After that last announcement, the news cast was over and a rerun of I l’amour Lucy began to air. The penguins were stricken speechless—thoughts flooded through their minds. How were they gonna get out of this?
After a few minutes of stunned silence, Skipper turned to Kowalski. "Kowalski, please tell me toi have some options," Skipper a dit with a mixture of plead, doubt, and a need for reassurance in his tone.
Kowalski thought for a moment before he shook his head sorrowfully and said, "Sorry, Skipper. It might just be the shock of the situation, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment."
Skipper set down his mug, overwhelmed with the turn of events. How could he not have thought about the tape? He felt like such an idiot for making such an amateurish mistake. But he knew that they couldn't stay here. They had to get away and figure out what to do elsewhere, somewhere plus hidden and as far away from the humans as possible.
"We need to disappear. Pack some supplies," Skipper commanded.
"But where will we go?" Private asked.
Skipper looked at the floor, as if the answer to his predicament was written out on the stone that lay before him. But he just didn't know what to do at the moment. He needed to clear his mind.
"I don't know, young Private. But we can't stay here," Skipper replied without looking up.
Nobody objected. How could they? What other alternative did they have? Wait until the humans discovered that they were there? That wasn't going to be an option, for obvious reasons. Rico packed himself with flashlights, extra weapons, and a few walkie talkies. None of them uttered a single syllable. As if they hadn't been through hell and back just to be dropped back in overnight.
When all was set to go, they stood in a semi-circle around Private's First Prize that was hanging on the wall, concealing the tunnel to the sewer. They were silent, so silent that it was as if the situation they currently found themselves in turned into a black hole, sucking everything good and innocent from their world. Each of them exchanged a glance with the other, none of them knowing exactly what to say.
Skipper wanted to say something to make them feel better. But what could he say? He couldn't promise that everything would be alright. Nor could he ensure that they'd figure something out. Finally, he simply said, "I'm sorry this happened. It's all my fault."
Eve put a flipper on his shoulder. "No, Skipper, none of this was your fault. If anybody, it's my f—I mean, Alastair's fault." She waited a moment to ensure no one had caught her slip of the tongue. When no one responded, she continued. "In fact, Hans is really the one that started this whole debacle. If he hadn't told Alastair about toi being wanted in Denmark, toi never would've gotten in this situation."
Skipper thought about Eve's words for a moment, then shook his head. "No. I can't say I'm glad he caused this, but I'm not entirely disappointed either. I was able to save toi and your sister from him. And if I'd never met you...Who knows how long I would've gone not knowing that the woman I l’amour is out there suffering?" he asked glancing into her eyes.
Eve sighed. "Well, it's still not your fault. It's none of our faults. toi know, it doesn't really matter. All that matters now is that we get somewhere sûr, sans danger so we can figure things out."
The team nodded in agreement. Skipper sighed.
"Right. Say goodbye to her boys, we probably won't be back for another long while," Skipper a dit mournfully.
Eve and Heather examined him sympathetically, then decided to go on ahead to give the team a few moments alone to have another look at their HQ before carrying on.
It wasn't that Eve and Heather didn't care, they just didn't have the sentimental connection to the HQ that the boys had. And leaving them alone to grasp at the memories that remained smoldering in the air there before they set off just seemed like the right thing to do.
When they were out of hearing range, Eve stopped and leaned against the mur and closed her eyes.
"What am I gonna do, Heather?" she asked her sister.
Heather cocked her head curiously. What do toi mean? she signed.
Eve sighed. "I mean, I was planning on trying to tell Skipper the truth about everything," she whispered. "I can't tell them now! They're being put through enough." She put her face in her flippers. "I wish I'd never lied in the first place."
Heather put her flipper on her shoulder and she looked up to see what she had to say. Everything will be alright. You'll find the right moment sometime. If he truly loves you, he'll understand, she assured her.
