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"Please wake up! C'mon! Please be ok!"  A lovely voice echoed.

The voice coaxed Gary's heavy eyelids to open.  All he could see was a blurry light green blob in front of him.

He groaned a bit as he gently sat up.

"Oh thank goodness you're ok!!" The blob cheered as it let out a sigh of relief.

Gary blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes to try to clear his vision but no to no avail.

"Here. These might help,"  the blob offered as it placed Gary's glasses back onto his face.

"Oh thank you." Gary murmured.  Once his vision cleared he let out gasp.

The blurry light green blob had morphed into a lovely merpenguin!

"You're welcome."  The merpenguin smiled as she backed away a bit.

Gary opened his beak to speak but the sound of more penguins arriving cut him off.

The merpenguin gasped as she dove back into the water.

"Wait! Come back!"  Gary cried out but it was too late.  For the merpenguin had already vanished into the ocean. 
 A loud alarm rudely burst  Gary's dream to dust and jerked him awake.Gary groaned as a robotic arm yanked him out of bed and helped him get dressed. After his morning coffee, Gary's mind wandered back to the dream he had.  This wasn't the first time he's had that dream.   Ever since he first tested the Aqua grabber, that same dream haunted Gary's mind.  Gary first thought it was just an odd dream.  However, the more times he had the dream, the more real they felt.   He begun to wonder if this dream was actually a suppressed memory of some sort.  However, a merpenguin saving him was simply absurd! There was no way merpenguins could exist, right?

BEEP! BEEP!

The sound of one of the EPFs computers woke Gary from his thoughts.The computer's screen flashed bright yellow as it typed out:"STRANGE ACTIVITY DETECTED NEAR SODA SEAS." Wasting no time, Gary rushed to the computer as fast as his webbed feet could take him. Gary's flippers danced across the large keyboard.  Within a few moments, the yellow warning screen was replaced with an image of the disturbance:  a large, black, penguin-shaped  shadow."Enhance." Gary commanded as he continued to type away at the keyboard.
The computer zoomed in as much it could but the shadow didn't look much clearer.  Before Gary could give the machine another command, the shadow swam off.
A bright yellow screen reading  "SUSPECT LOST"  was all the computer could muster.
“
Zounds! Curse this confounded contraption!"  Gary grumbled as he smacked the keyboard.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Gary  pulled out his spy-phone and called Agent Alpha 1021.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Alpha 1021 was not only  one of the EPF's top agents but had vast knowledge about marine biology.  Gary knew Alpha 1021 would  be the perfect penguin for the job.  That is if she'd pick up of course.
"Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice message system.  Agent Alpha 1021 is not available"  a robot voice announced.Gary let out a frustrated growl.  Normally, Alpha 1021 picked up within seconds.  However during the summer months, she was nearly impossible to get a hold of!  Gary swore  he needed to have a chat with Alpha 1021 when she got to the command room."At the tone please record your message,"  the robot voice prompted.  "When you're finished you may hang up or press pound for more options.""Agent! This is G! Report to the EPF command room as soon as possible.  We have much to discuss."  Gary ordered as he hung up the phone.Meanwhile, Alpha  rushed into her igloo.  Alpha reeked of seawater and cream soda. Seaweed draped around her like a long grass skirt."Oh! Crabs! I can't believe I missed G's call!"   She cried out as she cleaned herself off and got dressed.    "Argh! I need to be better about keeping track of time!  I'm gonna be in so much trouble!"  Alpha cried as she teleported to the EPF command room."Sorry I missed your call!"   Alpha panted.   "I had another family emergency.""You sure do seem to have a lot of family emergencies during the summer, agent." Gary muttered.
"W-well I do have a large family,
” 
Alpha chuckled nervously.
“
Things can get pretty hectic.
”
"So it seems," Gary murmured.  "I suppose we'll have to talk about that that later. What matters now is today's mission.""What's today's mission, G?"  Alpha's nervous tone morphed into a more serious one.
"Our scanners have detected some unusual activity near Soda Seas. I need you to investigate the disturbance."   Gary explained.
Alpha tensed up a bit when Gary mentioned Soda Seas."Is something wrong, agent?" Gary asked as he gave Alpha a concerned look. "N-no sir.  I'll get right on it! "   Alpha stuttered with a salute."Very good. There will be a Submarine waiting for you at the Ice Berg."  Gary explained, his tone slightly more upbeat.Alpha nodded rapidly and waddled to the equipment room as fast as her feet could take her.Gary let out a worried hum as he watched her hurry off.  He'd never seen Alpha so jittery before.  He definitely needed talk to her more about her 'family emergencies'. Meanwhile, Alpha took in a deep breath and discreetly  pulled out her colorful seashell locket.   She begun to gently fidget with it, running her flippers along the surface of the locket.  The bumpy blue and purple ridges felt soothing between her flippers."Alright, You can do this,"  She told herself out loud, "Just go to Soda Seas and find the disturbance as quickly as possible.  You're one of the EPF's top agents for crying out loud.  You can do this mission. Yeah! I totally got this!"Alpha changed into a wetsuit and goggles.  She grabbed some scuba gear and headed to the Ice Berg.  She gulped as she gingerly climbed into the submarine.  Taking a deep breath, Alpha pressed a few buttons and turned on the engine.   The submarine beeped and whirred  as it plunged Alpha deep into Soda seas.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Alpha struggled to stay calm as she begun her search for the disturbance. 
“ I hope the disturbance isn ’ t what I think it is. ” She whimpered as beads of sweat trickled down her face.Alpha shook her head rapidly in hopes of clearing her anxious mind.“ Stay focused.  You can do this. ”  She whispered to herself as she tried to focus on the view outside of the submarine.Unfortunately,  the view didn ’ t improve Alpha ’ s mood in the slightest.   Alpha let out a heartbroken sigh as the submarine  glided through the purple waters.  She knew very well  why this place was called soda seas.  The water had been polluted with leaky kegs of cream soda.  The soda leaked onto the ocean, dying the waters a sickly purple and killing off  most of the once colorful sea life.   Alpha shook her head in dismay. While she was certain she wasn ’ t the only one trying to take care of the problem, it felt as if there was more cream soda kegs than usual.  How could penguins be so negligent?  What was the point of tossing more cream soda into the sea?
CLANG!
Alpha's thoughts were interrupted by something large and metallic slamming into the submarine.  The force  was so strong it sent the submarine flying into a cave.
CRASH!
The submarine slammed into one of the cave ’ s walls, puncturing a large hole through the submarine in the process. “ Oh no! Oh no! No! No! No! No! ”  Alpha panicked as the submarine begun to flood with sickly purple water.Alpha begun to frantically tap the eject button but it refused to cooperate.   “ Argh!! C ’ mon you piece of junk!  I ’ m going to be in so much trouble- ” Alpha was cut off by a tsunami of sickly purple water engulfing her.The water flushed Alpha out of the submarine and sent her head first into the floor of the cave.
THUD!
When her head kissed the ground,  Alpha ’ s world went dark. “ Hey! Wake up! ”  A playful voice coaxed.   “ C ’ mon, Aqua.  Don ’ t make me think you ’ re dead again. ” Aqua groaned as she struggled to open her heavy eyelids. The fallen merpegnuinThe voice belonged to an orange merpenguin with a bright red and yellow tail. The merpenguin flashed Aqua a relieved smile.“ Morning, Sleeping Beauty ”  The merpenguin  teased.  “ Did you have a nice nap? ”“ Very, funny, Adella, ”  Aqua groaned sarcastically as she slowly sat up.   Aqua held her aching head as her mind tried to process what was happening.“ In all seriousness, are you ok? ”  Adella asked, the playfulness in her voice slowly faded into a more concerned tone.“ I think so, ”  Aqua rubbed her head as her mind finally finished processing what was going on around it.   “ I know you love learning more about land penguins and all but you really need to be more careful when playing with their stuff. ”  Adella scolded. “ I don ’ t want to have to take you to the hospital again. ”“ I wasn ’ t playing with it I was …” Aqua began.  “ Never mind.  Look, let ’ s just find a way to fix up this submarine and return it to the surface before the land penguins get worried. ”“ Sounds like a plan to me. ” Adella chirped.  “ Now how are we gonna fix it, exactly? ”Aqua hummed as she inspected the submarine.  It wasn ’ t exactly in the best shape.  The huge gaping hole through it aside, it seemed as if some of the engines had fallen off and the oxygen tanks were missing.“ I think I have an idea, ”  Aqua announced.Aqua gently knocked on the submarine, causing it to let out a soft whirr.Little did the two merpenguins know, they were being watched.  For Aqua had unknowingly rebooted one of the submarine ’ s cameras.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Meanwhile, things were tense in the EPF command room. Gary had lost signal of the submarine and couldn
’
t contact Alpha for the life of him.   As much as he didn
’
t want to assume the worst, things were looking pretty grim.

After a few hours had passed, the one of EPF
’
s computers went off and displayed a large green screen that read:
 “SUMBARINE SIGNAL LOCATED.” 
“
Oh thank goodness!
”
Gary cheered.  Maybe Alpha was still alive!
Wasting no time, Gary rushed to the computer and begun to type away at the keyboard.The computer whirred as the screen was engulfed in grey static.  Suddenly, the screen cleared to the sickly purple waters of Soda Seas.
Sweat begun to pour down Gary
’
s face as he anxiously watched the screen.

“
C
’
mon, Agent.  Please show up. Please be alright.
”
Gary begged softly.

Suddenly the camera jerked upward and Gary
’
s beak nearly hit the keyboard.
There, swimming before him was a real living breathing merpenguin!  However she was not just any merpenguin.  She was the merpenguin.  The very same merpenguin that had been haunting his dreams for all these years!
“
Gadzooks!  She
’
s real!
”
Gary blurted out.
“
I don
’
t believe this!  Merpenguins actually exist! This is a groundbreaking discovery!
” 
Gary was so excited about his discovery that he had completely forgotten about searching for Alpha.
“
I have to tell Aunt Arctic! Wait will she believe me?!  Of course she would if I showed her proof!
”

Gary was rambling a mile a minute.  However, his excitement was interrupted by on oddly familiar voice.

“
There we go!  This should keep this bad fish running long enough to get it back to the surface!
” 
Aqua chirped as she gently tapped the submarine.

