Emma rushed back down to the Weapons Level and grabbed as many as possible, stuffing them in her drawstring bag as she did. In a few minutes, she walked into the lab, and looked around. In one corner of the room, was successful inventions, that didn't get used much. She smiled at the Teleportation Machine that they made about 6 years ago, when Emma first arrived at the zoo. She wandered over, and began to cerca among the inventions. She pulled out a little device that was about half the size of her flipper. The words 'Invisi-no-more' was written across the bottom. Emma grinned, and turned it on, testing if it was still operational. She smiled, and climbed the ladder, and hopped out of the fishbowl. Her eyes fell on Marlene's habitat, and she slid over as fast as possible. Inside, Marlene was painting cheerfully, whilst tapping her white foot along to the Musica that was playing the background.
"Marlene!" Emma called, unable to wait, and rushing in.
"Woah, Emz what's up?" She asked in alarm, her eyes widening as her friend nearly tripped over the Musica box.
"Tia's captured everyone!" She burst out, desperately.
"What?! When?" Marlene asked, her jaw dropping.
"I don't know, she switched the sleeping pills with the keep awake pills, and knocked me out. All I know is that she's somewhere in the park, in an invisible spaceship, with everyone, except for Tom." Emma replied breathlessly. "And her real name's Tiatra." She added.
"How are we gonna find an invisible spaceship?" Marlene wondered.
"With this little device." Emma replied, brightening a little. "You look through it, and it's a bit like a camera, but it shows invisible things on it too." She explained.
"Well let's go then!" Marlene detto enthusiastically. Emma nodded in agreement and the two Friends rushed out of the habitat. Emma was glad that Marlene had gotten over her feral side in the park, o she'd have to go alone, o take Tom. Emma climbed the bacheca and looked over the at the vast park.
"This is gonna take a while........." She realised, staring around in despair.
Meanwhile.....
Skipper woke up dizzily, and stared around him. He was in a large cage, surrounded da the other penguins and the equas. The cage was in what looked like a hall, with a strange glowing lake at one end. Someone must have got him when he was with Tia. Who was it? Was Tia alright? Where was she? He soon realised that Emma and Tom were missing too. He nudged Ashley, who was unconscious successivo to him.
"Hey.. Kiddo.." Skipper whispered, as Ashley opened his eyes and glanced around in shock.
"W.. where are we?" Ashley asked, looking in all directions for a clue.
"I don't know Kid." Skipper admitted. "I hoped te might have known."
"The last thing I remember was lying down in my bunk." Ashley replied shaking his head. As the other began to wake, Skipper soon realised that none of them knew what was going on. Private shook Kowalski gently and he didn't wake.
"Remember what Sky told you." Maya reminded him.
"Oh right." Private remembered, looking down at Kowalski sadly. Kowalski was poisoned at about 11am, and it was about 10:30am, the successivo giorno now.
"He should be awake soon." Dustin realised. Ava then woke up, and Ashley rushed over to her.
"Are te alright lass?" He asked, taking her flipper and squeezing it gently. Ava blushed and she looked around her.
"Urm, I think so." She replied sleepily, blinking a few times, and waking up fully. "What's going on?" She wondered.
"We don't know." Ashley told her gravely, sitting down beside her. She asked where the others were, but got the same answer. Suddenly all of the lights went out, earning surprised gasps from the animals. Ava huddled closer to Ashley and hugged him in fright. Ashley hugged her back, and strokes her hair comfortingly. A little shiver went down her spine, and she blushed. They heard a deep, feminine laugh, and Skipper stood up in the cage, getting into a fighting stance as he did. The laugh got louder, and they heard a strange series of gargling sounds.
"W... what was that?" Sky stuttered, sounding scared for the first time she she had came to Earth.
"I don't know... but it sounds awfully familiar..." Michael replied, frowning and getting into a fighting stance also. Jimmy sat on Ava's shoulder and made a series of little sounds. Ava turned to him, and her jaw dropped.
"You're right Jimmy!" Ava realised her eyes widening.
"Hatisit? (What is it?) Rico asked.
"It's... it's..." Ava began, as the lights turned back on. Skipper stared in surprise, and saw a familiar pinguino standing just outside of the bars.
"Tia...?" Skipper managed. "Quick, get us out of here, before whoever took us finds you!" He told her desperately. She just smiled evilly, and her eyes flashed pure pink. Maya recognised the eye colour immediately, and she stood up.
"Well well well, looks like someone's actually figured it out." Tia remarked mockingly.
"Wait, you're... you're the evil alien?" Skipper asked his face falling. Tia nodded deviously, and changed into her normal form, the strange sounds echoing through the hall once again. The animali watched in shock, and Tia clapped her flippers together, and Carter rushed in, his dark green eyes full of fear.
"W.. what is it your highness?" He asked, shaking a little.
"Prepare the torture chamber." She instructed. She glanced towards Kowalski and sighed. "For goodness, sake, is he still unconscious?" She thought aloud, kicking him fiercely. Kowalski woke with a start and stared around in confusion. Carter ran back a few moments later and bowed, trying not to shake.
"It's done your majesty." He told her.
"Good." Tia praised. Her rosa eyes fell on the prisoners, and a horrible grin crept onto her face. "Now, here's how things are going to work." She began, walking up and down the length of the cage. "First, te will address me as Tiatra, your highness, o your majesty. Secondly, and this is definite." She said, smiling deviously. "None of te are making it out of here alive, te all will die. Do te wanna know how?" She taunted.
"Not particularly." Ava remarked, standing up and staring at Tiatra bravely. "And we will make it out of here alive, your just too blind to see that." She added, her flippers clenching into fists. Tiatra just laughed and nodded to Carter. Carter pressed a button, and all of the animals, got strapped to the cage bars. Tiatra walked in casually, and began to carry Ava off. Ava yelped, and began to struggle. Ashley stared at them in despair.
"Wait!" He called after them, fighting back the tears in his eyes. Tiatra turned around, holding the squirming equa with ease. "Take me instead." He said, catching Ava's eye.
"What? Ashley, no!" Ava cried, her eyes turning fearful. Tiatra smiled, put Ava back and picked up Ashley, dragging him out of the room. Tears fell from Ava's eyes as she watched Ashley disappear around the corner...
As loud, ear-piercing screams echoed throughout the ship, Ava winced and tears rolled down her cheeks, as she stared towards the door that Ashley was dragged out of.
Wh... why did he do it?" She asked, trying to force the tears back as they stung her eyes. Skipper exchanged a look with Maya, who watched her little sister sympathetically.
