Author's Note: LAST CHAPTER OMG. Made by PoMlovah611 and I. I love you to pieces Lia! X3
Review peeps! And uh...stay tuned for a sequel...maybe XD
~Natty.
Asthma.
~PoM~
Skipper felt himself slowly coming to but...he was so tired and weak…
"So Skipper really has asthma?" Maurice asked, actually a bit surprised.
"Yes..." Kowalski sighed.
"It's too bad the secret was spread. It's mostly Kowalski's fault really..." Private noted.
"WHAT!? No it isn't!" The analyst protested.
"Yup! Heh fault!" Rico pointed.
"It is NOT!" Kowalski gritted his beak.
"But you told Doctor Blowhole." Private pointed out.
"I DIDNT! He stole information from me! I never intended it to be found out by ANYONE!"
Skipper groaned nearby in his bunk..
"Skippah?" Private turned his attention to the leader.
Skipper rolled over to face the wall.
"Skipper...?" Kowalski blinked.
"He's still sleeping." The adviser said with experience. "It's the same way with Julien..."
Julien gave a big gasp. "I am having you knowing dat I am a BEAUTIFUL sleeper guy! Not a sleeping bird with de problems of breathing!"
"Sleeping?" The youngest penguin raised a brow.
"He's sleeping." The aye-aye repeated. "Just...troubled sleeping."
"Oh... then we shouldn't wake him up now, should we?"
"Depends." Maurice said.
"On?" Kowalski asked.
"If he starts screamin or not..." the old lemur shrugged.
"I am not SCREAMING in my sleep!" King Julien crossed his arms. "Dat is stupidness."
"Yeah you do and I wake you up every night." Maurice told him.
Private tapped his beak.
"So he's alright... ish?" The analyst asked.
"Yeah." Maurice nodded.
"Hmh... so it's over, huh?" Kowalski sat down on a chair.
"What's over?" Maurice shrugged.
Kowalski looked up. "The secret... it's all spilled and splattered everywhere... then the whole zoo will know in a few hours..."
"Oh. Well I guess it's for the best right?" The adviser figured. "I mean what if Skipper has one of those attacks. I don't think anyone'll figure out what to do. Not in time anyway."
Kowalski nodded. "Yes, but there are downsides as well... If all our enemies find out... we're goners... and Skipper... he'll start becoming colder and colder to other animals knowing that they might have knowledge about his weakness..."
"What are we supposed to do K'walski?" Private frowned.
"I... I don't know..." Kowalski sighed.
"Huhmeh?" Rico coughed out a plunger, suggesting they plunge the bad air out of their leader. Either that or plunge the lungs until they work right.
"Risky." Kowalski sighed.
"Ah get the air!" Rico proclaimed, going for the leader with the plunger.
"HEY STOP!" Kowalski grabbed him by the flipper. "No."
"Awww..." the maniac looked down.
"No, Rico." He said more firmly.
"What do we do? Everyone's gotta know but they can't..." Maurice frowned.
"Well what I am thinking is dat we show this AIR-GUY whose BOSS!" Julien waved a fist.
"What?" The analyst blinked.
The king ran over, opening up the leader's mouth and started shouting into it. "Are you hearing me AIR?! You will not be hurting de bossy PENGUIN anymore! YOU GOT DAT?!" He stretched the beak wider.
Skipper started to cough and wheeze.
"JULIEN!" Kowalski pulled the lemur's paws off. "Ugh... why do I think Im one of the very few sane people here…"
The leader was still slightly wheezing.
"RICO! THE GUM!" The analyst held out his flipper.
"Huhmeh!" Rico coughed a blue ball out into the analyst's flipper.
Kowalski made sure it was the right one by sniffing it before holding it in front of the leader's face. "Skipper?"
"Hhhhh...!" Skipper gasped.
The lieutenant put the gum in his own beak then chewed it slightly before spitting it out and putting it in the leader's mouth.
The leader sat up gasping, breathing in the scent and flavor of the cool mint mixed with medicine. He coughed, starting to breathe again on his own.
"Skipper are you okay?" Kowalski asked after a few long seconds.
"K-Kowalski...?" The leader looked around.
"Yes it's me... you're home..." Kowalski nodded to him.
"What happened...is everyone okay?"
"Everyone's... okay, Skipper... we're more concerned about you really..." Kowalski answered.
"Why's that?" Skipper rubbed his neck.
"Uhm..." Kowalski didn't know what to say or how to put it.
"And what's everyone doing in our HQ?" The leader narrowed his eyes.