Gary couldn't believe what he was hearing.  Not only did the merpenguin actually exist but she knew how to repair sunken submarines?   Gary
’
s curiosity skyrocketed.  He had to find a way to meet her! He just had to!  He had so many questions it was hard to contain himself!  Gary
’
s excitement was once again interrupted by Aqua.

“
Now hopefully I can get the captain of this ship back to the surface too.
”
Aqua whimpered nervously as she swam behind the submarine.

Gary
’
s euphoria had burst into panic.

“
Zounds! I had completely forgotten about, Agent Alpha 1021!
” 
Gary cried out. 
Before he could press another button, the camera feed cut out and was replaced with a bright yellow message screen.
“
CAMERA FEED LOST.
” 
Was all the computer could muster.

“
What?! Oh curse you confounded contraption!
”
Gary screamed.
Frustrated and terrified, Gary kicked the computer only to be met with a sharp pain in his foot.Gary let out a yelp and hopped on one foot to try to ease the pain. Once the pain subsided, the computer displayed another message:
“
SUBMARINE BACK ONLINE.
”
Gary let out a sigh of relief and resumed typing away at the keyboard.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“ We sure did a good job patching this old thing up. ”  Adella chuckled.“ I just hope the land penguins aren ’ t too worried. ”  Aqua murmured.“ Meh, I ’ m sure it ’ s gonna be fine, Sis. ” Adella reassured as she gently patted Aqua ’ s back.“ Thanks, Adella, ” Aqua sighed as she gave her sister a somber look.  “ I ’ m going to have to leave again to return the submarine back to the surface. ”“ I know, Aqua.  Just be sure to come back as soon as you can, alright? ”  Adella reassured. “ Don ’ t worry, I ’ ll be back soon. ”  Aqua smiled as she started up the submarine.Within a few hours, the submarine resurfaced to a very crowded Ice Berg.The submarine was yanked out of the water by a large rope.  After bursting down the door,  Alpha was dragged out of the submarine. “ Agent! Are you alright?! ”  Gary cried out as he rushed to her side.“ I think so …”  Alpha murmured.  “ What ’ s with the rescue crew? ”“ You were gone for so long that we started to worry, Agent. ” Gary explained. “ Really?  How long was I gone for? ”  Alpha asked as she slowly stood up“ About seven hours or so. ” Gary explained.“ Oh crabs! I can ’ t believe I was gone for that long! ”  Alpha exclaimed.“ Neither can we, Agent. ” Gary mused.  “ For now you should get some rest but when you ’ re feeling better, return to the command room. We have much to discuss. ”Alpha nodded as she was guided into an ambulance.
A few weeks after the incident, Alpha returned to the EPF Command room. 
She fidgeted with her seashell locket as she waited for Gary ’ s arrival.   Thankfully, there were no other agents in the command room for once. So Alpha didn ’ t  feel the need to be discreet.  Alpha would would be mortified if another penguin caught her fidgeting with her locket.  This wasn ’ t because she cared what the other agents thought of her. Alpha was one of EPF ’ s top agents.  Most of the other agents looked up to her. So she knew they wouldn ’ t make fun of her for fidgeting. However, she didn ’ t want to be questioned about her locket.   It was none of their business where she got it from or why it was so important to her.  Alpha knew she couldn ’ t just refuse to answer their questions without giving a proper reason.  Alpha feared that if she simply told the other agents that her locket was none of their business she might offend them.  She certainly didn ’ t need to cause drama over jewelry.Alpha ’ s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Gary  entering the command room. Alpha quickly stuffed her locket back under her suit and sat up straighter.  Thankfully, Gary didn ’ t seem to notice a thing.“ Good morning, Agent, ” Gary smiled.  “ Glad to see you ’ ve recovered from the events of your previous mission. ”“ Thank you, G. It ’ s good to be back. ” Alpha chirped.  She really hoped she wouldn ’ t have to rehash the events of her previous mission. The mere thought of going into more detail of what happened terrified her. However, she knew it was inventible.  Gary was probably worried about her.  Alpha hoped that she could make it through this meeting without panicking.“ While we ’ re on the subject of your previous mission, do you have any memory of what happened? ”  Gary asked. His voice sounded worried but it also had a hint of curiosity mixed in.“ I’m afraid not, G. ” Alpha replied a tad too quickly.  Alpha could already feel herself begin to sweat.“ I see. ”  Gary mused.  While he was curious whether or not Alpha had met the merpenguin, Gary was more concerned about Alpha ’ s wellbeing.  Being trapped underwater for over seven hours was probably horrifying. However, Gary couldn ’ t contain his excitement for his latest discovery.  He needed to share it with some penguin.  Besides, it was a good excuse to change the subject.“ Well I do hope your previous mission didn ’ t scare you away from the sea.  Because I ’ ve made the most fascinating discovery! ” Gary chirped as he practically tingled with excitement.Alpha tensed up and felt anxiety wash over her. She was hoping his discovery wasn ’ t what she thought it was.  Luckily for her, Gary was so excited he didn ’ t even notice her starting to shake.“ W-What did you discover, G. ”  Alpha inquired, struggling to hide the anxiety in her voice.“ Come this way and I ’ ll show you! ”  Gary practically squealed as he grabbed Alpha by the arm and dragged her to one of the EPF ’ s computers.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Gary begun to type away at the computer ’ s keyboard.  Alpha ’ s anxiety grew with each button he pressed.  She hoped she could hold it together until she got home.Alpha ’ s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the computer ’ s screen being activated.   The moment the screen finished loading, all of the color drained from Alpha ’ s face.There staring right back at her was the very creature she feared Gary had discovered.“ Behold! An actual living breathing Merpenguin! ”   Gary announced as he gestured to the screen dramatically.Alpha nearly screamed at the top of her lungs. Luckily her mouth settled for a surprised yelp.“ I know! Isn ’ t this exciting, agent?! ”  Gary squealed.  “ This is a discovery of a lifetime!  And it gets better!  Here! Listen! ”  Gary turned up the volume.Alpha wanted to cry when she heard Aqua speak.“ There we go!  This should keep this bad fish running long enough to get it back to the surface! ”  She chirped. Had it not been for the poor audio quality of the submarine ’ s camera feed, Aqua would ’ ve sounded just like Alpha!Oh how Alpha wanted to curl up and die right on the floor.  This was the absolute worst day of her life!Alpha opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.“ It leaves you speechless doesn ’ t it, agent?! ”  Gary let out a dreamy sigh.  “ Not only do merpenguins exist but they seem to be expert engineers!”Alpha wasn ’ t sure if she wanted to scream or run away.  All she could do was stand still and listen to Gary ramble.“ Just think of all the things we can learn from the merpenguins, agent! Certainly you have questions too right? ”  Gary seemed to have calmed down a bit.All Alpha could do was nod along, for words refused to leave her beak.“ Excellent! Now I do have a mission for you but if you ’ re still shaken up by your previous mission  you don ’ t have to participate. ” Gary explained.“ I-It ’ s fine! ” Alpha blurted out.  “ I ’ m more than happy to take on this mission, G. ”“ Are you sure, agent? You seemed rather shook up earlier. ”  Gary reminded.“ Don ’ t worry, G. I can handle this! ”  Alpha exclaimed with as much confidence as she could muster.“ Very well.  Your mission is to find this merpenguin and ask her the following questions. ”  Gary explained as he handed Alpha a sheet of paper.“ I ’ ll do my best, G. ”  Alpha reassured as she took the paper.“ I ’ ve upgraded the submarine so hopefully it won ’ t sink this time, ” Gary chirped. “ Thank you, G. ” Alpha smiled sheepishly as she waddled off to the equipment room.Alpha sobbed quietly as she changed into her scuba gear.  This was terrible!  The merpenguin community is at risk now and it was all her fault!  Alpha clutched her locket as tears poured down her face.Alpha made her way to the Ice Berg and climbed into the sub.  The moment she climbed in, all of her pent up emotions came pouring out.  Alpha begun to wail.  She was beyond horrified at this point.  So much was on the line and she only had herself to blame.  Alpha decided to take some deep breaths and dry her tears. She knew that crying wouldn ’ t solve anything.  She had to think of a way out of this, but how?

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Suddenly, a clever idea graced Alpha
’
s terrified mind.  She carefully dove the submarine back into the cave where she crashed it and left it on auto pilot.  Alpha then put her plan into action.
Aqua took a deep breath and carefully faced the submarine.   
“
W-well, would you look at that.  Didn
’
t think I
’
d see you again.
” 
Aqua chuckled nervously as she rubbed the back of her head.
Suddenly a small piece of paper flew out from the submarine.  Without thinking, Aqua caught the paper and looked it over.
“
What
’
s that?  You just want me to answer these questions for you?
”
Aqua asked as she re-read the paper.

“
I can definitely do that for you but you have to promise not to try to find me again.
” 
Aqua pleaded.
“
You see land penguins aren
’
t supposed to know that we merpenguins exist.
” 
Her voice morphed into a slight whisper as she spoke.
The moment Aqua finished speaking, she pulled out a fancy pen and answered all of the questions. 
“
There you go! That should do it!
” 
Aqua smiled as she tucked the paper into the front window of the submarine.

“
It was nice meeting you but I
’
m afraid we  can
’
t meet again.
” 
Aqua sighed. 
“
I must go now, goodbye!
”  
And with that Aqua swam off as fast as her tail could take her.

Meanwhile, Gary had witnessed the whole interaction via the submarine
’
s camera feed.  He watched Aqua in awe.   From the way her blue and pink tail swished behind her to the way her blue and purple locket swayed from her neck, she truly was a fascinating specimen.  Gary
’
s smile faded as she swam away in a hurry.   He wondered why land penguins couldn
’
t know merpenguins existed.   Did merpenguins fear land penguins?  Were there deep dark secrets hidden beneath the ocean?

Gary
’
s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Alpha returning from her mission.

“
I have the answers, G
” 
Alpha announced triumphantly as she handed him the wet piece of paper.
The writing was in another language and a tad smudged but the paper was still salvageable.
“
Well done, agent!  I
’
ll update you once I get these answers analyzed.
” 
Gary chirped as he rushed to his lab.