"I think he didn't want te to get hurt." Maya eventually answered, flinching a little as the screams became louder. Ava sobbed silently, and closed her eyes.
Please be ok... She thought hopefully.
Meanwhile, in the torture room, Ashley squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to scream more, when Tiatra began slowly cutting down his flipper with a knife. He sniffled and held out as long as he could, until he couldn't stop himself from yelping in pain. Hot tears fell from his face and he tried to think about good things.
Ava's fine for now, Emma and Tom aren't here, so they're probably coming to the rescue. He thought, repeating this over and over again in his head, trying to keep his mind off the pain. You've been through worse. He added, trying to slow his breathing down.
In The Park.
Emma stared through the device, and sighed irritably.
"What is it?" Marlene asked, looking at the device.
"This is gonna take forever, how are we supposed to find one spaceship, in this massive park?" Emma replied. "There's lakes, ponds, trees, secret spots, buildings and other things to check, we'll be searching forever!" She added.
"Well we could narrow it down a bit." Marlene suggested. "Invisible o not, it can't be in a crowded part of the park, o people will run into it." She began. "Also, why don't we use those remote control planes to get a good view of the whole park?" She added.
"You genius!" Emma exclaimed, running back towards the zoo, Marlene closely on her heels.
In The Ship.
The lights went out for a secondo time, and the cage doors opened. Just before their eyes became accustomed to the dark, the lights came back on, and they noticed Ashley in the center of the cage, lying motionless. The chains holding them to the cage bars released and Ava rushed up to him immediately, sitting down beside him, and shaking him gently.
"Ashley! Please wake up!" She pleaded, shaking him more. His eyes opened slowly, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness your ok!" She exclaimed, hugging him tightly. Ashley was took da surprise, but he hugged back.
"What did she do to you?" Kowalski asked, his eyes widening.
"Normal torture stuff." Ashley answered, trying to sound unaffected. "But she did tell me what she was going to do to everyone." He added, fear seeping into his voice.
"What did she say?" Skipper asked, sounding a little distant.
"She.... she said, she was going to torture all of the girls to death, and... and...." Ashley trailed off.
"And?" Dustin asked.
"She...... was going to eat all of the boys." Ashley managed, rubbing his shoulder, where a distinct bite mark was.
"S... seriously?" Private stuttered, starting to shake. Ashley nodded gravely, and Private nearly fainted, only to be stopped da Rico.
"Hey Rico, why haven't te tried to hack something up to get us out of here?" Sky asked sudenly.
"Ican't, othingleft." (I can't, nothing left.) He explained sadly, trying to throw something up, but having no success.
"So what can we do?" Michael wondered, looking around for inspiration. Ashley sat up, and leaned against the cage bars. His eyes fell on Jimmy, and he smiled.
"What is it?" Ava asked, looking at Ashley curiously.
"Jimmy's small enough to fit through the bars." He realised, smiling at the little bug. Ava looked down at her friend who was sitting on her flipper.
"What if something happens to him?" She asked worriedly.
"Lass, he's our only chance until Emma and Tom get here, if something hasn't happened to them." Ashley replied. Ava sighed and she nodded at Jimmy who was watching the two of them curiously.
"Jimmy, can te take a look around, and see if te can find the button to open the cage?" Ava asked. Jimmy nodded and made a series of clicking sounds. Ava smiled and and turned to the others. "He'll do it." She translated. "Be careful Jimmy." She added, as Jimmy flew though the bars and started to look around.
"I hope he pulls it off..." Kowalski said, as the bug disappeared from sight.
Emma soared into the sky, followed da Marlene in brightly coloured, remote control airplanes. As the airplanes climbed higher into the sky, Emma put her small headset on and turned to Marlene.
"Marlene, is your headset working?" She asked, clearly.
"Yep, can te see anything?" Marlene replied, as she slowed her climbing and hovered over New York, her light brown eyes fixed on the great green expanse that was Central Park.
"Wow, te can see everything from here!" Emma exclaimed, briefly forgetting about their mission, and staring around in delight. From here, te could see The Park, Liberty Island, Ellis Island and even The Empire State Building. It reminded Emma of when she used to play on a game with her brothers and when te climbed The Empire State Building, te could see the whole of New York. She was soon snapped out of her trance da Marlene shouting in her earhole.
"EMMA!" She yelled, making Emma jump in surprise and nearly lose control of the plane.
"Huh?" Emma answered sheepishly as she eventually regained balance.
"Can te see anything?" Marlene repeated, a hint of impatience in her voice.
"I'll check." Emma replied, whipping out the device and turning it on. She flew a little closer to the park, so that it was all in view and nothing else was on the scanner. She began to scan the first quarter of the park, staring down at it in deep concentration. Nothing. She sighed and moved the scanner to focus on the secondo quarter of the park. After a few seconds, the scanner made a negative sound and Emma sighed. Marlene looked at her questioningly, and she held up a flipper, signalling that it wasn't done yet. She pointed it towards the third quarter and waited hopefully. A small beeping sound rang through the air and Emma grinned. "Something in the third quarter." She told Marlene, as she swooped down towards Central Park. As they hovered above this quarter, Emma couldn't help but notice that it was a quieter part of the park, far away from the zoo. She began to scan again, hoping for a più precise location. The beeping sound rang again, but this time it was louder. Emma kept the scanner on and stared at the small red dot on it. She began to follow it, Marlene closely on her tail. They swooped further down and the beeping became louder and faster. Emma looked through the scanner and noticed a colossal spaceship, camouflaged in a secluded part of Central Park, only 200 meters away. Emma nodded to Marlene and they raced towards it.
We're coming everyone... Emma thought.
In The Ship.
Skipper stared out of the cage bars and sighed sadly, his eyes not seeming to focus on anything, rather staring into deep nothingness.
"You alright Skipper?" Kowalski asked, watching his leader in concern.
"Emma was right.." He mumbled, not really hearing Kowalski.
"What'd te say Skippah?" Private asked curiously.
"Emma was right." Skipper repeated louder. "She knew something was off about Tia- Tiatra, but I was too stubborn and Amore struck to see it." He explained regretfully. "She had a feeling that Tia was this alien in disguise, and I should have listened, because when she has a feeling, o a dream, which she did have, it's always right." He added. "And now Ashley's been hurt, Jimmy hasn't come back, and we're awaiting our doom."
"Don't worry Sir, Emma will find us." Ashley replied optimistically.
