2 – Let's Review the Day
Sunday morning, 0600 hours. Ten minutes after sunrise and 1 minute after the arrival of our heroes. Not having slept for two days took a toll on the five animals. Rico and Alexander were struggling to stay awake while the remaining birds were all snoozing in the pink car. The two drove the vehicles directly into the zoovenir shop lair (the garage behind the statue).
As soon as the pink car came to a stop, the leader yawned and stretched, ˝Ah, nothing like a power nap to refuel the old battery.˝ He looked around and saw his entire team sleeping. The mohawk wielding penguin didn't make it out of the vehicle and fell asleep behind the steering wheel and the monitor was lying on the skateboard, using his bag as a pillow.
Skipper decided not to disturb them and left without a sound. He waddled down the long corridor back to the HQ, where he made his regular cup of fish coffee. Its warmth, smell and caffeine were just what he needed in the morning. ˝0630 hours, still got plenty of time,˝ he finished the beverage and put the mug down. He knew exactly what to do or rather where to go. The captain climbed the ladder and exited the HQ. he headed north.
There were plenty of plausible destinations in that direction. He could have been heading towards the food court, he might have wanted to leave the zoo or maybe, just maybe, he was heading towards the otter habitat.
Looks like it was that last thing, the bird jumped the wall, surrounding the enclosure and took a quick dive before entering the cave. Knocking wasn't a word in his vocabulary, so he went directly in.
There she was, the mammal next door, the animal who always interrupted the morning training, the otter who always walked around with a wide smile on her face, his cute and naïve girlfriend.
She looked so peaceful, just lying on her rock-hard bed, that it practically melted the penguin's heart, until she let out a snore. Its sheer volume sent vibrations across the cave, but it didn't bother the captain, because you don't notice the imperfections of the person you want to be with for the rest of you life. He watched her sleep and couldn't bring himself to wake her up. He just took a seat and watched her, only able to guess what she was dreaming about.
Back in the garage, Rico began turning in his sleep and he accidentally hit the horn. The noise woke everyone up screaming. After finally calming down, they looked around and noticed the missing captain. ˝Anyone wanna guess?˝ asked the monitor. Kowalski quickly pulled out his abacus, ˝Well, if my calculations are correct, and they always are, then he is, most likely – He probably went to Marlene's,˝ interrupted Private.
The reptile sighed, ˝Right, his girlfriend. Well let's head back to base, I sure Skipper's going to join us on time.˝ They used the same way to the HQ as their leader and soon found themselves waiting for him.
The Asian otter let out a last snore before finally opening her eyes. She immediately spotted something black and white in front her and her eyes shot open. She was startled at first, but glad soon after. She stood up and walked over to the penguin. Skipper also got up and the two shared a hug. Marlene held tightly and they just stood there in each other's embrace for a minute or so. ˝I'm so glad you're Ok, I was worried,˝ the captain's eyes widened and he broke the hug.
˝What's the matter?˝ he looked at her, ˝Marlene, I'm sorry, but this is what I do.˝ The otter turned around, ˝I know and it's Ok while you're in the zoo helping the animals, but when you leave, I don't know where you are or if you're ok.˝ Skipper approached her from behind and wrapped his flippers around her shoulders. ˝Please, don't worry,˝ whispered the captain. ˝But I have to worry, if anything happens to you outside, you know I won't be able to help you.˝
˝You don't have to, it's not your job.˝ Marlene pulled herself out of his embrace and turned back to him, she looked at him with her big sad eyes, ˝But I've waited for this for so long and I don't want to lose you now.˝ Skipper formed his confident smile, ˝You'll never lose me, because I'll always find my way back to you.˝
Marlene smiled and gave him another hug, ˝I hate doing this, but I have to go. I'll just be gone for a minute.˝ The otter gave Skipper a kiss on the side of the beak. ˝Be quick, ˝ she whispered, before her penguin left.