“
No problem, G.
” 
Alpha smiled.  Hopefully that piece of paper was enough to satisfy Gary
’
s curiosity.
Shortly after Alpha left, Gary placed the wet piece of paper into his Handwriting Analyzer 3000 and teleported to the Ice Berg.  Once there, Gary dropped a small robot with a camera attached to it into the water.  Then he rushed back to his lab before any other penguins noticed him.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Once Gary got back to his lab, the Handwriting Analyzer 3000 had just finished translating the wet piece of paper.   
Gary ’ s eyes widened with fascination as he read Aqua ’ s answers.  She was so intelligent!  Oh how he longed for the day he would meet her.   Gary fantasized about what that day would be like.   Aqua would tell him all of the wonders of the deep.  Perhaps she ’ d even consider being his friend-“ ACTIVITY DETECTED! ” One of Gary ’ s computers announced, waking him from his daydream.Gary rushed to the computer as fast as his webbed feet could take him.  His flippers danced across the keyboard as the screen displayed a camera feed from Soda Seas. Sure enough, the source of the activity was none other than Aqua.  She appeared to be picking up a leaky keg of cream soda.  She then swam the keg to the surface and pushed it upward as hard as she could.Luckily the keg didn ’ t fall back down, much to Aqua ’ s delight.  The moment the keg was removed, the sea begun to slowly come back to life.Aqua smiled as she cleared her throat.  When she opened her mouth again, the most beautiful melody began to flow out of it. Gary was absolutely enthralled. Aqua ’ s voice was as soft and smooth as a pearl. The soft sunlight that poured into the sea shone on her like a spot light. The the crystals and pearls in her light blue hair sparkled as she moved.   After a few minutes of listening, Gary begun to notice the song sounded very familiar.   He couldn ’ t put his flipper on it, but he could ’ ve sworn he had heard that song somewhere before. Aqua then dove down into a deep chasm, still singing her alluring melody.  The camera followed her.   Suddenly, Aqua was met with four green pufferfish.  The pufferfish seemed deflated but looked as if they ’ d inflate at any second.  However, the moment Aqua got close, the pufferfish didn ’ t inflate.  Aqua ’ s song seemed to have lulled them into a relaxed state. However, the state of relaxation was temporary, for the moment the camera got close to the puffer fish-
FOOMP!
FWUMP! FWOMP! FUMP! All four pufferfish inflated, throwing the camera around like a beachball.  “ No! No! No! C’mon get out of there! ”  Gary yelped as he desperately typed away at his keyboard. Every command he typed in was a desperate attempt to pull his camera to safety.  Unfortunately, Gary ’ s commands were no match for the puffer fish.  The camera bounced amongst the puffer fish for what felt like hours.  Each bounce accumulated one new dent in the camera.  By the time the bouncing stopped, the camera was damaged beyond repair. The camera ’ s remains sunk to the bottom of the chasm.  The computer screen cut out and displayed a somber message:“ CAMERA FEED LOST ” “ Zounds! Curse those pufferfish! ”  Gary growled as he slammed his flipper on the keyboard. “ Looks like I ’ ll have to build another underwater camera bot 3000. ” Gary sighed as he went back to his work desk.Despite his frustration, the thought of seeing Aqua again kept Gary motivated. Even Aqua ’ s song refused to leave his mind.   Gary found himself absentmindedly humming along to the melody as he worked.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Meanwhile, Aqua was hiding at the bottom of the chasm. She just couldn
’
t shake the feeling she was being followed.   Ever since the submarine incident, Aqua had been more paranoid than normal.  She couldn
’
t let the land penguins know about her nor her friends and family.  She didn
’
t even want to think about the kind of punishment she would get if the land penguins discovered her home.

Despite her paranoia, Aqua still couldn
’
t resist cleaning up Soda Seas.  She couldn
’
t stand seeing those leaky kegs of cream soda continue to ruin the place she spent her childhood playing in.  Aqua vowed to clean up her childhood playground and keep it clean no matter what it took.

Aqua
smiled as her
mind traveled to when she first saw a land penguin.

She remembered when ship parts and cream soda kegs fell into Soda Seas. Aqua was fascinated. She had to know where these strange things were coming from.

CLANG!

As if on queue, Aqua heard a loud crash.  Startled yet curious, Aqua swam to the source of the crash.  Her beak nearly hit the floor at what she saw.

There standing before her were the remains of a large broken machine.  Floating near the machine was a clear orb with something inside.

Aqua swam closer to the orb and gasped.  There was a land penguin inside the orb!  Aqua  knew  very well that land penguins weren't supposed to be in the ocean.  Without thinking,  Aqua pushed the orb to the surface.   The cold air licked Aqua

’

s face as she found a small patch of dry land to roll the orb onto.

That should

’

ve been the end of it but Aqua wanted to make sure the land penguin was ok.  Aqua heaved her body up onto the patch of land and slid towards the orb. Before Aqua knew what was happening, the orb burst open and the water drained out.  Aqua gasped once more.  The land penguin didn

’

t seem conscious!

Aqua begun to panic as she fished the land penguin out of the orb.   She slid on top of him and begun to gently slap his face.

"Please wake up! C'mon! Please be ok!"  Aqua begged as she continued to slap the land penguins face.

The slapping and begging worked as the land penguin

’

s heavy eyelids finally began to open.

He groaned a bit as he gently sat up.

"Oh thank goodness you're ok!!" Aqua cheered as she let out a sigh of relief.

The land penguin blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes as if he was trying to clear his vision.

Aqua felt her left flipper brush up against something round and pointy.  Without thinking, Aqua picked up the object.  Strange, it appeared to be two round pieces of glass held together by a wire frame.  Aqua

’

s flippers looked kind of funny underneath the glass rounds.  Suddenly, it dawned on Aqua that she was holding a pair of glasses!  Assuming they belonged to the land penguin she gently  placed the glasses onto the land penguin’s face.

"Here. These might help,"  Aqua offered.

"Oh thank you." The land penguin murmured as he adjusted the glasses.

"You're welcome."  Aqua smiled as she backed away a bit.

Aqua was told her whole life how land penguins were big evil monsters that ate merpenguins and  polluted oceans for fun.  However,  the land penguin before her didn

’

t seem like one of the the big scary land monsters that she was told about.  He had no sharp teeth or claws.  He didn

’

t seem to want to eat her either.  In fact he seemed somewhat friendly.

The land penguin opened his mouth to speak but more land penguins begun to arrive.

Aqua gasped. She couldn’t risk being seen by more land penguins!  Wasting no time, Aqua dove back into the water and swam for home as fast as her tail could take her.
Ever since that day, Aqua  begun to question whether or not land penguins were really bad.  Aqua decided to learn about the land penguins.  She would poke her head out of the water and watch the land penguins go about their day.  It was fascinating.  The land penguins laughed and played together just like merpenguins.  It seemed as if the only difference between merpenguins and land penguins was a tail. Over time, Aqua begun to wish that she could live amongst the land penguins.  Just to see what it would be like.   
Aqua
’
s swim down memory lane was interrupted by an overwhelming desire to fidget. When she went to reach for her seashell locket, all she grabbed was a flipper-full of water.  Aqua looked down and all of the color drained from her face.
Her locket was missing. This was not good. This was not good at all!

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Later that night, Gary  had rebuilt a new camera bot and teleported to the Ice Berg.  Once there, Gary discreetly dropped the new bot into the water.  Gary was about to leave when he nearly tripped on a keg of cream soda.

“
Oof! Who put that there?
” 
Gary grumbled as he regained his balance.

Suddenly Gary noticed something resting on the keg
’
s spout.
It seemed to be a strangely familiar looking seashell locket.
“
What
’
s this?
”
He inquired as he gently removed the locket from the spout.

Gary hummed as he inspected the locket.  The locket was dripping with seawater and cream soda.  A good chunk of its pearl chain seemed to have gotten caught on the keg
’
s spout and snapped off.  Gary tried to check for more damages but it was too dark to see anything else.  One thing was certain, however.  Whoever this locket belonged to was probably looking for it.  Gary couldn
’
t just leave it on the cream soda keg.  Especially not with a broken chain!

Gary decided to take the locket back to his lab and repair it.  Then he would try to find the locket
’
s owner.
Gary stuffed the locket into a pocket on his lab coat and teleported back to his lab
Once there, Gary carefully pulled out the locket.   After carefully cleaning the locket, Gary gently placed it onto his lab desk.  The blue and purple swirls that decorated the locket popped under the bright lights of Gary
’
s lab.  Gary gasped when he turned the locket over.  The words on the back of the locket were engraved in the same language as Aqua
’
s answers!  Then something finally clicked in Gary
’
s mind:

This was Aqua
’
s locket.

Gary
’
s eyes widened in shock.  He couldn
’
t believe he was actually holding a locket that belonged to the merpenguin that has been haunting his dreams!   He had to study the locket immediately! 
Gary gently set the locket back down on his work desk and grabbed his lab goggles  He then grabbed his notebook and begun to scribble down notes.   Gary picked up the locket once more. However, the moment Gary lifted it off the table, the locket popped open!  Inside the locket was the most beautiful pearl Gary had ever seen!   
“
Gadzooks!
” 
Gary exclaimed as he stared at the pearl in awe.

The pearl sparkled as it gave off a mystical pink aura.  Gary tried to take out the pearl from the locket to get a better look at it. However the pearl refused to budge.  No matter how hard he pulled nor how many contraptions he tried, Gary couldn
’
t remove the pearl from its resting place.  Eventually Gary grew weary and sleep begun to take hold.   Gary let out a frustrated sigh as he accepted the warm embrace of sleep.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Gary opened his eyes to a bright blue ocean.  As he admired the beautiful coral reef surrounding him, Gary felt like something was off.   He looked down and let out a gasp.

Gary had become a merpenguin!

While his yellow feet had been replaced by a bright blue tail, the upper half of his body was still clad in his usual lab coat.

Before Gary could process what was happening, Aqua's beautiful voice beckoned to him.

"Gary!  Over here!"   She sang as she waved him over.

Aqua sat in the center of a large oyster like a radiant Pearl.  Her pink and blue scales twinkled like diamonds.

Gary eagerly obliged.  He rushed over to her as fast as his new found tail could take him.

Aqua motioned for Gary to sit next to her.  Once he sat down, Aqua smiled.

"I have been waiting so long to meet you!"  She purred, her voice laced with excitement.

"I-I've been waiting quite sometime to meet you too."  Gary stuttered as shyness begun to overtake him.

Aqua giggled as she played with her long blue hair.

