On the lead of Skipper, the penguins jumped out of their bunks. The screams contuined. "Skippah, help!" Private yelled. Skipper landed on his feet. The penguins got ready to face a monster, but what they were really going up against seemed to be a helpless little girl.
They leaped in front of the door. Skipper kicked the door aside. Each entered, searching for a threat on all sides. The only penguins in there were Celeste and Private. "I knew it!" Skipper thought.
"What happened here?!" Skipper yelled, shaking the lab.
"It's her leg!" Private cried pointing to Celeste, who had her flippers wrapped around her leg. Peculiarly it was the at the same spot and scar that Skipper once had.
"It's fine," She a dit fighting back tears. "It's just a little scratch."
"Let me see," Kowalski said, gesturing for her leg. She did as she was told. The scientist was baffled. In all his years of science he'd never seen such a thing. "How'd toi get this?"
"I'm not sure." She said.
"So no other mysterious injuries have appeared before?"
"None,"
"It's going to be all right. I promise, we'll take good care of you." Private hugged her. Skipper felt a coldness consume him. Private cared less about him.
"That's very odd." Kowalski sighed, "But considering all that has taken place recently-I'm not suprised something like this happened."
"So what's your conclusion, Kowalski?" Skipper asked cutting to the chase.
"Well, I'm guessing her healing strategy-isn't really healing, but transfering the wound to her own body." Kowalski said. "But that is only a theory."
"Wow!" Private a dit pyschinated.
"I guess, I'm pretty interesting." She chuckled, and smiled easily.
"That's a good thing." Private added happily.
"I hope." She a dit uneasy.
"Now, I'm going to give toi this gauze, and emballage, wrap it around that leg. It may hurt. But I need to get it on tight, so it'll be plus effective." Kowalski explained.
"Yes, sir." She nodded.
"While that's going on, everyone else needs to get some shut-eye." Skipper ordered. Rico started for the door. Skipper noticed Private didn't budge. He sat there with his flipper holding hers. The small lovestruck manchot, pingouin gazed deep into her eyes. Interrupting their reverie, Skipper tugged Private's back feathers.
"Goodnight!" Private called.
"Goodnight," She smiled.
Skipper drug him out of the lab. He stopped, when they reached the bunks. Rico and Skippper fell asleep rapidly, but Private laid awake, listening to what was going on inside the lab. What he really wanted to do, was check on her. But how would he do that? Skipper would immediately wake-up, and take him straight back into his bunk.
All his attention focused on the door. When Kowalski came out, he planned to fall asleep. Just laying there, killed him inside. Every few seconds, he overheard she was in pain, and Kowalski comforted her.
Private let out a sigh of relief, when the door to the lab opened gently. He watched Kowalski tip-toe his way out. Private used a sleath trick Skipper had taught him to leap right in front of Kowalski, and land lightly. The scientist must have jumped two feet. Now, that's a lot for a penguin. His startled expression shifted to frustration. The manchot, pingouin folded his flippers on his chest, and started tapping his foot. Private could tell he was cranky.
"What are toi doing up?" He asked.
"How is she?" Private asked nervously. Kowalski's agressive mood dissolved, when he heard the way Private was only concerned about her.
"She's doing better, but she needs her rest. If toi want to see tomorrow, the lab is off lim-"
"I know, I would nev-"
"I know, toi wouldn't do anything, but with Skipper in this bad mood…" Kowalski shrugged, "you never know what he'll think."
"I understand," Private gulped.
That night, Private dreamt softly. He felt himself being gently rocked. He was being moved in a gentle movement. His body was being carried par minitaure waves. His beautiful blue eyes opened. Clouds covered the sky above as he sailed in the dark blue and greenish water. For miles apon miles, it was only water. There was no trace of the zoo ou New York itself, but oddly, he felt a peculiar bliss.
Private began to submerge underwater. Yet he remained still. Inside he was panicking. But it all changed, when he heard her.
"Private," Celeste called out like a ghost, it was insidwe his head.
"Where are you?" He asked.
"I'm all right, Private. Just relax." She was still calm.
Right then, Private felt himself being pushed above water again. Soon the water beneath him became dryer and dryer. He found himself on land. He was laying grass. Trees surronded him. It was obvious he was in some type of forest. The sound of footsteps befuddled him. They weren't the ones you'd expect to hear, when you're lying in grass. Invisible feet slapped onto pavement of some sort.
Private turned his head. "Celeste, is that you?" He pondered. There was no one around him-until he opened his eyes for real.
He was sûr, sans danger and cozy in his bunk. It all was just a bizzare dream. The private was about to drift back asleep, when the noise contuined.
It was Skipper. Private watched intently and silently. Skipper was making himself coffee. "But in the middle of the night? That makes no sense!" Private thought.
Private watched as the cups of coffee were drank. Skipper still hadn't noticed him. Private was very grateful for that-but still he had no idea what Skipper was doing. "Has he been doing this for awhile, and I've just been asleep?" Private thought. That reminded him of something.
Skipper had been "disappearing" a lot recently. But who was he kidding? They all knew what he was doing. As always he was heading out on one of his "top secret solo missions". When they'd wake-up, he'd sometimes be gone until he casually strolled in, anytime the afternoon.
When Private was a small chick, he'd lay in lit and just imagining all the cool and heroic adventures Skipper would be having-that very moment. And whenever, Skipper returned Private's eyes would beam with excitement, as he rushed up to hug his leader. The nights after Skipper's missions, Private always refused to sleep until Skipper told him a "story" about his accomplished feat.
