Disclaimer: I don't own Cats, but I own Elijah. He's mine!
A/N: I'm back with another story! This is what happened before another story of mine called Pulling on the Heartstrings. If you haven't read Pulling on the Heartstrings, this story will be all the harder to relate to. I suggest you read that first. Anyway, I liked Elijah a lot, and I did mention in Pulling on the Heartstrings that there was a relationship between him and Rumpleteazer. I felt I did it an injustice by leaving it out and up in the air. This is the story of that relationship. Enjoy!
"We 'ave nowhere else ta go. This is tha' only option fo' us. We're desperate fo' a bettah loife than on tha' streets." Mungojerrie repeated to himself in his mind as he led his sister, Rumpleteazer, down a narrow, dark ally. He could barely see a thing and had to feel along the rough brick wall with one paw while holding his sister's paw with the other. They were following a black and white-patched tom who had convinced them that working for the infamous Macavity was the best thing that would ever happen to them.
At this point, Mungojerrie was ready to believe him. Starved, sick, and beaten down, anything was better than living on the unsanitary, dangerous streets of London. It was like a miracle sent down to them by the Everlasting Cat Himself that the tom the calico pair was currently following found them and offered them this job at all. He said that Macavity was looking for cats to hire, and the pair was so desperate for a better life that they didn't hesitate to accept. They didn't care that they were about to go to work for the worst cat in history, as long as it meant they would have food, water, and a roof over their heads.
The tall, lanky tom they were following abruptly stopped, and the pair almost collided into him. He gave them an angry glare as he unclipped a set of keys that were on his black leather belt. The two calicos shrunk back a bit in fear. The tom turned his attention to the lock on the door they were standing in front of and quickly unlocked it. He pushed it open and ushered the two cats inside, glancing behind him to make sure they weren't being followed.
Satisfied, the tom poked his head back inside and let the heavy metal door slide shut behind him. He looked at the two cats that were standing in front of him and shook his head with disappointment. "Two flea-bitten, wide-eyed siblings that I've picked up off the street are all that I have for ol' Mac's recruiting mission? He'll be so displeased. It's better than nothing, though, so they'll just have to do."He thought as he looked them over once more in the brighter light of the multiple bulbs on the ceiling.
They were both calico, being orange, black, and white. The tom of the two looked like a tiger than anything else, though. His sister didn't share the same tiger-striped pattern, but she looked very much like her brother. Despite the interesting coat patterns, it was what was beneath the fur that worried him. They were both much too thin for his liking, with their rib cages clearly visible beneath their dirty, matted fur. They showed little muscular build of any kind, but he knew the tom would build muscle and fill out easily with the proper care and training.
He concluded the tom had potential as a henchcat, but the queen he wasn't so sure about. She clung to her brother's arm like a frightened child would to its mother, and she was constantly shivering. It looked to him like she had a cold. The queen let out a quiet sneeze as if to confirm his suspicion. She glanced around the concrete building they were in like she was afraid something might jump out and grab her at any moment.
Deciding to take a chance with her, the black and white tom finished his observation and spoke. "What are your names?"It was the second thing he had said to them during their whole journey to Macavity's hideout.
The calico tom answered. "Oi'm Mungojerrie, an' this is moi sistah, Rumpleteazah. Whot's yours?"He said in a hoarse voice while he motioned to his sister beside him. Rumpleteazer nodded in confirmation.
"It doesn't matter. Don't say anything beyond the answer to the question you're asked."The black and white tom stated flatly. He hated polite cats. He motioned for them to follow and started walking down a hall lined with jail cells.
Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer followed him without hesitation while throwing the occasional glance into the dark cells. Rumpleteazer looked up at her brother with an uncertain expression. "Ya don' think we'll end up in one o' those cells, do ya 'Jerrie? Oi'd 'ate ta be in jail!"She whispered while keeping her gaze fixed straight ahead.
