Note: I´ll split all following chapters in half. One part is for Skipper and the other part for the rest of the team. So don´t be confused about that. Please read and
Private woke up very late next day. He looked at the clock. It was quarter to twelve. "Oh God. I overslept!" he cried in horror, looking for the others. But he only heard a loud snoring. Kowalski and Rico were also still in their bunks and slept. Skipper always used to kick them out of bed, because today was not weekend when they were allowed to sleep as long as they wanted.
The kid looked down to the bunk below him where Skipper used to sleep, but it was cold and deserted, as no one slept there. Private jumped up and looked around the HQ. Skipper was nowhere to see. "Kowalski, Rico! Wake up!" Private screamed in panic. "What's the matter?" Kowalski mumbled sleepily and stretched extensively. Rico gave it only a grunting noise and keept on sleeping. "People quickly, Skipper is gone!" Private cried again, and Kowalski and Rico were now wide awake. "Where could he be? Maybe he's still mad at us because we haven´t believed him?" asked scientists. "Quick, we must look for him." said Private and climbed up the ladder to the entrance. The other two followed him quickly.
Outside was a beautiful day and many visitors attended the zoo. They had to be careful that no one saw them. Private glanced around the crowd, but he couldn´t leader nowhere. He panicked. "Kowalski, options? he asked meekly.
The scientists thought. Where could Skipper just be?. They had to retrace his path. "Skipper holds normally his recon duty from the bell tower, right?" asked Kowalski and Private nodded. "Then let's look there first before we do any wild guesses." said the tall penguin, and went ahead. When they arrived Marlene crossed their way. "Hey, guys. What's wrong with you?" she asked cheerfully.
But she quickly noticed the tense faces of the penguins. "Hello, what's going on with you. Where is Skipper?" the otter said surprised. "This is classifed and now you gotta excuse us, Marlene." Kowalski said curtly and moved on. "Did you see Skipper somewhere?" Private asked. The otter shook her head. "No, why. Is he gone missing?" Marlene asked but before she got an answer the three penguins already disappeared.
"Then no one has seen anything?" said Private concerned. "Skipper was apparently not seen since last night. I'm sure we can find a trace." Kowalski said confidently. They came closer to the bushes that grew near the entrance. Suddenly Rico grunted, he had found something. "Rico, what is it?" Kowalski asked excitedly and Rico held up Skipper binoculars, which was half hidden in the bushes.
"This belongs to Skipper, doesn´t it?" Private asked anxiously. The scientist nodded. "He must have lost it. Keep on watching, we might find something else. But he's definitely been here." Kowalski said. "Rico, magnifying glass, quickly!" demanded the tall penguin to take a look at the area. The maniac penguin choked and spat out a magnifying glass. Kowalski took it immediately and looked around the ground with the binoculars. He found something too. "Look. There are a couple of feathers and ... what is that?" said the scientist with a nervous tone in his voice. Private and Rico ran quickly to him. On the bright cobbles there were a few black feathers and a few drops of red liquid which were looking like blood.
2.2 Missing
As Skipper regained consiousness, he felt like been hit by a lightning. Everything revolved around him and he couldn´t see clearly. An eerie silence surrounded the leader. But slowly his senses came back and he saw that he was in a cage made of solid iron rods.
But everything else was dark around him. He heard a low hum and felt a slight vibration from the floor. He seemed to be in a truck that transported him somewhere. His back ached but he managed to sit up. When he turned around he saw a small puddle of blood where he laid. Then he felt the painful stinging in the back that he had felt before he lost consciousness. Someone had shot him. But the wound was not so large that he would passed out from it. That must have been one tranquilizer dart, thought the leader.
An eerie feeling came over him and he quickly jumped on his feet. Too fast. He was dizzy and his head growled painfully. This must be the after-effects of anesthesia, the leader thought fast. After a few minutes dizziness he started to investigate the area. He could hardly see anything, he didn´t know where he was or where the truck will get him to. Suddenly, desperation is spreading in him. "Hey, is anybody here? Let me out of here!" cried the leader, but no one answered him.
He tried to break the bars. but these were much too thick and solid, so that he had no chance to escape. He was caught and no one was there to help him. Skipper sat in a corner of the cage, trying to think what he should do. He sat there several minutes until the truck stopped. The leader prepared himself for the worst. Slowly the hatch of the truck has been opened. Skipper got ready to attack someone. A man entered and walked directly toward him.
He glanced at him and called for a colleague. "Hey, the penguin is awake." Seconds later a second man came with a white coat. Apparently he was a doctor because he had a syringe in his hand. Slowly, both came up to him. Skipper knew how he could defend himself against two people, but then everything happened very quickly. One of them opened his cage and Skipper started an attack. But the guy rammed his fist in his stomach, which lead that Skipper laid motionless on the ground for a few seconds. Skipper gasped in pain and watched as the doctor approached. Without hesitation he inject him another dose of the anesthetic. The leader felt his senses passing, and two minutes later he was unconscious again.
