An alarm sounded to evacuate the infirmary. Everyone was completely caught off guard. The nurses acted on impulse, running out of the infirmary in a panic. Hans snatched the Taser from the guard and took him out, at which time, Rico broke from restraints and Skipper unlocked the handcuffs as he was instructed to do. Rico had taken out a few और guards and Eve went into Skipper’s room. “All clear! Let’s go!” Skipper, Eve, Rico, and Kowalski met outside the room. The four of them began walking toward the stairwell, Hans came down after them.
“Wait! Wait for me!”
Eve turned on him. “No! You’re not coming! Don’t even think about following us!”
“But आप can’t just leave me here!”
Skipper stepped in between them. “We don’t have time to argue! Let’s go!”
They started down the stairs again. “Fine, but he’s not coming in the car!” Eve कहा taking the stairs द्वारा two’s.
“Fine द्वारा me!” Hans replied following. When they reached the bottom of the stairwell, Eve used her identification card to open the exit door. The blaze of the alarms were now mere echoes. Following, they made for the fence that surrounded the prison. Rico regurgitated two plastic spoons and dug a tunnel from the inside to the outside of the fence, then helped Eve, Skipper, and Kowalski out; he let Hans help himself.
Private was there waiting in a small car that could only सीट six and was roofless; Heather was in the back. Kowalski took the wheel, Rico slid to the middle, and Private took the right-passenger seat, and Skipper and Eve got in the back with Heather. Skipper turned to Hans, who was standing अगला to the car. “Sorry, compadre. आप got yourself into this, get yourself out.” With that, Kowalski hit the gas and Hans took off through the woods. Kowalski turned away from the prison, but not unnoticed. A guard from a पहरे की मिनार, वॉच टावर, गुम्मट spotted the getaway car. Private looked in the side view mirror.
“Guys! We have a problem!”
Skipper, Eve, and Heather turned in their seats and stared in shock as three snarling, growling Rottweiler’s pursued them with great speed. Skipper sat up straighter in his सीट to have a better look at the front and rear views. “Kowalski! Lose ‘em in the cemetery!”
Vestre Cemetery was about two miles from the prison. It was fairly easy to lose someone in the cemetery because of its huge area. Kowalski hung a hard left and accelerated; the कुत्ता coming on strong. After they’d entered the cemetery, they were turning and weaving through headstones and twelve-foot high hedges. Now Eve had stood in her सीट like Skipper was doing. They turned to Kowalski and कहा simultaneously: “Serpentine!” They looked at each other in surprise, not expecting the simultaneous outburst, then both smiled deviously.
“Hang on!” Kowalski कहा before taking a sharp turn. The कुत्ता were mere feet away from them. Eve turned to Rico.
“Rico! Gimme a bow and arrow!”
Rico looked at Skipper, not used to taking orders from anyone but him. “You heard her!” Skipper ordered. Rico did as told.
“You’re not going to kill them!?” Private cried.
“No Private…quite the opposite.” Eve replied. “Kowalski! Decrease speed to 50mph!”
“What?!”
“Just trust me!” Kowalski hesitated, then gently eased off of the gas. When the कुत्ता were just a yard behind them, Eve turned to face the front of the car, aimed up, and released the arrow. The ऐरो broke the string that had been holding up a large flag hanging above their path. Kowalski accelerated under it just as it fell and the कुत्ता were immediately entangled in the thick material. Eve admired her handiwork and sat back down; Skipper settled अगला to her.
“Nice aim. Perfect timing, too.”
“Thanks. Years of practice, I suppose.”
Private turned in his seat. “We did it, Skipper! You’re free!”
Skipper smiled. “Well, आप got me out of prison. I won’t be free until we get out of Denmark. I’m proud of you, Private.” Private smiled and he and Skipper embraced over the seats. Kowalski found the exit and hung a right. Skipper and Private separated and Skipper asked Kowalski: “So, where are we headed, Kowalski?”
“The airport. There’s a flight leaving for New Jersey in half an hour.”
“Jersey?”
“Well, the अगला flight to New York won’t leave until morning. I figured you’d rather get out of Denmark ASAP.”
“Fine द्वारा me.” Skipper कहा leaning back in his seat.
He turned to Eve, who was smiling in triumph. They embraced, then Eve pulled away and said: “I don’t believe आप two have officially met. This is my younger sister, Heather.” Heather smiled shyly.
“It’s nice to finally meet आप Heather. I look आगे to getting to know आप better.” Skipper कहा with a friendly smile. Heather signed with a shy smile.
“She says it’s nice to meet you, too.” Eve translated. Rico turned and asked Skipper something.
“Great idea, Rico!” Rico regurgitated the speak-and-spell and Heather accepted it with a smile. “Here ya go, Heather. आप can use this to communicate with us if Evelyn isn’t there to translate.” Heather’s smile faded and she looked at Eve, who too was looking at him in shock and confusion. “What?”
“How do आप know my full name?” Eve asked.
Skipper thought for a moment, then shrugged. “You didn’t tell me? I could’ve sworn आप did.”
Eve looked down slightly. “No, I didn’t. Just don’t call me that anymore, okay?”
“Alright, but…may I ask why?”
Eve was silent for a moment, then looked up at him out of the corner of her eye. “It, um…was what my mother called me before we were taken from her. She looked at Heather, who looked from Eve to Skipper. There was something about the look in her eyes that indicated that there was something they were hiding, but Skipper ignored it.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Eve smiled up at him. “Don’t worry about it. That was the past. Let’s worry about आप now.”
