A Blue Christmas Riot
Its the season of giving and Team Skipper is hard at work getting HQ into its best. They are working extra hard because Team Eva is going to spend Christmas with them this year. Kowalski is the most giddy out of them. This amuses the others as it was something other then some tech gizmo that was the culprit this time. The thought of Silver seemed to cause his heart to skip beats. Whenever Rico gets the chance he get him with a round of 'Koko And Sil Sil Swimming In The Sea'.
This annoys Kowalski a bit until he gets him and the others [who found it funny] with a round of 'Team Skipper and Team Eva Swimming In The Sea'.
Skipper: Touche my friend! [grins]
Private laughs softly. This would be a Christmas to remember, but a nagging thought comes to the back of his mind: Cupid The Reindeer.
Skipper: Something wrong Young Private?
Private: I like Cupid, but I also like Cory. What do I do Skipper?
Skipper: Uh- [pauses, thinking]
Suddenly Julian busts in: Someone needs love advice?!
Rico: EGGNOG!
He holds up the carton.
Rico: WA Ned nor? [Can I chug?]
Skipper: Affirmative Rico!
Skipper turns to Julian: I can handle this Ring tail.
Kowalski is digging in his lab looking for more decorations and comes across mistletoe. He gets the happy kind of jittery and shakes a bit with excitement.
Kowalski: [high pitched voice] Oh this is sweet!
He walks back out to see Skipper arguing with Julian on what type of advice to give Private about his lady friends. He thinks it best not to interfere and hangs up the mistletoe. Then he gets into a practice Eggnog chugging contest with Rico.
Rico and Kowalski enjoy the remaining eggnog, then head out to go get much more.
Private gets in between the fighting duo: Guys! Both give me advice and I'll follow what I think will work bets for me. Alright?
Julian: [mumbles] Just as long as its DA Kings.
Skipper: OK sounds fair.
Private: OK Skipper, you first then.
Skipper: [thinks a moment] I say go with a gut and heart combo. Its always worked for you before.
Private grins and turns to Julian for his take on the situation.
Julian: It be like a long time ago, you be DA trusting the one you know best. If it be DA Cory girl then talk it out with her, it be with the other girl talk with her.
Skipper and Private blink at him. They didn't see such sound advice coming from him!
Private: Thanks Julian. I think I'm going to combine both these for the best results.
They both grin at him.
Skipper: Where did that come from Ring tail?
Julian: Ye oldie Madagascar secret. [grins]
Skipper and Private sweat drop.
Julian: OK me watch the moving box and saw something like this on and watched. It be DA better den DA German folk music
The penguins laughed.
Private: That's very true. [grins]
Skipper: [amused head shake] Careful though Ring tail day time TV can be addicting.
Julian: That explains a lot.
He points over at Mort who seems oddly spellbound by a soap opera of some kind.
Skipper: Oh chocolate covered gingerbread men!
He runs over and quickly turns off the TV.
Mort: Awe!
Skipper: You know how I feel about those! Way to to many cliff hangers! [looking a bit hysterical] Even more then comic books! Its maddening I tell you!
Julian: Do I want to know Cute One?
Private: He got addicted to soap operas and is still recovering. It got so bad he could practically write them himself then suddenly a twist would throw it all out of whack. He gone two weeks now cold turkey. Hes still a bit twitchy though.
Julian nods before slowly backing out: I think Sky would be DA scared by him.
Then he leaves, running for his life. Mort skips home after the other two get back and after Rico gets him jacked up on eggnog. The hear Julian shouting: 'Not the eggnog breath!' The Team laughs.
Rico grinned as Kowalski and him spiked the eggnog. It wasn't anything to strong, Mort would sleep it off, maybe sleep late. He would be fine in the morning, but for now he would drive Julian even more nuts.
Skipper: Ah, new Christmas cheer blend for this year huh boys? [grins]
Kowalski: [snorts] You have a keen eye Skipper! And yes.
Rico: Em r-termly s-wick d ts year! [Extremely spiked this year!]
Skipper blinks.
Kowalski: Not Morts, we were just testing a light version of the mix. Ours will be stronger.
Skipper: Was just checking.
The two shrug understanding. After that and a cool 'Happy Christmas, sorry I cant make it this year!' call from Privates uncle the boys finish the decorating of HQ. They go topside to help with the rest of the zoo now that its after closing.
Rico spits with deadly accuracy, the hooks to put the lights on while Kowalski swings around on them putting them on. They get the entire zoo outer wall. Then they get nuts with Snowmen. Each zoo resident makes one and each takes after its creator somehow: Ricos has a Mohawk and sunglasses, Marlenes is holding a Spanish guitar made out of a log, Masons looks to be drinking tea, Joeys looks angry for no reason, Julians is on a throne, Skippers looks like a well decorated war hero, Privates has a Luna-corns around it, Morts has big eyes and Kowalskis has an abacus and the list goes on.
Private lightly hums a song and then it turns to words. One by one the Zoosters stop and listen and one by one they join Private:
I'm gonna make a change,
For once in my life
It's gonna feel real good,
Gonna make a difference
Gonna make it right...
As I, turn up the collar on
My favorite winter coat
This wind is blow-in' my mind
I see the kids in the street,
With not enough to eat
Who am I, to be blind?
Pretending not to see their need
A summer's disregard,
A broken bottle top
And a one man's soul
They follow each other on
The wind you know
'Cause they got nowhere to go
That's why I want you to know
I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change
(Na na na, na na na, na na, na nah)
I've been a victim of
A selfish kind of love
It's time that I realize
There are some with no home,
Not a nickel to loan
Could it be really me,
Pretending that they're not alone?
A willow deeply scarred,
Somebody's broken heart
And a washed-out dream
(A washed-out dream)
They follow the pattern of
The wind, you see
Cause they got no place to be
That's why I'm starting with me
I'm starting with the man in the mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Ooh!)
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change
I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make that...
Change!
I'm starting with the man in the mirror,
(Oh yeah!)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Better change!)
No message could have been any clearer
(If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make the change
You gotta get it right, while you got the time
'Cause if you close your heart
Then you close your...)
Mind!
Starting with the man in the mirror
(Oh yeah!)
I'm asking him to change
(Better change!)
No message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change
Na na na, na na na, na na, na nah
(Oh yeah!)
Na na na, na na na, na na, na nah
I'm gonna make a change
For once in my life
I'm gonna make a change
For once in my life...
The Song stays soft through out the entire thing. The songs ends and there's a pause.
Skipper: Interesting choice of song. [grins]
Private: [shrugs grinning] It just came to me. Its a true song though.
The others nod.
Private then waddled off looking for something. He found it, the star that went on top of their Christmas Tree in the middle of Central Park.
Private: Now this isn't where I hid you! I hid you by the lake last year. Hm.
They watched him from three shadowy bushes as he shrugged and started to head back to the others. They wait until hes right over their net trap and activate it. Just in time he flips out of it then the masked attackers engage the lone Private. He knocks down the medium sized one with a swift round house. Then he throws the tree topper like a shrunken [Japanese throwing star]. It makes one dive out of the way then bounces off a tree and hits a third one. It isn't sharp so there is no real harm done, but it knocks the wind out of the assailant. The last one tackles him.
Private: [grins at captor] Hey Cory, you and the girls are early! How goes it?
Cory: [pulls off ninja mask] It goes well!
Sky: Wow, your training has really paid off Private!
Eva: [voice now returned] Skipper and the boys must be proud!
Private nods as the other girls remove their masks and Cory gets off then pulls him to his feet.
