1837 hours
Skipper clamped his eyes shut, waiting for death. But death did not come. He slowly opened his eyes to see Elizabeth towering over him. The blade of the dagger was just an inch from his throat. He could see the hesitation in her eyes and the whites of her knuckles as she clenched the dagger tightly. He slowly brought his hand closer to hers, and saw her eyes dart to it. He halted. He once again looked into her eyes. They were welling up with tears; a bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. He saw her grip slightly loosen on the dagger.
He once again brought his hand closer to hers until he had a hold on the dagger. Elizabeth closed her eyes and allowed him to take it from her. She got off of him, stood up, and turned her back on him. Skipper got to his feet and took a couple steps closer to her. “Why didn’t 你 do it?” He asked slowly.
“Because I can’t! I can’t bring myself to kill someone! I can’t take that kind of guilt!”
“Then why did 你 even consider?”
“Skipper, please just get out of here before I do something I regret.” He could hear her crying through her voice.
“Elizabeth…Whatever is going on I can help you. Just tell me-”
“Just go! Get out of here!” Elizabeth turned around and brushed past him, opening the door for him. Skipper shrugged and walked toward the door, but stopped before fully leaving. “What do I tell Kowalski?”
“It doesn’t matter. He’ll be hurt no matter what 你 tell him. I never meant for any of this to happen. I’ll be gone 由 morning. Please just go…” Skipper nodded sadly and left; Elizabeth shut the door behind him, leaned back against it, and slid to the floor, putting her face in her hands crying.
1846 hours
Skipper walked into the apartment, upset and confused. “What’s wrong then? Where did that dagger come from?”
“It’s a long story Private. I’ll tell 你 later. Where’s Kowalski?”
“In his lab.” Skipper turned on his heel and entered the lab, shutting the door behind him. Walking in he set the dagger on the counter and approached Kowalski, who was burning a chemical on a Bunsen burner.
“Kowalski…I need to tell 你 something.” Kowalski stopped what he was doing and lifted his goggles.
“Yeah Skipper?”
“It’s about Elizabeth. Uh…she’s…not who she says she is.”
“What are 你 talking about? I thought 你 came to trust her?”
“I did…but…earlier…I…saw something. I dug some 更多 into her records and-”
“Why did 你 do that?”
“-And I found out she didn’t exist before eight years ago.”
“What are 你 talking about Skipper?”
“Will 你 please let me finish! I found out that her real name is Amanda Taylor. She fled from Denmark eight years 以前 for unknown reasons and changed her identity. I wanted 答案 so I went to her apartment. She…she tried to kill me. Now before 你 say anything…I don’t think she’s all that dangerous.”
“You’re telling me that before 你 knew all this 你 didn’t trust her then she tries to kill 你 and 你 change your mind!”
“Kowalski!” He slapped him. “Something’s going on. She had the chance to kill me and she didn’t. She’s saying she’ll be gone 由 morning. I think Hans has threatened her with something.” He 说 the words without thinking.
“Hans? What does Hans have to do with Elizabeth?” Skipper looked him sadly in the eye.
“Kowalski…I didn’t want to tell 你 this…but…before she fled from Denmark…she was…married to Hans.” Kowalski’s eyes filled with hurt.
“You’re telling me she…lied about everything?”
“Well…the only things she told the truth about were her status as a nurse and architect. And like I said, I think Hans has threatened her with something. I think we should help her.”
Kowalski thought for a moment. “No.”
“What?”
“I don’t think we should trust her anymore Skipper.”
“Kowalski, I know you’re hurt but-”
“No Skipper. If she wants to leave then let her leave.”
Skipper took a deep breath. “Alright Kowalski.” He turned and left, knowing he’d change his mind after he’d had time to cool off.
Elizabeth wept silently into her hands. What have I done? He’s going to kill my son now…and it’s all my fault…He must feel so scared right now. If only he hadn’t had one of his rats following me I- She picked her head up slightly out of her hands and recalled what the man said. “Hans was right, you’ll believe anything.” She sat there a moment, confused. She got to her feet and wiped away tears, then made her way to the small trash can 下一个 to her bed.
She picked it up and emptied its contents. She dug through the little bit of paper there was and picked up the picture she’d thrown away. She opened it back up and flattened it. She carefully examined the photo. That’s when she recognized it. She recalled when she was at her son’s first dance.
