Haunting Innocence XI

WOW! Second update this week.. I AM ON FIRE! To be honest, I forgot how satisfying and awesome it was to upload chapters and get reviews. Plus, the movie gave me such a boost of fuel for my love for PoM! I remember 4 years ago, hearing that there was going to be a movie and calculating I would be about 20 by the time it came out.. and wondering if I would still even like it at that age. Well I DO! hahah enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter XI: Spirit Refuel

The mood in the penguin HQ was grim to say the least. Never before had they been defeated in such a way. It was cruel. The fact that they had to walk out themselves had made it so much more humiliating than it had to be. They were laughed at.
Rico had no taste for explosions or weapons whatsoever and sat sulking at the table they usually met at. Kowalski was writing down notes in one of his analysis books. Every so often  he would look up at Rico to see how he was doing, but each time he did, he felt his own hope crumble. He didn't even dare to look at Skipper.

The leader had barely said a word since they got back, the only thing he had been doing was pacing up and down the room. He seemed so lost in his own mind that the other two felt it was almost dangerous to awaken him from it. It was very clear to all of them that their light in the darkness had been dimmed. The person who had grown to be the heart of their team and the one to put a smile on everyone's face... was gone.

At last, Kowalski had enough and walked up to Skipper and without warning... slapped him in the face. The leader blinked in surprise, shaking his head clear from his thoughts. Before he could reply, however, Kowalski made sure to speak first.

"Get a hold of yourself, Skipper! Yes, this is a dire situation, but it is nothing we haven't faced before! We are the elitest of the elite. If anyone can take care of this, it is us. They've got one of our own and we will get him back but we NEED our leader back." He spoke determined but his eyes pleaded Skipper to please come back and lead them to victory. Without their leader, they'd be nowhere, that much they knew. Skipper looked down at the floor, shoulders slumped and stayed silent while the seconds ticked away painfully slowly. Right when Kowalski was about to give up and sit down... the leader's head raised up. His shoulders straightened themselves as his lungs filled with air, puffing out his chest. His expression became one of new-found strength.

"You are absolutely right, men. I have been letting you down but don't worry... your leader is back."

Rico sat up straight, the sparkle returning to his eyes. Was the situation finally going to look up for them? A grin spread, making it look like it was splitting his face in two. Skipper walked over to him and patted him on the back. The leader's stern gaze was then directed at the strategist.

"Right. Kowalski, analysis. Give me all you got." He ordered. Finally he seemed to even be sounding like his old self again. Kowalski's eyes brightened and he grabbed his analysis from the table.

"Skipper, as far as I can tell getting captured is inevitable but I think this doesn't neccesarily have to be a problem." He said with a hint of suspence. Skipper gestured for him to continue. "I feel that what we've forgotten and what they seem to have forgotten as well, is that Private has been trained by us. More importantly so, we know his strengths. The best part is that Blowhole is keeping him walking around freely but the only reason Private hasn't tried to help us yet is because you never ordered him to. We've been giving off the vibe that he should stand back but I would suggest letting him fight this fight."

Skipper frowned in thought for a moment. Had they really not thought about letting the boy fight for himself earlier? It seemed not. He tapped his chin. It could be risky but really, what more could they do. Chances were they'd lock Private up with them and then they'd be back to being a team anyway. "What do you suggest?"

"Well, Private has got the best aim out of all of us when it comes to... well... golf. I suggest we let him hit about. If the situation gets too dangerous..." Kowalski gulped thinking about what he was about to say. "...I would suggest deploying the secret weapon."

"Negative. That is out of commission!" Skipper said, making a hand gesture as if he was swiping it off the table. "We cannot ask that of him."

"We may not have a choice, Skipper." Kowalski insisted. "Any scenario I've calculated ends in our defeat. This particular combination of villains is as good as unstoppable."

"There is no such thing as villains being unstoppable!" Skipper slammed a fist on the table. "Men. Get your rest. We move at dawn. By all means necessary, we will get Private back."

Blowhole and Private had been sitting in the luxury room for quite a while. Blowhole had even restarted the fire. Not many words were spoken, it had been a matter of enjoying each other's company while getting some thoughts straight.
After about an hour, Private started sneaking glances at the criminal opposite of him. There were questions on his mind, ones he wasn't sure he should be asking or even thinking about.

"Ask."