Silver is perched on the log she landed on after Privates kick watching silently with cloudy eyes. An accident during a mission. She pushed Cory out of the way and got a weak acid in her eyes which left her temporally half blind. She could only see blurs. She slowly made her was over to the youngest member of the male team. His voice told her it wasn't Cory in front of her.
Private gives her a close look: That explains how I got that round house in!
Silver: It was a good strong kick though. Good job.
Private: Thanks!
They hug each other. She holds he shoulder to guide her as they head back to the zoo.
Silver: Do you think Kowalski could help with this?
Private: Sure and if not we can pretend your Rico and have the vet take care of you.
Silver: OK.
They made their way slowly more or less, for Silver as the cold only made her vision worse. They got their just as The Zoosters finished the army of mismatched snowmen.
Skipper: Hey Team Eva, your early! Nice! Silver you OK?!
Her blank gaze shifted to stare in his.
Silver: Mission mishap.
Skipper: Don't worry we will fix it.
Silver: Of that I have no doubt.
She blinks now as the cold was aggravating her gaze even more.
Cory: It was so bad that she couldn't see at all for the first three days . . .
She closed her eyes, it would help for a while.
Private: Oh dear! Lets head for HQ.
Skipper: Yeah pronto.
The penguins move out at once, Skipper telling the other two why the needed to head there on the way. Private helps Silver down into HQ where it was warmer so it was better for her to open her eyes. Kowalski gave her a quick hug then hurried into his lab to get the remedy that he had made for himself for lab mishaps. Rico helped his twin to the table where she sat down.
Skipper: So besides the blinding of your demolitions expert, hows it going.
Eva: Its all good besides that.
Kowalski runs back into the main room from his laboratory: I found it! Its eye drops, to warn you Sil, they are a bit tingly.
Rico helped her to lean back then Kowalski puts in the eye drops. She blinked after Kowalski was done. Her sight was black, white and blurry, but after a couple of minutes she had the color back. Then everything was even more distorted to the point where almost everything was unrecognizable.
Kowalski: Depending on what the contaminate is it may take a while with extra wonky vision, but this stuff works. If it didn't I'd be completely blind right now and would be sad that I couldn't see your loveliness.
He blushes as he didn't really mean to say that last bit out loud, at least not with the boys around.
Silver: Your so sweet Kowalski.
A light blush was across Silvers cheeks, but her black feathers hid it. The only thing silver was her belly. The rest of the feathers were the black dipped in deep midnight blue. It was only the tips though.
By dinner time her vision was mostly back, it was a bit fuzzy around the edges, like a flash back during a TV show. Silver watched silently at Ricos cutting skills as he made the sushi. Though she wasn't hungry. In fact as of lately she hasn't been eating breakfast or dinner.
She had to force food down to keep her strength up. She did what she had to do though and didn't complain, but she did wonder why. Her last check up had been clear. Though one test hadn't come back before they had to go. If they hadn't gone and arrived early in NYC they wouldn't have gotten there at all. The predicted heavy snow storm starts outside with fierce wind. Thankfully the decorations were safely hooked to the walls and in place so they were fine.
Eva: Sweet! Premo sledding in the morn!
Everyone grinned thinking the same thing: 'I'm so going to impress my crush!' Then they all looked at each other and asked: 'What are you thinking about?'
After dinner Silver is listening to her iPod after she coughed it up. Kowalski comes over and dose a quick eye exam to make sure there were no issues. Shes fine.
Skipper: [playing] Clever excuse to get close to your lady friend.
Kowalski grins as Sky then trips his commander so when she caught him it looked like she was dipping him during a dance. Skipper went a bit red faced.
Kowalski: [sits with giggling Silver] No smart remark goes unpunished. [grins]
Skipper and Sky: Indeed not!
Skippers blushing gets worse as dose the good natured giggling. Silver only has one ear bud in so she gives the other to Kowalski and Played This Means War. They grinned as the title fit the good nature kind they liked. Then To Get High plays and Silver smiles while listening to it.
Kowalski seems to kind of zone out. He wasn't really paying attention to the song. He just liked to be close to Silver. Rico suddenly popping up saying: 'Awe!' And adding them to a Christmas sketch of them all made them jump & laugh. Rico grinned. Later they had eggnog and listened to some funny Christmas songs like The Twelve Pains Of Christmas. Silver and Rico were listening to Silvers iPod while enjoying eggnog. She laughs when the Shrek version of the Twelve Days Of Christmas started.
Silver: Oh your good Bro! [grins]
Rico: Yupper-doodle! [giggles]
That song wasn't on the device before they got there. She changes the song to a different one on the iPod. Rico raspberries at her. She only did it to annoy him. She laughs. Later it was lights out.
Silver curls beside Kowalski, Cory beside Private, Eva beside Rico and Sky beside Skipper. Boys on the out side closer to the opening of the bunks. During the night it stops storming and Silver silently climbed up the latter and soon was sitting on the bell tower looking over the snow glistening land known as Central Park. Slowly the others come up to do the same, it was a tradition since Manfredi and Johnson for everyone to look over the surrounds after the first storm. Only Silver and Cory didn't know until just now.
Silver looked at them before turning away. It was her first Christmas pretty much. Blowhole never let her celebrate anything, even when she was drop dead sick or severely injured she wasn't allowed to stop training. She really didn't even know her own birthday anymore.
Skipper gets nudged by Rico to say something to Silver he could tell that she was having bad thoughts. Skipper may not think himself good with words, but he was better then Rico in his mind.
Skipper: Put those bad thought out of your mind lady soldier! Pronto! [Silver snaps around] We will do our best to make sure that your first Christmas will be your best.
Silver grinned as the others smiled at her with a small salute. She nods as she stands up.
Silver: Then I propose an awesome sledding contest, boys vs girls, on the double Skipper!
Everyone nods looking as excited as she felt. They head off. Skipper and Silver pull very far ahead of the others. When they come into a sharp turn Silver couldn't turn fast enough and ends up head first in a big snowbank and all that can be seen is her feet wiggling with her tail feathers. She would have been laughing with the others as they pull her out, but she had to hold her breath for a moment. Once free she burst out like the others.
Skipper: And Silver is the victor as her crash was funnier then mine as I just had a boring topple off my sled. They laugh as Silver bows with dramatic flare.
Silver: I like the applause, but I'd rather you throw fish!
They head back laughing as they all were getting a bit peckish. They weren't aware they were being watched by an enemy. Said enemy was glad that they were all together, now the plan could get underway.
Silver shakes herself and the rest of the snow flew off her feathers. Rico winks at her and uses it, the flying snow, as an excuse to start a snowball fight by nailing Private, Silver laughs. They all throw snow at each other until they get back. They all look like waddling snowmen, kinda like Frosty The Snowman. Silver shakes herself off and everyone does also before leaping into HQ to relax. Skipper puts on his yule log DVD to help make the already calm atmosphere more homey. Everyone grins at that.
Kowalski: Someone has Christmas-itis again. [grins]
Skipper: And the best part is that it was viral and I've infected you all! [mock evil laugh]
Silver rolls her eyes and listens the her iPod again. Its Here Without You by Three Doors Down this time. Everyone warms up and starts doing their own things: Silver remains where she is, Cory and Private sit in a corner wrapping some gifts, Rico is singing funny Christmas songs in his opera voice, Kowalski is working on finishing some gifts with Skippers help and Eva and Sky start making some premo Christmas sweets.
Silver would help with the sweets, but she wasn't sure if they could stand her type. During Christmas if she was allowed two hours to cook, holy cow she would spike them so much one could put someone in a coma for a week. She once tried to escape from Blowhole with her "Sweets Of Doom", but he didn't like sweets much so it didn't work. It was almost dinner time again when suddenly the TV starts to act wonky. Skipper heard it and comes out of the lab with Kowalski. The others gather around.
