A/N: Dear Zeus almighty! I'm sorry for the long wait! I swear I'm not making this a monthly update as I do want to post more often, but what with Halloweeen and Thanksgiving and now Christmas coming up…it's hard to actually sit and work on these chapters, but I'm trying my best and I'm slowly getting them done! :)

Note, this chapter has mentions of Dyslexia and Dysgraphia. I don't suffer from either of these myself, so all my information came from various sources online. If anything seems incorrect, please let me know so that I can edit this chapter and use the correct information on these disorders.

Chapter warning(s): 1 use of the word 'damn' and I believe 1 use of the word 'hell'.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own the Penguins of Madagascar and make NO money off this fic.

Though the show has long since ended, it still belongs to Nickelodeon, and as the spinoff of the Madagascar franchise, it also belongs to Dreamworks studios. Specifically, the canon characters and episode plots belong to Tom McGrath and Eric Darnell. I own NOTHING except my OC's which will be introduced at a later time.

Also, Microsoft Word is mentioned in this chapter. All rights to that go to Microsoft office.

I also don't own the ever helpful 'Dylexia' font that gets mentioned in the chapter either.

Location: Penguin HQ. Kowalski's Lab. Time 1425 (2:25 P.M)

(Three days into Private's punishment)

"Alright Victoria I think we're done for the day." Kowalski announced as he lifted his goggles and rested them on his brow. He grabbed a spare rag and wiped off his flippers before tossing it aside.

Beside him, Private gave out a relieved sigh as she put down the tool she had been polishing.

Every day, Kowalski had a different chore for the female as punishment for wondering out of the zoo on her own and scaring everyone half to death.

Day one had involved her assisting in several of Kowalski's experiments; the second day, she had to reorganize his files and help re-arrange the science lab, which meant, a lot of heavy lifting as she and Kowalski shifted the equipment around the room. Overall, it was a chore that didn't need to be done, but was assigned anyway.

Today's task was a bit more endurable though a bit monotonous.

The 'fun activity', as Kowalski called it, comprised of Private having to clean off his previous inventions as well as polish off tools.

A tedious task as his tools were already pretty much spotless, but he had her do it anyway.

'The point isn't to get the equipment clean; it's to keep you busy.' Kowalski had stated when Private pointed out how his tools and gadgets were already polished.

With those final words, Kowalski handed Private the rag and proper cleaning supplies, and the female had no choice but to get to work. In her mind, it was better than shifting the inventions around the room ten times, or having to organize his files by alphabetical order, and then again by the color of the paper…and then again by the thickness of the files…and then several times over depending on whatever else Kowalski could think of.

'At least he hasn't asked me to be his test subject again.' Private thought as the memories of the first day flooded her mind. She repressed a shiver as she stood up and stretched, groaning in pleasure as her back released several satisfying pops.

"Try not to do that too often." Kowalski advised as he scrawled something on his clipboard, "It might do more harm than good."

"Noted." Private replied.

She sat back down in her seat and watched as Kowalski continued to take down whatever notes he had gathered from today's experiment.

Private, curiosity having got the better of her, arched her neck and took a peek at what the scientist was writing. What she saw was…unexpected.

Kowalski was writing alright, but something about his handwriting was…off…

Despite being literate herself, Private would never claim that her penmanship was perfect, especially if one were to compare her to someone like Nigel's, but Kowalski's was…sloppy.

For someone as well-organized and intelligent as Kowalski, Private would have thought that his penmanship would be as neat as the writer, or at the very least, legible.

Instead, his work comprised of misspelled or incomplete words in which the letters were either clumped too close together or spaced too far apart. Further inspection showed that some letters alternated between capital and lowercase, and though the majority of the writing seemed to be in print, Private could still make out a cursive letter spotted here and there among the print dominated words.

In short, it was what humans called, 'chicken scratch', which was something that Private would have expected from a human child or an animal first learning how to write, but Kowalski?

Sure one would think that he was barley learning how to actually write, but after seeing all his notes and files, he obviously had been literate for quite some time, which led to another issue; why did Kowalski claim to be unable to read if he had so many printed documents among his files? He must have had some ability to read if he kept those forms and was able to write…

Private furrowed her brow in thought. 'I always thought it was strange that a bird as bright as K'walski would be illiterate, but it seems that he's not…so why hide it?'

She opened her beak when Kowalski suddenly stood and waddled over to the computer and logged on, "K'walski?"

"Yes?" Came the scientist's nonchalant reply.

Instead of immediately answering, Private watched as Kowalski lifted the top lid of the scanner and placed his recently written note on the screen before closing the lid. He pressed a button and a bright light emitted from the machine as it scanned the form.

"What are you doing?" Private wondered as she approached the scientist, who was busy imputing his commands on the computer.

"I'm just translating my report into something more legible." Kowalski answered, though he didn't look at her.

"Legible?" Private repeated as the image of his scanned notes appeared on the screen. She cringed. Well no arguing there…

The sound of clicking caught her attention and she watched as the Lieutenant clicked away with the mouse, sending in several other commands.

Finally, a second image appeared next to the first, and upon closer inspection, Private found that it was a copy of Kowalski's written report in Word Document form. A few clicks later, and the entire document took on a different font.

Private tilted her head, "That's an interesting choice in font." She mused, looking up at the inventor.

"It's called 'Dyslexie'." Kowalski informed as he began to edit the errors that littered the page.

"Dyslexie?" Why did that sound familiar?

Kowalski nodded, though he looked a bit sheepish, "It's a special font to help me read."

"I didn't even know you could read…or write."

"I don't tend to advertise it."

No kidding. But then again…Private had her own little secrets didn't she?

The two were silent as Kowalski continued to work on his document while Private watched.

"I know what you're thinking." Kowalski stated out of the blue, causing the female to jump in surprise, "If I can read, why haven't I done so in the past when we needed it? Well to answer your question, it's because I have a very difficult time reading most things."

Private blinked, "Oh?"

Seeing Private's confusion, he continued, "If the text is in anything other than the dyslexie font I mentioned earlier, I…well, to put it simple, the words start to jumble together and it'll take a while for me to form out what's been written…if I can decipher the mess at all. Sometimes it looks like part of the letters are cut off, and other times it's something as simple as getting letter's, mixed up for others."

Private frowned, "Mixed up as in-"

"Lowercase 'b', 'd', 'p', and 'q' tend to throw me off, especially since 'b' and 'p' face the same direction as do 'd' and 'q'…and depending on the font, a lowercase 'g' may also confuse me." The scientist paused in thought, "Lowercase 'o', 'c' and 'e' tend to cause a hassle as well."

