(So this is set in December 2012, the ngày is the 4th.)
The sun was beginning to disappear over the horizon in the Central Park Zoo. The động vật were retiring to their beds, and a peaceful silence hung over the habitats. In Alice's office, Emma and Kowalski were messing around with the objects in the Mất tích and found box.
"Hehee, there's a big toy dog in here." Emma exclaimed, trying to pick up the dog which was about twice her size. Kowalski popped his head out, and Emma burst into giggles.
"What are bạn giggling at?" Kowalski asked, looking confused.
"Heehee, y.. you've got an old bít tất, sock on your head!" Emma pointed out, still giggling. Kowalski shrieked, and threw the bít tất, sock out of the box, across the shiny floor, making Emma laugh even more. Kowalski started giggling as well, and a devious thought crossed his mind. He jumped out of the box, and slid across the floor. Emma got out, and followed him curiously. He picked up the bít tất, sock again, and smiled mischievously at Emma. "Oh don't bạn dare." Emma warned jokingly. Kowalski started chasing Emma with the sock, and she giggled and ran away as fast as she could. The two penguins ran around the whole office, and Kowalski began to gain on Emma, as she climbed the chair. She ran across the keyboard and something popped up on the computer, making her stop in surprise. Kowalski tried to stop but he ended up knocking into her, sending them both to the floor. The giggled, and Kowalski helped Emma up. She blushed and took his flipper, as she got up, making her own flipper tingle. She turned her head towards the screen, and saw a a little box called 'New Transfers' come up. She sat down again, and grabbed the mouse. Kowalski sat down beside her and wrapped a flipper around her, and stroking her hair. Emma blushed and rested her head on his shoulder. She clicked the 'New Transfers' box, and Kowalski read the text that came up.
"Two new transfers of the same species arriving tomorrow, not sure what the species are, but bạn will need a new habitat in the reptile house. One's from Hoboken, the other from a zoo in Paris." He read, his eyes widening.
"Woah, all the way from Paris.." Emma marvelled. "Do bạn think the animal will speak English?"
"Maybe." Kowalski replied. "What animal do bạn think they will be?" He asked.
"No idea, I'm just glad that they're not thêm penguins, 7's enough in our habitat." Emma remarked.
"I've heard that if thêm penguins ever get transferred, they might make another chim cánh cụt habitat, so it doesn't get too crowded." Kowalski told her, his eyes still fixed on the computer.
"Really? Well that's cool." Emma commented, closing down the little box, and turning the computer off.
"Do bạn think we should go back, and tell Skipper?" Kowalski wondered, looking towards the door.
"I guess so." Emma sighed reluctantly. Kowalski pulled Emma even closer as they walked out, and she wrapped an arm around his waist, gazing up at him as she did. He beamed down at her, and pushed a bit of hair out of her face. The two penguins hopped into the HQ, and glanced around. Skipper, Rico, and Private were playing cards, Tom was watching Tv, and Ashley was doing a Sudoku puzzle in his bunk. The little chim cánh cụt stared at in in deep concentration and filled in a few of the boxes.
"Finally back I see." Skipper remarked, smirking at the couple.
"Yup, and we found something out too." Emma replied, changing the subject as fast as possible.
"Watisit?" (What is it?) Rico asked, looking up from his cards.
"There's two new transfers arriving tomorrow." Kowalski began. "It doesn't say what they are, but it did say that they would be in the reptile house." He explained. Skipper's face grew serious, and he ordered the team to come around the table.
"It seems that every time a new reptile has arrived, there's been some sort of trouble at first." He pointed out, paranoia seeping into his voice.
"It doesn't mean it will happen this time Skippah." Private piped up.
"Maybe not young Private, but it's still likely." The leader replied. Ashley and Tom exchanged confused looks, and Private quickly explained the last few reptilian transfers.
"But the Chameleons turned out to be ok." Tom remarked, scratching his head.
"You got a point there lad." Ashley agreed.
"Well they were a little trouble at first, but it wasn't their fault." Private explained.
"Oh ok." Tom replied, still feeling a bit confused.
"Sowatarweonnado?" (So what are gonna do?) Rico asked.
"Tomorrow, we'll go to the reptile house, and find out as much as possible about the new transfers." Skipper decided. The others nodded in response and Skipper gave everyone a few roles. Kowalski and Emma had to take notes and look out for any strange body language, Ashley and Skipper would do the speaking, whilst Rico, Tom and Private would keep an eye out for anything around the habitat. They glanced at the clock which read 11pm. "Ok, team, lets hit the bunks, we've got a big ngày tomorrow." Skipper announced. The others got into their bunks, and Emma stared up at the ceiling. She got out her cuddly husky, Lulu, and cuddled it as she fell asleep.
Emma woke up the tiếp theo day, and glanced around sleepily. Everyone was already awake, and sitting at the cinder-block table. She sighed, and trudged out of bed, feeling like a zombie. The looked up towards the clock, and groaned. It was only 8am.
Ugh I hate getting up early. She thought grumpily. Kowalski gave her a sympathetic look, and hugged her warmly.
"Morning Em." He whispered.
"Morning Kowalski." She whispered back, feeling thêm cheerful already.
"Good, now that you're up, we can head to the reptile house." Skipper told her, his face full of anticipation.
"So urm, what's the plan again?" Tom asked, a little sheepishly. Skipper put a flipper to his forehead, and looked at his little brother.
"Ugh, Rico, explain to him on the way." Skipper instructed, casting a dark look towards the shorter penguin. The 7 penguins hopped out of the fishbowl, and slid across the zoo towards the reptile habitat. The ngày was bright, and the shining sun cast a warm glow over the zoo floor. Birds whistled in the trees, and only a few of the động vật were up. Emma's eyes fell on the vong linh, vượn cáo habitat, where poor Mort and Maurice very giving Julien a royal sponge bath. Mort seemed to be enjoying himself though, giggling as he got covered in bubbles. Emma smiled and slid on after the others. They reached the tall building and a nasty chill went down Emma's spine. She exchanged a look with Ashley, who was looking a little worried himself. Rico opened the door cautiously, and the penguins strolled through the reptile house. They passed the Chameleons and Tom waved at them. They changed colours a few times and Tom smiled. He spent a lot of time hanging around with the Chameleons, and was beginning to understand their language.
"What did they say?" Private asked, looking back at the colourful reptiles.
"They đã đưa ý kiến hi." Tom replied. They turned the corner, and reached the end of the reptile house, and stared up into the last habitat. Emma stopped dead, and her feet anchored to the ground. There were two long, yellow snakes inside the small enclosure, both with slightly different markings. One Emma had never seen before, and the other, well she couldn't forget that face.
"Well well well, if it isn't my little foes." Savio remarked, a sly smile slithering onto his scaly face.