Skipper: If that's Hans again I'm so going to ship him to Denmark in a stink bomb filled crate.
He hit the button on the remote that would start the chat with the mystery caller. They all jumped when it turns out to be Santa Clause!
Skipper: Big Red himself! Nice!
Team Eva: Sweet chocolate covered cranberries! You know him?!
Silver blinked in shock, but didn't say anything.
Skipper grins at them: We know a lot of people. [turns to TV] So Father Christmas whats new?
Santa: Your not going to believe this, but my whole reindeer team and their alternates are sick!
All penguins: Say what?!
Santa: Yes they can barely move. I need your help if Christmas will come this year.
Eva: Define help.
Skipper: Sky.
Sky gives Eva a Skipper smack, the penguins all snort while Santa rolls his eyes.
Kowalski: Do you want me to make some robot reindeer for you?
Santa: You cane build stuff like that?! Wow! But no the sparkly stuff wont work on something that is not living. Your going to have to be the reindeer.
Skipper: There's a twist and a half!
Silver stares at Santa hoping he would recognize her. Before Blowhole sent her to kill him. She almost did when the thought of all the kids filled with sadness crossed her mind. Before then she could kill with out a problem, but something said this was wrong so she said he was dead when in truth he wasn't. This was after the time when he kidnapped him and built The Ring Of Fire Super Cannon and tried to lure Team Skipper to their doom. It was a very down low kind of plan with Silver, then called Agent S, that's why he didn't call Skipper to gloat after she told him 'Mission Accomplished'. He wanted them to find out on Christmas that year. In his mind it was worse that way. Kind of like an evil version of The Grinch. It was one of the last missions he sent her one before she met back up with Rico.
Santa finely looked from Skipper to the others and spotted the girls team: Glad to see you made proper friends Silver.
Everyone blinks and turned to her for an explanation while she shuffled her talon-ed feet and ruffled her UN-shed-able feathers all from Blowhole. They all knew she was a bit mutated because the deranged dolphin had done experiments on her. They weren't bothered by that at all.
Silver: Blowhole wanted me to eighty six him on the down low. I said that I did, but well- [points at TV] We are very understanding of each other.
Private: Then he can't be the one responsible.
Cory: Maybe no one is and they will get better before the holiday.
Santa: I don't want to take any chances, that's why I called so early in the month.
Silver: What are the symptoms of the reindeer. I should be able to recognize if it is Blowhole induced.
Skipper: It is wise to make sure it isn't the dolphin.
Santa: Well, muscle stiffness that went to pain that caused them to be almost paralyzed. Always very tired, to tired to eat. I've been having to gently force feed them.
Silver: Any breathing problems? That's was the dolphins trademark when it comes to these and before you ask hes never tried this with you guys because your way to paranoid about your food.
Santa: No breathing problems.
Silver pauses to think about the illness: It isn't Blowholes illnesses. [shrugs] Everyone gets sick sometimes.
Santa: It was still a good idea to check.
Cory: So are we gonging to help Santa?
Eva: I say we should, Skipper?
Skipper was deep in thought for a moment: Yeah lets go, my gut says there's something going on.
Silver: Sweet! This will be a Christmas to remember [the crew grins] and we should help the reindeer get better besides. We have medicine down here that they don't have up there that might help.
Kowalski: OK then after a small raid on the vet station and dinner we will be on our way. You guys take care of the raid while I make my version of the sparkly stuff.
Skipper: [nods] We will be there early afternoon tomorrow Big Man!
Santa: Thank you.
He leaves and Silver stares at the now off TV for a heartbeat more before plugging in her ear buds lost in thoughts and memories of former missions where she ended the target. Rico gives her a comforting pat and look that speaks volumes, as dose the small smiles she gets from Skipper and the others. They make her feel better. Silver decided to stay and help Kowalski after dinner with the sparkly stuff while the others went on their vet station raid. They took one of each thing. Santa would decided what to give them.
Kowalski: I noticed how you were acting before and I hope you won't think I'm over stepping my bounds, but I have to say you should try to forgive yourself for the past. Especially because of the extreme conditions you were in.
Silver nods: I know Koko, its just hard sometimes you know?
Kowalski: [blushes at nickname] Yeah, but we will be there to help you don't forget.
Silver grins at him. Her grin slowly fades though as she turns her head away from him. Her heart felt like it had an ice spike in it and it chilled her to her core. That spike had gotten smaller since reuniting with her brother and becoming part of the girls team, but it was very stubborn. Kowalskis trying to help help loosened it slightly though not much. That being said it was greatly appreciated. However somehow it had also grown, hidden though it is, but it didn't show. Silver gets started her own treats. Only she could handle 10 pieces of her candy before even getting ditzy. The only good thing about being made a feathery Guinea pig, she had a high tolerance for things. Rico dose an well, but he only has half the tolerance she has. That being said its still insanely high when compared to the others, even Skipper. She could actually handle more then ten, but she acted really well. Kowalski watched her, but she shooed him away. He would get a piece later once it was done. He shrugs as he then went to finish his version of the flight dust. The others get back as both penguins finished what they were doing. Their raid on the vet station being successful.
Silver puts the candy on a plate. They are shaped like little pillows: green is mint and tastes like candy canes, red is peppermint and tastes like red hot candy, pink is cotton candy and tastes like blueberries and the last one blue is a mash up and tastes like vanilla and mango mixed together. Julian sees that one, as he followed the boys in to see what they were up to, and snatched the freshest one. Silver grins with mischief, but keeps her beak shut. Only Rico sees the grin, he knows somethings going to happen as he knows that grin quite well he has to fight the urge to rub his wings together in anticipation.
The Pink is the lightest, Blue the heaviest. Though the pink could take down one who wasn't used to the spiking in only two of them, one blue would knock you on your butt and that is what Julian had. He pops it into his mouth like he would any candy. Then center is yummy tasting liquid that Julian likes, but has no clue what it is. That liquid is liqueur, strong, expensive alcohol with a candy like taste.
Julian: This is being good candy! Who made?
Silver raised her wing. The lemur grinned at her. She knew because she is taller then Kowalski that it would take longer to affect him, which seemed all the more fun! When it starts to effect him it starts slow and he acts like a sugar high dancing Private, which is cool to watch. They laugh as he mixed up lyrics to some Christmas songs. It was made to sneak up on you. Then wham it really hits him & suddenly hes full blown drunk. His singing gets slurred so badly no one could understand the lyrics, then falls face first unable to stand up. Silver bites her wing trying not to laugh, failing badly though. The others laughed too. Julian lets out a goofy giggle then starts to snore. Then he curls into a big furry lemur ball. Private covered him with a blanket.
Skipper: Hes going to have one heck of a headache in the morning. [snorts] Man, hes going to be hating it! Good thing we are on duty for Santa in the AM, we wont have to listen to it. Maybe it will teach him to ask first and grab second.
Private started eying the candy.
Private: May I please have one?
Silver thinks for a moment before giving him part of a pink.
Silver: I don't know you resistance to alcohol and pink is the lightest I make. Two can put a lightweight out like well . . . Julian. The blue doesn't do anything for me because I'm used to it. It is the heaviest I make which can put the most heavy drinkers out cold with one and a half. So everyone be careful anyway, but especially since we have a mission in the AM.
Private gets very buzzed, but is fine. Silver is surprised that was it. Everyone just gets to that state. The older penguins would have gone farther if there they didn't have an AM mission. She only takes one blue. She could handle so much more, but the mission. Anyway they all nestled together enjoying themselves.