"What if she doesn't? What if something bad has happened to her?" Skipper argued. Ashley opened his beak to answer, but couldn't think of what to say, and closed it quickly. An eerie, melancholy silence fell over the cage and everyone stared at the floor.
I've failed as a leader..... Skipper thought, downcast thoughts, and feelings filling his head. A few minuti later, Ava heard a distinct clicking sound and she brightened immediately.
"Jimmy!" She exclaimed, smiling as the familiar little bug flew back into the cage and landed on her flipper. She petted his head gently and stared down at him. "Have te found anything out?" She asked. Jimmy started making a series of clicking and buzzing sounds and the others stared curiously as Ava nodded every now and again. After a while she turned to the others, who were staring at her expectantly. "There's a control room upstairs, just outside of this room, which has the button to free us, but Jimmy can't press it, because he's too small." Ava explained.
"Aw...." Dustin groaned, staring towards the door. "Is there anything else we need to know?" He asked.
"Yeah, there's tons of rooms in the ship, many that don't matter to us, but there's a long corridor that runs down the whole length of the ship. When te step out, and turn right, the exit is that way." Ava explained. "To the left of the corridor is the.. the torture room, and Tiatra's bedroom, along with the ships bridge." She added. "There's no guards, at all, and da the looks of it, there's only Tiatra, and, urm... her guard guy on board."
"So is there actually a way for us to get out right now?" Maya asked. Ava shook her head sadly, and Maya sighed. Suddenly, the lights went out again, and the animali jumped in surprise. Ava huddled closer to Ashley, and they heard the familiar, deep laugh coming from the shadows.
"Oh for pity's sake, why do te have to turn off the lights every time te walk in?" Sky asked, rolling her eyes. "Are te that worried about an 'good' entrance?" She added mockingly.
"No." Tiatra, replied, the lights still off. "I just Amore watching te jump." She explained, grinning deviously. The lights turned back on and she nodded to Carter who was up in the control room. Carter pressed a button, and they all got strapped to the cage bars again. (Except for Jimmy.) He then pressed another button, and the cage began to diviso, spalato and disperse, as it dropped all of them, in different places. Ava and Ashley were dropped on a tiny rock in the middle of the lava lake, Dustin and Maya were put on a conveyor belt, heading towards a giant saw, Sky, Michael and Rico were tied to a rope just above the saw, Private and Kowalski were slowly being lowered into a tub of acid, and Skipper was left in the cage.
"But.. but what about what y... te said...?" Ashley asked, stuttering nervously.
"Well that pesky girl pinguino has found the ship and is now on board." Tiatra began. "Along with an otter. Anyway, I'm making sure that they're too late to save te all, then I'll kill them, and...." She trailed off, turning to Skipper. "I'm going to make te watch, and then kill te too." She decided gleefully. Skipper's face turned panicked and he stared around at his Friends and family.
"Em... Emma's on board..?" Kowalski managed, his eyes widening in worry and fright. A thought struck Ava and she turned to Jimmy.
"Warn Emma, quickly." She whispered urgently. Jimmy nodded and flew off speedily towards the door. Tiatra didn't notice this and she nodded again to Carter who pressed another button and started up the machines, and made the lava lake rise slightly. The animali began to panic, their hearts pounding fearfully at the thought of this being their last moment in this world......
Emma tiptoed cautiously into the gigantic, ship, closely followed da Marlene. She stared around her, and found herself in a familiar looking corridor, shadows encasing the walls and creeping onto the floor, almost as if they were grabbing at their legs. Emma gulped silently, and realised it was the corridor from her dream she had so many weeks ago. She exchanged a worried look with Marlene and proceeded further into the long narrow corridor. Marlene's eyes darted around uncertainly, her eyes not sure what to focus on. Emma crept along, clutching her drawstring bag carefully, trying to remember what weapons she packed in. Emma felt something land on her flipper and she looked down curiously. She nearly jumped when she saw Jimmy staring up at her, his big green eyes wide with worry.
"Jimmy? What are te doing here?" Emma whispered. Jimmy started to make speedy little sounds, and Emma cocked her head to the side, falling into deep thought. Emma was pretty good with languages, and she had picked up a few things after hearing Jimmy talk to Ava. But she was no expert. She turned to Marlene, who shrugged in response. Jimmy made a frustrated little sound and repeated himself, slower this time. Emma began to understand him, and she quickly got a piece of paper out, scribbling down what he was saying on it. "So, Tiatra has done what...?" She turned back towards Jimmy, who made a short series of buzzing sounds. Emma's eyes widened, and she raced down the corridor urgently, only stopping to grab a coltello from her bag. Marlene ran after her, confusion and panic sweeping her mind.
"Emma, what's up?" Marlene called after her friend, receiving no answer whatsoever. Marlene sighed and ran on, hoping to catch up before they found Tiatra. Jimmy flew along swiftly beside them his tiny wings flapping so fast they became a blur. Emma suddenly stopped and Marlene nearly crashed into her. Emma opened a door to her left and saw a flight of stairs inside. A little sign, saying 'Control room' was hung just successivo to it.
"Marlene, go up there and see what te can find." Emma instructed. Marlene nodded and disappeared up the dark narrow stairs. Emma sneaked over to the doors successivo to it, and peered in cautiously. Her eyes widened when she saw her friends, all a few minuti away from doom. She hoped that Marlene would find a button to stop this all before it was too late. The lights went out, a familiar laugh ran through the air, and Emma's face turned serious. She crept in, and closed her eyes, trying to sense every movement and vibration along the floor. She spread her toes out and took a step forward, clutching the coltello with shaking flippers. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't scared. Emma carried on through the darkness and her eyes began to become accustomed to it. She felt something begin to coil around her feet and she moved out of the way, slashing the coltello out in front of her. It cut through thin air and Emma sighed quietly. She continued on, and made out a flat-headed figure in the distance and Emma's eyes widened.
Skipper...? She thought, beginning to smile as she raced over to her brother. Just before she reached him, her feet were suddenly anchored to the ground, making her fall over in surprise. Crud! She thought, staring down at her feet, and noticing tight, strong rings chained to them. Her cuore sped up uncomfortably in her chest and she heard the familiar laugh echo through the hall again...
Meanwhile, on the little rock in the middle of the lava lake, Ava was hugging Ashley tightly, her mind fogged with fright and panic. Ashley looked down at her, trying to stay Ribelle - The Brave as the lava rose slowly. He still believed that Emma would get to them in time, but he was beginning to feel doubtful. He stroked Ava's hair slowly, calming her down briefly. A shiver went down her spine and she scooted a little closer to the young penguin, resting her head against his warm feathers. Ashley blushed and a little smile tugged at his face, as he stared down at Ava lovingly. Ava's thoughts gradually returned to her and her eyes darted over to the rising lava. She looked back at Ashley, her eyes growing serious again.
