Manfredi and Johnson.

Chapter 2 – Back to HQ.

Johnson's log.

We were most unfortunately now able to save the cat Antonio from O'Hara. We did find out that O'Hara still has at least one of his old henchmen. His name is Otto. When we're back at the HQ in Alaska, I will do some research about him.

In the meantime, a strange skunk lady has given us a place to sleep tonight. I'm not sure what she is, but she isn't just a random skunk. I can feel is in my bones: there is something she wants from us. Or maybe something that she wants to give to us. I'm not sure on which side she is, but I'm keeping my eye on her. I can't be too carefull.

When Johnson woke up in the morning, he noticed that the skunk lady was standing next to him.

"what do you want?" Johnson asked.

"Nothing, amigo," the lady said. "I just came to see if you were safe."

"Well, I am perfectly fine," Johnson said. "and it's time for us to go. Manfredi!"

Manfredi woke up and rubbed his eyes. "I had such a strange dream, Johnson," he said. "I was…."

"Not now, Manfredi," Johnson snarled. "It's time to go."

"Oh, already?" Manfredi said.

"Yes," Johnson said. He picked up his gun and his head. Then he turned to the skunk lady.

"Thank you for your help, miss," he said. "but we need to leave immediately."

"Goodbye, amigo," the skunk lady said.

Johnson walked away, and Menfredi followed. But at the door, Johnson suddenly stopped and turned around. "Actually, I never caught your name," he said.

The skunk lady just smiled. "Isabella," she said.

Johnson nodded, and left the house.

"Nice to meet you, Isabella," Manfredi said, and then he followed his companion.

As they walked through the streets, Johnson said to Manfredi: "When we get home, do some research on that woman. I want to know who she is."

"But Johnson," Manfredi said. "there are so many women in the world with the name 'Isabella'."

"But not all of them are skunks," Johnson said. "and not all of them live in this village. I want your report on what you could find about her tomorrow morning at least. Understood?"

"Yes, Johnson." Manfredi sighed.

The next morning Manfredi came to Johnson's office. He had to wake up early to do his research on Isabella, but he finally did it.

In his office, Johnson was very busy with typing on his laptop. (actually is was an old MacBook that humans threw away after is was broken. Kowalski and Johnson had repaired it together, and it worked perfectly since then. )

The penguin had black circles around his eye, and on his desk stood a lot of coffee-cups.

"Johnson?" Manfredi said. "You didn't work all night long, did you?"

"I must find out where O'Hara is," Johnson said. "I must…"

"Johnson, please," Manfredi said. "I know you want to find O'Hara, and I know why. I don't like him either, because he killed our penguin brothers… But it's not worth it. You must take care of yourself, Johnson. Please. I don't want to you fall back to…" he looked at the old half whine bottle that Johnson used for his pens and pencils. "… you know."

He looked at Johnson again.

The one-eyed penguin shook his head. "Those days are over, Manfredi," he said. "I swear."

"But you must think of yourself too, Johnson," Manfredi continued. "you have to rest."

Johnson closed his laptop. "Do you have the report?" He asked.

"What report, Johnson?" Manfedi asked.

"About Isabella," Johnson said, slightly annoyed.

"Oh, of course," Manfredi said. "well, there's not really something to report."

"What do you mean?" Johnson said in a low voice, and he began to look really angry.

"It's just that… well, it seems like Isabella doesn't exist." Manfredi said.

The look in Johnson's eye changed from angry to interested. "Really?" he said.

"Yes, Johnson," Manfredi said. "I could find nothing about her. Nothing at all. Not even a picture."

"That's interesting," Johnson said. "So I was right, she is not what she appears to be."

"What do you think she was, Johnson?" Manfredi asked.

"I'm not sure," Johnson answered. "she could have been a criminal… or a spy. I only wonder if she was on our side, or on O'Hara's side."

"Maybe not either of them," Manfredi said. "maybe she was just neutral."

"Maybe," Johnson said. "but then she wouldn't have bothered about us. There's something she wants. I don't know what. But I'll find out."

"Maybe you should take a nap, Johnson?" Manfredi said. "you could use some sleep."

"I have to do research," Johnson said. "I have no time for sleeping."

"Please, Johnson," Manfredi said. "I will continue you work, alright? But please take a nap."

Johnson looked into Manfredi's big, blue, begging eyes. He was indeed mighty tired, he couldn't deny that. He had been working all night long.

The penguin sighed.

"Alright then," he said, and he stood up. "you can use my laptop, Manfredi."

"Alright, Johnson," Manfredi said. "sleep well."

Johnson silently left the office and went to his bedroom. He lie down on his bed, and closed his eyes.

He was so tired that he fell asleep almost immediately.

The sound of a fight. Screaming. Guns. Knifes. Even a chainsaw, probably Rico's.

There were explosions. There was blood.

Johnson had nothing but a long stick to defend himself. He had lost his gun in the fight.

He looked around.

Rico was chasing one of the criminals with a chainsaw. Skipper was in a flipper-to-flipper fight with another enemy.

"Johnson, look out," someone said.

Johnson could duck right in time. A bullet hit the wall behind him.

He looked at the person who had warned him.

Even at this moment, with sweat on her forehead and a bleeding scratch on her cheek, Rebecca was still beautiful.

She had a big gun in het flippers, but she smiled at Johnson.

"That was a close one," she said.

Johnson smiled back. "Thanks for warning me, Reb." He said.

"I wouldn't want to date a penguin with a hole in his head, would I?" Rebecca said jokingly.

Johnson laughed.

He loved her sense of humor. He actually just loved everything about her.

He looked into her brown eyes. And she looked back.

They had to fight, but they didn't. It was almost as if they were feeling what was going to happen.

And suddenly, it happened. There was the sound of a machine gun. Rebecca's own gun fell on the ground. She grabbed her stomach.

Johnson looked in shock how his beloved Rebecca fell against the wall and slowly sank to the ground. There was blood on het belly and chest.

"No!" Johnson cried out. He ran to his girlfriend and kneeled next to her.

"Reb!" He said. "Rebecca, look at me."

He took her face in his flippers. He tried to look into her eyes, but they were just staring at him with an empty gaze. He checked her pulse, but there was nothing to check. She was dead.

"No!" Johnson said. "No, Rebecca, don't be dead, please…"

Then he looked up. And on a pipe near the sealing of the building, he saw a shadow. It was a masked figure. Probably a penguin. He was short and seemed chubby. He had a machine gun in one flipper, and a revolver in the other.

"It was you," Johnson growled, even though he knew the masked penguin couldn't hear him. "You killed my Rebecca."

Then the masked penguin pointed his revolver at Johnson, and shot.

The bullet almost missed. Almost.

Johnson felt a pain in his left eye. A terrible pain. He screamed.

He didn't know where the bullet had gone, but he knew that his eye was gone.

But sometimes it was as if he could see one thing still very clearly with his left eye: Rebecca's lips, blood covered body. And that shadow of the masked penguin.

Johnson woke up with a scream.

He had had that dream so often. Or actually it was a memory. A memory of his beloved Rebecca's death.

He took a photo from under his pillow. On the picture was a female penguin with long feathers no her head in a ponytail. And keen, brown eyes. He looked into the camera with a cheeky yet friendly smile on her beak.

Johnson looked at her, and suddenly tears rolled over his cheek. He held the photo to his chest. "My sweet Rebecca," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

And with the picture of Rebecca on his chest and the tears in his eye, he fell asleep again.

He didn't dream anymore.