XXXI. Arrival. Airport 'Heathrow' was a busy place. Multitude of people were leaving, arriving, waiting on arriving or partying with the leaving. But they all were same - no one took attention of what was going on the level of their feet. Trailer-trains were rolling over the airfield, and their drivers didn't know, they too were driving passengers. Those, who cant go to airport's case and order two tickets for Mr. and Mrs. Mouse or five tickets for Mrs. Rat and her family. Into one of the huge warehouses two gray mice were lying on the one of steel beams high over the room. "I have bad feelings about this job, Sammy," youngest one whispered. "Calm down." "If someone finds out about what we are doing... Sammy, we will be test animals for rest of our lives!" "If we don't, we will not live long enough to feel the difference. Shut up." Bot felt silent for a moment. Then from one of crates on warehouse floor came sounds of tearing. "You checked the bounds?" oldest asked. "Yes..." mouse shivered as from cold. "Will he get free?" "'Will he get free?' From the sounds, he is already and is wanting blood!" Both again felt silent. "Sammy, but if she will not arrive today?" Older mouse hissed in anger, and younger one closed his mouth. "Attention! Passenger plane Boing-747, travelling from New York to London, will arrive five min after the planned time. Passengers will leave through the fifth exit." "Heard?" oldest of the two mice sneered. "For fifth exit, its meaning, their baggage will go though this warehouse! Now sit down and be calm!" "What if she is not on plane? Lucifer will not allow us to fool him twice." "She is on board!" "Okay, okay. But how you know?" "One more squeak, Jim..." Sammy growled. Jim felt silent again. Both mice looked, how warehouse doors opened, and came in two airport workers. "I swear, that old cat again had got in!" one said, looking around. "Old Prime-minister? He will got into any crack, you forgot to close for a second." "If he will again wet on crates, I will personally put him in bag and dunk into Thames." "Calm down, better clear the place for the post bags." Mice freeze. "What if they find Lucifer?" Jim whispered. "It was your responsibility to cover his cage." With fear, they both looked, how the men loaded few crates on trailed carriage and then pushed it out, closing doors after them. Mary looked around. No one was visible, but she anyway cringed, entering Mike's casino. If her family or some friends sees her entering such a place... Inside the room was in shadows. Lights were dimmed, the personnel preparing for the evening activity. "Boss here?" she asked one of cleaners. "Nope." "Okay, give him the note." Mary gave the mouse a piece of paper. "'Arrives tomorrow morning at Heathrow. Don't miss her.' Okay, I will pass it to him, when he comes." "And this is for you to not forget." Small coin changed paws, and Mary left, without second look around. Alex, Lawainee and few other small animals - mostly mice with two Canadian squirrels and one rat - were sitting tightly together into one of empty crates from the food. It wasn't ordinary crate. Being high, it had the double bottom, leaving space for them to be comfortable. "How you feel?" Alex asked. "Strange. Arrival on the land of my dreams..." Lawainee whispered. "Wait till you will meet your new-found family..." Alex said slowly. Crate get raised and dropped. It rolled down somewhere, all the 'passengers' holding with all four paws, then it was raised and placed somewhere, where it was driven to some place. After few min of moving, it got dropped again. Started long silence. One of two mice stewardess strapped out from her safety harness and walked to the doors. Opening them into crack, she peered out, then tossed them wide open. "Arrived," she said. Slowly passengers stood up and climbed out. "Now!" Sam hissed. Jim pulled the string, and the steel bar that hold the cage doors closed far below, opened. With angry yell, out jumped red-yellow colored cat. "It was the last straw!" he roared. Passengers froze. "I think I heard a cat," one young mouse whispered. "You heard right," Alex whispered back, frantically looking for the source of roar. Then it was coming at them on top speed. Mice scattered in all directions. "Lucifer, no! It's the truce ground! You promised!" one of stewardess screamed, before she get stomped into floor. Short scream and cat turned to the other victims. No one of passengers was still in open. They knew well when to hide. Lawainee was lying on stomach under some crate, Alex at her side. "Great homecoming, didn't you agree?" she whispered ironically. "We will land at Stansted into ten minutes," Chip returned to the rest of rangers and Syril sitting into cargo room between crates. Plane shaked, when it start to descend toward runway. "How you feel returning to land of your ancestors?" Syril pulled out paper and pencil and looked at Gadget. "Excuse me?" "I asked, how you feel, for first time stepping on the land of your grandparents?" "Ahh, but I was here before." "A," Syril quickly crossed the sentence on her notebook and smiled. "But this time it need be different. You are coming to claim your heritage, your roots." "I... I don't know..." Gadget whispered. "Okay, lets write... 