Skipper smiled sympathetically and wrapped his flipper around her, followed द्वारा the small sound of Private’s giggling from the front seat. “Very mature, Private.” Skipper कहा sarcastically.
Private ceased giggling. “What? I didn’t do anything…”
“Private, I can see आप in the rear view mirror.” Skipper replied, almost laughing.
Private suppressed a giggle. “You didn’t see anything.” Nobody could contain themselves; everyone burst out laughing.
“Guys! Please! I’m driving!” Kowalski said, hardly able to breathe.
“Sorry, Kowalski! I couldn’t help myself!” Private कहा between laughs.
“‘Sokay. We’re almost there anyway.”
“Boy, can I not wait to get home. I miss New York. How long has it been?” Skipper asked; Eve settled closer to him, using his soft chest feathers as a pillow.
“About two weeks, believe it या not.” Kowalski answered.
“Two weeks? But…that means…”
“Christmas is tomorrow, Skipper.” Skipper looked down. “I can’t believe so much time has passed.”
“We’ve all लॉस्ट track of time.” Private कहा slowly.
Suddenly the sound of the speak-and-spell caught their attention. “At least we all get to spend it together.”
Skipper looked at his men, then down at Eve, who looked back into his eyes. “Yeah, together.” Skipper कहा nudging her shoulder.
Eve smiled. “Together.” She कहा turning her head to Heather and taking her flipper. Skipper was about to ask how much further it was when a plane soared low over their heads; the roar of the engines was nearly deafening. After a short, seven मिनट drive, Kowalski turned into a patch of shrubbery that lead to a fence; behind it was the large runway. A plane had just taken off and another plane was busy boarding passengers.
“Alright, Rico, just like we planned it.” Kowalski कहा quietly. Rico nodded and leapt out of the car. After doing so, he regurgitated a pair of wire cutters. He then cut a large opening in the fence and pulled back the piece. Kowalski drove through and Rico retook his place in the car. They silently and stealthily rode through the long stretch of planes that were parked in the hangar and snuck around to the luggage area and when all was clear, they drove up the ramp and parked close to the back, hidden in the luggage. Nobody कहा a word until the sound of the back of the plane closed, when everyone seemed to finally be able to breathe. After the lurch from the liftoff, they got out of the car and stretched their limbs. Kowalski, Rico, and Skipper took off their jumpsuits and Rico got rid of the evidence.
Skipper turned to his men. “Well, boys, it looks like it’s time for a well-deserved round if high fives!” The team smiled and shared their high fives. Eve and Heather embraced tightly, almost not believing that they’d won. They hadn’t been able to spend any real time together in years.
Eve pulled away and turned to Skipper. “Heather and I are going to go for a walk. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Skipper nodded. “So do my team and I. Meet back here in an hour. We’ll need our sleep for morning. Flight lands at…what was that time Kowalski?”
“0600.” Kowalski answered.
Eve nodded. “Okay.” She turned and walked off with Heather.
Skipper turned toward his men as Private asked: “So what happened after they took us?”
“It’s a long story.” Skipper started, leaning against the car. For the अगला half-hour या so, he went into great detail about his only thoughts on his journey through snow, dogs, and of course their encounter with Officer X.
“Oh, not X! That guy needs to get a life!” Kowalski exclaimed.
“I know, right!” Skipper कहा in agreement.
“Well, we did ruin his life to begin with…” Private pointed out.
“Ha! Sweet and naïve Private. With a man as nutso as him, it was bound to happen eventually. We just happened to be the ones to start it off.” Skipper explained nonchalantly.
“So how exactly did it happen with आप and Eve?” Kowalski asked.
Skipper blushed slightly. “Well…uh…it was…”
“Come on, Skipper! Don’t be shy! आप weren’t this shy when आप met Ms. Kitka.” Private pointed out.
“Well, yeah, but…this is different. I’ve never met anyone like Eve before. She’s…amazing.” His men let out a resounding, “Aw…” and Skipper blushed harder. “Oh, come on!” Private nudged him and Skipper pushed his flipper away. “Stop! I will not have this unit going soft!”
“Says the loverboy!” Kowalski teased.
“That’s not funny, Kowalski!” Skipper said, though he was laughing himself.
Private wiped away a tear. “Sorry, Skipper. It really is sweet. So when did it start? Was it awkward?”
Skipper sighed. “Remember when I told आप about the drug testers?” His team nodded. “After we broke out…we were…caught up in the moment…and…we kissed.” He finally admitted. His team smiled in awe. “It was…unexpected. When she first came to see me in the prison, it became something more. It sort of just…happened.” Suddenly a rustle was heard behind them. Skipper turned. “Eve? Heather? Is that you?” There was the sound of footsteps. Skipper, now suspicious that they weren’t alone, crept up to the luggage. He climbed on चोटी, शीर्ष of a tall one and looked around. A zipper on one of the suitcases caught his eye; it had just closed itself. Skipper jumped down and crept up to it; his team was now behind him, poised for combat. Skipper rapidly unzipped it and flung it open.
“No! I come in peace! Don’t hurt me!” Hans pleaded shielding himself with a toddler’s shoe.
“Oh, great! How did you get here?!” Skipper asked, outraged.
“I heard some humans talking about going to New Jersey, I hitched a ride! Of course, I have the good luck of picking the same flight you were on!”
Kowalski got Rico locked and loaded, aiming him at Hans. “I got a clear shot, Skipper.”
“Hold your fire. I have a better plan.” Skipper कहा with a devious smirk. Hans gulped.
Despite Hans’s struggling, it didn’t take long to strap him to a little girls’ बार्बी bookbag. Just for kicks, Rico put a गुलाबी bow on his head. None of them could contain their laughter. “Oh, very funny! This isn’t fair! Come on!”
