Kowalski stood outside his home, chest puffed out proudly, feathers ruffled, a rather goofy grin on his face, as he stared at what was before him.
"Is it good, Dad? Did I do a good job?"
Kowalski looked down at his son, a young 企鹅 with tiny tuffs of down feathers clinging to his new, slick ones, much like Kowalski's own memories, both quickly fading reminders of their past. Kowalski notes how long it had taken Kona to lose his feathers; a 年 longer than normal, but just as well, it had been the same for him. Kowalski laid a flipper on Kona's shoulder, and grinned some more.
"Not good, Kona. Fantastic." He said, eying Kona's new invention, a device that could drill through the ice, causing minimal damage to their surroundings, opening new sheltering possibilities.
"Hey Kowalski!" Kowalski and Kona turned to see a 企鹅 running towards them, grinning and waving.
"Kowalski! Kowalski!"
////////
"Kowalski!"
Kowalski was snapped out of his thoughts, at the sound of Skipper's voice.
"Wha-? Oh, Skipper. I'm sorry Skipper, I'm just... not thinking clearly..." He muttered, rubbing his eye with one flipper, as though it would rub away the memory.
Skipper nodded sympathetically. He understood. It had only been a few weeks since Kowalski had up and revealed his life story. Well, most of it anyway. They hadn't been able to look at him the same since. Which was just as well, because Kowalski never really behaved the same since. After having kept all those memories suppressed for so long, just letting them forth like he had, had definitely taken it's tole.
"Right." He replied, giving him a slightly worried look. It went unnoticed 由 Kowalski.
"As I was saying, Private, Rico, and I are going out on recon, and we need 你 to stay and guard the HQ."
Kowalski raised an eyebrow. None of them had ever had to stay behind before. Skipper, sensing the skeptic air about Kowalski, hurriedly continued, but with relaxed words, so not to arouse suspicion on Kowalski's behalf.
"My sources say, the HQ is a secondary target, we can't take the chance of leaving it unguarded."
"Ah, yes." Kowalski nodded.
"Alright, men, roll out!" Skipper, Rico, and Private leaped out the entrance, leaving Kowalski alone, to delve back into his memories.
////////
After getting a few yards from their habitat, Private turned and looked at Skipper.
"Skippa? Do 你 think he suspects anything?" He asked. Skipper shook his head.
"Hard to say, Private, but 你 can't be too careful."
Skipper turned back the other way, eying their destination. A 垃圾箱, 垃圾站 just outside the zoo, it's contents containing a pile of old computers, as the zoo had just been upgraded only hours ago. Skipper looked back to them.
"Operation: Data Retriever is a go."
////////
Marlene hummed to herself as she made her way over to the penguin's habitat. As she did, she absentmindedly wondered what they were doing now. It was late, she'd probably waltz in, greeted with the usual offensive, but that was all fine. She'd probably find it weird had they done anything less.
Then they would 更多 than likely go back to what ever they were doing, usually a card game, perhaps some TV for Private, Rico cooing over his doll, and Skipper and Kowalski at each other in a game of chess. Then again, she noticed how Kowalski had only been 更多 and 更多 distant lately. Marlene still felt responsible for that, as she had been the one to bring up the 问题 that started it all.
"How did 你 do that?"
She had, 或者 course, been referring to the slight of hand he constantly pulled, with his clipboard. She had confronted Skipper about this one night, and he had reassured her that it hadn't been her fault.
"I think he was looking for a way to let out everything anyway." He had said. "It's just not healthy keeping that all bottled up inside."
She agreed, naturally. She knew from experience, that harboring one's feeling for two long could cause a lot of internal conflict. After all, she had been keeping hers to herself for some years now. Ever since she had first moved to the zoo. Ever since she had laid eyes on Skipper.
Skipper, his trademark grin, always full of smugness, and his eyes, that were such and icy blue 你 would have know he were true Arctic material, as the icy, blue-white landscape seemed to be imprinted into his irises.
Marlene sighed, as she reached the door to the HQ. No, keeping your emotion bottled up, it wasn't good for you. Maybe... just maybe, she might find the courage tonight... Slowly, Marlene opened the door.
