Chapter 4: Talking

(CnC Universe)

After Isobel and Skipper had explained themselves to Kia, and alternate Skipper had woken up (and also given an explanation), Kia decided to set about creating a portal from scratch.

"You could do that?" Isobel asked her.

Before Kia could answer, Kowalski spoke up.

"Kia, you should be resting, not assembling a portal to another dimension." He then looked to Isobel. "Did alternate me really do that in your universe?"

"How else would we be here, 'Walski?" Skipper told him.

"Kowalski, I'm fine." Kia told him as she began to waddle towards the lab. "Besides, something tells me that you just want to take all the credit for building the portal yourself."

"What?" Kowalski guffawed. "Kia, that's…"

Kia turned around to give him a look. "You're my husband, I think I know you well enough."

"Alright." Kowalski huffed. "But at least let me help you."

"Fair enough." Kia nodded and opened the door to the lab.

But just as she and Kowalski were about to go into the lab, the hatch opened once again as four more lemurs piled into the HQ.

"Hello, neighbors!" Alternate Julien called out, alternate Maurice and Mort trailing behind him.

"Oh boy." Skipper said under his breath as he glanced at Isobel.

Nika, the female lemur that Isobel had seen with alternate Julien earlier, came down also. "Sorry, Kia, I know that you busy vith the penguins but – Vho ees this?"

Nika's eyes had landed on Isobel, and she crossed her arms, assessing this strange new lemur.

Before Kia could answer, Nika suddenly realized that this new lemur could very well have been sent as another attempt on Julien's life.

"An assassin!"

Quicker than a flash, Nika had knocked alternate Julien to the ground, and lunged out at Isobel.

Isobel's eyes widened and she grabbed the Russian by her shoulders, sending both very evenly matched girls tumbling down.

"Nika, no!" Kia shouted as she waddled back towards the scuffle. "She isn't from here!"

"Vell obviously, Kia, vhy else vould I be attacking?" Nika said, doing her best to dodge Isobel's sharp claws.

No one wanted to get in between the two.

"I mean form a completely different universe!" Kia tried to explain quickly. "This place, while completely familiar to her, is full of people and actions that she has no knowledge of. Funny, if she would have ended up in a parallel universe it could have possibly been less confusing-"

"Kia!" All of the penguins yelled at her unison.

"Right, right!" Kia pressed her flipper tips to her temples, recollecting her thoughts. "Nika, enough! We have to get them back to their own universe."

Nika finally looked up, and Isobel took this opportunity to flip her over so Nika would get off of her.

Nika growled at her for that once she stood back up, and Isobel bared her fangs in return.

Nika's eyes widened just a little, off put by the fangs, as she had not expected that.

Skipper quickly waddled over to Isobel. "What did I tell you, Green Eyes? No crazy business!"

That caught alternate Julien's attention as he stood up, looking to second Skipper and Isobel.

"He is having a nickname for you too?" he asked Isobel.

Isobel's eyes swept over to him, but she only nodded.

Nika noticed that Isobel had given him an odd glance, and she crossed her arms again, looking over to Kia. "So how do ve get them back?"

Kia instantly began explaining. "According to what alternate Skipper and Isobel have told us, it seems that the Kowalski in their universe created a type of portal which can shoot you into any given place and time within an alternate universe."

Kowalski nodded. "Bravo to alternate me."

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Before Kia and Kowalski went back into the lab, she told the other penguins that they would have to leave the HQ until they were done.

"Why?" Kowalski asked her, puzzled.

"We're going to be using mercury-filled tubes, so I thought if I dropped one then you and I could just be poisoned, and not everyone." Kia told him.

Kowalski began to protest, but Kia assured him that it was very unlikely that anything would happen.

The other penguins left, leaving other Skipper and the lemurs inside.

Kia beckoned Nika over. "Take everyone to the lemur habitat. It's going to be a while. Just hide alternate Skipper, and Alice won't notice Isobel."

Nika nodded. "Vine, but I am not vatching over them."

