At-chu

AN/Lame title. It was the best I could think of.

The energetic tune of the bugal tone that sounded at
exactly six thirty every morning sent three penguins
leaping up and out of bed in size order. Kowalski, Rico,
and Private all stood side by side in erect posture.
They gazed strait on, Kowalski's expression solid and
serious though still half-awake, Rico, a solemn expression
on his scarred face all the same you could see the phyco
fire in his antarctican eyes, Private, who was last in the order,
carefully wiped sleep from one lilac eye, not breaking
his posture however. After waiting several seconds in
silence Kowalski had the strange feeling that something
wasn't right. Awake, he probably would have picked up
on it imediatley, but Kowalski never was a morning person-
I mean penguin-. He glanced around the bunk room.
His tired, adjusting lilac-blue eyes observed each bunk from
Private's-adorned with a lunicorn- to Rico's messy one covered
in TnT and black, shiny bombs, to his own partially made one,
lastly his eyes fell on the last one.
You could tell someone was there due to the
penguin-shaped form beneath the rough wool blanket, steady
breathing making the covering rise and fall. Kowalski, confused
for sensible reasons, walked over to the occupied bunk and
flipped back the blanket. "Skipper, wake up. What are
you doing still sleeping this late in the morning?"
Skipper groaned and rolled onto his back, "I'll be up in a
minute Kay."
With that he rolled back onto his side and dropped off like
a rock does when you throw it in a pond, low snores
that sounded more like a purring kitten filled the air again.
Kowalski looked back at Private and Rico and shrugged.
Private, in reply shrugged back. Rico picked up a
hammer, "Ayee!" he screamed.
"No Rico, bad idea." Kowalski raised his voice in a loud whisper.
"Aaww!" Rico groaned and shoved the hammer down his throat.
He could store weapons inside himself and simply regurgitate
them when an item was nesessary-things like pre-lit dynomite,
bombs, hack saws, hammers, and Mrs.Perky (Rico's toy
girlfriend)-.
Kowalski turned back to the snoozing penguin, "Skipper! I-.."
he thought a bit, then a lightbulb appeared above his head and
a thoughtful expression lit up his face, "Rico! Coffie machine!"
With a hark Rico threw up the coffie machine and presently
plugged it into the wall.
"Microphone." Kowalski ordered.
Rico barfed up the mic, choaking a bit on the cord. Kowalski
some how managed to rig the two together and turned on the
coffie maker. The sounds of brewing coffie drowned out all
other sounds with extreme magnitude.
Skipper jumped with a start -not out of bed but 'jumped' as in
what you'd do if somone suddenly turned on heavy metal or
something.
When the exhausted penguin stepped from the bunk to the
floor he looked extremely annoyed. In two strides he walked
over to the coffie maker and yanked the plug out of the wall.
Angry, enfuriated deep blue eyes darted towards Kowalski.
"Kaden! Are you trying to make us all go de-" he was
halted by a fit of coughing.
Kowalski put a flipper to the leader's forehead. After a
few seconds he grunted his disapproval, "Not good..he's got
a high temperature, fever.."
Skipper pulled away, "I'm fine Kowalski."
Kowalski shook his head, "Negative Skipper." he wheeled
his friend around on his heels and pushed him towards the
recently vacated bunk, "Skipper I let you get away with being
on duty when you had a harsh allergic reaction but this
time I won't allow it."
Skipper resisted being pushed onto the bunk, "Oh really?
Since when did you out-rank me?"
"Never sir, I'm just saying that I insist -as part of your
medical personel and sorts- that you get some rest. Face
it, you're sick."
"I am not!" Skipper raised his voice, resulting in another bout of
coughing.
"Yes, you are and quite honestly I think sick members on the
job might actually put our mission in jeopardy. Don't you
agree?"
"Negatory Kowalski! What do you think I'm going to get in the
way or something? I've never gotton in the way of anything..accept
maybe Private's lunicorn show but that's an exception!"
May I add that the whole time he was snuffing a bit much.
By now Kowalski had found it annoying.
"Will you stop that!"
"Sorry! I can't just let it run!"
Kowalski rolled his eyes.
"Rico, kleenex."
Rico up-chucked the whole box right into Kowalski's out-streched
flipper. Kowalski put a kleenex over Skipper's beak.
"Blow." he instructed
It looked comical though no one laughed save a stifled giggle from
Private.
The only trouble was blowing into the kleenex didn't help
at all. "Gread! Dow I'm stobbed up. Thangs you boron!" Skipper scoffed
with difficulty.
"Well, sorry. I thought it would help a little."
"Helb? Helb? Dow I soud lige sub freeg!"
"Look on the bright side Skipper," Kowalski encouraged, "At least you aren't
snuffing anymore..I mean..heh-heh."
Skipper glared at him, "You idiod."
With that he walked away.
Later that day Marlene dropped by. The HQ was quiet as she entered,
light brown eyes looking all around her. She saw no one.
Suddenly a muffled shout sounded and Marlene climbed to the
top of the ice flow to find Private and Rico.
"Hey guys, what's up?" She greeted.
"Shh!" Private exclaimed, "We're playing team hide and seek!"
"Oh..cool, I take it you and Rico teamed up?"
Rico nodded dramatically, a huge phyco grin on his face.
"Where is Kowalski and Skipper?"
"That's just it. We don't know yet." Private replied, looking over
his shoulder with a nervous tingle of thrill.
"We saw something back there," he added, "But we're not sure
what it was. Often the lemurs get in on the game without our
knowing. It just annoys Skipper to no end!" he laughed.
Marlene smiled. It was a pleasant, motherly, knowing smile.
Private had caught Skipper many a time catch that smile and
blush. The boy was sure there was something between the
leader and Marlene. Suddenly a crash sounded in the bushes not
far away.
"Shut it Kowalski I'm fine!"
"I'm sorry, I just thought you shouldn't-"
*Smack!*
"Will you just stop! Even Manfriedi and Johnson can hear
us!!"
"Okay......................uh-oh......"
Behind the bushes Kowalski cowered back, covering his ears.
Skipper had that expression like someone does before they sneeze.
Kowalski had heard Skipper yell before, he wasn't to crazy
about hearing him sneeze. Kowalski shut his eyes.
After a few minutes of nothing but the sound of his own body
Kowalski opened his eyes to find an un-amused Skipper glaring
at him, flippers crossed. "Sorry Skipper, I thought you were going
to sneeze."
"I did." Skipper replied, his eyes narrowing in frustration.
"Oh..I never heard it.."
*Smack!*
"Ow, what was that for?"
"Nothing..I guess.."
Suddenly Private opened a gap in the branches of the bushes.
Kowalski screamed like a girl and Skipper muttered a few things
Private wasn't allowed to say.
Rico came up behind Private with a phyco grin, "Ound oo!"
"Game over Private." Skipper crawled out of the bushes like a
dog that had just been titled the opposite of useful.
Marlene noticed he looked under the weather, "Is something
wrong Skipper?"
Skipper shook his head, the back of his flipper wiping across
his beak.
"A cold?" Marlene asked.
Skipper glanced at her. That otter could either read minds, or
she was entitled to be a doctor.
Skipper gave a short nod and retreated inside.