"We meet again Savio." Skipper said, looking up at the reptilian fiend, bravely. Emma used to be terrified of Savio when she was little, and he used to bully her at Hoboken, but she had got over that fear. She was actually feeling thêm weary of the new face in the habitat. This snake was a female, and was a bright yellow, with red markings all over her body. She had a long body, but not as long as Savio's. What really scared Emma, was the snakes gleaming red eyes. Ever since she was 10, she had developed a big fear of red eyes, and so many things had happened in the past which had increased that fear. Kowalski's eyes fell on Emma, and squeezed her flipper comfortingly. She squeezed back, and looked up at the snakes.
"Remember the roles we all have." Skipper whispered to her. She nodded in response, and kept a close eye on the two arrivals.
"Where are my manners, this is Sinistra, she's from the biggest zoo in Paris." Savio explained. "Ooh, and who are these two?" He asked, nodding towards Ashley and Tom."
"New members of our team." Skipper replied simply, not losing eye contact with Savio.
"Aw, how cute, what are their names?" Savio asked, a hint of mock in his voice. Ashley was about to open his beak, when Rico stopped him.
"Why should bạn need to know?" Skipper asked, his face stern, and growing angry.
"Oh come on, what's the harm in me knowing names, I know all of you're names." Savio reasoned, the smile on his face getting wider.
"Ashley and Tom." Skipper eventually said.
"Hmm, oh I remember bạn Tom, from Hoboken, you're related to Skipper, Rico and Emma aren't you?" He asked, looking as if he was reminiscing happy memories. Tom just nodded fearfully, and stepped closer to Emma and Kowalski. Skipper's face grew dark, when he saw the fear on Tom's face, and the triumph on Savio's.
"Why are bạn here, I heard that bạn were at the Queens Zoo." Ashley piped up, his Scottish accent filling his voice.
"I got moved again, for nearly eating a zookeeper." Savio answered casually. Ashley's green eyes widened, and he looked towards Emma with horror. Emma didn't look surprised bởi this news in the slightest. She was thêm worried about what he would do here.
"Urm, what about you?" Ashley asked Sinistra, who was keeping a keen eye on Private and Skipper.
"Oh I just got moved because my zoo was closing." She replied, in a thick French accent.
"Well if any of bạn cause any trouble here, we'll stop bạn before bạn can even say the word food." Skipper threatened, before walking out, The others followed him. Savio's smile got even wider, and he chuckled as they left.
"Pfft, they actually believed that bạn got moved because of the zoo closing how adorable." Savio remarked, when they went.
"Stupid creatures." Sinistra remarked rolling her eyes.
"So what is the real reason bạn got transferred?" Savio asked.
"I ate a penguin." She answered simply.
"Really?" Savio asked, looking a bit surprised.
"Yes, I prefer them to mammals, they're not so fluffy to eat." Sinistra told him, a cunning smile creeping onto her face.
"I prefer mammals, but penguins are ok too." Savio told her, smiling at his new habitat mate.
"Intriguing." Sinistra remarked. "What do they feed us here?" She asked, feeling her stomach rumble.
"Usually dead mice." Savio answered, not looking very pleased.
"Ugh, that sounds disgusting." Sinistra said, the smile slipping of her face.
"Yes which is why I always try to break out." Savio explained.
"Hmm, y'know, that isn't a bad idea." Sinistra thought aloud, thinking about the penguins. "I haven't ate a chim cánh cụt in a few days, and I definatley want to try some of the ones that were here.
"Which ones?" Savio asked, smiling deviously.
"The pudgy ones mostly, but I'd also like to eat the Scottish one, and maybe the girl." She told him.
"Then we may have to come up with a plan of getting out of here." Savio commented, looking around for a ventilation shaft. Unfortunately, there was none in the habitat. He sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Well, we'll think of something." Sinistra said, knocking her tail against the glass, to check the sturdiness of it. The two snakes discussed theories as they chatted, and the zookeepers came to feed them. Emma had a bad feeling in her gut, as she got back into the chim cánh cụt habitat.
This is not going to be a good week. She thought, looking back towards the large building in the distance.
The penguins went on with the everyday activities, but never Mất tích sight of the foreboding reptile house. Even when they were inside, someone was always on the periscope, checking for any escapees. The ngày was pretty ordinary, and it rolled on slowly. For most of the ngày Skipper was working on a building a new model boat, Rico and Private were teaching Tom how to play cards, and Emma, Kowalski and Ashley were doing puzzles, and listening to music.
"Do bạn think the snakes will get out?" Ashley asked Emma, looking up from his puzzle book in worry.
"Hopefully not Ash." Emma replied, hiding the anxiety she felt deep inside her. Her gut was telling her that something was going to happen, and she had learned to listen to her gut. But she didn't want to worry the younger penguins, so she kept her beak closed. She tried to focus on the puzzle book in front of her, but her mind wandered and she thought about the new snake. She seemed mysterious, and Emma felt alarm bells ring in her head whenever she crossed her mind. She felt a gentle tap on her shoulder and she turned around.
"You ok Em?" Kowalski asked, a look of concern in his deep blue eyes.
"Yeah I'm fine." She replied smiling at the taller penguin. Kowalski gave her a skeptical look, and Emma looked to the floor. "We'll talk later." She whispered, trying to make sure Ashley didn't hear. He nodded in response, and they turned back to the young chim cánh cụt who was staring at the puzzle book intently. As the ngày began to turn to night, and the sky went from pretty shades of trái cam, màu da cam and gold, to deep reds and purples, the penguins put on a movie to pass the time. It was Tom's choice of film this time, and they were watching the new Người vận chuyển film. Emma cuddled up tiếp theo to Kowalski and relaxed in his flippers. He smiled, and stroked her hair, as they watched the film. Meanwhile in the reptile house, the new transfers still hadn't found a way out, and they had được trao up for the day.
"So you're from Paris?" Savio asked the female snake.
"Yes, it was reasonable there." Sinistra replied casually. "Where are bạn from?" She asked, curiously.
"Well I've been to so many places, I'm not even sure anymore." Savio replied. "Did bạn ever get to know your parents?" He asked, looking the least happy he had looked all day.
"Yes, but I wish I didn't." Sinistra replied, her face lacking emotion.
"And why is that?" Savio questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.
"They found it fun to cái tát, đánh đập, smack me, and abuse me." She replied, her expression not changing.
"Oh." Savio managed, looking surprised.
"Why did bạn want to know?" Sinistra asked, wonderingly.
"Oh just because I never knew my parents." He answered.
"Oh ok." Sinistra remarked. They talked for a few hours, and at one point Sinistra's eyes fell on the floor. She looked closer at the floor, and began to smile devilishly.
"What is it?" Savio wondered, looking towards the floor.
"I know how to get out." She told him, her face full of evil glee.
Back at the chim cánh cụt habitat, the penguins had just finished watching the film, and were getting ready for bed.
"Hey Em, do bạn want to sleep in the lab again?" Kowalski asked a little shyly. Usually, about once of twice a week, the two penguins got out some sleeping bags, and spent the night in the lab together, making new inventions, telling stories, dancing and listening to music, before falling asleep.