"What about in uppercase? Do you get thrown off by those when you read?" Private wondered.

Kowalski nodded, "Sometimes, but it's mostly the lowercase that's troublesome. Overall, I say the difficulty varies depending on the font style, as well as the size." He scoffed, "If the font is too small, then it all comes out as one blurred block of undecipherable text."

Private looked at the ground in thought as she processed all this information. Eventually, her eyes lit up in realization, "Kowalski…are you…?"

"Dyslexic? Yes, incredibly so, and as you may have noticed, I seem to have a touch of dysgraphia." He motioned to the scanner where the handwritten document was still concealed.

Private looked to where the scientist motioned. It all made sense now!

Of course a scientist like Kowalski was able to read! How else would he get his information save for the telly? The only reason why he relied on Mason and Phil to translate wasn't because he was illiterate, but because he had a reading disability. He was dyslexic.

The sketches he always drew? His suspected dysgraphia.

Of course this didn't explain why the boys didn't just ask her to recite any given transcript, or why Skipper didn't just read himself since Private had seen him read the human's newspaper on more than one occasion. Rico…well, it was obvious why they couldn't ask him, but Private was sure that the specialist could read a bit since she had also seen him scan through a newspaper every now and then.

How much he could actually make out was anyone's guess, but according to Kowalski, Rico had to rely a lot on images to give him context clues on what was written. Kowalski had his own disability, but Private didn't, and as far as she knew, neither did Skipper…

Private mentally shook her head, for all she knew, it was just Skipper being dramatic and making things more difficult than it actually was, even if it meant bothering Phil and Mason in the process.

At least that's what Private guessed.

Honestly, who knew what went on in her Captain's mind?

"Alright, that should do it." Kowalski announced as he clicked the print icon.

Private directed her attention to the printer as Kowalski saved and closed the word document.

As soon as the document finished printing, Kowalski scooped up the pages and gave them a quick once over before nodding in approval.

"Much better." He muttered as he waddled over to the filing cabinet. He reached for one of the drawers before pausing and turning back to Private, "What was the last way I asked you to organize my files?"

Private scrunched her face in thought, "Um…I believe it was by the color of the paper you printed your files."

Kowalski cringed, "Tomorrow, reorganize them in alphabetical order…please."

"I can do it now if you want." Private offered.

"No, no, it can wait. For now, I think we can call it a day." Kowalski dismissed with a shake of his head.

Private smirked, "Eager to see Doris are we?" she teased.

Kowalski spun around and sputtered a bit, "I-I-I…no…Doris…I…" When Private crossed her flippers with a raised brow, the scientist had no choice but to slump in defeat, "Okay yes…Doris and I have a date tonight."

"Anything exciting?" Private pried.

"Dinner and a swim around the harbor…I'm not sure about what else…that's why I need to rest of the day to think things through." Kowalski rubbed the back of his head in thought. He had pinned after Doris for so long, that it had never really occurred to him how he would handle dates should he ever get the chance to take her out. Now that he was dating her, he was currently at a loss of what to do with her. Romance was never really a strong of suite of Kowalski, and he feared that he would lose Doris if he didn't step up his game.

Private bit back a frown. That didn't sound too promising...

But then again…it wasn't like she herself was experienced in the ways of dating or romance or anything of the sort.

With that in mind, Private gave Kowalski a smile, "Well that sounds fun." She approved.

"No it doesn't." Kowalski deadpanned.

He appreciated Private's attempt to console him, but he didn't need her to patronize him when there was so much at stake. Had the relationship was good and strong, her words would have been fine, but right now when things were hanging by a thread?

Yeah…a simple dinner and a swim wasn't good enough.

This time, Private didn't bother hiding her frown, though it was quickly replaced with another reassuring smile, "Oh well…I'm sure you'll think of something good before the date." She shrugged, "It'll be fine I'm sure."

Kowalski eyed the female for a moment before smiling with a shake of his head.

Same old Private.

"I hope so." He sighed.

Private approached the scientist and placed a flipper on his in comfort, "You're a smart bird. I'm sure you can figure something out."

Kowalski merely placed a flipper over hers and gave it a gentle pat. "You're a good friend." He said with a smile. 'And whoever she ends up taking as a mate will be lucky to have her.' He added to himself.

Not that there was any rush for her to do so, but when the time came, her supportive, cheery attitude was going to make someone very happy.

The scientist moved past the female and waddled over to the door with Private following close behind him, "As I said," he stated over his shoulder, "I've got to finish making plans for tonight. You're free to do as you wish unless Skipper says otherwise."

The two penguins stepped out of the lab and Private hesitated when she caught sight of the leader sitting at the table.

The Captain was silently watching the two, having looked up from a report he was reading when he heard Kowalski mention him.

Kowalski looked between the two before stepping forward, "Where's Rico?" he wondered, having noticed that the Sergeant was nowhere in sight.

"With Bada and Bing." Came the simple reply.

"Ah." Well that presented a bit of a problem...

While Kowalski had no intent of taking Private with him, as he wanted her and Skipper to continue spending time with each other, he also didn't want to leave them alone without any supervision. He just felt they were ready for that step yet…

Private eyes went back and forth between the Lieutenant and the Captain as she eagerly awaited the scientist's next move.

She really didn't want to be left alone with Skipper; in fact, she planned on following Kowalski right out that exit and spending the rest of her free time with Marlene or Becky and Stacy or someone.

Really, anyone would have be better company than the paranoid penguin before her.

She knew Kowalski wanted her and Skipper to get along, and believe her, she wanted nothing more than to do just that, but Skipper was the one that was being difficult. He was the one that was holding a grudge against her for ridiculous reasons, and it seemed that every little thing she did or said, only gave him an excuse to remain sore at her.

Honestly, if she stayed here with him, what was she supposed to do? Talk to him?

As if! And even if she could get a word in, what would she talk about? The weather? The news? The information she got from Tiberius?

Private paused as a thought occurred to her…

Despite her fears, she had wanted to speak to Skipper about what she had learned about Kitka, but she just couldn't work up the nerve to do so…

But now that she would be here alone with her Captain…

Call her crazy, but this seemed like a good time to have a word with her leader while overcoming her current fear in the process.

Sure she would love to have Kowalski or Rico present for defense should Skipper get upset at the news, but something told her that this was something she had to do on her own.