"Hey Ash..." She began. "I need to tell te something, just incase we don't make it out of here."
"We are gonna make it out of her lass." Ashley told her reassuringly.
"Well we might not, and if we don't, I've gotta get something off my chest." Ava said, taking Ashley's flippers and holding them gently. "Ashley..I.. I...love you." She stuttered, blushing under her feathers. Ashley's cuore skipped a beat and he felt his smile getting wider.
"Really?" Ashley asked. Ava nodded shyly, and Ashley felt himself blush. "I Amore te too." He managed, relieved to be able to finally say what was dominating his mind for weeks. Ava smiled at him and edged a little closer, their beaks just centimeters apart. Ava gazed into Ashley's bright green eyes and smiled warmly. Ashley smiled back, and closed the distance between them, as he kissed her softly. Ava's cuore leaped in her chest and she kissed back. A few secondi later they pulled away, and Ashley stroked Ava's cheek lightly, all of his precedente shyness draining away. He looked down at the lava and hugged Ava tightly as it began to reach the rock. The couple took on last look at eachother before squeezing their eyes shut.
Suddenly, loud, harsh noises of the running torture machines stopped and the lava in the lake stopped rising. Ashley stared around in confusion, trying to make sense of what happened in the billowing darkness surrounding them. Ava and Ashley exchanged uncertain looks, and Ashley put his flipper over the side of the lake cautiously. The lava was falling at a rapid rate, and being sucked into a small hole at the bottom of the lake. The two animali waited for it to fall completely, before taking careful steps across the dry lake, looking out for stray lava puddles. Because of the lack of light, they could only see about 3 meters in front of them.
"What do te think happened?" Ava whispered.
"I'm not sure, maybe Emma o Marlene have turned the machines off." Ashley suggested.
"Well where are they? And più importantly, where is Tiatra?" Ava asked.
"I'm not sure lass." Ashley admitted, as he began to walk through the darkness. Ava held his flipper and walked on slowly with him. "The hall's quite large, I can tell ya that. They could be anywhere." He added. He felt a tug to his right and got into a fighting stance.
"Ashley, it's ok, is Maya, and Dustin." detto a calm, female voice. Ashley and Ava turned to their right and saw the familiar yellow and purple equa's standing there. Dustin's eyes were darting around nervously.
"Oh thank goodness your alright, where everyone else?" Ava asked.
"Well the others were tied up in different places remember? So they probably haven't got out yet." Maya guessed.
"Well, Emma, Jimmy, o the lontra girl probably had something to do with this so let's find them, and then we can hopefully free the others." Dustin thought aloud. The others nodded in agreement and they set of slowly, their eyes darting everywhere in the dark hall. Ava heard a faint buzzing sound and stopped suddenly. She made a little clicking sound and a few secondi later Jimmy whizzed through the air and landed on Ava's flipper. As he began to talk Ava listened intently, nodding and turning towards her friends.
"He warned them, but they still carried on." She began. "Marlene, the otter, went to the control room, and Emma came in here, and Jimmy Lost her when the lights went out." She translated, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Hey, Ashley, you've got a good sense of smell right?" Dustin asked.
"I sure have lad." Ashley confirmed.
"Well would te be able to use that to find Emma and Marlene?" He asked. Ashley looked thoughtful and he nodded.
"Who should I find first?" Ashley asked.
"Marlene, since she's da the controls and she can get the lights on." Maya replied. Ashley nodded, closing his eyes and sniffing the air. He picked up the smell of paint, flowers, oysters, and grass, and pointed off into the darkness.
"We should diviso, spalato up, and look for everyone, just incase Tiatra gets to the control room and turns the machines on again." Ava advised.
"Good idea, I'll look for Emma and Skipper, Dustin, look for Private and Kowalski, Ava look for Sky, Michael and Rico." Maya instructed. "Got any idea where they are?" She asked, turning to Ashley. The green eyed pinguino sniffed the air a few più times.
"Michael, Sky and Rico are east of here, Private and Kowalski are west, and Emma and Skipper are north." Ashley told them, pointing in different directions before fixing on Marlene's scent again. Ava hugged him tightly, and whispered, 'please be careful' in his earhole. Ashley whispered back 'you too' and they all separated. Ashley walked on and after a few minutes, came to a door. He pushed it open quietly, and realised that the smell had got stronger., He followed it to a flight of stairs, which he climbed cautiously. He squinted as he came into a lit room, and saw Marlene bending over the control panel a puzzled look on her face. Marlene looked up, and stared at him in surprise.
"Woah, ciao Ashley, how did te get out?" She asked.
"You pressed a button that turned the machines off." Ashley told her. "The others except for Ava, Maya and Dustin, are still trapped, o haven't been found yet." He explained. "Do te know which button turns the light on?" He asked. Marlene looked down and shrugged. Ashley looked over the panel and saw a small button in the corner. He pressed it and all of the lights flickered on. Ashley looked over the hall, and saw that Kowalski and Private had just untangled, and climbed to safety. Sky, Michael and Rico had done the same.
"Where's Skipper and Emz..?" Marlene wondered, scanning the room carefully. "And Tiatra." She added. Ashley looked down where the cage was and his big eyes widened.
"There!" He exclaimed, pointing to the cage. Emma and Skipper were anchored to the ground da shackles, and staring up at the knife-wielding tyrant bravely. The others were beginning to regroup, unaware of the events happening behind them.
"We have to get down there!" Marlene declared, rushing towards the exit. Ashley followed, but the pair were stopped dead in their tracks da Carter who was holding a rocket launcher in his shaking flippers.
Crud... Marlene thought, staring at the small fat zyka in panic.
Meanwhile, Tiatra was strolling around the two penguins, casually throwing taunts at them and twirling the coltello in her flippers. She was aware that the lights were on, but she didn't seem to care.
"Now.." She began, smiling evilly at them. "After living with te all for almost a month, I know all of your moves, and yet te know none of mine, so I think it will be futile to even try to attack me." She boasted. "But if te lower creatures want to try, I'll be happy to oblige." She said, a nasty grin filling her face. Emma rolled her eyes, and clutched the coltello in her flippers più tightly. Tiatra noticed this and chuckled. She pressed a button on a small bracelet she was wearing and Emma's chains slipped off. As they did, the lights went off again, and Emma realised that a single dark blob was now dominating the controls again.
