The mood within Shawl's lair is quite different this time around. Shawl is not quite giddy though. It doesn't seem like he has the full capacity for such eagerness. Rather his excitement is vindictive and riled with venom. He is filled with anticipation no doubt but with ulterior motives. Leo and Aspen are reporting to their captain, as he listens to their account of seizing the Penguins. They finally have completed this seemingly never-ending project. Now, they could finally relax and celebrate. First, they have to dispose of their defeated foes, but that is to come soon.

When Hydra, walks in the room, Shawl's attention shifts. He stops listening to his henchman. In fact, Leo is mid-sentence when he turns his head.

"Hydra, congratulations on your successful hunt." He addresses the head of the strike team.

"Thank you, sir. It was nothing." Hydra scoffs, waving him off. Sure, it took a couple tries but it was nothing that she couldn't handle.

Shawl takes offense to her dismissive approach. Certainly, this lifelong mission of his couldn't have been a walk in the park for her. "Nothing, huh?" His graveling voice edging on irritation.

"Oh, not like it was easy or anything. I – I'm just happy the mission is complete to your liking." Hydra is quick to recover. Although her arrogance blinds her most often, she is still an expert schmoozer.

"Without a doubt." Shawl smiles. That's more like it. She may be as haughty as the Antarctic is cold, but she is extremely competent. The same cannot be said about the other two. He side-eyes Leo and Aspen. "It's nice to know that I have someone competent working for me."

"Well, she didn't fight fair!" Leo points, like a child accusing their sibling.

Aspen chimes in. "Yeah, she used mind games with them." Maybe if they used all of that brainy nonsense, then they could have accomplished the mission without her.

Shawl asks sarcastically. "And why didn't you think of that?" He is quick to shut their excuses down. He huffs, turning from them. "I would think between the two of you, you'd at least have one functioning brain cell."

"Well, to their credit, it takes a much greater mind to come up with such a foolproof plan." Hydra flexes. She is now lounging in the captain's chair. It seems like she can do whatever she wants now. After all, she was the one who brought in the big prize.

"I know, it does." Shawl shakes his head. For how much longer is Hydra's ego going to remain inflated? "For future reference, Hydra, I would ease up on the boasting. It's rather unbecoming."

Hydra leaps to her feet and stands up straight. Even still, this is his ship. Perhaps, she has to toe the line a little more closely. "Sorry."

"You'll still get your cut." Shawl rolls his eyes and begins making his way across the control room. That's all Hydra really cares about anyway.

"Twenty-five percent of the penguins?" Hydra clarifies. After all this work, it would be a pity to be swindled.

"Do with them as you wish." He waves a massive flipper and continues.

Hydra runs a paw through the fur atop of her head. "With all that supply of fresh penguin, the foxes back home might even make me alpha." The thought is tantalizing. All the fame and glory that she could hope for would all be hers one day.

As Hydra is deep in thought and her own ego, she doesn't notice the movement coming from the middle of the room. A little, red chair that is hoisted up off the ground begins to twitch and jerk around. Sitting right in the center of the space, the seat imprisons Skipper. Until a few seconds ago, he had been completely incapacitated. The penguin looks so small in relation to the seals, especially Shawl who is not far from him. Black straps reach out from the back of the chair to engulf Skipper in a secure grip. The leader starts to come to, as he groggily lifts his aching head. Where is he? Some sort of control room? Wait, where are his men? This jerks him awake, as he looks around wildly.

"Well, would you look who's waking up?" Shawl growls in delight. He finishes his trek over to Skipper.

He skips the courtesy of giving Skipper personal space, as he inches closer towards his ensnared foe. "I can't believe it… after all these years. I finally have you right where I want you." He smiles widely at his soon-to-be meal.

In response, Skipper gags and coughs. "Ack! That breath!" He turns his head. If his flippers were free, he would fan the stench away from his nostrils. Sure, Shawl was a criminal mastermind, but at least have the decency to brush those chompers when you're expecting company. He's certainly overdue for his 6-month checkup.

Shawl jerks his head back. That is clearly not the response he had anticipated.