Skipper spoke between laughs. “Rico, shut him up!” Rico was laughing so hard that whenever he tried to regurgitate some duct tape he ended up hacking up a shoe या a crowbar. Finally he managed to get what was needed and put a piece over Hans’s beak.
Meanwhile, while all this was going on, Eve and Heather were discussing important matters. “Heather, he doesn’t know about Alastair being our father. They don’t know about what happened when we were children. And they most certainly do not know about Private. So I don’t want आप to say a word.” Heather signed. “The reason I wasn’t truthful at first was because I just wasn’t sure if I could trust him. Then after all of this…I can’t tell him that I’ve lied about everything. He’ll never look at me the same. Especially if he knows about Alastair.” Heather signed again. “Well, I suppose you’re right. But I’d rather not tell him until I’m ready. आप will let me tell him, right?” Heather sighed and nodded. “Thank you, Heather.”
Afterwards, they discussed everything they’d been through in the past that they hadn’t been able to talk about before. When they were ready to go back, they curiously followed the sounds of laughter. The moment they saw Hans, they stared in shock for a moment, then when they let sink in what the penguins had done to him, they fell over laughing. The team helped them to their feet as they left him and went back to the car. “Alright, I’ll sleep in the backseat.” Skipper said.
“I’ll take the front.” Eve replied.
“I’ll sleep over here in this suitcase.” Private कहा approaching a suitcase that was filled with blankets.
“I guess I’ll sleep over here.” Kowalski कहा making himself comfortable on a cloth suitcase.
Heather lay down in a patch of blankets.
“I stan’ ‘uard!” Rico exclaimed.
“Alright, Rico. If आप get too tired though, wake me up and I’ll take your shift.” Skipper ordered. Rico nodded. “G’night everyone.”
Everyone कहा their goodnights, and went to sleep.
Skipper was sleeping soundly, until he started having flashes. He kept seeing Eve with another penguin; the two of them kissed and were happy together. He couldn’t wake himself up, but eventually someone shook him awake. It was about 0300 EST now. “Wha? Oh, हे Rico. Need some sleep?” Rico nodded. “Alright. आप can take my place here in the car.” Skipper कहा getting out of the car. Rico laid down in the backseat and instantly found sleep. Skipper walked around, trying to stay awake. Though, he couldn’t stop thinking about the dream he’d had. What was that about anyway? He double-checked that Hans was still the way they’d left him, and when he was, he found himself completely bored. It was almost too much to bear. So to keep himself awake, he started doing push-ups. He’d done about fifty when he heard a small whimper. He got to his feet and saw Private squirming in his little make-shift bed. He walked over to him and stroked his face.
“Private?” Private just turned over in his position and whimpered again. Skipper shook him gently. “Private!” He whispered. Private abruptly sat upright and breathed heavily. “Private, it’s okay. I’m here. It was just a nightmare.” Private looked at him and hugged him tightly.
“Skipper! It was horrible! I was all alone! I couldn’t find आप anywhere! And when I did, आप were…you were…”
“Sh, it’s okay, Private. It was just a dream.”
Private pulled away and wiped away a tear. “Would it be okay if I stayed up with you? आप know…just until I can fall asleep again?”
“Of course, Private. Come on.” Skipper कहा softly.
Private smiled slightly and hopped down off of the suitcase. The two of them waddled back to the car and sat down, leaning against it. Private leaned on his shoulder. “Skipper?” He whispered.
“Yeah, Private?”
“Can I ask आप something?”
“Anything.”
“I was just wondering…where did आप find me?”
Skipper’s दिल jumped. Suddenly the image of Eve and Heather in his Captain’s quarters from years पूर्व flashed through his mind. “Skipper?”
“Huh? Oh…well, it’s not a very nice story. I don’t know if you’re ready to hear it.”
“Please, Skipper? I want to know. I can handle it.
Skipper sighed. “Well, when I was in the army, I was doing some of my regular scheduled reckon. I…heard something in the woods. It was a wolf, attacking a penguin. I shot the wolf, but…not before he harmed the penguin. Private…this पेंगुइन was your mother. I couldn’t save her. The wound was too deep. The last thing she did was make me promise to always take care of you, and to keep आप safe.”
For a moment, Private कहा nothing. Then he said, “You weren’t afraid that…you’d lose me या something?”
“Private, that was the only thing going through my mind. ‘What if I lose him?’ ‘What if I’m not able to care for him?’ ‘What if he grows up and hates me?’ I couldn’t think of anything else but keeping आप safe. I put आप before I put even my soldiers.”
Private looked up at him. “Really?” Skipper nodded. Private turned and they embraced. Meanwhile, in the car, Eve had heard the talking and had awoken. She heard everything. She nearly began to cry. Skipper had done a top-notch job of taking care of Private. He treated him as if he really were his own son. She could hardly sleep for the अगला three hours.
“Rise and shine, everyone!” Skipper announced walking around, poking everyone awake. They all woke with a yawn. “Come on, the planes’ about to land. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride!” All of them sluggishly walked to the car and climbed in. A few मिनटों later, there was a big lurch, and soon the plane came to a stop and the engines silenced. The luggage compartment was opened again and Kowalski drove out of the back and through the hangar. They were then on the road to New York.
Everyone took in the familiar sights and sounds of the city. Everything was absolutely magnificent with all of the क्रिस्मस décor lighting up the morning dawn. They continued on their way until they reached the states’ border at around 1137 hours. “We’re almost there!” Private exclaimed.
