(Skipper's POV)
All the lemurs were running around in a panic as destruction rained down from above. A large explosion teared down several trees and sent Willie flying.
"Now we're really going to die!" Willie shouted as he flew out of view.
"Every lemur for themselves!" Pancho said.
"It's time to go to work," Butterfish said as the ground behind him exploded sending him flying.
"Todd!" Tammy shouted, "where are you! TODD!"
Clover meanwhile was knocking lemurs out of the way of danger, "That blimp needs to go!" Clover shouted.
"Actually you do," Karl said as a missile fired and exploded on the ground blasting a crater where Clover once stood.
"I am so not on it!" Clover shouted as she was sent flying across the island.
"Karl!" Uncle Julien shouted, "stop firing at me you fool! I'm not part of Julien's stupid kingdom!"
"I don't like you Uncle King Julien," Karl replied over the speaker as shells, laser beams, and rockets flew around.
"We need to take out his heavy machine guns," Kowalski said.
"Just load up The Super-Plane and…"
"No Skipper The Super-Plane is two large and not maneuverable," Kowalski said.
"Its more maneuverable then that thing," Private said pointing up at the blimp.
"We need something small, fast, and super maneuverable," Kowalski said, "plus using The Super-Plane would put all our eggs in one basket…so to speak."
"Well Karl made sure to destroy everything," I said, "Unless."
I turned to see Timo hiding behind a rock with the Mom-bot head. "we're safe as long as we stay in his blind spot."
"There is no blind spot you fool!" Karl shouted, "the bridge has a 360 degree view of the entire battlefield!"
A laser gun was aimed at Timo who instantly glupped. The Laser gun fired a barrage of laser bolts as Timo quickly jumped out of the way. The Rock that he was hiding behind exploded causing Timo to run off.
"Timo!" I shouted as Karl turned his attention back to causing as much damage as possible.
"Karl!" Maurice shouted, "Stop this madness! For once in your life stop!"
"Um…no," Karl said as laser fired turning the sand on the beach into glass.
Karl fired a missile which caused an explosion of glass shards. Maurice protected himself with a piece of wood avoiding the blunt of the glass shards.
"Um yes," Timo said shaking.
"We need some bi-planes," I said.
"Bi-planes?" Timo said before smiling, "I can do you guys one better…follow me."
"But what about him," Kowalski said glancing up at the slowly rotating super-blimp.
"Actually I think he's a little distracted right now," Timo said.
We turned to see Julien taking a running start towards a trampoline. Julien jumped and was launched straight at a hatch on the underside of the blimp. The hatch opened and Julien flew right in.
"Julien!" Karl said on the loudspeaker, "Nice of you to drop in…but I'm afraid it's the last move you will ever make."
"Drop?" Julien said, "but I went up."
Kowalski facepalmed and said, "Is he serious?"
"No matter," Karl said, "it's time for the final battle Julien…and when I'm done with you I'll…"
"Take over Madagascar!" Julien said, "rule over everyone."
"Why would I want to rule over any of you idiots?" Karl said, "when I could rule the entire world!"
Karl then backtracked, "Um…is this thing still on? Um…sorry about that none of you were supposed to hear that…" This was followed by the sound of the loudspeaker turning off.
"Quick while he's still distracted follow that tenrec!" I shouted.
I looked up and squinted and saw Julien and Karl still in a face-off as the blimps weapons ceased firing. But that won't last long. Timo lead us away but instead of leading us towards the so-called Cove of Wonders he lead us towards a large hanger-like cave at the edge of "Lemuria".
"This is one of Uncle King Julien's old secret projects," Timo said as Mombot's eye lite up illuminating the cavern.
Timo flipped a switch and the cavern was filled with light. Our beaks dropped opened at the sight of four lemur sized jets sitting in the vast open cavity. Carved into the back wall of the "hanger" above the entrance to another natural tunnel were the words, "Royal Lemur Guard Project: Sky fire Authorized by Uncle King Julien"
"Hmm," Kowalski said, "I might have to make some seat adjustments but this might work."
"King Julien the twelfth might be a dictator…but he's a stickler for quality," Timo said.
"Um," Kowalski said standing in a open cockpit, "why are the safety restraints iron…diapers."
"I have no idea," Timo said, "and also the correct term is iron booty."
"IRON BOOTY! its's a booty made of iron. IRON BOOTY!" blared out of a loud speaker as if on cue.
