AN: I just wanted to tell everyone that the last chapter was really important. Everything said, everything that happened, every thought, will probably come later. Just giving everyone a heads up. This is a really short chapter too, sorry.

Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed. Especially Sweety Kneul! Hope you like this chapter!

The more they waited, the more the tension built.

Assana now had whipped out another pink painted pistol, and was pointed it at Rico, and now Skipper. Kowalski had a handgun aimed at one of the three men Assana had with her. Rico had a baseball bat in his hands, and a shotgun pointed at another one of three men. The two men who were being aimed by Kowalski and Rico, were aiming for them as well. The third trooper still had his pistol locked on to Private in the tree. And Skipper's gun hadn't moved an inch away from his aim to Assana's head. No one was moving.

"What to do now?" Assana asked. She was scanning the four Penguins. They were all bloody, the three older ones had passed the end of their strength, and running on only adrenaline. She noticed that Rico could hardly hold both the bat and the gun up, and had to switch his effort on his arms a few times. Kowalski's right arm was looking horrible, and his blood was looking more black now. Skipper was shaking from his pain. Private was stuck. No gun, and no way to assist or get assistance.

"Because I still have the upper hand. Most of your team is about to collapse. The other is helpless." She smirked. "I'll give you a moment to appreciate that your beat, Skipper."

Skipper glared. He hated losing. He will never accept that he lost. Never. He sized up the situation. Who was an expendable variable? Not anyone from his team. Who from there's? Everyone, in his opinion. But no targets without being shot at himself. What could he do? He was still concentrating on his confusion earlier, he couldn't think straight. Was she a double agent or something? Or was she just toying with him?

"That's long enough. Now, Greg will shoot Kowalski, Ryland will shoot Rico, and I'll take Skippy out. Then what to do with the little Private?" She received a glare from each one of them. Except for Private, who's face was pale from the fear of the whole situation and tension.

"Well, he's such a wittle cutie pie. He can come with me." She paused to return Skipper's glare. "He can be my pet." She looked up at Private, and gave a genuine smile. Normally, he would be the type of person who would trust a smile like that. But he could see the darkness in her eyes. "Would you like that, Private? I guess we'd have to take that chain off, though. Or keep it. Keeping it on would make things much easier for me."

Kowalski was no tipped over the edge at that. His gun was locked on instantly to Assana, without him even realizing. It was as if his handgun knew what his brain wanted to do. He was furious. No one talked about Private like that. No one hinted that kind of stuff to Private. This woman, he decided, was disgusting. She need to die. He was sure of it.

Skipper saw that Kowalski aim had moved. He knew that if he was where Kowalski was, he would have done the same thing. Rico was turning green, and Skipper guessed that he was probably close to fainting from blood loss. And if Rico went down, that would mean only three of them. Skipper was near to dropping too, which would make it even more difficult. It would mean there would be only two of them left. And one of them were chained to a tree. The time to act was now.

BAM!

The man who had his gun pointed at Rico dropped. It took a second for Skipper to realize that the one who had shot was him. He could smell the scent of gunpowder close to him, and felt his finger still squeezing the trigger. He didn't even know he did that. He didn't show any insecurity. Nothing. His arm didn't move, neither did his eyes. He was frozen, with no emotion of what just happened.

Assana looked just as unfazed. "Didn't like that or something, Skippy? "Oh, that's sweet. You do have feelings."

Bam!

The man aimed at Kowalski fell. Skipper was sure he hadn't of pulled the trigger that time. He looked at Kowalski and Rico for an answer. Kowalski's gaze and gun was still focused on Assana. Rico's shotgun had the faintest bit of smoke coming from out of the barrel. Skipper smiled. There are two of them, four of us now.

Assana still smirked like nothing had happened. "Well, I guess we've over stayed our welcome, Timothy. May as well just leave. I'll be able to taunt them later." She lowered bath of her hot pink guns calmly, and placed them back in her dress pockets. She didn't even hesitate, it was a quick movement. She confidently stepped one foot in from of the other, and started to walk towards Skipper.

