The Speed of Darkness

Chapter 44 – Separation

IT HADN'T CHANGED A BIT.

The penguin city had been an entirely different sight. It had gone from a bustling penguin metropolis to a smoldering crater. Upon Skipper's return, it had been rebuilt, like putting a bandage over the wound. It would never be what it once was, but those emperor penguins were trying their hardest to restore it. They had found refuge in the abandoned ruins that was once Manfredi's home, and Skipper saw some good in that. Maybe one day that city would be up to par with what it once was.

As for the temple in front of him, it had handled the passing of the years with much less tragedy. In front of the animals stood a massive structure, looking like it was made entirely out of slick, black glass. It was tall, several stories by human standards, and massive. Skipper couldn't see around the corners from where he now stood. Huge spires shot into the sky, made of the same eerie material that the entire building was created out of.

On top of each spire was a glowing ring. It didn't look like it was made of any material Skipper had ever seen before, and though it was far away, he could tell it was spinning with incredible speed. It also seemed to be giving off light; a warm glow similar to the sun's rays. Around the flat-headed penguin shot tall walls, curving inwards towards the mysterious structure as they climbed towards the sky. Spikes protruded from the top of the walls and pointed towards the glowing rings. The walls themselves were covered with the same, eerie black tile.

The tiles themselves seemed to be made of solid glass. It was like they should be transparent, but they weren't. The obsidian blackness of the tiles seemed to absorb the light from around them, and it gave the entire temple an odd feeling of darkness. It gave the structure a slight feeling of fear; one that might make a small penguin want to avoid it.

The waves of snow that had pounded the surrounding landscape did not seem to have an effect on the structure. Skipper was not sure if it was being melted off or if the tile was merely too slick for it to stick, though. Either way the snow piled up in huge drifts that came just shy of the spiked walls and the spires. They leveled out and then dropped in sharp walls that left the ground most proximal to the strange place bare. It was made out of a dark gray rock; one that Skipper recognized as slate.

The place hadn't changed in the slightest. Skipper was never exactly sure how old the temple was, but he was sure that it was far older than any animal or human being currently alive. Time seemed to have avoided the structure, though. The world had been melded around it over thousands of years, but the temple stood in the same location it always had. There had been no exception in the two years that passed since Skipper last stood in front of the tall, black doors.

Around him, his teammates, Marlene, and Julien stared up at the structure in awe. Skipper and Manfredi were not as wowed, though. They found it easier to breath than the other animals as they approached the structure. They had already seen this before.

"It's incredible," said Private, astonished. He was shielding the mid-day sun from his eyes as he looked up at one of the spinning rings of light.

"I've never seen a building like this before," commented Marlene. "They don't have anything like this in New York."

"Or de Madagascar," added Julien, giving Marlene a smile.
"We never figured out when it was built or by who. Or what it's made of, for that matter. There's a library inside that Johnson did some research in, but we never got a chance to ask him what he discovered," explained Skipper.

Manfredi nodded. "It looks large from out here, but the tunnels inside are endless. If you don't know where you're going, you could get lost forever."

"Forever?" wheezed Rico.

"At least that's what Caspian told us before we ever got here. He told us that he'd be the one to go after his prize. Nobody else was allowed to be in the temple except him."

"And Edgar," added Manfredi.

"Yeah," affirmed Skipper. "I bet Edgar was the one who actually did all of the work of finding that artifact, anyway."

"The tunnels go on forever, but you will always wind up at the Sun in the end. The trick is to not give up along the way," explained the robotic penguin.

"Nothing keep K'walski," blabbered Rico. He began moving towards the doors.

"Yeah, Rico's got the idea," agreed Private. He began following the maniac bird but stopped and said, "Why are the doors already open?"

Skipper glanced at the doors that extended far above them. They were large by human standards, massive by penguin standards. "My best guess is that they just stay open for a while after you open them. Sarge is already here, by the looks of it."

"Right," returned Private. He looked slightly scared at the mention of Sarge, but also glanced worriedly at Manfredi. Skipper wondered if he'd be able to trust anyone after this was all over. That was, if he even survived. He tried to get the thought out of his head. The last thing he needed to worry about right now was one of his own getting killed.

"There is being no sense in standing out here, freezing our booties off!" Julien exclaimed, shivering. "Let us be going!"
With that the animals walked into the open doors. The first thing Skipper noticed was the extreme rise in temperature. He had forgotten about that fact. For some reason, inside the temple it was very warm. A temperature that might be experienced during a typical New York summer. He knew that it couldn't be coming from the eerie blue torches that lined the walls of the temple. They didn't seem to be giving off any heat. Skipper now recalled the entire interior of the structure being chilled to the core after Sarge had removed the Sun.

For now, however, the heat was enough for the animals to remove their protective layers of clothing. Marlene and Julien stripped themselves of the heavy cloth they had been wrapped in to guard against the biting wind.

"This is much better," commented Marlene as she tossed her clothing to the ground. "I was getting tired of hauling all of that around."

"Yeah, I bet," answered Private as he removed his scarf. Skipper noted his new scar as he did so. It extended from above his left eye and ended on the left side of his head. It was still pink from when Sarge had slashed him, and the feathers on the spot had not regrown yet.