Gary felt his face heat up as he cleared his throat.

“

N-Now that I

’

m here I have a question to ask you.

”

Gary stuttered.

“

Oh? What

’

s that?

”

Aqua chirped.

Gary opened his mouth to speak but he was cut off by a large shadow looming over him.

Aqua let out a yelp as the shadow yanked her out of her seat.  The black shadow let out a sinister yet familiar laugh as it carried away Aqua.

“

You put her down this instant!

”

Gary commanded as he tried to swim after the shadow.

BONK!

Unfortunately, Gary didn

’

t make it too far, for he slammed head first into it.

Gary rubbed his head wearily as the shadow laughed once more.

“

Foolish penguin!  Do you really think you can save her?

”

The shadow bellowed.

Gary looked up at the shadow and gasped

“

Gadzooks! Herbert!

”

“

The one and only!

”

Herbert boasted.

“

How many other polar bears do you know that are as charming and intelligent as I?

”

“

Yeah, you

’

re real charming, alright,

”

Aqua grumbled sarcastically.

“

Kidnapping pretty merpenguins.  Truly you are the embodiment of charm.

”

Aqua squirmed in Hebert

’

s grip as she spoke.

“

Silence!

”

Herbert growled as he clamped his free paw over her beak.

Gary

’

s shock morphed into rage.

“

You release her this instant!

”

Gary demanded.

“

Or what?

”

Herbert mocked with a pout.

“

I-I

’

ll do

…

.Something!

”

Gary stuttered as fear begun to settle in.

“

Something bad!

”

Herbert simply chuckled.

“

You seem to be forgetting that not only am I more intelligent than you but I

’

m also faster than you!

”

Herbert cackled as he swam off with Aqua.

“

Get back here this instant!

”

Gary commanded as he swam after Herbert.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“
You won
’
t get away with this, Herbert.
” 
Gary mumbled softly

Gary
’
s dream was rudely interrupted by the sound of his alarm clock going off.

“
Gah!
” 
Gary jumped as his mind finally woke up.

“
Oh, it was just a dream.
” 
Gary sighed as he adjusted his glasses.

After shutting off his alarm clock and making his morning coffee,  Gary continued to study Aqua
’
s locket.   The more he studied the more eager  he became.
Gary had to meet Aqua. His curiosity was driving him mad!  Questions clouded Gary's mind and tampered with his focus.  Every new question that arrived took another minute of focus out of Gary's day.  Oh how he wished there was another way to stifle his curiosity. Gary decided to take a break and read the newspaper to clear his head.  Suddenly an article caught his eye."Eureka! Captain Rockhopper has come to visit! Surely he'll have the information I'm looking for!"  Gary cheered. Gary was about to rush out the door when a horrible reminder stopped Gary dead in his tracks:He and Rockhopper were island celebrities.Gary shuddered at the memory of the last time he visited the island.  Crowds upon crowds of penguins closing in on him from all sides. He felt like he was going to suffocate!    There would no doubt already be crowds of penguins polluting Rockhopper's ship.  Gary nearly shrieked at the thought of what would happen if the island found out he was visiting Rockhopper too.  He would drown to death in a sea of excited penguins! However, Gary knew that Rockhopper had vast knowledge on mythical sea creatures.  If any penguin would be able to help him learn more about merpenguins it was Rockhopper.  Gary had to find a way to talk to Rockhopper.  Otherwise he might never be able to meet Aqua!Suddenly an idea graced Gary's mind:The other penguins wouldn't bother him if they didn't know he was there.Gary let out an excited chuckle as he dove into his closet.   After a few hours of rummaging through his closet, Gary found the perfect disguise.
“
Hopefully this bowler hat and trench coat get up will throw the other penguins off my trail.
” 
Gary sighed as looked himself over in the mirror.

After taking some deep breaths, Gary mustered up all of his courage.  He pressed a button on his spyphone and teleported to Rockhopper
’
s ship.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The moment Gary arrived on board, his courage ran for the hills.  Rockhopper
’
s ship was so crowded he could barley see a thing.  Fear left Gary frozen where he stood.  What was he thinking?!  There
’
s no way he can reach Rockhopper through that crowd!  He
’
d probably end up drowning to death!    Gary wanted to teleport back home.  He couldn
’
t handle this many penguins again!

Suddenly, Aqua
’
s song filled his head.   The sound of her gentle melody melted Gary
’
s fears away, allowing his courage to return to him.  Gary took a deep breath and made his way through the crowd.  He pushed and shoved until he managed to reach Rockhopper.

“
Arr, lad. Ye need to wait in line before ye can get me autograph.
” 
Rockhopper chuckled as Gary approached him.

“
R-Rockhopper, it
’
s me, Gary the Gadget Guy!
” 
Gary stuttered as he lifted up his bowler hat.

“
Gary?!
” 
Rockhopper exclaimed.    Rockhopper
’
s outburst silenced the crowd for a moment.

Gary
’
s face burned bright crimson as thousands of eyes stared at him.  Curse Rockhopper
’
s loud beak!  With his cover blown, Gary started to shake a bit.  Suddenly, Aqua
’
s song filled his head once more.  Her gentle voice soothed Gary
’
s nerves a little.

“
Y-Yes, It is I, Gary the Gadget guy.
” 
Gary admitted sheepishly as he took off his disguise. 
Gary was about to explain himself but he was interrupted by a stampede of penguins rushing towards him!  Gary almost let out a scream as thousands of excited penguins begun to swarm around him.   
“
C-Calm down everyone!  I-I
’
m just here to talk to Captain Rockhopper!
” 
Gary stuttered in a poor attempt at silencing the crowd.
However the crowd refused to listen.  They continued to swarm Gary and bombard him with questions and demands."Gary, can you friend me?!" One penguin squeaked,"Gary! Open your igloo!"  Another penguin demanded. "Please be my friend!" Begged another penguin."Gary is Gary without the R!"  Another penguin teased."Hey! What's wrong with being Gary without the R?!" Another penguin snapped.The questions and demands piled on so fast that Gary could barely keep up!The crowd surrounding him was so much worse than he feared!  He felt like he couldn't breathe, let alone answer any of their questions.Gary started to panic as the crowd begun to close in on him.  He was doomed!  Or so he thought.  Aqua's song begun to play in Gary's mind once more.  The gentle melody chased away Gary's fears and reminded him of his mission.   Gary cleared his throat."Everyone! Everyone!  As much as I would love to stay and chat, I have something very important to discuss with Captain Rockhopper!"  Gary announced confidently as he tried to make his way through the crowd.After what felt like hours of swimming through the sea of excited penguins, Gary finally made his way back to Rockhopper."I'm sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you knew anything about merpenguins!"  Gary asked as he struggled to talk over the crowd.Suddenly a surprised look spread across Rockhopper's face."Merpenguins?"  He repeated as a tinge of sadness begun to peak through his surprised expression.   "Y-yes, Merpenguins!  I know it sounds absurd but-"  Gary began as Rockhopper cut him off."Say no more, lad."  Rockhopper sighed.  "Sorry, me hearteys  but I be cutting this meeting short!"The crowd let out cries of disappointment."I know! I know but worry not, sailors! Ye may still explore me ship while I be away!" Rockhopper reassured as he motioned for Gary to follow him to his quarters.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Once the two penguins made their way into Rockhopper
’
s quarters,  Rockhopper let out a somber sigh.

“
So ye want to learn more about the merpenguins do ye?
” 
Rockhopper huffed.

“
Yes, I do. Is there something wrong, Rockhopper?
” 
Gary inquired.

“
Not exactly.  It
’
s just
…
. The merpenguins be finicky folk.  They won
’
t interact with land penguins like you and I.
” 
Rockhopper explained.

“
Why not?
” 
Gary pondered. 
“
Are they afraid of us?
”

“
Aye, lad.
” 
Rockhopper confirmed.  “Long ago I saw a merpenguin! A fair lass she was! Her voice was so sweet it put cream soda to shame!  I wanted to introduce me self but as me luck would have it, she swam away the moment our eyes met.”
“That’s rather unfortunate.” Gary consoled.“Aye, lad. I don’t think I’d be seeing her again.” Rockhopper sighed sadly.“I wonder why she swam away.” Gary’s words were more directed at himself rather than Rockhopper.
“Well I’ll tell ye why!” Rockhopper announced.  “
Legends say, the merpenguins can grant ye any wish ye desire but only if ye help them in return.
”

“
Really?
” 
Gary
’
s eyes widened under his glasses.

“
Aye.  Alas, nasty landlubbers took advantage of the merpenguins magic.  Now they won
’
t even think about going near land, let alone a land penguin.
” 
Rockhopper explained.

“
That
’
s terrible!
” 
Gary exclaimed.

“
Aye, lad.
” 
Rockhopper replied.

“
But worry not. One day the merfolk may choose to talk to land penguins again! In the meantime,  if ye still want to learn more, I believe tharr be a book here that can help ye.
” 
Rockhopper explained as he begun to rummage through an old bookshelf.

“
Ah ha!  Here be the book!
” 
Rockhopper cheered as he pulled out an old dusty book.
“
This here book ought to satisfy yer questions, sailor!
”

“
Oh thank you so much!
” 
Gary cheered as he gently took the book from Rockhopper.

“
Ye be welcome. Be sure to tell me if you see a merpenguin yerself! I too wish to talk to a merpenguin!
”
Rockhopper chirped.

“Don’t worry I’ll be more than happy to keep you updated!
Thank you so very much!
” 
Gary exclaimed as he teleported back to his igloo.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The moment Gary got home, he blew the dust off of the book and begun to read.  His eyes widened with fascination as he flipped through the pages.   Suddenly Gary let out a gasp.

There, staring back at him was a picture of a seashell that looked almost exactly like Aqua
’
s locket!  Gary felt his heart pound loudly in his chest as he begun to read more.