Sky: I'm surprised you would let Private have something like that Skipper.
Skipper: Either let him have small careful samples now or have him binge like a frat boy later.
Sky: Makes sense.
The two grinned in the two youngest penguins, they are already sleeping. The rest fell asleep as well, oddly not bothered by the ring tails snoring from the corner.
Silver is the first to wake and drags Julian back to his home at just before dawn. When she gets back Skipper has a fish coffee waiting for her. He has one of his own and is making one for the others. He wakes them when their coffee is ready for them. Cory and Private get a weak tea/coffee mix so they don't get hyper.
Silver swirls hers down with ease and washes the cup by the time most are just starting to drink theirs. She goes to do some recon before they can say anything.
Eva: She dose that sometimes don't worry about it Rico.
He has a nervous look on his face when he sees shes gone.
Skipper: I'm fine with it as long as shes back on time to leave for our mission.
She is perched on the bell tower quietly thinking: Self forgiveness, but how?
Silver sighs and stays up there until it is time to go.
Skipper: OK the teams are assembled.
Eva: Dude, your comic book geek is showing!
Skipper gave her a look as the others laughed. Then moved on.
Skipper: Alright, flight dust and happy thoughts!
They cover themselves in Kowalskis silver version of it. The girls team giggle at its tingly feeling, they weren't used to it and the guys team didn't warn them so as to not spoil it for them. Silver however doesn't float which causes the girls confusion. Happy wasn't her thing.
Private: Awe come on, you can do it Silver!
She then concentrates on how good it felt when she saw her brother for the first time, then when she was accepted by both teams. It worked! She smiles as they then take to the sky. Silver enjoys the wind through her feathers. As do the others, they start to try to impress each other with flip tricks and the like. Silver just shakes her head at them. Then to show them up she grabs Kowalski and they start to tango. Rico even hacks up a small plastic red rose for them to hold and pass to each other while dancing. Everyone cheers.
Once they finish Kowalski dips her and a gun goes off with the bullet just barely grazes her wing. She 'leaps' away with wide eyes rubbing her wing as blood pools out lightly.
Skipper: Sweet Nightmare Before Christmas Batman! [gets fast odd looks] Just make for the cloud cover teams!
There were a few more shots, but no one else takes damage. Though Rico returns fire the shooter is not identified. It was a good thing they were over the target country as they didn't have to go very far. They duck into an ice cave where Silvers wing gets tended to.
Private: Good thing Santas isn't to far from here!
Silver is breathing hard as the pain brought back an old memory, but she put it to the back of her mind and smooths her breathing. Kowalski rubbing her back helps a lot. They move out once shes calm again, Rico keeping an eye on her. They arrive late as the made some false trails to throw off any unwanted and unseen guests.
Santa: I was starting to worry about you! Oh Silver are you OK?!
Silver: All is not well in Christmas Town, someone is on the war path. Got this not long ago in transit.
Skipper: Therefore, one of us will be with you at all times and none of us are to be alone unless its mission critical!
Silver blinks at him. She didn't want a babysitter!
Skipper senses the ire in the room coming from Eva as well as Silver: Calm down girls! I'm just saying that trusted people should always be around! Being without another teammate, but with say one of the reindeer counts.
Silver: So no babysitters?
Skipper: Course not, besides if we stuck together to much it would look weird if anyone is watching, besides the rule applies to team leaders too. Of course.
Silver tries not to roll her eyes, then tries to relax a little.
Santa: I like the way Skipper thinks, but do you think I really need a body guard?
Silver: It couldn't hurt.
Santa: True, I'm OK with it.
Five minutes after this talk everyone is off helping in different ways, but Silver and Kowalski. Silver was just walking in the snow in the middle of old horrible memories. Kowalski wasn't saying anything just walking next to her. Just his presence was helpful, in some ways even better then her brothers would be.
Kowalski: Not trying to pressure you, but to let you know you can talk to me without a worry. I won't say anything to the others unless I feel I have to.
Silver: If you were certain I would do something crazy you mean?
Kowalski: Yes, but you know me and the way I think, I'm not the one to jump to conclusions fast.
Silver: I know, I understand and thanks.
Silver just lets her mind go after that trying to relax. The two take in the beautiful surrounds while holding wings. Being in the calm helps. Silver unknowingly leans on Kowalski. He grins.
Meanwhile Santa was tending to his reindeer with the help of Private.
Private walks over to Cupid, who was asleep now. She had been the first and to sick to have the talk Private needed to have, so they had just bantered a bit. He is OK with that and is glad that she is now peacefully resting. Private hugs her carefully though, she grins in her sleep as if she knows its him. Santa smiles at the two cuties. After they are done there they head for the work shop to check on Christmas preparations. They see that with Skippers help production had gone up to a fast pace with low impact on the elf workers.
Santa: Wow this will help a whole lot! Thanks Skipper.
Skipper: I do what I can.
Private: [grins] I love it when you have Christmas-itis.
Skipper snorts, but doesn't stop working: They rest of our crew are in the kitchens making lunch for everyone.
Santa: Nice, don't know if you should though.
Skipper: Is no big deal, beside we like to pull our weight.
Santa: Well alright. [smiles]
Silver is still with Kowalski. They are relaxing in the snow now.
Kowalski: [contented sigh] Feels good to be away from the city for a bit. You get that as your base is somewhere in Main.
Silver: Yupper-doodle! [grins] but I prefer to work in the wild. No one stops me. Its where I live, not the base. They call me for training and missions.
Kowalski: Ah, yeah Evas cool like that, area permitting of course.
Silver nods and watches the cold powder sparkle. When they get hungry they head back and arrive just in time. Silver feels slightly uneasy as her belly seemed to flip, but ignores it. The candy canes made with real mint they have for dessert helps settle it. Silver sucks on it without really thinking.
The days pass and they take turns doing different jobs around what they come to code name Christmas Town. Santa liked the name, found it kind of funny. Though the reindeer improved it was no where near fast enough for the big run at the end of the month.
Silver stays away from them afraid that they would try to hurt her even though they were sick. She was thinking they were still angry about her near destruction of Father Christmas. Santa assured her they wouldn't harm her even if they were, but she wasn't taking any chances. Comet, for example was still angry, while Donor was indifferent towards her. Cupid wanted to make friends with her and asks Private about it when he comes to see her. Private answers the question with: 'I will see what I can do.' He felt she was well enough for more then banter now and wants to work up to the talk he wanted to have. He finally gets the courage to speak on the subject they needed to sort out first: her, Cory and himself.
Private: Cupid, you know that I really like you and wouldn't hurt you on purpose. [gets nod] Well there's this lady penguin, Cory, I- I- I really like her too.
Cupid: So your going to go with her then?
Private: I want to talk to the both of you before I make a decision and I also want to make sure both of you understand that I would still like to be friends with whoever I don't pick because I will always care.
Cupid smiles softly: I like you as a friend and if you love her, go after her. I'm happy to be friends.
Private is so relieved that shes not hurt or angry that he almost faints. In the time where he was waiting for her to get better he had all these bad turn outs going through his head. Rico had playfully teased him by calling him a worry wart. Private had laughed though, it was kind of true. Private then goes off to help Santa with whatever he needed as it was his turn with the Big Man. Besides being with the guys or reindeer it was his favorite shift change.
Silver finds it cute and is belly sliding through the snow enjoying the freshness. Her and Rico were on break now that Private had relieved them. The twins were so happy to be together like this, as it reminds them of their days as hatchlings. They were amazed by how they had all fallen into a fun routine here.