Her head lifted towards the tree. "Can't wait until you wear that chain again, sugar cube!" She chuckled under her breath, and still kept her pace towards Skipper. He had his pistol pointed at her, knowing she would probably try something. The seconds gained more suspense, until, she was finally standing beside Skipper. She paused, leaned, and said quietly, "I also can't wait to play with your heart, Skipper."

Timothy ran after her. And she was already gone into the rest of the woods.

"Are you okay, sweet pea?"

Private smiled shyly. It was a joke between him and his leader. It was what his grandmother used to call him, and somehow Skipper got hold of the nickname. It tuned into a codeword, actually. If Skipper ever referred to him as sweet pea, it meant that he was as worried as he ever was. It also turned into something that calmed the little one down at times.

"I'm fine. How are you guys? You look awful."

Rico laughed dryly. That was the understatement of the week. They all looked horrible. And probably needed medical attention immediately. Skipper had three gunshots in his shoulders, and was exhausted from crashing the ambulance, and jumping trees to find Private. He was a mess. His back was bleeding from glass, and every bone in his body ached from the fall he took. Kowalski and Private had the least amount of harm. Kowalski's right arm had taken four bullets, most of them just barely got into his skin. Except for his bleeding, he'd be okay. Private had a few scraps on his knees, he probably feel from running, but his right wrist looked horrible. There was a two inch thick line of dark blood and torn flesh and tissue from where the handcuff was placed.

Kowalski smiled sadly, and ruffled Private's hair, accidentally rubbing blood within his golden locks. "We're all fine. I'll be able to fix us all up when we get somewhere safe."

"Which would be where, Kowalski?" Skipper asked. They were walking around blindly. Skipper was scared that they would run into Assana again. And that she would bring more troops. And maybe learn to act instead of taunt, he thought. It also seemed that he wouldn't be able to see if Neon Tyler was alive, either.

Kowalski thought for a moment. "Well... considering we're most likely running from the American government on this one, I think somewhere out the country. Perhaps where one of Skipper's alias' is very wealthy or have access to plenty of medical care."

Skipper thought for a moment. "Kowalski, when's Christmas?"

"What? It's summer."

"Oh well. Sorry, Rico. Looks like we're going to Mexico early."

Timothy eyed Assana. Usually she wasn't the one to take defeat well. Or even have a defeat. "You realize Billy Blowhole is gonna kill you, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "Just call him Billy, geez. And, no, he won't. I have a plan."

"Which is?"

Assana grinned, she stopped walking. Tim passed her, cautiously taking the lead in front of her. He knew well enough not to question her actions. When he passed, she smirked. She had stopped at the most perfect fallen tree branch in the whole forest. She reached down to pick it up, and was satisfied at how heavy it was. Perfect...

Her elbows locked as she lifted the branch in the air. The beetles and ants that had claimed it as there home had retreated. Either by falling off, or running down Assana's arms and to the ground. She felt the little, tingly sensation of their legs on her bare skin, but she was preoccupied on her plan.

Tim was walking slower. He kept his eyes in front, and didn't dare turn around. Who knows what Assana was doing back there, or why she didn't answer. He sure didn't want her to snap at him. That was a nightmare. He stayed at a slow pace so she could catch up later, though. He could hear her footsteps coming up from behind him, anyway. If Assana didn't want to talk about her plan, he knew well not to push her.

Thunk!

Tim was sent spiralling into the nearest tree to his left. His head was suddenly dizzy, and in pain, and his vision was blurred mostly. As he fell down leaning next to the tree, his fingers grasped at anything, to stop his world from spinning. His knees were buckling, and in seconds he was against the tree, groaning at the sudden pain.

Assana dropped the tree branch that was driping with blood, and grinned. She suspected it was heavy, but not that heavy. She reached into her dress pocket, and pulled out her favourite dagger. The case of it was painted hot pink, just like her guns.

"My plan, Timothy. Is to take in this traitor who let those idiots escape. And to 'accidentally' cut out his tongue so he can't. Tell. Billy. Anything."