Heyo~ Pardon the late update I realize I hadn't explained here what I've already explained on DeviantArt.

In addition to this just for fun fanfic, I also have a webcomic that I've made with a friend, that I do the managing for and a lot of work was put in to that so it comes before this story, and I've had to make a few new page for it. In addition to that I've been aiming to get commission on DeviantArt as well, so I can visit said friend.

I'm still in the middle of making pages for the comic, but I hate to keep you all waiting because I know I've always been rather unreliable with this story, so here's a quick update for you all. :)

Hope you enjoy~

"Push harder!"

"I- I can't Skipper, the hatch won't budge!"

"Skippah, the back entrance is blocked too!"

Skipper looks around frantically for another way out of the HQ as the whirring from the overloaded machine just gets louder. He'd curse himself for not planning another exit but another exit was another entrance to a potential enemy. One way or another it was a little late now.

He feels a bit of panic set in as the other three realize what he's already figured out, and that was that there was no way out of this. It was one thing if he'd given up but another thing entirely if they had too. Well that just wasn't going to fly!

"Men, duck and cover!"

"Skipper?"

"DUCK AND COVER!" Skipper runs over to the other side of the room and grabs the Molecular organizer as it's whirring grows more urgent. It was larger than him- larger than any of them in fact- but just small enough. He shoves the machine into the lower bunk and throws all the pillows and blankets over it before barring himself in front of the hole in the wall. The others, of course, realize now what he was doing.

"Wait, Skipper!"

"Skipper? Skipper wake up."

"Get your hands off me." Skipper scolds, brushing Kowalski away. He groans, "Oh I feel like I've been hit by a bus!"

"Sorry Skipper," Kowalski says with a slight nod, "But we're all set up and ready to start, we just wanted to check on your injuries first." Rico and Private poke out from behind Kowalski and wave. It was looking at them that Skipper realized something was a little off.

"What the-" He looks all around, somewhat startled, to find he was in a tent.

"Oh, we've got a few of them set up, Skippah," Private says, noticing Skipper's gaze, "so we can put on shows!"

"Like a, uh," Rico wiggles his fingers, "mini circus."

"Hm, yes, I only wish we had more acts." Kowalski says, "It would greatly improve our chances in getting our medical supplies, but also food."

"Where did we get tents?" Skipper asks, rubbing his head, confused.

"Kowalski and Rico took an early morning shift to make enough money to get some at a shop down town."

"Why didn't you just use that money for supplies?"

"Well it wasn't enough." Kowalski says with a nod.

"So you got tents?"

"Well, yes... They were very cheap, they're not camping tents, they're just the plain event tents-"

"That seems like badly sorted priorities, Kowalski." Skipper says. Kowalski huffs.

"The tents are necessary to earn more funds than we could on our own. They are large enough to attract attention which is an obvious necessity, but they also keep you out of sight without us having to leave you or sacrificing man power to have someone stay behind. We don't want anyone asking questions after all, and an injured party is offputting to the crowd." Kowalski insists. "So now that we have that out of the way, can we please focus on checking those injuries?"

Ah, and here Skipper was hoping he'd distracted Kowalski enough that he'd forgot.

"Oh if you must." Skipper sighs, and pushes himself up- or rather halfway up before collapsing back down with muffled and unintelligible obscenities.

"As I suspected." Kowalski says, getting to work on changing the bandages while Rico and Private stood by to help.

"I figured any pain would get worse over night, particularly once stiffness had settled in. Normally I'd recommend getting up and moving around to stretch out those sore limbs, but until we're able to properly treat everything, please stay in bed. And yes, you absolutely have to, the three of us aren't going to take any of your arguing it's already been decided. It's likely several things are inflamed, torn, or broken, and we'd like to minimize the amount of work you'll need.

"Bah," Skipper sighs, "I'm in no mood to argue anyway." His statement raises a few eyebrows but no one says anything.

"Yes, well. That's for the b-what on earth?" Kowalski seemed genuinely baffled as he unwrapped the bandages put on for the burns Skipper had gotten during their recent trip back to the zoo. The burns themselves had completely healed, but they'd left large patches of tightly packed, water proof feathers in their place.

One patch of feathers ran along the side of half his forearm. There was another patch on his side, just below his arm, and another patch all along where he'd originally stepped in the water in the first place. His foot, however, seemed normal, and he wiggled his toes just to be sure.

"Oh! Skippah, you're all feathery!"

"That's probably not a good thing." Rico says, half patting Private.

"Oh."

"Mhm, yes, it appears I was correct." Kowalski says, prodding at the feather patches. "The water is charged with the bio-driven energy source. It seems odd, though I suppose I should have predicted it, the charge is stuck on the human setting."

Kowalski scratches his chin, genuinely, puzzled once again.

"I don't understand how it's doing that without the machine, though... I look forward to studying it!"

"Well I look forward to some peace and quiet." Skipper says sternly. "I was up all night after all."

"Ah, right, sorry Skipper." Kowalski finishes up and packs everything away, handing the first aid kit back to Rico. "Alright, we have a show to do. We'll be back as soon as we can with something for you to eat and drink."

"Take your time." Skipper says, laying back down. "I'm more tired than I am anything."

Rico hacks up a pair of earmuffs. "Gonna need these."

"We'll be back soon, Skippah!"

Skipper settles in as the other three leave, putting the earmuffs on and trying to get back to sleep. As he was dozing off again, he couldn't help but get the vague familiar feeling of remembering that he'd had a dream earlier, but whatever it was it was just out of reach of his memory.