Little do the two know that they as well as all the rest are being watching nearly every moment, including now. That being said it was not the time to strike, no. It was not the big day yet.
Silver thinks she sees blue in the snow, but when she looked again it was gone.
Sliver: Huh, that was a bit weird.
She looks up to see if it was a shadow of something, but didn't see anything. Rico bumped into her back making her stumble a bit.
Rico: Sorry!
Silver: Its OK bro. Uh, did you see something blue on the snow?
Rico shakes his head. Silvers feathers prickle, but she decides it to be out to long in bad memories.
Silver: Hey I have an idea, lets go sit in the sleigh and pretend it Christmas Eve!
Rico: Yeah! Yeah!
They belly slide away, Silver taking a quick look around first. They put the harnesses on and laugh. Rico had the old memory of the first time pulling the sleigh.
Silver: Looks good on you!
Rico grins, then they pretend to be pulling the sleigh. While doing this Rico tell her the story when they pulled the sleigh the first time. Silver gets a total kick out of it & dose a Skipper impression.
Silver: WAY TO DROP THE BALL HIPPIES!
Rico laughs: kites er happy tho. [Kids were happy though.]
Silver: Yeah I know, just felt like intimating Skipper.
Both burst out laughing. Silver is the first to stop playing after ten minutes. Its because Skipper comes out, there is a meeting that's needing attending. Rico walked ahead of them wanting a snack just before.
Skipper: So how you doing?
Silver: I'm fine.
Skipper: That's good.
Silver: Did Kowalski or Rico say something?
Skipper: No, of course not. I can just tell that your having the same problem that I once had.
Silver: Oh, your good. [grins]
Skipper inclines his head at her also grinning. He pats her on the back before they head to the meeting place. Rico had made popcorn for them to enjoy and is passing it out when they enter Santas private office. They were trying to plan out the Christmas rout and counter measures should anything go wrong.
Kowalski: Oh well aren't you two Tardy to the party [grins]
Private: Only about thirty seconds.
Kowalski grins.
Silver: You have always wanted to say that huh?
Skipper and Kowalski: You have no idea!
The penguins laugh as Santa give an amused head shake. Silver rolls her eyes at them smiling. After a very long talk they decided that they would do the biggest places first on the big day, figuring that Santa would be hard to find or get lost in the in the decorations and fake Santas that liked to walk the streets. Not to mention the charity Santas.
Santa: And with all your commando training if done. I know that your plenty fit.
Silver didn't speak at all during the entire thing, she was listening to her iPod very close to full blast with both ear buds in. Rico was listening to his headphones. Her and Rico would just use their weapons when and where they were told, should something happen. They didn't think it necessary to pay attention, after all they were just the muscle and that's the way they liked it.
Santa: Shouldn't they be paying attention?
Skipper: We'll give them the gist just before take off.
Santa: OK, as long as they have something. Makes me feel a bit better.
Kowalski: Nervous about something?
Santa: Instead of getting letters from sweet little kids today I got these weird ones.
He gives them some weird letters. Kowalski is the first to get them.
Kowalski: We can't read.
Santa: I didn't know that. Anyway the writer wants to get rid of me and has plans to do it when I least expect it. Who ever the writer is shes nuts!
Eva: How do you know its a girl?
Santa: Because the second letter has a list of so called improvements shes going to make once shes 'Mother Christmas'. There's no motive written here to explain her actions.
Kowalski is heavily in thought by now. After a minute he speaks: This has all the weirdness that The Blue Hen always brings to the party! Like when she though faking a psychic would eventually lead to becoming president.
Private: And the time she tried to get rid of Skipper by getting him to invoke P.E.L.T. so she would get to be the governess of Delaware.
Santa blinks along with the girls team, Silver hearing this part because the battery went in her Ipod. Rico heard it too because he took his earphones off when Kowalski started thinking.
She coughed up a new battery and fixed her iPod before speaking: Isn't that the one who has the hots for Kowalski?!
Rico: Yup. [shudders]
Silvers right eye twitches so fast no one saw. Next on her hit-list: Blue Hen.
They filled Santa in on her, he found her very funny. In a twisted kind of way, he found the egg moment funny in a sick sort of way. As do the others.
Kowalski went red faced: Yeah, her plopping out an egg like that came out of left filed! And I did not make that happen on purpose! [shudders]
Santa: Wow . . . just wow.
Silver didn't respond and shoved in her ear buds listing to the song This Means War on repeat.
Skipper: Her and Kowalski are an item.
Santa: Ah, got you.
Silver is wanting baked chicken about now, female and Rico fights down a comment about such.
Silver relaxes from her blood-lust however to continue to listen to her music. Which is good because she was starting to make Rico a bit nervous. She also changes the song to Crocodile Rock off of Gnome-o And Juliet.
Skipper and the elves work to tighten security around Christmas Town. Silver doesn't really pay attention to what they do as she got back into one of her brooding moods again. She just couldn't help it this time. Silver accidentally wonders around the while place, going to where the reindeer are. Cupid made sure the still angry ones didn't mess with her. Which was almost all of them. She had assumed it was only a few! Cupid actually stood up to show them that she was serious.
Cupid: She didn't hurt him! Besides she had to do extreme things as she was in an extreme situation! Now let her explain all the way through!
Silver: One of the other say that?
Cupid: Yes, it was Private, but don't be mad at him. He didn't say more then that.
Silver: OK here goes.
She then explains the the whole thing. The ones who were still angry calmed. They are now sympathetic and forgiving. While the ones who were on her side were brought to tears.
Silver: And that was just one mission and its a lighter one! Some of the things I had to do make that mission look like an episode of The Luna-corns!
Most of the reindeer flinch at the cold lack of self forgiveness in her voice.
Comet: If I ever see that dolphin again I swear I'm going to stick my antlers-
Cory: There your are Silver!
They all looked in her direction.
Silver: Hello Cory. How are you?
Cory: I'm fine, I just got relieved from Santa Guard. I was hoping that we could hang out. I wanted to talk about uh-
Cupid: If you wanted to talk about Private I'm OK with that.
Silver knew she wasn't needed so she turned and waddles out quietly.
Cory: Ah, but I wanted her help too. Shes more experienced with love as she has Kowalski.
Cupid: Love is different for each person.
Cory: Well, that makes sense, but I didn't mean to make her feel unwanted. [sad face]
Silver sighs as she looks over the snow once more. When she sees the blue again and goes after it, her gut seemed to tell her to go. She follows it to an igloo that is a strange shade of blue. She hears a splash coming from inside. Silver uses all of her stealth training to take a look. She sees a blue sub still bobbing in the water. It has a para-scope with a drill attachment for the ice. She tilts her head in curiosity and carefully, without being seen, dives into the waves following the blue para-scope down. She didn't need air when she went under water for about twenty-five to sixty minutes depending on what situation it is. A handy experiment result. Blowhole made her as close to a super soldier as was possible. Silver caught up with the sub, as it was going very slow and peeked in. She sees The Blue Hen. She could also see that the sonar was picking her up.
Silver: [thinking] Hopefully she doesn't check that anytime soon!
Silver swims up fast and pops up, skidding on the ice as she squawks trying to stay up. Then she switches to belly sliding.
Silver: Have to get back to Christmas Town and tell the others!
