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 11
By
Wildgoose
(The scene opens up with two men walking down a dimly lit hallway in the waterfront complex in Camden, their voices echo slightly off of the failing drywall panels as they converse with each other.)
Man1: So what do you think you'll do after this place?
Man2: What are you talking about?
Man1: Bust open a can of reality and take a swig, man. Organizations like this always get busted sooner or later and then everybody who doesn't squeal goes to jail while those who do have to live with everybody in town knowing they went down as a rat.
Man2: Are you trying tell me something I don't already know?
Man1: Well if you don't already know that this Blowhole guy is a certified nut job, then yea. I'm just saying it would probably be a good idea to bail out of this place sooner rather than later so we don't wind up in the joint ourselves.
Man2: Well, I guess I could do something legit like truck driving. I've got a CDL but the job market has just been so lousy the past few years.
Man1: Sounds like a plan, if you need a helper then you let me know. Cool? (they do a fist bump) So what do we do about the animals?
Man2: Until we can collect out last pay we've got to do what the boss says, and he wants us to waste them.
Man1: You're not actually going to eat them like Blowhole suggested are you?
Man2: Do I look like some kind of circus freak to you? (pause) Why what's bothering you?
Man1: It's just that penguins are my little girls favorite animal, ..I don't think I could look her in the eye after I killed a bunch of them.
Man2: (rolls his eyes) Wow, …if Blowhole knew he'd hired such a wuss. (Sighs) Alright, …I'll do it. But I'll still need you to get a hold on them.
Man1: I can handle that, thanks.
Man2: Hang a left down this hall, …I've got to stop by my truck and get my piece out of the glove compartment. (The two men turn down the hallway and the scene fades out.)
(The scene comes back inside the dark room where Skipper and his team are being held. Their voices can be heard in the dark as they wait for the humans to return for what they assume will be for the next fight.)
Private: So what do you think they're going to do with us next, Skipper.
Skipper: I'm not sure, but it's been such a long time this place has to have closed for business by now. The only thing we can do is wait, …unless somebody has a suggestion. (without warning the light in the room comes on with a loud flick from the light switch on the wall but as far as anyone can see there is nobody else in the room with them.)
Kowalski: Did that light come on all by itself?
Marlene: Great, as if things couldn't get any worse we've got a ghost.
Private: (looks about nervously) I don't like ghosts, Skipper.
Rico: (grunts as he scans the room with his eyes.) Not a ghost, ..help.
Skipper: What kind of help, Rico?
Rico: (smirks as he grunts his words) My kind. (Without warning five throwing stars fly from nowhere and impale the nearby wall in a pattern that seems to form a steep set of stairs and then a moment later Kitsune comes down bouncing out of the shadows from star to star pulling them out behind her as she goes.)
Skipper: (Amused) Well that's a handy little trick, Kowalski make a note of that one. We could always use a few new tricks in our bag. (Kowalski pulls out a notepad from somewhere and jots down the memo.)
Rico: (grunts) You came, ..I didn't think you'd be able to come yourself.
Kitsune: (regurgitates a notepad and pencil and writes.) The cops are coming but you can't just leave it to the humans to do a penguin commando's job. (pause) Besides, …my guy is in trouble. (Rico makes a jovial/sadistic laugh)
Kowalski: Rico, this is no time for flirting. What did she say already? ( At this Kitsune drops the writing materials and draws her sword from a sheath strapped to her back, then with a single stroke each slices through the locks on the penguins cages.)
Skipper: She said she's here to help, ..that's all we need to know. (He squeezes the handles together and pushes open the door to his cage as does the others. A rattling cage is heard from the far side of the group.)
Marlene: Hey, what about me! (Kitsune waddles over and hacks the lock on her cage and a split second later Marlene pushes the door open into Kitsune knocking her back a few steps.) THANK YOU! (she looks to see Kitsune Frowning at her.) Oh sorry, …I guess I was just a little anxious to get out of there. (Kitsune nods and turns back to the penguins picking up her writing materials along the way.)
Skipper: Kitsune, ..do you have any idea what's behind this wall? If we're going to set off a few fireworks I want to do a little more than just let the humans know we've escaped. (Kitsune shakes her head no) (pause) How did you get in here anyway?
Kitsune: (writes) I hung onto the undercarriage of a truck that entered this facility, ..there is a garage not far from here.
Skipper: What do you say boys, anybody want to go for a drive?
Marlene: I want to go, …how do you drive?
Skipper: (sighs) No dice Marlene, you ride shotgun. (Heavy footsteps are heard approaching the other side of the door and before Skipper can give the order to hide the door opens with two men walking in. Skipper looks about searching for an exit strategy to find that Kitsune is nowhere in sight.)
Skipper: Where did Kitsune go?