"Sure!" Emma replied eagerly, grabbing the sleeping bags, and taking them into the lab. She called a goodnight to the others, and sat on her sleeping bag. Kowalski sat down beside her and took her flipper gently.
"So, I know that you're worried about the snake thing, but what else is bothering you?" He asked.
"Honestly, nothing, but I'm just a little frightened of the new snake, my gut is telling me that it's not just the mammals that are in danger of being eaten this time." She told him, the words spilling out of her mouth.
"What makes bạn say that?" Kowalski wondered curiously. Emma shrugged, and stared at the floor. "Are bạn sure it's not just because she has red eyes?" He suggested.
"I'm sure." Emma replied firmly. "Something doesn't seen right about her." She added. Kowalski always believed that Emma was right, but he wasn't so sure this time. I'm starting to think her fear is stopping her from thinking rationally. He thought. There isn't any proof that this new snake is going to be evil.
"But there isn't any proof." Kowalski reasoned. "I think bạn need to take a step back and think rationally." He advised.
"I am thinking rationally Kowalski, at one point, that bloody snake was eyeing up Private and Skipper, and it's not just my fear stopping me from thinking logically, and I know that's what bạn were thinking, I know bạn well enough to know that, yes I'm scared that she has red eyes, but my gut is also telling me that she's bad." Emma replied, a tone of frustration in her voice. She looked towards the floor, and she began to frown. Kowalski eyes widened, and he looked down at the shorter chim cánh cụt in surprise. Emma only ever snapped when she was annoyed, scared hoặc worried, and this was only the một giây time she had ever snapped at him. Emma looked up at Kowalski and saw the expression on his face. and she thought back over her words. "I didn't mean that to come out how it did." She told him, looking a little ashamed.
"Hey it's ok, I was the one jumping to conclusions, I should have known that bạn were thinking rationally, and using your gut." Kowalski told her reassuringly, hugging her gently. She hugged back, and nuzzled Kowalski's beak with hers. They smiled at eachother, and Emma looked towards the sleeping bag.
"I think I might just go straight sleep tonight." She decided, rubbing her eyes, as she began to feel drowsy.
"Me too." Kowalski agreed. The two penguins got in the sleeping bag, and Emma closed her eyes as she cuddled Kowalski. She never meant to sound snappy, but some things seemed to get on her nerves thêm than others, and she could easily hide her anger usually, but her fiery temper, that she got from her brothers stopped her sometimes. She sighed and fell asleep.
Meanwhile, a slithering shadow was making it's way to the vong linh, vượn cáo habitat. It saw the Lemurs sleeping and it smiled evilly. This midnight snack was going to be very tasty indeed.
Emma woke up with a start. She felt herself being gently shook awake, and she opened her eyes with surprise. She looked up at Skipper and Kowalski above her.
"Ugh, just five thêm minutes." She mumbled, closing her eyes again. Skipper shook her again, and she woke up fully.
"No time sis!" Skipper told her urgently.
"Why?" Emma asked, sitting up. Her eyes widened when she saw Mort standing tiếp theo to Skipper. "Mort, why are bạn here?"
"The King and Maurice, they're gone!" The chuột vong linh, vượn cáo blurted out, fear and worry in his voice. Emma looked up at Kowalski and Skipper for conformation, who nodded gravely.
"Don't worry Mort, we'll find them." Emma told him reassuringly. He looked a little brighter, and her hugged Emma's ankle gratefully. She smiled down at him, and patted his head. "Where's the others?" Emma asked, glancing around the lab.
"Watching Tv." Kowalski answered. The 3 penguins and Mort went to the main bit of the HQ, and rounded up the others.
"Ok, so we need to go back to the reptile house, and câu hỏi the suspects." Skipper announced, looking up at the fishbowl wearily.
"Shouldn't we tìm kiếm the vong linh, vượn cáo Habitat for clues?" Ashley asked.
"Good point kid, you, Tom and Emma can do that, while we câu hỏi the snakes." Skipper instructed. Ashley nodded in response, and he smiled up at Emma.
"What should I do?" Mort piped up, his eyes even bigger than usual.
"Urm, bạn can go with Emma, Ashley and Tom." Skipper told him. He nodded eagerly, and the động vật hopped out of the fishbowl, and went to their destinations. The three penguins and Mort started looking around the habitat, hoping to find a clue. Mort got scared bởi a shadow, and ran over to Emma. Tom walked around the bouncy, and something caught his eyes. He bent down, and found piece of what looked like leather on the floor.
"Hey, I've found something!" He called to the others. Emma and Mort came over, and Emma studied the leathery material.
"Snakeskin." She đã đưa ý kiến after a few seconds. "I'd say from about... wait a minute, this looks like it's just been shed, part of it is still slimy." She remarked, her stomach churning fearfully.
"So the snakes were just here?" Mort squeaked hugging Emma's ankle again in fright.
"Can bạn tell which snake it's from?" Tom wondered.
"Hmmm..." Was Emma's only response as she stared at it thêm carefully. "It has red markings on so I'd say it's Sinistra's." She decided. A chill went down her spine and she looked around. "Hey where's Ashley?" She asked. The others glanced around and a wave of panic sept over Emma. She ran over to where the young chim cánh cụt was looking for clues, and stopped dead.
"He's gone." Tom managed, barely catching his breath. Emma ran out of the vong linh, vượn cáo habitat, and burst into the reptile house. Skipper, Rico, Private and Kowalski were just reaching the snake habitat. Both of the snakes were still in there, but Emma couldn't help notice that both Savio and Sinistra were both looking fatter than before.
"Emma? Tom?" What are bạn two doing here? And where's Ashley?" Private asked curiously.
"You might want to ask them." Emma replied, glaring up at the snakes.
"What us? How could we eve-" Savio began, only to be interrupted bởi Sinistra.
"What's the use in lying, they'll find out anyway, it's pretty obvious it was us." Sinistra pointed out, smiling cunningly at the penguins
"I thought Snakes didn't eat Penguins." Tom remarked, feeling even thêm worried.
"Not usually, but I prefer them to mammals." Sinistra told them simply. "By the way you're Scottish friend was very tasty." She taunted, licking her lips. Emma and Rico let out very un-penguin like sounds, and ran forwards angrily. Skipper and Kowalski held them back, and Mort huddled closer to Private and Tom. Sinistra and Savio just laughed and the red eyed snake's eyes eyes fell on Mort. "Well well, who's this adorable little dumpling?" She asked.
"None of your business." Skipper snapped. He turned to Emma and Rico. "We need to figure out how they've been getting out so we can get in, and fight them." He told them in a whisper. Emma sighed and stopped trying to rush towards the glass. The penguins ran out, and got back to the HQ, locking the fishbowl as they did.
"How cute, they actually thought they could get to us." Savio remarked, chuckling.
