The mysterious figure pointed Skipper towards the entrance to their HQ. Watching the silent bird anxiously, Skipper shuffled forward and, without thinking, dropped in. A dozen alarms started blaring and he spun round confused. A group of young penguins surrounded him. Most still had their down feathers but they didn't look cute and cuddly.

"What the…" He suddenly recognized a figure at the back of the group. "Private! What do you think you're doing?" The boy… now a fully fledged adult… looked at him scornfully.

"Firstly, it's not 'Private'. I'm the Commander here," he said coldly. "Secondly… and I doubt a civilian like you'd understand… but this is an authorised personnel only zone."

"Private!" Skipper called out to him. "Don't you recognise me?" A sneer pulled at the Commander's beak.

"Of course I do. Honestly though… what kind of spy masquerades as a younger version of a recently deceased penguin?" Skipper was too stunned to reply properly.

"Deceased?" he echoed.

"Get rid of him men."

"Wait!" Skipper cried again. "What ever happened to talking things through and seeing the good in everyone?" Skipper watched a scornful look come into his former Private's eyes.

"You really didn't do your homework did you? It was the very penguin you're imitating who taught me there's no room for feelings in the army." And with a gesture he ordered Skipper to be removed from the HQ.

"No!" Skipper screamed. "You were right! There should be time for friends and feelings. And Christmas… at least at Christmas… we should take the time to show those we love… how much we care." A blow seemed to daze Skipper and he closed his eyes and dropped down. He squeezed his eyes shut and hoped the dizziness would pass before they could grab him again. Unfortunately these youngsters were well trained and didn't hesitate in throwing him forcefully out the manhole.

He landed in a heap at the feet of the Rico look-alike.

Pulling himself upright he looked up at the strange bird.

"What happened to him? And where have Kowalski and Rico gone?" The other bird merely cocked his head to the side and waited. Skipper thought carefully.

"It's what he said isn't it? He wanted to be just like me… and now he's more like me than I ever thought possible. More than I ever wanted," he added sadly.

His guide grunted at him and gestured for Skipper to follow him. Meekly Skipper obeyed.

They headed away from the habitats and towards the sick bay. It was the last place he wanted to go at the best of times but now, after the day… night… whatever he'd just had… he really didn't want to go there. In fact, as he approached he felt the terror rise up.

"You're not telling me that this is where Rico… or Kowalski… is? No, wait a minute. Private said I was deceased!" He turned to face his guide only to find his 'guide' was holding a chainsaw, blocking his retreat. With no other option he cautiously slipped into the building and crept along the passage. It was clear where he was meant to go since there was only one light on. What he didn't know was what he was meant to see. It was with great trepidation that he gingerly put his head into the room. On the far side, Alice and the doctor were looking down at something.

"I don't understand it," she complained. "It's not age… there was no illness… you checked yourself!" The doctor sighed.

"I know. I can't explain it but it has all the symptoms of a broken heart." Alice snorted derisively.

"A broken heart? Well that's scientific."

"It's a known fact that in some species when one partner dies the other follows mere days later."

"Yeah, whatever. In case you've forgotten, this is a solitary animal. Was," she amended herself.

"I know," the doctor shrugged. "Like I said, I can't explain it."

The two humans moved into a back room and Skipper stepped forward. From the ground it was impossible to see what… or who… they'd been looking at. Skipper couldn't bring himself to go closer.

"Tell me," he turned to his aggressive guide. "Who is it? Who's up there?" The figure did nothing but gesture threateningly. Skipper turned back to the room. Truth to tell he'd rather take on Rico than find out who they'd been talking about but he knew it had to be done. With a gulp he steeled himself and leapt onto the table. He cried out as he saw.

Looking smaller than ever and so, so fragile, Marlene lay as though sleeping. But Skipper knew she wouldn't wake from this sleep.

"No…" A tear slid down his cheek. He turned again to his guide. "How? How did she die?" The silent penguin pointed to Skipper and he felt as though he'd been stabbed through the heart. He turned back to the still otter.

"She gave up hope," he murmured. He reached out as though to touch her but drew back his flipper before making contact. If he touched her, it might be real. He couldn't believe this was real.

"No!" he cried suddenly and dived through the window. He landed instinctively and set off at a run. He didn't know exactly where he was going but he knew he had to escape this nightmare. As he ran he was swallowed up in a thick fog, unable to see the end of his beak. He struggled to reach a landmark but turned around so much he couldn't say which way was which. Finally he tripped on something and fell, knocking his head on the way down so it seemed the world was spinning about him. For the first time unsure what to do, he covered his head in his flippers and prayed for the nightmare to end.