Oh god, what did he do to them? She thought, a feeling of panic and desperation sweeping over her. Tiatra laughed somewhere to her right, almost as if she could sense Emma's emotions. Emma took a deep breath and stared into the darkness, hoping to stop Tiatra, before she stopped her.....
"Marlene!" Emma called, unable to wait, and rushing in.
"Woah, Emz what's up?" She asked in alarm, her eyes widening as her friend nearly tripped over the Musica box.
"Tia's captured everyone!" She burst out, desperately.
"What?! When?" Marlene asked, her jaw dropping.
"I don't know, she switched the sleeping pills with the keep awake pills, and knocked me out. All I know is that she's somewhere in the park, in an invisible spaceship, with everyone, except for Tom." Emma replied breathlessly. "And her real name's Tiatra." She added.
"How are we gonna find an invisible spaceship?" Marlene wondered.
"With this little device." Emma replied, brightening a little. "You look through it, and it's a bit like a camera, but it shows invisible things on it too." She explained.
"Well let's go then!" Marlene detto enthusiastically. Emma nodded in agreement and the two Friends rushed out of the habitat. Emma was glad that Marlene had gotten over her feral side in the park, o she'd have to go alone, o take Tom. Emma climbed the bacheca and looked over the at the vast park.
"This is gonna take a while........." She realised, staring around in despair.
Meanwhile.....
Skipper woke up dizzily, and stared around him. He was in a large cage, surrounded da the other penguins and the equas. The cage was in what looked like a hall, with a strange glowing lake at one end. Someone must have got him when he was with Tia. Who was it? Was Tia alright? Where was she? He soon realised that Emma and Tom were missing too. He nudged Ashley, who was unconscious successivo to him.
"Hey.. Kiddo.." Skipper whispered, as Ashley opened his eyes and glanced around in shock.
"W.. where are we?" Ashley asked, looking in all directions for a clue.
"I don't know Kid." Skipper admitted. "I hoped te might have known."
"The last thing I remember was lying down in my bunk." Ashley replied shaking his head. As the other began to wake, Skipper soon realised that none of them knew what was going on. Private shook Kowalski gently and he didn't wake.
"Remember what Sky told you." Maya reminded him.
"Oh right." Private remembered, looking down at Kowalski sadly. Kowalski was poisoned at about 11am, and it was about 10:30am, the successivo giorno now.
"He should be awake soon." Dustin realised. Ava then woke up, and Ashley rushed over to her.
"Are te alright lass?" He asked, taking her flipper and squeezing it gently. Ava blushed and she looked around her.
"Urm, I think so." She replied sleepily, blinking a few times, and waking up fully. "What's going on?" She wondered.
"We don't know." Ashley told her gravely, sitting down beside her. She asked where the others were, but got the same answer. Suddenly all of the lights went out, earning surprised gasps from the animals. Ava huddled closer to Ashley and hugged him in fright. Ashley hugged her back, and strokes her hair comfortingly. A little shiver went down her spine, and she blushed. They heard a deep, feminine laugh, and Skipper stood up in the cage, getting into a fighting stance as he did. The laugh got louder, and they heard a strange series of gargling sounds.
"W... what was that?" Sky stuttered, sounding scared for the first time she she had came to Earth.
"I don't know... but it sounds awfully familiar..." Michael replied, frowning and getting into a fighting stance also. Jimmy sat on Ava's shoulder and made a series of little sounds. Ava turned to him, and her jaw dropped.
"You're right Jimmy!" Ava realised her eyes widening.
"Hatisit? (What is it?) Rico asked.
"It's... it's..." Ava began, as the lights turned back on. Skipper stared in surprise, and saw a familiar pinguino standing just outside of the bars.
"Tia...?" Skipper managed. "Quick, get us out of here, before whoever took us finds you!" He told her desperately. She just smiled evilly, and her eyes flashed pure pink. Maya recognised the eye colour immediately, and she stood up.
"Well well well, looks like someone's actually figured it out." Tia remarked mockingly.
"Wait, you're... you're the evil alien?" Skipper asked his face falling. Tia nodded deviously, and changed into her normal form, the strange sounds echoing through the hall once again. The animali watched in shock, and Tia clapped her flippers together, and Carter rushed in, his dark green eyes full of fear.
"W.. what is it your highness?" He asked, shaking a little.
"Prepare the torture chamber." She instructed. She glanced towards Kowalski and sighed. "For goodness, sake, is he still unconscious?" She thought aloud, kicking him fiercely. Kowalski woke with a start and stared around in confusion. Carter ran back a few moments later and bowed, trying not to shake.
"It's done your majesty." He told her.
"Good." Tia praised. Her rosa eyes fell on the prisoners, and a horrible grin crept onto her face. "Now, here's how things are going to work." She began, walking up and down the length of the cage. "First, te will address me as Tiatra, your highness, o your majesty. Secondly, and this is definite." She said, smiling deviously. "None of te are making it out of here alive, te all will die. Do te wanna know how?" She taunted.
"Not particularly." Ava remarked, standing up and staring at Tiatra bravely. "And we will make it out of here alive, your just too blind to see that." She added, her flippers clenching into fists. Tiatra just laughed and nodded to Carter. Carter pressed a button, and all of the animals, got strapped to the cage bars. Tiatra walked in casually, and began to carry Ava off. Ava yelped, and began to struggle. Ashley stared at them in despair.
"Wait!" He called after them, fighting back the tears in his eyes. Tiatra turned around, holding the squirming equa with ease. "Take me instead." He said, catching Ava's eye.
"What? Ashley, no!" Ava cried, her eyes turning fearful. Tiatra smiled, put Ava back and picked up Ashley, dragging him out of the room. Tears fell from Ava's eyes as she watched Ashley disappear around the corner...
As loud, ear-piercing screams echoed throughout the ship, Ava winced and tears rolled down her cheeks, as she stared towards the door that Ashley was dragged out of.
Wh... why did he do it?" She asked, trying to force the tears back as they stung her eyes. Skipper exchanged a look with Maya, who watched her little sister sympathetically.
"I think he didn't want te to get hurt." Maya eventually answered, flinching a little as the screams became louder. Ava sobbed silently, and closed her eyes.
Please be ok... She thought hopefully.
Meanwhile, in the torture room, Ashley squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to scream more, when Tiatra began slowly cutting down his flipper with a knife. He sniffled and held out as long as he could, until he couldn't stop himself from yelping in pain. Hot tears fell from his face and he tried to think about good things.