"Hehe I know right?" Sinistra replied, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Two screams could be heard from Savio, and he just hit his stomach with his tail, and shut the noise up.
"So that's two off my danh sách and one off yours." He announced.
"Yes, I just have to eat the flat head, and the fat one, the girl, and I've added that little mammal to my list." She told the longer snake.
"I thought bạn weren't really fond of mammals." Savio remarked.
"Usually, but that one looked so tasty." Sinistra explained. "Who's on your list?" She asked.
"Well Kowalski the tall one, Rico, the mohawk one, and the small one, Tom." He replied.
"Lets stick to that list, we both get 5 then." Sinistra pointed out. Savio nodded in agreement. "Ugh, I didn't get much sleep last night." She thought aloud, resting her head on the floor. Savio coiled his tail around hers and she smiled at him as she closed her eyes. He rested his head on hers, and kept an eye out of the penguins. Meanwhile in the HQ, a thought just crossed Emma's mind.
"We need to warn Marlene!" She realised, rushing over to Marlene's habitat. She knocked on the cave entrance urgently.
"Come in." Marlene called cheerfully. The con rái cá, rái cá was painting calmly on an blank canvas.
"Marlene, Savio is back!" She burst out, running over to her friend.
"S... seriously...?" Marlene stammered, dropping the paintbrush in her paw. Emma nodded and sat Marlene down.
"And he's got a new friend, called Sinistra." Emma began. "They've already took King Julien, Maurice and Ashley." She explained. Marlene's eye widened in horror.
"Bu.. but Ashley's a penguin." She pointed out, looking puzzled.
"I know, but this new girl eats penguins too, and I think she'll convince Savio to do the same." Emma told her.
"Woah, this is big.." Marlene managed. "Do bạn wanna stay here for a bit?" She asked.
"I should really be getting back to the others..." Emma began.
"You need a bit of time away from that stress, c'mon lets do some painting." Marlene encouraged her.
"Ok." Emma sighed and she picked up a brush. The two Những người bạn began painting away, and Emma soon forgot about the snake business. They chatted, and giggled with not a care in the world.
A while later, Emma glanced at the clock and her eyes widened.
"Is it seriously 6pm?" She asked, her jaw dropping in surprise. "I've really been here 6 hours?"
"Yeah, I guess time flies when you're having fun." Marlene told her with a smile. Emma smiled back, but a little ball of worry was forming in her stomach.
"I need to go back, so we can try and free Ashley, Maurice and Julien." She realised, waving a goodbye to Marlene and sliding out of the cave. She began to walk to her own habitat, and she shivered. Because it was winter, the nights were much longer, and the sky was already a deep, midnight blue. Clouds blanketed the landscape, covering the stars, and a fierce wind howled through the zoo. Emma wrapped her flippers around herself, keeping a sharp look out for any flashes of red hoặc yellow. She opened the fishbowl, and hopped into the habitat.
"Hey guys sorry for taking so-" She stopped abruptly as she looked around her. The HQ was in a catastrophic state, the bàn was overturned, the periscope was bent all out of shape, now forming what looked like an S. Emma froze to the spot, and glanced around, hoping that the team had evaded the ruthless snakes, bởi using the escape tunnels. She took a deep breath, and moved silently across the floor, towards the lab. She opened the door cautiously, and grabbed the closest weapon. (Which happened to be the shrink ray.) The room was completely spotless, the Bunsen burners were in place, the chemicals were boiling away, and everything seemed perfect. Too perfect... Emma tiptoed through the lab, checking under workbenches as she did. As she approached the last one, in the very far corner of the room and heard what sounded like a whimper from underneath it. She crouched down and peered under. Tom was clutching a panic-stricken Mort, and their eyes were squeezed shut in fright. Emma tapped him on the shoulder and he shrieked in surprise, kicking out at Emma whilst doing so. Emma just avoided his kicks and she tried again. "Tom it's me, Emma." She told the frightened penguin. Tom opened his eyes uncertainly and his eye relaxed. Mort then opened his eyes, and hugged Emma's foot in worry.
"W.. where have bạn b.. been?" Tom stammered, crawling out from under the workbench and sitting on hàng đầu, đầu trang if it.
"Marlene wanted me to stay around hers for a bit and we Mất tích track of time." Emma admitted sheepishly, sitting on the workbench too, with Mort at her side.
"Why?" Tom asked sharply.
"Um, she was worried about the snakes coming over, and she didn't want to go to the HQ because she thought they might come here first." Emma lied.
"Oh ok." Tom replied. "Well she wasn't wrong." He added sadly, looking towards the open door.
"Where are the others?" Emma asked worriedly.
"Eaten." Tom answered, his eyes big with fear. "We only escaped because they couldn't find us."
"We hid for 4 hours, we thought the meanies might come back." Mort told her in his high pitched voice. Emma hugged the little chuột vong linh, vượn cáo comfortingly.
"So what should we do?" Tom asked. Emma's face turned serious and she picked up a few weapons from the lab.
"We end this." She told them, placing a weapon in Tom's flipper. They went into the main bit of the HQ, and set the cinder-block bàn upright. Emma got out blueprints of the reptile house and studied them carefully.
"Do bạn know how they are getting out?" Tom asked. Emma shook her head gravely, and looked up at the younger animals.
"Ok, so I've got a plan." She began. "We go to the reptile house, and Tom, I need bạn to talk to the Chameleons, see if they know how the Snakes are getting out." She instructed. Tom nodded in response. "Mort I need bạn to stay with me and we'll face the snakes. We'll distract them, then Tom will get in the snake habitat, and hit them with this shrink ray." She continued. "Because it's only hitting Savio and Sinistra, when they shrink, the others should break through their skin." She explained. Tom's eyes went wide and he stared at his older sister in shock.
"But.. but won't that, kill them? The snakes?" He asked, his voice filled with astonishment.
"Maybe, but they deserve it, they're treating small động vật as food, not real people, I understand that they want good food, but they get fed everyday, they can't eat and kill their fellow neighbours." She told Tom firmly. Mort's eyes got even bigger and his little eyebrows shot up his head.
"What if it shrinks the others too?" Tom wondered.
"Well then we'll be big enough to stop them, and force them to puke up our friends, then we'll grow our Những người bạn back to normal." Emma replied, an inch of worry in her voice. She just hoped that none of them had been digested yet.
"Can the con rái cá, rái cá come too?" Mort asked a little hopefully. Emma guessed that he felt better with thêm people around.
"Urm, maybe, let's ask her." Emma answered. The two penguins and Mort went to the con rái cá, rái cá habitat, and stopped as they walked in.
"Crud." Tom remarked, seeing the mess around, and looking behind him worriedly.
"They.... they got her too..?" Mort whimpered. Emma just nodded sadly.
"C'mon let's go, they're pretty fast so they should be back at the reptile house now." Emma đã đưa ý kiến bravely. The small group made their way over to the tall, dark building and took a deep breath as they walked in.
