Rico was quiet the next few days, not wanting to talk to anyone. He was flown home for Christmas and all he verbally said was 'bye' and 'see ya later'.
Private's parents were concerned, but he told them that the boys were making sure he was protected. His friends had been trying not to fire too many questions, but made sure Allie was showered with affection. So much that she finally told them to tone it down.
Skipper took a lot of calls from Marlene who was still trying to process everything that had happened. He was also dreading the meeting with Kent that he knew was coming after the new year.
Doris had gone silent after a short message wishing the boys a good holiday. Simms confirmed that she had been moved before the new year. Kowalski was mainly concerned for Rico who hadn't even spoken to him.
...
Skipper's meeting took place in early January, before Private and Rico were due to return to New York. Kowalski was to stay at home base since he was fully immersed in his current foray into nanotechnology. That and he wanted to try not to think about the prospect of Rico breaking up with him over this as Julien had broken up with Josie.
Skipper entered the building with his father. George told him he had business with Bone and would meet his son after. Skipper knocked on Sarah Kent's door, wishing he at least had Private around.
"Come in." Sarah said.
Skipper opened the door and tried to look confident. She looked up from her notes and gestured for him to sit. He closed the door behind him and sat.
"Nice office." Skipper said, trying to break the ice.
"Thank you." Sarah said, putting down her pen. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."
"Likewise...though I'm nervous that you're about to tell me my team is done." He winced, not having meant to be that honest right off the bat.
"Why would your team be done?"
"I took them into a high stakes situation when we're still in the teen division." Skipper said.
"You are eighteen, Kowalski's almost nineteen, Rico's nineteen, and Private is fifteen, correct?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Three of you are technically adults. Why was Private there?"
"He insisted because Allie's one of his best friends."
"Tell me a little about Private's friends. I hear they have a little group who know about him being an agent."
Skipper nodded. "Well, they call themselves PARK B. P for Private, he's personable and sociable, so he gets people's feelings. Allie Carson really is just an average student who wants to do well in school and cares about people." Skipper said as Sarah checked her notes. She nodded.
"More on her in a moment, go on." Sarah told him.
"Ramona Belmonte has three little brothers and she's known Allie since...kindergarten or first grade. She can be quick to anger, but she's a good friend and she's not afraid of being blunt." Skipper said. "Kenny, Kowalski's little brother, is a good kid, but his PTSD from childhood gives him anxiety. I suppose you know a bit about Barry Wheeler already. Rash, hyperactive, but defensive of his friends."
"Yes, I've heard of him from Jackie." Sarah said. "I understand how Kenny and Rikki Blue came to discover you being agents, but why the others in his friend group?"
"They promised each other to reveal their secrets so there would be no more hiding in the group. They didn't want secrets festering and hurting them until they exploded."
"So why not lie?"
Skipper's mouth opened and closed. "I-I...Private didn't want to undermine everything he'd gone through with his friends already. If he lied and hid it, Kenny would have distrusted him and so would Kowalski. Kowalski and Private's relationship might have been rocky and Kowalski wouldn't have trusted me. I didn't want my team falling apart and my friends, and Private's friends, getting hurt because I had to force my teammate to lie to another teammate's traumatized sibling."
"At what point did you know Doris and Allie were related to Blowhole?"
"Allie or Ramona told her friends that Allie and Doris are half-sisters when they went on that field trip to Franklin Lake almost three years ago and they thought that was her 'secret'. She told the rest of us about hers and Doris' relationship two years ago and the fact that she knew about Blowhole."
Sarah picked up a folder labeled: HIGHLY CLASSIFIED: KENT ONLY and placed it in front of Skipper.
"Are you aware of our relocation program?"
Skipper rose a brow and shook his head, staring at the red letters.
"This is a record of a relocation we did about eight years ago." Sarah said. "Moving people to safe villages is one aspect of the program, complete hiding. The other is relocation, often with new identities. However, the people in this folder chose not to change their names. This wasn't a Blowhole incident."
