Author's Note: Another update! YES! Hehe. Anyway, REVIEW! For Alex sake! T.T What team are you on? Skipper vs DuBois? Who will win?

~Natty.

Time Runs Out.

~M~

"Stripes, get the cat outta here." Skipper instructed, in a crouch in front of animal control captain Chantel DuBois.

Marty gave one look between the crazy woman and the penguin that dangerously eyed each other. The zebra's mind was made instantly. "Yes, sir!" He saluted seriously to Skipper before throwing Alex body over his shoulder and running to the far side of the fence. He'd have to climb it.

Aw man now how the heck was he supposed to do that? Zebras don't climb! They also don't shoot themselves out of cannons or are best friends with a predator. He could do this!

The zebra took one look at his hooves . Okay he couldn't do this and he groaned, trying not to drop the lion. Alex needed to lose a few! Whew!

"Over here!" Gloria waved him down with both arms from her cage. "Toss that shiny rope!"

Marty looked down at the golden line on the ground, his eyes followed where it led. That crazy lady was standing right on it. He grinned and put Alex down to the side. "Gladly!" He exclaimed as he yanked it right from under the woman's feet, laughing in his revenge as he saw her fall.

Skipper jumped out of the way of the falling woman and raised a brow to the zebra's chortling. "Stripes!"

The zebra wiped away a tear and looked at the penguin. "Huh?"

"The cat! Out of here! Ringing any bells?" Skipper exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, right!" Marty straightened up his act and once again threw Alex over his shoulders. He took the rope in one hoof and tossed it over the gate to Gloria. "Now what?"

DuBois got up in that moment, glaring fire in her eyes. It settled on the penguin and she threw a punch to the leader bird.

Skipper flipped out of the way. He noticed his lieutenant about to jump in but dodged a swiping kick and waved him off. "Kowalski! Get Stripes and that psychotic lion over that wall!"

"But sir-!" Kowalski started to objected.

Skipper delivered a painful kick to the woman's shin, which had her clutching it with a sharp gasp. "Order! Follow it!" That was all he had time to utter before another punch was being thrown at him.

Kowalski nodded and ran to the lion and zebra. He kneeled on one knee and put his flippers over each other, looking at the monochromatic steed expectantly. He intended to heft the zebra over.

Marty blinked down at the tiny bird that was barely the size of anything. "You kidding right?" The penguin lieutenant looked serious and so the zebra shrugged. "Well if you're sure!" He stepped on the tall bird's flippers and was more than surprised when he and Alex's body he was holding were launched up over the barbed wire fence and into Gloria's caged habitat. The zebra landed a bit painfully but he was okay! The only thing he wished for was that he could say the same for Alex! His friend hadn't moved a hair since being shot by that black, death dart! Even though it may as well have been futile, the steed tried again, holding his best friend up in his arms, just shaking him. "Alex! Wake up man, c'mon!"

Gloria ran to them in panic, putting a hand on each of their shoulders even though the lion's head drooped down low. "Marty! Alex!"

"Not me! Alex!" The zebra exclaimed in correction. He was fine but Alex… "He's not moving, Glo!"

"Well help him up." The hippo instructed, holding under one arm of their feline friend while Marty held up the opposite.

Alex's head leaned back far, mouth partly open and eyes shut tight like he had been in pain previously. To anyone he would have looked deceased and long past saving but his friends were not about to give up on him.

Melman rushed to the fence, looking through it at the three of his friend's. He was speechless and for once he had no medical advice to give! He didn't know what to do until his girlfriend told him.

Gloria gestured up with her nose. "Melman use that line to get over here! We need all the help we can get!"

The giraffe nodded and swung his neck around the golden line, gagging a bit but finally he swung himself up and around and around until he had successfully landed in the next caged habitat over from his. He hurried over just as Marty and Gloria were lying Alex down.

"Al!" Marty called, desperate.

"Alex!" Gloria tried too to call their friend back to them.

Something wasn't right and Melman noticed it. For some reason the lion's chest looked swollen and constricted. The hypochondriac blinked questioningly. "Alex?"

A second later, Alex's ragged breathing stopped completely.