Skipper waddles off into the forest. It seems that Private had collected all the nearby wood for the shelter. So, there isn't much laying around. No matter, Skipper can handle himself. It would be just a few extra strides as he trekked deeper into the woods. He is less on edge than he had been when they arrived. However, he still has a healthy level of suspicion when it comes to wandering around at night solo. Anything could be hiding in the darkness, waiting for a midnight snack. He would be lying if he said that he is not feeling a bit tired. This could be due to his conversation with Kowalski or just the fatigue of it all.
Finally, he finds a nice spot. Fallen branches seem to be scattered throughout this patch of forest floor. Contently he bends down and begins collecting them. In no time, he nearly has his flippers full. He'll have to remember this locale for the next time they run out of firewood. The simple task is enough to take his mind off of the difficult decision he will have to make. His team isn't ready to fight off Shawl's army. At least, he didn't want to run the chance. Though his duty is to protect his brothers, he does feel a tremendous amount of guilt in postponing their rescue mission… or cancelling it. Either is a fact unknown to his team. Normally, he would never run from a fight, especially when others needed him. But seeing how things occurred in the village, he had drastically lost his nerve. Somehow, he would have to stall his men tomorrow, maybe convince them to stay put for a little while longer.
Just as he is thinking this, his stream of consciousness is interrupted. The sound of talking causes his heart to skip a beat. Surely, he isn't close enough to camp to hear his team. He can't make out the words that are being said. He is at too far of a distance. One thing is for certain. Those are not the voices of his brothers.
He stops breathing. Stealthily, he creeps closer. His feet lightly tread the grass and dirt below. In case the unknown gets vantage before him, he sneaks behind trees and bushes. Moving very slowly, he continues until he sees another camp. Aglow by a large firelight, three figures sit and converse. When he sees them, he can't believe his eyes. How did they find him?
"Well, at this point, I'm just glad the mission's almost over." Leo groans reclining back on a log. His flippers are placed comfortably over his stomach.
Aspen smiles from across the fire. She pounds a fist into her open flipper. A wet clapping sound rattles through the air. "I can't wait to see the looks on those penguins' faces when they realize we have them surrounded."
Skipper gasps, but catches himself. Surrounded?
Leo lifts his flippers. He gestures directly towards Skipper. "Why don't we just move in? They're probably all asleep by now."
So, they know where they've set up camp too? No, no, no. This isn't good.
Hydra turns to face Leo. Her face is illuminated by the fire. "All in good time." She admires her claws. It's as if they have been sharpened since they last met. "We have to be patient. We've lulled them into a false sense of security for now. That being said, we'll let the sons of the world's best secret agent waddle into the trap for us."
Aspen chuckles. "I can't believe they really think that their dad was some secret agent."
Skipper listens on with intensity.
"Stupid birds." Leo laughs. Not what he said the many times they evaded him though.
"I guess that Skipper can be rather persuasive." Hydra folds her arms across her chest.
Leo nearly salivates. "I just hope he's as tender as he is deceitful." He licks his lips. One of those penguins would be tasty roasting over that fire.
Hydra plops onto a log herself. She stretches out. "Nah, I'm thinking the little one will be the most tender. Private, was it? That's the one I want. Besides, Shawl already claimed dibs on the little ringleader."
Not Private. He can't bear the thought of his little guy getting hurt. Not any of his team. This can't be happening. How did this happen?
Leo lifts his chin up and gloats. "He's not nearly as convincing as our little improv act on Private that night at the circus."
"Huh?" Skipper questions. What is he talking about? Improv act?
Aspen laughs. "Yeah," then starts a posh, British accent. "Private, sweetie, it's your mummy and daddy!"
"And he almost fell for it too!" Leo adds. The two burst out laughing, while Hydra concedes an amused smirk.
So Private really did hear something that night. It wasn't a dream after all. More like a nightmare, a very real nightmare.
"Just think. If the others hadn't have woken up, we would have had him right there." Leo taps his chin.
