Another Blanky

Skipper joined Kowalski and watched him working on his experiment. He watched and waited, just thinking about how he was presently Lieutenant. Kowalski apparently didn't notice how highly ranked he was now. Rico didn't really realize what a Lieutenant really was and didn't treat Skipper with any more respect, not that he was surprised.

"Skipper, I don't mean to be rude, but you're standing in my thinking place," he said without looking up.

"THIS IS NO TIME FOR EXPERIMENTS!"

Skipper snatched Kowalski before he could stop shaking and shook him like a doll.

"What?" Kowalski exclaimed in a panicked tone.

"We got a problem, Kowalski," Skipper answered and continued to shake him again. "Help!"

Kowalski slipped away and opened his notebook to take notes.

"Something is wrong with TJ and it is not good," he explained. "You will have no idea why I will say this, but TJ is just like Steak Knife. STEAK KNIFE I TELL YOU!"

"Calm down," Kowalski said, very aggravated. "I don't know what Steak Knife is like so just calm down."

"Depressed. Really depressed. This is bad…"

"I think you are overreacting," he assured Skipper.

"Rico!"

Rico nodded and sided with Skipper. Kowalski still didn't see any problem here. Skipper always was paranoid, but now he really went off the deep end.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Rico and I surprise attacked just like we planned and we…won. TJ was so weak that he couldn't even move me. Then, you are not going to believe this, but I am the Lieutenant now."

"The what?" Kowalski dropped his notebook.

"TJ-made-me-Lieutenant!" roared Skipper. "He has lost it!"

"I had no idea. Fine, we will go see what's up."

Skipper, Kowalski and Rico headed towards the sleeping bunks where TJ was. The moment they came in TJ's eyes opened and he just looked at them normally. He tried to get up, but for some reason he started shaking and couldn't get up no matter how much he tried.

"Something's not right about you," Kowalski commented.

Kowalski tried to help, but TJ was obviously too proud to accept help. He tried to shove Kowalski away, but was too weak to move him a single step. Kowalski started jotting down notes while Skipper and Rico anxiously glanced at the notes from both sides. They all had no idea why their leader was so weak.

"I don't need help," TJ growled. "I'm serious."

"TJ, how can you be too proud to accept help?" Kowalski shot back worriedly. "How can you not see that there is something wrong with you? "

"I do see that," TJ agreed. "I don't need help. I need to get some things straight. I would like to promote Skipper to temporary Captain."

"What?" Skipper exclaimed and couldn't resist shaking TJ. "I have only been a Lieutenant for five minutes. Now you want me to be CAPTAIN???"

"Someone has to pursue Steak Knife and you are the most reasonable for the job. I would also like to clarify that Kowalski, you are wasting your time. I am getting weaker from poison. I'm not depressed."

Skipper, Kowalski, and Rico stared at each other with helplessness. They didn't know what to do because it was true. There really wasn't anything they could do. What if TJ took a dirt nap on them? Steak Knife had nothing to worry about if TJ died. They were only a bunch of youngsters who had no idea what real military experience even was.

After a few impatient days of dreadful sailing, Steak Knife was finally approaching land. Hopefully. According to the map, Denmark was getting nearer. He had some unfinished business to do there. First, the Andes, then Ecuador, then Denmark. There were plenty of bombs to go around until he came as far north as he could. Steak Knife wasn't sure how wanted he was so it was always a good idea not to draw attention to himself. According to Skipper's mindless chatter, the Red October was a dump and could be spotted miles away.

Steak Knife always considered himself as bad luck prone, but this was getting ridiculous. Sure enough, he looked ahead and on the horizon he could see the smoke from ships and lots of them.

A blockade.

To make matters worse, he still had pelts hanging all over the place. He could never hide that in time. The whole ship was infested with them so he lived in a graveyard basically. This surely wouldn't be a problem though. Hypnosis could get him out of any situation.

Denmark was dominated by the main race of meerkats. Steak Knife wasn't sure where he would put a gob of meerkat pelts of things became that bad, but he would think of something. The Red October came to a stop as the ships closed in around it. They were so tall that his own ship looked like a little toy boat. Feeling closed in, he tensed up and prepared for sudden attack. Two meerkats jumped down from their ship and landed on the deck of the Red October. They didn't seem to be afraid. Instead they seemed interested. Interest is what made them targets of hypnosis. That was why Skipper was so easy to hypnotize.

"Meeting someone knew always comes with new surprises," he began coolly and relaxed a bunch. "I don't usually meet someone in a blockade." He noticed that they were not looking directly at him. "Now, it is always nice to look deep into the eyes of me. It builds confidence, yes?"

"You will hypnotize us," the first meerkat refused. "Your known for that. Being Steak Knife and all."

"How did you know it was me?" he asked with curiousity.

"We didn't at first," replied the second one. "Until you said yes. Your known for that too."

"I have got to stop saying that, y-…Never mind. I am also known for my threats. If you want to live, let me go in peace."

"Why not you come back to Denmark with us," the first meerkat offered. "We insist. We have been waiting for someone like you to come along for a long time now. We need you."

"Need me. Needing is such an inferior way to admit weakness. What do you need me for? Is it a good thing?"

"Yeah, of course," they answered gratefully.

"Well, my schedule is a little packed today. I know how much you must need me, but I have a life to live, yes? Need me some other time when I'm not busy."

"Well…" the second meerkat said. "I'm sure the five pounds of gold needs you too."

"The what?" Steak Knife was now listening.

"I said the gold. Yeah, we know you don't come cheap. We need something done. We know you're good at what you do and we need you to 'take someone out.'"

"There is no one better for the job," Steak Knife agreed.

Rico and Skipper were both staring at the map in front of them. They both stared at it blankly. Rico pointed to a spot on the map that was in the ocean.

"No you dingbat," Skipper growled. "Can you even read a map? We are obviously right over here. By that…splotchy thing."

Rico was persistant and pointed to the water again. Skipper was so aggravated.

"Near water? Gee, we must be getting close then!"

Rico, very offended, snatched the map away from Skipper. When Skipper wanted it back, he wouldn't give it. Even though Skipper was now Captain, Rico could not stand him.

"Give it, soldier," Skipper commanded.

Rico was much stronger and more superior than Skipper and he took advantage of that. Rico growled a warning and then couldn't take it any longer and pushed Skipper on the ground. Skipper was outraged at such insubordination and was about to attack Rico, who was expecting that, when Kowalski came on to the deck of the Well Deserved.

"Guys, we really don't need to be fighting." Kowalski sounded very quiet and weak. "We have been stressed lately, but really."

"Oh, who died and made you Captain?" Skipper shot back.

"HEY, I don't even want to hear that!" thundered Kowalski. " Infact, TJ died and made YOU Captain! You are stressed out and everyone can see that. Both of you! While you two have been off playing soldier, I was up all night because SOMEONE had to take care of TJ. Or have you guys forgotten? Skipper, I don't know how far you are going to push me, but I can't take much more of this. Just calm down."

It was true. Skipper was now the PERMANENT captain. He thought it was temporary, but no. He didn't realize at the time that he was so stressed that his friends had to take the heat. Kowalski was surprised when Skipper climbed over the edge of the ship and started inching down the ladder. Rico and Kowalski looked over the edge.

"I'm outta here," Skipper announced. He glared at them one last time before disappearing into the water.