4 – Simultaneousity
Kowalski, how much longer?˝ the bird pulled out a map, ˝Well we would've been halfway over to Rochester by now, but you insisted on going to the Bronx zoo first, so the ETA to our first stop is 1.38 minutes and then we still have the 2.03 hours of back tracking to the airport.˝
˝Excellent, we'll be home in no time,˝ the lieutenant sighed, ˝Actually, we'll be gone for at least one full day, give or take an hour, depending on the accuracy of my stop predictions.˝ Rico grunted something to the two, ˝Yes, we all know you're tired, but don't worry, we'll be driving in shifts,˝ reassured Skipper. The Bronx zoo began coming into view, ˝Ah, there it is, men, take in the glory… and spit it right out,˝ Rico did as instructed, ˝because no zoo in the world can match up to the beauty of the Central park zoo.˝
They parked the car right in front of the gates and exited. The mohawk wielding bird hacked up a bush to conceal it. The lieutenant rolled his eyes, ˝Right, because no one would find a bush growing out of tarmac suspicious.˝
˝Exactly! I like the way you think Rico,˝ The leader gave him a pat on the back before they all entered. The penguins headed directly towards the exhibits map. ˝Kowalski, analysis!˝ the maniac regurgitated a laser pointer, which the smart bird took. ˝We are here and the genet should be there,˝ showed the genius. ˝Approximate distance?˝ Kowalski pulled out a sextant, ˝10 inches on paper.˝
˝Good, then let's move out!˝ there was a little more sneaking going on now, they didn't want to meet the local zoo guards (as in human guards). From thrash bin, to lamp post, to hot dog cart,… , to the wall of the genet habitat. ˝Attack stack men!˝ They formed a tower and Skipper peeked over the edge. There was a light on, so he took a closer look.
He spotted the three familiar animals sitting around a small table, playing tarot. ˝Invert formation!˝ the birds turned around, and that, somehow, pulled them all on the other side. With the loud thud of the landing, they gained the attention of the three animals. ˝Ah, the penguins, long time no see,˝ greeted the roadrunner, ˝Actually it hasn't been that long,˝ corrected the bat.
˝Right, hello to you too, but we're here on strictly business,˝ replied Skipper. ˝What do you need?˝ asked Clemens. ˝We need your expertise on the animal psyche to aid a friend,˝ explained Kowalski. ˝Okay, but the brain is a very complicated organ, unlocking ones deepest corners and secrets is a very time consuming and painstaking process.˝
˝But we just need something so Marlene won't go wild outside the zoo,˝ replied Private. ˝What, that's it? I thought it was something serious. Just give her some Lamotrigine, it's just a simple mood stabilizer, I'm sure Alexander can whip you up a batch.˝ The penguins exchanged nervous looks and formed sheepish smiles, ˝You see, your ex-sergeant, is out cold, at the moment,˝ explained the leader.
˝You mean literally or metaphorically?˝ asked Dmitry. ˝Umm, the first of the two options,˝ answered the smart bird. ˝Why don't you sit down and tell us what happened over a few rounds of tarot,˝ The birds sat down and the game was on, but since it's a game for a maximum of four players, Skipper was the only one trying his luck.
Back at the zoo, more specifically, the otter habitat, even more accurately, the tree inside the enclosure, ˝Black bird's log: The penguins have left, I don't know where they're going, but they went without Alexander. Not really sure what I'm going to do… but in other news, I've decided to go with a different color eyeliner today. I wonder if anyone notices. *click*˝ *sigh* ˝Who am I kidding, I'm going to be stuck here until they find a replacement.˝
˝Would you like some tea?˝ the raven looked down and saw Marlene and descended from the branch, ˝Yes please,˝ she replied with a smile. They both went inside and sat down at a small table where Marlene had already set up everything, ˝So, are you going to give him another chance?˝ she asked while pouring the hot beverage.
˝After what he did, no way! I mean, would you?˝
Marlene smiled, ˝I did.˝ The bird's eyes widened, ˝So Skipper – yup – and then – uh-huh – but you still – Yes, he otternapped and interrogated me, but I forgave him.˝
˝Wow, and then a year later you two finally got together? You're the living proof that persistence pays off.˝
˝I know. So what do you say,˝ the otter gave her a nudge, ˝all you have to do is walk over there and talk to him. I mean you're still here, so you either still have a crush on the guy or you're not really that angry.˝
Iris looked up, ˝The crush was a mistake anyway, I shouldn't have followed my heart, I should've listened to my brain. He's an ex-con for love's sake and I can't go out with someone like that, what would my friends and family say?.˝
Marlene snickered and received a questioning look, ˝Sorry, but do you really care about the opinions of others that much? And besides, looks like there's something I know, that you don't,˝ she had a mischievous smirk on her face.
