Chapter 17 – Graveyard (Private's Story)
It was a clear night inside the confines of New York City. Most of the residents of the city were asleep due to the late hour, but there were a few stragglers, including Fred, who was returning from visiting one of his remaining relatives upstate.
Now, no one really knows why Fred would still be out this late at night, but most likely it was just because he got lost on the way home.
Anyway, he eventually managed to stumble on to the road across from the park, and he paused to think.
"Is that my house over there or over there?"
He pointed towards each of the trees in the park in turn as he spoke, which while it was true that they looked similar, it didn't make Fred look any better for forgetting which tree was his house.
Eventually, he decided just to head to the park and go from there, figuring that he might have an easier time finding it if he got a closer look.
However, as he crossed the street, he was suddenly blinded by a pair of bright lights. His hands immediately went up to his face to shield his eyes from the brightness, which luckily gave him the chance to see what was behind said lights.
Even with his lacking mental capacity, Fred still was able to process when he was in danger, so he managed to jump out of the way, barely missing being struck by what turned out to be a bus.
As he was busy catching his breath on the side of the road, he slowly (and I mean very slowly) began to realize that this was the same bus that claimed the lives of his two uncles and six cousins.
He quickly ran towards the zoo, intending to tell the penguins about it, but unfortunately the revelation soon disappeared from his mind as he ended up smacking right into his tree by complete accident.
"Oh, here it is." he said to himself, before climbing up and hopping inside.
The next day came with the penguins up topside and ready to go with their training as usual. However, as Skipper came up to join them, they were surprised to find he had a different idea.
"Change of plans, boys. We're heading into the park. I think it's about time for some on-field training."
"What do you mean by on-field, Skippah?" asked Private, curious.
"What I mean, young Private, is that we're having ourselves a competition! A little game I like to call Capture the Flag!"
The other three penguins were pleasantly surprised to hear the plans Skipper had for them.
"Ooh, that sounds fun! Are we bringing in anyone else, or is it just us four?" asked Private.
"Just us, Private. You and I are going up against Kowalski and Rico. Now, double time, men! We don't want to waste any time if we want to get a game in before the zoo opens!"
The penguins immediately hopped over the fence, sliding out of the zoo and into the park. After reaching the clearing that Skipper led them to, they found that the field was already set up for them, with a red and blue flag planted on either side of the clearing.
However, there was one odd thing that Kowalski noticed, which he pointed out.
"Uh, correct me if I'm wrong Skipper, but aren't the flags in these types of games usually hidden from each other?"
"Well, that is true, but we don't exactly have that kind of time to play a full game like you say it's supposed to be. Besides, they're pretty far apart. There are a lot of rocks around as well. Perfect cover."
"If you say so, Skipper."
Satisfied, Skipper continued on.
"Alright men, to your bases, and come out swinging. I want to see you three give it your all!"
The other three penguins saluted. However, before they could separate to begin their game, they were interrupted by a voice coming from above them.
"What are you guys doing?"
Slightly annoyed at getting interrupted, Skipper looked in the direction where the voice came from to find Fred staring down at them from his tree.
"Hello, Fred!" said Private, waving cheerfully.
However, this only earned the young penguin a blank look from the squirrel, who went back to focusing on Skipper.
"Classified...and I would appreciate it if you would head back into your tree and pretend you never saw this."
"I can pretend really good. There was this one time-"
"Yeah yeah, thank you, squirrel, that's quite enough. Now shoo." said Skipper, annoyed.
"Okay."
Fred was about to scamper back into his home, but he suddenly remembered something he was planning to say to them…somehow.
"Oh yeah, there's been something I've been meaning to say to you guys."
"Really. And what would that be?" asked Skipper, giving Fred an unimpressed stare.
Fred didn't answer immediately, since he was actually trying to remember what it was he wanted to say. It got to the point where Skipper's eye was beginning to twitch from having to deal with Fred when he finally remembered.
"There's something I've been meaning to tell you guys."
"Alright, back to the zoo, men. He doesn't have anything." said Skipper.
"But what about the game?" asked Private.
Skipper didn't answer, though, as he was busy trying to push the other penguins towards the zoo. However, before they could get far, Fred finally managed to remember exactly what happened.
"Hey guys, wait! I nearly got run over by a bus earlier this morning!"
"So? What's your point?" asked Skipper as he stopped in his tracks.
"I think it was that one bus that kept running over all of those animals late at night. I forget what it was called."
Both Kowalski and Private gasped in horror.
"The Graveyard Eight? I thought Private beat that bus before his last promotion!" said Kowalski.
"Well, um…technically-" started Private, before being interrupted by Skipper.
"Well, in any case, it looks like the Graveyard Eight has come back for a cold, hard bottle of revenge!"
Private immediately went white, scared that the demon bus was now supposedly looking for him.
"Come on boys, back to the HQ! We need to discuss our plan of action!"
Unfortunately, by the time they got there, it was almost time for the zoo to open, so they had to wait to formulate their plan until after closing.