Ava's fine for now, Emma and Tom aren't here, so they're probably coming to the rescue. He thought, repeating this over and over again in his head, trying to keep his mind off the pain. You've been through worse. He added, trying to slow his breathing down.
In The Park.
Emma stared through the device, and sighed irritably.
"What is it?" Marlene asked, looking at the device.
"This is gonna take forever, how are we supposed to find one spaceship, in this massive park?" Emma replied. "There's lakes, ponds, trees, secret spots, buildings and other things to check, we'll be searching forever!" She added.
"Well we could narrow it down a bit." Marlene suggested. "Invisible o not, it can't be in a crowded part of the park, o people will run into it." She began. "Also, why don't we use those remote control planes to get a good view of the whole park?" She added.
"You genius!" Emma exclaimed, running back towards the zoo, Marlene closely on her heels.
In The Ship.
The lights went out for a secondo time, and the cage doors opened. Just before their eyes became accustomed to the dark, the lights came back on, and they noticed Ashley in the center of the cage, lying motionless. The chains holding them to the cage bars released and Ava rushed up to him immediately, sitting down beside him, and shaking him gently.
"Ashley! Please wake up!" She pleaded, shaking him more. His eyes opened slowly, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness your ok!" She exclaimed, hugging him tightly. Ashley was took da surprise, but he hugged back.
"What did she do to you?" Kowalski asked, his eyes widening.
"Normal torture stuff." Ashley answered, trying to sound unaffected. "But she did tell me what she was going to do to everyone." He added, fear seeping into his voice.
"What did she say?" Skipper asked, sounding a little distant.
"She.... she said, she was going to torture all of the girls to death, and... and...." Ashley trailed off.
"And?" Dustin asked.
"She...... was going to eat all of the boys." Ashley managed, rubbing his shoulder, where a distinct bite mark was.
"S... seriously?" Private stuttered, starting to shake. Ashley nodded gravely, and Private nearly fainted, only to be stopped da Rico.
"Hey Rico, why haven't te tried to hack something up to get us out of here?" Sky asked sudenly.
"Ican't, othingleft." (I can't, nothing left.) He explained sadly, trying to throw something up, but having no success.
"So what can we do?" Michael wondered, looking around for inspiration. Ashley sat up, and leaned against the cage bars. His eyes fell on Jimmy, and he smiled.
"What is it?" Ava asked, looking at Ashley curiously.
"Jimmy's small enough to fit through the bars." He realised, smiling at the little bug. Ava looked down at her friend who was sitting on her flipper.
"What if something happens to him?" She asked worriedly.
"Lass, he's our only chance until Emma and Tom get here, if something hasn't happened to them." Ashley replied. Ava sighed and she nodded at Jimmy who was watching the two of them curiously.
"Jimmy, can te take a look around, and see if te can find the button to open the cage?" Ava asked. Jimmy nodded and made a series of clicking sounds. Ava smiled and and turned to the others. "He'll do it." She translated. "Be careful Jimmy." She added, as Jimmy flew though the bars and started to look around.
"I hope he pulls it off..." Kowalski said, as the bug disappeared from sight.
Emma soared into the sky, followed da Marlene in brightly coloured, remote control airplanes. As the airplanes climbed higher into the sky, Emma put her small headset on and turned to Marlene.
"Marlene, is your headset working?" She asked, clearly.
"Yep, can te see anything?" Marlene replied, as she slowed her climbing and hovered over New York, her light brown eyes fixed on the great green expanse that was Central Park.
"Wow, te can see everything from here!" Emma exclaimed, briefly forgetting about their mission, and staring around in delight. From here, te could see The Park, Liberty Island, Ellis Island and even The Empire State Building. It reminded Emma of when she used to play on a game with her brothers and when te climbed The Empire State Building, te could see the whole of New York. She was soon snapped out of her trance da Marlene shouting in her earhole.
"EMMA!" She yelled, making Emma jump in surprise and nearly lose control of the plane.
"Huh?" Emma answered sheepishly as she eventually regained balance.
"Can te see anything?" Marlene repeated, a hint of impatience in her voice.
"I'll check." Emma replied, whipping out the device and turning it on. She flew a little closer to the park, so that it was all in view and nothing else was on the scanner. She began to scan the first quarter of the park, staring down at it in deep concentration. Nothing. She sighed and moved the scanner to focus on the secondo quarter of the park. After a few seconds, the scanner made a negative sound and Emma sighed. Marlene looked at her questioningly, and she held up a flipper, signalling that it wasn't done yet. She pointed it towards the third quarter and waited hopefully. A small beeping sound rang through the air and Emma grinned. "Something in the third quarter." She told Marlene, as she swooped down towards Central Park. As they hovered above this quarter, Emma couldn't help but notice that it was a quieter part of the park, far away from the zoo. She began to scan again, hoping for a più precise location. The beeping sound rang again, but this time it was louder. Emma kept the scanner on and stared at the small red dot on it. She began to follow it, Marlene closely on her tail. They swooped further down and the beeping became louder and faster. Emma looked through the scanner and noticed a colossal spaceship, camouflaged in a secluded part of Central Park, only 200 meters away. Emma nodded to Marlene and they raced towards it.
We're coming everyone... Emma thought.
In The Ship.
Skipper stared out of the cage bars and sighed sadly, his eyes not seeming to focus on anything, rather staring into deep nothingness.
"You alright Skipper?" Kowalski asked, watching his leader in concern.
"Emma was right.." He mumbled, not really hearing Kowalski.
"What'd te say Skippah?" Private asked curiously.
"Emma was right." Skipper repeated louder. "She knew something was off about Tia- Tiatra, but I was too stubborn and Amore struck to see it." He explained regretfully. "She had a feeling that Tia was this alien in disguise, and I should have listened, because when she has a feeling, o a dream, which she did have, it's always right." He added. "And now Ashley's been hurt, Jimmy hasn't come back, and we're awaiting our doom."
"Don't worry Sir, Emma will find us." Ashley replied optimistically.
"What if she doesn't? What if something bad has happened to her?" Skipper argued. Ashley opened his beak to answer, but couldn't think of what to say, and closed it quickly. An eerie, melancholy silence fell over the cage and everyone stared at the floor.
I've failed as a leader..... Skipper thought, downcast thoughts, and feelings filling his head. A few minuti later, Ava heard a distinct clicking sound and she brightened immediately.
