Yes I know, I'm terrible. I'm really sorry for the long wait, I hope you guys haven't left me though. I had some problems, well, again. But After the holidays in Sweden I have some new inspirations, so now I'll spend my whole days on writing… and reading. I love reading your stories but I didn't have time to. Love ya all! :)

Chapter 9

The Uncertain Plans

Skipper saw a big creature which was emerging from the edge of the corner. The creature definitely wasn't an animal, it was a monster. It was so dark that Skipper couldn't see it very clearly, but he could say that it had black fur, sharp claws and white scary fangs. The beast was standing on its hind legs, a little stooped. Skipper couldn't see the eyes… but it was probably even better.

As the monster growled and showed his white sharp teeth, it took a swing and tried to hit Skipper. Fortunately the penguin was faster and he made a dodge by rolling to the side. The beast had glint in the eye and now stood on its four legs to see the fear in Skipper's eyes. But actually, Skipper wasn't scared. For him, it was almost obvious that it was one of Dr. Blowhole's experiments. Like that mutant rabbit made by diabologizer.

Skipper jumped back to avoid the beast's hit. When he was just about to jump onto the monster, the lanterns, which were around the park, suddenly lit. As the light reached them, the beast stepped back. Skipper followed it.

"Who are you?" he said before the black-fur creature was gone. It turned for a moment and said, maybe more hissed:

"Beware" and then it disappeared on the corner of the maze.

"That… that was weird" Skipper said to himself. He stood there for a while and then he recalled that he was in a hurry, so he slipped through the corridor.

It took about half an hour to get to the middle of the maze. There was a big statue of a lion. Only Skipper and the other insiders knew that with a special code the sculpture will show an entry to the MAPB. There was a hidden cover under which were a few buttons. Skipper pressed them in the right order.

'Incorrect' It said.

"What?" Skipper said and kicked it. He stood there for a moment.

'Correct' It said. Suddenly, before he could even think, Skipper fell down. It was like a big slide and within a minute Skipper literally fell into the center of the MAPB. He stood up and looked around.

"Captain Skipper! I haven't seen you for years!" Skipper heard a familiar voice.

"You too, Steve" he replied as he turned to a young male penguin "So, what's your military status now?"

"I'm finally the colonel" A penguin named Steve said with pride.

"Congratulations"

"Thank you. What brings you here, commander?" Steve asked.

"I need to talk to Commander Tryan" Skipper replied in the whisper "Do you know where I can find him?"

"I'm sorry, I don't. And I don't think you'll find him. Since he's captain of the whole MAPB he has so many things to do. You know, because of the Shadow. Weird thing"

"Yes, I know. That's what I wanted to talk about"

"Well, I can give you an advise. Go and check the highest floor, he should be there now, checking the files"

"Thank you colonel Steve" Skipper said and saluted so did Steve. Then he quickly walked towards an elevator. Since the MAPB was hidden about 1000 feet underneath the ground, the way to the highest 50th floor was very long. Also, the 50th floor was the most classified level of the underground building. Skipper wasn't sure if the guards would let him visit Commander.

The elevator finally stopped and Skipper walked out of it. The corridor was dark, quiet and the only illumination was the blue light. It looked mysteriously but also scary. Skipper has already been on the floor once, he remembered that Tryan's main office was on the end of the corridor. He walked towards a door which was guarded by a badger and an otter who were holding weapons. Well, it was Main America Penguins Base, but it didn't mean that all agents were penguins.

"Your name, status and target, soldier" The otter said.

"Skipper Lockwood, commander, I have an urgent matter to Commander Tryan" Skipper replied.

"Commander Skipper, nice to meet you finally" The badger on the left side smiled "We've heard so many stories about you. Felix, tell Commander Tryan that he has a guest, please" He said to the otter who saluted and went into the room. The penguin pointed the bench where Skipper could sit.

"You can enter" Felix said as he returned.

Skipper walked into a very dark room. The only light was coming from the candles which were on the desk. Tryan was sitting there, with so much paperwork. As Skipper walked in, Commander stood up. He was a tall, well-built penguin but Skipper couldn't see his face because of the weak illumination.

"Nice to see you again, commander Skipper" Tryan said with a british accent and saluted in greeting.

"You too, Commander" Skipper saluted back.

"What brings you here, friend?"

"Listen, two days ago you sent me and Katherine a letter about the mission to Denmark…"

"Wait. What letter?"