Kowalski: I have no idea, Skipper. (enthused) The girl is just GOOD at what she does.
Skipper: That doesn't help us, …we need her if we're going to fight our way out of this. (The two men are heard talking.)
Man1: You've got to be kidding me, how did they get out?
Man2: Figure it out later, for now just help me round them up. (He shuts the door behind him and both men begin to attempt to round up the animals. Marlene is the first to be caught as her extra baggage and paws do little to help her on a hard wood floor but before the human can put her back in the cage she remembers what Skipper had mentioned earlier about biting the humans and scratches as hard s she can until the human looses his grip on her. Marlene rebounds off of the mans knee and sinks her teeth into the crook between the mans legs which is followed by a shrill scream from the man.) (In a crying whisper) Get it off!
Man1: You can buy another pair of pants, just rip the thing off of you.
Man2: (shakes his head no) It's got me! (The other mans eyes widen as he moves to help his friend.)
Man1: (removes a shoe and whacks Marlene across the head as hard as he can causing her to let go before she sails against the nearby wall and falls to the floor.) You okay? (The other man shakes his head no as they back out of the room closing the door behind them.)
Skipper: Kowalski, Private, ..check on Marlene to make sure she's okay. (pause) Rico, …let's find out what's behind that wall. (Rico nods and regurgitates the brick of C-4 and breaks off a section before applying the smaller portion to the back wall.) Fire in the hole! (Everybody seeks cover as the detonator beeps faster and faster until there is a large explosion. As the dust settles there is disappointment) Oh great, …another room.
Private: Now what, Skipper?
(The scene cuts to the hallway as the explosion is heard.)
Man2: What was that?
Man1: I think Blowhole left out few details when he told us to wax these things. Unfortunately we can't leave well enough alone.
Man2: Why not?
Man1: Did you see the way that furball attacked you? Supposing it's rabid, …if we can't bring the animal in to be tested then you're going to end up with a boatload of really painful needles in you're abdomen in the interest of playing it safe.
Man2: So what do we do?
Man1: Dead or alive we have to get that otter, …frankly since they'll have to dissect it's brain for testing anyway we might as well get even. Give me your piece and you stay here, …like it or not I guess I'll have to be the one to do it after all. (The other man hands over his gun.)
(Cut to inside the room where the animals are discussing their options.)
Skipper: Well we can't just keep blasting through walls. (sighs) Where's that backup that Kitsune was talking about.
Rico: (shrugs) I dunno.
Skipper: That helps, Rico. You're crazy girlfriend seems to do a LOT to help out around here.
(Cut to the roof of the building, on the ground below are two police squad cars with four officers looking about with flashlights. After several moments it looks as if they are preparing to leave, realizing that she needs to gain their attention Kitsune brings forward a sawed off shotgun that she'd obtained after neutralizing one of Blowhole's would be guards. She directs the barrel over the ledge of the building and struggling behind the grip to lift the back end off the ground she reaches forward to pull the trigger and sends a blast into the air over the cops heads. The report and muzzle flash quickly grabs the attention of the officers below who duck after seeing a second round go off. Moments later after there are no more shots the officers are quickly on the radio requesting backup. On the roof Kitsune stumbles away from the gun rubbing her shoulder from the recoil and heads back down into the building.)
(Cut to outside of the room as much as ten minutes after the scene on the roof. The two men are still standing in the hallway preparing to re-enter the room.)
Man2: So are you ready to do this?
Man1: I guess I don't have a choice. (he chambers a round in the hand gun and moves forward to shove open the door. Inside the room he finds the animals standing in a group with the back wall blown out into the room behind it.) Holy crap, …who are you guys ®The A-Team? (Shrugs) Well whatever, …I need the otter so give it up. (none of the animals moves with exception of Rico who slowly looks up prompting the man to do the same.) What…? ( A shadow clinging to the rafters above descends onto the man and a second later Kitsune grabs hold of the collar of the man's hoodie using her momentum and the man's own body as a lever to throw him backwards into the wall. As the man lies on the floor for a moment Kitsune dusts her flippers in triumph)
Skipper: Excellent work Kitsune, ..we'd thought you'd taken off or something. (Kitsune scowls and gives her head a hearty shake "no". a moment later everybody's eyes widen) Look out!
Man1: I'm gonna barbeque your bill, bird! (As Kitsune turns to face her attacker the man grabs her body about the shoulders and picks her up to see one of her eyes bulged wide open and the other eye squinted and twitching.) What's wrong with you, bird?
Rico: (places his flippers over his eyes so not to watch.) Uh oh…!
Skipper: From what I've heard this should be good! (The scene changes to the hall outside the room where the other man is standing while nursing his wound. Without warning his associate slams through the door splintering it and embedding himself half an inch through the drywall on the other side of the hall.