'She is uncertain about her feelings at the moment'..." Syril scribe on the paper. "You are planning to print it all?" Gadget asked, suddenly noticing Syril's obsession. "Sure! That's my purpose on this travel! Imagine how the ratings will go up, my dear!" "Syril, I'm not certain, you should..." "Oh, come on, dear! It's..." Rest of rangers pressed paws over their ears. They need stay that way all the time till the plane landed. Lawainee and Alex looked at the cat from under their hideout. The beast was sitting and looking around, dead mouse lying near his forepaws. "Great welcome," Lawainee whispered. "A few steps further, and he may got a few more." Cat's ears turned their way, and Alex didn't reply. After some time, cat looked other way, and he left the hold breath out. "I don't understand... Airport was always a safe zone... We knew that, and cats too, and penalty for breaking of this law is death." "Very well, I wish I can see, how you will enforce the penalty to this one," Lawainee pointed at cat. "Soon will arrive special units, they will take care of him. Tranquilizators, or something else, I don't know, but they will deal with him." "Things change." "Yes, but usually not to the worse." Cat stood up, and mice went silent. "Where now?" Monty asked, when they was out of the plane, and had made quick dash over the open field to the airport's surrounding wall made from the steel weave. "Well, the advocate is working under the police station at the... " Syril pulled out a paper end. "At the number ten Luttonroad street. Who has map of London?" "Will this do?" Dale pointed at huge map for the humans, posted at the wall. "Let's hope. Zipper, can you, please?" Small fly nod and shoot up. It took him two minutes of crawling, to find the both places. "Excellent." Syril wrote the information down into her notebook. "It will be six railway stations from here. Lets go." "Is there something you DON'T write into it?" Gadget smiled at Syril. "Yes, but it is very little." reporter laughed. Rangers dealed between themselves the packages and started to walk. Railroad station was a halfmile from airport's side. "Where is our rescuers?" Lawainee whispered. "I start freeze all over from this wet could floor." "I don't understand it either. They need be here few hours ago..." Alex replied. They were only two under a small cartoon box, and he wasn't sure, it will stand a determined attack from the cat. "Three hours at least, as we are here. And no one raises an eye." "Someone will need risk and run..." Cat suddenly was alert. His ears stood up, and he looked at the other stack of crates and boxes. As taking a hint from Alex's thoughts, some mouse took sprint over the open place between the stack of crates and wall. Cat immediately was on pursuit. He quickly caught up with runner. Mouse evaded his paws once... Twice... It was only few jumps from the hole into wall, when cat's claws dug into his back... Scream... Silence... Alex hanged head. "He is still alive," Lawainee whispered. Cat carried wounded mouse back to the center of the warehouse and put down. As soon as he tried move, he again jumped at him and pressed to floor with paw. Mouse screamed. "Playing games..." Lawainee slowly whispered. "Okay, I will show you the game!" She hadn't dropped her bag, and now she pulled it closer and opened. Removing few wrappers, she start to assemble the device, Alex remembered pointed at him. "What are you doing?" he asked, curious. "I will scare him away," Lawainee replied, connecting the parts of device together. As the last thing, she poured into it some powder from small paper packet, pressed it with a small pole, and then covered it with piece of lead wrapped into piece of cotton cloth. "Kis-kis?" she called from her hideout. "You are crazy?" Alex hastily whispered. "He will turn our crate over!" "Calm down, he will change his mind when got this in his face," Lawainee