Rumors swirled afterwards about Julien, but he ignored them. He was too focused on properly dating Josie and being the best person he could be.

January was the quietest month, which should be a blessing for the agents, but the boys had pressing concerns that nothing was happening. Their things from the base had been moved into the new house and they were getting the last minute things from their apartment.

The house was pretty big and nice looking. Things were still in boxes, but they had four separate rooms, a back room, and a basement. Kowalski called dibs on the basement as his lab.

Skipper wanted the back room to be the training room. There was a side room with no door that Private wanted to be a cozy space. He also wanted a garden which the others agreed to. Rico would help with that, it made him feel closer to his mom.

It took the rest of the month to unpack and organize their things. Alice was only too happy to have them leave.

"Can you take Wheeler with you, Alvin? Or those blond siblings? I wouldn't mind that Tammy girl gone."

"No, Barry stays here and so do Ramona and her brothers." Private answered. He didn't bother to correct her on his name.

"Tammy stays too." Kowalski added. He chose not to tell her she was adopted by Fred's parents over Christmas and still attends the school.

The Penguin House, their new HQ, already had big plans for it according to Kowalski. He'd been making something mechanical but refused to tell the team what it was. He assured them it wasn't that he feared their response, he just wanted it to be perfect.

When it was Kowalski's birthday, they allowed visitors at the house. Jeffery came as well as PARK B, Marlene, Josie, Mikayla, Julien, Nat, Clover and Izzy.

Julien asked if he could make suggestions as to how to boost up the party vibe but was denied by all four boys. He really tried to persuade Private, but the younger teen was being adamant about not allowing himself to be guilt tripped. Josie finally distracted him by inviting him to dance to the music they had.

...

The boys vehemently expressed that they didn't want to go to the Valentine's dance this year when Doris asked. She said she wouldn't push it. Julien and Josie were definitely going. Nat had a cold and didn't care for the dance anyway. Marlene asked Izzy to go as friends and he agreed.

Private's friends decided to have a friends' day of adventuring, so PARK B was being driven to the mall by Jeffery. Mikayla visited the boys later in the evening. The younger teens had been brought home and the older teens stopped by for a minute after the dance. Mikayla stayed behind when the others decided to go back to the apartments.

"It's getting late." Skipper said. "If you go now, you can still catch up with them. Or I can text Marlene."

"I just needed to talk to you guys. Maybe Jeffery can come back?"

"I drive." Rico said.

"Why do I keep forgetting you can drive?" Skipper asked. Rico shrugged. "We do have a loaned car from a friend." He added for Mikayla's knowledge.

"I've started studying for my driving test." Kowalski said. "Maybe that's what you were thinking of. Did you get your learner's permit?"

"No, I uh...I rescheduled." Skipper said. "It was supposed to be after my birthday."

The other teens immediately understood and didn't inquire further.

"So, what was it you needed to say?" Kowalski asked.

"My last name is Schlimme." Mikayla blurted out. She didn't seem to have prepared to say that. The boys waited for elaboration. "After I got kicked out, I wanted to shed anything about them...which is why I don't like saying my last name. I told my high school different things and they think I had multiple last names or something. My parents were...bad...terrible people."

"How bad? Con artists?"

"They tried, but their plan failed."

"Oh. Did you somehow tell on them?"

"I wish." Mikayla sighed. "It failed because...I didn't die."

"They tried to kill you?" Private gasped.

"Yes and...part of me wishes-" She shook her head and sunk on the couch. "I-I don't know. I wished it worked, maybe they would have been caught and everything would have been okay."

"Why would it have been okay if you died?" Skipper asked.

"I think I said too much. Rico, can you drive me home?" Mikayla mumbled, avoiding eye contact with the boys.

"He'll drive you home." Kowalski said. "Skipper, it would be unwise to push it."

Skipper was fighting every instinct to keep questioning her. "Fine, but I'm not happy about it."

When Rico returned, he said that Mikayla hadn't said anything else except thanks for the ride.

...

They knew from Julien that Clemson had disappeared and Julien's uncle was looking for other people to back the project, to which Julien Sr put his foot down and told him to be on his side or leave his family alone. His uncle seemed to calm down and let Julien Sr take charge.

There had been someone trying to claim they were Mikayla's relative, but she said she knew for sure she didn't have any living relatives outside her parents who she said would definitely never come looking for her. She still didn't want to talk about what happened.

In an attempt to put it out of his mind, Skipper showed the boys a new training tournament system he wanted to implement. It would be different from the current gym design, they'd face each other.