˝And what would that be?˝
˝Oh, just a little something that Skipper told me about a certain water monitor before they left on another one of their missions. But tell you what, you go over there for at least five minutes and I'll spill the beans.˝
˝Fine, I'll go, geese, talk about your nosy mammal,˝ she flew over to the reptile house, but before entering it, she quickly cheeked her reflection in the glass in the door and fixed a few feathers that were out of place. Deep breath… and exhale, ˝Ok Iris, you can do this, and there's no way you'll need more time than Marlene, I mean… apology and then you can give it a rest.˝
She pushed the heavy door and entered. Now, a visitor in a prison always gains the attention of the convicts, but their reactions vary. I'm pretty sure you all know what a girl, walking into a room full of "starving" guys, would cause.
Every single exhibit window was met with their inhabitants, the numerous lizards, snakes, turtles and amphibians, all with lustful eyes. The raven was disgusted, but continued her walk towards the water monitor exhibit. She heard whistling and perverted requests, but didn't stop, she just became more determined as she finally arrived.
Back at the Bronx, after having lost several rounds, Skipper finally stood up from the table, ˝Alright, I'm getting sick of this game.˝ Clemens shook his head, ˝Frustration is a common emotional response to opposition.˝ The leader growled, ˝Forget it, now can you tell us what's going on with the monitor.˝
The genet shrugged, ˝Dunno, I'm sure something like that would never have happened in the time before he went behind glass, but the lack, or rather total absence, of social interactions can cause damage on psyche.˝
˝You think a girlfriend would do the job?˝ asked the Private. ˝Probably, but more importantly, who wants to take the captain's place at the table.˝ The penguins were struck by the malevolent looks of the trio and decided to hit the road instead. ˝Well it's been nice seeing ya, but we really need to go.˝ Skipper and Kowalski both jumped the wall and were followed by Rico, who grabbed the private.
As they were walking towards their car, ˝Never again,… am I losing tarot. Even if that game totally cheats,˝ complained the leader. ˝Not to mention how much time we've lost coming here,˝ added the lieutenant. ˝But at least we got to visit some friends,˝ the other birds gave Private strange looks. They reached the car and began going back, towards LaGuardia Airport. It was Skipper's turn behind the steering wheel and the roadtrip was back on… well, the road.
Leonardo da Vinci quote: A good man can be stupid and he will still be good, but an evil man has to be smart.
Back in the zoo, standing in front of the glass of the water monitor terrarium, was Iris, the raven. She was slightly shaking from her nervousness. She saw the reptile lying in his habitat, with his back turned to her. She cleared her throat and waited for his response, but there was nothing, so she tried again louder… still nothing.
˝Listen, I only came back, because I want an apology!˝ still no response. The thought of the glass being soundproof came to her mind, but shook it off, after remembering the whistling before, and shivered at the memory. The bird took a look inside and spotted the thermometer, ˝What the, who'd set the temperature so low?˝
Iris went over to the number pad and pulled of the cover, she took two random wires and connected them to each other. There was a spark and the resulting short-circuiting, dropped the glass. A cold gust of air began flowing from the enclosure. She flew directly to the monitor and began shaking him, trying to wake him up. But there was no response, ˝Ok Iris, don't panic, reptiles are cold-blooded, it's just a normal response to the environment.˝
She spotted the heating lamp and began pulling and pushing the lizard with all her strength, but he was about twice her weight. Nevertheless, she was slowly making progress, but just when the girl was about to reach the area of the light, it went out, ˝OH COME ON! … Ok, Deep breath, now let's see, it's night, the electricity's out, you need warmth and I'm a bird. What do I do?˝
Back with the penguins, Skipper was focused on the road and was grumbling something to himself. Nobody heard what he was saying, but no one managed to gain his attention. ˝What do you think is wrong with Skippah?˝ Kowalski shrugged, ˝My best guess would be, that he is upset, either because this detour was for nothing, or because Alexander didn't give him the medicine for Marlene when he asked for it.˝
˝Wrong soldier! That's not it, it's something I'll handle myself… by the way, we'll be playing tarot whenever there's time from now on.˝ The car hit a bump on the road and Rico woke up, ˝Huh, wha, wear? Oh,˝ he calmed down and put his head over the edge of the vehicle, where he stuck out his tongue.
