Skipper reluctantly climbed up the ladder, staring at the other two jealously (they had fallen asleep before he had even gotten to the hàng đầu, đầu trang of the ladder). He was so distracted bởi making nasty faces at them that he nearly slipped and fell off. After he regained his balance, he decided it was best to concentrate on climbing.

He popped out of the hole and into the chim cánh cụt habitat, and immediately shivered. It was a very cold night and even though he was a penguin, he seemed to have little tolerance for the cold, presumably because he had been born and raised in warmer temperatures (see ‘Tagged’ for proof). He wondered why he had not been cold at the auditions earlier that night.

He was regretting his decision to send someone out on recon duty, but of course he would not have been if either Rico hoặc Private had been out in the cold, he would be asleep in the HQ. Now that he was out doing it he was reasoning that Fred probably tripped on a cây branch hoặc fell off accidentally for one reason hoặc another and blamed it on someone kicking him. Skipper had climbed the cây himself and had found no indication that anyone had been up there besides Fred.

Skipper decided to slip back into the HQ and go to sleep, since he knew the others were sound asleep. He slid the cá bowl aside and was about to climb down when he saw a lone figure moving through the blackness towards the chim cánh cụt habitat. Slightly intrigued, as it was very late at night, he decided to investigate.

The figure continued to advance towards the chim cánh cụt habitat, but eventually turned down a side path and disappeared from Skipper’s sight. Shaking from the cold and cursing his curiosity, Skipper jumped out of the habitat and ran off after the figure, taking care to make as little noise as possible. Fortunately for him, this was made easy as the vong linh, vượn cáo habitat was right tiếp theo door and one of the lemurs, probably Julien, was snoring very loudly.

The zoo was so dark that Skipper Mất tích sight of the figure several times before he eventually found them, silhouetted against the light of the moon hoặc the city. He made sure to stay quiet and out of sight, wanting to see where the figure was heading before dealing with them if necessary.

The figure was constantly moving but walking very slowly and making strange noises. It also appeared to be holding something, which Skipper was having trouble making out, but its shape was similar to a large upside-down vial hoặc beaker, like the kind Kowalski had in his lab. Finally, it reached the edge of the zoo boundaries and its current path was blocked bởi a wall. Skipper sincerely hoped that it would not climb the tường and go into the park.

But the figure turned and walked behind one of the zoo warehouses, like the place where they had buried Kowalski except that it was on the complete opposite side of the zoo. It turned behind one of the warehouses and Skipper followed, hiding in the darkness cast bởi the wall.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed on. Skipper was startled, but as he had been prepared for a fight all along he got into his karate pose, waiting to kick the stuffing out of anything that attacked him. However, the figure, which was only a few yards in front of him, yelped in surprise and stumbled onto the ground.

Skipper quickly looked up to determine the nguồn of the light: it was one of those lights with motion sensors, which come on when someone walks by. This was obviously there to help zoo workers if they were making deliveries hoặc moving objects while it was dark.

Skipper jumped over to the figure, which was completely wrapped in what appeared to be a blue blanket. Ready for anything, Skipper pulled off the blanket and stepped backwards in case it lunged. But there was no need. It was Marlene.

Marlene seemed startled enough bởi the lights suddenly coming on, but was even thêm startled bởi someone pulling off her blanket. She kicked out behind her, catching Skipper in the chest and knocking him to the ground. Then she got up and turned around, looking to see who it was.

“Hey!” she đã đưa ý kiến when she saw it was only Skipper, lying on the ground and holding her blanket. “Not cool.” She grabbed the blanket from him and walked over to where she had fallen. Lying on the ground in front of the spot she had fallen was a tiny bouquet of five white flowers, which had been tied together with some string.

“Marlene…what are bạn doing?” đã đưa ý kiến Skipper, sitting up and rubbing his chest. “And although I admire your reflexes, did bạn have to kick so hard?”

“Skipper, do bạn always have to know exactly what is going on in my life? Because, it’s really not any of bạn business” Marlene snapped, standing over Skipper and looking down at him.

“Eh…sorry” đã đưa ý kiến Skipper, trying to speak quickly to get him out of trouble. “I was on recon duty and saw bạn walking through the shadows, I couldn’t tell who it was and, with all these strange occurrences going on around here I thought I should probably follow and make sure…”

“Okay, whatever” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene. “Well, everything’s fine. Good night.”