To get a sense of where they were currently, they started with their regular exercises to see where they were at in terms of strength and stamina. Private was on the lower end of both while Rico had the highest of both. Skipper had more strength while Kowalski had more stamina when not running on adrenaline.

Over the next week, they had matches with each other. Private came in last to the others, Kowalski third since he wasn't allowed to strategize, and the other two switched between first and second. Rico came in first more often.

That is until Skipper decreased the time in which they had to pin the other down. Then Rico panicked and started going all out, leaving himself open to attack while swinging wildly. Then Skipper got the upper hand.

Skipper would give them situations to think through, which Kowalski was the best at, but the tallest did falter when his thinking time was limited.

In addition to their training and schoolwork, Kowalski was working hard on something he was almost ready to reveal. He said it was unrelated to his ongoing investigation into his mother's death.

Private said that Mr. Campbell had been sent out on a mission. The remaining former students of his had come for a visit and he was leaving early for the day. He said he was going to visit a sick relative and later Private contacted another agent to ask about it and was told it was a search mission.

...

It was the end of February when Kowalski revealed his creation. Skipper had woken up early as usual and went to make coffee only to see it was already being made. He looked around, pretty certain the boys were still asleep.

"Hm? It's not April yet." Skipper said aloud. There was no giggle, so obviously it wasn't Private. He looked warily at the coffee machine as it finished filling. He got a mug and poured it. He tentatively took a sip. It was normal.

"IT WORKED!"

Skipper almost spilled his coffee.

"'Walskiiiiii..." Rico complained loudly.

Kowalski ran out of the room excitedly, the other two ambling out behind him with sleepy eyes.

"Didn't I say you could sleep in because yesterday's training was tough?" Skipper asked.

"Science doesn't get done when you sleep!" Kowalski scoffed. "I've managed to create my own little spy device." He pulled out his phone and showed Skipper. He could see himself. "A microscopic bug I call a nanite! Pretty cool, huh?"

"What's it do besides make coffee?" Skipper looked curiously towards it. If he squinted, he could see something smaller than an ant. Rico and Private decided to get themselves cereal since they were already awake.

"It attaches to a device or person and acts like a spy camera which downloads information to my computer. I've programmed it to be multifunctional, watch. Record Private's show."

The nanite disappeared from the table and a few minutes later, the record button on the DVD player turned on.

"Is it even on the correct channel?" Private asked.

"I...should check that." Kowalski shook his head. "No matter. It also aids the security system I've installed."

"When did you do that?" Skipper asked, raising a brow.

"Um...last week. We need defense mechanisms or we could be vulnerable to break ins."

"True, but I'd rather you have run that by me first."

"Sorry, sir. Oh right, I also have it set to be able to check the outside temperature. Nanite, update me on the garden."

A robotic voice came from Kowalski's phone. "Still not optimal time to plant spring vegetables. Recommendation: wait approximately one week."

"Seems weird. I don't like voices talking to me from something I can't see and/or punch. Is it going to threaten us in any way, including sanity?" Skipper said.

"It really shouldn't. It's for optimal protection."

"Protection or spying?"

"A bit of both."

"You didn't test one first before the other?"

Kowalski coughed sheepishly. "No, sir."

"At least feed it one program at a time." Skipper said. "I'm going to train. Rico, Private, you're on dish duty."

"Yes, sir!" They responded.

Kowalski started mumbling to himself as he headed to the lab.

"Kowalski!" Skipper called.

Kowalski's hand had been about to open the door, when he sighed and went to the gym. Skipper stood in front of the door, jiggling the knob and pushing.

"That's odd. Did someone lock it?" Kowalski wondered aloud. "Rico, Private! Did you lock the gym?"

"No!" Private responded. "We didn't!"

"Odd."

"This better not be the nanite's doing." Skipper said.

"It shouldn't be. I'll take a look at it."

"We should eat first."

They ate, then tried to fix the door. It seemed perfectly fine other than the fact that it was locked.

Rico and Private had been watching tv, then went to their rooms to change.

"EY!" Rico complained. Skipper and Kowalski saw Rico standing in front of his room and Private looking curiously out of his own room. Rico couldn't enter.

"Strange, I could have sworn he left it open." Private said. "I came out of my room and looked across the hall, Rico never closed his door."

"Kowalski." Skipper said. "They know how to open and close doors?"

"I mean, as you observed this morning, it does small tasks...um...yet another program...I-"

"How much did you give it?!"