She changes direction, heading right for it. The Blue Hen spots her and wont let her get away. She juices the throttle and catches up to her under the ice. Blue Hen then activates a mechanical claw that is remote controlled. It drills up through the ice then grabs Silver with extreme speed and tight enough to render her out cold. Then she is loaded onto the sub. Silver wakes up sometime later in a heavily armored cell the reminds her way to much of a place that Blowhole would put her in if she did something that he saw as wrong. Just outside she hears Blue Hen talking with a voice changer. She crawls over to hear better and sees she has her water proof communicator. She tells the group that shes sorry for taking off alone against orders, but she found a lost polar bear cub and she was not going to leave it until its back with its momma in Silvers voice.
Skipper: But what about Santas run? It getting close!
Blue Hen: I'm going to try my best to get back I promise, but I cant leave this little one.
Skipper: Understood, over and out for now. Just to warn you I will be checking in.
Blue Hen: Rodger that!
They sign off for now.
Santa: Shes helping a baby polar bear. How sweet! But are you sure that we shouldn't worry about the momma?
Skipper: Shes Ricos twin, she'll be fine.
Santa looks over at Rico, who just in time sneezes and up comes his favorite chainsaw.
Santa: Point taken.
Silver is filled with horror and slightly afraid. Something told her that she might end up a slave to The Blue Hen like she was to Blowhole. This time via a control collar so she cant escape without help. She flinches when Blue Hen laughs as she tosses the communicator to the side. That's when she sees that Silver is awake.
Blue Hen: Your lucky I don't have a lab on this tub.
She indicates her neck as if she was wearing a collar, just as Silver feared. The female twin decides to see if she can either buy herself some time or get herself into The Blue Hens good graces. She wasn't going to fall under somebody's control again so easily.
Silver: [calmly] I have a question. Why do you want to be 'Mother Christmas'? I mean whats your motive?
Blue Hen: ILL be the only one who can bring Christmas to the world, meaning I will have control though the children. I will rein supreme! However I need YOU. YOU were trained as an assassin. YOU were the one known for following orders to perfection. SO I need YOU to KILL Santa so he can never be saved!
Silver has to fight hard not to laugh at the crazy bird before her as she dose her crow laugh. This bird is nuts!
Silver: Ah! Well my reputation proceeds me! I'm glad! And I'll do it without fighting you if you agree to two conditions. One: no control collar and Two: I do it my way when it comes to the penguins. It will be less messy and go much faster that way, as in both tasks. Agreed?
Silver was banking on the hope that she didn't know about her love for Kowalski. She know didn't either, a fact made obvious when she says: Leave the options guy, Kowalski, for me and we have a deal.
She reaches out her with her wing for her to shake. Silver fights her impulse to break that wing as she reaches out with her own in return.
Silver: We have an accord.
They then shake wings. Blue Hen however injects a chip into her wing which when activated would give her full control over Silver just in case, but Silver cant feel her wing. They break it and Silver rubs her wing trying to get feeling back in it as it had fallen asleep as she was laying on it while out could. Her wings were always stubborn though and sometimes take a while to wake up. The chip is designed to go active when ever she is near Santa. She would loose control and kill him. It has a sensor on it that detects color, right now its set to red his trademark. Plus the chip was focused on Santas DNA by a strand of hair. It was another fail safe, like the chip itself.
Blue Hen lets her out and shes silent again: Well since we made nice nice, lets head back to my igloo.
Silver: Sounds like a plan.
They silently head to it. Blue Hen gets her ready then sends her off to do the deed after they arrive. While getting her ready Silver asked how she wrote those letters that she saw Santa with. It was a computer program that took dictation, Alice, in her laziness, had it installed onto the zoo computer. The chickens mistake is tailing her. When Silver makes her in the city she knew they, Crew Santa, were going to first, London per Private request [begging more like] she knew that something was up. Something very bad. The Blue Hen know that she had been made and takes off as Silver was headed up a tall building.
Santa is getting ready to leave his first stop and suddenly a powerful shock wave of red goes over Silver and she smiles evilly after a minute of watching him through a window. Her gaze is blank and she uses her surroundings to make a concealed killing device. She has a set up so that when Santa walked out of his first stop, a door on top of an apartment building, a swing of spikes would impale and kill him instantly. She is watching from a perch nearby. She leans forward with sick anticipation as the door starts to open, the spikes were about to deploy. Suddenly what looks like a razor rimmed Frisbee whizzes over her head and hit the concealed trap, disabling it.
British voice: The Queen would not approve I'm afraid! [shakes wing at Silver]
Silver spins around in time to see Privates Uncle Nigel just as he fires a net trapping her, Crew Santa moves on. Silver regains control though has a clear memory of what just happened.
Silver: Who? What? How?
Nigel: Private was channeling the ghost of Christmas Future. He called me and said to keep an eye out for anything hinky. Is that even a word by the way?
Silver: Wow, so Private pulled a Skipper. I approve.
Silver is blinking now in surprise, but is filled with relief. Nigel helps her up before staring at her.
Nigel: What were you doing before?
Silver already knew who this rather dapper penguin was, Private told and showed the girls team pictures. She takes a deep breath before explaining who she is and the current situation. Then gets a bit nervous thinking she gave him a bit to much back story, but is happy that he heard her out without jumping to conclusions in the middle.
Nigel: So your the one formally known as Agent S.! [gets blinked at] Don't worry, I won't say anything.
Silver: But I don't know why I attacked and tried to kill Santa again just now!
Nigel grabs her badly still numb wing and takes a knife out of his feathers before slicing into it. He makes three gashes before pulling out the chip and smashing it as Silver pressed the bleeding wing into some snow.
Silver: How did you-?
Nigel: I'm no stranger to that Blue Hen. I'm familiar with her tricks.
He then pulls a small first aid kit out of his feathers, it had been right next to the knife, then bandages her wing. As he was doing this he saw that she looked angry, not at him of course, at herself.
After he let her wing go:
Silver: How could I let this happen again?!
She is beating herself up for it.
Nigel: [soothing type voice] Calm down, don't do that now. Having something happen and letting it happen are two different things. Its OK as this was stopped. Also you should learn self forgiveness.
Silver: Again that issues crops up! And how did you know?!
Nigel: I'm a secret agent. I've done things I'm not proud of, been tricked more then once into doing the wrong thing. Not all of them did I manage to fix either.
Silver blinks at him as he gets a sad face.
Nigel: Sure, its hard. Most likely harder to forgive ones self then others in some cases, but it can be done.
Silver: You have been in the game longer then Skipper right?
He nods. Silver sighs softly and Nigel hugs her before they head off to kick Blue Hens butt and roast her for the starving.
Meanwhile Crew Santa was having a good night, except when they had to play elf. As in help Santa out during a delivery. Like at one place they had to hog tie a bunch of dogs so that they wouldn't bite him. This person was a high end London breeder. A toy poodle ended up getting Rico right before take off. He got to take a break while putting a emergency ice pack on his tail feather region.
Private: The little brute most be related to Mr. Chew somehow! Daft canine was relentless!
Rico: Uh huh, Ow!
The Blue Hen carefully follows the others now, upset when Silver failed again. The same dog got her so badly that she flew lopsided. She uses her ways of calculation to determine where they would go next. Once she figures it out she heads to Hyde Park to set trap for them.
They, Crew Santa, take a break by riding on the giant Ferris wheel. Skipper has his wings crossed as he stares out the side.
Sky: I cant believe that you almost made us take out Big Ben!
Skipper: Oh come on! That clock tower came out of nowhere! [blushes]
Santa: Whatever you have to say to make yourself feel better Skipper. [grins] I myself nearly took out the Effile Tower one year. [the penguins snort] OK now lets get going, we have to hit the palace so we can make it passed Hyde Park [short pause] and so Kowalski can get a picture of it with Smart Phone.
