Just before 7 a.m. the next morning, Marlene entered the penguins' HQ carrying her modestly packed luggage. She placed the single bag down and then walked over to where the four penguins were gathered around the television screen.
"Hey, guys, what's on the tube?" she asked cheerfully.
"Ground control," Skipper replied.
"And not the 1998 movie starring Kiefer Sutherland, this is the real deal," Kowalski explained. "I had to work through the night to complete everything in time, but you're looking at a state-of-the-art air traffic control system which will keep tabs on you and Skipper as you travel westward. At least as state-of-the-art as you can get using a standard-definition TV screen, parts from a blender, and random junk from Rico's stomach."
Rico then gave off a loud belch.
"Excuse me," he whispered in apology.
"Anyway, this blinking dot over here shows the present location of Air Force Penguin," Kowalski said as he pointed to a blinking red dot on the screen, which was displaying a map of the contiguous United States. "The smaller green dots on the map indicate scheduled refueling stops, the yellow squares represent overnight stopovers, and the blue dot marks your final destination on the Left Coast."
"Impressive," Marlene commented.
"It sure is," Skipper agreed. "In addition to tracking our progress, Kowalski's system will also transmit data back and fourth between us and the HQ so that we can better judge how long it will take to reach each stop along the way. We'll also be in regular radio contact."
"Every two hours," Kowalski said as he glanced up at the clock. "That would make our first communication at 0900 if you left right about now."
"And I think we should," Skipper replied. "In the words of Jerry Reed, we've got a long way to go and a short time to get there."
"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you in a while, then," Kowalski said as he stuck out a flipper. "Three days down, three days back, and eight days out in California. It's going to be so strange not to see you for two whole weeks."
"It won't be so bad," Skipper replied as he shook Kowalski's flipper goodbye. "Just make sure you guys polish off my share of fish – I don't want Alice getting suspicious."
"Fish!" Rico exclaimed.
"Somehow, I don't expect that to be a problem," Kowalski smiled.
"Here, Skipper, take this with you," Private then said as he approached Skipper with a cardboard box.
"Your jumbo box of Peanut Butter Winkies?" Skipper said. "Are you sure, soldier?"
"You and Marlene are bound to need a snack sometime over Jersey," Private responded. "Besides, it's not like I don't already have another dozen or so stashed around the HQ."
"Thanks, Private," Skipper replied.
"Goodbye, everyone," Marlene then said to her friends. "Keep a look out for my postcards in the mail. And I'll be sure to bring you all back something special from the Monterey Bay Aquarium gift shop when we get back."
"Fish?" Rico wondered.
"Sorry, Rico, I doubt I'll be bringing any fish back," Marlene replied. "Except for what's bought to feed other animals, aquariums usually like to keep their fish collections, well, alive."
"Oh," Rico sighed.
Skipper then politely cleared his throat.
"Come on, Marlene," he said as he glanced at the clock. "Time waits for no man. Or woman."
And with that, Marlene went over to retrieve her luggage while Skipper grabbed his own. He then led Marlene over to the wall where Private's trophy fish was hung, pulled on its dorsal fin, and once again slid with her into the adjacent underground hangar.
"You know, some stairs would be nice," Marlene said as she then stood up from the slide and dusted herself off. "Just saying."
"You're absolutely right, Marlene," Skipper replied. "When I retire in, say, 50 years or so, it'll be a great project to work on. Until then, however, I'm just too busy saving the world from tyrants, despots, and about half of Kowalski's inventions."
The two then walked up to the airplane, carrying their luggage with them. After he climbed through the cockpit to place his own bag and the box of Peanut Butter Winkies into the small storage area behind the seats, Skipper did the same with Marlene's bag before taking a seat behind the controls. Meanwhile, Marlene continued to remain outside the plane.
"Final boarding call, Marlene," Skipper soon called over to her as he buckled his seatbelt. "What's the holdup?"
"Well, don't I have to walk through a metal detector or something before I get on?" she asked. "You know, in case I'm trying to smuggle weapons aboard?"
Skipper chuckled.
"Marlene, if we didn't allow weapons, Rico could never fly," he said. "Security like that just isn't necessary here because this is a private aircraft and I'm the pilot. Besides, with all due respect, you don't really strike me as the hijacking type."
"I suppose not," Marlene agreed as she then climbed into her side of the plane. "Especially since I've never even been on an airplane before."
"Not true, Marlene," Skipper replied. "You were once briefly on the top wing of the biplane I flew after you had gone wild in Central Park."
"Thanks for bringing that up again," Marlene responded sarcastically. "Correction: I've never been in an airplane before."
"Well, there's a first time for everything," Skipper said as he then turned the key to start the plane's single engine. "Oh, that's a beautiful sound."
He then reached down for the microphone on the radio.
"Kowalski, are we cleared for takeoff?" he asked.
"No humans in sight – you are golden," Kowalski replied. "I'm opening up the hangar door for you right now."
And with Kowalski's push of a button hidden in an undisclosed location, the wall directly in front of the airplane then sunk down, revealing a short inclined tunnel through which the northwest sector of the zoo could be seen.
"Thank you, Kowalski," Skipper replied before placing the microphone back down. "All right, Marlene, please fasten your seatbelt. We'll be in the air in less than a minute."
