"How are we getting out of this one?" Sara sniffed. She tried to stop her flow of tears, but she just couldn't. This was a terrible experience for her, for everyone for that matter.
"I don't know. Maybe if we act dead…" Amber trailed off. She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard a familiar gnawing sound. "Madison, would you give it a rest! Chewing your flipper off won't help." The female CO shook her head disapprovingly. "Same goes for the metal braces."
Madison stopped biting at the braces and slumped in them. She had given up on chewing her flipper a while ago. Her flipper was bleeding now but that was the least of her problems at the moment, considering that they were trapped by a bottlenose dolphin.
"The metal is made out of titanium. I doubt anyone of us could make a dent, much less destroy it," Flora rambled. "It's highly impossible, and we have no chance at-"
Amber cut off Flora's depressing ramblings. "Will you stop that already? We will get out of here. Somehow…"
"Yeah." Sara tried to brighten the mood. "No one can hold us for long. We're like a pack of…um…" The young bird struggled to find the right word.
"Dynamite?" Amber suggested unenthusiastically with a blank look that Sara failed to notice.
"Yes, dynamite! We're like dynamite," Sara said happily, finally able to stop crying.
Madison smiled bitterly and thought about explosions. The silent female avian frowned deeply when she remembered Rico. She sighed despairingly.
"It's alright Madison," Flora said comfortingly, noticing her friend's sadness. "We will be back in no time, and then you can be with Rico."
Sara moved forward a bit so she could catch a look at her friend. "Then you can spend all the time in the world with him," she added.
"Technically we never know when the world would end and time is a continuous thing, so-" Flora cut herself off when she noticed her fellow penguins giving her an exasperated look.
Sara looked at her with scorn. "Must you take the fun out of everything?" she sighed.
"I don't do it on purpose," Flora argued with her flippers trying to make a gesture. She briefly struggled in them to escape till she realized how pointless it was to even try doing such a task.
"Then why do you say those kinds of things?" Sara asked, scowling.
"I can't help it! It's just a natural thing for me," Flora admitted with fake defeat.
"Well can you try to control it?" Amber asked, annoyed.
"Um…maybe?" Flora responded, unsure if she could.
Their conversation was interrupted by the metal door opening to reveal Blowhole.
Amber glared at him with fiery intensity, her eye color flickering in the dimly lit room. She spat, "What do you want you damn fish face son of a-"
Blowhole cut her off by yelling, "Shut up already! Geez, you won't stop talking!" The bottlenose shook his head. Madison blew a raspberry at him that made Blowhole glare at her instead.
Amber shouted, "You are just an oversized fish! I swear, you du-"
That was enough for the evil dolphin. Blowhole smirked when he pressed a button on his segway. The braces started running electricity through the penguins bodies, making them cry out in pain.
"Mercy!" Sara screamed.
Blowhole pressed the button again, and their torture ended. For the time being.
Amber glared at Blowhole, ignoring her burning flesh. "Was that necessary?" she barked. A faint trace of guilt was in her bones, knowing it was her fault they had gotten shocked. Well partly. Madison didn't really help.
Dr. Blowhole smirked at her. "I would think so." He added, "And it is rather entertaining to see you four wither in agony and knowing that you're powerless with no one to rescue you."
Amber hissed, "We won't be here long, damn you. Damn you to hell!"
Blowhole didn't react besides the twitch at the corner of his mouth, signaling his annoyance.
Amber rolled her eyes and looked at her team in concern. Sara had passed out from the electric experience, Flora was struggling to show she wasn't in pain, which she very much was, and Madison had started struggling in her braces again. "Are you all alright?" Amber asked.
"Doing fine," Flora replied weakly with a bitter smile. Madison ignored her friends and continued to bite and gnaw at the metal braces. "Do you think Sara will be ok when she wakes up?" Flora inquired quietly.
"If I know her well enough, and I know I do," Amber started. "She might wake up crying. The poor girl doesn't deserve this."
"Agreed," Flora murmured. The second in charge finally closed her eyes from exhaustion. Madison had apparently done the same and was snoring away.
Amber turned back to the dolphin, who was focused on a nearby monitor in the room. "What kind of sick animal are you? What do you even plan to do with us?" the silver avian asked with obvious scorn to him and his actions. She had a good idea on what it was he was planning, a villain cliche, but she was hoping she was dead wrong for once.
Blowhole turned toward her to answer. "I planned on using you four pen-gyu-ins to lure my foes here. Until they come, and I know they will, I will torture all of you and gather information. The results of my plans will be a blast, I assure you."
Amber looked at him suspiciously. "What kind of information?"
"Just your secrets and more," Blowhole said in such a way that made Amber feel that twitch of fear that so rarely came. "I know I will get some, because I got many sources." Blowhole left with that, and his laugh echoed throughout the room when he saw her horrified expression.
Amber's expression turned into a hard glare that was so intense on the door that it might as well have melted from the fiery emotion. She sighed after moments of staring, and brought herself into her thoughts.
So we're trapped. We have nothing to help us escape, and my team is in no fit for duty. Madison injured herself already, and Sara seems emotionally scarred for life. Flora is… ok I suppose. If the guys come here it will be a trap, and I'm positive that Blowhole has something specially planned for them. But what could it be?