Somehow, for some reason, this involved her and Skipper, and she felt this was to be shared between just the two of them before getting the others involved.

Of course, should Skipper be his usually stubborn self, Private could always go to Kowalski, but for now…she would tell Skipper what she needed to say and then just walk out if things got heated.

Private looked up at Kowalski, her mind set. "I'll stay here and fine something to do, or I'll just head over to Marlene's." She announced, catching both males by surprise.

"Are…are you sure?" Kowalski asked, his eyes darting to a tense Skipper, who was eyeing the female with suspicion.

Private nodded, "I'll be fine K'walski." She assured.

The scientist's beak gaped for a moment before he reluctantly closed it.

There were so many things he wanted to say to object, but the determined look on Private's face prevented him from doing so. This was obviously something she really wanted to do, and if it's what she wanted, then he would oblige and allow her to do so.

It wasn't like he was going to be far anyway. He was just going over to visit Phil and Mason to get some ideas on what to do for his date…he shouldn't be too long…he'd be gone a half hour at the most, surly the two wouldn't kill each other during that time…

"If you insist…I'll be over at the Chimps habitat. I won't be long." Kowalski looked between the two shorter birds.

Private, though obviously nervous, held a hint of confidence in her sky blue eyes, whereas Skipper looked unsure and slightly fearful.

"Alright…be good!" Kowalski said, directing his comment more to Skipper than to Private. He scrutinized the two for a few seconds longer before turning and scampering up the ladder, leaving the Captain and the Private alone.

Private stared after the inventor for a moment before timidly turning to the source of her woes. The second she did though, any courage she had worked up, instantly vanished when her eyes locked onto Skipper's deep sapphire orbs. Her breath hitched and she instinctively brought her flipper's to her chest and began to fiddle them as always did when under stress.

For the next several moments, neither bird said or did anything.

Private stared at Skipper, and he stared right back.

Eventually, one of them had to break the silence, and as Private predicted, it was Skipper that did so, "Well are you going to do anything, or are you just going to stand there and stare at me all day?!" he snapped, causing the female to jump.

The small burst of fear from the female seemed to feed the male's own confidence as Skipper relaxed ever so slightly in his seat.

Private meanwhile was left to stutter out a response, "N-no sir I…I…" Private visibly shook her head in an attempt to regain her composure. She cleared her throat and straightened her back.

She could do this.

'Just say what needs to be said and be done with it.' She coached herself.

Private took a breath, "Skippah?"

"What?"

Private cringed at the cold response but continued none the less, "There's something I have to tell you…about what happened in the park the other day."

Skipper frowned. He really didn't want to know what happened between his youngest recruit and the hawk he had seen her with.

"I don't details on what went on in those bushes." Skipper made to stand when Private took a few quick steps forward, her flippers raised up and outward, ready to physically stop him should the need arise.

"Nonono, please sir! I swear it's nothing like that! And besides, Rico already confirmed that Tiberius and I didn't…we didn't do what you think we did!" Private begged. Hadn't' they already cleared that up the other day?

Skipper narrowed his eyes, "Tiberius?"

"That's the hawk's name." Private explained.

"Your boyfriend's name."

Private blinked, "What? No! Skippah, he's not my boyfriend. He's a new friend that was relaying some important information concerning me."

Skipper's brow furrowed, "You?"

The male looked concerned. It was minimal, but it was there, and that was enough to tell Private that she had his attention…for now.

The female nodded, "Yes sir…it also concerns…Kitka-"

"Private-"

"Skippah she's stalking me!" Private blurted out.

"What do you me she's 'stalking' you?" Skipper put her flippers on his hips. What was this crazy girl going on about now?

Private put her flippers up in a placating manner, "Please listen. Tiberius told me his friend, Gregor, worked in the CIAA. Gregor happens to be that male falcon we encountered when Julien was kidnapped…back when we first met Kitka." She paused when Skipper notably tensed at the mention of the male falcon he had fought all those months ago.

"That falcon was an agent?" he asked incredulously.

Private gave a slow nod, "Yes sir…and the kidnapping was a ploy to get us alone-"

"I knew it!"

"-to warn us." she had to raise her voice a bit before dropping it back down, "He was going to warn us about Kitka, but unfortunately, we foiled his plan."

"Unfortunately?!"

"He only had good intentions." Private argued gently.

Skipper fixed her with an incredulous look, "He kidnapped ringtail and tried to frame my girlfriend for it! How does that count as 'good intentions'?!"

"He was assigned to keep an eye on Kitka." Private interrupted, "According to Agent Gregor, Kitka's not a stranger to the CIAA. Apparently, she's been known to help the agency's most wanted criminals." She paused to let that sink in.

By the looks of it though, Skipper wasn't taking it too well…

"That's what they told you." He said in a cold tone.

Private nodded, "Aye sir."

"And you believed them."

"Gregor is an agent for the CIAA, of course I believe him."

"And what about this…Tyronius guy. Is he an agent too?"

Private hesitated, "Tiberius, sir. And no…he isn't…"

"Then how do you know he wasn't just making this up? How do you know this isn't just some other plan to frame Kitka?" Skipper challenged as he rose to his feet.

Private stood her ground, though she wanted nothing more than to back down and just drop the subject.

She wanted to, but something prevented her from doing so…

It was like there was a tiny, nagging voice in the back of her head urging her to see this through.

Private took a breath to compose herself before continuing, "That scenario did go through my mind when Tiberius first told me all this, but as he went into further details, I had reason to believe that he was telling the truth, and thus, I trust him as well."

Skipper scoffed with an exaggerated eye roll, "Unbelievable…"

"Skippah-"

"How gullible can you get?"

Private's beak dropped, "Really now?"

"Yes 'really'!" Skipper moved around the table to stand before his youngest soldier. "You go off on your own without informing anyone, you isolated yourself with a stranger without knowing his intentions, and then you actually believe every word that spews from his beak?" By now, Skipper's face was only a few inches from Private's.

Private stepped back, if only to put some distance between them, "As I said sir, I trust Tiberius when he says that Kitka is not a good bird. I had a bad feeling about her from the start, so her spying on me doesn't sound out of the ordinary, and thus I'm obligated to believe Tiberius and Gregor, especially when an agent has reason to believe that she may be involved with a criminal that is currently causing trouble over in Europe!" Private could feel her face warming in anger as she tried to get through to her leader, "A seasoned agent was concerned for my safety. My uncle is worried for me. I myself am terrified on what she could possibly want with me! Why aren't you?! You may be in danger as well!" Private took a couple of calming breaths before finishing, "Agent Gregor only wanted to warn us, and Kitka killed him. She murdered an agent for the CIAA. You can't possibly tell me someone innocent would do something like that. But if you still insist that Kitka can do no harm, then maybe it's not me who's the gullible one."

