Chapter 3 - Dismemberment

As a complex organism, his body possessed the ability to repair itself. A fickle power, he thought. It never even got close to fixing the real damage.


The morning, despite the arrival of Clover, went not unlike any regular day at the zoo. Skipper went on his cursory zoo inspection shortly before nine-hundred hours, ensuring every animal was safely contained within their pens for the day. The zookeepers emerged from the various staff buildings around the zoo a short while later to do the same. There was some brief confusion when they discovered Clover already in the lemur habitat, but they seemed to be content with the fact that she wasn't missing, like what happened to new arrivals more often than not.

It was a beautiful New York summer day, and Private could hear the hustle and bustle of the city just outside the perimeter of the park. Within Central Park, however, it was more peaceful. The sun was shining between the towering skyscrapers that encapsulated the green patch of nature, providing a depth that Private always really appreciated. If he had been a painter, he might spend all his life trying to capture it's perfect beauty and never quite get it right.

Since it was a weekday, the crowds that came to visit weren't particularly large. Private figured they'd pick up in the evening like they always did, but for now they were typically composed of groups of kids accompanied by a few adult chaperones. The children pointed at him in bewilderment as he waved halfheartedly toward them, presumably confused at his battered state. The adults shushed them, and Private could hear them tell the children that he had just fallen out of his enclosure and gotten hurt.

The adults, Private had figured, had read the articles that he knew had been written about his injuries. Shortly after he had gotten out of the veterinarian's clinic, journalists came to interview the zookeepers and take pictures of him. Kowalski said they were likely trying to figure out why Private had sustained the injuries he had, and to investigate if it was a case of negligence on behalf of the zoo. After a week or so the journalists stopped coming, and nothing seemed to come upon the zoo for the sake of Private. Skipper had the zoo's resident chimps, Mason and Phil, translate an article that featured a picture of Private, back when his stitches were more visible.


"'Rouge Lemur Attacks at Central Park Zoo'," Mason translated the title of the article as his friend Phil signed it. Phil was the only animal in the zoo that could read human writing, but was unfortunately also deaf and mute. Mason and Phil had learned to communicate by learning a series of hand gestures, not unlike those that Private saw the deaf children perform to communicate. Phil began translating the article to sign language, and Mason the sign language to spoken word the Penguins could understand.

"'Last week at the Central Park Zoo, chaos broke out. A penguin was found in critical condition, after having received mortal wounds from an unknown source. Other zoo animals were found outside their enclosures.

"'The penguin was treated for his injuries by the zoo's lead veterinarian. 'The injuries seem to have been caused by some small, clawed mammal," said Dr. Bhatnagar. 'The clawing and tearing of the penguin's flesh are unmistakable.'

"'This happened after just a few days before, another of the zoo's resident animals-A ring-tailed lemur-was found dead in the bushes of his habitat, suffering similar injuries.

"'An investigation was conducted by zoo officials, with help from New York animal control. A second lemur was found dead during the investigation, this time within the confines of the penguin habitat. This lemur was an aye-aye that had arrived to the zoo at the same time as the ring-tail and another lemur. The zoo had just finished adopting a fourth lemur in the days preceding the ring-tail being discovered dead.

"''This one suffered pecking type injuries,' Dr. Bhatnagar commented after emerging from the lemur's autopsy.

"'Investigators concluded the second lemur had gotten in a fight with the injured penguin and was killed during the scuffle. The injuries sustained by the penguin were also obtained during this altercation.

"'It's likely the ring-tail was killed by the aye-aye,' commented Alice Smith, one of the zoo's zookeepers. 'I just can't believe it, they were all so peaceful.'

"'The investigation was concluded and no abuse or neglect was discovered by animal control. The zoo agreed to reenforce enclosures to prevent animals breaking free and harming each other in the future.'"


It was amazing how little of the whole story the humans actually knew, Private thought. As the children gazed upon him, he was an example of the ferocity of nature, how insatiable and blood hungry it can be. How it's survival of the fittest, how he was the stronger of the two animals that had clashed that day. Why they should avoid holding their hands between the bars like they used to; the reasons for why they shouldn't throw popcorn in the habitat anymore.

The truth was, he was nothing to be feared. He wasn't the strongest of the two animals that day.