"The lemurs... they... they saved us..."
"Yeah right." Skipper laughed.
"They did..."
"Right...and you're also saying that Blowhole knows my secret." The leader joked.
Kowalski frowned. "He... he does sir..."
The leader's eye twitched.
"... sir...?"
"Skipper slammed him up into the wall. "What does he know?! How much?! Spill it!"
Kowalski shouted in alarm. "GAH! Gnh... He knows everything! That you have it, that you don't want to admit it…"
"NO! HE CAN'T!"
"It's too late Skipper!" Kowalski cried.
The leader growled and put his face in his flippers, sliding down against the wall. "What am I gonna do..."
"Live on?" The lieutenant suggested.
"Are you mad?! I can't live with that!"
"Slightly... and YES you can."
"How Kowalski? You give me an option and I swear to you I'll follow it!" The leader said, pointing.
"LIVE ON WITH LIFE! It'll be okay! It won't be such a big deal!"
"Nope. I can't follow that." Skipper dismissed quickly.
"But you said-"
"We've got to go back and wipe his brain." The leader was already headed to the hatch. "Roll out men."
"Skipper it's too risky!" Kowalski warned.
"We can't just let him KNOW? Can we?" Skipper threw out his flippers.
Kowalski half agreed. "We can't... but it can wait."
"Wait?" Skipper raised a brow.
"I'm hurt... you're hurt... Rico and Private too... and we still need time to plan our ambush as well."
"The leader sighed.
"I know you want to regain your independence and keep your reputation... but we can't if we just run in recklessly and end up getting killed." Kowalski explained.
Skipper nodded, looking down.
Kowalski sighed in relief.
"It'll be alright Skippah..." Private hugged him. "We promise..."
"We'll work things out..." Kowalski supported.
"And we're here for you too." Maurice smiled.
The leader put a flipper to his neck. "What about my asthma? ...It's always gonna be there over my head...and down my esophagus…"
"We'll find a way to push through Skipper..." Kowalski nodded.
"I threw out my inhaler..."
"I have the gum." Kowalski informed.
Skipper tilted his head. "We don't chew gum..."
"I do..." Kowalski said. "But nevertheless... it helps..."
Skipper took the gum out of his beak, squeezing it in his flippers. "Tastes like salmon." He shook his head. "I didn't have salmon."
"That was my lunch..." Kowalski tapped his flippers together. "...sorry sir."
"There must be SOME way to make this all alright and safe..." Private tapped his beak.
Maurice shrugged. "You mean BESIDES telling the whole zoo about it?"
"Whole zoo?!" Skipper jumped from his bunk. "Kowalski explain these actions!"
"Geaaah~" the analyst gulped, staring at the leader.
"Why are we telling the whole zoo?!" Skipper demanded.
"I-It's... for the best..." Kowalski said.
"How so?!"
"It's better!" The analyst tried to assure him. "This way, when you have one of your wheezing moments, everyone will know what to do!"
"Everyone...?" The leader repeated less enthusiastic. "Not just like…one other person?"
"Yes..." Kowalski nodded. "Everyone in the zoo..."
Skipper sighed. "You really think that's the best thing?"
"Yes sir...I think that's the only solution." Kowalski affirmed.
"Um...huuh?" Rico gestured to the plunger.
"No!" Kowalski glared.
"AH C'MAHN!" Rico cried.
Private pat his leader and put a flipper around him. "You should start readying yourself for the zoo meeting."
"Right... and WE have to go call the meeting." The scientist said, dusting himself off.
"And I have to be preparing for my even bigger announcingment dat will totally upstage you penguins!" King Julien laughed.
"What announcement?" Private asked.
"Oh it is totally being a SHOCKER." The king grinned.
Maurice rolled his eyes and assured the bird's. "He's got nothing."
Private chuckled then turned to the leader. "This will all turn out okay..." he smiled.
"Fine. I trust you men..." the leader said.
Kowalski stood straight with his flippers behind his back, smiling at the fact that the leader was actually listening to them..
"Look I'm sorry about all this, Kowalski..." the leader apologized.
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't want you to tell anyone and I shoved you off my business. You should have known from the start…" Skipper laughed. "I mean really. I couldn't even hold my breath during that space contest...and I'm always the one panting the hardest after we get something done. I thought you were smart." He joked.
Kowalski rolled his eyes.
"Uh anyway...I should have trusted my team. I didn't and because of that you all got hurt." Skipper's eyes looked down hurt.
"But Skippah, we're fine now!" The youngest member of the team spoke up.
"No you're not..." the commander sighed.