From behind them, there is a clicking sound. Leo opens up a little tin of mints. It looks miniscule in comparison to the flippers that hold it. "Want a mint, captain?"

"No!" Feeling a little embarrassed, Shawl turns back to Skipper. Surely this penguin may not realize the peril he's in now, but he will soon enough. "Well, aren't you the snarky one? Don't you have anything else to say?"

"What?" Skipper flops his head over to face Shawl and simply exudes sarcasm. "You're a leopard seal and you caught the world's entire population of penguins with the help of more seals. Congratulations." What does this guy want? A medal?

Aspen, who is standing back with Leo, adds her perspective. "I feel like he's being sarcastic."

Shawl sighs. Then, chooses to ignore his henchman. "But you Skipper, you and your team aren't just any penguins. You were the grand prize. I thought you of all penguins should know that." He butters up Skipper.

What is he getting at? "Look, are you just going to eat me already? I can't stand monologuing." Skipper groans.

"Oh, don't you worry. We'll get there very soon." His stomach grumbles just looking at the penguin. He is now completely in his grasp. The aroma is delicious and by the looks of him, he will make for a hearty meal for sure. Shawl pats Skipper's chest, as he eyes his dinner. "Mmmm. Good amount of white meat." He commends.

This is when Skipper would typically slap the foe, but seeing as though his flippers are tied… literally, and falling asleep in the process, he pecks at the seal. To turn the tables a little.

Skipper interrogates. "What's your game, Shawl? Kidnap all the world's penguins, including me and my men, and then what? You're just going to horde us all to yourself?"

"Exactly." Shawl hisses.

"What?" For one, Skipper didn't expect that answer. Also, he is not quite sure what Shawl's game is here.

"Aspen, I think it's time we show our guest a little sneak peek into the future." Shawl straightens up and rests a flipper on the back of Skipper's chair. His claws are dangerously close to bristling Skipper's back.

In no time, Aspen is haphazardly rolling in a clunky cart. An antiquated projector sits on the top. Once it comes to a slamming halt, Aspen begins fiddling with the controls on the device. Leo proceeds to pull down a screen over the giant monitor at the control panel. When the image does not immediately pop up on the scream, Aspen does a quick circle around the cart. Then, she decides the best course of action. To fix her technological issues, she gives the device a hard slap.

Surprisingly enough, her expert insight works. The screen glows a light gray. An old-fashion countdown begins to tick. What are they showing him? Skipper wonders. Whatever it is, it can't be good. Maybe, based on what he's seen, these hacks will reveal a completely obsolete plan. The movie goes on. 3… 2… 1… And the gray flashes to black.

Upbeat music, like one would hear in an infomercial from the 50s, echoes through the open space. The screen turns a dark blue, as a corny animation of a seal swims through the water. Skipper focuses in. What does this cartoon have to do with anything sinister? Other than being incredibly low budget and unpleasant to the eyes. Soon enough, black and white objects go flying across the screen. They shoot through the water like torpedoes. It doesn't take Skipper long to identify those as penguins. The seal pursues them, but as soon as he gets close to one, it has vanished offscreen. He goes after multiple until he is all worn out. His tongue sticks out as he wheezes. Now, the same seal swims up above the water and crawls onto an ice floe.

A narrator, who is unrealistically excited interjects. "Uh oh. Tired from another day of chasing around those rascally penguins to no avail?"

The leopard seal nods. The behemoth is still out of breath. Suddenly, an adult, female seal and several pups are slid into the animation. They look almost as crudely crafted as the original seal. He lowers his head, as his seal family frowns at him.

The narrator continues. "Don't want to feel the shame of going back to your family empty-flippered again?"

The seal shakes his head.

"Well, there's no need to go hungry. At least, not anymore."

The seals are now all facing directly outward. Unnatural smiles come to the seals' faces. Skipper squirms. The narrator continues. "Good, old captain Shawl has done all the hunting for you. Now, you can have any penguin you want, whenever you want it."

A bib falls onto the seal as it licks its lips. A red and white striped bucket slides out in front of the seal family. It lands right in the center of the screen just in time to catch a penguin that comes falling directly into it. The penguin stares on as if completely insignificant. Though it is just a drawing, Skipper stares into its expressionless eyes. So that's what Shawl intends to do with them.

