Blowhole's Volcano Base

Hawaii

0100 Hours

There was nothing here. The smell of mildew and lingered in the air, suffocated the place like a gas cloud. Classified was sure he would find any evidence of life here. A warm computer monitor, cups of coffee. Just something. But it was the exact opposite. It looked like it had been abandoned for years. Still, the wolf knew better than to trust appearances. Usually, there was something hidden underneath the facade. He kept his penguin close as they began to examine the eerie lair. But every room, every area looked just a dreary as the last. Classified had hoped that this was the break they needed, it frustrated him that there was so little here. Not even a single weapon. The wolf expected that they moved everything to other location, abandoning this one altogether. Annoying but even Classified has to admit it was a smart move. He let out a sigh before he felt Skipper nudge his leg. He looked down and saw the penguin smiling up at him.

"What are you smiling at? There is nothing here, we wasted time Skipper. Every minute we spent here was a minute we could have spent doing something productive."

"I wouldn't say it was a huge waste of time. Blowhole's main servers were located here. Or at that's what Kowalski said. If we can locate them, then we can have your geniuses take them back to your iceberg."

"Skippy, we went through this entire lair. There is nothing here."

"Blowhole isn't as dumb as you may think. He wouldn't have them placed them in plain sight. Not when we both been on this tail fin for years."

"Wait, you've dealt with Blowhole in the past? Why didn't you tell us when we spent all that time looking for him? You could have saved us days of work and searching."

Skipper rolled his eyes, letting out a frustrated groan in the process. "Cause you never asked. Plus Blowhole attacked you and not us. If it was the other way round we would have happily shared our classified files with you."

The wolf did not know how to respond to that. It wouldn't be unorthodox for the penguins to keep intel from them. They did it in the past and every single time to undergo more work than necessary. Upon hearing that Skipper and his team had dealings with Dr Blowhole in the past, it just infuriated Classified to the moon. Then again he guessed he couldn't complain too much, Classified wasn't exactly the most open in the world. Even before he was accepted into the North Wind. His family and past friends would complain about how introverted he was. Not that he minded, it prepared him in the academy. Just not well enough when it came to social situations and dating.

"So...how well do you know Dr Blowhole?" Classified asked.

"Well enough to know how he thinks, functions and what he's planning next. Blowhole hold grudges, big time. He's dramatic and doesn't hesitate to use more deadly means to obtain his goals. That's how well my team knows him."

"Sounds like you had quite a few run-ins if you know that much about him. "

"It's important to grab as much intel on the mammal that's tried to kill you on multiple occasions. That way you know where and when they're going to strike next."

"Tell me is there any villain you've faced that hasn't tried to mutate or kill you?" Classified asked.

"Nope...That's the fun of it."

"Remind me to add you to our watch list. If you're that prone to deadly situations, I want to make sure you at least have back up...whoever that may be." The wolf stated as he began to make contact with the others.

"What are you doing?"

"Seeing if the other have..." He began before being interrupted by Eva. "Eva, please tell me you and Kowalski are having better luck out there than us."

"All we've found are the dolphin's old accounts and a few encrypted files. Besides that, nothing worth mentioning."

"Same here, pretty much a ghost town. Short Fuse, anything at your location."

"Nothing to report boss. Just broken down weaponry and spare parts collecting dust down here."

"Strange, surely we would have known if Blowhole's operations were on the move. Both report back if you find anything of importance. Corporal, please tell me you found something, anything."

Silence.

"Corporal, report...have you found anything?"

Silence.

Classified began to worry when silence rang from Corporal's line. Skipper watched from the sidelines as all three agents tried to contact the polar bear. After half an hour, they all disconnected, leaving Classified to think of another approach. The penguin let out a sorrowful sigh. He couldn't help but feel the same anxiety and fear he felt when Private was placed in this same situation when Dave abducted him. Still, he had faith that whatever situation he was in Private would be able to overcome it and return home safely.

"How come you're not this worried? If Corporal's not answering that means both he and Private are in danger."

"I am Eddie, I'm terrified. But I have faith in Private. The little guy proved countless times he's a force to be reckoned with. I believe Private can get himself out of this one. The question is do you believe that your man can do the same." Skipper stated as he waddled over.

Classified thought about it for a moment. Of course, he had faith in Corporal. The bear was strong in more ways than one. Even though he had a few flaws, he never let them defeat him. Never let them defy who he was as an agent. He just prayed that he was alright.

"Without a doubt Skipper. "

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Blowhole's Underground Network

London

1200 Hours

Both Corporal and Private had no idea what they had gotten into when they invaded the London base. It was bustling with all sort of animal life. Mostly lobsters with the occasional large mammal used as extra muscle. They had to be careful not to be seen, otherwise, their operation would be blown. It wasn't so hard since Private could hide in small places and Corporal could blend in with the larger mammals. The polar bear just had to remove all his North Wind equipment for him to move around safely. So that's what he did, having Private store it safely in a vent close to the exit. After Private made it safely out of the vents, he and Corporal began searching the base for any clues to the dolphin's diabolic plans.

"Corporal, have you noticed anything strange between Skipper and Classified?"

"Strange? What do you mean?"

Private let out a nervous sigh before he began. "Kowalski told me to think nothing of it but I can't help it. Both think I don't notice, the way they look at each other when they think we're not looking. How they conveniently finish each other's sentences or how I've witnessed Skipper sneaking into Classified's room on many occasions."

Corporal rubbed the back of his neck as he picked the penguin up for a hug. "So you've seen it too huh? I'm sure everything is alright Private, if it is what I think it is, we can't pry. They'll tell us when they're ready."

The penguin snuggled into the polar bear and nodded into his fur. He had to trust his Skipper. Private was the only one he was truthful with when it came to affairs of the heart. He guessed because he was the innocent one that believed in fairytale endings and prefered to watch romance films than one about spaceships or where humans punched each other for the name of justice. When Skipper was comfortable then he knew he would be the first one to know. After their little moment Corporal placed the penguin back on the ground before they continued their search. After an hour of searching, a door opened in a hallway nearby. Corporal and Private went to investigate, only to witness a certain puffin mumbling angrily under his breath.

"Why is Hans here?" Corporal asked.

"Wait how do you know who Hans is?"

"He's one of North Wind's latest trainees. How do you know him?"

"He's tried to expose and kill us on multiple occasions. Like all our nemesis do. " Private sighed before sliding off when the coast was clear.

Corporal followed close behind, doing a second lookout for good measure. Once both were comfortable they were alone, Corporal eased opened the door to reveal the horrors that was Hans' room. It was an entire shrine dedicated to Skipper, forcing Private into an internal state of panic. Skipper had told him that his break up with Hans didn't end well. The younger penguin had no idea it was like this. Private enter the room, with Corporal right behind him. The whole atmosphere of this room reminded them of a horror film, eerie and unpleasant. Private wandered to the centre of the room when something soft met his webbed feet. He looked down and saw a plushie resembling Classified, completely destroyed.

"We have to tell Skipper." Private states, turning towards a mortified polar bear.