Pandora's Guns
Chapter 21: Forts are Forts Not Secrets
Disclaimer: I do not own Penguins of Madagascar! Only Pandora! Also I will be un available until June 20th I'm going to Peru next Monday and this week is all booked with my schools crazy last week of school traditions so I'm sorry! Enjoy this chapter!
The next few nights followed practically the same way, the nightmare came and every time the figure looked more and more clear. Soon the break came creeping up and Pandora found herself traveling back to the cabin out in the middle of nowhere California. Skipper insisted on training starting the day after they arrived, to which everyone reluctantly agreed.
"Very good! Now tomorrow training will take place in pairs! Pandora and Private will train together and Rico and Kowalski will train together. The two groups will alternate days of training, starting with Pandora, Private tomorrow, Rico, and Kowalski the next day! Is that understood?"
"Yes sir!" the group saluted as Skipper nodded.
"very well. Roberts! Private! I expect you two up and ready by 0500!" Skipper addressed Pandora and Private.
"Yes sir!"
"Dismissed." Skipper walked into the back of the cabin followed by Kowalski and Rico headed back down into the lower levels smiling to Pandora as he passed. Once everyone left Private turned to Pandora.
"He does this every year! He pairs us into groups for training. Sometimes he uses those same groups for missions but only rarely!" Private explained as he walked back to the bedrooms with Pandora. They then parted ways and Pandora entered her room to sleep.
The next day came and training came with it. Skipper started pushing the two immediately, starting with a whole day of reconnaissance training. Or better described as the most elaborate game of hide and seek yet! Skipper hunted down both Private and Pandora through the backcountry armed with a rifle filled with stun pellets. Pandora managed to stay hidden pretty well, managing to stay in one place for over two minutes. Private on the other hand was running to and from hiding spots. Pandora noticed when they passed he seemed far more winded than usual, and by mid-day found him collapsed on the ground red-faced.
"Private? Are you ok?"
"Y-yeah!" Private answered between shallow breathes. "I-I'm fine!"
"Are you sure? You're wheezing." Private shook his head and went to stand up, Skipper could not be far away now, and Private did not want to be hit by the stun pellets.
"I'll be fine!" Private insisted before turning to the undergrowth. "I'll see you later."
Private then dashed off unsteadily into the growth leaving Pandora to quickly scrabble away from the approaching Skipper. Pandora ran up into the treetops and jumped in the sky until mid-afternoon when she found a nice niche in a tree to rest. She was close to the cabin so she could return by the end of the day. Pandora was fading into a nap when a yell broke her daze.
"KOWALSKI! MEDICAL ATTENTION NOW!" Skipper's bark echoed around the forest, urgent and somewhat desperate. Pandora jumped down from the tree and raced towards the yell. She came out into a clearing, found Kowalski crouched down by a figure, and Skipper pacing near by.
"What happened?"
"Asthma attack." Kowalski murmured picking up the figure, who Pandora identified as Private. He was breathing but quick very shallow breathes, his face was a light blue tinge due to lack of oxygen. Kowalski walked hurriedly back to the cabin Private in his arms. Skipper then turned to Pandora.
"Training is done for today. Go back to base."
"Sir!" Skipper stopped and turned back to her. "Whats wrong with him?"
"Private has Asthma, Kowalski can explain better than me." Skipper gestured back to the cabin and Pandora hurried back.
In Kowalski's lab/Medical center Private was lying on a bed with a device hooked to him. Kowalski was checking the device when Pandora entered.
"is he ok?"
"Yes he will be. Just give him time."
"So what happened?' Pandora inched closer to the bed.
"Asthma attack, he hasn't had one in a long time." Pandora watched Kowalski for a bit.
"He has asthma?"
"yes he is asthmatic, it's very bad if unattended which is why I made an extra strong inhaler medication for him. Only it seems today he lost it…" Kowalski shook his head. "He never loses it; either that or he ran out and didn't want us to worry."
Pandora nodded and left it at that. though she could not help but think what could happen to him if he had continued like this. But Kowalski assured her it will not bother him again so long as his medication was taken daily. After that, Kowalski dismissed Pandora so Private could rest. Pandora then had the rest of the day to do what ever since Skipper insisted on training in pairs. So Pandora wandered the forest aimlessly for a bit up in the treetops.
Rico walked the open forest bored; he had been away from the base all day having run out of TNT during the last Break. Rico soon found himself walking under the familiar redwood trees. As he walked, Rico heard the rustle of tree limbs and looked up smiling. Pandora sat above him in the trees, happily watching him, but confusion clouded her eyes.
"I didn't know Private had asthma!" she yelped a little later Rico sat perched next to her on the limb of a red wood after explaining hat had happened. "I thought he was just tired."
"It fine." Rico shrugged dropping the subject and turning his head upwards as the sun began to set.
"You know you could make a great fort up here!" Pandora mused to the sky. "Not even a fort, you could make an entire house up here!"
Rico gave Pandora a contemplating look causing her to shift slightly uncomfortably.
