"Hey, everyone, look what we've got - Einstein's jockstrap, what's going on?" Kowalski dropped the bag of popcorn that had remained unspilled after he scrambled over Marlene's habitat fence.

"Ohnoez." Rico cupped his flippers over Tactic's earholes, motioning to Kowalski to do the same with Sally.

Three disgruntled adult expressions told Kowalski something, although he wasn't sure what. He questioned Rico with a look. Rico gestured with his head for Kowalski to lean closer and whispered into the light dusting of feathers over his love's earhole.

"With 'Eenie?"

"Ahhuh."

"Doctor Phil must have advice on this, I'll go home and turn on the TV - "

Skipper slapped himself before yelling aaargh! to the sky. "Leave him out of it! It's on us to fix this, Private and Marlene and me. Kowalski, as lieutenant you must carry on without me. I'm heading to the Big Boss for backup."

Kowalski feared he appeared hesitant before such an order. "Aye. The B-Big -? Aye. Sir, I'll set up the Skype for you when we get back - "

"Negatory. I'm going in person over the Big Pond. Skype may be compromised. Our team is too important to the zoo to let slip to our enemies that we're not at our best."

Thunderstruck faces greeted him. Marlene was the first to speak. "Skipper, you and I are through if you do that. I can't be held responsible for shaking up the team and I refuse to let you run away to her and get a black mark on your record. I don't care that she's all, like, mother henny to you. I believe in my heart that you and I and Private can and will solve this. Right, Private?"

Private's look could have curdled Devon cream. "I s'pose."

Puffy thunderheads scudded westward, blue sky shone brightly between the clouds and the mud puddles looked perfect for stomping in. Sometimes Kowalski did it just to find fun in the random splashed patterns and he intended to teach his children the same. He felt the opposite of fun now, though, as three animals he cared deeply about glared at each other. He strove to catalog the feelings he observed: outrage, anger, puzzlement, disgust, desperation. It was a veritable potpourri of emotions and the only word for his own was misery.

Why did this, this escalation have to happen? This must be the answer to Skipper's mysterious midnight disappearances. As lieutenant, he ought to have counseled his leader to come clean because the sitch sobered Kowalski as much as anything could. He removed his flippers from his daughter's earholes. She googooed and he could not force his usual smile at the happy sound. He glanced at Rico's drawn, unhappy face.

It was too much.

Flippers akimbo, he broke into the fugue with an exasperated, "Oh come on now! You're all adults, get adulting! And make it quick. It doesn't do to let these things fester." He tapped his toes impatiently as Sally googooed again. He felt her wiggling her own tiny, precious toes from inside his brood pouch as his movements jiggled her. For the babies' sake, he had to science the heck out of this.

Logic? Group hug? Safety? One idea after another bubbled up for consideration and then popped as he deemed it unusable. He channeled Doctor Phil privately to spew the first saying that erupted.

"Relationships are negotiated, and if you deal with ultimatums and authority all the time, then you're not going to get anywhere."

Skipper objected, "I'm the commander, I must - "

"Not you. Sir. Me. My authority as lieutenant and my expertise in options says, says" - Brain, storm this obstacle! - "that we none of us know much about natural penguin or otter life in the wild."

Victory! Everyone nodded, even Rico. Kowalski plowed forward, breaking up clods of disinformation at each straining step. "For example, did any of you know that penguins steal other penguins' babies from creche care all the time?"

"Wot? That's horrible!"

"Crine." And so Rico was, his love's face drenched in over wrought tears, his empathetic nature overwhelmed by the emotions raging around him added to his own. In another minute, he might lose control to worsen the situation. Kowalski hurried on before a burp resulted in an explosion.

"Listen to what internetting information, or netfo as I call it, Phil signed to Mason who told me." He cleared his throat. "Nurturing is so vital to penguins that adults who have lost their littles to sad circumstances prowl the creche border, hustling away b-babies too young to know any better. Some innocents get killed in the attempt because the natural parents battle the thieves, well, naturally enough, and fragile, adorable hatchlings die in the struggle."

Skipper whispered, "Gallipoli's casualty list, they die?"

"Crushed. To. Bits."

Rico, Skipper, Private and Marlene shared shocked looks.

"Can't happen. Won't happen. Wouldn't dare happen on my watch." Kowalski just knew that the first responder would be his leader.

Kowalski also just knew that Marlene exercised her practical nature after the shock wore away. "Guys, none of us live in Antarctica and there are no other penguins around - "

"Maybe, Marlene, but why take the chance? We need to up our security to Level" - his sapphire gaze bounced from each penguin to the next to settle on Marlene - "Five."

Private scowled. "Skippa, you're not seriously thinkin' wot I think you're thinkin' - "

Kowalski allowed them to mull it over while he snugged Rico's head onto his shoulder to let him cry it out. Sally and Tactic bumped flippers and booped beaks while their parents stood so close. A common sense solution of his own emerged, coalesced and earned approval. He waited until Rico's crying eased to an occasional sob, hiccups and much sniffing.

"We could secure a fail safe because I am scheduling experiments in my lab that will prevent its use as Tactic and Sally's nursery. In short, fumes unhealthy for babies might arise and none of us want that. I have an option to solve the problem."

There! Kowalski savored the unity of his listeners as Skipper nodded, Private sighed in relief, Rico stopped hiccuping and Marlene arched a questioning brow.

"How so, 'Ski?"

Kowalski took a deep breath. "The old cavern that Buck Rockgut holed up in just off Escape Tunnel Fifteen could serve as creche."

"That's your idea, K'walski? It's a nasty, musty space! It's too near the TV! They won't grab a wink of sleep and will keep us up all night cryin' like last Tuesday!" Private's teammates turned to him with various looks of oh yeah? "Just, just ventin'. I got a right same as everyone."

Skipper already pulled ahead into the fast lane, overtaking each teammate. "Cleaning, redecorating, yeah could work. Kowalski can rig us up a baby monitor intercom." His sharp eyes landed on Marlene. "And Marlene here can use it when she visits overnight."

Skipper, my results driven Skipper, my blunt Skipper, why did you say that? My redirect had everything under control! Kowalski drew Rico aside in case of Private's meltdown because according to the youngest penguin's fulminating look, not even the safety of his children could block simmering possessive feels.