus... forged by man and given a physical... form when we were brought here...!"

"Ugh. No wonder it looks all kinds of wrong...! Moldy wings, broken talons...! Like a corpse given crude life."

"You dare insult me!? I will have your-"

"Nah, you won't." Cliff sneered, "What's one zombie versus all of us?"

"What then?" Another mumbled, "If it only seeks to harm and has no soul-"

"We need to get them to Parathos." One of them informed, "The human will need the warmth of the hearth and the little one needs medical attention."

"Agreed." The leader bent down to them, "What is your name, human?"

"C-Cody Burns..."
Now that the danger was being dealt with, Cody was able to fully register the cold again, and he rubbed his arms to try to fight it off for a moment.

"Well Cody, we are grateful we got to you and your partner in time."

Cody nodded, "Me too... Can you help him?"

"Of course... But it will be easier to take you first. Rush?"

One of the other dragons, white as snow with flecks of black like a snowy owl, stepped forward. "You speak, my queen?"

"Take Cody on ahead, we will ensure this is finished."

"Of course."
Rush approached and bent down, "Do not worry, Cody. You will both be taken care of."

Cody smiled a bit, carefully climbing onto her back. "I'll check on you the second you get there, Chase."

Chase gave the boy a light smile, but didn't seem to have the energy to do much else.

As Rush started up the sloping snow and then across the land, Cody saw the leader bend down and say something to Chase before the snow blinded him of the scene. He hoped Chase's injuries weren't severe, he hoped he'd be okay...

...He hoped Heatwave and the others were okay too.

The wood smoke in the air that Chase had mentioned came to Cody's nose quickly as they rushed through the snow- which was only falling harder. Soon enough, Cody saw fences, fences that lined a road or perhaps a driveway, and then through the incoming blizzard, he saw the lights of civilization.

"Parathos!" Rush called as they entered the large, open space of what appeared to be a farm. Barns and fenced areas lined the edges of a larger building, a building whose door opened and a tall, burly man appeared on the porch. "Parathos, this boy needs warmth and his foot is injured!"

"Well then, get him over here!" The man hollered as he motioned for the dragon to approach, "Goodness, it's like you're afraid of the house sometimes, Rush."

"I'm afraid of Griffiths and Regal, is what I'm afraid of! They've jumped off that roof to land on my back too many times!"

The man chuckled, walking over and helping Cody down from the dragon's back. "You got a name, kid?"

"Cody Burns."

"Cody... Good name. Dr. Aaron Parathos."

"Nice to meet you..."

"Come on, boy. Let's get you out of this blizzard."
He guided the teenager up the steps and then into the house, and Cody's body gave a shudder as the warmth of the indoors washed over him like a tidal wave. "Feels good, don't it? Griffiths, get this boy some hot soup from the stove, and Thompson! You're about his size, lend him some dry clothes?"

"Yes, sir!" Two men hollered from another room, getting up from the benches by a long table.

"Thank you, Dr. Parathos..." Cody whispered as he sat down by the fire, rubbing his arms and trying to fight off the shivers going through him.

"Please, call me Aaron. What's a kid like you doing out there anyway?"

"It's a long story... But Chase will need more help than I do. He was hurt trying to protect me from another dragon."

"Ah... So that's what the queen and her court went hurrying out for..." the man sighed softly, and then bent down to help Cody remove his boots. "Let me see here..."

Cody winced as he carefully tugged the wet boot off of his injured foot, and then examined it.

"Sorry, kid."

"Sssokay..."

"Hmm... Not too bad, I think you just stepped on it funny. Not really hard to do, out in that snow and ice."
He looked up and gave a nod to the man coming over with a wooden bowl of soup. "I'll look at your dragon once they get him back here, you just focus on getting warm, alright?"

Cody nodded, taking the bowl and spoon with a grateful smile.

He was lost, they both were. Somewhere unknown, somewhere different. But it appeared that they'd found somewhere safe to rest for now... the others would find them... they just had to wait.