Eight years ago. Skipper inhaled sharply, opening the folder. He saw the first page, a record of events by George Sorenson. It was stapled to another, shorter page, by Gustav Riber.
"Hans..." Skipper breathed. "His parents didn't say much."
"Because he didn't say much."
"My dad said they were relocated to France, then quit."
"Correct. We assumed they wanted to live a quiet life and left them alone. Unfortunately, they rejected any offers of checking on them."
Skipper met Sarah's eyes.
"Hans told me that much, then they kicked him out. We did report what Simon told us in the park last year." Skipper explained.
"He admitted his parents were acting oddly and he confirmed Simon's story. The rest of his confessions about Denmark are at the end of the file."
Skipper's heart rate increased as he flipped to the back.
"Wanted to make them hurt...wanted chaos...Skipper wasn't supposed to be there...he wasn't meant to get hurt...I was supposed to-" Skipper gasped, eyes wide. "I-I was supposed to die in the factory...Skipper following me made me set off my last explosive early..." He shook his head and closed the file. "H-he was-"
"Suicidal."
"But after that, for years he was fine. He never...I mean, I know you can't tell a lot of times when people are hurting, but-he got kicked out and still lived."
"The rest of it explains that he wanted to tell you. He didn't understand why he was living and that he wanted to quit working for Blowhole because he felt controlled again. He was feeling the urge to create chaos and destruction."
"Is he still here?" Skipper asked. "Or somewhere in the organization?"
"No, he was put in a village under watch about a year ago."
"Wait, that wasn't the one attacked in India, was it?"
Sarah shook her head. "We believe Dom Makyhira was behind that since a friend of Claire's had been placed there. Clemson, who worked for both Makyhira and Blowhole, was able to gain this information."
"Does Julien have to know about the organization?"
"Not quite yet." Sarah said. "Julien Sr was aware as he saved your father's life during a mission. Has he told you this?"
"Not exactly. He wanted to wait until Julien Jr was back home. The Penguins know that Raj, a friend of Private's, was moved from the safe village in India to Madagascar. His entire class was exposed to Agent Twelve."
"I'm aware of this. What happened in Madagascar is being described to the public as the sole intentions of an anarchist. I believe Clemson betrayed Makyhira and the latter went off the deep end. How has Rico been since that incident?"
"A mess." Skipper sighed. "This recent mission messed with him too. Blowhole gave him and Private some sort of drug that heightened their aggression. Private doesn't have much natural aggression to work off of, but Rico...did I put in his official diagnosis with IED?"
"You did and I don't see any reason that should badly effect his standing in the team. I would suggest practicing coping mechanisms more."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Going back to the relocation of Doris Douglas." Sarah opened her file. "I was made aware at the beginning of your team's formation that Kowalski had a crush on her. I don't usually need to discuss relationships, but it involves your teammate and someone we're protecting."
"Oh, uh, there's no relationship." Skipper said. "He and Doris are friends and he's seeing...someone else."
"Someone you don't want me to know about?" Sarah looked curious. "I don't judge my agents' interpersonal relationships as long as they can do their jobs efficiently."
"They wished for me to keep it on the down low in case Blowhole tried to use it against him and I'm respecting that."
"That's fair enough. Now, I would like to bring the conversation all the way back to Private's insistence on accompanying you."
"Never swim alone." Skipper stated. "That's our Penguin Credo. Private came up with it and we've gotten hurt solo too many times for it to be okay. We didn't even like sending Rico off alone and even if he didn't say it, I know that's what he was thinking about."
"I understand wanting to stick together, but he's fifteen. I don't want him involved in any more adult missions until he's eighteen. I'm sending you, Rico, and Kowalski on a recovery mission soon and Private is to stay here. I wouldn't want you missing too much school, but the sooner we do this, the better it is for everyone."
"Yes, ma'am. What kind of recovery mission?"
"We've located approximately where Clemson is and my agents are busy trying to fix this recent issue since the police department became involved. I may be able to spare Zander to help you."