The sun was beginning to disappear over the horizon in the Central Park Zoo. The động vật were retiring to their beds, and a peaceful silence hung over the habitats. In Alice's office, Emma and Kowalski were messing around with the objects in the Mất tích and found box.
"Hehee, there's a big toy dog in here." Emma exclaimed, trying to pick up the dog which was about twice her size. Kowalski popped his head out, and Emma burst into giggles.
"What are bạn giggling at?" Kowalski asked, looking confused.
"Heehee, y.. you've got an old bít tất, sock on your head!" Emma pointed out, still giggling. Kowalski shrieked, and threw the bít tất, sock out of the box, across the shiny floor, making Emma laugh even more. Kowalski started giggling as well, and a devious thought crossed his mind. He jumped out of the box, and slid across the floor. Emma got out, and followed him curiously. He picked up the bít tất, sock again, and smiled mischievously at Emma. "Oh don't bạn dare." Emma warned jokingly. Kowalski started chasing Emma with the sock, and she giggled and ran away as fast as she could. The two penguins ran around the whole office, and Kowalski began to gain on Emma, as she climbed the chair. She ran across the keyboard and something popped up on the computer, making her stop in surprise. Kowalski tried to stop but he ended up knocking into her, sending them both to the floor. The giggled, and Kowalski helped Emma up. She blushed and took his flipper, as she got up, making her own flipper tingle. She turned her head towards the screen, and saw a a little box called 'New Transfers' come up. She sat down again, and grabbed the mouse. Kowalski sat down beside her and wrapped a flipper around her, and stroking her hair. Emma blushed and rested her head on his shoulder. She clicked the 'New Transfers' box, and Kowalski read the text that came up.
"Two new transfers of the same species arriving tomorrow, not sure what the species are, but bạn will need a new habitat in the reptile house. One's from Hoboken, the other from a zoo in Paris." He read, his eyes widening.
"Woah, all the way from Paris.." Emma marvelled. "Do bạn think the animal will speak English?"
"Maybe." Kowalski replied. "What animal do bạn think they will be?" He asked.
"No idea, I'm just glad that they're not thêm penguins, 7's enough in our habitat." Emma remarked.
"I've heard that if thêm penguins ever get transferred, they might make another chim cánh cụt habitat, so it doesn't get too crowded." Kowalski told her, his eyes still fixed on the computer.
"Really? Well that's cool." Emma commented, closing down the little box, and turning the computer off.
"Do bạn think we should go back, and tell Skipper?" Kowalski wondered, looking towards the door.
"I guess so." Emma sighed reluctantly. Kowalski pulled Emma even closer as they walked out, and she wrapped an arm around his waist, gazing up at him as she did. He beamed down at her, and pushed a bit of hair out of her face. The two penguins hopped into the HQ, and glanced around. Skipper, Rico, and Private were playing cards, Tom was watching Tv, and Ashley was doing a Sudoku puzzle in his bunk. The little chim cánh cụt stared at in in deep concentration and filled in a few of the boxes.
"Finally back I see." Skipper remarked, smirking at the couple.
"Yup, and we found something out too." Emma replied, changing the subject as fast as possible.
"Watisit?" (What is it?) Rico asked, looking up from his cards.
"There's two new transfers arriving tomorrow." Kowalski began. "It doesn't say what they are, but it did say that they would be in the reptile house." He explained. Skipper's face grew serious, and he ordered the team to come around the table.
"It seems that every time a new reptile has arrived, there's been some sort of trouble at first." He pointed out, paranoia seeping into his voice.
"It doesn't mean it will happen this time Skippah." Private piped up.
"Maybe not young Private, but it's still likely." The leader replied. Ashley and Tom exchanged confused looks, and Private quickly explained the last few reptilian transfers.
"But the Chameleons turned out to be ok." Tom remarked, scratching his head.
"You got a point there lad." Ashley agreed.
"Well they were a little trouble at first, but it wasn't their fault." Private explained.
"Oh ok." Tom replied, still feeling a bit confused.
"Sowatarweonnado?" (So what are gonna do?) Rico asked.
"Tomorrow, we'll go to the reptile house, and find out as much as possible about the new transfers." Skipper decided. The others nodded in response and Skipper gave everyone a few roles. Kowalski and Emma had to take notes and look out for any strange body language, Ashley and Skipper would do the speaking, whilst Rico, Tom and Private would keep an eye out for anything around the habitat. They glanced at the clock which read 11pm. "Ok, team, lets hit the bunks, we've got a big ngày tomorrow." Skipper announced. The others got into their bunks, and Emma stared up at the ceiling. She got out her cuddly husky, Lulu, and cuddled it as she fell asleep.
Emma woke up the tiếp theo day, and glanced around sleepily. Everyone was already awake, and sitting at the cinder-block table. She sighed, and trudged out of bed, feeling like a zombie. The looked up towards the clock, and groaned. It was only 8am.
Ugh I hate getting up early. She thought grumpily. Kowalski gave her a sympathetic look, and hugged her warmly.
"Morning Em." He whispered.
"Morning Kowalski." She whispered back, feeling thêm cheerful already.
"Good, now that you're up, we can head to the reptile house." Skipper told her, his face full of anticipation.
"So urm, what's the plan again?" Tom asked, a little sheepishly. Skipper put a flipper to his forehead, and looked at his little brother.
"Ugh, Rico, explain to him on the way." Skipper instructed, casting a dark look towards the shorter penguin. The 7 penguins hopped out of the fishbowl, and slid across the zoo towards the reptile habitat. The ngày was bright, and the shining sun cast a warm glow over the zoo floor. Birds whistled in the trees, and only a few of the động vật were up. Emma's eyes fell on the vong linh, vượn cáo habitat, where poor Mort and Maurice very giving Julien a royal sponge bath. Mort seemed to be enjoying himself though, giggling as he got covered in bubbles. Emma smiled and slid on after the others. They reached the tall building and a nasty chill went down Emma's spine. She exchanged a look with Ashley, who was looking a little worried himself. Rico opened the door cautiously, and the penguins strolled through the reptile house. They passed the Chameleons and Tom waved at them. They changed colours a few times and Tom smiled. He spent a lot of time hanging around with the Chameleons, and was beginning to understand their language.
"What did they say?" Private asked, looking back at the colourful reptiles.
"They đã đưa ý kiến hi." Tom replied. They turned the corner, and reached the end of the reptile house, and stared up into the last habitat. Emma stopped dead, and her feet anchored to the ground. There were two long, yellow snakes inside the small enclosure, both with slightly different markings. One Emma had never seen before, and the other, well she couldn't forget that face.
"Well well well, if it isn't my little foes." Savio remarked, a sly smile slithering onto his scaly face.