The room was silent after that last statement, and Private wondered if she should have said it at all…

It had felt good for a split second, but the moment she saw the flash of rage in Skipper's eyes, fear quickly overtook any sense of bravado in her.

It's not like she flat out called him 'gullible', but apparently just hinting such a thought was just as bad in the Captain's mind.

Skipper meanwhile, was trying to reign in his anger as he curled and uncurled the tips of his flippers. He could feel his feathers rise as his temper continued to build up. Who did this runt think she was? Where did she get off talking to him like that?!

Anger barley in check, he approached the tense female once more, "You listen to me, Private," he growled, getting in her face once more, "I don't care what sort of womanly drama you've gotten yourself in, but as long as you're part of my squad, you will respect me. I am the commanding officer. I'm the captain. You are the one with the lowest rank." Skipper was so close their beaks were almost touching, "Do you see where I'm going with this?"

Private swallowed and nodded, "Aye sir."

"Good." Skipper pulled back, "Remember the chain of command and your place in it."

Skipper smirked as if it gave him great pleasure to know that she was so far beneath him.

Private shivered at his superiority display.

She hated when he got like this, but what could she do? Skipper was already angry enough as it was, and answering back would no doubt make things worse for her, so she settled for the only thing she could say.

"Aye sir."

Skipper eyed her for several seconds before slowly pulling away with a low huff, his smirk still present.

"Now just so we're clear, I want you to drop and give me thirty." He ordered.

Private withheld a groan and reluctantly got down to on her belly and began to count out her sets while Skipper monitored.

"Thirteen…fourteen…fifteen…" Private huffed as she struggled through the punishment. Her extra weight made it difficult to keep up a steady pace, especially since her flippers were trembling from the strain.

Though she didn't regret answering back to her leader, she knew that she would have to watch what she said and how she said it. Obviously Skipper wasn't going to go easy on her, which was fine, but that didn't mean she wanted to face punishment on a daily basis…

"Twenty-six…twenty-seven…twenty-eight…twenty-nine…thirty."Exhausted, Private held herself up for a few seconds before her flippers gave a mighty tremble and gave out, causing her to drop to the ground with a loud 'oof'. There she remained, panting and too tired to move.

Skipper crossed his flippers and shook his head at the female. This was exactly what he was talking about when he said females were the weaker sex.

'Un-belivable." He scowled. "Alright, on your feet." He ordered.

Private eyed him for a second before pushing herself off the floor. She swayed a bit as a wave of vertigo hit her and she rubbed her temples. 'Crikey…' she thought with a slight shake of her head.

Her gaze focused on Skipper who merely watched as the female composed herself.

Skipper's smirk returned, "Did that lesson sink in? Hmm?" he taunted.

Private nodded, "Yes sir."

"Good!" He straightened, his fake smile still present, "Now, I don't want to hear any more stories about Kitka. Understood?"

"I understand sir."

Skipper gave a noise of satisfaction before turning and heading towards the ladder, signaling that he was done talking and being in the same room as her.

"Just be careful Skippah." Private advised softly.

Skipper paused and turned back to the female. He opened his beak as if to say something, but then he must have changed his mind as he quickly shut it and scuttled up the ladder and out of the base.

Private watched him, and as soon as the bowl scrapped across the entrance, she let out a loud, exasperated groan, stomping her feet in the process.

"What the bloody…ugh!" she gave another noise of frustration as she stormed over to one of the cinderblock seats and plopped down, her flippers folded tightly against her chest.

She had a feeling that he would be in denial, but she didn't think he would be that bad…

Sure she had brought the punishment upon herself, but it's not like she made up all those things as he thought. She was genuinely trying to warn him, but he was being difficult, and so the implied insult just…slipped out.

'It served him right for being a git though.' Private seethed as she glared at the entrance.

She had no idea where Skipper had gone or what he was doing. If she had to guess, he was probably going to rant about it to Kowalski, and then he would feel bad about leaving the two of them alone since he was obviously against the idea in the first place, and only left on behalf of Private's insistence that things would be fine.

Obviously, things had not turned out fine…

Private sighed as she turned in her seat and rested her chin on her flipper as she propped her upper half over the table.

'Should've spoke to K'walski about it first…' She mused as she dropped her head and buried her face into her flippers in defeat.

'Even Nigel would have-' Private's head jerked as a sudden thought hit her.

Nigel.

Tiberius had mentioned that Nigel knew about Kitka's suspicious actions…

Why her uncle had never mentioned anything to her, she didn't know exactly, but if she had to guess, it probably had something to do with government secrecy as to not cause her any panic as at the time, it was just a haunch that Kitka was up to something. Now that Gregor was dead however, it didn't look too good for the falcon, and now Private had reason to believe that the agent's suspicions were correct. Why else would someone murder a secret agent otherwise? Unless they had something to hide…

Either way, Private was now more than aware of what was going on, so she didn't see the harm in getting in contact with her uncle and getting some insight on the issue with Kitka and this mysterious fiend in Europe.

With that resolution in mind, Private stood and began to walk to Kowalski's lab only to stop in her tracks.

If she counted her days correctly, Nigel was still off on his mission, so she couldn't contact him at his home as he wouldn't be there…

There was the contact information he had given her so that she could get ahold of him through that briefcase-machine contraption he carried with him…perhaps she could try that. If not, there was the third contact number which was a direct line to MIA6, though Nigel had said to only use that line in case of an emergency in which she really needed to get in contact with him.

Private hesitated.

Yes, that would be a last ditch effort if she couldn't get ahold of him through the first two contacts.

Private took a breath and continued to the science lab.

She pulled the door open and eyed the computer warily. She really hoped her uncle wasn't too busy doing…whatever it was spies did at seven in the evening…giving he was even in England at all. For all she knew, he could be in a completely different country all together.

"It's still worth a try I suppose." She breathed as she waddled over to the computer and turned it on.

As soon as she logged in, she clicked on the 'contacts' icon and scrolled to Nigel's first icon, which was his home contact…just in case he did happen to be there.

She clicked and watched as the net tried to connect her to her uncle.

