Hello, there! Welcome to chapter two! :D I wasn't expecting to get any reviews for the first chapter (since it was super short), but I did! :) Thank you to Penguin1000 (Guest) and Zyar for your feedback! I've replied below:
Penguin1000 (Guest): Thanks! :D As for Kowalski's condition, you'll find out in this chapter! I'm happy to hear you're liking it so far! :)
Zyar: Well, okay (die-hard Kowalski fan, huh?). ;) Clever deduction, there! Yeah, the first chapter is probably not the best intro I've written (it was just meant to be a hook, anyway). ^^; I appreciate your honesty, though. :) I hope this chapter makes up for it!
Sometime later, Kowalski opened his eyes to see the ceiling of his laboratory again. He was lying flat on his back.
"Ugh, well I guess that didn't work. . ." He sat up and rubbed the back of his head. "I'll try again tomorrow-" He lowered his flipper and gasped: It was transparent, with a hardly-noticeable tint for his feathers. He looked down at the rest of his body to see that it looked the same way.
"What happened!? The last thing I remember was feeling cold and numb and-" Just then, his heart sank as a horrible thought came to his mind:
He was dead.
"No! I-I-I can't be dead!" He stammered helplessly. Slowly, he turned around to look at the spot where he collapsed. All he saw was the glass test tube lying on the floor in a small puddle of blue fluid. Kowalski stood up and tapped his beak, confused.
"Wait a minute. If I was dead, my body would be lying on the floor next to the test tube." He reasoned. "Also, I wouldn't still be in the lab, I would be up on the great ice floe in the sky." He sighed in relief.
He was alive, although he couldn't explain why he was transparent. The lieutenant reached over to grab the test tube, but his flipper went through it. He stood back up; apparently, he was also intangible, at least toward objects.
"That's strange. . . If I'm intangible, why am I not going through the-" Kowalski raised his flippers to stop himself. "Wait, I'm not going to go there. As soon as I start thinking about it, I'll probably start sinking." He let out a terrified squeak as he started to descend into the floor. He jumped up and waddled a few inches away; fortunately, this time, his feet stayed on the ground.
"Okay, note to self: Don't think about sinking through the floor. I'll just think of something else. Hmm. . . I wonder what time it is?" He looked at the clock in his lab, which read 5:59 AM. How long had he been unconscious? He hadn't the faintest idea. If Skipper caught him in his lab this early, he'd be-
"Kowalski? Are you in there?"
Great. Skipper was up. Although that was to be expected since it was now precisely six o'clock. Kowalski frowned as he saw the lab door open and Skipper enter.
"Kowalski, what did I say about you-" The leader stopped mid-sentence. "Kowalski?" He looked around the lab. He couldn't see Kowalski, even though he was standing roughly five feet away. The scientist figured he could just stay quiet and Skipper would never know, but his conscience got the better of him.
"Skipper, I can explain!" To his surprise, the leader didn't acknowledge that he had spoken at all. Skipper turned around.
"Private, Rico! Come in here!" The others waddled into the lab.
"What is it, Skippah?"
"Have you two seen Kowalski?"
"Skipper, I'm right here!" Kowalski said. Nobody responded to him. Private and Rico shook their heads.
"No."
"Uh-uh." Skipper frowned.
"Rico, go topside and see if he's up there." The mohawked penguin saluted and left the room. Private looked worried.
"Do you think something's happened to him?"
"I'm not sure yet, Private." Just then, Rico returned, babbling that Kowalski wasn't outside. He noticed the test tube on the floor and pointed at it. They went to get a closer look.
"Hmm. . . I wonder what this is?" Skipper questioned. Rico leaned over and dipped the tip of his flipper into the blue substance. He stood back up and brought his flipper to his beak to taste it. Kowalski gasped; if he did that, he might wind up in the same predicament he was in! Fortunately, Skipper stopped him.
"Whoa, Rico. We have no idea what that stuff is. Let's just assume it's dangerous, okay?" Rico nodded and let his flipper drop to his side. Kowalski sighed in relief. At least he didn't have to worry about them tasting it, but why were they not listening to him? It was obvious they couldn't see him. Could they not hear him, either?
"Boys, I think Kowalski is missing." The others were shocked.
"Are you sure? Maybe he just went to. . ." Private tried to come up with a logical explanation for Kowalski's absence, but couldn't think of one. Skipper crossed his flippers.
"Private, since when does Kowalski just wander off somewhere?" He pointed at the test tube. "And Kowalski's lab is always clean; that mess on the floor makes me think something happened to him. That's it. Morning training is canceled. We're going to search for him." Kowalski rushed over to the group.
"Guys, I'm right here! I'm not missing!" He tried tapping Skipper's shoulder, but his flipper went right through him. Skipper didn't notice a thing. The lieutenant began to panic. They couldn't see, feel, or hear him! As the other penguins started to exit the lab, he ran in front of them and spread his flippers out in a desperate and futile attempt to stop them.
"Don't leave!" He shouted. He watched as Skipper, Private, and Rico waddled through him. Just before they left, Skipper trembled slightly.
"Did anyone else get a slight chill?" The others shook their heads.
Kowalski stared at him, confused. Did he cause Skipper to feel cold? He didn't feel cold – in fact, he didn't feel anything. Maybe his excitement caused him to become somewhat tangible, if only for a quick second. As for the temperature, it could've been because of the potion, which made his entire body feel cold; instead of affecting him, though, it now affected others.
While he got lost in thought, the others left the lab and closed the door behind them. Kowalski realized he was alone and rubbed his face in frustration.
"Ugh!" What was he going to do? How was he going to get out of this mess if he couldn't ask the others for help and couldn't even help himself?
"I need to write some notes on my findings!" He ran over to a table against the wall and tried to pick up his clipboard, but to no avail. He face-flippered.
Right. He needed to think of something else.
Well, that's inconvenient. :/ What can he do now? He needs to get out of this mess somehow. We'll see how he manages in the next chapter! :)