Amber sighed and tried to look at the small monitor in the room, squinting. It didn't show much. Just a corridor in the many passageways in the dolphin's lair. Amber felt some of her conflicted emotions. She just had too many inside her to count. She felt anger toward Dr. Blowhole, concern for her friends, and she felt an overwhelming feeling to see Skipper again with that charming smirk of his. Just Skipper? Amber would have slapped herself if her flippers weren't trapped in the dumb braces.
"Emotions suck," Amber muttered with venom. She looked back at the monitor and saw three lobsters come down the hallway. One of looked drunk, and was swaying and running into walls. That's why animals don't drink, Amber thought, ever so faintly amused.
The silver penguin looked at the accursed braces that kept her attached to the wall. They did look a lot like titanium. She tried to yank her flipper around but it was no use. This wasn't going to work. She looked over at the snoring Madison and made a 'psst' sound. That didn't work.
"Hey Madison," Amber whispered, loud enough to hear but quiet enough so Flora and Sara wouldn't wake up. Madison snorted awake and looked around worriedly for a moment. Her gaze rested on her leader, and she eyed her warily when she realized who it was. "Got any progress on those braces?"
Madison looked at them and turned back to Amber, shaking her head. There was only a tiny dent but that wasn't saying much.
"I need you to do me a favor." Amber said it more like a demand. Madison looked at her curiously. "If we make it out of here… I need you to promise me that all three of you will run away and never look back, alright?" Madison looked at her, confused, but nodded her head anyway. "Good. And don't worry, I'll tell Flora, and Sara that when they wake up."
Madison yawned and nodded slowly. She quickly fell back asleep, and left her leader to contemplate to herself.
Blowhole is probably going to get something about us and I can't let them know about me. It's just not safe if they know about me. I doubt they'll even have respect for me afterwards. They might even turn me in...there is no running away from this. Unless the guys get here on time.
Amber sighed. That was unlikely to happen. She struggled briefly in her braces before slumping again. Was there anyway out of here? She looked around the room and took in her surroundings. There wasn't a way of escape, even if they got out of these demon braces. It was a dull gray room with only one door. There was, of course, the tiny monitor at the corner in the room. Their escape wasn't likely.
"Curse you Blowhole!" Amber shouted in the room. Surprisingly, it didn't wake up her team. "They're just lumps on a log. I wonder if I should give them extra training," she spoke aloud. "And now I'm talking to myself. I finally lost it." Amber shook her head. She turned her head when she heard a small groan. She frowned when she discovered it was Sara, who was next to her.
"You haven't lost it," Sara murmured and gave Amber a weak smile. Trying to be the light of hope and happiness again. Amber respected her for that much.
"You sure about that?" Amber asked skeptically.
Sara nodded. "You don't look crazy. My uncle Stan, now he was a nut chop," she giggled. Those words made Amber chuckle herself but that diminished quickly. "Do you think they'll come?" Sara asked sadly.
Amber knew who she meant. "They might but don't get your hopes up," she snorted. Sara looked down sadly and sniffled. "Don't cry Sara," Amber groaned. "You've done it to much, and it won't solve anything in this situation."
"I'm sorry Amber." Sara held back her tears. "I'm just worried about all of us, and I miss Private."
"It has been a day and you already miss him?" Amber inquired with disbelief
"Well that's what…love does." Sara felt heat on her cheeks at her own words.
The silver penguin looked away. "Even with the fake love I had, I never felt that way," Amber muttered and stared back at the small penguin.
"It's alright," Sara comforted. "I'm sure there is someone out there for you." Sara even had an idea on whom.
"I don't want love anymore," Amber growled. "It's too much of a hassle and it's going to end the same way every time."
"What about…Skipper?" Sara asked hesitantly.
Amber looked at her shocked but her cheeks heated up from under her feathers. "S-Skipper? What is going on in your head?" she hollered.
Sara smiled knowingly then. "You like him, don't you?" she pressed.
"He's a good friend but he's nothing more!" Amber managed to stop her blush.
"I'm pretty sure he likes you it," Sara told her with confidence.
"Doubt it." Amber rolled her eyes. At this point, who would like her? "If he knew what I really was about anyway, there would be no way he'd like me."
"What on earth do you mean? You're a great penguin!" Sara exclaimed.
Amber sighed and shook her head at Sara's naive little mind. "Not really. In my past, no way. Right now? I guess I'm alright."
"What happened in your past?" Sara asked curiously with wide eyes.
"That's none of your business," Amber snapped, harsher then she had intended to be. Sara looked back down and avoided Amber's gaze. She fought back the tears threatening to come. Amber regretted hurting the little penguin's feelings. "Sara don't cry, alright? I just don't want to talk about it."
Sara looked back up at her leader. "You probably just need some sleep," she suggested.
Amber scoffed. "I'm perfectly ship shape. I don't need rest. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye out and that's me."
"Please Amber! You need your rest," Sara begged. "You won't be able to defend yourself if you don't," she added. That last part most have reasoned something inside the stubborn penguin.
"Alright but if someone dies in their sleep, it's not my fault." Amber closed her eyes, awaiting sleep to come. It was hard since they were on a wall but she would cope. Sara smiled proudly for her success and closed her eyes so she could go back to sleep.
The whole time, Blowhole was watching them on a monitor, smirking.
New chapter, new possibilities. Thanks again for the reviews. Blowhole's has a plan and it's going to affect all of them! So many discoveries are going to be made.
Amber: Why must you give away our secrets?
Me: Cause the people are curious. Now please review.