"Be wary," said Manfredi. "This temple seeks to make you comfortable. Like you never want to leave. It is warm, while outside it is cold. At some point you may begin to see visions of food or other amenities from home. If you are not careful, though, the doors will close. And they are nearly impossible to open from this side."

The animals, including Skipper blinked at him. "How do you know that?" he asked.

"Johnson did not get the opportunity to share some of his research with you."

Skipper was confused. "But we stayed here for over a week the first time Sarge stole the sun."

"That was true. After they close on you, it is only possible to exit by removing the sun and carrying it with you. Then, the doors will open and will remain open until the sun is returned. That is why we were able to find shelter here until we returned to Denmark."

It didn't make a whole lot of sense, but Skipper knew the Sun was something of extreme power. If anything was going to have such a twisted temple built over it, the Sun would be it. He turned to the others and said, "Stay sharp, soldiers. We need to get in, stop Sarge, get our boy, and get out."

"How long do you think we'll have?" Marlene asked Manfredi.

"Johnson did not say. He only told me that 'it is enough time to do what is right'."
"It is giving me the heebi-jeebies," said Julien, rubbing his arms.

"We've got no time to waste. I don't want to have to carry the Sun out when that's what were trying to stop Sarge from doing," continued Skipper.

Private turned back and looked at the doors, then turned to his leader. "Are you sure we can't just go and wait for Sarge, Skippah? We can wait for him at the door and ambush him."

Skipper scowled at him for his cowardly statement. "We don't know what the Sun is capable of, Private. It could make him immortal or something. And we don't know what he'll do to Kowalski when he gets his hands on it."

Private nodded, though slowly. Skipper knew that other than there little trips around the Zoo and a small scuffle where nobody got truly hurt, this was Private' first big endeavor. Skipper couldn't stand the thought of seeing the small bird get hurt again, but knew that they would need all the help they could get.

Rico, on the other hand, was not so timid. He was already far down the pathway and was gesturing for them to catch up. Skipper realized that Manfredi's story had some affect on the muscular bird, but knew that his real goal had nothing to do with helping the cyborg get revenge. Skipper knew his commitment to the team was one that could not be broken. He loved Private, himself, and Kowalski like brothers and knew that he would do anything to save the intellectual bird. The question now was why was the tall bird helping them out so much?

"Kowalski," Skipper mumbled as he thought. He hoped his strategist was unharmed.

"We'll get him back," reassured Marlene from behind him.

"Johnson told me of one other thing that this temple will attempt to do," said Manfredi suddenly. Skipper wasn't sure if he wanted to hear any more horror stories from his ex-teammate, but let him continue. "This place tries to separate friends, break bonds. It attempts to turn long allies against each other."

"Nothing break us up," wheezed Rico, almost as if he was happy. Skipper knew he was the most confident of any of the animals there.

"Normally I am being happy to fight with you fishy penguins, but not here," responded Julien. Skipper looked in his direction and saw that he was walking at the back of the group, but sticking close to Marlene. Rico had told him about their moment on the dock, and he was aware of their feelings for each other. He wasn't surprised to conclude that Julien had followed them in hopes of protecting Marlene. He, too, saw what happened that day Marlene had gotten out of the zoo. He wondered if Julien would be any help at all when they finally confronted Sarge, or if he would only want to protect Marlene.

Skipper thought for a moment about how all of his team seemed to want different things. Julien wanted to protect Marlene, Marlene wanted to stay alive, Rico wanted to hold them together, Private wanted to avoid Manfredi, Manfredi wanted to get revenge. Skipper wondered for a moment if he was the only one who was interested in saving the world. He shook his head as Marlene spoke,

"If we get in and out fast, maybe this place won't have any affect on us, anyway," she said.

"The effects were immediate upon us entering last. Do you remember, Skipper?" Manfredi wondered.

"Yeah. In the first big opening we came to, big walls rose from the ground and separated Manfredi, Johnson and I. We met up later, but it was a risk we shouldn't have had to take."

The robot nodded in agreement, "This place is not alive, but it is as if it has goals similar to what a person might have. It wants to single out each person from a group, and rope them in. It wants them to betray their comrades and seek the power of the sun themselves. If that doesn't work, it wants to keep them here until they are forced to take the Sun with them."

"We'll just focus on the task at hand," dismissed Skipper. "I don't like ghost stories. Like Marlene said, if we can stop Sarge fast enough, we'll be fine."

Private looked scared. "Do you think we'll turn on each other, Skippah?" he mumbled, glancing towards Manfredi. Skipper knew his fears were well placed; Manfredi's mind was feeble already. Being put to this kind of a test was not good. He knew that Manfredi held some sort of connection to him, though, and the robot-bird would remain sane as long as Skipper was around. The leader thought it was some sort of nostalgia that soothed the grieving beast within him, and was glad that Manfredi would still be able to help them. He definitely hoped they would not be separated, however.

"Not a chance in the world," he attempted to reaffirm the small bird, but he still looked frightened by all of Manfredi's lore.