Kowalski yelped. "U-uh, just those...I think. Sorry, I'll head to the lab immediately." He hurried off so Skipper wouldn't rant further.

"Oh dear." Private said. "But why lock his and not mine? Can we get in the other two rooms?"

Skipper tried his and it was locked. Rico tried Kowalski's for the same result.

"What the-?"

"Uh-guys! I can't get in the lab!"

The three of them hurried to see Kowalski trying in vain to open the door. Out of curiosity, Rico tried to leave through the front door and it was locked.

"Okay, this is officially not okay!" Skipper growled. "Fix this!" He said to Kowalski.

"It doesn't make sense. It shouldn't be locking us away. Why?" Kowalski took out his phone. The nanite was looking at them from the lab door. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked it.

"It can understand us? Kowalski!"

"It's to accept orders."

"Who gave an order to lock us out of rooms?"

The phone beeped and showed a message.

Following order: Protect the team from danger.

"Who gave the order?"

Kowalski

"But-what? No, I didn't say lock us out of our rooms. What's wrong with my lab?"

Danger

"I suppose with the experiments and such...makes sense for my room too since I'd take some stuff in there..."

"What's wrong with the gym?" Skipper asked.

Combat zone...risky structures...Danger

"Risky structures? The gym equipment is new." Private said. "Why not Skipper and Rico's rooms?"

"Uh..." Rico mumbled awkwardly. "Maybe...tripwire 'n trap."

"What on earth did you do that for?" Private said.

"Fun."

Danger...fun is danger...

"And outside? We can't get out because it tampered with the security system." Kowalski groaned.

"The system that's barely been here a week and you haven't told me the full rundown of yet. Maybe you should have briefed me." Skipper shook his head, trying to stay calm.

The world is full of danger. Bad for Penguins. Stay inside where it's safe.

"What do we do?" Private asked fearfully.

"Yeah, Brainiac, what do we do?" Skipper asked.

"Danger...danger..." Kowalski took out his mini notepad and a pen. He wrote quickly, then paused to think. "Huh? Really? Well then- Skipper, remember plan Delta?"

"The actual one or practice?"

"Practice."

"Kowalski, we don't have a target-"

"Me. If my theory is correct, we have a way out of this."

"Jeez...I-"

"I understand your concern, Skipper, but I've been through worse. There's absolutely nothing you could do to me that's worse and nothing could stop me from being loyal to you."

"Delta, boys." Skipper said to the other two. "We'll have to improvise."

Private hurried to his room while Rico went to the kitchen and looked through the cupboards.

What are you doing? Is this danger?

Private came back wearing a helmet and holding a bedsheet, he gave the sheet to Skipper. Rico hurriedly sprayed wax coating on the hardwood floor from Private to Kowalski who stood across the room from each other. Rico and Private looked worriedly at Kowalski who shook his head with a grim expression.

"Seeing as the nanite has given us very little choice, we have to do this." Kowalski said loudly.

Skipper and Rico held the ends of the sheet as Private leaned against it. Private whimpered slightly.

"It'll be alright, just keep your arms tucked." Skipper said. "Rico, on go. One. Two. Three. GO!"

The older teens yanked and Private went sliding across the floor.

BAM

THUMP

He and Kowalski fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

Skipper dropped the sheet and went to Kowalski's phone.

ERROR PENGUIN INJURED. ELIMINATE-ERROR PENGUIN IN DANGER-ERROR-

"We could keep this up, you know." Skipper said.

The camera went to static, then turned off. There was small column of smoke from the ground. Everyone looked to it, but nothing else happened and the smoke disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"Security system rebooted. Skipper, what are your orders?"

"Kowalski? The system talks to me."

"Yes, sir. It's an average security program which I'll explain to you-ugh-my back."

"Um, unlock our rooms, the gym, and the lab."

Several clicks sounded. Kowalski retrieved his magnifying glass, tweezers, and a small plastic baggie. He got the nanite into the bag, saying he wanted to continue working on it and promised only to do one function at a time.

The four of them headed down to the lab where Kowalski explained the security system to them. It took commands like a smart phone and recognized Skipper as the leader. The program could differentiate between civilians and enemies and would have several tactics to scare away unwanted intruders. The level of intensity could also be modified if needed. It was currently on a lighter setting since they had various guests over.

The boys spent the weekend cleaning up the floors and coming up with ways they could improvise other training plans in case they found themselves in a situation where they needed to do so.