Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters, but I do own Alex the penguin, and Sam and Ethan, and a few other characters who appear in this story.

Enjoy!

Snow covered New York; it crunched under paw as an animal at the Central Park Zoo paced outside his habitat. He jerked his head from side to side, as if he heard something. Then he shrugged and moved farther away from the center of the zoo.

His eyes flashed in the darkness, mind whirling with many thoughts, convinced danger was creeping up on him and everyone else, like a mighty hunter stalking its prey before pouncing. He sensed something was about to happen, but he just didn't know what he could do to stop it.

He shuddered, more from fear than the harshness of the cold. He had no intention to leave the zoo, but close to the entrance, he froze as if he'd suddenly turned into ice. He spotted movement. Crouching to the ground, he watched the last creature he expected to be out here at night, in the freezing cold, run past him, so close that the hidden animal was almost stepped on. But he was never seen.

Sighing with relief, he stood up, dusting snowflakes off his belly. Curiosity drove all fear out of him. Where was the newcomer heading? Slowly, he followed the trail left in the snow, making sure he was far enough back that he wouldn't be spotted. He was even more confused and suspicious when the trail led into the city.

Still being very careful, he entered the city; the trail led him to an alleyway, and the animal paused just outside it, mind whirling. What was going on? Was he right? Was something bad about to happen?

A snowflake drifted in front of his eyes, and he realized it was snowing again. No creature in their right mind, animal or human, would be out here, especially with the snow falling fast and the wind picking up. It felt wrong, evil even.

He dared a peek around the corner, gaining confidence when the other animal wasn't facing him. Rushing forward, he dived behind a trash can. His heart pounded, listening to the call that would ruin any chance of him finding out what was going on. But there was no call and the crunch of snow told him that the animal moved on.

He heard a voice drifting back to him. "It's freezing out here. Why did we have to meet tonight? I should be back home, warm and asleep."

The hidden animal was confused, and for a wild moment, he considered coming out of hiding and confronting who he thought he could trust, but apparently can't. But then he decided that would be crazy. Something was going on, and if he wanted to find out what that was, he had to stay hidden.

Then a new voice spoke. At first, he didn't recognize it, but soon he realized it did sound familiar, yet he couldn't actually place who it belonged to. He didn't dare look in case someone saw him. He listened as the two greeted each other with what sounded like a code word, and he seriously felt like he should know this new arrival. He's met this creature before, but he just couldn't put a name to the voice.

"Everything is ready," his zoomate said.

"Excellent. Tomorrow will begin the next phase of my plan."

The animal that was listening to them instinctively knew what they were planning wasn't good. Again, he sensed that something bad was about to happen, and whatever that was, these two were obviously behind it.

Suddenly terrified of being discovered, he started backing away, as quietly as he could. Once he thought they must have spotted him because it went silent, but then they began talking again, and he left the alleyway. As soon as he was on the street again, he turned and ran back toward the zoo, almost convinced that if he was fast enough, he could outrun the upcoming event. But he knew no matter how far or how fast he ran, something was coming, and he must be prepared to meet it.

But how? Should he tell someone? Who would he tell? Would anyone even believe him?

Now in the park, he slammed to a halt, sending snow showering around him. He stood there, breathing heavily. He suddenly realized why that voice sounded so familiar and now his heart was pounding so hard he was convinced it would burst from his chest. Trouble was definitely on its way and he had to do something to stop it.

But what could he do? He doubted anyone would take him seriously. Perhaps he should confront the traitor or reveal who it was that joined forces with that evil villain.

One thing was for sure though. He was going to have to keep a close eye on things and hope he can figure out what's going on before it's too late.

He began to make his way back to the zoo, slowly this time. His mind was whirling. His heart pounded. But he was determined to stop whatever they were planning.

He will stop it!

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