The penguins then look at him to see that he was giving Santa Private worthy doe eyes. They try not to laugh and take off again falling into the trap with ease. It was a giant motion activated, electrified butterfly net type thing that Superman wouldn't have seen coming let alone Santa. They yelp and end up crash landing after being electrocuted, there's lots of random screaming.
Blue Hen: Well Marry Christmas to me!
She glares at Santa before eying Kowalski.
Blue Hen: Hello Kowalski. Thought about my offer to join me so we can rule together?
Kowalski: [glares] You and I getting together is as likely as-
Eva: Him and Doris getting together.
Skipper: Yeah! Ain't gonna happen!
Kowalski: [awkward face] I was going to say Blowhole or maybe Skipper and Marlene hooking up, but that works too.
Santa: [thinking] I don't want to know.
Blue Hen rolls her eyes: Soon you will see things my way.
Kowalski: That will be the day. [snorts]
Cory: Not that I believe you, but why do you seem so confident?! [scared voice crack]
The Blue Hen then dose her crow laugh. Santa actually flinched as he finds it so annoying.
Blue Hen: I got something that should be familiar to Silver.
From her feathers she twirls a control collar and holds it.
Blue Hen: Got this from Blowhole! It puts anyone under my control and only I or he knows the password to defuse it. I'm sure you all know who this is for & who will be destroying the rest of you?
Kowalskis eyes get big: Keep that thing away from me!
Blue Hen: But Kowalski, your my Christmas present that I'm giving myself. I have to wrap you somehow!
She starts to come closer while opening the control collar. Kowalski tries to get out of her reach and the others try to help him, but there wasn't much room to move. She almost has him when suddenly Santas arm shoots out of nowhere, protecting the tall penguin. To fast to react it closes shut around his arm before going active.
Blue Hen: Well look at that! I'm Mother Christmas without any blood shed!
She pulls out another with ease grinning evilly.
Kowalski: Sweet sugar plums!
Santa pushes the others away because of a signal from The Blue Hen. Then he holds Kowalski still, though hes still squirming.
Silver and Nigel FINALLY make it using flight dust that was left over. They come across and Silver instantly recognized it. She knew the commands to override them as she had followed and spied on Red One on more then one occasion. It was something she did when she was board.
Blue Hen: You? Both of you?!
Private: Uncle Nigel!
Eva: Nice entrance!
Skipper: [makes face] Your late!
Everyone outside of then net: mock death!
Rico: [looks at Skipper] Really?!
Silver rolled her eyes: [shouting] COLLAR ONE CODE 000010 VOICE COMMAND 1425!
Collar: Voice command recognized welcome Agent S.
Silver: Release and deactivate permanently.
Collar: Code required.
Silver: 0000920 deactivate.
The collar shuts down before falling off, leaving Santa free. The other follows suit though it was not yet on anyone. Blue Hen squawks in surprise and anger: So this one is useless, except for this!
She breaks the collar she was going to put on Kowalski, making it sharp. She then throws it at the two.
Nigel: Look out!
He dives on her and yells. then he flops onto his side looking to be in pain.
Private: Oh no!
Skipper: Nigel!
Nigel: Face what your past self did with the help of our friends! Its the only way to take her down!
Silver nods, suddenly feeling determined. While Blue Hen is still loosing what little mind she has she belly slides by and cuts Crew Santa free with Nigels knife. She had been holding it for him while he applied first aide and forgot to give it back.
She then turns to the Blue Hen with the same hard and blank eyes she had whenever she was on an old mission for the dolphin.
Skipper: Cory! Private! Stay with Big Red! We don't know what else this crazy chick has hidden up those fluffy feathers of hers!
Both: Roger!
They quickly help him out of the net and move him away from the others.
Blue Hen suddenly runs for her dear life with Silver disappearing after her, slowly taunting her waiting, for the perfect time to murder her.
Everyone: blink-blink!
Skipper: The heck was that?! I was itching for a Christmas Eve Battle Royal! [crosses wings]
Eva and Sky shake their heads: Your addicted to action aren't you?
Skipper doesn't answer, he tries to look dignified.
Kowalski: Addicted or not, how anti-climatic was that?! Wow!
Rico is the first to see that Silver is gone. He wants to stop her from doing some thing crazy and alerts the others.
Silver is keeping pace with her and nearly giving her a heart attack at every turn. She rustles bushes, throws twigs and even yells things once in a while. They are near some big bushes in the middle of Hyde Park when Silver decided the jig is up and that she was going to end this chase, fun though it was. The others arrive just as Silver corners the chicken against said bushes.
Sky: Whoa! She looks scary!
Eva: Silver, Stand down! Don't do anything crazy!
Skipper: You caught her! Nice! [big grin]
The others shoot Skipper a look.
Silver: [turns slightly] Why shouldn't I? Because I am crazy! And not the good kind like Rico either.
Her feathers raise as her eyes seem hard as diamond. Even Skipper gets unnerved by her gaze. Blue Hen is cowering afraid for her life for once. Silvers gaze flickers to her and she holds up the knife smiling evilly wanting bloodshed.
Kowalski and Rico: Silver don't!
Kowalski: This won't help you! It will make it worse!
Silver: I've tried to fight it, but- This is who I am Kowalski!
Rico: [shouts] No its not!
He beat Kowalski in saying it by only a second, same as the others. Silver jumped and fully looked at them. Blue Hen uses her being distracted to her advantage, she reaches into the bush she was trapped against to pull out something that looked like a huge hammer and slammed it on Silver, instead of her getting squashed she was trapped inside.
Kowalski: Whoa! Did not see that coming!
Silver: Weirdest. Prison. Ever.
The others: What in the name of chocolate coated candy canes?
Blue Hen is gasping as her heart seems to beat painfully as Silver eyed it and saw a weak point. She began digging her talons in, five kicks later she was out and glares at her before taking a step toward her.
Blue Hen: That's the last time I buy second hand traps from a Denmark puffin.
Skipper: [laughs] Hans is your down fall?! Ha! I love it!
The rest on the team start to advance all grinning about the Hans thing.
Silver: I thought that trap looked half baked even for you!
Blue Hen huffs indigently.
Silvers eyes rolled and she sheaths the blade.
Silver: Consider yourself lucky your not roasting over a fire with the chestnuts.
She turns and walks to the sled where Nigel is. She jumps when she see that hes having midnight tea with Santa: I thought you were hurt!
Nigel: Well my wing was dislocated, that hurts.
Santa: He had a pretty good gash too, which I took care of, but nothing life threatening if that's what you mean.
Silver: So . . .
Nigel: I was trying to show you that if your friends don't care what you did then you should let the bad fade away and allow self forgiveness in, then you'd not take out the Blue Hen.
Silver: Oh wow!
Santa: So how did that go for you?
She puts her wing on her chest and felt that the ice spike in her chest was melting away fast. She turns as she hears the others arriving. The Blue Hen was currently tied up, though still making eyes at Kowalski.
Silver turned to them, but doesn't lock eyes: Don't you guys have the rest of the world to get to?
Skipper: Yes WE do. Rico got bite by a dog and we need an alternate, but besides that-
Cory: But besides that it hasn't felt right you not being with us.
Skipper made a bit of a face at being interrupted during a rare sentimental moment. The others grin, both at that and the trustfulness of the statement.
Silver: [seeing it] Oh really?
Eva: Of course! Same as back at base with you living in the woods in fact. But we respect your choice to do so still.
Silver grins, finely feeling free form the deeds of the past.
Santa: Nigels welcome too of course, or are you going to be busy dealing with her? [points at Blue Hen]
Nigel nods then stands next to Kowalski who has the tied chicken.