"The letter about the mission. It was about the Shadow thing"

"Of course the Shadow is the main thing here now, but I've never sent any letter. And the Shadow didn't come from Denmark, it's obvious"

"Then, where was the letter from?"

"Let me think" Commander said and sit behind his desk "There's a possibility that it's one of Denmark's tricks. Recently, relations between USA bases and Denmark bases have gotten worse. But we can't be 100% sure. Do you have more information?"

"Well, I only know the place where the team was supposed to meet"

"That's the thing. The team" Tryan said and opened a drawer. He took a few papers "Here it is. I know I should have informed you earlier, a few days ago we found out that some of our soldiers and agents were traitors, working for one of Denmark's bases. Before we caught them they had escaped, fortunately they didn't have any important information. Puffins probably used them as a team to fool you, thinking that you would believe that they worked for MAPB. I'm glad you didn't come there"

"Yeah… that's the problem. I didn't go because Katherine did. She's in trouble"

"Look, we can't try to free her, it could make the conflict even worse. And if she's not there, it would cause a war" Commander Tryan started walking around his desk. "There's nothing we can be sure about"

"But we can't just stand back and do nothing!"

"Skipper, have you thought that that's exactly what they want?!"

"Yes. They want the war. I know we can't let it happen. If you can't sent an army there, let me go on a solo mission" Skipper suggested.

"You're the public enemy number one and so is Katherine. You know that they are just waiting to catch you two into their claws" Tryan stopped walking and thought for a moment "I could send an air force but I'm sure they would detect it…"

"Can't you try to locate her or something?"

"Denmark main base forbade us any access to their coutry, so we can't locate anything there. Also, if Katherine isn't in Denmark and yet hasn't returned, she's probably trying to investigate something about the Shadow, and I think you Katherine good enough that you already know that if she wants, she can be un-locatable" Tryan said and smiled.

"Then what?"

"I have no other option… I'll give you a helicopter and two days. You will be able to look for her. But If you won't be back… we will attack Denmark, but, well, that's what they want and they'll get it" Commander said with a sigh.

"Do you trust me?" Skipper asked.

"More than anyone else. And I don't want Katherine to be captured by those dammed puffins. Penguin credo is 'Never swim alone' and we still keep on breaking it. Especially you and Katherine" Tryan said and patted Skipper on the shoulder. Now Skipper could see his face. The well-known face. Commander had scars across his beak, right eye and left cheek. Also, one of his eyes was green and the other one was blue. That's why nobody has ever seen him in MAPB center. He wanted to be alone, in his office… since that accident.

"Thank you Commander, I won't let you down" Skipper saluted.

"Remember, The whole relation between Denmark depends on you"

"I don't want to know Katherine's reaction when she finds out what we've been risking the relation between the countries only to make sure she's save" Skipper said smiling.

"I guess she would be mad since she hates situation when someone is so desperate to help her"

They both laughed.

Katherine opened her eyes. She had the chills, probably because of a nightmare which she had had. But she didn't remember it. Even though it was something terrible, she honestly preferred going back to the nightmare then to the prison. She tried to sit but a sudden pain in her chest didn't let her.

"You better don't move" she heard a voice with a danish accent.

"Why shouldn't I, Hans?" Katherine asked and managed to sit, trying to ignore the pain.

"You probably have a broken rib or a few" Hans said. Katherine thought for a moment. The last thing she remembered was that she was literally thrown into the prison cell.

"I don't care, do you have a plan?" Katherine asked and got to her feet ignoring the irritating pain.

"Nope"

"So you've been sitting here and doing nothing during the whole time?"

"Hey, you also could have thought of something" Hans said offended.

"There're thousand ways to get out of here, you idiot" Katherine whispered to herself.

"Oh, so that's the point"

"Huh?"

"It's not that you don't know how to get out of here, you want to be here. And there's the reason?"

"What makes you think so?"

"Come on, I know you for long enough time to know that you always know exactly what to do." He said grinning. Katherine bit the lower lip of her beak (or whatever to call that, you know what I mean).

"Yes, I do know what to do and my plan doesn't includes you" she said sharply.

"I'm dying to know what your excellent plan is" Hans still had a smirk on his face which made Katherine so annoyed. She hesitated and spoke:

"As you already know, the escape from here is easy for me. The point is that I don't know what's going on. The puffins know something more about the current situation. They think that I have information from MAPB or something like that, I do not know what kind of information they want from me and that's why I haven't escaped yet. I know that all of the most classified information they keep here. Yeah, it's silly to keep something so important in prison but, well, this is the place with the highest security level in the whole Denmark. As soon as I get a chance I want to get to the highest floor so I'll be able to get some important files"

"That makes an impression. However, I think you'll need my help" Hans told after a while of thinking.

