Skipper sat down with Marlene in the central chamber at the work table. "Marlene, I need to tell you about my past operations, how I came to know Dr. Blowhole and made this team." She sat quietly and expectantly, respectfully listening. "It started years ago, I was on a mission to infiltrate a terrorist cell headed by blowhole. My name wasn't even Skipper back then, before I was known as Salvador Fisher, I was just another soldier then, but I was the best there was…

On another mission I had run into some trouble in Iceland when Blowhole tried to purchase some unknown weapons, though they were stolen…

We stood on a windswept ice shelf in the middle of nowhere an abandoned hovercraft lay next to stacks of high security crates.

"Sal, you and Johnson need to get into that compound, leave the crates, right now our objective is what's in the compound." I didn't like it, I thought that we should find out what's inside or wait for the pick up team, but orders were orders. I slid on my belly through the tunnels turning on my infrared goggles. I spotted a lone guard, a badger, and snuck up quietly, I grabbed him from behind and put my knife to his neck, a Maxam 2.5 in. folding knife, perfect size for me. "What is going on? Did Blowhole send you?" he asked frightened.

"Yes he did. Now, what's in those crates outside."

"I don't know, I was just left here to keep watch." I knocked him out and moved on, across the tunnel was a short wall of ice I signaled to Johnson and helped him up, then he lent me a flipper to haul me up. We got up to a small catwalk over the main tunnel and took it to the large cavern that was the entrance to the complex. Suddenly Lambert came over the radio. "Sal, Hisham get back to those crates NOW!"

"I told you we should've been guarding them in the first place!"

"Don't push it Fisher!"

We went back the way we came as fast as we could only to see the crates being carried away by a small aircraft, two leapord seals stood out side the cave mouth. "Lambert, the crates are gone, but they left two goons behind."

"I want them captured for interrogation, use what ever you can, but I don't want them hurt."

I pulled out the small tazer round launcher issued to me and aimed both shots dead center on their backs, the large amount of fat conducted the electricity well and the seals were knocked out instantly. Johnson and I headed back up the tunnel. In the large cave I targeted the two remaining gaurds and knocked them out with another set of tazer rounds. Johnson threw me over the gate in the tunnel and took another route inside, I climbed along some utility pipes, upwards into the facility. Once inside I crept throught the rooms making my way to the vault, I saw a large smelting pool and wondered what it could possibly be for. As I entered the offices, looking just like a human facility, I saw Blowhole speaking with a walrus. I used the laser mic to listen in.

"Do you not have the devices that I requested?" Blow hole asked.

"Y-yes, well…We did." The walrus was looking fearful.

"Did? You mean to say that you don't anymore?"

"Please sir, look over the schematics while we sort this out."

"I have no use for schematics, I require the actual device!"

The walrus gave a short reply and left. Blowhole got onto a radio; "Moss, it seems these people have been burgled, I expect to be ready to leave immediately." As he left I took this opportunity to sneak past a dozing guard and wirelessly hack the computer that Blowhole had been looking at. I retrieved the schematics and sent them back to Lambert.

"Jesus Christ! It's a red mercury device, capable of creating a small nuclear explosion in the right applications, Sal I need you to find more info on this." I progressed through the hall next me and headed up a set of stairs to another level. I came out in a control room of sorts. i was progressing through the boiler area attaching some explosives to key points to destroy the facility. Lambert came over the com again, he sounded frantic. "Sal, get out of there! We've got enough, just go!"

"Hold on! I'm not going anywhere, we've got to finish the mission."

"I'm with you Sal, I don't go if you don't." Johnson piped over the radio.

"Damn it Fisher, I've got another team coming in, their objective is to destroy this place, you have to leave NOW!"

"Fine. I'm on my way out."

I got out as fast as I could, cutting through the loading bay and out onto the ice shelf to find a transport waiting. On the way out they told me that my sister had died. A runaway popcorn cart had hit her when she was being moved to a new habitat. It affected me so much that I could hardly concentrate on my work.

***

'Lambert, can you read me?' I asked, into the sub dermal mic and receiver set that was implanted into my head near my ear.