Man2: Did you get it..?
Man1: (groans) Don't touch that one. (points wearily to Kitsune who is standing in her original position huffing with anger and her sword in hand.)
Man2: (The man looks back at his partner who is trying to work his way free of the wall to see that his shirt is slashed with a deep bleeding cut going diagonally from his shoulder to his navel.) What are these things?
Man1: Who cares, just get the otter so we can get out of here and let the birds be Blowhole's problem. (hands the gun to his partner)
(Cut to inside the room as Rico waddles up behind Kitsune and places a flipper on her shoulder to try to calm her down. Her instinctive response is to slash at the person behind her in rage, fortunately Rico mostly dodges the blade by almost doing the limbo but the blade still shaves a path across his chest feathers leaving a long shallow scrape that just barely bleeds like an abrasion would. Rico rights himself and holds his flippers out in front)
Rico: (grunts) It's me, …calm down. (Kitsune stares at him and a moment later her rage begins to melt away and soon after tears fall from her eyes. Rico steps forward and as he does so Kitsune places her head on his shoulder as continues to cry.) You did it again, …..but in a good way this time. It's okay now. (Kitsune releases her grip on her sword an allows it to fall to the floor.)
Skipper: Private, secure that weapon.
Private: I think we're going to need it, Skipper. The humans are coming back! (Skipper turns to see that one of the humans has entered the room again and this time is brandishing a handgun.)
Skipper: Never mind the blade, secure THAT weapon. Kowalski, Private, take out the legs. I'll go for the gun! (Kowalski and Private belly slide toward the human but are thwarted when he grabs a two by four that was lying on the floor and uses the penguins for hockey pucks sending them into the air through the opening in the wall. In the background scampering footsteps and the voices of several people yelling "cops" are heard coming from elsewhere in the building.)
Man1: (from the hallway.) Hurry up, the place is being raided!
Man2: (hurried and now scared locates Marlene hiding behind one of the cages, levels the gun in her direction and fires striking the cage and sending Marlene scampering for cover.)
Marlene: Skipper I could use some help over here! (Two more shots ring out as Marlene continues to seek any cover possible until she accidentally runs into one of the cages while trying to keep an eye on the human who was shooting at her. The cage rocks as she slams into the back wall of the cage causing the door to swing shut behind her trapping her.) Oh crap, ….Skipper I'm stuck! (The human seeing this walks up to the cage, picks it up and stares through the bars with his gun still in hand. Marlene backs up as far as she can against the back of the cage.) SKIPPER…!
Skipper: Rico, Kitsune, same tactic. Get the human off balance by any means possible, …I'll go for Marlene! (Rico belly slides toward the human and begins assaulting his legs with the man doing little more than try to kick him out of the way with little success until he starts doing what looks like an exotic dance trying to avoid a number of throwing stars. A moment later Kitsune vaults off the wall in attempt to gain enough altitude to kick the man in the head but is countered when the man uses Marlene's cage to divert the attack and smack Kitsune against the wall where she falls to the floor in a daze.)
Man2: (yells to his partner) At this point I think I'd rather brave the shots.
Man1: (yells from the hallway) Get the thing anyway, it damned near bit off your Johnson! Hurry up the cops are coming this way!
Man2: (points the gun through the cage bars as Marlene cowers at the back side.) Sorry furball!
Skipper: Kowalski options! (looks about to see Kowalski is unconscious in the other room) Think man! (looks about for anything he could use and remembers how Kitsune tried to vault herself off of the wall.) Corkscrew! (Skipper belly slides across the floor to the wall and uses it to vault himself into an airborne spiraling arch toward the human holding Marlene. The human does not notice Skipper until almost the last second when he pivots on one foot startled to see Skipper so close and when he does so he accidentally squeezes the trigger discharging the weapon a split second before Skipper slams into him knocking the human to the ground and unconscious with the gun falling to the floor along with Marlene's cage causing it to tumble across the floor a few times settling on it's side.)
Marlene: (Dazed a bit she presses her face against the cage door to see the human unconscious as heavy footsteps approach from down the hall.) Thank you Skipper, …I thought I was as good as dead for a minute. (Skipper uneasily gets up seeming to stare off into space and panting in a shallow manner.) Skipper…? (Marlene's eyes go wide as she see's a bright red stain spreading across Skipper's chest feathers from right to left.) SKIPPER…? (Skipper takes half a step backward and then one more before crumpling to the floor. A second later the sounds of the other human being arrested coinciding with police in tactical gear storming into the room are heard as Marlene's voice is muted into the background while shaking the cage door. One of the officers voices are heard speaking into his radio requesting ambulance for the two men and an emergency vet for the animals. )
Chapter 12 coming soon.
Comments and suggestions are always welcome.