"What?" Private blinked innocently at Blowhole, who had demanded him to 'ask'. Said man rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Clearly you have a question on your mind, so ASK." He gestured with his hand for Private to get on with it. The latter looked rather nervous all of the sudden and fiddled with a part of his shirt. He still wasn't convinced whether he should actually ask it. At last, his curiosity got the better of him.

"What happened to your eye?" He finally blurted out, heart hammering in his chest.

Blowhole eyed him calmly, his breathing never quickening and no sign of anger on his face.

"Trust me, Private. You do not want to know." He shook his head slowly. Private's eyes narrowed suddenly and he placed his hands on his hips.

"I think I can decide for myself what I want and don't want! Why is everyone always trying to 'protect' me from the truth?!" His voice went even higher while he expressed why he was upset in the first place. Blowhole raised an eyebrow and mused on whether or not he should tell Private. Well... the boy seemed so desperate to know. Who was he to keep it from him?

"You make a valid point, Private. You are, after all, an adult who decides what he hears and doesn't. I will share with you my story, but keep in mind that you should not have heard this from me and I don't agree with it." The mad scientist shrugged. His words confused the young private, but nevertheless he was determined to find out the truth and make known that he decided what he wanted.

"...O-okay." He muttered, though realising he didn't sound very convincing he added a firm nod.

"Very well then." Blowhole sighed and started into the fire. "I was still in the early days of my evil scheming. I had done my fair share of bad deeds already and of course... your dear Skipper was onto it...."

Flashback:

A young Blowhole lay in between papers with more whirling down around him. His longer hair hung in his face as evidence of the great struggle that was going on.
The man who had pushed him into his own files was standing over him in an instance.

"Give it up, Blowhole! You may take on one of the characteristics of one of the smartest mammals on this planet, but you still have to prove your own intellect to come anywhere near it!" The man laughed loudly and pushed the villain down with one foot. It was a young Skipper. Already quite skilled and muscles as opposed to Blowhole, who still had to do a lot of training.

"Skipper.. I assure you, I am every bit as smart as them. Even smarter! Now, you may have foiled my plans this time, but worry not.. next time I WILL get you!" There was a certain darkness about Blowhole that would be worrysome to everyone, especially to Skipper.

"Nope, can't let you do that, sea mammal." But before Skipper could do anything, Blowhole managed to cleverly knock him over while getting up himself. He made a run for it, which was the smart thing to do as there was nothing in that room that he could use to defend himself. Behind him he could hear the pursuing footsteps of the intruder of his home. Yes, Skipper had figured out where he lived and had come to rub it in. Well... that meant moving yet again. He threw over several items like chairs and cabinets to get into Skipper's way as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Where are my manners. I haven't even invited you for dinner!" Blowhole yelled at his pursuer before throwing several pieces of cutlery at him. Skipper, in return, grabbed a plate to fend them all off.

"Cutlery? That is your best weapon?" Skipper laughed once more. Blowhole felt his face get hot in humiliation. Ok, time for his ultimate weapon then.

Now... it was Blowhole's turn to laugh. And he did... a very evil laugh.

"What's so funny?" Skipper narrowed his eyes at his foe.

"Oh Skipper. You haven't even found out the best part yet. You see, here I have a button.. and this button activates a bomb. A bomb which has been conveniently placed at your precious training centre. All your friends would be there at this time, would they not?" The fiend grinned darkly.

Skipper's eyes slowly widened while his mind raced over the possibility of this being a serious threat. Blowhole pulled out a big button from one of his drawers. To Skipper... this was threat enough and without wasting any time on trying to reason with the maniac, he grabbed the nearest item, which happened to be a glass, and threw it with all of his strength at Blowhole.

The glass hit its target. It shattered into a couple of big pieces... one of which sunk deep into Blowhole's eye and head. The villain dropped his remote in shock and cried out in pain as blood started pouring and the pain became excruciating.

Present time:

Private's eyes were wide in shock and disbelief. His lips were parted but he couldn't utter any words yet. Blowhole didn't bother looking at him, it wouldn't do him much good anyway. He didn't want to see the shock on the boy's face as he told him what his father figure had done.

"B-But.." Private managed to squeak out after a few more minutes. "I-I am sure he showed remorse, right? I-I mean... he.. he did help you, right...?"

Blowhole's regretful look told Private more than enough, but the villain would continue anyway.

"On the contrary.."

