Chapter 4

Remind Me

No, no, no, Skipper stepped back and almost fell down, he leaned against the wall. It couldn't be the truth, he looked once again at the paper and felt tears in his eyes. It was stupid, he never cries, but what to do now… Skipper moaned and stood up, he remembered when the last time he got a similar letter.

It was after the mission: Stop Blowhole, he was in the Central Park Zoo with Kowalski, Rico and Private. He was waiting for a letter, of course the rest of the team didn't know it. It was so depressing when he find out that Katherine and the others died for success of the mission. And finally the bright thought, when Katherine moved to the zoo and Skipper learned that she's alive and now…

What to do now? He couldn't just tell them, what about Private… Katherine was sister of his mother, it'll be too depressing for him. And Kowalski, she was his girlfriend and he finally could forget the sad thoughts of the failure with Doris... Rico loved her as a sister. She was like an older sister to him, she always helps him... Skipper sighed and heard steps, he quickly hid the paper behind him.

"What are you doing, Skipper?" Kowalski asked when he, Rico and Private entered the lab.

"Nothing, what are you doing here" Skipper asked trying to use a calm and normal voice.

"We noticed that you weren't in the bunk, sir, so we wanted to look for you"

"Ok, go back to sleep" Skipper said. But they noticed that something was wrong.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing"

"But, the computer is on"

Of course, he forgot about the computer, you stupid Skipper thought and sighed.

"I... um... it's an email from the military..." Skipper decided to gave them the paper.

"Is it something good about the mission? Oh dear, I hope so..." Private said and they read the email.

The mission failed, nobody from the Team A stayed alive, it's only what we know for now.

A lot of apologies,

Xin-Jin's military.

After a short report of the mission, which was technically unknown, these were the last sentences. They raised their heads from the paper and pushed it away.

"No it can't be the truth, no..." Kowalski staggered.

"I-I can't believe in it..." Private said and sat down with tears. Rico didn't say anything, he was too sad even to say any words.

"I-is it really obvious? Maybe she's alive... like on that mission..." Kowalski said trying to find something which could give them a hope "I need to find the options"

"Kowalski... it's Denmark a-and the puffins... if it's true... They hadn't got any chances" Skipper looked down, the HQ fell into the silence.

"Okay, what now?" eight years old Katherine asked. She was sitting next to her fourteen years old sister Karen. Around there was snow, they were fishing and it was in Antarctica. The real Katherine was looking at this scene as a 'ghost'.

"You found a fish, now, you must be fast" Karen said.

"And catch it, right?"

"Yep, like this..." Karen said and deftly caught one fish.

"What if it'll swim away?"

"Don't worry, you'll find another"

"Um..." Katherine prepared to attack and quickly catch the... water "Oh, um, a fishy escaped, sorry"

"Oh, don't worry, it's your first try" Karen said and caught another fish.

"You're doing this really aptly..." Katherine said and looked at the water.

"Come on, I promise I'll teach you" Karen said and put her flipper on Katherine's shoulder. They took the fish and walked towards home...

Suddenly the view swam away, Katherine slipped to the dark and fell down to another scene, it was... Christmas. The same year. They all were sitting in the snow-cave-home.

"Are you ready for the presents?" George, their father asked.

"Yay! Of course!" Katherine said.

"Alright, come on" Emily, their mother said and they walked to a beautiful Christmas tree.

Katherine smiled while she was looking at this family scene, she remembered it. Everybody looked so happy, they were smiling... Then she realized how much she's missing Karen and her parents.

A phone rang and George walked there, after a while he returned without the smile on his face.

"Emily, they need us... now" he said.

"On Christmas?" Emily asked and stood up from Katherine and Karen.

"You know that the military life isn't simple..." George said. Yes, they were in the military. Katherine and Karen stopped opening the presents.

"Are you leaving us on Christmas?" Karen asked.

"I'm so sorry..." Emily said.

"It's okay... um, go. I'll take care of Katherine" Karen said. She became accustomed that their parents haven't got a lot of time for them... then Katherine slipped into a different memory.

It was about a year later, Blowhole was destroying Antarctica. He laughed evilly when he saw Emily and George. The sky was covered by the clouds and everything looked dark and evil.

"Here we are, the end of the only family, which can defeat me" he said. He was standing on a flying platform and shooting by a laser, everywhere was panic and the lobsters were destroying villages.

"Why are you doing it?" George yelled.

