4. Kylie Brings Some News

They were actually managing not to talk about anything horrible while eating, although a strange silence lay over the table. Rat's presence simply didn't fit. He didn't say a word while eating, as if trying not to be there, and with a look into his red eyes one could tell he was the one feeling least comfortable. Then, there was Felicity Fox, eating without watching their visitor, her eyes fixed on her dish with an icy expression. The boys obviously didn't know where to look. Mr. Fox, at the beginning, tried to start a conversation, asking them about their school trip, but that conversation died after a few sentences, and they went on eating in silence.

Mrs. Fox was getting up to serve the dessert, when Kylie bumped in.

"It's incredible! It's horrible!" he cried, panning a newspaper. "It's absolutely … Good lord, it's Rat!"

"Thank you," Rat said calmly. "They might not have noticed."

Kylie stared at him, let the newspaper fall, and tried to hide behind Mr. Fox' armchair.

"No, no, no!" he wept. Mr. Fox shook his head.

"Kylie, get out there. Everything's ok."

"But he's Rat, and he's dead, and he's sitting at your table, and eating pudding!"

"It's actually crème brûlée," Rat informed him laconically.

"And eating crème … what?"

"Now stop that, both of you. As you can see, Kylie, Rat isn't dead at all, but you're right about he's sitting at my table …"

"And eating crème pudding," Kylie stammered, already resignated.

"As you can see. But what's that horrible, incredible thing you wanted to tell us?"

Kylie picked up his newspaper, and handed it to Mr. Fox.

"They're worried," he said. "And actually, it's about rats. It even might be him!"

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Kylie, and you better change that. Who is worried about what?"

He took a look at the newspaper headings.

"Good lord," he said.

"That's what I say," Kylie answered. "It's about this tremendous, dangerous, ugly, horrible lab rat that escaped, and they're searching it everywhere, and don't know what illnesses it might transmit, and … It might as well be him!"

He pointed to Rat, shaking.

"I'm not a lab rat, just for your information," Rat said between two spoons of crème brûlée. "Although you might be right about 'tremendous' and 'dangerous.'"

"Watch that photo," Mr. Fox said, showing him the newspaper. "That is Fang."

"That is who?" Kylie repeated perplexed.

"We actually met him," Mr. Fox explained.

"We actually met him? I never did!"

"Now sit down, Kylie, and have a dish of crème brûlée, and I'll tell you everything that's going on."

"This is a bad day," Kylie said, close to crying. "This is a really bad day."

"It might get better when eating your dessert," Rat told him.

"This is just as evil as a thunderstorm!" Kylie sighed, while Felicity Fox appeared to serve him his dish of crème brûlée, and then disappeared with the boys into their room.

Some minutes later, Kylie was up to date, but that didn't really reconfort him. He kept looking at Rat as if he was watching a ghost, then looked back at the newspaper. Mr. Fox watched both of them, thoughtfully. He had read the article concerning Fang once and again, and so had Rat, and when Mr. Fox had finished his summary of what had happened, for a while only Kylie's confused weeping could be heard.

"So, this mysterious big lab rat has been seen here, outside the canalisation," Mr. Fox said finally.

"He's enormous," Kylie said.

"You've seen him?" Rat asked.

"No," admitted Kylie, "but in the article it says he's enormous, and so did you, and Mr. Fox."

"I guess there's no reason to worry," Rat said. "If he showed up here, he will leave again. If he won't leave on his own, Boggis, Bunce, or Bean, will have him killed in an instance. What is there to be worried about?"

"I wouldn't be that sure," Mr. Fox said. "After all, we did escape from Boggis, Bunce and Bean, and I don't suppose Fang is planning to steal cider and chickens. It's probable they don't even notice he's around. And if he finds food somewhere else, such as garbage … or school kids …"

"This is awful!" Kylie complained.

"Exactly. And it is why we've got to do something about it. I don't want this freaky beast to touch a single member of my family. I will do something."

"Oh, you're gonna do something." Rat laughed sneeringly. "Very well. Now let me tell you, my dear Fox, there's no doubt that you're really smart, and that you can dig very well, and even have a good-loking wife, but this time it's not about digging. What do you possibly expect to do about this creature? You've seen once that you can't take him. Tell me your big, witty plan, I'm really excited."

"I see, this is Rat as we know him," Mr. Fox commented. "Now let me tell you, my very dear Rat, my big and witty plan. It is very simple. We defeated the farmers because we fought all together. And that is what we're going to do again. Kylie, we must have all the neighborhood join in the big hall, and talk about our strategy. And as for you, Rat, you'll be with us, whether you want it or not."

"Do you seriously believe that anybody's goin' to accept me?" Rat said. "And I wouldn't say you actually defeated anyone. You just stayed alive."

"However," Mr. Fox replied. "You're in. Because you know that Fang better than we all do. And then again, you're both rats."

For a very short moment, Rat bared his teeth, and Mr. Fox rose his arms in a conciliatory gesture.

"Well, not that I'm comparing you to him, but you might understand better than us his way of thinking and behaving."

"Don't think I do!" Rat said defiantly. "He's not behavin' like a rat. He's more like a predator. And if he's a lab rat, he must have been highly alterated by technology, medicine, whatever."

"However, you managed to escape him several times. And you faced him once. Why wouldn't you face him again? And this time, you won't be on your own."

Rat looked at him, distrustfully.

"That's what you say now. And what if you and your fine friends let me down in the last moment? After all, I'd just be another dead rat, wouldn't I?"

"That's exactly what you said the other day," Kylie exclaimed, turning to Mr. Fox, who sighed.

"One more time, Kylie: Thank you for your subtle and sensitive way to support me in discussions."

Kylie smiled. "You're welcome!"

Mr. Fox turned back to Rat.

"In the end, I don't see your problem about this. You aren't afraid of this Fang, are you?"

"It's not that I'm afraid," Rat hissed. "It's just that I'm no team worker. And I don't fit into your nice and workin' team of neighbors, friends and whatsoever, Fox. I do things on my own. I always did. And better it was."

"Yeah, but things change," Mr. Fox replied. "Look at yourself. Where did you get on your own? First into drinking. Then into sewerage. I guess things could turn out in a much better way for you, couldn't they?"

"You made me get into sewerage. If not for you, I'd still be there, sipping my cider, peacefully."

"Yes. But as you have noticed yourself, now that you're got away from cider, your reactions are much better. And I wouldn't have brought you into sewerage if I had known you were alive. So, be a little more cooperative, and do consider this: If we don't defeat Fang, where will you go? Back into sewerage? I can tell you don't want to. You're a rotten and miserable rat, but you aren't a sewer rat, and you've seen for yourself how that place nearly killed you. So, where then? Back to Bean's cider cellar? I don't think so, either. Because you already left that behind."

"What's your point, Fox?"

"My point is that for the moment, your only option is to stay with us, and help us fight Fang. He's a danger to everybody, and also to you. You can't trap him alone, and neither can we. But we might if we join forces. And afterwards, we'll see how to handle your case."

"My case?" Rat said. "You're jokin'? There's no such 'my case'. And nobody's goin' to handle it. You're right, I don't want to go back there. But I'll see for myself where to go instead." He paused and stared defiantly at Mr. Fox, who stared back. Kylie ducked his head. Finally, Rad said: "However, I'm in, just as you say. But don't expect me to be a team worker. I never was."

"We'll see that," Mr. Fox replied. "Just consider that if you're with us, and honestly, we'll be with you. And nobody is going to let you down."

"As true as you are the fantastic Mr. Fox?" Rat said ironically.

"As true as I am the fantastic Mr. Fox," Mr. Fox reinforced.