"You will end up in jail if you don't shut up."The tom leading them spoke harshly without turning around. 'Jerrie's upper lip twitched like he wanted to let out a hiss at that comment, but he held himself back. It was no use getting kicked out before they even started.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, the trio reached an ordinary-looking wooden door. The tom knocked on the door and waited for a reply. A gruff "enter" was heard from the other side of the door, and he gently pushed it open and stepped inside. 'Jerrie and 'Teazer followed.
They stood near the door while the black and white tom walked up to a beaten up, stained wooden desk that was covered with scattered yellowed papers and a few maps. He waited for the ginger tom sitting at the desk to take notice of him.
A few moments passed and the ginger tom looked up from the map he was currently studying. He raised a furry eyebrow when he took in what was behind his henchcat. "That is all you found? A couple of mangy strays? I suppose they were at rock bottom when you found them, weren't they?"He said with a hint of disapproval in his voice.
"Yes, Macavity, Sir."The black and white tom replied. He avoided his boss' scrutinizing glare by staring at the gray-painted wall behind him.
Macavity shifted his gaze to the cats behind him. "You two. Come here."He commanded curtly as the tom stepped aside for the pair. 'Jerrie and 'Teazer slowly padded up to the desk as Macavity continued to stare at them. They stopped when they were about two feet away from the desk and waited. The ginger tom silently stood up from his chair and circled the pair, observing them. 'Teazer felt like she and 'Jerrie were being judged like they were pieces of meat for sale. She shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably as he came around to her side. He eyed her up and down, just like the other tom did back in the hallway.
Completing his circle, Macavity sat back down at his desk and was quiet for a few moments. 'Jerrie felt a heavy silence blanket the room, and he felt the tension building up inside him.
When he thought he couldn't stand it any longer, the ginger tom spoke. "They have potential. I'll keep them. Tell me, what are your names?"He asked in a cooler, calmer voice.
Mungojerrie answered again. "Mungojerrie. Moi sistah 'ere is Rumpleteazah."He said. He knew better now than to say anything more this time.
Macavity gave a half-hearted smirk. "Interesting names. You will earn your keep here by committing various crimes such as stealing, assassination, blackmail, and the like. But right now you are in no condition to do anything of the sort. Casey here will show you where you will be sleeping and eating. After you get yourselves settled, Casey will hand you off to Elijah, one of our top security personnel. He will take care of you from there. When he deems you are healthy enough, come back here and I will explain your jobs in further detail. You are not allowed out of this building unless you have authorized permission to do so. Do I make myself clear?"He asked, his voice taking on a military-like essence.
"Y-yes, Sah."Rumpleteazer answered for both of them. She wrinkled her nose up and let out a sneeze as she and her brother turned to leave. Casey stayed where he was.
Macavity's head shot up at the unexpected sound and he narrowed his acid yellow eyes at her. "Before you take these two to their quarters, Casey, make sure they see the healer. I don't want the whole fleet getting infected. Oh, yes, one more thing you two," He added as the pair turned back to face him. "Do not move until I, or whoever is in command of you, says you are dismissed. You are dismissed."He stated with his tone tinted in irritation. As much as he hated rookies, he knew he would have to deal with them if it meant much-needed henchcats would replace the ones he lost.
Casey led the pair of calicos out the room and to the right, where they had come from. He stopped at another wooden door that 'Jerrie hadn't noticed before. This time, though, Casey didn't bother knocking. He just pushed the door open and motioned them inside.
Once inside, the pair took in the small room. The first thing they noticed was that it had a strange scent. The smell reminded 'Jerrie of a drunken tom's breath. A shiny metal sink jutted out of the brick wall that was opposite to a short counter also made of the same material. Above the metal counter were a few white cabinets that had different labels taped onto them, but neither cat could make out what was scrawled on them. A stout, brown tom sat at the counter in a wooden chair.
He looked up as he heard the trio come in. "What can I do for you, Casey? Oh, I see we have new charges!"He exclaimed pleasantly as he noticed 'Jerrie and 'Teazer behind him. "Hello, I'm Dr. Stanley. Everyone just calls me "Healer", though. Easier to remember, I guess. The toms around here aren't very bright."He whispered as if he were telling a secret. Casey let out a low growl at that last comment, which just seemed to amuse him even more. Healer motioned for the pair to come into the light of the three light bulbs dangling from the ceiling.
'Jerrie shrugged and came into the better light, followed by his sister. Dr. Stanley checked him over quickly, prodding him every now and then. Finding nothing of concern, he made him open his mouth. Dr. Stanley looked down his throat, and when he was done, he patted 'Jerrie's shoulder and stepped back. "You're jim-dandy, my friend."He said with a smile, but it faded as he took in 'Jerrie's confused expression. "You're fine; healthy. Let me check your uhh, friend here."He explained as he moved on to 'Teazer, who was waiting patiently beside her brother.
"She's moi sistah. 'Er name's Rumpleteazah, an' Oi'm Mungojerrie."'Jerrie corrected the doctor. He got an absentminded nod as a response as Healer was busy looking down 'Teazer's throat.
When he was finished, he crossed his arms and looked up at her. "I'm afraid you have a case of the common cold, missy. Not to worry, I have something that will help."Dr. Stanley reassured her as he turned around and rummaged through his cabinet. After a few seconds, he let out an "aha!" and turned around with a dark bottle and a clean spoon in paw.
He unscrewed the bottle cap and poured a pale yellow liquid onto the spoon. He held it up to 'Teazer's mouth. She took one sniff of it and recoiled from it like it would bite her.
"Don't worry, it's just medicine. It will make that sore throat of yours feel better in no time."The doctor told her with an encouraging smile.
'Jerrie patted his sister reassuringly on her back as she straightened up and let the doctor feed her the medicine. She grimaced as the bitter taste of the syrup entered her mouth, but she swallowed it anyway.
Dr. Stanley put the medicine away as he fired off instructions for her. "Don't go outside, and keep yourself hydrated. That means drink lots of water. If that throat of yours gets any worse, come straight back to me. You should be fine in a week or so. Now you three may go, I'm sure you're tired and would like some rest. Good night."He explained cheerily as he started washing the spoon.
Casey nodded towards the pair and walked out of the room without saying a word. His new charges followed suit. He led them down the same hall they had just come through, past Macavity's office, and they rounded a corner to end up in a new corridor. This one was long and straight, and had countless doors lining it. All were shut, and the hall was completely silent, except for the sound of the trio's footsteps against the concrete floor.
Mungojerrie figured all these doors led to rooms, judging by the tiny, black numbers on them. He wondered if he and his sister would be staying in one of these. He decided to ask. "'Ey, Casey, is this where moi sistah an' Oi will be sleepin'?"He questioned the tom in front of them, hoping for a yes.
Just like last time, Casey kept his eyes fixed in front of him as he answered. "No. This is where sentries and security personnel sleep."He stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
'Jerrie pouted in disappointment, but kept walking. The rest of the trip down the hall was spent in silence.
At last, they reached the end of the corridor. The chatter of multiple cats and clanking of metal utensils reached 'Teazer's ears as she looked around for the source of the sudden noise. She turned her head to the right and saw that the hall opened up to a large room with long wooden tables. At these tables sat rows of other cats of all colours and sizes. They were predominantly toms, but she spotted a few queens here and there. She could smell the enticing aroma of food wafting from the far side of the room, where she saw it was being cooked. She wanted to go in there so badly and get something to eat, but Casey kept his pace and walked right past the room. She thought she heard him mutter something about the room being called a cafeteria, but the chatter of the other cats almost drowned his voice out, so she wasn't sure.
They continued on straight down another short hallway, only to stop at another corner. This corner had a huge set of metal double-doors in it. The pair looked to their left down the last long corridor, but the only thing of interest was a door at the other end.
Curious, 'Teazer started to walk towards it, but Casey roughly grabbed her shoulder, preventing her from going any further. "Where do you think you're going? We're not going down there; this is where you and your brother will be sleeping."Casey said as he motioned his head towards the huge metal doors in front of him.
'Teazer shook his paw off her shoulder and turned towards the doors, but threw a sidelong glance at that mysterious door at the other end of the hall. "Whot's be'oind tha' door down tha'?"She asked as Casey went to push the metal doors open.
"That's none of your concern. Get inside."He grunted as he got one door open. 'Jerrie and 'Teazer did as they were told before the door shut behind them. The room they entered was as big as the cafeteria, if not larger. Columns of small bunk-beds standing four beds tall and ten beds long lined each side of the concrete room. Many cats were also in here, laying in their beds or standing around, talking. They paid no attention to the three cats that had just entered.
Wordlessly, Casey led them down the left side of the room, along the seemingly endless columns of beds. He stopped at the last column, and pointed at the two top-most beds. "Those are yours. Do not sleep in anyone else's bed, or you will face consequences."He glared at 'Teazer when he said this. She gave him a confused look in response, as she had no idea what he was implying. 'Jerrie gently nudged her with his elbow and raised an eyebrow at her with a small smirk.
She glanced at him and her face lit up as she caught on, but then formed a disgusted expression as she mouthed "eww" and started to climb the ladder that went up to her bed. She crawled onto the very top bunk and lay down with a yawn. She glanced down and saw that Casey had disappeared.
'Jerrie looked around for him as well as he climbed the ladder and crawled into his bed, but he couldn't find him. Shrugging it off, he put his head down and closed his eyes. After a few moments, he felt someone tugging at his tail that was draped over the side of the bed. He gave a start and tried to sit up, but banged his head on the metal bottom of the bed above him. He heard 'Teazer giggle as he rubbed his aching forehead. He glared down angrily at the cat that had disturbed him.
Turns out, it was a lean, charcoal-black tom that was a little shorter than him. He was wearing the same belt as Casey, only his had a tiny fanny pack attached to it on the side where his hip was. He smirked up at him and his sky-blue eyes twinkled with amusement. "This mus' be Eloijah..."'Jerrie thought as he yanked his tail out of the tom's reach.
'Teazer smiled down at the black tom and spoke her brother's thoughts. "You mus' be Eloijah, roight? Oi'm Rumpleteazah, and this peeved tom down tha' is moi brothah, Mungojerrie. Noice ta meet ya!"She said politely, still chuckling.
Elijah craned his neck to look up at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. You're right, I am Eloijah,"He smiled, imitating 'Teazer's accent. "It's going to be my job to take care of you two and get you up to snuff about what goes on around here. Right now, though, you two must be hungry. I snuck something from the cafeteria for you guys."He explained as he unzipped his fanny pack.
The pairs' eyes grew wide as Elijah pulled two grilled mice from it. He threw one up to each of them, and they ate it like ravenous wolves. He grinned as he licked his own paw of mouse grease and zipped his pack up.
When they were done, 'Teazer was the first to speak. "Thanks so much! Tha' was tha' best meal we've 'ad in days! Whot ah' we goin' ta do now?"She asked with another yawn.
Eliajh didn't hesitate to acknowledge her sleepiness. "You're both going to get some sleep. It's time for lights out, anyway. See you guys in the morning."He said as he turned and made his way to the front of the room, where the metal doors were. As 'Jerrie looked after him, he noticed that the rest of the beds had become occupied during their conversation. All the henchcats were ready to go to sleep. He turned his attention to the front of the room, where Elijah stood by a small row of light switches on the wall next to the doors.
"Attention!"He shouted in a manner that reminded 'Jerrie of a drill sergeant he had once seen when he was passing by a military compound. All the quiet buzz of conversation around him immediately ceased, and the room became dead-silent. "All those on cleaning duty and mission briefing tomorrow morning will wake at dawn! Shut up, and go to sleep!"Elijah's rich, tenor voice echoed throughout the compound. His tone still sounded like a drill sergeant's. He shut the lights off one by one, and the room became dark as pitch.
When 'Jerrie heard the metal door slam shut, his face contorted in a sneer, like he had never been talked to rudely like that. "Well tha' wasn't verey noice..."He muttered under his breath. He gave a start as he was attacked by multiple, harsh "shhh's"from all directions. When the other cats settled down and the episode was over, he closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.