"Yes, loud and clear Sal." Lambert was an older sheep from the petting zoo in the NYC zoo. "You have to get in with Blowhole, your way in is to tag along with a field agent, gain his trust and get him to let you in. Jamie is your best bet…

After I was introduced to Jamie in the Zoo he and I hit it off, within three weeks we orchestrated an escape and got out to New Orleans, the base of opperations for the Blowhole op., I had to be careful, this was going to be touchy, NYZ had their doubts already but the BSA was utterly suspicious at first, it took some careful planning to get in good with the BSA and keep NYZ satisfied. My first mission was tough, but I think I pulled it off well enough…

* * *

I was in the quarantine with Jamie, we'd both gotten transfers. It was standard procedure to make sure that we had no diseases. Over the weeks we were able to escape from our cages and acquire necessary supplies for our escape from the Houston zoo. This night we were aiming for another walkie from the guard shack. I climbed down from the roof of the quarantine by the gutter drain. When I reached the bottom I stuck to the shadows as I headed towards the main zoo area. It was exceptionally beautiful at night the reflecting pool looked brilliant, too bad I couldn't stay and admire it for a while. When I reached the guard shack by the main gate I slipped inside and took a walkie from the tray, they had at least three trays of fourteen radios. Suddenly Jamie came on as I was nearing the big cats.

"Sal, they're gonna be doing their rounds soon, you've got to get back to your cage, hurry up. Less than five minutes." I hightailed it back as fast as I could, I cut through the exhibits with low fences such as the wombats, antelope and giraffes. I came up to the building and slipped inside after one of the guards. I cut it pretty close, getting into my cage just fifteen seconds before they got to the room that held mine and Jamie's cages.

Days later we were set into an exhibit with at least thirty or more penguins. Jamie was sitting atop one of the faux boulders relaxing when a large penguin came stomping over. "Hey Jamie, looks like you could use a spotter, too bad you only got me." He pressed another faux boulder down with all his weight onto the rock, trying to crush Jamie. I saw what was happening and walked over coolly, despite my nervousness.

"Go ahead and Kill me." Jamie was brave, but a little dense when it came to negotiation.

"Let him go." I commanded.

"Stay outta this Fisher, you'll get your turn," He gave another hard push. "There's more than enough beatings to go around." I grabbed him around the neck from behind and had his ready to knock out or snap his neck, one of the zoo employees noticed and was running in with a catchpole. If I let him go he would just get us later, I needed Jamie safe, so I did what I had to…

We were tranquilized for transportation, were set to be put to sleep, another set of agents, Manfredi and Johnson, were assigned to provide an escape by the tigers as a diversion. We woke up in the outlying building also used for quarantine. We escaped quickly enough, the employees left us to deal with the tigers and panicking people.

I got Jamie as far as the reptile house before we got separated. A few crazies escaped from the baboon pen as well and locked him in the aquarium with the spider crabs, I've never seen anything so scary. It took a few minutes to get through the zoo without being noticed to get to the tank. I pulled the hatch off and jumped in. I swam down to the bottom and picked up a rock. I saw Jamie trying to get away, these crabs are known to be found at 12 feet wide, so large they have been seen eating divers, these were no exception. I dropped the rock dead centre on the crab nearest Jamie, it distracted it and the others long enough for us to get out of the tank.

"Thanks Sal, I thought I was a goner." He huffed pulling himself up the stairs. We headed to the duck pond, across it was a chain link fence on the other side of which was a vacant lot in downtown Houston. "No problem, what are friends for." We dove in and made our break for freedom. Once on he outside Jamie looked over at me, this was it, he was going to offer me a way in. "Sal, I think you've got what it takes to get in with us. Of course I'll have to see if Blowhole will take you but I think you've got a shot."

"Thanks, let's get moving though. Someone is sure o notice us."

"Right, next stop…" Jamie hauled himself onto a moped a negligent owner left un attended. "New Orleans, the base of operations for the BSA.

Jamie and I arrived at a non descript complex, it was labeled as a shipping station, the perfect place from which to sell arms and receive various supplies. Blowhole didn't look like he trusted me, he paced back and forth in a special aparatus that allowed him to walk on land. "Normally," he said in a thick south accent. "I wouldn't think of recruiting you, but after hearing Jamie's account of your escape, and seeing the footage my self, I have to say that I think you would be a valuable member of our…organization." That was it, I was in. Now, the only thing I had to do was keep up a good cover. I knew it would be hard, but I didn't know exactly ihow/i hard it would be.

We were in Denmark, a cruise ship was coming in to harbor and I was on it with another operative in Blowhole's crew, We were to plant a bomb and detonate it when the ship came in. I did all I could to keep up my cover but when it came to the detonation, I couldn't do it. No matter what I couldn't harm innocent people. So I made it look like a malfunction. We were tortured and interrogated, but I didn't spill a word."

"So, you didn't do it. But what about the grudge the danes hold against you?"

"Well, that came later"

Blowhole wanted to attack NYC, I couldn't let that happen...