Skipper's stomach twists in knots. He suddenly feels an inescapable, sickly warmth. If they hadn't woken up… it would have been game over. Before they were even the wiser, they would have been captured. He wants to run, but there's nowhere he can go. Literally, he cannot seem to lift his feet.
Aspen grumbles. "Would've saved us quite a bit of time…"
Hydra vows. "Mark my words. The next move those penguins make…" she bites the air. "… will be their last."
Skipper finally gets feeling back in his legs. All of that nervous energy has ramped up. Without thought, he moves on instinct. It is clumsy and uncoordinated. So much so, that it causes him to stumble back. As he stumbles, his feet catch onto something as he falls to the ground. In the moments leading to the ground, he processes everything he has just heard. His thoughts are pounding, racing, and crashing together in his mind.
He hits the ground hard. A trembling flipper reaches for the object that has tripped him. It is smooth and cold. He cannot see it well in the darkness. Another stick? No, it's much denser. His flippers begin to slowly pull back in attempts to get up. But they come in contact with more hard objects. He looks around to find a sight that furthers his terror. He is surrounded by bones. This kicks his nervous system into overdrive and he immediately begins running. He no longer has a plan. His instincts take over and he flees.
Meanwhile, the foes stand up and watch him. It is a nice change of pace for them. A rare sight to see a crack in the façade of the oh-so fearless leader.
"I bet the drama is going to be overflowing at Camp Penguin tonight." Aspen smirks.
"You think it worked?" Leo turns to Hydra. He is honestly a bit skeptical. They had pulled so many maneuvers to date. He has lost hope that this one be any more successful.
"Beyond imagination." Hydra's eyes widen, they look wild and savage in the firelight. She puts her paws on her hips and watches Skipper scurry away. She likes watching her prey run. It makes the hunt all the more thrilling.
Aspen looks up eagerly. "So, it'll break them apart?"
Hydra smiles deviously. "Why after this, I would be surprised if the others didn't have Skipper served up on a platter for Shawl."
By the time Skipper finds his way back to camp, he is out of breath. He pants heavily and his footsteps are stomps. In his jumbled frenzy, he barges in. Kowalski, who had been nearly nodding off, is immediately jerked awake by the commotion. He looks up to see Skipper in a full-blown panic. If he didn't know any better, it almost looks as though the leader is on the verge of tears.
"Skipper? What's wrong?" Kowalski stands up. This can't be good, if Skipper is acting this way. What did he see out there?
"No, I – …" Skipper backs away, cowering. He folds his flippers in close to him, as if to not take up space. He is curling into himself. A sinking feeling shrouds him, as he instinctually tries to gain some sense of security. He backs himself into the trunk of a tree.
Kowalski begins walking over. "Skipper, what happened?"
Soon enough, Private and Rico are up as well. Having been startled by all the noise, they are dazed. Despite this, they are on their feet. If something was wrong with Skipper, they wanted to be there to support him. Both penguins stand behind Kowalski. They look on at him with concern. He has never acted this way before, but now he is completely losing his composure right in front of them. Kowalski silently tries to analyze Skipper to find the best course of action. A panic attack? A bad, delayed reaction to those berries?
The presence of his brothers only causes Skipper to feel even more crowded. They all stare at him. He's causing a scene. What is he doing? He can't stop. They're all looking to him. He never asked for this. But this time, he can't do anything for them. They're trapped. The air is getting thinner. They're doomed and it's all his fault. How long would it be before the seals were right on top of them? They couldn't make it out this time. He doesn't know what to do. There's nothing he can do. He can't take it anymore.
"I – I lied." He gasps for air. The words spill out. He can no longer resist them.
"What?" Rico doesn't know what he is talking about. None of them do.
"Skippah, what's wrong?" Private whimpers.
Skipper's gazes meet Private's eyes. They are big, blue and sad. In his shame, he looks away.
Gazing diagonally to the ground, he furrows his brow. He can't look up at them. "It's always been a lie." He exhales the toxins that have seemingly infected his lungs.
"What are you talking about?" Betrayal edges Kowalski's voice. He still isn't catching on. Is he talking about Private's parents?