Marlene then secured her buckle as Skipper taxied the airplane through the tunnel. Once out of it, Skipper accelerated straight down the makeshift runway until just before he came to the kangaroo habitat, where he then pulled back on the yoke and lifted the plane up into the air. Some of the wind generated by the takeoff had the unintended consequence of blowing apart one of Joey's hay bales.
"You owe me a new haystack, mister!" the temperamental marsupial shouted at the rising airplane. "Go on and fly somewhere else, you yappy dingo!"
As Skipper continued the ascent into the sky, Marlene looked down below at the streets full of cars that kept getting smaller and smaller.
"Everything looks so small from up here," she commented.
"And things will keep getting smaller in appearance until we reach cruising altitude," Skipper replied.
"How high is that?" Marlene wondered.
"Just a little under three miles," Skipper replied. "But that's nothing compared to commercial aircraft, which regularly double that."
As the climb continued, Marlene began to feel a little uneasy. She ceased looking at objects and structures on the ground and instead placed her paws together and twiddled her digits about nervously.
"Hey, Skipper, you remember how I told you I hadn't been in an airplane before?" she soon said. "Well, there's something else I should probably mention to you: I'm completely afraid of flying."
"And you're just mentioning this now?" Skipper replied sarcastically. "Did you think you were getting on a train, sister? Did you miss that big propeller on the front?"
"Skipper, please," Marlene said nervously.
"Relax, Marlene," Skipper turned to her and smiled warmly as he patted her on the shoulder. "There's nothing to fear about being up in the wild blue yonder. You're safe with me."
As Skipper then piloted over the Hudson River about to fly into New Jersey airspace, he took notice to a particular location on the river.
"Hey, this is the spot where Sully put down that Airbus," he commented.
"What?" Marlene asked.
"Back two years ago, there was this US Airways flight from LaGuardia to Charlotte," Skipper replied. "Shortly after takeoff, both of the plane's engines lost power due to striking geese, but the pilot was able to skillfully land his plane in the Hudson River, saving all 155 aboard."
"Well, that's good," Marlene said of the pilot's heroism. "But that story's not really helping my fear of flying any."
"Oh, sorry," Skipper apologized. "Well, what exactly is it that makes you nervous? Is it because there's a flightless bird behind the yoke at 15,000 feet?"
"No, Skipper, I trust you," Marlene replied. "I just don't trust the plane."
"Marlene, this aircraft is nothing more than a machine at the control of my flippertips," Skipper responded. "It was painstakingly constructed by my team over the course of months, with much of that time going to checking and rechecking Kowalski's math to ensure he didn't forget to carry any more digits. To trust me, you have to trust the plane."
A thought then entered Skipper's mind. He peaked over at Marlene to make sure she was still wearing her seatbelt.
"Marlene, you've heard of the Blue Angels, right?" he asked.
"Sorry, Skipper, I don't know anything about motorcycles," she replied.
"Wrong club," Skipper chuckled. "The Blue Angels are the U.S. Navy's aerobatic flight demonstration team. I've watched their material. They're quite impressive, but I can do better. Take this move for instance."
Skipper then pushed the throttle forward to increase speed and then rolled the plane to fly upside down.
"Skipper! Are you crazy?" Marlene exclaimed as her eyes widened. "Turn this thing around right now!"
"Your wish is my command," Skipper smiled as he then executed a barrel roll maneuver, rolling the plane over and over and over.
"Not that way!" Marlene screamed repetitively as Skipper rolled a total of five times at around 250 miles per hour before finally leveling out and flying straight again.
"Skipper, you are psychotic!" she shouted.
"No, this is psychotic," Skipper replied as he placed the plane into a nosedive. "You remember my corkscrew move, don't you?"
"Don't you dare!" Marlene begged.
"Dare I do," Skipper responded, twisting the plane in a vertical barrel roll as it sped downward at more than 300 miles per hour.
Two thousand feet above the ground, Skipper pulled the plane back up and then preformed an inside loop, followed by an outside one.
"Hey, Marlene, wanna go back and strafe Ring-tail's place a little?" he asked as he completed the second loop.
"What?" her eyes nearly popped out.
"OK, I was only kidding on that one," Skipper replied as he leveled out the plane and finally ceased flying stunt maneuvers.
"You! You! You!" Marlene panted as she pointed at Skipper, trying to regain her breath.
"Marlene, use your indoor voice," Skipper smiled. "Come on now, you know I would never hurt you or put you in danger."
"You wouldn't put me in danger?" Marlene questioned. "Then what do you call flipping me through the air like you had a death wish?"
"Initiation," Skipper replied. "And a little bit of immersion therapy. You see, now you won't be afraid of flying anymore now that you know what this plane is capable of."
"Well, I suppose that's true," Marlene agreed, regaining her usual composure.
"You see, there's a method to my madness," Skipper smiled. "Besides, you know you liked it."
"I did not!" Marlene objected.
Skipper shot Marlene a look that suggested "Oh, please, come on now."
"Well, maybe just a little," Marlene smiled.
"That's good enough for me," Skipper replied, giving Marlene a quick pat on the back. "Co-pilot."