"Gah!"
Kowalski woke up with a jolt, almost awakening the team from their deep slumber. He heard the soft thump of his heart pounding in his chest. Trying to calm himself, he quietly slipped out of his bunk and peered at the alarm clock.
"3:40?! I got to get back to sleep! Tomorrow there is agility training!"
Kowalski rubbed his eyes and quietly headed back to the small bunk, oblivious to Skipper's disappearance.
The dock...
Small penguin feet waddled across the dock, sly and stealthy, not making the slightest sound. The dock was calm, no humans around fortunately, and most of the seabirds have already gone to sleep.
"Doris?.....Doris?"
The penguin hid behind multiple boxes and crates, calling out her name every few moments of silence. He hopped atop of a pile of wooden lobster crates, flat head quickly observing the following surroundings, the calm swish of the ocean waves, the sparkling moon and city lights glinting across the water, a perfect scene of tranquility.
"Skipper?"
Doris's head peeked around the corner of a box, her sky blue eyes widened by the dark. She sat by the edge of the dock, staying on land but dipping her tail into the water to keep moist.
"Is anyone else here besides you, Skipper? It would be bad if Kowalski saw us together."
"No, everyone is sound asleep right now, I checked." replied Skipper.
Considering what Doris just said, Skipper wondered what would happen if Kowalski did come. (Oh what a dilemma that would be!)
"I'm positive no one will come, its too early in the morning.", Skipper added.(Luckily I'm right...)
Back at the HQ.....
Private and Rico dreamed peacefully, while Kowalski tossed and turned, his previous nightmare returning after only 30 minutes of tranquil sleep.
"No, no! Stay back you wicked dentist!", He mumbled in his sleep.
Awakening for the third time tonight, Kowalski jolted up, accidently falling out of his cozy bed and hitting the hard floor.
"Oww!"
Kowalski rubbed his aching head and glanced at Skipper's bunk making sure that he didn't wake up. To his surprise, Skipper was missing without any trace or note left behind. Kowalski surveyed the following options for this mysterious dissapearance:
- Find Skipper using my new and improved tracking device.
- Go back to sleep and wait for Skipper to come in the morning.
Having no choice but to help a fellow operative, Kowalski decided to go with the first option and bring a flashlight with him. Kowalski sneaked into his lab and came out with the tracking device and a small indigo LED flashlight.
(I'll have to make this quick, it's 4:10 and getting close to morning.)
So being it out of concern, Kowalski at 4:10 A.M. went out to find Skipper, using a miniscule tailfeather from his bunk placed in the tracking machine to locate him.
At the dock....
"So, Doris, whatever happened to living in the zoo?", Skipper asked.
"They decided to just let me free and leave the habitat empty, I don't know why they did but that's what happened. It feels so much better to be out here in the open."
"Hmm, well I'm glad we can still see each other!" Skipper exclaimed with a half-smile.
"Oh Skipper, you gentleman!"
Skipper leaned in to kiss Doris, completely unaware of anything else around him.
A flash of light waved across the boards of the dock, illuminating speedy rats and piles of objects as it waved by.
(He should be around here somewhere, the tracking device led me to this location!)
Kowalski spotted an outline by the edge of the dock, but couldn't make out the figure.
(That must be Skipper! I thought he was in danger or ensnared in a cage by Officer X.)
Kowalski slid nearer to the black outline, expecting Skipper to ask him what he was doing here, so Kowalski stopped and turned behind a crate of fishing supplies. He took out his clipboard and wrote down his alternatives,
- Tell Skipper I was worried about him and came to find him
(This one seems the most true...)
- Say I was trying to find something that I lost out here.
(Skipper knows I haven't near the docks for awhile... not after Doris left the zoo...)
- Improvise.
(I'll have to go with option 1, it's the truth and Skipper won't ask many questions about it)
Kowalski chose option one, the choice that was the actual truth, and put away his clipboard. He took out the small LED flashlight and switched the power to on. Kowalski thought about Skipper yelling at him, but it was unlikely if he told the truth. Kowalski followed the tracker's bright red arrow, flashing on its screen that he was closing in by 10 yards.
Kowalski then knew what he saw.
The unknown "figure" was actually two figures, Skipper and Doris at the edge of the water, kissing.
Just like Kowalski dreamed, except it was supposed to be him.
Standing there trembling with rage, Kowalski decided to change to the alternative option.
(Time to Improvise)
"SKIPPER!"
Startled and caught off-guard, Skipper fell from the small box he was standing on to reach Doris. Skipper quickly turned his head to Kowalski, pupils dilated as he realized that he had seen the entire thing.
"Kowalski?! No i-it's not what you think!"
Doris only sat there startled, thinking of what she had done, breaking Kowalski's heart, not listening to that poem he made for her... and now this. She knew that she never paid that much attention to him, even though he had been kind to her in every way. And now, Doris cut the last thread of hope that Kowalski had of Dorski, and of her.
"I KNOW WHAT I SAW SKIPPER!"
Kowalski started to close in the few yards that Skipper and him had apart. Fury and hate were distinctive in his expression as his face entered the moon's glow. His loud voice could be heard all across the dock. The sound rebounded off of nearby objects, emphasizing the effect.
"AND WHAT I SEE NOW IS YOU, DORIS, AND YOUR LIES TO ME!"
"K-Kowalski... calm down..", Skipper said in a trembling voice, backing up and raising his flippers as a sign of non-violence.
"HOW CAN I 'CALM DOWN' IF YOU WERE KISSING THE DOLPHIN THAT YOU KNOW I LOVED?!"
Skipper stood there motionless as Kowalski's hard gaze now turned on Doris. Doris and Kowalski stared into each other's eyes, Kowalski's filled with anger and hurt while Doris's apologetic.
"AND YES DORIS, I SAID LOVED, BECAUSE NOT ANYMORE! I GAVE YOU ALL MY HEART, AND THEN YOU DECIDED TO JUST TEAR IT INTO TINY PIECES! I CAN TRUST NO ONE!"
Doris could only whisper,"I'm.. I'm so sorry Kowalski..."
He flipped on top of the highest tower of crates and fishing supplies. Multiple hooks and other equipment slid down, almost hitting Skipper and Doris. He pointed his flipper at Skipper and Doris in ferocity.
"NO ONE!"
Kowalski dove into the water with a splash and swam away as Doris and Skipper watched, stunned by his dramatic display. Upset and broken-hearted, he swam for miles on end, not even stopping at the thought of sharks or the team or Doris. The sun started to rise from a billow of clouds, the colors painting the sky into a beautiful mixture of pinks, yellows, and oranges. The sea calmed down most of his anger, but replaced by anger was misery. Being in the water, no one would be able to see his tears of despair.