Kia shrugged. "You don't have to. But maybe it'd be fun to talk to them, see what their universe is like."

Kia walked into the lab, and Nika turned around to take everyone back to the lemur habitat.

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Isobel was not happy about having to go back to the lemur habitat, but she knew that they had no choice.

She walked close to Skipper, who was looking around them, noticing anything that was different.

Alternate Julien was walking up front with Nika, and Isobel could hear them talking.

"But Nika, I want to talk to de penguin's new friends." Julien was saying.

"No, Julien." Nika shook her head firmly. "I still do not trust them."

Julien sighed exaggeratedly. "Okay, fine."

Once they reached the habitat, Isobel went to sit against the Lion Column while Skipper hid behind it.

Nika exhaled through her nose and glanced one more time at Isobel, whose expression read as a mix of anger and a little…confusion?

But Nika decided that was not such an unusual feeling for the lemur. She would probably feel out of place too if she were in an alternate universe. Of course, thinking of that got her curious and made her remember what Kia had suggested, but she shook her head and began to pace the habitat, ever vigilant, and away from Isobel.

Hours later, when the sun was going down and the zoo was closed, the lemurs, aside from Isobel and Nika, began to do different activities. They played games together, ate together, and laughed together.

"How're you holding out, Green Eyes?" Skipper asked Isobel from behind the column.

"I'm fine." Isobel replied.

She had only moved a couple of times throughout the day, trying her best to avoid any of the lemurs.

She noticed that Nika was walking up to her, and she looked to the Russian lemur.

Nika's arms were crossed, and at first she looked serious, but she sighed a little.

"I geev up." She told Isobel, but not quietly. "Tell me about your universe. It vas Kia's suggestion."

Isobel stared at her for a moment, and she then glanced over to the other lemurs, who were not quite out of earshot.

"Let's go to the park. I can tell you there."

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Nika reluctantly agreed, and after talking to other Skipper, she decided that he was suitable to watch over Julien while she was gone.

She was not very worried about Isobel turning on her, as she already knew they were pretty even when fighting.

"So are you going to tell me?" Nika asked as they walked into the park.

They stood under a tree, and Isobel began to tell her story.

"In my universe, the penguins – Skipper, Rico, Private, and Kowalski – are the same. But Kowalski does not have a wife, or even a girlfriend. And you, Kia, and those other lemurs are not there."

Nika nodded, and the two girls sat down. She took note of Isobel's accent, and wondered if she too was the only one from a separate country at the zoo in her universe.

"Do you have a Julien there too?"

Isobel nodded slightly, and a small smile quirked at the corners of her lips. She looked down at the blade of grass she was playing with.

"I am sorry if I have been cold to you." Isobel said.

Nika furrowed her eyebrows. "Vhut does that have to do vith Julien?"

Isobel looked at her now, green eyes meeting chocolate brown ones. "In my universe, he and I…We're together."

"Oh." Nika understood now. "Okay, vell, I don't know vhy you vould vant to be cold to me still."

Isobel gave Nika a knowing smile and she leaned back a bit. "I saw you two laughing together when I first arrived here. It made me feel…Jealous."

"Jealous." Nika repeated. She was beginning to feel a little weird, which made her mad. She stood up, almost glaring at Isobel. "You misunderstand. Julien and I are not dating. Ve have nothing in common! I have no idea how you could be vith him, he ees impossible."

"He notices things." Isobel did not stand up, and only looked at Nika sympathetically, knowing how she really felt. "He's perspicacious."

Nika's expression betrayed her for a moment, but she went right back to glaring. "Vhy are you telling me thees? I do not care vor him like that."

Isobel sighed, trying to decide what to say next. This was very strange for her, giving another woman advice about…Well, about her boyfriend, even if this was not the same Julien. Still, she knew she could at least say one last thing. "You…You'll decide in your heart."

And with that, Isobel stood up, and began to walk back to the zoo, leaving Nika speechless.

So, we have one more chapter to go! Sorry if there are any errors in this, I skimmed it over. I hope this was good, I feel iffy about it, but you let me know! Thanks for reading.