Four team members were already sitting at the table, waiting for their leader. Just when the clock turned seven, the fishbowl slid away and entering was the captain. ˝ 100% punctuality, as always, ˝ commented Kowalski. ˝Men, I'll make this quick. As you know, Saturday is normally hobby day, but since we had some unforeseen problems, we had to spend it with other matters. That's why I'm making this one time exception, and am giving you this Sunday off,˝ the birds cheered. ˝Now if you'll excuse me, there's a very special lady waiting for me.˝
Skipper left and was soon followed by Rico and Kowalski. ˝So, what do you wanna do Alexandah?˝ the monitor looked to the little penguin, ˝We could go fishing, if you know what I mean.˝ Private ran over to Kowalski's lab and came out with fishing rods. The reptile slapped his forehead. ˝What's wrong?˝ he sighed, ˝Nothing, I'm hitting the gym, If you want, you can come over to my place,˝ the two left the penguin enclosure and headed over to the reptile house
Kowalski was walking towards the dolphin tank, carrying all sorts of things, everything from women's magazines, to bath salts and other spa necessities. ˝Oh Doris! Look at what I have gotten for you,˝ the dolphin swam to the edge of the pool and took a look, she was taken back by surprise, ˝Kowalski, what is all this?˝
˝Well considering the fact that your mobility is severely lowered on land, I have made some research into the normal woman's daily need and have gotten you these thing.˝ Doris turned her head in confusion, ˝That, really wasn't necessary,˝ replied the female with a sheepish smile. ˝Oh, but it was the least, well not really the least, the least I could've done was nothing, but I can say for certain, that this was the least I was prepared to do.˝ The cetacean sighed, 'Where's the Kowalski that sweet talked me that night.'
The mohawk wielding penguin was meanwhile running right towards the RRS exhibit. He jumped the wall and went directly for the rocks, where he knew, the wildcat usually slept. On the top, he took a look around, but couldn't find her. He jumped down and began searching. Rico already began fearing the worst, when he was suddenly tackled to the ground.
He was pinned down, unable to move. The bird looked up at his attacker and saw Sienna, the red Rhodesian slasher, and his girlfriend. She bent down and licked his chest, ruffling up his feathers, ˝You left me here alone for two days,˝ the bird gulped, ˝we'll have to make up for the lost time.˝ The slasher extended a single claw which she gently ran down from the tip of the penguin's beak, down to his chest. With one flipper free, Rico, quickly grabbed her paw and rolled over, he was now the one on top, looking at the girl with a wide grin.
Meanwhile, at the food court, an otter and a penguin were having breakfast. ˝How's your fish,˝ the girl didn't get an answer, ˝Skipper?˝ He returned back to Earth, ˝Huh, what? Um, yes, the weather is nice.˝ He smiled sheepishly. ˝What's the matter, you've been absent ever since we came here.˝ The captain was looking with a serious expression, ˝Sorry, but I was just thinking about what you said this morning.˝ Marlene looked down at her feet.
˝I think it's time we find a way for you to leave the zoo without going wild,˝ Marlene's eyes widened and began glowing. She jumped over the table and knocked over the captain, ˝Oh thank you, thank you Skipper.˝ She was holding him tight and planting kisses on his beak. ˝Any time, but let's finish breakfast first.˝
About an hour later in the sublevel of the water monitor exhibit, Alexander was already finished with his weightlifting and had joined Private in the game room, when his captain arrived together with his girlfriend. ˝Hey guys!˝ the two looked to their guests, ˝Hi Marlene, what are you guys doing here?˝ asked the Private with a smile. ˝We need your help.˝
˝Oh, with what exactly?˝ asked the chubby bird. ˝Actually, I think they meant me,˝ replied the lizard and stood up, ˝What can I do you for?˝ Skipper and Marlene exchanged nervous looks and each took a deep breath. ˝Ah, I see. Say no more, I'll create an enzyme so you two can successfully breed in no time.˝
Their eyes widened and jaws dropped, ˝No, no, no, it's not that, I mean, what were you thinking man, we've only started dating.˝ The monitor crossed his arms and motioned for him to continue. Skipper cleared his throat, ˝What we wanted to ask you was, if you can do anything for Marlene's wild problem.˝
˝Ah yes, the feral side, you've mentioned that before, the whole thing reminds me of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I can prep you for surgery and we'll be finished in a couple of hours. It'll just be a simple lobotomy, nothing too dangerous,˝ replied the reptile. ˝Don't you have any medicine that'll do the job?˝ asked the otter. ˝Well yes, but I'm a surgeon, those were just my first instincts.˝ Skipper shot a glare, ˝Alright, alright, I'll look into it, but you should've asked Clemens, he's the shrink, not me.˝
˝Right, the genet, we'll have to go pay him visit some day, but thanks anyway – I am to please,˝ replied the reptile. He watched the pair leave, and "Wire to Wire" from Razorlight began playing in his head. ˝Is everything alright?˝ Alexander looked over to the chubby penguin, ˝Why wouldn't it be?˝ he jumped back on the couch and they continued their game on the Xbox. ˝By the way Private, how are you operating the controls anyway?˝ asked the monitor. ˝Easy, I'm just…˝
On the top of the clock tower, just sitting there, watching the park and the sunset, were an otter and a penguin. Marlene was resting her head on Skipper's shoulder and was enjoying every bit of the view, ˝I've never actually given it much thought. The outside was always so close and yet so infinitely far away for me, but now that it's within my grasp, I just can't wait.˝ Skipper listened to her every word, he understood what she was trying to say, but he couldn't possibly imagine what Marlene was going through.