grinned. "Kis-kis-kis?" Cat at last heard her. "Who's is there?" he sneered. "Someone who is tougher that you, kitty! Kis- kis-kis!" Cat stood up, pressing the victim down with his paws. "Don't hide then, brave one. Come out, join the fun!" "O, why don't you come to me, kitty?" Cat turned and looked at the crate, Alex and Lawainee was hiding below. "Tell me your last wish, mouse," he hissed. Lawainee crawled out from her hideout. "I wish to dance on your grave!" she cried. Cat jumped. When he was two jumps from her, Lawainee pulled the trigger. Explosion threw her back, and all was covered with the smoke. Into it was heard mad cat yell, and then all went silent. XXXII. Travel organization. Three mice, two chipmunks and a fly were slowly travelling through the canalization of London. "It was a great idea - to hurry up," Monty sighted. "If we had come as we said we will, we will be greeted, they will show us the easiest ways around, help us..." "Stop raise panic, Monty." Chip murmured. "Well, we definitely felt as snow on head to that poor cleaner guy into police station." Gadget smiled. "At least, he gave us the address." "Along with telling us, we were awaited only next day. Nice guy... May at least gave us some advice, where to stay for the night." "Someone felt wise enough to not ask," Dale grinned. "Aw, shut up, Dale." Zipper squeaked from his post at the Gadget's shoulder. "Yes, Zip. We will soon get to the place." A few hundred steps later, they came to the crossroad of pipes, and climbed up. "No one here," Monty declared, raising the cover of the drain rails. "Monty..." Gadget whispered. "What, luv?" "You are looking wrong way." "Why wrong way, I am looking... Yau!" Monty released paws and next moment over the grating shoot car's wheels. The burly Ranger landed on Chip, and like the card-house all rangers in heap crash-landed at the bottom of collector. "They are crazy up there!" Monty exclaimed, standing up and helping others stand too. "The cars are going wrong way!" "Actually, Monty, they are driving a right way. The rest of world changed it to the other way." Gadget explained. "It will give me a big satisfaction, when I get killed by that right way!" Monty cursed. "Till you learn it correct, I suggest you looking BOTH ways, before crossing the street." "Will we climb out or not! This stench start to get on my nose!" Syril stepped from one leg to other. "It will be as soon as someone will stop wailing and will raise the grating." Monty groaned. "Okay, four pennies from nose," rat declared. "And no missing furniture at morning!" "Agree." Syril quickly said. "But we have only dollars." "I accept only USA." "What a surprise, we have the few with us..." Gadget rolled eyes. Syril had beated the price for a quarter from the starting one. They slowly entered into the hole. It was small, but at least it was cleaned recently. "Okay, ladies get the middle room, you can deal two others between yourselves. Come, dear." Syril pulled Gadget through the middle set of doors. "I need some questions answered." Somehow Gadget looked wery unhappy. Chip thought of intervening, but Syril shut the doors behind them. Morning come, and they left to the train station. The mouse had told them, he will leave the message to the staff to call and warn the Fergusholl about their arrival, and they will be greeted at the station. Road to the train station wasn't eventful. Monty once again near went under cartwheels, and after that incident, it was Syril who led the walk, but otherwise it was a dull travel. Rangers didn't see much of the central London. On train, they went into first wagon, into the machinist cabin, being careful to stay unnoticed. Side effect was, they didn't get any look out. "I wish I can bring the RangerWing here once and take a good look at it all from the sky," Gadget sighted. "Good idea, Gadget." "Simply excellent! Where are the greeters?" Dale said loudly, looking over the empty perron. Rangers had disembarked into small station named "Tree-Hills", and again were on their own to find the way to the Fergusholl castle. They were only ones to leave on this station. "Great!" Monty joined chipmunk, sitting down on his bag. "Again forgotten! Great English precision!" "Into the telegraph message Fransis said, castle is about ten miles from the station. Small morning walk..." "Ten miles!" Dale exploded in anger. "It will be afternoon, if we will get at the end of day at all!" "Excuse me, are You the Rescue Rangers?" someone asked. Rangers and Syril turned to see old mouse with partially white fur standing a few steps from