Eve thought for a moment, then leaned back against the mur staring at the ceiling. "I suppose you're right. But I still can't bring myself to say anything until things get better," she told her.
Heather nodded. A few moments later, the team appeared behind them.
"Sorry, ladies. It's kinda hard to leave when we just got back," Kowalski said.
"It's alright. We understand. Come on, we need to go," Eve a dit pushing herself away from the mur and taking point.
The six of them made their way for the sewer and navigated through there for what seemed like hours on end. None of them spoke except for the occasional times one of them assured the others that the coast was clear around the suivant corner. The smell of the sewer was revolting, but with the thought of what would happen if the humans caught them topside was motivation to ignore it. The air hung thick on their shoulders and caused them to break out in a sweat. Finally, after a few hours of moving deep into the sewers, Private was the first to break the silence.
"How much further, Skipper? We've been walking for an awful long time," he a dit in his innocent British accent.
Eve turned to Skipper. "He has a point, Skipper. We've walked long enough. We need to figure out what to do next."
"I concur," Skipper agreed. He stopped and turned to his men, who stopped behind him. "Have toi had any luck with those options, Kowalski?" he asked his lieutenant.
"Well, I got to thinking and thought of one option. We could find out where they're keeping the video and apprehend it. Then, I could doctor it so the suivant time the humans watch it, they'll think it was doctored in the first place and believe that the whole thing was a ruse," Kowalski suggested.
"You might be on to something, there, soldier," Skipper a dit with a concentrated look on his face. "But how do we figure out where the tape is being kept?"
"That's what I haven't figured out yet, sir," Kowalski answered.
"Well, that's still a start," Eve jumped in. "So where do we go from here?"
"I suggest that we start with the presses. That'd be the first place the video would end up, right?" Private suggested.
"Good call," Skipper said, "now we just need to figure out which newspaper it was taken to. I say we déplacer in teams of two. Rico, toi and Private will check out the New York Daily." Rico and Private nodded with a salute. Skipper continued. "Eve, since toi understand your sister, toi and Heather check out NY Post." Eve and Heather exchanged a glance, then nodded to Skipper in comprehension. "Good. Kowalski, toi and I will check out the Times. Any questions?"
"How will we know who finds it?" Eve asked.
Skipper turned to Rico. "Rico, give us some walkie talkies."
On command, Rico regurgitated three walkie talkies, giving one to Skipper, one to Eve, and keeping the third for himself and Private.
"What if none of us has any luck?" Kowalski asked.
"Then we'll just have to check out another set of newspapers. But these are the three most common newspapers in New York, so chances are, one of us will find it," Skipper answered.
A brief moment of silence went par following Kowalski nodding in understanding to Skipper's instructions.
"Well, I guess we'd better get going, then," Eve a dit finally. "Be careful." Though she was talking to everyone, she a dit it looking at Skipper.
Skipper nodded. "You, too."
After sharing a round of salutes, they started moving toward the nearest manhole. Skipper grabbed hold of the bottom rungs.
"I'll go make sure the coast is clear."
Though, before he could begin climbing, Eve took him par the flipper and pulled him down. Before he even knew what she was doing, her beak was pressed against his. For a moment, both of them forgot about the task that was in dire need of completion until Kowalski cleared his throat slightly to catch his attention.
"Sorry, sir, but we really should get moving," he a dit when they turned to face him.
Skipper nodded and turned back to Eve. "He's right. I'll be fine, Eve. We'll be fine." He was intending to assure her, but a part of him was saying it to assure himself as well.
"You'd better be. Because if I find out toi got yourself caught, I'm gonna save toi just so I can kill toi myself," Eve a dit with a playful smile.
"I'll keep that in mind," Skipper a dit chuckling. He pushed a tuff of feathers out of Eve's eyes. "Good luck."
"Same to you," Eve replied.
With that, Skipper climbed the rungs and gently pushed up the manhole and peered out. They were right under a deserted alley.