When that time came, the penguins immediately hopped down into their HQ.
"Kowalski, give me some options. We need to work quickly if we're gonna stop that godforsaken bus from running over any more animals!"
As Kowalski formulated his plans, Private stepped forward, nervously twiddling his flippers.
"Um, question. Are you sure that we really need to take that bus off of the road? I mean, it's not like there's a whole lot of animals out there compared to here in the zoo."
"Do I need to remind you of how dangerous the Graveyard Eight is, Private?" said Skipper.
"Um, no…but-"
"Kowalski, go grab that banjo for a minute. I think Private here needs a reminder of the dangers of taking the Graveyard Eight lightly."
Kowalski quickly scanned the room before finding the banjo off in the corner of the room. However, when he got closer to it, he found that it wasn't in the same kind of condition he remembered it being in last time.
"I'm afraid the banjo's not gonna happen, Skipper."
"What do you mean by that, Kowalski?"
Skipper turned around, only to see Kowalski hold up the mangled remains of what was the banjo that Kowalski commandeered from the lemurs during their last escapades with the infamous bus.
"What in the heck happened to it?"
Rico chuckled bashfully before speaking.
"I' wa' me. Sor'y."
Skipper rounded on Rico, who had a look on his face like the commander was complimenting his work on destroying the banjo. However, what Skipper had in mind was different.
He walked over to where Rico was standing and put a flipper around the weapons expert's shoulder.
"Listen Rico, your propensity for violence is one of the reasons as to why you're a valued member of this unit. However, there are times where violence isn't the answer, especially for no reason. You got that?"
Rico nodded, showing that he understood, before Skipper handed him the remains of the banjo.
"Go throw this out for me. I don't think we're gonna be able to salvage this."
Rico stared at the banjo for a few seconds before carelessly tossing it over his shoulder just as Skipper turned away from the other penguins.
"Now, back to business. Kowalski, how are we gonna stop this monstrosity?"
Unfortunately, with Kowalski distracted with trying to find the banjo, he was unable to fully formulate a plan, so he had to quickly improvise.
"Well, we could always send Private out to take it on."
"Great idea, Kowalski! That'll work perfectly!"
Private immediately rounded on Kowalski, a shocked look on his face.
"What? Why me?"
"Well, you are the most experienced in taking on something as big as the Graveyard Eight. I'm sure you know exactly how to take it down!"
Private knew full well that wasn't the case, but he knew that he would have a difficult time convincing the others, so he turned towards Skipper, hoping to convince the commander to rethink his plan.
"Please Skippah, can't you guys at least come with me? I'll get massacred out there if I go alone!"
Skipper had no intentions of changing his mind, but he was forced to relent once Private pulled out the puppy-dog eyes routine.
"Alright, fine. We'll come with you. You're worse than Sad Eyes sometimes." he said, sighing.
Private sighed as well, relieved that he at least wasn't going to be doing this alone. However, his relief was interrupted when Skipper spoke once more.
"There is one condition, though."
"Um…and what would that be, Skippah?"
"I still don't think that you're quite ready to lead the team on a mission, especially after the last time that happened, so we're gonna serve as your backup."
Private's relief was once more replaced with panic. He soon began hyperventilating, which forced Skipper to take action.
"Now calm down, Private. We'll be in constant radio contact with you during the entire operation, so if you need help, just call us and we'll come."
"You promise?" asked Private after finally managing to calm down.
"Promise. You do know the penguin credo, right?"
"Never swim alone, Skippah!"
"Exactly!"
To Skipper, it looked like his pep talk did the trick, so he lightly patted Private on the shoulder before letting him do his thing. Private, however, still had some doubts, but he made sure to hide the expression on his face so that Skipper wouldn't see.
Night came, and while usually every one of the animals would be asleep as they prepared for the next day, the penguins were wide awake, as they made their final preparations to head out and take on the Graveyard Eight.
Once they were all set up with their communicators taped to their heads, the four penguins crowded around the table in the center of the HQ, where there was a map of the bus routes for the graveyard shift that they managed to commandeer from an unsuspecting passerby.
Kowalski quickly shifted the map to a position where he would be able to reach it before beginning to lay out the plan, pointing out each part of the map as he spoke.
"Alright, so here's the plan. As you can see here, this route here is the normal route that the Graveyard Eight takes during its path of destruction every night. We are going to intercept the bus at this intersection here, where Private will hop on to the bus and work his magic. While he's inside, the three of us will follow behind the bus in the car, so I would suggest not wasting too much time inside."
Kowalski quickly gave Private a look to emphasize his point before folding up the map and sticking it under his arm.
"Now, if no one has any questions, I would suggest we get moving. There's only thirty minutes until the bus starts its route, so we shouldn't waste any more time."
Private raised his flipper.
"Um, question. Are you sure it's safe for me to jump between two moving vehicles, especially if they're going as fast as I think they're gonna go?"
