Killing that nurse mouse was more fun than I had had in a very long time. They found her later that night, when the cleaning lady went to get her mop. The murder was in the paper the next day. "Unknown Assailant Murders Young Female Nurse. The body of a Miss Felicia Marianne was found in a supply closet yesterday at London's Mammal and Other Mental Facility drenched in her own blood. Investigators claimed she was tortured, but not raped before finally bleeding to death…there is a ten pound reward that the hospital is offering for the capture of her killer."
Wow! Ten pounds offered out for little me? I was actually given a sense of self-worth from reading that article. It was front page to! It was also a change from the usually front page containing some new crime done by some rat, or something like that. I never cared much to read about him, Professor Ratwin? Umm…Ratfink? No, it's…Ratigan! That's it! Professor Ratigan!
No one had any idea that it was me who killed her. I mean, the place was full of 'crazies.' It had been about a week since I killed the nurse mouse and now I was spending a relaxing night resting on the roof of the building, a hospital watch mouse watching me as I stretched out and yawned, being bathed by the moonlight. It was so relaxing.
Since the incident I had decreased my eating a lot. I now ate maybe once a night, about four hundred or so mosquitoes, or about that weight in other bugs (compared to normal eating habit for a bat my age which is about a thousand mosquitoes). I was now extremely skinny, but I liked it that way. It was easier to sneak away from the watch mouse when I could fit easily through the small window bars.
I was starting to drift off to sleep when I heard a noise behind me. I turned around quickly just in time to see the watch mouse fall to the ground, his throat slit. I quickly hopped up, bearing my fangs, spreading my wings, and slightly hissing. Before I knew what hit me, something hard hit me. A terrible stench came from the glass bottle that had shattered up against my head, a shard of glass cutting a slight tare on my large ear. The bottle didn't knock me down, though it did startle and confuse me, but the stench did. Before I knew what was going on, I was lying on the ground with a large dark figure standing over me laughing, and then everything went black.
"Wake up…" I heard a deep maniacal voice hiss as I started to come to. "I thought bats slept during the day?" It squeaked followed by evil laughter. "Mmmm…" I groaned as I finally became aware of my aching head. "Where…?" "Your at the docks, not far from the sewer." "Who…?" "Allow me to introduce myself, I am the nefarious, genius Professor Ratigan!"
I couldn't believe my ears (I know what your thinking, and yes, I know there very big)! The most famous criminal in all of London had kidnapped me! After I gained my equilibrium, I jerked myself up and rushed to the very corner of the dock that I was now standing on. "Why did you bring me here!" I demanded. He only laughed. "Now come my dear Fidget, don't be so rude to your new employer." Employer? What was he talking about?
"I can tell you are confused," he began, "now let me explain myself. A week ago as I went to my den to read my newspaper, the front page to be about my newest crime ring, or so I had thought, well I was shocked to be reading a story about the murder of a young female nurse! After finishing it I just new that I must invite this killer to my 'workforce' and help me at my 'career.' Anyway, after discovering that the killer was you my dear Fidget I…" Cutting him short, I then asked, "how did you know?" Once again he laughed at me.
"You are a very rude little bat, but no worry, that can be easily corrected. Well to answer your question I had a 'friend' of mine at the police station to give me a picture of the crime scene. I noticed one small mark on the floor, perfectly round, obviously from a peg leg. I then had another 'friend' steal some records of the patients at the hospital, happy to find that there were only seven there with peg-legs. By studying the records more closely, I found that the one with the most violent tendencies was you, Fidget. Later I assured my suspicions by having your room examined by a doctor there who is another one of my 'friends,' who found your bloody hospital shirt stuffed in your mattress. I was also quite pleased to find that this was not your first killing, serial killers are so much more useful."
Useful? What was I to him, an item? I continued to listen, though annoyed by his comment. "So now Fidget, I have decided to ask you of your assistance in helping me become the most resounded, honored, rich, famous, and powerful criminal in all of history! Even though you did take my place as the headliner of the Daily Mouse London."
I was still confused, though I kind of got the whole ordeal. "Umm, I guess…" He smiled wickedly, "but you must do something for me." His smile turned to a frown, and I could tell he was getting angry. "No, no, no! It's not something big! Not for someone as amazing as you are!" I tried to sweet talk him; I could tell that he was not someone to be screwed with. He was not amused, yet he said, "what is it?" I was very relieved. "My sister, Ginger, is in jail, and I couldn't live if they put her to death, could you get her out?" He laughed again (I was getting used to him laughing at me), and said "is that all? Very well, I will free your Ginger, but not for free." I twitched my head to the side. "You must work loyally for me for the rest of your life, doing all that I ask of you no matter the extent of the crime, never cheat me out of my FIFTY percent earnings from whatever you may steal, whether I was the one who asked you to take it or not, and you must go to any extent, even risking your own life, to kill Basil of Baker Street."
Hearing that name after the words 'to kill' was the point were I knew this was what I wanted. I bowed respectively to the Professor, and then said, "Yes sir! As you wish boss." He once again, laughed (God knows why he is always so happy), and then told me, "Good, now come, I must show you where you will be working from now on." As he lead me into a pub, and from there into the sewers.
I learned much about the Professors hide out, but not much about him that day. That information would come later. I also learned that the bottle that cut my ear was filled with chloroform, and that cut never did heal. Anyway, I also got to meet my new bosses other thugs, mostly idiots only there for there strength. My new job would include stuff that needed some use of wits, which made me the professor's favorite 'employee.' I mean, I wasn't smart or anything like that, but compared to the others, I was a freakin' genius! This made them pissed at me, but they never tried anything, knowing that the Boss would be very angry.
I was also one of the only thugs who could read or write, which was also useful to my new boss. He did get Ginger out of jail, and she returned to our little tree house (it was much less fancy than the one I had imagined during my breakdown). It was a two story, two bedrooms and a kitchen on top, one bedroom, a living room, and a bathroom on the bottom floor. I also continued to live at our old home, Ginger perfectly fine with my new career. In fact, she was actually pleased 'cause I made so much money that she quite the gang, putting some male mouse in charge, and spent most of her time studying to become a doctor (to care for Kye).
And that's my new life. It was going like this for about another seven months (I was now thirteen) until I met someone who has changed my life ever since. Her name is Angel.
Authors Note: Basil, Fidget, and Ratigan all belong to Disney, but everyone else belongs to me. The new character to be introduced, Angel, is based on the incredible female pirate character Lillian Bates, copyrighted by Reyelene. Her permission was assured before deciding to use her character as a model.