"How come?" Kowalski raised a brow.
"How can you be? We just barely escaped from that maniac!" Skipper exclaimed.
"But we did..." Kowalski pointed out,
"Yeah? So? We still got into something that could have very well been stopped..." Skipper said.
"..." the lieutenant stayed silent, not knowing what to say.
"You know, Skipper, some people believe everything happens for a reason." Maurice said.
"I do!" Private raised a flipper.
"You also believe in that man in the fridge that shuts the light on and out. Don't worry Private, one day we'll catch that fiend!" Skipper exclaimed. "I know he's been dipping into the fish supply!"
Rico whistled innocently.
Kowalski rolled his eyes. "Great. Now that we've got THAT settled, it's time we call the animals for the meeting."
Skipper seemed absolutely frightened.
"Don't worry Skipper... no one will think you different. It's kind of normal. You give the intro, and I'll explain the safety precautions and distribute some gum to everyone so they know what to do." The analyst smiled.
"..." the leader didn't respond.
"...uh... Skipper?"
"I'm so USELESS..." Skipper bowed his head pitifully.
"What!? How can you say that!?" Private blinked.
"I can, I did, and I'm feeling that way." Skipper said one after the other.
"But Skippah you aren't useless! You're still the same heroic and brave Skippah I know!" Private told him truthfully.
"...with asthma!" Skipper exclaimed.
"It doesn't make a difference." Kowalski reasoned.
"I'm a leader! My health is supposed to be aces!"
"Says who?" Kowalski raised a brow.
"PELT." Skipper reminded him.
"You passed that test even if you had asthma. So you STILL have what it takes to be leader!" Kowalski defended.
Skipper sighed. "So we're seriously telling everyone?"
"Yes... yes we are..." Kowalski nodded.
"Well let's just get it over with..." Skipper waddled sadly.
The lieutenant then gestured to the others to slide out and call the animals before the meeting starts.
Soon Skipper was sitting in the zoo shop on the counter, swinging his legs troubled as he sighed.
The animals were busily mumbling to themselves about what was going on. They were still waiting for a few animals who were late...
"Skipper, are you... okay?" Kowalski asked from behind him.
The leader nodded though he looked like he was having a problem.
"Are you sure?" Kowalski asked.
"I don't know what to-" The commander started to whisper.
The crowd of animals started to get antsy...
Kowalski then stood up... that was his cue. He cleared his throat and the crowd turned their attention to him. "Hello. You might be wondering what this meeting is all about...-"
"Yes I most certainly AM!" King Julien exclaimed pointedly.
Maurice rolled his eyes. They'd been there for the whole time, of COURSE they knew about- Then he realized something. Wait a minute where was...?
"Well, Skipper here will tell you exactly what's going on." Kowalski stepped back to give his leader the attention. "... Skipper?"
The leader blinked, all eyes on him.
"Go on Skipper... just go straight to the point." Kowalski whispered.
"I'm sick." Skipper sighed.
"Sick? What's the sickness?" Marlene asked.
"I can't..." Skipper started.
"You can't what?" The otter put her paws on her hips.
The leader looked to the other penguins, and saw their desperate faces he sighed and looked to the ground. "I can't breathe."
"What on earth do you mean? You're breathing just fine right now." Mason pointed out.
"Yeah...well I won't be doing so well with it later on primate!" Skipper shot back annoyed.
"Skipper, I-I think you should be a little more specific..." Kowalski advised.
The leader just glared stubbornly.
"Just saying..." Kowalski shrugged sheepishly.
The leader retreated into himself, looking away from all the others with his flippers crossed.
Kowalski cleared his throat again before saying, "He has a physical condition that makes it difficult for him to breathe... namely... asth-"
"Eh!" Julien spoke up, raising his paw.
Kowalski sighed. "...what is it?"
"Since I am not having an announcement dat is beating you silly birds's, I shall instead be asking a very nonsensical question!" King Julien announced.
Kowalski blinked, shrugging. "Okay…"
The monarch started rummaging through some of the old unsold toys in the back. "Why are all these toys so DUSTY and full of bad airingness!" Julien started beating the toy against the shelf. The dust particles quickly went into the air and formed a dust cloud.
Kowalski gasped in alarm. "Skipper!" He turned to the leader.
The cloud of dust had already hit the leader straight in the face in slow motion.
"Rico! Quick! The gum! And Private, go stop Julien!" The second-in-command ordered.
The leader's eyes widened as the dust got into the inside of his throat and suddenly his iceberg eyes squeezed shut in pain as he clutched his throat.