The land explorer

’

s Shell:

Thousands of years ago, the merpenguins discovered these unusual shells deep within a cave.  These shells contained magical pearls that allowed them to trade their tails for feet. As long they kept  one of the shells with them at all times, a merpenguin was able to waddle amongst the land penguins without being noticed.   However, the trade is temporary.  For should the smallest drop of water were to touch their skin, their tail would return.  The merpenguin would hide away until their tail was dried. Only then would they be able to waddle on land once more.  If the shell were to go missing, the merpenguin would be forced to return to the sea to search for a new one. 
 “Gadzooks!  That merpenguin has been living on land this whole time?!”  Gary exclaimed as he almost dropped the book.Gary felt a feeling of sadness wash over him. Without her locket, Aqua would never be able to come on land again.
Gary had to find a way to return Aqua
’
s locket but how?
After what felt like hours of reading,  Gary finally found a page that would help him.
How to meet a merpenguin:

Merpenguins usually come to the surface on their own through lakes hidden within caves.  It is possible to summon a merpenguin to the surface by visiting a hidden lake and playing  a calming melody.  However, the merpenguin will retreat back into the sea if you show any signs of aggression.   To ensure your encounter goes smoothly, present yourself as calm and friendly.  Do not speak loudly or in a demanding tone.  Speak gently and give the merpenguin a peace offering.  If they like it, they will stay and talk with you.  However, if they dislike the offering, they will reject it and return to the sea.  Some good peace offerings are:  Gold coins, jewels, pearls, and seashells.
Gary gently closed the book and put on his best lab coat.  Wasting no time,  Gary grabbed his music player 3000 and the locket.  He then teleported to the Hidden Lake in the Mine Shack.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Once there, Gary took a deep breath and turned on the music player.  After a few moments of searching for the right song, Gary was ready.   A soothing melody flowed from the music player 3000 and echoed throughout the lake.
Meanwhile, Aqua was on the verge of a panic attack as she frantically searched high and low for her locket.   Aqua had spent the entire day searching without rest.  She begun to fear she would never find her locket.
“
Oooh!  I hope my locket isn
’
t gone forever!
”
Aqua cried.
“
I
’
m gonna be in so much trouble!
”
Aqua grew so desperate she begun to beg the universe for help. Sure enough the universe delivered.
A faint melody wafted through the ocean.  The melody seemed to beckon Aqua to follow it.  Of course,  Aqua saw right through the melody
’
s ruse.  She knew it was just a land penguin trying to summon her to the surface.  Aqua rolled her eyes as she resumed her search.

Suddenly, a crazy idea barged into Aqua
’
s mind:
Perhaps the land penguin could help her find her locket.It was insanely dangerous but Aqua had to get her locket back somehow!Taking a deep breath, Aqua followed the melody.   The melody led Aqua to the Hidden Lake in the Mine Shack.   
“
Well, this is it,
” 
She whispered to herself as she faced a large wooden gate.
“
There
’
s no turning back now.
”
The large wooden gate lifted up as Aqua gingerly made her way into the Hidden Lake.
“
I just hope the land penguin is nice.
” 
She sighed.
Aqua stayed low to the ground as she swam to avoid being seen just yet.  She looked up a bit to get a better look at where the melody was coming from.  Aqua gasped when she saw who had invited her to the Hidden Lake.It was none other than Gary the Gadget Guy!This was not good.  This was not good at all!Not only was Gary an island celebrity but he was also a scientist!  He probably wanted to experiment on her!   
Aqua was about to rush back home when she noticed something peeking out of one of Gary
’
s pockets:

It was her locket.

Aqua wanted to scream at the top of her lungs.  What was she going to do?  She had to get her locket back but she didn
’
t want to be a science experiment!

Aqua tried hide behind one of the lake
’
s waterfalls.  She gingerly sat on a nearby rock and gently ran her flippers through her light blue hair. 
Unfortunately, the waterfall only hid Aqua when she was underwater. Sitting on the rock not only left her exposed  but the faint light of the Hidden Lake shone on her like a spotlight.However, Aqua was so focused on calming down that she was completely unaware of the fact that she was out in the open.
“

It

’

s gonna be ok, Aqua.  You can find a way out of this mess.  Just try to find a way to get your locket back without being-

” 
Aqua
’
s thoughts were cut off by an excited shout.

“
Gadzooks! You actually came!  You
’
re actually here!
” 
Gary cheered as he rushed over to where Aqua was sitting.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Realizing she had been exposed this whole time, Aqua let out a startled yelp. She wanted to swim away but fear kept her frozen in place.

“
O-Oh, my apologies. I didn
’
t mean to frighten you.
”
Gary stuttered sheepishly.

Gary couldn
’
t help but stare at Aqua.  The camera feeds didn
’
t do her enough justice! She was so much more beautiful up close!

Despite how wet it looked, Aqua
’
s light blue hair was simply stunning against her lime green skin.  The faint light from the cave danced off of the pearls and crystals in her hair. The pink and blue scales on her tail sparkled like rhinestones as it anxiously tapped against the rock she sat upon. 
Gary was absolutely enchanted.  Gary felt as if he could stare at Aqua all day.  However, her nervous expression reminded him of his mission.He shook his head rapidly and cleared his throat.
“
A-Allow me to introduce myself,
” 
Gary stuttered, shyness slowly overtaking his voice as he spoke. 
“
My name is Gadget the Gary Gu- I mean Gary the Gadget guy!
” 
Normally, Aqua would've giggled at the botched introduction.  However, fear refused to let a single sound escape her beak.  The most Aqua could do was smile sheepishly and nod.Gary felt his face heat up with embarrassment. 
“

Gadget the Gary Guy?!  Seriously?!  How could I forget my own name?! She

’

s probably going to think I

’

m a fool!

” 
Gary scolded himself.

“
And what might your name be?
” 
He asked a bit too eagerly.
Aqua tried to speak but the words refused to come out.  The most she could do was hide her face  behind her light blue hair.
Realizing that he was probably making Aqua uncomfortable, Gary backed away a bit.  Suddenly he remembered the book
’
s advice:

“

Speak gently and give the merpenguin a peace offering.  If they like it, they will stay and talk with you.

”

Of course!  A peace offering would certainly calm Aqua
’
s nerves; but what could he give her? Suddenly, Gary remembered that he had her locket in his pocket.

“
I-I believe I
’
ve found something that belongs to you.
” 
Gary admitted softly as he pulled out the locket.
Aqua let out a gasp when Gary presented her with her lost locket. 
“
You see, I found this locket stuck to a keg of cream soda and I-
”
Gary was cut off by Aqua eagerly swiping the locket out of Gary
’
s flippers.

“
Thank you!
” 
Aqua cheered as she jumped off the rock and dove back into the water.

“
H-Hey! Wait! Come back!
” 
Gary pleaded. 
He held out his flipper in an attempt to stop her but he was too late. For Aqua had already disappeared behind the wooden gate.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“
Zounds! I can
’
t believe I let her get away!
”
Gary growled as he snapped his flipper.   
Gary let out a frustrated huff as he packed up his music player 3000.  He teleported back to his lab and tossed his music player 3000 onto a nearby desk.  Gary plopped into a chair and sighed.
“
I didn
’
t even get her name.
” 
Gary huffed as he buried his face in his flippers.

“
What was I thinking? Merpenguins don
’
t trust land penguins. I can
’
t just waddle up to her and start asking her questions!
” 
Gary rambled as he slammed his flippers on his desk.

“
Even if I could, it
’
s not like she
’
d be willing to answer any of them them unless
…”  Gary trailed off as a crazy idea popped into his mind.

“I
was a merpenguin!
” 
Gary exclaimed as he nearly sprung out of his seat.  
“
Gadzooks!  That
’
s it! If I can find a way to become a merpenguin then she
’
ll probably be more willing to talk to me!
”
Gary let out a squeal of excitement as he  begun to plan out his next invention:  the Mer-suit 3000.
After her encounter with Gary, Aqua swam as fast as her tail could take her.  Once she was certain Gary hadn
’
t followed her,  Aqua headed home.   Once she got home,  Aqua swam to her room and gently placed  her locket on her desk.

“
I
’
m so sorry I lost you! Please be ok! Please! Please! Please!
” 
Aqua begged as she begun to inspect her locket
Upon closer inspection, the locket seemed fine other than a few pearls missing from its chain.  There were no signs of tracking devices or any land penguin technology on it.  Aqua opened the locket and let out a sigh of relief.  The pearl was still safe and sound inside.    
“
Thank goodness you
’
re ok!
”
Aqua cheered as she hugged her locket.

“
You wait right here while I get more pearls to patch you up,
” 
Aqua smiled as she tucked the locket away in one of the desk
’
s drawers.
After returning with more pearls, Aqua repaired her locket.“I’m just glad nobody followed me.” Aqua sighed with relief.Little did Aqua know that someone had followed her home.  Someone far more dangerous than Gary.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Weeks went by as Gary slaved away on the Mer-suit 3000. Every now and then he would study the old camera bot feeds.  Gary carefully studied Aqua
’
s movements.  They were so graceful!  He felt like he could watch her swim all day!  In fact, Gary loved watching Aqua so much that he had to limit his time spent watching the submarine camera feeds. Otherwise he would lose track of time. 
Finally, the Mer-suit 3000 was ready. 
“
Finally!  the Mer-suit 3000 is fully operational!  All that
’
s left to do is test it!
” 
Gary chirped as he admired his invention.

Wasting no time,  Gary put on some scuba gear, grabbed the Mer-suit 3000, and teleported to the Mine Shack
’
s swimming pool.

Once he arrived at the swimming pool,  Gary squeezed into the suit.  The navy blue neoprene was a tight fit over Gary
’
s body but it was needed to cover and protect the mechanical parts of the suit.  The neoprene also made the suit look more like a real merpenguin tail.  Hopefully, the neoprene ruse would help keep Aqua from getting suspicious.

The moment Gary dove into the water, he could tell the Mer-suit 3000 was a success.  Not only could it function underwater without frying it
’
s mechanical parts but it almost felt natural.  If Gary didn
’
t know any better, he would assume he always had a tail.

“
Gadzooks!  This is wonderful!
” 
Gary blubbed as he swam a few laps around the pool. 
After a few hours of swimming, Gary climbed out of the water and let out a triumphant laugh.
“
The Mer-suit 3000 is a success!
” 
Gary declared as he slid out of the suit and teleported back to his lab.

“
Now all I need to do is track down he merpenguin
’
s location!
” 
Gary cheered as he checked the Underwater camera-bot 3000
’
s feeds.
Meanwhile, Aqua was cleaning her locket when she accidentally knocked it onto the floor.“Oh crabs!” Aqua exclaimed as she bent over to pick it up.However the moment Aqua’s flipper touched  her locket, she let out a gasp.There, with her locket wrapped around one of its claws, was a bright red crab!  However, Aqua knew this was not just any crab.
“
Klutzy?!
” 
Aqua shrieked.

