Chapter 4- Evil Plan Unfolds

"I'm sure you will like to come with us," Skipper said to Rico who was staring at the rippling water the Time Bandit made as it travelled down the river. "We travel all over the world. I for instance come from Antarctica. I didn't even have a life before I joined."

Rico nodded and kept staring at the water.

"We need to go wherever," Skipper continued even though Rico didn't seem interested. "Steak Knife has a plan to take over the world and we have to stop him."

Rico nodded with sudden interest. If Skipper didn't know Rico better he would have thought that Rico knew Steak Knife somehow… No, or else Rico would have "said" something.

"Skipper!" Kowalski exclaimed. "I see another monkey!"

Skipper had no interest in monkeys whatsoever, but he still felt a little guilty for pushing Kowalski down that hill. He joined Kowalski at the edge of the boat to stare at the monkey jumping through the trees. Ever since they left Addie for today, Kowalski was completely back to normal.

TJ was looking at a map and Skipper and Kowalski were staring at the monkey. No one was watching where the Time Bandit was going. There was a fork in the river up ahead and it went two ways. Rico knew this river, every twist and turn in it. The right path would take the Time Bandit all around the outskirts of the otter village, but the left would take them deep into the rain forest and the boat would float right into the lake full of flying piranhas. All of them would be devoured in seconds, just like Steak Knife wanted. He slinked over to the steering wheel of the Time Bandit. They didn't notice so he turned the boat to the left.

He knew that he couldn't be there when the Time Bandit reached the piranha lake or they wouldn't attack. He knew them too long. They would have to fair it out alone. He knew exactly where the Red October was parked from memory and the others would never notice if he left. He dived off into the river and no one noticed. He wondered what Steak Knife was doing alone.

While TJ's plan to hunt down Steak Knife was in session, Steak Knife's own plan was unfolding. He waited impatiently for Rico to eliminate them and he knew that Rico would do anything to succeed in this task. Steak Knife did not expect to see the recognizable Lieutenant Austin on duty alone. He knew that Rico would probably handle the other three with piranhas, but there was one that had to go right now. Steak Knife watched Austin scout around by the shore that ended Ecuador, getting closer and closer to where the Red October was parked.

Austin could just make out something red and rusty parked on a peninsula by the ocean. He slid down the slope thinking it was an illusion and he couldn't possibly have such a stroke of luck, but it was definitely a ship. He got closer and closer and studied every detail of the red October. He was so close that he could see every pelt hanging over the bow of the ship and the rusty painted letters that marked the Red October. Steak Knife surely couldn't be far from here. He felt like a very faithful Lieutenant after discovering this. He would have to find TJ and the others to scope this out. There was no way he could barge in there like Skipper did and expect to solve the problem by himself.

"It is just depressing thinking you want to be captain someday, but it will never happen."

Austin froze at the sound of that soft voice and slowly turned around. Steak Knife was standing there and stroking a platinum silver sword. Austin knew what he intended on doing with it.

"I'm sure TJ will think highly of you for coming alone right to my ship," he continued. "I sure do. I will tell you right now that this won't hurt a bit, just like a little pinprick."

There was no warning. Steak Knife lunged out suddenly and Lieutenant Austin didn't stand a chance.

Rico did not know why Steak Knife encountered Lieutenant Austin at first and he soon found out why. He watched the whole scene with despair from a tree top and felt betrayed. The gruesome scene didn't bother him at all, but he thought that Skipper and the others were evil stalkers because that was what Steak Knife taught him to think. Now he understood who the real enemy was and no amount of explosives was going to change that. After spending the day with Skipper and the others, he learned that they were really the good guys in this cesspool of crime. They were trying to hunt down Steak Knife for a reason. Skipper actually thought of him as a friend instead of a pet, something that Steak Knife didn't.

And just like that, he betrayed them. He watched Steak Knife clean the blood of his sword and he looked like he accomplished something great. Rico couldn't give Steak Knife the satisfaction of the others dying too. He had to stop them before they were torn to shreds.

Skipper and Kowalski finally got their friendship back together. They eventually forgot about Addie for the time being and were friends against the world like things used to be.

"Did you know that otters can swim for days without breaks?" Kowalski asked Skipper while, of course, taking more notes.

"No and I don't care," replied Skipper lightly. "So I assume you have noticed now about Addie, yes?" He stopped talking when that last statement sounded just like something Steak Knife would say. Luckily, Kowalski didn't notice.

"I have," he agreed. "I guess that isn't really a bad thing. I mean, this calculator is tight…yo?"

"Just be a nerd. Cool lingo isn't really your thing. We can play with snap rocks. They are pretty fun."

"Spark rocks?"

"They explode when you drop them," Skipper explained and tugged Kowalski along. "Rico will surely let us play with them."

"I haven't seen Rico in a while," Kowalski said.

The two of them wandered around the deck in search of their lost buddy. They found no trace of Rico. TJ looked up from the map and noticed them searching.