Marlene stepped back in fright. "Wh-what's happening?"
She along with all the rest of the zoo were in shock.
Private had just finished restraining the lemur king.
"RICO THE GUM!" Kowalski yelled, clearly panicking.
Rico hacked but ending up shrugging. "No moh!"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S NO MORE!? I JUST RESTOCKED YOU!"
"Ahmahvuhdeh!"
Kowalski's flippers curled up into fists. "GREAT! NOW SKIPPER'S GOING TO SUFFOCATE JUST BECAUSE YOU FORGOT!" He gritted his beak.
Private was starting to cry.
"HOW CAN YOU FORGET SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT AS THE GUM!?" Kowalski screamed.
Marlene was freaking out. "Guys! Help him!"
"He needs medicine! For... for asthma! An inhaler or something! Please tell me you have something similar to that!" The scientist pleaded.
The panicked hacking began, one after the other as a tire, a license plate, a fishing pole and many other random things flew across the room.
"He's turning blue!" Marlene pulled on her fur. "Oh my gosh what do we do!"
"DOES ANYONE HAVE AN INHALER!?" Kowalski announced, desperately searching.
Phil started to sign a quick suggestion.
"Mason, interpretation please." The tall penguin turned to the other chimp.
"Yes, well Phil used to have the same illness. I had to carry around this darned thing everywhere." Mason handed the inhaler over to the analyst.
"Oh thank goodness." Kowalski received it and quickly stuck it in the leader's beak. Then he started pressing the little button over and over, hoping it would help.
The leader gasped and wheezed, breathing in the medicine desperately.
"Skipper... are you.. alright?" The analyst asked once he thought he was okay.
"I blame you!" Skipper glared.
The scientist narrowed his eyes and stepped back. "He's alright."
"Oh thank goodness! I thought something bad was going to happen..." Marlene smiled, relieved.
"I'm fine...for now." Skipper stood. "Until my own lungs turn traitors on me again."
"Waitwaitwait... let me process this thing a bit in my head a bit, okay? Because it's making my head ache..." Leonard rubbed his temples. "The leader penguin - Skipper - has... asthma?"
"Well...yes." Private shrugged.
"Suddenly Kowalski spoke up. "HANG ON. Mason, you said Phil USED to have asthma... correct?"
"Yes..." Mason replied.
"How did it go away?" the analyst asked. Perhaps this was a breakthrough they needed. Maybe there WAS a cure for the dreaded asthma!
"Some grow from it...others don't. It's simple really." The chimp answered.
Kowalski sighed, hope disappearing in his eyes.
"Sorry old boy." Mason apologized.
Kowalski waved a fin, indicating that he didn't need to apologize to him. "Anyway... so that's the whole point of this meeting. I'm going to find that inhaler-like gum I made a little while back and distribute a piece to each of you... so you know what you need to do... if ever... that happens..."
"What?! That...that's gonna happen again?!" Marlene cried. "I can't deal with that! That's crazy!"
"Yo us neither." Bada shook his head. "That was scary."
Kowalski nodded. "Well we're gonna have to prevent it. And that GUM is the answer to that. Now are you with me? Or not!?"
The animals of the zoo looked between each other a bit guilty.
Kowalski stared at them in disbelief. "What...? So you agree... on standing there and watching Skipper suffocate to death. Is that what you're saying!?"
"Of course not...Guys it's just-" Marlene started gently. "That's too much. I can't...I can't just watch someone randomly start to die..."
"Then you're going to have to know what to do! That's what the gum is for!"
It didn't seem like the others agreed at all.
Kowalski started backing up, staring at them like they were doing something horribly wrong. "What... what is WRONG with you people!? Don't you want him to survive!? Don't you want to help him!? Don't you want to do ANYTHING but care for your own comfortable lives!?" He spat before growling. "Whatever! I'm out of here!" He shouted before sliding out.
Rico growled angrily and coughed out a bazooka, pointing it at them.
Private gasped. "Ah! R-Rico, they're civilians! W-we can't hurt civilians! Right Skippah?... S-Skippah?"
Skipper was already storming out of the Zoovenir shop after the analyst.
Maurice was glaring at everyone around. "They're right! You guys are nothing but selfish! Come on, Julien."
Holding a stuffed otter doll, the king started to follow his adviser.
The aye-aye stopped walking, chucked the otter from the ringtail's hands and swapped it for a penguin plush.
"Oh Maurice." Julien smiled as he squeaked the plush penguin. "You are always knowing what I'm truly wanting…"
The two lemurs left.