“Correctamundo, Private!” Skipper resounded.
“I can’t wait.” Eve कहा gently.
It took about four और hours to make it to Manhattan, and not too long after that, to the zoo. The first thing they noticed was the big sign on the door. Closed for Christmas.
Skipper smiled. “Merry Christmas, everyone.” Everyone replied with their ‘Merry Christmas’s’ and Kowalski parked the car behind a bush.
“Come on, our secret hatch is right through here.” The six of them walked through the hatch that was right अगला to the zoo gates and entered the zoo. None of the जानवर were seen in their habitats.
“Kowalski, analysis.” Skipper ordered.
“Perhaps they’re at the Zoovenir Shop.” Kowalski suggested.
“Right. हटाइए out!” They slid to the खरीडिए and sure enough, there they were. They snuck in through the side, hoping to surprise them.
“…and have been missing for exactly two weeks now, but I assure आप that they’re coming back. They always do.” Marlene was saying.
“But what about the Christmas? They could be being in ग्रेवी danger now!” King Julien replied.
“Well, Ringtail. I didn’t expect you’d miss us that much.” Everyone turned at the sound of Skipper’s voice with mouths gaping.
“It’s Skipper!”
“They’re back!”
“Who’s the other two?”
“Where have आप all been?”
Everyone was asking सवालों at the same time, making it hard to keep up. “Excuse me! Everyone! Where we’ve been is a very long story. A story I wish to tell after we enjoy क्रिस्मस together. Deal?” Everyone smiled and nodded happily.
“Eh, excuse me, bossy penguin. I am demanding to know what has become of आप all this instant. And आप must answer, because I am king.” Julien said. “And let us be starting with who they are.” He कहा pointing at Eve and Heather.
“Ah, Ringtail. I must admit, out of all of the फ्रेंड्स here that I’ve missed, आप have to go at the bottom of the list.” Skipper कहा crossing his flippers. “Is it too much to ask to enjoy क्रिस्मस with all of our फ्रेंड्स before going into the long, long story about where we’ve been?”
“Ugh! Fine! But आप have to at least tell us who they are.”
Skipper turned to Eve and Heather. “Everyone, these two are very special फ्रेंड्स of ours. Eve, and her younger sister Heather. I’m sure आप all will get to know and प्यार them the way I ha…uh…we have.” Skipper ended nervously. Eve suppressed a giggle. “So, let’s get on with क्रिस्मस shall we?”
The rest of the दिन was filled with presents and क्रिस्मस cheers. No one could believe the penguins had made it back, especially in time for Christmas. Snow had begun to drift over New York and it had made it that much better. Before turning in for the night, Skipper and Eve चुरा लिया away from everyone and went for a walk on the other side of the zoo.
“So…how are आप feeling?” Skipper asked.
“I’m feeling fine. I haven’t had this much of a good time in years. In fact, I haven’t ever really celebrated क्रिस्मस since I was two.” Eve replied.
Skipper stopped and leaned against the back door of the Zoovenir Shop. “Wow. आप know…you never really told me. What did Alastair have against your mother? I mean, why would he want to steal आप from her?” Eve thought for a moment, not sure of how to answer that. She looked up at the sky, as if hoping an answer would fall down and hit her in the face, but instead found something else. “What?” Skipper asked, unsure of what she was looking at. He looked up and then saw it. Right above their heads…was mistletoe. Eve looked down shyly and Skipper blushed slightly.
“Well…um…heh…” Eve कहा with a nervous laugh.
Skipper smiled, gently took her द्वारा the flipper, and pulled her close, wrapping his flippers around her waist. “Merry Christmas, Eve.” He कहा softly.
“Merry Christmas, Skipper.” They both smiled and Skipper pressed his beak to hers. It didn’t last long before Julien came bounding around the corner.
The separated and looked at him as he said: “Oh, there आप are, penguin! I’ve been looking for आप everywhe—” He looked at how they were pulled together with his mouth gaping. “Oh…am I interrupting? आप know, just a little bit? Uh…well…you-you know…it can wait. I’ll…uh…you know…be catching आप later. Oh! Do आप hear that? Maurice is calling my name!” He stumbled backward over his feet and quickly got back up. “Coming Maurice!” He कहा going back around the corner.
Skipper and Eve laughed and turned back to each other. “You know he’s still watching, right?” Eve whispered. आप could still see part of Julien’s ear around the corner.
“Ah, I don’t care. Let him watch. Where were we?” Skipper कहा with a sly smile.
“Hm, I don’t remember. You’ll have to refresh my memory.” Eve answered. Skipper smiled and they shared another kiss.
The अगला morning, the penguins woke up in their habitat. Rico had set up a temporary sleeping area for Eve and Heather, just until they worked something out. Skipper brewed his coffee and drank in satisfaction. Private turned on the news.
None of them could believe what they saw. Private turned up the volume as the video played. It was Skipper and Eve, jumping off of the counter in the drug testing place. Chuck Charles’s voice was heard explaining what was happening. “…the impossible truth of the Central Park penguins. No one has seen these penguins in two weeks now. Whoever turns in these penguins will receive a reward of $10000 cash. The penguins will then be sent to a government facility where they will be tested and experimented on. Now let’s hear it from the man who tried and failed to convince us before of the penguins’ actions.”
अगला shown on the screen was Officer X, he had his uniform back on and was in a live studio. “I tried to tell आप all that those penguins were crazy! And now that I’m head of the animal control office, I will be sure that these penguins are brought to custody and never to be seen again on the streets of New York. They’re dangerous and not to be trusted.”
