Disclaimer: Penguins of Madagascar and all related characters are the property of Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, and any or all related affiliates. This fiction was created for the purpose of having fun and being creative, no money is being made in any from it's creation and posting.

Paternity Pursuit

Chapter 10

By

Wildgoose

(The room is completely dark with the exception of a sliver of light that shines across the floor from just underneath a door. The sound of cage bars being rattled occasionally pierces the darkness as Marlene continues with her intermittent panic attacks. On either side of Marlene's cage are four other cages placed right up against hers, from them you can only hear occasional sighs or grumbles of hunger as Private has been unable to reach his comrades to hand out the remainder of the food stores.)

Private: I never thought we'd go out like this, Skipper. We've beaten Blowhole in the past and yet this time he completely got the drop on us, …have we gotten lazy or soft in our training?

Skipper: I blame only myself gentlemen, …I should have stood guard throughout the night.

Kowalski: There's nobody to blame but Dr. Blowhole, it was by sheer dumb luck that they found us at all. (The sound of Marlene rattling her cage bars can echo's through the room yet again.)

Marlene: I don't want to be some dogs chew toy!

Kowalski: Will you calm down over there, we're trying to sulk here.

Marlene: Well excuse me if I'm a little scared out of my mind right now!

Skipper: Well get un scared, we've been in tougher situations than this before.

Rico: (grunts) Really, …when?

Skipper: That's not important right now, what is important is that we'll figure a way out of here and then we're going to give Blowhole what's coming to him once and for all. (The metallic screech of a key being inserted into a lock is heard seconds before the door opens and briefly blinds the animals with light.) A man who has entered the room with a number of dishes places two in each cage, too quickly for the animals to react in order to attempt escape.)

Kowalski: Such skill, clearly he's done that several times before.

Skipper: Really, ….what was your first clue?

Rico: (Waddles over to the dishes which upon inspection are found to contain water and sardines recently removed from the can.) Fish…?

Private: Well, …it's something at least. Though if we're to be killed, …why is Blowhole bothering to feed us?

Skipper: Sauce for the goose Private, ..we wants to make some money off our appearances in the ring before he kills us. We can't put up a good fight if we're weak from hunger.

Marlene: But what about me?

Skipper: You don't have anything to worry about yet, the fact that you're pregnant is your temporary insurance policy.

Marlene: What? I don't get it, …not that I'm complaining, but I don't get it. (as she's rapidly consuming what food she's been given.)

Private: Blowhole knows that as long as you and you're pups are alive we'll fight as hard as we can to keep you that way.

Marlene: So, ….my insurance policy expires the moment you do? (Marlene sits on her rump, pulls her tail under her chin and begins to cry with a full mouth.)

Skipper: Have no fear, Marlene. One way or the other we're going to find a way out of this. (Sighs heavily and begins to pace the cage in thought.)

Kowalski: How exactly is Blowhole expecting to make any money by putting us in the ring against dogs?

Skipper: Because the average joe won't expect penguins to be able to defend themselves, they'll put their money on what they assume will be a sure thing.

Kowalski: At which point Blowhole rakes in the dough should we blow cover and demonstrate our skill sets.

Private: If we don't fight, the dogs will kill us.

Skipper: Blowhole wins either way. (long silent pause.) What we've got to do is work the problem, people. How can we redirect Blowhole's advantage to our advantage? Kowalski, …tell me you've got some options for me.

Kowalski: Well, should we win our first match then there should be a large upset over the fact, the crowd is likely to become quite rowdy. We can use the distraction to attempt escape through the nearest exit.

Skipper: That's the first good thing I've heard all day.

Rico: (grunts) He might expect that.

Skipper: Maybe so, …but right now it's our best shot unless somebody can give me a better option. (There is a long moment of silence.) Then operation wag the dog is a go. (Rico sighs and decides that the only thing to do now is wait. Based on instinct he believes evening is approaching and decides to pass the time with meditation as it was taught to him.)