Meanwhile Skipper was desperately searching for his lieutenant.
The leader found him in the park sitting under a tree.
His head was leaning on the trunk of the tree. The penguin's eyes were closed, beak twitching. He looked stressed.
Skipper silently sat next to him with a sigh.
"Uggh... I don't know what to do..." Kowalski whined, sniffing.
"About what?"
"About you..." Kowalski sighed honestly.
"Ah, I'll be fine." Skipper waved off.
Kowalski glared in panic. "AH NO! DONT SAY THAT! Whenever you DO, something BAD will happen!"
"Not true! Relatively few times I've said that, nothing happened."
"Pff. Yeah right." The analyst scoffed.
The leader rolled his eyes playfully. He let out another breath.
Kowalski shut his eyes again, exhausted.
"Can't believe I'm a burden now."
"You're not a burden..." Kowalski told him.
"Well apparently I am." The leader scoffed.
"You ARENT. Your sickness is the burden... not you..."
"It's still a part of me!"
Kowalski groaned.
Skipper looked ahead. "Still. That whole meeting thing could have gone way better!"
"I just don't understand why they don't want to help..."
"I'll give you a hint. It starts with BUR- and ends with -DEN."
Kowalski glared at the leader.
"Didn't know they were all like that. Have they always been like that?" Skipper asked of their neighbors.
The analyst let out a sigh. "I don't know. They're... they're horrible. I thought it was simple! Let them know what to do if an emergency arises... I thought it was THAT simple... Why don't they want to help!?"
"They just don't want to." The leader answered simply. "And not like I'm whining here or rubbing it in their faces but name all the stuff we did for them."
"We saved their lives... many times now..."
"Yeah...and they can't even give me gum when I'm turning thirty shades of blue!" Skipper exclaimed.
"They're so ungrateful..."
"Perhaps… Uh Kowalski, I'm going to have to ask you for...options…uh…now…after all this. Just to plan our next move."
"Well... either we leave the zoo... or stay and push on no matter what they say..."
"Leave the zoo? Push on? Kowalski what are you saying? That we don't have friends or an admiring band of wacky civilians anymore?" The leader seemed surprised. "Because I kind of liked having that…"
Kowalski let out another troubled sigh.
"Kowalski…?" Skipper looked up at him.
"Those animals have always been real jerks, okay? But it's our job to protect them... why can't they help us- you mainly... in return?"
"We can't make em help...Well...we can with Rico..." Skipper figured.
"I'm just saying that they're heartless... They don't CARE about what others do for them! They just CARE about what keeps them comfortable."
"So what do we do about it?" asked Skipper.
"I don't know..." Kowalski sighed.
"Do we leave or attack the ones we once thought of as friends?"
The taller penguin shut his eyes tight. "Neither..."
"Then what...?" The leader asked. What could they do?
"We continue in life... as if that meeting never happened I guess..."
Skipper nodded.
"MWAHAHAHA!" The evil cackle rained through the zoo followed by the sound of bazooka fire.
"What's happening in there!?" Kowalski's eyes widened.
"The zoo betrayed us." Skipper said flatly. "What do you THINK Rico's doing?"
"We have to stop him!" Kowalski cried.
"Can we stop him slowly?" Skipper asked.
"Why slowly?" Kowalski questioned then got the point. "Oh."
"KABLAMOOOOO!" Rico cried in the distance with another explosion.
"We have to get there NOW!" Kowalski took the commander's flipper and started dragging him toward the zoo.
They reached the gates where the animals were scrambling in panic.
Marlene skid to a stop in front of the two birds. "You guys have to stop him! Why are you just walking around!?"
Kowalski let go of Skipper's flipper and crossed both of his, narrowing his eyes at her.
"He's destroying the zoo!" The otter tried again.
"Yeah. And YOU'RE in our way." Kowalski said coldly.
"...Are you still mad? Because it sounds like you're kinda-" Marlene flinched as she was interrupted.
"Just get out of the way Marlene! We don't need anyone to point out the obvious! Now MOVE!" he growled.
With regretful eyes the otter stepped back.
"THANK you." The analyst grunted and slid past her.
"Woohoo-hoooo!" Rico cried in excitement.
"RICO! RICO STOP!" Kowalski tried.
"Oh ey Walski." The weapons expert waved casually, taking one flipper off his bazooka.
It was pointed directly at the zoo inhabitants minus the lemurs. They were huddled in fear against the brick wall.
"No please!..." he paused to think of an excuse. "If you create another explosion, it would create dust and smoke! You don't want Skipper suffocating, do you?"