Skipper shakes his head bitterly and speaks lowly. "Our dad was never some sort of penguin secret agent. He was just an ordinary penguin… who was eaten."
Rico gasps. Eaten? No, he couldn't be. Not they're father. Was…? Why did he say was? No, he's still alive. It can't all be a lie.
"But Ma always told us those stories, too. They can't be lies." Kowalski's heart breaks as his voice cracks. That can't be true. It was one of the known laws of the universe. There was gravity, the law of motion, and the fact that their father was the world's greatest secret agent. He would rather believe Skipper is having a brief lapse of sanity rather than admit to himself that what he was saying was even remoting a possibility.
Skipper feels his panic start to build up again. Curse this lie that he had inherited. He secures his pounding head in his flippers. "She told me the truth that night before she was taken. And now, they're coming for us, too! We're surrounded and there's nothing we can do!"
"So, all those stories you've told us… were lies?" Private starts to piece together what is happening.
Hearing Private say it does a number on Kowalski. All at once, the confidence he has seemed to gain, drains from his body. He straightens his back, as if seeing the world for the first time. In a way, he is just now seeing it for what it is. The view does not sit well. How could Skipper keep this from them? From him? They were close. He thought Skipper could tell him anything.
Tears begin forming in his eyes, as he chokes them down. "There was nothing special about any of us, after all. We really are just… a bunch of penguins."
"I guess, we are." Skipper somberly concurs.
While his brothers are fighting back their tears, Private is back to crying once more. "You lied to us, Skippah. You lied to all of us." He glares up at Skipper, who still can't even look him in the eye.
"I just wanted to protect you." Skipper intends this to be firm but it comes out in a whisper. His voice is gravelly with frustration and stress.
Once Kowalski has had enough time to process what he is just now learning, his dismay morphs into anger. He confronts Skipper. "By lying to us? You really thought you could protect us by filling our heads with this illusion of grandeur that you knew wasn't true?"
Skipper gets defensive and takes a step forward. He points both flippers towards his chest with conviction. He meets Kowalski's challenge and looks up at him. "I did what I had to. I needed to protect you boys. This was the only way I knew how! When Ma was gone, she left me in charge and told me to look after you."
Skipper sighs and takes a different approach. Sure, lying was wrong and probably not the best strategy but it had paid off. They wouldn't be here if he hadn't encouraged them with those stories. "Look at all we've done, we wouldn't have done any of it, without those stories about dad."
Kowalski is fuming. How dare he try and take credit for everything they've done. "No." He states firmly and plainly. He had never spoken to Skipper like this. It takes the leader, and the rest of the team for that matter, aback.
Kowalski's frustration booms, as he tries to make sense of this. If Ma had told him the truth, why didn't she tell him and Rico? Why did Skipper lie? "This was never about us. We were just your pawns… this whole time. Side characters in your quest for greatness and glory that you so desperately needed to fuel your own ego. You put us all in danger!"
Skipper knows there is no convincing Kowalski that his motives were innocent. Well, maybe not entirely innocent. But he isn't a bad guy. He can't be. He looks beyond Kowalski, who obstructs most of his vision at this point. He had never seen Rico and Private so distraught, betrayed. "It's not like that." He promises.
"Wait…" Kowalski pauses to think, "and without dad in the picture, we were never going back for those penguins, were we? And you knew it."
"Well, we were originally… but then, I got scared. At the village…" Skipper stammers, until he sighs in defeat.
Kowalski doesn't want any more roundabout excuses, just direct answers. That wasn't good enough. "Were you or were you not planning on going back for the penguins?"
"No…" Skipper drops eye contact once more.
This time Private is the one to gasp. Rico brings Private in for a hug. If Skipper isn't going to and Kowalski is too absorbed in his anger, he will step up and comfort the young one.
Skipper continues in attempts to vindicate himself and clear his conscience. "Not until I knew we could do it."
He looks back over at Private and Rico. "But you boys have to understand, I didn't know what to do. You're my brothers. I had to look out for you." Skipper only seems to isolate himself more as he speaks.