"Jimmy!" She exclaimed, smiling as the familiar little bug flew back into the cage and landed on her flipper. She petted his head gently and stared down at him. "Have te found anything out?" She asked. Jimmy started making a series of clicking and buzzing sounds and the others stared curiously as Ava nodded every now and again. After a while she turned to the others, who were staring at her expectantly. "There's a control room upstairs, just outside of this room, which has the button to free us, but Jimmy can't press it, because he's too small." Ava explained.
"Aw...." Dustin groaned, staring towards the door. "Is there anything else we need to know?" He asked.
"Yeah, there's tons of rooms in the ship, many that don't matter to us, but there's a long corridor that runs down the whole length of the ship. When te step out, and turn right, the exit is that way." Ava explained. "To the left of the corridor is the.. the torture room, and Tiatra's bedroom, along with the ships bridge." She added. "There's no guards, at all, and da the looks of it, there's only Tiatra, and, urm... her guard guy on board."
"So is there actually a way for us to get out right now?" Maya asked. Ava shook her head sadly, and Maya sighed. Suddenly, the lights went out again, and the animali jumped in surprise. Ava huddled closer to Ashley, and they heard the familiar, deep laugh coming from the shadows.
"Oh for pity's sake, why do te have to turn off the lights every time te walk in?" Sky asked, rolling her eyes. "Are te that worried about an 'good' entrance?" She added mockingly.
"No." Tiatra, replied, the lights still off. "I just Amore watching te jump." She explained, grinning deviously. The lights turned back on and she nodded to Carter who was up in the control room. Carter pressed a button, and they all got strapped to the cage bars again. (Except for Jimmy.) He then pressed another button, and the cage began to diviso, spalato and disperse, as it dropped all of them, in different places. Ava and Ashley were dropped on a tiny rock in the middle of the lava lake, Dustin and Maya were put on a conveyor belt, heading towards a giant saw, Sky, Michael and Rico were tied to a rope just above the saw, Private and Kowalski were slowly being lowered into a tub of acid, and Skipper was left in the cage.
"But.. but what about what y... te said...?" Ashley asked, stuttering nervously.
"Well that pesky girl pinguino has found the ship and is now on board." Tiatra began. "Along with an otter. Anyway, I'm making sure that they're too late to save te all, then I'll kill them, and...." She trailed off, turning to Skipper. "I'm going to make te watch, and then kill te too." She decided gleefully. Skipper's face turned panicked and he stared around at his Friends and family.
"Em... Emma's on board..?" Kowalski managed, his eyes widening in worry and fright. A thought struck Ava and she turned to Jimmy.
"Warn Emma, quickly." She whispered urgently. Jimmy nodded and flew off speedily towards the door. Tiatra didn't notice this and she nodded again to Carter who pressed another button and started up the machines, and made the lava lake rise slightly. The animali began to panic, their hearts pounding fearfully at the thought of this being their last moment in this world......
Emma tiptoed cautiously into the gigantic, ship, closely followed da Marlene. She stared around her, and found herself in a familiar looking corridor, shadows encasing the walls and creeping onto the floor, almost as if they were grabbing at their legs. Emma gulped silently, and realised it was the corridor from her dream she had so many weeks ago. She exchanged a worried look with Marlene and proceeded further into the long narrow corridor. Marlene's eyes darted around uncertainly, her eyes not sure what to focus on. Emma crept along, clutching her drawstring bag carefully, trying to remember what weapons she packed in. Emma felt something land on her flipper and she looked down curiously. She nearly jumped when she saw Jimmy staring up at her, his big green eyes wide with worry.
"Jimmy? What are te doing here?" Emma whispered. Jimmy started to make speedy little sounds, and Emma cocked her head to the side, falling into deep thought. Emma was pretty good with languages, and she had picked up a few things after hearing Jimmy talk to Ava. But she was no expert. She turned to Marlene, who shrugged in response. Jimmy made a frustrated little sound and repeated himself, slower this time. Emma began to understand him, and she quickly got a piece of paper out, scribbling down what he was saying on it. "So, Tiatra has done what...?" She turned back towards Jimmy, who made a short series of buzzing sounds. Emma's eyes widened, and she raced down the corridor urgently, only stopping to grab a coltello from her bag. Marlene ran after her, confusion and panic sweeping her mind.
"Emma, what's up?" Marlene called after her friend, receiving no answer whatsoever. Marlene sighed and ran on, hoping to catch up before they found Tiatra. Jimmy flew along swiftly beside them his tiny wings flapping so fast they became a blur. Emma suddenly stopped and Marlene nearly crashed into her. Emma opened a door to her left and saw a flight of stairs inside. A little sign, saying 'Control room' was hung just successivo to it.
"Marlene, go up there and see what te can find." Emma instructed. Marlene nodded and disappeared up the dark narrow stairs. Emma sneaked over to the doors successivo to it, and peered in cautiously. Her eyes widened when she saw her friends, all a few minuti away from doom. She hoped that Marlene would find a button to stop this all before it was too late. The lights went out, a familiar laugh ran through the air, and Emma's face turned serious. She crept in, and closed her eyes, trying to sense every movement and vibration along the floor. She spread her toes out and took a step forward, clutching the coltello with shaking flippers. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't scared. Emma carried on through the darkness and her eyes began to become accustomed to it. She felt something begin to coil around her feet and she moved out of the way, slashing the coltello out in front of her. It cut through thin air and Emma sighed quietly. She continued on, and made out a flat-headed figure in the distance and Emma's eyes widened.
Skipper...? She thought, beginning to smile as she raced over to her brother. Just before she reached him, her feet were suddenly anchored to the ground, making her fall over in surprise. Crud! She thought, staring down at her feet, and noticing tight, strong rings chained to them. Her cuore sped up uncomfortably in her chest and she heard the familiar laugh echo through the hall again...
Meanwhile, on the little rock in the middle of the lava lake, Ava was hugging Ashley tightly, her mind fogged with fright and panic. Ashley looked down at her, trying to stay Ribelle - The Brave as the lava rose slowly. He still believed that Emma would get to them in time, but he was beginning to feel doubtful. He stroked Ava's hair slowly, calming her down briefly. A shiver went down her spine and she scooted a little closer to the young penguin, resting her head against his warm feathers. Ashley blushed and a little smile tugged at his face, as he stared down at Ava lovingly. Ava's thoughts gradually returned to her and her eyes darted over to the rising lava. She looked back at Ashley, her eyes growing serious again.
"Hey Ash..." She began. "I need to tell te something, just incase we don't make it out of here."
