It was six o’ clock - 18:00 hours. All the penguins were busying themselves in the HQ. Skipper was writing up his daily report to himself; Kowalski was working furiously on his clipboard, on the verge of the possibility to divide by zero; Private was merrily working out a puzzle with a picture of a candy store on it; Rico was brushing his doll’s hair and humming to himself. All was quiet - except the sounds of humming and scribbling - just the way they liked it.
Skipper put down his pencil and just basked in his own thoughts for a while. He realized that he could quite possibly be the luckiest penguin alive.
Reason 1: He had a team that would never betray him, especially good ol’ Kowalski, who’d not only been his lieutenant but his best friend for years.
Reason 2: Julien had had another run-in with some bad lychee nuts and was out for a few nights. No parties!
Reason 3: Probably the best reason he was so lucky - Marlene. He’d finally worked up the nerve to tell her how he felt about her a few months ago - six months, in fact - and, turns out, she felt the same way! Now, they were happily dating. Skipper had found the prettiest necklace to give her - it had a gold chain with fake rubies and emeralds that made the pendant look like a strawberry. It had been in the zoo’s lost-and-found for a few weeks, then he’d swiped it before Alice could.
His thoughts were interrupted by a triumphant exclamation from Kowalski.
“YES! By Einstein’s mullet, I’VE GOTTEN IT!”
“What’s going on, K’walski?” said Private as he picked up the puzzle pieces he’d dropped in surprise.
“If my statistics are correct, I’ve just divided by zero!” he replied, a proud grin on his face.
“Aces, Kowalski!” Skipper congratulated, thumping the intellectual penguin’s back.
At that moment, Marlene came through the “Private’s 1stPrize” door.
After the penguins snapped in and out of military mode, Marlene said, “Skipper, there’s three penguins outside my habitat looking for you. I think that, for once, the zoo may actually need one of your commando operations!”
She sounded amused, but still worried a bit at what on earth these penguins were here for.
For only a moment, Skipper’s eyes flashed with fear, but then was replaced with gritty determination.
“All right, boys, we’ve got a trio of unauthorized visitors. Be on your toes - as I said, those Danes know how to hold a grudge. Marlene,” he looks at her, “I don’t want you alone, come with us. Now, move out!”
They all left the HQ, with Marlene in the back. The commandos jumped out of the habitat and landed in a fighting stance. Marlene climbed out like a normal person. Immediately, Rico laughed maniacally and hacked up a crowbar.
“Skipper, surely you wouldn’t attack me?” said a slick, convincing voice. The penguin to whom it belonged to wore a huge grin on his face.
Skipper’s eyes brightened with recognition.
“Ian? I’ll be a monkey’s uncle, it’s you!” Skipper cried, then excitedly shook flippers with his ex-comrade.
Kowalski leaned over to Rico and said softly, “It appears lethal force is not required…sorry.”
Rico sighed and swallowed back the crowbar.
Skipper turned back to the boys and Marlene.
“This is Ian,” he explained, “if it weren’t for him, I’d have been skewered on a kabob and fed to the flying piranhas years ago. And,” he looked back at the other two, “I believe some other introductions are in order.”
“Yes… this is Amelia-”
“Amy.” she corrected.
“-my wife, and this is… where did he go now?” Ian said, looking around.
“My goodness!” said a squeaky voice, failing at sounding suave. A short, stocky penguin snaked his flipper around Marlene’s waist, ignoring her disgusted look. “What a pretty lady!”
“Dude, get off!” Marlene growled, pushing him away.
“No, you know you like it - !”
Skipper methodically punched him in the gut and pulled Marlene into his arms.
“Thanks.” she said, kissing the side of his beak.
“My pleasure.”
“Please, friends, do not judge hastily. Rodney has never really been strong in the brains department.”
“Hey!” Rodney said, affronted.
Ian ignored him. “Anyway, Skipper, you have some introductions as well.”
“Yes, well,” Skipper began, indicating each as he introduced them, “There’s Rico, explosives and weaponry expert, and a penguin of few words; Private, in charge of special operations and the newest member of our unit; and Kowalski, my right-flipper man - strategist, logics expert, not to mention incredibly book-smart -”
“Thank you, Skipper.” said Kowalski, ever the gentleman.
“And this is my girlfriend, Marlene.” Skipper finished.
Though he didn’t look it, Ian was very angry. Skipper had mentioned a private; the tall one was obviously a lieutenant, and the creepy scar-face (in his opinion), he figured by process of elimination, was a sergeant. Skipper already had both a sergeant and a lieutenant?! There was no chance for his promotion now.
Lieutenant… what a lieutenant! A great arithmetician, who never set a squadron in the field nor the division of a battle knows more than a spinster!(1)
But he merely smiled and said, “Delighted to meet you all. Skipper, my old friend, my wife, Rodney and I are in quite the predicament-”
Amy snorted, but didn’t dare say a word; they needed this guy’s help.
“- and we have nowhere to go.”
“Say no more. We’ll find three more bunks .You just stay out of the people’s sight and you’ll be just fine here.”
“Perfect!” Amy said, clapping her flippers together. She looked pointedly at Ian.