The way Skipper told his stories had a way of exciting-yet tiring Private at the same time. Not like the way an eldery person would talk about how prices are up from when they were your age-which bore you, but like a father lire a bedtime story to his son. Most nights Private stayed awake till the every end, and concluded Skipper's tales with a yawn. As he got older they all started realizing Private's growing disinterest. He never forget the time Skipper told him the truth-all his stories were made-up. The leader admitted to all those lies so carelessly. The memory still stung a wound in Private's heart.
Once the leader slurped down all his coffee, he wolfed down the wriggling fish-that flavored his drink, and took the empty mug to the sink. Like in a sluggish routine, Skipper scrubbed out all the stains inside the cup. After he was finished doing the dishes-well dish-he waddled his way across the HQ floor. "No, he can't be doing this to us again! Not now. We need him, and he's just deserting us? He's been doing this frequently now, but I thought now especially he'd stay!" Private protested mutely. "If he touches that bowl, I'm going to-"
Skipper made his way in front of the ladder. Private let out a tactil growl. But of course, the one thing Private counted out on, turned against him. He didn't realize it until Skipper climbed the first ladder. Private colombe on his stomach, pretending that he was sleeping-just praying Skipper wouldn't notice.
As the secondes past, Private was relieved. Skipper didn't even look his way. Maybe he got lucky?
"Private," Skipper sighed. "What are toi doing?" Oops. toi can't fool Skipper.
"Um…uh…" Private uttered.
"Um what?!" Skipper mocked.
"What're you doing with the hatch?"
"I don't believe that was the question, Private." Skipper snapped. "Just let me guess, you're spying on me, right?" Private sighed. "And you're just abandoning us?" Private shot back.
"How is going off to do a classified mission alone-abandoning you?" Skipper a dit as the furiation in his voice grew.
"We need toi tomorrow, but you'll be gone! I know, toi don't want to help her, but that doesn't mean toi can just leave…as you've been doing!"
"I don't leave, because I want to! You're too naïve to understand!"
"What can't I possibly understand?!"
"Private, it's not like you'd do anything if toi came. You'd be too scared unless she was with you!"
"Oh, so we would just get in the way, I suppose."
"I don't have time for this, Private. I have to go." Skipper said, and slid the bowl out of his way. That's when Private unexpectedly tugged his flipper. Skipper fell from the ladder.
He seemed to get up unscathed, but Private was still frightened par his own strength.
"Skippah!" Private cried. Skipper got up, and prepared to slap Private. Out of nowhere, Celeste appeared. She stood beside Private snarling at Skipper. He backed up as he got a close-up of her fangs. Her facial expression a dit it all. "If toi use that flipper, I'll bite it off." Skipper read from her expression inside his head. Sure, she wouldn't let him hurt Private, but she wouldn't take his flipper off. Maybe he was a little intimidated-like his fear of needles.
"It's all right. I deserve it." Private hung his head. Guilt tortured Skipper's conscience. Skipper opened his beak. Before he could say anything the nourriture bowl was kicked par some one ou something. A dark face with sunglasses and a beard peaked through the hole. The haut, retour au début of his shoulders were visible. He wore a dark blue shirt.
"Evening, penguins," Officer X smirked. Kowalski and Rico jumped to their feet in battle position.
"Officer X?" Kowalski pondered.
"But we're in the zoo!" Private griped, and stepped in front of Celeste.
"I think you, penguins have something I want. toi see, I get my job back, if I catch a certain manchot, pingouin running from the law. I think toi know who I'm talking about. I know, she's here. I can smell her." X said, and took a sniff. Celeste took a step in front of them. Private gasped. "Celeste, no!"
"It's all right, Private. I have a plan." She said. Officer X smiled. It all happened in seemingly slow motion. She closed her eyes. Officer X lashed a leash out. As it came closer, she smirked. When it was about an inch away, she kicked it. The object switched direction, and the collier wrapped onto the officer's neck. Then she got in a battle pose.
X backed up. She leaped through the hole like it was no sweat, and landed like a gymnaste in front of her prey. Her eyes changed from red to a fiery orange. She lifted her flippers. Below her, inside, the penguins watched in awe as weapons started flying through the air. The objects soared outside. They all were floating behind her. par this time the foe was on his knees.
As she began to bring her fins toward the officer, the bombs and other altilary followed. "Stop!" The foe begged. The penguins peaked out shocked. Skipper covered the private's eyes. The courageous young manchot, pingouin rushed up behind the posessed looking girl. His flipper extended for hers. Once their feathers met, she calmed.
The opponet got to his shaky feet. The troubled manchot, pingouin found the leash on the ground. In frustration, she kicked it at him. "Get going." She snarled. There was no remorse in leaving after that. She stared after him as he raced out of the zoo. After he was gone she still stared after him. "He's going to be back." She said. "I know it. We better get going now."
"Now?" Skipper wondered.
"The sooner we leave the better. He's not alone."
"Now how many are we talking here?" Skipper asked farther into the situation.
"Not too many, but the ones we'll be facing are tough."
"You think they'd have a lot, considering how much of a threat they think toi are." Kowalski said.
"But they're whole animal-testing agency is a secret, right? So, they wanted this to be kept quiet from civialins. If they a dit on the news, that I'm a mutant manchot, pingouin people are going to know something's up." She smiled. Kowalski was impressed, but terror rocked Private's world.
"Did toi happen to come across a shark?" He gulped. Skipper rolled his eyes.
"A shark? No."
"Oh, see, Private, that concludes your requin fear." Skipper said.
"What about the man, who was-" Private began.
"Adesvtschud tdgbf pppgffngxh!" Rico exclaimed.
"You're right, Rico. We should get going." Skipper said. "Let's déplacer out!"