Silver: Trying not to offend, but I cant. At least not yet. Remember back in the base we had our tests and one of mine was incomplete? I don't know which one it is, but I think it would be done by now.
Rico: Er con rep fer ti night! [It can keep for the night!]
Private and Cory walk a bit closer with their best doe eyes.
Nigel: How can you say no to that?! Come on it will make it the best Christmas ever! Boosh! [makes cute face]
Skipper: [slight jump] You too Nigel?
Nigel: Where do you think Private got it? [rolls eyes at Skipper]
Silver: [giggles] Skippers not the only one Christmas-itis! Oh all right!
Private and Cory: Yay!
The three of them then clasp wings and go in circles laughing.
Blue Hen is so annoyed and wiggles out of the ropes and fully kisses her captor before flying away. Kowalski freaks out and start to lick things to try to clean his beak out: trees, the rope even the skids of the sled!
Everyone stares at him: Wow! [sweat drops]
Santa: Hard to tie knots when you don't have fingers.
Silver tries to sooth him, but ends up having to fully kiss him. He calms right down, though goes a bit red faced. Silver thinks it cute and feels the last of the ice spike melt away into nothing. As a joke Skipper covers Private and Corys eyes to late. The three then laugh.
Nigel: So with her getting away, my nights free!
Private: Double Yay!
Private glomps his uncle.
Private: Merry Christmas Uncle!
Eva: Photo Op! [takes picture] Crew! We have found out Christmas card!
The ones standing and Santa grin as the look at the picture at the back of the camera: Nigel flopped on his back in a pile of snow with Private hugging him, grinning.
Santa: Not to ruin the moment, but we should get moving.
They nod then don the flight dust: Silvers happy thought was this moment right now. She lifted off the snow with ease! The others are happy for it and then they head off hurrying to catch up as they had fallen behind.
Silver: This will also keep until morning, because you guys did such a good job in treating the reindeer, but-
She then gives Santa a vile with green liquid in it.
Santa: Whats this?
Silver: I found out through looking through Blue Hens stuff when she wasn't looking that the reindeer are sick because of her. That will help them get better, swiped it before we came here. We got here because she had made her own flight dust.
Nigel: She is a crafty one, but we will get her yet!
Santa: Thanks Silver.
Silvers chest feathers puffed out in a mix of black and silver in light happiness. They went and delivered the presents, of course being careful in Denmark. Team Skipper may have scored the file, but he couldn't be to careful.
Santa: [puts up hands] I don't want to know!
Silver can't help but laugh lightly.
They finally finish the rounds about the time when the sun comes up. They make it back, but end up crash landing because of how tired they are, but the are safely back at Christmas Town.
Santa: [laughs] Just like Madagascar! Good times! Except a snow drift got hit instead of me!
Team Skipper snorts, Santa has some elves take them inside. Silver seems uneasy about the missing test, but enjoys some hot coco.
Eva: Relax, If the test was for something bad and came back as such the base would have called! I still have my emergency communicator on me.
Silver: Yeah, good point. I'm still wonder what it was though.
Sky: Fair point!
Santa comes back in after giving the reindeer the Blue Hens cure: They look better already!
Penguins: Yay!
Silver only smiles and continues to enjoy her coco along side Kowalski. They get so chill that they lean on each other and don't care that the others are around. The others grin and slowly follow suit.
Eventually they all fall asleep and Silver is the first one up in the morning. She heads off to get the last test alone. She was the only one that needed to know anyway really. Santa and the rest of the girls team track her down before she gets to far. He is in a small sleigh with two, now well, reindeer. They could handle this trip as it was small for them.
Silver: Guys?
Santa: Team Skippers going to stay an extra day, get a good break from Julian. You know. [girls team grins] I got all your presents here and I'm taking you all home.
He'd have the same arrangement for the guys team and Nigel.
Silver: Well, OK. I have the sudden feeling that the results of this test aren't ones I can hide from the girls team anyway.
Santa grins, then helps her up. They are off like a shot!
They make it there and everything is set where it belonged. Silver gets the lasts test results and they nearly stop her heart as she looks at it as if its a mistake, but hid it when the others came over to see.
Eva: Got the results?
Silver hides the paper carefully in her feathers before answering.
Silver: No sorry inconclusive still.
.
Cory: Aw, that's a shame.
Silvers acting completely convinces them that it still wasn't done. Faking the need for a solo woods walk a bit later she sneaks over to the medical center on the base.
Silver: Doc, I need you to run this test on me again. I've been stressed lately and I think it came out wrong.
The doctor penguin took the paper and looked it over.
Then he nodded: That can happen. I have no problem running it again.
Silver smiles then dose what she needed to do for the test to work. Then she really dose go on a walk to clear her head, besides the snow made the forest around the Maine base beautiful. She bumped into Cory, who was making a snowman that looked like Officer X. The crazy human that vexed the boys team something awful. Silver just stopped where she was to see what she was going to do, a bit confused. She hit the ground laughing when her Young Lady Private suddenly pulls a kendo stick and pounds the 'Snow X' into slush!
Silver: Alrighty then! That was interesting!
Cory shrugs: Yeah, just felt like doing something different!
Silver: That definitely was different!
Both laugh.
Silvers walkie goes off: Its the doctor! Your test results came back!
Cory: Oh can come?
Silver: Sure.
They head over to the doctors.
The doctors positive its right this time, so he knows Silver might be uneasy. Hes relieved that she shows up with a teammate. He holds up the paper written in penguin-ease, but a little to high as Cory reads it just as Silver dose. There was no denying it now!
He realizes the accident: Uh Merry Christmas?
Cory: Uh, We haven't opened our gifts yet, but here is a good one!
Silvers beak just drops right open! She knows who did it and was so afraid. For the first time in SO long she was to afraid to move or even blink.
Cory comes up behind her: Its OK, this is a good thing.
Silver: [turns] You sure?
Cory: Yeah! Its gonna be [sing song voice] awesome!
Silver laughs: That's a sound plan.
They head to their part of the base.
Both: We have some interesting news!
Sky: Then can we opens gifts?
They snort then nod at her.
Eva: I just received the word from the boys! They are home and all our presents are there. We forgot them in the sleigh so they all ended up there. Don the remaining flight dust!
Silver: The boys?!
Sky: Yeah, us, them at their HQ. Why?
Silver: Guys . . . I'm . . . with egg . . .
Eva: Oh, Kowalski is so dead!
Sky: Ah cripes!
Silver: No! They are not to find out. I don't want the three to judge us. Granted Private might not, but there's still the other two.
Eva: Well, your probably just freaking out, but we won't say anything until your ready.
The others nod.
Silver: Thanks girls.
The girls smile at each other before going and opening the gifts with the boys. Silver finds her candies and lets the other girls have them before settling down. One night back under a roof of an HQ wouldn't hurt her. She would miss the stars, but this was only one night. Plus she was surrounded by her brother and all of her friends. Her friends, it felt good to know that she had real friends. Even if one was the quirky Nigel. Silvers eyes shut along with the others smiling happily, fading to sleep wondering what would happen next.
This really was the best Christmas ever!
The End
~Authors Note: There you have it, a Christmas co-write with Lovepaw & Silverpaw! We hope that you enjoyed your gift. Most of this I have to say was her idea, though I added my own spin to things, like Silver finding self forgiveness & the surprise appearance of Nigel. The Blue Hen being the villain was kind of fin. Never used her before and now two more things: One: of course the disclaimer that I put down here because I can: We don't own The Penguins Of Madagascar. Dream Works/Nickelodeon dose and Two: Merry Christmas!~