Rico gasped and quickly dropped the weapon. It ended up going off right over the entire zoo animal's heads.
Skipper waddled up glaring. "Don't use my illness as an excuse!" He scolded the analyst.
"SSH!" Kowalski shushed, clamping his beak closed for a second. "We have to clean this mess up somehow... but Skipper, im going to have to ask you to stay at HQ..."
"You are NOT confining me to quarters!" The leader argued.
"Skipper... it's for your own good! You'll suffocate! The dust from the concrete and wood shavings might kill you!"
"Pfft. Like they care.." the leader rolled his eyes.
"Well I care! I'm sure Private and Rico care!" Kowalski defended.
Private nodded.
"The point is, Skipper... you need to stay out of the way for now." The analyst said.
"Marlene caught up to him. "Are you seriously just going to let him get away with destroying half the zoo like that?!" She pointed out the weapons expert.
"RICO! THE DUST!" Kowalski warned.
"Hehbehgaheh!" Rico whined. He wasn't doing anything anymore!
"That's not enough. I think some real punishment is due here okay? So do it Skipper." The otter instructed.
"Excuse me?" The leader replied.
"Punish him!" Marlene said.
"Wh-what?"
The scientist blinked. "Sir! We need Rico for the clean ups!"
"My house is gone baby!" Pinky complained.
Other animals grumbled in agreement.
Phil made an annoyed hand gesture.
"We can't fix your habitats without him!" Kowalski shouted.
The leader groaned. "I'm not punishing him because an angry mob of animals I used to respect are telling me to!"
The lieutenant then growled. "... in that case, should we still FIX the habitats of those angry mob of animals we used to respect, Skipper?"
"What? You guys have to fix it!" The otter complained.
"Well I don't know if we SHOULD! You treat us like were just your body guards expecting nothing in return! Why should we help such UNGRATEFUL animals!?"
"Ungrateful?" Marlene exclaimed. "We are not ungrateful! You guys are just...kind of insane!"
"INSANE!? FOR DOING WHAT!? FOR ASKING FOR YOUR HELP!?" The tallest penguin said, glaring daggers at the otter.
"For thinking we can handle a burden like that!" The otter went on honestly.
That sentence and mostly that WORD stirred up a fire that was now flickering in the lieutenant's eyes. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK! SKIPPER IS NOT A BURDEN!" He growled threateningly, gritting his beak and clenching his flippers.
"I-I never said-" Marlene started.
The leader was kind of surprised, trying to calm him. "Kowalski-"
"HE'S NOT A BURDEN! HE'S ANYTHING BUT A BURDEN! YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!" Kowalski yelled, lifting a flipper to hit her.
Skipper grabbed the analyst's flippers and forced them to stay up, restraining them. "KOWALSKI." He scolded.
The reactions of the other animals were not good. Appalled, horrified, frightened.
Marlene stepped back. "Y-You just tried to hit me!"
The anger in Kowalski's eyes faded quickly and his heart beat fast. "I... I'm sorry, I-"
"That ain't right over here." Bada commented.
"You don't hit the girls!" Bing exclaimed.
Kowalski was breathing fast, tearing up. "S-Skipper I-"
The leader was staring right into his eyes, pleading at him to not make this any worse than it already was. He was still holding the lieutenants flippers...
Kowalski looked down. "I'm... I'm sorry sir..." he shut his eyes tight.
The leader felt the wind rushing from the fist before it got too close and shoved the analyst away from it. He got hit in the chest by Bada's fist instead, clutching where his lungs were. He was okay...just in a lot of pain.
"SKIPPER!" Kowalski screamed, pushing himself up and rushing to the leader.
"Ape's got a right hook." The leader complimented.
"We're gorillas!" Bing said, pointing.
Private had his flippers over his beak, horrified.
Rico was already growling fiercely for what was done.
"Are you okay?" Kowalski asked.
"Little...out of breath but..." the leader panted.
"Do you need anything?" Kowalski rushed to ask.
Skipper shook his head.
"WAH AH OUTTA-" Rico started grumbling.
"Rico..." Kowalski looked at him.
The weapons expert had a dark and furious look.
"We outta bounce the fours of you outta here." Bada warned.
"Oh that won't be necessary Bada. Because we're LEAVING..." Kowalski spat.
"Wait we huh?!" Rico blinked twice.
Private whimpered loudly.
"What!? B-but the damages-" Marlene tried.