The small phone near the bottom of the screen vibrated as the ringing continued. Then, just as she had expected, a pop-up came on alerting Private that there was no answer. She ignored the suggestion to try again and simply clicked back to the contact list. She clicked Nigel's second contact option, and waited, shifting nervously.

As she waited, she wondered how she should approach the issue…

She couldn't start with small talk as no doubt her uncle was incredibly busy with his mission, so she would have to cut straight to the point. But then again…she didn't want to catch him off guard by flat out stating that she knew about Kitka stalking her and demanding why he didn't say anything about it…

She would have to ease into it and then see what her uncle had to say about all this and what he suggested she do from there.

Another pop up came on the screen, and she was somewhat surprised to find that Nigel hadn't answered that line either. At the same time, it would make sense for him not to answer as he was probably working, but…

Private cast a glance at the time at the bottom right side of the screen. It was currently a quarter past three, meaning that it was about 8:15 in the evening in London. If he was in that area.

If he was, it was too early for him to be asleep, and surly too late for him to still be working…right?

Private brought a flipper to her beak in thought as she hesitantly clicked the back icon and opened the contact list once more. The only other option was Nigel's MIA6 work contact…the one that he had specifically said not to use unless there was an emergency…

'But this was an emergency…or at the very least, an urgent matter that needs to be addressed.' Private reasoned.

Her very life may be on the line…

Private straightened with resolution.

She was going to do it.

To hell with the consequences if there were any!

With a surge of adrenaline, Private clicked the connect icon on Nigel's final contact number.

She took a step back and watched as the phone icon vibrated, accompanied by the soft sound of a ring. Her breath hitched when she saw that the call was answered and the window opened. Her chest tightened in concern when she saw not her uncle, but another penguin, a Humboldt to be precise.

Private furrowed her brow in confusion, "Um…"

"Agent Bolt here. Who am I speaking to?" The penguin greeted stiffly.

Private's eyes fluttered in surprise before she brought her flipper to her brow in a salute, "Private First Class, Victoria Tux."

The agent raised a brow in mild curiosity, "A soldier, eh?"

"Yes sir." Private confirmed.

"At ease Private."

Private dropped her flipper to her side.

The agent leaned forward slightly, "Tell me Private Tux; why are you contacting MIA6 from an unsecure line? Which branch do you work for?" he narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he awaited the young female's answers.

Private resisted the urge to twiddle her flippers, "Uh…Army mostly, but occasionally we serve under the Navy…" It was hard to tell which specific branch Private and the boys fell under. As aquatic birds that could function on both land and sea, they, like other animals that could reside in two domains, were granted service to two military branches.

It was all a bit confusing for Private since their ranks were Army ranks, yet when they dressed in uniform, they always wore the white Navy hats.

Private always wished that Skipper would pick a branch and just stick with it. Most penguin teams chose one branch or the other and very rarely would they choose both.

Apparently her team was one of the rare ones that did so. But that was something to brood over later.

Right now, she had an agent waiting for her answer to his first question, "As to why I'm calling, it's because I was hoping to speak to Agent Tux. Nigel Tux."

The agent perked at the name and sent her another suspicious look, "…What is your business with him?"

"He's my uncle as well as my legal guardian," Private started smoothly, "and there is a matter of uttermost importance that I need to discuss with him."

Agent Bolt's brows had risen in realization, "So you're the niece he keeps going on about!" He gave a small laugh, "Apologies for not making the connection sooner, as you know, 'Tux' is a very common surname for our species."

"No worries, it's all good." Private assured with a small smile of her own.

"Yes, yes." Agent Bolt rested his chin on his flipper, his charming smile still present. His amber eyes seemed to be studying her intently, causing Private to shift under the gaze before he spoke up once more, "You never did answer my inquiry as to why you used your uncle's work contact, other than you needed to speak to him." He straighten, signaling that it was back to business.

Private paused as she quickly formed her thoughts, "Well sir, the other day I received some disturbing information that I'm being followed by a dangerous animal that's well known in the CIAA…I believe my uncle is aware of the situation, and I was hoping to discuss it with him as I'm afraid that the situation may be escalading."

"And you're afraid you may be in danger?" Agent Bolt guessed.

"Yes sir, as well as my Captain…perhaps my entire team." Private replied.

Agent Bolt looked deep in thought, "I see…and do you by any chance know the name of your stalker?"

"Her first name is Kitka, though I'm afraid I don't know her last name." Private shook her head.

Luckily though, the name seemed to ring a bell as the male penguin perked up, "Kitka? The falcon from New York?"

Private nodded, "Yes sir. My team and I are stationed at the Central Park Zoo, and that's where she first met us."

"So you know her on a personal level?"

"Not really…my Captain does."

"In what way?" Bolt continued to interrogate, his gaze fixed on her.

"He's…in a relationship with her."

"And has she ever been antagonizing during these visits?"

"I…I don't believe she has…at least not with my Captain." Private furrowed her brow.

"What about towards you?" Bolt pried.

Private thought back to when Kitka returned to rekindle her relationship with Skipper, "Not outright, but...well we did have a bit of an argument about a week ago…"

"Do you think this is what may have trigged the stalking?" By now, Agent Bolt seemed to be writing down some notes.

Private shook her head, "No sir. By what I was told, she's been following me around for quite some time."

Bolt snapped his head up, "Told by who?"

Private hesitated before cautiously answering, "It was an informant that was relaying a message for an agent that worked in the CIAA."

"An informant?"

"The agent was killed and entrusted him to give me the warning." Private explained.

"And the name of this 'informant'?"

"…Tiberius…" Private cringed, hoping she didn't get Tiberius in trouble for meddling with secret agent affairs…

Agent Bolt looked down to scribble several more notes, leaving Private to watch him in silence.

"Um…Agent Bolt?" Private started.

The agent looked up, "Yes?"

"You…Is…is my uncle in at the moment? As I said, I was hoping to speak to him about this as well." Private started.

She hadn't had a problem with answering Agent Bolt's questions during the interrogation, but now that it seemed to be over, she couldn't help but wonder why it was him and not Nigel that was asking her all these questions…

Seeing her confusion, Agent Bolt casually closed the black notebook he had been writing in and gave her an apologetic look, "Unfortunately, Agent Tux isn't in the building at the moment. He's out on a mission and won't return till a later date."

"Oh…" Private could practically feel herself deflate in disappointment. 'I guess Nigel really is working out of the country if he's unable to report to headquarters.' She thought.