The narrator, cheery as ever, continues. "And just like that, dinner is served!"

One of the seal pups, with a propellor hat, exclaims in a high-pitched voice. "Oh, boy!" The voice sounds more fitting of a mouse than a seal.

"Shawl guarantees a penguin for every pot." The narrator chuckles, as the seal family fades away from the frame.

The scene has switched. Now it depicts three penguins standing there. With the same blank expressions, they oddly resemble his team. Skipper can point out who is who, with Kowalski on the right, Rico in the middle, and Private on the far end.

"Have your penguin any way you want it." The voiceover continues.

Skipper is transfixed on the sight. They must have studied his team pretty well to get them imitated to that degree. Seeing them, even in adapted form, makes him feel a residual shame all over again. The swirling vortex of uncomfortable emotions makes Skipper want to look away. However, the scene is interrupted, as a giant seal swims across the screen. It opens its mouth wide, like pac man. Going down the line, it swallows up the doppelganger penguins.

Even though it is a cartoon, he jumps back in fright. It is a terrible sight, enough to make him lose his cool once more. "Ah!" He lets out a short scream, as his back hits the back of the chair. He moves himself on instinct, as far back as possible.

The film finally stops.

Shawl leers. Now he's got him. "And you and your team will be the first penguins to kick off this little business venture of mine."

Skipper rustles in his chair. "But, why? What's the point? What is there to gain that you don't already have?" He borders on pleading with his enemy.

Shawl is already walking away from Skipper. "It's just business, Skipper." He is flippant and callous. "You see, I've done my research on you birds. And I've found that you're quite the delicacy for many different species. Other leopard seals, sea lions, orcas..."

Leo chimes in. "Fur seals!" He is desperate to make himself useful.

"Ooh and sharks!" Aspen raises her flipper in the air, like an eager student.

"Don't forget mongooses and leopards." If they were interjecting, Hydra figures she better add to the discussion as well.

Leo tilts his head. "Mon-geese?"

"Seeing as though they might be hungry for penguin after a while, they might be inclined to ask old Shawl and his friends for some favors." Shawl smirks.

"Then, orcas won't attack us." Leo adds.

"All the seals will be seriously indebted to us." Aspen follows up after.

Shawl pauses. His eyes gleam as he stares up towards the ceiling. "Why, I might even become the most powerful seal in the world. But why stop there? Hydra will set up a market for the arctic foxes, and maybe that demand will spread to polar bears and arctic wolves. Carnivores and omnivores all over will be begging for the penguins that only I can give them. I'll have the most powerful monopoly in the whole animal kingdom."

Skipper is in a frenzy. This is all happening so fast. His boys? Where are his boys? Surely, they can fix this. No, they won't talk to him. Either way, he's going to put a stop to this, if it's the last thing he does. "No! I won't let you get away with this."

"That's why you and your men won't be in the picture for much longer." Hydra rolls her eyes. The tough guy act doesn't suit him anymore, especially not when he's tied up like that.

"That and you kinda made fools out of us all those years ago." Leo chimes in.

Shawl shoots a glare over his shoulder at Leo.

"No." Skipper gasps. Not his brothers.

Aspen licks her lips. "I'm thinking a cinnamon glaze would pair well with the tall one."

"No." Shawl snarls abruptly at Aspen. Even from him, that response was unwarranted. Leo, Aspen, and Hydra exchange mystified glances.

He stares intensely at Skipper. His eyes completely ensnare Skipper's petrified gaze. "I want to get as much enjoyment out of this revenge while I still can. We're going to eat them raw."

Leo chuckles nervously, trying to add levity. "Talk about liking your meat rare."

Shawl, having successfully defeated his enemy in all facets, turns. For some reason, he is not overly happy. Once the mission is fully completed, he decides that he will feel triumphant then. Although Skipper is rendered helpless and emotionally defeated at this point, Shawl won't be satisfied until Skipper's undoing is complete. "I'll be in my quarters, until the chef as the table -"

Skipper stares down at the dusty floor. He knows that he is on his very last leg. Bitterly, he spouts out after Shawl, interrupting him from leaving. He hasn't said his peace yet. "You. You're a liar."

