101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure (alphawolfbraver version)
Chapter 25: Escape
The night wore on, with the puppies becoming increasingly despaired.
HUNGRY: I’m hungry.
FRECKLES: I want to go home, it’s scary here.
TWO-TONE: Cobalt’s stuck in a dustbin. What are we going to do?
RUBY: If only mother, father, and Caramel were here. They’d know what to do.
Lucky pads over to the corner of his cage.
LUCKY: Patch, are you okay?
PATCH (Sighs): Sleeping or not, dad was right. I’m just one of 101. Sorry, Lucky. It’s all my fault.
LUCKY: No, Patch. This is our fault. We shouldn’t have laughed at your barking on the night before we left our old home. If we hadn’t you wouldn’t have gone downstairs during the night.
PATCH: There’s no way our parents will find us now…
UNO: Hey, didn’t Thunderbolt get trapped in a cage like this one once? In episode 13, “Flaming Flea Circus?”
PATCH: No, Uno, that was during “Gambling Gophers of Gunfire Gulch,” episode 18. (inspiration strikes): Episode 18! (Patch races to the back of the cage, arching his back; he flips over and manages to kick the cage door wide open): Jump on, Cadpig.
Cadpig hops onto Patch’s back as they jump down from the cage.
CADPIG: We’re out! Now, to free the others. Then, we can rescue Cobalt!
MISSY: That was incredible, Patch!
JOLLY: Absolutely wizard!
JASPER (Sleeping): Shut your yaps! I need me beauty sleep.
PATCH (Whispers): Quietly, everyone. Cadpig, do you think you can reach the top cages from my back while I get the bottom ones?
CADPIG (Whispering): No problem, big brother.
Working together, the big and little siblings managed to release their other siblings.
PATCH (Whispering): Stick together and be quiet. (they quietly head to the trash can): Duke, push over the dustbin.
DUKE (Whispering): Got it.
He does as he’s told. The other pups catch it before it hits the ground and carefully remove the lid. As Cobalt comes out, he’s still muzzled.
PATCH (Whispering): Speckle, how do we get this muzzle off?
REBECCA (Whispering): I remember us watching a movie once where a dog had a muzzle. A beaver bit it off. Except, we don’t have a beaver.
SPECKLE (Whispering): Luckily, we may not need one. The buckle looks like a quick side release prong variation.
He manages to pull it. Cobalt winces for a second before tension is released and the muzzle slips right off. He spits out his scarf.
COBALT (Whispering): Brilliant teamwork, you lot. I heard everything.
PENNY (Whispering): Cobalt. (giving him a relieved hug): Thank goodness!
She licks his face as Patch goes ahead to find Cruella taunting Lars while smoking.
PATCH (Whispers): Who’s that guy?
LUCKY (Whispers): Lars. He’s not like Cruella. He actually tried getting us out of here.
PATCH (Whispers): In that case, we have to help him, too. But, first, we need to find a way to get Cruella and the Baduns out of sight. (he spots the lift): Perfect! Episode 53, “The Mineshaft Mix-up.” You lot stay here until I say it’s safe to come out.
Patch slips through the room quietly.
COBALT (Whispering): I’m coming with you. I don’t blend in with these canvases like the rest of you. I’ll stick out like a sore thumb.
Patch nods.
PATCH (Whispers): Come up here.
As Cobalt follows, Horace sleepwalks over to an icebox. He hits his head against it.
JASPER: Oh, what is it with you sleepwalk- (gasp): What the?!
Jasper and Horace, now awake, see the empty cages save for Thunderbolt.
JASPER/HORACE (Pointing fingers at each other; in unison): You let the puppies get away!
LUCKY (Whispering): Everybody scramble!
The puppies split off into groups of 11, the last one being 10 due to Patch being absent, and raced off to hide among the canvases. Jasper and Horace are unable to find them.
JASPER: When that crazy bird finds out we lost them again, she’ll skin us.
CRUELLA: Horace, Jasper? What are you two looking for?
JASPER: Nothing, ma’am.
HORACE: We haven’t lost the doggies or anything.
CRUELLA: You let them escape?!
HORACE: Jasper fell asleep.
JASPER: You were snoring like a train!
HORACE: Trains don’t snore!
JASPER: I know that! I meant that you snored loud enough to sound like one!
They hear Patch barking and Cruella spots the tipped over trash can Cobalt was in as well as the muzzle unbuckled on the floor.
CRUELLA: The mongrel escaped and was unmuzzled!
HORACE: How’d he get the muzzle off if he don’t have any hands?
