A/N: Edited 8/4/15
"Why did we agree to do this?" Kowalski asked. He was shivering as they crossed the street to the park.
"It's an adventure." Skipper said. "And I want to know who's been spying on us."
"Hang on, the note said meet him in Central Park."
"Yeah, and?"
"You've lived here your entire life, haven't you noticed this park is huge? Plus it's night time, how are we going to see anything?"
"He'll find us." Skipper said. "And I've lived here a total of seven years, two of which I don't remember."
"Huh?" Private asked. "What do you mean?"
"I lived here at the age of two, moved away when I was four and came back when I was ten." Skipper explained.
"And how do you know this guy isn't going to kill us?" Kowalski said.
"My gut told me."
Kowalski stopped dead with an expression of astonishment. "Your gut?"
"Yeah, my gut instinct. You should try listening to yours sometimes."
Kowalski shook his head and followed Skipper. "I'd rather listen to science and reason."
"We're here." Skipper said.
The others looked around.
"I don't see anyone, do you?" Private asked. Rico shook his head.
"Skipper-"
"Hold on."
They stood in silence. Private checked his watch. The long hand struck twelve and he looked up.
"Hello." A voice said from behind them.
The boys wheeled around to find the same man who had watched them. He had brown hair and green eyes. He was smiling, but not in a creepy way.
"Y-you're punctual." Private squeaked. "Hang on." He looked at the man. "It WAS you. You were at the shop and you…I saw you at my birthday party years ago…you came to speak to Uncle Nigel."
Rico gasped. "You…car…"
"You fixed his car?" Kowalski asked.
"Yeah…was ten…"
"I've seen you too." Kowalski said. "But I can't remember when."
"Why do I know you?" Skipper asked. "Why have we all seen you before?"
"You don't remember?" The man said to Kowalski. "Think back. Think five."
"Five?" Kowalski squinted, trying to remember.
FLASHBACK
"Wheee!"
"Kenny, don't stand on that!" Kowalski scolded, pulling his brother down from the rail.
"But big bwother!" Two year old Kenny complained.
"No buts, you could have been hurted."
"I sowwy."
"NATTY!"
A small girl ran up to them.
"What're you want?"
"Can you takes Kenny home? I gotta pee."
"Okay."
Kowalski had finished in the bathroom and decided he needed a drink of water. Despite being tall for his age, the fountain was taller. He picked up a stick and tried to draw a plan to get the water. He finally decided on one.
He stretched and reached but he couldn't do much more than push the button. Suddenly, he felt something lift him up. Grateful, he drank the water.
When he was set down, he looked up at the man to see him walking away.
"Thanks, mister!" Kowalski called.
The man turned. "No problem, kid. Hey, I got a question. Do you always try to plan things out like you did? You made strategies on how to best get to the fountain water and wrote them in the dirt." He pointed to the marks Kowalski had made with a stick.
"Um, I'm not really smarts. I just made lines on the dirt."
"I think that's pretty smart."
Kowalski tilted his head and furrowed his brow which for some reason caused the man to laugh.
"How old are you?" The boy asked.
"Twenty, how old are you?"
"I-I'm five." He said, taken aback at how the man just told him his age. Usually he wasn't supposed to ask older people how old they were.
"Cool, I think I'll see you around." The man said, and then he left.
END FLASHBACK
"That was you." Kowalski said.
"Yup. Skipper, you saw me once before too."
"Where?" Skipper asked.
"You were about three years old. It was when you lived closer to Central Park. Nearby, really." The man gestured in the general area behind him.
Skipper thought he knew. A memory surfaced.
FLASHBACK AGAIN
"NOOGIE!" A nine year old boy screamed, tackling his three year old brother.
"STOP IT!" Skipper complained. He wiggled out of his brother's grip and glared. "I'm telling Dad!"
"Wait, he's in a meeting!"
"DADDY!" He burst into the room followed by his older brother. A group of people looked around at them.
Skipper blushed.
"What are you two doing?" Skipper's father asked. He stood up.
Skipper ran to his dad. "Daddy, Toby's being a meanie."
"I am not." Toby said
"Boys, I am in the middle of a meeting." He steered his sons towards the door. "Go to your mother with this."
"Mr. Sorenson, sir, are these your boys?" An eighteen year old boy said.
"Yes, but they were not allowed to enter."
Toby looked around until he spotted someone familiar. "HEY! He's thirteen, what's he doing here?"
"I'm mature, little bro." The thirteen year old said. "Now run along to your trains."
Toby blushed.
"That's enough, Christopher." Mr. Sorenson said. "Toby, stop picking on your little brother."
"Aw, he's no fun anyway." Toby said, sticking his tongue out at Chris before leaving.
"He's something." The eighteen year old said.
Skipper was looking at his dad with watery eyes. "He was picking on me. And Brian does too sometimes."
"You need to learn to stand up to your brothers." Mr. Sorenson said. "I'll tell Chris to start giving you karate lessons and so on. Right now, Daddy's busy. Go on and play with your sister."
"Okay." Skipper said. He saw the eighteen year old boy smile at him before the door closed.
END FLASHBACK
"So, who are you?" Private asked.
"The name's Johnny Bone, but you can call me Johnny." The man said.
"So, what do you want from us?" Skipper asked.
"Did your dad ever tell you exactly what he did?"
