AN: We're going forward here, but rest assured, the origins of Rico and Private's addition to the team will be explored... but now, GONE IN A FLASH!
Chapter 3: Gone in a Flash
It was one of those days... Maurice knew it. Julian was grinding on his last nerve. He'd been spoiling everything, stealing his food, moving his chair out onto the apartments balcony, before sitting himself there like he owned it, which he did, but that was besides the point.
He'd finally given up on trying to get his chair back, and dragged out one of the others to the balconey, agreeing but not wanting to admit it to Julian, that it WAS nicer in the sun...
Mason and his cousin Phil had recently bought a new digital camera, and were taking pictures of everything. Their focus at the moment was a cityscape from the balconey, the sun shining between the skyscrapers. That was, of course, when Phil tripped, sending the camera spinning down to the two men sitting bellow, landing directly in Maurice's lap.
Julian's tirade hadnt ceased, "Peel me a grape, Maurice, my Kingly belly, is feeling empty!"
"I only just sat down!"
"Grape, Maurice. Grape. Not lip."
"B-but you cant just-"
"Rule number one, do not question the king. Rule number two..."
Thats when the camera landed.
Julian imediately grabbed for it, "Oooh. I'll be taking that!"
All the way bellow, and on the opposite side of the building, at the appartment buildings swimming pool, (Not that it was used by many) the Penguin Operatives were having a well deserved rest after succesfuly pulling off their last mission.
Skipper sighed contentedly, and looked up from her book on martial arts, to have a drink, before smiling and shifting to look down the row at the teams yougest member.
"Private, these smoothies are top notch. What's your secret?"
"Love, Skipper. I made them with love."
The leader's face twisted, "love?"
"It's a chemical reaction in the brain inducing bliss. Highly addictive," Kowalski said, turnng to her, but Skipper was already gone, next to Rico, sending the smoothie to the floor.
"No more love in the smoothies; I'll have nothing to do with it. It'll make us weak, and we gotta stay sharp!" she turned, standing in front of her team, "This concrete jungle is an elusive mistress who may call us into action at any given moment." She paused, listening, "like now. Everyone hear that?"
The others strained, and could make out a growing argument from the other side of the building.
"Gimme, gimme, gimme! I said GIMME! What part of "gim" or "me" do you not understand?!"
"I understood the "me" part, like this was caught by me! For me!"
They struggled with the camera, and suddenly Julian's hand caught the button, the flash blinding them momenterily. When he could see again, Julian was alone.
"Maurice?" He looked around, not noticing Maurice's young charge, his deceased sisters son, who was only 6, Mortimer, or Mort, come skipping out.
"Maurice? Where are you...and your booty, which is quite large and usually easy to see?"
"AHHHHHHHHH"
"Ugh, Mort, do not scream at my..." he stopped when he saw the image of Maurice, "he's trapped!"
He paused before smiling slightly, "Oh, I, well yes, yes. That is what happens when you question your king's power."
At this Mort ran over and sat down next to Julian, wrapping his arms around his ankles, "I question nothing."
"I question why you touch the feet!" Julian shook him off, annoyed. He turned back to the camera, "What have you got to say for yourself now, Maurice? Oh-ho-ho. You are giving to me the silent treatment, are you?" He laughed, "You think this "no talky" stuff will get to me? Forget it, Maurice. I, also, can give you the treatment!"
"Talking to a camera. This is not normal..."
Julian looked up to see the four operatives standing there, "No, no, no. No more talking. I am giving him the "shhh" treatment."
Kowalski frowned, "the camera?"
"Maurice."
Skipper looked at him closely. "the Cam-era"
The taller man rolled his eyes, "Mauuuuuriiiiiiice. Maurice questioned my kingly authority, so now he is trapped inside this magic thingy, which the Sky Spirits gifted to me, the king, from above, up there."
"You do realise that technically you arent a king anymore- You gave up your crown when we rescued you from being assasinated by-" Kowalski started, before Skipper interupted.
"Thats classified, Kowalski, be careful what you say, the government listens to our every word if we dont take precautions. Anyway, Julian, it's not magic, it's a camera. Here, let me show you."
"It is a magic king thing which you will not touch! Do you want to join Maurice in there? Just try me. Go ahead. Make my day, lady!"
Skipper stopped, "All right, girls. Let's leave the madman to his madness."
As the turned to leave, Skipper felt a weight on her leg, and looked down to see Mort clinging to her, eyes wide and watery.
"Spit it out, Sad Eyes."
"The king's giving Maurice... the treatment. He's going to leave him in the magic box. You have to help get him out. Pleeeeeease?"
"You guys just don't seem to comprendé. That is a camera and your little pal is NOT in it."
Private looked aroud, confused, "But Skipper, if Maurice isn't here, where is he?"
At that Skipper's eyes lit up, she was in her element, "Missing! Look for clues!"
The youngest of the team looked under a mat, pulling out a small piece of string, "Oh, this might be a clue. Nah, it's just lint." she ighed, dissapointed.
Rico however was examining the balconey's barrier, and had noticed some scuff marks, she attracted Skippers attention by whistling, and the leader walked over.