This is enough for Rico. He carefully releases Private from his hold. Being around all this tension, even looking at Skipper right now, is too much for him. He calmly brushes past Kowalski and Skipper. Before leaving the camp, he grunts in a quivering, scratchy voice. "Brothers don't lie."
"Rico?" Skipper gasps. After all these years, Rico had never turned his back on him. He was always the one right at Skipper's side. Even he, it seems, had had enough.
Private is shaking. From anger, from fear? It's likely a mixture of both. "And my parents, Skippah. You were just going to abandon them?"
Skipper grows silent again. How can he work his way out of this one? No, he has to 'fess up. But he can't bring himself to do it. Within nearly a second of not providing an answer, Kowalski steps in.
Kowalski turns around to face Private. "Private, the odds of them still being alive in Shawl's possession for all these years are slim to impossible."
This would be difficult for the little one to hear, but he needed to. He can't live in an illusion any longer. They are already seeing the effects that it can have. The air needed to be cleared, even if Skipper isn't going to be the one to do it. It is time he knew the truth.
Private turns to Skipper in hopes that he will give him a different answer. He runs up to his leader, grabbing onto his flippers desperately pleading. He begs for more reassurance, even if it is just a lie. He craves it. "But I heard them. Outside the tent that night. You told me that they were okay, since I heard them. I heard their voices, Skippah. I did!"
Skipper admits. Maybe being truthful with Private now will lessen the blow. "Those were Shawl's goons that night. They were outside the tent, pretending to be your parents. I just heard them talking about it."
All of the hope seems to leave Private's face in that moment. His desperate, needy smile fades. His beak parts and the ends point downward. His eyes, now somewhat duller, stare up at Skipper. This is exactly what Skipper feared. He spends a moment in shock. And then, he lets go of Skipper. He lets Skipper's flippers fall back to the older penguin's sides.
He turns away. Now he is the one hunched over and shaking. He waddles over until his reaches his spot by the fire. Yearning protection, comfort – anything – he hugs his body in tightly.
Private gasps in between his tears. "And, I – … I could've died so many times. You didn't know what you were doing… None of you did!" He turns his head to look back at both of them aggressively.
"Now, that's not true." Skipper lowers his flippers.
He's lying again. "Is it? You're a big, fat fraud!" Private snaps, standing up.
"Private." Kowalski intervenes with a calmer tone, trying to settle Private down. He doesn't want him to say something he would regret.
A fraud – that comment stings. Skipper makes his final plea. With all his might, he tries to hold onto their trust for him. "I was just… - I did all that I could for you boys. That was just… the only way I knew how. I never meant to hurt you!"
Private has now joined Kowalski and Skipper. He doesn't know where to direct his anger, his helplessness. Well, except for the obvious answer. Skipper is a fraud. They all are in a sort of way. Lying to those villagers, to everyone they knew. They were no better than any other penguins. In fact, by claiming to be something they are not, it made them worse. The thought doesn't sit well with Private at all. He isn't liar, but perhaps Skipper made him into one. He had always looked up to his older brother – wanted to be like him, sought his protection. It's like he doesn't know who he is anymore. This revelation just seems like a cruel twist of fate. In one night, it seems like he has lost everything. Soon enough, they will be captured and he really will have lost everything.
He processes his thoughts aloud. With wide eyes, he gasps. "And now, we're all going to die."
"Statistically speaking… it is most likely." Kowalski answers truthfully.
Now, it doesn't have to be like that. All they need is to regroup. Maybe they can make a break for it, while the seals still think they're asleep. They've gotten out of similar messes before. Even if there isn't any hope, the sight of Private falling apart in front of him, is too much for Skipper to bear. He has to do something. Maybe, he can reason with him. Skipper reaches for Private to comfort him. He places a flipper onto Private's upper flipper. "C'mon now, Private." He says in a soft voice, offering console.
The reaction he receives is rather unexpected.
"Get away from me!" Private jerks his flipper away and pushes Skipper back with the other. The force of Private's adrenaline causes Skipper to stumble back. "Now I don't have parents or a family!"
Skipper gasps, tears filling his eyes. "Private?" The unthinkable is happening, as his heart shatters.