She began to walk away, tossing the blanket over her shoulders and wrapping it around her. Skipper was reminded how cold it was and mentally congratulated Marlene for having enough sense to bring a blanket, even though he was a little put out about her choice of words. Skipper was not one to put himself in other people’s shoes and think about how they would react in any được trao situation.

“Hold up sister! I can’t just let bạn go wandering off bởi yourself on a night like this! Don’t bạn remember what happened to poor Fred just a few hours ago?” đã đưa ý kiến Skipper dramatically.

“Skipper, he got kicked out of a tree,” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene. “If he had been stabbed with a dao, con dao hoặc something I’d be worried. Besides, it’s Fred, he probably just tripped hoặc something and blamed it on someone kicking him.”

“Hey, that’s exactly what I thought,” đã bình luận Skipper. “Um, I mean…”

“Yeah” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene. “Skipper…how do I put this…this is a time where I kind of want to be alone.”

“But Marlene, there could be a bloodthirsty madman lurking in the shadows, just waiting for me to walk away…” đã đưa ý kiến Skipper, glancing around with shifty eyes.

“I’ll take my chances,” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene.

“Sorry Marlene, but leaving a defenseless citizen in a time of peril violates the chim cánh cụt Code” đã đưa ý kiến Skipper.

“Well, I guess bạn just got your butt kicked bởi a defenseless citizen” smirked Marlene. Skipper blushed slightly. Marlene sighed.

“Okay, if I tell you, will bạn go away?” she said.

“Not liking the tone much, Marlene,” đã đưa ý kiến Skipper, standing up and patting Marlene on the head.

Marlene brushed Skipper’s wing off her head. “Skipper please” she said. “This is always a hard ngày for me.”

Skipper looked at her curiously.

Marlene sighed. “Six years cách đây today, while I was still living in my old aquarium, my dad died. When I moved to the zoo, I buried his yêu thích bờ biển, bãi biển ball behind this warehouse.”

Skipper felt very awkward. “You buried his…beach ball?” đã đưa ý kiến Skipper.

“Well, they removed the body and everything! What else was I supposed to do?” Marlene snapped.

“Okay, okay,” đã đưa ý kiến Skipper. “Well, I guess this is sort of personal, so I guess I’ll just let you…”

Marlene suddenly threw herself onto Skipper and began to sob. Skipper nearly fell under the force of the impact, but caught himself. Slightly annoyed, but not wanting to comfort Marlene, he gave her an encouraging sort of hug.

“Oh Skipper” Marlene sobbed. “I miss him so much…I’ve never been the same since he died…”

Skipper found himself imagining how Marlene must have been like before her father died, but since he had no idea what her father was like, he really couldn’t.

“Where did bạn get those nice hoa Marlene?” đã đưa ý kiến Skipper, trying to get her mind off her father even though he knew perfectly well that they grew in the cỏ of her habitat.

Marlene gave a very annoyed look. “Of course, why would bạn care? bạn never even knew him!” snapped Marlene. She stepped away from Skipper and began to walk away, but turned around and addressed Skipper one thêm time before disappearing into the darkness. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Skipper, but tonight…I’m not really in the mood to talk.”

Skipper considered calling out after Marlene, but decided it would be fruitless. She obviously didn’t want to be bothered and she was almost certainly right about there being no villain wandering the zoo. It went against everything Skipper taught, but Marlene had made him at least somewhat aware of how preposterous it sounded. Besides, Skipper was tired and really wanted to get to sleep. Maybe he could sneak back in without the others even noticing…

He began to walk, and the automatic light turned on again. It was getting very annoying, Skipper thought. Right before he turned a corner, he glanced back at Marlene. He could see her silhouette about twenty feet away. She appeared to be kneeling crouching on the ground, still holding the flowers. Skipper inclined his head respectfully before walking away.

From the hàng đầu, đầu trang of the warehouse, Kowalski surveyed the situation through his powerful binoculars, conveniently equipped with night vision. As soon as Skipper was back in the chim cánh cụt habitat, he hopped off the roof and prepared to execute his genius plan…at least that’s what he referred to it as. However, he made a mental note to be careful in case Skipper suddenly became concerned and rushed back to make sure Marlene was all right…that would blow his cover big time.

Kowalski hid behind a nearby trashcan and watched Marlene through his binoculars. bởi the time he had adjusted the zoom, she had already laid the hoa on the ground and was about to walk away. Kowalski needed to act quickly hoặc his plan was kaput!