"We meet again Savio." Skipper said, looking up at the reptilian fiend, bravely. Emma used to be terrified of Savio when she was little, and he used to bully her at Hoboken, but she had got over that fear. She was actually feeling thêm weary of the new face in the habitat. This snake was a female, and was a bright yellow, with red markings all over her body. She had a long body, but not as long as Savio's. What really scared Emma, was the snakes gleaming red eyes. Ever since she was 10, she had developed a big fear of red eyes, and so many things had happened in the past which had increased that fear. Kowalski's eyes fell on Emma, and squeezed her flipper comfortingly. She squeezed back, and looked up at the snakes.
"Remember the roles we all have." Skipper whispered to her. She nodded in response, and kept a close eye on the two arrivals.
"Where are my manners, this is Sinistra, she's from the biggest zoo in Paris." Savio explained. "Ooh, and who are these two?" He asked, nodding towards Ashley and Tom."
"New members of our team." Skipper replied simply, not losing eye contact with Savio.
"Aw, how cute, what are their names?" Savio asked, a hint of mock in his voice. Ashley was about to open his beak, when Rico stopped him.
"Why should bạn need to know?" Skipper asked, his face stern, and growing angry.
"Oh come on, what's the harm in me knowing names, I know all of you're names." Savio reasoned, the smile on his face getting wider.
"Ashley and Tom." Skipper eventually said.
"Hmm, oh I remember bạn Tom, from Hoboken, you're related to Skipper, Rico and Emma aren't you?" He asked, looking as if he was reminiscing happy memories. Tom just nodded fearfully, and stepped closer to Emma and Kowalski. Skipper's face grew dark, when he saw the fear on Tom's face, and the triumph on Savio's.
"Why are bạn here, I heard that bạn were at the Queens Zoo." Ashley piped up, his Scottish accent filling his voice.
"I got moved again, for nearly eating a zookeeper." Savio answered casually. Ashley's green eyes widened, and he looked towards Emma with horror. Emma didn't look surprised bởi this news in the slightest. She was thêm worried about what he would do here.
"Urm, what about you?" Ashley asked Sinistra, who was keeping a keen eye on Private and Skipper.
"Oh I just got moved because my zoo was closing." She replied, in a thick French accent.
"Well if any of bạn cause any trouble here, we'll stop bạn before bạn can even say the word food." Skipper threatened, before walking out, The others followed him. Savio's smile got even wider, and he chuckled as they left.
"Pfft, they actually believed that bạn got moved because of the zoo closing how adorable." Savio remarked, when they went.
"Stupid creatures." Sinistra remarked rolling her eyes.
"So what is the real reason bạn got transferred?" Savio asked.
"I ate a penguin." She answered simply.
"Really?" Savio asked, looking a bit surprised.
"Yes, I prefer them to mammals, they're not so fluffy to eat." Sinistra told him, a cunning smile creeping onto her face.
"I prefer mammals, but penguins are ok too." Savio told her, smiling at his new habitat mate.
"Intriguing." Sinistra remarked. "What do they feed us here?" She asked, feeling her stomach rumble.
"Usually dead mice." Savio answered, not looking very pleased.
"Ugh, that sounds disgusting." Sinistra said, the smile slipping of her face.
"Yes which is why I always try to break out." Savio explained.
"Hmm, y'know, that isn't a bad idea." Sinistra thought aloud, thinking about the penguins. "I haven't ate a chim cánh cụt in a few days, and I definatley want to try some of the ones that were here.
"Which ones?" Savio asked, smiling deviously.
"The pudgy ones mostly, but I'd also like to eat the Scottish one, and maybe the girl." She told him.
"Then we may have to come up with a plan of getting out of here." Savio commented, looking around for a ventilation shaft. Unfortunately, there was none in the habitat. He sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Well, we'll think of something." Sinistra said, knocking her tail against the glass, to check the sturdiness of it. The two snakes discussed theories as they chatted, and the zookeepers came to feed them. Emma had a bad feeling in her gut, as she got back into the chim cánh cụt habitat.
This is not going to be a good week. She thought, looking back towards the large building in the distance.
The penguins went on with the everyday activities, but never Mất tích sight of the foreboding reptile house. Even when they were inside, someone was always on the periscope, checking for any escapees. The ngày was pretty ordinary, and it rolled on slowly. For most of the ngày Skipper was working on a building a new model boat, Rico and Private were teaching Tom how to play cards, and Emma, Kowalski and Ashley were doing puzzles, and listening to music.
"Do bạn think the snakes will get out?" Ashley asked Emma, looking up from his puzzle book in worry.
"Hopefully not Ash." Emma replied, hiding the anxiety she felt deep inside her. Her gut was telling her that something was going to happen, and she had learned to listen to her gut. But she didn't want to worry the younger penguins, so she kept her beak closed. She tried to focus on the puzzle book in front of her, but her mind wandered and she thought about the new snake. She seemed mysterious, and Emma felt alarm bells ring in her head whenever she crossed her mind. She felt a gentle tap on her shoulder and she turned around.
"You ok Em?" Kowalski asked, a look of concern in his deep blue eyes.
"Yeah I'm fine." She replied smiling at the taller penguin. Kowalski gave her a skeptical look, and Emma looked to the floor. "We'll talk later." She whispered, trying to make sure Ashley didn't hear. He nodded in response, and they turned back to the young chim cánh cụt who was staring at the puzzle book intently. As the ngày began to turn to night, and the sky went from pretty shades of trái cam, màu da cam and gold, to deep reds and purples, the penguins put on a movie to pass the time. It was Tom's choice of film this time, and they were watching the new Người vận chuyển film. Emma cuddled up tiếp theo to Kowalski and relaxed in his flippers. He smiled, and stroked her hair, as they watched the film. Meanwhile in the reptile house, the new transfers still hadn't found a way out, and they had được trao up for the day.
"So you're from Paris?" Savio asked the female snake.
"Yes, it was reasonable there." Sinistra replied casually. "Where are bạn from?" She asked, curiously.
"Well I've been to so many places, I'm not even sure anymore." Savio replied. "Did bạn ever get to know your parents?" He asked, looking the least happy he had looked all day.
"Yes, but I wish I didn't." Sinistra replied, her face lacking emotion.
"And why is that?" Savio questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.
"They found it fun to cái tát, đánh đập, smack me, and abuse me." She replied, her expression not changing.
"Oh." Savio managed, looking surprised.
"Why did bạn want to know?" Sinistra asked, wonderingly.
"Oh just because I never knew my parents." He answered.
"Oh ok." Sinistra remarked. They talked for a few hours, and at one point Sinistra's eyes fell on the floor. She looked closer at the floor, and began to smile devilishly.
"What is it?" Savio wondered, looking towards the floor.
"I know how to get out." She told him, her face full of evil glee.
Back at the chim cánh cụt habitat, the penguins had just finished watching the film, and were getting ready for bed.
"Hey Em, do bạn want to sleep in the lab again?" Kowalski asked a little shyly. Usually, about once of twice a week, the two penguins got out some sleeping bags, and spent the night in the lab together, making new inventions, telling stories, dancing and listening to music, before falling asleep.