Now Chuck Charles was back on the screen. “You heard it here first. If आप have seen any of these penguins, call 1-800-555-0617 immediately. Do not attempt to approach them, they are dangerous.”
The penguins looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Finally, Skipper broke the silence. “This…is bad.”
End of Part 2
“Wait! Wait for me!”
Eve turned on him. “No! You’re not coming! Don’t even think about following us!”
“But आप can’t just leave me here!”
Skipper stepped in between them. “We don’t have time to argue! Let’s go!”
They started down the stairs again. “Fine, but he’s not coming in the car!” Eve कहा taking the stairs द्वारा two’s.
“Fine द्वारा me!” Hans replied following. When they reached the bottom of the stairwell, Eve used her identification card to open the exit door. The blaze of the alarms were now mere echoes. Following, they made for the fence that surrounded the prison. Rico regurgitated two plastic spoons and dug a tunnel from the inside to the outside of the fence, then helped Eve, Skipper, and Kowalski out; he let Hans help himself.
Private was there waiting in a small car that could only सीट six and was roofless; Heather was in the back. Kowalski took the wheel, Rico slid to the middle, and Private took the right-passenger seat, and Skipper and Eve got in the back with Heather. Skipper turned to Hans, who was standing अगला to the car. “Sorry, compadre. आप got yourself into this, get yourself out.” With that, Kowalski hit the gas and Hans took off through the woods. Kowalski turned away from the prison, but not unnoticed. A guard from a पहरे की मिनार, वॉच टावर, गुम्मट spotted the getaway car. Private looked in the side view mirror.
“Guys! We have a problem!”
Skipper, Eve, and Heather turned in their seats and stared in shock as three snarling, growling Rottweiler’s pursued them with great speed. Skipper sat up straighter in his सीट to have a better look at the front and rear views. “Kowalski! Lose ‘em in the cemetery!”
Vestre Cemetery was about two miles from the prison. It was fairly easy to lose someone in the cemetery because of its huge area. Kowalski hung a hard left and accelerated; the कुत्ता coming on strong. After they’d entered the cemetery, they were turning and weaving through headstones and twelve-foot high hedges. Now Eve had stood in her सीट like Skipper was doing. They turned to Kowalski and कहा simultaneously: “Serpentine!” They looked at each other in surprise, not expecting the simultaneous outburst, then both smiled deviously.
“Hang on!” Kowalski कहा before taking a sharp turn. The कुत्ता were mere feet away from them. Eve turned to Rico.
“Rico! Gimme a bow and arrow!”
Rico looked at Skipper, not used to taking orders from anyone but him. “You heard her!” Skipper ordered. Rico did as told.
“You’re not going to kill them!?” Private cried.
“No Private…quite the opposite.” Eve replied. “Kowalski! Decrease speed to 50mph!”
“What?!”
“Just trust me!” Kowalski hesitated, then gently eased off of the gas. When the कुत्ता were just a yard behind them, Eve turned to face the front of the car, aimed up, and released the arrow. The ऐरो broke the string that had been holding up a large flag hanging above their path. Kowalski accelerated under it just as it fell and the कुत्ता were immediately entangled in the thick material. Eve admired her handiwork and sat back down; Skipper settled अगला to her.
“Nice aim. Perfect timing, too.”
“Thanks. Years of practice, I suppose.”
Private turned in his seat. “We did it, Skipper! You’re free!”
Skipper smiled. “Well, आप got me out of prison. I won’t be free until we get out of Denmark. I’m proud of you, Private.” Private smiled and he and Skipper embraced over the seats. Kowalski found the exit and hung a right. Skipper and Private separated and Skipper asked Kowalski: “So, where are we headed, Kowalski?”
“The airport. There’s a flight leaving for New Jersey in half an hour.”
“Jersey?”
“Well, the अगला flight to New York won’t leave until morning. I figured you’d rather get out of Denmark ASAP.”
“Fine द्वारा me.” Skipper कहा leaning back in his seat.
He turned to Eve, who was smiling in triumph. They embraced, then Eve pulled away and said: “I don’t believe आप two have officially met. This is my younger sister, Heather.” Heather smiled shyly.
“It’s nice to finally meet आप Heather. I look आगे to getting to know आप better.” Skipper कहा with a friendly smile. Heather signed with a shy smile.
“She says it’s nice to meet you, too.” Eve translated. Rico turned and asked Skipper something.
“Great idea, Rico!” Rico regurgitated the speak-and-spell and Heather accepted it with a smile. “Here ya go, Heather. आप can use this to communicate with us if Evelyn isn’t there to translate.” Heather’s smile faded and she looked at Eve, who too was looking at him in shock and confusion. “What?”
“How do आप know my full name?” Eve asked.
Skipper thought for a moment, then shrugged. “You didn’t tell me? I could’ve sworn आप did.”
Eve looked down slightly. “No, I didn’t. Just don’t call me that anymore, okay?”
“Alright, but…may I ask why?”
Eve was silent for a moment, then looked up at him out of the corner of her eye. “It, um…was what my mother called me before we were taken from her. She looked at Heather, who looked from Eve to Skipper. There was something about the look in her eyes that indicated that there was something they were hiding, but Skipper ignored it.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Eve smiled up at him. “Don’t worry about it. That was the past. Let’s worry about आप now.”
Skipper smiled sympathetically and wrapped his flipper around her, followed द्वारा the small sound of Private’s giggling from the front seat. “Very mature, Private.” Skipper कहा sarcastically.
Private ceased giggling. “What? I didn’t do anything…”
“Private, I can see आप in the rear view mirror.” Skipper replied, almost laughing.