"Is it good, Dad? Did I do a good job?"
Kowalski looked down at his son, a young 企鹅 with tiny tuffs of down feathers clinging to his new, slick ones, much like Kowalski's own memories, both quickly fading reminders of their past. Kowalski notes how long it had taken Kona to lose his feathers; a 年 longer than normal, but just as well, it had been the same for him. Kowalski laid a flipper on Kona's shoulder, and grinned some more.
"Not good, Kona. Fantastic." He said, eying Kona's new invention, a device that could drill through the ice, causing minimal damage to their surroundings, opening new sheltering possibilities.
"Hey Kowalski!" Kowalski and Kona turned to see a 企鹅 running towards them, grinning and waving.
"Kowalski! Kowalski!"
////////
"Kowalski!"
Kowalski was snapped out of his thoughts, at the sound of Skipper's voice.
"Wha-? Oh, Skipper. I'm sorry Skipper, I'm just... not thinking clearly..." He muttered, rubbing his eye with one flipper, as though it would rub away the memory.
Skipper nodded sympathetically. He understood. It had only been a few weeks since Kowalski had up and revealed his life story. Well, most of it anyway. They hadn't been able to look at him the same since. Which was just as well, because Kowalski never really behaved the same since. After having kept all those memories suppressed for so long, just letting them forth like he had, had definitely taken it's tole.
"Right." He replied, giving him a slightly worried look. It went unnoticed 由 Kowalski.
"As I was saying, Private, Rico, and I are going out on recon, and we need 你 to stay and guard the HQ."
Kowalski raised an eyebrow. None of them had ever had to stay behind before. Skipper, sensing the skeptic air about Kowalski, hurriedly continued, but with relaxed words, so not to arouse suspicion on Kowalski's behalf.
"My sources say, the HQ is a secondary target, we can't take the chance of leaving it unguarded."
"Ah, yes." Kowalski nodded.
"Alright, men, roll out!" Skipper, Rico, and Private leaped out the entrance, leaving Kowalski alone, to delve back into his memories.
////////
After getting a few yards from their habitat, Private turned and looked at Skipper.
"Skippa? Do 你 think he suspects anything?" He asked. Skipper shook his head.
"Hard to say, Private, but 你 can't be too careful."
Skipper turned back the other way, eying their destination. A 垃圾箱, 垃圾站 just outside the zoo, it's contents containing a pile of old computers, as the zoo had just been upgraded only hours ago. Skipper looked back to them.
"Operation: Data Retriever is a go."
////////
Marlene hummed to herself as she made her way over to the penguin's habitat. As she did, she absentmindedly wondered what they were doing now. It was late, she'd probably waltz in, greeted with the usual offensive, but that was all fine. She'd probably find it weird had they done anything less.
Then they would 更多 than likely go back to what ever they were doing, usually a card game, perhaps some TV for Private, Rico cooing over his doll, and Skipper and Kowalski at each other in a game of chess. Then again, she noticed how Kowalski had only been 更多 and 更多 distant lately. Marlene still felt responsible for that, as she had been the one to bring up the 问题 that started it all.
"How did 你 do that?"
She had, 或者 course, been referring to the slight of hand he constantly pulled, with his clipboard. She had confronted Skipper about this one night, and he had reassured her that it hadn't been her fault.
"I think he was looking for a way to let out everything anyway." He had said. "It's just not healthy keeping that all bottled up inside."
She agreed, naturally. She knew from experience, that harboring one's feeling for two long could cause a lot of internal conflict. After all, she had been keeping hers to herself for some years now. Ever since she had first moved to the zoo. Ever since she had laid eyes on Skipper.
Skipper, his trademark grin, always full of smugness, and his eyes, that were such and icy blue 你 would have know he were true Arctic material, as the icy, blue-white landscape seemed to be imprinted into his irises.
Marlene sighed, as she reached the door to the HQ. No, keeping your emotion bottled up, it wasn't good for you. Maybe... just maybe, she might find the courage tonight... Slowly, Marlene opened the door.