"What about Toby?" Skipper asked.
"He's still on house arrest."
"But he'd know where Clemson's hiding. He can help us."
Sarah pondered this. "He has shown that he regrets his actions. Fine, I'll send your brother with you."
"Marlene and Allie don't have to be relocated, do they?"
"Marlene, no. Though, we aren't involved in the decision making of her parents should they choose to keep her home. We're uncertain about Allie. For now, it seems her family is staying."
"If she leaves, could you at least let PARK B say goodbye?"
"Yes."
"Thank you."
"That's all I had planned. Do you have any questions or concerns?"
"Not at the moment."
"Then I look forward to seeing your team flourish."
...
Once Private and Rico returned, Skipper told his team of the meeting and the upcoming mission. Private wanted to complain about being left behind, but Skipper said it was Sarah's word so it was final.
Julien returned at the end of break and said he would come by to pick up Private for school when Skipper said the older three were going to investigate something.
Toby met up with them in Brooklyn. He immediately could sense the awkwardness between Rico and Kowalski that no one was mentioning, but stayed quiet about it. Toby told them that Clemson probably had been ditched by Blowhole after the failures of infiltration into those closest to the Penguins.
They searched apartments in their search radius, but no one could confirm sighting of Clemson. They wondered if the intel was wrong and they were just mindlessly searching.
"He has to go out for food or order in, right?" Toby asked.
"Yeah, but what are we going to do, call every restaurant in Brooklyn to ask when we don't even know if he used a fake name?" Kowalski asked.
"True. Back to square one." Skipper said. "Then what. What clues have we been given so far?"
"Approximate location, but no one's heard of him or seen his face." Kowalski replied. "It's a guess. Meaning he could be on the other side of town and never come here."
"That's a lot of driving, but let's go." Toby sighed. "Rico!"
Rico snapped back to earth, having been staring off into space.
"What's with you?" Skipper asked.
Rico shook his head. "Mission."
"I'm not done with this." Skipper warned as they got back into Toby's car.
They drove until Toby slowed, saying he thought of something.
"I don't know him that well, but I know he'd try to keep as low a profile as possible, meaning he'll go to a run-down motel or something." He gestured to a motel.
"Doesn't look run down to me." Skipper said.
"True, but it's not exactly a five star hotel."
They got out and approached the front desk. The man inside said he recognized Clemson, but the man hadn't been by in weeks. He'd gone out with a couple men and didn't return. His room had been cleaned out and nothing was left behind. They automatically had him checked out and put the room up for availability.
"Could we check the premises?" Skipper asked.
"Knock yourself out. Just don't check into that room."
"Why not?"
"People complained about a smell. We don't know what it is. Had a carpet cleaner come by and everything. No sign of mold either."
"It's not the water, is it?" Kowalski asked.
"Water's clean and healthy as tap water can be. We think stink bugs nested or skunks come by when we're not paying attention. It's literally just that room."
The four of them requested the key and went to the room. Skipper and Rico scoped out behind the room first, but didn't find any sign of skunk. The smell wasn't outside. Entering the room, the four of them definitely smelled it.
"Blood." Kowalski said. "It's the smell of stale blood and cleaners for it."
Toby looked at him, surprised.
"Don't be so shocked, I've cleaned blood before. And bloodstains."
"I don't like how casually you said that."
"What's the alternative? Lamenting my childhood?"
"Someone's covering up a murder? Why didn't it clean?" Skipper asked.
"Because the victim is still here." Kowalski said. "There's another smell I haven't encountered before. It's a rotten smell."
"Like something's actually rotting?" Toby asked.
Rico sniffed the air and walked over to a dresser.
"That's too small to fit a body and there's no way someone was dismembered and a mess cleaned up so well." Toby said. "I'm basing that off true crime documentaries I've been watching."
"Sounds plausible, which means the victim wasn't murdered here." Kowalski said.