"Have you seen Rico?" pestered Kowalski. "We want to play with spark rocks."

"Why…no I haven't," answered TJ. "I was sure Rico was with you two."

"No," Skipper said confused.

They searched the Time Bandit thoroughly, but found no signs of Rico. Did he go for a swim or something? Perhaps he just took off. Rico was just the penguin to disappear without a trace. While he looked for Rico, Kowalski just happened to glance at TJ's map while he was reading it.

"Your map is upside down," Kowalski pointed out and flipped it over the other way. "Your navigation has been wrong this whole time."

Kowalski looked at the river ahead and then back at the map. He located their current position on the map and looked up worriedly. TJ and Skipper gathered anxiously.

"We took the path on the right, didn't we?" he wondered nervously.

"Of course," TJ answered.

"…Sure," Skipper agreed.

"But no one actually saw us turn right?"

"I was looking at my map," admitted TJ.

"We were looking at monkeys," Skipper added.

"According to my calculations, we are not taking the right path. Every turn we pass is not computing on this map, but matches perfectly with the path on the left. We are taking the left and at the end of this river is a lake… Piranha lake."

"We can just turn the boat around and go back," TJ decided calmly. "Prianhas are absolutely no threat at all."

"Are you sure?" Kowalski pressed nervously.

"Of course I'm sure," TJ replied confidently, making Skipper feel less anxious.

After their decision, the river began to widen and the current was less strong. The Time Bandit relied on the current to go and slowed down when it weakened. They floated into a wide circle: the lake. This lake was crawling with piranhas that they couldn't see because of the murky water. Kowalski began to turn on the propellers and turn the boat around. It turned slowly. Skipper stared into the water with fear. Kowalski said that piranhas were fish with very sharp teeth and obliviated anything that fell into the water. The Time Bandit was high off the ground though so they surely were safe.

A greenish gray fin spiked out of the water like a shark. Skipper leaped back with surprise. It was huge. One turned to two and then half a dozen, then a dozen, and then a baker's dozen. TJ didn't seem the slightest bit worried though.

"They can't get us up here," TJ said. "They need water."

"Oh."

TJ walked to the front of the boat leaving Skipper staring at the currents the Time Bandit left behind. The piranhas were very interested in the boat. They crowded around it. Their fins circled the boat which was scary. They looked like they were interested in the boat. He saw a pair of wide unblinking eyes looking at him. These fish were more than just interested, the fish was looking at him like he was prey. He was about to join TJ and Kowalski up front when it jumped clear out of the water and landed on the deck. Instead of flopping around it slithered across the ground like a snake. Skipper gasped with horror and pressed himself to the rail. Its teeth were giant piercing needle of death.

Fight it! This is what you were trained to do. This isn't as scary as Steak Knife.

Skipper couldn't do it. Its fangs glittered in the sunlight and could pierce right through his skin. He bolted as fast as he could to TJ and Kowalski. They stared at the piranha with disbelief.

"I thought they didn't jump," he panted.

"They don't," TJ answered worriedly.

There was a splash and then another grayish green predator fish landed right between them. It tried to clip its fangs on Kowalski, but he flinched and it missed. Snap! It grabbed thin air. It tried to grab Kowalski again, but TJ grabbed its tail so it whirled around and barely missed him. He tossed it back into the water safely without getting bitten. Skipper knew they were under attack and he remembered Elise's training against something as unexpected as this. He reached out of the Time Bandit and almost fell out. He supported all his weight on a tree branch and ripped it down. The branch snapped so suddenly that he tumbled on to the deck of the Time Bandit with a huge branch. A piranha rained out of the sky with its fangs ready to bite. Skipper pushed the branch out so it bit the stick and he threw down the stick to the side so it hit the deck. It let go of the stick and pounced for Skipper again. He hit it like a baseball back into the water. Another one shot out after it and it almost bit into his shoulder, but he thrust the stick and hit it away. The bit on contact he could tell. The moment Kowalski and TJ tried to push them away the fangs of the piranhas fastened into them and wouldn't let go. Their only chance against them was a stick. Skipper quickly reached out and ripped off a branch and tossed it to TJ. He had to get one for Kowalski. He grabbed on to a branch and pulled on it desperately. It was bursting with life and would not give. Kowalski desperately needed one so he pulled harder.

All of a sudden the branch cracked with sudden force and Skipper lost his balance. He lost contact with the Time Bandit and was falling. Landing in the water would be certain death and his life flashed before his eyes. He clung to that branch as tightly as he could and expected it to hit the water. The branch slowed down and then stopped. He opened his eyes and clung to it as tightly as he could. He was only about two feet from the water and the branch bounced unsteadily under his weight. He waited a few seconds before climbing up to the top just as the piranhas started jumping up. He had to get back to the Time Bandit and fast.

Skipper felt something touch him. He jolted and jumped around. Rico flinched with surprise and Skipper felt relaxed to see that it was only Rico.