"I'd rather be an outcast than live with a bunch of selfish animals like you." The smart penguin narrowed his eyes. "Reckless... careless... stupid animals..." Kowalski mumbled for a while before turning to his hurt leader. "Skipper, I'll have to check on that chest of yours back in our back-up HQ..." he informed.
The leader nodded.
"Come on..." Kowalski said, helping him up.
Skipper allowed himself to be helped along. He could have walked by himself but having the comfort was greatly needed for the nerves.
"It's okay Skipper... I've got you..." Kowalski mumbled, helping him walk to the gates.
"Skippah...?" Private gulped. What were THEY supposed to do? They weren't just leaving…right?
"Yes Private?" The leader looked over his shoulder.
"Sh-should we leave too?"
The leader was so out of breath, He couldn't possibly manage another sentence so he looked to his second in command to answer. "Kowalski..."
The lieutenant turned his head to look at the private... "Yes..." he replied. "It's best that you did…"
"Aye sir." The private nodded and followed.
"Bye." Rico told the crowd before following the team as the four penguins left the zoo slowly but surely.
Soon they arrived at their back-up HQ. It was a bit dusty and cobwebs were hanging here and there... nothing a little cleaning couldn't fix... This was home... for now...
The leader groaned as they finally got there.
"Sit down, Skipper..." Kowalski instructed, pulling up a seat for him.
Skipper sat with a sigh, flipper absentmindedly rubbing his sore chest. There was a bruise forming...
"Let me see it..." he said, putting a flipper on the one that was rubbing the chest.
"It's fine..." Skipper insisted. The leader seriously didn't want to live up to his new title as BURDEN. He was showing his hesitancy in letting anyone help him.
"Skipper... let me see." Kowalski stared at him.
"Please just...I don't need help." The leader looked away from them.
Kowalski tsked. "Do you want it to get worse?" The taller penguin raised a brow.
Maybe he did.
"Skipper." Kowalski said when he got no reply.
"What Kowalski..."
"Please..." The analyst pleaded.
After a moment the flipper was removed and the bruise revealed.
"Nothing serious I think." Kowalski mumbled. "Unless he managed to break your ribs..."
Private was unusually quiet standing off to the side. So was Rico.
"Private...?" Kowalski suddenly called.
"Oh? Yes K'walski?" The young one snapped out of his thoughts.
"Can you fetch me an ice pack please?"
"Of course! Um...Rico do you mind?" Private asked.
Rico coughed out an ice pack, it landing in the analyst's flippers.
"Thank you..." The analyst thanked before treating the bruise...
The leader's breath hitched slightly as the cold was placed on his chest.
"Are you okay, Skipper?" Kowalski checked.
That hurt SO much... But still he gritted his beak, biting it back. "F-fine..."
But Kowalski could tell. He lifted the ice pack and stared at him... "Skipper. No one will judge you here if you tell the truth..."
"It…hurts..." Skipper admitted, looking away.
"Thank you." Kowalski nodded then eyed his bruised body. "Rate your pain from one to ten where ten is heart-rippingly painful and one is just a pinch."
"Two." The commander lied.
"Truth, Skipper." Kowalski demanded.
"Fiiive." Skipper whined.
"Is that the TRUTH?" Kowalski put his flippers on his hips.
"It could be." Skipper shrugged.
Kowalski narrowed his eyes in a warning.
"Six? It's a six." The leader said.
The analyst raised a brow.
"Six." Skipper repeated.
"Fine." Kowalski huffed.
The leader smiled in amusement.
"Just apply the ice pack..." Kowalski instructed.
Skipper did so, wincing a bit. "Agh..."
"K'walski?" Private had a face of worry. "A-Are we ever going back to the zoo?"
"..." Kowalski sighed. "Maybe not... there's a big chance that we won't." He stared at him, slightly worried as well.
"Ey stuff?" Rico asked about their stuff.
"We'll get them back... we're going to use the tunnels." Kowalski told them. "We have one here that leads to HQ."
"Babeh?" Miss Perky too?
"Yes..." the analyst nodded.
"And my Lunacorn." Private added.
"Yes... and Skipper's mug, I know." Kowalski rolled his eyes.
"And your inventions..." Skipper added in.
"All of them." Kowalski chuckled.
The leader looked back down to move the ice pack off his feathers.
"You feeling better, Skippah?" Private smiled.
"A little...thanks young Private." Skipper smiled.
The youngest penguin nodded and sat down on one of the little bunks they had there, yawning.
Skipper smirked. "Tired?"
"Mhm..." Private nodded, rubbing his eye.
"Get some sleep, soldier."
"Aye sir." The small penguin lay down, curling up into a ball.
