A/N: Thank you for all that reviewed! Such a rush came in the first 24 hours I had to update. More to come, and more to be revealed.
Philadelphia Zoo
Instinct led him through the deserted zoo, deftly to the penguin exhibit, crouching under cover and patiently waiting for the staggering Marlene. They dove into the water of the exhibit. The area was small, a tiny fake iceberg floating atop a pool of lukewarm water. There was a small nest area on the platform, and Skipper propelled Marlene up before leaping out of the water.
They were instantly set upon by a rampaging penguin, screeching and roaring. A black cloth bag covered its head. Marlene instinctively leaped back into water, only to realize, in dismay that Skipper hadn't followed.
The first two blows caught Skipper off balance; he staggered back, unprepared for such an encounter. The other penguin's beak dug savagely into his shoulder, and he suddenly felt warm all of the sudden. He staggered, taking a step. His flipper failed to connect with imitation ice, and he slipped under the water.
Strange, the penguin thought, as he worked to suture up an unconscious Skipper. He was unable to extract any information from the otter, so he remained content to leave her blacked out in the corner, under the watch eye of Ochre. Something vague stirred inside of him, perhaps déjà-vu? Highly unlikely, he reasoned. Must be some sort of residual memory. Perhaps a flake of a dream.
Ochre brought up a sopping wet, crudely tied bag, retrieved from the depths of the pool. His curiosity gave way, and he pried the bag open. He extracted a makeshift short bow, and a quiver of plunger-tipped arrows. Leaving it aside, the penguin decided it would do him well if he trained Ochre in fletching, perhaps even he could pick up the art and point Ochre into other more violent, straightforward pursuits.
Next was small pocket photo. However, water had sufficiently ruined it, and he tossed it to the side.
He reached and pulled out a watertight bag. His flippers trembling, he unzipped the bag. Inside was a plain, spiral-ring notebook, and a simple pencil. He quickly turned to the first page, his eyes glistening. He thought for a second that he might faint, though illogical it was. A dizzying array of complex equations and diagrams lay scattered on the page, a blueprint for an enlargement antidote.
"Ochre, over here", rasped Kowalski. A burst of memories rushed forth.
The penguin cocked his head, and approached. Kowalski deftly ripped off the hood, tossing away the shredded fabric. Rico blinked at the light.
"Ungh?" he mumbled.
"Rico!" at his name, Rico jolted, as if physically struck. "Ko-wal-ski?" he grunted.
Kowalski quickly reached into the bag, and pulled out the final object. Rico's beloved doll. Kowalski left the two to embrace, and slowly worked on reviving Skipper and that strange otter.