them. "Ahh, I see you are feeling better today, that yesterday, miss," he bowed to Gadget. "How is your hand?" "Thanks, it is okay..." Gadget uncertainly answered. "Do we know one other?" "I doubt, but I drove you to the Fergusholl yesterday evening, together with the master Alex. Did the James drove you back this morning to greet your friends?" "Why..." Gadget started, but then Dale broke into their talk. "You are here to help us to go to the castle?" He asked loudly. "Then lets go!" "Yes, master..." "Dale." "Master Dale. I think, the current human lady who lives into Fergusholl, had already purchased her newspapers and other knacks and had picked up the morning post. Her car is around the corner. If you want to get to castle today, please follow me." The car was not the latest model, and the lady turned out a woman in her late thirties. But the car had a big baggage compartment, and someone had took the liberty to create a mouse-sized hole into its side. "Sorry, there aren't windows, but once we got to castle, you will see it all themselves," old mouse sighted. "No worry." Gadget smiled. "What's your name?" "Oh, excuse me. Im Wellington OakTooth, miss Lait." "Excuse me?" Gadget raised eyebrows. "Honoured to meet you," Syril pressed Wellington's hand. "Syril Statsey, reporter. And these are my close friends - Chip MapleWood, Dale OakMount, Jack Monterrey, Gadget HackWrench. And Zipper." "Are you the one of servants into castle?" Dale asked. "No, sir. Im living on the farm near the station. My oldest daughter works into castle, and when there was call from London this morning about you arriving here on your own, I was only one who was close enough to greet you. But excuse, you said, you are Gadget HackWrench?" "Yes, my name's Gadget HackWrench." "But I can swear, I heard master Alex calling you miss Lait yesterday..." "Its impossible, yesterday we were still on the airplane on the way to England..." Gadget said slowly. "Miss, I maybe am old mouse, but my eyes are still bright. If it wasn't you yesterday, then it was your twin." Wellington looked at Gadget. "I do not have any..." Gadget suddenly went silent. Others looked one at other. "Do you ponder, what I am pondering?" Dale asked into cartoonish voice. "Stop goofing!" Chip hissed. "Its that Lawainee girl!" "You mean that devil, we ran into at our Hawaii adventure, mates?" Jack straightened. "I didn't thank her warm enough about my burned tail that time..." He added threateningly. "But she cant..." Gadget whispered. "She played you once! Sure she can! And its a perfect revenge for her!" Chip shouted. " They looked for you for a some time all over the world, and she may meet them!" "Excuse me, about what are you worrying?" Wellington asked. "How fast we will get to the castle?" "In a twenty minutes, if lady will not stop to talk with her bridge partners." "You said, Alex and miss Lait, who looked exactly as our Gadget, went to castle yesterday?" Chip asked. "Can't they read the testimony already?" "No. Old master Frensis is the carrier of the old lady's will, and he left to London two days ago. He will be back tomorrow, but I heard, it will be done only after all the relatives will get together. That means a few more days." "Thank G-d for small favours." "Miss HackWrench?" the young girl into the servants dress bowed to the Rangers. "Master Frensis didn't expect you arrive so fast, he still is into London, but master Alex is here. He is waiting for you to arrive into the library." "Was here anotehr girl like her?" Chip asked, pointing at Gadget, who at the moment was looking at the interior of the big entrance hall for humans. "You will see." "Was or wasn't?" Dale insisted. "I am really sorry, but I cant answer. Please follow me." Rangers can only obey. They walked though quite a few passages, created between the wooden panels and stone walls of the castle, ascended two staircases, and finally entered into one room, that was big enough for human child, but was furnitured for the needs of the animals. First that they noticed, was fact, that the interior wasn't the usual - made together from what comes at hand, like matches-boxes, paper stickers and likes - but a piece of the craftmanship. Then their attention focused on the two that were sitting into chairs at the far side of hall. Man had rise to feet when they entered, but the rangers attention was focused on the woman that remained sitting. It was like the mirror - Gadget was looking at herself. At her doppelganger. Silence was deafening. At last, Lawainee bowed her head. "Greetings, Sister," she said quietly. |