Caretaker of Madagascar: Full Moon

The X Factor

Skipper presses himself against a display with a groan. "Not X."

"Come out, birds, we still have some x-isting business to finish," he takes out his baton.

Skipper peeks out just enough to motion for everyone to head for the door.

X however, walks over and stands by the door, seeming to notice how it is unlocked. He shuts it tight. "Planned to be x-iting so soon? I don't think so,"

Skipper scowls and starts looking for a plan B exit point. Peeking behind the shelf, Bridget looks confused at the man.

'Who the fuck is this??'

Unknowing to her, she is by the flathead's spot.

"Careful. X is bad news," Skipper mumbles, noticing her. "Used to work for animal control until we got him fired."

Upon hearing Gruff Voice, Bridget jumps, looking down at him before huffing. "Ah great, good ta know your other human-exes," she whispers harshly before watching X again.

"Not ex like that!" He snorts. "His name is X."

"I heard ya the first time," she gives him a sly side look, before rolling her eyes and thinking.

Skipper glares at her slightly before ducking down.

Bridget ducks as well, biting her lips at the frustration of an un-x-pected enemy...ugh, puns.

Then again, she did predict that something would go wrong, so shame on her for being right. She leans against the shelfs, before noticing how wobbly it is. She stops, and studies the wobble of the shelf, now biting her lip in thought.

"Careful." Skipper watches her before smacking at her arm. "Actually, prepare to knock that over," he says, noticing an accessible vent that's perfectly penguin sized. "That could provide cover."

"Whadda think I was doin? And don'tcha smack me," Bridget growls.

Huffing she watches for X, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Cover it could provide, but I'm not sure any of us could reach an exit by the time we push it. If anythin it'll just blow our cover..."

"Could at least provide cover long enough for me to get topside. He wouldn't expect a roof hole assault."

"Why try ta attack him when we just need a plan ta get outta here? There's no point ta fight if he can't find or see us, it'll only cause us more trouble,"

"We fight him. We knock him out. We leave. It's the penguin way."

"Then you and your men can go knock out some heads, I'm goin out the back door ta get away-"

There was a deep voice clearing his throat above the two, causing both to stop bickering. Behold, it's Security Guard X, glaring down at the two.

"Well well well, penguins have themselves a new friend?"

Skipper narrows his eyes and glances at Bridget.

Bridget glances back at Skipper, hers more an 'oh shit' expression.

Within the tense moment of being caught, the two headstrongs take action, pushing down their cover spot onto X, trapping him underneath the weight.

Skipper takes this moment to whistle to the others. "Back to the vent, boys!" He glanced at Bridget. "And you have your escape plan." He nodded before sliding for the vent himself.

Without hesitation, Bridget darts for the back door of the store.

X growls and gets the shelf off of him, quickly chasing after the penguins. "Oh no, you won't!"

The four penguins quickly dart into the vent shaft and scurry up the shaft.

As the penguins escaped through the roof, Bridget briskly skates her way to the back exit. However...it would be too easy to let her escape. It would've been too easy for her to win this game. And so, it's by default, that what comes next would happen.

Her leg gives way, and she falls.

"Fuck!" Bridget screams, panting in panic as she tries urgently to scramble back up. She tried, but her leg wasn't helpful.

X hears this commotion and comes walking towards her.

"Well well, I may have not gotten the penguins, but you surely will do as their replacement," X chuckles, towering over where the ginger fell.

Looking up at the big man, she tries, even more, to get away, but it was no use.

X picks her up by the arm and walks away with her. "You're coming with me, little lady. You have some x-plaining to do,"

"Let me go! No!" Bridget struggles but does nothing as she's carried away by Security Guard X.

0000000

Safe on the roof, the penguins take a moment to survey their position. The four of them are accounted for. Skipper looks over the edge of the roof and frowns.

"Either she left us or she's still inside."

"So we're going back in after her, right?" Kowalski turns his head and looks at him. "We obviously can't leave her with X."

Skipper rubs under his beak. "No, we can't...But might be more strategic to see where he's taking her. If we just dive in again now, we're just going to be in the same soup she is."

From the hole, a dim light is inside the room. It seems the office lights were on now. There were no sounds of footsteps or doors opening and closing around them.

Only the night winds kept them company.

"Sir...I don't think they're leaving the building." Private frowns.

"Curses." Skipper grumbles. "We'll have to go back in, but be stealthy about it. He'll be expecting us to use the vents."

"We could try Bridget's entry point with some rope, perhaps?" Kowalski suggests. "Or we could sneak in the backdoor?"

"Both of those seem too obvious. We need like..." He motions with his flippers. "A trojan horse he might fall for!"

Before the penguins could discuss any more of a plan, their fates ended up just like Bridget's. The roof's gravel surface sank beneath them, and they all fell back into the store, crashing down to the ground.

The German Best Buy now has five holes in its roof.

For a moment the penguins just lie there, groaning.

It is then, as the four birds lay there on the ground, that the moon rises up, and has it's angle shine perfectly above them. The moon's glow shines bright, moonlight pouring into the store by the roof holes.

The penguins are touched by this light.

Blinking against the light, the four finally roll sideways out of their spotlight and into the shadows.

The office is only a slide away, the office window lights on, and there is distant talking inside. They are so close. Almost there.

The penguins inch closer to the room. However, they simultaneously pause and start scratching at their feathers.

"What the deuce?" Skipper mutters.

"I think X must have laid a barrier of itching powder on the floor." Kowalski states.

Private rubs his back against the wall with a whimper. "Extra strength and stingy itchy powder."

A drill of pain shoots through their bodies, a tingling sensation coursing in their veins. They each drop to their knees one by one, a small aching headache starts to form.

The four hold their heads as they now lay face down, whimpering on the ground, kicking and jerking slightly as though they could fight away whatever was happening to them.

As the pain starts to consume them, patches of feathers fall off their skin.

No matter how much they fought it, slowly, the penguins' worlds go black.