Private suppressed a giggle. “You didn’t see anything.” Nobody could contain themselves; everyone burst out laughing.
“Guys! Please! I’m driving!” Kowalski said, hardly able to breathe.
“Sorry, Kowalski! I couldn’t help myself!” Private कहा between laughs.
“‘Sokay. We’re almost there anyway.”
“Boy, can I not wait to get home. I miss New York. How long has it been?” Skipper asked; Eve settled closer to him, using his soft chest feathers as a pillow.
“About two weeks, believe it या not.” Kowalski answered.
“Two weeks? But…that means…”
“Christmas is tomorrow, Skipper.” Skipper looked down. “I can’t believe so much time has passed.”
“We’ve all लॉस्ट track of time.” Private कहा slowly.
Suddenly the sound of the speak-and-spell caught their attention. “At least we all get to spend it together.”
Skipper looked at his men, then down at Eve, who looked back into his eyes. “Yeah, together.” Skipper कहा nudging her shoulder.
Eve smiled. “Together.” She कहा turning her head to Heather and taking her flipper. Skipper was about to ask how much further it was when a plane soared low over their heads; the roar of the engines was nearly deafening. After a short, seven मिनट drive, Kowalski turned into a patch of shrubbery that lead to a fence; behind it was the large runway. A plane had just taken off and another plane was busy boarding passengers.
“Alright, Rico, just like we planned it.” Kowalski कहा quietly. Rico nodded and leapt out of the car. After doing so, he regurgitated a pair of wire cutters. He then cut a large opening in the fence and pulled back the piece. Kowalski drove through and Rico retook his place in the car. They silently and stealthily rode through the long stretch of planes that were parked in the hangar and snuck around to the luggage area and when all was clear, they drove up the ramp and parked close to the back, hidden in the luggage. Nobody कहा a word until the sound of the back of the plane closed, when everyone seemed to finally be able to breathe. After the lurch from the liftoff, they got out of the car and stretched their limbs. Kowalski, Rico, and Skipper took off their jumpsuits and Rico got rid of the evidence.
Skipper turned to his men. “Well, boys, it looks like it’s time for a well-deserved round if high fives!” The team smiled and shared their high fives. Eve and Heather embraced tightly, almost not believing that they’d won. They hadn’t been able to spend any real time together in years.
Eve pulled away and turned to Skipper. “Heather and I are going to go for a walk. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Skipper nodded. “So do my team and I. Meet back here in an hour. We’ll need our sleep for morning. Flight lands at…what was that time Kowalski?”
“0600.” Kowalski answered.
Eve nodded. “Okay.” She turned and walked off with Heather.
Skipper turned toward his men as Private asked: “So what happened after they took us?”
“It’s a long story.” Skipper started, leaning against the car. For the अगला half-hour या so, he went into great detail about his only thoughts on his journey through snow, dogs, and of course their encounter with Officer X.
“Oh, not X! That guy needs to get a life!” Kowalski exclaimed.
“I know, right!” Skipper कहा in agreement.
“Well, we did ruin his life to begin with…” Private pointed out.
“Ha! Sweet and naïve Private. With a man as nutso as him, it was bound to happen eventually. We just happened to be the ones to start it off.” Skipper explained nonchalantly.
“So how exactly did it happen with आप and Eve?” Kowalski asked.
Skipper blushed slightly. “Well…uh…it was…”
“Come on, Skipper! Don’t be shy! आप weren’t this shy when आप met Ms. Kitka.” Private pointed out.
“Well, yeah, but…this is different. I’ve never met anyone like Eve before. She’s…amazing.” His men let out a resounding, “Aw…” and Skipper blushed harder. “Oh, come on!” Private nudged him and Skipper pushed his flipper away. “Stop! I will not have this unit going soft!”
“Says the loverboy!” Kowalski teased.
“That’s not funny, Kowalski!” Skipper said, though he was laughing himself.
Private wiped away a tear. “Sorry, Skipper. It really is sweet. So when did it start? Was it awkward?”
Skipper sighed. “Remember when I told आप about the drug testers?” His team nodded. “After we broke out…we were…caught up in the moment…and…we kissed.” He finally admitted. His team smiled in awe. “It was…unexpected. When she first came to see me in the prison, it became something more. It sort of just…happened.” Suddenly a rustle was heard behind them. Skipper turned. “Eve? Heather? Is that you?” There was the sound of footsteps. Skipper, now suspicious that they weren’t alone, crept up to the luggage. He climbed on चोटी, शीर्ष of a tall one and looked around. A zipper on one of the suitcases caught his eye; it had just closed itself. Skipper jumped down and crept up to it; his team was now behind him, poised for combat. Skipper rapidly unzipped it and flung it open.
“No! I come in peace! Don’t hurt me!” Hans pleaded shielding himself with a toddler’s shoe.
“Oh, great! How did you get here?!” Skipper asked, outraged.
“I heard some humans talking about going to New Jersey, I hitched a ride! Of course, I have the good luck of picking the same flight you were on!”
Kowalski got Rico locked and loaded, aiming him at Hans. “I got a clear shot, Skipper.”
“Hold your fire. I have a better plan.” Skipper कहा with a devious smirk. Hans gulped.
Despite Hans’s struggling, it didn’t take long to strap him to a little girls’ बार्बी bookbag. Just for kicks, Rico put a गुलाबी bow on his head. None of them could contain their laughter. “Oh, very funny! This isn’t fair! Come on!”
Skipper spoke between laughs. “Rico, shut him up!” Rico was laughing so hard that whenever he tried to regurgitate some duct tape he ended up hacking up a shoe या a crowbar. Finally he managed to get what was needed and put a piece over Hans’s beak.