(Flashback)
“Alright Ryan! Smile!” Elizabeth encouraged. Ryan straightened his tie and smiled brightly for the camera. The flash indicated that it was taken. Ryan sat down; he was waiting for his girlfriend to come. Once she did, Ryan smiled. “Hey Susie!” He called. Susie came and sat down 下一个 to him. “Ready to dance?” Susie asked. Ryan had never danced with a girl before; he was terrified at the thought of himself looking like a fool. Elizabeth took the opportunity to take a silly picture of her son. She clicked the camera and looked at the image of her son sitting there with fear in his eyes.
(End Flashback)
Elizabeth plopped on her bed. She looked at the back of the 照片 that 说 ‘HELP’ and thought about how her son’s bookbag was with him when he was kidnapped. They could have easily forged this writing. So if Hans didn’t have her son…then where was he? She frantically got up and went to her suitcase. She opened it up and rummaged through it until she found what she was looking for. A number.
She took out her cell phone and dialed.
“This had better be important Amanda.” It was Hans’s voice.
“I want to speak to my son.” There was a short silence.
“Why?”
“I want to know he’s okay. If I don’t speak to him there’ll be no reason to think that he’s alright, therefore no reason to go through with this mission.” This time the silence was longer. A lot longer.
“You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“…Because…he’s dead.” He stammered. Amanda’s 心 sunk, the phone nearly dropped from her hand.
“What did 你 say?” She asked through clenched teeth.
“He tried to escape and my guard made a mistake. I’m sorry Amanda.”
Amanda tightened her grip on the cell. She hung up on him. Surprisingly she wasn’t crying. She’d cried herself out. She jammed the phone in her pocket and turned around and left her room. She marched through the hallway, her 心 pounding. She knocked on the door to the team’s apartment. The door opened and Kowalski was standing there.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her in shutting off the lights at the same time. Amanda was caught off guard, so she didn’t get the chance to defend herself before she was tied to a chair. The lights turned back on.
“Kowalski I just 说 not to do that!”
“Are 你 really going to trust her!?”
“I don’t trust her! I just think we should hear her side of the story!”
“Every word she says is a lie!”
Amanda stopped struggling to break free from the chair. “I admit I lied but 你 have to hear me out!”
Kowalski stepped toward her choking back tears. “How could you?! I suppose everything we had was just a joke to you!?”
“No Kowalski! I came here to tell 你 the truth!”
“Truth? 你 don’t even know the meaning of the word.”
Amanda opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t. She’d hurt him so much.
“Kowalski, I know she’s hurt you, but I am your commanding officer. I say we should hear her side of the story.” Kowalski sat on the 长椅, 沙发 and crossed his arms.
“Fine. But I do not have to listen.” He sat back, not looking at Amanda. Skipper turned to the others. “Private, untie her.”
“No. Don’t. I feel 更多 comfortable knowing I can’t hurt anyone.” She heard Kowalski scoff. “We’re listening.” Skipper said. Amanda took a deep breath. “It’ll be easier if I start from the beginning.
Eight years ago, Hans and I had been married for three years. One 日 when he was stationed in Denmark, he came into our apartment saying we needed to disappear. Frightened, I ran away. Later I found out he’d committed murder and broke someone out of prison. That’s beside the point though. I then changed my identity and fled the country. What Hans didn’t know is that I was pregnant.” Kowalski turned his head and looked at her in shock. The others were taken 由 surprise as well. Amanda continued. “For eight years I hadn’t seen 或者 heard from Hans. I raised my son without him. Just before I came here is when Hans found me. He 说 if I didn’t kill 你 then he’d kill my son. He told me to use Kowalski to get to you.
When 你 found out about me I panicked. But as I suspected, I wasn’t able to bring myself to murder an innocent life. After you’d left, I found out that Hans had…” Her voice trailed off, finding it difficult to say the words.
“Hans did what?” Private asked.
“He’s already done it…” Tears began welling in her eyes.
“Done what?” Skipper asked.
“He’s already killed him. The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt any of you.” She turned to Kowalski, who was looking at her with sympathy. “Kowalski, I’m so sorry. Out of ever lie I’ve ever told you, I never lied about how I felt about you. You’re an amazing person and 你 deserve someone who makes 你 feel as special as 你 made me feel. 你 deserve someone better than me.” Kowalski watched as she hung her head in shame. He could see everything she’d been through in so little amount of time. He put his hand on her shoulder. “I forgive you.”
“I don’t deserve to be forgiven.”
“Eliz…Amanda, You’ve been put through so much in the past few days. None of this is your fault.”
“It has been a few days hasn’t it? Seems like years. And it is my fault. I could have told 你 what was going on.”
“What kept 你 from doing so?”
“Hans had someone watching me.”
“See? It all goes back to Hans. I don’t blame you.” She turned to look at him. “But I could have killed your-” She was interrupted as Kowalski kissed her. The others shifted in their positions awkwardly; well except for Private, who watched in awe.