__________________________________________________________________

Chase wasn't a killer. He had sworn to save, serve, and protect, but when he'd looked back at the virus and saw nothing but a desire to complete its mission, to destroy the Rescue Bots so that they were no longer a hindrance to it taking over the humans, he had realized that it might come to that.

His processor tried to convince him that it wasn't killing if the virus was never truly alive in the first place, that just like he and his brothers had over and over again, he was just disabling rogue tech. But even when he had tried, when he'd shoved every ounce of energy he had left into that charged blast, it still hadn't been enough... maybe his spark just hadn't been in it.

The other dragons' arrival had been a godsend, more reinforcements than the virus knew what to do with. Even so, they'd also tried to convince it to back down, and it refused. The circle of warm bodies around Chase staved off the cold a little, the wind no longer blasting him as he laid in the snow, his energy spent.

He hadn't wanted to let Cody out of his sight, but thus far, none of the dragons had given off any signs of wanting to harm the boy, and in fact agreed that he needed to be taken to safety and warmth first.

"I'll check on you the second you get there, Chase..." Cody had promised.

Chase wished he could have properly responded, but the pain of his wounds and the exhaustion prevented anything more than a slight smile and a sigh of relief.

"You poor thing..." One of the dragons murmured, bending down and nudging one of his uninjured legs with her nose. "You did good, Grassy."

Grassy, that must be what kind of dragon he was, because that was the second time one of them had called him that.

The sounds of fighting and the native dragons ending what Chase had begun quieted from beyond the circle, and then their queen bent down to Chase's level. "Can you stand?"

Chase looked to her, "...No..." He whispered, barely able even to speak at this point.

"Not surprised." The red dragon responded as he returned into view. He lowered his head to the snow, using it to clean the blood from the tips of his horns. "We need to get back. This storm isn't gonna get any better."

"Agreed..."

___________

Chase didn't remember much after that, other than slumping into the darkness that had been trying to envelop him for several minutes now. It had only felt as if a few moments had gone by, but when he came back out of the dark, he wasn't cold anymore... but it wasn't the warmth that brought him back, but the pain. "AUGH-!"

"I know, I know..." An unfamiliar voice murmured, and Chase felt a hand pat his back leg gently. "It stings, but we can't risk infection."

Chase winced, opening one eye to find the brightness of his snowy surroundings had been replaced by walls of dark brown slats of wood and an air that smelled of straw and vaguely of animal manure... he was in the stall of a barn. As numb as he was, he could still feel enough to detect his entire body was shaking and shivering uncontrollably.

"Heh. Funny though that it wasn't until the last cut that the pain woke him up." A voice from beyond the top of the wall.

"Of course he's wiped out! Did you feel the amount of electricity he put off?" Another complained, "He might as well have shot his soul out with that blast!"

Chase shifted his head a bit in the straw that cushioned him, seeing a human on his knees beside him with a bag of medical tools and presently dabbing some sort of ointment on the officer's wounds. Looming behind the man was the dragon queen, watching both of them in silence.

"Hold still for one more minute, kiddo. I'm almost done here." The man hummed, and then grabbed a roll of gauze from his bag before starting to wrap Chase's back leg. "You've been a lot more calm with me than some of my other patients..."

"C-Cody-" He stammered, wincing again and wishing he could stop shaking.

"He's fine, don't worry. Up at the house getting some hot stew and fresh, dry clothes."

That eased Chase's concerns a little, at least Cody wasn't out in the elements and other humans were tending to him. Properly checking on him would have to wait, he wasn't in any condition to do much but lay there at this point.

The man smiled, and then went to the door of the stall to leave. "You get some rest, all of you. We're gonna have a lot to do in the morning clearing paths through all of this snow."

"Goodnight, Aaron." The queen murmured quietly, the others all mimicking the notion. The larger female then moved, laying down with her legs curling around Chase on either side, keeping him close to her underside as she covered him with one wing. "Rest now, I'm here to keep you warm..."

Chase continued to shiver, and though a little embarrassed by how she appeared to be treating him like some lost child needing comfort, he was far too tired and far too weak to really protest. He closed his eyes again, feeling her tuck him a little closer to her.

"Sleep, Chase..."