Penguins of Madagascar: Moving Situations

Chapter Nine

Skipper
By lunch time Kowalski still isn't up. That means he hasn't eaten since breakfast yesterday and it would be a good idea to get him up so he eats something and to make sure he isn't concussed or something. On the other hand I feel pretty bad waking him up because he needs rest after yesterday. Sure, I've knocked people out before but that was a really bad knock out given he got the elbow to the head full force then connected with a concrete floor. Not good. Then again that may be the reason waking him up is a good idea to make sure there isn't damage or anything. I think it works that way. I don't know, Kowalski is the smart one. He's the one who knows what to do when we get hurt on a mission or something and can't go to hospital as explaining would be tricky. Whenever Kowalski is the one who gets hurt we're all pretty useless really. He has tried to teach us some basics, especially me, but we couldn't figure it out. I sigh, figuring I may as well wake him up just to check on him and to make sure he eats something and head to his room.

I knock on the door, pretty quietly as I don't want to make him jump. I think I did so too quietly as he doesn't respond. Either that or he isn't okay. I knock again, significantly louder. The door opens after a few seconds. He still looks tired but he doesn't look as dizzy anymore which is very relieving. It is clear he has only just woken up though because his hair which is usually just messy looks like he has been sticking his fingers in sockets. Which isn't too farfetched for an inventor/tech genius but that isn't the point.
"Morning," he says, sleepily, rubbing his eyes and knocking his glasses askew.
"Afternoon, actually," I correct with a grin. "Sleep well?"
"Mhm," he murmurs. "Can't believe I slept that long though."
"Not too surprising given that everything that happened yesterday," I reply. "We all slept pretty late, honestly. What do you want for lunch? And don't say nothing."
"A pot noodle?" he says. I always forget he likes those as he normally goes for healthier foods and they probably have more nutrients in the actual pot.

He heads into the kitchen, popping in the kettle and getting one of the noodles out the cupboard.
"Want one?" he offers.
"Do you have any of the not spicy ones?" I ask. He considers and rummages through the cupboard.
"We have a chicken and mushroom one or a beef and tomato," he says. "I think Rico had the last of the original curry ones."
"I'll have the mushroom then," I say and he gets it out, putting water into both. "I can do that. You look ti-"
"I am competent enough to make a pot noodle, Skipper," he says with a mildly amused expression. "I'm not that hopeless."
"You aren't hopeless at all," I retort. Honestly, Kowalski sometimes is impossible...But he is brilliant so that helps. I may be a tad biased though.

"So how is Gale settling in?" Kowalski asks, taking the pots to the living room and sitting cross legged on the sofa: I sit by him and pass him the fork because he forgot that. Given how smart he is he often forgets the little details given his genius brain is on the bigger picture or focused on how cogs turn and gears operate.
"Pretty well, all things considered," I say. "Turns out he is experienced with fighting. Might as well let him join the group given the trouble we got him into." Not too different than how Skipper and Rico joined really, just without the kidnapping. "Have you figured out where you knew that asshole from?" He shakes his head.
"As soon as I get online I'll check," he says. "It is really bugging me..."

He grabs his laptop, focusing on that whilst occasionally having a bite.
"Sooo...how are you doing it?" I ask, curiously, looking at the multiple windows across his screen.
"Hacking Blowhole's employee database," he murmurs. "All his other stuff has too much security but that has significantly less. Still a lot though." He types a while longer then I notice him visibly blanch, losing a little colour and worry flashing in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Figured out where I know him from," he mutters, putting the laptop down and shutting it with noticeable tension. "Emmett Mason. He was in my class at school."
"How? He looks significantly older than you," I point out. He has a sheepish expression and twirls some of his hair around his finger. "Kowalski?"
"I um...got moved up several years," he mutters.
"You never mentioned that," I say, impressed. He shrugs. "How come?"
"It didn't go well for me," he murmurs, with a shrug. "I finished A-Levels at 14 so people didn't really like me. Moving around schools a lot didn't help either...Emmett was the opposite. He got held back and was probably the worst bully I had."

If I hated him before this then I really despise him. The implication that he hurt Kowalski before yesterday is just...argh! Fuck that guy! I need a bloody baseball bat!
"Skipper, calm down..." Kowalski says. You're going to send boiling water on yourself if you keep clenching the pot..." I put it down, taking a calming breath but am still seeing red.
"Next time I see him I'm crushing him," I snap. The image of my fist repeatedly connecting with his face is a satisfying one.
"Yeah...don't antagonise him Skipper," Kowalski says. "He spent time in a mental hospital for insanity, violence and a whole lot of other issues...plus escaped by snapping someone's neck..."
"Sheesh..." I mutter. "Even more reason to take him down!" Kowalski gives me an unimpressed look but I just grin. No use worrying about it. No one hurts Kowalski. No one.

"Does he have any family who we can find information about him from them?" I ask.
"A brother called Drake," he replies. "I never met him and there is little to no information on him. They're identical twins though so they should look alike."
"Identical," I correct.
"Not necessarily," he points out. "One could be into sport so that changes his frame and the odds of them having the same hairstyle is unlikely.."
"Huh, good point," I reply. You see twins entirely alike in movies so much that remembering identical twins would grow up to have differences is often forgotten.

Kowalski still seems on edge. As much as I don't like him worrying he is at least the easiest to distract without going mad because I don't have to put a unicorn show or something. Kowalski has much better taste than that. I take the pots back to the kitchen and chuck them in the bin, making a tea and coffee then heading back.
"We're having a Doctor Who marathon," I tell him with a grin. Kowalski tends to like typically 'geeky' things but at least Doctor Who is a good one.
"Really?" he asks, a smile forming across his features.
"Yup," I say, cheerfully. "Plus you need a day off even from inventing."
"No I d-" he begins.
"No, you do," I say with a grin. "You work really hard. And I'll order pizza tonight." He doesn't say anything but I notice his nose scrunch up slightly. "I'll share one with you since you never eat much pizza. Plus we can get some garlic bread." He looks more enthusiastic about that. I make a mental note to order extra of that because he eats more garlic bread than pizza and he and Rico always want the last slice. Kowalski never has it though because I think he feels too bad.

I put on the first David Tennant episode on and turn off the lights to get slight cinema vibes and turn the volume up. We just get to the duel scene when the door opens, flooding the room with light. I huff slightly. I was enjoying just spending some time with Kowalski and have to concentrate so I don't scowl at Gale or Rico.
"What you watching?" Gale asks.
"Doctor Who," I reply, keeping conversation quiet because I am starting to get into the episode even though I've seen it before. Must be the good company (not those two).
"Can we watch it with you?" Rico asks. No.
"Yeah, sure," I say. I can't just say no. That would be rude. Plus it would make certain feelings pretty apparent which I most certainly don't want.

They sit on the other sofa, talking during the episode and I turn up the volume as a subtle hint that we're watching. There is no need to be talking over it when people are enjoying it. I think they get the hint as their volume significantly drops but I can still hear them. I don't think I would want to go to the cinema with these two. When they finally shut up I turn the volume back to normal and try to focus on the show rather than Kowalski which is pretty hard.