"All clear!" he called.
And finally, they set off to try to clear their names.
After a few minutes of stunned silence, Skipper turned to Kowalski. "Kowalski, please tell me toi have some options," Skipper a dit with a mixture of plead, doubt, and a need for reassurance in his tone.
Kowalski thought for a moment before he shook his head sorrowfully and said, "Sorry, Skipper. It might just be the shock of the situation, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment."
Skipper set down his mug, overwhelmed with the turn of events. How could he not have thought about the tape? He felt like such an idiot for making such an amateurish mistake. But he knew that they couldn't stay here. They had to get away and figure out what to do elsewhere, somewhere plus hidden and as far away from the humans as possible.
"We need to disappear. Pack some supplies," Skipper commanded.
"But where will we go?" Private asked.
Skipper looked at the floor, as if the answer to his predicament was written out on the stone that lay before him. But he just didn't know what to do at the moment. He needed to clear his mind.
"I don't know, young Private. But we can't stay here," Skipper replied without looking up.
Nobody objected. How could they? What other alternative did they have? Wait until the humans discovered that they were there? That wasn't going to be an option, for obvious reasons. Rico packed himself with flashlights, extra weapons, and a few walkie talkies. None of them uttered a single syllable. As if they hadn't been through hell and back just to be dropped back in overnight.
When all was set to go, they stood in a semi-circle around Private's First Prize that was hanging on the wall, concealing the tunnel to the sewer. They were silent, so silent that it was as if the situation they currently found themselves in turned into a black hole, sucking everything good and innocent from their world. Each of them exchanged a glance with the other, none of them knowing exactly what to say.
Skipper wanted to say something to make them feel better. But what could he say? He couldn't promise that everything would be alright. Nor could he ensure that they'd figure something out. Finally, he simply said, "I'm sorry this happened. It's all my fault."
Eve put a flipper on his shoulder. "No, Skipper, none of this was your fault. If anybody, it's my f—I mean, Alastair's fault." She waited a moment to ensure no one had caught her slip of the tongue. When no one responded, she continued. "In fact, Hans is really the one that started this whole debacle. If he hadn't told Alastair about toi being wanted in Denmark, toi never would've gotten in this situation."
Skipper thought about Eve's words for a moment, then shook his head. "No. I can't say I'm glad he caused this, but I'm not entirely disappointed either. I was able to save toi and your sister from him. And if I'd never met you...Who knows how long I would've gone not knowing that the woman I l’amour is out there suffering?" he asked glancing into her eyes.
Eve sighed. "Well, it's still not your fault. It's none of our faults. toi know, it doesn't really matter. All that matters now is that we get somewhere sûr, sans danger so we can figure things out."
The team nodded in agreement. Skipper sighed.
"Right. Say goodbye to her boys, we probably won't be back for another long while," Skipper a dit mournfully.
Eve and Heather examined him sympathetically, then decided to go on ahead to give the team a few moments alone to have another look at their HQ before carrying on.
It wasn't that Eve and Heather didn't care, they just didn't have the sentimental connection to the HQ that the boys had. And leaving them alone to grasp at the memories that remained smoldering in the air there before they set off just seemed like the right thing to do.
When they were out of hearing range, Eve stopped and leaned against the mur and closed her eyes.
"What am I gonna do, Heather?" she asked her sister.
Heather cocked her head curiously. What do toi mean? she signed.
Eve sighed. "I mean, I was planning on trying to tell Skipper the truth about everything," she whispered. "I can't tell them now! They're being put through enough." She put her face in her flippers. "I wish I'd never lied in the first place."
Heather put her flipper on her shoulder and she looked up to see what she had to say. Everything will be alright. You'll find the right moment sometime. If he truly loves you, he'll understand, she assured her.
Eve thought for a moment, then leaned back against the mur staring at the ceiling. "I suppose you're right. But I still can't bring myself to say anything until things get better," she told her.