Shawl turns in condescending amazement. "What was that?"

"You tricked us." Skipper growls.

Shawl chuckles. Seeing his demeanor in the last few seconds, his minions think it best to laugh along. "Well, that is the idea of a trap."

"There was never any hostage for us to save." Skipper's blood is boiling with the last bit of energy he has left.

Shawl's eyes feign sadness. "Skipper, tsk, tsk how quickly you forget."

"What?" Skipper looks up. So, there is a hostage? There was one all along? Who? He ventures it doesn't matter at this point…

"It's quite telling honestly. While you were truly a worthy adversary, you were always so caught up in your own desire for adventure. That's why you and your brothers are here. You know that, right? You could have protected them, but it was your own hubris that brought them here." Shawl plainly disparages Skipper. He has no qualms about kicking his prey while its down. This is especially true when it comes to Skipper.

Skipper struggles to hold himself together. Shawl's right though. It's his fault that his boys are in this mess in the first place. He's a bad leader, a bad brother. He lowers his head in shame. "I can't protect anyone." Skipper sighs.

Leo tries to add insult to injury with the hopes of amusing his teammates. "Now, you birds will get to adventure somewhere else – to my belly." He pats his own stomach.

Shawl is still focused on Skipper. He approaches him once more. Skipper barely notices the predator getting closer. He is still lamenting, staring pensively down at the floor. Even when Skipper does notice Shawl out of the corner of his eye, he lacks the gumption to care.

Shawl whispers. "Besides, I think we both know that I'm not the only liar here."

Skipper can't defend himself. He's not sure that he even merits defending anymore. How could he have betrayed his men? They are all going to get eaten and it's all his fault. He figures that he deserves anything that Shawl does to him, but his brothers don't. Not in the least. He would do anything to go back in time and fix things. He would give the world to save them or even earn back their trust.

Without warning, Shawl lunges towards Skipper and bites down. Inches from Skipper's neck, the threat instantly sends the penguin back. Skipper recoils. Shawl never had any intention of dining on Skipper just yet. He just wanted to see the penguin cower. Glad that he finally knows his place in the food chain, in the world. It's about time. In fact, he acted just like any other penguin would.

Pleased with himself, Shawl chuckles coldly. "Ha. That's what I thought." He turns to Aspen and Leo. "Throw him in with the others. There's not much fight left in him anymore." In fact, he is rather disgusted with Skipper now.

Shawl makes his exit. Leo and Aspen then go to work, unstrapping Skipper from the trap. Leo gets the cage ready, while Aspen secures Skipper. Given their track record, it would be best if she prevents him from making a break for it. However, she is shocked to find that he is nearly limp in her flippers. Neither does he give any resistance, when Leo shoves him into the back of a cage.

As Leo aimlessly carries Skipper's cage, he passes by the wall that is covered in a collage of photographs. Skipper is horrified to see all of this documentation of his and his brother's lives. His terror deflates into desolation. One photograph in particular catches his eye. He gasps and reaches out to grab it before it is too late. As if it were a piece of gold, Skipper rushes to secure and receive it with care. He sticks his flipper out and manages to grab ahold, tearing it off the wall. Unbeknownst to Leo and Aspen, he brings the photo into the cage and looks at it.

The photo couldn't have been taken many days after they were separated from Ma. The team is all together as youngsters. Rico has two icicles hanging from his beak. He is posed, chasing after Kowalski who appears to be laughing. Normally this visual would emit a laugh from Skipper, but now his heart aches. He is in the photo as well and on his shoulders is Private. The little penguin, who was a hatchling at the time, has his tiny flippers outstretched as if he is flying. They loved him, trusted him. And all he could do was lie to them.

Skipper is distracted by the photo. When he is carried into a large space that is overcrowded with penguins, he doesn't notice. Leo carelessly tosses Skipper out and onto the hard, cold floor. He narrowly misses a queue of penguins who happen to be standing in the way. But upon landing, Skipper doesn't catch himself. He slams into the floor, letting his body fall.

