Private woke up and saw Kowalski sitting in a chair next to his bed , flipping through the channels. His 'uncle' finally put the remote down when he reached The Science Channel, where a document was playing about penguins. The man chuckled and crossed his arms, watching it with interest and faint amusement.

"What's so funny, Uncle Nigel?" Private asked, propping himself up against the fluffy white pillows.

Kowalski almost tipped over in his chair. "Oh! Private, you're up! Um," he fumbled with the remote. "We can watch the Lunacorns or something, if you'd like." He switched through the channels until he found a show with brightly colored unicorns that had ridiculous names.

"Uh, thanks?" the boy said hesitantly. Aren't I a little old for this? He had been perfectly fine with the penguin documentary. In fact, he had sort of enjoyed it. He had always liked the adorable black and white birds.

Private leaned back, staring at the screen. Why are we watching this again? He wondered. It was a children's show, capable of only entertaining babies! Nobody else could ever enjoy such blindingly bright colors, generic characters, and amateur plotlines. Not to mention the cheesiness. He could practically make nachos with this stuff! The boy glanced over at his guardian. He didn't have the greatest view towards his face, but there was no way the man was enjoying it. Nigel was acting like he was doing it out of obligation.

Private reached over and took the remote from the foot of the bed and switched it back to the documentary. Nigel turned towards him, a genuinely startled expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, we're you watching that? I can change it back if you'd like." He scrambled to get the buttons for the Lunacorn channel before his uncle stopped him.

"No, no. That's okay. I was just… surprised." Kowalski turned back to the screen displaying the waddling birds. He reminded himself, Private has amnesia. His interests might change a bit, I guess. After all, he can't remember what he likes and dislikes. Still, he was having trouble getting over the fact that the boy had turned away from his favorite show. Make that his ex-favorite show.

"Penguins are interesting birds, eh Nigel?" He turned to see the boy's bright smile. He doesn't remember a thing… Even his accent. Skipper was right. It was fake, a disguise this whole time.

Kowalski realized something then, something that haunted him thoroughly and sent shivers up his spine. But then, if his accent is a complete fake… what else is, too? The scientist looked back at the boy, with his innocent grin and earnest blue eyes. He could be making up everything… and we wouldn't even know it. Kowalski felt the truth hitting him like a ton of bricks. Part of him was trying to convince himself that it was all a paranoid idea, some silly little notion conceived by his worried brain.

But the other part knew that the boy could really be a complete stranger. Private could've thrown away his past long ago and made a new alias. Just like Mr. Tux. That encounter with the Amarillo Kid proved just how little Kowalski and his team members knew about the boy's past. What if he wasn't the innocent, naïve, adorable, lovable, down-to-earth person that they thought they knew? After all, he was part of the military. All of them had their share of hidden pasts, secrets, and pseudonyms. The scientist had seen the numerous files containing Skipper's aliases. Private could have just as many. Maybe even more.

When Kowalski turned back to Private, the boy could see the distant look of fear in his blue-green eyes. "Private, what do you remember?"

Is this a trick question? The boy put on a smile, confused, and asked, "Why? What am I supposed to remember?"

"I'm serious. Tell me all that you know." Private could see that Nigel really wasn't joking, and the smile dropped off of his face. The man took the remote and turned of the TV, waiting for his team mate's answer.

He leaned back into the pillows and cleared his throat. "Let's see… where should I start?"

"The beginning."

"All right then, my life story it is." Private paused to see if the man really wanted him to proceed, but when Nigel kept looking at him expectantly, he continued. "Well, I honestly don't remember my parents, but you've told me a lot about them. You said that mum, your sister, had been three years younger than you. You said that she appeared delicate and sensitive if you didn't know her, but on the inside she was really strong of heart and courageous. She loved music and going on adventures, and tagged along with you and your best friend whenever you went out and caused trouble. Your best friend also happened to be dad. He was the same age as you, slightly younger, and loved mischief making as much as you and mum. He was the most stubborn out of all of you, and was also extremely loyal towards his friends and family.

You three grew up together, and it wasn't until years had passed that you discovered that you wanted to go out on new adventures. So you joined the army. The trio became privates in a local military unit, and shortly after enrolling, dad proposed to mum. You were shocked at how fast everything was going, even though you knew dad had fallen for your sister. However, you gave the couple your approval and they got married a few months later. After about half a year of being in the army, mum resigned after revealing that she was several months pregnant. You and dad were both extremely happy, and vowed to live to see the baby. Why? Because a war was going on. Dad didn't keep his vow, though. A month after mum left, he was killed by a hand grenade."