Private runs off back towards the river. The two can hear his sobs as he rushes away. He, like Rico, just needed to get out of there. None of this feels right to him. It is almost as if it is some nightmare that he will wake up from. He wishes that he will wake up back at the fireside with Skipper and Kowalski taking watch together. But despite as many times, as Private blinks, he cannot wake himself up.
As Private leaves, Rico returns back to camp. He doesn't say a word. Instead, he plops down on one of the logs and looks glumly into the fire. Skipper looks over at the penguin who is silently sulking.
Kowalski rushes in the direction that Private has just run. "Private, come back! We need to stay together." He calls with disappointment.
As Kowalski begins walking towards the dense forestation to look for Private, Skipper rushes over. He places himself in between Kowalski and the brush. In attempts to regain leadership, he orders. "Kowalski, I'm going to go look for him. You boys stay here."
Kowalski pushes past him, as if he were not there. "You've done enough, Skipper."
Skipper turns away and storms off back towards the woods. He needs to clear his head. He had really messed up this time, but they aren't being reasonable. After all these years, couldn't they cut him some slack? He huffs past Rico, who turns away when he approaches. See? Rico won't even look at him.
As Skipper gets deeper into the rainforest, the fear that he feels is masked with anger and hurt. He kicks a vine that is strewn in his path. The slight annoyance of the plant causes an avalanche of similar emotions. His thoughts come spewing out. "Augh! How is this happening? This isn't my fault! I had no other choice. I had to lie to them. It was for their own good! This world is dangerous, and all I wanted was to keep them safe…"
He pauses and lowers himself. Some job he is doing at that, huh? "But look where that's gotten us." He sighs, as even his pride deserts him. Maybe he is a fraud. "This is my fault, even if we were doomed from the start…"
Private has now slowed his pace. He has made his way to where they docked the sailboat. Wiping his eyes, he sits down in the grass and proceeds to cry some more. This isn't what he had wished for from his birthday. How could things have gone so wrong? Why couldn't he have parents like everyone else? Maybe his brothers made a mistake when they rescued him from those seals. Is he the cause of all of this?
As he is deep in thought and tears, he covers his face. He doesn't want to see any more of this place. It is beautiful but he just wants to go home. Where even is home anymore?
While he is distracted, the river begins to ripple. Splashing comes up onto the shore, as two large mammals slither their way up the bank. Private doesn't notice. They're getting closer. He can't hear anything over his own thoughts.
Finally, the creatures are standing over him. One smiles down at the little penguin menacingly. "Hi there."
Private's first reaction is to tell whoever it is to go away. He just wants to be alone. However, he replays the greeting in his head. The voice didn't sound familiar. It certainly wasn't Rico, and by the tone alone, he could tell it wasn't Skipper or Kowalski. For all he knew, they were still back at camp, snipping at each other. His eyes blink open and his heart starts pounding. If it isn't Skipper, Kowalski, or Rico, then… He slowly lifts his head.
"Peekaboo!" Aspen laughs.
Private gasps. A giant, grey flipper nabs him before he is able to get much else out.
Completely oblivious to what has just occurred, Kowalski makes his way onto the bank. He figures this is the first place Private would have wandered off to. His younger brother isn't daring enough to be in the woods alone for too long. However, his logic seems to fail him when he finds no sign of the penguin on the riverbank. Maybe he's hiding in the boat.
Kowalski makes his way closer. "Private! Private, come back! I know you're upset. We all are…"
He is still angry too, but splitting up is the worst thing they could do in the current situation. There would be a lot of tension at camp but there is strength in numbers. They might not have a plan anymore, but they were each more vulnerable on their own.
That is when Kowalski sees movement in the water up ahead. "Private?" Kowalski calls. This isn't the ideal time to take a swim either, but maybe Private thought to clear his thoughts with a quick dip. Or he could have fallen in?
Kowalski inches closer to the water. Soon, he is on the shoreline, peering over the water.
Suddenly, Aspen emerges from the depths. "Expecting someone else?" She jeers, now towering over Kowalski.