"You know... someone told me something, so... anyway, say goodbye!" Blowhole shot to him by the laser but George made a dodge.

"Ok, let's go, Katherine" Karen said and grabbed Katherine's hand.

"Where are we going, Karen?"

"Um, we are moving" Karen said, she didn't want to tell little Katherine so bad information. She led her out of the cave and took a direction to the sea. There will be ship which will take the residents far from there.

"Hurry up, Katherine" Karen said walking faster.

"Why?"

"To catch a ship"

But then Karen saw Blowhole shooting to George who almost fell down, he was near a gulf. Meanwhile Emily threw a rope to Blowhole's platform and climbed there. Blowhole took an aim and shot one laser to George, but George smiled. Blowhole turned and saw Emily.

"Now your turn, Blowhole" Emily said. She tied the rope to the platform and threw it to George.

"You can't do it..." Blowhole said and his evil smile came back.

"Oh, really?"

"If you do it, you know you'll die"

"But we'll save innocent persons from you, monster" George said "Now, Emily!"

Emily pushed a button and the platform 'switched off', George jumped with the rope to the gulf and the platform followed him. Then the two edges, between which was the gulf, joined and everything crushed.

"No!" Karen yelled and ran there, but it was over. (It was a scene from Truth Of The Unforgotten Past)

Katherine tried to say something, yell, but she was falling into the dark again. She tried to grab something to hold on to, but she couldn't. Something wanted to take her from the memories. Katherine didn't want to come back to the reality...

She woke up with a strong pain and she felt something warm on her cheek. It was a tear. She slowly opened her eyes. Firstly, she realized that she was laying on a cold floor, secondly, she was probably in a truck. She slowly sat and felt a strong headache. Her flippers were tied on her back so she couldn't do anything. There weren't any windows, so there was dark and really cold. But she couldn't give up.

Fortunately, her wound on the stomach already stopped bleeding, she used the rest of her strong and stood up. It wasn't a good move because she lost her balance and fell down feeling more pain. She had to stop herself from a moan. If the puffins hear it, they'll find out that she's awake.

"I'm sorry Skipper, Private, Kowalski and Rico but I can't make it" she whispered and closed her eyes. With the rest of her strong she sat and leaned against an iron wall.

Katherine heard the steps, somebody or few puffins were near. They couldn't find out that she's awake, she hasn't made a plan yet. Then the leader puffin, who killed General G and also stabbed Katherine, entered the truck with an evil smile. Katherine sent him a hating glance.

"Well, our sleeping princess is already woken up?"

The penguins didn't sleep anymore on that night. They were sitting in silence in the dark and gloomy HQ. It was as if they couldn't smile or laugh ever again. But the three penguins didn't know what that means. In fact, when the Team A failed, Skipper had to get to a Commander as soon as he could.

Commander was the leader of all Generals and Skipper wanted to talk with him. He stood up. Private, Kowalski and Rico raised their heads with the sad faces, they already stopped crying.

"Where are you going, Skippah?" Private asked.

"I must leave you for a while, I have the things to do"

"No, we know that you're going to Denmark with the others" Kowalski said and stood up with Private and Rico.

"I'll not lie to you. Yes, it's true. I must go to Denmark and avenge Katherine, what do you think? That I can just stand back and do nothing?"

"In that case we're going with you" Kowalski said.

"No way, I said something. Besides, Denmark is not a good place for penguins like you. I just want you to be safe. Stay in the zoo, um, visit Marlene. But don't try to follow me"

"You said you can't stand back and do nothing, do you think that we can?!"

"Stop Kowalski! I said and I'm not going to change my mind, you're staying here. If it makes you feel better, you're the leader for now and if I won't return…"

"Make me feel better? Being the leader after loss of Katherine and you will not make me feel better!"

"Please stop!" Private said. So far, he was standing with Rico in silence "I'm sure that Katherine wouldn't want us to quarrel"

"Listen… I promise that I'll do my best to, um, survive. If I fail, I'll be always with you, wherever you are"

"Promise" Rico said, Skipper nodded and they hugged up.

"But wait, please stay with us a little longer, what about the memories-farewell" Private asked.

"Huh?"

"Private is right. If it's our last time, let's remind our common memories" Kowalski said.

"Which exactly?"

"Do you remember my first invention after the move to this zoo?"

Flashback

"Eureka! Few minutes and it'll be done…" Kowalski said to himself, they just moved to the HQ and Kowalski immediately went to check a new lab. He tried to make a machine which would increase the number of the fish.

