Rico watched Private sip on a smoothie, his eyes slightly crossed as he thought. He tilted his head as he had the night before. He didn't know what to think. Somehow, the young penguin had understood a tongue that he didn't know. Rico was pretty sure that Private had never even registered that the grunts and guttural noises he made were a language; Skipper and Kowalski surely never had. And yet, the boy had clearly understood his words.

"Morning, Rico!" Skipper said, stirring his coffee with his morning fish. "Feel better?"

Rico nodded and muttered, "The boy can understand me when you can't. What does this mean?"

"Ah, you never were a morning bird," Skipper said, patting his shoulder then gesturing toward Private. "Be nice to him. He said he had a strange dream last night. Big penguins and seal blood or something."

Rico scanned his commander's face then nodded again. He waddled over and grabbed a fish, swallowing it in one gulp. Private didn't seem to notice him, his gaze glazed over.

"You saw my father," he said in a low voice, glancing over at his commanding officers.

"In the dream, he was my father. But they called me your name, only it sounded funny," Private said, staring down into the pink smoothie. "Ree-ko. He emphasized the tail end."

"That's how my people pronounce my name," Rico replied. "And I see that you can still understand me."

Private glanced over, trying to focus. "You said that last night. I didn't understand what you meant. But that's not English you're speaking, is it? That's why Skipper and Kowalski don't answer your questions, right?"

Rico nodded, popping down another fish. He savored the flavor then swallowed. "Must be the brain thing that Kowalski did. We better let them know that there are side effects."

"Didn't I tell you to be nice, Rico?" Skipper asked, slamming down his cup.

"He is being nice, Skipper," Private said, sharing a glance with the crazy penguin, who nodded. "He said that there must be side effects from the experiment."

"He didn't say that," Kowalski said then paused, scrutinizing the two penguins.

"He did. I can understand him. He's not speaking English, though. I don't know what language it is."

Kowalski lit up. "You understand his language?!" He gave a crow of delight and leaned down to grin at Private. "I've been trying to decipher it for years! What tongue is it?"

"Antarctican," Rico replied, frowning at him. "And I can understand you perfectly well, Kowalski. No need to talk like I'm not here."

The brainy penguin and their commander studied Rico then turned for a translation, which Private provided with no argument.

Kowalski nodded then turned to Rico. "Why don't you speak more English?"

Rico gestured to his scar. "Damage to vocal cords. Like you said when you studied me."

Again, Private translated, and again, Kowalski nodded thoughtfully. "Alright then, Rico. Is the damage painful?"

"With certain sounds and syllables, yes. My tongue is easier on my vocal cords."

"Surprising considering how low you must speak."

"Probably from being raised in Antarctica."

Private repeated it in English then looked at Rico. "You weren't raised in a zoo?"

Rico shook his head, stroking his scar. "Nope. You saw my father in your dreams. Did that look like a zoo?"

"No. It wasn't a zoo."

"What is he saying?" Kowalski asked, eyes gleaming with what they knew would be his new obsession.

Rico snorted, swallowing another fish. "You're going to get tired of translating in less than an hour," he teased, ruffling Private's feathers.

"I won't," Private argued.

An hour later, though, Rico's prediction turned out to be right. It was only when Skipper commanded Kowalski to stop piecing together the complicated, strange language, at least for a while, that the brilliant penguin let Private alone. Rico watched Private, shaking his head in amusement when the younger bird made a face as Kowalski assured both of them that they would most definitely continue the conversation later. Private, his head throbbing, snuck away to make another love smoothie. Skipper and Kowalski remained with their heads together, talking rapidly.

"You okay?" Rico asked, and Private jumped and tried to hide the cup. Rico snorted. "If you make me one, I won't tell."

"Deal," Private said, turning back to pull another cup out.

When the smoothies were ready, Private and Rico reclined in a corner, swallowing their drinks in large gulps in case Skipper looked back. But their commander was still lost in discussion with Kowalski. Rico watched them with sharp blue eyes.

Private cringed as a female's voice echoed in his head, speaking in Rico's tongue.

"You have such handsome eyes. Sharp as icicles and blue as the deepest ice. You should have no trouble finding a mate, Ree-ko."

With a shudder, Private realized that Rico had caught his shoulder with one flipper and the almost-empty cup in his other. Concern showed in the depths of the eyes he had just heard described so beautifully.

"What's wrong?"

"Um, memory?" Private asked, unsure. He shook his head. "Somebody describing your eyes."

Rico drew back as if he'd been stung, looking away as his expression hardened. "Probably my mother."

"At least you remember your mother," Private said, hugging himself.

Skipper slammed his flipper on the table, looking between them. "Are those love smoothies?" he asked loudly.

"Yes," Private said, staring at him.

"Make us some," Skipper said, gesturing over to the corner.

Private lit up. "Really? Okay!"

He hurried away, and Skipper and Kowalski sat down, staring hard at Rico. Rico knew why, and sure enough, Skipper leaned forward and spoke with an edge in his voice.

"We don't talk about Private's parents."

Rico shrugged; until Private could speak his tongue, it hadn't mattered if Rico spoke about the taboo subject of Private's parents. But now Skipper would lay down the law. Rico knew it was a bad idea. He knew that Private was old enough to know what happened to his parents. But he couldn't communicate that with his commanding officers, not without Private, and he knew they wouldn't bend. They were trying to protect the boy from pain and horror, but it wouldn't work. Rico knew that it would only make him hurt worse when he found out.

As Skipper lectured him in an undertone, Rico looked at the young penguin as he mixed up two delicious smoothies for his friends. He ignored the tirade, nodding occasionally so they thought he was listening. All he could think about was the secret harbored in his own heart, the lies he'd been fed from childhood about his mother and the wolves, and the rage that bubbled inside of him.

Private didn't deserve to be in the dark, and at that moment, Rico decided that he would disobey Skipper and Kowalski. Somehow, in some way, he would tell their youngest team member the terrible truth that lay in his past. And he would tell Private of what really happened with Manfredi and Johnson. He just had to wait for the right time.