"Sure!" Emma replied eagerly, grabbing the sleeping bags, and taking them into the lab. She called a goodnight to the others, and sat on her sleeping bag. Kowalski sat down beside her and took her flipper gently.
"So, I know that you're worried about the snake thing, but what else is bothering you?" He asked.
"Honestly, nothing, but I'm just a little frightened of the new snake, my gut is telling me that it's not just the mammals that are in danger of being eaten this time." She told him, the words spilling out of her mouth.
"What makes bạn say that?" Kowalski wondered curiously. Emma shrugged, and stared at the floor. "Are bạn sure it's not just because she has red eyes?" He suggested.
"I'm sure." Emma replied firmly. "Something doesn't seen right about her." She added. Kowalski always believed that Emma was right, but he wasn't so sure this time. I'm starting to think her fear is stopping her from thinking rationally. He thought. There isn't any proof that this new snake is going to be evil.
"But there isn't any proof." Kowalski reasoned. "I think bạn need to take a step back and think rationally." He advised.
"I am thinking rationally Kowalski, at one point, that bloody snake was eyeing up Private and Skipper, and it's not just my fear stopping me from thinking logically, and I know that's what bạn were thinking, I know bạn well enough to know that, yes I'm scared that she has red eyes, but my gut is also telling me that she's bad." Emma replied, a tone of frustration in her voice. She looked towards the floor, and she began to frown. Kowalski eyes widened, and he looked down at the shorter chim cánh cụt in surprise. Emma only ever snapped when she was annoyed, scared hoặc worried, and this was only the một giây time she had ever snapped at him. Emma looked up at Kowalski and saw the expression on his face. and she thought back over her words. "I didn't mean that to come out how it did." She told him, looking a little ashamed.
"Hey it's ok, I was the one jumping to conclusions, I should have known that bạn were thinking rationally, and using your gut." Kowalski told her reassuringly, hugging her gently. She hugged back, and nuzzled Kowalski's beak with hers. They smiled at eachother, and Emma looked towards the sleeping bag.
"I think I might just go straight sleep tonight." She decided, rubbing her eyes, as she began to feel drowsy.
"Me too." Kowalski agreed. The two penguins got in the sleeping bag, and Emma closed her eyes as she cuddled Kowalski. She never meant to sound snappy, but some things seemed to get on her nerves thêm than others, and she could easily hide her anger usually, but her fiery temper, that she got from her brothers stopped her sometimes. She sighed and fell asleep.
Meanwhile, a slithering shadow was making it's way to the vong linh, vượn cáo habitat. It saw the Lemurs sleeping and it smiled evilly. This midnight snack was going to be very tasty indeed.
Emma woke up with a start. She felt herself being gently shook awake, and she opened her eyes with surprise. She looked up at Skipper and Kowalski above her.
"Ugh, just five thêm minutes." She mumbled, closing her eyes again. Skipper shook her again, and she woke up fully.
"No time sis!" Skipper told her urgently.
"Why?" Emma asked, sitting up. Her eyes widened when she saw Mort standing tiếp theo to Skipper. "Mort, why are bạn here?"
"The King and Maurice, they're gone!" The chuột vong linh, vượn cáo blurted out, fear and worry in his voice. Emma looked up at Kowalski and Skipper for conformation, who nodded gravely.
"Don't worry Mort, we'll find them." Emma told him reassuringly. He looked a little brighter, and her hugged Emma's ankle gratefully. She smiled down at him, and patted his head. "Where's the others?" Emma asked, glancing around the lab.
"Watching Tv." Kowalski answered. The 3 penguins and Mort went to the main bit of the HQ, and rounded up the others.
"Ok, so we need to go back to the reptile house, and câu hỏi the suspects." Skipper announced, looking up at the fishbowl wearily.
"Shouldn't we tìm kiếm the vong linh, vượn cáo Habitat for clues?" Ashley asked.
"Good point kid, you, Tom and Emma can do that, while we câu hỏi the snakes." Skipper instructed. Ashley nodded in response, and he smiled up at Emma.
"What should I do?" Mort piped up, his eyes even bigger than usual.
"Urm, bạn can go with Emma, Ashley and Tom." Skipper told him. He nodded eagerly, and the động vật hopped out of the fishbowl, and went to their destinations. The three penguins and Mort started looking around the habitat, hoping to find a clue. Mort got scared bởi a shadow, and ran over to Emma. Tom walked around the bouncy, and something caught his eyes. He bent down, and found piece of what looked like leather on the floor.
"Hey, I've found something!" He called to the others. Emma and Mort came over, and Emma studied the leathery material.
"Snakeskin." She đã đưa ý kiến after a few seconds. "I'd say from about... wait a minute, this looks like it's just been shed, part of it is still slimy." She remarked, her stomach churning fearfully.
"So the snakes were just here?" Mort squeaked hugging Emma's ankle again in fright.
"Can bạn tell which snake it's from?" Tom wondered.
"Hmmm..." Was Emma's only response as she stared at it thêm carefully. "It has red markings on so I'd say it's Sinistra's." She decided. A chill went down her spine and she looked around. "Hey where's Ashley?" She asked. The others glanced around and a wave of panic sept over Emma. She ran over to where the young chim cánh cụt was looking for clues, and stopped dead.
"He's gone." Tom managed, barely catching his breath. Emma ran out of the vong linh, vượn cáo habitat, and burst into the reptile house. Skipper, Rico, Private and Kowalski were just reaching the snake habitat. Both of the snakes were still in there, but Emma couldn't help notice that both Savio and Sinistra were both looking fatter than before.
"Emma? Tom?" What are bạn two doing here? And where's Ashley?" Private asked curiously.
"You might want to ask them." Emma replied, glaring up at the snakes.
"What us? How could we eve-" Savio began, only to be interrupted bởi Sinistra.
"What's the use in lying, they'll find out anyway, it's pretty obvious it was us." Sinistra pointed out, smiling cunningly at the penguins
"I thought Snakes didn't eat Penguins." Tom remarked, feeling even thêm worried.
"Not usually, but I prefer them to mammals." Sinistra told them simply. "By the way you're Scottish friend was very tasty." She taunted, licking her lips. Emma and Rico let out very un-penguin like sounds, and ran forwards angrily. Skipper and Kowalski held them back, and Mort huddled closer to Private and Tom. Sinistra and Savio just laughed and the red eyed snake's eyes eyes fell on Mort. "Well well, who's this adorable little dumpling?" She asked.
"None of your business." Skipper snapped. He turned to Emma and Rico. "We need to figure out how they've been getting out so we can get in, and fight them." He told them in a whisper. Emma sighed and stopped trying to rush towards the glass. The penguins ran out, and got back to the HQ, locking the fishbowl as they did.
"How cute, they actually thought they could get to us." Savio remarked, chuckling.