Leo and Aspen exchange glances. Perhaps, Shawl was right. This penguin doesn't seem to have any fight left in him at all. It is about time that they had broken his will. But it seems like the end of an era.

Aspen finally speaks up and turns to Leo. "C'mon, we've got work to do."

After a minute or two, Skipper sluggishly forces himself up. For some reason, it is physically challenging for him to even sit up. What is the point? They are doomed anyway. Skipper has lost all hope. As he scans the room in the nearly impossible chance of finding one of his men, he sees a familiar face.

A little hatchling runs up to a much older penguin. The little one is in tears, and upon finding the older penguin, holds on tightly. "Medika, I can't find my mommy or daddy!"

Medika, from the village, comforts the hatchling in a gentle voice. "It's all right, little one. We'll look for them."

She looks up to make eye contact with Skipper. What are the odds? A moment of visible disappointment lingers in her eyes. Skipper isn't supposed to be here. She sacrificed her village's chance of escape, because his team was their only chance at survival. If he is trapped too, then… perhaps, there is no longer any hope. She wants to say something, but can't find the words. What is there to say?

Skipper hides his face in shame. Sons of the world's best penguin secret agent? He had lied to her, too. And all she did was help him. His men aren't the only ones suffering from his wrongdoings.

Medika looks back at the chick. It is as if she hadn't seen anything. She calmly takes ahold of the hatchling's flipper. They begin to walk together, when the chick looks up at her and asks. "What's going to happen to us?" There is uncertainty in the child's voice.

Medika swallows hard. This is where her obligation to honesty is due. "I don't know, little one. I don't know."

Skipper is really alone this time. Maybe, he deserves it. Maybe, he was bad from the start. That's why he got angry with Ma before they got separated. He never made things right with her, just like it appears he will never make things right with his brothers. Having once felt on top of the world, adventuring with his brothers, he had never imagined how lonely rock bottom would feel. Once he thought that he and his brothers were different, able to change the world. Now, as he sits in the crowd of millions of penguins, he feels so incredibly small.

He takes another look at the photo of his family. Clenching it closer to his chest, he begins to break down. "I'm so sorry." He whispers.

Kowalski isn't fairing much better. Somewhere in the crowd, he is pacing back and forth. He has managed to secure space for himself amongst the other penguins. Though he wants to go looking for his brothers, the crowd looks impenetrable. He would feel suffocated amongst it for sure.

Instead, he continues pacing and begins thinking aloud. "I can't believe I really thought we could save everyone. I mean, we're just four penguins… up against an army of seals and foxes! We can't … I mean, the science. It makes no logical sense that we could have made any difference…" He throws his flippers up in frustration. How could he have bought into such a fantastical delusion? He was a penguin of science and logic.

He stops and lowers his flippers. His voice softens. "Yet still, I believed it. I let Skipper lie to me, and I believed him… I guess, I wanted to believe him – that we were something more. But now look at us, our time's run out, and there's nothing we can do. Not even Skipper can save us. And if he can't, then I most certainly can't."

Kowalski sighs and plops himself down. He might as well get comfortable. "I'm not enough. And this proves it… I've never been enough."

Private is desperately searching through the crowd. He is trembling and tears are streaming down his cheeks. He doesn't know what to do or where to turn. He needs his brothers. If he could just find one, then maybe they could get themselves out of this situation. They could fix this. They always knew what to do. He at least wants someone to help him feel less alone.

"Um, excuse me?" Private taps a random penguin on the shoulder. Maybe they've seen one of his brothers and could guide him in the right direction.

The penguin ignores him and keeps walking.

"Hello?" Private waddles up to another penguin. This time he is shoved out of the way by the current of moving penguins.

Private can feel himself becoming overwhelmed. The air is getting shallow. The room feels several degrees warmer. "Can anyone tell me where I am?" He cries out.

No one answers him. In fact, no one even acknowledges him.

"Please? Someone, help. I – I'm alone." His voice cracks as he shouts over the clamor of the crowd.

As if an answer to his wishes, a kind voice emerges from behind him. "Are you all right, dear?"

Private spins around, relieved to find a friendly face. Private sniffles. "No, I'm afraid I've lost my brothers."