"Where have you been?" he demanded. "We're under attack."

Rico obviously didn't answer. He just looked at Kowalski and TJ fighting for their lives on the ship deck. He looked extremely guilty, but there was no way this could be Rico's fault. That didn't matter though.

"What are we going to do?" Skipper exclaimed and snapped to get Rico's attention. "We have to get out of here. Do you have something that can help us out?"

"Uh-uh," Rico answered.

"Give me what you got," Skipper ordered and shook him like a doll. "We need things."

Rico coughed up a slobbery disintegrating calendar, a rag, a picture frame, and the end of a garden hose.

"More!"

Rico then puked up a shiny box of something. Skipper picked up the slobbery box and something thin and tall fell out with a sparkly tip. It was a box of fireworks! If they lit off the fireworks perhaps something would come to their assistance or they would scare away the piranhas. He was about to take them out of the box, but Rico snatched it and held it close. Skipper tried to get them back, but he just backed away and clutched them tighter.

"We need them!" Skipper insisted. "Hand them over."

Rico looked down at them and then slowly handed them to Skipper like they were such a burden to lose. Fireworks needed fire to light.

"We need to light them somehow," Skipper said. He noticed Rico fidget a little. "Okay, you have something."

Rico puked up a box of matches. Skipper didn't understand how he could swallow all that stuff, but that was very useful at a time like this. Skipper lit the match on a tree and then lit every firework in the box. There was a sizzling sound for a few seconds before fireworks exploded into the air, all at once. They exploded in beautiful flashed of color and made enough noise to shake the ground. The piranhas were very startle by this sudden noise. They had never seen or heard fireworks before and their noise was worse than thunder. They retreated back into the water by the dozens until they were completely gone and the water stilled. The plan worked. Skipper and Rico jumped down on the deck of the Time Bandit. They checked all areas of the Time Bandit and found no piranhas remaining.

"That was a close one," Kowalski panted. "I…was sure we were…goners."

"I have never ever seen piranhas that could fly so far out of the water," TJ said. "They were so vicious. All it took was fireworks to make them go away. Fireworks that came from nowhere."

"It was my idea," Skipper said quickly. "And…well…Rico helped."

"Really? Well, I change my mind about this…Rico. Welcome to the team, Rico."

Rico nodded shyly. Skipper knew what was coming next.

"Skipper, I also made the right choice in putting you on the team. You are a prodigy and a natural leader. I will have to make that a good mark in your record."

Skipper tried to think of something modest and heroic to say, but couldn't think of anything. He just nodded like Rico did. He waited to hear some other good news when there was a loud splash and a piranha landed on the deck of the Time Bandit. It wasn't just another piranha, something was very different about it. IT didn't have that greenish glow to it that the others had, but a sickly gray look to it. Its eyes were clouded over with white clouds and it stared at nothing. It came alone and without any others. It was so different that everyone just stood back with alarm. It slithered around in a crooked way and then stopped in front of Skipper. He was frozen to the spot, clutching the rail tightly. The fish wasn't looking at him so perhaps it didn't see him. It came closer a little at a time until Skipper was cornered in the corner of the boat. Its fangs were yellow and needle sharp. He watched with fear as it came so close that he could reach out and touch it.

Skipper saw it leap at him and expected to feel its fangs impale into his skin. He felt a tiny nip and then opened his eyes. TJ reached out and grabbed the piranha's tail before it could bite Skipper. When it curled around he let go of it and jumped back. The piranha lunged out faster than TJ could jump back and fastened its teeth deep into TJ's chest. He didn't make a sound and just stared down at it. Pulling at it would be no good, but he couldn't just leave its fangs burrowed into him like that. No one moved, they just watched with the same fearful intensity as before. After a few moments its fangs began to loosen and it started to slacken. It got looser and looser until TJ could push it off easily and it slumped on the deck and died. It had some terrible disease and was deranged. They all just stared at it with terror and finally got enough sense to react.

"It had some kind of disease," Kowalski pointed out. "It doesn't look normal."

TJ stroked the bite carefully and smoothed away the blood that trickled down it. It was just another piranha bite and didn't look very serious. IT was nothing to worry about. All that mattered was this peril was over and they were all safe.

"Doesn't that hurt?" asked Kowalski and looked at the gaping bite.

"No, it could have been worse," he answered simply and pushed Kowalski away. "It will heal in no time. We should leave here as soon as possible. We still need to locate Steak Knife."

Now Skipper noticed it again with Rico. He looks so guilty and this was just the evidence he needed.

"You know Steak Knife," he accused.

Rico didn't try to deny it. He nodded confidently.

"I don't really care how you two happen to know each other, surely you know where the Red October is," TJ pursued. "We need to find it."

Rico nodded, but obviously didn't tell where it was. They would find that out when Rico showed them. The Time Bandit turned around and started to head back upriver towards the ocean.