The day went by fast, as it usually did. Before Private could even consider the number of children he had waved to, it was already noon. Noon was the only time during the middle of the day the animals were able to leave their habitats, as it was when the least people were out and about. Most of the zookeepers took their lunch breaks, and the vast majority of guests headed for the cafe. So as long as they avoided the zookeepers break room and the food court, the zoo animals could roam freely.

That was, at least, before Julien's murder. Now, the zoo kept a tighter lock on the habitats during the day, and so did Skipper. The animals were designated to stay strictly in their pens until zoo close, and only Skipper was allowed to leave. Other animals could request permission, including the other three penguins. But Skipper rarely granted it. It seems Kowalski's request to gain information about Clover was on his priority list, since he had so readily approved it.

As soon as the last zookeeper and guest was out of visible range, Kowalski turned to Skipper and announced his and Rico's departure.

"You've got thirty minutes," Skipper responded. "No exceptions."

"Understood," replied the lieutenant, and he jumped out of the habitat, closely tailed by Rico. Private predicted they were headed to the Lemur habitat by their angle.

Private felt a brief flash of sadness run through him as he watched his two more able-bodied comrades disappear behind a wall of a habitat. He thought on all the times he had been able to head out into the zoo at noon, sometimes even on his own. Usually it was something simple, like checking in on a particular animal or retrieving some popcorn for their stockpile. Now, however, he merely got to sit inside and wait for the guests to come back.

The small bird glanced at his leader, who seemed to be looking over his shoulder in the direction that Kowalski and Rico had headed. When the flat-headed penguin noticed his gaze, he grimaced, causing Private to avert his eyes. Something about the way Skipper looked at him always filled him with dread, but he was never able to identify it.

Private took a seat on the edge of the penguins' fake ice floe, swinging his webbed feet into the water. Unfortunately, his stitches and ruined lung prevented him from being able to swim anymore. Kowalski had said the veterinarian thought he might be able swim again someday, but with how slow his recovery had already been, that day didn't seem to be coming anytime soon.

He heard something shift behind him, and he saw the leader penguin sit down next to him. He looked down at his flippers awkwardly, knowing Skipper had something on his mind. As he suspected, it didn't take long for the leader to speak.

"What do you think about this Clover character, Private?" he asked. The question seemed genuine, and the leader looked intently toward him for a response.

"Like, how so?" Private returned. "I don't think she's a spy, if that's…"

"No, no." Skipper waved his flippers. "Not that. Kowalski's figuring that out for us. I want to know if you think she's actually here for Julien."

"To mourn for him?" Private asked.

"Yeah, like she said." Skipper looked out toward the lemur habitat. "I'll be honest with you, Private. I've never quite understood it. Why go through all the trouble?"

"Clover seems like she was very close to Julien, and Maelie mentioned she was involved in the lemur military. She probably just wanted to send off an old friend, Skippah," the smaller bird explained.

"No, i don't think you're understanding me," Skipper replied, looking back at his comrade. "I get that. Sending off an old comrade, that makes sense. Thing is-that can be done from anywhere. Why is it worth going halfway around the Earth, risking life and limb, just to see a gravestone?"

To this, Private could think of no immediate response. He thought back to when the zoo animals had all stood around Julien's grave before Rico lowered him into it, talking about times they shared together, both good and bad. He remembered the confusion he had felt during that time, wondering how people could experience joy when a funny story was told about him, then a few minutes later cry when someone restated how much they'd miss him.

"I don't really know, Skippah," he admitted. "I suppose it's a bit different for everyone."

"Hmmph," grunted the leader penguin, seeming dissatisfied. "I've no idea where half of my comrades are, or what might have happened to them, and the ones that I know are dead I never went to go see."

"You went to go see Manfredi and Johnson's graves, did you Skippah?" Private asked in response.

"Oh, those two knuckleheads? I tried, but I couldn't find a secure way into Denmark."

"Oh."

"It seems the Danes aren't as forgiving as we are here at the zoo. Regardless, what's the point of making such a big deal out of it? I know they're gone now, and I'll always remember them from when they were still alive. What's the big deal of coming to see a gravestone?"