Startled by Aqua
’
s shouting, Klutzy jumped out of the drawer and scuttled away with the locket.

“
Hey! Come back here with that!
” 
Aqua demanded as she swam after him.
After what felt like hours of chasing Klutzy, Aqua had finally captured him.
“
Gotcha!
” 
She cheered as she held the crab in her flippers. 
“
Now give me back my locket and I
’
ll let you go.
”

Before Klutzy could release Aqua
’
s locket, a loud yet familiar growl boomed from above.
Aqua slowly poked her head out of the water to find the source of the voice. Suddenly, all of the color drained from her face.
“
Oh crabs! Herbert!
” 
She gasped as she dove back under the water.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“
Klutzy! Where are you?!
”
Hebert glubbed as he dipped his head into the water.

Klutzy wriggled out of Aqua
’
s grip and darted to the surface, taking Aqua
’
s locket with him.

“
No!
” 
Aqua shrieked as she swam after Klutzy.
She tried to grab Klutzy once more but it was too late. For, Klutzy had already made it back to Herbert.Herbert grumbled as he sat on a soggy wooden plank.  After his latest plan to take over Club Penguin had failed, Hebert Klutzy had been hurled into the sea.  They were left with nothing but the debris of their failed inventions to keep them a float. If there was one thing Herbert hated more than the cold and the EPF, it was the sea.  Desperate to get back to shore, Herbert forced Klutzy to find tools to help beneath the sea.
“
I swear if that crab does
’
t come back I
’
ll-
”
Herbert was cut off by Klutzy jumping aboard the wooden plank, nearly toppling it over in the process.

“
Klutzy!  How many times do I have to tell you not to jump around?!  You nearly tipped me over!
” 
Herbert roared. 
Klutzy clicked apologetically.
“
You should be sorry.
” 
Herbert grumbled as he folded his arms.  
“
Now, did you find anything we can use to get back to shore or not?
”

Klutzy nodded eagerly and presented Herbert with Aqua
’
s locket.

“
Seriously, Klutzy?!
” 
Herbert snapped as he snatched the locket out of Klutzy
’
s claws. 
“
Do you honestly expect this tacky piece of jewelry to get us back to shore?!
”
Klutzy nodded and clicked loudly.
“
Really? So you
’
re telling me, that using this tiny trinket will summon a merpenguin that will magically take us back to shore?
” 
Hebert growled sarcastically as he inspected the locket.
Klutzy nodded once more and clicked excitedly.
“

Have you lost your mind?!

” 
Herbert roared.  Herbert
’
s roar nearly knocked Klutzy overboard.

“
Merpenguins are just a myth, you daft creature!
” 
Herbert snapped as he threw the locket back into the water.

“
Now you
’
re going to go back down there and find us something that
’
s useful!  No more fairytales!
” 
Herbert commanded.
He was about to throw Klutzy back into the sea when he felt something bump the bottom of the wooden plank.
“
Huh?
” 
Hebert looked down and he couldn
’
t believe what he saw!
There, beneath the wooden plank, was a living, swimming merpenguin!
“
It can
’
t be
…” 
Herbert murmured to himself.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“
Klutzy! Go down there and investigate what that creature is!
” 
Herbert commanded as he pointed to the water.
Klutzy nodded and jumped into the water.Meanwhile,  Aqua had just managed to catch her locket. 
“
Thank goodness you
’
re alright!
” 
Aqua cheered with a sigh of relief.
She was about to swim home when she felt something land on her head.
“
What the shell?
”
Aqua looked up and letting out a loud shriek.
Klutzy had fallen on her head.Aqua shook her head rapidly in an attempt to shake the crab off of her head.   However, Klutzy held on tightly to her pearl headband.
“
Get off me! Get off me! Get off of me!
” 
Aqua shrieked as she finally managed to shake Klutzy loose.

Klutzy fell off of Aqua
’
s head and landed square on her locket.  Once Klutzy
’
s mind begun to process what was going on, he grabbed Aqua
’
s locket and yanked it out of her flippers. Klutzy then begun to swim back to Herbert.

“
No! No! We
’
re not doing this again!
”
Aqua shouted as she swam after Klutzy.
It only took a few minutes for Aqua to catch Klutzy.
“
Gotcha, you little shrimp!
”
Aqua cheered as she held Klutzy tightly.

“
Now, you
’
re going to give me back my locket or else I
’
m gonna-
”
Aqua was cut off by the sound of someone rudely clearing their throat.
Aqua looked up and let out a shriek.
“
Sorry, am I interrupting something?
” 
Herbert grumbled as he shot Aqua a glare.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Aqua begun to panic.  She was so focused on getting her locket back, that she didn
’
t even realize that she had exposed herself to Herbert!

“
N-No, you
’
re not interrupting anything. I
’
m just trying to get my
…
Grandmother
’
s locket back from this crab here.
”
Aqua lied nervously.

“
Is that so?
” 
Herbert
’
s mouth curled into a sinister smirk.

“
Y-yup!  Once I get the locket back I
’
ll be out of your fur.
” 
Aqua stuttered as she tried to pry her locket out of Klutzy
’
s claws.

“
Perhaps I could be of assistance.
” 
Herbert
’
s smirk morphed into a sharp toothed grin.

“
No!
” 
Aqua shrieked. 
“
Uh, I mean, no thank you!  I-I don
’
t want you to go to all that trouble.
”

“
Oh it
’
ll be no trouble at all. In fact it
’
ll be my pleasure to help you.
”
Hebert chuckled darkly.
Before Aqua could say another word, Hebert yanked Klutzy out of her grip and snatched the locket out of his claws.
“
See? It was no trouble at all.
” 
Hebert cooed as he held the locket in his paw.

Aqua
’
s face turned paler than Hebert
’
s snow white fur. She didn
’
t even want to think about what horrible things Hebert could do with her locket.
Aqua opened her beak to speak but fear had robbed her of her voice.
“
What
’
s the matter?  Are you afraid I might hurt your precious locket?
” 
Herbert chuckled as Aqua begun to sweat.

“
I can
’
t say I blame you. This truly is a nice trinket, isn
’
t it?
” 
Herbert cooed as he played with the locket.
Aqua swallowed hard as she finally found her voice.
“
Th-Thank you, Mr. Polar bear.  N-Now if I can have my locket back I
’
ll be out of your fur and we can forget this ever happened.
” 
Aqua chuckled nervously.

“
Why of course, you can have it back.  It would be silly to keep something that doesn
’
t belong to me.
” 
Hebert chuckled as he dangled the locket in front of Aqua.
Aqua reached for the locket, only for Herbert to yank it away.
“
but before I do
…
May I ask you for a favor?
”
Herbert
’
s sharp teeth glistened as he spoke.

Aqua felt sick to her stomach.  She knew it wouldn
’
t be  that easy to get her locket back from Herbert.

“
Wh-What kind of favor are you
…
Asking for?
” 
Aqua stuttered.

“
Oh it
’
s not much. All I ask is that you take me and my friend back to Club Penguin Island.
” 
Herbert
’
s words were laced with malice.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Aqua was on the verge of tears.  She had a bad feeling he was going to ask  for something like that.

“
C
’
mon now. It
’
s the least you can do for me. After all, I helped you get your locket back didn
’
t I?
” 
Herbert was slowly starting to get more impenitent as he spoke.

“

After all, I helped you get your locket back didn

’

t I?

”
Hebert
’
s words echoed in Aqua
’
s mind.

Aqua wanted to scream and swim away. She didn
’
t want to help him with anything but the merpenguin code forced her to comply.
Suddenly an idea graced her terrified mind.
"Very well. I will get you two back to Club Penguin Island but you must return my.. grandmother
’
s locket.
” 
Aqua explained.

“
Of course I will return your locket. Just take us back already.
” 
Herbert grumbled as he pointed ahead.

“
Ok then.
” 
Aqua sighed as she swam underneath the wooden plank and begun to push it towards Club Penguin.

“
Can
’
t you go any faster?
” 
Herbert demanded as he stomped on the plank.

“
I
’
m going as fast as I can
…
This plank is very heavy.
” 
Aqua heaved.

“
What
’
s that supposed to mean?!
” 
Herbert snapped.

“
Nothing. Let
’
s just keep going.
”
Aqua grumbled as she continued to push the plank.

Meanwhile, Gary had no luck tracking Aqua
’
s location. None of the Under-water Camera bot
’
s feeds showed any signs of Aqua.

“
Zounds! I can
’
t seem to locate her.  No matter! I
’
ll go find her myself!
” 
Gary announced as he changed into a wetsuit, grabbed the Mer-Suit 3000 and teleported to the Ice Berg. 
Wasting no time, Gary squeezed into the Mer-Suit 3000.
“
Merpenguin here I come!
” 
He cheered as he dove into the water.

After a few hours had passed,  Aqua saw Club Penguin
’
s Ice Berg up ahead.   Wasting no time, Aqua put her plan into action.  She bit down on her crystal bracelet and snapped the pearl chain.

“
Oh no!
” 
Aqua exclaimed with as much surprise as she could muster.

“
What
’
s going on down there?!
”
Herbert demanded as he poked his head into the water.

“
I lost my bracelet too! I need to go find it! I
’
ll be right back I promise!
” 
Aqua explained.

“
Are you serious right now?!  Can
’
t this wait until after we get back to Club Penguin?!
”
Herbert snapped.

“
No I
’
m afraid not. Don
’
t worry.  The merpenguin code won
’
t let me back out of our agreement. I have no choice but to come back.
” 
Aqua assured.

“
Fine but make it quick! Unless you want something to happen to your precious locket.
” 
Herbert growled.

“
Thank you for your patience!
” 
Aqua chirped as she dove under the water.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Once she was certain Hebert wasn
’
t watching, she swam to the Ice Berg.  She was about to put the next part of her plan into action when she noticed something big swimming near the Ice Berg.

“
What the shell?
” 
Aqua muttered to herself.
As much as she wanted to investigate the strange creature, Aqua needed to put her plan into action before she was forced to return to Herbert.Unfortunately, the strange creature had spotted her and begun to swim straight for her!  She tried to swim away but the creature was too fast.  Before she knew what was happening the creature nearly ran into her!  Aqua squeezed her eyes shut and braced for impact.  However, the impact never came. Instead, there was a familiar sounding voice.
“
My apologies! I guess I didn
’
t realize how fast I was going.
” 
Gary chuckled nervously.