( A very long period of time passes and after a while Rico has brought himself to a state where he is able to tune out everything around him. To his surprise he feels as if his mind is sucked to another place and in a flash of light he finds himself standing on a large outcropping on the side of a mountain. On either side of the outcropping are the jagged edges of an encroaching glacier, on the outcropping itself grows small purple flowers and occasional blades of grass. In the distance below at the base of the mountain can be seen a medium sized village with people moving about who at this distance look like a colony of ants. The moment is more peaceful than Rico had ever experienced in his entire life and serene as a famous painting. Rico can feel the breeze blowing from left to right as it changes in intensity from moment to moment, for a time he even wishes that this were his home. Rico's attention is caught when he unexpectedly hears a voice come from behind him, it is deeper than he was used to hearing from females of any species but definitely feminine and distinctly Japanese in accent. The voice almost carried a soothing melody to it and easily caught his heart. Rico turned about to face the voice and was surprised to meet eyes with Kitsune.)

Kitsune: I told you I'd find you, ..though I must admit you arrived here much sooner than I ever expected.

Rico: You can talk…? (Rico grabs his throat with his flipper in amazement not only that it doesn't hurt but he actually has a tenor voice.) And apparently so can I.

Kitsune: What you hear is your inner voice, …your true voice. It can only come from the spirit within, and it can never be silenced. (long pause) It pleases me to see you again, Rico.

Rico: The feeling is mutual, …um are you able to be hugged here or are things still the same?

Kitsune: I am who I am, Rico. Such healing will take a great amount of time, but you've helped me to take the first step. Someday, ..I will look forward to granting you such an honor. (awkward pause) Someday if fate takes us down that path, …I hope that you will be able to honor me with something that I had lost hope for up until recently.

Rico: What would that be?

Kitsune: (Smiles) There is no need to trouble yourself with such issues now, let's just see where fate takes us first. (Rico nods)

Rico: Agreed then. (pause) What is this place?

Kitsune: Sensei often brought me to this place so that I could have as close a taste of home as he could provide. It is also where he taught me the art of meditation, this place is sacred in my heart as for the longest time it is the only place I could go to achieve peace and happiness.

Rico: (Looks down toward the base of the mountain) So, …is that your home town down there?

Kitsune: My village, yes. (looks at Rico as he stares down the mountain.) There is another reason you have come here, ..I can feel it. What troubles you so much that the wind carries your feelings to me?

Rico: (turns to look into Kitsune's eyes) We're in trouble, …my unit is trapped in Camden with Marlene.

Kitsune: How is this possible, the helicopter you sought should have delivered you to New York by now.

Rico: It had engine trouble and we went down. Nobody was hurt as the chopper landed safely, but command's intel about Blowhole was right. We sought shelter from the weather for the night but in the morning were captured by Blowhole's forces. (Kitsune looks about in distress) Blowhole has found a way to make humans do his bidding and now makes profit by forcing dogs to fight to the death to entertain other humans.

Kitune: Having been captured, he intends to send you and your teammates to the same fate? (Rico nods) What of Marlene?

Rico: Once he's finished with my guys, she'll be next.

Kitsune: Is there no means of escape?

Rico: We're locked in cages and I don't have anything left that can be used in close quarters. Skippers got an idea we're going to try but honestly I'd feel a whole lot better about this one if we had a back up plan.

Kitsune: You want me as your back up plan? I'm honored.

Rico: I want you period, but I'm willing to wait for that. In the mean time I'd be grateful for any assistance. (Kitsune blushes for a moment and then regains her composure.)

Kitsune: I will do all that I can, Rico. (she places her flipper on his heart and a moment later everything disappears and Rico opens his eyes to see that he is still in his cage.)

Rico: (grunts) Aww…

( An hour later the door to the room opens and the same two men as before carry four of the five cages out leaving Marlene in the room by herself. Eventually the penguins are carried into an open area full of light and noise. There is a raised ring about four feet high forming a wall about the combat arena in the center of what looks like a small stadium. The air is filled with cigarette smoke and is accented by the scent of spilled stale beer. One of the two men opens a door in the side of the wall and releases the penguins into the ring. A moment later an eerily familiar voice comes over the loudspeaker and addresses the crowd.)

Blowhole: Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we begin with a special treat for you. Exotic animals on permanent loan from the NY zoo are here to tantalize the senses of your prospect animals with the taste of fresh water fowl. Feel free to place your wagers regarding how long it will take your animal to rip them to shreds. The event begins in five minutes. (The loud speaker goes silent and the crowd becomes hushed as it decides whether or not this is some kind of joke. After the five minutes is over a very husky looking man rolls a large cage with a German shepherd in it over to the arena and releases it inside. The volume of the crowd raises significantly.)