Flashback:

Blowhole had fallen to the floor, light-headed because of the pain and the amount of blood he was losing. His body had gone into some sort of shock and was trembling terribly. He seemed to hiccup while breathing and had to gasp for as much air as possible. The blood staining his clothes didn't bother him as much.. he just wanted help. He couldn't think clear with this pain in his head.

Skipper had been standing completely frozen, with an open mouth, after he'd witnessed what happened. His brain tried to cope with the horror of it. Once he had gotten a grip of the situation he found himself able to make a choice. Would he help his enemy.. or leave him in his torture, risking that he bleeds out. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find it in himself to feel remorse for the man, especially not after the threat he had made. The only thing he did was grab a towel from one of the cabinets and throwing it in Blowhole's lap.

"Take this as a warning, DOCTOR Blowhole. Do not threaten what I hold dear.. because you'll be more sorry than you will ever be prepared to be."

And with that... he left.

Present time:

Private was speechless. Tears were threatening to spill after figuring out what his precious leader had done in his early days. A strange emptiness filled him inside.

"B-But... S-.....Skippa..." he muttered devastated. Blowhole couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Since when was he capable of that?

"If.... if it's any console, I am sure he is  different now? We were both much younger." He tried while rubbing the back of his neck. Private looked up at him with water running down his face.

"W-What... what did you.. do... after h-he left?" He managed to splutter out. Blowhole once more averted his gaze.

"I managed to extract the glass from my head by myself.. pressed the towel to it to stop the bleeding and called 911 after making sure I had a believable story." His voice turned deeper slowly. "My eye was beyond repair.. they had to remove it. The damage was so severe that a glass eye was not even a possibility. In short.. I was unlucky. I had also lost so much blood that I had to get a transfusion and spent a few days in the hospital."

Before he knew what was happening, Blowhole had two arms around his neck and the weight of another person on his body, and he felt his shirt get damp at the shoulder. The villain blinked in confusion.

"I am so sorry!" Private cried out, hugging the man that was holding him captive. The man that seemed to be becoming so very important to him.
And slowly but surely, Blowhole wrapped his own arms around Private, holding him to his body in this strange but not unwelcome embrace. He had nothing more to say and quite frankly, he couldn't think of anything either.

Their embrace lasted for quite a while, until Private's sobs had quieted down. The younger stepped back slowly and wiped the last traces of water from his face. His turquoise eyes met Blowhole's steel grey one.

"I know I can't change the past but somehow I feel terrible!" Private brought his hands up to his chest, folding them together where his heart was.

Blowhole stood up and rolled his eyes. "I will never understand you. How can you feel terrible about something you had nothing to do with? Your heart is too big for your own good."

Private smiled brightly and chuckled. His happiness was soon replaced by a surprised gasp as he was suddenly pulled along by the arm. Obediently, he followed Blowhole even though he was beginning to feel quite nervous about where they were going, but he didn't dare ask. To his surprise, they seemed to walk further away from the room that had been his prison, until they reached a large door.
The villain pushed the door open and revealed a relatively normal, though plain looking bedroom. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and it could have very well been a hotel room.
Private blinked in confusion.

"You will sleep here. I promised I would watch you 24/7 and I will. But I refuse to sit in that small, dark hole." Blowhole explained after closing the door behind him and placing his hands on his hips, appreciating the brightness of the room.

"R-Really? I can sleep here?" Private asked in disbelief, eyeing the very comfortable and inviting looking double bed. Was he actually getting comfort or was Blowhole going to do something inhumane to him and make him sleep on the floor.
Said man sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Private. On the bed. That bed. Right there." He pointed at it in a most exaggerated way. Private shuffled over to the bed, patting the covers before sitting down and testing the mattress. Satisfied with his observations (it didn't seem to be bodytrapped), he took off his shoes, shocks and trousers, neatly folding the latter, and got into bed, wrapping himself warmly in the duvet.

Blowhole, in the meantime, had taken place behind a desk and was reading into a notebook that lay in front of him, making notes and adjustments as he read the pages.
After a while, he turned around to check on his captive only to find him sound asleep. Silent as he could be, he tiptoed over to the door and locked it before taking the key and placing it on the desk with him. He continued to work in his notebook, soothed by the sound of the other person breathing softly. Soon enough, Blowhole found his eyelids lowering by himself and before he could even get himself to go to bed... he fell asleep at his desk.

All was calm and quiet, as if nothing remotely evil was going on and this was how things were supposed to be. As if nothing could possibly disturb the peace.

Until the next morning...