˝It'll all be alright, after we take care of this, we'll walk in the park every day. Just you and me.˝ Marlene pulled back and looked Skipper directly in the eyes. He saw her concerned look. ˝What's wrong?˝ she averted her look. ˝Alone… ˝ she muttered. ˝Marlene, where are you going with this?˝ She looked back at him, ˝What about kids, because I don't think that love can cover the fact that we're two completely different classes of animals.˝
…silence…
˝Just as I thought, we should stop this while we're still ahead,˝ added the otter and stood up. She began walking towards the part of the clock tower where you can safely descend. Marlene held back tears, 'It's better this way,' she thought. Suddenly something grabbed her paw and turned her around. It was Skipper, who then pulled her into a deep kiss. She returned it and the two just stayed like that for about half an hour. When they finally pulled back, Skipper looked deep into Marlene's eyes and smiled, ˝Just take a nut and bolt and screw nature, I've got a mad scientist and a kick-ass doctor on my side. Between the two of them, they'll figure something out.˝
Sick of videogames, Private managed to convince Alexander to go to the Shakespeare performance in the park. The reptile wasn't eager on going, but he had to get out of the couch, otherwise his legs would've fallen asleep. They found a couple of seats in the back, where there were no humans to see them. ˝What's the piece called again?˝ asked the, already bored out of his mind, reptile. ˝Othello, The Moor of Venice, and I've got the perfect snack to go with it.˝
The chubby penguin searched the medic's bag and pulled out… ˝Othello cookies.˝ The curtains pulled back and the spotlights were shinning on the performers. Not even one complete sentence was uttered, when the monitor already sank his claws into the chair and his eye began twitching. ˝Is everything Ok?˝ the reptile was holding back, but he just could stand all the rhyming and tongue breaking lines on stage, ˝Yes Private,… everything is… p-peachy.˝
˝Oh, Okay,˝ the bird looked back to the stage, ˝By the way, do you want any,… uh, Alexandah?˝ The reptile was gone, he couldn't take another second of it. He ran back to the zoo and headed for the reptile house. He walked right into his habitat and entered the basement. He jumped on the couch in the game room and tried to calm down. He just lied there trying to clear his head, after a few seconds he decided, that it wasn't working and he went over to the mini fridge. The reptile pulled out a bottle of vodka and turned on his stereo. ˝A toast to my bachelorhood!˝
Midnight, at the HQ, the four penguins met on the top of the artificial ice floe. ˝Right on curfew men, I'm proud of you, now let's get some shut eye.˝ Skipper pushed aside the fishbowl, ˝Wait,˝ he turned back to Private, ˝I have to go over to Alexander's place and give him this Shakespeare in the park flier. He didn't seem to like Othello, but maybe he'll find something else,˝ he jumped the fence and slid towards the reptile house, ˝I'll be back in a jiffy.˝
The little bird entered and headed straight to the water monitor exhibit. He descended into the basement and looked into every room. The music was still playing and a half empty, or half full, bottle of a clear liquid was standing on the coffee table. There was no sign of the habitat owner. ˝Alexandah?˝ no response. Private quickly ran back to HQ. He dropped through the entrance, ˝Alexanda's missing!˝ The other birds were already in their bunks, but they jumped out of bed, the moment they heard their team mate, and took on their battle stances. ˝Men, move out,˝ ordered Skipper and they all left.
