"All right boys we're going in. Some of you may not make it out alive, but we've got to do it… our lives depend on it!" Skipper announced to his subordinates.

"OK it's time for your check ups." Alice called out and put the penguins in a big steel cage and took them to the veterinarian's clinic.

Alice put the cage on a bench and called the doctor.

"OK Doc, they're all yours."

"Thank you, Alice." The Doctor thanked the zoo keeper.

The doctor then opened the cage and took Private out and took him to the examination room.

"OK little fellow, let's start with you."

"Just think happy thoughts Private." Skipper called out in a concerned voice.

The doctor then examined Private's eyes, mouth and ear canals and palpated his legs and flippers and moved them in different angles to see the range of motion.

He repeated the procedure for the rest of the penguins.

However once it was Skipper's turn, after the check up the doctor went to answer a phone call.

"Hello?... hmm yes…I saw him today actually… it doesn't look good…I would give him at least 6 weeks to live."

The doctor said over the phone, unbeknownst to Skipper the doctor was speaking about a relative of his whom he had visited in a hospital earlier in the morning and so Skipper assumed the worst.

HOLY FISH! I'M GOING TO DIE?! Skipper exclaimed in disbelief.

I'm too young to die, this can't be happening… my brothers… who will look after them?

"Alright let's put you back." The doctor addressed Skipper with a sad expression on his face and carried him back to the cage.

The doctor then called Alice and she put the penguins back in their exhibit.

"Your check up took a while Skipper, how did it go?" The always considerate Private inquired.

"…er it went fine Private, thank you for asking." Skipper lied hesitatingly.

Although Skipper was skilled in the art of deception, the slight pause in his reply made Kowalski a bit sceptical subconsciously.

The weeks went by and as the days approached the deadly date Skipper decided to spend his final moments with his beloved team and to deliver his final messages.

Skipper first spoke with Rico.

"You know Rico, you may be a creepy, violent, incomprehensible psychopath, but I want you to know that you are the best psychopath I've ever met."

"Awwww." Rico exclaimed as sweetly as a psychopath could. This made him accidentally cough up a grenade of tear gas and making both penguins cry.

After wiping the tears from his eyes, Skipper went to chat with Kowlaksi.

"Kowalski! How's it going? Have you made any scientific advancement like… I don't know.

Time travel? Calorie free chocolate cake? Or say… and I'm just guessing here, the cure to all of Earth's diseases?"

"I am well Skipper but I have made no progress on making a functional time machine, it is nearly scientifically IMPOSSIBLE to make a calorie free chocolate cake and while it is hard to cure all the diseases simultaneously, I am making progress on a cure for stupidity."

Kowalski replied.

"Oh OK." Skipper said looking a bit crestfallen, he was hoping that Kowalski could have helped him find a cure.

"Why all these questions all of a sudden?"

"I just care about what you get up to that's all. You are a valued member of our team and I would miss you if you left the team."

"Well thank you Skipper, I appreciate the sentiment." Kowalski thanked Skipper and puffed up his chest slightly in pride.

iSkipper is being unusually emotional lately, something must be wrong. I will talk with him later. /i Kowalski thought.

Skipper then went over to the TV where Private was sitting on the floor watching a Lunacorn episode.

"Hi there Amigo, can I watch this with you?"

"Of course Skipper! I'm so happy that you want to watch my favourite show with me!"

Once the episode was over Private hugged Skipper and thanked him warmly.

"Thank you for watching this with me Skipper."

"Private you know what I said about hugging." Skipper scolded Private.

"Oh sorry, Skipper." Private apologised sheepishly.

"I'm only teasing you compadre." Skipper ruffled the feathers on Private's head with his flipper affectionately.

iI'm going to miss you most of all, dear little Private…/i Skipper thought to himself and sighed internally.

As the days passed, Kowalski attempted to talk to Skipper to make him spill the beans but Skipper always managed to avoid talking by deftly changing the subject.

The night of the deadly date soon arrived.

The clock read midnight.

Once the other penguins were asleep, Skipper slipped out of his bunk and went over to Kowalski's lab to find a pen and paper to write his final words.

But sleep or what Skipper believed was his body shutting down overtook him and he gasped and a single tear rolled down his cheek and he fell asleep before he could write the note.

In the morning of the deadly date, the penguins found Skipper lying prone on his abdomen on the floor.

"BLEH!" Rico exclaimed with anxiety

"SKIPPER! …Kowalski is he alright?" Private cried out in concern.

iI knew something was wrong, I should have done something, curse my lack of comprehension on feelings!/i Kowalski cursed in his head.

Kowalski quickly went over to Skipper and checked his breathing and pulse.

"He's OK, he's still alive!"

All the commotion awakened Skipper, his eyes flitted open and he gasped.

"I'm still ALIVE?!" Skipper exclaimed with incredulity.

He then faced and Kowalski and demanded an explanation.

"Kowalski EXPLAIN!"

"You went through what we call a "placebo effect". Your mind believed that you were you going to die, so your body manifested the symptoms and rendered you unconscious." Kowalski explained gladly.

"So if we believed we could fly, does that mean we could actually fly?"

"It doesn't work that way Skipper."

Skipper just smiled and wiped his eyes.

There was a moment of awkward silence.

Private then seized the opportunity and called out.

"GROUP HUG!"

The penguins then all hugged each other.

"If I didn't die then who did?" Skipper asked.

Kowalski just shrugged.

Meanwhile in the veterinarian's office, the doctor received a phone call.

It was from the hospital… his relative had survived.