"Pull." Rico said. The other three helped Rico move out the dresser. "Wet." He said. He was right, a dark wet spot was on the wall behind the dresser. The stench was stronger now.
"There's an inch of board here, covered by the wallpaper." Kowalski said, peering closer. He knocked on it. It definitely sounded like wood. Something shifted behind it. "Oh, dear god..."
Skipper took out a knife and cut the paper along the side of the wood. He and Toby tore off the rest while Rico took a crowbar out of his backpack.
The wood broke in half under the force of the metal object. The bottom half fell to the ground and the four guys yelped, jumping back as an arm dangled out of the hole.
It was definitely Clemson and he was dead. He looked beat up and thin.
Someone swore and they looked to see the man from the front desk.
"I know you guys had nothing to do with it, but sweet Jesus that was him?! He's been there this whole time and I've had guests-" The man was horrified. "I'm calling the cops." He hurried off before they could stop him.
Toby called the organization. They decided to exit the room so they wouldn't implicate themselves. The police didn't keep them long and the four of them were driving back to Manhattan as soon as they'd washed their hands in the nearest gas station.
"I'm glad Private wasn't on that mission." Skipper said in the seat next to his brother.
"No kidding." Toby agreed. "Okay, who wants to talk about it?"
"I don't right now." Kowalski said.
"Fine with me." Toby said. "Let's talk about why you two are being so weird." He glanced at them in the rear-view mirror.
"No." Rico stated.
"My car, my conversation." Toby said. "Now, why are you two walking on eggshells?"
"Is this an appropriate conversation after the events of today?" Kowalski asked.
"No, but when have I ever cared about that? You two need to talk it out."
"I would if he ever said anything." Kowalski muttered. "Skipper, could you tell your brother to back off?"
"Actually, I want to know too." Skipper said. "Remember when you said you'd talk it out and be a team no matter what happened? Well, something happened and the team dynamics are not what you promised."
"Nothing happened because Rico can't bring himself to say if he wants to break up with me or not."
Rico looked at him, startled.
"Is that it? Just tell me why." Kowalski looked at him, his face full of hurt.
"Bad." Rico finally said.
"The relationship's bad?"
"Me. I'm...bad."
"What makes you think that?"
"Red...hurt...I hurt you..."
"I don't blame you for that and you know it."
"I blame."
"Well stop. Stop blaming yourself."
"What if...I kill?"
"You won't. We won't let that happen."
"Rico, we're a team." Skipper said. "We back each other up. We're working on flaws as well as strengths, and this is just one of your flaws."
"'Walski, I'm sorry." Rico sighed.
"All you have to do is talk to me." Kowalski said, holding his hand out.
"Okay." Rico took it.
Private was waiting outside the apartments with Josie when they picked him up. She gave Rico a pointed look.
"All he told me is you two were being awkward after the kidnapping and it might have to do with what went down in Madagascar." Josie said when Kowalski was struggling to ask. "And all I ask is that you don't do what Julien did. Don't break up like that. And don't just freeze him out either, Rico."
"Being around you and Julien was awkward in a bad way." Private admitted.
"I know." Josie said glumly. "I just...I still love him."
"Well school's going to be awkward." Kowalski said.
"Less." Rico told him.
"How'd you find out?" Skipper asked Josie.
"Same way you did, probably. I notice things. I just didn't say anything you didn't." Josie said.
"Thanks." Kowalski said. "I'm sure Julien will come around. Are you sure you don't want to talk to him first?"
"I don't know how much space to give him. He's grieving. I'm sure he knows I'm here for him as a friend." Josie didn't look like she believed her own words. "Don't worry about me, really. I'm more concerned about Marlene, honestly. She hasn't been herself lately, could you help me look after her?"
"Of course." Skipper said. "That's what we're here for."
"I'd love more of this catch up, but I'm due at home soon." Toby said. "Don't stay out too long."
Josie waved as the car drove away. Rico looked back to make sure she'd gone inside. He said she did.