"Let's go," Rico urged. He, again, had put several hundred feet between himself and the rest of the group. They began to catch up. It wasn't until Skipper got closer that the dim, blue light revealed Rico to be in a large clearing. Suddenly, Skipper began running.

"Rico, watch out!" he called. Rico's head whipped back and forth, and then he gave a confused shrug. Skipper recognized the room, though. It was where Manfredi, himself, and Johnson had been separated upon first entering the temple.

"Get out of there before the walls pop up," he commanded. Rico still looked confused, but began to make his way back to the others. What happened next caught all of them off guard. Rather than large walls emerging from seemingly nowhere, the floor dropped out. Rico's face expression changed from one of confusion to one of horror as he realized there was no solid ground beneath his webbed feet, and kicked wildly before slamming onto the hard tile a short ways underneath him.

He was at the top of a very long slope that lead down into blackness. He was slipping fast, and though he struggled to find a handhold, the tile was as smooth as glass. Quickly, he coughed up one of the hammers he had swallowed from earlier and embedded the toothed end into the glass. It stuck, and he held on for dear life.

Skipper was already digging in the pack for the short length of rope they had also found. He whipped it out and dropped it down to the scarred bird.

"We need more rope," he said as the rope ended a few feet out of Rico's reach. Rico looked terrified as he tried to hoist himself up to the end of the life-saving string.

"That's all we have!" exclaimed Marlene, digging through the pack. She threw some of the items wildly, and they landed close to the edge of the slope. One of the items was Manfredi's crooked dagger, but Skipper paid no attention to it. His brain was racing, attempting to find a way to get Rico to safety before the hammer ultimately slipped under the bird's weight.

"Grab onto my feet," Skipper instructed, laying on his belly at the top of the slope. He felt a cold flipper grab his left foot, but nothing grabbed his right. He spun around and saw Manfredi at the ready, but the other animals looked confused at him. "I said grab onto my feet," he commanded again. This time Private stepped forward and grabbed Skipper's right foot. The leader-penguin continued to instruct them, "Hold on tight and lower me over the edge, then pull me up when I say so."

Feeling the penguin's grips tighten on his feet, he pushed himself over the edge. The feeling of being on the slope was disorientating, but he managed to keep his bearings as he looked down at his struggling teammate.

"Just a few more inches," he called.

"That's as far as I can reach without falling over myself," called back Private.

"Damn it!" cursed Skipper. "Julien, grab my foot from Private! You've got longer arms."

There was some shuffling from behind him, and he heard Julien move closer to the edge of the steep slope. To his left he saw a glint and heard a clatter; Julien had knocked Manfredi's crooked dagger off the ledge. It tumbled into the blackness, disappearing from sight entirely.

"No!" cried Manfredi suddenly, and he let go of Skipper's foot.

"Manfredi!" shouted Private as the sudden extra strain began pulling them down the slope further. "Marlene, help!"

Skipper couldn't see but heard grunts from behind him and felt himself stop sliding down the slope momentarily. Suddenly, he saw Manfredi slide down the slope to his left. His face was locked onto the blackness as he careened down the glass expertly. He was going after the knife!

The leader-penguin suddenly felt himself being pulled further down the slope. Rico had let go of the hammer and was now holding onto the end of the rope. His added wait was more than they could handle, though, and they were beginning to slide down the slope themselves!

"Pull, now!" called Skipper, but it was too late. Marlene and Julien slipped and they tumbled down the slope. Rico cried out as they all attempted to stop themselves. It was to no avail; Skipper could have sworn the glassy surface was pure ice. He flipped around and instead focused on steering himself down the slope.

"Watch out!" cried Marlene. Skipper saw the obstacle, too. It was a large beam that protruded from the sloped side of the chute, extending to the opposite wall of the hole. From what Skipper could tell, it was made of the same, glassy material that the slope was and it came to a very sharp point at the top. Enough to impale them if they hit at this velocity.

Thinking quickly, he pushed the closest bodies away from him and in doing so, moved himself away from the hazard. He watched as Private and Marlene slid down the opposite side of the obstacle than He, Rico, and Julien did. A wall came between the two groups and the others disappeared from sight entirely.

"Marlene!" cried Julien shortly before contacting with the ground hard. Skipper slammed the ground next. He bounced several feet before coming to a rest, his head spinning. Rico came next, and Skipper had to roll to avoid being smashed by his comrade's weight.

"Marlene, where are you!" Julien cried again, attempting to climb back up the steep slope. He looked terrified and worried as he clawed hopelessly at the glass.

Skipper hopped up and grabbed the lemur by his shoulders. A quick slap across his snout and he calmed down, instantly.

"She's okay, man!" he said. "Don't go crazy over her now. She's with Private, and they went down the same hole that Manfredi fell down."

"I am guessing so," he mumbled, pulling himself away from the leader.

"They probably wound up in a place just like us," Skipper continued, gesturing to the room around him. It didn't look familiar.

"Where are we?" wheezed Rico.

~Author's Note: So it begins. Here's day 1 of an 11 day writing marathon. Hope these chapters don't seem rushed...