A/N: Sorry for not updating in forever. I have way too many reasons why I haven't been doing so, but let's simplify it by saying they were really important ones, one of which is because I lost the notes for the storyline of all the stories, but I managed to remember most. Anyway, enjoy this really delayed update!

Chapter 7:

Attack And Defend

Talk about a rude awakening!

Just imagine sleeping so peacefully in the warmness of the HQ, dreaming of slapping hundreds of hippies, when suddenly the intruder alarms start blaring as loud as jet engines, causing us all to literally fall out of our bunks! Man!

It has been a day since our discovery of the new arrivals and it was a pretty hectic day just thinking of how we would be able to make sure these 'new arrivals' aren't actually spies working for Blowhole or Hans or another one of our enemies. We even had to find room for two new bunks for them, which wasn't as hard.

We had given Marlene the role of giving them the grand tour when they arrived, as she requested, so we had more time on the finer details.

"Private! What's going on out there?!" I asked him as I guarded the main entrance of the HQ. Kowalski was busy turning on all of the HQ's weapons and defense mechanisms while Rico stood guard by Kowalski's lab, ready to tackle anyone who entered from there. It was around three in the morning, so we were all half-awake when the alarms started.

"I don't see anything Skipper!" Private answered. He turned the periscope around a full three-sixty before spotting the cause of the alarm. "Wait, I see something! It looks like..."

Private got cut off when the sound of footsteps echoed about in the ventilation ducts. "They're headed for the lab!" I said. We all quickly gathered and entered the lab in defensive positions.

We kept on our toes as the footsteps got nearer to the only entrance to the duct in Kowalski's lab. We waited for the intruder to show his face and prepared for what might come.

The echoing footsteps got closer...

And louder...

And then they just stopped.

"What?" I asked a bit confused, still in defensive position.

CLINK CLINK CLINK!

We stared down at the object that rolled out of the duct's entrance before we noticed what it was. "HIT THE DECK!" I yelled. We all rolled in different directions just as the grenade exploded a split second later. A thick black smoke filled the lab, both making it hard to see and breath.

Darn smoke grenades.

Through the black shroud of smoke, I saw a figure climb out of the ducts, making its way to the room where we kept our top secret files. "Get him!" I ordered.

Despite the fact that we could barely see an inch in front of our beaks, we managed to locate the intruder and tackle him before he made it to the room. The four of us fought hard but with every punch we throw he somehow manages to either block it or dodge it.

"Rico! Get rid of this smoke!" I ordered, hoping to catch a glimpse of the intruder if he did so.

At an instant, Rico quickly breathed in all the smoke; most likely storing it in his gut. We could now see the intruder, but with the black hood he was wearing, I couldn't see his face. What I could see was that it was a penguin about as tall as me.

Swiftly, he did a full, three-sixty roundhouse and knocked us all down. We all landed painfully on our backs, except myself, which I managed to counter by doing a backwards roll.

The intruder quickly dashed for the fishbowl entrance as I took a moment to regain my balance. I then jumped forward as soon as I did and separated him from his cloak, exposing someone I haven't seen for forever.

"V-Valeria?!" I asked the intruder in disbelief, who faced me angrily. Seeing her face also told me that the clichéd male intruder was not as such.

Everything on that face matched the one I last saw of Valeria Reyes. Her chocolate brown eyes, the red ribbon that she used to tie her long head feathers into her signature short braid, even the extra black feathers that formed three spikes on the chinstrap pattern on her chest.

I was taken harsely back into reality by a kick in my face, launching me back a few feet. "And you thought I was dead," she said to me in a mocking tone. "Hasta luego, señor Henry!"

With that, she let out an evil laugh before disappearing out of the lab and out of the fishbowl entrance.

My team quickly helped me up while Rico went ahead and tried to catch her. "Are you alright sir?" asked Kowalski, who was looking down at me with a concerned look.

I, on the other hand, was in a complete daze, both from seeing her and from receiving that kick to the face. I was still processing what had just happened.

"Sir, are you alright?" repeated Private, sounding just as concerned as Kowalski through the pounding in my head. I nodded sheepishly and they helped me to a cinder block that we use as chairs.

Rico came back just as I settled down, looking as annoyed as ever. "She got away?" asked Private.

Rico nodded. "Uh huh," he said simply.

"Who was that sir?" Kowalski questioned. "You seem to recognise her, and that also applies to her about you."

All eyes landed on me, waiting for an answer, or better yet, an explanation. I immediately had my doubts about letting my team know who we had just encountered, so I simply said...

"Nobody. I...mistook her for someone else."

"But sir..." Kowalski tried arguing, but I was faster, holding out a flipper to silence him.

"How she knew me, I don't know," I clearly lied, but I knew that I would just drag them in if they knew who she was and what her intentions were. "She probably just heard about me from somewhere."

After a few moments of processing what I just lied to them about, they nodded in understanding. "Alright then." Kowalski then looked back towards the lab door as if to see her standing there listening to us. He turned back and continued, "What should we do now, sir?"

I looked up, giving the three each a passing glance before getting back onto my feet. "Just...turn on all our defense mechanisms and have someone to moniter the HQ for the night." I then turned to face Private.

"Are you ok with taking tonight's duty?" I asked rather than ordered. In fact, I didn't feel like giving any. Her sudden reappearance has made me too worried to think straight.

Private then gave me a salute. "Yes sir," he said, which I just nodded to in response.

"We'll all take shifts. Kowalski, you will take the one after Private, followed by Rico, then myself. Is this clear?" Two more salutes responded attentively. "Good. Now, back to bed you two."

When they did as told, I faced Private and said, "If you see any suspicious activity, tell us immediately, understand?" I then searched my mind for a good reason to that. One that won'twon't sound as suspicious. "If she gets hold of our classified files, who knows what would happen."

"I understand sir." he replied with a slight nervous tone. "I won't let you down."

Another salute was passed from him to me before he took post at the periscope. I then slowly got into my bunk and layed there for a moment, reminiscing about a certain time that I hated the most.

Oh, I just hope she wouldn't get a hold of those plans. If she did, then god help us.

A/N: Ok, ok, so many new OCs, but all will make sense in the end, or at least soon enough. She will be very important to the entire series, in fact, she's the main antagonist. Summing up, she knows Skipper and vice versa, her plan is devastating and she's a Spanish Chinstrap. Ok? Ok. See you in the next chap update!