Skipper: (As the dog growls at the opposite end of the ring) Kowlaski, ..I need options and I need them now.

Kowalski: I suggest we open with the pinball maneuver and once the dog is disoriented we improvise from there.

Skipper: I'll take that option. Private you're with Rico, Kowalski with me. Take your positions quickly. (a moment later a bell is heard and the Dog charges immediately with paws digging heavily into the sand beneath. The penguins having arrived at their positions none to soon put their plan into action. Skipper takes Kowalski by the flippers and pinwheels him about while Rico and private do the same. The Dog is caught completely off guard and bounces from Skipper to Rico and then off the wall. Once the dog is stumbling about trying to regain it's bearings Skipper takes the initiative and vaults out of Kowalski's flippers to dive on the dog from above. After a number of Skipper's signature moves the dog is rendered unconscious and the bell sounds followed by a light boo from a disappointed crowd, most of whom had bet on the dog. The door the penguins entered through opens again as the human tries to group them back into the cage, as he does so Skipper see's their opportunity to slip past and through what looks like the opening to an unobstructed drainage pipe in the side of the building wall.) Now's the time people, go…go! (The penguins vault themselves off of Kowalski's flippers, ball themselves up in mid air and knock the human to the ground before making a break for the exit. Once inside the pipe they encounter a grate blocking it.) It's knock knock time, Rico! Just give us a moment to get clear. (As skipper turns to lead the group away he runs beak first into another grate as it closes caging them up once again. The caged section then pulls away from the pipe to show that it was never a pipe but a trickery device. The cage is propped up on a wheeled cart which is being pushed by a human in the direction of the room they were originally being held in.) Fish sticks!

Rico: Aww….. (Kowalski let's loose with some sort of a primal scream in aggravation.)

Private: Oh dear…..

(The scene flashes to the Pennsy zoo as Kitsune is relaying the information to Syron.)

Syron: You've got to be kidding me! Of all the places to get stuck…..

Kitsune: (gestures) We need to do something, Syron.

Syron: I'm aware that we need to do something, but the question is what? We're not the New York boys, we don't go marching off without orders. Command has no idea Skipper and his guys are AWOL, and then there's the problem of how exactly we got our information on Blowhole when our NJ operative never called it in. We'd either have to tell them that we went AWOL or tell them about Skipper. Do you know what would happen to them? They'd be recalled to the homeland, court-martialed, and probably dishonorably discharged. Life as they knew it would be over for them.

Kitsune: (gestures) Don't talk to me about dishonor, …I've experienced it five times already.

Syron: (sighs) Look, ..I can send the intel you've given me but I can't include any mention of Skipper's team.

Kitsune: (gestures) Something is better than nothing. (Syron waddles over to Erin at her work station and prepares the message to be sent over the radio. Twenty minutes later the reply comes back.) So tell me what I already know.

Syron: The intel is being analyzed and we should maintain our current status. (Kitsune looks away with irritation.) I have no interest in abandoning those guys so if you've got alternative options for me than I'm all ears.

Kitsune: (gestures) Log onto the 911 website and report the dogfights. The human authorities will respond to check it out.

Syron: We could do that, but at best they'd only send a few people at first until they found out the report was legit. It's likely they may not get there in time to help Skipper and his people.

Kitsune: (gestures) It beats doing nothing at all.

Syron: We'll need a computer with internet access.

Kitsune: The vet's office, it has WiFi.

Syron: How did you know about that?

Kitsune: (gestures) Elisa sneaks in there often to log onto sexy singles chat rooms.

Syron: (shakes her head) I don't even want to know.

(The scene cuts to the boat slip at the very bottom of the building. Blowhole can be seen at the waters edge talking into the microphone attached to his monacle.)

Blowhole: I told you we don't give refunds. (groans) Even when they're not escaping those penguins are more trouble than they're worth. (the voice of the person on the other end can be heard from the earpiece.)

Voice: People are suggesting that the penguin fight was rigged, boss.

Blowhole: Look, just restate that it wasn't rigged and then comp them with some pretzels and beer. They're all slobs anyway so that should make them happy.

Voice: So what about the birds and the rat then?

Blowhole: It's not a rat, it's an otter. Haven't you ever been to a zoo, ..or even the park?

Voice: Not so much, no.