Aqua opened her eyes and let out an internal groan.  She saw right through the Mer-Suit 3000
’
s ruse.

“

Seriously, Gary? Ugh. I don

’

t have time for this.

”
  She grumbled to herself. 
Aqua was about to swim away but Gary was in her way.
“
It
’
s fine.  No need to apologize.
” 
Aqua sighed.

“
Is there something wrong?
” 
Gary inquired. His words were laced with nervousness.

“
Well, it
’
s nothing to do with you if that
’
s what you
’
re asking.
” 
Aqua assured.

“
Well, surely you can tell me what
’
s wrong. Perhaps I can help.
” 
Gary offered nervously.

“
It
’
s just
…” 
Aqua trailed off.
Suddenly, another idea graced her mind. Gary was familiar with Herbert.  Perhaps he could help get her out of this mess.
“
Well
…
Ok this is going to sound crazy but
…
. a polar bear got ahold of my locket and is forcing me to take him to Club Penguin.
” 
Aqua confessed.
Gary let out a gasp.
“
Gadzooks! Herbert!
”
Gary blurted out.

“
Hebert?
” 
Aqua tried her best to act confused.

“
Y-Yes! Herbert! He
’
s an evil polar bear who wants to take over Club Penguin!
” 
Gary exclaimed.
Aqua pretended to give him a confused stare.
“
How do you know that
’
s true?
” 
She inquired as she narrowed her eyes.

“
W-Well that
’
s what I recall overhearing from a conversation between two land penguins
…”
Gary lied.

“
Regardless of whether or not it
’
s true, if the polar bear that has your locket is indeed Herbert then you
’
re in danger!
”
Gary explained.
Aqua gasped and let some of her anxiety slip through her confused facade.
“
Wh-What should I do?  I-I can
’
t just tell him no!  He technically helped me get my locket back from a crab!  Everyone knows the merpenguin code won
’
t allow me to refuse his request!
” 
Aqua cried.

In truth, Aqua really didn
’
t know what to do.  All she could do was hope she could convince Gary to take Herbert off her flippers for her.

“
Wait a minute. He hasn
’
t returned your locket to you yet has he?
” 
Gary inquired.

Suddenly Aqua
’
s eyes lit up.

“
You
’
re right.  He didn
’
t give me my locket back!  Therefore I
’
m technically not in debt to him!
” 
Aqua cheered.

Suddenly, Aqua
’
s smile fell.

“
I still need my locket back though. Sentimental value aside, it contains a lot of powerful magic.  If this Herbert guy is as bad as the land penguins say then we need to get it back from him somehow.
” 
Aqua explained.
Gary hummed.  Suddenly a crazy idea hit him like a sack of bricks.
“
I
’
ve got it!  What if someone else was to retrieve your locket?
” 
Gary suggested.

“
Well, that idea sounds good in theory but if this Herbert guy is really that dangerous then I
’
m not sure if that
’
s such a good idea.
” 
Aqua admitted sheepishly.

“
Well that may be true but it
’
ll be worth a try won
’
t it?
” 
Gary explained.

“
I guess but how would be crazy enough to go up against a guy like Herbert?
” 
Aqua replied.
Gary thought for a moment. He then glanced over at Aqua. 
Despite her nervous expression she was still just as lovely as ever. The soft sunlight that pure in from the surface made the crystals in her hair glow and the scales of her tail sparkle.  Gary remembered how happy she looked in the Underwater- Camera bot
’
s feeds.  Her smile was so charming.  Gary wanted to see it again. Only this time he wanted to see it without using the Underwater- Camera bot.

“
Perhaps I could be the one to retrieve your locket?
” 
Gary offered sheepishly.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“
Are you crazy?!  You
’
re honestly going to go up against a dangerous polar bear by yourself?!
” 
Aqua cried.

“
W-Well It
’
s not like I
’
m going to
…
J-Just trust me on this. I promise I
’
ll find a way to get your locket back!
” 
Gary stuttered.

“
Ok then, I guess.
” 
Aqua sighed.
Gary opened his beak to speak when a loud shout cut him off.
“
Merpenguin! What
’
s taking you so long?!
”
Herbert roared from above.

Gary cringed.  That was definitely Herbert
’
s voice alright.

“
Looks like I gotta get back to that polar bear now. So if you really want to go up against him, I won
’
t stop you.
” 
Aqua sighed as she swam back to Herbert.

“

What were you thinking?! You can

’

t take on Herbert without the proper precautions! This plan has a ninety-nine point nine percent chance of failure!

”
Gary
’
s mind shrieked.
Gary was about to swim away when he heard Herbert shout once more.
“
Took you long enough! Now stop playing games and take me to Club Penguin! I don
’
t care whether or not you found your useless bracelet!
” 
Herbert sneered.

“
Very well. Sorry for the wait.
” 
Aqua grumbled as she swam under the wooden plank.

“
Don
’
t get an attitude with me! Unless you want your precious locket destroyed!
” 
Herbert demanded.
Gary's fear morphed into rage.  Not only was Herbert about to use Aqua to further his next evil plan, but he was also berating her in the process!  Gary growled as he swam after Aqua.“What are you doing?!” Aqua hissed as Gary swam around her and latched onto the other side of the plank. Without thinking, Gary mustered up as much strength as he could and tried to tip over the plank."Be careful down there!"  Herbert demanded as he struggled to keep his balance on the plank.“Helping…you…out”  Gary heaved as he tried to push again. 
Aqua was about to stop Gary when something clicked in her mind.
“Helping…you…out” Gary’s words reminded Aqua of the merpenguin code.Aqua decided it was way better to grant Gary a wish rather than Herbert. "Let me help."  Aqua whispered as she grabbed the other end of the plank.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Once she grabbed her end of the plank she gave Gary a nod of approval.  Then they both pushed with all their might.

SPLOOSH!