Private paused for a moment, swirling his foot in the water below him. "She wants to make sure he's dead," he replied quietly, watching the ripples spread out from his foot. They bounced against the walls of the pool, and collapsed in upon themselves to turn the once pristine surface into utter chaos.

Private glanced at Skipper, who returned a quizzical look. "But Maelie already provided that intelligence. If she trusted the note she received, there was no reason to journey all the way here."

"Skippah, I-" the smaller bird started, but was interrupted.

"Maybe that's just the point." Skipper looked like he was in his own world now. He was looking at Private but his eyes weren't focused on him. "Clover didn't trust the note was genuine, or maybe didn't trust it was actually from Maelie. Rather than merely sending correspondence, she needed to verify for herself that Julien was actually dead." He paused, his eyes bouncing back and forth in their sockets. Then, he smacked his flippers together with revelation. "That's it-Clover's working for the new lemur king, the one who conspired with Maurice."

Private couldn't help but lower his head into his flippers disappointingly. "Skippah," he began, snapping his leader out of his trance, "don't you understand? Clover's not here on any official business. She's here to see-for herself, with her own eyes-that her friend is gone. She's come to pay respects, Skippah."

The leader blinked blankly at him. Private felt as though his words had no effect on the penguin, as if he just couldn't wrap his mind around the importance of mourning. After all, Skipper had the most reason of all of them to be mournful, yet was the only one of them who had never learned how. Manfredi and Johnson weren't the only teammates he had lost through the years.

"Are you spying on us?!" came a shout from the lemur habitat, swiftly followed by what sounded like a rustling of bushes. Private recognized the voice as Clover's, and he stood up to get a better look at what was happening.

Bounding down the path was Kowalski, closely followed by Rico, and even more closely by the orange-furred Clover. Kowalski barely made it to the bars of the penguin habitat before Clover caught up to him, and he flipped head-over-flippers when she managed to grab one of his ankles. Kowalski grunted as he was held upside-down over the railing, Clover bracing herself on the fence to support the penguin's weight. Rico growled nearby, quickly assuming a fighting stance.

Clover smirked in his direction. "Just try it, big boy," she taunted.

Rico growled again before moving closer. Private was sure he was about to take a swing at the lemur before Skipper finally stepped in. "Rico, stand down."

The large penguin hesitated, looking at his commanding officer with confusion. He lowered his flippers and blabbered something about needing to defend Kowalski.

"He's fine," Skipper gestured to the intellectual who was now flailing around, trying to swat Clover's iron grip away.

"All due respect, sir," Kowalski responded. "My status is actually not fine."

Skipper turned his attention to the lemur. "Do you mind dropping my Lieutenant?"

Clover glanced at Skipper. "'Lieutenant?' Pretty official for a group that only calls themselves a 'Specialist Fighting Squad'."

"Our ranks are part of the way we run things. We keep order around here. That much you already know."

"Oh yeah? You keep order by spying, then?"

Skipper scowled, crossing his flippers. "When necessary. Intelligence acquisition is half the battle, after all. Now please, put Kowalski down before I let Rico do it for you." The large bird yipped with excitement, putting his flippers back up in an offensive move.

"I'd like to see him try," Clover shot, glancing at Rico, who was approaching again. She shifted in her place, swapping Kowalski's foot to her other hand and preparing to provide a fight with her free one.

Private raised a flipper and opened his beak to try to defuse the situation, but another voice sounded before he could. It was Maelie, who must have followed the commotion. "Clover, don't worry about the penguins. They're just trying to do their jobs."

The orange lemur glanced over her shoulder at her friend, who had her paws on her hips. "If they had questions to answer, all they had to do was ask," she responded.

"She has a point," Maelie said, shrugging. "Anyway, can you please let Kowalski down? He's really quite nice if you get to know him."

Clover hesitated, glancing between her friend, Rico, and Skipper before finally releasing Kowalski's flipper. He shrieked in surprise, plummeting down and into the water with a splash. After a moment he surfaced again, shaking his head. Clover wasted no time and backflipped off the railing, landing next to Maelie. Rico stopped his approach, lowering his flippers again.

"Thanks," Maelie said to Clover, who smiled. Then, she turned to the penguins. "Seriously though, guys. What's your problem? Ever heard of respecting your guests?"