The stranger is much older and kind. She smiles wistfully at Private. "Why don't you come with me? You'll be okay. There's no need to cry." She assures him in a nurturing voice. Something about her presence just makes him feel safe.

Private nods and wipes his eyes.

Meanwhile, Rico is doing some searching of his own. Like Private, his strategy of calling out to the crowd isn't of much help. "Hello?" He grunts but no one bothers to respond or even look at him. At this point, many of the penguins are accustomed to others who were searching for their loved ones.

Rico decides to take on a different approach. He instantly becomes excited when he sees a lengthy penguin from behind. Kowalski? Is it really him? It has to be. Rico runs up and picks the taller penguin up in the air. "Kowalski?" He grunts eagerly.

The confused stranger looks at Rico, rather disgruntled by the impolite interruption. Seeing as though it is not Kowalski, Rico tosses the penguin.

He is lost, for the very first time in his life. He looks around the crowd helplessly. "Skipper?" He whimpers, his beak quivering.

Despite having given up all hope, Skipper has gotten to his feet. The least he can do is search for his brothers. Maybe if he got them together, they could devise a plan to get themselves out. With the limited possibility that his efforts will pay off, he is unable to fully motivate himself.

"Kowalski…? Rico…? Private…?" He calls.

And for a while, there is no response. Eventually, he loses track of the number of times he has called out each of their names. He is about to give up, when a far-off voice squeaks.

"Skippah?"

He recognizes it instantly. "Private!" Skipper's face lights up. But he can't be sure.

"Skippah!" Private calls out again. The sound is getting closer.

Skipper follows the voice of his youngest soldier, until they see one another. Private smiles excitedly when he sees Skipper and runs towards him. Words can barely describe how happy he is to see his older brother.

Skipper prepares to apologize. "Private, I –"

Instead, the wind is temporarily knocked out of him. Private wraps his flippers tightly around Skipper. A hug? The gesture hits him like a sack of potatoes. After everything he had done, does he deserve this hug. Oh, Private. Relief washes over Skipper. Maybe, the kid didn't hate him after all.

"I'm so sorry." Skipper wraps his flippers around Private. He is just glad that he is able to tell him this in person.

Private leaps back to his feet rather quickly. "It's okay, Skippah!" He says in a cheery voice. It sort of makes Skipper question if Private had heard him correctly. Yeah, they were reunited but that doesn't make up for everything or guarantee that they'll escape.

"It is? But I thought you said I was a big, fat fraud?" Skipper is unsure. After all, Private was incredibly upset the last time he had seen him. He even said that he didn't have a family.

"Oh, sorry about that." Private chuckles sheepishly.

Skipper shrugs it off. He manages to hide the depth of his emotions. "Don't worry about it. I had it coming."

Private is suddenly riled up again. "But Skippah!" He grabs onto Skipper's flippers and looks up at him wildly. "There's someone I want you to meet!"

"Huh?"

And without further warning, Private yanks Skipper by the flipper and starts running through the crowd. Skipper, in his confusion, is barely able to keep the pace. What caused this sudden change in Private? The moxie to just grab his flipper and lead him somewhere was unusual for the younger bird. The two weave in and out of groups in the crowd. Clumsily they barely dodge other penguins and avoid Skipper tripping over his own feet. Where had this version of Private been?

"Woah! At ease, Young Private! At ease!" Skipper yells, as he is towed along in Private's zig-zag pattern. Perhaps, the boy has finally lost it.

When they come to an abrupt stop, Private is out of breath. Skipper tries to make sense of what just happened. He dusts himself off, straightening up a feather or two in the process.

"Warn me next time you decide to drag me around like a rag doll, Private." Skipper remarks, focusing on his feathers.

"Sorry, Skippah." Private lowers his head. He didn't mean to be boorish with Skipper back there. He is just so excited for him.

Skipper concludes preening and lifts his head. He looks at the stranger who Private has found. He can't seem to look away and he can't seem to speak either. It's as if he is looking at a ghost. His eyes widen and fill with tears. It can't be. Is she actually…?

The older penguin covers her mouth in disbelief. "Skipper?" She gasps.

"M – ma?" Skipper's voice trickles out in a whisper.

[To Be Continued]