“We won’t be ANY trouble. At ALL.”
But she might as well have not said anything. She could already see the gears in Ian’s mind moving.
(1) Act I, Scene I - Iago’s first monologue (talking about Cassio)
Skipper put down his pencil and just basked in his own thoughts for a while. He realized that he could quite possibly be the luckiest penguin alive.
Reason 1: He had a team that would never betray him, especially good ol’ Kowalski, who’d not only been his lieutenant but his best friend for years.
Reason 2: Julien had had another run-in with some bad lychee nuts and was out for a few nights. No parties!
Reason 3: Probably the best reason he was so lucky - Marlene. He’d finally worked up the nerve to tell her how he felt about her a few months ago - six months, in fact - and, turns out, she felt the same way! Now, they were happily dating. Skipper had found the prettiest necklace to give her - it had a gold chain with fake rubies and emeralds that made the pendant look like a strawberry. It had been in the zoo’s lost-and-found for a few weeks, then he’d swiped it before Alice could.
His thoughts were interrupted by a triumphant exclamation from Kowalski.
“YES! By Einstein’s mullet, I’VE GOTTEN IT!”
“What’s going on, K’walski?” said Private as he picked up the puzzle pieces he’d dropped in surprise.
“If my statistics are correct, I’ve just divided by zero!” he replied, a proud grin on his face.
“Aces, Kowalski!” Skipper congratulated, thumping the intellectual penguin’s back.
At that moment, Marlene came through the “Private’s 1stPrize” door.
After the penguins snapped in and out of military mode, Marlene said, “Skipper, there’s three penguins outside my habitat looking for you. I think that, for once, the zoo may actually need one of your commando operations!”
She sounded amused, but still worried a bit at what on earth these penguins were here for.
For only a moment, Skipper’s eyes flashed with fear, but then was replaced with gritty determination.
“All right, boys, we’ve got a trio of unauthorized visitors. Be on your toes - as I said, those Danes know how to hold a grudge. Marlene,” he looks at her, “I don’t want you alone, come with us. Now, move out!”
They all left the HQ, with Marlene in the back. The commandos jumped out of the habitat and landed in a fighting stance. Marlene climbed out like a normal person. Immediately, Rico laughed maniacally and hacked up a crowbar.
“Skipper, surely you wouldn’t attack me?” said a slick, convincing voice. The penguin to whom it belonged to wore a huge grin on his face.
Skipper’s eyes brightened with recognition.
“Ian? I’ll be a monkey’s uncle, it’s you!” Skipper cried, then excitedly shook flippers with his ex-comrade.
Kowalski leaned over to Rico and said softly, “It appears lethal force is not required…sorry.”
Rico sighed and swallowed back the crowbar.
Skipper turned back to the boys and Marlene.
“This is Ian,” he explained, “if it weren’t for him, I’d have been skewered on a kabob and fed to the flying piranhas years ago. And,” he looked back at the other two, “I believe some other introductions are in order.”
“Yes… this is Amelia-”
“Amy.” she corrected.
“-my wife, and this is… where did he go now?” Ian said, looking around.
“My goodness!” said a squeaky voice, failing at sounding suave. A short, stocky penguin snaked his flipper around Marlene’s waist, ignoring her disgusted look. “What a pretty lady!”
“Dude, get off!” Marlene growled, pushing him away.
“No, you know you like it - !”
Skipper methodically punched him in the gut and pulled Marlene into his arms.
“Thanks.” she said, kissing the side of his beak.
“My pleasure.”
“Please, friends, do not judge hastily. Rodney has never really been strong in the brains department.”
“Hey!” Rodney said, affronted.
Ian ignored him. “Anyway, Skipper, you have some introductions as well.”
“Yes, well,” Skipper began, indicating each as he introduced them, “There’s Rico, explosives and weaponry expert, and a penguin of few words; Private, in charge of special operations and the newest member of our unit; and Kowalski, my right-flipper man - strategist, logics expert, not to mention incredibly book-smart -”
“Thank you, Skipper.” said Kowalski, ever the gentleman.
“And this is my girlfriend, Marlene.” Skipper finished.
Though he didn’t look it, Ian was very angry. Skipper had mentioned a private; the tall one was obviously a lieutenant, and the creepy scar-face (in his opinion), he figured by process of elimination, was a sergeant. Skipper already had both a sergeant and a lieutenant?! There was no chance for his promotion now.
Lieutenant… what a lieutenant! A great arithmetician, who never set a squadron in the field nor the division of a battle knows more than a spinster!(1)
But he merely smiled and said, “Delighted to meet you all. Skipper, my old friend, my wife, Rodney and I are in quite the predicament-”
Amy snorted, but didn’t dare say a word; they needed this guy’s help.
“- and we have nowhere to go.”
“Say no more. We’ll find three more bunks .You just stay out of the people’s sight and you’ll be just fine here.”
“Perfect!” Amy said, clapping her flippers together. She looked pointedly at Ian.
“We won’t be ANY trouble. At ALL.”
But she might as well have not said anything. She could already see the gears in Ian’s mind moving.
(1) Act I, Scene I - Iago’s first monologue (talking about Cassio)
