Sierra: Hola guys! Here's Chapter 4, if anyone is reading. It took a little longer than I'd hoped for.

The fifth chapter should come faster - in fact, I'm working on it right now. I'm quite excited for it... :D


"Is it really you, Skippah?" Private's boyish voice wavered with overwhelming emotion, tears threatening to spill over his bright little eyes as he addressed his leader.

"It is, Private," Skipper said, a smile tugging at his lips as the young private squeezed him tightly around the waist.

"Oh, Skippah, we thought you were dead!" Private wailed, Rico's gruff voice joining in with his cries.

"Easy now, he's still injured," Kowalski warned, eyeing the two cautiously although smiling as well. After leading Skipper to the other side of the base, the two had arrived at the training center, where Rico and Private had been working hard and trying to get their minds off their presumably dead leader. Now that the team had been reunited - and what a tearful reunion it had been - the mission no longer had to be postponed.

"It's alright, Kowalski," chucked Skipper, hugging Private back. "He's not hurting me."

The sudden creaking of the training room door drew the attention of the four, whose heads all turned to see a certain cerulean-eyed penguin approaching.

"I hope I am not interrupting anything," she said, although her voice did not show a hint of it, "but Skipper, Blowhole has requested to see you."

At this, Private released his grip on his leader.

"Remember, he's not the same," Kowalski whispered to Skipper as he made his way toward Sierra, who seemed to be getting impatient. Skipper nodded in acknowledgement, and then he and Sierra were out of the room, walking swiftly down the darkened corridors of the base once more.

"I see you have had a change in views on the man in charge," Sierra eyed him with the slightest playfulness. "I told you a meeting with your past comrades would spur your memory and change your mind, did I not?"

Skipper huffed, shaking his head. "You certainly did. Although, I'm still unclear on this whole situation." he said, scratching the back of his head. "Now why does Blowhole want to see me?"

"Ah, he just wants to run through the plan with you."

"Then what's the rush?"

At this, Sierra stopped in her tracks, blinking in surprise, before she brought her head back in a hearty laugh. "Oh, you are right! There is no rush, Skipper. My apologies. I am used to doing things quickly, that is all."

She flashed him a mischievous smile that made him feel a bit uneasy. Sierra was pretty; she seemed to have good intentions, and had been his light of hope back at the ruins of the plane, but there was something strange about her he could not place a flipper on. Some things about her did not seem to add up.

The two began walking again, this time with a slower pace. Skipper looked down at his feet awkwardly, debating if he should question the girl or not. Before he could come up with a decision, her voice broke through his thoughts.

"Here he is."

She had been addressing Blowhole. Looking up, Skipper saw that they were back in the room they had first entered, with its high, drab stone walls and clusters of computers set up in rows. The curious cyber-dolphin wheeled over to the two, a freakishly welcoming smile on his face.

"Ah, Skipper, good to see you've a more positive attitude toward me," he chuckled, gesturing the penguin over with a wave of his flipper. "Come with me. Sierra, you're free to go."

Skipper heard the waddling of Sierra's feet behind him as she took off, then stepped forward to meet Blowhole. The mammal towered over him, standing upright on his segway, and this made Skipper slightly uncomfortable. Although he trusted very much in Kowalski's words, Skipper still had his doubts; after all, none of those memories had come back to him yet. Would they even come back at all?

"Alright, Skipper," squeaked Blowhole, "Now that you're back with us, we should be able to put our plan in action."

Before Skipper could say a word, Blowhole paused on his segway, continuing, "The amount of recovery and training time you'll need should be enough for Kowalski and I to engineer new technology that will make for a more powerful, successful switch."

"Switch?"

"Switching you and your team members back to your own dimension, and switching the others back into this one."

Others? What did this guy mean by others? Was there some other team, hopelessly stuck in a strange and different dimension as well, just as they were?

"So," concluded Blowhole, "get to resting, then! We hope to be ready in two weeks. Think you're strong enough for that?" He asked with a teasing smile.

Skipper forced a smile back. "Yes… sir."


Sierra: Shabam! Questions? Comments?

I promise it'll clear up next chapter! Until then... I want to hear your hypothesis...es.. about Sierra and the 'other team'!

(What the heck is the plural of hypothesis anyway?)