"Of course. I'll be behind the wheel, and I'll make sure that the process goes smoothly." said Skipper.
Although Private was slightly relieved that Skipper wasn't going to put Rico behind the wheel, he still didn't look any less forward to the impending operation.
Finally, after what felt like forever to the young penguin, they finally made their way out to the car, hopping in as Skipper turned towards the rest of the team.
"Better strap yourselves in, boys. We're gonna have to go fast if we want to keep up with the Graveyard Eight."
Private nervously gulped, briefly considering hiding in Kowalski's lab before changing his mind and strapping himself in just as Skipper pulled out.
Luckily, they managed to make it to where the bus route started just in time, but since the bus was already moving they had to speed up to be able to keep up with it.
Finally, Skipper managed to get close enough to the bus, and he spoke up.
"Alright Private, you're up. You should be able to jump up on there."
Private, however, didn't move, choosing to voice his concerns to Skipper.
"Uh, Skippah, are you sure that I'm gonna be able to jump over there?"
Skipper sighed.
"Rico, toss him over there!"
"Okay!"
Despite Private's protests, Rico unbuckled himself and grabbed the young penguin, throwing him towards the bus.
Caught off guard by the sudden nature of his exit from the car, Private only barely managed to hang on once he hit the back of the bus. Picking himself up, he hopped up to the window and opened it, squeezing through and getting inside.
"There he goes. He's growing up so fast." said Skipper, wiping away a tear as he watched Private go.
"Well, we did kind of throw him to the wolves, Skipper. He kind of has to."
"Don't ruin the moment, Kowalski."
"Sorry, Skipper."
Inside the bus, Private took a look around. With this being the beginning of the shift, there was a good chance that there was probably going to be no one on besides the driver, but Private didn't want to take the chance of there being any more collateral damage than was needed.
He slowly began walking forward until he eventually reached the driver's seat. Once there, he quickly hid under the bus seat behind him.
"Okay Private, you can do this. All you have to do is get this bus to stop moving. The only problem is how."
Private tried to think of a plan of attack, but since he wasn't Kowalski, he had a bit of a tough time trying to think of one that would actually work.
"I could always just knock the lady out…no, that would just cause her to crash the bus, and I don't want that."
Private continued talking to himself as he ran through possible plans in his head, before a good one finally popped into his head.
"Ah-ha! I've got it!"
Not wanting to waste any more valuable time, Private quickly ran to the back of the bus, and hopped on to the top of the back seat. Placing a flipper to his communicator, he began speaking.
"Private to Skippah. Do you read?"
"Private! Use the codenames! We're on a mission!"
"Sorry, Skippah! Um…Pigeon to Eagle, do you read me?"
"This is Eagle. What do you need?"
"Can you see if Osprey would lend me a freeze ray? I've got a plan to stop the bus."
Although Skipper was curious to see what Private had in mind, he went ahead and turned towards Rico.
"Osprey, you heard what the man said."
Rico nodded and regurgitated a freeze ray as asked. Catching it in his flippers, he waited until Private lifted the window and squeezed through enough before throwing it towards him.
Luckily, Private managed to barely catch it after bobbling it and nearly dropping it. He began slowly lifting the ray gun towards him, squeezing himself through the window.
Unfortunately, he was forced to let the window drop closed, which he hoped didn't alert the driver, but as he paused to listen in, he found that it wasn't the case.
Sighing in relief, he made his way back towards the front, slipping under the same seat he was before and lying down on his belly. As he took aim at the gas pedal, he slowly breathed in and out before pulling the trigger.
However, the driver chose that exact moment to make a turn, which threw Private's aim off, and as he slid over to the other side of the bus, the freeze ray ended up hitting the driver, freezing the old lady solid.
With the bus still moving, though, Private had to think quickly before it ended up causing more damage. Taking a quick look around the bus, he found a small suitcase that someone must have left behind during the last night.
Running over, he grabbed the suitcase, dragging it towards the driver's seat and throwing it on to what he assumed was the brake pedal.
He closed his eyes, hoping that it was the right choice, only for his decision to be proven right as the bus came to an abrupt stop.
Unfortunately, the sudden stop ended up sending Private flying, and he smacked into the front of the bus, grunting as he hit the metal.
Thankfully, though, he was largely unhurt, and he took the opportunity to pick himself up and make his escape through the window.
When Private finally hopped down from the Graveyard Eight, he was immediately greeted by the other penguins.
"Great work, Private! I knew you could do it!" said Skipper, a smile on his face.
"Thank you, Skippah! I do appreciate the support you gave me."
"Well, that's what I'm here for. Now come on. Let's all head home. It's been a long night."
As the penguins hopped back into the car to head back to the zoo, a man walked up to the Graveyard Eight, expecting to be let in. However, when the door didn't open, he looked up and saw the driver frozen solid, with a suitcase under her. After staring at the strange scene in front of him for a few seconds, the man decided just to walk off and go see if another bus would take him home.