Kowalski pulled away and 说 sternly: “You are not to blame.” Amanda remained silent as Kowalski untied her. Skipper kneeled in front of her.
“How do 你 know he killed your son?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s over. I don’t wanna talk about it.”
“Just tell me.”
Amanda sighed. “The 照片 he gave me was doctored. I called him and he confirmed it.”
“Do 你 have a recording of that call?”
“Yeah, my phone records every call I make.”
“Can I hear it?”
“Why?”
“I just want to.”
“Alright.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket.
“This had better be important Amanda.”
“I want to speak to my son.”
“Why?”
“I want to know he’s okay. If I don’t speak to him there’ll be no reason to think that he’s alright, therefore no reason to go through with this mission.”
“You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“…Because…he’s dead.”
“What did 你 say?”
“He tried to escape and my guard made a mistake. I’m sorry Amanda.”
The phone went silent. “Kowalski, zoom in on the sound between the silences.” Skipper ordered.
“What are 你 doing?”
“I think he’s lying. I wanna know what’s going on in the background between those hesitations.” Kowalski fixed the frequency and played it back.
“This had better be important Amanda.”
“I want to speak to my son.”
There was someone else talking in a muffled whisper. “What does she want?”
“She wants to talk to Ryan.”
“Why?”
Now Hans answered. “Why?”
“I want to know he’s okay. If I don’t speak to him there’ll be no reason to think that he’s alright, therefore no reason to go through with this mission.”
“You can’t.”
“Why not?” He was whispering to the other man again. “I’m going to tell her he’s dead.”
“You can’t do that!”
“Just trust me!”
“Because…he’s dead…”
“What did 你 say?”
“He tried to escape and my guard made a mistake. I’m sorry Amanda.”
Amanda couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. “I knew it.” Skipper said.
“But…why would he tell me that?”
“Because he knew you’d come to us, we’d agree to help you, you’d take us to him, he could kill me. He’s smarter than he looks.”
“What are we gonna do?” Private asked.
“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
Skipper clamped his eyes shut, waiting for death. But death did not come. He slowly opened his eyes to see Elizabeth towering over him. The blade of the dagger was just an inch from his throat. He could see the hesitation in her eyes and the whites of her knuckles as she clenched the dagger tightly. He slowly brought his hand closer to hers, and saw her eyes dart to it. He halted. He once again looked into her eyes. They were welling up with tears; a bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. He saw her grip slightly loosen on the dagger.
He once again brought his hand closer to hers until he had a hold on the dagger. Elizabeth closed her eyes and allowed him to take it from her. She got off of him, stood up, and turned her back on him. Skipper got to his feet and took a couple steps closer to her. “Why didn’t 你 do it?” He asked slowly.
“Because I can’t! I can’t bring myself to kill someone! I can’t take that kind of guilt!”
“Then why did 你 even consider?”
“Skipper, please just get out of here before I do something I regret.” He could hear her crying through her voice.
“Elizabeth…Whatever is going on I can help you. Just tell me-”
“Just go! Get out of here!” Elizabeth turned around and brushed past him, opening the door for him. Skipper shrugged and walked toward the door, but stopped before fully leaving. “What do I tell Kowalski?”
“It doesn’t matter. He’ll be hurt no matter what 你 tell him. I never meant for any of this to happen. I’ll be gone 由 morning. Please just go…” Skipper nodded sadly and left; Elizabeth shut the door behind him, leaned back against it, and slid to the floor, putting her face in her hands crying.
1846 hours
Skipper walked into the apartment, upset and confused. “What’s wrong then? Where did that dagger come from?”
“It’s a long story Private. I’ll tell 你 later. Where’s Kowalski?”
“In his lab.” Skipper turned on his heel and entered the lab, shutting the door behind him. Walking in he set the dagger on the counter and approached Kowalski, who was burning a chemical on a Bunsen burner.
“Kowalski…I need to tell 你 something.” Kowalski stopped what he was doing and lifted his goggles.
“Yeah Skipper?”
“It’s about Elizabeth. Uh…she’s…not who she says she is.”
“What are 你 talking about? I thought 你 came to trust her?”
“I did…but…earlier…I…saw something. I dug some 更多 into her records and-”
“Why did 你 do that?”
“-And I found out she didn’t exist before eight years ago.”
“What are 你 talking about Skipper?”
“Will 你 please let me finish! I found out that her real name is Amanda Taylor. She fled from Denmark eight years 以前 for unknown reasons and changed her identity. I wanted 答案 so I went to her apartment. She…she tried to kill me. Now before 你 say anything…I don’t think she’s all that dangerous.”