"Scuff marks! Good work Rico! My guess... he stumbled backwards. But why?"
"Perhaps a localized seismic event of unknown origin." Kowalski piped up, hoping for some science to add to the mystery.
"Or maybe the camera's flash blinded him?" Private sighed.
"Sounds a little preposterous, Private. But just in case... Kowalski, run a temporarily blinded scenario, pronto."
Rico walked over, knowing that as per usual, she would be Kowalski's test subject.
"Right then, stand...right here, Rico." Kowalski decided.
The scientist ran a few calculations through in her head, before pushing Rico off the balconey.
The others looked down to see an annoyed Rico sitting in an industrial garbage bin bellow.
"That confirms our target landed in this waste receptacle, Skipper."
"Quel Excelenté!" She looked up hearing the garbage truck comeing. "I know exactly what happened. Into the can, ladies!"
Some time later they emerged in the rubbish dump.
"Kowalski, cooordinates."
Kowalski pulled out a small device, and consulted it, "New Jersey, Skipper."
"Ahhh. The Garden State. Mmm, I wish we had time to play tourist." she muttered ironicly, looking around them, "All right. Listen up. We're gonna search this dump high and low. From the rusted tin cans..."
"Skipper! Over here!" They all turned to the Private, to see Maurice sitting on top of a pile of junk.
"Well that was easy... Nice work, Private. Happy ending." She high-fived the other before holding her hand out to Maurice, who just looked at her. "Come on, Maurice. Dont leave me hanging!"
"WHAT, are you dong here?" the man asked, apparently furious.
"We're here to rescue you."
"You mean take me back to the zoo? No way! No how!"
Skipper frowned, "We're going for a happy ending here."
"I am happy... now. Oh, I had it with Julien. He's been a royal pain in my behind for too long. 'Get me this. Get me that.' Get me outta there!" He kicked at the junk.
"Kowalski, reason with him." the leader muttered.
"Ah, reason..."
"You know what? I find reason tedious and boring. We'll use force!"
Maurice screamed as they all grabbed for him.
The 'borrowed' pink convirteble swerved through a series of red lights, cutting corners and not using the breaks. A toll booth came up ahead, and Skipper, who was driving, turned to Rico. "fare, if you would."
As Rico pulled out the right amount of money out of one of her many pockets, Skipper lined up her target, and as soon as the coins were in her hand, threw them out of the car and into the
tray, not even pausing, past the booth and far down the road before the barrier even closed.
"This is insane! YOU ARE INSANE!"
"Dont distract me when I'm driving, Maurice." Skipper grinned, turning round to look at him.
"EYES ON THE ROAD! EYES ON THE ROAD!" he repied, and she turned back, having not slowed down in the slightest.
Julian looked at the camera, and sighed, before a manic grin crept over his face, "MORT!"
"yes?"
"Go and get a big rock from the garden."
"Okay!"
When he came back, Mort was pulling on a rock that was almost as big as himself, "I got one, King Julian!"
"Good! Now then..."
The two managed to get the rock on to the table and Julian handed Mort the camera, still with the picture of Maurice.
"Right then!" Julian pushed off the rock, which missed the camera and almost landed on Mort, who quickly jumped out of the way with a scream.
"Oh, no! Maurice. I want you back. Come out! Great Sky Spirits, hear my plea!"
Meanwhile, the team and Maurice were outside the appartment building.
"Right." decided Skipper, "we've been in a dump, and we smell like a dump, so there is no way that they will let us in like this. We'll have to aim right for the balconey."
"Ugh, what?" Maurice looked ready to bolt, "How the hell are we supposed to do that?"
"Rico?"
Various things were pulled out of various pockets and put together, and suddenly Maurice was looking at...
"Oh no. Not a slingshot!"
"Sounds like somebody's got a case of the pre-launch heebie-jeebies." Sipper laughed merrily, like she did things like this all the time, which she probably DID, but Maurice didnt!
"Alright, people. Commence Operation: Shoot the Moon! Private, you're up!"
Maurice watched in horror as Private was fired and missed, landing on the ground at the base of the buildng, only not breaking any bones because of her training, and subsequent abilty to know how to fall.
"Three degrees north, Skipper..." she muttered, staggering over, before sitting down.
"Kowalski, adjust vector. Rico, get ready. Maurice! You're up..."
"I can't take it anymore! You women are psychotic!"
"Launch him."
The next thing he knew was that he was flying, and landing...on the balconey of his apartment. Somehow his hand caught the camers, making it flash, and Julian went sprawling backwards.
"Maurice!" the king said when he looked up, "I am so glad you are back!"
"Me too. I'll take you over those crazy..." he stopped and looked behind him. His subconsious suspicion was correct, those psychos were standing behind him.
"Mission Accomplished." Skipper turned to the others and high-fived them all, before Julian interupted.
"As if YOU had annything to do with it! The Sky Spirits released Maurice!"
"Why don't you tell him what really happened, rescuee?"
"Rule number one: Don't question the king, baby." Skipper just looked at him before turning to leave.
"Private," She said as the door to the hallway closed, "whip me up one of them "love" smoothies. I need to unwind."