Chapter 15: Home Again

"Lemme guess...These are your 'arch foes'?" Talia says, holding a claw up to her snout in thought. "They're awfully little to be causing such a hubbub with ya, aren't they, mate?" She now kind of snorts with laughter.

The penguins just stay in their positions, though look at her a bit awkwardly. "And you other reptile are…?" Skipper mutters.

"Talia." She shrugs. "Australian transfer, Nelson's new habitat mate."

"As I said before, you are not my mate." He rolls his eyes and looks at the penguins. "And you're interrupting. Plug that back in, Skipper."

"And let you barbeque my men? Un...In…" He glances at Kowalski for the word.

"Inconceivable maybe?" He shrugs. "Preposterous? Unthinkable? Impossible?"

Skipper nods and glares at them. "I don't care which word you pick, reptile, but this plug is not going back into that wall."

Komodo sighs. "Well, then darn. I guess you've got me." He snaps his claws. A cage then falls upon the penguins and Komodo just laughs. "Come on, penguins, surely you can do better than this. It's so boring, always the same thing. You bust in, I cage you, you escape...But not this time." He smirks. "No no no." He chuckles. "This time, I will go through with my procedure and you will all watch and then I will forward you all to Francis...As an apology gift."

"You won't get away with this!" Marissa says.

"Can and am, Marissa, can and am." He chuckles and nods to Sarah. "Again." The fox nods and turns the weapon again towards the glass containers-only this time they are empty. "What the-" Komodo exclaims and frowns. He looks around for the two small penguins. He then spots two moving shadows, near the floor and points with a look at Sarah and Talia.

Talia looks nearly amused. "I ain't your hench, mate." She says and takes a seat. "I'm just watching."

Komodo snorts with a frown. "You're completely worthless!"

"Nah, mate, I just don't feel like getting caught up with ya foes. I'm just a bystander." She shrugs and takes a seat.

"We're on it, sir!" Butch says with a snappy salute. His brother attempts to copy him but makes it a little too snappy and hits himself in the head. Butch rolls his eyes at Conor's fail and scurries off after the two privates.

Talia watches it all and looks at the penguins. "They look so adorbs, though." She sighs. "Maybe this Nelson is just a little cuckoo and needs a little straight'n." She mumbles. "There isn't a way that little feather balls like these could cause any sort of mischief like he was ranting on…"

She sneaks over to the cage. "Shh." She holds up a claw to her muzzle with a look. "I'll let ya loose this one time. If ya all end up here again, I'll have to believe Nelson that there is something up with ya...But I knew some penguins back at my last zoo. Nice bunch." She shrugs and picks the lock with her tail tip. "Go on, scat."

"Woman, what do you think you're doing?!" Komodo exclaims and quickly walks over to her and the cage.

Talia gives him an innocent look. "Why...Saving ya sanity, mate." She says. "Ya must be losing your mind if ya believe little cute penguins can be an adversary."

"You don't know them like I do." He growls. "Close it back."

She has the tip of her claw in her mouth and looks at the cage. She then lets her other arm slide from it. "Oops! Dear me! I slipped."

Dr. Komodo glares at her and attempts to tackle the penguins as they slide out from the cage. He lands hard. "Hrumph…" He grunts. "I'm getting too old for this kind of tomfoolery." He murmurs and goes after the penguins more quickly on his stomach.

Talia chuckles and sits down again. "Now this, this is much more interesting."

The penguins slide and find Trixy and Private's hiding spot. "Hurry." Skipper mutters to them and pulls them out. "We don't have any lollygagging time."

Private and Trixy nod and slide out. The rest slide out after them. Marissa lingers for a moment with a small nod to Talia. She then slides out after the others. They quickly squish into the car and drive off, leaving the komodo dragons to argue and the badgers stumped at where they all went.

Marissa glances Trixy over for any lasting injuries. "Until Skippsy is back you have my permission to stay with Skipper's team...In fact that is probably best." She says.

"Shouldn't I go home with you, Mari?" She asks, forgetting for a moment about the lethal venom navigating Marissa's system.

"You know it's better for you to stay with them...For just in case they can't make a cure in time…" She says. There is a barely noticeable shiver in her voice. Fear.

Trixy nods a little with a nervous look. "Surely they'll make a cure…"

Cecilia looks at them. "Of course we'll be able to make a cure. The trick will be getting it made in time."

"Jee thanks, you're a true cheerleader." Marissa rolls her eyes and looks at the trees. "I'd suggest you draw whatever blood you'll need now. As soon as we get to Central Park, I'm going back to my own lab to finish what I can before it all starts." She says, slightly monotonous.

"Marissa…" Kowalski says. "You can't give up yet, you'll accelerate the toxin."

Marissa shrugs some. "It's a slim chance you'll get it ready in time. Why hope in something hopeless? I've done that too many times...There's no reason for me to hope things will turn out the way everyone wants when it never happens that way. I'm being realistic."

Kowalski sighs. "But can't you pretend to be hopeful, at least as long as you're in front of the privates?" He gestures to the nervous and worried looking teens.

She glances at them and sighs. "And let them be disappointed if you all fail? It's better if they already consider it a lost cause so they will be more pleased if it ends up cured in time instead of being let down and angry with you all if you all can't get it in time." She shrugs. "I'm being honest, here. You know it's highly unlikely."

Kowalski puts his flipper on her beak. "Shh. Stop planting doubt. We'll get it made." Marissa just glares at him and licks his flipper.

"Ew." Kowalski says and glances at her and wipes his flipper off. "That was not mature at all."

"It worked though." She mutters and turns away, which is hard to do since she is having to sit in his lap from the lack of seating.

Cecelia sighs some and takes out a syringe. She waits until the car is on a flat area and quietly draws a bit of blood from Marissa's flipper. "This should be enough for us to test from. If it isn't we'll send someone to get more."

"Okay…"

Skipper glances back at them all from the front seats as Rico parks the coup in their hidden garage. He gets out and motions for Marissa to follow him. "It's a brave thing you did...Sacrificing yourself and giving Kowalski the antidote instead." He says.

Marissa shrugs. "It was calculatedly the right thing. I am the most dispensable of any of us here." She says with a small smile. "It was the only choice."

Skipper nods a little. "Good luck with your projects...Hopefully they can nerd it up and get the cure accomplished...But if not, it was an honor to serve with you today, soldier." He gives her a salute.

Marissa returns the salute. "Just make sure Trixy is kept safe and explain what happened to Skippsy...I'd leave out the bit on Trixy's getting kidnapped, though."

"Of course, I know my sister and have no urge to get her all on my case like that." He smirks. "Especially since she's going to be mad as it is about how we lost her and Private at sea."

"Yes…" She nods some and looks away. "Goodbye…"

"Goodbye." He nods and gives her a soft look.

Marissa gives an awkward nod and slides away. "Goodbye, Kowalski…" She mumbles to herself. "I'm sorry…"