"We are gonna make it out of her lass." Ashley told her reassuringly.
"Well we might not, and if we don't, I've gotta get something off my chest." Ava said, taking Ashley's flippers and holding them gently. "Ashley..I.. I...love you." She stuttered, blushing under her feathers. Ashley's cuore skipped a beat and he felt his smile getting wider.
"Really?" Ashley asked. Ava nodded shyly, and Ashley felt himself blush. "I Amore te too." He managed, relieved to be able to finally say what was dominating his mind for weeks. Ava smiled at him and edged a little closer, their beaks just centimeters apart. Ava gazed into Ashley's bright green eyes and smiled warmly. Ashley smiled back, and closed the distance between them, as he kissed her softly. Ava's cuore leaped in her chest and she kissed back. A few secondi later they pulled away, and Ashley stroked Ava's cheek lightly, all of his precedente shyness draining away. He looked down at the lava and hugged Ava tightly as it began to reach the rock. The couple took on last look at eachother before squeezing their eyes shut.
Suddenly, loud, harsh noises of the running torture machines stopped and the lava in the lake stopped rising. Ashley stared around in confusion, trying to make sense of what happened in the billowing darkness surrounding them. Ava and Ashley exchanged uncertain looks, and Ashley put his flipper over the side of the lake cautiously. The lava was falling at a rapid rate, and being sucked into a small hole at the bottom of the lake. The two animali waited for it to fall completely, before taking careful steps across the dry lake, looking out for stray lava puddles. Because of the lack of light, they could only see about 3 meters in front of them.
"What do te think happened?" Ava whispered.
"I'm not sure, maybe Emma o Marlene have turned the machines off." Ashley suggested.
"Well where are they? And più importantly, where is Tiatra?" Ava asked.
"I'm not sure lass." Ashley admitted, as he began to walk through the darkness. Ava held his flipper and walked on slowly with him. "The hall's quite large, I can tell ya that. They could be anywhere." He added. He felt a tug to his right and got into a fighting stance.
"Ashley, it's ok, is Maya, and Dustin." detto a calm, female voice. Ashley and Ava turned to their right and saw the familiar yellow and purple equa's standing there. Dustin's eyes were darting around nervously.
"Oh thank goodness your alright, where everyone else?" Ava asked.
"Well the others were tied up in different places remember? So they probably haven't got out yet." Maya guessed.
"Well, Emma, Jimmy, o the lontra girl probably had something to do with this so let's find them, and then we can hopefully free the others." Dustin thought aloud. The others nodded in agreement and they set of slowly, their eyes darting everywhere in the dark hall. Ava heard a faint buzzing sound and stopped suddenly. She made a little clicking sound and a few secondi later Jimmy whizzed through the air and landed on Ava's flipper. As he began to talk Ava listened intently, nodding and turning towards her friends.
"He warned them, but they still carried on." She began. "Marlene, the otter, went to the control room, and Emma came in here, and Jimmy Lost her when the lights went out." She translated, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Hey, Ashley, you've got a good sense of smell right?" Dustin asked.
"I sure have lad." Ashley confirmed.
"Well would te be able to use that to find Emma and Marlene?" He asked. Ashley looked thoughtful and he nodded.
"Who should I find first?" Ashley asked.
"Marlene, since she's da the controls and she can get the lights on." Maya replied. Ashley nodded, closing his eyes and sniffing the air. He picked up the smell of paint, flowers, oysters, and grass, and pointed off into the darkness.
"We should diviso, spalato up, and look for everyone, just incase Tiatra gets to the control room and turns the machines on again." Ava advised.
"Good idea, I'll look for Emma and Skipper, Dustin, look for Private and Kowalski, Ava look for Sky, Michael and Rico." Maya instructed. "Got any idea where they are?" She asked, turning to Ashley. The green eyed pinguino sniffed the air a few più times.
"Michael, Sky and Rico are east of here, Private and Kowalski are west, and Emma and Skipper are north." Ashley told them, pointing in different directions before fixing on Marlene's scent again. Ava hugged him tightly, and whispered, 'please be careful' in his earhole. Ashley whispered back 'you too' and they all separated. Ashley walked on and after a few minutes, came to a door. He pushed it open quietly, and realised that the smell had got stronger., He followed it to a flight of stairs, which he climbed cautiously. He squinted as he came into a lit room, and saw Marlene bending over the control panel a puzzled look on her face. Marlene looked up, and stared at him in surprise.
"Woah, ciao Ashley, how did te get out?" She asked.
"You pressed a button that turned the machines off." Ashley told her. "The others except for Ava, Maya and Dustin, are still trapped, o haven't been found yet." He explained. "Do te know which button turns the light on?" He asked. Marlene looked down and shrugged. Ashley looked over the panel and saw a small button in the corner. He pressed it and all of the lights flickered on. Ashley looked over the hall, and saw that Kowalski and Private had just untangled, and climbed to safety. Sky, Michael and Rico had done the same.
"Where's Skipper and Emz..?" Marlene wondered, scanning the room carefully. "And Tiatra." She added. Ashley looked down where the cage was and his big eyes widened.
"There!" He exclaimed, pointing to the cage. Emma and Skipper were anchored to the ground da shackles, and staring up at the knife-wielding tyrant bravely. The others were beginning to regroup, unaware of the events happening behind them.
"We have to get down there!" Marlene declared, rushing towards the exit. Ashley followed, but the pair were stopped dead in their tracks da Carter who was holding a rocket launcher in his shaking flippers.
Crud... Marlene thought, staring at the small fat zyka in panic.
Meanwhile, Tiatra was strolling around the two penguins, casually throwing taunts at them and twirling the coltello in her flippers. She was aware that the lights were on, but she didn't seem to care.
"Now.." She began, smiling evilly at them. "After living with te all for almost a month, I know all of your moves, and yet te know none of mine, so I think it will be futile to even try to attack me." She boasted. "But if te lower creatures want to try, I'll be happy to oblige." She said, a nasty grin filling her face. Emma rolled her eyes, and clutched the coltello in her flippers più tightly. Tiatra noticed this and chuckled. She pressed a button on a small bracelet she was wearing and Emma's chains slipped off. As they did, the lights went off again, and Emma realised that a single dark blob was now dominating the controls again.
Oh god, what did he do to them? She thought, a feeling of panic and desperation sweeping over her. Tiatra laughed somewhere to her right, almost as if she could sense Emma's emotions. Emma took a deep breath and stared into the darkness, hoping to stop Tiatra, before she stopped her.....