Chapter 26: Missing

After leaving the HQ, Kowalski slid out to the park. He wasn't surprised at how Skipper reacted. In fact, he had been expecting a worse reaction, but that didn't mean that he wasn't still angry with it. And what exactly did this resignation really entail? Was this just a resignation from the unit as his lieutenant, or was it simultaneously a cut off from them as a family unit as well?

Kowalski ran his flippers through his head feathers with a deep breath. Did he really just choose an evil mastermind over his own brothers? Maybe Skipper was right; maybe he was making the wrong choice. He and Francis have only been test-dating a few months, he didn't really know him. How serious would Francis be open to eventually considering this relationship? How long will it even last before Francis gets bored and moves on? Did he really want to put himself in a position for future inevitable heartbreak?

Or should he just trust Francis as he has been behaving recently? After all, he is nothing like any other dolphin he's ever met. He may be open to considering more long term relationships… After all, he was in a sort of long term relationship with revenge, so it's not like he has a general commitment avoidance. Boredom would certainly be the main concern. This could all just be a game to him...What if he's just some toy to him?

A stone dropped in his gizzard and he paused by a tree, leaning against it slightly. Was he just Francis's current entertainment? Would that end before or after his supposed "hormonal" liking of Francis wore off?

Kowalski then fiercely shook his head. NO. No. He couldn't think like this. He liked Francis and Francis liked him back. Francis cared about him. He was happier around Francis than around Skipper. Plus, Francis said he had loyalty bonded to him and he wouldn't lie about that. This...This was a good choice. He would write that resignation when he returned to the zoo.

However, he wasn't going back yet. Oh no no no. He might be calmer, but Skipper certainly wouldn't be yet. He wasn't going back until Skipper had gone to bed.

Kowalski looked around for a moment before starting to waddle towards the city. A drink or two didn't sound that bad after today. Plus, who ever wanted to write a resignation letter sober? Not him, that's for sure.

He was almost out of the park when he noticed this feeling of being watched. He paused and looked around himself. "Hello? Someone there?" His raised feathers rustled in the cool autumn breeze.

After there was no answer, he shrugged it off and continued on his way. And yet, that feeling of being watched did not go away. Kowalski stopped once again, his feathers bristling. He still didn't see anything. Then, with a rustle of leaves, a seaweed net shot out from a bush and wrapped around him. He fell with a muffled yelp, wriggling around just in time to see a lobster approaching with chloroform.

"A little to the left. No. Noooo, you idiot! My left!" Blowhole shouted as he motioned to a lobster operating a crane. "Easy, eaaasy! Okay, now slowly lower-no slower, SLOWER!"

The large motor the lobster was moving dropped with a clamorous thud inside the engine compartment. The lobster grinned nervously at the dolphin. "My bad, boss."

Blowhole face-finned with a groan. "I am surrounded by incompetent fools..." He rubbed his fin across his face with a deep sigh, just shaking his head. "That motor better still work, Red Eighty-Seven, or I'm docking it from the pay of this entire shift."

"Doc! Doc!"

"Yes?" He turned to see Red One scurrying in.

"Intruders in sector E!"

"Intruders?" Blowhole frowned, checking his calendar on his phone and he rolled out after Red One. "Not expecting the peng-u-ins for another three months."

"Well, they're here early."

"Kowalski, I swear-"

"-He's actually not one of them, sir."

Blowhole paused for a moment with a raised brow. "Curious…" He then shrugged as he rolled into the room where three penguins are in a cage. "Well, well, well, peng-u-ins…What the hell are you doing here?"

Skipper squinted at him from the cage. "We demand to talk to Kowalski."

"Uh...What?" He squinted back at him. "He's not here."

"Don't give me that cod, Blowhole," he growled. "I know the two of you are seeing each other. He came here after we discussed his resignation."

"No. He didn't." The dolphin put his fin to his hip. "I haven't heard from Kowalski since-" He paused to think, tapping his other fin on his rostrum. "-the day before yesterday?"

"You're lying."

"That's your opinion to have. Regardless, he's not here."

"Then where are you keeping him?"

Blowhole squinted at Skipper. "What part of…? Skipper, seriously, I don't know what you're talking about. He's not here. If he's missing, I've got nothing to do with it."

Skipper frowned at this and looked at the other two before back at the dolphin with a sigh. "Then do you have any idea where he may be?"

"I had been under the impression he was with you three."

"He was until our discussion last night. Then he slid off." Skipper crossed his flippers. "And then he still wasn't back this morning."

Blowhole now frowned as well. "I suppose I could try to get his location from his phone...But what's in it for me to want to help you out, eh?"

"Seriously?"

"He could be in danger." Private sighed.

"I never said I wasn't going to look into it at all. I just wonder what's in it for me to tell you all what I find." Blowhole tapped his fin to his rostrum once again with a smirk.

"Can't believe I'm asking this," Skipper sighed, rolling his eyes. "What do you want for it?"

"Not sure...Let's just say you'll owe me one favor that I can cash in at any time however I wish?" The dolphin leaned down, grinning widely. "Do we have a deal, Skipper?"

"...Perhaps we can find him on our own, sir," Private suggested, tapping Skipper's shoulder.

Skipper glanced at Private before looking at Blowhole and nodding. "Fine...It's a deal."

"Excellent." Blowhole leaned away from the cage with a short cackle. "Red One, let the peng-u-ins free. They are allowed to follow me to my lab. If they stray from following, they are to be captured and returned to the cage."

"Got it, Doc." The lobster nodded, waving a few other lobsters over to him as he unlocked the cage.

Blowhole already rolled away towards his lab. Now that he was no longer facing them, he frowned slightly. This wasn't normal Kowalski behavior to just vanish. If he had to guess, he probably got drunk and then got himself lost last night on the way back. He could even be back at the peng-u-in headquarters by now...But it could be possible that someone did kidnap him, either one of their enemies...Or perhaps one of his own. After all, other villains did see him with him during the Halloween dance.

But if someone did take him-

"Hey, Doc?"

Blowhole looked down at Red One. "Yes?" he sighed.

"The Diabologizer's missing."

"WHAT?" He stopped immediately and leaned down to him. "What do you mean the Diabologizer is missing?"

"I mean...It was there, and when Red Thirty-Two walked by, it wasn't there anymore."

"How long?"

"He just texted me now." He held up his phone for him to see.

"Crabcakes," Blowhole swore, leaning back up right. "Put the lair on lock-down." He turned and looked at the penguins. "Change of plans, first we're checking the camera systems. Kowalski will just have to wait a few minutes." He shook his head and rolled off to the monitoring room so that he could check footage.