"He said he worked for an agency, but didn't specify." Skipper said.
"Well, boys, follow me." He said.
He pulled out a remote-like device and pushed a button. A hole opened in the ground.
"It's fun if you put your arms up." Johnny said, jumping down the tunnel.
Determined to know more, Skipper jumped in after him.
Rico smiled and followed.
"I don't know about this." Kowalski said.
"I'm sorry." Private said.
"For what?"
"For pushing you."
"You didn't push- Aagh!"
Private had nudged Kowalski into falling down the hole. Private followed with a laugh. He looked up to see the hole close.
They all came out sprawled on the ground. It looked like a laboratory.
Kowalski was about to complain to Private when he saw a giant computer.
"Whoa baby, that thing could power the city!" he ran to it and started exploring.
Rico found a cool ray gun and fired it. It ricocheted off the walls until Johnny threw a jar in its path. The jar shattered. Rico grinned and put it back.
Private found a strange device that looked like a hat. He tried it on. "I see your underpants." He told Kowalski. "Does that say 'I love Doris'?"
Kowalski turned red.
Johnny took the hat. "It's a temporary base of operations. I've come to invite you to our agency. Seeing how you boys worked together as a team made me think you're perfect fits. Also, two of you are related to some of our officers."
"Huh?" Private asked.
"George Sorenson, Nigel Davis, and formerly Andrew Davis."
"What?" Private said. "My dad? But he can't have been."
"I did say formerly. He retired to spend time with his family, but his brother still works for us."
"Uncle Nigel?"
"Yup."
"And you want us to work for you." Skipper said.
"That's it. I invite you four to join us. Our aim is to keep the world safe. It's a secret organization that only the top people in the country know about. Our main target is a man who goes by the name of Dr. Francis Blowhole."
Kowalski snickered. "Francis? Yeah, that's evil. Hahaha…Sorry" he stopped when he saw Johnny's face.
"Will you four join our organization? You would be stationed to guard the citizens of New York as you go to school there."
"Okay, what's it called?" Kowalski asked.
"Do we get cool team names?" Private asked.
"Sure, and it's called the Organization For A Better Society. The name could use changing, but I'm not one to complain." Johnny said. "We're hoping to show everyone how serious we are."
"I think we should join." Skipper said.
Kowalski nodded. "I'd like to help."
"He's my options guy."
Rico smiled. "I do it."
"Me too." Private said. "I think our team name should be Penguin army."
"Why penguins?" Kowalski asked.
"Because they're tough." Skipper said.
"And cute and cuddly." Private added.
"Penguins." Rico said.
"How about The Penguins." Skipper said. "It's generic so no one knows it's serious instead of fun."
"We are The Penguins." Private said.
"The Penguins." Kowalski agreed.
"Yeah!" Rico said.
Johnny smiled at them. He gave them equipment to start their mission and handed Rico a backpack. "You'll find it's roomier than it looks."
...
They were instructed not to tell anyone of this, not even Kenny could know or their families. Only Skipper's parents and siblings were allowed to know along with Private's uncle.
Rico felt odd about that, he'd always told Rikki everything and to keep a secret was like the end of the world.
Johnny said that if Kenny looked like he'd be valuable, then he'd let them know if they could tell him.
Private smiled, he felt different. Defiant. He knew once his mother caught wind of what he was doing, he'd be in trouble. Normally, he'd be scared out of his mind, but he didn't seem to care at the moment. What mattered was that he was free. Free to be himself after twelve years of being treated like a delicate baby by his mother.
He considered getting a haircut and Rico offered. He actually did a good job. Private now had bangs and an almost cartoonish hair style.
Skipper was initially shocked by the change, but accepted it. The boys voted him team leader and Kowalski was his second in command.
Rico's bag was odd. He was able to put his whole arm up to his shoulder inside the bag before he felt the bottom with the tips of his fingers. It looked like a regular green backpack, but it was almost like it could hold a party.
Kowalski said it was all scientific, but refused to explain how. He found an interest in inventing and Skipper allowed this as long as he didn't set the room on fire.
The four of them barely slept that night because they were too excited.
"Boys, I think it's time for some shuteye." Skipper said, yawning.
"Night-night." Rico said.
"Yeah, see you in the morning." Kowalski said.
"Aww, fine." Private said.
CRASH!
Private bolted up to see Rico holding a new ray gun and the remnants of Kowalski's chair.
"Sorry." Rico said.
"Aw man, how are we supposed to explain that to Alice?"
"Leave it to me, boys." Skipper said. He picked up the broken pieces of the chair and left the room.
He returned a few minutes later with a new one. "That poor guy still doesn't know I've had his key since school started." He laughed.
"Julien?" Rico asked.
"Exactly, he doesn't know how to take care of his things. And he won't get in trouble because his dad signs Alice's paycheck."
The boys laughed.
"But what about the key?" Private asked.
"I gave it back; he'll thank the sky spirits and then realize his chair's been blown up." Skipper said. "As I said, he can't get in trouble. And neither can we."
"But he'll blame Rico."
"Not if he was playing monopoly with us."
"Monopoly?"
Skipper got the board game from his room and laid it out on the coffee table.
"There, we played monopoly."
"I want to be the car."
Skipper rolled his eyes. "How about when we actually play it?"
"Alright."
The boys soon fell asleep