Skipper didn't look moved. "Attacking members of this zoo won't win you any respect from me," he said, directly to Clover, who scowled.

"And spying on members of the zoo won't win you any respect from me," she sneered.

"Guys, guys, sheesh," Maelie said, waving her flippers in a dismal attempt to calm the situation. "Can't we all just get along?"

Both Skipper and Clover looked like they had retorts to that statement, but something else broke into the conversation first. It was something entirely different from Clover and Skipper's senseless bickering, something much darker. It was a sound that sent a chill straight through Private's core, immediately filling him with fear and dread.

It was a shriek. A pained, horrible shriek.

A shriek that ate at Private's very sanity.

Suddenly, a bolt of white light flashed before Private's eyes. Dazed, he fell over. He blinked his eyes a few times to clear them, but all he could make out was the blurry face of Skipper.

"What the deuce?" The leader penguin said, astonished.

"That sounded like Mort," came Maelie's voice.

"It came from that direction," Clover announced. Private couldn't see what direction she was pointing.

"Wait!" he heard Maelie cry.

In a flash, Skipper was gone from his vision. "Kowalski, stay here with Private. Rico, you're with me. Move!"

"No, no, I'm coming with," Private said as loud and as confidently as he could. His vision had mostly cleared, but he still felt a bit woozy. Kowalski was at his side how, water dripping from his feathers and onto the concrete below them. He steadied himself against the intellectual and looked directly at Skipper.

The flat-headed penguin seemed to consider the insubordination in Private's demand for a moment, then nodded regardless of it. Private figured it was either because there was no time to argue and he'd be chewed out later, or because Skipper genuinely thought Private could keep up.

To make sure it was the latter option, Private made a dash for the edge of the penguin's fake ice floe and vaulted forward. He reached for the railing and managed to grab it with two flippers, though barely. He felt a jolt of pain run up his side at the strain but pushed through it, pulling himself up and over the railing and onto the concrete on the other side. He stumble briefly but managed to maintain his footing.

Rico and Skipper were already started down a pathway, presumably after the lemurs. Private heard Kowalski land on the concrete next to him, and glanced at his friend who looked upon him with concern. He nodded to show he was okay, and Kowalski nodded back. Now was not the time to be worried about himself.

The two headed after Skipper and Rico, at a slower pace but fast enough to keep them in their vision. It took only a few minutes for Private to feel winded, but he powered through. If Mort was in trouble, he wanted to be there to help. He had to be there to help.

After a moment, another scream rang out. This one sparked vivid images to appear before Private's eyes, and for a moment he thought he might pass out.

A dark-furred lemur holding an air pistol, shaking, as he struggled to maintain a grip on his own life.

A force of death, brought on by a lemur with no mercy.

A sharp pain, icy hot and slicing deep into his core.

He stumbled over his own two feet, and was ready to fall over completely. That was, until two soft flippers steadied him. Kowalski was looking him over, saying something that Private couldn't make out.

"That was Maelie," he decided to say, and Kowalski understood. When he was sure Private wouldn't fall over again, he let go of him. The two exchanged another nod, and they were off once more.

As they rounded the corner of the final habitat that was between them and the utility shed, Private saw Skipper and Rico enter through the garage door that had been left open a couple feet from the ground, enough for them to just run right under. When he was inside, at first he could see nothing because of the change in light. After a few seconds, his eyes adjusted enough and he was able to make out the forms of two penguins and two lemurs standing around something on the other side of the utility shed. He saw Kowalski waddle toward them, and followed.

"What the deuce is that?" Skipper asked, astonished at the sight. Nobody seemed to want to respond.

Closer now, Private saw a look of disgust on Clover's face. She looked as though she was trying to mentally block out whatever she was looking at. Maelie had her paws over her mouth, looking like she was holding back another scream. Rico had his head cocked to the side in a confused manner, and Skipper was pointing to something on the floor.

"That's… that's a foot, Skipper," Kowalski finally responded.

Then, Private saw it. He saw the droplets of blood flung on a nearby sack of hay. He saw the small trickle of crimson that tried hopelessly to flow away from its source. He saw the shards of bone that dotted it like rocks along a river, the hairs mixing with the hay and making a riverbed for the sluggish flow of death.

And there, in the middle of the group of animals, was a severed, brown-furred foot.