Kowalski rummaged through a bush, which he had stored a few items in. He grabbed a large cassette player, which was actually the lemur’s ‘boomy box’, which he had swiped from their habitat while they slept. He then dropped the binoculars into the bush, but they landed on his left flipper as he was fiddling with the cassette player. He let out a grunt as they crushed his flipper, and Marlene turned around.

“Hello?” she said.

Quietly, Kowalski popped open the cassette player and popped in a tape and shut the player. Then he hit the play button and soothing violin âm nhạc issued from the player.

“What the…?” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene, walking closer to investigate.

Kowalski noticed that the volume was exceedingly loud and tried to turn it down as quickly as possible. Unfortunantly, he turned the knob the wrong way, so the âm nhạc suddenly became very loud, then very soft. Marlene stood a few feet away, wondering what was going on.

Kowalski saw his plan falling apart. He decided it was now hoặc never. Jumping out from behind the trashcan, he swirled his cape around and began to talk in what he hoped was his most mysterious-sounding voice.

“Your pleas have not fallen upon deaf ears, child. Your father has sent me. I am an angel…your Angel of music…” “Aah!” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene, jumping slightly. “Skipper, is that you? Pretending to be the Phantom of the Opera?”
“Aw man, bạn figured it out that quickly?” đã đưa ý kiến Kowalski, retreating behind the trashcan and turning off the music.

“Yep. Obviously, bạn don’t know me that well. I memorized that entire play when I was only a few years old” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene.

“You saw it as a play?” đã đưa ý kiến Kowalski.

“No, silly! I had all of the âm nhạc on cassette tapes. I played them all the time. That is, until I got sick of them…”

Kowalski now felt very embarrassed. “Well, it was worth a shot!” he đã đưa ý kiến in a mock cheerful voice.

“And take off all of those black clothes! I can’t see bạn at all!” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene, blundering forward.

Despite the coldness of the night, Kowalski was feeling very stuffy inside of all of the clothes he was wearing. He threw off everything except the cloth covering his face. Marlene might think he was just playing but, with the ‘mask’ at least, he was not. He threw all of the clothes into the bụi cây, cây bụi, tổng thống bush the binoculars were in.

“Man, I still can’t see anything,” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene. “Hey, come over here.”

She scurried over to the side of the warehouse, where the automatic light came on and illuminated the area.

“Kowalski!?” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene, expecting Skipper. “Okay, you’re gonna have to explain this one to me.”

“What? Why it’s me and not Skipper?” đã đưa ý kiến Kowalski.

“No! Didn’t you…die?” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene shakily.

“Oh that. Well I kinda…sorta…staged my own death, if bạn know what I mean,” đã đưa ý kiến Kowalski.

“WHY?” shouted Marlene.

“Classified” đã đưa ý kiến Kowalski. “Maybe I’ll tell bạn later. But I need bạn to promise me something. Whatever bạn do, DO NOT tell the others, especially Skipper!”

“Kowalski, I’m not going to lie to Skipper. I don’t care what kind of grudge bạn two have, I need to tell him,” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene harshly.

“PLEASE!” đã đưa ý kiến Kowalski, making a pathetic face.

“Oh all right!” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene. “But don’t bạn think bạn can go doing whatever, you’d better think again, because if I need to tell Skipper what you’re up to, darn it I will!”

“That’s fine” đã đưa ý kiến Kowalski.

“So, what were bạn doing here anyway?” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene.

“Oh, right. I was going to offer to help bạn practice for your audition,” đã đưa ý kiến Kowalski very simply.

“That’s what all this was about?” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene. “My audition? And what do bạn know about hát anyway?”

“Well, I’ve been studying the physical processes of hát and thought I could at least share some tips to help bạn sing better and waste less oxygen while doing so,” đã đưa ý kiến Kowalski.

“Why do bạn have to turn everything into a big scientific mess?” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene. “But it does sound like it could help. Ah, what the heck, follow me back my habitat and we can practice there.”

“Actually, I was thinking thêm of using my…super cool underground lair!” đã đưa ý kiến Kowalski, hesitating slightly in order to think of something better than ‘the sewer’. “Besides, I have an organ.”

“You do not!” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene.

“Yes I do” đã đưa ý kiến Kowalski.

“A real one?”

“Yup.”

“Lead the way!” đã đưa ý kiến Marlene.