"Who put that loud speaker up there?" Kowalski said.
"And I thought Julien made up horrible songs," I said.
"All right," Kowalski said, "I'll fashion new…safety harnesses and seats…and reduce the size of the cockpit for penguin-sized pilots."
"How long should that take," I said as the chimps entered.
"Well I say," Mason said, "this looks like a job for the chimp squad."
Phil signed something and the rest of the chimps arrived.
Kowalski had out his abacus, "Let's see…army of thumbs, plus Rico's amazing stomach, plus four jets, plus four penguins, plus Timo, carry the two…"
I gave Kowalski a moment to calculate the math, "And…" Kowalski said, "I say twelve minutes."
"Well then there is only one thing left to say," I said, "Commence Operation: Danger Zone! Go! Go! Go!"
Twelve minutes later…
Outside Project: Sky Fire cave
The Four modified jets stood with the cockpits open in front of the cave. Timo had crushed down some native vegetation to form a smooth runway. The four of us quickly hopped into the jets and sealed the cockpits.
"Engines are hot," Kowalski said, "safety harnesses secured. Weapons primed."
"Sky fire 1 ready for takeoff," I announced.
"Sky fire 2 ready for takeoff," Kowalski said.
"Sky fire 3 ready for takeoff," Private said adjusting his headset, 'Sky fire 4?"
"Yah! Yah!" Rico said.
"Sky fire 1-4 you are clear for takeoff," Clover announced.
"Launch!" Timo shouted.
The engine quickly roared to life as we rocketed down the runway. We quickly and steeply climb into flight altitude as we activated the afterburners.
"WHOOO!" Rico shouted.
Karl's immense blimp quickly came in our sights the island flying by beneath us. Karl saw our jets approach in the blimp's cockpit and started to move the controls. The blimp slowly started to turn the roar of it's many engines filling the air as it's heavy guns were trained on us.
I adjusted my headset and said, "Kowalski intel on 20th century blimp technology."
"It appears to be a German zeppelin from world war I," Kowalski replied, " As Karl rebuilt a crashed one that was mostly intact…I doubt it's filled with highly explosive hydrogen."
"I suggest we concentrate our fire on the engines, rudder, and elevators," Kowalski replied.
"Why don't we just fire on the skin?" I said, "bring it down in a blaze of fire."
"Like I said highly unlikely to be hydrogen…so no Hindenburg style Oh the humanity type explosion."
"Does helium explode?" Private asked.
"IT'S A NOBEL GAS IT DOES NOT EXPLODE!" Kowalski shouted.
"Kowalski are you trying to blow our eardrums out," I shouted into my headset.
"Anyway," I said, "Kowalski let's deliver Karl a message."
"I concur," Kowalski said.
"Okay remember aim for the engines, rudder, and elevators," I said, "puncturing the gas cells will have no immediate affect…"
"Plus it would take forever for the helium to leak out," Kowalski said.
I switched to a open frequency, "Karl are you receiving me?" I said.
"Yes," Karl said, "you think your little jets scare me?"
"Really then why are your guns aimed at us?" I said.
"This is your only warning Karl," Kowalski said, "you will cease your attack and leave immediately. You will float your airship out of this area or you will be shot down."
We did a flyby of Karl's airship making sure to show Karl our missile payloads. The Super-Plane was hovering the distance ready to swoop in and provide backup. I switched to a private channel and patched in the Super-Plane.
"Alright he's been warned…now let's give him our fury!" I said.
"This is The Super-Plane," Clover announced, "we are on standby and are totally ON IT!"
"Clover standby," I said, "do not assist until we have all ejected."
"Roger that," Clover said.
"Alright," I said, "Let's light him up!"
I switched to the open channel, "Karl you have been warned!"
"And so have you," Karl said cutting the connection.
A barrage of heavy artillery rounds was fired from the two heavy artillery guns. A semi-automatic machine gun releashed a rapid fire wave of bullets. Kowalski evaded the machine gun before destroying it with a barrage of lasers.
"LASERS!?" Karl shouted on the open coms as Rico and Private took out his heavy artillery.
Bridge of Karl's airship
(Karl's POV)
THIS CAN NOT BE! The airship shock as my heavy artillery was wiped out.
"How are they beating me?" I said, "ME! The mighty Karl."