Rico dimmed the lights.
Kowalski sighed. The events of the day had tired him out as well. But he couldn't doze off... not as long as Skipper wasn't well yet...
The weapons expert passed out on the floor with a snore.
The leader laughed a bit, then saw the analyst's tired eyes. "You know you can go to sleep, Kowalski."
"No thank you sir..." Kowalski waved a fin and shook his head. "Not until I'm sure you're okay."
The leader yawned...
"Hmhm... tired?" Kowalski smirked.
"Yes...I am. Aren't we all?"
"Then sleep. I'll treat your chest while you're asleep..."
"You were a part of this long day too. You need to rest more than I do." The leader insisted.
Kowalski shook his head. "I refuse to rest as long as you're injured, Skipper..."
And…they were arguing again… Skipper sighed. "Kowalski it was just a punch!"
"From a gorilla!" Kowalski exclaimed.
"I'm glad YOU didn't take it. Would have been worse..." The leader said in dismay.
"Well I SHOULD have taken it... it was meant for me anyway..." Kowalski argued back.
Skipper shrugged. "You didn't deserve it."
"I nearly hit a girl!"
Skipper scoffed. "It wasn't a girl it was Marlene..."
Kowalski grunted.
"Which is like barely a girl..." Skipper added on.
"But she's still a girl. And I almost hit her..." Kowalski looked down with a sigh. "I DESERVED that hit."
"I deserved it more." Skipper crossed his flippers.
"You never deserved anything." The analyst told him.
Their loud voices caused the private to stir in his sleep.
Kowalski ducked slightly, silencing.
Private let out a whimper and troubled sound when his empty flippers tried to hug something that wasn't there.
Rico too grunted when his flippers weren't around curvy plastic hips.
Kowalski put a troubled flipper on his beak. "Oh dear... we have to fetch Miss Perky and Private's Lunacorn..."
"Kowalski they need to go back to the zoo." The leader whispered solemnly.
"What!? Why? It's horrible there!" Appalled, Kowalski nearly forgot to whisper and speak quietly.
"They didn't do anything wrong. This is our battle not theirs... They don't know what it's like to be outcasts..." Skipper sighed. "And they shouldn't have to..."
Kowalski suddenly felt guilty. "Maybe…maybe you're right..."
The leader looked down also in sadness.
"But we can't stay there..." Kowalski noted.
Skipper shook his head that that was correct.
Kowalski sighed, troubled.
"It's for the best Kowalski..." The leader tried to cheer him up the slightest. They were doing the right thing…
Kowalski nodded. "I guess... should we wake them up?"
"They should at least have one more night with us around don't you think?" Skipper said with sadness.
Kowalski stared at the sleeping penguins in silence.
Skipper went on. "They don't deserve any of this...and we have to do what's right."
"Aye sir..." Kowalski sniffed, not being able to imagine being without Rico or Private.
"When they wake up they'll be in HQ..." Skipper said. "And before they wake up we'll be gone..."
"Gone?" the analyst questioned his leader's choice of words.
"Gone..." Skipper repeated.
Kowalski looked left and right, puzzled. "What...what do you mean?"
"Actually I was just trying to be ominous." Skipper shrugged. "We'll still be in this back-up HQ but we'll just lock them out or something. Make them think we high-tailed it out of town..."
"I see..." Kowalski was looking down at the dusty floor.
"Or if you had some other options..."
"Nono... it sounds fine. It's just…"
"Just what?"
"Just the thought of not being around Rico or Private it-"
"I know." Skipper understood.
"Hm…" Kowalski's eyes continued to scan dust particles around their new home…minus Rico and Private soon.
Skipper got up to put the weapons expert in a bunk after wiping it down a bit. It seemed better for them instead of being on the floor.
"When will we carry out the plan, Skipper?" Kowalski asked. "Wiping Blowhole's mind? …Again."
The leader successfully had Rico halfway into his flippers, starting to drag him. "Don't know..."
"..." Kowalski tapped his beak, thinking.
Skipper dragged the scarred penguin with a little bit of difficulty, desperately trying not to show it.
"Skipper stop." Kowalski warned. "Let me help..."
Skipper stopped with a sigh and let the scientist take Rico's legs.
Kowalski carried most of the weight for Skipper... "Should we bring them to HQ NOW, sir? And…l-leave them behind?"
"Not now..." he replied.
"Th-then when?" Kowalski feared the answer. He NEVER wanted to leave them behind but they had to…w-when…
Skipper gave a hard sigh. "When it'll hurt the least to walk away..."
~FIN~