Meanwhile, inside what looked like a dog pound, a water monitor was making his way through the crowd of cheering canines. There was a wide grin across his face, when the cage, where a fight was going on, came into view. Two dogs were facing off, a bulldog and a Doberman, hardly a fair fight. Bites were thrown, flesh was ripped and the smaller dog was soon at the mercy of his superior opponent.
But these weren't the roman times, two dogs enter, but only one leaves alive. The Doberman bit the neck of his opponent until he finally ran out of air. ˝And the winner is Jake,˝ the whole crowd went into a frenzy as the door opened and the victorious dog exited. Alexander looked around and spotted an albino Great Dane behind a microphone. He approached the giant. ˝What do you want?˝
˝Let's see, there are illegal dog fights an I'm not in them,˝ the albino grinned, ˝Well, these ARE dog fights, but maybe you can convince me into making an exception.˝ The reptile threw a small pouch at the Dane's feet. It wasn't tied anymore and a few uncut gems scattered onto the ground. ˝Will the suffice?˝ the dog gave a nod, ˝Yes, that'll do just great, but I didn't expect African diamonds from someone like you.˝
˝Well what did you expect, Nazi gold? Just get me into the cage already.˝ The Dane turned back to the mike, ˝Dogs and bitches, we have a surprise challenger tonight. Facing off against the all time champion Max, will not be a canine.˝ The room filled with boos, ˝Instead, Max will be facing of against a reptile,˝ a spotlight hit Alexander and the crowd separated, creating a path to the cage for him. He began walking, obviously drunk; he couldn't go in a straight line. ˝Place your bets now!˝ sounded the loudspeaker, the crowd was whispering, it wasn't that tough of a decision, seeing the small monitor walking into his doom.
Back with the penguins, they were searching for any clues to where their friend was. ˝No signs of a struggle or forced entry, that means we can rule out reptilenapping,˝ explained Kowalski. ˝Fish and chips man, where could he have gone?˝ Skipper looked around the room and spotted the stereo, he walked over to it, ˝Private, was this on when you came here?˝ the small bird nodded. The captain pressed the play button and music began playing.
It was "Gone Forever" by Three Days Grace. The penguins listened to the lyrics, ˝Looks like the guy was trying to get over a girl,˝ commented the lieutenant. ˝It was set on repeat. He probably just got tired of it and left,˝ said the leader. Private continued listening to the chorus and then it hit him, ˝Or maybe he decided to follow the song,˝ the remaining penguins turned to him. ˝Well, you did say that stuff was alcohol. And if we follow the lyrics: So, I'll stay out all night; Get drunk and f*ck and fight.˝
Skipper thought about it, ˝Well he did drink half a bottle of vodka by himself, and since he isn't here, we can cancel the second part. So Kowalski, where could he have gone to fight?˝ The smart bird pulled out his clipboard and began writing and/or drawing something. ˝There is a 97.56% chance that he went to the Animal Haven dog pound, there have been illegal dog fights going on there for years now.˝ Everyone but Kowalski gasped. ˝Then there's no time to lose, let's go!˝
A small cage with a single light, dried blood stains on the ground, cheering is heard all around. Inside is a water monitor. He looks like he's having trouble standing, but it isn't affecting his confidence. He stands there with an evil smile, waiting for his opponent.
The door slowly creaks open and into the cage walks a dog, a mean looking American pit bull terrier. His body, covered in scars, saliva, dripping from his mouth and a bloodthirsty look in his eyes. The beast is growling at the reptile, but he doesn't seem to mind.
A bell is heard and the fight is on. The two animals charge at each other,… well, now you know how we got here and now for the conclusion…
If you peoples out there want me to break up KORIS, then say it, but you'll have to give me a suggestion for a new girlfriend. I want species, name and a little bit of personality and/or skills.
R&R