I might just have to assume my ultimate form. And then to make it worst the leader of those flightless birds had to mock me as they keep firing at the skin of the airship. I really need to think up a clever name for this thing.
"What's the matter Karl?" Skipper asked, "can't hit a moving target."
A barrage of lasers destroyed the glass on the bridge leaving me open to the elements.
"Oh," I said into the coms, "you will pay for this. You want to cheat with lasers…"
I deployed the laser turret and two defensive drones, "Well two can play at that game. Plus I hope you like attack drones."
Outside Karl's airship
(Skipper's POV)
"Attack drones?" I said as two drones appeared in front of us.
The drones fired and took out Rico and Private.
"Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!" Private shouted as he and Rico ejected.
I watched in anger as the jets fell to the ground and exploded. I observed Rico and Private parachute to safety.
"At least you managed to give them parachutes this time," I said as I took out one of the drones.
"Funny," Kowalski replied as he took out the remaining drone.
Karl fired lasers our way which we barely dodged. I returned fire and destroyed one of the guns the other fired back. I barrel-rolled out of the way of the lasers as the airship repositioned itself. Karl quickly released airmines and eight drones, one for each of the eight engines. Another much larger drone moved into position by the rudder.
"We need to distract those drones," Kowalski said.
We engaged evasive maneuvers to dodge Karl's remaining laser weapon and all the drones.
"Clover!" I shouted into the coms, "We need you to draw off those drones!"
"You got it!" Clover shouted.
The Laser turret on The Super-Plane deployed as clover approached the airship. The drone's returned shots bouncing harmlessly off the shields. Kowalski fired a missile into the cargo bay door destroying the drone that was deploying. The bay doors fell off revealing the drone storage area inside. I flew into the cargo bay and destroyed all the remaining drones. Kowalski was following close behind taking out anything else Karl had stored. We blasted thru a stored hot air balloon and the back of the airship cabin.
"You will pay for that!" Karl shouted thru the now open bridge.
We flew into the bridge and blew up Karl's long table in the "passenger" section and flew back out the destroyed cargo bay. Clover had activated the space-time teleport and was teleporting to confuse the drone's targeting. Two of the eight drones were destroyed as the result of this tactic. The banana gun was fired clogging up the rotors of three of the remaining drones as the laser turret took them out. The three remaining drones were wiped out by the anti-dalek weaponry.
"NO!" Karl shouted, "those were expensive!"
Karl was too distracted by his destroyed drones to notice Kowalski's jet fly-by and take out his remaining laser weapon. We could see Karl's terror as Two jet's and The Super-Plane approached him.
"Kowalski! Take the elevators and rotors! Clover! You take the right engines I take the left!"
"Alright!" Clover said.
"Aye Skipper!" Kowalski replied.
"Ready to surrender?" I asked Karl over the open channel.
"Not yet at least," Karl said.
The blimp gunned it's engines and slowly turned towards the ocean. Kowalski on him waiting for the airship to start heading out to sea to fire missiles. The Rudder exploded as the airship speed out to the ocean. We quickly followed, Kowalski destroying the elevators before could go up or down. I zoomed past the airship's left side from the back taking out the rear, mid, and front left engines. The blimp started to turn and list to the right side as it headed back towards Madagascar. As the blimp turned uncontrollably it exposed it's right engines to The Super-Plane. Lasers blasted out from the nose mounted guns blasting apart the three remaining engines.
The airship without propulsion lazily floated away from the island. Kowalski moved it and light up the spine of the airship with laser beams. The useless tail end ignited as fire started to chew up the back end.
"Oh he did use hydrogen," Kowalski said over the coms.
Karl ejected from his airship on a rocket chair with…a Disco ball with multi-colored lights on the bottom?
"BAD GUYS ALWAYS GETS THE GOOD STUFF!" Kowalski shouted.
"Oh the Humanity!" Karl shouted.
The skin in of his airship was being obliterated by the rapidly Accelerating fire. Karl could only watch helplessly as the collapsed and semi-melted metal skeleton splashed down in the ocean. The incoming waves quickly put out any fires but the damage was done.
"Skipper!" Karl shouted as he flew away, "Tell Julien that he is not done with me, NOT YET AT LEAST!"
"But he barely fought him today," Kowalski said.
"Don't try and understand villain motives," I said, "who knows what happens inside the dark depths of evil minds…and frankly I don't care."
"All right let's land," I said as we turned our jets back towards the beach.
(end of chapter Eleven)