Hey, people of the cyber universe, this, once again, is RavenFeathersOfDarkness, who really shouldn't be Pagsulat right now…*tries to pull self away from keyboard*…You know, there really is no point in trying, I can't help myself when it comes to this…Sigh…All right, anyway, even though I sinabi I won't be posting any new chapters for about a week, this one idea for this chapter just came to me as I was pagbaba you guys' reviews, and I couldn't get it out of my head, no matter what methods of mindless distraction I used. [And it didn't help that everywhere I went for the last 4 days, I was reminded of the Penguins. Why does fate like to torture me?!...]
Anyway, after a chat with one of my friends, I decided that until I close my poll, I will continue to write this story, because, one, like I mentioned in my profile, this happens to be my paborito story out of all the ones I'm going to write, and two, I just can't ignore all you nice people and all your nice reviews. Plus if I don't do something I'm going to go crazy, so here I am.
Okay, this chapter might be a little…um...what's the word? Dark-themed, maybe? It's gonna be about why Ravena came to the Central Park Zoo, how she knows Jack and Dr. Blowhole. It's because of this chapter, and the ones that follow, that I am changing the genre and maybe the rating, because there's gonna be some violence. Oh, and I'm gonna put Marlene and Julien in here, too, cause I haven't been ipinapakita them much pag-ibig lately.
Okay, I'm dedicating this chapter to Kila, my rebel friend on Fanpop who's so awesome in so many ways, and who really should start posting on this site. Also to knockknocktimerico, one of the masters of fanfictioning, and who is also indescribably awesome. Much pag-ibig to you guys! ^^
**********Chapter 5: madami Than Meets the Eye************
Ravena sighed. It was probably 1:00 at night, and she was beginning to lose hope that she'd ever find her way back home. How she let herself get captured sa pamamagitan ng that egotistical dolpin was beyond her. Maybe it was the fact that her usually fast reflexes and rational way of thinking were still out of whack, even though it had been weeks since it happened.
The very thought made Ravena's eyes burn. I'm so sorry, Mom….and Dad…
All she could do now was apologize, and it would never be enough.
It was all she could do not to break down completely. Don't, she thought. Don't let him think he's finally gotten to you. So instead she pulled her feet up to her chest, buried her face in her flippers, and let the tears fall silently, her shoulders shaking. Her occasional sniffling echoed inside the hollow cell.
Somehow Dr. Blowhole had managed to take her whole world—everything that mattered to her—and shatter it into a million lifeless pieces around her.
She might have been able to retaliate against him, had it not been for the biggest shock, the cruelest blow of all.
Betrayed sa pamamagitan ng someone she considered her best friend. Maybe even something more…
And it was that thought that slowly transformed all of Ravena's sadness, her despair, her desperation, into frustration, anger, and full-blown hatred.
She stood up and began walking towards the titanium door. And with every step she took, her fury burned brighter, until she could almost feel it searing her heart.
She leaned both her flippers against the cold metal door. She could hear voices on the other side, two of them. The voices she would recognize anywhere.
"…I don't see why you have to keep her locked in there," the first voice said. He sounded slightly nervous. "I mean, she's not a prisoner, right?"
"Of course she isn't," the segundo voice said. "This is just a test. I want to see how long it takes before that resilient spirit of hers breaks."
"Oh, something's gonna break, all right," Ravena sinabi under her breath. She pounded her flipper against the door. "Let me out!" she shouted. "I already told you I'm not working for you!"
"And I already told you this wasn't your choice, Agent," he added in a mocking tone that sent angry shivers down Ravena's spine.
"Don't call me that!" she yelled. "I am not your agent, I am not your operative, I am not your secret weapon, I am not your anything! Now you better let me out before I break this door down myself!!"
"..Maybe we should let her out, sir," the nervous voice said. "She doesn't sound too happy."
Dr. Blowhole just laughed. "She can't break the door down, Jack. It's solid titanium. She can try all she wants."
Ravena smirked. That was all the invitation she needed. She stepped back, closed her eyes, and slammed her flipper into the door with all the force she could muster, and to Jack and Dr. Blowhole's great surprise, the door swung open and fell to the ground with a loud boom.
Ravena raised an eyebrow in defiance. "Always expect the unexpected," she said.
Her beak curled into a scowl as she stared at the two mga hayop she hated madami than anything, anyone else in the world. Jack thought she looked positively murderous.
Apparently Dr. Blowhole thought so too, for he called, "Lobsters!"
Immediately a large army of lobsters came swarming into the base, claws primed, ready for battle.
Ravena wasn't fazed. She had lived through this nightmare over and over again, and it was going to end the same way it always did.
The army of lobsters charged towards her, as she took a fighting stance and punched the ulang nearest to her, and roundhoused the susunod wave of Dr. Blowhole's army.
Just as she thought, it was happening the same way it always did.
Or was it?...
Suddenly a pair of flippers grabbed her own and held her behind her back.
"What the--?" Ravena turned her head, but she couldn't see who was behind her.
"Let go!"
"Ravena, you need to wake up!"
Confused, Ravena blinked. "..What?" she asked. That sounded like Kowalski…
"You're pagganap in your sleep, Ravena, you have to wake up!"
Suddenly Ravena felt a sharp sting across her face, like an invisible flipper had slapped her.
She blinked. Dr. Blowhole's base was changing…It was starting to look a lot like the penguins' HQ….
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Ravena blinked again. The room finally came into sharper focus. She was definitely inside the HQ now, but someone was still holding her flippers behind her.
She let out a breath. "…Another dream," she said, frowning. Then she looked at Skipper, who was standing in front of her with an odd mixture of concern and irritation on his face.
"…Skipper, was it you who just smacked me?" she asked. He nodded.
"Well, what for?"
"Well, soldier, you probably didn't realize it, but you were attacking your teammates in your sleep, and we couldn't wake you up any other way."
"Oh my God, really?" Ravena took a better look at the other penguins. Rico had a bruise on the side of his face, and Private was rubbing his flipper in pain. Then she realized it was Kowalski who still had a hold on her.
"..Um, you can let me go now, I'm not gonna hurt anyone anymore, I promise," she said. She turned her head to see that Kowalski wasn't looking at her, but at Skipper, waiting for him to give him the OK.
Skipper nodded, and Kowalski let her go. Ravena brought her flippers to her mouth. "..I'm so sorry…"
"This isn't gonna be a recurring problem, is it?" Skipper asked with a frown.
Ravena rubbed her head, thinking. "No…but…this hasn't happened since…since before I left for the military…"
She narrowed her eyes. "This shouldn't have happened again."
"What were you dreaming about?" Kowalski asked.
"…The time Jack and Dr. Blowhole captured me," Ravena answered softly.
"Who's Jack?" Private asked. Ravena scowled. "My segundo mortal enemy, who I have sworn to take down along with that swollen-headed dolphin." The last few words sounded almost like a snarl.
"Oh," Private said, wishing he hadn't asked.
"That reminds me, you haven't exactly told us what happened between you two," Skipper said.
Kowalski looked at his clipboard. "Um, that might have to wait, Skipper. According to our schedule, we were supposed to go topside for our morning exercises a half oras ago."
"Hoover Dam, you're right!" Skipper exclaimed. "Looks like your intel will have to wait, Ravena," he told her. "Are you sure you're up for this?"
"No problem, Skipper," Ravena sinabi with a salute. "I could use some training to blow off some steam."
She climbed up the ladder. She took a few segundos to take in that fresh New York City air [*cough, cough* Sarcasm anyone? I live near NYC, so…yeah] before—
SMACK!
Skipper and the team heard a loud noise followed sa pamamagitan ng a cry of "Ow! What the hell was that?"
The penguins quickly made their way up the ladder to find Ravena sitting down, rubbing her head. She looked around to see what had hit her, when her lavender eyes rested on a small white ball. "…Where did this golf ball even come from?!" she exclaimed. "What a weird morning…"
Skipper and the team shared knowing looks. "Should we tell her?" Private said, looking towards the lemur habitat, where Julien was playing his version of golf.
Skipper looked over at Ravena. Fortunately her eyes were closed as she continued to rub her forehead. A laugh almost managed to escape him. "I think she's already had enough to deal with, Private. Besides, I don't think the zookeepers would take it too lightly if one of their mga hayop murdered the other."
Rico laughed maniacally. "Kaboom!" he said.
Kowalski shook his head. "You know, I think she might actually go for that one, Rico."
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It was 3:00 in the afternoon, and the penguins were on a recon mission around the zoo. Skipper had taken Alice's office, Rico and Private were covering the zoovenir tindahan and the reptile house, and Ravena and Kowalski were covering the animals' habitats.
Kowalski looked over at her. "Are you okay?"
Ravena jumped; she had been Nawawala in thought. Kowalski knew that feeling all too well.
"Oh…yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to adjust to all this. Back at my old zoo, it was just me, my parents, my sister…." She trailed off. "I'm just not used to living with four guy penguins, that's all."
"I thought the military would have gotten you used to that sa pamamagitan ng now," Kowalski said, frowning.
"Well, after I left the military, I was on my own for a while. I had to travel alone; couldn't risk anything or anyone letting Dr. Blowhole know where I was, at least until I reached somewhere safe. And it looks like I've found that here. I mean, I can trust you guys, right?" She smiled.
Kowalski looked at her for a little longer. "…Why was he looking for you so much? Was it something you did?"
Ravena shook her head and laughed. "No. Let's just say I had something he always wanted but will never quite have." She went back to what she was supposed to be doing, looking through the binoculars. "Well, the chimpanzee habitat is secure, as with the gorillas, the baboons, the hayop ng oter and the kanggaro habitat."
"Flamingo, ostrich, and rhino habitats are all secure, and lemur habitat is…well, as normal as it can be." Kowalski said, Pagsulat on the clipboard he pulled from thin air.
"Not at all, then," Ravena said, as the two shared a laugh. "Okay, all we need to do now is check out the elepante habitat, and we can ulat back to Skipper."
The two of them began walking towards Burt's habitat when Ravena stopped dead and looked behind her. "…Did you hear that?" she asked.
"No," Kowalski answered. They stood still, both listening. Then Kowalski heard it—the rustling of leaves in the palumpong behind them.
For a while, neither of them moved. Then Kowalski walked over to the palumpong and peered behind it. "…There's nothing here, Ravena," he finally said.
"Maybe it was a breeze or something," Ravena said, although the tone of her voice betrayed her uncertainty. She took another look through her binoculars to calm her nerves. "Um…Kowalski? I think Burt's got too many mga mani stuck up his nose."
Kowalski sighed. Burt was stuck on mga mani like he was stuck on candy. But, then again, mga mani were Burt's food… "All right, let's go help him."
"Do you think we should tell Skipper about what we heard?" Ravena asked, walking up to him.
"He did tell us to ulat anything we considered suspicious," the intellectual ibong dagat answered. "Although we could just be paranoid…"
He gave the palumpong a final, cursory glance before turning his attention to their current problem.
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A few hours later, Skipper, Kowalski, Private, Rico and Ravena were back at the HQ, eating dinner.
"…so I asked Kowalski if he had heard it, too, but he didn't. So we stood still for a minute, and then we both heard it again. But when Kowalski looked behind it, nothing was there. I'm not sure what it could be, should we go out to investigate it later?"
Skipper took a sip of his trademark isda coffee before responding. "That's a good idea. Whatever or whoever was behind that palumpong may very well be a threat to us or this zoo."
Rico growled and coughed up a bat and pretended to ugoy at something.
"Exactly, Rico. It's our job to protect this zoo and everyone in it."
Ravena poked at her fish. "Oh…so in that case, I probably shouldn't stay here for long..."
"What do you mean?" Private asked. Ravena sighed. "I can't help protect the zoo with you guys if at the same time I might be the one causing the problem."
"What makes you think you're causing any problems?" Kowalski asked.
"Well…that dream I had earlier made me wonder if maybe Dr. Blowhole knows where I am." She paused, and then continued. "And if he does, then it's only a matter of time until he does something about it. Just like last time."
Ravena downed the rest of her food, and then cleared her throat. "Most likely I never told you guys this, but ever since I was little, my parents have been hiding from . It wasn't until two years before I left for the military that they told me that I was the reason they were hiding from him. It turned out he wanted my parents to hand me over for some reason. Whatever it was, they wouldn't hand me over, and Dr. Blowhole didn't take too kindly to that. Once he got them out of the way, he started going after me personally."
"How did he get your parents out of the way?"
"How do you think?" Ravena replied, looking straight at Private. He frowned a little, the brought his flippers to his beak as he realized what she was saying. "Oh, dear…I'm sorry I asked..."
She smiled again. "You don't have to be sorry. If anything, it was my fault…Anyway, I couldn't get away from him, so I figured the only way he couldn't get to me was to enlist.
"I thought I'd be safe, and I was, actually…until I ran into a familiar face from my past. It turned out that one of the mga hayop at my old zoo—my best friend actually, his name was Jack—was working for Blowhole, and he had been following me the whole time. Once I saw him, I knew it was time to go. I got myself honorably discharged, and I spent the last few years moving from different zoos, making sure I couldn't be tracked in between. And my most kamakailan zoo, this one, is where I met you guys."
There was silence for a few minutes. Then Ravena added, "When I heard the noise in the bush, I thought it was Jack, and that he had found me again. So that's why I need to leave soon. I can't drag you guys into this."
"Soldier, I'm not sure you've ever heard of the ibong dagat credo," Skipper said, a smile on his face. "What's that?" Ravena asked.
"Never swim alone. Dr. Blowhole is our enemy, too, so whatever trouble you're in with him, I'm sure we can find a way to help."
"Yeah, we're in this together, Ravena!" Private sinabi cheerfully.
"Uh-huh," Rico said. Kowalski grinned. "It doesn't seem likely that you'll win this one , Ravena," he added.
"For once, I don't want to," Ravena said, beaming. Whatever sadness she had felt earlier was all washed away. "You guys are too cool, I just want to hug all of you!"
"We high-five around here," Skipper said. Ravena smirked. "Even better." She high-fived all of them. "So, how much longer do we have until sacktime?"
Kowalski looked at his clipboard, then pushed some beads around on his abacus. "About a half hour. Why?"
"I want to work on that time machine with you again. If that's okay with you, of course."
"It's fine," Kowalski said. He really appreciated someone who actually wanted to help him with his inventions, even though it would take some getting used to. He went into his lab and dragged out the time machine, along with his tool box.
He handed her a screwdriver. "Think you can keep up?"
"Kowalski, you have no idea." She took the birador and sat down with him, thinking, Maybe…maybe I can get used to this…
*Meanwhile….*
It was almost pitch-black outside, around the zoo. All was quiet, save for the snoring of a few animals. Suddenly came the sound of faint static.
"…Yeah, she's definitely here, Boss," a voice said. "Should I ilipat in now?"
Silence on the other end of the walkie-talkie. Then, "No. Wait another day. I have a feeling they won't be expecting us then."
Jack looked at the walkie-talkie before replying. "Okay."
He switched it off, and stared up at the sky. He'd never say it to his boss, but having to wait was going to be hell for him.
To go in now anyway would jeopardize the entire mission, he knew that. But he couldn't wait. He had to see her.
….Okay, that's where I leave you good people. You might be wondering what exactly went on between Ravena and Jack, and why she hates him so very, very much. Well, as I told Yokai Summoner, that isn't gonna be revealed until my susunod story, along with madami info on her history. Thanks to all you nice people who voted on my poll, I'm gonna close it in a few days, but I pretty much have my answer now.
All right, the susunod chapter is sorta going to be from Kowalski's standpoint, but the ending is from Ravena's. Most likely it's gonna be a long one, based on how fast the wheels in my head are turning. I can promise you there's gonna be at least 3 madami chapters, because I feel this story is coming to an end faster than I thought it would. Who knows, I may get struck sa pamamagitan ng the flaming palaso of inspiration again and turn out more.
The susunod chapter's pamagat is High Alert. Doesn't take much thought to figure out why, I can't think of much of a summary, I'm sorry, my mind is blank right now, which is why I'm babbling on like an idiot. Please review, my self-confidence just sorta dropped when I was Pagsulat this chapter so I'm not sure it turned out too good. All right, that's it, I have to go take a iksamen online so see ya later! ^^
Anyway, after a chat with one of my friends, I decided that until I close my poll, I will continue to write this story, because, one, like I mentioned in my profile, this happens to be my paborito story out of all the ones I'm going to write, and two, I just can't ignore all you nice people and all your nice reviews. Plus if I don't do something I'm going to go crazy, so here I am.
Okay, this chapter might be a little…um...what's the word? Dark-themed, maybe? It's gonna be about why Ravena came to the Central Park Zoo, how she knows Jack and Dr. Blowhole. It's because of this chapter, and the ones that follow, that I am changing the genre and maybe the rating, because there's gonna be some violence. Oh, and I'm gonna put Marlene and Julien in here, too, cause I haven't been ipinapakita them much pag-ibig lately.
Okay, I'm dedicating this chapter to Kila, my rebel friend on Fanpop who's so awesome in so many ways, and who really should start posting on this site. Also to knockknocktimerico, one of the masters of fanfictioning, and who is also indescribably awesome. Much pag-ibig to you guys! ^^
**********Chapter 5: madami Than Meets the Eye************
Ravena sighed. It was probably 1:00 at night, and she was beginning to lose hope that she'd ever find her way back home. How she let herself get captured sa pamamagitan ng that egotistical dolpin was beyond her. Maybe it was the fact that her usually fast reflexes and rational way of thinking were still out of whack, even though it had been weeks since it happened.
The very thought made Ravena's eyes burn. I'm so sorry, Mom….and Dad…
All she could do now was apologize, and it would never be enough.
It was all she could do not to break down completely. Don't, she thought. Don't let him think he's finally gotten to you. So instead she pulled her feet up to her chest, buried her face in her flippers, and let the tears fall silently, her shoulders shaking. Her occasional sniffling echoed inside the hollow cell.
Somehow Dr. Blowhole had managed to take her whole world—everything that mattered to her—and shatter it into a million lifeless pieces around her.
She might have been able to retaliate against him, had it not been for the biggest shock, the cruelest blow of all.
Betrayed sa pamamagitan ng someone she considered her best friend. Maybe even something more…
And it was that thought that slowly transformed all of Ravena's sadness, her despair, her desperation, into frustration, anger, and full-blown hatred.
She stood up and began walking towards the titanium door. And with every step she took, her fury burned brighter, until she could almost feel it searing her heart.
She leaned both her flippers against the cold metal door. She could hear voices on the other side, two of them. The voices she would recognize anywhere.
"…I don't see why you have to keep her locked in there," the first voice said. He sounded slightly nervous. "I mean, she's not a prisoner, right?"
"Of course she isn't," the segundo voice said. "This is just a test. I want to see how long it takes before that resilient spirit of hers breaks."
"Oh, something's gonna break, all right," Ravena sinabi under her breath. She pounded her flipper against the door. "Let me out!" she shouted. "I already told you I'm not working for you!"
"And I already told you this wasn't your choice, Agent," he added in a mocking tone that sent angry shivers down Ravena's spine.
"Don't call me that!" she yelled. "I am not your agent, I am not your operative, I am not your secret weapon, I am not your anything! Now you better let me out before I break this door down myself!!"
"..Maybe we should let her out, sir," the nervous voice said. "She doesn't sound too happy."
Dr. Blowhole just laughed. "She can't break the door down, Jack. It's solid titanium. She can try all she wants."
Ravena smirked. That was all the invitation she needed. She stepped back, closed her eyes, and slammed her flipper into the door with all the force she could muster, and to Jack and Dr. Blowhole's great surprise, the door swung open and fell to the ground with a loud boom.
Ravena raised an eyebrow in defiance. "Always expect the unexpected," she said.
Her beak curled into a scowl as she stared at the two mga hayop she hated madami than anything, anyone else in the world. Jack thought she looked positively murderous.
Apparently Dr. Blowhole thought so too, for he called, "Lobsters!"
Immediately a large army of lobsters came swarming into the base, claws primed, ready for battle.
Ravena wasn't fazed. She had lived through this nightmare over and over again, and it was going to end the same way it always did.
The army of lobsters charged towards her, as she took a fighting stance and punched the ulang nearest to her, and roundhoused the susunod wave of Dr. Blowhole's army.
Just as she thought, it was happening the same way it always did.
Or was it?...
Suddenly a pair of flippers grabbed her own and held her behind her back.
"What the--?" Ravena turned her head, but she couldn't see who was behind her.
"Let go!"
"Ravena, you need to wake up!"
Confused, Ravena blinked. "..What?" she asked. That sounded like Kowalski…
"You're pagganap in your sleep, Ravena, you have to wake up!"
Suddenly Ravena felt a sharp sting across her face, like an invisible flipper had slapped her.
She blinked. Dr. Blowhole's base was changing…It was starting to look a lot like the penguins' HQ….
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Ravena blinked again. The room finally came into sharper focus. She was definitely inside the HQ now, but someone was still holding her flippers behind her.
She let out a breath. "…Another dream," she said, frowning. Then she looked at Skipper, who was standing in front of her with an odd mixture of concern and irritation on his face.
"…Skipper, was it you who just smacked me?" she asked. He nodded.
"Well, what for?"
"Well, soldier, you probably didn't realize it, but you were attacking your teammates in your sleep, and we couldn't wake you up any other way."
"Oh my God, really?" Ravena took a better look at the other penguins. Rico had a bruise on the side of his face, and Private was rubbing his flipper in pain. Then she realized it was Kowalski who still had a hold on her.
"..Um, you can let me go now, I'm not gonna hurt anyone anymore, I promise," she said. She turned her head to see that Kowalski wasn't looking at her, but at Skipper, waiting for him to give him the OK.
Skipper nodded, and Kowalski let her go. Ravena brought her flippers to her mouth. "..I'm so sorry…"
"This isn't gonna be a recurring problem, is it?" Skipper asked with a frown.
Ravena rubbed her head, thinking. "No…but…this hasn't happened since…since before I left for the military…"
She narrowed her eyes. "This shouldn't have happened again."
"What were you dreaming about?" Kowalski asked.
"…The time Jack and Dr. Blowhole captured me," Ravena answered softly.
"Who's Jack?" Private asked. Ravena scowled. "My segundo mortal enemy, who I have sworn to take down along with that swollen-headed dolphin." The last few words sounded almost like a snarl.
"Oh," Private said, wishing he hadn't asked.
"That reminds me, you haven't exactly told us what happened between you two," Skipper said.
Kowalski looked at his clipboard. "Um, that might have to wait, Skipper. According to our schedule, we were supposed to go topside for our morning exercises a half oras ago."
"Hoover Dam, you're right!" Skipper exclaimed. "Looks like your intel will have to wait, Ravena," he told her. "Are you sure you're up for this?"
"No problem, Skipper," Ravena sinabi with a salute. "I could use some training to blow off some steam."
She climbed up the ladder. She took a few segundos to take in that fresh New York City air [*cough, cough* Sarcasm anyone? I live near NYC, so…yeah] before—
SMACK!
Skipper and the team heard a loud noise followed sa pamamagitan ng a cry of "Ow! What the hell was that?"
The penguins quickly made their way up the ladder to find Ravena sitting down, rubbing her head. She looked around to see what had hit her, when her lavender eyes rested on a small white ball. "…Where did this golf ball even come from?!" she exclaimed. "What a weird morning…"
Skipper and the team shared knowing looks. "Should we tell her?" Private said, looking towards the lemur habitat, where Julien was playing his version of golf.
Skipper looked over at Ravena. Fortunately her eyes were closed as she continued to rub her forehead. A laugh almost managed to escape him. "I think she's already had enough to deal with, Private. Besides, I don't think the zookeepers would take it too lightly if one of their mga hayop murdered the other."
Rico laughed maniacally. "Kaboom!" he said.
Kowalski shook his head. "You know, I think she might actually go for that one, Rico."
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It was 3:00 in the afternoon, and the penguins were on a recon mission around the zoo. Skipper had taken Alice's office, Rico and Private were covering the zoovenir tindahan and the reptile house, and Ravena and Kowalski were covering the animals' habitats.
Kowalski looked over at her. "Are you okay?"
Ravena jumped; she had been Nawawala in thought. Kowalski knew that feeling all too well.
"Oh…yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to adjust to all this. Back at my old zoo, it was just me, my parents, my sister…." She trailed off. "I'm just not used to living with four guy penguins, that's all."
"I thought the military would have gotten you used to that sa pamamagitan ng now," Kowalski said, frowning.
"Well, after I left the military, I was on my own for a while. I had to travel alone; couldn't risk anything or anyone letting Dr. Blowhole know where I was, at least until I reached somewhere safe. And it looks like I've found that here. I mean, I can trust you guys, right?" She smiled.
Kowalski looked at her for a little longer. "…Why was he looking for you so much? Was it something you did?"
Ravena shook her head and laughed. "No. Let's just say I had something he always wanted but will never quite have." She went back to what she was supposed to be doing, looking through the binoculars. "Well, the chimpanzee habitat is secure, as with the gorillas, the baboons, the hayop ng oter and the kanggaro habitat."
"Flamingo, ostrich, and rhino habitats are all secure, and lemur habitat is…well, as normal as it can be." Kowalski said, Pagsulat on the clipboard he pulled from thin air.
"Not at all, then," Ravena said, as the two shared a laugh. "Okay, all we need to do now is check out the elepante habitat, and we can ulat back to Skipper."
The two of them began walking towards Burt's habitat when Ravena stopped dead and looked behind her. "…Did you hear that?" she asked.
"No," Kowalski answered. They stood still, both listening. Then Kowalski heard it—the rustling of leaves in the palumpong behind them.
For a while, neither of them moved. Then Kowalski walked over to the palumpong and peered behind it. "…There's nothing here, Ravena," he finally said.
"Maybe it was a breeze or something," Ravena said, although the tone of her voice betrayed her uncertainty. She took another look through her binoculars to calm her nerves. "Um…Kowalski? I think Burt's got too many mga mani stuck up his nose."
Kowalski sighed. Burt was stuck on mga mani like he was stuck on candy. But, then again, mga mani were Burt's food… "All right, let's go help him."
"Do you think we should tell Skipper about what we heard?" Ravena asked, walking up to him.
"He did tell us to ulat anything we considered suspicious," the intellectual ibong dagat answered. "Although we could just be paranoid…"
He gave the palumpong a final, cursory glance before turning his attention to their current problem.
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A few hours later, Skipper, Kowalski, Private, Rico and Ravena were back at the HQ, eating dinner.
"…so I asked Kowalski if he had heard it, too, but he didn't. So we stood still for a minute, and then we both heard it again. But when Kowalski looked behind it, nothing was there. I'm not sure what it could be, should we go out to investigate it later?"
Skipper took a sip of his trademark isda coffee before responding. "That's a good idea. Whatever or whoever was behind that palumpong may very well be a threat to us or this zoo."
Rico growled and coughed up a bat and pretended to ugoy at something.
"Exactly, Rico. It's our job to protect this zoo and everyone in it."
Ravena poked at her fish. "Oh…so in that case, I probably shouldn't stay here for long..."
"What do you mean?" Private asked. Ravena sighed. "I can't help protect the zoo with you guys if at the same time I might be the one causing the problem."
"What makes you think you're causing any problems?" Kowalski asked.
"Well…that dream I had earlier made me wonder if maybe Dr. Blowhole knows where I am." She paused, and then continued. "And if he does, then it's only a matter of time until he does something about it. Just like last time."
Ravena downed the rest of her food, and then cleared her throat. "Most likely I never told you guys this, but ever since I was little, my parents have been hiding from . It wasn't until two years before I left for the military that they told me that I was the reason they were hiding from him. It turned out he wanted my parents to hand me over for some reason. Whatever it was, they wouldn't hand me over, and Dr. Blowhole didn't take too kindly to that. Once he got them out of the way, he started going after me personally."
"How did he get your parents out of the way?"
"How do you think?" Ravena replied, looking straight at Private. He frowned a little, the brought his flippers to his beak as he realized what she was saying. "Oh, dear…I'm sorry I asked..."
She smiled again. "You don't have to be sorry. If anything, it was my fault…Anyway, I couldn't get away from him, so I figured the only way he couldn't get to me was to enlist.
"I thought I'd be safe, and I was, actually…until I ran into a familiar face from my past. It turned out that one of the mga hayop at my old zoo—my best friend actually, his name was Jack—was working for Blowhole, and he had been following me the whole time. Once I saw him, I knew it was time to go. I got myself honorably discharged, and I spent the last few years moving from different zoos, making sure I couldn't be tracked in between. And my most kamakailan zoo, this one, is where I met you guys."
There was silence for a few minutes. Then Ravena added, "When I heard the noise in the bush, I thought it was Jack, and that he had found me again. So that's why I need to leave soon. I can't drag you guys into this."
"Soldier, I'm not sure you've ever heard of the ibong dagat credo," Skipper said, a smile on his face. "What's that?" Ravena asked.
"Never swim alone. Dr. Blowhole is our enemy, too, so whatever trouble you're in with him, I'm sure we can find a way to help."
"Yeah, we're in this together, Ravena!" Private sinabi cheerfully.
"Uh-huh," Rico said. Kowalski grinned. "It doesn't seem likely that you'll win this one , Ravena," he added.
"For once, I don't want to," Ravena said, beaming. Whatever sadness she had felt earlier was all washed away. "You guys are too cool, I just want to hug all of you!"
"We high-five around here," Skipper said. Ravena smirked. "Even better." She high-fived all of them. "So, how much longer do we have until sacktime?"
Kowalski looked at his clipboard, then pushed some beads around on his abacus. "About a half hour. Why?"
"I want to work on that time machine with you again. If that's okay with you, of course."
"It's fine," Kowalski said. He really appreciated someone who actually wanted to help him with his inventions, even though it would take some getting used to. He went into his lab and dragged out the time machine, along with his tool box.
He handed her a screwdriver. "Think you can keep up?"
"Kowalski, you have no idea." She took the birador and sat down with him, thinking, Maybe…maybe I can get used to this…
*Meanwhile….*
It was almost pitch-black outside, around the zoo. All was quiet, save for the snoring of a few animals. Suddenly came the sound of faint static.
"…Yeah, she's definitely here, Boss," a voice said. "Should I ilipat in now?"
Silence on the other end of the walkie-talkie. Then, "No. Wait another day. I have a feeling they won't be expecting us then."
Jack looked at the walkie-talkie before replying. "Okay."
He switched it off, and stared up at the sky. He'd never say it to his boss, but having to wait was going to be hell for him.
To go in now anyway would jeopardize the entire mission, he knew that. But he couldn't wait. He had to see her.
….Okay, that's where I leave you good people. You might be wondering what exactly went on between Ravena and Jack, and why she hates him so very, very much. Well, as I told Yokai Summoner, that isn't gonna be revealed until my susunod story, along with madami info on her history. Thanks to all you nice people who voted on my poll, I'm gonna close it in a few days, but I pretty much have my answer now.
All right, the susunod chapter is sorta going to be from Kowalski's standpoint, but the ending is from Ravena's. Most likely it's gonna be a long one, based on how fast the wheels in my head are turning. I can promise you there's gonna be at least 3 madami chapters, because I feel this story is coming to an end faster than I thought it would. Who knows, I may get struck sa pamamagitan ng the flaming palaso of inspiration again and turn out more.
The susunod chapter's pamagat is High Alert. Doesn't take much thought to figure out why, I can't think of much of a summary, I'm sorry, my mind is blank right now, which is why I'm babbling on like an idiot. Please review, my self-confidence just sorta dropped when I was Pagsulat this chapter so I'm not sure it turned out too good. All right, that's it, I have to go take a iksamen online so see ya later! ^^