SPLISH!
Herbert  let out a scream as he and Klutzy were pushed overboard.  The impact hurled them into the sea.Herbert thrashed about, desperately struggling to make it back to the surface. Herbert accidentally punched Klutzy multiple times in the process.  As he thrashed, Herbert dropped Aqua's locket. "I'll take those off your paws for you!"  Aqua chirped as she caught both her locket and Klutzy."And I'll be taking you… into… custody!"  Gary heaved as he struggled to drag Herbert away.Aqua chuckled as she helped Gary drag Herbert to the Ice Berg.Once they arrived, Aqua and Gary tossed both Herbert and Klutzy on to the shore.The moment Klutzy landed, he jumped up and frantically begun to slap Herbert back to life.“Wow, I can’t believe that actually worked!”  Aqua cheered as she poked her head out of the water.“Neither did I.” Gary admitted sheepishly.  “I honestly wasn’t thinking at all when I attempted that stunt.”“Now if I can just make it back onto land, I can call for reinforcement.”  Gary muttered under his breath.Little did he know that Aqua had overheard his remark. “Want some help with that?” Aqua chuckled as Gary’s face heated up.“H-Help with what?” Gary stuttered.“Getting back onto land.” Aqua smiled warmly.  “Yeah, I had a feeling you weren’t actually a merpenguin.”“Was it that obvious?” Gary whimpered.“Kind of…Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone about this.”  Aqua assured.Gary hung his head low.“I suppose I owe you an apology. It wasn’t my intention to deceive you.  I just wanted to talk to you but you seemed so scared of me..”  Gary confessed.“Well, we merpenguins have natural trust issues. It’s nothing personal.”  Aqua explained as she rubbed the back of her head.“I suppose that’s true. “ Gary chuckled.“Now you better get you back onto land before that Hebert guy gets away.”  Aqua smiled.“Oh!  Right yes! Herbert!  I almost forgot about him!”  Gary chuckled as he tried to heave his body back onto land.“Need some help?” Aqua giggled as she pushed him up onto the Ice Berg.
THUMP!
Gary plopped onto the Ice Berg. “Thank you!” Gary chirped as he waved to Aqua.“No problem! I have to go now. Good luck with that Herbert guy!”  Aqua replied as she waved.As she waved goodbye, Gary couldn’t help but notice her sweet smile had returned.  It really was much more beautiful than what he saw in the Under-Water Camera Bot’s feeds.Before Gary could say another word, Aqua had disappeared under the water.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Gary let out a heartbroken sigh as he slid out of the Mer-Suit 3000.
He then turned to face Herbert.Luckily for him, Hebert had only just started to wake up.For Klutzy's slapping had finally forced Herbert's eyes open. Herbert groaned as he slowly sat up and coughed up the excess sea water in his lungs.Gary let out a sigh of relief, pulled out his spyphone, and made a few calls.“Calling all agents! Report to the Ice Berg at once!”  Gary announced.Sure enough EPF agents from all around the island begun to arrive at the Ice Berg.Jet Pack Guy slapped a pair of handcuffs onto Herbert’s wrists.“Herbert P. Bear. Esquire, you are hereby under arrest by order of the Elite Penguin Force!” Jet Pack Guy declared.“Ugh. Can’t this wait? I just woke up.” Herbert groaned as he tried to wriggle out of the handcuffs.“Nope! You’re coming with us now!”  Alpha chuckled as she picked Herbert off of the ground.The moment he saw Alpha, Hebert’s confusion morphed into rage.“You! Why must you always ruin my day?! I haven’t even done anything yet and you’re already throwing me around?!”  Herbert roared as he tried to shake Alpha off of him.“Aww, I missed you too, Hebert.”  Alpha cooed sarcastically as she picked up Klutzy as well.“Don’t worry, we’ll be spending plenty of time together once we get back to Headquarters.”  Alpha chuckled as she helped escort him and Klutzy into a transport vehicle.“This isn’t over! Once I’m free I’ll get my revenge!”  Herbert declared as the transport vehicle drove away.“Sounds great to me! I’ll look forward to thwarting your next plan!”  Alpha retorted as she waved goodbye.“Wow, G! How did you manage to capture Herbert?!”  Rookie exclaimed.“Well, let’s say I had a little help from a new friend.”  Gary admitted as he looked over at the sea.“Oooh! Are they a new agent?!”  Rookie squealed eagerly.  “Can I meet them?!”“They aren’t an agent but they did ask me to keep their identity a secret.”   Gary explained as his tone grew more somber as he spoke.“Aww, that stinks! Well I hope I can meet them someday! Anyone who can beat Herbert sounds like a cool penguin in my book!” Rookie chirped. “Yes, I hope we will meet again someday…”  Gary murmured.“Rookie! We need to get back to Headquarters to deal with Hebert!”  Jet Pack Guy snapped.“Oh! Right! Coming! See you at the HQ, G!”  Rookie yelped as he teleported away.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Something wrong, G?”  Alpha inquired as she took note of Gary’s somber expression.
For a moment Gary didn’t say a word.  He sat down and stared at his reflection in the water.It didn’t take a scientist to figure out that Gary was hurting. Alpha felt horrible. She had never seen Gary so sad before.She let out a sigh as she sat down next to him.“Did your new friend… hurt you, by chance?”  Alpha asked sympathetically.“Not intentionally…”  Gary sighed.Alpha felt as if something had stabbed her in the chest.“Are you going to be ok?”  Alpha inquired as she struggled to hide the sadness in her voice.“Hopefully…”  Gary murmured as he continued to gaze into his reflection.A few moments of silence passed before Gary finally found his will to speak again.“I don’t even know if I’ll ever see her again…” His voice wavered as he spoke.“Who? Your new friend?”  Alpha asked weakly.Gary nodded and buried his face in his flippers.“I didn’t even get her name. She always swims away before I can get a chance to ask.”  He whimpered.Alpha bit her beak.  She couldn’t bear to see someone she looked up to so sad. Alpha wished there was a way she could cheer up Gary.  Suddenly, she remembered something.“G, is your new friend…”  Alpha took a deep breath.  “Is your new friend that merpenguin you showed me back at headquarters, by chance?” Gary perked up a bit and took his flippers away from his face.“Why yes, yes she is. How did you guess?”  Gary asked. The sadness in his voice was replaced my surprise.“Well you said she always swims away. So I just took a lucky guess.” Alpha laughed nervously.“You always did have good intuition, agent.” Gary chuckled.“I admit that I was indeed charmed by that lovely mistress of the sea.”  Gary sighed as the sadness in his voice returned.“You know, G. I bet she probably owes you a wish.”  Alpha mused.“How can you be so sure of that?”  Gary whimpered.“Well, I have done some research on merpenguins after you showed me those submarine camera feeds.  I read that if you help a merpenguin then you’ll get a wish. I have a feeling that Herbert probably wanted to use her for one of his evil plans. So by stopping him you probably helped her big time.”  Alpha explained nervously.“I suppose that’s true. I did help her but… she helped me too.”  Gary confessed.“Even still. I think you should try to talk to her again.  She might be more willing to talk to you now that she’s worked with you.” Alpha encouraged.“I don’t know…There’s still a ninety eight point eight percent chance she’ll get scared and swim away again.”  Gary muttered.“She won’t swim away. If what I read was true then…Then she’d probably be happy to see you.”  Alpha explained.Gary stayed silent as uncertainty robbed him of his voice.“Just think of all the wonderful things you could learn about merpenguins! Why there’s so many things you could ask her. That’s well worth the risk if you ask me.” Alpha cheeredGary hummed as he stared into his reflection in the water once more.“Trust me, G. I think it’ll definitely worth it if you try to talk to her again.” Alpha urged gently.Gary took a deep breath as he thought about Alpha’s words.“Just think of all the wonderful things you could learn about merpenguins! Why there’s so many things you could ask her. That’s well worth the risk if you ask me.”  Alpha’s words echoed in Gary’s mind.“You know what? You’re right, agent! There’s so much I could learn from her!” Gary jumped to his feet.“That’s the spirit, G!” Alpha cheered as she got up too.“However, I am still rather nervous…Do you think you could come with me?” Gary asked sheepishly.“I’m afraid not, G.  I gotta deal with Herbert back at headquarters.  Besides, I think it’s best for you to go alone. Too many land penguins might scare her away again.”  Alpha explained.“I suppose that’s true. Good luck with Herbert, agent. I’ll meet you back at headquarters shortly.” Gary announced as he teleported back to his lab.“Good luck to you too, G.” Alpha smiled as she watched him teleport away.“Heh. I know you’re making the right choice, G.” Alpha giggled as she teleported away too.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Back at his lab, Gary grabbed his Music Player 3000 and teleported to the Hidden Lake in the Mine Shack.
He took a deep breath and played the same melody he played when he first summoned Aqua.Gary grew more and more nervous with each passing second. He felt as if his heart would burst out of his chest. “C’mon, please show up! Please show up!”  Gary begged softly as he anxiously stared at the wooden gate.Suddenly, he heard Aqua’s lovely voice echo throughout the Hidden Lake. Aqua sang along to the music as she slowly made her way into the lake.Gary felt his face heat up as Aqua swam right up to him.“Why hello again, stranger.”  She giggled.“Hello to you too.”  Gary blushed.“Let me guess, you’re here for your wish right?”  Aqua chirped.“Well not exactly.” Gary admitted as he rubbed the back of his head.Aqua gave him a surprised stare.“Really? Then why did you want to see me again?”  Aqua asked as she tilted her head to the side.“W-Well, I actually just wanted to ask you questions about yourself and well merpenguins in general” Gary confessed.  His voice oozed with nervousness.“Oh wow. Most land penguins don’t usually care about us merpenguins.”  Aqua giggled. “Well I care! I genuinely want to learn more about merpenguins. Honest!”  Gary chirped.“Well in that case, ask away!  Keep in mind I can’t answer all of your questions.  Somethings are meant to be kept secret.”  Aqua explained.“Can you tell me why you rescued me?”  Gary blurted out.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Aqua gave Gary a confused look.“Rescued you? From what? That Herbert guy?”  Aqua replied.“No. Not Herbert. It’s just… Well, I keep having the same dream where you rescue me from drowning. That’s all.”  Gary admitted sheepishly.“Rescue you from drowning?” Aqua hummed as she rubbed her chin.Her eyes widened a little as a memory finally came to mind.“Oh! Were you in like a little orb or something? Because I remember saving a land penguin who looked like you but he was in an orb thingy.” Aqua explained as she replayed the memory in her mind.“Well technically it was the main chamber of the Aqua Grabber 3000 but yes! That was indeed me! I accidentally crashed the poor machine and it ejected me.” Gary confirmed as embarrassment begun to creep up on him.“Oh my! Well that explains why you were in that orb.” Aqua giggled as she rubbed the back of her head. “I truly am grateful for you saving me. “ Gary blushed as he looked down at his webbed feet.“Well I couldn’t just let you drown. Just because you’re a land penguin doesn’t mean you deserve to be at the bottom of the ocean!  Besides, I’ve always been fascinated by land penguins.” Aqua explained as she played with her hair.“W-Well you’re more than welcome to ask me anything you’d like to know!” Gary stuttered as he felt his heart flutter a bit.“I’d love to chat but I gotta get home soon.” Aqua admitted as she rubbed the back of her head.“Wait! Can’t you at least tell me your name before you go?!” Gary cried out.“My name? Oh right! Sorry for not introducing myself sooner. My name’s Aqua! You’re Gary right?”  Aqua mused as she fidgeted with her locket.Gary nearly melted when she said his name.“I can’t believe she remembers my name!” Gary thought to himself as he tried to calm himself down.“Y-yes! That’s my name!” Gary stuttered.“Are you ok?” Aqua asked as she tilted her head to the side. She had never seen any penguin so nervous before.“Yup! Just fine!” Gary announced as he finally managed to pull himself together.“Are you sure?” Aqua asked as she continued to fidget.“Positive! Although I am sad you have to leave so soon. I wish you could stay longer.” Gary sighed as he adjusted his glasses.“I wish you could stay longer.”   Gary’s words echoed in Aqua’s mind.“Well I do owe you a wish! Alright I’ll stick around for a little while longer.” Aqua admitted with a smile.Gary nearly jumped for joy.  He had completely forgotten about his wish.  Suppressing an excited laugh, Gary cleared his throat.Aqua and Gary spent the rest of the day asking questions and getting answers.  The nervous atmosphere melted away as the two chatted away. Gary felt like he could listen to Aqua all day. She was so intelligent and funny.  The feeling was mutual as Aqua enjoyed listening to Gary ramble about science.  He was a lot more fun than she thought he was. Eventually their conversation was cut short by the sound of Gary’s spyphone ringing.
BRRING BRRING

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Zounds! I’m terribly sorry, Aqua but it seems I need to cut our conversation short.” Gary sighed.
“No worries! I gotta get going too. It was nice meeting you, Gary!” Aqua chirped as she disappeared under the wooden gate.“It was a pleasure meeting you too!”  Gary called after her as he waved goodbye.Gary teleported back to the EPF command room as fast as he could.Once he arrived, he was met with a very remorseful Rookie, and a very annoyed Jet Pack Guy.“I apologize for my absence, agents. I had some personal matters to attend to.” Gary announced.“G, it’s about time you got here! Rookie here let Herbert get away!” Jet Pack Guy growled as he shot Rookie a glare.“I’m so sorry, G! I-I didn’t mean to tell him out! It’s just that Kluzty said that he and Herbert were uncomfortable so I was just trying to make them more comfy! I’m so so sorry!” Rookie blubbered as he begun to panic.
“Are you kidding me?! This the second time this has happened, Rookie!” Gary snapped.
Taking a deep breath, Gary let out annoyed sigh.“Looks like we’re going to have to track him down again. Alright, Rookie we’re going to have to have a discussion about your behavior later. Right now I need to make sure Herbert hasn’t stolen anything on his way out.”  Gary huffed as he turned to his computer.“We finally had him!” Jet Pack Guy growled as he stormed off.Rookie sniffled as he followed behind Jet Pack Guy.After making sure nothing was stolen, Gary decided it was time for bed and teleported back to his igloo.Meanwhile, Aqua was also getting ready for bed.She put on her favorite night gown and snuggled into her pink bed. The moment her head hit her pillow, Aqua had fallen into a deep sleep.Adella arrived shortly after her sister and made her way into their shared bedroom. She stifled a chuckle as she saw her sister fast asleep.“Looks like someone’s had an exciting day.”  Adella whispered to herself as she climbed into her own bed and turned out the light.“Sweet dreams, sis.”