"If...if he returns ahead of time, would you please tell him I called and perhaps if it's not too much trouble, he can call me back?" Private requested, a hint of hope in her voice.

Agent Bolt nodded reassuringly, "Of course ma'am. If he comes in anytime soon, I'll relay the information you gave me," He gave the notebook a pat, "and I'll have him contact you in two shakes of a lamb's tail."

An unamused bleat sounded somewhere off screen, causing Bolt to look to his right, "Apologies John!"

Private couldn't help but give a small giggle, covering her beak with her flipper as she did so.

Apparently her attempt to stifle her laughter didn't work as Bolt directed his attention back towards her, a soft, amused smile on his face, "Anything else I can help you with Private Tux?"

Composing herself, Private shook her head, "No…no I think that's all for now."

"Well…as I said, I'll inform your uncle that you tried to get ahold of him and I'll fill him in on what's going on."

Private smiled again, "Thank you sir."

"And should anything happen before then, don't hesitate to contact me. Should someone other than me answer, just ask for Agent Nathan Bolt. I'd give you my direct line, but seeing as you're calling from an unsecure line yourself, well…I'm sure you can see why I can't just toss out my number at the moment." He leaned forward slightly, "You never know who may be watching or listening out of sight."

"Hackers." Private cringed.

"Indeed."

A wave of unease washed over the female, "Do…do you think-"

"At the moment? It's highly unlikely, but if there were, you didn't disclose anything too important, so no worries." Agent Bolt gave a dismissive shrug, but Private wasn't too sure.

"But I gave my name and where I'm stationed!"

"You'll be fine. I specialize on technical communications. I would know if there was someone listening in on us. I only brought it up because it doesn't hurt to be safe and not give out personal contact information in a line like this. I promise you'll be okay." Bolt assured. His smooth voice calmed the distressed female.

"Right…right." Private took a calming breath.

The faint sound a fishbowl scrapping across concrete caught her attention, and she decided that it would be best to end the call.

"I'm afraid I must be going now." Private started as she cast a glance back at the door. She could hear someone coming down the ladder, "I think my team is returning from their afternoon duties." She explained.

Agent Bolt nodded in understanding, "That's fine. I need to return to my duties as well."

"I'll let you know if anything else develops, yeah?" Private said softly.

"Absolutely."

"Nathan Bolt, right?"

"Correct."

The sound of footsteps could be heard outside the door, "I got to go. Good-bye Agent Bolt!"

"Till next time Private Tux."

The last thing Private saw before she disconnected the call was Agent Bolt's dashing smile.

As soon as she was logged off, she gave a sigh as she rested her flippers on either side of the keyboard.

That call was quite a rush!

So much had gone on in those brief twenty minutes…

She had made a call to the MIA6 headquarters and spoken to an official agent other than her uncle, and had discussed an important, official issue…sort of. It was mostly just a question and answer sort of thing, but she had spoken to a secret agent about it! If that wasn't exciting on its own, it looked like she now had connections with him, which may come in handy should things with Kitka escalade further.

And speaking of that agent…

Oh boy!

In her younger years, Private had never really been boy crazy. Her friends back in Chester would always gush about what kind of male they would love to meet and start a family with, or gossip about which of the young males they found attractive. They would always ask Private- no…Victoria's input on the type of males she like, and she would always give the vague and somewhat disappointing answer of not knowing what sort of male she would be looking for.

But now that she met Agent Bolt, she may have an idea of what she might be interested in…

Agent Bolt was a gorgeous example of a Homboldt penguin.

She may not have been able to see his whole body, but from the parts she could see, she was impressed.

Sleek, clean, tar and snow colored feathers covered a lean, yet toned body. His black and white facial markings brought out his bold amber eyes. The pale pink markings at the edge of his mouth stood out against the pitch black beak they lined. Even the spots on his chest seemed to be evenly spaced out…

As for his age…he looked and sounded fairly young, and Private guessed he couldn't be older than twenty five…only a few years her senior.

The thought of ever meeting this male in person excited the female, and Private felt her body heat up in response, a call building in her throat, crawling its way up, getting ready for its release and-

Private shook her head vigorously. 'Get ahold of yourself Victoria!' she thought as she gave herself a couple of slaps for extra measure.

What was she thinking?

She had just met the bloke and had spoken to him for no longer than twenty minutes! She didn't know anything about him! She didn't know anything about his likes or dislikes, or what his history was, or how he was as a person! True he seemed like a nice guy on the screen, but what if that was just putting on a façade? And for all she knew, he could already have a mate and some chicks of his own…

No, it was probably for the best that she didn't even get her hopes up with him.

Private pushed herself away from the table and towards the door. She was half way there when she suddenly froze.

Didn't someone come down just a few moments ago? Wasn't that what she heard when she decided to end the call with Agent Bolt?

It was…

So why hasn't the person made themselves known? Why was it so quiet?

A sudden thought hit Private. Could it be Skipper? Had he returned from wherever it was that he had gone? Had he heard Private talking to Agent Bolt?

Private's heart seized.

Was he waiting for her outside the door?

Now Private's heart was racing.

She could only imagine what Skipper would say about her talking to another strange male alone.

Or Kowalski.

She could just hear him now, 'Didn't we already have this discussion? Wasn't I clear enough on the dangers of sharing information with strangers?'

Private shivered. Neither of those options were good…

None the less, she couldn't stay in the lab forever. She had to come out sometime.

'Best to get it over with I suppose.' Private thought miserably as she pushed the heavy door open.

She tenderly stepped out of the room and closed the door quietly before turning to face either the Captain or Lieutenant. She lifted her head only to blink in surprise.

Sitting at the table was none other than Rico, a fish sandwich in his beak as if Private had walked in on him mid bite.

Rico slowly bit threw the sandwich while he quietly observed the female in curiosity, wondering what she was doing alone in Kowalski's lab.

Private however, was wondering if it was a good thing or a bad thing that she had been caught by Rico and not the other two males as she had feared.

"Hello Rico." She started, a nervous waver in her voice.

"Hey." The Sergeant greeted in return. He put his meal down and jerked his head in the labs direction, "Who you talkin' to?" he inquired.

Private swallowed, "Wh-who? Me?" she pointed to herself. Upon Rico's unamused expression, she gave a nervous chuckle before continuing, "Oh! Yes. Well…I was trying to get in contact with Nigel, but he wasn't available at the moment, so I had to relay a message with one of his co-workers." That sounded vaguely satisfying.