Blowhole: What a bunch of uneducated nincompoops, that's what I get for hiring people.

Voice: What's that, boss?

Blowhole: Nothing, it's just evil genius talk., you wouldn't understand.

Voice: So what about the animals, then?

Blowhole: I'm not going to risk putting them out to fight again, …I underestimated their skill sets the first time. I'll have to settle for a petty kind of revenge, …it's not so satisfying but it gets the job done.

Voice: What's with you and all this revenge business? You're always talking about getting revenge on this guy or that guy, all that hate's going to burn you up boss.

Blowhole: They're my revenges and it's not pretty, …now do your job or I'll add you to the list.

Voice: But you haven't told me what my job is yet.

Blowhole: What..? Oh right, …I guess that would help. The birds and the otter are of no use to me anymore, terminate them immediately.

Voice: How exactly?

Blowhole: (grumbles) Does it matter? As long as they can't bother me anymore, ….people eat different kinds of water fowl don't they?

Voice: Uh yea, ..chicken, duck, turkey…

Blowhole: Whatever, …add penguin to the menu then. Just shove them in the oven and have them for dinner if you feel like it. However you decide to do it, just get it done. Blowhole out. (Taps the side of his monacle.) It's just so hard to find good help these days, …it's a shame I can't create a human version of the chrome claw mutant.

(Cut to the Pennsylvania zoo inside the vet's office. It is night and everything outside of the office is as quiet as usual.)

Syron: Alright it's done, hopefully the humans will respond quickly.

Kitsune: (gestures) You've done everything that you can do.

Syron: (sighs) Alright, …as long as we're here already then you might as well show me what Elisa has been up to. (turns to look At Kitsune to find her gone with no sign of her leaving or where she went.) Aw sea bass, how does she do that? (sighs) I had a gut feeling she'd go after them so why am I surprised?

(The scene snaps to a Patco train car as it begins to cross the Ben Franklin Bridge over the Delaware into NJ. Through a window the passengers can be seen, some are going about their business and others are busy trying to maintain a gap in the crowd with a look of uncertainty on their faces. The scene moves inside of the car to reveal the reason there is a gap in the crowd. A penguin is standing on top of one of the seats seemingly minding it's own business but the event itself is unusual enough to cause a stir among the passengers. After a while a little girl who was hiding behind her mothers leg breaks free from her mothers grasp and advances toward the penguin with a toddlers trot.)

Girl: Penguin! (the girl moves to try to pick up the penguin despite loud protests from her mother but is stopped when the penguin grabs her hand with one flipper and gives a no-no gesture with the other. The little girl starts to tear up prompting the penguin to roll her eyes and sigh. After a moment the penguin grabs a notepad and pen from a lawyer sitting nearby and begins to write showing the pad to the girl when she is done.)

Penguin: (writes) My name is Kitsune, ..what is yours?

Girl: Mommy, the penguin can write! (Kitsune taps the paper pad with the pen to regain the girls attention. The girl squints her eyes and leans close to the pad trying to pronounce the name.) Kite-son….?

Kitsune: (shakes her head no and then writes again.) It is pronounced, Kitt-soon.

Girl: I'm Tammy, …whatcha doin?

Kitsune: (writes) Talking to you, what are you doing? (flashes begin to go off in the background as some of the passengers have cameras or camera phones.)

Tammy: I'm riding home with my mommy because she had to take me to work. (looks down) We couldn't get a sitter today.

Kitsune: (writes) I'm sorry to hear that.

Tammy: Will you be my friend? (Kitsune looks extremely uncertain before responding.)

Kitsune: (writes) That may be difficult, I live in a place where I would not be able to play with you.

Tammy: You live in a zoo dont'cha? I could come visit. I'm coming home from the city of Philadelphia, since your on this train that must be where your from. (Kitsune looks astonished to see such logic in a child. Tammy smiles from ear to ear) Mommy says I'm really smart, that's why I go to a geek school. (In the background her mother scolds her.) Well that's what the other kids call it!

Kitsune: (writes) If you're able to find me again then we'll work on it. (The train begins to come to a halt to Kitsune hands the pad and pen to Tammy who turns to talk to her mother as the doors open and when she turns back Kitsune has disappeared from view leaving the other passengers looking about trying to figure our where she went.)

Chapter 11 coming soon.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome.