Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers

"Sisters" part twelve.

Written by Aivars Liepa

Characters herein are © Walt Disney corporation. Distribute freely, but do not modify.

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			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.