˝Get back into the car soldier, we can't risk losing our heads right now, we're without a medic,˝ they continued speeding down the street and the airport came into view. Skipper drove right to it and entered the landing track through a hole in the net. ˝There they are boys, the metal birds of the sky,˝ the remaining birds watched in awe. A plane began descending and flew right above the penguins. Kowalski was the most fascinated of the bunch.
˝72.73 m from beak to tail, a wingspan of 79.75 m, 277 tons of aluminum plating and four engines, that keep it all in the air,˝ Private gave the genius a slap. Kowalski rubbed the sore spot, ˝Thanks, I needed that.˝ The captain drove the car into a conveniently placed bush right next to a entrance with a security guard in front of it.
First things first, they snuck into the main terminal, by knocking out the guard. There weren't any people inside. It was after midnight and the place was apparently closed. They spotted the security cameras and Kowalski did some calculations. He found their blind spots and they were able to safely get to the counter, where they checked the flight schedule.
Sneaking onto a plane, easy, finding the right plane, also easy, waiting for it, not so much, ˝It's leaving at 9 am,˝ said Kowalski. ˝But, but- I'm sorry Skipper, but I'm just the bird that read the flight schedule, I didn't make it.˝ The leader sighed, ˝Fine, we'll set up camp somewhere and leave in the morning. We just need to make sure we board the right bird and wake up on time.˝ The remaining penguins saluted and they slid over to the broom closet, where they all fell asleep.
Back at the zoo, sometime between waking hours and midnight, the monitor's core temperature was slowly rising and it was just enough for him to wake up. His eyes shot open, it was a strange sensation, he was still lying on the ground and he noticed every single movement that occurred in the habitat, why, because it was all happening really fast. With his brain chilled and his reflexes down, even a dropping leaf looked like a lead brick falling.
He felt something warm on his back and tried shaking it off. ˝Oh good, you're finally awake,˝ that voice, he knew it. He smashed his head against the ground, it was the voice of his greatest failure. ˝Are you ok?˝ Iris jumped off his back and walked over to his head, ˝Are you finally awake?˝
˝What are you still doing here, didn't I chase you away on our last encounter?˝ the monitor braced his hands against the ground and began lifting himself, but it was difficult, his muscles were cold and stiff, it was straining and painful.
The raven went to his side and helped him up. The reptile barely managed to get up, ˝Are you sure you're well enough to stand, you don't look so hot right now.˝ The lizard didn't answer, instead, he went over to a corner and threw up. ˝Ewww, what was that all about.˝ Alexander wiped his mouth and turned back to the girl, ˝I had a midnight snack, if I hadn't done that, it would've rotted in my stomach.˝ He looked up and noticed the heating lamp off, ˝What's wrong with the power?˝
˝Not sure, but when I tried to get you under it, it just died. It kinda looks like a blackout,˝ replied the raven, but then she remembered the reason she came, ˝Wait, you still owe me an apology and now a thank you would also be welcome.˝
The monitor smirked, ˝So what, you still got that crush on me?˝ she looked away and blushed beneath her feathers, ˝I mean, why else would you have helped me, if not for that?˝
She threw him a glare, ˝You had your chance mister and you blew it, now if you would apologize for the interrogation and birdnapping, I'll be on my way.˝
˝Ok, sorry for what I did, thanks for warming me up and good bye. Don't worry about me, as long as I can get outside in the morning or if they fix the power problem, I'll be Ok.˝
Iris watched the smirk on his face and a furry was building up inside her. ˝You did that on purpose. You just told me that, so I wouldn't leave,˝ The reptile snickered and laid back on the ground. The raven growled, but knew that she really couldn't leave. Who knows how much time would pass until someone else found him. She let out a sigh and walked over to the reptile.
The raven sat down on his back, just like a bird brooding her eggs, it was how she lifted the monitor's temperature the last time. ˝Hey, can I ask you something? – What? – Why are your scales black, it's not exactly the usual coloration for a water monitor.˝
˝Oh that, you know what albinism is, right?
˝Yes, it's the lack of the protein melanin.˝
˝Yes, and this is pretty much the exact opposite, Instead of lacking the protein, I have an increased amount of it. It's called melanism and is a genetic mutation that also improves the imu… *snoring*˝ the explanation put the black bird directly to sleep, Alexander smiled and decided to follow her example.
Meanwhile inside the penguin HQ , the lights were off, but you make out a shape in the darkness. You couldn't tell its coloration, but it was flexing its buff arms, ˝Step one, is complete, and as soon as that gecko falls asleep again, step two will commence. Muahahaha…˝
Anyone wanna guess who that was supposed to be, well you might already know, but guess anyway. BTW, can't wait to write the next chapter. *Evil laugh*