DANGER MOUSE

THE NEXT EPISODE

WRITTEN BY ZARIUS

(Contains spoilers for "For Your Insides Only" and "The Scardy Mouse Project")

Penfold wanted to press his feet on the grass outside on the grounds of the hospital garden. They say it's most therapeutic.

Mind you, all of the patients who have said that to him have been Danger Agents struggling with near life-threatening injuries or an illness, pressing your feet down on solid earth is usually a trend for those struggling to make it through the final stages of life and desiring a simple pleasure.

Penfold wasn't dying, he just felt like dying.

He nursed the top of his head, still wrapped in bandages, looking for a lump, a bruise, anything to remind him he'd been through hell in Danger Mouse's body.

He wanted his cowardly nerves to start tingling so he could rush straight back into bed and rely on the nurses and doctors to calm him with special medicines and transfusions.

But no, this was the phase of his stay where the confidence was there again and the body was becoming durable again, containing his lively spirit was once more exclusively its main responsibility, not the people taking care of him at the hospital.

The door clicked open and in walked Professor Squawkencluck with a table packed with the usual daily trinkets. A piece of bacon, some cereal, milk and a newspaper.

"Last day in the ward Penfold" she said in a spirited and cheerful voice.

"Yeah, I suppose I can't keep the Chief waiting any longer" Penfold replied.

"Oh he's still recovering himself, he probably hasn't even noticed how long you've been locked up in here" she said, handing Penfold the newspaper as he clambered back into bed.

Penfold switched the television on with the remote control and flicked through the numerous television channels, settling on one showing a vintage rerun of an old soap opera.

"DM will kick himself for neglecting the weekend" he said.

"Why?"

"They're usually the days he reviews all of his missions like they were episodes, he analyses them meticulously. Every detail, every bit of body language, just so he can maintain exactly the same level of performance during the next few sequences of events over the week"

"Perhaps that's why he developed an allergy to his own heroism...he was trying to stay static and maintain his status quo, but the body is ever changing and adapting to different climates and situations. It ages, and in doing so, information is gained as well as lost. There's an old saying that some people have forgotten more in their lives than young or ignorant people have ever managed in their own lifetimes, and that saying applies to hardened veterans"

"I think you might be right there Professor, The chief wants to be consistent, but even he can't stop the changes in the system, everything has to upgrade otherwise it trails behind, and ultimately the old ways stop working, and the larger engine you're running on stops altogether"

Squawkencluck sat next to Penfold on the edge of the bed, her legs crossed and her arms spread across the bed, she leaned over to Penfold with a look of distinct interest.

"So, since you've got a few hours to spare in here before you're discharged, how about we talk about the body language you've picked up on?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Way back when you were trying to frighten Danger Mouse, you disguised yourself as me using a hard light holo project and set yourself upon him quite instinctively, using traits I recognised in myself"

"Oh crumbs that was embarrassing...you should have seen the look on your face" Penfold replied.

"I was a little annoyed obviously, but only because it embarrassed me in front of DM, it's a side of myself I rarely let anyone at work see...so I'm curious as to how you were able to pick up on my nuances so well...unless you too have been studying me on and off"

"Trust me Professor, I can't begin to think how you function, that was all guess work really" Penfold said, wincing and hoping the Professor would buy into his bluff.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you how appreciative I am that someone can make such a good guess about me. Just make sure to save it for a special occasion next time"

Penfold gulped.

A special occasion? He thought.

What did she mean by that?

Penfold could feel a migraine come over him; perhaps this was his cowardly instincts resurfacing again after all.

As he felt his heart and his head suddenly shoot into orbit, Penfold really could do with a piece of solid earth beneath his feet right about now.

His mind couldn't help but drift towards thoughts of when the occasion would occur, what tomorrow, and the next episode, would bring.