Private paused, mourning for the father he had never known. He looked up at Kowalski, who appeared quite shaken. The boy didn't understand why, though. After all, he was the one who had told him about his parents. He sighed and went on.

"Anyways, you survived the war, obviously, and when you came back home to mum, she was still heartbroken. She had already delivered the baby, a boy, and had named him in memory of her late husband. Everyone called him by a nickname given to him by you, though. Little Private James."

Kowalski's heart went out to the boy, who looked so downcast, fumbling with his hands on the fluffy white sheets. He had never heard Private's real name before. In fact, although it was quite silly, he had eventually forgotten about the boy's lack of a real name. He had gotten used to it, after knowing him for so long. Kowalski's attention snapped back to the present as his team member started talking again.

"Well, mum caught the bird flu or something and got really sick. The doctors couldn't save her. And so you raised me as your own. You went back to army life and fought in my parents' names. I grew up with the military. After a couple years, you got promoted and became a spy. We moved to the countryside to live a seemingly quiet life. Realistically, every few months you'd go out in some disguise and spy on enemies. Nobody ever suspected you. You were the greatest spy the army had to offer, but that didn't stop you. You went on to become the greatest parent, too. Even though our lives were anything but normal, you raised me properly. Played games, told stories, took me on outings to the beach...

We lived happily together for maybe... nine, ten years. But after that..." Private looked out into nothing and shuddered.

"The army called you up one day. They wanted you to obtain information about some suspicious activities up in the Arctic. I came with you, because even though it was dangerous, I was trained and wanted to help. So we traveled to the coordinates. I remember... there was a blizzard. We barely saw the igloo through all of the whiteness. But we stumbled through the storm to the igloo and slipped inside, where we saw a man on a segway, talking with some henchmen. Later I learned that it was the infamous Dr. Blowhole. He seemed to be focused on a computer screen, but before we knew it, a cage was upon us.

Apparently, he had planned the whole thing. He had known for years about the secretive Agent Nigel, and had finally decided to put an end to it. A team of soldiers had gotten a hold on his location and were planning on finishing the doctor off. But he was going to leave us in his place. So he wounded you, cut a deep gash in your stomach so you couldn't escape, and fled. I heard noises outside and saw some furry brown creatures that I thought to be badgers planting a bomb outside. You were unconscious, so I woke you up.

I tried to get you to leave, but you told me to save myself. You said you would be okay. I didn't want to leave you, though. You were all that I had left... my parents were dead and if you didn't escape..." Private's voice gave and he felt himself tearing up over his past.

Kowalski was stunned. That bomb... the "badgers"... no. It couldn't be. He remembered that day too, but from a different point of view. Back then, it had only been himself, Skipper, and Rico. Manfredi and Johnson were already long gone, and Private hadn't joined yet. The team had received a call from HQ, telling them Blowhole's location. Skipper was furious with the dolphin, and told his men that they were going to end it for once and for all. They went to the Arctic and found his igloo. With determination set in their faces, they put on fur coat disguises and planted a bomb next to the entrance. After the explosion, they hi-fived, bursting with joy from their victory. They thought they had finally won. But when the dolphin resurfaced weeks later, they never wondered what had happened inside of that igloo.

Private sniffed again and continued. "Let's skip that part. Afterward, I hopped on a chunk of floating ice and decided to start anew wherever it took me. I ended up near Texas somehow and took an interest in mini-golf." He sniffed and smiled. "It's a pretty silly story, actually. But I became a golfing prodigy by the name of Mr. Tux. I battled with a rival, the Amarillo Kid, until the need for victory overpowered me. After that, I knew I had to move again.

So I wandered some more, settling down several times and making new personalities, until something went wrong and I packed my bags and vanished. I know it sounds stupid, but ever since that day, I've been deathly afraid of badgers and I'm mildly claustrophobic. So that's why I can't wait to get out of this tiny room. It's so stuffy in here. Do you know when I can leave?"

Kowalski was still trying to take in the boy's story. Still, he tried to concentrate and answer the question. "In a few weeks, I think. I'll tell the doctors about your claustrophobia and try to convince them to let you out earlier."

"Thanks, Nigel." Private smiled. "I've missed you a lot, y' know."

Kowalski smiled back sadly, guilt weighing down on him. "I can imagine."

Hey readers! Unfortunately, ideas for this story aren't popping up as readily anymore, so my updates might not be as often. : ( But hopefully, inspiration will come soon! In the meantime, you can check out some of my other stories. Thanks for reading! :D