CRUELLA: However he did, he won’t get away! Especially since I brought sunglasses this time!
JASPER: How are sunglasses going to-
He’s cut off by a barking noise.
CRUELLA: Trust me. Last time I faced that mongrel, he glowed as bright as the sun. To the lift!
She heads to the lift and opens it, only to find it’s empty.
JASPER: They ain’t in here.
CURELLA: The mutts must already be downstairs!
They climb in.
HORACE: Funny how we never heard the lift. Especially since this one’s an older model.
JASPER: Oh, shut up you!
As the lift goes down, Cobalt and Patch are revealed to be on top of it. The two slide down one of the canvases.
COBALT: We’ll need to act quick, everyone.
APACHE: We have to rescue Lars, then we have to get out of here.
The puppies go to the bound and gagged Lars.
ROXY: Any ideas on what to do?
COBALT: Duke, do you see that loose knot near his ankle?
DUKE: Yes, I do.
COBALT: Use your strong jaws to break it.
Duke nods and bites on the loose knot. This frees Lars’ left ankle. Duke then does the same to the other ankle knot, causing Lars to slide down the canvas. Lars brings his bound wrists to Duke, who breaks the final knot, freeing Lars’ hands. Lars then manages to remove the gag around his mouth.
LARS: Thank you, sweet little puppies, especially you. (he gives Duke a quick pet on the head): How can we get you all out of here safely?
Patch looks around the room and gets an idea.
PATCH: Everyone, we’re going up.
Cobalt grabs a paintbrush and, using a spare canvas, paints this message for Lars: “We need help getting to the roof through the skylight. Can you help us get up there?”
LARS: Of course, puppies. Now, where can we get a ladder?
He has a good look around, but, can’t manage to find one. He accidentally knocks over one of the canvases and this gives Patch another idea.
PATCH: Got it.
He places the canvas onto some paint cans and then the puppies climb up some boxes to a cabinet.
LARS: My goodness, what are you puppies doing?
PATCH: Ready, Rolly?
ROLLY: What? No, no no no no! (Patch knocks into Rolly as he lands on the canvas and bounces up to the top of the roof): Can I do that again?
PATCH: One up, 99 puppies to go.
The puppies start bouncing onto the canvas one by one up to the skylight.
LARS: Seems like you puppies have things well in order. I am glad you are putting my failed artwork to good use. I hope you get back to your owners safely.
Lars makes his way downstairs in the lift out through another door, unbeknownst to Cruella, Jasper, and Horace.
HORACE: I think the puppies are still upstairs and tricked us into coming down here.
JASPER: Come on now Horace, dogs ain’t that smart. They haven’t got the big educated brains we’ve got.
Back upstairs the puppies were still bouncing on the canvas. By now, only Cobalt, Penny, Patch, and Cadpig were left.
PENNY: Here it goes. (she bounces up to the skylight): Come on, Cobalt.
COBALT: Right.
He follows her. On the way up, he hits his head on the window and lands on his back.
PENNY: Cobalt!
She rushes to his side, gently nudging him. Jewel and Two-Tone join.
COBALT: Are there really spots?
PENNY: Yes.
COBALT: Are there really stars?
JEWEL: Yes. Though, they’re hard to see with the sunrise.
COBALT: Is Pacman eating birds doing the cancan?
TWO-TONE: Er… no.
COBALT: Okay, so, I hit my head, but, not as hard as I thought.
CADPIG: Oh dear. We’d better get up there quick.
PATCH: Jump on, Cadpig. We’ll do it together.
Cadpig eagerly scrambles onto her brother’s back.
CADPIG: Okay, go!
PATCH: 99 and 100, away!
He jumps but much to his and Cadpig’s shock, they see Cruella at the bottom of the trampoline.
CRUELLA: Not this time!
Patch flies into Cruella’s head, knocking her, Jasper, and Horace down as he and Cadpig land safely on the floor.
PATCH: Hold onto my collar, Cadpig!
Cadpig obeys as Patch races down the hall through the spotted canvases. Soon, he tries jumping onto the table, only to fling paint cans. They land on Jasper and Horace and they get flinged onto a blank canvas. Patch then scrambles up the makeshift ladder to the cabinet and jumps onto the spot mobile, which he grabs one of the spots with his teeth. He swings himself and Cadpig up to the skylight and to the roof where the other puppies were.
CADPIG: Wow, what a ride! (she slips off Patch’s back): That was so exciting, Patch.
Thunderbolt had witnessed the whole thing from his open cage and Cruella, Jasper, and Horace storm off outside.