"Hehe I know right?" Sinistra replied, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Two screams could be heard from Savio, and he just hit his stomach with his tail, and shut the noise up.
"So that's two off my danh sách and one off yours." He announced.
"Yes, I just have to eat the flat head, and the fat one, the girl, and I've added that little mammal to my list." She told the longer snake.
"I thought bạn weren't really fond of mammals." Savio remarked.
"Usually, but that one looked so tasty." Sinistra explained. "Who's on your list?" She asked.
"Well Kowalski the tall one, Rico, the mohawk one, and the small one, Tom." He replied.
"Lets stick to that list, we both get 5 then." Sinistra pointed out. Savio nodded in agreement. "Ugh, I didn't get much sleep last night." She thought aloud, resting her head on the floor. Savio coiled his tail around hers and she smiled at him as she closed her eyes. He rested his head on hers, and kept an eye out of the penguins. Meanwhile in the HQ, a thought just crossed Emma's mind.
"We need to warn Marlene!" She realised, rushing over to Marlene's habitat. She knocked on the cave entrance urgently.
"Come in." Marlene called cheerfully. The con rái cá, rái cá was painting calmly on an blank canvas.
"Marlene, Savio is back!" She burst out, running over to her friend.
"S... seriously...?" Marlene stammered, dropping the paintbrush in her paw. Emma nodded and sat Marlene down.
"And he's got a new friend, called Sinistra." Emma began. "They've already took King Julien, Maurice and Ashley." She explained. Marlene's eye widened in horror.
"Bu.. but Ashley's a penguin." She pointed out, looking puzzled.
"I know, but this new girl eats penguins too, and I think she'll convince Savio to do the same." Emma told her.
"Woah, this is big.." Marlene managed. "Do bạn wanna stay here for a bit?" She asked.
"I should really be getting back to the others..." Emma began.
"You need a bit of time away from that stress, c'mon lets do some painting." Marlene encouraged her.
"Ok." Emma sighed and she picked up a brush. The two Những người bạn began painting away, and Emma soon forgot about the snake business. They chatted, and giggled with not a care in the world.
A while later, Emma glanced at the clock and her eyes widened.
"Is it seriously 6pm?" She asked, her jaw dropping in surprise. "I've really been here 6 hours?"
"Yeah, I guess time flies when you're having fun." Marlene told her with a smile. Emma smiled back, but a little ball of worry was forming in her stomach.
"I need to go back, so we can try and free Ashley, Maurice and Julien." She realised, waving a goodbye to Marlene and sliding out of the cave. She began to walk to her own habitat, and she shivered. Because it was winter, the nights were much longer, and the sky was already a deep, midnight blue. Clouds blanketed the landscape, covering the stars, and a fierce wind howled through the zoo. Emma wrapped her flippers around herself, keeping a sharp look out for any flashes of red hoặc yellow. She opened the fishbowl, and hopped into the habitat.
"Hey guys sorry for taking so-" She stopped abruptly as she looked around her. The HQ was in a catastrophic state, the bàn was overturned, the periscope was bent all out of shape, now forming what looked like an S. Emma froze to the spot, and glanced around, hoping that the team had evaded the ruthless snakes, bởi using the escape tunnels. She took a deep breath, and moved silently across the floor, towards the lab. She opened the door cautiously, and grabbed the closest weapon. (Which happened to be the shrink ray.) The room was completely spotless, the Bunsen burners were in place, the chemicals were boiling away, and everything seemed perfect. Too perfect... Emma tiptoed through the lab, checking under workbenches as she did. As she approached the last one, in the very far corner of the room and heard what sounded like a whimper from underneath it. She crouched down and peered under. Tom was clutching a panic-stricken Mort, and their eyes were squeezed shut in fright. Emma tapped him on the shoulder and he shrieked in surprise, kicking out at Emma whilst doing so. Emma just avoided his kicks and she tried again. "Tom it's me, Emma." She told the frightened penguin. Tom opened his eyes uncertainly and his eye relaxed. Mort then opened his eyes, and hugged Emma's foot in worry.
"W.. where have bạn b.. been?" Tom stammered, crawling out from under the workbench and sitting on hàng đầu, đầu trang if it.
"Marlene wanted me to stay around hers for a bit and we Mất tích track of time." Emma admitted sheepishly, sitting on the workbench too, with Mort at her side.
"Why?" Tom asked sharply.
"Um, she was worried about the snakes coming over, and she didn't want to go to the HQ because she thought they might come here first." Emma lied.
"Oh ok." Tom replied. "Well she wasn't wrong." He added sadly, looking towards the open door.
"Where are the others?" Emma asked worriedly.
"Eaten." Tom answered, his eyes big with fear. "We only escaped because they couldn't find us."
"We hid for 4 hours, we thought the meanies might come back." Mort told her in his high pitched voice. Emma hugged the little chuột vong linh, vượn cáo comfortingly.
"So what should we do?" Tom asked. Emma's face turned serious and she picked up a few weapons from the lab.
"We end this." She told them, placing a weapon in Tom's flipper. They went into the main bit of the HQ, and set the cinder-block bàn upright. Emma got out blueprints of the reptile house and studied them carefully.
"Do bạn know how they are getting out?" Tom asked. Emma shook her head gravely, and looked up at the younger animals.
"Ok, so I've got a plan." She began. "We go to the reptile house, and Tom, I need bạn to talk to the Chameleons, see if they know how the Snakes are getting out." She instructed. Tom nodded in response. "Mort I need bạn to stay with me and we'll face the snakes. We'll distract them, then Tom will get in the snake habitat, and hit them with this shrink ray." She continued. "Because it's only hitting Savio and Sinistra, when they shrink, the others should break through their skin." She explained. Tom's eyes went wide and he stared at his older sister in shock.
"But.. but won't that, kill them? The snakes?" He asked, his voice filled with astonishment.
"Maybe, but they deserve it, they're treating small động vật as food, not real people, I understand that they want good food, but they get fed everyday, they can't eat and kill their fellow neighbours." She told Tom firmly. Mort's eyes got even bigger and his little eyebrows shot up his head.
"What if it shrinks the others too?" Tom wondered.
"Well then we'll be big enough to stop them, and force them to puke up our friends, then we'll grow our Những người bạn back to normal." Emma replied, an inch of worry in her voice. She just hoped that none of them had been digested yet.
"Can the con rái cá, rái cá come too?" Mort asked a little hopefully. Emma guessed that he felt better with thêm people around.
"Urm, maybe, let's ask her." Emma answered. The two penguins and Mort went to the con rái cá, rái cá habitat, and stopped as they walked in.
"Crud." Tom remarked, seeing the mess around, and looking behind him worriedly.
"They.... they got her too..?" Mort whimpered. Emma just nodded sadly.
"C'mon let's go, they're pretty fast so they should be back at the reptile house now." Emma đã đưa ý kiến bravely. The small group made their way over to the tall, dark building and took a deep breath as they walked in.