Meanwhile, while all this was going on, Eve and Heather were discussing important matters. “Heather, he doesn’t know about Alastair being our father. They don’t know about what happened when we were children. And they most certainly do not know about Private. So I don’t want आप to say a word.” Heather signed. “The reason I wasn’t truthful at first was because I just wasn’t sure if I could trust him. Then after all of this…I can’t tell him that I’ve lied about everything. He’ll never look at me the same. Especially if he knows about Alastair.” Heather signed again. “Well, I suppose you’re right. But I’d rather not tell him until I’m ready. आप will let me tell him, right?” Heather sighed and nodded. “Thank you, Heather.”
Afterwards, they discussed everything they’d been through in the past that they hadn’t been able to talk about before. When they were ready to go back, they curiously followed the sounds of laughter. The moment they saw Hans, they stared in shock for a moment, then when they let sink in what the penguins had done to him, they fell over laughing. The team helped them to their feet as they left him and went back to the car. “Alright, I’ll sleep in the backseat.” Skipper said.
“I’ll take the front.” Eve replied.
“I’ll sleep over here in this suitcase.” Private कहा approaching a suitcase that was filled with blankets.
“I guess I’ll sleep over here.” Kowalski कहा making himself comfortable on a cloth suitcase.
Heather lay down in a patch of blankets.
“I stan’ ‘uard!” Rico exclaimed.
“Alright, Rico. If आप get too tired though, wake me up and I’ll take your shift.” Skipper ordered. Rico nodded. “G’night everyone.”
Everyone कहा their goodnights, and went to sleep.
Skipper was sleeping soundly, until he started having flashes. He kept seeing Eve with another penguin; the two of them kissed and were happy together. He couldn’t wake himself up, but eventually someone shook him awake. It was about 0300 EST now. “Wha? Oh, हे Rico. Need some sleep?” Rico nodded. “Alright. आप can take my place here in the car.” Skipper कहा getting out of the car. Rico laid down in the backseat and instantly found sleep. Skipper walked around, trying to stay awake. Though, he couldn’t stop thinking about the dream he’d had. What was that about anyway? He double-checked that Hans was still the way they’d left him, and when he was, he found himself completely bored. It was almost too much to bear. So to keep himself awake, he started doing push-ups. He’d done about fifty when he heard a small whimper. He got to his feet and saw Private squirming in his little make-shift bed. He walked over to him and stroked his face.
“Private?” Private just turned over in his position and whimpered again. Skipper shook him gently. “Private!” He whispered. Private abruptly sat upright and breathed heavily. “Private, it’s okay. I’m here. It was just a nightmare.” Private looked at him and hugged him tightly.
“Skipper! It was horrible! I was all alone! I couldn’t find आप anywhere! And when I did, आप were…you were…”
“Sh, it’s okay, Private. It was just a dream.”
Private pulled away and wiped away a tear. “Would it be okay if I stayed up with you? आप know…just until I can fall asleep again?”
“Of course, Private. Come on.” Skipper कहा softly.
Private smiled slightly and hopped down off of the suitcase. The two of them waddled back to the car and sat down, leaning against it. Private leaned on his shoulder. “Skipper?” He whispered.
“Yeah, Private?”
“Can I ask आप something?”
“Anything.”
“I was just wondering…where did आप find me?”
Skipper’s दिल jumped. Suddenly the image of Eve and Heather in his Captain’s quarters from years पूर्व flashed through his mind. “Skipper?”
“Huh? Oh…well, it’s not a very nice story. I don’t know if you’re ready to hear it.”
“Please, Skipper? I want to know. I can handle it.
Skipper sighed. “Well, when I was in the army, I was doing some of my regular scheduled reckon. I…heard something in the woods. It was a wolf, attacking a penguin. I shot the wolf, but…not before he harmed the penguin. Private…this पेंगुइन was your mother. I couldn’t save her. The wound was too deep. The last thing she did was make me promise to always take care of you, and to keep आप safe.”
For a moment, Private कहा nothing. Then he said, “You weren’t afraid that…you’d lose me या something?”
“Private, that was the only thing going through my mind. ‘What if I lose him?’ ‘What if I’m not able to care for him?’ ‘What if he grows up and hates me?’ I couldn’t think of anything else but keeping आप safe. I put आप before I put even my soldiers.”
Private looked up at him. “Really?” Skipper nodded. Private turned and they embraced. Meanwhile, in the car, Eve had heard the talking and had awoken. She heard everything. She nearly began to cry. Skipper had done a top-notch job of taking care of Private. He treated him as if he really were his own son. She could hardly sleep for the अगला three hours.
“Rise and shine, everyone!” Skipper announced walking around, poking everyone awake. They all woke with a yawn. “Come on, the planes’ about to land. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride!” All of them sluggishly walked to the car and climbed in. A few मिनटों later, there was a big lurch, and soon the plane came to a stop and the engines silenced. The luggage compartment was opened again and Kowalski drove out of the back and through the hangar. They were then on the road to New York.
Everyone took in the familiar sights and sounds of the city. Everything was absolutely magnificent with all of the क्रिस्मस décor lighting up the morning dawn. They continued on their way until they reached the states’ border at around 1137 hours. “We’re almost there!” Private exclaimed.
“Correctamundo, Private!” Skipper resounded.
“I can’t wait.” Eve कहा gently.
It took about four और hours to make it to Manhattan, and not too long after that, to the zoo. The first thing they noticed was the big sign on the door. Closed for Christmas.