"Kowalski, are you sure about this?" Skipper asked.

"Of course! I have to press this button and…" Kowalski said but before he finished the sentence, an invention in his flippers blew up "Okay, I forget about… oh, Kowalski you idiot! I forget this screw!" he threw the machine to the corner of the lab and sat on a chair, resting his head on his flippers "I'm a fatal scientist"

"Of course you're not Kowalski. Remember, everybody learns on their own mistakes, so don't give up" Skipper said.

"But, I just can't… I checked everything and I thought it was done. But the self-confidence was too proud to check it again. I shouldn't be the scientist"

"Kowalski..." Skipper took the invention from the floor "I believe that you'll be a good scientist like your dad and I'm sure that your parents would be proud of you now. Take it and fix it. One day you'll invent something really big. That's why you're my lieutenant" Skipper said and gave him the invention. Kowalski smiled.

The end of the flashback

"I remember it clearly" Skipper said "And look, you didn't give up and now you're doing better and better inventions"

"It was the best advice which I've ever got" Kowalski said.

"Do you remembe' this?" Rico said...

Flashback

Rico was sitting on the topside of the HQ. An hour ago he lost the control and he tried to blow up the zoo. It was a night, but he didn't want to get inside. Skipper went out of the HQ and walked up to Rico.

"Rico, nobody is mad at you. We understand how you're feeling"

"It wa' my fault" Rico said.

"Maybe you're a destruction-machine, Rico, but it's something what makes you different from the others like a 'kaboom' penguin"

"It's no' good, I think" Rico said and looked down.

"No, Rico, you're a special penguin and for us you'll always be. Please, join us in the HQ"

"Thanks" Rico finally said and stood up. They walked to the HQ to the rest of their friends.

The end of the flashback

"From that day you've changed, Rico. You're more responsible and, um, less psychopathic"

"Do you really want to leave us, now?" Private asked.

"I don't want, but I have to. Nice try, but you'll not stop me" Skipper said.

"Do you remember when I was five? You told me the pillow-ghost's story..." Private sighed.

Flashback

It was a night and five years old Private was laying in his bunk.

"Please, tell me another story!" Private said.

"No, one story for one night" Skipper said and covered him with a blanket "It's late, Private, go to sleep"

"Noo, please"

"You know, I can tell you one story about the pillow-ghost"

"Pillow-ghost?"

"Once upon a time, a child didn't want to go to sleep. The boy heard some noise, so he followed it. The child walked through a dark room and approached a door. When he opened the door…"

"There was the pillow-ghost?"

"Yes, and it flew inside the room. The child was scared and hid under a blanket. But it was the pillow-ghost's plan; he was flying there to keep the boy in his bed until he finally fell asleep. Then the pillow ghost just disappeared with the satisfaction of scaring his new victim. The pillow-ghost is still here and he's waiting for his next victim to scare"

"I'm not scared" Private said.

"Oh, really?"

"No, and I can prove it"

"In that case, okay, but don't tell that I didn't warn you" Skipper said and switched off the lights.

"Scared? There's no pillow-ghost" Private said to himself and stood up. He went through the dark HQ towards the lab. He grabbed a handle and opened a door. Suddenly in front of him appeared a ghost with a black cape. "Ahh! The pillow-ghost!" Private screamed.

"Boo. Boo" Private stepped back hearing a familiar voice… Kowalski's voice? But he didn't run. He grabbed a pillow and started hitting the ghost by it. The ghost stepped back and fell down which was hilarious. Ghosts never fall down.

Private heard more familiar voices and stopped. He grabbed ghost's black cape and pulled it.

"Ok, I believe you that you're not scared" Skipper said when he, Kowalski and Rico were laying on the floor.

"I can opt out of the ghost's career" Kowalski said. The all laughed.

"I understand now why the ghost is called the pillow-ghost" Private said.

The end of the flashback

"Of course I remember. You were really brave" Skipper said.

"And what I'll do now? Please don't go" Private said and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry, boys" Skipper said. They sighed "Take care of Kowalski and Rico. In these darkness hours someone with a positive mood is like a light" Skipper whispered to Private.

"Okay, we just wish you to be back" Kowalski said and looked down with Rico. But Private felt… weak. It was a strange feeling and he staggered.

"Private are you ok?"

"No" Private said and fell down.

Okay, sorry for this probably boring chapter, but in the next ones there will be more action, I promise.

Review please!