"well, the trees are close enough together and it's nice and far away from lots of people…" Rico smiled, taking the hint. Considering Pandora did not really have a childhood and neither did he, it was very appealing to live in the treetops in a giant fort, that and it would be far away from any nosy people. Personally, Rico liked the idea, and smiled to Pandora.
"Wanna start?" Rico asked coughing up a hammer. Pandora had grown accustomed to Rico's ability and found it kind of cool, the way he could store anything in his gut. Pandora nodded happily to the question and they set to work. Choosing the location and the design for the place. It had a semi-modern look to it; it would be flat with one main story and spread out across multiple Redwood trees, high enough to shield it from view but low enough that planes would not see it. Sadly once the planning was complete it was about four in the morning the next day, and Skipper was calling them for morning exercises. Climbing down the trees Pandora stumbled down the last ten feet of the tree landing not very gracefully on the ground. Rico jumped down to the ground, and picked up Pandora. Rico was used to nights with no sleep so he could conduct himself normally without sleep. But obviously Pandora was not going to be able to make it back with out falling more. Rico carried her back bridal style, and when he reached the base, she had fallen asleep in his arms.
"Rico! Where were you two? And why is Roberts asleep?" Skipper asked, Rico shrugged and went to answer before Skipper answered for him. "Look Rico I don't mind you having a relationship, just don't keep the girl up all night next time, your having your 'fun'."
Rico blushed and went to explain but was cut off again by Skipper.
"Look I don't care just put her in her room, and come back out for training." Rico gave up and went put Pandora to bed. As he passed, Skipper The CO reached out and whispered to him. "And you and I need to talk about certain precautions in your relationship ok?"
"Uh huh." Rico responded deadpan. When Rico rejoined Skipper, Kowalski was out with him delivering a report on Private's condition. He was fine now, but had to take the day off just in case, and Kowalski was requesting he stayed to keep an eye on him.
"Fine, but I expect you to work extra hard during the next session!" Kowalski nodded to Skippers request. Skipper then turned to Rico and gave him a neutral look. Once Kowalski was certain to be out of Earshot Skipper gestured for Rico to follow him and ran into the forest. Rico followed, tired but knowing Skipper was probably going to talk to him about some uneasy subjects.
Pandora woke up to the bright mid day sunlight streaming through her window. Slowly rising she found the base was quiet. Walking out into the kitchen living room area she found Private and Kowalski asleep on the couch snuggled close together, Kowalski holding Private tightly. Pandora held back a giggle, they were so cute! Silently moving on Pandora exited the base and looked around. Skipper and Rico were not anywhere to be found. Pandora contemplated going back to bed when she noticed Rico running back to the base and Skipper nowhere in sight. Confused Pandora walked forward to him.
"Hey Rico? Are you ok?" Rico met her eyes and his blush deepened. Rico's mind wandered farther than he wished at the current time. His face felt like an inferno as Pandora gingerly placed a hand on his head checking his temperature.
"No fever and you couldn't possibly have been running too much, whats wrong?" Rico found himself unable to answer the simple question.
"He's fine Roberts, just give him a bit." Skipper insisted walking up behind them. Rico bit his lip to keep himself from pushing away the diminutive CO. Skipper smiled to Pandora. "In all honesty Roberts I have no idea what you two do on your dates, But the next time you two go on an all-nighter, please warn us! Honestly it's not that embarrassing if you two spend all night-"
Rico clamped his hand over Skipper's mouth hoping to spare Pandora the embarrassment of his next statement. Skipper mumbled indignantly into Rico's hand leaving Pandora confused.
"What?"
"Nothin'." Rico insisted grabbing Pandora and bringing PANDORA OUT INTO THE WOODS. Skipper watched them go indignantly. Then muttering to himself he went into the house and snapped a picture smirking.
"Oh, this is good!" Walking up to, the sleeping form of Kowalski Skipper bent down to his ear. "KOWALSKI!"
"GAH!" Kowalski jumped waking up Private and turned to Skipper. "Was that necessary?"
"to wake you? Yes, now come with me we have something's to discuss, and bring Private." Skipper said as he walked down to the lower levels, Kowalski and Private following closely behind.
Rico and Pandora had begun to climb back up to the treetops when Pandora stopped.
"Rico what was Skipper going to say?" Rico blushed again, trying to find a way around the conversation. "Does he think we're…. you know…."
Pandora was never comfortable with the subject of, as Skipper put it, 'adult games'. So Rico would avoid the subject and try to keep anyone else from bringing it up. However, Rico nodded to her question and she blushed and began to stutter again.
"Wh-why? J-just because w-we stayed out a-all night! W-why didn't you tell him we were building?" Rico sighed.
"Tried to. Didn't listen." Rico did not pursue the subject any farther because then not only did Pandora understand why he was blushing but she was as well.
"So he decided to give you a 'talk'?" Rico nodded. "Oh… Maybe we shouldn't stay out all night like last night then."
"Yeahuh!" They then dropped the subject and began to build their tree fort/house.