Kowalski's head spins to find Leo emerging from inside the sailboat. In his flipper, he holds a cage. Private has been captured. He grips onto the iron rods of the cage door.
"Run, Kowalski!" Private cries.
Leo, holding Private's cage, turns to him with a smile. "Don't count on it."
Kowalski freezes. He is too stunned to do anything. He knew they were coming, but did not expect them so soon. This is the worst possible time for this to happen. They are all separated… But maybe that was the plan all along. It is a trap, an ambush. Oh, how could they have been so ignorant? Being captured like this? This is all new territory. Perhaps, there is no going back.
All Kowalski can do is think. It's an endless spiral, a bottomless pit. He could go on forever, falling deeper and deeper in frustration, despair, and horror. This is when the seal flings herself out of the water. Aspen springs onto the bank. Kowalski doesn't even have time to turn and face the blow. She pounces. Her jaws are open wide.
Meanwhile, Rico is still by the fire. He sits hunched over and mumbling himself. How could his brother be so deceiving for so long? He feels cheated. All this time he hoped that his father was still alive. He dreamed of the day that they would be reunited. Now, that is never going to happen. It isn't fair. Maybe it would have been better off if they had never been told that lie in the first place.
Suddenly, a sound comes from the brush. Rustling leaves. And then, the snapping of twigs. He sits up. He scans his surroundings. Just then, a pointy-eared shadow pops up. Then another joins them. Rico looks back and forth between the two. Standing up, he gets into a battle stance. It looks like we'll have to take on these two foxes alone. It would be a challenge, but he could do it. Then, another pops out of the darkness. And another. Before he knows it, he is surrounded.
"Ahhh!" Rico screams.
The sound of his scream rings throughout the forest. Birds scatter from the treetops and soar off into the night sky. The noise reaches another bird, as he trudges through the forest floor. It is Skipper. He hears the cry and stops cold. He recognizes the scream immediately. Rico. It is happening. Son of a flounder and the worst possible timing too. He has to get back to camp.
"Rico!" Skipper calls, as he takes off running.
Just as Skipper starts picking up speed. He stops in his tracks. That same haunting melody rings out. The siren. However, in his haste, he does not prepare for the device's allure. His eyes grow dull and blank of expression. He can't seem to move his body, and he feels his thoughts slipping away.
Hydra steps out from behind the trees. The siren is in her clenched claws. "C'mon, now, Skipper. You look awful upset." She taunts.
"No." Skipper groans. He must fight it. He has to get back to camp. His men need him. Lifting his flippers feels as though each weighs one hundred pounds. Somehow, he manages. He covers his ear holes.
"Don't you just wish all this pain – all this worry would just go away?" Hydra placates in a light, flowing voice. Considering the argument that just broke out, Hydra summates it's a good bargain.
Skipper begins to slip away. That does sound nice. The pain of his brothers hating him was almost unbearable. Something to take that away would be nice. "Yeah…" he lulls. But he shakes the thought away. He can't quit now. "My boys. I need to find them."
"You'll all be together soon enough." Hydra whispers. In a way, it is true.
Skipper falls back in. "We'll all be together?" That is all he's asking for.
"Yes." Hydra whispers, reassuring him that one way or another those penguins will all be together.
She guides Skipper into a cage. He is completely entranced at this point, giving himself fully into this stupor. Without struggle or hesitation, he waddles straight into the snare. Skipper is too spaced out to know that he has just caused his own downfall and virtually handed over his own freedom. Hydra lifts up the cage to her face. He is a bit heavier than she had anticipated, but if that is the bulk of her worries, she is in a good spot. She admires the nearly unconscious penguin in her grasp. Once she figured the elite team out, it was almost too easy to ensnare them.
"Come to mama." She jeers. Skipper is too out of it to respond.
When Hydra arrives at the riverbank, Leo, Aspen, and the foxes have already trapped the rest of the team. Shawl's submarine is emerging from the water. The rounded surface of the vessel looks like a whale swimming too close to the shore. It has some obvious wear-and-tear from sailing over the years. An exit hatch looks like a large, ghastly mouth. It is open and ready to receive the Penguins. All, except Skipper, have been compiled into a circle in their cages along the riverbank. Worst case scenario, they could use those three as bait if Skipper had managed to slip away from Hydra.