Rico tilted his head, "Spy?"

Private gave a reluctant nod, "Yes…it was an agent."

"Why?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Why call?"

Private faltered. She didn't want to outright confess that the whole point of the call was to inform Nigel about Kitka stalking her. She knew how loyal Rico was to Skipper, and the last thing she needed was for him to go and tell Skipper that she was still pursuing the whole Kitka matter. Hell, if he found out she was getting Nigel involved…

"I'm…I…" Private struggled to think of an excuse as to why she would contact Nigel at his work place.

"Kitka?" Rico guessed with a raised brow.

Private's beak dropped, "What? No! No, that's not..." When Rico's brow raised further, she deflated in defeat, "Alright, yes. It was regarding Kitka." She admitted.

Rico gave her a 'that's what I thought' look.

"Please don't tell Skippah! It's just that I have a bad feeling about her, and she's been following me a-and…oh Rico, please don't tell him! Not yet at least!" Private held her flippers in a begging gesture.

Rico gave a low sigh and glanced up at the entrance, mulling over whether he should say anything or not. He cast his gaze back at Private, and the look in her eyes was enough to break him. He sighed again, "Fine. Won't say nuttin'"

Private let out the breath she had been holding, "Thank you Rico!"

"No problem."

The female responded by placing a flipper on her chest as she felt herself relax.

The two birds looked up when the entrance opened, allowing Skipper and Kowalski to drop down.

Skipper looked between the two lower ranks, her brow furrowed in suspicion. "Is something going on?"

"Nothing!" Private answered a little too quickly, causing Skipper to narrow his eyes.

"Jus' talkin'." Rico answered smoothly.

"…about what?" Skipper was still apprehensive and he let the others know it. His eyes were locked on Private, but it was obvious he wanted Rico to answer.

"Movie." Rico supplied casually.

"Movies?" Kowalski repeated.

"Yes!" Private butted in, "We were discussing which film to watch tonight, and I was just about to tell him that we can just watch whatever he wanted." She said genuinely and smiled when Rico's face lit up.

It was a promise she intended to keep, regardless of what crazy movie Rico ended up choosing.

It was the least she could do, what with Rico covering for her an all…

Skipper still looked skeptical, but Kowalski seemed to buy it…or at least he pretended to.

"Well that sounds fun!" he nudged Skipper's shoulder, "Why don't you join them Skipper?"

The Captain waved his second-in-command off, "I'm meeting up with Kitka later." He locked eyes with Private, who had tensed when she heard his plans for the night, "Is there a problem ma'am?" he challenged as he crossed his flippers.

"…No sir." Private replied.

"Leeet's not reopen that can of worms." Kowalski interjected with a nervous laugh before clearing his throat, "In fact, let get back to date talk. Why don't you and Kitka join Doris and me tonight? We can make it a double date?" The scientist suggested.

Skipper shook his head, "No can do Kowalski. You two won't be able to keep up with what we have planned tonight." He taunted with a smirk.

Kowalski blushed under his feathers, Rico gave a playful growl, and Private…

Private silently seethed in anger, frustration and…jealousy?

She blinked in confusion.

Why would she be jealous that Skipper and Kitka were going on a date and doing who-knows-what?

Angry and exasperated she could understand.

Despite everything she had told him earlier, he was still going to pursue his relationship with the falcon.

Who wouldn't be upset over that?

But jealous? It didn't make sense…

He was her Captain and nothing else. She was just upset that her leader was spending time with another animal. A dangerous animal.

Yeah that was it…

Not wanting to overthink and dwell on the issue any longer, she moved towards the table and sat in the seat across from Rico. She couldn't even look at Skipper right now.

If he wasn't going to listen to her, fine, but she wasn't going to give up her investigation on Kitka. She would remain wary of the falcon and would continue to keep a very close eye on her.

"So Rico, any ideas on what film you want to watch tonight?" She asked innocently.

Kowalski watched as Rico pondered the question over. He glanced down at Skipper, who was watching the duo as well, his expression unreadable. "I suppose we should get ready for our respected dates tonight, eh Skipper?" The taller penguin suggested, catching the shorter male's attention.

"You do that. I'm going back up to keep an eye out for Alice." Skipper replied as he turned to go back up the ladder.

As soon as he was out of sight, Kowalski turned back to Private and saw that she had visibly relaxed, though her attention was still fixed firmly on Rico.

Seeing that Private would be okay now, Kowalski left to his lab for some private time and to continue getting things ready for his date. As soon as he was alone in his room, he leaned against the door and sighed as he rubbed his temples.

All this drama between Skipper and Private was honestly going to be the death of him…

Location: MIA6 Headquarters. London, England. Time: 2040 (8:40 P.M)

(Shortly after the call)

Agent Nathan Bolt smiled as he disconnect his end of the call.

Since Nigel was still gone, Nathan had been charged to take any incoming calls to Nigel's station and to write down any message the caller left.

Nathan had hoped for an easy job, but as a top agent, Nigel had many informants from missions that were always willing to supply new information on one of his cases. It also wasn't a surprise that Nigel had allies from different agencies around the world who were all keen in staying in contact with him.

Informants would always call from 'safe spots' where a phone or computer was inconspicuously hidden and would provide a secure line so that information could be safely transferred. Agents on the other hand would usually call from their own headquarters. In both cases, the agent receiving the call would knowmore or less who was calling, and from where they calling.

So to receive an incoming call from an unknown civilian looking number, it was…concerning to say the least.

The fact that the call was sent directly to Nigel's station was enough to put the young male in a state of unease and he decided to approach the situation with caution. He greeted the caller in the required authoritative manner.

Imagine his surprise when he saw that it was a young soldier that had called from the unsecure line.

As if that wasn't enough, imagine his surprise when he found out that said soldier was none other than Nigel Tux's niece.

He had heard much about the young female, mostly from Nigel himself, and knew how she was living under the alias of 'William' Tux in an attempt to hide her identity for safety reasons, or something of the sort.

Before he was told otherwise, Nathan had always assumed that she would be the spitting image of her uncle, and was like him in personality as well. He even voiced the comment once to Nigel, only for the elder bird to state that she was actually quite gentle and would even be called a 'nancycat' had she been an actual male. Apparently she had picked up many of her uncle's traits while he raised her in his undercover form.

When Nathan had asked if she took after him in looks, he replied that she didn't, and was actually only half Macaroni, while the other half, the one that dominated her genes, was White-Faced.