Heather nodded. A few moments later, the team appeared behind them.
"Sorry, ladies. It's kinda hard to leave when we just got back," Kowalski said.
"It's alright. We understand. Come on, we need to go," Eve a dit pushing herself away from the mur and taking point.
The six of them made their way for the sewer and navigated through there for what seemed like hours on end. None of them spoke except for the occasional times one of them assured the others that the coast was clear around the suivant corner. The smell of the sewer was revolting, but with the thought of what would happen if the humans caught them topside was motivation to ignore it. The air hung thick on their shoulders and caused them to break out in a sweat. Finally, after a few hours of moving deep into the sewers, Private was the first to break the silence.
"How much further, Skipper? We've been walking for an awful long time," he a dit in his innocent British accent.
Eve turned to Skipper. "He has a point, Skipper. We've walked long enough. We need to figure out what to do next."
"I concur," Skipper agreed. He stopped and turned to his men, who stopped behind him. "Have toi had any luck with those options, Kowalski?" he asked his lieutenant.
"Well, I got to thinking and thought of one option. We could find out where they're keeping the video and apprehend it. Then, I could doctor it so the suivant time the humans watch it, they'll think it was doctored in the first place and believe that the whole thing was a ruse," Kowalski suggested.
"You might be on to something, there, soldier," Skipper a dit with a concentrated look on his face. "But how do we figure out where the tape is being kept?"
"That's what I haven't figured out yet, sir," Kowalski answered.
"Well, that's still a start," Eve jumped in. "So where do we go from here?"
"I suggest that we start with the presses. That'd be the first place the video would end up, right?" Private suggested.
"Good call," Skipper said, "now we just need to figure out which newspaper it was taken to. I say we déplacer in teams of two. Rico, toi and Private will check out the New York Daily." Rico and Private nodded with a salute. Skipper continued. "Eve, since toi understand your sister, toi and Heather check out NY Post." Eve and Heather exchanged a glance, then nodded to Skipper in comprehension. "Good. Kowalski, toi and I will check out the Times. Any questions?"
"How will we know who finds it?" Eve asked.
Skipper turned to Rico. "Rico, give us some walkie talkies."
On command, Rico regurgitated three walkie talkies, giving one to Skipper, one to Eve, and keeping the third for himself and Private.
"What if none of us has any luck?" Kowalski asked.
"Then we'll just have to check out another set of newspapers. But these are the three most common newspapers in New York, so chances are, one of us will find it," Skipper answered.
A brief moment of silence went par following Kowalski nodding in understanding to Skipper's instructions.
"Well, I guess we'd better get going, then," Eve a dit finally. "Be careful." Though she was talking to everyone, she a dit it looking at Skipper.
Skipper nodded. "You, too."
After sharing a round of salutes, they started moving toward the nearest manhole. Skipper grabbed hold of the bottom rungs.
"I'll go make sure the coast is clear."
Though, before he could begin climbing, Eve took him par the flipper and pulled him down. Before he even knew what she was doing, her beak was pressed against his. For a moment, both of them forgot about the task that was in dire need of completion until Kowalski cleared his throat slightly to catch his attention.
"Sorry, sir, but we really should get moving," he a dit when they turned to face him.
Skipper nodded and turned back to Eve. "He's right. I'll be fine, Eve. We'll be fine." He was intending to assure her, but a part of him was saying it to assure himself as well.
"You'd better be. Because if I find out toi got yourself caught, I'm gonna save toi just so I can kill toi myself," Eve a dit with a playful smile.
"I'll keep that in mind," Skipper a dit chuckling. He pushed a tuff of feathers out of Eve's eyes. "Good luck."
"Same to you," Eve replied.
With that, Skipper climbed the rungs and gently pushed up the manhole and peered out. They were right under a deserted alley.
"All clear!" he called.
And finally, they set off to try to clear their names.