“You’re telling me that before 你 knew all this 你 didn’t trust her then she tries to kill 你 and 你 change your mind!”
“Kowalski!” He slapped him. “Something’s going on. She had the chance to kill me and she didn’t. She’s saying she’ll be gone 由 morning. I think Hans has threatened her with something.” He 说 the words without thinking.
“Hans? What does Hans have to do with Elizabeth?” Skipper looked him sadly in the eye.
“Kowalski…I didn’t want to tell 你 this…but…before she fled from Denmark…she was…married to Hans.” Kowalski’s eyes filled with hurt.
“You’re telling me she…lied about everything?”
“Well…the only things she told the truth about were her status as a nurse and architect. And like I said, I think Hans has threatened her with something. I think we should help her.”
Kowalski thought for a moment. “No.”
“What?”
“I don’t think we should trust her anymore Skipper.”
“Kowalski, I know you’re hurt but-”
“No Skipper. If she wants to leave then let her leave.”
Skipper took a deep breath. “Alright Kowalski.” He turned and left, knowing he’d change his mind after he’d had time to cool off.
Elizabeth wept silently into her hands. What have I done? He’s going to kill my son now…and it’s all my fault…He must feel so scared right now. If only he hadn’t had one of his rats following me I- She picked her head up slightly out of her hands and recalled what the man said. “Hans was right, you’ll believe anything.” She sat there a moment, confused. She got to her feet and wiped away tears, then made her way to the small trash can 下一个 to her bed.
She picked it up and emptied its contents. She dug through the little bit of paper there was and picked up the picture she’d thrown away. She opened it back up and flattened it. She carefully examined the photo. That’s when she recognized it. She recalled when she was at her son’s first dance.
(Flashback)
“Alright Ryan! Smile!” Elizabeth encouraged. Ryan straightened his tie and smiled brightly for the camera. The flash indicated that it was taken. Ryan sat down; he was waiting for his girlfriend to come. Once she did, Ryan smiled. “Hey Susie!” He called. Susie came and sat down 下一个 to him. “Ready to dance?” Susie asked. Ryan had never danced with a girl before; he was terrified at the thought of himself looking like a fool. Elizabeth took the opportunity to take a silly picture of her son. She clicked the camera and looked at the image of her son sitting there with fear in his eyes.
(End Flashback)
Elizabeth plopped on her bed. She looked at the back of the 照片 that 说 ‘HELP’ and thought about how her son’s bookbag was with him when he was kidnapped. They could have easily forged this writing. So if Hans didn’t have her son…then where was he? She frantically got up and went to her suitcase. She opened it up and rummaged through it until she found what she was looking for. A number.
She took out her cell phone and dialed.
“This had better be important Amanda.” It was Hans’s voice.
“I want to speak to my son.” There was a short silence.
“Why?”
“I want to know he’s okay. If I don’t speak to him there’ll be no reason to think that he’s alright, therefore no reason to go through with this mission.” This time the silence was longer. A lot longer.
“You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“…Because…he’s dead.” He stammered. Amanda’s 心 sunk, the phone nearly dropped from her hand.
“What did 你 say?” She asked through clenched teeth.
“He tried to escape and my guard made a mistake. I’m sorry Amanda.”
Amanda tightened her grip on the cell. She hung up on him. Surprisingly she wasn’t crying. She’d cried herself out. She jammed the phone in her pocket and turned around and left her room. She marched through the hallway, her 心 pounding. She knocked on the door to the team’s apartment. The door opened and Kowalski was standing there.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her in shutting off the lights at the same time. Amanda was caught off guard, so she didn’t get the chance to defend herself before she was tied to a chair. The lights turned back on.
“Kowalski I just 说 not to do that!”
“Are 你 really going to trust her!?”
“I don’t trust her! I just think we should hear her side of the story!”
“Every word she says is a lie!”
Amanda stopped struggling to break free from the chair. “I admit I lied but 你 have to hear me out!”
Kowalski stepped toward her choking back tears. “How could you?! I suppose everything we had was just a joke to you!?”
“No Kowalski! I came here to tell 你 the truth!”
“Truth? 你 don’t even know the meaning of the word.”
Amanda opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t. She’d hurt him so much.
“Kowalski, I know she’s hurt you, but I am your commanding officer. I say we should hear her side of the story.” Kowalski sat on the 长椅, 沙发 and crossed his arms.
“Fine. But I do not have to listen.” He sat back, not looking at Amanda. Skipper turned to the others. “Private, untie her.”