"Oh yeah?"

"You see, the guards are still on the corridors, they keeps their eyes on every square of the prison. I believe you can get to the files unnoticed. But it doesn't change the simple fact that they will notice your absence" he started. Katherine narrowed her eyes as she saw how he played with her. No, she always works alone, she doesn't need anyone's help. The fact that Hans had a point irritated her even more. And he knew that she was irritated. "If you will help me to escape from here, I'll make sure that they won't notice your missing"

"Fine. Deal" Katherine agreed after a while. Hans grinned evilly as he saw how it was annoying her that she needed his help.

"You will even let them torture you just to get your target, won't you?"

"It depends whose tortured"

"Huh?"

"O come on, don't tell me that you don't know this old trick. It was me supposed to be tortured while I get the information which I want"

"Oh, so it all was just your next game? You were playing during the whole time? It all was a theater?"

"Good spy is also a good actor. I have to admit, the information shocked me but emotions aren't for me. Only thing which is important for me is to concentrate on my target"

"I thought that you already aren't like that. You know, after returning to your dear penguins friends you changed"

"What do you mean?"

"That you haven't changed. You still are the same agent whose name everybody was afraid of. The spy who killed without the guilt and didn't care who is working for. Emotionless. You'll never be able to feel the bond with your so called friends"

"How you dare to…"

"At this point you're weak Katherina. You can't accept the truth about yourself told by someone else." Hans said grinning, knowing how every word hit her and mentally harmed her. Then she realized something.

"How do you know those things about me. It was classified. No one is supposed to know…"

"I have my own ways to get the information… of course I don't know many things about you but at least I know what you've been doing…"

"Enough Hans!" Katherine knew how satisfied he was, knowing how she hated it when someone was talking about her past. No, she's not like that anymore. She do has the guilt, she cares for people close to her. But she also knew that a part of old her is still in her. And she knew that she will never forget her past which she was so ashamed of. And the time to tell her friends her whole past was dangerously getting closer and closer. She had promised them that she would tell and she would keep the word…

About two hours passed and Katherine finally got rid of the annoyance which Hans had caused. Only a few hours were left until the night and then she would sneak to get the files. And no matter how infuriating it was, she needed to believe that Hans would make sure her absence is unnoticed. His words were still in her head though.

"Are you ready prisoner?" A guard asked standing in front of the cell.

"For what?" Katherine asked in a rude tone. With the premeditation of course.

"For your fight"

She had no idea what he meant and honestly she didn't even care. They could torture her and do what they want but sooner or later she will reach the target and show the silly puffins how foolish they were to not notice her little game. She smiled a little at these thoughts while she was led through a dingy corridor.

She expected them to lead her to the dungeons again but they went in other direction. After passing through some corridors they entered a very big room. It looked like some sort of an arena with the seats for an audience around. Why did they stopped there? She had a bad feeling that it wouldn't be funny.

"Can I know what I am doing here?" she asked as the puffins released her flippers from the handcuffs, which definitely wasn't a well-considered move of them. Not that she was going to use the chance, it would ruin her plan.

"And what do you think is arena for? Drinking tea?" a sarcastic voice said from behind her.

"Oh, that would be really nice, Joe" Katherine said as she turned to once again face her frenemy Jordan. She decided to carry on this chit-chat since she has always used it against her enemies, especially him. Skipping chit-chat before going back to the point was against the tradition.

"Yes, that would be really nice, unfortunately it's not a good moment" he said with a fake sadness and then asked in an innocent tone "Can we please postpone it for later?"

"Sure, and then we will ride a ponies on the rainbow" Katherine replied rolling her eyes.

"We will see how your sarcasm will help you on the area" One of the guards said and pulled her towards the center of the arena.

The guards as well as Jordan stepped back and were separated from her by the bars. Some scientist-looking puffins took the seats as an audience with their notebooks. It all looked very suspiciously. Then another bars were risen and a penguin stepped out of it…

Katherine froze…

So, it's been the whole year since I have joined and I totally loved the time spent here, and I still do. So, in this occasion I decided to update all of my stories today and tomorrow. So, just to let you know, I'm updating the prequels of this story (they haven't been finished since they are the remakes of my old terrible ones). They also are supernatural and adventure kind. But I stop boring you,

Please review so I would be more than happy to get some reviews on my 1st anniversary! :D