Still, Nathan assumed she had mixed physical traits and always pictured her with dark green eyes like her uncle. It was all he could do as Nigel, ever the private one, refused to share her photo with anyone.

So, with no reference to know what she really looked like, one could not blame Nathan for his surprise when the female on screen introduced herself as Nigel's niece.

She was nothing like he assumed she would be.

Safe to say, Nigel wasn't kidding when he said that Victoria was White-Faced dominated.

In fact, if Nathan didn't know any better, he would have assumed she was a pure bred White-Faced penguin.

Everything about her screamed that she was the opposite of her uncle.

She was much shorter with a pudgy look that actually made her look rather…adorable.

And those eyes…

Those sky blue eyes only seemed to bring out the innocence that Nigel always said she had.

Her elegant voice was emphasized by her accent, and Nathan found himself hanging on to her every word…

In short, Nathan found himself…attracted, to her.

And it was that attraction that compelled him to listen to her concerns about being followed and how she worried that she and her team may be in danger.

He diligently took down notes as she spoke and as she went on, his concern for her grew.

It wasn't until she gave the name of her stalker that he paused.

Kitka.

He knew that name…

Then he learned of the 'informant' that had given her the heads up on the stalking.

Tiberius.

He didn't know who that was, but he would definitely get some intel on this bloke.

As he was mulling this over, Victoria asked the inevitable question on the whereabouts of her uncle.

His mind froze only for a second before he gave her the scripted explanation that her uncle was still out on his mission. He then explained that he would relay her message and assured her that Nigel would call back when he returned.

This seemed to satisfy the female.

And then…he unintentionally frightened her by making her think of the possibility that someone could be eavesdropping on their conversation.

Luckily, he was able to calm her once more and he smiled when she relaxed.

In the end, he assured her that he would help her out should things get worse on her end, and she agreed that she would do so.

Soon after, they said their good-byes and Nathan sent her off with one of his most charming smiles.

This brought him back to now, and he leaned back in his seat, his smile still plastered on his beak.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the approaching footsteps.

"And what's got you so happy?"

Nathan jolted as he sat up in his seat.

He looked up to see a large King penguin looming over him.

Nathan quickly scrambled to his feet, "Chief Kingson…" he gasped.

"Who was that on Agent Tux's line?" The Chief inquired as he glanced at the screen with a furrowed brow.

"That was Private Victoria Tux. Agent Tux's niece." Nathan reported.

Kingson's brow rose, "Victoria? She called here?"

"Aye sir."

"What did…what did she want?" A sudden thought hit the Chief, "Is she alright?"

Agent Bolt nodded, "She seemed fine except she was worried that Kitka may be following her."

"Kitka? That falcon lass?"

The younger agent nodded and Kingson frowned.

He would have to inform the CIAA right away about this new development.

"Did the Private say anything else?"

"Well…she asked about her uncle…" Nathan cringed.

Kingson tensed, "And what did you tell her?"

The Humboldt shifted, "I told her he was out on a mission and wouldn't be back for a while."

"Anything else?"

"No. I didn't want to worry her more than she already is." The agent jerked his head in the computer's direction, "I can tell her the truth if she calls back." He suggested.

Kingson shook his head, "No..." he said slowly, "As you said, it's best we don't frighten her." He stroked the bottom of his beak in thought. He turned his head and called out to a European badger working just a few desks away. "Agent Meles!"

The badger turned, "Yes sir?"

"Any leads on Tux's whereabouts?" the King penguin asked, a worried expression on his face.

The badger shook his head, "I'm afraid not sir."

"What about Agent Fordland?"

"Nothing sir."

"Damn!" Kingson hissed. He had two agents dead and two others that were missing and a psychotic villain that was somehow able to slip through every agencies paws, wings, flippers, and hooves.

The Chief looked back at his subordinates. He pointed to Nathan, "If Private Tux calls back, tell her what you said before. Nigel is still out. He's very busy and won't be back in a while. If she still asks questions, direct her to me."

"Yes sir." Nathan nodded.

Kingson then pointed to the badger, "First thing tomorrow, I need you to go out and gather more clues. Dead or alive, I want those agents found."

The badger gave a salute before returning to the reports he had been working on.

With that, the large penguin turned and waddled away in the direction of his own office.

Nathan watched him go before leaning back in his seat, his mind going back to a certain young female.

Tomorrow, he was going to make his own call to the CIAA.

A/N: And there is the long anticipated chapter 11! Woo-hoo!

Stuff to point out:

*Kowalski- Working at an elementary, I've come across multiple kids with dyslexia and/or dysgraphia (note: these two are usually not hand in hand. By my understanding, people usually have one or the other, though it's not unheard of for someone to have both…as in Kowalski's case) and as many of us know, dyslexia is when a person has difficulty reading and dysgraphia is when a person has difficulty writing (usually in a straight line and within the margins). Kowalski is a smart guy. He has to know how to read and write, but for some reason in the show, he doesn't. So my theory is…dyslexia. He probably can't read normal font, much less the tiny on a medicine bottle. The drawings he always does? I read that people with dysgraphia could write notes by doodling. That's exactly what Kowalski does in the show, so my head cannon is that he's got dysgraphia as well. In this fic verse, he's got dyslexia and dysgraphia. Poor guy :(

*Skipper, Private, Rico reading- I know Private can read as in one episode, he was reading a book on penguin behavior. I believe I saw Skipper reading a newspaper while riding in a subway train in one episode. In another episode, it was hinted that Rico took a newspaper into the bathroom…lol. In all, I think the team can read, it's just that they like to bother Phil and Mason. *smirk*.

*I mentioned the animal version of the Army and Navy, and Private's musing in the chapter are pretty self-explanatory. I have noticed that the military ranks the penguins use are from the Army branch, yet when they go somewhere in 'form', they tend to wear the white hats the Navy uses. So I'm guessing they fall somewhere between those two branches, or since they're animals of land and sea, they can partake in both. I guess that makes sense… *shrug*

*Uncle Nigel- After much research, I've come to the conclusion that Nigel is a Macaroni Penguin. Normally these guys have a yellow crest, but Nigel's has gone grey/white with age.

*New characters- Agent Nathan Bolt the Humboldt Penguin.

- Chief Kingson the King Penguin

- Agent Meles the European Badger

- Agent Fordland (only mentioned, but he's a Fiordland Penguin)

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter. I might still come back and dust it off later, but for now, I'm happy with how it turned out. :)