It looks like plan B won't be necessary, as Hydra breaks through the clearing. She lifts up Skipper's cage to haughtily show off her prize. "Looks like we'll have quite the spread at this buffet."
She swings Skipper back and forth a few times. While not aware in the least of what is happening, it is clear that he is becoming a little dizzy. Finally, as she swings the cage forward, she sends it flying. Skipper goes tumbling and lands roughly in the middle of the other cages.
The impact of colliding with the ground awakens Skipper. "Huh? What? What's happening?" He staggers to his feet and holds his head. Looking around, it is difficult to determine where they are at. He tries to piece together what moments led up to this. What is going on?
"You've been captured!" Aspen nods with the confidence of someone who didn't have many, previous failed attempts.
Leo offers her a high five. "Finally." He sighs in relief. Now, Shawl would ensure him a nice cushy life.
Skipper begins to panic. The cage feels much smaller than it is in reality. Frantically, he grabs onto the sides of his cage, searching desperately for an open or unlocked door. "No, no, no!"
"Yep!" Aspen cheerily points out.
Skipper turns and finds Kowalski. Maybe, he has some options. Yes! He can get them out of this mess. Once they are on that ship, there's no going back. He tries to gain Kowalski's attention. "Kowalski? Kowalski!" He begins hitting the side of Kowalski's cage.
Kowalski does not even look at Skipper. Facing the opposite direction, his face crumples into a glare. He folds his flippers across his chest. He isn't ready to make amends with Skipper. Now that they're in trouble, Skipper seems to think that Kowalski owes him options. Besides, there is nothing he can do at this point.
Fine. Kowalski's turned his back on him. He doesn't need him. At least, that's what his angry reaction tells him. He turns to Rico. Surely, Rico will at least acknowledge him. "Rico? Rico…"
Rico isn't faring much better. Clearly, he is startled. In the far corner of his cage, he is curled up. Nearly in a ball, he is crying. Skipper has rarely seen Rico this way. The wild penguin looks up at Skipper briefly. In his eyes, he sees deep hurt. It's an awful thing being captured. What's even worse is facing certain doom. But the worst thing is losing his ability to trust Skipper. Then, he buries his head down into his flippers again.
He's really messed up this time… But he'll still be able to fix this. He turns to Private. Desperation strains his voice. "Private? Private, please…" He reaches out through the barriers of his cage.
Private is too scared to respond. He stands in the middle of his cage. Holding onto his flippers, he is visibly trembling. His eyes are wide with terror, as he keeps scanning all around him. An attack could come from any place. He is helpless and alone.
"So, which one do you want?" Leo, who is in a far better mood, turns to Aspen.
"I'm thinking the tall one. It's on the leaner side." Aspen rubs her flippers together. "What about you?"
"That one with the feathers sticking up looks like it'd be pretty tangy." Leo ponders. It's as if they're picking teams for kickball… or choosing a lobster at the supermarket.
"Well, this one," Hydra bends down to pick up Private's cage, "is mine."
As he is hoisted up into the air, Private begins to audibly panic and shudder. Slowly, she slides the back of her claws down Private's cheek. This emits the response that she was hoping for. Private begins to panic even more. However, it isn't like Skipper's panic. It is more still and accepting, rather than energized and resistant.
"Shh shh shhh." She playfully shushes her prey.
This angers Skipper. He may be trapped but he's still Private's Skipper. "You put Private down right now!"
"Getting a little feisty, huh?" Leo asks in a rather threatening way.
Hydra sighs. So much for having a little fun, she lowers Private's cage. Turning to back to her crew, she suggests. "Aspen, I think our little entrees need a nap."
"No!" Skipper resists and covers his earholes. However, it is no use. As the music plays, Skipper can feel himself falling asleep. His eyelids begin to droop, and his awareness begins to lessen. The last thing he notices is being lifted and carried towards the ship. Then, the world goes dark.
[To Be Continued]