“No. Don’t. I feel 更多 comfortable knowing I can’t hurt anyone.” She heard Kowalski scoff. “We’re listening.” Skipper said. Amanda took a deep breath. “It’ll be easier if I start from the beginning.
Eight years ago, Hans and I had been married for three years. One 日 when he was stationed in Denmark, he came into our apartment saying we needed to disappear. Frightened, I ran away. Later I found out he’d committed murder and broke someone out of prison. That’s beside the point though. I then changed my identity and fled the country. What Hans didn’t know is that I was pregnant.” Kowalski turned his head and looked at her in shock. The others were taken 由 surprise as well. Amanda continued. “For eight years I hadn’t seen 或者 heard from Hans. I raised my son without him. Just before I came here is when Hans found me. He 说 if I didn’t kill 你 then he’d kill my son. He told me to use Kowalski to get to you.
When 你 found out about me I panicked. But as I suspected, I wasn’t able to bring myself to murder an innocent life. After you’d left, I found out that Hans had…” Her voice trailed off, finding it difficult to say the words.
“Hans did what?” Private asked.
“He’s already done it…” Tears began welling in her eyes.
“Done what?” Skipper asked.
“He’s already killed him. The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt any of you.” She turned to Kowalski, who was looking at her with sympathy. “Kowalski, I’m so sorry. Out of ever lie I’ve ever told you, I never lied about how I felt about you. You’re an amazing person and 你 deserve someone who makes 你 feel as special as 你 made me feel. 你 deserve someone better than me.” Kowalski watched as she hung her head in shame. He could see everything she’d been through in so little amount of time. He put his hand on her shoulder. “I forgive you.”
“I don’t deserve to be forgiven.”
“Eliz…Amanda, You’ve been put through so much in the past few days. None of this is your fault.”
“It has been a few days hasn’t it? Seems like years. And it is my fault. I could have told 你 what was going on.”
“What kept 你 from doing so?”
“Hans had someone watching me.”
“See? It all goes back to Hans. I don’t blame you.” She turned to look at him. “But I could have killed your-” She was interrupted as Kowalski kissed her. The others shifted in their positions awkwardly; well except for Private, who watched in awe.
Kowalski pulled away and 说 sternly: “You are not to blame.” Amanda remained silent as Kowalski untied her. Skipper kneeled in front of her.
“How do 你 know he killed your son?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s over. I don’t wanna talk about it.”
“Just tell me.”
Amanda sighed. “The 照片 he gave me was doctored. I called him and he confirmed it.”
“Do 你 have a recording of that call?”
“Yeah, my phone records every call I make.”
“Can I hear it?”
“Why?”
“I just want to.”
“Alright.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket.
“This had better be important Amanda.”
“I want to speak to my son.”
“Why?”
“I want to know he’s okay. If I don’t speak to him there’ll be no reason to think that he’s alright, therefore no reason to go through with this mission.”
“You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“…Because…he’s dead.”
“What did 你 say?”
“He tried to escape and my guard made a mistake. I’m sorry Amanda.”
The phone went silent. “Kowalski, zoom in on the sound between the silences.” Skipper ordered.
“What are 你 doing?”
“I think he’s lying. I wanna know what’s going on in the background between those hesitations.” Kowalski fixed the frequency and played it back.
“This had better be important Amanda.”
“I want to speak to my son.”
There was someone else talking in a muffled whisper. “What does she want?”
“She wants to talk to Ryan.”
“Why?”
Now Hans answered. “Why?”
“I want to know he’s okay. If I don’t speak to him there’ll be no reason to think that he’s alright, therefore no reason to go through with this mission.”
“You can’t.”
“Why not?” He was whispering to the other man again. “I’m going to tell her he’s dead.”
“You can’t do that!”
“Just trust me!”
“Because…he’s dead…”
“What did 你 say?”
“He tried to escape and my guard made a mistake. I’m sorry Amanda.”
Amanda couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. “I knew it.” Skipper said.
“But…why would he tell me that?”
“Because he knew you’d come to us, we’d agree to help you, you’d take us to him, he could kill me. He’s smarter than he looks.”
“What are we gonna do?” Private asked.
“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
The penguins were doing their daily cleaning around their HQ. "Hello silly penguins!" king Julien 说 as he walked into their HQ. "Ringtail? What is with the jogging outfit?" "There is a race soon!" "Ok then...Have fun with that." "But 你 don't understand! There are prizes!" " Ooo! CANDY!" Shouted Private. "Fine! We'll take 你 on in a race ringtail. And I can tell 你 that were going to win!" "Hey guys! Did 你 say something about a race?" Asked Marlene.
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