Skipper smiled. “Merry Christmas, everyone.” Everyone replied with their ‘Merry Christmas’s’ and Kowalski parked the car behind a bush.
“Come on, our secret hatch is right through here.” The six of them walked through the hatch that was right अगला to the zoo gates and entered the zoo. None of the जानवर were seen in their habitats.
“Kowalski, analysis.” Skipper ordered.
“Perhaps they’re at the Zoovenir Shop.” Kowalski suggested.
“Right. हटाइए out!” They slid to the खरीडिए and sure enough, there they were. They snuck in through the side, hoping to surprise them.
“…and have been missing for exactly two weeks now, but I assure आप that they’re coming back. They always do.” Marlene was saying.
“But what about the Christmas? They could be being in ग्रेवी danger now!” King Julien replied.
“Well, Ringtail. I didn’t expect you’d miss us that much.” Everyone turned at the sound of Skipper’s voice with mouths gaping.
“It’s Skipper!”
“They’re back!”
“Who’s the other two?”
“Where have आप all been?”
Everyone was asking सवालों at the same time, making it hard to keep up. “Excuse me! Everyone! Where we’ve been is a very long story. A story I wish to tell after we enjoy क्रिस्मस together. Deal?” Everyone smiled and nodded happily.
“Eh, excuse me, bossy penguin. I am demanding to know what has become of आप all this instant. And आप must answer, because I am king.” Julien said. “And let us be starting with who they are.” He कहा pointing at Eve and Heather.
“Ah, Ringtail. I must admit, out of all of the फ्रेंड्स here that I’ve missed, आप have to go at the bottom of the list.” Skipper कहा crossing his flippers. “Is it too much to ask to enjoy क्रिस्मस with all of our फ्रेंड्स before going into the long, long story about where we’ve been?”
“Ugh! Fine! But आप have to at least tell us who they are.”
Skipper turned to Eve and Heather. “Everyone, these two are very special फ्रेंड्स of ours. Eve, and her younger sister Heather. I’m sure आप all will get to know and प्यार them the way I ha…uh…we have.” Skipper ended nervously. Eve suppressed a giggle. “So, let’s get on with क्रिस्मस shall we?”
The rest of the दिन was filled with presents and क्रिस्मस cheers. No one could believe the penguins had made it back, especially in time for Christmas. Snow had begun to drift over New York and it had made it that much better. Before turning in for the night, Skipper and Eve चुरा लिया away from everyone and went for a walk on the other side of the zoo.
“So…how are आप feeling?” Skipper asked.
“I’m feeling fine. I haven’t had this much of a good time in years. In fact, I haven’t ever really celebrated क्रिस्मस since I was two.” Eve replied.
Skipper stopped and leaned against the back door of the Zoovenir Shop. “Wow. आप know…you never really told me. What did Alastair have against your mother? I mean, why would he want to steal आप from her?” Eve thought for a moment, not sure of how to answer that. She looked up at the sky, as if hoping an answer would fall down and hit her in the face, but instead found something else. “What?” Skipper asked, unsure of what she was looking at. He looked up and then saw it. Right above their heads…was mistletoe. Eve looked down shyly and Skipper blushed slightly.
“Well…um…heh…” Eve कहा with a nervous laugh.
Skipper smiled, gently took her द्वारा the flipper, and pulled her close, wrapping his flippers around her waist. “Merry Christmas, Eve.” He कहा softly.
“Merry Christmas, Skipper.” They both smiled and Skipper pressed his beak to hers. It didn’t last long before Julien came bounding around the corner.
The separated and looked at him as he said: “Oh, there आप are, penguin! I’ve been looking for आप everywhe—” He looked at how they were pulled together with his mouth gaping. “Oh…am I interrupting? आप know, just a little bit? Uh…well…you-you know…it can wait. I’ll…uh…you know…be catching आप later. Oh! Do आप hear that? Maurice is calling my name!” He stumbled backward over his feet and quickly got back up. “Coming Maurice!” He कहा going back around the corner.
Skipper and Eve laughed and turned back to each other. “You know he’s still watching, right?” Eve whispered. आप could still see part of Julien’s ear around the corner.
“Ah, I don’t care. Let him watch. Where were we?” Skipper कहा with a sly smile.
“Hm, I don’t remember. You’ll have to refresh my memory.” Eve answered. Skipper smiled and they shared another kiss.
The अगला morning, the penguins woke up in their habitat. Rico had set up a temporary sleeping area for Eve and Heather, just until they worked something out. Skipper brewed his coffee and drank in satisfaction. Private turned on the news.
None of them could believe what they saw. Private turned up the volume as the video played. It was Skipper and Eve, jumping off of the counter in the drug testing place. Chuck Charles’s voice was heard explaining what was happening. “…the impossible truth of the Central Park penguins. No one has seen these penguins in two weeks now. Whoever turns in these penguins will receive a reward of $10000 cash. The penguins will then be sent to a government facility where they will be tested and experimented on. Now let’s hear it from the man who tried and failed to convince us before of the penguins’ actions.”
अगला shown on the screen was Officer X, he had his uniform back on and was in a live studio. “I tried to tell आप all that those penguins were crazy! And now that I’m head of the animal control office, I will be sure that these penguins are brought to custody and never to be seen again on the streets of New York. They’re dangerous and not to be trusted.”
Now Chuck Charles was back on the screen. “You heard it here first. If आप have seen any of these penguins, call 1-800-555-0617 immediately. Do not attempt to approach them, they are dangerous.”
The penguins looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Finally, Skipper broke the silence. “This…is bad.”
End of Part 2
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